Rye didn't know what to say at first, she stared at him with her mouth slightly open. She'd just met Barry Allen, and she'd broken his heart from the feeling and looks of it. It was incredible, unbelievable, and scary all rolled into one big confusing ball. For his credit, Grady didn't say anything as she worked through everything that had just happened. First, she's given an opportunity to become financially stable, and she might even be able to go to college. Now, here this person was offering her entrance into fantasy land. Who doesn't fantasize about being sucked into their favorite show to interact with their favorite characters? Everyone does it, some just on different levels than others. It was insane though, to think she could just escape into a television show and forget about her life here with her mother. Grady was watching her patiently, and when she looked him in the eyes, he smiled gently. She took a deep breath and motioned towards the television.
"Okay, please explain how that worked. Everyone knows that Barry Allen is in love with Iris, yet he said we were in engaged and it looked as if I broke his heart when I said I needed to think things through." Grady chuckled at her confusion and began his pitch.
"You would not live in any individual season or storylines. The basic premise of the series you love will still be there; only you will be inserted into the storyline. The storyline would fit around you and the people in that world would know you. Now, before you ask any more questions, please allow me to explain the rules." This was the part that Rye was dreading; there had to be some huge catch to being able to live in a tv show…even thinking that to herself was incredibly weird. She realized that he was waiting for her, so she nodded, and he smiled as he continued.
"You will be allowed to live in your chosen realm for a maximum of six months. Now the six months will be very real in the story you want, but for each month you are gone there, only a day will pass here. Once your time frame is up, you must return until the fob turns colors and then if you wish, you may go back to the realm you were in or another one of your choosing. The fob will turn green when it is ready for you to use. It will turn pink alerting you that the time is closing in for you to return home, and you can then but once it turns red, you must. If you do not follow these rules or you decide to go back to one of your stories early, the fob will disappear as will the fortune you've been granted, and life will return to the way it was before you saw the ad and the opportunity would never present itself again. Call it an honor code if you will, I will not be here to guide you in and out of the realms, but we will know if it is abused." Rye stared at him as he began to outline the rules. Honestly, it wasn't that bad, but she could understand how someone would probably become addicted to being able to climb into one of their favorite stories to escape their reality. She eyed the device he held in his palm before speaking.
"I thought that you said the money was a freebie and I could keep it." He nodded and smiled kindly at her once more.
"You may keep it if you decline and you may also keep it if you accept and follow the rules. The draw of the other worlds is powerful, and it has taken down several people. However, if you master it and you follow the instructions…it's yours to keep…forever." Ryleigh was battling inside because she really wanted to accept the gift that was being handed to her. However, if she messed up then the funds would be gone, and she'd be back where she started, in her own personal hell. It was all about willpower, she decided. She'd just have to follow the instructions to a T to make sure she didn't mess things up for her mother. She started to reach out for the fob but hesitated as she looked at him.
"What if I get where I am going, and I have questions, or I need help?" He nodded in understanding; he was definitely a man of minimal words. He observed and actually only spoke when spoken to, which he did just then.
"All you have to do is say my name, and I will be there to assist with anything you need. Also, if you choose a dangerous world, you will always be protected. The characters that you've allied with will always keep you safe, meaning you cannot die while you are there…unless, well we will get to that part if it happens. For now, the safety wheels are on, and you are impervious in any world. What is your decision?" Rye couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a little fun and reclaim her youth that was taken from her. So, she took the device from his hand and smiled.
"I'll follow the instructions, I promise and if I have questions, I'll ask." Grady stood and bowed to her.
"I have every confidence that this time, the fob has chosen the right person. I do hope that it can stay with you and that I will not have to reclaim it. Do enjoy yourself, Ms. Jameson, you've definitely earned it" She watched as he walked out the front door without another word, leaving the device in her hand. When she looked down, she gasped because it had turned a very vibrant green. She took that as a sign that it was good to use and there was no time like the present. She took her purse into her bedroom, and when she got the nerve up, she walked back into the living room. She thought carefully about which show she wanted to visit, and feeling a little foolish while pressing down on the left button, touched the television. Immediately her vision blurred and the pulling sensation like before told her it was working. When she came to, she was standing inside of a nicely decorated bedroom. She glanced down at her hand, and the fob was white once more, so she placed it on the nightstand next to what had to be her bed. She glanced around to try and figure out where she was because even though she'd thought of the show she wanted, she didn't recognize her surroundings. When she spotted pictures on the desk against the opposite wall, she was more than a little surprised. She had not returned to Star Labs like she'd thought…she was in Mystic Falls.
