Elena, Tyler, Caroline, Bonnie and I set up a bunch of mouse traps inside one of the classrooms for senior prank day. The door of the classroom opened and Matt walked in, setting off all of the mousetraps. I jumped onto a desk quickly so I wouldn't get snapped by one. "Oh, come on! Seriously?" Caroline yelled in annoyance at him. I sighed and looked at Matt who stood in front of us, drenched in sweat, probably from working out. "Do you know how long it took for us to set all this up?" She added as she gestured at the entire floor.
"You forgot about senior prank night, huh?" Tyler asked as he leant against the TV cart and Matt breathed heavily across from us.
"Clearly." Matt replied, looking over all of the now, messed up traps.
"How could you forget?" I asked, tilting my head at him curiously. "We've only been waiting for this since like Freshman year." I pointed out sarcastically as I looked at Caroline who rolled her eyes at me. "If I'm doing this, you're doing this." I added in amusement at Matt who chuckled.
"I'm kind of surprised any of you are doing this." Matt countered as he gestured around the classroom.
"Caroline's making us." Bonnie informed quickly and I smirked as Caroline rolled her eyes.
"We're about to be seniors. These are the memories that will stay with us forever. And if we don'tâ" Caroline started before Elena cut her off.
"And if we don't create these memories now then what's the point of it all?" Elena finished, quoting Caroline with a smirk and I chuckled.
"Go ahead, make fun. I don't care." Caroline replied with a sigh of defeat and I chuckled at her.
"You're all lame and I've got ten more classrooms to prank." Tyler stated as he grabbed his duffel bag full of props before he walked out of the room and I laughed, quickly following. "Grab the Saran Wrap and move to the teachers lounge." Ty ordered as he found a few football players huddling in the hallway. I chuckled as they did as told before he turned to me.
"You're hot when you're assertive." I said teasingly, tilting my head at him and he smirked, kissing me gently.
"You ready?" Tyler asked and I rose an eyebrow as he took my hand and I chuckled.
"For?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows as he led us down a different hall.
"We're going to put honey all over the doorknobs. Then, maybe other things." Tyler replied playfully and I rolled my eyes as I followed.
~~~
I quietly put honey on one of the doorknobs in the hall Tyler and I were alone in as he rested his head on my shoulder, watching me. "Can I ask you something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't see why not." Tyler replied and I slowly turned around to face him.
"Why didn't you say goodbye?" I asked, quietly and I watched him and how his face frowned a bit, taken aback by the question. "Months agoâYou just left." I added, looking down at the honey container in my hand.
"You want to talk about this now?" Tyler asked, furrowing his eyebrows and I shrugged at the fact that I brought it up. I never got an answer. Never got the closure from it.
"Tyler, we jumped back into bed together without even talking out it." I pointed out and he slowly nodded and looked away. "So yes.. why did you leave me?" I asked and he closed his eyes before he ran his hands gently down my arms.
"I knew you hated me. I thought it was better for you to not have someone like me in your life." Tyler admitted and I sighed, tilting my head at him.
"I was hurt. You know, you turned your back on Caroline when she needed you. You turned your back on me." I countered and Tyler sighed, looking away from me before I grabbed his face with my hand gently. "I could never hate you, okay?" I whispered quietly and Tyler stared down at me for a few seconds. "I just want this school year to be great. We all need to be figuring out what we want and I think right now, we all just need each other. Especially with all the unhappy bits of life." I stated and Tyler chuckled, moving a piece of hair from my face gently.
"I'm happy." Tyler reassured me quietly and I gave him a small smile before I kissed him gently, slowly backing us up against the wall. Tyler moved his hands from my arms, up to my face as I trailed my hand down the spine of his back gently.
"You two are adorable." An English voice said from beside us before Tyler and I quickly pulled away and looked at a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Uh, do we know you?" I asked, tilting my head at her curiously.
"You're Mariana. Elena's sister." She stated, looking me over before she turned her attention to Tyler. "Which makes you Tyler. The werewolf." The girl added, looking between us slowly and I furrowed my eyebrows at her.
"And who are you?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest.
"I'm the new girl." She answered with a smirk before she shifted into fangs and her eyes became red with hunger.
"Mariana!" Tyler yelled out in warning and she vamped towards us.
"Phesâ" I started but was cut off once she hit my neck, making me gasp and yell out in pain.
~~~
Tyler and I were pushed into the gym as Klaus, Elena, Bonnie and Matt were already there. "What the hell?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows at Klaus who smirked once he saw me. "Elena." I whispered towards her in relief that she was somewhat okay.
