Months of traveling up and down the East Coast with Klaus and Stefan had been the worst experience of her entire life, even surpassing the time that she lived with John for a week while her parents had gone to Africa for an excavation trip. If she had a choice in her companions, she would rather be with a group of serial killers, though there was not much difference between them and two vampires. At first, she thought Stefan would be on her side. Damon had been joking about his issues with human blood. Slowly, he was losing himself, reverting back to his Ripper self. Watching him drain people dry was very uncomfortable. He acted like a completely different person. The line between his acting to please Klaus and losing control of his humanity was blurred with each kill. It had become so difficult that Riley would not say much to Stefan. Deep down, she worried that he would actually attack her, unable to control himself around her sweet scent.

Even worse than Stefan's slow descent into madness was Klaus and his attempts to charm Riley. He would buy her books and clothes and compliment her. At the same time, he was very controlling of her. He threw away her phone at the start of their trip, not allowing her to call her friends or family, and rarely let her go anywhere by herself. When he looked at her, she did not melt at the sight of his little puppy dog eyes. He simply unnerved her. Looking at him made her relive his attack on her in her mind. The only upside to the trip was that it gave her time to practice her magic. While Klaus and Stefan terrorized multiple homes, searching for werewolves, she would sit in the car, attempting spells. She taught herself a spell that worked similar to compulsion. With the spell, she could control the mind of both people and animals. She had only tried the spells on birds and squirrels.

Riley was walking around a clothing store. They had recently arrived in Tennessee on a tip from one of Klaus's contacts. Klaus and Stefan were interrogating a man outside the store. With their backs turned, she snuck over to the bathroom. An elderly woman was washing her hands. Riley stood beside her. Purposely, she knocked over the woman's purse as she reached for a paper towel. Apologizing, she bent down to pick up the scattered items.

"It's all right, dear. Thank you for helping"

"It's no problem. Give me your phone and keep shopping" said Riley, using the compulsion spell.

The woman's eyes glazed over and she handed Riley her phone. She left the bathroom, a dazed expression on her face. Riley stepped into an empty stall, locking the door. She dialed Jayden's number, waiting for him to answer. The door was ripped off of its hinges. Klaus grabbed the phone and threw it against the wall, breaking it into pieces.

"You can't be in the girls' bathroom. You're not a girl"

"What have I told you about phone calls?"

"I was just"

"Calling your parents to form some plan to return home?"

"No"

He grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the bathroom. "Perhaps it was Damon. You two seemed particularly chummy back in Mystic Falls"

"It was Jayden. It's my birthday and he usually calls me with a dorky message. But since you threw my phone in a lake, I decided to call him"

His grip loosened. He looked at her, surprised.

"It's your birthday?"

She glared. "Yea and instead of celebrating with my friends, I'm on the road trip from Hell"

"Riley, I didn't kn"

"Save it. I don't need some Sixteen Candles bullshit. Just forget it"

Riley left the store, fuming with anger. Stefan chased her down the street. She ignored him when he questioned what had angered her.

"Riley, you can talk to me. I know that you miss Mystic Falls but Klaus won't keep you forever"

"You sound so sure" she replied, sarcastically.

As they passed a shop, she stopped. The shop was filled with 'magical' items. She had learned from her parents' witch friends that most of these places were owned by real witches. Curiously, she entered the shop. It was filled with books, crystals, potions, and other objects.

"Would you like something from here?"

Klaus was standing behind her. "Consider it a birthday gift"

She looked at the jewelry. There was a golden amulet, attached to a golden chain, with an etching of two entwined snakes. It reminded her of the carving in the cave that contained her ancestors' books. She felt drawn to the amulet.

"Riley"

"Your kind isn't allowed in here"

A middle-aged man with graying dark hair left the back room. He was limping behind the counter, leaning on a cane. His eyes were on Klaus.

"Especially you, hybrid" he said, sneering.

"I won't be any trouble, mate. Just browsing for something for the young lady here"

The man looked over at Riley. He tensed up, gripping his cane.

"I—I see. What would s—she like?"

Riley picked up the amulet. "How much is this?"

"It's free. N—no need to uh worry about p—payment"

She thought that Klaus was causing the man's strange behavior. The man gave her a strained smile. Before she could even thank him, Klaus led her out of the shop.

