I hoped the last time I woke up would be just that. The last time. I wished I would finally be able to rest and leave my miserable life behind. I was done searching for something I would never find.

Wishes never came true, at least not for me.

I suppose it doesn't make much sense to save myself from a burning building if all I wanted to do was die. But I didn't fancy the thought of burning alive—although the smoke would have killed me first. Besides, it was only a matter of time before someone from my seemingly nonexistent past came to hunt me down.

Which I secretly hoped would happen so that I could remember something, anything from before.

I hoped for a lot of things.

Over the past centuries, I stopped letting the changes in the world surprise me. But as I sat here in a white sterile hospital room with beeping noises echoing around me, I couldn't help but be in shock—mixed with a little bit of awe.

Not even, I don't know. Three hundred years later? And the world has progressed this much. It was amazing and terrifying at the same time. Who knows what would happen in double the time.

My arms were covered in bandages, probably from the fall through the glass. I could feel more on my legs, although I couldn't see them under the thin blanket. The window must not have been very high since I had no broken bones, or maybe my magic was looking out for me when I jumped.

"It's about time."

A sharp voice startled me, and I glanced to the doorway to see… Tatia?

"Tatia?" I echoed, mind racing.

The woman scoffed and strode over to the windows, her heels clicking loudly against the laminate floor. "Katherine, actually." Her dark eyes cut to me. "I'm insulted you've never heard of me, Lynette." I flinched at the sound of my name on her tongue. It was so foreign hearing it said aloud.

"I—I haven't been around much." For the centuries I had been alive, I had only lived through a handful of decades. Not long enough to be...in with the times in each one.

"Well, that's obvious. Otherwise, you would know me." She smirked. "I tend to have that effect on people."

"Who are you?"

"I just told you."

"How do you know me?" I countered.

Katherine sighed and sat in the small armchair by the window. Every movement she made was smooth and graceful. Calculated, like a feline. "Over the years, word went around that there was another member of the infamous Mikaelson family. Most people referred to you as 'the lost Mikaelson' or 'the forgotten sister.' I like the latter; it has a better ring to it, don't you think?"

My eyes narrowed. "Get to the point," I said quietly.

"Well, you've certainly got the temper of your siblings." When my glare didn't waver, she rolled her eyes. "Fine. When I heard about your possible existence, I decided to search for you myself. And that search became quite fruitful."

"Why?"

"Think of yourself as a white flag—a truce. Your brother, Klaus, will hunt me to the ends of the earth until I'm dead. But maybe," she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, "if I hand you over, I'll gain my freedom back."

Mikaelson? Klaus? My mind was reeling. For the decades when I was awake, I spent them trying to remember my past. Remember who I was before the curse. But in five minutes, this woman—whatever she was—told me everything I needed to know. But somehow, it didn't feel the way I thought it would.

I still felt lost… forgotten.

"If you're a vampire, why haven't you killed him?" I had known she was a vampire the second I laid eyes on her. As a witch, I could spot a supernatural being from a mile away.

For a brief moment, surprise was etched on Katherine's face. Until she hid it with that bored expression that I had become all too familiar with already.

"Because your brother is a special type of vampire that can't just be killed."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed, probably realizing she was in for a lot of questions. "He's an original hybrid. Original vampires—your family—can't just be killed with a stake to the heart. On top of that, he's a half-werewolf. Which means, the second I get close to him, he'll bite me. Then it goes bye-bye, Katherine," she muttered.

I nodded, her information barely registering. "Oh." So my brother was apparently a hybrid. And someone who, by the sound of it, you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of. "So… if I help you… you'll take me to my family?" It was all I had wanted for centuries. With the amount of time I had left, I wanted to spend it with them.

"It's probably the only way I'll get my freedom, anyway."

In my gut, teaming up with Katherine seemed like the worst idea. But in my heart, I just wanted to have a family again, even if I didn't remember a damn thing about them. And because of that, I didn't care who I had to help to get that.

