Salvatore Boarding School (Dining Hall)
[The remaining students at the Salvatore School have gathered in the dining hall for breakfast before class starts. Rafael has just gotten a plate of food and is scanning the room for anyone he can sit next to. He sees Josie, who is in the middle of studying at one of the tables in the center of the room, and immediately walks over to join her. When Josie looks up and sees him, she's initially pleased by the sight of her companion before then frowning in confusion]
JOSIE: You know, the wolves usually eat outside...
"Of course they do," Hayley laughed and the Wolfs nodded in agreement.
[Rafael, who hasn't yet learned about the social hierarchy at his new school and seems to not be concerned about it anyway, simply shrugs and smiles at Josie]
RAFAEL: I'd rather hang with you.
[Josie blushes and looks down at her food before starting to make small talk with Rafael]
Caroline smiled, she looked like she was planning there wedding already, but then remembered her daughter was with Hope in the future.
JOSIE: I didn't see you at the assembly.
RAFAEL: Kind of still figuring my way around this place.
[Josie smiles and nods in understanding as Rafael changes the subject]
RAFAEL: Why didn't you ditch like Landon and go play detective?
[Josie gestures at her school notes in front of her]
JOSIE: We'll, I'm actually working on offensive spells for class. They only teach defensive magic here, but I personally think that the curriculum needs to evolve.
"Well, that's shit!" Malia yelled.
Some looked at her in amusement.
"Don't worry, there are a lot of changes in the future," Nikki smirked.
[Rafael looks bewildered by this statement, which suddenly makes Josie self-conscious]
JOSIE: What?
[Rafael, looking uncomfortable, tries to shrug off his nervousness]
RAFAEL: Oh, nothing.
"You two are so awkward."
[Josie, amused, smiles as she questions him again]
JOSIE: What?
RAFAEL: I'm still trying to wrap my head around this being a normal conversation here...
[Josie, realizing how overwhelmed he must be, once again nods in understanding with a laugh before attempting to get more information about his return]
JOSIE: Got it. So, meaning you're happy to be back?
RAFAEL: I'll be happy when I know that Landon can stay.
"You're still on that?" Elena asked.
"Of course he is, that's his brother. You wouldn't wanna leave your brother would you?" Rebekah snapped.
[Josie smile turns into a concerned expression]
JOSIE: And then what if he can't?
[Before Rafael can respond, a tall werewolf boy named Jed appears behind Josie and immediately orders her out of the way]
JED: Bounce, witch. Rafael and I need to have a little chat.
"My god, Werewolves are such-" Damon didn't get to finish his sentence when he noticed Hayley's glare.
[Rafael, appalled by Jed's rudeness, refuses to be bossed around by him and stands his ground]
RAFAEL: As soon as Josie and I are done.
[Jed scowls, angry that his newest pack member is already disobeying his orders]
JED: Actually, newb, I'm your alpha. You're done when I say you're done.
[Josie, not wanting to get in the middle of their argument, quickly stands to her feet and looks down at her wrist as though she's checking her watch, despite the fact that she isn't actually wearing one]
JOSIE: Well, would you look at the time? As fun as this hurricane of toxic masculinity is, I have to get to class.
[Rafael, still not willing to submit to Jed's demands, stands to his feet, a small smug smile appearing on his face as he commits to his insubordination]
RAFAEL: I'll walk you.
"You really shouldn't have gone against him," Hayley reasoned.
"I don't care if he's my alpha. I do what I want." Rafael said, calmly. He wasn't going to let some wolf boss him around.
"Yeah, well now you got a target on your back." Nikki pointed out.
[Josie looks shocked when Rafael picks up her books for her and carries them himself as he leads her out of the dining hall while the appalled and offended Jed and his lackeys watch them leave]
Mystic Falls High School
[A very bored-looking Hope is walking with Landon, who is anxiously narrating his tour of the school based on his previous experiences there]
LANDON: This is the senior hallway, where I spent much of my formative years stuffed in every locker, except this one—
"Oh," Everyone winced, those who were bullied especially.
"In the future, there isn't bullying anymore. That's cause Nikki got upper hand!" Malia looked over at Nikki who smirked in response.
[Landon anxiously pats one of the lockers with the palm of his hands and tugs on the lock]
LANDON: That one doesn't open.
[The tour continues with Landon pointing at one of the restrooms in the hallway where they're walking]
LANDON: On your left, you'll find the bathroom. It's where I had my first kiss with a toilet—
"Oh dear god," Damon muttered.
