𝐀𝐁𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐄 [𝟑]

𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

CHAPTER FIFTEEN | THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

RILEY WAS CONFLICTED WITH THE ISSUES THAT WERE GOING ON. Caroline Forbes had flipped her humanity switch, snapped Elena's neck and disappeared and Damon had just discovered that his Mom was in a Prison World. She desperately wanted to help both people she cared about, but she knew she couldn't. Damon urged her to help search for Caroline, declaring that he was perfectly capable of figuring out what was going on with his Mom all by himself.

"It's like she never lived here," Elena spoke into her phone as Riley entered the room. Riley had arrived at Whitmore with Bonnie Bennett, though she asked her to wait in the corridor to surprise Elena. She figured that they needed a bit of a pick-me-up. "How's her house?"

"Totally empty." Stefan swallowed thickly. "Caroline took everything but the damn doors of their hinges."

"This seems too weird. You guys are saying that Caroline flipped her switch, cleared out all of her stuff, and just skipped town?" Riley furrowed her brows as she listened in onto the conversation once Elena turned her phone onto loudspeaker.

"It makes no sense." Elena nodded in agreement with Riley.

"This coming from the girl who burned her house down." Another scoff left Stefan's lips whilst he stressfully spoke.

Elena's mouth hung open in concern. "Do you think she's trying to cut off all ties to her past?"

"I certainly don't think she's having a yard sale, Elena."

Elena furrowed her brows and gave Riley a look when the two heard the snappy tone that came from Stefan. "Okay, why are you getting mad at me? I'm not the one who did this."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"We'll just keep looking this end, okay? Let us know if you find her." Riley called into the phone just before she pressed the end button. "Okay, so. I totally know that right now isn't the best time for surprises, but—"

"—Looks like you could use a friend." Bonnie's voice echoed through the room as she pushed the door open a crack. Elena turned on her heels and smiled the moment saw her best friend standing in the doorway.

"Oh, my God. B—Bonnie? How are you—"

"—Alive?" Bonnie asked back as she stepped into the room. "You'd think I'd be used to this part by now." The two girls pulled each other in for a well-needed hug. She then pulled away and headed straight over to her side of the room to look through her clothes. "My not-flannel blouse. My not-flannel T-shirts. And, ooh! I really missed my not-flannel V-necks."

"Okay, let's get this party started!" The strawberry-blonde witch jumped off her bed and headed over to Elena who was preparing champagne.

"Suck it, 1994." She grinned and then popped the cork on the bottle, though the pair of them didn't realize the bang made Bonnie's entire body jolt. "So, I bought this bottle of champagne when Riley told me that she and Damon were going to rescue you."