A/N: There's only about 2 more chapters left in this round of TVD fun and then she'll be exploring a new realm. Please let me know what you think
The next morning, Ryleigh was extremely nervous, but she knew that if she wanted to stay, she needed to confront the situation head on to move past it. She didn't even bother dressing up, just pulled on a pair of designer jeans, cute top, and sandals. She left her hair free flowing; there hadn't been enough time to do anything else with it. She grabbed her phone and saw a text from her aunt asking how she was. She quickly responded that she was fine and headed to school. The kitchen was empty when she got there, meaning her dad had already left for work. She left in a rush to try and avoid being late. She found a parking spot relatively quickly, and after taking a deep breath, she ventured towards the school. She saw Tyler and Matt standing off in a huddle talking to each other. They stopped once they saw her, but she ignored them and kept walking. She wanted to work things out, but wasn't quite ready. When she walked into her history class, Alaric greeted her with a smile but that was it. Elena, Bonnie, and Stefan were already in their seats and the only open spot left was the one she'd occupied yesterday. She kept her eyes forward as she slid into it, feeling their eyes on her back. She also noticed the looks that Mr. Saltzman was exchanging with them. It was as if he was asking them what the hell they were going to do about her. She struggled to pay attention and luckily, he didn't call on her. Once the bell rang, she made a beeline for the door, but she wasn't fast enough. Elena grabbed her arm to stop her and followed her out into the hallway.
"Please don't avoid us, Rye, we seriously need to talk about this." She stared at Elena and then glanced at Bonnie, both were looking at her in a hopeful way. Stefan was scarce as if he knew his presence would only intimidate her more. She started to walk away when she froze. She saw a figure that she'd been hoping wouldn't be there yet. The hunter from the show, Connor was standing behind them, talking to Matt. The difference in this situation from the one on the show, Matt didn't have Elena's bite mark on his neck. When he looked their way, she averted her eyes and looked at Caroline who was walking past him. He stopped her, his arm outstretched, so before she could stop herself, she ran over to her.
"Caroline, there you are, I've been looking for you!" Caroline, startled, jumped in her direction and gave her a big smile. Without thinking, she reached forward and hugged her, whispering in her ear.
"Don't touch him, follow me." She pulled away from her and kept her hands in hers, and surprisingly she didn't feel afraid of her anymore.
"Geeze, Care, you just disappeared with your boyfriend yesterday and didn't even say goodbye." Caroline was the master of this sort of thing and laughed.
"I know, and I'm sorry about that, but you know Tyler and how he can get." She turned and waved at the hunter who nodded and headed in the opposite direction. Caroline turned back to her a look of concern and confusion on her face.
"What the hell was that?"
Ryleigh couldn't believe that she was back in the Salvatore mansion, they'd opted on skipping the rest of the day. It was classic TVD though, they skipped a lot of school and never seemed to get into trouble because of it. They were waiting on Stefan and Damon before she explained herself. Tyler, Matt, Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline all congregated in the living room, where the day before she couldn't wait to escape. She paced trying to figure out why Connor was at the high school. She remembered from the show that he'd come to Mystic because of the explosion at the farm, so it made sense that he was there. If she was in the season where they were going to meet Silas, she was so done and not going there. She heard the door open and a few seconds later a very confused Damon, Stefan, and Alaric rounded the corner into the room. Elena stopped upon seeing Ric; he was a teacher, how the hell was he there? He seemed to know her question without her voicing it, and he explained he had a free period. Stefan walked towards her but kept his distance to make her feel more comfortable.
"Okay so what's going on, Caroline said you freaked out about a guy at the school trying to shake her hand?" All eyes were on her, and she felt her face redden at all of the attention.
"I don't really know what happened, I saw him, and I got a flash." Damon interjected as was his style and walked to stand next to his brother.
"I thought that you had to touch someone to get flashes like that." Ryleigh hoped that she sounded believable, so she went for it.
"I don't know how any of this works, all I know is that this crap started when I got back here. I saw a mark on his arm, and it looked like a tattoo and his glove…it's soaked in vervain. I don't know how I know this; I just do, so please stop staring at me like I'm insane!" Caroline walked forward and pulled her into a hug, a tear falling down her cheek.
"I totally believe you, Rye, and that means you saved my life back there." Damon groaned and walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink.
"That's just great; I knew there was a hunter in town. I found one of his stakes, but if he's sniffing around the high school that means he knows that's where they are. The question now, is what the hell do and how do we kill him?" Following her instincts that this information was okay to share, she held her hands up in protest.
"You can't kill him!" Stefan glanced at his brother and then at Elena, thinking she was upset because she didn't want them to kill anyone. He crossed his arms as he answered her so he'd appear less threatening.
"Look, I understand your misgivings about us killing him, but we have to. These hunters are apparently driven by their need to kill vampires. They don't care if they hurt innocents to do it. I mean, this guy stabbed the pastor's daughter to try and lure us out." She stared at Stefan for a moment, both shocked that he'd still stabbed April even though Elena wasn't a vampire yet and also because he'd told her. She shook her head and waved him off.
