Over the past three weeks, Riley, Stefan, and Damon focused all of their attention on helping Elena to regain her humanity. They continued with the good cop/bad cop routine and though it seemed like their efforts were pointless, Riley could see hints of Elena's old self peeking through her emotionless expression. While Stefan was wary that Riley's magical tactics would cause more harm than good, Damon trusted that her tough attitude and willingness to push her cousin to the limit would be the key to finally breaking through to her. Jayden offered to help by bringing over some tools from his father's shed. The tools, though they looked harmless, were actually dangerous weapons against supernatural creatures, mainly vampires. When Riley was not smacking around Elena, she was having daily conversations with Elijah over the phone. Their plans against Marcel had not proven successful yet but he hoped that by the end of the month, the so-called King of the Quarter would be overthrown in New Orleans. She counted the days until she could return to the city because with each passing day, she worried that Klaus would make a dangerous move that could put him, Elijah, Hayley, and the baby in danger.
Riley had not yet brought up the subject of leaving Mystic Falls with her friends or parents. She thought it was best if she applied for colleges down in New Orleans as a way to discuss it with them. Due to her intense situation, she had to use magic to send in applications and make the admissions offices believe that they received them with the applications of other students. Within a week, she received acceptance letters from colleges all over the country. Her mother used her connections at Whitmore College to hand in her application late, expecting that Riley would be attending college there with Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie. Hearing her mother excitement over Riley attending her parents' alma mater and possibly being in her archaeology courses only made Riley feel worse about the eventual conversation. Another secret that she was keeping was her discovery that Lukas seemed to have a doppelganger who lived in New Orleans during the 1800s. She decided against mentioning it to Elijah, knowing that he had enough to deal with overthrowing Marcel and taking care of Hayley and the baby.
Riley was in the living room of the boardinghouse with Jayden, sifting through a cardboard box filled with his father's weapons. He loaded stakes into a stake gun while she filled a syringe with vervain. Caroline walked into the living room, biting her lip. She had been speaking with Elena, hoping that a little chat would break through to Elena better than outright torture. Judging by her worried expression, her attempt failed miserably.
"No luck with the therapy session, Dr. Caroline?" asked Riley.
"Not even close. Do what you have to do…but no cutting off body parts"
"I'm not a killer from a horror movie"
"Well, you've spent time with Klaus so I'm sure some of his methods rubbed off on you. Have you seen Bonnie at all today?"
"Nope and I keep getting her voicemail. I think she needed some time away after her near-death experience at prom"
"I'm going to try calling her again. She shouldn't be alone when that psycho Silas is running around town, disguising himself as our friends and messing with her head. Stefan's bringing up Elena now"
As Caroline left the boardinghouse to call Bonnie, there was the sound of footsteps downstairs. Stefan carried an unconscious Elena into the living room and tied her down to a chair. Caroline had snapped her neck after a rather vicious conversation. Damon walked into the room, holding a fire extinguisher.
"What are you doing with that?" asked Jayden.
"Getting into my pyromaniac side" he replied, taking off Elena's daylight ring.
"You really think that'll scare her?"
"Do you have any better ideas, jock boy?"
"Not that I can think of"
"Then be quiet"
After a few minutes, Elena woke up, feeling lightheaded. She noticed that her daylight ring was missing but showed no signs of concern. Seeing Stefan holding a curtain, she scoffed, insisting that he would never burn her. He told her to hold onto the fear she felt as a way to regain her humanity.
"Even if you do manage to get my emotions back, I'll remember all this and I'll hate all of you for it"
"Well, hate is a emotion so we'll deal with that" said Riley.
Stefan pushed back the curtain. As the sunlight shined on her, her sleeve caught fire. Jayden grimaced, turning his head. They waited a short time before closing the curtain again. Damon doused the fire with the extinguisher.
"That feels better, huh? How about a little gratitude or any human emotion whatsoever and we can stop this?" asked Damon.
Elena muttered quietly to herself. "I didn't quite catch that"
"I said, I'm going to kill you"
Her voice was filled with a small amount of rage. Trying to appeal to Stefan's compassion, she commented that he enjoyed seeing her hurt because of their awkward breakup. She merely laughed at his speech about understanding what Elena was going through with her humanity off and that she was afraid of facing all of the guilt from her actions.
"Some cousin you are…letting them burn me" she said to Riley, weak from having no blood for five days.
"I will do whatever it takes to break through this little façade. You and I both know that I'm not part of the 'Poor Elena' gang. If kicking the crap out of you gets you to switch on your humanity, then I'll do it"
"You wouldn't be so confident if I got out of here and told the first witch I see that you're still alive. Then, you'd have to go back to raccoon eyes and that ugly dye job"
"You're terrible at making threats. Let me show you how it's done"
Riley pierced her arm with the syringe and injected vervain directly into her bloodstream. The high dose of vervain caused her skin to bubble, creating unsightly bumps all over her body. Elena grinded her teeth, refusing to give into the pain.
"Does that hurt? I could stop it at any time, Ellie. Just stop acting like a little robot"
"Go to hell"
"Already been there and back. I guess you don't feel the vervain. Should I add more? Yea, you won't mind because you're a tough cookie"
"When I get out of this chair, I am going to rip off your head and leave it on your doorstep"
"I'm shaking" replied Riley, sarcastically.
Before she could inject her with more vervain, Stefan stopped her. He asked for her and Jayden to wait outside while they handled the problem. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and followed Jayden out of the boardinghouse. Caroline and Matt were sitting on the porch, talking to distract themselves from hearing Elena's screams of pain. The conversation shifted to graduation. Caroline suggested that she, Riley, Bonnie, and Elena could get connecting double rooms at Whitmore College.
"It'll be like all four of us are living together. Hopefully, Elena is back to her normal self before graduation"
"That…sounds great"
"Why does it sound like you don't mean it?"
