Kai's POV
"That'll be $20.91 please, Sir."
I stared at the girl at the checkout, before putting on my best heartbroken face. "I'm really low on cash right now. I've had to run away from home because my parents neglected and abused me. Could you help a guy out please?"
"I really wish I could, but it's store policy - and well, the law - that you have to pay for what you want," she replied, giving me an apologetic smile. She looked around the same age as Mikaela, with similar dark hair and pretty eyes.
The corner of my lips picked up in a crooked smile, tilting my head as I tried my best to be flirty and charming. "Come on, you'd be doing me the biggest favour. I'll never forget the way you'd be helping me."
She sighed before grinning. "Alright, you can have these but the rest will need to be paid for," she said, pushing the packet of pork rinds towards me.
"I'll just take these then as I really don't have any money on me," I replied, frowning.
The girl rolled her eyes before glancing around at her colleagues to make sure no one was watching. "Fine," she eventually said. "You owe me."
I winked, grabbing the carrier bag full of items. "You're an angel," I said before turning on my heel and leaving the store.
What did Mikaela say about my charm and sob-story not working on pure-hearted, impressionable store assistants? If only she could see me now.
The image of her body lying pale, cold and unconscious in the snow flashed in my mind and, swallowing down my nausea, I tried to shake it out of my head.
It had been two days since I'd seen her. With the remnants of her magic in my veins, I'd managed to get enough money to pay for a few nights at a local hotel and a mobile phone to use for emergencies, but my cash pile was quickly getting smaller and smaller.
I was getting hungrier by the minute and the excitement of being back home had started to wear off. Exactly what I'd been afraid of happening was actually happening.
As much as it hurt to admit, I was struggling. The world I knew was different, nothing made sense. I was confused, alone, with barely any money and no plan on what to do next.
Mikaela had been right. I hadn't prepared myself enough.
All I wanted was to be with her. I felt safe with her - in control. She would inspire me, comfort me. It didn't matter if the world around us wasn't the one I knew - as long as she was by my side, I had no fear.
Back at the hotel, I packed away the free food from the store and scarfed down the bag of pork rinds to quieten down my empty, growling stomach. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I flinched as the image of Mikaela materialised in my head again.
I had to see her. I wondered if she was still at the hospital. Was she awake? Was she even okay? Had I truly broken my promise of keeping her safe and, God forbid, something terrible had happened?
I placed the packet of pork rinds to the side, afraid I was going to vomit. Suddenly, I'd lost my appetite.
Snatching the keys from the desk in the corner of the room, I rushed out of the hotel before jumping in the car I'd managed to hot-wire. Starting the ignition, I put the gas pedal to the floor, speeding in the direction of Mystic Falls hospital.
Ironically, the same place Mikaela and I had first met.
Luckily, I didn't bump into any cops as I drove 30mph over the speed limit. Arriving at the hospital, I parked the car in a space and hurried to the main doors as fast as my feet would take me.
"Excuse me," I panted to the receptionist sat at the front desk. "Could you tell me which room Mikaela Lockwood is in please?"
The woman fiddled on what I think was a modern computer. "We don't have a patient here with that name," she eventually told me in a bored voice. "You could try Whitmore."
"Really? Uh, okay, thanks." I headed back out to my car, making my way to Whitmore Hospital.
"Could you tell me which room Mikaela Lockwood is in please?" I asked the receptionist as I entered the next hospital, crossing my fingers at my side as she typed away.
"Fifth floor, room number twelve," she replied, not looking at me.
What was with receptionists these days?
"Thank you," I said before running to the elevator. I pressed the button that had a number five on it and began tapping my foot anxiously, impatient as the doors slowly closed in front of me.
Finally, the elevator dinged and the doors opened on the fifth floor. I jogged down the corridor, scanning every room, looking for room number twelve.
"Kai?" a voice said behind me.
I spun on my heel, relief filling my chest to the brim.
That feeling vanished, however, as I noticed it wasn't Mikaela calling me at all, but my brat of a sister, Olivia.
"You shouldn't be here," she snapped.
I sighed. "I know, but I had to see her. Is she awake?" I tried to barge past Liv, desperate to get into room twelve.
Her hand flew out to stop me. "Yes but-"
I glared down at her. "But what?"
Liv gulped. "She's not the same."
I frowned, nostrils flaring as rage boiled up inside of me. "What do you mean, 'not the same'?" When she didn't answer, I grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "Spit it out, Olivia!"
"She's lost her memories!" she yelled, flinching away from me.
