(CHAPTER TWENTY :
SPLIT SIRE)

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IT WAS PANDEMONIUM. AFTER the news had broke that Elena Gilbert was being held captive — alongside our perky blonde friend, Caroline — by the newly revived Alaric, chaos erupted. Everybody shot into a state of franticness, knowing that we were under a strict time crunch to save our friends. Whether the pressure pushed the brothers into unity or it was their love for this one girl, I didn't know, but I did know Stefan and Damon worked tirelessly to form a plan. Of course I was going to participate in the rescue mission, yet I didn't feel needed. Bonnie had the magic, Klaus the strength and I was just there. As the youngest vampire, I was physically the weakest. Perhaps I was paranoid, perhaps I needed to justify leaving Mystic Falls, but I felt like an extra in somebody else's show.

"Ready?" Stefan checked, for the ninth time because, yes, I had been counting. "There's no shame in backing down, we could do this without you. If anything happened to you, Damon would murder all of us." He padded his words with assurance whilst scrutinising me with his forest tinted eyes.

"Oh, there's always shame in backing down." I corrected him, my pride too stout to dare abandon the mission. "And, I mean, how bad can an alter-ego of a History teacher really be? Alaric wore khaki. Khaki. It couldn't get worse than that." I pretended to tremble at the thought of the man's poor clothing taste.

"He's bad." Stefan deadpanned, convinced I'd underestimated the new version of Alaric Saltzman. He was about to expand on his statement when his phone vibrated. "Abby just showed up." He read from his phone, pocketing the device with a grunt.

"Good." Klaus commented. "Perhaps this plan won't be an epic failure after all. You know, if this does go off and we drop the history teacher in the Atlantic, I'm still leaving with Elena." He remarked, ensuring that we were all aware that the alliance was merely temporary. Reasonably, this made me cautious of his loyalties.

Daringly, I took a step closer to him. "You're more deluded than I first thought if you believe we'd let you just take her." I scoffed, the argument I had with the brunette long behind me. It wasn't about friendship now, it was about survival.

Mirroring my movements, the Original sealed the distance between us. "I know you wouldn't, but have you forgotten how easily you can be killed?" He sneered. "I've done it once before, love." Clicking his tongue, Klaus smirked. No doubt he had been dying to hold that sword over my head all day.

"Kol's right." I spat. "You do always have the same threats." My shoulders slumped, storming away to wait for my queue outside of Mystic Falls High School. Contrary to how it appeared, I didn't leave out of defeat, I left out of exhaustion. I didn't have the energy to endure another tedious conversation about the best thing for Elena Gilbert. For once, I wanted somebody to care about the best thing for the town, the civilians and maybe — just maybe — the best thing for me.

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Bonnie, Jeremy, Damon, Stefan and I were huddled around Klaus, who had his chin tilted in pride, per usual. "Before we all walk through these doors, let's get on the same page, shall we?" He gathered our attention, my beady eyes tracing his every move. For the sake of my friends, or rather my sanity, I temporarily aligned with his cause, but was careful to not let my guard down. "I was the one who created your vampire bloodline, therefore I am responsible for your lives and Tyler's life, Caroline's life, and of course, Abby's life, should anything go wrong." With clasped hands, he held his head like a hero on a history book page. There was a twisted sense of satisfaction he gained playing God — having that immense power over the fragile line separating life and death.

"Or you're just lying to save your ass." Damon accused.

"What about my bloodline?" I piped up, curious about my own sire. It wasn't often I ingested Kol's blood, in fact, there wasn't a time near my death date I could remember doing so. Granted, the days prior to my death were a blur. I obscured what I could remember because it was a tense time, my parents had threats looming over my head, my Father passed and Kol had insisted on running away together.

Slyly, his lips curved. "You're rather interesting, sweetheart." He mused. "Given the nuisance your revival caused, I investigated, or rather interrogated, my siblings." Klaus snickered to himself, recalling how his family sang like a canary when one of his trusty daggers entered the picture. "As it turns out, you died with the blood of Kol and Rebekah in your system. You are very much apart of both their bloodlines — a split sire, if you will." He explained, to which I searched for a sign of it being a lie. Yet, I discovered no such tells. His palms were open, his eyes met mine, the man was being honest for once.

