Yeona thumps her forehead on the top of her car repeatedly. She didn't care if it gave her brain damage, at this point, that might be welcomed. Because let's face it, job hunting was the bane of mortal existence. She's not mortal, but her point still stands.

She's just left her interview at the local art store and Yeona was tired. Mystic Falls had little in the way of job opportunities. It was retail or bust, given that most of the established businesses were run by the Founding Families and their ilk. She's sure she could get Liz to give her job, but working at the Sheriff's station as a secretary sounded like actual hell. Day after day spent working away for the very people who would want her dead if they knew what she was, wasn't even at the bottom of her list.

But while her savings account offered some cushion, Yeona had to find a job- and fast. Not unless she felt like crawling back to her mom just to afford to live.

"Why does living cost so much," She groans.

And just like clockwork, the scent of a werewolf fills her lungs. Yeona straightens, her eyes scanning the road for the source. It's the same feral scent she smelt yesterday and it evades her just like it had at the carnival. The shoppers resume their walking, ignorant of the dangers that lurk in their small town. For a town hellbent on trying to kill supernatural creatures, it was odd that they never bred and trained dogs to sniff them out.

Then again, most werewolf bloodlines were long wiped out. Vampires and Kumiho's had a heavy hand in what happened to the werewolves- and for good reason, she thinks bitterly to herself. Unable to stand the scent any longer, Yeona gets into her car and reverses out of there as fast as legally allowed. There was no reason to tempt fate- not when she could be visiting Caroline instead.

The idea of a gift basket for the blonde girl came as Yeona drove past the hospital. In any normal circumstances, she would have already made one, but this gift basket needed to be perfect. Caroline's face from yesterday is too fresh in Yeona's mind, the blonde dripping from her fanged mouth and her terrified eyes at what she's become a punch to the gut.

So, Yeona pulls out all the stops. She can't pick up human blood, but she can get the next best thing. The lone butcher shop in Mystic Falls seems vacant, with only two other cars in the parking lot when Yeona pulls in. There's a tired-looking man behind the counter, his skin tanned by the sun and frown lines marking their place on his face. He stands up a little straighter as she walks in, brown eyes crinkling at the edges when he gives her a toothy grin.

That grin went away the moment she ordered all the pig's blood he had in stock. Yeona bit back a sigh, dropping a little more money than necessary in apology for what she was about to do. Yeona gives the man her most winning smile, her hand reaching out to catch his chin. The butcher opened his mouth to speak, brows furrowing.

"Shh," Yeona croons, her voice soft as velvet. "You'll listen to me."

Her energy swirls in her core, flowing up to the back of her throat and coming out as sickly sweet air. The man inhaled, his pupils blown wide as the scent of blackberries on the verge of rot drifts cloyingly around him. Her breath coats the man's mouth and he licks his lips automatically, chasing after the hypnotic taste.

The man waits, entranced.

"Every time I come back in, you will immediately get this exact amount of blood ready for me. If anybody asks, you don't know me, you've never seen my cute face before. Understood?"

"Yes," The butcher breathes, absolutely lovesick.

"Good man," Yeona lets go of his chin. "Now get me a crate so I can carry all of this out."

He scrambles to appease her, grinning like a schoolboy all the while. Her skin crawls. If her mother were here, she'd be undeniably pleased. But all Yeona felt was self-disgust. There was no easy way out of it, she'd just tempted someone into doing her bidding. She struggled with the fact that the man wasn't being brainwashed- it was only a heavy suggestion.

But seeing him load up the crate for her like it was the only thing worth doing in his life didn't feel right.

"Soon," Yeona murmured, getting into her car. "It'll be over soon."


With the extra blood in her motel fridge and the gift basket teeming with Caroline's gifts, Yeona was ready to go. She plucks the plastic bag full of DVDs she'd rented and the rest of the goodies before heading back out. If the face of Freddie Prince Jr. doesn't cheer Caroline up, Yeona doesn't know what will.

