Disclaimer: See prologue.
AN: soooo we still have some readers?
and on another note, you should know that I have published my original fiction. epub anyways. It's available at Smashwords and is shipping to all retailers this week. I currently have 25% sample for free and it's only 99 cents to buy right now, if you're interested, let me know, I'll send you the link. or you can go to my profile page and follow the links. It's been "shipped" to all major retailers. The book is called Cursed. the author is C.D. Blaire so look for it on any ebooks site. let me know what you think.
thanks
... ... ...
Ever wonder about what he's doing
How it all turned to lies
Sometimes I think that it's better
to never ask why
Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You gotta get up and try and try and try
Kenzie gasped as she shot straight up, looking around as though Elijah would still be there. She paused, realizing she was on the couch, inside her house and she wondered how she got there. Elijah had not been invited into her house and she had a feeling he would have left her on the porch for someone to find her.
She reached out for the nearest lamp and turned it on, squinting against the harsh light. She rolled off the couch, landing on all fours as she tried to gather her bearings. She had died, Elijah had killed her and yet, here she was, alive and well, meaning what Katherine had told her was true. Her ring did a lot more and if that part was true, who's to say what else she told her wasn't true. Perhaps she already died and was compelled to forget.
But the important question was still, how did she get inside her house? Had one of her friends found her? She looked around, not seeing any clues and pulled out her phone from in between her boobs, where she had put it after she left Damon's but there were no clues on there either. No one had called or texted.
The front door opened and her dad came in, looking surprised at seeing his daughter awake and in the living room, on her hands and knees.
"What's going on?" Darren asked. "Whose jacket is that?"
Kenzie gave her head a small shake as she pushed herself to her feet, rotating her neck as she did so to make sure there weren't any lasting effects. She took off Elijah's jacket, dropping it onto the couch in disgust.
"Damon's and nothing is going on, I fell asleep when I came home, rolled right off the couch just now. I'm going to go up to bed. Night Dad."
Kenzie rushed up the stairs into her room, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. Taking deep calming breaths, she reached for her light switch, her jaw dropping at the mess in her room. Granted it wasn't a huge mess, if her dad walked in here, he wouldn't have noticed but she was so meticulous about where everything was, she immediately could tell a few things were out of place.
She walked to her desk, straightening things out before moving to her dresser and doing the same, her hand hovering over the empty spot where her music box had been, the rings still inside.
"No." Kenzie hissed, whirling around to see if anything else was missing. Nothing else seemed out of place but on her pillow there was a piece of paper, her name written across it in fancy handwriting. She snatched it up to read it.
'There are some things you need to know about your family. Meet me in the old church by the cemetery tomorrow night. Come alone and unarmed'
Kenzie crumpled up the note in anger, before pulling out her phone. Her finger hovered above the speed dial to call Damon but she stopped herself, instead hitting the power button and shutting it off. There was nothing she could do right now except try and get some sleep and worry about meeting this anonymous person tomorrow. But before she did that, Kenzie made sure to write everything that happened in her diary. There was no way in hell she would forget this.
… … …
"Kenzie. Kenzie."
The redhead turned around to see Elena waving wildly at her as she rushed to catch up.
"I'm glad I found you before class. We're having a girls night tonight, would you like to come?" the brunette asked with a big smile.
"No thanks." Kenzie replied. "I have homework to do, plus I need to spend some time with my dad. What's with the girls night?"
Both girls started walking down the hall towards History before Elena answered. "Matt drama for Caroline and Bonnie lost her powers thanks to Elijah's witch so she's taking it kind of hard."
Kenzie frowned. "What happened with that? I mean, the dagger didn't take, so Elijah called the deal off, so why didn't he come for you, or anyone else?"
"He did." Elena replied. "I renegotiated, then I stabbed him. The trick was to keep the dagger in him."
Kenzie nodded, watching the other girl closely and from the sounds of it, no one else had a clue that Kenzie had died and she was okay with that at the moment.
"I heard you two were getting along yesterday." Elena said with a raised eyebrow.
"Elijah and myself? He was nice to me, that's about it. I'm sure he hates me too now."
Elena stopped her before entering the classroom. "Kenzie, are you okay? You just seem, a little different."
The redhead silently berated herself. She was a better actor than this, she couldn't let any of them know something was going on. She put on a big smile as she looked at Elena. "I'm fine, I was just catching up on some work and am soooo tired."