"I don't want to talk about this now. We have to focus on Elena"
"What are we not talking about? Are you not going to Whitmore? We've been planning this since we were like six years old, Riley. We would go to Whitmore, rule the freshman class by the end of the first week, and party with really cute guys"
Riley was saved from explaining herself by Rebekah, who arrived at the boardinghouse with burgers. She revealed that Matt was failing some of his classes. Caroline immediately panicked, thinking that he would not graduate with the rest of them. She advised that they set up a study area in the library while she went home to retrieve her flash cards and study guides. Rebekah and Riley wrote up their own flash cards to help him study for history.
"I heard that little conversation about college. You still haven't told them that you plan on going to New Orleans?"
"I figured I'd wait until Elena is back to normal"
"You're stalling because you're not sure how they'll take the news"
"Oh, I know how they'll take it. Caroline will freak out because we've had those college plans for years and she'll think that we'll never see each other again. My parents won't care if I choose a different college but as soon as I mention New Orleans, they'll know why I'm really going there and let's just say in the past, I made bad choices with my boyfriends. The fact that he's a thousand year old Original vampire doesn't make it any better. What's the chance that I can convince you to come with me?"
"Very slim. I have no intention of being around Niklaus"
"You have to stop by at least once to see your niece or nephew"
Riley could not help overhearing Elena's taunts in the living room. She placed her stack of flash cards on the couch and walked over to the room, listening to Elena mock Damon for thinking she honestly cared about him. Freeing herself from the chair, she pulled open the curtain, setting herself on fire. Damon quickly put out the flames with the extinguisher. Elena laughed weakly as her healing ability fixed her burns.
"I am the girl that you love. You wouldn't do anything to actually hurt me…you just proved that. So what do I really have to be afraid of?"
"Me"
She grabbed Elena roughly by her hair. "Riley" started Stefan.
"Shut up. Enough with being nice. You asked for my help with little miss emotionless over here so you're going to leave us alone. I'll handle this by myself. It's your fault that she got this bad"
With little effort, she dragged Elena down the basement and threw her into the safe. She flicked her wrist, casting a spell to keep her pinned against the wall.
"I'm not scared of you"
"Most people make that mistake. The lovey-dovey brothers won't hurt you for real but I have no problem putting you through torture"
"Why did you even come back, Riley? You should've just left with Elijah…or did he dump you? I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe he thinks you're seeing someone else behind his back or maybe he doesn't want to date a little brat"
"You're right. I really don't want to be in Mystic Falls. If I had the choice, I'd be with him right now but instead, I'm here, once again having to deal with your problems. I'm not going to be around here forever. When I leave, who is going to knock some sense into you? Who's going to be willing to be honest instead of throwing you little pity parties?"
"Then leave. Go off into the sunset with your boyfriend and his brother who would bend over backwards for you. That's a trainwreck waiting to happen, isn't it? I don't know what they see in you. If we're being honest, I think Elijah only likes you because he sees you as a broken toy and we both know he likes to fix things. As for Klaus, you'd be nothing to him if you didn't have your magic. That's all he cares about. Do you like having both of them worship the ground you walk on?"
"That's hilarious, coming from you. Insult me all you want, Elena. It has no effect on me. I'll give you one last chance to switch on your humanity"
"Or what?"
"Or I'm going to show you just why those witches are scared of me"
Elena threw her a harsh glare. She cried out in pain when Riley touched her forehead, sending waves of electricity through her body. For the next three hours, she tortured Elena with her magic. A simple barrier spell prevented anyone from going into the basement to interfere with her plan. Elena begged for her to stop, blood seeping from her nose. As she made Elena rot from the inside, she heard the door to the safe open and expected to see Bonnie, the only person able to reverse her spell. To her surprise, Katherine was standing in the doorway.
"Hello mini Gilbert. May I join?"
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Well, your barrier spell only kept out the people who were in the house before you went down here to torture precious Elena. Her boyfriends invited me to help out. Can we have a minute alone?"
"I'm not leaving you alone with her"
"Come on, can I really hurt her any more than you have already? Do you want a pinky promise that I won't kill her?" she asked, holding out her pinky.
Riley warned her that if she killed Elena, she would see the full extent of her magic. Warily, she left the basement. Damon was sitting in the living room, drinking a glass of bourbon.
"You seriously called Katherine?"
"Better her torturing Elena than you. She promised to be on her best behavior"
"Because Katherine always keeps her promises…"
"Sit down, shorty. We need a break"
He handed her the bottle and an empty glass. Pouring herself some bourbon, she asked if Caroline had returned to the boardinghouse. He joked that Caroline was busy gathering dozens of notebooks filled with class notes.
"What's on your mind?"
"How to get Elena to turn on her humanity. I think we're close"
"No, you've got something else tucked away. Witch spirits still giving you a problem?"
"I haven't heard them for awhile. It's nothing important. I've just been thinking about the past a lot lately. Old boyfriends…"
"Trouble in paradise with Mr. Fancy Pants?"
"Elijah and I are fine. Can I ask you a personal question? How did you feel when you found out what Katherine was really like? Not the whole vampire thing but that she wasn't who she seemed when you were together"
"It hurt, at first, but liquor helped. Don't tell me you had a secret fling with her too and she compelled you to forget about it"
She stifled a laugh. "I think I'd remember that. When I was dating this guy, it felt like I knew everything about him but maybe my younger self was a lot more naïve and willing to ignore the obvious signs"
"Am I interrupting?" she heard.
Katherine poured her own glass of bourbon. She seemed a bit agitated from her time with Elena. Damon and Katherine went back and forth, tossing taunts at each other. Stefan hurried into the living room, telling them that Elena disappeared from the basement. With feigned concern, Katherine wondered if she forgot to lock the safe. Damon forced Matt to help them find Elena, thinking he could be useful in the search. Before Riley could follow them, Katherine grabbed her wrist.