The Forbes home wasn't quite as big as the Gilbert's and didn't sprawl across a huge plot of land like the Lockwoods manor, but it was one of the bigger houses on the street. A good handful of summer days were spent on this very same front lawn, with slip and slides out to combat the heat. If she wasn't chasing the girls around, she was tucked away somewhere with Jenna and Mason, sneaking into Bill's old liquor cabinet and giggling the night away as the girls slept.

After Bill left, the time split between the Gilberts and the Forbes houses dwindled. Caroline was dropped off at Elena's, where Yeona would watch the two until Liz came home from work. Bonnie was always over anyway, so the four girls would kill time together in the Gilbert's second living room, watching whatever Disney movie they'd roped her into and getting sick off of Red Vines and Coke.

It was odd, standing on Caroline's lawn like this. She felt like Bill and Liz's voices would spill out at any time, having a good old knockdown drag out as Bill evaded Liz's questions. But only the sound of birds chirping greeted her. Yeona bypasses the front yard altogether, not wanting to drag any of that bad juju with her into Caroline's house.

Caroline's curtains were drawn, as was expected on a bright sunny day like this. But she doesn't have to wait for long, the sound of the window unlocking bringing a grin to Yeona's face.

"Yeona? What are you doing here?" Caroline's small voice calls from the dark of her room. She's safe there, huddled in the shade when Yeona tosses the basket in and crawls in after it.

"Thought you could use some company," Yeona says, pulling out the jugs of blood. "You should drink these."

Caroline's bunny slope nose wrinkles cutely. "What is that? It smells disgusting."

"Sorry kid, but this is all I could get my hands on without going on a killing spree. It's pig's blood, it's the closest to human blood possible. It's just until we can figure out how to get you some human blood without you draining them like a Capri-Sun."

The blonde just stared at her. "How are you so calm about this?"

Yeona closed the window behind her, pulling the curtains together tightly. Cautiously, Caroline took a hold of one of the jugs, bringing it to her nose and giving it a good whiff. She grimaced but took a sip. And another. Caroline takes to chugging it, tipping the gallon back until there was nothing left.

"It's not as bad as it smells, huh?" Yeona grins. "And I've been like this most of my life. It's impossible to not be calm about this."

"I don't remember you drinking blood when I was a kid," Caroline grumbled, using the back of her hand to wipe her mouth.

"It was always in my soups that you never wanted to try."

"You like food that is devilishly spicy. I just knew I'd be hugging the toilet for hours if I tried anything of yours."

"And that my young friend, is one of the many tactics I used to get you to never ask to try my food again. Smart right?"

"You're evil."

"You're just mad it worked," Yeona smirked.

Caroline suddenly grabbed Yeona, gripping her tight. Yeona's bones creaked beneath Caroline's hand and Yeona pats her back gently. "Careful, Car, you're super strong now. Ease up a little."

"Sorry. I'm just so glad you're here," Caroline sniffed. "And you brought Freddie Prince Jr. I love Freddie Prince Jr.!"

"Which is why I brought him. Why won't you eat some of the other snacks and I'll put this movie on?"

"Okay. Hey… My mom won't be home till very late tonight. Do you think you can stay here the night?"

Yeona's face softens. "Of course. Now grab the Red Vines and get ready for some truly awful movies. I need some Freddie Prince Jr. to soothe the soul."


Gorged on pig's blood and Red Vines, they lay lethargically on Caroline's bed. Their snacks lay around them, empty gallons laying on their sides and red licorice ropes split across the cream-colored bedspread. Posters of cute boys and Caroline's multitude of awards decorate the walls, and Yeona takes everything in hungrily. It was one thing to see her girl's lives through a screen, but getting to finally be in person and a part of it all was another. Accolades that scream of Caroline's skills were Yeona's favorites, her eyes soaking up each trophy and ribbon.

"You're a cheerleader," Yeona says.

"Yup."

"And that's fun for you?"