Elena nodded, seeming to buy that as they entered the classroom. "Oh, there's one more thing you should know. Katherine is out of the tomb now. When we killed Elijah, it broke the compulsion."
Kenzie met her eyes, the smile now gone. "That shouldn't affect me, I've never really interacted with her, now have I?"
"I-I know." Elena stumbled, looking down at her books. "I just wanted to give you the heads up."
"Noted." The redhead replied before slipping into her seat.
… … …
Later that evening, she was pacing her room, trying to decide if she should go to the church and meet the mysterious intruder or call for back up but she didn't know who she could trust at the moment.
After a few more minutes of pacing, she made up her mind. She was going to the church, alone. What's the worst that could happen? Someone would kill her? She didn't care before and now, she would just come back to life, so really, what was the risk?
She ran down the steps with determination and opened the front door, stopping when she saw Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, and Jenna on her porch, Elena's hand poised to knock.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"Well." Elena started, shooting a grin at the other girls. "We saw your dad's car wasn't here but your bedroom light was on and decided to kidnap you."
"You look like you're already going out." Caroline said. "You better not be going to see Damon."
"Wait." Jenna cried. "Why would Kenzie go see Damon of all people? I mean, what about Andie?"
"She meant in the friend capacity." Kenzie assured her. "Look, ladies, I'm really not-"
"About to say no to us?" Caroline cut her off. "We know. You're coming with us and we're going dancing."
"Do I get a say, whatsoever?"
"Nope." Bonnie replied as her and Elena each grabbed a hand and pulled Kenzie out of the house. They all piled into Elena's car and went to the Mystic Grill where Caroline said there was a live band playing.
When they entered, the place was packed, the band playing on stage. The girls stopped to listen and check it out when Jenna made a noise, seeing Alaric across the room.
"Ugh, I need a drink."
She disappeared towards the bar, leaving the teens alone.
"Hi Matt." Caroline said with a big smile as he walked towards them.
But the quarterback just walked by, completely ignoring them.
"Things just got real awkward." Bonnie observed.
"What am I supposed to do?" Caroline cried.
"He said the balls in your court." The witch reminded her.
"Yeah, but I can't do anything about it."
"Sure you can." Kenzie piped up. "you go over there and just tell him."
Caroline shook her head. "But I'm still keeping so many secrets."
"Alaric's in the same boat with Jenna and maybe that's our mistake. We're trying to protect the people that we love by keeping them out of it, but in the end, we're hurting them anyway." Elena suggested.
"Honestly, I came around pretty quick, who's to say Jenna, or Matt won't?" Kenzie asked.
Caroline nervously chewed her lip before coming to a decision. She took off her jacket and handed it to Bonnie before rushing up to the stage where the band had just finished a song.
"Hey, everybody." Caroline grabbed the mic and addressed the crowd. "Let's hear it for the band!"
Jenna, who had just joined them with a shot in hand shook her head. "This isn't going to end well."
Weren't they awesome? So there's this guy. And, uh, he told me to tell him how I feel about him. Like it's so easy. Um, you know, just 'cause I talk a lot doesn't mean I always know what I'm actually talking about. Ah, like now, I'm feeling loopy and I don't really know how to express myself."
The lead singer went to take the mic away but she grabbed it from him as an idea popped into her head. "I can sing."
"Sing?" Elena mouthed to the other two teens.
"Yeah! Yeah. You know what, I'm going to sing."
"Can she sing?" Kenzie asked.
"I- I don't know." Elena said with a small frown.
"Come on, off the stage." The Singer told her.
Caroline turned to him, speaking quietly and Kenzie knew she was compelling him. She smiled before thinking about what Damon had done to her and suddenly, the whole compelling thing that the vampires did really bugged her. Since when had she grown a conscience?
The band started playing and when Caroline started singing, the three teens exchanged a glance of surprise.
"She's good." Jenna said.
That was really an understatement because the blonde was amazing. Everyone there was staring at her in rapt attention. Suddenly, Matt was moving past them and up to the stage, grabbing Caroline and kissing her hard. The three teens watching clapped and grabbed each others arms as the crowd joined them, hooting and hollering at the couple. Matt dipped Caroline again before pulling her back up into another kiss. When they finally broke apart, Matt pulled Caroline off the stage and they disappeared into the crowd.
"Well then, onedown…." Kenzie trailed off with a small smirk.
Elena laughed. "Let them have their fun, they need it."
The remaining four went off to get some drinks before returning to the dance floor. After many dances, Elena pointed to the bathroom and left and Bonnie grabbed Kenzie, pulling her close.
