CHAPTER SEVENTY NINE
[79]
song: les by childish gambino

"HAVE YOU BEEN AWAKE THIS WHOLE TIME?" Daisy says, her voice groggy. She leaned up from the passenger seat, turning to face Kai who sat behind the steering wheel.

Kai nodded, continuing to look out the front window.

Daisy moved her hair out of her face, stretching out her sore body from the uncomfortable sleeping position she'd been in. It was dark now, and she wondered how long she'd been out.

Letting out a yawn, she looked out the windows and got a good look at her surroundings. The stolen car they sat in was parked on the street, in the middle of a somewhat familiar neighborhood.

Although Daisy couldn't see much due to the lack of street lamps, she recognized the houses surrounding them. Mostly the dark brick one right across from them, with the blue Camaro parked outside.

Daisy looked at Kai confusedly. "What're we doing here?" She asks.

Kai's eyebrows raised slightly as something must've caught his attention. He began to open the car door. "Christmas shopping." He responds.

Daisy, more confused than before, quickly followed his actions, following him out the car and towards the house. She glanced around quickly for onlookers, as they were not laying very low at all walking right up the front door. "Kai—" Daisy began, but stopped when he quickly turned around to face her.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and put a finger to his lips. Daisy widened her eyes angrily, before smacking his hand off of her. "Hello?" She says annoyedly, like he'd completely forgotten to fill her in on whatever he was planning.

"Cloaking spell." He whispered back in response, keeping the finger to his lips.

"Ohhh." Daisy let out, finally catching on. At first she began to question where he'd gotten the magic to do that— but she then remembered he'd siphoned up the entirety of that anti-magic border, that surrounded Mystic Falls.

The sound of heels clicking against concrete caught the both of their attention's. They turn to see Elena walking up to the front door of the Salvatore house.

Kai quickly began to make his way towards her. Daisy stayed back, understanding that if she wasn't filled in on the plan in the first place- she must not play a vital part in the execution. She crossed her arms, letting out a huff as she watched Kai pick up a lead pipe that sat by their garage.

Kai gently tapped Elena's shoulder before hiding behind a pillar. She turned around, confused to see no one there. She must not have looked really hard, or cared to, as she turned back around to knock on the front door.

As Elena was focused on the door, Kai came out from behind the pillar and stood behind her. He glanced at Daisy— who went fully unnoticed although she stood right in the middle of the lawn. Kai shrugged at her, before turning back around to focus on Elena as Damon opened the front door.

Daisy rubbed her temples. "Jesus." She says, mid-yawn. She couldn't hear much of the conversation happening, and she didn't really try to. She could tell this was one of Kai's more over the top productions- as he had the chance to hit the girl with the lead pipe several times before this.

Instead, he waited to build tension. By having Damon open the door, only to see no one standing there— as Kai had cloaked Elena by tapping her on the shoulder.

Daisy realized she must've stopped paying attention at some point, because the sound of the pipe being banged against a head made her jump.

Kai turned back around and waved, Daisy, waving back slightly, started walking up to the front porch. Elena was knocked out on the ground at his feet.

She brings her eyes up from her to meet his, "What's this have anything to do with Christmas?" Daisy asks, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh." Kai says. "It's a surprise." He says.

The confused look remained on her face. "Uh-huh." She nodded suspiciously. "Does my Christmas present include helping you carry her body to the car?"

"Yes." Kai scratched the back of his neck. "But it's worth it, I promise."

—

"Kai?" Daisy's voice echoed through the empty school hallways. "I brought food. And I got new clothes." She says, a hint of excitement in her voice. She walked down the locker bays, glancing into each classrooms for any sign of him. "'Cause I guess my clothes are out of style now?" She says. "Bummer because these jeans—" she adjusts the hem at the top. "are unnecessarily tight." She groans.

Daisy stops at the end of the hallway, looking around and realizing she was talking to herself. "Kai?" Daisy spoke up again.

She walked forward a few steps and looked down the next hallway. Two of the ceiling lights had fallen to the ground, causing the rest of those circuits to flicker. She got an immediate uneasy feeling in her gut- she knew something had gone wrong.

And the sound of panicked footsteps coming down the hall behind her proved that. She turned around, Elena came to a sudden stop at the sight of her, panicked look plastered across her face, before she darted into the room closest to her.

Daisy groaned, taking a sip out of the coke in her hand before heading that way. Kai came around the corner next, surprised to see Daisy.

She looked at him confusedly. "Why is your shirt all burnt up?" She says, taking another sip.

"Because she set me on fire." He responds, anger in his voice.

