It had been several weeks after the party at Klaus' family home. It was over the top just like Rylie had expected. Wine, shrimp and caviar. And Klaus played the whole host thing. He mingled with every guest there besides her group of friends. She didn't know the reasoning. But the group seemed to be ok with that as well as Klaus. She felt out of place the whole night. She was pulled between her date and her friends all night. Caroline had kept a very close eye on her like she had promised. She danced with Damon and Stefan both. Klaus had cut in on both brothers. And as his date, since he had made it known to everyone she was introduced to, she had no choice but to apologize to her friends and dance with the Brit.
Even weeks after the party she still couldn't get what Damon had said about Klaus and his family out of her head. The blonde had met Klaus' older brother Elijah during the night. He seemed really nice. He even kissed her hand in an old fashion hello. She had never experienced that before. But what Damon said, well it still didn't sit right with her.
"I'm giving you fair warning Rylie. Don't trust them. If you don't trust anyone, at least trust what I'm saying to you."
Rylie didn't trust anyone. And she had every right. After all she had been through with people she thought she could trust she had to keep that wall up no matter what.
But she trusted Damon when he said that. Maybe not him per say, but what he said. She felt the truth in it. She felt it the second he looked into her eyes as he said it. And she felt it now as she was lying on her bed trying to get up for the day. The statement had been running around her head since the party. She hadn't talked to anyone about it. She kept it to herself, along with everything else. She didn't want that conversation now…or ever.
Rylie finally got out of her comfortable bed. The blonde didn't have work for once so it was a do whatever you wanted to type of day. And it had to start with breakfast. She made her way down to the big kitchen passing the stairs to Stefan's third floor room and down the stairs where she passed Damon's room. She passed the study and the living room and finally made her way to the kitchen. She opened up the fridge and took out eggs. Scrambled eggs and toast sounded great for breakfast. She started the pan with butter and popped 2 pieces of bread into the toaster. After breaking the eggs she scrambled them into a bowl and poured them into the heated pan and listened to them cook. But that's when it hit her. She walked through the whole house and didn't see her housemates. In fact, when she passed Damon's room his door was open. Which it never is, even if he is home and in a different room. Rylie turned off her eggs and put them on a plate just as her toast popped up. She put everything on a plate and went back to her room to see if there were any texts from her housemates to where they might be. It was a Sunday so she knew that Stefan was not at school.
She finally made her way back into her huge room and plopped down on her bed grabbing her phone from the end table. She unlocked it but nothing showed up on her notification screen. Ever since the party at Klaus' house, her friends were all acting strange. She would hear Stefan leaving at all hours of the night. Caroline too, had her days. Some days she wouldn't be able to get ahold of her, and then some where the younger blonde wouldn't leave her side. And apparently, Damon and Rick would be joining an AA meeting sooner rather than later, since they have been at the Grill drinking every night that she was working. It was like they were all on edge about something.
Rylie thought about Klaus again as she ate her eggs, which came out amazing if she asked herself. The Brit seemed like a nice enough guy. But of course she didn't have much experience with men, Salvatore brothers excluded. She barely knew Rick or Tyler. And she only worked with Matt and Jeremy. Her mother died before they could have the real boy talk. And the only guys she knew, hurt her.
When she finished her eggs she went to take a long hot relaxing shower. She found some clothes and they made a home on her bed besides her now empty plate from breakfast. She took her time, since she had nowhere to go and no one to see. She shaved her legs and double shampooed her hair. She stood there and just let the water hit her body. She could have stayed like this forever, but the water was running colder no matter how many times she tried to make it hotter.
The blonde stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her small torso and took another to her hair. She walked out of her bathroom and into her room trying to dry her hair as much as possible with the towel. When she got to her bed she dropped both towel to change. But just as she did the door flew open.
"HEY!" she shouted struggling to find something to cover her up. When she looked at the door she saw Damon standing there. There was slight smile on the raven head. "Could you knock?" she asked annoyed.
"Trust me, I have seen it all. And if I haven't I'd through a dollar at it. Get dressed and come downstairs." was all he said before closing the door behind him and leaving.
"Why?" she yelled back. But got no answer. So Rylie did what Damon asked. Get dressed and go downstairs. She threw on some sweatpants, a t-shirt and her favorite hoodie. On her way out she stopped for her wool boots and shoved her feet inside them. It was the beginning of fall and she hated being cold.
Rylie finally made her way down the stairs and into the living room. There she saw her housemates and well as Caroline and her mother Liz. It confused her to see all of them here. Especially the sheriff. The older blonde was always working and never made an appearance at the boarding house. It was nothing new to have Caroline here since she had become Rylie's best friend since she came to town a few months ago.
"Hey guys." She said as she smiled to Caroline and Liz. "What's going on?"
"Sit down, Rylie." She heard from Stefan.
"Why? What happened?" she asked scared. The last time someone told her to sit down was when she found out her mother had cancer and was dying. She hated the saying.
"Just sit down." She heard from her bedroom intruder. She was guessing he rather be doing anything else then to be here. Rylie sat down and the room grew quieter. She looked at everyone. Stefan looked broody like always. Damon looked bored. Caroline looked just as confused at Rylie felt. And Liz looked like she was going to cry.
"Ok, what is going on? You guys are scaring me." Rylie finally said.
"Rylie," Stefan started. "Do you remember when I asked you about your birth parents?" Rylie just nodded with a confused brow. "Well, you might hate me, but I did some digging."
"You what?" the blonde said standing up. "What gives you the right to do something like that? Why would you look up people who didn't want me? Where do you think that is your place?" Rylie screamed getting louder each question.
