I walked downstairs, seeing two girls' dead bodies on the rug.

I scoffed, walking into the living room where Damon and Stefan were. Well, Damon was by the door as I stood next to him, Stefan calling the shots as a few girls played Twister.

"Uh-oh," Stefan said. "Alexandra, left hand, please." He bit her wrist.

"Hey, the two brunettes on the stairscase owe me a Persian rug," I said.

"You mean, they owe us a Persian rug?" Stefan asked, his vamp features fading as he looked toward me. "It's my house, too, Nikki. Ooh! Damon, would you like a spin?"

"So this is what Klaus had in mind when he compelled you to protect Elena?" Damon asked.

"These ladies are helping me be all that I can be," Stefan told us.

Behind me, someone knocked on the door. I backed toward it, opening it, and a blonde pushed past me with shopping bags. "Where's Stefan?" She had an accent.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.

She ignored me, looking at Stefan. "He left me here. My brother actually left me here."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Stefan said. "Your tone implies that I'm actually supposed to care."

"You're Klaus' sister?" Damon asked as I closed the door.

She looked back at us. "Rebekah. Pleasure, I'm sure." She looked back at Stefan. "Which one's my room?"

"You're not staying here," I told her, making her look back at me. "I already have two vampires too many."

Damon and Stefan didn't say anything, agreeing with me.

"Rude," Rebekah told us. "All of you. I'll see to it myself."

Rebekah walked toward the stairs.

"So I guess she's staying here," Stefan said.

I nodded once sarcastically.

I wasn't staying here.

School started today.

~

Oh, great, I thought as I saw Stefan grab Elena's arm in the school hall.

"I said let go of me," Elena said as I walked closer to them.

"Let her go," I said.

Stefan raised his eyebrows, letting go of Elena. He grabbed my throat and pushed me against the locker.

"Stefan, stop it!" Elena said.

I raised my eyebrows. "You've forgotten a little fact while you were gone over the summer, Stefan."

"You wouldn't stake me in school," Stefan replied

"Are you so sure about that?" I asked, pushing a stake against his stomach, threatening to stake him, most of the stake hidden by my jean jacket sleeve.

Stefan smirked, looking down,  then back up to me. "You're not gonna want to get me in my way. Okay, Cola?"

He let me go, and I held my throat as I pushed away from the locker.

Stefan pointed at Elena and me as he backed away. "I will see you both in history."

He continued to back away.

Elena stood next to me. "You okay?"

I nodded.

~

Elena and I stood with Ric in his classroom before class started.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Ric asked.

"Klaus compelled him to watch over Elena," I answered. "Apparently she's one of Klaus' assets now that her blood is the only way to create a hybrid."

"Now he's a body guard?" Ric asked.

"I don't know what he is," Elena said. "But he's definitely not Stefan."

The school bell rang, starting the day.

"Look, his being here is not good for any of us," Elena said.

"We have to do something," I agreed as students started to enter, Stefan, Caroline and Tyler.

Elena and I went to sit down. I sat in the front, Elena behind me. Caroline sat next to her. Tyler sat behind Caroline.

Stefan walked to the other desk next to Elena, where a guy sat. "You're in my seat." The guy walked away. Stefan sat down, smiling at Elena. "Hey, you."

I rolled my eyes, holding my head.

"Welcome back, seniors," Ric said. "Let's turn our brains back on, starting with this country's original founders . . . the Native Americans."

"What about the Vikings?" Rebekah asked as she walked in, sitting next to me, in front of Caroline. She looked at with a smile. "Hey, roomie."

I laid my head on the desk, and just because it hurt. Seriously? Why was she was? I came to school to get away from Stefan and Rebekah!

"There's no evidence that Viking explorers actually settled in the United States," Ric said. "Who are you?"

"My name's Rebekah. I'm new. And history's my favorite subject."

I looked back up.

Great.

~

After class, Ric stopped me. "Nicola."

I walked toward him in confusion. "Yeah?"

"I didn't have time to give this to you before," Ric said, opening a drawer and pulling out a sleeve stake mechanism. "Your punch ejects the stakes. It's easier to use than actual stakes, and it could save your life when you're living with three vampires. I know how well you hide things in your sleeves anyway, stakes, daggers . . ."

I took it. "Inventive. Thanks."

"Why do you stay in that house?" Ric asked as  put it in my bag. "Why not leave? Move?"

"Where else do I have to go?" I asked, looking up. "And why should I leave the house I was literally born and raised in, lived in my entire life?"

"That pride, that stubborn quality . . ." Ric trailed off. "It could make you very brave and keep you alive. But it could also kill you."

"I'll take care of it," I told him. "Thanks for the concern and the gizmo, but I got it, Ric."

I walked out for the day.

~

And came back when it was night with Damon, Elena and Caroline.

"I'll lure Stefan away from the bonfire after he tries to harrass Nicola," Elena said. I gave her a sarcastic smile, looking away. "Then, when he's distracted . . ."