[Hope, having reached her limit with his awkward rambling, cuts Landon off with a very sarcastic smile]
HOPE: I'm sorry, does the fact that I'm not openly hostile to you make it seem like we're back to being friends?
"Ooh, burn"
[Landon is clearly taken aback by this unexpectedly rude response before his tries to talk himself out of it]
LANDON: Uh, sorry. I just... I was going for effortlessly natural...
[Landon slows down in an attempt to have a face-to-face conversation with Hope, but when she continues to walk, Landon is forced to jog awkwardly to catch back up with her]
LANDON: But this is all just making me really nervous. Like, the school, and seeing Connor, and being with you—
"Wait, Connor as in the guy who defaced the school logo?"
"Yeah."
[Hope, once again trying to stay on task, cuts him off again]
HOPE: Shouldn't you be talking to... anyone you know?
[Landon chuckles nervously]
LANDON: That's easier said than done. There is no way Dana's clique is talking to me, unless you have a spell that will make me retroactively cool...
"So. . . .you have no friends."
[Hope answers this rhetorical comment with an eyeroll]
HOPE: Well, I'll talk to them, then.
[Landon shakes his head in disagreement]
LANDON: It's even worse for you. Trust me. You have no idea how human high schools work. You're the new girl—might as well be radioactive.
"Really?" Hope chuckled
[Suddenly, a young teenage girl walks up to them as if summoned to prove Landon wrong and looks at Hope sympathetically]
CHERYL: I'm sorry, you look traumatized. Is this loser bothering you?
[Hope, seeing an opportunity to both insult Landon and get information that could help their mission, immediately puts on her best mean-girl act]
HOPE: He keeps trying to get me to buy his mixtape.
CHERYL: Gross. Well, we're going to lunch. You hungry?
[Hope looks at Landon and smiles sweetly at him, rubbing in the fact that she was immediately accepted by the popular girls despite his prediction]
HOPE: Famished.
"Wait, you hung out with Popular girls? Even though your new?" Caroline asked.
"Yup,"
"Who are you and what have you done to Hope?" Alaric asked.
"This girl is good." Caroline nodded over at Hope, who smiled.
[Hope walks toward the cafeteria with Cheryl, leaving Landon to watch them walk away with an exasperated expression on his face]
Mystic Falls Woods
[Alaric just met up with Sheriff Matt Donovan in the woods where they have finally found Dana's car, which was overturned by whomever attacked them the previous evening]
MATT: Jogger called it in.
"Matt, how are you even still alive?" Damon asked.
Matt just shrugged.
[Matt circles around the car to examine the rear bumper]
MATT: Yeah, the plates match. It's Dana's car.
[Matt continues to walk around the car in order to look for any clues as to what happened to the young girls. He clenches his jaw in anger when he sees a large splatter of blood on the driver's side doors and turns to look at Alaric, who is watching from several feet away]
MATT: Think it's safe to say she's not a runaway.
[Alaric frowns grimly and looks away, making it clear he's both devastated by the thought of more human deaths caused by supernatural creatures and feeling somewhat responsible for whatever is behind Dana and Sasha's disappearance. He then suddenly notices a bloody smear on a nearby tree trunk and walks toward it, allowing him to also notice tracks in the dirt trailing away from the car. Matt seems confused by this whole situation]
"You think it was one of your students, don't you?" Stefan frowned.
MATT: You said the creatures were after a knife that you had sent far away.
[Alaric bristles at Matt's accusing tone of voice and replies defensively]
ALARIC: They are, and I did. This doesn't make any sense.
[The two men continue to walk through the forest, looking for more evidence, when they suddenly catch the sight of a body laying behind a bush ahead of them and stop in their tracks. Alaric groans, visibly upset that their suspicions have been confirmed]
ALARIC: Ah, damnit.
[Matt starts walking toward the body and frowns grimly when he finds that it is indeed Dana, whose skin is colorless and whose body is sprawled on her back on the forest floor. Matt crouches down and examines the body for a moment before shooting Alaric a hard look]
"Is she dead?"
MATT: Actually, it's starting to make perfect sense.
[Alaric frowns as he walks toward Matt to take a look for himself]
ALARIC: What is it?
[Matt gestures toward Dana's neck, where there are two tell-tale puncture wounds on the right side, his expression indicating that he suspects Alaric's students are involved]
MATT: A vampire bite.
