4

I opened my eyes to see Ryan facing away from me. The party three days ago was still fresh in my mind. I don't remember anything after getting in the car. But everything before is pretty clear in my mind. Especially the wink and the smirk on his lips.

I pushed the blanket off of myself and got out of bed. I walked to the bathroom and pulled the door shut behind me. I walked in front of the mirror. I started brushing my teeth.

I considered telling Caroline about the guy and asking if she knew him, but she hasn't really been around, and it feels insignificant. I'll never see him again. Hopefully. I felt sick thinking about it. The way he acted was so unsettling, but also hot. A disturbing hot.

I put my toothbrush back and walked to the shower.

-

After breakfast, Ryan decided to go out and do something. I stayed home. I tried to pass the time by reading. I felt like I was reading the same sentence over and over. The only thing I could focus on was Kai.

I heard the front door open. The sound of footsteps on the stairs followed. I looked up at the doorway as Ryan walked in. He had my keys in his hand and a bag in the other. He glanced at the book in my lap before pulling his eyes up to meet my gaze. I watched him walk over. He tossed the bag on the bed and sat the keys on the nightstand.

"What is that?" I put my book face down on the bed and looked at him.

He sat down in front of me and reached forward. "That..." He pulled the glasses off of my face carefully. "Is to make you feel better."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I feel fine." I watched him sit my glasses on the nightstand. I pushed my hand through my hair and then moved to sit criss-cross. I folded my hands together in my lap and looked into his eyes.

"You're a really bad liar." He grabbed the bag. "You've been acting weird ever since the party."

I furrowed my brows. "No, I haven't."

He tilted his head, giving me an obvious look. "Never mind, you're a horrible liar."

I sighed and moved my hands to my knees. "It was really weird. Am I supposed to act normal about it?"

He shook his head once. "Of course not, or I would've just bought this for nothing."

A small smile spread across my lips. "What is it?'

He smiled. He reached in the bag. He pulled out a bag of goldfish and then a package of M&M's.

I smiled wider. "Ryan." I put my hand over my heart. I tilted my head. "You remembered." Of course he did. He does this every time I'm upset.

He sat them to the side. "That's not the best part."

I moved my hands to my hips and sat up straighter. "What else is there?"

He reached in the bag and pulled out a box. He tossed the bag to the side and held the box out to me. I took it from him slowly. I opened it. There was a silver chain necklace with a heart charm. There was a diamond in the middle of the heart. I felt breathless.

I looked up at him. "How much did this cost?"

"It doesn't matter."

I shook my head, "Of course, it matters." I closed the box carefully.

"No, it doesn't. If it makes you happy, I would spend millions of dollars on you."

I tilted my head. "Tell me how much it was."

He stared at me for a minute. "Two grand."

My jaw dropped. I punched his arm. "What's wrong with you?!"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Nothing's wrong with me! I'm tired of you feeling bad, and I want you to feel better. I thought this would make you feel better."

"You just spent two thousand dollars on a necklace for me! That makes me feel guilty!"

"It shouldn't."

I grabbed his hand and put the box in it. "Take it back." I pulled my hand back and moved off the bed. I walked away from the bed.

"Evelyn, come on."

I turned to face him. "No. Take it back. It's too much."

He tilted his head and stepped closer. "Please."

I crossed my arms. "Ryan, I can't accept it."

"Why? It's not too expensive, and it's just a gift."

I felt my anger settling. It turned to worry. "What person would spend two thousand dollars on a necklace for their friend," I wondered aloud. "It's insane."

"I-it's more than that, Evelyn." He stepped closer. "You mentioned something about needing a necklace a few months ago. This was a perfect opportunity. You were feeling bad, and I thought this would make you feel better. If you stopped focusing on how expensive it was, it might."

Who remembers something that far back? The look on his face made me feel something. I'm not sure what. My stomach felt queasy. I uncrossed my arms and stepped closer. I lifted my hand and put it on the box. I lifted the lid. It was beautiful and shiny. It would look cute with anything.

I breathed in slowly. I looked up at him. His eyes were trained on mine. I felt my heart skip. I opened my mouth to speak but I couldn't think of what to say. His eyes were distracting. I felt like I was in a trance.

"Thank you," I said softly.

He nodded once. "You're welcome."

He stared at me for a few seconds. His eyes flicked to my lips. He inhaled sharply before looking at the necklace quickly.

