Trouvaille ➝ Kai Parker [DISCON]

one

Chapter One |

IMPATIENTLY, I tap my fingers on the side of my thigh. I drag my eyes around to see Caroline and Elena quietly talking on the sofa beside me. My eyes flicker up when I hear people enter the room, it's Stefan and Liv.

Stefan strides behind the blonde, who is now carrying the metal ascendant that she had gone to collect. I stand but before I can move, Caroline, who is beside me, suddenly pulls me into her arms.

"Be safe, okay?" She says, holding me tight. Caroline pulls back, her hands holding either side of my arms as she stares straight at me, "'Cause I can't lose my favourite roommate."

"Harsh, Care." Elena playfully frowns.

I chuckle, looking back to Caroline, "I'll be fine, Caroline."

"Let's hope so." Caroline responds.

I roll my eyes at her, "I swear you're so dramatic. Liv and I will be in and out in a flash, with Damon and Bonnie by our sides. We'll all be singing around the campfire in no time."

"And you're sure you're okay doing this, Cleo?" Stefan asks, an unsure look washing over his structured face, "Because I will step in -- "

" -- seriously, guys, we've been over this." I exhale an impatient breath as I look over the four of them, "I'm human, which means it's easier for Liv to transport me over there with her. Plus, I'm sure after several agonising months, the first face they'd wanna see is mine."

"Always so modest." Elena playfully chuckles.

I laugh along with my cousin before wrapping my arms around her, "I'll be safe, El, I promise. I'm in the capable hands of Olivia Parker."

Liv grumbles, narrowing her eyes at me as I move back from Elena, "I told you not to call me Olivia."

I roll my eyes at the stubborn blonde, who is more of a frenemy to me, depending on our moods. I never really warmed to her or her brother, Luke, but out of the two, Liv was the most tolerable.

"Fine." I say, "But, today we're civil, and we're gonna help each other get our friends back to the living."

Liv nods. She turns and heads out of the Salvatore boarding house, followed by Caroline and Elena. As Stefan begins to walk, I wrap my hand around his bicep and pull him slightly backwards.

He turns, glancing over my expression. His face turns to concern, "You sure you're okay?"

"Stefan," I exhale, "if Liv and I don't make it back for whatever reason, please promise me you'll look after Elena and Jer."

Stefan gently brushes his hand down the left side of my face, "You're gonna be fine."

"Just promise me, please." I say, "I know you've looked after all three of us since you met us, but I just need reassurance that if I do go, they'll be safe in your hands."

Stefan places his hand on my shoulder before pulling me into his chest, "Of course they will, Cle. Always."

I hug him for a long moment, savouring the feeling before moving back slightly. I tilt my head upwards to look at him again, "Thank you."

"Come on, lovebirds." A voice shatters our moment. It's Liv, "Time to go."

I roll my eyes at her, she seems to think Stefan and I are secretly in love, we aren't. He's one of my bestfriend. My eyes bore into Stefan's green ones, "I'll be out in an hour max."

"Then I will see you soon." Stefan replies with a smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes. It's not as though either of us don't have faith in Liv, it was more that everything we had done over the past few years seemed to go wrong in some way.

I head outside the Salvatore Boarding House with Stefan by my side. Liv is standing on the grass just a few metres from the front door. I walk towards her and hold my hand out to her.

The blonde takes it firmly in hers as her other hand grips hold of the ascendant. As she begins the incantation, her eyes tightly shut in focus, I glance around to my friends and cousin surrounding us.

Their figures are suddenly taken away and replaced with a blinding light. Then in a second, the Salvatore house is back infront of us. I blink and turn my head to Liv as she speaks, "We're here."

I look up to the warm sun that's on my skin before back to the house. Parts of it look different, but of course, we had travelled eighteen years back in time.

"What if they're not here?" I ask Liv, because there is a chance Damon and Bonnie could have left Mystic Falls.

"I can hopefully do a locator spell and find them wherever they may be." Liv responds. The hopefully part nerves me.

I take in a deep breath before I make for the front door of the boarding house. I open it and stop in the foyer, trying to hear any noises I possibly could with my less-advanced human hearing.

I couldn't hear anything. I moved further into the house and towards the kitchen. Then someones voice travelled through the walls, "I swear if I have to see another vampire-faced pancake instead of some eggs, I will stab your eyes out with my fork."

"Mhm, you say the nicest things, Bon-Bon." Damon's voice responds and I feel my stomach fill with happiness. After three months, I can hear them again. Two of my friends that I thought I'd lost for good.

I rush into the room without hesitation to see Damon standing by the cooker, while Bonnie cradles a cup of coffee in her hand at the breakfast bar. Damon's head is the first to jolt in my direction.

His mouth falls slightly ajar and his expression softens, "No freaking way."

Then Bonnie turns, surprise washing over her face, "Cleo?"

Damon begins to rush towards me before he stops himself, his eyebrows crushing against each other as he stares at me, "Wait."

Damon scans my body up and down before his gaze floats around the room as though he's trying to look for someone, "Kai, if this is one of your witchy-woo pranks, it's not funny."

"Who the hell is Kai?" I furrow my brows at the raven-haired man, confused, "Damon, seriously, can you and Bonnie just follow me so Liv and I can get your beautiful asses home."

"Oh, thank God." Damon lunges forward and wraps his arms around me, "It is you."

"Of course it's me." I let out a soft chuckle of relief, hugging him back. When we part, a small question is still playing on my mind, "But who's Kai? Did you make up some imaginary friend, Damon?"

"I heard my name?" A voice says from behind me. I turn to see a tall, brunette haired male in the doorway, holding a frightened Liv tightly by her bicep. A devilish smirk stretches onto his deep pink lips as his eyes lock on mine, "All good things I hope."