"Not so fast, mini Gilbert. We need to have a little talk"
"It can wait"
"Actually, it can't. Do you remember your promise to me? Let me remind you. You were all lost and alone and I made sure those nasty witches didn't find out that you were alive. You promised me that if I got the cure, you'd convince Klaus to stop chasing me"
"And I told you that it wasn't a foolproof plan. You know how stubborn Klaus is and even with the cure, there was no guarantee that he'd agree to give you your freedom"
"Do you want to hear me say that you were right? That's not going to happen. I want you to call Klaus right now and do whatever you can to convince him to change his mind. It shouldn't be too hard for you"
"Thanks to you, my emotionless, starving cousin is running around Mystic Falls and probably ripping people apart for food. My world does not revolve around you, Katherine. I'm sorry that our deal didn't work out but it isn't my fault. Maybe I can ask Klaus some other time when Elena isn't a danger to the entire town"
Katherine moved in front of her. "I like you, mini Gilbert, but I won't hesitate to hurt you to get what I want"
As Katherine threatened to attack her friends, Riley heard a gruff voice practically screaming in her head. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the voice. It became much louder and she felt a tightening on her throat.
"So unless you want me to turn your bestie Jayden inside out"
Riley pushed her hand forward. An invisible force struck Katherine, throwing her several feet into the air and through one of the walls.
"Narcissistic bitch" muttered Riley, opening the front door.
Casting a locater spell, she found Elena in the woods. Stefan had her pinned against a tree and Damon was holding Matt by his neck, which was covered in bite marks. Matt looked very woozy. Elena scoffed, seeing Riley.
"And here's my bitchy witch cousin to beat me up some more. What do you have planned this time?"
"Riley's not doing anything. It's my turn. You're acting like a little spoiled brat, you know that? You think we can't punish you. Maybe not…but I can sure punish him"
"Elena" whispered Matt, barely able to keep his eyes open.
"Seriously? You think this—" started Elena.
"Shut up! I'm done playing nice. Riley was right. Enough coddling and treating you like a fragile little flower. Turn your emotions back on right now, Elena, or so help me god, I will give you something to be sad about. I will kill him right here in front of you"
"Damon" said Stefan.
"Don't 'Damon' me. She doesn't love anyone? Fine. Prove it. And if I'm wrong, what difference does it make? One less busboy"
Elena stared him down, calling his bluff. One quick snap later, Matt was on the ground with a broken neck. Riley's eyes widened as she bent down beside him. Damon pointed out that even Riley's magic could not revive Matt. He questioned Elena if she was feeling any strong emotions like anger or sadness.
"I guess it was a good idea that he was wearing this" he said, lifting up his hand.
Matt had been wearing the Gilbert ring. Elena fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. She held onto his hand, openly sobbing as her emotions rushed back into her. Riley hugged her.
"It's okay. He's going to wake up and everything will be fine"
Elena pushed her away, shaking her head. She began to freak out, remembering the terrible things she had done in her emotionless state. Punching through a window of Matt's truck, she sent glass flying all over the ground. Stefan assured her that she was feeling all of her emotions at once and the pain would stop if she focused on one thing.
"Find the thing inside of you that makes you wanna live. Elena, let it in"
After a few seconds, she was able to calm herself down and they returned to the boardinghouse. Rebekah watched over Matt while the four of them sat in the living room. Riley wrapped a blanket around her and rubbed her back comfortingly.
"I know how you're feeling. When I came back after that spell I did to save myself, it was like my emotions were amplified by a million. I had to pull myself back but you don't have to do this alone"
"How did you stop it?"
She smiled, remembering how thoughts of seeing Elijah again snapped her out of her fragile state. "By thinking about people I care about…"
"Thank you for not giving up on me"
"That's what family's for…we have each other's backs"
"What you need to do for now is rest. Take it easy for a couple of days" said Stefan.
Elena shook her head. She handed the blanket to Riley.
"I'm done resting. I have to get ready. There's so much that I have to do"
"What are you talking about?" asked Damon.
Speaking in one breath, she explained how Katherine had ruined all of their lives. Katherine manipulated the Salvatore brothers, brought Klaus to Mystic Falls, turned Caroline into a vampire, and caused Jeremy's death. When Stefan told her to focus on one thing, she decided to channel her emotions into her hate for her doppelganger. She was determined to get rid of Katherine for good by killing her.
"Elena, I don't think—"
"And you can help me. Family has each other's backs, right?"
By the next morning, Elena had not let go of her rage towards Katherine. Stefan offered to get Elena to move past her anger since he had first-hand experience with her situation. Riley was in the kitchen with her parents. Both of them were relieved that Elena managed to switch on her humanity. Her father assumed that her hatred for Katherine would only last for a few days until she realized that it was a foolish idea.
"Elena will be fine. When vampires regain their humanity, it takes some time for them to get back to their usual selves. You just need to keep her away from Katherine" said her father.
"That might be hard since she's hell-bent on ripping out her heart. I guess rage-filled Elena is better than emotionless Elena"
She checked her phone, hoping to see a text from Bonnie. Ever since the night of prom, Bonnie had been avoiding her friends. She claimed that she needed time away since Elena almost killed her but Riley thought she had another reason for ignoring all of their calls and texts. Leaving another voicemail, she asked Bonnie to meet her at the grill to look over her grimoire. The only time anyone of them had seen Bonnie was last night. Silas attacked Caroline to drag Bonnie out of hiding by posing as Klaus, Matt, and her mother. Her father received a call from Caroline's mother about an attack at the hospital. Five people were murdered and drained of blood. She believed that Silas was behind the attack. Her father promised to be home for dinner and kissed her mother on the cheek before leaving the house.
"What if Silas is waiting at the hospital and attacks them?"
"Riley, your father can handle himself. I doubt Silas would go back there. He must be getting ready for the spell tomorrow night"
"There has to be a way to get rid of him. If that veil drops, we're all screwed"
"I don't want you to worry about that. Go be with your friends and watch over Elena. You graduate tomorrow"
"And yet I'm worried about deadly supernatural creatures returning to our world. Just another day in Mystic Falls"
Riley grabbed her purse and headed over to her car. She called Bonnie again, leaving her fifth voicemail for the day.