"Rylie, stop." Caroline said. "This could be a good thing."
"A good thing? Caroline, you grew up with parents who wanted you, who loved you the second they knew you were coming. I have birth parents and then my mom and dad."
"Rylie, sit back down. You need to hear this." She heard from Liz. Rylie looked at the older blonde and then at her landlords. This must be serious she thought, maybe there something I need to know about my medical background. So Rylie did as Liz asked and sat down.
"So, what did you dig up, Stefan?" she asked toward the younger brother bitterly.
"I found your birthplace, and from there I found your parents."
"Excuse me? You mean the people who didn't want me. I don't care Stefan. My parents are Michael and Stefanie Carter and they're dead." Rylie was growing angrier and angrier but Stefan kept going.
"You were born here."
"Huh?"
"In Mystic Falls." Rylie shook her head. She was adopted out of Richmond. But the agency never told her parents where she was actually born. But was Stefan saying this to make her stay no matter what? Even if she couldn't and had to leave?
"Here." The younger brother said. She looked up and he was handing her a white folded up piece of paper. "It's your actual birth certificate from Mystic Falls hospital. Open it." Rylie slowly took the paper out of the younger brothers' hand.
This paper could change her whole life, her whole world. But why should she open it? These people didn't want her. They gave her away. She wasn't good enough for them. She just sat there looking at this paper. She couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to grow up with her birth parents. What would her life have been like? Especially here in Mystic Falls. Would she be friends with the group she is friends with now? Would she have dated Damon since they were both the same age? Rylie never once asked her mother about her birth place. All she knew was that she was adopted out of Virginia. She never really cared much after that. Her adoptive parents loved her as if they were pregnant with her. That they didn't have to travel to bring her home. Michael and Stefanie Carter were her parents. So why open up this paper and ruin all the memories she had with them for the what would's?
Rylie took the paper and threw it onto the table in front of her. "I don't care." She said.
"Why?" Caroline asked. "You could get some answers."
"To why they didn't want me? Why they thought they could donate me like an old shirt? Yeah, that's what I want hear. I have parents, they died years ago. Why are you guys putting me through this? I thought you guys were my friends."
"We are your friends. We just want what's best for you." Stefan answered.
"So let me get this straight? Digging up an unwanted birth certificate, telling me I can get answers from strangers who didn't want me is what's best for me? I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't give you my permission to go and find people I don't care about." She bent down took the paper off the table and shoved it into Stefan's chest. "If I wanted that," she said pointing to it. "I would have looked for it myself. But no, you thought you were doing what's best for me."
"Don't you want family?" the younger blonde asked. Rylie turned to look at her.
"I thought I had some Caroline. But they went behind my back and dug up something that should have been kept buried. Family doesn't do that Care." Her friend looked hurt. But Rylie was seeing red. No one said anything. Rylie looked at all of them. But she noticed Liz hadn't said anything. "Why are you here Liz?" she asked. "Did you help them 'dig this up'?" when the older woman didn't say anything Rylie just said, "That's what I thought." Rylie headed for the stairs before turning back around to her landlords. "I'll be leaving tomorrow. I'll go stay with friends that don't care where I come from." And she turned around to leave, just to be met with blue orbs. Wasn't he just in the living room? Rylie thought as she looked behind her and the back at Damon. But she saw the look on his face. "Not you too." she sighed.
"Yeah, me too." he spun her around and guided her to the living room and back to the chair she was sitting it. She shoved her down and took the paper from his brother. "Sit here and don't get up until you have read this." The raven head said shoving the paper into her hand.
"No," Rylie responded getting up. But Damon held her down.
"You want them off your back? Just do it and it can be done with and you cannot care again after you read it."
"Ugh, fine!" Rylie growled. She took the paper and untapped the bottom. She unfolded the trifold paper feeling the raised mark showing its authenticity. First thing she saw was 'Baby Girl Rylie' but no last name. She saw her birthdate, her eye color, weight, and height and birth time. And then under the section that says mother, she sees the name of the woman who gave her life. It's in black and white, right in front of her. The name of the woman who didn't want her. The woman who didn't get to see her grow up. The woman who at 5:16am brought her into this world.
Rylie was speechless. She looked at everyone, stood up and left out the back door. She couldn't believe she knew this woman's name. She needed air; she was suffocating in that room. She couldn't breathe. She kept walking.
"Rylie." She heard. But it didn't register. It was close, but still so far away. Did her friends know the truth? Or did they want her to tell them? Trust me is what Damon said at Klaus' party, which now felt like a lifetime ago. But how can I trust any of them if they do this to me? She thought.
"Rylie!" she heard again. But she kept going. "Rylie, Stop!" and she did. Caroline run up from behind her "What does it say?" she asked. So maybe she doesn't know, Rylie thought. Or maybe she does and just wants to act stupid. But that was the moment she realized that she didn't just by looking into her friends eye. Caroline eyed the paper. Rylie had completely forgotten it was in her hand. It became heavy and she couldn't hold it anymore. She lifted it and handed it to the younger blonde.
"Elizabeth Forbes." Was all she could say and her new sister opened the paper.
SOOOOO it's been a year since I updated. And I cannot begin to tell you all how sorry I am. I have had an eventful year to say the least. But I am going to try to update this more than once a year. I have been working on this chapter literally for a year. Like a sentence at a time. Buttttt I have been home from work for 2 hours and said get it done! So here it is. Please tell me in a review what you think and how you think Caroline is going to react. Thanks! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!