Deep Water ▹ Kol Mikaelson

1. Vampire Cousin

As Lynn meandered around the home, she grew bored rather quickly. It was the middle of the day and with Caroline being in school that meant she had a few more hours until seeing her cousin. With a loud sigh, she sat sideways onto an old and worn recliner.

The newspaper sat on the coffee table just narrowly out of reach. Sure she could she play on her phone or go out and reminisce but the black inky words of animal attack, just screamed to be read.

Leaning over and snatching the paper up, she quickly opened to the main headline. The local medical examiner, Brain Walters had apparently been attacked by a wild animal. The funeral services were being held later on that day and blah blah blah. Wadding the entire thing up, Lynn tossed onto the coffee table and let out a frustrated groan.

"What are the odds it's not an animal attack?" She spoke to thin air as she ran her fingers through her hair. "God please let be an actual animal attack." She stood, deciding she'd play detective until school got out.

If there were other vampires lurking around, that meant Lynn was in big trouble. Especially since Mystic Falls has always had a poor history of animal attacks. Leaving the house, Lynn headed for hospital. Since he was a medical examiner he was a regular and no doubt had friends.

With any luck someone knew enough about him to know if he liked late night walks and animals. Then again, it's been Lynn's experience that most medical examiners knew about the things that go bump in the night.

The trip to the hospital was surprisingly easy. Then again she had remembered it from the time Elena Gilbert accidently broke her arm when they were playing on the Gilbert's swing set. She had been six and it was the first broken bone any of them had seen.

Caroline, her cousin, had screamed until she fainted, Bonnie Bennett another childhood friend had cried because she knew Lynn was dying. Elena had been the only one to not scream as loudly but she did cry and refuse to talk to Lynn for nearly three weeks because she had been convinced Lynn hated her.

Ah, the troubles of childhood, how they were a much simpler time. Lynn honestly missed being a kid, it was safer and a helluva lot less hectic. With the childhood memories brought up, sifted through and returned to her mental file cabinet, Lynn entered the hospital, strolling to up to the nurses' station with a bright smile and friendly attitude.

With a quick glance, she knew the nurse, a dark skinned heavy-set woman who looked like she deserved a day off more than she was granted, wasn't wearing vervain. This didn't mean she didn't drink and so Lynn wasn't willing to take that risk.

"Hey sweetheart, how can I help you?" The nurse's mood lifted as Lynn's mood was infectious.

"I was actually wondering if you knew my friend's cousin, Brain Walters." Lynn kept her tone light and at ease, causal but not so casual she seemed uninterested.

"I did, Brian was a good friend." The nurse shook her head in somber. "It's a shame what happened to him, poor thing always was afraid to be out in the woods. I guess he really had reason now."

"So he didn't like being in the woods?" Lynn mentally patted herself on the back. "Why do you think he was out there?"

"I don't know, but you and your friend should stay out of those woods." The nurse seemed genuinely worried about her safety. "Can you please tell your friend I'm sorry for her loss? I'll be at the funeral." She offered a smile as Lynn simply nodded and politely left.

'If he didn't like the woods then what the hell was he doing? Going on a wild blind date with death?' Lynn mused as she roamed the halls, heading for the medical examiner's office or the morgue; she hadn't quite made up her mind.