He pulled the necklace from the box and unfastened the chain. He tossed the box on the bed. I gathered my hair as he walked around me. He stepped close to me. I could feel his body inches from mine. My breath caught in my throat as his fingers grazed my skin lightly. He left goosebumps in his trail.

I could feel his breath against my neck as he sighed. I closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them, the necklace was fastened around my neck. I let go of my hair, letting it fall as I moved my hands to the necklace. I lifted it off my chest and looked at the charm. I admired how beautiful it was.

I laid it gently on my chest and looked up at him. His eyes were already focused on mine. I tried to ignore how I was feeling. I swallowed thickly. I pushed my hair back and then crossed my arms. His expression was soft. His head was cocked slightly to the side. His lips parted ever so slightly. His body was relaxed, but his muscles were still evident. I suppressed anything from escaping my lips. I felt like I was going crazy.

There was a knock on the front door. I gasped softly before looking over my shoulder. I turned and walked out of the room. I was almost thankful for escaping the situation I had created. I yanked the door open before checking who it was.

Stefan and Damon. Both. At the same time. How much more awkward could today possibly get?

I kept my hand on the door. "Hi."

"We need to talk."

I tilted my head, "The last time I heard that, I lost a boyfriend."

"Ha ha," Damon mocked. "Let us in."

I pulled the door with me as I took a few steps back. They both walked in. I shut the door. I turned to them as I crossed my arms. I watched them walk into the living room. I looked down the hallway at Ryan, who was walking toward me. He stopped beside me and looked into the living room. They looked at Ryan.

"Hey."

"Hey," Ryan responded to Damon.

Damon gave me a look. I looked at Ryan. "Go upstairs." He gave me a confused look. "Just go." He walked away without saying anything. I turned to them. I took a few steps toward the living room. "Why are you here?" I didn't hide the impatience in my voice. They wouldn't send Ryan away if it wasn't supernatural related.

"What has Caroline told you about the Prison World?"

I furrowed my brows. "What the hell is a prison world?"

They looked at each other. Damon looked at me, "So... nothing. Great." He walked toward the couch.

I looked at Stefan. He sighed. "It's basically a magic trap created by the Gemini Coven to keep really bad people from getting out. The people who created the prison world Damon is talking about are the Parker's."

"They had to trap a homicidal maniac who was trying to kill the family."

I uncrossed my arms. "Okay. Why are you telling me this?" I walked closer.

"Have you seen Bonnie lately, Evelyn?"

I thought about it for a minute. "No. Not at all." I felt my stomach sink.

"It's because she and I were sent there. I got out. And she didn't. A few days ago, the sociopath got out. She's in there alone and we have to find her."

Stefan interrupted before he could say anything else. "We need to know if you've seen him."

I looked at him. "The sociopath? I don't know."

"He has brown hair and blue eyes. He's 40, but since he was trapped there, he's stuck looking 22 for a really long time."

I felt nauseous. "Kai."

They both looked confused. "Um, yeah." Damon stepped closer. "How do you know?"

I shook my head. "I met him at Caroline's party. He..." I stopped myself.

"What?" Stefan asked.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. "We're pretty well acquainted."

"What?!" Damon sounded furious.

"I didn't know who he was!"

"Like that makes it any better," He retorted.

The front door opened. I looked back to see Caroline walking in. She pushed the door shut. I looked at them.

"So, he knows who you are?"

I nodded, answering Stefan's question. "Mhm. And who Ryan is."

"I'm surprised you had time for conversation," Damon commented. I looked at him.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked as she walked in. She looked at me before looking at the Salvatores.

I turned to face her, "Why didn't you tell me Bonnie is trapped in a prison world?"

A guilty look crossed her face. "You said you wanted nothing to do with the things that happen here."

"Bonnie's in a supernatural prison!"

"I know! We're trying to get her out!"

I felt angrier than before. "She could be dead, Caroline! What would you have told me then?!"

"She's not dead. She's just... stuck!" She looked at Damon and Stefan. "Why did you tell her?!"

"Because Kai got out," Stefan responded.

I watched the look on her face change.

"Without Bonnie," Damon added. "And we have to find him before he finds Evelyn."

I looked at him. "So go find him."

He glared at me. "Wait," Caroline started. "Why would he go after you?"

I looked at her. I didn't want to answer her. "Because he knows who I am."

She furrowed her brows, "How?"