"He was acting weird"

"The perk of being an all-powerful hybrid. No one would dare to cross you"

Riley rolled her eyes. He placed the amulet around her neck, pushing her hair aside. A surge of energy passed through her body. Caught off guard, she stumbled and Klaus held onto her.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded and followed him to the car. As she sat between him and Stefan, one of Klaus's lackeys, who was compelled to drive them and never speak, drove down the road. She twirled the amulet between her fingers. Under the amulet was the necklace that she received from Elijah at the dinner party. She could not bring herself to take off the necklace. Another rule from Klaus was to never touch the coffins that contained his family. It took every bit of restraint within her not to open Elijah's coffin. She could not deny that she missed him. If he was not daggered, she would find this trip a million times more bearable. The car eventually stopped in front of a small white house with green shutters.

"Stay here, love. Don't leave the car"

"Why would ever I do that?"

While Stefan hid behind a tree, Klaus walked over to a young blonde girl who left the house, searching for a dog. Using compulsion, he followed the girl into the house. Stefan stayed near the front door. Knowing the usual routine, Riley buried her nose in one of her books. She did not want to watch this girl become another victim. After much practice, she was able to tune out the screams. Klaus returned to the car.

"Stefan will be back shortly. You certainly like to read a lot during this little trip"

"Well unlike you, I don't like watching Stefan go all ripper" she replied, imitating his accent when she said ripper.

"It's in his nature. He shouldn't be ashamed of it. It's fascinating to watch"

"I'm guessing you were the kind of kid who strangled kittens and kicked puppies"

"You think I'm so terrible, Riley. If you got to know me, you'd think differently"

She looked at him. "I bet tons of girls are charmed by that accent"

He smirked. "I've found it useful over the centuries"

"Well it has no effect on me. I don't want to get to know you. Eventually, you'll let me go"

"I doubt that. Why would I let go of such a beautiful companion?"

"Because I will be extremely annoying until you do"

Stefan entered the car, wiping the blood from his mouth. They spent the next few hours driving to Tulley, a town close to the border. Riley did not bother getting any sleep. By the time they arrived at a bar named Southern Comfort, it was the next morning. Stefan compelled the people inside to ignore them and whatever happened to Ray Sutton, the werewolf that Klaus had been searching for this entire time. Klaus placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I have a special job for you"

"Leave and never come back? Gladly"

"When Ray arrives, sit at the bar and chat him up a bit. Distract him"

"What makes you so sure that he'll want to talk to me?"

"Don't be modest. Who wouldn't want to be around someone as lovely as you?"

A young guy in his twenties entered the bar. One of the men greeted him, calling him Ray. He sat at the bar, ordering a beer. Riley took the seat next to him and asked for a vodka cherry cocktail. The bartender handed her the drink. Ray was looking her up and down. She smiled at him.

"Hi. I'm Riley"

"Ray. I've never seen you here before"

"Just passing through"

"Sure you can handle that drink?"

"I can handle anything" she said, flirtatiously.

Klaus was listening to their conversation. She noticed him glare slightly and formed a plan in her head to annoy him. As she talked with Ray, she flirted, batting her eyelashes and giggling. She took the stem off of the cherry in her drink, teasing that she could tie it into a knot.

"Do you want to see?"

"Sure"

Klaus interrupted their conversation. He told Ray about their long trip to find him, traveling from Florida to Tennessee. When Ray attempted to leave, Klaus stopped him, mentioning how werewolves were very rare. Stefan stood on the other side of him, keeping Ray trapped by the bar.

"Vampires"

"Swifty swift, Ray"

"Who the hell says that?" she muttered, drinking her cocktail.

"Yes, my friend here is a vampire. He's already compelled everyone in here so don't look to them for help. I, however, am something else…a different kind of monster. I've got some vampire…got some wolf"

"Also got some douchebag"

"A hybrid, Ray. I'm both. You see, I want to create more of me. Now you being the first werewolf I've come across in many a moon. Pun intended, Ray"

She laughed obnoxiously. Stefan shot her a look that said Stop antagonizing him. Klaus glanced at her.

"You are hilarious. Hybrid, jackass, and comedian. You are a triple threat"

"Ignore my pretty friend here. She's doing this on purpose to return home but it won't work on me" he said, playing with a strand of her hair.

She smacked his hand. Klaus asked about Ray's werewolf pack. When he refused to say anything, Stefan ordered a glass of scotch and took out a bag of wolfsbane from his pocket. He wanted to play a game called Truth or Wolfsbane with Ray. Grabbing him by his shirt collar, Stefan dragged him over to the dart board. He chained him up against the wall and dipped the darts into the wolfsbane-laced scotch before throwing it at him. Ray continued to stay quiet. He cried out in pain when each dart hit his body and began bleeding badly. Klaus watched them with amusement.

"Where are you going?" he asked, seeing her get off of her seat.