Everyone looked at Kaleb, thinking it was him. He glared at everyone.
"It wasn't me!" He yelled, making everyone look away.
"Eh, if the mini Vampire has to feed, let him!" Kol nodded over at Kaleb.
Alaric glared at Kol, disapprovingly.
Mystic Falls High School (Gymnasium)
[Lizzie and MG are in physical education class in the school's gymnasium, where they're in Mystic Falls spirit-wear and doing calisthenics on their own. Lizzie is sitting on the ground next to a young woman who is doing crunches while MG holds her feet down. After a moment, MG tries to make conversation in hopes of learning something about what happened to Dana and Sasha]
MG: Nice form. You're one of Dana's friends, right?
[The girl reluctantly introduces herself as she continues to do her crunches, and Lizzie makes it clear that she is eavesdropping on their conversation while she does toe-touches]
JILL: Jill.
[When Jill sits up again, she gives MG a blank look]
JILL: And my friendship with Dana doesn't define me.
[MG frowns in confusion, causing Jill to laugh and stop what she's doing]
JILL: That was a joke.
[Jill's smile falls just before she replies and returns to her workout]
JILL: Of course it does.
[MG smiles awkwardly, not knowing how to respond]
MG: Cool, cool...
"Of course it does." Caroline sighed.
[MG looks up to find Lizzie giving him a look that says "Get on with it, already." He then looks down to stare Jill in the eyes, his pupils contracting and constricting as he compels her for information]
MG: Tell me where Dana and Sasha are, and we'll get out of your hair.
[Lizzie, still listening in, can't help but rudely interject toward one of the girls who bully her]
LIZZIE: More like split ends...
Caroline and Rebekah sniggered. She was right though.
[Jill turns toward Lizzie with a scathing expression]
JILL: Shut up, Saltzman.
[Jill turns back toward MG, clearly unaffected by his compulsion and thus suspicious of their motives. She watches as MG and Lizzie share an alarmed look and only becomes more uneasy]
JILL: And why are you all up in their business? Are all of you private school kids this creepy?
"No, just stronger than you." Klaus shrugged. "And that."
[Lizzie looks at MG with a frantic expression, expecting him to turn the conversation back around, though it's obvious he has no idea what to do, having not expected Jill to be on vervain or otherwise uncompellable]
MG: Uh...
[Just then, the teacher blows the whistle to signal the end of class]
COACH: Okay, that's it. Hit the showers.
[Everyone stands to their feet to do as their told, with Jill relieved to have the opportunity to get away from MG and Lizzie. The latter shoots an appalled look at the former when everyone else has cleared out]
LIZZIE: Compulsion fail!
[Lizzie turns to ruefully watch the students head to the locker rooms, visibly disappointed in their lack of progress]
"Vervain."
LIZZIE: Hope's probably doing a victory lap by now.
[Lizzie turns her attention back to MG and looks at him questioningly]
LIZZIE: What's with the performance anxiety?
[MG, still sitting on the floor, looks dumbfounded by this turn of events]
MG: I think you're distracting me...
[Lizzie scoffs and looks down at her gym clothes]
LIZZIE: I'm wearing polyester.
[MG can't help but hide his adoration as he stands to his feet]
MG: And you're totally pulling it off...
"Dude!"
[Lizzie groans and roughly claps him on the shoulders with both hands]
LIZZIE: Get your head in the game, MG!
[Just then, a vibrating noise is heard, and MG pulls a smart phone out of a hidden location. Lizzie looks at him with surprise]
LIZZIE: You have the school phone?
[Lizzie wrinkles her nose in disgust]
LIZZIE: ...Where were you keeping it?
[MG looks at Lizzie with exhausted exasperation]
MG: It's your dad—he trusts me.
"Oh, you trust him more than your daughter, damn."
[When Lizzie steps closer to him to look at the phone's screen, which reads "Dr. Saltzman," MG is once again distracted by his crush on her and smiles dopily]
MG: You smell like gummy bears...
Everyone sniggered as he was caught of guard.
[Lizzie rolls her eyes before redirecting him to the task at hand]
LIZZIE: Answer it.
MG: Okay...
[MG answers the call and puts it on speaker so they can both take the call]
MG: Hello?
[The scene cuts to Alaric, who is still in the Mystic Falls Woods next to Dana's overturned car]
ALARIC: [on the phone] I need to talk to everyone.