"Let go of us." Tyler stated through gritted teeth as the girl pushed us forwards.
"Hush now." She warned in annoyance and I looked at Klaus who gestured to the girl once we all stood in front of him.
"I'd like you all to meet my sister, Rebekah. Word of warningâshe can be quite mean." Klaus stated in amusement and I scoffed at him while Rebekah smiled at everyone.
"No shit." I stated, clenching my teeth at the painful bite on my neck and Klaus tilted his head at it.
"Don't be dramatic." Rebekah stated in annoyance, pushing me forwards and I groaned, running into Klaus who smirked down at me as he caught me in his arms.
"Leave them alone." Elena warned angrily from the other side of Klaus. He smiled and grabbed Tyler by his shoulder before Klaus bit his wrist and fed it to me, making me groan in anger at the taste of his blood as it went down my throat.
"I'm going to make this very simpleâ" Klaus stated as he pulled away from me and I scoffed, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand before he led Tyler in front of all of us. "Every time I attempt to turn a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during the transitionâIt's quite horrible, actually." He sighed, looking at Tyler in some curiousness before he quickly bit his wrist again and fed it to him, making me widen my eyes. Tyler tried to fight back the blood but he wasn't strong enough. "I need you to find a way to save my hybrids, Bonnie." Klaus warned, looking over at her and I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at her from over my shoulder. "And for Tyler's sake.. You better hurry." He added with a wicked grin. I widened my eyes and looked back at Klaus just in time to see him snap Ty's neck and I gasped, watching him fall to the gym floor motionless.
"Tyler!" I yelled, rushing forwards and kneeling beside him as I looked over him slowly.
"Now then, we'll just be by the bleachers when you decide to come up with a plan." Klaus pointed out before him and Rebekah walked away from us.
"He killed him." Matt stated emotionlessly as he looked down at Tyler in shock.
"He's not dead. Klaus' blood will turn him into a vampire." Elena replied as she paced back and forth in front of me.
"And if Bonnie's successful, he'll live through his transition." Klaus stated loudly from across from us and I narrowed my eyes at him as he gestured. "Go on, then. Go and fetch your grimoires and your enchantments and what-not. I'll hold on to Elena.. For safe-keeping." He added before vamping towards her and holding her by her arm. I slowly stood from the gym floor and looked at Elena emotionlessly before she gave me a soft nod. I narrowed my eyes at Klaus and glared at Rebekah before I gestured Bonnie and Matt to the gym doors. The three of us quickly walked out of the gym before into one of the hallways.
"What are you going to do?" Matt asked as we walked quickly, not looking back at the gym doors.
"I have no idea. The curse he's talking about is one thousand years old. My grimoires don't go back that far." Bonnie stated in defeat and I ran my hands through my hair in frustration.
"Can you ask those dead witches that helped you before?" Matt asked furrowing his eyebrows.
"She doesn't have contact with them anymoreâThey cut her off when she brought Jeremy back to life." I pointed out before I quickly stopped in front of them. "That's it." I stated, shaking my head and Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows as she thought it over in her head.
"I can't contact the dead.. But Jeremy can." Bonnie whispered in realization and I slowly nodded in agreement.
~~~
Bonnie and I stood in the parking lot outside of the school by Matt's truck, waiting for him to grab his clothes from the weight room. "Are you getting anything?" Bonnie asked as she looked down at her phone and I groaned in annoyance.
"No. Jeremy's not texting or calling me back." I answered before her phone started ringing and she quickly answered, putting it on speaker.
"Matt, what is taking so long, we're waiting by your truck. Did you get a hold of him?" Bonnie asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think Vicki's trying to reach out to me." Matt stated in a shaky voice and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"What?" Bonnie and I asked in unison, looking at each other as we did.
"I think she can help us save Tyler." Matt countered and I slowly shook my head back at him.
"No, Jeremy can help us save Tyler." I argued and looked at Bonnie in confusion.
"We can't find Jeremy. We need to try something else." Matt argued and I folded my arms over my chest at him. "I have an idea but I'm going to need your help, Bonnie. Meet me at the pool." He added, about to hang up but Bonnie stopped him.
"I don't understand." Bonnie stated, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion and somewhat concern.
"Jeremy can see ghosts because you brought him back from the dead. I need you to do the same to me." Matt pointed out and I scoffed, shaking my head back at him.
"What!? No, Matt, that's crazy?!" I warned in annoyance at him and Bonnie nodded quickly in agreement.
"This is going to work, trust me." Matt reassured us and I shook my head vigorously.