"To the bathroom"

"Are you going to try that little stunt with the phone again?"

"No. I'll be a good little girl" she said, sweetly.

As she passed him, he moved his arm in front of her. "We both know that you're not a good little girl"

Riley pushed his arm aside in disgust. She walked into the bathroom, needing some time alone. After about ten minutes, she left the bathroom, seeing Klaus and Stefan in a tense conversation. She overheard Klaus mention that Damon had been at the house where Stefan killed those two girls. Stefan offered to keep Damon off of their trail, promising to return to the bar. She knew it was useless to ask Klaus to let her go with him. There was a better chance of her finding a diamond in her food. Stefan left the bar. Ray begged to be unchained from the wall. A man going over to the pool table with some friends had forgotten his phone at the bar. Riley needed to talk to any of her friends, even for just a couple seconds. She tousled her hair and returned to the bar.

"Where's Stefan going?"

"Back to Mystic Falls to handle a problem"

"Good. He's such a bore. I like that we're alone"

"Do you?" he asked, putting down his beer.

"You're always telling me to get to know you so tell me about you, Klaus"

Riley sat on his lap. She leaned close to his ear, sliding her hand under his shirt.

"I want to know about your family…your adventures…"

Her lips pressed against his ear. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"You're right. I'm not a good little girl. Elijah thought I was…but he's boring. I like excitement. I want to know what it's like to be the strongest person to ever exist"

Placing small kisses on his ear, she reached for the phone and cast a spell to transfigure it into a barrette. She kissed along his jawline and stopped at his chin. He was breathing heavily and ran his hand along her side.

"We can play a game. If you catch me before I'm back in the bar, you get a special prize" she whispered, their lips just inches apart.

"Or I could get it now"

"That's not how the game works. When I'm out of the bar, close your eyes and count to ten. No cheating"

Riley got out of his lap and walked over to the entrance to the bar. Klaus was watching her, pure lust in his eyes. Winking at him, she transfigured the barrette back into a phone and left the bar. She cut her wrist and left a trail of blood all over the parking lot to confuse him. Healing her wrist, she snuck around to the back of the bar, hiding behind the dumpster. She called Jayden and smiled, hearing his voice.

"Hey stranger. Are you still with your grandparents?"

"Uh yea, sorry I didn't tell you. It was a last minute thing. They're about to leave and wanted some time with me before they moved away to Europe permanently"

"Well you're missing a great party for Elena. I tried calling you yesterday for yours but it went right to voicemail"

"Bad service. How is everybody?"

"Drunk and having fun. I'm keeping an eye on Jeremy for you. Yea, it's Ri—sorry, he wants to talk to you. Relax, Jer. Don't rip my arm off"

"Riley?" she heard Jeremy say.

"Hey Jer"

"Where are you? What's going on?"

"I can't tell you much. I'm still with Klaus and Stefan. I'm safe"

"Just tell me where you are and we can come get you. Your dad's not afraid of Klaus"

"Jer, I promise that I'm fine. I can't talk for very long. Just wish Elena a happy birthday for me and tell everyone that I miss them. Hopefully, I'm back for school…which is the last thing I ever thought I'd say. I'll keep this phone with me. I'll try to call later when I'm alone"

"Ri, wait"

Riley hung up and casting the spell again, she hid the fake barrette in her pocket. She entered the bar through a back door. Ray was struggling against the chains. She sat down, drinking her cocktail. Seconds later, Klaus was at her side.

"Aw, too slow. You lose"

"We could play again"

"Don't feel like it"

"Are you being a tease?"

"No. I'm telling you that you lost your shot at hooking up with drunk me. Poor you"

He continued hitting Ray with the darts. Hours later, as night fell, Ray finally confessed to the location of his pack. Klaus unchained him and laid him down on an empty pool table. Ray was extremely weak. Cutting his wrist with a knife, Klaus fed Ray his blood just as Stefan walked over to them. Klaus snapped Ray's neck. While Klaus called out Stefan on pretending to not care about anyone, Riley looked at Ray's unconscious body. She wondered if Klaus could actually make more hybrids.

Their next destination was the Smoky Mountains. Riley was not in the mood for a hiking trip. Stefan had it the worst, having to carry Ray. She played with the barrette in her pocket, checking for the best opportunity to use the phone again. When Klaus offered to carry her, she rejected him. They found a small clearing where the other werewolves were setting up tents. Stefan placed Ray on the ground. One of the girls ran over to him, panicking. She seemed to know about Klaus being a hybrid. As they waited for Ray to wake up from his unconscious state, she looked at the other werewolves. One of them, a guy, was just a human. Ray's eyes popped open and he let out a wheezing breath. Human blood was needed for the transition. Like Riley, Klaus figured out that the guy was human and bit into his wrist. Stefan kept the guy pinned to the ground.