Rye was more than a little excited as she glanced at the photos in front of her. There were photos of her, Elena, Bonnie, Matt, and Caroline. She and Tyler were in several pictures by themselves, and she had memories of dating Tyler her freshman and sophomore year before moving away. Wait, her memories were telling her that she was a transfer student back to Mystic and that she was a senior in High School. That was not something that she wanted to relive; she was nineteen in real life, why the hell was she going to be stuck going to school? Granted, when she thought about her absolute favorite show that she was sometimes embarrassed to voice, school wasn't a prominent feature of the show. Needing clarification on a few things, Rye called out for Grady and, as he said, he appeared immediately. He cocked his head to the side, waiting for her question when she threw her arms up in confusion.
"Okay so I was thinking about the Flash, and it brought me to Mystic Falls, I thought it was supposed to take me where I wanted?" She was impressed; it looked as if he was fighting a smile as he answered her.
"The fob knows your heart, and you may have been thinking of the Flash, but this is where you truly wanted to go. You are a senior in high school, and you'll find that things are very different from when you moved away. Now, I'm glad that you called because there is something that you should know. Do not try to prevent certain events from happening. Yes, this isn't set in any real season, but certain events are going to happen no matter what. If you try to prevent something from happening, your allies here will become suspicious and well, just don't do it." Rye thought about asking why she was a high school student but decided against it. It didn't really matter; they were in the high school for the whole first half of the series, so it made sense. When she turned to tell him to thank him, he was gone. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was time to go to school and she knew instinctively that it was around the first couple of days, something she'd always hated growing up. She looked down at her outfit and was surprised at what she saw. She was wearing a cute blue sundress with matching flats. She grabbed the Gucci bag that was on her desk and tried not to giggle. She walked out of her room and navigated her way down the stairs and into the front room where her "dad" sat at the kitchen table. So, she was a Fell, and this was Thomas Fell, wow she was a founding family member. He looked up at her when he saw her and smiled.
"There she is, are you excited to be back home? I'm sure your friends are excited that you're here." All of the memories of growing up with Elena and the group were there, but there was also bitterness…interesting. She smiled and shrugged at her dad and sat down across from him.
"I didn't tell them I was coming back, I mean it's not like any of them kept in touch when I left." He frowned at her and sat his paper down, reaching for her hand.
"I didn't know that, why didn't you tell me that you hadn't talked to them? You picked Mystic Falls for your senior year; I'd have taken you anywhere. I'm a little confused as to why you wanted to come back if it wasn't for your friends. Please, tell me that your motivation wasn't Tyler Lockwood, I don't think I could take that." She stood up and grabbed her keys off the hook next to the back door with a chuckle.
"Oh please, Tyler is so very junior high, and I'm completely over him." Her dad stood up and walked over to her, giving her small kiss on the forehead.
"Well, I'm glad to hear it. Honestly, I think you could go the entire year without dating…I would be okay with it." She laughed, liking the rapport she seemed to have with him.
"I'll just bet you would. Anyway, I'm going to go; I have to stop by the office for my schedule, so I don't want to be late on my first day…ugh." He laughed as she walked out the door. She smiled brightly when she saw that her car was a baby blue bug convertible, it was so very her, and she'd always wanted one. She climbed behind the wheel and made her way towards the school, and the directions were in her head. When she pulled up, she was surprised to find a full parking lot. She suddenly had butterflies in her stomach, and she absolutely did not want to go in there. She was startled when she heard a familiar voice call to her from behind her.
"Wait, it can't be, Rye Fell?" Rye turned around and saw a very handsome Matt Donovan coming towards her. Holy crap, it was Matt fricking Donovan, he was so beautiful, yet it was weird because she had all these memories in her head from growing up with him. She pasted a small smile on her face as he approached her.
"Well well well, if it isn't Matt Donovan, my goodness how you've filled out." He chuckled as he stopped in front of her. He laughed again before enveloping her into a brotherly hug. She returned it and sighed because it was nice, she could tell he had missed her. She couldn't really be mad at Matt for not staying in touch, everything that had happened to him was ridiculous, so she decided to let it go. He pulled away from her still gazing at her with a stunned expression.