"No, Stefan, that's not what I mean at all. You can't kill him…it's complicated." Bonnie stepped forward then, her eyes wide.
"Wow so you're not just a witch, you have psychic abilities too! You should meet my friend, Shane; he might be able to help you with your powers as he helps me with mine." She started to say something about that asshat, but decided against it, sensing that she couldn't divulge his part yet. Stefan spoke again, needing clarification and preventing her from speaking.
"Okay, what did you see exactly, Ryleigh? Why can't we kill him?" The answer was spoken from behind them, and it was all Ryleigh could do not to squeak with fear.
"Well because the person who does the killing will be tormented to death, it's a curse I believe, and I've seen it happen. My, but you are very well informed on hunters. I don't think we've met before, I'm Klaus, and this is my brother Elijah…you are?" Everyone in the room was incredibly tense as they stared at him, but she just swallowed her fear and replied.
"I'm Ryleigh Fell; I grew up here." Klaus smiled at her as he reached his hand out to her in a greeting. She hesitated but placed her hand cautiously in his. His smile widened as he bent down and kissed her hand.
"It's definitely a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Fell, any friend of Caroline and Bonnie's is a friend of mine. Oh do forgive me, Elena, I didn't mean to leave you out of that. How are you doing my dear?" As Klaus moved over to speak with Elena and Caroline, Elijah moved forward and clasped her hand. A spark ran through her fingertips all the way to her scalp, and her eyes darted up to meet his in surprise. It was evident that he'd felt it too because his lips twitched and his eyes danced at her as he mimicked his brother's greeting.
"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Fell." He didn't immediately release her. Instead, his thumb began a lazy circle on the back of her hand. Ryleigh found her voice and shakily addressed him.
"You too, please call me Ryleigh." At her quiet request, he broke out into a full smile causing a shiver to dance down her spine.
"What a lovely name, Ryleigh, I look forward to getting to know you better." She opened her mouth and realized at once that he was trying to compel her, to do what, she had no idea. She snatched her hand out of his and stood up straighter.
"You can't compel me, you know." This got a chuckle out of him as well as Klaus, but it was still Elijah that answered.
"That's extremely interesting because I don't smell vervain on you, my dear. I was just checking anyway, and I meant no harm." She couldn't understand what was happening, but she did know that she couldn't look away from him. It wasn't until Matt walked over to her and placed his arm around her shoulders and started to guide her away that spell was broken. She couldn't stop herself from looking back over her shoulder and saw that he was still looking at her as well. Matt's jaw was clenched, and she knew that he was uncomfortable around vampires, and at the moment the humans were outnumbered. Matt sat down in the only available arm chair on that side of the room and Ryleigh perched on the arm next to him. He visibly relaxed and slid his arm around her waist. She looked back over, and Elijah was still watching her, causing her mouth to open slightly in surprise. He smirked at her and finally looked over at his brother to speak softly to him. She looked down at Matt, but he was stonily silent and looking at the back of Elena's head. She hesitantly ran her hand on the back of his head, feeling the softness of his hair, causing him to glance up at her so she could speak to him.
"Hey, are you doing okay?" He rolled his eyes and met hers after a few seconds.
"I just really don't like those guys and seeing him look at you like that just bothered me." Ryleigh was very conflicted, and she knew that she had to nip this in the bud. She wasn't there to have a romance with any of these guys; it wasn't real. She took her hand away from his hair and smiled prettily at him.
"You've always been a great friend, Matt." He sighed and ruefully chuckled.
"Yep, that's me alright, everyone's best friend." Ryleigh mentally kicked herself as she stood up from the chair. She'd hurt his feelings with that comment, but it had to be done. She walked over to the table and picked up her purse and headed for the door. She'd made it to the entryway when Klaus was suddenly standing in front of her.
"Just where, pray tell, do you think you're going?" Ryleigh clenched her jaw at him, for some reason, Klaus didn't scare her, maybe it was the whole Caroline thing.
"Oh I'm sorry, did you think I was part of the Scooby gang over there? No, I couldn't let Caroline be hurt, we were best friends once. However, I've told you all I know and all I've seen, so I'll be going because I won't be a part of any death plans for that guy." Klaus started to protest, but Elijah was instantly at his side, his hand on his shoulder.
"Come now, brother, let's not frighten her. I'm sure if she learns anything else about our young hunter friend, she'll be more than happy to share it with us, am I correct, Ryleigh?" She was once again stuck in his hypnotic gaze, and she loved how he said her name. Mentally punching herself in the gut, she took a step back and moved around them.