Caroline rolls her eyes. Dark makeup, so uncharacteristic of the bright girl, coats her lids. It makes her already sky-blue eyes pop, the smokiness of the shadow giving her an edge that Yeona liked. But it was all a facade, one that hid how vulnerable she was feeling. It was still there, that insecurity that lingered past the fake confidence she wielded like a weapon.

"I get to stay fit and order people around while dressed in a cute uniform. What's not to like?"

Yeona chuckled. "You always did have a bossy streak in you."

"I get that from you, you know," Caroline smirked.

Yeona fake gasped and took an overzealous bite of a Red Vine. "Bossy? I'm bossy? How rude."

"I'm tempted to say I also get the dramatics from you."

The two laughed, only to laugh harder when Yeona choked on a combination of her own spit and her Red Vine. Yeona tosses it back onto the bed when the laughing fit stops, making fake gasping noises just to watch Caroline laugh all over again.

She watches her, a fond smile stretching her lips. It was good to see Caroline laugh after the tragedy of yesterday. How easy life would be, if it was always like this, and never like last night.

But things in Mystic Falls were never, ever easy.

A ping goes off and Caroline grabs her cellphone, the light of it hitting her face which makes her groan. Whatever she read only made her groan louder.

"What is it?"

"Stefan and Bonnie are headed over." She grumbled.

Yeona bumps her shoulder against Carolines, grinning. "Cool, it can be a slumber party!"

"No," Caroline said sharply. Seeing Yeona's expression, her voice softened. "Not after how she reacted last night."

"She just needs some time, Car."

"You didn't need any time. You don't think I'm just a monster who wants to hurt people."

Yeona curled in closer, sighing. "That's because we are the same kind of monster, kid. Or did you forget who helped you down those gallons?" She grabbed and rattled an empty jug to emphasize her point.

"I don't think you're a monster," Caroline picked at a piece of stray thread, brows furrowing. "You're the furthest from a monster I know."

Yeona was quiet long enough for Caroline to glance over. The young woman looks up at the ceiling fan, watching as it turns lazily in its perfect circle. She thinks of the circle on her wrist, still bound by the leather band her mom had given her as a child. She rubs the smooth leather now for strength.

"When you knew me, I was a lot more like you. More human than monster. But time has a funny way of changing things. I've changed, and I'm not sure how to find my way back. But I'm trying."

"Maybe we can both change. Together."

"You know, that's the exact same thing Se-Hun said to me when we first met." Yeona smiles bitterly. "You two are so alike. I think part of me knew that when I met him. Might have helped me like him as much as I did."

"How can you not like us? We're the cutest." Caroline sniffed. "What's he up to now that you're back?"

Yeona clears her throat, her gaze sliding off to the side and away from Caroline's prying eyes.

"He's…dead, actually. The last Kumiho man, dead and gone all because of a werewolf bite. You can't let a werewolf ever bite you, Caroline. You'll suffer like no other.."

"Oh Yeona, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Caroline leans over, draping herself across Yeona like she would do as a child.

Yeona blinks back the onslaught of tears, giving a brittle smile. "It's alright. I'm kind of envious of him, you know? He's free now. Though I do miss that annoying laugh of his. He could be so obnoxious."

"Yeah, he could be pretty annoying." Caroline grinned softly, playing with a strand of Yeona's raven hair.

The silence that followed was a comfortable one. For a girl who liked to talk, there was something about Caroline that was good at making silences comfortable. A click of the front door being unlocked wakes them from their dozing off, the pair sitting up straight and looking at each other. Knowing it was only Stefan and Bonnie took the edge off, but Yeona decides to test Caroline anyways.

"What do you hear?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Focus on your hearing. Think about the front door, about the number of heartbeats you hear. How many?"

"Uh. Two? One is slower, though. Almost...sluggish?"

"Good, good. Now inhale and picture the heartbeats at the front door. What do you smell?"

Caroline closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath. "I smell dust and ink…like an old book or something."

"What else?" Yeona presses.

"And something that isn't so sweet but not super smokey either? It's like…it's like-"

"Sage. That's Bonnie. She smells like sage, for the most part. One day you'll be able to pick up the rest of their scents, but this is a really good start, Caroline. I would think you were born for this."