"Memories?" I breathed, the air in my lungs being knocked out of me. I blinked at my sister. "What's the last thing she can remember?"
Liv nibbled her lower lip awkwardly. "From what I can tell, she can only remember up to the night she killed all those people."
I froze, unable to comprehend how the words could be falling from her mouth right now. "So... she doesn't remember me?"
Olivia shook her head. "She doesn't even remember being in the Prison World, Kai." She shrugged. "And honestly, it's a good thing. At least this way you can stay out of her life."
I pushed past Liv again. "Let me see her, I need to talk to her."
She stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "I think it's best that you leave. Don't upset her. She's really confused."
I tried again. "But-"
Forcing me back, she rolled her eyes. "Kai! Go, before I call Bonnie!"
I chuckled darkly. "I'm not scared of the Bennett Witch." If not for the other bystanders around us, I would've ripped my sister's vocal cords from her throat just to stop her saying the horrific things that I didn't want to hear, didn't want to believe.
She tilted her head in the Parker way, folding her arms across her chest. "No, but you're scared of what Mikaela would think of you and her best friend trying to kill each other if she ever gets her memories back."
As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. "Fine," I snapped.
"What is he doing here?"
Turning to the new person joining the conversation, I laughed in disbelief as I took in her features, still scarily similar to mine.
"Josette?" I asked, almost wondering if this was all a dream and I was still in the Prison World. "Well this day keeps getting more and more interesting."
Liv frowned, looking between Jo and I. "You know the doctor?"
I burst out laughing.
Sadness filled my twin's eyes as she looked at our younger sibling. "Olivia, I think we need to talk. And your brother."
I snorted, raising my hand. "Uh, hello, I'm right here?"
Jo glared at me. "Not you. The only brother you didn't kill."
I grinned in remembrance. "Ah, Lukas. How's he doing these days?"
"You stay away from him, and Olivia, do you hear me?" Jo yelled, storming towards me.
I rolled my eyes. "You'll be grateful to know that I actually didn't come here to terrorise our siblings," I said sarcastically. "I came here to check on Mikaela, and to make sure you doctors are doing your jobs properly."
Liv shook her head. "Okay, this is getting really weird now, did he just say 'our siblings'?"
Jo placed a hand on Olivia's arm softly. "Like I said, we need to talk."
Making a noise of disgust in the back of my throat, I started to back up. "You guys enjoy that, I'll be on my way out."
My sisters didn't even glance in my direction as I turned and stormed down the corridor, away from the room that I couldn't enter, wasn't sure if I even wanted to enter now that I knew the truth.
Mikaela didn't remember me. She didn't remember our time spent in the Prison World, everything we did together, how she felt about me.
Was it going to be temporary? Would she eventually get those memories back or would that just be how things were from now on? As if we had never even happened.
Without a backwards glance, I got in my car and drove away from the hospital. Liv was right. It was better this way.
***
Mikaela's POV
"Liv? What was going on out there?" I asked when the blonde re-entered the room. "I thought I heard a man's voice."
Tyler gave my hand a squeeze from where he sat on the chair next to my hospital bed. "Relax, Kayla."
"I'm fine," I said with a chuckle. My brother always worried too much. I'd been in a coma for a couple of weeks and now everyone was losing their minds.
I'm a Hybrid. I'm always fine.
"Yeah, just some random guy who got the wrong room," Liv replied easily with a smile. "It's all sorted."
I relaxed back against my pillows. "Good," I sighed. "I'm not sure I can deal with any more visitors."
My room was pretty crowded, with Tyler, Liv, Bonnie, my Mom and the doctor all inside. Anyone else who wanted to see me would have to wait their turn.
Truthfully, I didn't realise that many people cared about me.
"Speaking of," the doctor said gently, "I think it's time we all let Mikaela get some rest. Visiting hours are finishing soon."
Everyone said their goodbyes, Bonnie giving me a hug, my brother kissing my forehead. My Mom had been super weird with me since I woke up and I had no idea why, but I didn't care enough to ask.
Once the room was empty, I sighed in relief, slouching lower in the bed as I tried to get comfortable. I wasn't tired, not one bit - being unconscious for a month would do that to you - but it was nice to finally get some peace and quiet.
The first image that came to mind as I closed my eyes was that of Klaus Mikaelson's face. I wondered where he was, what he was doing. Was he proud of what I had done for him? Why hadn't he come to check on me?
