CHAPTER NINE | AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL
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AFTER BEING AWAY FOR A FEW DAYS, RILEY NEVER THOUGHT SHE WOULD MISS THE EMBRACE OF MYSTIC FALLS. The minute that Stefan learned of Riley's presence back in the small town, he arranged they meet at the Grill to discuss what had happened whilst the witch had been out of town. It turned out that whilst Riley was gone, Stefan and Elena had broken up officially, but there was one thing that broke her— Damon and Elena had slept together.
"I'm sorry that I had to be the one to tell you that, Riley. Caroline was going to but I said that it would probably be better coming from me." The Salvatore placed his hand comfortingly on top of Riley's whilst she stared blankly into space.
"Is it bad that I'm really not surprised? Obviously, I'm hurt. But, I saw this coming eventually. But, I should've come back for you. You didn't see any of this happening." Riley couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving Stefan behind to deal with his breakup.
"You said you needed space, and I wanted to give you that. Regardless of what's going on in my life, I shouldn't ruin yours, too." He sighed out in defeat as he checked his texts. "Oh, look, another message from Caroline."
"You know, if you don't respond she will keep calling you. And then, she'll have her mom send out a search party." Riley mocked when she watched her best friend press his phone against his ear.
"Hey, you just missed the mandatory all-school assembly." Caroline pointedly spoke, whilst Riley scoffed at her tone of voice.
"Well, that's because I'm at a mandatory drinking party." Stefan shrugged sarcastically when he clinked his glass with Riley's and took a sip.
"Seriously?! You decide to go on a ripper-bender now?"
"My brother slept with Elena. Kind of puts a little bit of a damper on things. Besides, Riley's here to make sure nothing bad happens." The Salvatore nodded in the direction of his best friend before he took another sip of his drink.
"That I am." Riley nodded in response as she threw another chip into her mouth from their shared plate while Stefan turned his phone to loudspeaker. "We both needed a drink. Don't worry, Care, he's fine."
"Okay, first of all, you two are not supposed to know that. And, second of all, Tyler is already spiraling and he gets priority."
"His mother just died, what do you expect?" As the words fell from Stefan's lips, Riley's eyes immediately widened in confusion. That was something he had forgotten to mention.
The Forbes vampire exhaled deeply. "I'm his girlfriend. I expect him to talk to me. Instead he's all angry, and it doesn't help that everyone keeps referring to his mother's death as an accident, which is just a really polite way of saying that she was drunk."
"Wait. Hang on, back up." Riley furrowed her brows, glancing between Stefan and the phone. "You think she was killed?"
"Well, I don't think she drowned in her Martini glass. Just get it together, both of you. I can't do it alone."
As Stefan slid his phone back into his pocket. He looked over to Riley while a exasperated sigh escaped his lips. "Well, you heard her, we gotta get it together."
"You really wanna do that?" Riley asked while a pout. "Personally, I think it would be a great character building exercise if we just stayed here and drank dangerous amounts of alcohol."
As Stefan's phone began to ring once again from in front of them, a soft grunt of irritation left both their lips. Riley gave him a look, silently telling him to ignore the call and carry on drinking, but he reached forward and answered. "Hello?"
"Guess who? I'm back, dagger-free and I'm holding Elena and Caroline hostage at the high school." Rebekah's voice revealed with a twisted hint of venom. "Just thought you should know."
"Rebekah." Stefan breathed out in irritation when he heard the familiar Original's voice down the other end of the line. "Who the hell was dumb enough to pull that dagger out of you?"
"I'll be asking the questions today. I'll see you very soon."
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Both Riley and Stefan had every intention of going into the High school and grabbing Caroline and Elena. It was supposed to be a quick in-and-out, as Riley called it, but like usual, their plan did not go the way they expected it to. They had been caught by Rebekah and forced the suffer the same fate as Elena and Caroline.
The group were sat around a circular table in a the library just after Stefan had been compelled to answer ever one of her questions honestly— just like Elena and Caroline. "Now that you're all compelled, apart from Riley, which is honestly rather infuriating, but rest assured, I have another ways of getting information out of you." Rebekah sent Riley a look. "Let's start with a little quiz. In the year of 1114, my brother learned, thanks to yours truly, about a brotherhood of vampire hunters with tattoos that grew with each kill. These tattoos revealed what, Elena?"
Upon uttering her name, Elena had no choice but to answer Rebekah's question. "A map."
The blonde vampire nodded, turning her attention to the Forbes vampire. "Which led to, Caroline?"
"A cure for vampirism."
"Perfect, so we're all caught up. I figured that Riley might have needed a little bit of a catch up considering she's been out of town." Rebekah smiled before her eyes darted toward Stefan. "Stefan Salvatore, the last time we saw each other you had a vampire hunter, but in order to decode the map you needed the location of the hunter's sword, which you got out of me using some very dirty tricks. Assuming you found the sword, you also found the cure, and yet you're all still vampires."
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to assume things, Rebekah? It makes you kinda stupid." Riley scowled at the woman who had her brows furrowed in confusion.
Rebekah tilted her head, a sadistic smile on her face. "I sincerely doubt I'll look like anything to you once I gauge those eyeballs from your skull."