"No, Matt, I can't do that kind of magic anymore." Bonnie argued in frustration and Matt sighed from the other side.
"You don't need magic, Bonnie.. You just have to be better than I was at CPR when we were lifeguards last summer." Matt replied before he hung up. Bonnie and I exchanged a worried look before we both ran back to the school.
"I need to check on Elena. You got this Bonnie, okay?" I asked as we ran into the school and down the hall.
"What if I don't?" Bonnie countered worriedly and I shook my head at her and ran down the hall opposite of her.
"You do. I know you do!" I reassured her loudly as I ran down the hall, away from her.
~~~
I ran into the gym and saw Elena pacing the floor and holding a cloth to her neck while Stefan stood across from her, pacing as well. "Mariana?" Elena asked, turning to me in relief. I furrowed my eyebrows at her and looked at the scoreboard that hung on the wall above all of us, counting down from six minutes.
"What's going on?" I asked, walking over to her in concern and narrowing my eyes at Stefan who didn't answer me. He continued to pace back and forth with his hands on his hips while two students lay on the floor behind him. Motionless and not breathing.
"Klaus compelled him to kill them.. And the second that that timer runs outâHe's going to kill me, too." Elena whispered in worry and I widened my eyes at Stefan. Elena paced back and forth again before she looked at Stefan in realization. "Caroline's Dad. Stefan, he was able to resist compulsion. IâI don't know how but he did it, maybe it's possibleâ" Elena started but Stefan cut her off.
"Yeah, Yeah. Maybe it's just mind control, right?" Stefan asked sarcastically. "Maybe it just takes some focus, couple of decades of training. No big deal." He added in annoyance, looking away from her.
"Stefan, you can control this. When that buzzer goes off, just drink from me." Elena reassured him and I scoffed in protest but Stefan angrily looked at her.
"You don't get it. I can't stop, Elena! I'm a ripperâA ripper doesn't stop!" Stefan yelled angrily towards her through gritted teeth. "I listen to the words that come out of your mouth and all I hear is the sound of your heart pumping blood through your body." He stated ravenously and I narrowed my eyes at him. "When that clock ticks down.. I am going to have to feed on you." Stefan warned, gesturing towards the clock and I looked at it and saw the three minute mark. "And you wanna know what's worse?" He asked her in a hushed tone, almost coldly and without feeling while Elena now whimpered beside me. "I'm not going to be able to stop." Stefan stated emotionlessly.
"I don't believe that. You can fight it." Elena protested as she took the cloth from her neck. "You just have to want it bad enough." She stated, shaking her head at him.
"Why? Because I love you?" Stefan scoffed sarcastically towards her and I slowly shook my head at him.
"Yes, Stefan. Because you love her and after everything that you have been through togetherâYou owe her that." I countered in anger towards him and watched as he looked at me.
"You know what, you're right. I owe her everything." Stefan replied and Elena furrowed her eyebrows from next to me as he looked back at her. "Because through all of thisâyou are the one thing that has kept me from giving up; from turning it all off. But I can't help what I am. The more blood that I get, the more blood that I want. And if I get so much as near yours... You are dead. Both of you." He whispered and I looked back at the clock as it now counted down from one minute.
"Elena, we have to run." I warned, shaking my head at her as I gestured at the doors.
"I can't. Klaus compelled Stefan to break my spine if I do." Elena warned and I furrowed my eyebrows at her as Stefan put his hands on his knees, getting ready to run after us.
"Mariana's right, Elena. Apart from what he said, if you stay, it won't matter." Stefan stated as he looked between her and the clock that now counted down from twenty seconds. "Elena, please, please." He begged as he knelt on the floor, trying to fight the compulsion.
"Elena, there's no other way." Stefan warned angrily at her while I looked between Stefan and the clock.
"There is another way, Stefan. It's for you to fight." Elena countered and I furrowed my eyebrows at her. "If you don't fight and you come after me, Mariana will have to kill you." She added emotionlessly and I looked at Stefan who groaned as sweat covered him while he tried to fight off the compulsion. The sound of the buzzer surrounded us and I stood in front of Elena but she quickly pulled me back. Stefan looked up at both of us from where he knelt on the floor, clawing at it as he fought the urge. "Stefan, I love you.." Elena whispered to him as he groaned, shaking his head down at the floor.
"Fight, Stefan. Don't give up. Please, don't give up." I pleaded him as I clenched my fists, ready to fight him if I needed to.