She tilted her head to the side. "She set you on fire?" She asked.

"Yes she set me on fire!" Kai responds, clearly frustrated by the situation. His stature changed when he caught a glance at the bag in her hand. "Did you get food?" He asked calmly.

Daisy nodded with a smile. "Mhm."

Kai returned the smile, then let out a huff as he gestured towards the door Elena just ran through. "Hold on." He spoke, before pushing open the doors, revealing a cafeteria.

Elena scrambled to hide, but Kai held his hand out towards her. In a matter of seconds, you could hear the crunch of her neck as her head twisted in the wrong direction. Daisy squirmed at the sight as Elena fell to the ground.

Kai let out a satisfied sigh, flexing his fingers. He turned back around to face Daisy. "Hi." He says.

"Hi." She responds, handing over the bag of food, though her eyes stay on Elena. "Are you ready to tell me what's going on yet?" She asks.

"No." Kai says, grabbing the drink from her hands and taking a sip. He makes a disgusted face. "Is this diet?"

Daisy takes it back from him. "Shouldn't you be... I don't know... focusing on winning the merge?" She shrugs.

Kai shakes his head, reaching into the bag and pulling out a few fries. "I'm not worried about it." He responds.

"Josette's practicing, you know." She says. "Her magic. I went by the Salvatore house earlier."

Kai widens his eyes. "You went there alone?!" He says concernedly.

"No one saw me. I was still cloaked." She responded, putting her hands up in defense.

Kai let out a small sigh of relief. "You need to be careful." He says, stepping forward and grabbing Elena's shoulders. He leans her up against one of the cafeteria tables, before grabbing a round of thin, vervain covered rope from his back pocket.

"I am being careful." She says, then takes a breath. "I just don't like feeling like I'm not doing anything to help."

"You are helping." Kai says, then holds up the bag of food. "You brought me lunch." He smiles proudly.

Daisy scoffs, not as amused. "They know I'm vulnerable. And now they know if they get me, then they can get to you." She sighs, walking over to Elena's knocked out body. "I'm a liability."

Kai watches her as she examines Elena. "Daisy." He says quietly.

"Back in the prison world I was pretty much invincible." Daisy says. "Now it feels like I'd die from a paper cut."

Kai clenches his jaw, reaching back into his pocket and pulling out a small pocket knife. Daisy looks at him confusedly as he brings it towards Elena. "What are you doing?" Daisy asks.

Kai cuts along Elena's arm, drawing blood. Daisy watches, glancing in between the knife and back up to Kai who seemed was focused on it.

He turned towards Daisy, holding out the knife where Elena's blood stained the edge. "Vampire blood." He says, nodding a bit. "It'll turn you."

Daisy let's out a small laugh, the confused look still on her face. "Turn me?" She raised her eyebrows. Kai nodded. "As in— turn me into a vampire?" She spoke in disbelief, a hint of humor in her voice.

Kai on the other hand looked more serious than ever, the knife still being offered out towards her. "It's a whole process, but if you drink this it'll start the transformation." He says.

Daisy shook her head, standing up. "Are you being serious?" She looked at him with narrowed eyebrows.

He stood up with her. "Why wouldn't I be?" He responded, confused.

Daisy gave him a face that made it sound like it was obvious. "You want me to be a vampire?"

"Isn't that what you want?" Kai asks, his eyes darting in between hers.

Daisy glanced down at the knife and back up to Kai. "I— no." She shook her head. "I can't— do that." She let out an awkward laugh.

"Why not?" He asks. "You'll be stronger, and faster, and—"

"And I'll be immortal while you grow old and- saggy?" She tilts her head to the side, before beginning to shake it no.

"No one will be able to hurt you." Kai says, worry in his eyes and in his voice.

Daisy takes a quick breath- letting his words sink in. Every since she'd come back here all she's felt was vulnerability and weakness. She'd been surrounded by the supernatural- and they knew she was nothing but a human.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped when movement out of the corner of her eye distracted her. Elena was awake, and coming to.

Daisy clenched her jaw, looking away and continuing to process Kai's offer as he bent down back towards Elena. "If you wanted blood you could've just asked." She said groggily.

Blood. Would that really be her only choice of food? Had she ever seen Damon eat- real food? Or was he only drinking blood? Where did he get it- surely he didn't drink from Bonnie that whole time in the prison world. Daisy didn't know anything about any of this. The thought made her want to gag.

"Good, because I'm gonna need a little more." Kai says, taking the knife and plunging it in Elena's side before anyone could process what he was going.