"Because I... I met him at your party."

The look on her face shifted from confusion to disgust. "Seriously?!"

I sighed. "I didn't know who he was."

"Obviously!" She stared at me furiously for a moment, then sighed. She turned to Damon and Stefan. "Have you looked for him?" I looked at them.

"Not yet," Damon answered.

"Okay," Caroline responded. "I'll help you." She turned to me. "Stay here. Don't leave unless we tell you to."

I furrowed my brows, "So now I'm under house arrest?"

"Yes." She looked at them. They started walking toward the door. She glanced at my necklace. "Where'd you get that?"

I searched for an answer that wouldn't give her any more reason to tease me about Ryan. "I'll tell you later."

By the grin on her face, she already knows.

-

That night passed quickly. Ryan and I watched movies. My mom came home and we went out to dinner. Caroline stayed the night with Elena. The day after felt slow. It was filled with a day of walking around town with Ryan. Even though I was instructed to stay in, I didn't. It doesn't matter if I get hurt. Why should it? If he finds me and kidnaps me, or whatever, they'll find me, and in doing so, they'll find him. The two days after were spent with my mom, Ryan, and Caroline. We decorated for Christmas. It's the beginning of December, but that doesn't matter. Tonight, it's just me and Ryan. We settled on watching movies. He stole a bottle of wine and decided we should drink it. Mom went into work, and Caroline went to the boarding house.

I can feel Ryan's hand resting on my thigh, his thumb rubbing circles into my skin slowly. I have my arms wrapped around his, and my cheek is pressed against his bicep. The movie on the screen is boring to me, but it's fine. He's enjoying it. I guess that's enough.

I hear him inhale sharply. I tilt my head up to look at him. His eyes are already on me. They move from my lips to my eyes in a fraction of a second.

"What is it?" I lift my head, my hands sliding to his.

His eyes darted to my hands before finding my eyes again. I can feel the tension in his mind. I furrowed my brows and pulled my hands away. I lean away from him. He reached for the remote and paused the movie. He moved his hand to the couch and turned his body to face me. He tilted his head as his eyes scanned my face.

"You're being weird."

He laughed softly. "Sorry." He looked into my eyes. "I just... I need to tell you something. I don't know if I can, though."

I tilted my head and furrowed my brows. "Why wouldn't you be able to tell me?"

"Because you might not like what I have to say."

I shook my head slowly and shifted my body toward him. "I don't understand."

Even in the dark room, which was only lit by the tv, I could see the hesitance in his expression. His lips were parted. He looked from one of my eyes to the other. I could feel the heat of his body radiating toward me from how close we were.

"Evelyn, I'm in -"

Loud banging on the front door interrupted him. I sighed as I looked at the doorway. I looked at Ryan. "Sorry."

He shook his head. I got up and walked to the front door. I unlocked it and then pulled it open. My heart sped up as my breathing stopped. I swallowed hard.

The sinister grin on his face made my stomach drop. "Hello, Evelyn."

I tried to shut the door, but he stepped in and grabbed it firmly. I stumbled back a few steps. I gasped softly. He walked further inside and shut the door behind him.

He turned to face me, looking up from the floor to my face. "That was rude. You're supposed to welcome guests."

I felt frozen in fear.

"Ev, who is it?"

I looked at Ryan, who was walking toward us. I tried to speak before he looked at the guy, but I couldn't form words. He stopped a few feet from me. His brows were furrowed as he stared at Kai.

Ryan opened his mouth to speak. He was on the ground before he could get a word in. I gasped as I rushed toward him. I knelt down beside him and cupped his face, turning his head to face me. My breathing hitched in my throat. I looked up at Kai.

"What did you do to him?"

The grin on his face grew as he looked from Ryan to me. "Just a sleeping spell. He'll be up in a few hours... or days."

The anger was bubbling up inside me, bleeding into my throat. "What do you want?"

He breathed out slowly as he walked into the living room. "I don't want anything. I do, however," He turned to face me, stopping at the end of the coffee table. He tilted his head to the side. "Need something. Someone. You."

I shook my head once as I rose to my feet. "Why would you..."

"Well, for starters, you're human. Which makes you the most valuable asset in this group."

I slowly walked around Ryan's body toward Kai. I stopped in the entryway. "And?"