"Bonnie, stop avoiding me. I know you don't want me involved in that psycho's plans but I won't take no for an answer. Just tell me where you're hiding and I'll meet you. Otherwise, come to the grill so we can read my grimoires for the five millionth time"
In the reflection of the window, she saw Damon. He wanted her to cast a locater spell to find Silas, thinking he was hiding somewhere in town. She opened her car door and threw her purse onto the passenger seat.
"Did I enact some weird ritual where you appear by someone calling you a psycho?"
"You sound very calm since you know I'm not your friend. What gave it away?"
"Damon smells better" she said, turning towards Silas.
He chuckled. "Aren't you a funny one? I want you to stop looking for Bonnie. She's safe…preparing for tomorrow night's spell"
"You obviously don't know me that well. I don't take orders from people, especially not 2,000 year old lunatics who want to bring down the veil to the Other Side. You don't scare me"
"Maybe I don't but those voices in your head…they keep you up all night"
Riley glared. "And what the hell do you know about that?"
"I knew your ancestors, Riley. I always respected them and their power. They were the ones who originated magic, after all. I know about that darkness that followed you back. It tortured one of your ancestors so badly that he drowned himself in the lake to escape the torment. I could tell you what it is for a price. Stay away from Bonnie"
"You know, if you really wanted the veil down, you'd be asking for my help. Two strong witches are better than one but you must not trust me. That's the first smart thing I've seen you do since you've been here. Let's say I consider your offer. Tell me about this darkness"
"It takes different forms, usually a person. It's been around since the beginning of withcraft. Your ancestors indirectly created it when they introduced magic to the world. Every light has a darkness. It's pure chaos and destruction. It wants to see the world burn and who better to do that than the strongest bloodline of witches? Your ancestors trapped it on the Other Side. When they killed themselves to escape those voices, it was sent back to the Other Side, waiting to latch onto the next descendant who enacted that spell to save their life. It's come back to the physical world many times over the centuries but not at full strength, just enough to create a corporeal form…one that could manipulate you"
"Fascinating story. Thank you for telling me. I do appreciate it but you can forget your deal. Bonnie's my friend and you can't keep me away from her"
"Do not underestimate me, little witch. You barely escaped death the first time. I could easily put you in the ground permanently"
She shuddered, pretending to be scared. "Chills"
Getting in her car, she drove down to the Mystic Grill. The weather suddenly changed, turning from sunny to cloudy with a heavy wind. She spotted Caroline, Matt, and Rebekah sitting at the bar. Silas's words tugged at the back of her mind. She took out her phone and called Elijah. If anyone could make sense of this darkness, it was him.
"Riley, how nice of you to call. I thought you'd be busy preparing for graduation" said Klaus.
"Why are you answering Elijah's phone?"
"He's busy in a meeting with the witches. They're discussing a way to attack Marcel's inner circle"
"Well, can you tell him that I need to talk to him?"
"I could help you myself"
"As much as I'd appreciate your advice, which would probably involve a lot of violence, I'd rather talk to him right now. Just take his place for a couple minutes"
"Of course. One moment"
Seconds later, she heard Elijah's voice. He worried that she was in trouble in Mystic Falls.
"No, it's about—is this a bad time? I can call back later"
"I told you that I'd always answer your calls. Is something wrong?"
"I had a run-in with Silas"
"Did he harm you?"
"No. He just told me to stay away from Bonnie. He knew about that darkness"
"The darkness…" he said, sounding slightly confused.
"Yea, you know what I mean. I don't want to believe what he said but maybe he was telling me the truth. It sounds crazy"
Riley told him about her conversation with Silas. She thought it was strange that he did not say much, only sounding concerned.
"It's possible it is a lie but at the same time, you should be cautious"
"What if it comes out of the Other Side when he forces Bonnie to drop the veil?"
"Riley, you're a strong girl. Nothing will harm you. I'm sure you and your friends will find a way to stop him"
"That's all you're going to say?"
"I apologize if I don't have much advice to give to you. I'm not very experienced in this matter. Perhaps you should check your grimoires or—Klaus, not now. Yes, I will be right there. I have to get back to the witches. We can talk again later"
"Sure. Tomorrow morning?"
"I'll be waiting by the phone"
Hanging up the phone, she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong with Elijah. He sounded strange during the call. It was as if he wanted to end it as soon as possible. Stepping out of the car, she was knocked back by a strong gust of wind. The sky was beginning to darken and she felt a cold sensation run down her spine. She walked into the Mystic Grill and sat at the bar, next to Caroline. Rebekah was speaking to Elena, who took out her rage on a dartboard.
"She's still in kill Katherine mode, huh?"
"Rebekah's trying to get through to her. I don't think it's working. We have to finish our talk from yesterday"
"I'd rather talk about how Matt did on his finals"
"Stop avoiding the subject. Are you not going to Whitmore with us?"
Riley sighed. "Care, it's complicated"
"It's a yes or no answer"
"I'm not going to Whitmore. After graduation, I am moving to New Orleans. I got accepted to some colleges nearby"
Matt and Caroline looked at her, surprised. She accused Riley of only choosing a college there because of Elijah.
"Yea, Caroline. I'm going there because of Elijah. I really…we…I don't want to talk about this right now"
"Too bad. Why can't you just go to Whitmore? You can see him on our breaks and during holidays. You don't have to be with him all the time"
"It's not just for him"
"And what about those creepy witches who think you're dead? What if one of them recognizes you? You're just going to wear a disguise for four years because you want to be close to Elijah? Did he put you up to this?"