I guess with all my loved ones glued to my side, it wasn't exactly the best time for him to be turning up out of the blue. They wanted him dead and after what had happened to me, I wouldn't be surprised if Bonnie used all of her power to try and kill him.
As I lay thinking about Klaus coming to save me, I found myself standing in a forest - the one, I recognised, from behind my house.
I wandered the forest, confused, an eerie silence filling the warm air. It was spring time here, no snow to be seen. The sun shone brightly in the sky, covered slightly by the thick branches and leaves of the trees.
In the distance, I heard a howl. I turned in the direction of the noise, only to find a wolf stood a few feet away, crouched ready to pounce. It stared at me, unmoving, its tongue lifting up to lick its lips ravenously.
I began to run - faster than I'd ever run before - to get out of the woods, but it was no use. The wolf tackled me to the ground, flipping me over as it snarled in my face. Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited for death to come.
When nothing happened, I opened them again, startled to find I had actually become the wolf that had tried to kill me. I looked down, my paws pinning a corpse into the ground - but it wasn't just any corpse.
It was mine.
Before I had a chance to scream, the image changed, my face morphing into someone else.
Now, as I gazed down with a sudden immense hunger, I looked into the lifeless blue eyes of a young guy I didn't recognise, his face battered and bruised. Blood seeped out of the bites covering his body and spilled from his lips. Had he not been in such a state, I would've found him very attractive.
The wolf in me didn't care how he looked. It growled, famished, ready to finish its lunch.
This time the scream did come, as I shot upright in bed, trying to figure out my surroundings.
I was still in the hospital, the room dark and empty. Without realising, I must have drifted off to sleep and had a nightmare. One that I couldn't shake.
The boy from my dream wouldn't vanish from my mind. It was stuck there, on repeat, the image of his mutilated body replaying over and over like a broken record.
I felt like I knew him. I couldn't for the life of me put a name to his bloodstained face, but there was something I couldn't ignore about the connection I felt when I looked at him. And I didn't know how, because I'd never seen that man in my life.
A whoosh in the air brought me back to reality and I jumped, turning towards the direction of the intruder. My heart began to beat faster as a grin broke out across my face.
"Hello, love," he greeted me with a smile.
"Klaus," I breathed, overwhelmingly happy to see him. "You're here!"
"Well I had to check how my favourite little Hybrid was doing. I heard all about what happened." He approached the side of my bed, stroking my cheek with his hand.
I nestled my face into his palm, sighing in content. Every bit of fear in my body had floated away. Klaus was here now. I was safe.
"Did you miss me?" I teased.
"Of course," he chuckled, sitting down in the chair. "It hasn't been the same without you around."
"Everyone said I should be well enough to be discharged tomorrow," I said. "I'll come and find you so you'll never have to miss me again."
"Easy, sweetheart," Klaus replied softly. "I think you should take your time before running in the wild again. You've been through an ordeal. Let yourself rest."
I rolled my eyes. "I was in a coma for weeks. I think I've had plenty of rest."
Klaus laughed quietly, almost to himself, shaking his head. "Yes. I forgot how stubborn you Lockwoods are."
I smirked, reaching out for his hand. He took it, stroking the back with his thumb. "The food here sucks," I muttered. "I'm so hungry."
Klaus glanced up at me from under his lashes. "Would you like me to get you something? Like a take-out or whatever it is you tend to obsess over."
I shook my head. "I was thinking of something a little different. Red, warm and from the vein."
He laughed. "As you wish, little Hybrid. Come with me." He helped me out of bed, both of us bolting out of the room and down the corridor in search for a midnight snack.
Blood-bags weren't going to cut it. I needed something fresh. Something that longed to be killed. And that something happened to be a cute nurse working the night shift, unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Don't scream," I said as I grabbed her. "This will be over soon."
Unable to resist my compulsion, she remained silent as Klaus and I dragged her into the nearby bathroom and attached our mouths to either side of her neck, sharing our meal together.
With Klaus' help and control over the situation, I managed to pull away without ripping her pretty head off. She was dead, of course, but in one piece.
"That's better," I whispered, wiping my mouth with the back of my arm, letting her body drop to the floor. "I thought I was going to have to start drinking from the neighbouring patients."
"You know I always like to provide," Klaus said with a grin. "I'll take care of this one, you hurry along back to bed before someone realises your missing."
He turned to leave but I grabbed him, stopping him in his tracks. "Wait! When will I see you again?"
Klaus' smile never faltered as he looked back at me. "Very soon, I assure you."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, good." Pulling him towards me, I pressed a kiss to his soft lips, relishing in the way it felt to have him in this way again.