"Seriously, Rye, I can't believe you're here, when did you get back?" She shrugged as they started walking towards the school.
"Last week, my dad had promised me that I could go to any school I wanted for my senior year, and I wanted to come home." He put his arm around her shoulder and laughed once more.
"Man, but that means the whole crew is going to be back together. Having you back here, Rye, it's seriously the best news I've had in a very long time." Rye didn't respond as they reached the main hallway. It was so surreal being in this school with her favorite fictional characters. Matt walked her all the way to the office and then said a lingering goodbye…interesting. Once she had her schedule, she walked into the history classroom and almost danced with anticipation because this was Alaric's class, one of her favorite characters. He accepted her schedule and told her to pick an open seat. She didn't want to seem like a loner or an over achiever, so she took a spot in the second row and waited. She watched as Alaric walked over to the bookshelf and plucked one of the books off the shelf and handed it to her. She'd thought she had arrived in the first week, but from the date on the board, class had been in session for almost two. She heard familiar giggling entering the room, but she kept her head down, flipping through the book that he'd given her. Most of it was real and things she already knew, but some of it wasn't, some pertained to Mystic Falls. She heard Alaric greet the people who had entered and Rye held her breath, excited to see their reactions.
"Good morning, Elena and Bonnie, go ahead and have a seat…are you two alright?" Rye looked up then and saw that Bonnie and Elena were staring at her with their mouths slightly open. Bonnie was the first to break the silence and approach her.
"Oh my God, Rye is that you?!" Rye sat back, smiled, and grinned.
"Hey Bonnie, long time no see." Bonnie's smile faltered a little at her response, and she felt a little guilty, but she was putting herself in her character's shoes. Rye Fell had grown up with Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie and when she'd moved, not one of them had kept in touch with her. If that had really happened, she'd have been pissed, so she was going to play it aloof instead. Bonnie took the seat next to her, not taking her eyes off her.
"Seriously, when did you get back and why didn't you let us know you were coming?!" Rye shrugged and glanced around; she noticed that several pairs of eyes were on them, including Mr. Saltzman. She sighed as she turned her head to look at Bonnie completely.
"You know how it goes; I go where my dad tells me." She didn't intend to be a bitch, but it had been almost two years, and they weren't close. It was Elena's turn to speak, who'd taken the seat behind Bonnie.
"I can't believe it's really you, Rye; I'm so happy you're back." Rye smiled coolly and turned her attention back to the front of the room.
"Well, it's definitely good to be back." At that moment, Stefan walked through the door, and it was all she could to do to hold back a squeal. Stefan and Damon were ridiculously sexy, and she realized that it was going to be harder than she thought to pretend like she didn't know what was going on. He came down her row and picked the seat behind her, but he leaned down to kiss Elena on the cheek before sitting. Alaric chose that moment to call the class to order.
"Alright guys, it's Monday, start of a new week and I need your papers on my desk. Come on, pass them up and I'll pick them up. I have two announcements to share with you, and then we'll talk about what we're going to do this week. First, in light of the tragedy at the Young Farm, the school is taking donations for the families involved. Collection tins are going to be in the cafeteria, and the receiving of friends will be on Wednesday for anyone who wants to attend." This brought Rye up short because she was pretty sure that Elena was human, but the farm explosion happened in season 4 after she was turned. Grady had said that things were going to be different, so this was going to be a lot of fun. She brought her attention back to the front when Alaric continued to speak.
"The second announcement is that we have a new student with us today, Ryleigh Fell, so let's make her feel welcome, okay?" Before she could stop herself, she spoke up because she hated the name, Ryleigh.
"Please, it's Rye." He smiled as he nodded.
"Alright then, Rye it is. Now your name is Fell and this being a history class, tell me. Are you of the Fell's of the founding family or is it just a coincidence?" Rye smiled a little nervously but tried to squash it. Personally, she hated speaking in front of people, but from her memories, she could tell that Rye Fell loved attention almost as much as Caroline did.
"Yes, I was born here and lived here up until two years ago, but my dad and I moved back last week." She watched as Alaric plastered a fake smile on his face, it was fascinating to witness. Everyone was so suspicious on this show, so it made sense that her arrival just after the explosion was going to cause them to wonder. She listened as he explained the week ahead and felt the eyes that were on her. This was going to be the most fun she'd ever had.