Caroline opened her eyes and beamed, openly preening. "Wait, what's that smell underneath the old books? It smells kind of strange."

Yeona stifled a laugh, hearing how Stefan took a deep whiff of himself from the hallway. Bonnie still hasn't spoken, but she can just imagine the judgy look she must be giving the vampire.

"That's the smell of grave dirt. Unfortunately, you have that too. And it's a bit worse than Stefan's since you're new."

"What?! I've been stinking this entire time and you didn't tell me! Seriously?!" Caroline shrieked.

Yeona winced, covering her ears. "Inside voices, Car. Unless you want all of Mystic Falls to hear you, use your inside voice."

"I'm so going to take like three showers after this." The blonde huffed.

"Does it really smell that bad?" Stefan piped up, poking his head in from the doorway. "I don't even smell it."

"You won't smell it. It's one of the few things that tell other creatures what you are. We all have our oddities."

"Is that why you smell like overripe berries when you're upset?" His mouth quirks, a teasing glint to his eyes.

Bonnie comes in behind him, her mouth set in a frown. She looks so serious, so stern. The young Bennett witch had never looked more like her late grandmother than she did now. Her grave look made Caroline shift in her spot, which only brought an awkward air to the room.

"Um. Hi." Caroline said softly.

"Hi. Let's get this over with." Bonnie's voice was flat, her green eyes sharp. Beneath them were twin dark circles, evidence of many sleepless nights. Concern pecked at Yeona's heart like incessant and greedy birds.

Bonnie was too young to look so tired. Yeona pats the seat next to her, sighing when Bonnie shakes her head no, the witch's eyes flickering towards Caroline and back.

"Here. I brought the ring." Stefan digs through the front pocket of his jeans, pulling out a delicate silver banded ring with the essential lapis lazuli gem sitting prettily in the middle of it.

"I don't even get to pick out the ring that I'm going to wear for the rest of my life?" Caroline sneered, plucking it from his hands to inspect it closer.

"I could just not do the spell," Bonnie says. The tell-tale defiant jut of her chin spells trouble.

"No, no. Do the spell. Caroline," Yeona warned. "Be nice. She's helping you here."

"I may be helping you out, but I just as easily take my help away. You move out of step, you hurt anyone, and I will put you down." Bonnie stated, staring straight at Caroline.

"Bonnie! Back off, she's just turned. It's not like saying no to a cheeseburger, it's like a white-hot poker in your throat and the only thing that will cool it off is to drink blood. If in a year she's still off killing people, sure. Threaten her, try to put her down- but I will be there every step of the way to make sure you don't make the mistake of killing one of your best friends."

"I'm not sure I want to talk to you either right now," Bonnie admitted, avoiding looking Yeona in the eyes. "There's something wrong with you. With both of you. And I don't know how I'll ever get past that."

It's like a bucket of cold water has been dropped all over her. Yeona stands there, her arm hanging in the air as if to comfort Bonnie. Caroline is the one who reaches for her hand, gripping it tight. Never before has Yeona seen such a look of disgust on Bonnie's face. Fear reflects back at Yeona as she stares at the young witch. The little girl Yeona used to carry around on her back when she got too tired to walk was scared of her.

Yeona drops her gaze first.

Bonnie yanks open the curtains, ignoring the hiss from Caroline as she dives under the sheets to avoid the sunlight. She mutters an incantation under her breath, the words in an unfamiliar language that sounds like some spin-off of bastardized Latin. Just like that, she stops her chanting.

"It's done."

"You could have warned me about the sunlight," Caroline grumbles from under the sheets. She sticks a hand out, wiggling her fingers. "Ring me."

Yeona robotically places the ring on Caroline's finger. Even the joy on Caroline's face as she peels the blanket back and sticks her ringed hand into the sun does little to help ease the feeling of lead in Yeona's stomach.

"Stefan, look! It worked."