I had to clench my jaw to prevent it from falling open. It couldn't be true, I didn't even know Rebekah in Portland.

"Huh, that would be convenient now." Damon detected how I clammed up, coming to my rescue with a witty comment. "You're off limits, Kol is off limits and Rebekah is off limits. But, if that's your way of saying kill Elijah, say no more." Raising his hands in mock surrender, the vampire inched closer to me.

Inaudible to the human ear, Klaus released a feral growl at the mention of killing Elijah. He did such things on his terms. Noting the Hybrid's anger, I regained my composure and stood in front of Damon. "Thank you, Day, but I'd like you to keep your tongue. If not for me, for Elena." I winked, rotating my body to confront Klaus. "Listen, we have an alliance, not trust. We're putting our lives on the line for you, we need to know you aren't lying." I said fairly.

"I'm not lying." Klaus persevered. "But go ahead, call my bluff, let the teacher kill me. You'll all be dead soon thereafter." He warned, turning to me. "Shame, you'd have an awful lot funerals to attend." He jived with a triumphant smile etched onto his features. Somehow, he knew my weakness was loneliness and that was the how to earn my cooperation.

From his tight grip, I abruptly snatched the vial of blood in his hands, drinking the small amount that remained. Earlier, Bonnie expounded on the plan — we were to drink her blood to formulate a link, a direct thread, to her. It would gift us with the power to stop Alaric's heart whilst she was using her magic to stop Jeremy's heart. I didn't question the details, I didn't understand magic and was rather cold towards witches for personal reasons. Simply, I obeyed.

Knowledgeable of the hostility in the air, Stefan  made an executive decision to proceed without further hesitation. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

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PORTLAND, OREGON [1908]

Tonight, it was my family's ball, an event used to flaunt their status and power whilst sentencing me to four hours of eternal misery. In particular, I found time to be ticking slower now that I was trialled with avoiding my Mother. After an explosive argument about ending my engagement to Thomas, I took refuge in the shadows of the grand hall. If Mother witnessed me with Kol, I feared I would not make it out alive. She grew aggressive with Father's passing.

"Kol, I need some fresh air. The small talk is suffocating." I whispered into his ear.

He analysed me. "I don't think you should be alone, darling." Kol responded, tugging at the collar of his clean shirt. Now that I mentioned it, the man found the room incredibly stifling and wanted to join me. As he interlocked our fingers, leading me outside, we were interrupted by a pretty little thing.

"Mr Mikaelson," a petite brunette with soft features curtsied in front of my date. "Would it be too outlandish or improper of me to request a dance?" She flirted, her beauty making the vampire's eyes linger. Even I could agree, she was enchanting. Her almond-shaped eyes were sprinkled with shreds of pure gold, the ruby red gown on her figure making her features pop. With the looks of a delicate China Doll and the voice of an angel, I could sense her magnetic pull.

"It w——" He started to decline, but the way his eyes bulged at the sight of her filled me with self doubt, coercing me to intervene.

Touching Kol's shoulder, I gave him a small nod. "He would be honoured." I answered stiffly, pinching the fabric of my tailored gown in my hands and walking away. Despite the love I held for my date, he was possessive and I rarely got a moment alone when we were together. Currently, I needed a moment alone to think over what my parents had said. If I chose Kol, they were to disown me and leave me to the streets. Or rather, Mother. It was easy to forget he was gone.

Lost in a maze of thought, I bumped into a bulky man. "It isn't safe to be out here alone, Princess." A cynical smile was plastered across his leather face, crater holes and scars tarnished the man's skin.

"Do not call me Princess." I muttered under my breath, not brave enough to confront the intimidating man. "Thank you for your concern, but I was actually returning to the celebration." I lied, resisting the urge to shiver at the sight of the grotesque thug. Certainly, he was not of class to attend the party and looked rather dangerous.

"My apologies." He pretended to bow, a thick knife scar underneath his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "I will be sure to make this quick." He disclosed, black veins invading his face.