"I need your opinion and I know you won't give me any BS." The witch explained. "I need to talk to Elena about- about Jeremy."
"Is he okay?" Kenzie asked, suddenly feeling bad that she hadn't talked to him lately. He would understand the whole compelling thing, he probably would have been a great help.
"he's fine, it's just that, Elena's my best friend, Jeremy is her little brother…." She trailed off and suddenly Kenzie understood what this was about.
"Oh my god, you and Jeremy? Nice."
"Really? Do you think Elena will be pissed?"
Kenzie emphatically shook her head. "Not in the least. I mean, even if she's a little weirded out at first, she's the type of person who would be nothing but happy."
Bonnie smiled, looking relieved. "You're right but I should go tell her."
"Yes, you should." Kenzie agreed. "I'll just go get another drink."
The redhead headed off to the bar to order some water and when she got it, she turned around, taking a gulp out of it. She watched with a small smile as Elena and Bonnie hugged, happy that it all worked for out them. She let her eyes scan over the crowd, stopping at someone watching her. She cocked her head to the side as a feeling of familiarity came over her and she watched as he stepped underneath the light so she could get a good look at him.
He was about Damon's height, broad shoulders and probably about the same age as Damon, appearance wise. He had auburn hair, a tinge of brown to it opposed to Kenzie's hair which was fiery red with some gold laced throughout it and all of a sudden it hit her and she knew, just knew who it was. Her eyes widened in disbelief, his name on her lips as she moved towards him, wanting to meet him.
A shower of sparks went off on her right as some of the lights exploded. Kenzie threw up her arms to shield herself as all the lights seemed to explode. When it was done, she opened her eyes and lowered her arms to find Jack gone and she spun around, trying to locate him again. She sighed, unable to find him as all the glass on the bar and tables exploded and fire erupted around her.
Kenzie turned again to see Elena and Stefan yelling out to the man that had saved them from the werewolves, begging him to stop and Kenzie briefly wondered when Stefan had gotten there. She had no idea what was going on but the fire grew and as she looked for an exit, she saw Caroline flying through the air, landing on the guy, her teeth bared to bite him. Caroline grabbed her head and began screaming in agony. Kenzie pushed through the remaining crowd to save her friend.
The man got up just as Matt reached him and pushed him up against the wall.
"Matt, no." Caroline screamed as the man grabbed a bottle, smashed it on the side of the table to break it then stuck it into the neck of Matt.
"No." Caroline continued screaming, ending with a sob as the guy still held onto Matt, digging the bottle in. Kenzie screamed, rushing them and taking a flying leap to at least knock the guy away from Matt. Then hands were grabbing her out of the air and she was pulled into somebody's arms. She knew it was a Vampire because she was out of the Grill and down the street way too fast. Kenzie was put down on her feet and she spun on her rescuer, her eyes blazing.
"My friends are in trouble." She snarled, trying to get back to the Grill.
"They will be fine, my only concern is you."
"My only concern is my friends, I have to go help them." She pushed past him to walk back.
"You will die." He cried.
Kenzie spun around again. "No I won't and you know I won't. This nifty little ring that you and Jill got your hands on all those years ago has guaranteed that even if I do, it won't take, I'll be back in a couple hours."
"I cannot allow this." Jack told her, a sad look on his face.
"Stop me." She challenged him.
The next thing she knew, she was thrown over his shoulders and moving faster than normal for any human. She was not placed back on her feet until she was inside her house.
"How did you get in here?" she snapped.
"I'm sorry but I compelled your father to let me in some time ago."
The tiny redhead took deep calming breaths before speaking again. "What are you doing here? I have friends who need my help. Why did you break into my house last night?"
"I wanted my ring." He explained. "it helps me move in the day. You did not show at our designated meeting place, so I left to find you. The male witch working with Elijah was mad with grief and I had to get you out of there before anything happened to you. You are my family."
Kenzie sighed, knowing she had to call someone to let them know what was going on but her curiosity over her ancestors was higher on her list at the moment.
"Where's Jill?"
"I do not know." He replied, looking worried. "She disappeared last night and I have been unable to find her."
"Why has it taken you so long to come and meet me?"
"Jill came to see you when you first arrived but that ended in disaster. I'm sorry that she bit you."
"That was her?" Kenzie asked in disbelief, her hand hovering above her neck and the long ago healed wound.