"I can't hold it." Stefan groaned from below Elena and I and I furrowed my eyebrows. Stefan vamped angrily toward us and Elena screamed out but Stefan vamped past us, holding on tightly to the railing of the benches. "Mariana, get her out of here! Run!" Stefan yelled towards us and I quickly grabbed Elena's arm and ran towards the gym doors. "Run! Go!" He yelled angrily as we ran out into the hall.
"Go!" I yelled at her as she ran in front of me and I looked behind us but didn't see Stefan. Elena ran down another hall and I followed, hearing the sound of banging against lockers from behind us which made me run faster. The two of us ran through a set of doors that led into another hall before I waved my hand over the doors, quickly closing them. I breathed heavily and looked through the small windows of the doors before I heard Elena gasp from behind me and I turned around to see Klaus standing before us.
"We've got to stop meeting like this." Klaus stated in amusement down at her.
~~
I winced as Klaus dragged Elena and I into the teacher's lounge and I saw Stefan plunge half of a wooden broom, into his stomach to try to stop the compulsion. "Now this is fascinating. I've never seen this before." Klaus stated in some amusement and I groaned, trying to get out of his hold. "The only thing stronger than your craving for blood is your love for this one girl." He added in annoyance at Elena who ignored him as he let us go. "Why don't you turn it off?" Klaus asked, slowly moving towards Stefan who held the piece of wood inside of him and pushed it in further.
"No." Stefan groaned through gritted teeth and I furrowed my eyebrows at how much he was fighting.
"Oh, come on. Your humanity is killing you." Klaus stated as he sat on the lunch table in front of Stefan. "All the guilt must be exhausting. Turn it off." He suggested with a smirk, tilting his head at Stefan.
"No!" Stefan protested loudly as he hunched over in pain while looking at Elena who's eyes glazed over.
"Stefan.." Elena whispered towards him, watching him painfully while Klaus got off of the table and moved towards him slowly.
"You're strong. But you're not that strong." Klaus whispered as he took the jagged piece of wood that was sticking out of Stefan's stomach and pulled it out, tossing it to the side. "Turn... It... Off.." Klaus stated angrily as he compelled Stefan who slowly shook his head. I furrowed my eyebrows and watched as Stefan pushed Klaus back away from him angrily.
"No!?" Stefan yelled out in protest and I looked at Elena in shock. Klaus clenched his jaw before he vamped at Stefan and pushed him against the wall angrily.
"Turn it off!?" Klaus yelled in anger, compelling him fully and Stefan became silent.
"No!" Elena yelled as she went to run towards the two but I grabbed her quickly, holding her back as we watched Stefan gasp lightly and close his eyes.
"What did you do?" I whispered, watching Klaus in disbelief as Stefan gasped again, opening his eyes and looking away from all of us silently.
"I fixed him.." Klaus answered, turning toward Elena and I. I looked at Elena who slowly shook her head at Stefan, taken aback. "But I think a test is in order, don't you?" Klaus asked quickly as he walked over to Elena and placed his hands on her shoulders, making her jump at the motion. "Ripper.." He whispered and I looked at Stefan who gasped and closed his eyes, tilting his head back against the wall. "Perhaps you'd like a drink.. From the doppelgängers neck." Klaus suggested, slowly moving Elena's hair away from her neck and I slowly shook my head.
"No." I protested angrily and Klaus rose an eyebrow at me before he moved away from Elena and I looked back at Stefan who opened his eyes and narrowed them. He shifted slowly, staring at Elena who became still, fear and confusion taking her over.
"Stefan.." Elena whispered and I watched as he tilted his head at her curiously before he smirked and vamped towards her. Elena screamed as he bit into her neck, the same spot where a wound was already placed. I groaned angrily and waved a hand at him and watched as he flew back against the wall.
"You littleâ" Klaus started as he came towards me but I cut him off.
"A witch's duty is to keep nature's balance, isn't it?" I asked loudly, making him stop in front of me and look down at me, waiting to hear what I had to say. "So if the original witch told you that you needed to kill the doppelgängerâhow can you say that, that was accurate?" I added, tilting my head at him and he rose an eyebrow at me and looked at Elena who held her neck as it bled.
"I'll wager that." Klaus whispered curiously and I furrowed my eyebrows at him as he looked back at me with a smirk.
~~~
Klaus led me into a junior science classroom where Tyler hovered over one of the counters while Caroline rubbed the back of his neck reassuringly as Rebekah stood behind them, her arms crossed over her chest. They all looked over at us and Caroline quickly pulled away from Tyler, making me furrow my eyebrows at how guilty she looked over it. "Well, the verdict's in. The original witch says the doppelgänger should be dead." Klaus stated as he went over to the counter and stood across from Tyler.