I nodded again. "How many siblings do I have?"

Katherine stood up and held her hand out. "You're going to be doing this the whole way, aren't you?"

With a hiss and a small smile, I yanked the IV out of my arm and took her hand. "You already know me so well."


We snuck out of the Boston Medical Center—well, more like we sped out of it and stood on the steps of a clothing store.

I kept turning my head as I stared anxiously around us, making sure no curious eyes were lingering. "Katherine, what are we doing here?"

She looked me up and down twice before she responded. "I think your outfit can answer that question." On instinct, I crossed my arms over the thin hospital gown.

"Which is why I can't go in there!"

Katherine rolled her eyes and grabbed me by the elbow, dragging me towards the entrance. "You mean, which is why we are going in there. Come on, they won't even notice you."

Before I could protest, she opened the door and shoved me inside.

Rows and rows of clothing hung on racks all around us. All of which I had never in my life seen before. I couldn't help but stand there, dumbfounded.

She let go of my arm and strode over a rack of clothes. "Ugh, fine. If you're not going to pick anything, I will." She held up a few shirts. "What are you? Small, medium?"

I shrugged.

"Just pick some things you like and go try it on over there." She pointed to a room in the back.

After what felt like forever of Katherine criticizing every outfit I tried on, I finally emerged from the dressing room. The tight black pants I wore felt suffocating against my legs, and the loose tank top hung off my shoulders all wrong. But at least I was clothed and not looking like a madwoman.

Katherine turned and raised a brow as she looked me up and down. "Edgy. I like it." She held out a pair of boots and a green jacket. "Here, this will complete the look."

I appeased her and put the boots on, which were surprisingly comfortable, unlike the rest of the outfit.

"Now what?" I said, running a hand through my tangled hair.

"Now, we're going to steal a car."

"Well," I gestured to the clothes, "don't we have to pay?"

She gave me a look that made me feel like a child asking if Santa was real. "You're a witch, and I'm a vampire. We don't pay for things." Her dark eyes flicked to my long waves. "And put your hair up. It looks terrible."

"Thanks for the tip," I muttered under my breath, knowing she could hear me as she walked to the exit.


"You set the fire, didn't you?"

Trees flashed past us, the city now far behind as we made our way to the small town of Mystic Falls. The drive would take us almost a whole day. But lucky for us, Katherine was a vampire and didn't need sleep.

"I thought you established that part already?"

"I could have died."

Her eyes cut to me. "Look, you weren't waking up when I pulled that dagger out of you, so I had to take extra measures—"

"That's one way to put it," I mumbled. I had no doubt she would have saved me if I couldn't do it myself, but the fact that I could have burned alive made it worse.

"—Besides, that building was crumbling down around you, anyway. Let's just say I saved the city time and money." There was a pause before she asked, "How did you end up in Boston?"

Last I remembered, I was in Florence, Italy. The Bennet witches there who were studying my curse daggered me, only to save the few years I still had left. They promised to wake me again once they found a loophole. Turns out they didn't.

They must have moved me for my safety. To Boston, I had no clue why. But there was a reason behind it. That much I knew.

"I don't know," I said simply.

"You don't know a lot do you?"

"Well, it turns out that getting your memory wiped and falling asleep for centuries on end can do that."

Katherine actually grinned. The first time I had seen her do so. "I think some of your siblings might know a thing or two about that—except for the memory thing."

I prayed that I hadn't just shaken hands with the devil.

Maybe this wasn't such a terrible idea, I tried convincing myself.

"Yeah… maybe they will."


A/N:

There's chapter one! Ngl, I didn't really expect as many views as I got just from posting the prologue! Kinda excited about that! :)

Umm, not much to say other than that... Except thank you to whoever is reading this! I really appreciate the likes and follows! Also, if you have any questions, just ask them in the reviews, and I will answer them at the end of each chapter.

XOXO, Kathleen

Beta: silverhexes