The girl who had run to help Ray tried to stop them. Klaus held her back. He did not even give her a choice about being a hybrid. Riley glared when he fed her his blood and snapped her neck. She stepped away from the clearing as Klaus fed his blood to all of the werewolves. The phone vibrated in her pocket. Picking up, she heard Damon.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Nice to hear from you too, Riley. Where are you?"

"In the mountains"

"Be a little more specific"

"Wh—don't tell me you're here"

"Yep. Me, Ric, and Elena"

"Elena? Are you insane? If Klaus sees"

"Tried telling her that but she didn't listen. Tell us where"

Riley hung up the phone at the sound of someone walking towards her. She disguised the phone and turned around, seeing Stefan.

"What are you doing?"

"Practicing spells"

"Well Klaus wants you with him so stop straying away from him"

He brought her back to the clearing. All of the werewolves, except Ray, were unconscious. Ray sat on a boulder, shivering and looking miserable. Klaus claimed that the hybrids would be soldiers, not slaves. He told them how armies are made before the war and if his army was large, no one would fight against him. Riley sat beside Ray, holding his hand. She cast a spell to take away some of the pain. Blood seeped from his eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt your little bro talk but something's wrong with him"

"Y—you said it would feel better. Why doesn't it feel better?" asked Ray, shaking.

"Some master race" said Stefan.

The second werewolf woke up, beginning her transition into a hybrid. Klaus told the guy to feed her blood. As the guy stumbled towards her, bleeding from his arm, Ray's eyes turned yellow and his werewolf fangs emerged. He threw Riley into a tree roughly and disappeared into the woods. She rubbed the back of her head, wincing. Klaus rushed to her side. She stood up, wincing.

"Riley, let me heal you"

"I don't want your blood. I'm fine"

"Stay here while I see if Stefan has Ray. When they wake up, have them drink from Derek"

The second hybrid was already bleeding from her eyes. Riley could tell that this was a bad sign. She leaned against the tree. Klaus returned to the clearing, telling her that Stefan had a nasty werewolf bite. He was not going to cure him until he captured Ray. Riley was disgusted with his manipulations. Things went from bad to worse when all of the hybrids woke up in transition. The sky was pitch black and the hybrids moved around like zombies, bleeding from their eyes and shaking. With little remorse, Klaus killed Derek.

"Something the matter, love?"

She crossed her arms. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe that you're being a complete jerk and letting Stefan walk around with a werewolf bite when he's helped you all summer and you have the cure. Maybe that we're surrounded by zombie hybrids. It's a real toss-up between the two"

One of the hybrids almost bit her. Seeing that his little plan failed, he killed all of them. He sat on the ground, holding a beer bottle. Stefan stepped into the clearing, holding a dead Ray. Though Klaus looked upset, Riley did not feel any sympathy for him. He angrily threw the bottle to the ground.

"I did everything I was told! I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf, I killed a vampire, I killed the doppelganger"

Stefan and Riley shared a quick worried glance. Both of them were thinking that Klaus failed because Elena was alive. Stefan apologized for killing Ray, telling Klaus that he had no other choice. Klaus poured his blood into another bottle and handed it to him.

"So you'll take us back to Mystic Falls now" said Riley.

"No"

"What? Your little experiment failed. Time to call it quits"

"Give us a minute, Stefan"

Drinking from the bottle, Stefan walked into the woods. Klaus moved in front of her, backing her against a tree.

"I'll let you in on a secret. I know that our connection does not go that far. If you die, it won't kill me. I knew you were lying from the moment you said it"

"It is true. I"

He cupped her cheek. "It's time you give up false hope. You're not returning home. It seems you and Stefan are the only friends I have left"

"I don't want to be your friend, Klaus. I'm not sorry for you because you don't have someone to whine to about your problems. You can't force me to stay here"

"I won't need to force anything"

Taking her wrist, he placed it on his chest. "You understand me. You see past everything…to the good in me"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Here's another secret. Our history with each other goes back to even before that night in France"

Riley stared at him, confused. From what Klaus said, it was as if he meant that they knew each other some other time in the past. She would definitely remember meeting him. He banged her head against the tree, knocking her unconscious…

A/N: Thanks for reading. That last scene between Riley and Klaus is going to become important in later chapters. It ties into the history between Klaus and Riley's parents, which has been hinted at before. While they are in Chicago, Riley is also going to run into some witch-related trouble.