[MG looks at Lizzie apprehensively]
MG: We split up...
[Lizzie, angry that MG sold her out, slaps him loudly on the shoulder as Alaric scolds her]
ALARIC: [on the phone] Lizzie, I told you to work together!
LIZZIE: In order to conquer, we had to divide, Daddy. So, looks like you're gonna have to trust your own gene pool for once. Sorry to disappoint.
Alaric rolled his eyes.
ALARIC: [on the phone] Look, I'm about to tell you three things, all equally horrifying. So, I need you to keep your cool. Can you both do that?
[MG and Lizzie look at each other and nod, though Alaric can't see it]
MG: Of course. No problem.
ALARIC: Okay. One, Dana is dead.
[Lizzie and MG share another anxious and shocked expression]
ALARIC: Two, a vampire killed her.
"Easy way to put it."
[MG's eyes widen in alarm when he realizes what could have happened to her, though Lizzie is distracted by what her father is saying]
Kaleb winced.
ALARIC: Three, I just told the Sheriff that we had nothing to do with it, so I need to know right now that I'm right. Have either of you heard anything about the vampires at our school feeding?
[Lizzie frowns and shakes her head]
LIZZIE: No...
[MG, who knows the truth and is trying not to reveal it, laughs nervously and weakly protests against the accusations]
MG: Nah... We're not supposed to... Everyone knows that...
Alaric frowned and Kaleb looked at the floor, guiltily.
[This seems to satisfy Alaric, but Lizzie sees right through MG's awkward response and shoots him a look]
ALARIC: Okay, good. I'll call you back when I know more—and I expect you to be with Hope when I do.
[MG hangs up the call, and Lizzie turns her attention on her cohort]
LIZZIE: You're a terrible liar. Spill.
"Oh, you got caught."
Mystic Falls High School (Hallway)
[Landon is wandering down one of the halls at the school when Hope, wearing a headband with a pair of cat ears, catches up with him]
HOPE: Hey.
[Landon turns to see who it is and immediately starts judging her for her current appearance]
LANDON: Let me guess—Pigtails spilled her guts and confessed to kidnapping Dana and Sasha, case closed...?
[Hope shoots him a look and rolls her eyes]
HOPE: Her name is Cheryl, and not exactly... But she did invite me to try out for the cheerleading team.
Caroline and Lizzie's mouth fell open. "What? Already, they invited you to the Cheerleading Squad already?"
Everyone looked between the two, they really were similar.
[Landon scoffs and looks at her like she's lost her mind]
LANDON: Who are you right now? And what is that thing on your head?
HOPE: It's a gift from Cheryl.
[Landon laughs darkly, unable to believe what he's seeing]
LANDON: You're better than this, Hope.
"It's for a locator spell,"
[Hope rolls her eyes again before explaining herself]
HOPE: Relax, Eeyore. Dana gave it to her, it's potential locator spell material. Plus, even though Sasha and Connor are dating, Dana was sleeping with him behind her back.
"Oh," Caroline felt bad for Sasha.
"Good job, that was smart." Klaus smiled over at his daughter.
LANDON: [scoffs] Yeah, some clue. Everyone at this school knows Connor is a dick.
"All jocks are."
HOPE: Come on, Landon. Adultery, missing girls? It's like every TV show that old people watch. A "crime of passion," I think they call it.
[Landon, not convinced, stops walking and gives her a serious look]
LANDON: I know Connor. He's made my life a living hell, but he's not a killer. Trust me.
[Hope can't help but sneer at him for this comment, remembering how angry she still is at him]
HOPE: Trusting you is what got us into this mess in the first place.
"Finish him."
[Just then, Hope sees Connor over Landon's shoulder and nods toward him]
HOPE: Look, there he is.
[Landon turns to watch Connor, wearing his varsity jacket, as he walks into a nearby classroom]
HOPE: So, do you want to play "good cop" or "bad cop?" Because I don't think "emo cop" is a thing...
Everyone laughed, Klaus really was her father.
[Landon rolls his eyes in frustration]
LANDON: Oh, very funny. But while you were off making friends, I did some sleuthing of my own.
[He points at a girl walking down the hall who has blonde hair and is wearing a mismatched blue paisley handkerchief around her neck that clashes with the red and white sweater she's wearing]
LANDON: Scarf in the Virginia heat? Sounds like a lead, I think they call it.
