CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

You Remind Me of Someone I Used to Know

____________________

IN THE DAYS that followed since the cyclops incident, Ryan found it more than odd to go back to his life at the Salvatore School as if nothing ever happened. Like he could overlook the fact that everyone forgot his sister ever existed. Not only that, but he had to return without her.

After Ryan and Hope confided in Alaric about what happened with Malivore, he offered to let the girl stay with him until they figured out what to do next. She would also attend Mystic Falls High to not draw suspicion toward herself, and so she could help him if anymore monsters made an appearance.

Ryan, on the other hand, had to uphold his presence at the Salvatore School. Just until he learned more about the new headmaster. He needed to make sure he could sneak off to meet with Hope or Alaric without getting caught. Something in his gut told him that he should steer clear of the man, and those kind of feelings never let him down before.

"So, why are you slumming it at Mystic Falls High?" Hope quipped as she walked alongside her brother. "Never thought I'd see the day."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Okay. Using my words against me. Hilarious."

Hope grinned toward him. "Hey, I'm the one stuck here. Least you can do is deal with the snark in return."

"Snark it up," Ryan retorted as the two of them strode across the parking lot of the high school. "I'll just shoot my own back." They started for the front of the school, hoping to catch Alaric before teenagers started to swarm the place. "You know, I've been thinking. What happens if people start to question why we're spending so much time together? I mean, it's not like anyone besides Dr. Saltzman knows we're siblings."

Hope pressed her lips together and shrugged. "I don't know. We could still tell everyone here that we're siblings. For everyone else, we could say we're cousins, or something."

Ryan nodded. "Works for me. Last thing I need is for someone think something else. I've already had enough of Mom thinking I've been moping about a girlfriend."

Hope's face scrunched and snapped to her brother. "Ew! Why?"

"She caught me burning your school records the night you jumped into Malivore," Ryan told her. "I couldn't exactly tell her the truth, so I didn't say anything."

"That's just as bad."

"Well, it doesn't matter now. Besides, we have time to figure all this out."

The Mikaelson siblings rounded the back of a school bus and started down the sidewalk along the side of the school. Ryan's eyes narrowed toward the end of it, finding several boys there with spray cans in their hands. Toilet paper hung from the awing above their heads, while a trashcan had been knocked over as they ran across the parking lot. He sighed when he spotted STALLIONS RULE painted in yellow across the Timberwolves sign on the wall. He sometimes hated the rivalry the two schools developed over the years.

Ryan pushed the long strands of toilet paper aside as he and Hope walked further down the sidewalk. When a car approached, they came to a stop and found a police car park in front of them. Its siren whopped once, before the driver stepped out.

A woman with light brown hair dressed in a sheriff's deputy uniform strode toward them. "This looks pretty self-explanatory, but you two want to give it a shot?" she voiced.

Ryan repressed the urge to roll his eyes. Of course they would get blamed. Wrong place at the wrong time, or something like that.

Hope pursed her lips and supplied, "uh, toxic masculinity mixed with outdated sports pranks?"

The woman nodded and shifted her attention to the boy. "You?"

Ryan scoffed. "I'm not that primitive."

The back window of the cop car rolled down to reveal the girl who walked in on their troll hunt. Correction, cyclops hunt. "There's no way Hope did it. She's a Timberwolf, not a Stallion," Maya stated, before he eyes drifted toward the male Mikaelson. "Him, on the other hand, I don't know."

"Maya?" Hope questioned at the sight of the girl in the back of a police vehicle. "What happened?"

"Oh, don't worry. She's my mom," Maya told her and climbed out of the car. "We don't really like to talk about it."

Ryan's brows furrowed when he only noticed the girl. "We?"

"Hey, Hope," a boy with brown hair walked around the front of the car and greeted the girl. "Guy I don't know."

"Ryan," Ryan offered to him and the girl.

"Ethan?" Hope asked as she looked between him and Maya. "So, you guys are...?" she trailed off.

"My kids," the woman answered. "No matter how much it embarrasses them."

Ethan stepped up to his mother's side. "'Cause who doesn't like getting dropped off to school in a cop car?" he quipped with a tight expression.

"I'm on official business," the woman exclaimed. Her children walked away from her without another word. She sighed and faced the Mikaelson siblings. "Now, show me where I can find Principal Saltzman."

_______

Ryan and Hope escorted the woman, who turned out to be the new sheriff of Mystic Falls, to Alaric's office. They pretended to leave the two alone, but they casted an invisibility spell on themselves to sit in on their conversation. Apparently, a teenage boy went missing.

