CHAPTER TWENTY | THE SUN ALSO RISES

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SHORTLY AFTER RILEY HAD RETURNED BACK TO THE SALVATORE HOUSE, KLAUS ARRIVED AND HAD TAKEN HER, TOO. The witch knew that she had to be strong, and she knew that whatever happened if she died, the sacrifice wouldn't work. She was more worried about Elena, who anxiously stood beside her whilst one of Klaus' witches led them down to the quarry.

"Where are we going?" Elena sighed out. She and Riley could barely see a thing, all they could see was a few feet in front of them.

"This way." The witch instructed with a bored tone of voice.

"Wait a minute. Aren't you Luka's sister?" Riley raised an eyebrow. "We heard about you. He and your father were so desperate to find you."

"They were wasting their time. I wasn't lost." The female witch softly chuckled before she waved her hand and illuminated the entirety of the quarry with fire that startled both the females.

A few feet away from them laid a body. Riley's eyes widened, almost as if she recognized who it was, then Elena sprinted straight for her— it was Jenna. "Jenna? Jenna. Hey, hey, hey. Jenna!"

Riley bent down beside the doppelganger and placed two fingers at Jenna's neck as if she were checking for a pulse. But, once she couldn't feel one, her face fell. "Oh, my God. He— he killed her?" Riley asked Greta, Klaus' witch. "Klaus killed her?"

Almost as if on queue, a sudden gasp of air escaped Jenna's mouth as she jolted upright with a startled look on her face. "She's not dead." Greta vaguely answered. "She's in transition." Greta stepped away from the females in order to prepare the spell.

"Oh, my head." Jenna suddenly cried out as she clutched her head within her hands. "What's wrong with me?"

Elena crawled toward her Aunt. "Do you remember what happened?"

"You called me. You were so scared." Realization immediately fell across Jenna's face. "I should've realized that it wasn't you. The second I walked out of the house, someone grabbed me— a vampire."

"Klaus," Riley told her as she nodded. "It was Klaus."

"He made me drink his blood. And, I don't remember anything after that." Jenna frantically began to look around. "Where are we? What happened?"

"We're at the quarry. He brought us here." The doppelganger comfortingly placed her hand at her Aunt's forearm. "Jenna, do you remember when I told you how someone becomes a vampire?"

"Yeah. If you die with vampire blood in your system, it's—" Realization once again hit Jenna and her eyes widened fearfully. "Oh, God. He killed me."

"Hey, Jenna. Jenna, it's okay. Everything's going to be fine. We're gonna get you out of here, alright?" Riley tried her best to comfort the newly-transitioned vampire.

Jenna nodded slowly. "I'm a vampire?"

"And, I bet you're hungry," Greta answered with a devious smirk on her face. Elena suddenly picked herself up to her feet and tried to attack the witch, but Greta threw her backward and caused a circular fire to surround her.

"Leave her alone, Greta." Riley viciously warned. She stood in front of Jenna, her eyes narrowed. The little witch flicked her wrist and tossed Greta back slightly, but Riley's magic was no match for hers.

Within seconds, Greta got to her feet and threw Riley away before a boundary circle surrounded her, too. Then, she grabbed a rock and sliced her wrist, to let Jenna feed straight from the vein. Jenna had completed her transition— she was now a vampire.

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"I feel like myself," Jenna told the two girls, who continued to keep Jenna talking so that she wouldn't shut down and think too much about their situation. "Only not. Everything is brighter. The fire's hotter. Part of me is terrified, but there's another part of me that doesn't wanna feel anything."

"Vampires can turn off the part that's human," Elena explained sympathetically. "That's the part that hurts."

"I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

"No. You're not, Jenna." Riley confidently told the woman. She spoke with such conviction, even Riley almost believed herself. "You're not."

Screaming suddenly echoed through the woods, and the three women turned their heads to follow the sound. Riley immediately recognized the woman as Jules— the werewolf. "What's happening to me?" Jules cried as she fell to the ground.

"I cast a spell to slow down your transformation." Greta vaguely explained as she kneeled down beside the werewolf, who was clearly in agony. "Your insides are trying to tear themselves free." She chuckled softly, then waved her hand for the boundary spell to spread.