"I haven't been able to practice my magic for a really long time, and I need something to practice on. I'll have just enough time for it, too." He started walking toward me. "You and I will leave right now, I'll practice on you for a few hours, Damon and your sister will find you and come save you, but by the time they get to you I'll already be killing my father." He stood a few feet from me.

I'm not willingly going with him. Even if I lose my sanity or my will to live, I will never go with him. The sound of a crash gained both of our attention. However, I quickly turned back to him. He was staring at the ceiling. I bolted for the kitchen. I pulled a knife from the block. As I whipped around, he was marching toward me. I was cornered.

I was stupid not to run for the door. He reached out for me, and I slashed at his arm, cutting his skin open. He hissed as he retracted his arm and took a step back. He stared at his wound for a moment. I took the opportunity to stab at him again. He grabbed the blade with his hand and turned to me. He jerked it from my hand, making me stumble into him. He wrapped his bleeding arm around my waist, holding me against him.

I pushed against him, trying to get away from him. The knife clattered to the ground. He grabbed my face, making me look at him. He held me tighter, stilling my movements. I whined, feeling helpless.

His eyes bored into mine. "Try it again, and I won't be so nice."

The word stung my ears. I could feel the slickness of his blood coating my skin as he held my face still. His body felt firm and unmoved. He seemed much bigger and intimidating. His face was inches from mine. His breath smelled minty and felt warm. There were chills coating my body from adrenaline. My chest was heaving as I breathed heavily. I'm convinced he can feel my heart beating rapidly.

A small grin formed on his lips as he stared at mine. I could feel his hand firmly holding my waist. His eyes found mine again. I was confused about how to feel. His body pressed firmly to mine made me want to be closer. The way he's trying to kidnap me cancels it out. But the way he's staring at me makes me feel weak. He leaned in closer, and my breath escaped from me again. The tip of his nose brushed against mine.

"We're leaving now. I'll carry you out unconscious if I have to." His voice was low and dripping with lust.

I almost indulged myself in the displeasure of walking out of this house with him. "I guess you'll have to knock me out then."

A breathy laugh passed his lips. "That's fine with me, sweetheart," he whispered back.

The blood started running down my neck. He was still for a minute.

"Unless you want a bullet through your head, let her go."

I was unable to look to see who it was, but I already knew. Damon. I inhaled sharply as his hand tightened on my face. He looked over at Damon. "Go ahead and shoot me."

Damon didn't respond.

"You can't. You need me whether you want to admit it or not."

"The hell I do," he responded. I heard him cock the gun. "Let. Her. Go."

Kai's hold remained firm on my body. The evil grin grew on his face. I felt a tear roll over my eyelashes. I felt angry and frustrated. My eyes wandered behind Kai. Stefan's eyes connected with mine. I sighed in relief. I looked at Kai again.

"That's not gonna happen." Kai's hand slid to my throat. I gasped for air as he tightened his hold. He was staring at Damon. "You can't shoot me; you'll risk hurting her and you still need me to get Bonnie out. Now, I don't really give a damn about Evelyn's life, and I have the advantage here, so how this goes is up to you. I can crush her windpipe, or I can leave with her. Your choice."

I dug my nails into his skin, clawing at his hand to feel some relief.

"I have your father on speed dial, he has a new prison world just for you. Let go of her."

I felt his hold loosen on both my throat and my waist. I took the short window of time to seize the opportunity and escape his hold. I moved my hands to his chest and raised my leg, kneeing him in the groin and pushing him away. I stumbled back as I gasped for air. Kai was on the ground, groaning in pain.

I ran to Stefan. I threw my arms around his neck and shut my eyes tightly. He wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me. He breathed out slowly as he slid his hand to my back.

"It's okay," he whispered.

A soft sob escaped my throat, slipping past my lips. He sighed and pulled me tighter against him. His body was a much different feeling than Kai's. It was familiar and comforting.

He didn't pull away from me for a few minutes. He helped Damon carry out Kai while I cleaned his blood off of me. I walked into the kitchen. The knife was still on the floor. Blood was in random places on the kitchen floor and counters. My eyes were zoned in on the knife. There were tears spilling from my eyes. I don't know why.

My head was throbbing.

"Evelyn."

I looked up, then over at Stefan and Damon. They both looked sympathetic and worried. There was a feeling in my chest that I didn't recognize. I sucked in a breath of air and tilted my head.

"Why are you still here?"

"Because you almost died," Damon replied.