"No. It's my decision. It's not like I'll vanish if I don't live here anymore. We'll still see each other. I'll visit you at Whitmore and—please don't make that judgy face. I don't trust him alone with Klaus. He has a terrible temper and those daggers. I don't want him put in a coffin again"
"He's like a zillion years old. He can take care of himself. This isn't over. When we get Elena over this hate phase, we're having a big talk"
She put her glass down on the counter as she walked towards the dartboard. Matt handed Riley a rum and coke. He assured her that Caroline and her other friends would understand her decision.
"I know you're not just going down there for a guy. Caroline's just overreacting because she's had the whole college thing planned for years"
Just as she felt another cold sensation down her spine, there was a power outage. She followed Matt outside the grill. The weather was even more turbulent than before, sending leaves and pieces of trash flying past them. She noticed that every building had lost power. Caroline stayed inside, calling her mother to find out what caused the problem. Though Matt believed it was just a bad storm, Riley thought it was something much worse. She received a text from Damon, telling her that the outages occurred at the locations of the three massacres for the expression triangle. The two of them came to the same conclusion that Bonnie was casting the spell to lower the veil without the full moon. Those sudden chills were from Bonnie channeling the three hotspots. Stefan guessed that Bonnie was performing the spell at the center of the triangle, which was inside the school.
While Riley drove Caroline and Elena to the school, Matt and Rebekah decided to stay at the grill. As they searched for Bonnie, Riley grabbed flashlights from the janitor's closet. Minutes later, the Salvatores arrived at the school. Stefan went inside to search with Caroline and Riley, Damon, and Elena walked around the parking lot. Elena was more interested in finding Katherine. She did not seem to care that the storm caused by Bonnie's spell could flip over a car and rip trees out of the ground.
"I don't care about Bonnie. I care about killing Katherine"
"They're together, okay? So maybe you should do a little less threatening and a little more looking. Come on" said Damon.
Riley moved to his side, using magic to stop the wind around them. "What do you mean, she's with Katherine?"
"One of the power outage guys recognized her and said she was with Elena…but Elena was with you at the grill"
"Why the hell would she be with Katherine? That doesn't make any sense"
"Well when we find Bonnie, we'll ask her why she's hanging around with a bitchy vampire"
After searching the grounds for nearly ten minutes, they entered the school. Riley kept her guard up in case they bumped into Silas. Leaving the gym, Damon's phone began to ring in his pocket. Stefan suggested that Bonnie was in the underground caves below the school. There was an entrance in the basement and they promised to all meet together in the caves.
"Let's go to the boiler room"
"I have a faster way. I can cast a spell to make a hole in the floor right to the bottom" said Riley.
As she began to cast the spell, ripping away at the floor tiles, Damon insisted that Elena was not joining them. Her vendetta against Katherine could jeopardize their chances of stopping the spell. Elena argued that killing Katherine would help her deal with her grief and guilt, allowing her to feel good emotions.
"As soon as I get over this hurdle, I'll be me. I'll be able to think clearly. I'll be myself and everything will go back to normal. If Riley uses her magic—"
"I am not killing Katherine. Trust me, killing her won't make you feel better"
"But Riley"
"Listen to her. You can't go after Katherine. She's strong and crafty and you'll die" said Damon.
Elena stabbed his stomach with a stake. "At least I'll die trying"
She threw Riley against the lockers. By the time Riley stood up, a sharp pain in the side of her head, Elena was gone. Damon struggled to remove the stake.
"Go find Elena. I'll get this out and then I'll be right behind you"
"Be careful"
Riley descended down to the caves. She tried to find Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie, or Elena. As she turned a corner, she bumped into someone. Her eyes widened, seeing Lukas. He was dressed in dark jeans, a v-neck shirt, a black leather jacket, and combat boots, the same outfit he wore on the night of his death. His shaggy dark hair was nearly shoulder-length and swept to the side, partially covering his right eye.
"L—Lukas? How are you…Bonnie dropped the veil"
"Not completely. Just inside the triangle. I've missed you"
"I have to find Bonnie. She has to put the veil back up"
He grabbed her wrist, pulling her back towards him. "Why are you leaving so soon? It's been years. The veil can stay down. Once it's gone completely, I'll be back and you can dump that stupid Original. Yea, I know about him. I've always been watching you from the Other Side. You could never feel me there…my arms around your waist, my breath on your cheek, my lips on that spot you like behind your ear. You don't need to settle for him anymore. We can be together again. We can travel just like we planned"
"Lukas, you can't stay. I did miss you but if the veil goes down, bad people could cross over here too"
"We can go to New Orleans. I want to show you that creature"
"I don't care about—you told me it was in Rome"
"It travels around"
Riley's thoughts drifted to her telling Elijah about Lukas and his stories about the creature. When she claimed that Lukas planned to take her to Rome, Elijah mentioned that Klaus was there that same year.
"You're talking about Klaus. He's a hybrid. That's why you said it wasn't like anything else"
"I know you're already met him but you haven't gotten to know him well enough. His brother keeps getting in the way. With him gone, I think you two will really hit it off"
"Why would you want me to be around Klaus?"
"Because it's destiny. He doesn't care about that werewolf girl having his baby but you're different. Your baby would be special...so powerful. Prophecies can't be avoided, Riley"
"How could you know about that? I just found out when…you weren't a doppelganger"
"A very good guess but no. You're smart. Let's see if you can figure out my secret"
"You're the darkness"
He smirked. "Much smarter than your ancestors. It would take them ages to figure it out. Most of them would have no idea until they killed themselves to escape me and I punished them when they arrived on the Other Side. My basic appearance stays the same but I change little things to attract my target. I crossed over when your grandmother died. You're the first in your family since the curse to have magic but your ancestors are still considered witches...like your grandmother. She came through and I passed back into this world. I saw you, the typical rebellious teenager. I read your mind and knew how to get your attention. Then, I died in that car accident"
"Why would you kill yourself?"
