Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

37. Bad Blood

"We need to talk," Riley said entering the house. She rolled her eyes as she noted the way that her mother watched Tyler enter without an invitation, just to make sure that her daughter wasn't being corrupted by a vampire. "If someone wanted to kidnap a vampire, where would they keep them?"

Her mom frowned. "If someone wanted to kidnap a vampire, you should both stay out of it. I don't want you meddling in vampire business, Riley."

"This isn't vampire business, mom. Tyler thinks that the mayor took Caroline."

Ciara dismissed her claim with a small laugh. "You think the mayor would get involved in something like that? No. Even if she was behind it, she'd have someone else doing it."

"Someone like who?" Tyler asked.

"I don't know," Ciara answered. "But vampires aren't to be trusted. How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from the supernatural?"

Riley smiled to herself. "Mom, Tyler's a werewolf."

At first, her mother assumed that she was joking, and rolled her eyes. However, when she didn't take back the statement, Ciara jumped up in fright.

"You can't escape the supernatural in this town," Riley continued. "But you know how important Caroline is to me, so please help us?"

After a second of hesitation, she got a pen and pad and wrote an address down.

"If you're right, and I'm not saying you are, she's probably down here," she said, handing the address to her daughter. "A patient mentioned something about the cellar being off limits for the next few weeks."

"Great," Riley grabbed the paper. "Thank you."

"Riley," her mother warned. "Don't meddle in things that you don't understand. This vampire business-"

"Mom," Riley cut her off. "I understand more than you know."

***

"Hey," her father greeted them when they met him at the cellar. "Liz is already down there. You should go down, Tyler."

Tyler nodded, following his instructions.

"What's going on? Is she OK?" Riley asked her dad, struggling to control her worries.

He nodded. "She'll be OK. But you should know... her father, Bill Forbes, is the one who did this. The mayor called him in."

"Her dad kidnapped her?!"

Chris sighed. "Riley you need to understand that, the people of my generation who knew about this stuff, like Bill Forbes and your mom, were taught certain things. They love their kids, but they can't stray from their beliefs."

"Liz did," Riley answered. If she could do it, couldn't everyone?

"Liz allowed her love for Caroline to force her to become open-minded to these things. It takes some people longer to learn how to do that."

Riley nodded sadly. Your parents were supposed to be the ones to protect you from everything. It was sad when you realized that, instead of being the heroes that you always thought they were, they were flawed.

"So mom would do this to me if I became a vampire?"

Chris sighed. "Your mom loves you."

Tyler brought Caroline out in his arms and the conversation stopped. Neither of them wanted to voice the fact that her dad hadn't answered the question.

***

Later that evening, Riley sat on the end of Caroline's bed while the vampire drank from a blood bag.

"Better?" Riley asked sympathetically, rubbing her blanket-covered leg.

Caroline shook her head. "How can my dad hate me so much?"

"He doesn't hate you," Riley said quickly. "He just... wishes you were human, Care."

"I just thought that he was the one who got me, you know?" Her face was tear-stained. She couldn't understand how someone that she loved so much (sometimes more than her mom, although she'd never say it out loud) could have done something so horrible to her. She could still feel the burn from the sun on her skin as her father tried again and again to stop her from wanting blood.

"He doesn't know you anymore," Riley said tentatively. "You've changed a lot since you became a vampire. You're incredible, Care, and I think he just needs some time to see that."

Caroline nodded and tried to smile. Then she pulled her best friend in for a hug.

"Thank you for being there."

"Thank Tyler," Riley told her. "He did everything. And... I think he really likes you."

Caroline blushed, and they giggled, before her mom and Riley's dad entered the room.

"I love that sound," Liz commented. It had been a long time since there was laughter in the Forbes household.

"Thanks for believing in me," Caroline said. "Both of you." They both smiled back at her.

"I should get to work," Chris said, kissing Caroline's cheek, then Riley's. Then he turned to Liz. "Don't even think about coming in, I'll work a double tonight."

"Thank you," Liz said, kissing him.

When he left, Riley stood up. "I should go too." She hugged Caroline again, and then Liz also pulled her into a hug, before taking the teenager's face in her hands.

"Caroline is so lucky to have you as a friend."

"She's the best friend a girl could ask for," Riley smiled. She didn't know what she'd do if anything ever happened to Caroline; the girl meant everything to her. She was still smiling when she left the house and walked into the dark night.

"Excuse me," someone said from behind her. She turned to look into the face of a man that she didn't recognize.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You're Riley Fletcher?"

Slowly, she nodded. "Do you need something?"

"Yeah," he said, punching her in the face, knocking her completely unconscious. Then he picked her up with ease and put her into the boot of his car.

The woman had left him specific instructions. Now he just had to get Riley Fletcher to Chicago.

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So Riley and Tyler managed to rescue Caroline, but now Riley might need rescuing herself. What, or who, is in Chicago?

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