"Yes, I see that." Stefan chuckles. He throws Yeona a glance, silently asking if she's okay. Yeona only shakes her head.

"I'm out of here." Says Bonnie. "Good luck with her."

"Bon," Yeona tries, her voice weak. "Bonnie, wait!"

Bonnie looks over her shoulder, face troubled. The words Yeona yearns to find can't make their way out. She sits there, uselessly opening and closing her mouth. Shaking her head, Bonnie turns around and walks on.

"Ouch."

"Caroline, not now."


With Stefan and Caroline off doing vampire training, Yeona takes the time to look at ads in the local newspaper. Her motel is clean, small-town southern hospitality making it a point of pride for the maids. But it's awfully kitschy for her taste and the awful lack of windows was slowly crushing her spirit. If she were to open the blinds to the only window to this place, she'd get greeted with a beautiful view of an ancient and worn parking lot.

Yeona would rather sit in darkness than look at another lifted pickup truck covered in years worth of mud. Especially when the owners of said truck made heinous comments about her ethnicity as she'd gotten out of her convertible.

There are so many things to love about the south but some of the worst people flock out of the woodworks when she returns. Did she have a beacon saying 'hey look at me, I don't look like you' on her forehead? It sure felt that way sometimes. Being one of the only Asians in town didn't help the matter either. Yeona thought if she ever was complimented with the term 'exotic' again, she'd have a bitch fit.

On the flip side, the people who weren't actual mouth-breathing troglodytes were sweet as pie. Aside from her girls, it was those people and the beautiful scenery that brought her back. Speaking of pie, she takes a hefty fork full of the apple pie left behind at her doorstep, the flowery perfume of the elderly motel owner letting her know she had a friend that wasn't under the age of eighteen.

That sentence alone is a cry for help, she thought with a pout. Damn, Yeona needed some friends.

She added the newspaper she was reading to the pile of junk she's accumulated since she arrived in town. Red circles glare at her, demanding she go back to sifting through the dismal options of studio apartments. Yeona places the plate of pie down on top of it to hold off the anxious thoughts a little longer.

Her phone rings, giving her a reprieve.

"Bless you for calling me to distract me from my impending breakdown," She says into the phone without so much as a 'hello'.

"Are you okay?" Elena's concerned voice sounds tinny, the poor reception of the motel room making it hard for even Yeona to hear.

"You know me, just living my best life. What's up kiddo?"

"What do you know about werewolves?"

Yeona sits up straight. "Werewolves? Why would you ask about them?"

"Because we think the Lockwoods might be-"

"Mason's a werewolf? Are you saying that one of my high school buddies is a mutt? Actually, that makes sense in an awful way, I've been smelling a werewolf all around town but haven't found them yet. Are you sure it's a Lockwood though?"

Did her mother know the drama that centered in this town? Or was she simply smart enough to pick up the clues and leave? Yeona couldn't leave. Not when Elena sounded so tired, so damn alone.

"I'm pretty sure. Tyler has been showing signs and we think he's going to turn soon."

"That's impossible unless he's killed somebody." Yeona said bluntly.

"I don't think Ty's killed anybody," Elena says slowly, thinking it over. "Is that how you become a werewolf?"

"It's some curse, from what I know. If you carry the gene, you can activate the curse by killing somebody directly. Listen, Elena, a werewolf bite can kill a vampire."

"I was afraid you'd say that. I'm looking at my biological mom's docs right now, and it says the same thing."

"Wait, you're adopted?" Yeona's eyebrows pinch together. "I don't understand."

"It's a long story, I'll tell you when I get back."

"Elena, where are you right now? You sound far away."

"I'm with Damon and Alaric- my history teacher- at Duke University in my mom's office. She studied vampires, we thought we'd find something here."

"Your history teacher? The one Jenna has a thing with?"

"And also the ex-husband to my biological mom apparently. He's a vampire hunter."

"Okay, you are definitely telling me the whole story when you get back." Yeona sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Elena, are you positive it's a Lockwood?"

