˖*°࿐chapter seven.
vii. THE SOCIOPATHIC STRANGER
———
janelle
"Does she have to be here?" I asked Damon as he stood next to Elena.
"Yes," he replied without a second thought. I mentally groaned and stood at the foot of Liz's bed.
"Look, Janelle, I get that you don't like me," Elena said as she turned to me. I nodded as if it weren't obvious enough. "But, could we please be civilized for five minutes for the sake of Caroline's mother?"
"Yeah, yeah. Noise, noise." Damon shot me a look as I pursed my lips. "Fine. I'll play nice with your girl-toy this once."
"All right. I need a 12-gauge needle stat," Kai said as he came into the room, wiping his hands with a paper towel, after washing them. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with it, but I need it."
"What even?" I mumbled to myself.
"You're not a doctor, so stop playing games. Because I am a vampire and I will rip your head off if you screw this up," Elena threatened him with a hard glare.
"What she said," Damon agreed. "So do your stupid little magic-suction trick and suck the magic out of her. Right now."
Kai smirked, amusement set on his face as he stared at them. "I get what you two see in each other. It's very dys-fun-ctional." He chuckled. "See what I did? Stressing the 'fun' in dysfunctional."
"I'm leaving," I stated blankly, walking out of the room.
Now I understand why his family locked him away in a prison world for so long. He never shuts up. Like ever. I definitely wouldn't want to listen to that for the rest of my life. Just as I turned at the corner of the hallway, I bumped into Jo.
Damn it, I forgot she worked here and was attending to Liz.
"Hey, Jo. Um, where you going?" I asked, attempting to stop her from going into the room.
"To check up on the Sheriff," she replied. "Why are you here? You hate hospitals."
"How did you —" I cut myself off, already knowing what she was going to say. "I just wanted to see how Liz was feeling. But she's actually resting at the moment, so you probably shouldn't bother her. A woman her age needs beauty her sleep — it's crucial."
I had to stall her somehow. She doesn't exactly know that her twin is on the loose, wanting to merge with her in exchange for helping us. But she should be safe as long as Liv and Luke are finished before Kai gets the chance.
"Right." She eyed me suspiciously. "But Elena's in there. And from what I've gathered, you guys aren't exactly the best of friends, so why would you visit at the same time she is?"
I bit the inside of my cheek. "We buried the hatchet?" I lied.
Jo walked past me, obviously not believing anything I was saying. I knew she'd catch on eventually. I just hope I bought Damon enough time to stall her. My phone buzzed in my back pocket and I pulled it out to see I had a text from Cassandra.
[cassandra] meet me at the restaurant next to the college. we have business to discuss
[janelle] be there in 10
Wonder what this is about now.
———
I pulled a seat up next to Cassandra who sat the bar with a glass in her hand. "What is it?" I asked.
It was kind of weird seeing her out in a public setting, let alone drinking alcohol. She always seemed to be the proper lady-like type that would slap you on the wrist if you cursed in front of her. But I still love her anyways.
"The ritual to bring your friend back will have to be put off another day. We can't do it tonight," She stated, not even bothering to look at me when she spoke.
"Why not? What's wrong?"
"There's been a turn of events," she began. "Something much more substantial will be happening in the next hour, or so. We can't take the risk of interfering with it. The grand design could be altered in terrible ways if we change anything."
"Okay," I said, uneasily. It's not like I could've disagreed with her anyway. "So why am I here?"
I knew there was more to the story than just canceling a spell. Cassandra needed me for something else.
"You know the Parker family," she said, gesturing behind me and I looked over to see Liv and Luke walking out the back door. "And I'm quite certain you're aware of the merge that will commence this evening, granting a new leader of the Gemini Coven. I'm going to need you to keep an eye on one of them, just for safety precautions. Nothing major."
Why am I always the one stuck with the babysitting jobs? Any other task and I will be fine.
I nodded, unwillingly. "All right. I'll do it, but no promises that I'll like it. That family has some serious issues."
"Thank you," she smiled. "Now, you go home and get some rest. We have big day tomorrow and you're going to need the energy."
"Tell me about it," I laughed, standing up to give her a hug. Just as I was about to leave, I turned back to Cassandra. "By the way, who am I watching over exactly?"
"All in good time, darling. All in good time."
———
"She's okay, right? I mean, to say the least."
"Yes. Caroline's with her now. The doctors are taking care of everything," Stefan said after calling to tell me what happened to Liz after I left the hospital.
When Kai sucked the magic out of Liz, it made her vulnerable to her illness. She almost died tonight, but luckily she didn't. I could only imagine what Caroline would have to go through if her mother didn't come back to life.
"Good. You should stay with her, she needs someone." I smirked, knowing that he knew what I meant by 'needing someone'. "Speaking of doctors, have any of you heard from Jo?"
"Damon went out to look for her. I haven't heard back from him yet. But there's no guarantee that she's gonna make it through that merge, you know that, Janelle."
I paused for a second to take in what Stefan just said. "I do, and I'm sure Ric is going to take it hardest if anything were to happen to her."
"You're right about that one," he muttered. "Listen, I gotta get back to Caroline. I'll be home in a few hours, Nells. You stay safe, all right?"
I playfully rolled my eyes. "You got it, brother. Love you."
"Love you, too."
I plugged my phone into its charger and laid down on my bed. I just needed to take a few minutes to clear my head.