"Sure, if I see anything else, I'll call Elena." She quickly made her exit and was thankful when no one stopped her. She spent the rest of the afternoon in her house, going over her reaction to the boys. She'd expected to react all melty with Damon because it was Damon. Matt surprised her though, he was so sweet and just a good person in general. The spark with Elijah was downright shocking though; she hadn't seen that coming at all. She made a promise to herself that she wasn't going to let any of them seduce her. She wasn't there to hook up with them; she just wanted to be part of the story, even though a lot of the show was the characters hooking up. At five thirty, her stomach became insistent on food, so she drove the short distance to the grill. When she walked in she was relieved that none of the group was there. She sat down in a booth and had just ordered when Tyler slipped into her booth. She stared at him and almost groaned. He looked extremely uncomfortable, but it was like he was on a mission.
"Hey Rye, I just wanted to talk to you…alone. I've missed you, I know I don't have any right to say that to you after the way I left things, I guess I just wanted to apologize." Ryleigh relaxed when her food arrived so that it gave her something to do other than focus on this idiot in her booth.
"It's whatever, Ty, I'm so over that. You're with Caroline now, and that's fine." He nodded, and she watched as his jaw clenched.
"True and you and Matt seem awfully chummy together." Ryleigh sat her drink down and laughed.
"Oh my God Tyler, are you really jealous right now? Matt and I are just friends, I just got back into town, and I'm not looking for any sort of romance, not that it's any of your business. Can you just go so I can eat?" He started to protest when a voice that made her stiffen sounded next to her.
"Everything okay over here?" She looked up to see the hunter standing right over them. She gave Tyler a nervous look, hoping that he understood her message and he seemed to. He stood up and put his hands in his pocket.
"Yeah, everything is cool, I'll see you tomorrow at school, Rye." She was more than a little pissed that he'd left her alone with this guy, but it was a classic Tyler move. She gave him a nervous chuckle and tried to get him to leave.
"Thanks for that, he's an ex, and it's complicated." He gave her a charming smile, trying to put her at ease.
"I know exactly how that can be. I'm Connor, by the way." He held out his hand to her, and she knew that she needed to take it to alleviate his suspicions about her and her friends. She gave him her best smile and placed her hand in his, immediately flooded with images of him and his plans.
"It's nice to meet you, Connor, I'm Ryleigh." His grin widened, but he didn't make a move to sit down.
"I won't keep you from your dinner, but maybe I'll see you around sometime." She smiled and nodded her agreement, watching him go. When she saw him leave, she picked up her cell phone, heaving in breaths to stave off a panic attack. Elena didn't answer so she tried Caroline. When no one answered she groaned in frustration, she didn't have the Salvatore's number, and she didn't want to involve Matt. She motioned for the waitress and explained that she wanted her food to go when she saw Alaric at the bar. Her shoulders immediately sagged with relief as she told the waitress where she'd be. She darted over to him and jumped up into the seat next to him. He didn't look at her as he shook his head.
"That's seat is taken, I'm afraid, and I'm not interested in any company." Ryleigh raised an eyebrow and almost laughed at his reaction when she spoke.
"Well, that's too bad, Mr. Saltzman because we have a serious damn problem and I'm tired of being put in the middle of it." He jumped at the sound of her voice, and he cursed as he spilled his drink on himself. He looked around the room to make sure that no one noticed them, which she found amusing.
"Ryleigh, what are you doing over here? It wouldn't look good for us to be seen in a situation like this, people will get the wrong idea." She rolled her eyes and jumped back down off the stool.
"Oh please, no one would think anything like you're insinuating. Our…pest problem, Mr. Saltzman, I just spoke to the exterminator, and he gave me some interesting news." That got his attention, and he closed his eyes for a minute before downing his drink and standing up.
"Okay, I'll meet you at Damon's house, I'll call them." She nodded, went to grab her food, and jumped into her car. She arrived at the house, and she didn't see any cars in the driveway. She ran up to the porch and knocked only to be greeted by Damon, who stepped aside to allow her in.
"I spoke with Ric, and he's on his way. Stefan is with Elena, and they'll be here shortly as well. I take it you saw something when you spoke with him?" She turned to face him only to find him almost nose to nose with her.
"I saw more than something, and I'm scared." His brow furrowed and he brought his hands up to her shoulders.
"Don't worry, Ryleigh, I promise you nothing will happen to you. It's my fault that you were pulled into this because I acted so rashly." Ryleigh knew she was blushing, but she ignored it as she slowly backed out of his embrace and turned around only to run into Elijah. His hands replaced Damon's, and she got a shot of images that caused her to jump away, but not in fright. What was it with these damn men and their need to touch her? Her face was entirely crimson as she darted into the living to wait for everyone else. She quickly glanced at the boys and found Damon grinning in amusement and Elijah frowning. She'd seen herself and Elijah in a very…Interesting situation. She was thrilled when the door opened, and everyone else began to fill the room. Here they were about to be forced to fight for their lives, and she was stuck between two very sexy guys wanting her attention. Luckily for her, Damon didn't think of her that way. He'd made a promise to Elena that he wouldn't harm her and he was pretty good about keeping promises to her. Klaus was the last one to stroll into the room and sighed in a bored way.
"So that was quick, what happened that's so important?"