"We decided to lie low for the time being until we felt safe enough around humans. Then the fire happened and we were even more afraid. We were afraid of being discovered so we stayed hidden. Since then, we've been trying to find a way to approach you."
"Why did Jill leave?"
Jack sighed as he turned away, looking at the few pictures that were up of Kenzie and Mads. "We had a disagreement. She wanted to leave this place and never come back but I could not leave my family alone in this town. Especially one that is now caught up with everything supernatural in this town."
She crossed her arms, lifting her chin in defiance.
"Mackenzie, I must tell you, I do not know where Jill has gone or what she has planned and I fear she might be a danger to you right now until I can track her down."
"Great." Kenzie muttered. "What's she going to do? Kill me?"
"I will not allow that to happen."
"So the note was you. The phone is yours too?"
"Yes." He confirmed.
"You were in the Salvatore house?"
He looked angry at this. "Yes, you should not be with one of our kind."
"Who cares?" She cried. "My life, my choices."
"You are far too reckless."
"Again, my choices." She sighed. "Where are you staying right now?"
"An abandoned lake house."
"And blood?"
"Animals we can find."
"Which makes you weak. I'll get you some blood, from Damon."
"I do not think it smart for anyone to know we are here still." He replied.
"I think that we need your help with Klaus."
His head whipped to the front door and he took off out the back door just as her front door opened and Damon came barreling in.
"Red." He cried, seeing her and grabbing her arms, checking her over for injuries.
"Hey." She said. "Something wrong?"
"That doctor, the one who started all of this at the Grill is dead then we get a phone call from Caroline saying someone took you. I could've killed her for not telling anyone sooner."
"She was dealing with Matt. Understandable. Is he okay"
"No, it's not, yes and who took you?"
Kenzie sighed. It was Vampire speed that took her away and she couldn't bluff her way out of that one. "Jack. He was trying to protect me. You spooked him and he left."
He pulled her in for a hug, crushing her against his chest. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Yeah, I am." She pulled away, putting her hair back into place.
"Why did you invite him inside? What if he killed you?"
"I didn't. Dad was compelled to a few days ago and he took his ring last night."
"When? While you were at my place?"
"No, when I was-" She stopped remembering he had no clue what had happened. "Yes, I mean. When I was at your place. I got home fine, thanks for asking."
"I was at the lake house saving Elena."
"Lovely." She dryly replied. "Now, I have to finish my homework so I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" She walked towards the door and held it open, motioning for him to leave.
He walked towards the door, standing in front of her and giving her a weird look. "Are you okay redbird?"
"Peachy." She replied.
"Liar." He all but sang.
She sent him an annoyed look. "I'm fine."
"Stop lying." He told her with a raised eyebrow, leaning against the door now.
She scowled.
"Look, I have a favor to ask you." He glanced out the door before closing it and grabbing her hand, pulling her up the stairs. When they were in her room, he pulled something out of his pocket.
"What's that?" She asked.
He held it up and it looked like some kind of rock. "The moonstone. I took it off of Elijah when we stabbed him. We need to keep this hidden and since Katherine is staying in our house, I'd rather it be somewhere safe, with someone I trust."
Her eyes shot up to his in shock. "You don't trust anyone."
"True." Damon agreed "but if I did, it would be you. Not to mention, no one would ever guess that you had it, You're one of the normal ones." He lifted her hand, placing the moonstone in it and closing her fingers around it. "Hide it somewhere, do not tell anyone but me where it is."
She glanced down at it before looking up at him in astonishment. "You're trusting me with this?"
"Of course." He kissed her forehead. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
He left and Kenzie could only stare down at the moonstone, even more confused than ever.
… … …
Kenzie tossed and turned that night, her mind bogged down with everything that had happened earlier. She didn't know what bugged her more, everything that had happened, or the fact that it bugged her so much. Was her carefully crafted wall beginning to crack? She couldn't have that, not at all.
When she finally gave up on sleep, she got up and grabbed a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, throwing a zip up hoodie over it and throwing her hair up into a ponytail, not even bothering with her makeup. She grabbed a pair of sunglasses and left, making her way over to the Salvatore house and entering without knocking. No one was around and she crept into the basement putting a few blood packs in her purse for Jack. After, she made her way into Damon's room, climbing into his bed and crawling towards him. In an instant, she was on her back, looking up at Damon who had a hand around her neck. Seeing it was her, he loosened his grip.
"Sorry, I thought you were Katherine, trying to seduce me again."
She smiled up at him. "Lose your little crush on her?"