"Yeah, at the carnival, both Stefan and Damon tested Mason. He shows the signs, Yeona."

"Vampires aren't the only ones who can die by a werewolf bite," Yeona admits. "So can Kumihos."

She hears Elena inhale sharply. "What's the cure for a werewolf bite?"

"Nothing. There is no known cure for a werewolf or weredog bite. It's one of the few things that can kill a Kumiho and a vampire without ripping our hearts out or beheading us."

"Oh great, weredogs exist now too?"

"...Not since the Joseon era. Kumihos have pretty much wiped them out, just as vampires have almost wiped out the werewolves. It's just classic that Mystic Falls has to have one of the last werewolf families left."

Memories are conjured up from the compartment Yeona has long shut, the feeling of luxurious fur beneath her hands as her mom shows off her latest designs. She remembers her horrified tears as her mother nonchalantly tells the story of how she'd acquired those very same furs, flexing her claws as she talks about how the werewolves had turned back to their human forms after they'd died screaming.

How she'd hunted them down, just to turn them into hateful haute couture pieces. The meltdown twelve-year-old Yeona had after that had been enough for her mother to shut those furs away forever. What a hypocrite she'd become, she thinks, stomach-churning at the thought of the fur coat she has stuffed in the trunk of her car.

"Damon says he doesn't believe it."

"Put him on the phone," Yeona sighs.

She'd been trying so hard to bypass all thoughts of Damon. Stupid, beautiful Damon, with his stupid, beautiful icy eyes. She doesn't need to see to know when Damon picks up the phone. It's like she can feel him, a soothing cool rush of air that runs its hand down the length of her body. Her toes curl at the thought of being swept by the tide of those cold eyes.

"Hello, Vixi."

"Vixi? Like the character from Fox and the Hound?"

"Sure. Is she a stone-cold fox too?" Damon's smirk bleeds through his voice. Yeona can picture it now, a smile threatening to break out on her face.

"She's a cartoon fox. I don't really know how to answer that. But Damon, if you don't believe Elena's mom's books- believe me. Werewolves are real, and it's in their nature to go after creatures like us. Stay clear of Mason Lockwood."

"You almost sound worried about me there, Yeona."

"Maybe I just don't want to see another person die like that. Hand Elena the phone, please."

"I'll do you one better. You're on speaker now."

Yeona can hear herself on the other line, her voice still has a hint of a smile. "What else did you guys find?"

"There's this old Aztec curse about vampires and werewolves. It's called the-"

"The curse of the sun and the moon. Yeah, I've heard about it. Apparently, it keeps werewolves chained to the stages of the moon."

"And it's why vampires can't go out into the sun without a daylight ring to keep them safe. How come we didn't just go to her?" Damon asks Elena, irritated.

"I was also looking for information on Katherine."

"Katherine? There's that name again. Who the hell is she?"

"She's Damon and Stefan's ex…and she looks exactly like me."

"Like…mirror image or just brunette?"

"They look like they could be twins," Damon mutters. "Down to the lashes, they look like carbon copies of each other. Ever heard of that?"

"I've heard tales about people like that, yeah. But nothing concrete, nothing outside of Wikipedia pages on horror phenomena."

"I'm sure my mom has something here about her. She's dedicated her life to learning about vampires- there has to be something."

Yeona bites her lip, trying to process everything. It nags at her, that Elena has somebody out there who looks just like her. What if it's connected to why that man showed up for Elena all those years ago?

She clears her throat. "Elena, when you get back, I need you to come to meet up with you. There's something I need to talk to you about- don't bring anyone. Unless Stefan, I guess, considering your….connection with him."

Elena sounded like she was grinning on the phone. "Fine, I'll let him know to be ready. See you later."

"Take care of yourselves, guys. Bye."


Yeona stares at Stefan.

Stefan stares back, trying not to smile.

She's never been intimidating, but Stefan was about to laugh in her face as she tried to mad dog him. Not even her best impression of a Kubrick stare-down can rattle him. It's like she's sixteen years old again, trying to get Richard Lockwood to stop sniffing around Jenna.