Before I could release a meagre, desperate scream, the man securely clamped his grimy hand over my open mouth. At an inhuman speed, I was hauled behind some nearby shrubbery. Then, I knew what he was, a vampire — like Kol. Except, he wasn't like Kol at all. This man was rough, his grip like sandpaper as he pierced his fangs into an artery. The way he presented himself was harsh and mean, his blind aggression being made known as I thrashed in his iron hold. Over and over again, I tried to call out for Kol, whimpering with hot tears in my eyes. It was no use, I was going to die. My attacker's fangs were drilled deep into my neck, blood being splattered on my silk gown with every greedy mouthful of the vital liquid. I could feel my body growing heavy, drooping as my life force was literally drained from me.

"Mmm, delicious." Licking a droplet of crimson from his stubby fingers, the man abandoned my frail form. Clearly, the phlegmatic man was unaffected by my intimate death.

To my own credit, I held on for as long as possible until I began to dip in and out of consciousness. As a last resort, I prayed. Both of my parents were religious, the family attended Church often and I perpetuated the Christian lifestyle, but I always had my unvoiced doubts. Due to this, I prayed for a miracle on my death bed.

Looming over me, I shut my eyes as an angel approached. "Kol better thank me for this, I'm already hiding the relationship from Nik and now playing nurse to the bloody girl." A female forced her wrist into my mouth, talking to herself the entire time as she healed me.

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All of us entered the school with our eyes wide open — that was, excluding Bonnie and Jeremy. The four of us had divided into twos, knowing we would be able cover more ground that way and wouldn't be on our own if we did encounter Alaric. Stefan and Damon teamed up against me, leaving me to partner with Klaus. We walked in an uncomfortable silence, sometimes I would strike up conversation, but he was far too focused on saving his doppelgänger.

I didn't get change to interrupt the silence again,  a 'whoosh' sound buzzed in the air, an all too familiar blonde charging out of a History classroom. Klaus had a better reaction time than me, flashing to help Caroline whilst I lurked around Elena's hostage location. One thing I did trust the Original with was Caroline Forbes, so I prioritised saving the brunette.

"Alaric," I called, making my presence known. I didn't have a plan, I was just brave — or a fool, depending on how one looked at it. "There's a dangerous vampire on the loose here." I pointed at myself, knowing I would regret this later. "Boo!" I exclaimed, using my vampire speed to appear behind him. However, he was unnaturally fast for even a vampire, screwing his hand around my neck without needing to change position.

"Got you." Alaric spat. "But, it's no fun just the three of us. I know, why don't we give Kol a call?" By the time I blinked, he had my phone in his hands, having stole it from my back pocket.

Stefan and Damon rushed out of their hiding place at last, tackling Alaric to the floor. On impact, I was dropped to the floor, my phone flying to the other side of the hallway. Faintly, I could hear the groggy sound of Kol Mikaelson on the phone line. It wasn't in reach to end the call, so I let the Original listen as fighting ensued. For extra security, I pushed down on Alaric's chest until Klaus arrived. This was his queue to desiccate his Mother's Monster.

Squirming beneath our hold, Damon signalled Klaus. "Do it now!" He urged, the three of us were beginning to struggle.

I didn't have time to comprehend it. Alaric forced the three of us off him with his extreme muscle, breaking Stefan's back as punishment. That left three of us against him, the younger brother temporarily dead. Damon was next to suffer his friend's wrath, receiving a neck snap and being out for the count. Then, there were two. Desperately, I tried to back away, the superior vampire yanking the ends of my hair to tug me back to him.

"Maybe I should kill you." Alaric chuckled darkly. "I'll send your head to Kol's doorstep."

Closing my eyes, I focused on how I could escape. Klaus didn't interfere, he was smarter than that. As a last resort, I scraped the heels of my feet against the floor and propelled my body into the wall of lockers. In turn, Alaric released his clutch on my hair. Breathing heavily, I fled the scene before he could pursue me.

Reaching the school parking lot, I collapsed on all fours. Amongst other things, I felt dizzy and weak, then I saw him. Kol.

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A.N: I cut out a fair amount of the episode because Lottie wasn't necessary and I like to give her purpose rather than being an observer. She had her own little part about her sire line revealed here too because we all know what is to come in season four. I spent a lot of time ensuring the timeline worked out in terms of the flashbacks for this because she consumes Kol's blood in chapter five before the ball. Would anybody in interested in a timeline for the flashbacks being added at the end of the book? Reviewing the relationship and past?

What is your dream ending for The Originals? Given it is the premiere tomorrow.