We eventually broke apart, my breathing slightly heavy. Klaus gave me a wink before disappearing, taking the nurse's body with him.
My nightmare completely forgotten about, I was in a much better mood as I got back into bed, eventually drifting off to sleep.
***
"So you're 100% sure you're okay?" my bubbly blonde best friend asked for the fifth time the next afternoon.
"Yes!" I chuckled. "You're such a mother."
"I'll help you with your bags," she said, grabbing my things before I had a chance to do it myself.
The nurses had said I was well enough to be discharged today, and my doctor - Josette, that was her name - actually knew all about the supernatural, so wasn't concerned to find me completely back to normal in such a short amount of time.
Elena had stopped by this morning during her shift at the hospital to check on me.
"So what's the last thing you remember?" she'd asked with a slight frown.
I'd shrugged. "I killed those people for Klaus, woke up the next morning back in my human form, went home to bed. I don't remember anything after that." I'd stared out of my window. "The only reason I figured I'd been in a coma for so long was the fact that there's now snow outside."
"Yeah, and it's quite icy out there so be careful when you leave," she'd replied, frown turning into a smile.
"Wait, I can really leave today?" I'd asked excitedly. I'd been worried I was going to be stuck here for at least another twenty-four hours. This news was the best thing I could've hoped for.
"You're back to full health - thanks to your Hybrid healing powers I guess," she'd whispered with a giggle. "Jo said you're good to go."
I'd sat up straighter in bed, my mood doing a full one-eighty. "Amazing!"
Elena had grinned. "Care is coming to pick you up shortly."
Groaning slightly, I'd slouched against my pillows, suddenly feeling less interested in leaving. "She's going to smother me," I complained.
Laughing, she'd placed a hand on my arm gently, comfortingly. "She's just worried about you. We all are."
I'd sighed. "I'm fine. Thank you, though, really."
She'd bobbed her head, kissed my cheek as a goodbye, then exited my room. Leaving me to stress about my best friend coming to play nurse.
Which is exactly what she did.
Caroline helped me out of the hospital and to the car, as if I was some invalid that needed babysitting.
"Care, I'm fine, really!" I protested as she opened the car door for me.
"I won't hear of it!" she shot back, flipping her hair over her shoulder graciously as she helped me into the passenger's seat. "You've been through a lot and I'm here to make sure you stay safe."
"Did you forget I'm supernatural?" I chuckled.
Caroline closed the door then swiftly got into the driver's side. "Of course not," she scoffed, starting the ignition. "But you don't hear of Hybrids blacking out like that. It's concerning."
I rolled my head to look in her direction. "Well as you can clearly see, I'm back to normal. The doctor said I'm perfectly healthy again. Please, stop stressing."
"Telling me to stop stressing is like telling Damon to stop drinking bourbon," she joked, pulling out of the parking lot. "Never going to happen."
"Speaking of drinking," I began, smirking, "let's go to The Grill for a catch up, some food and maybe even a cocktail or two."
Caroline frowned at me disapprovingly. "Kayla, you've only just left the hospital. Can't you give yourself five minutes to relax?"
"Sure," I said with a shrug. "It'll take ten minutes to get to The Grill. That's double the time."
She sighed, rolling her eyes. I wiggled my brows at her, hoping she would give in to peer pressure.
"Ugh, fine!" she eventually said, throwing her hands up dramatically. "But only because I'm a sucker for a cocktail catch up with my girl."
I grinned, turning up the radio. "Great!"
As we arrived at The Mystic Grill, Caroline led me to a table near the door so that she could get me out quicker in case of an emergency - like, if I blacked out again or something, I guess? - and helped me into my seat, despite my attempts to resist.
"You can have whatever you want but don't get too drunk, okay?" she said as she sat down opposite me, shrugging off her winter coat and hanging it on the back of her chair.
"Okay, Mom," I teased. Scanning the menu, the words "steak and potatoes" caught my eye, making my stomach growl. My favourite.
"I'm going to have Sex On The Beach today, for a change," Caroline said, a little too loudly, causing a few people to turn and look at her in disgust.
I burst out laughing. "Shh, Care, the whole restaurant doesn't need to know your personal life!"
"What?" she asked, confused, before it appeared to click. "Oh! I'm talking about the cocktail guys! Gross!" she said, frowning at the other restaurant-goers disapprovingly. She turned back to me. "What are you having?"