Elena let out a loud groan in pain as she squeezed her eyes shut. Daisy felt like she was getting stabbed herself as she watched, the familiarity of the pain almost transferring to her body at the sight.

"You don't need to do this." Elena groans, as Kai pulls the knife out— letting the blood trickle off the knife and into a small vile he pulled out.

"Actually, I do." Kai says, focusing on the vile in his hand. "Remember earlier when you asked me if I cared about anything?" He asks, Elena nods, a disgusted look on her face. Kai closes the vile up with a cork, putting it back in his pocket. "I do. That's what this is for."

Daisy couldn't do this— she couldn't do this to herself. She watched as the blood expanded and spread on Elena's shirt, that gaggy feeling creeping back up in her throat.

"I'm gonna go," Daisy's eyelids felt heavy. "I'm gonna go get another soda. From the vending machine." She says, not sure if there was even a vending machine in this school, she just knew she was overwhelmed and had to step out.

Kai nodded, keeping his focus on whatever he needed from Elena, as Daisy spun around and walked back out the doors of the cafeteria.

As she was met again with the hollowed silence of the hallway, she let out a deep exhale- a bit of relief from the stagnant position her lungs remained in back in the cafeteria. Did vampires breathe? They were dead- weren't they? Did they need oxygen? Did their hearts pound like hers is now?

She put her hand on her chest, feeling each rapid heartbeat. She was alive, after dying so many times- she was alive, right now. Her heart was beating, and her lungs were moving with each and every breath. And she could feel the blood rush to her face when she was embarrassed. And she could enjoy the heat of the sun on her face when she went outside. And she could live, and when it was her time to go again- she could die.

Her little moment of rumination were cut short when quiet voices came from around the corner behind her.

She narrowed her eyebrows, taking a few steps backwards so she'd end up at the end of the hall. She was half expecting to see someone there— but it was nothing. Just another empty locker bay.

She let out a huff- even if there was someone there, what was she going to do? Grab another axe from the fire emergency box and flail it around aimlessly? She knew what she was dealing with. She knew she was a rabbit to a fox.

Rubbing her temples, she walked over to one of the benches sat outside what was most likely the principal's office. She sat down and leaned against the cement wall- letting her eyes zone out into the floor.

If she turned— would she be as exhausted as she was now? Would she understand even the concept of exhaustion? When would she forget what being tired felt with— eternity is eternity. You're bound to forget what it felt like to be human at some point.

She'd lived through eternity- or at least what she thought would be eternity. She always wondered why immortality was something the movie characters always wished for- because her experience with it was nothing less of a nightmare.

"What are you doing?" Kai asks, standing a few feet away from her.

Daisy looks up, then shrugs. "Thinking." She responds.

Kai tries to gage her emotions, before eventually walking over and sitting beside her on the bench. "About?" he asks, although the answer was obvious.

Daisy opens her mouth and taps on her canines. Kai let's out a small laugh as he leans against the wall with her. Daisy tilts her head to look at him- her mind racing with every detail of their future together.

"It's a long time." Daisy says, Kai turns to face her. She then sighs, retracting her head and letting her eyes zone out again. "Eternity."

Kai does the same. "I know." He really did know. They both did. Much too well.

Daisy let's out a small scoff. "I'm supposed to be forty." She says. "That's like—" she changes her train of thought. "You know when you hear adults say they're forty, and you're like- oh wow- that's old. They must have a real job, and a house, and a husband, and like- a little white dog." She realizes she was rambling and not making any sense, so she changed her train of thought again. "I've been eighteen for a really, really long time." She says, then turns back to face Kai, shaking her head. "I don't think I want to be eighteen anymore." She bites the inside of her cheek.

Kai turns to face her again with soft eyes- understanding what she was saying without really saying it. His heart began to hurt, but her fought to not let it show on his face.

Daisy continued, swallowing. "Those four years before you came to the prison world, I thought I was dead. I thought I was dead, and that I was in some kind of afterlife. And I think- I think I was at peace." She took a shaky breath, letting her shoulders shrug. "I was supposed to die that night at the Valentine's dance." She shook her head, swallowing the knot in her throat. "I was supposed to die when I jumped off buildings, or when I got in major car wrecks, or when I took one too many pills, or drank myself to blackness. Or hey- when an entire cult hung me up like Jesus." She let out a small laugh, knowing it sounded stupid- but it was the truth. As her laugh faded, she frowned. "I can't keep cheating death. I'm human— and humans- die." She shrugged, trying to keep herself from getting more upset than she already was.

"Kai?" Daisy says, raising her eyebrows.