"We don't know anything." Stefan bitterly spoke up once Rebekah had threatened Riley.
"So, you just gave up? I thought you'd do anything to save Elena, even if it meant taking the cure yourself so that you could grow old and die with her." Rebekah teased until she noticed everyone's expressions change. "Why do you look so surprised? I'm missing something, what is it?"
"They broke up, okay? Now, let us go!" Caroline demanded as Rebekah turned to look at the ex-couple in sheer amazement.
"Broke up?" The Original vampire scoffed in disbelief. "Wait, I'm confused. I thought Elena was your epic love, Stefan." Rebekah dropped her eyes on the Salvatore who was clearly trying to fight the compulsion. "I asked you what happened, you have to tell me."
"She slept with Damon." Stefan deadpanned sadly, while Riley's eyes slowly drifted to the doppelgänger who looked back at her in utter shame.
"Riley, I—" Elena began, suddenly cut off by Rebekah's sudden laughter.
"So, vampire Elena is a trollop who likes bad boys that are otherwise spoken-for, which explains why Stefan and Riley both reek of alcohol, but what it doesn't explain is why, sweet, loving Elena could be so heartless towards Stefan." Rebekah stepped toward Stefan, demanding her question be answered. "How could she hurt you like that? Answer, please."
"She didn't know it at the time, but she was sired to Damon."
"A sire bond, fascinating." Rebekah turned her head to Riley. "And, how does that make you feel, Riley? Knowing that your Damon slept with one of your best friends? I mean, I've heard there's girl-code and everything, so surely you're a little angry."
"You can't compel me, Rebekah." Riley scoffed, the witch knew she had the upper hand until Rebekah grabbed her by the throat.
"And, I asked you, how you feel? Don't forget, love, I'm an Original. I have ways and means of ending your pathetic life. So, think carefully before disobey me again." Rebekah then released the strawberry-blonde from her hold, throwing her head backwards upon release. "How does it feel knowing that your best friend slept with your one true love, Damon Salvatore?"
"Sick." Riley blurted out of sheer frustration when she looked over to Elena. "It makes me feel sick. I watched her hanging on his every word for weeks now, I knew something was wrong but I chose to ignore it and now she's done this. I— I thought we were friends."
"Wow." Rebekah mused. "And, what do you think about that, Elena?"
"I think you're sad, and bored, and in desperate need of a hobby." Elena spat viciously toward the Original vampire. She hated the fact that Rebekah was getting entertainment from their misery.
"You're hiding something. Fess up!"
"I didn't sleep with Damon because of the sire bond. I slept with Damon because I'm in love with him." Elena finally answered without regret until she had realised what she had said. "Oh."
Riley felt completely trapped. She wanted to be as far away from Elena as possible, and once Caroline noticed the look of devestation on her face, she tried to change the subject. "What does any of this have to do with the stupid cure?"
"You're right, we got off the point." Rebekah nodded. "Stefan, how do I find the cure? Unless you'd rather talk about Elena and Damon all day."
"There's a professor, he knows where the cure is." He answered quicker than usual.
"Thank you, and uh— where do I find this professor?"
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After a while, Tyler Lockwood had run into the library and unwillingly became a part of Rebekah's compulsion party. The blonde straightened herself up from the table and gazed toward the Hybrid with a smirk. "Ah. Good, you're here. It was just getting depressing."
Tyler's eyes flickered toward his friends who sat long-faced around the table, then to Rebekah. "What the hell is going on?!"
"Listen to the rules carefully. Stay in the building. No vamp running in the hallways." Rebekah listed the rules as she walked around the table with a smirk plastered across her lips. "Oh, and Riley, love, if you so much as think about using magic, I'll tear out your spleen, you got that?"
"Wait, wait, wait. I don't get it." Riley waved her hand in the air as she felt the atmosphere completely change.
"Vamp-running from what?" Caroline carried on, eyes widened.
Rebekah merely smirked in response as she turned around and headed straight for Tyler. She looked him straight in the eyes and began to compel him with a grin. "Turn."
"What?!"
"You have got to be kidding me! Rebekah no!" Riley suddenly shouted in complete distress.
"No. You can't. He'll lose control." The blonde vampire snapped toward Rebekah, who shrugged in response with a smile.
"That's the whole point. I've exhausted all your knowledge, and now I have the professor to help me find the cure, you're just competition. Whoever finds it first gets to decide what to do with it— use it, share it, destroy it, save it. I want that to be me."
"But if I turn, I'll kill them." Tyler anxiously revealed when he looked at Rebekah once again.
"Yes, you will." Rebekah smiled before repeating it again. "Turn!"
After one final demand, the blonde Original sauntered out of the library with a smirk. Soon thereafter, her compulsion began to take immediate effect on Tyler. "I can fight this!" Tyler yelled out in an attempt to slow his breathing and and in-turn, slow down his transformation.
Stefan pushed the three girls behind him out of protection whilst they watched Tyler smash through books shelves and table. "Go!" Riley grabbed Caroline's hand and pulled her out into the corridor with her, Stefan and Elena following swiftly behind.
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