Ryan sat on the side of Alaric's desk, while Hope claimed the cushioned chair beside him. Alaric perched on the opposite side and faced the sheriff.

"Yeah, sorry, I – I haven't seen him," Alaric said as he handed back a picture the woman showed him of the missing boy. "Like I said, I'm – pretty new here."

"Well, his teammates last saw him at the Old Mill by the Salvatore School. We found his truck abandoned, and his hunting rifle nearby," Sheriff Machado informed him.

Alaric nodded. "Okay, well, I will check with his classmates and his teachers. I wish I could be more helpful, but like I said, I'm stilling getting to know the students." He inhaled and said, "and the sheriff." The woman gave him a tight-lipped grin. "I was friends with the old one."

"Please, no more stories about how great Sheriff Donovan was. His shoes are already big enough. And this is my first real case since I moved from the city. Truthfully, I didn't mind that my biggest concern up to this point was a rash of – missing dogs," Sheriff Machado stated with a smile.

Alaric let out a airy chuckle.

Sheriff Machado leaned forward in her seat and said in a mock-whisper, "maybe they're connected."

Alaric replied in the same manner. "Maybe."

Ryan's brows creased, staring between the two adults. Were they flirting? He glanced toward Hope to find an amused grin on her lips.

They both laughed as Sheriff Machado stood to her feet. "I'll leave you my phone number." She shook the man's hand and gave him a quick look. "Call me anytime," she told him, before she turned and left the office.

Once the door shut, Ryan and Hope dissolved their invisibility spells.

"Did you get all that?" Alaric questioned, turning to face the siblings, who just reappeared out of thin air.

"Yeah. She's definitely into you," Hope quipped toward him.

Alaric laughed "What? No. No, she's just – new to town, trying to make friends. Which is exactly what you need to be doing," he told the Mikaelson girl.

"Deflecting," Ryan sung with a bright smile.

Alaric gave the boy a narrowed stare.

"Yeah, well, tried that last year. Didn't really work out. So, I'm gonna focus on monster slaying," Hope retorted, standing up from the desk chair.

Alaric sighed. "Well, it sounds like there could be another monster lurking around the Salvatore School." He set his attention on the Mikaelson boy. "Have you seen anything strange lately?"

Ryan shook his head. "No. Unless you count Headmaster Vardemus walking around with a cane he doesn't need. Then, yes."

Alaric pressed lips together at the comment. "Okay, I'll check in with Dorian, since he has access to research we don't." He paused and asked, "any other ideas?"

Hope winced. "Just one, but – uh – all three of us are going to hate it."

Ryan turned to his sister. "You don't mean what I think you mean, do you?"

Hope nodded. "I do." She reached out and sent a hand on his arm shoulder. "Suit up, little brother. We're going to a football game."

Ryan wanted to go crawl in a hole and die.

_______

People swarmed the sports field later that morning for the annual charity football game between the Salvatore Stallions and Mystic Falls Timberwolves was set to commence. Ryan did not want to attend. In fact, he wanted to steer clear of the even altogether. But considering Hope and Alaric could not step foot on the school grounds without being involved, he needed to act as though he would participate to not draw attention to himself.

Ryan stood on the grass covered field dressed in blue shorts and a yellow Stallions jersey. He skipped out on the assembly earlier, so he learned from Kaleb that Landon had been named quarterback. A pore choice on Headmaster Vardemus's part. Landon could hardly tie his own shoes, let out lead an entire team to victory.

That was another development. Vardemus gave everyone the go-ahead to use their powers during the game. Something Ryan would have argued against, but he wanted to maintained under the radar when it came to the new headmaster. He just hoped that no one screwed up and exposed themselves to the human population.

Ryan's gaze drifted to the center of the field where Landon stood with Josie. He figured that she wanted to help him out, so he did not embarrass himself in front of everyone. His heart clenched at the sight, forcing him to look away. Ryan knew that he should not feel upset about the situation, having basically shoved the two of them toward each other after he ignored them all summer, but he could not help it. It hurt to see them together, despite the fact that he and Josie were never even dating.

Ryan looked back to the field when he caught something move out the corner of his eye. He watched as a ball soared through the air toward the parking lot at the end of the field. It spun over everyone's head, slamming into the door of a Mystic Falls High school bus that just pulled up on the asphalt. The window cracked, before it swung open and let the rival team exit in their red and black uniforms.

When he spotted his sister, Ryan jogged across the field to where she stopped near the Timberwolves bench. She tossed the duffle bag in her hands down when he approached. "So, when do you want to slip away from this thing?" he questioned.