"Does that mean we can kill her?" Rebekah asked in relief, walking over to us and I scoffed, making her narrow her eyes at me.
"No, I'm fairly certain it means the opposite." Klaus answered as he held a vile of Elena's blood in his hand.
"What?" Rebekah asked angrily towards her brother before she pulled Caroline back and I looked at Tyler who furrowed his eyebrows at me.
"Call it a hunch." Klaus replied, gesturing the vile of blood towards Tyler who was breathing heavily while sweat dripped across his face. "Elena's blood. Drink it." He added emotionlessly.
"No, no, no, no, Tyler, don't!" Caroline warned from Rebekah's arms and I furrowed my eyebrows at her.
"If he doesn't feed, he'll die anyway, Caroline." I stated in annoyance before I looked down at Tyler who stared back at me, unsure of what to do.
"Call it an experiment." Klaus added in amusement and I rolled my eyes at him.
"Drink it, Ty." I reassured, slowly nodding down at him. Tyler stared at me for a few seconds as he breathed heavily and groaned in pain as the transition ran through him. "It's ok." I added, taking the vile from Klaus and moving closer to him. "Please, Ty." I whispered, furrowing my eyebrows as Tyler slowly took the vile.
"Come on.." Klaus whispered, watching Tyler in awe. "There we go." He added as he watched Tyler slowly lift the vile to his lips before he drank it quickly. "Good boy." Klaus stated in amusement as Caroline angrily tried to rip herself free from Rebekah's hold but couldn't. Tyler dropped the vile and coughed angrily, clutching his chest before he spit up the blood and fell to the floor.
"Tyler!" I screamed down at him while he groaned and yelled out in agony.
"Tyler, no! Tyler!!" Caroline winced from where she stood above him.
"Bloody hell, shut up!" Rebekah yelled at Caroline as Tyler rolled onto his back before he rolled into his elbows and knees, clutching his head as he yelled out. Klaus slowly knelt down to Tyler curiously before he placed his hands on the floor, clawing at it. I furrowed my eyebrows as Ty quickly looked up at Klaus growling, fully transitioned. His eyes were amber, he had two sets of canines and veins were piercing out from under his eyes.. He was a hybrid.
"Well, that's a good sign." Klaus stated, nodding down at Tyler as a smirk spread across his face. "Go get Elena. She'll be with Stefan." He added, gesturing to Rebekah. His sister rose an eyebrow down at Tyler before she let Caroline go and vamped out of the room.
"Elena? What do you mean go get Elena?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows at Klaus as I focused on him. Klaus slowly stood from Tyler as Caroline rushed towards him.
"Well, we're taking her, love." Klaus pointed out in confusion and I scoffed.
"No, you're not." I countered in protest and Klaus rose an eyebrow at me. "I will kill you before you do." I warned, standing in front of him and he smirked.
"Mariana.." Caroline stated from behind Klaus but I ignored her, challenging Klaus emotionlessly.
"Well, I'll take your bluff then." Klaus stated in amusement before he vamped towards me and sunk his teeth into my neck, drinking vigorously.
"Mariana!?" Tyler and Caroline yelled from behind him before Tyler pushed Klaus off of me and I quickly fell to the floor.
~~~
I felt myself being somewhat shaken and I weakly opened my eyes and looked around to see I was laying in a hospital bed. I looked to the side of me as Damon stood above me, staring down at an I.V that was connected to my arm. "Damon.." I whispered weakly up at him and he gently turned his head to me and disconnected my vein from the I.V.
"Hey." He whispered towards me as he disconnected all of the wires from me before pulling back the bedsheets and gently picking me up in his arms.
"Elena.." I whispered as I closed my eyes and Damon walked us out of the hospital room. "Where'sâElena." I added weakly and Damon rested his head against mine.
"She's safe. Everyone's safe." Damon reassured down at me quietly and I sighed deeply.
"WhereâWhere were you, Damon?" I asked weakly before I rested my head against his shoulder and he slowly shook his head.
"I promise... I will never leave you again." Damon replied quietly and gently kissed the top of my head as I drifted off again.
-Time Skip-
Ric grunted as he punched the target of the dumb and two small wooden stakes, plunged into it. "So the pressure of your lunch, ejects the stakes." He stated, stepping back and gesturing at the dummy as we stood in the woods, away from where townspeople would stray.