"Are you just going to stare at me, or are you going to tell me why you wanted to see us?"

Yeona sighs and finally blinks. "We should wait till Elena gets here."

'Here' being the at the local park. Kids ran around on the playground, the setting sun behind them and illuminating their figures in gold. With the darkening sky, it was starting to cool down. Despite not needing it, Yeona sips at her tea in contentment.

"Not even a hint?" Despite the age of his body, Stefan's grass green eyes spoke of years of hardships. There's a sad tinge to his gentle smiles that Yeona wonders about.

"I'll give you a hint if you give me something in return," She grins devilishly. "Think you can do that?"

"Depends on what you ask for."

"Give me your hand." Yeona sticks her hand out, palm up. Stefan looks at her with mild amusement, dropping his hand in hers. "The right one, not the left."

Still indulging her, Stefan trades his hands. "Like this?"

"Just like that. Now let me take a look." Yeona eyes the lines that are there, taking them in and comparing everything she knows about the art of palm reading to what she sees. It's difficult, given his age, but it's enough of a glimpse into Stefan's life that she relaxes.

"Is this a fox thing?"

"It's an old mudang trick my grandmother picked up when shaman had thought she'd been there to train and taught her some things. She'd been so thankful she'd ate his liver instead of his heart."

"How..charming."

"My grandmother was a gargoyle of a woman but she was also a legend so I guess those two things cancel each other out. You'll never want for money which I'm sure you're happy about."

"The Salvatore vault is a hefty one indeed."

"Huh. That's odd. I thought your lifeline would be longer because of your age, but it's actually quite short. I'm assuming it's because you technically died. Kind of fascinating."

Stefan oohed and aahed at the right moments as most people would when getting their fortunes read, but there was a hint of interest that grew as she keep going.

"Are you going to read me my love life now?" His tone was teasing but Yeona could hear the desire to truly know that lingered in the air.

Yeona chuckled, peering closer at his skin. The smile on her face froze, the line she was looking for was different from what she'd been expecting. Instead of a continuous life to represent his love life, the line broke into two segments, connected like a fork in the road. She rubs it with her thumb, curious.

"Your love line isn't linear. It splits into two, right here. You'll have two great loves in your life, though I can't tell if you'll love them separately or not. Someone from your past perhaps?"

It's minute, the change in his expression. Yeona almost didn't catch it and she would have dismissed the pained look in his eyes if he hadn't gently pried his hand from hers.

"I'm sure it is. But that was a long time ago. My future is with Elena."

Yeona smiled through the awkward air that settled around them both. "It's alright. You aren't the only one with a broken-up love line. Besides, it doesn't really mean anything. The future changes all the time, second by second, hour by hour. I'm sure you and Elena will be happy together for a long, long time Stefan."

They continue to sit there, watching as the children are rounded up by their parents. She peeks at him from the corner of her eye, face softening as he looks at the children with wistful fondness. How hard it must be, the be stuck at seventeen. Compulsion wouldn't stop the questions he gets asked if he were to pretend to be anything other than a teenager. It was tragic, really.

It made sense that Elena would never want to be turned. She had a life full of possibilities ahead of her, choices that she can't be held back from. A lot can change in a year though. Maybe Elena will become a vampire to live a different kind of happily ever after with Stefan.

It was wrong to feel mildly jealous of a seventeen-year-old, but Yeona felt it anyways. She was going to live forever, and yet with the ticking time bomb on her wrist, she fears watching as her choices are whittled down to none. But Elena…Elena, and even Bonnie, had the entire world at their feet. A quiet resolve to help them with their endeavors, whatever they may be, settled over Yeona.

She would help them live their lives to the fullest in whatever way she can.

If that meant one day killing Stefan Salvatore to free Elena from whatever vampiric bond they shared, then so be it. A pity that she liked the boy.

As if to repent for her treacherous thoughts, Yeona turns back to the vampire at her side. "I don't want to alarm you. But there is something you must know about Elena."