A boy from Mystic Falls called out from where he crowded with the rest of his team. "Hey, Stallion! Get back to your own side. Your kind isn't welcome here."

Ryan looked toward the boy and shot back, "fuck off. You don't own me." He rolled his eyes, setting them back on his sister.

Hope quirked a brow. "Snippy. And, the sooner the better."

A whistle blew, alerting the teams starters that they were needed on the field for the coin toss. Before Ryan could say anything, Maya came up behind Hope and grabbed her arm to drag her out onto the field. Ryan sighed and stood on the sidelines until his sister returned. He crossed his arms over his chest, watching Headmaster Vardeums moved out to where Hope and Maya faced Landon and Josie.

"So," the boy from earlier, Ethan, voiced as he came to stand next to the Mikaelson boy, "how does a Stallion and a Timberwolf become friends?"

Ryan turned to him and said, "when the Timberwolf's your sister."

Ethan's brows rose. "Really? Then why do you guys go to different schools? And have different accents?"

"It's complicated," Ryan told him. Complicated, and way too time consuming to explain. Not that he wanted to. The human boy did not need to know. "Anyway, I guess I should wish you good luck, or wish for your demise. I don't know. I'm not that into football."

Ethan grinned. "Same to you."

Just then, Hope appeared on her brother's side and grabbed his wrist. "Sorry, but I need to still my brother."

Ethan nodded and stepped back.

Ryan let her pull him away for a moment and then lowered his arm. "What?"

"Dr. Saltzman found something," Hope said as they met up with the man dressed in coach's clothing.

"Dorian found the missing kid," Alaric told the siblings when they made it to his side. "Thank God he's okay, but we definitely have another monster wandering around these woods. Dorian's digging into the research, but he thinks it's a Shunka."

"What's..."

"And before you ask what that is, it's a carnivorous creature that feeds only on werewolves," Alaric stated as he cut Hope's question off.

Hope pursed her lips. "Good thing it's not a full moon."

Ryan nodded. "And we're not in wolf form. No food for the Shunka."

"Yeah, except Raf has been stuck in wolf form ever since Hope's been gone," Alaric retorted toward the boy.

Ryan's heart ceased in his chest. "I knew I was forgetting something," he breathed.

With Hope's sudden reappearance and a cyclops on the loose, Ryan completely forgot about Rafael and his werewolf situation. A whole new wave of guilt flooded his body. How could he forget something like that?

Hope's eyes widened. "Wait, Raf? I didn't even know that he turned."

"Yeah. Happened fighting Triad. Hasn't been able to turn back since," Alaric said.

"Yeah, of course he can't turn back," Hope exclaimed. "I'm the only one that can turn him back. I'm the one that gave him that Crescent moon ring." She raised a hand to rub at her forehead. "Okay. Look, I've got to go find him before the Shunka finds him first."

Cheers erupted from the stands as a whistle blew. Ryan looked toward the field to find that the Stallions scored on the first play of the game. Not a surprise. If they used their powers, they would win by a wide margin.

Ryan released a long breath and faced the Saltzman man. "We gotta go find Raf."

Alaric nodded. "Agreed. We just need to find a way to ditch this game," he said as he glanced around them.

Hope shook her head. "No. Rafael is my responsibility, and Ryan's 'cause he's not gonna stay behind. You need to stay here and keep an eye on that new headmaster."

Alaric's brows creased. "Why?"

"Because he told everyone that they're allowed to use their powers," Ryan added, causing the man's stare to snap toward him. "Not to mention, he gives me the creeps and sets my magic on edge. And you, more than anyone, knows that's not a good thing."

Alaric sighed "Caroline picked my replacement herself. There's no way that she's gonna hire a," he trailed off when his gaze shifted to where Vardemus stood on the sidelines. The man was dressed in tweed pants, a vest, and held an umbrella in a cloudless sky, "weirdo with an umbrella."

Ryan hummed. "Told you."

Alaric turned back to the Mikaelson siblings and said, "okay. I'm on it."

Hope nodded. "Okay. Now to plot our escape. Wish us luck."

Ryan and Hope started back toward their respective benches as Alaric muttered after them, "break a leg."

Ryan strode past the Stallions team crowded on the sidelines to where Hope's duffle bag sat on the ground. He knew that it held whatever they would need to take down their new monster. But before he could make it, Kaleb intercepted his path.

"What're you doin'," Kaleb exclaimed with a narrowed stare. "We need your tribrid skills."

Ryan paused. "Uh, I don't think..."

"Dude, get out on the field, or I'm gonna toss your ass out there," Kaleb retorted as he gave the boy a sharp look.