"But I didn't."

"Yeah, because we showed up," he snapped.

I wiped the tears off my cheeks and looked at my hands. "Yeah, whatever." I walked to the knife and picked it up. I held the handle tightly. "I'm fine. Not dead. Not in distress." I looked at them again. "You can go away now."

"What about your unconscious boyfriend?"

"He's not my..." I stopped myself from screaming in response to Damon. "He'll wake up eventually and when he does, I'll make him leave."

"What if he doesn't leave?"

"What about you?"

I didn't know who to answer first. "I'll drive him there myself, and if you're seriously worried about me then you'll descend into madness doing so. But if you're willing to do that, be my guest." I held the knife tighter.

"Stop lying to yourself."

"Leave and I won't have to," I responded to Damon.

He sighed, obviously frustrated.

"Evelyn," Stefan walked closer. "We can't leave until we know you're okay."

"You're not taking my word for it, so I don't know what you want from me."

"The truth," Damon said.

I rolled my eyes. "It is the truth."

He narrowed his eyes. "Do I look stupid to you?"

"Yes."

Before he could respond, Stefan interrupted. "You're obviously upset, or you wouldn't be holding that knife as tight as you are."

I looked at him. "I'm not upset." His assumption made me angry.

Damon scoffed, "Sure."

I looked at him, "I have access to your bourbon and an endless supply of vervain."

"You're just proving my point further."

I raised my hand, almost throwing the knife. Stefan grabbed my wrist and put his other hand on mine. I looked at him. He stared into my eyes. "Let go."

"No," I challenged.

A confused look flashed across his face before he looked at the knife.

"Let go of the damn knife." Damon's words were harsh but ineffective.

I looked at Damon. "Shouldn't you be tending to a sociopath."

"Shouldn't you be confessing your love to someone?"

My anger only grew. I swallowed, pushing it down. "Fine." I let go of the knife and pulled my hand away. "I'm not fine. I'm pissed. I'm confused. And I hate you. Is that what you want to hear?" I looked at Stefan. "You've ruined my life. The minute you walked into my life; I was screwed."

"What are you talking about?"

"That! You're oblivious and it drives me fucking insane!"

His brows were furrowed. "Oblivious to what?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but the only words that wanted to come out were harsh and rude. "Get out. I don't want you here. I don't want to be around you." The last sentence was a whisper. And with it came tears. "I- I can't be around you." My breath was shaky as I took it in.

He shook his head once, there was confusion and hurt covering his face. I couldn't shake the guilt that was building inside of me. I looked at Damon before walking out of the room. The look on his face matched how I was feeling. I made my way into the dining room. I wiped the tears off of my face. I was sick of it.

-

Damon and Stefan left hours ago. Caroline came home just before Ryan woke up. She's downstairs in the living room with Elena. Ryan is sitting across from me on my bed with a blank expression on his face. I just told him about everything supernatural and insane that has to do with my life. He hasn't spoken for fifteen minutes.

I licked my lips. "Ryan. I... I know it's a lot, and I told you to take your time, but can you say something?"

He blinked and looked down. He took a few seconds to gain the ability to speak again. "So you're not..." He looked into my eyes again.

"I'm human. So is my mom. Caroline's a vampire and so is Elena."

"Yeah." He sighed. "Just making sure. But they won't kill me or anything, right?"

"Not if you don't give them a reason to. Especially Damon. But if you want to leave, we can go."

He furrowed his brows and shook his head once. "I'm not going. I mean, this is unsettling and dangerous, but this is your life. It's a part of you and I like every part of you."

A smile spread across my lips. I looked down at my hands in my lap. "So, you want to stay?" I looked up at him.

"Of course." His expression softened. "But you don't..."

I took a breath and looked to the side. "Stefan and Damon wouldn't leave earlier unless I told them the truth." I looked at him. "And Damon wouldn't stop until I told the entire truth. And I was sort of drunk, so I gave in. I didn't tell Stefan I'm in love with him, though. I told him he ruined my life and that I never wanna see him." I swallowed the tears that threatened to fill my eyes.

"Ev," he sighed. "You two will make up and go back to being flirtatious, awkward friends in no time."

I tilted my head. "I wouldn't be so sure."

He moved closer and grabbed my hands. "If that doesn't happen, we can leave. I'll drive us myself."

I nodded once. "Okay."

He smiled, a gesture to say it actually is okay.