"Definitely no sex," I commented, earning an eye-roll in reply from my friend. "I was thinking a Strawberry Daiquiri."
"Sounds delicious! What about food?"
I threw her a sarcastic look. "Do you even know me?"
Caroline laughed. "Steak and potatoes, of course."
"Of course," I echoed, placing the menu back into its holder now that I'd made my mind up.
I glanced around the room, taking in my surroundings. A few of the waiting staff had changed since I was last here, although Matt was still behind the bar, pouring pints.
Poor soul.
A new person I didn't recognise at first was sat alone at the very same bar, sipping slowly on what looked like a Mai Tai, tapping away at the phone in his hands.
He turned briefly to scan the room, before returning his attention to whatever he was typing. And that's when it hit me.
The boy from my nightmare. Sat in the same restaurant as me. Was I psychic or did I really know him?
"Hey, do you know that guy over there?" I said to Caroline, nodding my head in his direction.
"Which guy?" she asked, looking around.
I furrowed my brows. "The tall, dark and handsome one."
She spotted him, eyes widening. "Oh. No, but he looks like trouble."
I gulped, fighting the urge to get out of my seat. "I can't explain why but I can't shake the feeling that I've met him before."
Caroline tilted her head, looking almost concerned. "What, is he like an ex or something?"
I shook my head. "More like a ghost from the past. I don't know..." As if in a trance, I started rising out of my chair. "I'm just going to say hi. You can order for me, right?"
"Yes, but-"
"I'll only be a moment," I cut her off, walking away from our table in the direction of the mystery man.
"Kayla, wait, no-" I heard her try to call me back. "Shit," she muttered under her breath.
Ignoring her, I approached the guy, unable to stop myself. "Excuse me, do we know each other?" I asked quietly.
He chuckled lowly. "I highly doubt that sweetheart, I-" He paused as he turned to face me, taking in my features. "Oh. Um, no. We've never met before."
I frowned, stepping closer. "Are you sure? Because you look really familiar."
"You must have me confused with someone else," he replied, laughing nervously.
I shook my head, not believing a word he said. "No, I don't think so. What's your name?"
It took him a moment to make up a name. "Joshua," he finally said.
I snorted, folding my arms across my chest. "No it isn't."
He jumped down from the stool, placing money on the bar. "I'm sorry but I'd best be on my way-"
"Hey, wait, please-" The words came out before I could stop them, my hand reaching out to grab him. As my fingers made contact with his skin, a name flashed in my mind. "Kai," I breathed.
His eyes widened as he stood frozen in place. "What?"
"Kai. That's your name. Not Joshua," I said confidently, never feeling more sure of anything before in my life. I was right, I knew it.
"You remember?" he whispered, leaning closer to me.
I blinked, taken aback. "Remember? What are you talking about? I just touched you and the name came to me." I gasped. "So I do know you?"
Kai shook his head, moment of weakness over as he returned to his stern expression. "No, you don't."
"I do, I swear I do!"
I felt like screaming at him. Why was he lying? What did he have to hide?
"Look, I've got to go." He attempted to walk past me but I stopped him in his tracks. God, he was so tall.
"Tell me. What's going on?"
Kai sighed frustratedly. "I can't, okay? Your little blonde friend over there is listening to every word of this conversation right now."
"How do you know she can hear us?" I leaned closer, whispering, "Are you a vampire too?"
Kai made a face of disgust, backing up slightly. "Ew, no. But I know more than I care to discuss right now, and you don't want to get involved with it all." He sighed. "So, please, just leave me alone."
"Alright, alright, fine," I said, holding my hands up in surrender, letting him push past me.
What the hell was that all about?
I traipsed back to my seat, sitting down in a huff.
"So how did that go?" Caroline greeted me with a smile.
"I do know him, and he's lying about who he is. I don't know how or why, but I'll find out." I nibbled on my lower lip in thought. "He was acting so weird. He knew about vampires."
Caroline shrugged. "It's Mystic Falls. Pretty much everyone knows about them."
I frowned. "But he knew you were one. He said he couldn't tell me anything 'cause you were listening." I blinked at my best friend. "Do you know him?"
She shook her head rapidly, almost too quickly. "No, never seen him in my life," she said. "I guess it is kind of strange he knew that." Then she grinned. "Don't worry about that now. I've ordered our food and drinks!"
Suddenly, I wasn't too excited about cocktail catch up with Caroline. The whole conversation with Kai had sent my brain into meltdown and I was having a hard time focusing.
I just had to know what was going on.