Kai realized he hadn't said anything in response. He clenches his jaw as he leans back up against the wall, reaching into his jacket pocket.

He held out the small vile he had used to collect Elena's blood earlier. "There's another way." He says, looking at her.

Daisy looks at the vile, the back to Kai. "Another way?" She narrows her eyebrows, confused.

"Another way to keep you safe." He says, examining the vile, before turning back to face her. "You remember in the prison world when all Damon and Bonnie would do is talk about Elena?"

Daisy let out a scoff, the confused look still on her face. "Yes."

Kai reached into his pocket, pulling out the pocket knife. "They'd all do anything to protect her, right?" He says. Daisy still wasn't following, so he went on. "Especially the one that's already attacked us once already."

"So what does this have to do with me?" Daisy raises an eyebrow.

"I'll link you to Elena." Kai says nodding, turning to face her.

Daisy eyebrows slowly retracted into a normal, content expression as she processed his proposition. Without hesitation, she spoke. "Do it."

Kai looked a bit taken aback. "Really?"

Daisy nodded. "That means whatever harm that comes to me , will happen to Elena too, right?"

Kai nods. "Even a paper cut."

Daisy smirked, no hint of doubt in her eyes. "Do it."

Kai smirked back, eager and excited. He gently grabbed her wrist and held her hand out- palm exposed. Her eyes fixated on him. He glanced up at her quickly before returning his focus back to her palm. "Trust me?" He asks, as Daisy eyed the pocket knife in his hand.

She nodded, though the thought of that blade digging into her skin made her sick. She closed her eyes, trying to distract herself with other thoughts. She felt his thumb rub over the scars on her palm- that gentle feeling quickly being replaced with the piercing slice of the knife. She squeezed her eyes shut harder, trying to stifle the winces of pain that fought to shake her body.

When she heard the clank of the knife being sat down on the bench, she reopened her eyes as she realized the worst was over. Her shoulders slumped in relief. He opened the vile of blood, then held it over Daisy's palm as if to pour it into the fresh cut.

Daisy retracted her hand, letting a few droplets of blood fall onto her lap. "Ew." She says.

Kai gives her a bored look. "Daisy." He says.

She gets a good squirm out, before holding her hand back out for him to complete the spell. She watched as Elena's blood spilled onto her hand as Kai began to mutter a spell. She tried not to think too hard about how unhygienic it was, as she watched as the blood fell directly into the cut- joining her bloodstream.

Daisy could feel it trail up her arm and disperse throughout her body. It wasn't a necessarily painful feeling, but it did make her chest feel tight as it made its way throughout her.

Kai opened his eyes when he was done, immediately examining Daisy's face. She shrugged. "Did it work?" She says.

Kai nodded slowly, as he continued to examine her. "There's only—"

"—only one way to find out. Yeah , yeah." Daisy says, picking the pocket knife back up herself. She clenched her jaw before digging it into her opposite palm.

Kai barely flinched, watching confusedly as she sliced an intricate design on her skin. When she was done, she dropped the knife and shook her head quickly, as if to shake off the pain. She then held her hand up proudly, "It's a heart." Daisy says excitedly.

Kai made a sarcastic 'wow' face, before beginning to get up from the bench. "Let's go find out." He says.

Daisy stood up with him, but they both froze in place as they heard too familiar of voices coming from around the corner.

They exchange confused glances. He grabs her hand before he made his way towards the noise. Despite it being covered in blood.

"Figures." Kai whispers, as he stops at the end of the hallway, the voices becoming clearer.

"Why is your nose bleeding?" Damon asks, holding onto Josette who even without seeing her face- looked sickly. Elena, who stood next to them, saw Kai and Daisy before everyone else.

"I have a guess." Kai chirps up, attracting Damon and Josette's attention to him. He still clung to Daisy's hand, as if he was too afraid to let her to come to harm if the spell hadn't worked- and especially after hearing how she felt. "Magic's hard, isn't it Jo?" He spoke sarcastically, frowning.

Josette about toppled over completely, her knees giving out. Damon held her up, though his angry expression remained as he stared at the duo at the end of the hall. "I'm sorry." Josette mumbled to Damon, Daisy could barely hear her.

She must've been holding them under some sort of cloaking spell, one that didn't last long enough for them to get out unnoticed. "Don't sweat it." Damon responds. "I want him to see me while I kick his ass. Now get out of here, okay?"

Josette stumbled over to the nearest wall, leaning up against it as she struggled to walk. Before she exited out the door way, she turned around and immediately met eyes with Daisy. She was pale, and her nose was draining with blood. It only proved how weak she was- and how neither Kai nor Daisy had anything to worry about for the merge.