"You need to be more smarter," Damon nodded over to Kaleb. "You just got yourself caught."
[Hope reluctantly follows Landon after the girl to get some information on who has been feeding on her]
Mystic Falls Woods
[Matt and Alaric are still at the site where Dana and Sasha presumably went missing, where they're arguing over who could be responsible for Dana's death]
MATT: They're vampire bites, Ric!
ALARIC: If they said they didn't do it, they didn't do it! End of story.
"They are, vampires!"
"No they're not!"
[Alaric, unable to look Matt in the eyes, clenches his jaw as he walks away from him, with Matt trailing after him and angrily reminding him of what comes next]
MATT: No, actually, it's just the beginning. Because now, I have to put a seventeen-year-old-girl in this body bag, then lie to her parents about what actually killed her! Or maybe you forgot what it's like to be on this side of that conversation.
[Alaric, frustrated and afraid that Matt is right, responds curtly]
ALARIC: It's not about sides.
MATT: Oh, yeah? Tell that to Dana.
[Matt looks down at the ground with the intention of gesturing toward Dana's body to emphasize his point. However, both he and Alaric are shocked to find that her body has vanished, with only her blood-stained sweater there to show she was ever there at all]
"She's not dead?"
Mystic Falls High School
[The aforementioned blonde student is in what used to be the stoner den behind the high school, where she's leaning against the wall while Kaleb leans over her]
FEMALE STUDENT: I thought you said we were gonna have lunch?
KALEB: Yeah...
[Kaleb reaches out and loosens the handkerchief around her neck, revealing the bite marks where he's already fed on her earlier]
KALEB: Well, uh, one of us is...
[Kaleb leans forward and stares her in the eye to compel her]
KALEB: Don't be afraid.
[Kaleb's fangs come out as he opens his mouth to feed on her, but before he can, a female voice calls out to him]
HOPE: Let her go!
"Oh, now you really got caught."
[Kaleb stops what he's doing and turns to find Hope and Landon standing behind him, looking at him sternly. Annoyed, he turns back to the girl and compels her once again as he fixes the handkerchief]
KALEB: Date's over—it's not me, it's you. Now, forget this ever happened and get back to class.
[The girl smiles and silently walks away, just as Lizzie and MG, now back in their regular clothes, appear behind Hope and Landon. Lizzie irritably mutters under her breath when she realizes they're not the first to find Kaleb]
LIZZIE: Great, Hope's already here.
[Kaleb doesn't seem surprised to see the others, but it's clear by the expression on his face that he feels betrayed by MG]
KALEB: I thought we were cool, bruh!
LIZZIE: Don't "bruh" him! Second place or not, we know you killed Dana.
"That's a huge accusation."
[Hope, shocked, looks at Lizzie and MG]
HOPE: Wait, Dana's dead?
MG: Dr. Saltzman said they found her dead from a vampire bite.
[MG gives Kaleb a knowing look, but Kaleb only becomes more agitated by their accusations]
KALEB: I didn't kill her, so y'all need to get the hell outta my face.
"Oh, someone's angry."
[Kaleb vamp-speeds away, but he doesn't get far, as Lizzie thrusts her hand out to cast a silent pain infliction spell on him. Her hand still raise, Lizzie dramatically leads the others toward their suspect, who is screaming in pain as he clutches his head near the woods]
KALEB: Ah! AHHH! AHHHH!
LIZZIE: Come on, guys. Let's go. It's hero time.
[Hope rolls her eyes as she walks around Landon to follow after Lizzie]
HOPE: To the Blondemobile.
Everyone sniggered.
[When the others finally catch up with Kaleb, Lizzie finally releases him from the spell]
LIZZIE: Not so fast, Kaleb.
[Kaleb, still recovering from the effects of the spell, looks up at the others as he catches his breath]
KALEB: I told you, all I did was feed. Torture me all you want, but my answer's gonna remain the same... Because I didn't kill Dana.
LANDON: Uh, he's right...
"Finally!" Kaleb shot his hands up in the air.
[Everyone turns toward Landon with questioning expressions]
LIZZIE: What, so you're a mind reader now, Landon?
[Landon, who is looking out near the woods, shrugs before gesturing in that direction]
LANDON: Call it a hunch.
[Just then, the sound of groaning is heard as Dana, who is still pale and sickly looking, stumbles and falls to her knees right at the edge of the forest]
"Oh, fuck."