The last thing I wanted to do was put Jo in danger. I'm not even sure if Liv and Luke have completed the merge, but if they did, it wouldn't stop Kai from killing his own twin. It's not like she would've been much use to him afterward.
I texted Damon earlier, but he hasn't been answering me either. I just hope he got there in time to save her.
I'm still a little confused about what Cassandra had talked to me about at the bar. We're not supposed to go against the Geminis because of the pact and now she wants me to watch over one of them. It just doesn't make any sense. It must be important if she asked me to handle it, considering the current situation that I'm in.
And I also haven't told Damon and Stefan the other reason why I'm here either. In fact, I haven't told anyone. Cassandra only knew about it because she's basically aware of anything that happens with her coven, that's why she's in charge.
I've been keeping it a secret because this information can put anyone I love in harm's way. That's why I moved out of New Orleans — people want me dead.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement by my window. I sat up quickly and went over to see what it was. Although, when I looked out there wasn't anything. The wind was just a little bit stronger than normal. I checked one last time before closing the window.
I almost let out a sigh of relief, until I sensed another presence in the room. When I turned to see who it was, my breath hitched in my throat. Not because I was frightened, but because I had no clue why this person was even here right now.
"Kai," I choked out in surprise.
He took a step towards me and I stepped back as a gut reaction. He frowned, walking closer until he was right in front of me, his eyes locked on mine.
"Janelle, what's wrong?" he asked, brushing his fingers over my cheek making me involuntarily flinch. "Why are you scared of me?"
I swatted his hand away and pushed on his chest to get some space between us. "I'm not scared of you. I just wanna know what the hell you're doing in my house?"
"I came to see you," he said.
"Why?" I retorted.
"Because I —" He was clearly growing frustrated. "What's the matter with you, Nelle?"
"Whoa." I held my hand up to put some distance between us. "First of all, only my friends call me that. Second, you've got some nerve waltzing your way into my home uninvited. And third, why the hell do you and your sister keep acting like we've known each other our whole lives?"
Kai was taken aback by my words. It wasn't meant to come out as harsh as it did, but I've never been more confused. I needed answers, and I needed them now.
"You honestly don't remember me?" he asked with genuine hurt in his eyes.
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking," I said in an obvious tone, waiting for him to speak up.
"Janelle, you were my girlfriend in 1994."
My face stayed for straight for a few seconds until I let out a quiet, stifled laugh. "I'm sorry, it sounded like you just said I was your girlfriend in 1994."
There's no way that is even possible. I would be out of my right mind if I ever went out with him.
Kai's jaw clenched as his hands balled into fists. "We were together for almost a year."
"Yeah, right," I scoffed.
"Why don't you believe me?" he asked incredulously.
"Why don't I belie — I don't believe you because it's not true," I stated. "I wasn't anywhere near Portland 18 years ago and I certainly did not have any contact with you or your sister."
"If that's true, then where were you during that time?"
I opened my mouth to tell him off, but no sound came out. My mind was blank, literally nothing. It's like I had something to say, only I couldn't. I have no memories whatsoever of what I was doing in 1994. It's as if it had all been erased, and anything before, or after that year is as clear as day.
It doesn't make any sense.
"I don't know," I said quietly.
"Exactly," he emphasized. "You can't deny being with me if you don't remember."
"Actually, that gives me every right to deny being with you." I retorted. "For all I know, everything you're telling me is a lie."
"I'm not lying!" He shouted. I tensed up as Kai towered over me. He clearly saw this and slowly stepped away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."
I watched his movements carefully. "It's okay, I guess."
Kai's hand trailed down to my waist in a firm grip, bringing my attention to him. "I don't care if you don't remember — I love you, Janelle. I need you to know that."
I was afraid of that.
He pressed our bodies together as he leaned in closer to my face, but I couldn't move. I wanted to, but something kept me from doing so. Just as Kai's lips were about to brush against mine, the front door slammed shut.
"Janelle, you home?"
I jumped back in surprise as I heard Damon's voice. Kai let out an annoyed groan as I pulled away from him.
"You need to leave," I whispered, pushing him towards the window.
Kai grabbed my wrist, stopping me. "I don't wanna leave you again."
"No, I can't deal with this right now. Damon's going to be up here any second and I doubt he wants to see you here. You have to leave, Kai."
"Janelle?" Damon called again.
"Upstairs!" I yelled back before turning to the man right in front of me. "Please, Kai," I pleaded, squeezing his hand that I now had a hold of.
Kai nodded sadly and climbed out the window, taking one last glance at me. Luckily, there was a tree close by, so hopefully, he wouldn't fall. Damon's footsteps were getting closer, so I quickly ran to my bed, plopping down onto it.
I grabbed my phone and pretended to be on it just as Damon opened the door.
"Hey," he greeted, taking a look around.
"Hey." I sat up, plastering a smile onto my face. "Were you able to find Jo?"
"Yeah, she's fine. Which saves me from a huge blowout with Ric when he gets back," he sighed, coming into the room.
"Good, then Kai wasn't able to complete the merge with her."
"Oh, no. He merged all right," he stated. "Luke sacrificed himself to save Jo by merging with Kai, and Kai won," he explained. "At least now he'll be out of our hair and on his way back to Portland to kill the rest of his family that locked him away in solitude."
I laughed, anxiously, "I'm sure it'll be a scream."
"Well, I'll let you get some shut-eye. I know I definitely need it," Damon said, kissing my head before leaving. "Goodnight, Nelle."
"Night," I mumbled as he shut the door.
What the hell just happened?