"Greta, witches are supposed to maintain the balance in nature; it's your duty to them to keep this curse sealed." Elena tried her best to reason with the Martin witch.

"My duty is to Klaus. The new order."

"Glad to know I still have a dance partner," Klaus smirked toward the witch at his side, then turned his gaze to the four women in boundary circles. "Hello, my lovelies. Are we ready?" He then turned to Greta. "I've got the moonstone. I spent five hundred years looking for this. I hate to part with it."

Greta took hold of the moonstone, then glanced upwards. "The moon has passed its apex. Remember everything you need to do?"

"I remember." The Original softly whispered with a smirk just as the witch dropped the moonstone into the alter, which caused it to explode into fire. He stepped over to Jules, just as the boundary circle around her disappeared. "Shall we?"

Jules fearfully looked around, then suddenly she channeled what little strength she had left and lunged straight at Klaus. She attempted to take him down, but he flipped her over with ease and plunged his hand straight through her chest, and ripped her heart out.

"Oh, my God." Riley breathed as she watched the man squeeze the werewolf's heart within his own hand. She was absolutely terrified about that happening to Jenna and Elena.

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Shortly after Jules' sacrifice had happened, Klaus wandered straight over to Jenna. "Hello, Jenna." He softly spoke, a smirk appeared on his face when he noticed the fear in her eyes.

"Let her go," Elena demanded once she stood confidently up to her feet. "I understand that I have to die, but she doesn't—" The doppelganger took a step forward, but as she did, the fire around her grew.

"Careful." The Original vampire warned.

"She's right, Klaus. Elena followed every single one of your demands— she didn't run. The least you can do is let Jenna go." Riley pleaded with the man, who clearly had no humanity left inside of him.

"Well, well. I don't recall you being on the guest list." Klaus' face fell as he turned around to see Stefan Salvatore stood, overlooking the quarry. Riley and Elena exchanged looks the moment they saw him. Suddenly, Klaus sped up toward Stefan.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Riley frantically yelled out. Her best friend had a martyr complex and she figured it had something to do with trading himself for Jenna.

"You can hear them." Elena turned her to Aunt, who now had the ability of supernatural hearing. "You can hear anything. Just— just focus on them."

Jenna turned her attention up to the two vampires on the two of the quarry, but frustration spread across her face. "I— I can't make it out."

"It's okay. Jenna, just relax and focus." The Evans witch tried to calm her breathing down which would hopefully make Jenna feel more at ease. "You've got this."

"I can hear him. I hear Stefan."

"What're they saying?"

"Oh, my God." Jenna breathed out with widened eyes as she turned to Riley and Elena. "He wants to take my place. Elena—"

The doppelganger had begun to frantically pace up and down within her boundary circle. "I have to do something. This can't happen. None of it."

"Quite the predicament." Klaus' voice boomed as he stepped back into view with Stefan at his side. "You know, it's funny, all this talk about preserving family, and here's Stefan, granting your wish."

"Stefan..." Riley trailed off fearfully, tears in her eyes as her best friend nodded slowly.

"It's okay." The Salvatore looked her dead in the eyes, then glanced to Elena with a smile.

"Well, who's it gonna be, Elena?" Klaus raised an eyebrow and used a stake to point between Elena's boyfriend and her Aunt. "Oh, don't worry. There's actually no choice." He sped behind Stefan and staked him straight through the back.

"No! Stefan!" Elena screamed out whilst Riley's breath hitched in her throat as they watched the Salvatore drop to his knees. "No!"

"I have other plans for your boyfriend. I want him alive. But, for now." Klaus simply snapped Stefan's neck with ease, which left Elena and Riley hopeless, once more. "Whenever you're ready, Greta."

Greta's chanting slowly became louder and louder whilst the boundary around Jenna soon faded. Riley's heart began to thump and she knew that it was time. "No. No, Klaus you don't have to do this. If you hurt Jenna, I swear—"

"You'll do what, hm?" Klaus snapped back, a vicious tone of voice as his eyes narrowed. "If you do anything to stop this sacrifice, Riley, I will ensure that your Grandmother, Gwen, is paid a visit soon thereafter." At the mention of Gwen, Riley suddenly froze. "Yes. I know exactly where she is and I will not hesitate to rip her apart."