"To regain my strength and prepare for when you witches cast that spell to save your lives. Upon your return from your brief trip to the Other Side, I latch on and stay inside your head. As my voice gets clearer, I'm telling you to bring me back from the Other Side and all that pain will stop. Like Silas told you, I am pure chaos and destruction. Once your friend Bonnie removes the veil entirely, I'll make sure that prophecy is fulfilled and I'll enjoy watching the carnage that follows. I feed off of it…all the evil in the world. Before you think you can escape my influence, you're wrong. Once I'm back, I'll be the one controlling you and you won't be able to stop me. The only way to do that is by dying again and even then, I'll torment you on the Other Side for eternity"
"You're insane"
"Oh, I've waited centuries for this moment and Bonnie has provided me with the perfect opportunity to get what I want. I think it's time for us to leave"
He slammed her head into the wall, knocking her unconscious. When she woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar bedroom. She felt a pair of lips press against her bare shoulder. Turning quickly, she saw Lukas beside her.
"Did you have a nice nap, sleeping beauty?"
She pushed back the covers and hurried towards the door. He appeared in front of her.
"Stay"
She was unable to move one step, her feet glued to the floor. "What the hell?" she hissed.
"I compelled you. My magic gets its strength from turmoil. There's a lot of that in Mystic Falls right now. Fight it all you want but you can't reverse the compulsion. Why were you trying to get away from me?"
"Just let me go"
"Oh, that's not happening"
Riley tensed up as his fingers ran through her hair. He pouted.
"Are you scared of me? You should be happy that I'm letting you graduate today. I could have just taken you to New Orleans already and gone through with my plan"
"You can't just compel me to fall in love with Klaus"
"I easily could but there's no need. Perhaps in the past, yes, but I've seen that these days, love isn't a requirement to bear one's child. Why would I make you fall for him when I want you to myself? I don't mind sharing you for one night. It's going to be just like old times. You can say that Elijah is enough for you but I doubt he satisfies you like I could"
"You're never going to touch me"
Lukas backhanded her, causing her to fall to the floor. She held her cheek. He lifted her up and used magic to heal the shallow cut.
"I'm trying to be generous here and you're making me angry. I could very well keep you locked in this apartment all day but I'm sure you want to see your cousin Jeremy. He came back last night"
Grabbing her chin, he forced her to look into his eyes. "Now, you will not say a word of this to anyone. You can try to tell your friends but you won't be able to tell them the truth. You are going to go through your day like any other, enjoy your graduation, and then tonight, we'll head to New Orleans. You can watch as I tear off your precious boyfriend's head. Wouldn't that be exciting?"
Riley left the apartment and walked towards the boardinghouse. Once she was far away from the apartment, she called Elijah. The call went straight to voicemail. Her eyes were brimmed with tears as she struggled to tell him what happened the previous night. Lukas's compulsion was very strong, making it difficult to speak coherently. She begged him to return to Mystic Falls. Elena was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace while Stefan leaned against the couch, urging her to be calm. Seeing Riley, she rushed over and hugged her.
"I guess you've moved past killer mode"
"Where have you been? We've been texting you like a million times since last night"
"I ran into the Silas in the caves. He knocked me out and I woke up in the woods. I'm okay. What's going on?"
Elena explained what she had missed since Lukas knocked her out in the caves. Kol returned from the Other Side to get revenge on her but was stopped by Jeremy and Stefan. Besides Jeremy, Alaric, Stefan's old friend Lexi, and three vampire hunters had shown up in Mystic Falls. The hunters wanted the cure and Silas so they could fulfill their destiny. Bonnie managed to turn Silas into stone and Damon was taking Vaughn, the hunter who worked with Katherine, to his body.
"He shot Damon with a wooden bullet laced in werewolf venom. Can you call Klaus? He needs to heal Damon with his blood"
"I can try. He might be a little busy"
"I'll do anything if he'll save Damon"
Sitting on the front porch, she called Klaus. She was surprised that he immediately answered her.
"Twice in one week. To what do I owe the pleasure, love?"
"I need you to come to Mystic Falls. The veil's down here and one of the vampire hunters came back and shot Damon. He's got werewolf venom in his system"
"And I happen to be the only cure"
"I know you're busy trying to take control of New Orleans but"
"I'll be there as soon as I can"
"Did Elijah get my message? He wasn't answering me this morning"
"Yes. We had a bit of a rough night and he misplaced his phone. There's no reason to worry"
As she hung up, Jeremy, Elena, and Stefan left the boardinghouse. Jeremy hugged her tightly. Her eyes brimmed with tears. She could barely hold herself together and seeing him alive was making it harder to act normal.
"Jer"
"Hey, no crying. You haven't even gone through graduation and the veil's still down. I'm not going to disappear yet"
Even though he could not attend the graduation, he promised that they could celebrate later at the cemetery. It would be easier for him to stay hidden there than somewhere public like the grill. After driving over to the school, they changed into their caps and gowns and met up with Caroline, Bonnie, and Matt. She felt a strange presence around Bonnie.
"Do you need help putting up the veil?" she whispered.
Bonnie shook her head. "No, I can do it on my own. I just hit a little snag. It'll be up by tonight"
"I think we should do it sooner…like now"
"I know the hunters and Kol are out there but once we put it up, our friends leave too. Jeremy, Alaric…"
Riley pulled her aside. "We need to do it now"
"Why? Did Alec cross over here?"
"No. It's—I can't say…remember that thing we've been researching in my grimoires? It came through to the Other Side and if the veil stays down any longer, I feel like it'll be harder for us to send it back"
"The darkness? What does it look like?" she asked, shocked.
"That doesn't matter. Let's just sneak down to the cave before the ceremony and—why are you stalling?"
"I just want Elena to have some more time with Jeremy. After the ceremony, we can"
Riley reached for her hands. The strange presence around Bonnie intensified and her skin felt ice cold. Bonnie avoided eye contact, staring at the ground.