Josette searched for any recognition in Daisy's eyes, any guilt or worry- but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. She slipped out the doorway.

Daisy refocused on the situation at hand, catching glance at Elena- who's eyes trailed down to Kai and Daisy's hands, which were intertwined despite the blood dripping from them. Daisy soon remembered what they were doing just seconds before all of this.

Her eyes shot over to Elena who's right hand was bleeding all the same. Daisy's eyebrows raised in excitement, as she held up her hand for Elena to see clearer.

She was confused at first, but as she glanced back down at her palm- then back to Daisy's- realization hit.

Damon and Kai hadn't even realized the little moment the girls were having, as they were too busy intensely staring at one another.

Kai instinctively stepped slightly in front of her. It wouldn't do much in terms of protecting her from anything- but it was a sort of subconscious choice.

She gaged his emotion, he didn't seem tense or worried- he seemed smug. Like he already had something planned out that would lead to their escape unharmed.

Damon smirked, getting a little too amped up at whatever he thought he was going to do- but before he could make any moves, Elena disappeared.

Damon looked around quickly, thrown off. "Where's Elena?!" He says frantically.

Kai raises his eyebrows, turning to face Daisy with an over-dramatic confused expression. "Oh—" he says, before turning back to Damon. "Are we not cloaking people anymore? I thought that's what this was." He laughed.

Damon sped towards them, but just an instant before he made contact, both Kai and Daisy were on opposite sides of the hall. Daisy blinked slowly, as she readjusted to the quick change in place, the magic involved making her a bit nauseous. Kai whistled, causing Damon to turn back around to face them as Kai waved.

Damon looked as if steam would blow out of his ears and nose at any second, as he quickly bent down and snapped the janitor's mop in half.

He looked right at Daisy, raising his arm to throw the homemade wooden stake right at her. But she put her cut palm up, shaking her head with a disappointed look on her face. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Daisy shakes her head. "Unless you want it to happen to Elena." She says, gesturing towards the wound on her open palm with her other.

Damon didn't have a lot of time to comprehend her words, before he changed his direction. The wooden stake went flying out towards Kai- ultimately making it's way right to his stomach.

Daisy was so startled at the sudden action that she wouldn't be surprised if she jumped three feet in the air. Her hands flew to her mouth, hoping to muffle the pained screams that racked her lungs.

The wooden stake was almost fully threw Kai, in one side of his stomach and out throw his back. The sight was horrifying, as he choked up what could only be his own blood.

"Oh, that's gotta hurt." Kai spoke, but the person she was looking at didn't speak.

Daisy spun around, eyes wide and confused, as Kai stood right behind her- perfectly fine. He raised a hand, and the person Daisy thought was Kai- turned into Elena. The same wooden stake going through her body.

The biggest sigh of relief maybe ever breathed fell from Daisy's mouth.

"No—" Damon says, panic lacing his voice as his focus was fully on Elena as she fell to her knees.

Kai lifted another hand out towards Damon, who clutched the sides of his head. Loud, pained groans erupted from the man as he fought against whatever spell Kai was using on him. But he couldn't, he fell to the ground.

Kai looked at Daisy, an intense, satisfied look on his face as he turned to leave the scene. Daisy right beside him. The pace was quick as they charged their way down the hall Josette had previously made her escape through. "You scared the shit out of me." Daisy mumbled, as her eyes locked on the woman who was too weak to escape on her own. Josette crawled her way towards the exit doors.

"My bad." Kai says, his eyes also locked on Josette.

As they inevitably caught up with her as she struggled to crawl her way out the school, Kai quickly bent down, latching onto her arm and forcing her to stand up. "Is there an upcoming celestial event that interests you?" Kai asks, practically dragging his sister down the hall. Daisy followed behind, not paying much attention to them as she examined the heart shaped cut on her palm happily. "I'm partial to—" Kai let out a grunt, causing Daisy to look up from her hand.

Behind him, a boy not much older than her, stood farther for men the hall with a crossbow in his arms. Her eyes then quickly faltered to Kai, who had an arrow through his shoulder.

She lunged towards him, not sure how she would aid to his wounds while the man that caused them still stood- but it was her first initial reaction. She bent down to his level, holding him up with wide eyes, before a sharp pain shot through her neck, and a burning sensation to follow.

She knew she had been sedated with something- something quick. But she couldn't help but laugh as her eyes fell droopy- because she knew whatever they were doing to her, they were doing to Elena.

a/n
happy halloween eve 🎃
i hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend :-))
love u
jane