"Easy enough." Elena replied sighing as she rubbed her hands together and positioned herself. She grunted and punched the dummy but the stakes didn't eject and I rose an eyebrow, folding my arms over my chest as I leant against a tree. "That's weird." Elena stated, shaking her head before she positioned herself again and took a deep breath, punching the dummy again but the stakes still didn't eject. "Must be jammed or something." She pointed out as she hit the device on her wrist and I rolled my eyes.
"You're not strong enough." Alaric stated emotionlessly and she furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Better start lifting some weights. Get some meat on your bones." He added as he grabbed something from his pile of weapons on the ground.
"Thanks for not sugar coating it." Elena stated in annoyance and I smirked at her as we walked a few feet away from the dummy.
"You know what this is?" Alaric asked as he held up a vervain bomb towards us.
"A vervain grenade, I've used one before." Elena stated before we stopped and Alaric looked at her.
"Then you know your element of surprise is your only advantage when it comes to vampires." Alaric countered and Elena sighed at him before he quickly pulled the pin off of the grenade and tossed it to Elena. "Surprise." He stated emotionlessly and she widened her eyes.
"Oh, my god." Elena stated tossing me the grenade before I waved my hand at it and it flew away from all of us and exploded. "This isn't a joke to me, Ric." She added in anger towards him as she took off the stake velcro from around her wrist and tossed it to him.
"You think I'm joking?" Alaric asked, scoffing at her. "Vampires will take whatever they want. They will hurt whoever they want and they will do it without remorse. It's their nature." Ric stated angrily down at her and she looked away from him.
"You don't have to use pronouns. You can say Stefan." Elena replied and I sighed at her and stood in front of her.
"Look, I get why you're here. Stefan hurt you and you don't want it to happen again." I stated with a sigh and Elena scoffed.
"And you think I'm crazy. To believe that I can protect myself against a vampire who flipped the switch on his humanity." Elena replied in annoyance and I shrugged at her.
"I think that you found a way to get out of bed this morning.. And that makes you strong, Elena.. So use that strength; You can do pretty much anything." I stated emotionlessly as Alaric handed her back the velcro strap and she sighed looking down at it.
~~~~
Bonnie, Caroline, Elena and I stood in front of the high school as students surrounded the parking lot. Greeting their friends and other classmates. "Here we are. Senior year." Caroline stated with a deep sigh.
"Anybody else think it should feel slightly more empowering?" Bonnie asked as she placed her hands on her hips and I looked at Elena who had a scarf tied around her neck to hide the vampire bite from Stefan.. After that night, we both pretty much banned vampire blood. Considering I almost died and ended up in the hospital. I'm lucky I wasn't a vampire.
"Okay, so prank night was a bust. But we are accepting it and moving on." I stated with a nod at Caroline before the four of us moved towards the school.
"You're right. I mean, why should I let the fact that my boyfriend is seeing the ghosts of his dead girlfriends, hinder this experience?" Bonnie asked sarcastically and I sighed.
"Yes! And why should I let the fact that my boyfriend was turned into a hybrid, put a damper on this fabulous day." I added in annoyance before I looked at Elena who remained silent.
"You sure you want to be here?" Caroline asked her uncertainly and Elena stared at the doors of the school before she sighed.
"I met Stefan on the first day of school last year. So today is pretty much our anniversary.. And now I have a boyfriend with no humanity switch, who was compelled to stay here and protect me while Klaus ran off elsewhere." Elena stated emotionlessly and the girls and I exchanged a glance before we looked back at Elena.
"Yeah, you win." Bonnie stated with a sigh and Elena shook her head.
"But, new year.. New me." Elena replied quietly before she walked towards the front doors and I sighed watching her as the girls walked after.
"Hallelujah." I whispered in slight annoyance as I looked around at all of the high schoolers again before I followed after the three.
~~~
I walked towards my locker as my phone rang and I grabbed it, answering. "Are you checking up on me, because I'm fine." I stated in annoyance as I opened my locker and put a few notebooks in.
"Yeah, so.. You and Elena might not want to come here for awhile." Damon pointed out and I rose an eyebrow at the uncertainty in his voice. "We have a new housemate. Barbie Klaus." He added and I scoffed, stuffing my bad in my locker.
"Rebekah? She's living with you now? Why?" I asked in annoyance and Damon sighed.
"Because she's stranded. Apparently Klaus dropped her in the dust after I name dropped Mikael." Damon countered and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Okay so that's obviously the vampire hunter he's running from then." I stated as I leant against my locker. "What about Stefan? How is he?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Oh, you know. Journaling, reading, shaping his hair." Damon replied sarcastically and I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, well, considering that I'm not Elena and he's not my boyfriend, I'm sure I can handle it." I pointed out in annoyance.