"Because if you put it back up, you'll disappear too. You died last night"
"Riley, you can't tell the others"
"How did you die? Did Silas—"
"It was after we saved Elena from Kol. I wanted to use my magic to bring Jeremy back for good but it was too much. My grams warned me and I didn't listen to her. Please just keep this between us. I can still use my magic. After the ceremony, I'll put it up and that darkness, whatever it is, will go back with the other ghosts"
They were interrupted by the teachers ushering them into straight lines. Before going to the back of the line, Jayden hugged her and she felt completely numb inside. She thought about Bonnie being dead and how she would never see her friends or parents again. Like Bonnie, she had no idea how to explain her sudden absence. She was sure that Lukas would use magic to alter their memories and come up with a convincing excuse. As Bonnie's father called her name and she stepped onto the stage, among cheers and applause, she plastered on a smile. At the end of the ceremony, Bonnie brought her to the boiler room. Kol was leaning by the door.
"Riley, good to see you. We have a lot to catch up on…we're about to have something in common. Both back from the dead"
"What's he talking about?" she asked Bonnie.
She sighed. "He wants me to drop the veil completely"
"And with two witches casting the spell, it will be very easy"
Opening the door, Riley saw Bonnie's dead body on the floor. Bonnie told him that she died last night and quietly cast a barrier spell. The spell trapped him in the boiler room.
"I'll get the spell ready for tonight. It'll work better on the full moon and make sure that the thing that followed you stays on the Other Side"
"I'll keep the others busy. We still need to help Damon"
Bonnie headed down to the caves. Kol was knocked back by the barrier.
"Riley, you know I didn't deserve to die. Your cousins—"
"I know it was wrong but this veil has to go up or I lose my life…and I've already almost lost it once. I'm sorry, Kol"
She cast a spell to take her out of the boiler room. Walking down the hallway, she was nervous that Lukas would appear and whisk her away from Mystic Falls. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned the corner. Katherine smiled at her.
"We have some unfinished business, mini Gilbert. I was just screwed over by your other witch friend so I'm in a terrible mood. Do you want to try to throw me through some walls or do I get to make the first move?"
"Why were you with Bonnie last night?"
"She promised me Silas-like immortality. She said that once she dropped the veil, she would talk to her ancestor Quetsiwhoohoo or whatever and find out the spell. Neither of those things happened. I wanted to take it out on her but I ran into you first"
"I know I broke my first promise to you so let me make another. You don't need Quetsiyah. I can give you what you want"
"I'm listening"
"Give me your daylight bracelet"
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Katherine, if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't burn you up in the sunlight. Give me the bracelet"
Katherine removed her bracelet. Whispering the spell, Riley took out a bobby pin from her hair and used it to cut Katherine's palm. The blood dripped onto the stone, which emitted a faint blue glow.
"It's a really old spell. I'm guessing it's what Quetsiyah based her immortality spell on because it's pretty much the same. As long as you wear the bracelet, you can't die a supernatural death"
"Go on…"
"It's like the Gilbert ring except for supernaturals. Klaus could tear off your head and you'd wake up in one piece. No need to run from him if you're wearing the bracelet"
"Sure you want to give me that?"
"Well, we might never see each other again so call it one last act of kindness. You did watch over me for those six months and since I couldn't convince Klaus to give you your freedom, this bracelet is my way of keeping that promise"
With a smug smirk, Katherine placed the bracelet around her wrist. "I'm suddenly feeling much better. I think I'll enjoy my newfound freedom. Happy graduation"
Katherine vanished from the hallway. Leaving through the back door near the gym, she was in the middle of a group of witches attacking her friends. Riley pushed her hand forward. The head witch, a dark-skinned woman, looked at her.
"The little Gilbert witch. You're supposed to be dead. This will be an interesting story for"
Her eyes widened when the woman's head was sliced off by a graduation cap. The headless body collapsed to the ground. Klaus was standing just a few inches away, twirling a cap between his hands.
"There are plenty more of these to go around. Who's next? I can do this all day"
The other witches fled from the school. "Klaus, you're here" said Elena, relieved.
"I received Riley's call. I hear someone is in need of my blood to get rid of werewolf venom"
Elena retrieved a cup from the cafeteria. Biting into his wrist, Klaus poured his blood into the cup. While her friends left to bring the blood to Damon, Riley stayed by the bleachers.
"You got here very fast"
"Truth be told, I was already on my way. I knew it was your graduation and I couldn't miss it"
"Where's Elijah?"
"He needed to stay with Hayley. We were worried that some of Marcel's vampires found her and we don't want anything to happen to her or the baby. He sends his congratulations"
She crossed her arms. "So he got my message this morning but he decided to stay in New Orleans? Why couldn't you stay?"
"Well, you needed my blood, love"
"He could've brought it with him. What's really going on?"
"He's in no danger. You've been talking to him frequently. You just spoke with him yesterday"
"And sometimes, he doesn't sound like himself"
Klaus claimed that Elijah left her a voicemail to apologize for his absence. Riley listened to the message. Though it sounded like him, she could not shake her suspicions. She understood wanting to protect Hayley and the baby but it was strange that he would not visit her after her urgent message.
"You sounded very distraught in your message to him. What's the matter? Does it have to do with this darkness you spoke of last night?"
"How do you know about that?"
"Vampire hearing. Tell me what's happened"
"I can't"
"Why not?"
"I want to…but I can't. I can't say"
Remembering Lukas's exact words, she typed a message on her phone and showed it to him. The message gave him a short version of last night's events, including her ex-boyfriend being this darkness and his plans to take her away from Mystic Falls. She left out the bit about the prophecy.
"Where is this boy?"
"He's not really a—he compelled me so I can't talk about it. I need the veil up but I keep expecting him to pop up and knock me out again"
"I'll simply kill him"
"Klaus, you can't just—he's really powerful. He said that he feeds off of chaos and with the veil down, it's like chaos central here. I'm an idiot"
"Riley, this is not your fault. This entity has been fooling your ancestors for centuries. He's clearly manipulative. How would you expect your fifteen year old self to think that some boy had these malicious intentions? You need to put the veil up immediately"
"I'll meet with Bonnie"
Klaus followed Riley down to the caves. Though she doubted that he could handle a fight against Lukas, she knew he would not leave her alone. His efforts to overthrow Marcel were moving at a snail-like pace. He had gained Marcel's trust but was no closer to taking control of the city.