"It's alright. I know what I have to do." Jenna boldly told the two girls with a pointed look before she sped over to Greta and drank straight from her neck. Within seconds, Klaus had sped behind Jenna and staked her in the back. Her body fell into his hold before he dropped her to the ground.

"Jenna, no!" Elena sobbed violently as she finally made eye contact with her Aunt one last time. "Just turn it off. Jenna, turn it off. You won't be scared anymore." Klaus grabbed hold of Jenna and pushed her onto her back before he plunged the stake right into her heart and she began to desiccate in front of the two girls.

"Miss Evans." Klaus' voice purred as he wandered over to Riley's boundary and glared harshly toward her. "Your blood is required, sweetheart."

Elena watched Riley remain still, but she knew Riley wouldn't do anything to risk her grandmother. "Riley. Riley— You need to do this. It's okay. I'll be okay."

"I promise I'll be gentle," Klaus spoke softly as he took hold of Riley's hand and led her up toward the alter.

Riley remained silent. She didn't want to say a word, she just wanted to get it over with. With her eyes fixed on the Original, he lifted her wrist up to his mouth and sank his fangs into her wrist. Riley hissed in pain as he continued to drink hungrily until he finally pulled himself back and squeezed her blood onto the alter.

Riley had been placed in yet another boundary, whilst the Original vampire collected the doppelganger— the final component to the sacrifice. Elena sauntered over to the alter, her eyes fixed on Riley, almost as if she were telling her to remain calm.

Klaus grabbed hold of Elena's face and forced her to look at him. "Thank you, Elena."

"Go to Hell." The doppelganger viciously spat back just as Klaus positioned himself to feed straight from Elena's neck. As his fangs connected with Elena's neck, Riley heard a distant cry from Stefan. The moments went by so slowly as Riley felt helpless for the first time in a very long time.

Elena's lifeless body dropped at Klaus' feet while the fire on the alter burned out. Riley got down beside Elena and tried her best friend to wake her, while Klaus was preparing to transform into a Hybrid. Lightning struck and Klaus was thrown across the quarry whilst Bonnie appeared at the clearing. Damon sped straight over, snapped Greta's neck, and then looked down at Riley and Elena.

"She won't wake up— Damon we need to get her out of here!" Riley frantically yelled out as the Salvatore bent down and picked Elena up from the alter.

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Since the sacrifice, a lot had happened. Elijah had double-crossed them at the final moment and saved Klaus. And, John Gilbert sacrificed his life force so that Elena could remain human. It was the day of Jenna and John's funeral, and Riley stood in the mirror putting the finishing touches to her make-up.

"Hey." Damon knocked on her bedroom door, whilst she looked at his reflection with a smile. "We'll be heading to the cemetery in a little bit. Who'd have thought it? John Gilbert actually did us a solid for once."

"How shocking is that." Riley chuckled softly as she dropped her make-up brush down on the desk in front of her. She turned around and faced the Salvatore, who wore a look of concern. "I just feel— I wish I could've done something. Anything."

"There's nothing you could've done, Riley. Klaus would've killed you if you tried. Honestly, I'm glad you didn't." Damon admitted as he lifted his hand up against her cheek. "I don't know what I'd have done if I lost you."

"Don't." Riley moved her hands against Damon's as she stared into his eyes. She could see how much he cared about her, she just couldn't understand why he would refuse to let her do the same. "You told me you loved me before. Was that— was that a goodbye I love you, or—"

"It was the truth." He suddenly breathed out as he watched the witch's eyes widen. "I spent so much time thinking that if I loved you I'd end up hurting you but, I just— I can't get away from you. I guess ignoring your feelings doesn't make them go away, huh?"

"I love you, Damon." Riley blinked slowly just as a small smile began to move across her lips. She moved her arms around his neck, whilst his hands rested effortlessly against her waist. "Come on. We should really get going."

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