Stefan turns to her, already looking tired. "What is it?"

"A long time ago, someone very old and very powerful came looking for her. Bonnie's mom put him down and died from it. What he came for, why it was about Elena, I don't know. But Sheila Bennett thought it was something to do with a mark on Elena's wrist."

Stefan goes very still, his thick brows furrowing. "What kind of mark?"

Yeona sighed, freeing her wrist from the thick leather band that hid it from the rest of the world. It was just as stark as the day she'd been born, the perfect circle never fading as she grew older. She holds it out to Stefan now, not noticing as his eyes went blank.

"I was born with this, and so was Elena. I don't know anything about it, other than it's apparently connected to some great evil. Sheila hid Elena's as a child in hopes she'd be safe. I had thought she'd tell her eventually but I guess she went with it to her grave. With all the vampire activity in this town, I think it's time to tell Elena."

Silence greeted her. Yeona looks up, hoping he didn't just rush off into the night at the sight of her mark. Instead, a shock ran through her like lightning.

Stefan has peeled back the right sleeve of his long shirt, his wrist now right next to Yeona's. Everything else was a perfect match, down to the size and the width of the circle. But pitch-black lay where darkened skin should. It nearly resembled a brand new tattoo and Yeona almost said as much before he spoke.

"I was born with a mark just like yours," He admits, voice quiet and eyes distant. "But some time in the nineteen-twenties, it became black like this."

"How do you not remember it turning black? That's a pretty big change, Stefan." Yeona tried to joke but in truth, she was rattled to her core.

"My time as a vampire hasn't always been filled with animal blood. There's a reason I drink it and not humans."

She inhales sharply. "You're a Ripper. I've heard about them, I never would have thought you were one. You seem so..kind, compared to the stories I've been told."

Stefan gives her a brittle smile. "That's because I've had help. I'm different now. But my ledger is redder than I'd like."

"You're immortal. It's bound to come about- nobody can stay a saint for long." She says. "Do you remember anything about it? The time of the year, the stage of the moon? I keep thinking it's some celestial event or some kind of omen but I can't wrap my head around a magic freaking tattoo that the three of us share. Before you told me, I was almost sure it was related to vampires."

"What made you think that?"

"Look at the common denominator here. You're a vampire, Elena is dating you, and I now know three vampires. I had thought she had one because she was mated to you or whatever."

"Mates don't work that way. There isn't some divine connection between us. It's just..we are more compatible than the rest of the population. The stronger the possible bond, the more drawn we are to each other. The first time I saw Elena, it was like the tides had shifted and she was the only thing I thought about. The draw was impossible to ignore, and it was the same for her."

"I thought it was some mystic connection that was divined before birth. Like a soulmate."

Stefan chuckled. "Vampires can have more than one possible Mate. But a higher connection can bump a lower one out, or it can be Muted by both parties. It's part of the same gene that makes it possible to turn our humanity off, it's almost like a switch for each possible bond. If the Mates decide to Forge their bond and complete it, that's another story. Nothing can tear them away from each other and muting isn't possible."

"There goes any hopes I have of not being connected to some great evil."

"Well, until this 'great evil' shows up, we can always pretend it's some bastardized friendship bracelet, if only it actually went around our wrist."

"Is this where you tell me the 'power of friendship will defeat all evil'" Yeona asks drily.

"If that's what you need to hear, then why not? The power of friendship will defeat all evil, Yeona."

"You know Stefan…now I feel bad about thinking of killing you."

"What?"

"Shh, let's go back to the power of friendship talk."

AN: If you haven't noticed, each title is going to be the name of one of the songs in this fic's playlist. Today's title is Caroline, by the Concrete Blondes. What do you think about Stefan's last words? I'm thinking some tomfoolery is afoot. Also, I just love writing Yeona's story. It's so much lighter in comparison to Hanne's because they are totally different people. Hanne is so serious and curious about everything and Yeona is just lighter and always cracking jokes. It's a nice change and I hope those who read both stories enjoy both girls. Take care!