Ryan let out a huff and followed the vampire out onto the field. "Okay, geez. Don't get your fangs in a twist."

The Stallions huddled up to devise their next play, which went right over Ryan's head. He really did not care about football. He cared about finding Rafael before he became a Shunka sandwich. They broke apart and moved to get into position. Ryan leaned down to set his hands on his knees, scanning the field to see who occupied which team.

MG stood not too far away from him, along with Kaleb. Landon stood in the center of the field with Josie next to him. Across from them, the Timberwolves were composed of many people Ryan did not care to remember. He did recognize Maya crouched toward the ground with the ball in her hands, and behind her was Hope, must to his surprise. Ryan guessed she could not get out of the game as much as he could.

Ryan waited until Maya tossed the ball back to Hope. The Mikaelson girl missed the catch, causing the ball to fumble to grass at her feet. Ryan snorted and took off in a run toward the nearest Timberwolf, a boy a little taller than himself. He did not back down as he grabbed ahold the boy's arms, yanking him to the side to knock him off his feet.

When the boy landed on the ground, Ryan blew out a breath and looked up the find Hope. His eyes drifted over the field until they stopped on two figures laid on the grass. One in black, and one in yellow. Hope and Landon. Ryan jogged over to them just in time to see Hope grab for her ankle.

"Are you okay?" Landon questioned as he climbed to his feet and helped the Mikaelson girl to hers "I'm so sorry."

"Oh, it's okay," Hope replied, letting the Kirby boy pull her up. "Uh, yeah, I think it's just twisted. Yeah." She hissed and tried to play off her pain. Pain she could never feel because of her tribrid nature.

"Uh, well, there's a nurse's office in the school. First floor, right inside," Landon told her.

Hope smiled and nodded. "Okay. Okay, uh, I think I'll find it. Thank you."

Ryan appeared on her side and said, "I'll show her where it is. You just, uh, get us that W." He moved to Hope and held out his arm for her to take. "Lean on me and hobble. You suck at acting," he muttered under his breath.

Hope scoffed, but she took ahold of her brother's arm as they headed for the sideline. "I can act just fine."

Ryan huffed. "Yeah, of course you can."

The Mikaelson siblings fake hobbled over to where Alaric waited for them. He held up a duffle bag and held it out for them as they stopped in front of him. Ryan took the strap, slipping it onto his shoulder.

"Looks like you – need a new quarterback," Hope told the man.

Alaric gave them a tight expression. "Happy hunting."

"Oh, it will be," Ryan quipped as he let go of Hope, and the two of them fled the game as fast as they could.

_______

They made it to the Salvatore School without any confrontations. The entire population of the school was at the sports field for the football game, so they had the building to themselves. Ryan knew that Hope strange being back there. She did not have to voice it. He could tell by the way she stared at everything as they stepped foot into the foyer, running her finger along tables and the staircase railing as they walked.

Ryan could not imagine what she felt in that moment. How Hope felt to be back in the school she spent most of her life in. Where everyone she knew no longer remembered her.

Ryan choice to ignore the topic, especially when they entered Landon and Rafael's room. They realized that when the Waithe boy turned back into a human he would be completely naked, so they decided at the last minute to get him some clothes. They also needed to perform a locator spell to find Rafael. Neither one of them wanted to wonder around the forest without no direction.

Ryan moved over to the cardboard boxes that were stacked around the room. They packed up the boy's things right before school started, just in case the school needed the extra space. He pulled one open to find clothes inside. He grabbed a shirt, pants, underwear, and a jacket out to stuff into the duffle bag hung at his side, before he dropped it to the hardwood floor.

Ryan looked over to where Hope stood next to Landon's bed. She ran her hand along the duvet and the guitar sat beside it. His heart hurt at the sight.

Hope shook her head and backed away from the bed. She muttered to herself, turning on her heel to walk over to her brother. "Get what we came for?" she asked.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Now, let's speed this up."

Hope did not have to be told twice. She lowered herself to the floor and reached into the duffle bag to grab an aged map of Mystic Falls and a pocket knife. She spread the map out in front of her, before she opened the knife and pricked her finger. Blood blossomed on her skin as she let a drop hit the paper below it.

Before Hope could perform the spell, someone appeared in the doorway of the room. "What are you doing in my room?" Landon Kirby exclaimed when he found them inside.

Ryan closed his eyes for a long moment. They could not catch a break.

<October 27, 2019>

Yes, I am posting this at 1:30 in the morning. My sleep schedule is out of wack, and I don't know how to fix it. College is a real bitch.

Don't forget to vote and comment.

-Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.