"Is that the bell? OhâRing, ring, Don't want to be late!" Damon stated from the other side of the phone and I scoffed in annoyance as we hung up. I sighed closing my locker, about to walk towards my first class before Tyler came over and quickly kissed me.
"Happy first day." Ty stated with a smile as he pulled away and I rose an eyebrow at the taste on my lips before I looked at his shirt.
"Is that blood?" I asked in annoyance at a red spot on his shirt before I dragged him towards the boys bathroom and walked in.
"What's going on?" Tyler asked in confusion and I rolled my eyes as I grabbed a few paper towels.
"Vampire 101âDon't wear your breakfast to school. I'm not a vampire and even I know that." I stated scoffing at him and he sighed down at the blood spot on his T-shirt collar.
"Chill out, it was just a blood-bag that Rebekah gave me." Tyler stated and I sighed, setting down the paper towels.
"And why are you talking to Rebekah? Klaus nearly killed me last night. You seriously want her advice?" I asked in annoyance at him as I turned back to him.
"Klaus told her to keep an eye on me while he's gone. Protect his new asset." Tyler stated, tilting his head at me as a small smile gave way on his face.
"What? Why are you amused by this?" I asked, scoffing at him and he furrowed his eyebrows down at me.
"I'm his first successful hybrid, Mariana. Don't you find that the least bit awesome?" Tyler asked with a chuckle and I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, you know what? Call Caroline and ask her to help you with this mess because I can't right now. And I'm sure she'd do a much better job at this anyway." I stated in annoyance before I handed Tyler the wet paper towels and walked out of the bathroom. I sighed in defeat and walked down the hall, about to turn the corner before someone ran into me.
"Whoa, my bad. Sorry." Stefan stated playfully as he stared down at me, obviously amused.
"Stefan.. What are you doing here?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows at him and he rose an eyebrow back at me.
"What do you mean? I'm going back to school. Go TimberWolves!" Stefan replied excitedly and I scoffed, folding my arms over my chest.
"What? Why?" I countered, shaking my head at him.
"Klaus wants me to keep an eye on Elena but since your 'incident' a few nights agoâYou know, the one where you almost got bled dry? He wants me to keep an eye on you also. So I'm just doing as I'm told." Stefan replied with a shrug and I slowly nodded.
"I'm going to be late for class." I stated emotionlessly before going to walk away from him but he grabbed my arm.
"It's not like I want to watch you, Mariana. But I don't have a choice in the matter." Stefan stated and I furrowed my eyebrows at him.
"Let go of me." I warned emotionlessly and Stefan narrowed his eyes down at me.
"Let go of her." A voice pipped in from behind me and we both turned to see Ric. Stefan smirked a bit before he let me go and I rose an eyebrow.
"Here's a warning.." Stefan whispered to Ric as he walked closer to him, standing directly in front of him and I furrowed my eyebrows as students that passed us, watched in confusion.
"Stefan." I warned angrily at him, not wanting to cause a scene.
"You're not going to want to get in my way." Stefan finished, looking at Alaric emotionlessly before backing up. "See you in history." He added, smiling at us sweetly before he turned and walked away.
~~~
"What the hell is he doing here?" Alaric asked as he put the last history book on his desk.
"Klaus compelled him to watch over us. Apparently I'm one of Klaus' assets now that my blood is the only way he can create a new hybrid." Elena stated and Alaric rose an eyebrow at me in confusion.
"Well, the night that I was put into the hospital, Klaus was putting my blood in blood bags. Since he found out that I'm a literal clone of Elena and KatherineâMy blood can be used the same way." I pointed out with a slight shrug and Alaric folded his arms over his chest.
"So he's a body guard?" Alaric asked, looking between Elena and I as he leant against his desk.
"I don't know what he is but he's definitely not Stefan." Elena replied quietly before the bell rang overhead. "Look, his being back here isn't good for any of us. We have to do something." She whispered before the three of us quickly parted as students started filing into the classroom. Elena sat in the same chair as last year and I sat in the chair behind her. Caroline and Tyler came in together and I looked away from them as they sat by Elena and I.
"You ok?" Tyler asked, furrowing his eyebrows at me but I ignored him as Stefan came into the class and moved towards the seat on the other side of Elena that was taken.
"You're in my seat." Stefan stated emotionlessly down at the guy who quickly got up and moved out of Stefan's way. I furrowed my eyebrows at him as Elena scoffed and looked at Caroline who sat on the other side of her.