"I should be there by the end of the week. I just need to talk about it with my parents. They might freak out but they'll be okay with it eventually"
"Which reminds me…Elijah and I think it is best if you wait a bit longer. We agreed that you should not come to the city until the end of the summer"
"Why?"
"For your own safety. He doesn't want you to be attacked by Marcel or his vampires. You can understand his concern. Hopefully, by then, we'll have some success"
"Elijah said this?" she asked, suspiciously.
"Yes. Enjoy your summer and then you can join us in the city"
"I think you're lying"
"Riley, what reason would I have to lie? Elijah and I want to protect you. We're putting your best interests at heart"
She was distracted by a loud banging noise. Klaus had her hide behind a large boulder while he checked for any unwanted visitors. Waiting for his return, she noticed a light shining on her hand. It was coming from the necklace Klaus had bought her during their summer road trip. The eyes of the two snakes shined bright red. She began to hear the witch spirits in her head though they sounded far less angry. The spirits were her ancestors warning her to not let Lukas into the physical world. One of the spirits advised her of a way to destroy his plans. The voices stopped as Klaus pulled her out from behind the boulder. She took off her necklace, hiding it in her hand. Bonnie and Jeremy were inside a small cave, surrounded by lit torches and candles.
"It's okay. I'm ready" he said to Riley.
"Are you sure?"
"Yea. What the hell is he doing here?"
"Klaus is—he thought that Alec might show up and attack me so he's here for protection"
Linking hands, she began to recite the spell with Bonnie. A burst of energy flowed through her. Behind her back, she brushed her fingers against the amulet. She felt a slight warmth from the etching of the entwined snakes.
"Is it done yet?" asked Klaus.
"It's almost closed" said Bonnie.
Suddenly, both Jeremy and Klaus were thrown violently into the ceiling. A quick blur passed by Riley, smashing her against the wall. Lukas was holding her by the throat.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Bonnie, keep going"
Klaus raced towards him. Waving his hand, Lukas lifted him into the air.
"Not yet, hybrid"
"Unhand her"
"Oh, I'm never letting her go. We have much to do together"
The flames on the torches flickered. Riley headbutted him. He staggered back, loosening his grip. She fell to the floor and dropped her necklace. He grabbed it.
"I recognize this symbol. Is this a little family heirloom?"
"Give it back"
"Would that make you happy? Let this be your first lesson that defying me leads to consequences"
Lukas crushed the necklace in his hand. He threw the golden dust at her feet.
"I dictate your happiness and—why are you smiling?"
"Because you did exactly what I wanted. All my magic was in that necklace and you just destroyed it. Without my magic, I'm useless to you"
"Lies" he snarled.
"Look at me. You can't sense my magic anymore. It's gone…evaporated into the air. Now you can't do all those things you wanted and you're going back where you belong"
"You little brat. I'll—"
Lukas vanished from the cave. The spell on Klaus reversed and he landed on the ground. Riley brushed dirt off the back of her dress. He looked between her and the spot where Lukas had been moments ago before disappearing to the Other Side.
"You've lost your magic?"
"It's okay. Maybe it's better anyway. I mean, I'll still have to pretend to be someone else in New Orleans but it won't be forever…just until I'm sure those witches won't try to kill me"
"There must be a way to get it back"
"Klaus, I don't need it. At least the voices finally stopped"
He cupped her cheek. "You shouldn't have to give it up in the first place. If I had restrained him earlier…"
"He was kind of kicking your ass. You should be thanking me"
Jeremy and Bonnie were having their own private moment. She kissed him as the flames from the torches went out, signaling the spell was complete. Jeremy took a deep breath, clutching his chest. Riley was able to feel his shoulder. Bonnie's spell worked, bringing him back to life. The downside was that she remained dead and was no longer visible in the cave. Jeremy looked very upset. Sniffling, he told her that Bonnie wanted them to keep her secret by lying that she was spending the summer with her mother.
"Jeremy"
"She's gone"
"You can see her whenever you want. You should go back to the boardinghouse and show the others that you're back"
"What about you?"
"I'll meet you there. I have to stop at the house first and change out of this dirty dress"
Riley walked back to her house with Klaus. Her parents left a note in the kitchen that they went to the grill for dinner with some friends.
"I guess I'll see you in three months" she said.
"Those months will fly by, I'm sure. You can call Elijah or myself whenever you wish. I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans"
"You're keeping each other safe, right?"
"Of course. By the time you arrive, I may be the new king of the quarter"
"As if you needed a bigger ego" she joked.
"Good night, Riley"
"Night"
She walked up to her bedroom. The door was slightly open, revealing a tall figure laying on her bed in the darkness while flipping through one of her sketchpads.
"Klaus just left. I see the spell worked"
"Perfectly. How did you pull it off?"
"Cast two spells at the same time. Putting the veil up with Bonnie while bringing you back. She had no idea…no one did. Do you feel okay?"
"Never better"
"Good. We have a lot to discuss"
Riley burned sage in a ceramic bowl, casting a privacy spell, and shut her bedroom door…
A/N: Thanks for reading. In the next chapter, Riley is going to return to New Orleans but she won't be alone. Throughout this chapter, she had her suspicions that Klaus was not being honest with her and it will be a battle of wits between them where she'll try to make him crack under pressure. Even though she'll be in New Orleans, she is going to visit Mystic Falls from time to time and her friends will keep her up to date on what's happening in her absence. Riley losing her magic was also a big moment in this chapter but despite not being able to use magic anymore, it does not make her helpless. She'll prove that she's just as much of a force to be reckoned with to Marcel and his vampires.