"Funny." He replied. "What are you doing here so early and looking like… that. Were you out jogging again?"
"Nope, just couldn't sleep, so decided to come over."
He lowered himself closer to her. "Hm, I never noticed your face is covered in very faint freckles, all over." He kissed the tip of her nose, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Is it hidden?"
She nodded, her breath catching in her throat as he nipped at her earlobe.
"I wondered if you two were getting it on. No wonder Damon spurned my advances."
The couple on the bed turned to the door where Katherine stood with a smirk on her face and a small hint of jealousy.
"I spurned your advances because you're an evil conniving bitch." Damon sneered at her.
"Hello Katherine, you haven't see Jill around, have you?" Kenzie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Have Grandma and Grandpa finally stopped by for a visit?"
"Just Jack."
"I haven't seen Jill." Katherine told her.
Kenzie pushed Damon aside so she could sit up and push herself off the bed. "You've spent over 500 years lying-"
"Red, don't." Damon warned her,reaching for her hand but she pulled away, stepping towards Katherine.
"-So how do I know you haven't seen her yet?" Kenzie continued.
"I've been truthful to you so far, haven't I?" the Vampire asked with a raised brow.
"When you wanted something from me, yes. Just tell Jill I would like to meet her."
"I haven't seen her." Katherine reiterated.
"Of course not." Kenzie replied in a condescending tone. She turned away and Damon moved to step in front of the two girls, his hand catching Katherine's hand before she could touch Kenzie.
"You will not touch her or I will burn you while you sleep." Damon snarled.
"My, my, Damon finally has a soft spot that's not me or Elena. I wonder how Elena feels about that?" Katherine smirked. "And what does it matter if I break your little spitfire, Damon? She'd be good as new in a few hours, no?"
Katherine left and Kenzie sat on the bed again, not reacting to what Katherine had said.
"About what Katherine said-" Damon began.
Kenzie looked up at him, a big smile on her face. "All lies, right?"
"What do you know?" He asked suspiciously.
"Nothing." She flippantly replied.
Again he used his vampire speed, this time to pick her up and push her against the nearest wall. "Don't lie to me."
Anger filled her features. "Then stop lying to me."
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"Katherine killed me and you compelled me to forget."
He was actually speechless, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of something to say.
This was the final nail in the coffin and Kenzie looked away, trying to gather her bearings. When she turned back to him, her eyes were bright with unshed tears, her lower lip trembling.
"How could you? I trusted you."
"And that was your first mistake." Damon stepped back, his features growing hard.
"But last night, you said-"
"What you wanted to hear to get what I wanted."
"Then why would you compel me? Why would you even care enough to do it?" She questioned.
"You begged me to." He replied, grabbing his phone and typing something out on it, seemingly dismissing her now.
"I wouldn't do that."
He rolled his eyes, pocketing his phone before he continued talking. "You did. You came back to life, confessed your love for me and when I turned you away, reminded you that you were nothing more than a play thing, you threw your ring off and begged me to forget. Get over it."
A tear rolled down her cheek, actually hurt by what he was saying and she hated herself so much at that moment for letting herself be this hurt. Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out of her pocket to shut it off when she saw the message.
"Think about it Red, why would you think you mean more than just a play thing to me? You were only a way to pass the time." He continued as Kenzie read the message before pocketing her phone and lifting her eyes to glare at him as another tear rolled down her cheek.
"I very much doubt I would've confessed my feelings for you." Kenzie snarled through her tears, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice. "How do you know you weren't just some way to pass the time for me?"
"Because you're a stupid little high school kid who thinks she snagged the perfect bad boy." His tone was heavy with sarcasm.
"A bad boy? You think that's what I was after? You pompous, self-important, arrogant asshole."
"Go home, little girl." He sneered.
"Burn in hell." She snapped, slapping him across the face. "I hope Klaus shows up and rips your heart out because if he doesn't, I will."
She stomped out of his room, passing the living room where Katherine was lounging on a couch.
"Leaving so soon, Red?" she asked with a smirk.
Kenzie stopped, turning to face Elena's Doppelganger. "Yes, because Damon is a jackass. You know what Katherine? People say horrible things about you but you're the only one who's told me a smidgeon of truth. So thank you and good luck with that self-absorbent idiot."
She turned and left the house, stomping down the driveway and making sure she was far enough away from the house before she slowed down and wiped at the tears still on her face.
With nothing more she could do, she decided that now was a perfect time to find Jack.
… … …