"Welcome back, seniors. Let's turn our brains back on, starting with this country's original foundersâthe Native Americans." Alaric stated from the front of the room as everyone took their seats.
"What about the Vikings?" A familiar voice asked and we all looked at Rebekah as she sauntered into the classroom.
"There's no evidence that Viking explorers actually settled in the United States." Alaric pointed out as Rebekah took a seat in front of Elena and I rose an eyebrow at her. "Who are you?" He added, furrowing his eyebrows towards her as she gave him a smile.
"My name's Rebekah. I'm new and history's my favorite subject." She replied, tilting her head up at Alaric. He slowly nodded at her and looked at Caroline, Elena, Tyler and I before I slowly shook my head back at him and he sighed, catching on.
~~~
Caroline and I warmed up during cheerleading practice and I sighed deeply as I stretched my arms. "Has anyone seen Dana?" Tiki asked, raising an eyebrow at al of us.
"Sounds like you have an opening on the squad." Rebekah stated, coming over to us and stretching, making me raise an eyebrow.
"What are you doing?" Caroline asked, eyeing Rebekah and her booty shorts but Rebekah ignored her as she lowered her torso towards her legs.
"Hello?" I asked in annoyance towards her and Rebekah sighed, standing back up to face Caroline and I.
"You can't just come here an infiltrate all of our lives." Caroline stated and I sighed in agreement as Rebekah smirked.
"I'm only interested in yours. Your spark, your popularity.. Maybe even your little hybrid." Rebekah replied and I rose an eyebrow at Caroline who cleared her throat and looked away from Rebekah and I both. I rose an eyebrow and looked at Tyler who was doing lines on the football field with the rest of the team.
"You know what?" I asked, sighing deeply before I looked back at both of them. "I'm sure neither of us would mind if you went for him. He's all 'hooray' for Klaus anyway. Might as well date his sister." I stated with a short nod before I grabbed my pom-poms and walked away from the squad.
~~~
I groaned, lifting up the weights above me as Damon came into Alaric's loft. "What, are you going to bench press a vampire?" Damon asked, closing the door behind him and I scoffed.
"Do you understand what's happening right now? Stefan called Elena a 'Human blood-bag', all the while Caroline has been trying to seduce my boyfriend on the side. Everyone is turning into completely different people." I stated in annoyance as I struggled to push the weights back above. Damon came over behind me and grabbed the weight with his hand, not letting me move it as he pushed it down on me. "What are you doing?" I asked angrily up at him as my arms were straining.
"Helping you out." Damon replied in amusement and I groaned.
"Damon." I warned, my voice breaking as I became weak from underneath the bar.
"Come on, Buffy!" Damon stated louder and I groaned, letting the weight go and Damon held it up easily so it wouldn't fall on me. I breathed heavily up at him as he put the weight above me and I sighed, sitting up from the bench.
"Like one obnoxious Salvatore isn't bad enough." I stated in annoyance as Damon slowly walked around the loft in front of me, noticing that Alaric hadn't been here in awhile.
"You called, I'm here." Damon replied as he rolled up one of his sleeves. "What's your plan, oh, warrior princess?" He asked, grabbing a small stake from the table in front of him before turning to me and pretending to plunge it into something.
"I think Stefan should be locked up. At least until this Mikael guy comes, kills Klaus, and the compulsion breaks." I pointed out, shaking my head at him.
"Compulsion or not, Stefan's high on human blood, ok? A lot of it." Damon stated and I slowly nodded in agreement.
"Well, until he's not a threat to Elena and I can make sure of that, he needs put down." I warned, tilting my head up at Damon as he put the stake down and came over to me. "His humanity is gone, okay? That just makes him that much more dangerous." I added in annoyance as I got up from the bench and went over to the kitchen to get water but Damon grabbed my hand and placed it on his chest. "What are you doing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Feel that?" Damon asked as he positioned my hand in the middle of his chest. "It's a sternum. Solid plate of bone." He pointed out before he turned me around and positioned me so my back was to his front. He placed the hand that wasn't holding my arm, on the small of my back and lightly pushed into my skin. "Right here. Just below the ribcage, next to the spine.." Damon whispered in my ear gently as his fingers hovered over my skin. "That's your way to a vampire's heart." He stated before taking his hands slowly away from me and I looked over my shoulder at him before I stood in front of him again. "I'll do whatever you need me to do, Ari." He reassured, looking over at me softly and I slowly nodded.
"Then no one hurts Elena.. Especially not your brother." I warned, tilting my head at him and he slowly nodded in agreement.