"I'll shoot him," Ric finished.

"Can't Bonnie just ju-ju him or something?" Damon asked.

"I'm trying to keep Bonnie out of this," Elena answered. "I don't trust that Stefan won't hurt her. Caroline, are you covered?"

"Yes!" Caroline said. "I will make sure that the old Forbes jail cell is prepped and ready."

"We're forgetting a key player here," I said. "Rebekah. Whenever Stefan, the blonde ponytail tends to follow."

Elena turned to look at Damon. "Which is why it's your job to keep her away."

"How?" Damon asked. "She's an Original. Last time I checked, we're out of daggers."

"So then preoccupy her with your charm," Elena told him.

"Might have better luck finding the dagger," Ric said, and Caroline suppressed a smile.

I smirked.

"Are you ever not going to be mad at me for a day?" Damon asked.

"Doubtful," Ric answered.

Finally, Tyler walked in. "Sorry I'm late. What's going on?"

"We need you to raid your mother's vervain supply," I told him. "Enough to keep Stefan down for a while."

"You can't do that to Stefan," Tyler told us.

"Why not?" Caroline asked.

"Trust me, Tyler, it's in his best interest," Elena said.

"Yeah," Tyler said. "It's not in Klaus'."

"But Klaus is the bad guy, Tyler," Caroline told him. "You know, why are you acting like some freaky, hybrid, slave minion?"

"Uh-oh," Damon said, inching forward.

"What?" Ric asked.

"Klaus made me who I am, Caroline," Tyler told her. "I owe him everything."

"Oh, boy," Damon muttered.

"Okay, can we cool it on the commentary, please?" Caroline asked.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Damon took a vervain dart from the desk.

"I'm just going to go," Tyler said, turning around.

Damon rushed over to him, stabbing the dark in his neck, Tyler falling.

"What are you doing?" Caroline demanded, kneeling next to Tyler.

"He's been sired," Damon told us.

"What?" Ric asked.

"Sired," Damon repeated. "He feels loyal to Klaus because Klaus' blood created him."

"Loyal how?"  Elena asked.

"He'll seek acceptance from his master," Damon answered. "It's really rare. But maybe not so much in hybrids."

"So how do I fix him?" Caroline asked.

Damon looked down at her. "Get a new boyfriend."

Very helpful.

~

Stefan and Rebekah were at the keg when I walked up to them. "Excuse me."

I poured myself some beer.

"Nikki, hi," Stefan said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm having fun for a change, Stefan," I told him. "You have a problem with that?"

I put the red cup  to my lips, drinking the whole thing.

"Oh, I get it," Stefan said. "Drinking away the pain, am I right?" I didn't answer, pouring more and drinking. "All right, take it easy. If the pain is really that bad, then why don't you get it checked out instead of drinking enough to where you'll end up dead in a ditch somewhere?"

"Really?" I asked. "You think I'm going to let a blood addict ripper ass tell me how to drink?"

I walked away.

Rebekah looked at Stefan with a smirk.

~

After a while, Stefan started to follow me. "Where's Elena?"

"Oh, you almost sound like the old you, so worried about Elena," I told him sarcastically. "Oh, but, no, wait, you're only being a little bitch and doing what Klaus says, right?"

"Where is she, Cola?" Stefan asked.

I sighed. "Oh, great, here we go again with that stupid nickname."

"Nikki . . ." Stefan trailed off tauntingly.

"Fine," I said, turning to face him. "She ran away." I looked out of the corner of my eye. "Said something about offing herself." I looked back at Stefan. "Can you blame her?"

Stefan pushed me against a tree behind me by my throat. "Where is she?"

I didn't answer, but I punched into his stomach, forcing the stakes to eject.

He let go, falling.

"I wouldn't stake you at school, right?" I asked sarcastically, looking down at him.

I looked toward the bleachers, where Elena was laying down.

Stefan followed my gaze as I walked away, chuckling.

~

They got him.

I opened Ric's trunk as he put Stefan inside.

~

Elena got in the car while I shut the trunk.

Ric looked down at the can of gasoline on the ground. "I see all the geniuses came out to the bonfire tonight."

Then a trail of fire led to the car.

Ric ran to Elena's side of the car as the car started to burn, trying to open the door, but it wouldn't open. "Elena! Elena! Open the door!"

"I can't!" Elena yelled. "It won't open!"

I ran to the back of the car, trying to open the trunk.

It wouldn't open either.

Ric ran to another car as I hit my elbow against the window.

It wouldn't break.

~

I hit against the back window, trying to wake up Stefan so he could kick the trunk door off to save himself and Elena. "Stefan! Stefan, wake up!"

Finally, Stefan woke, looking back at Elena while I backed out of the way to the side of the trunk door, Stefan kicking it off.

~

I tried to pull Stefan out while Elena crawled closer.

~

Ric helped Elena out. "Hurry up before it blows!"

"Wait!" I told them. "Wait, wait, wait!"

I pulled Stefan further out of the car, Elena helping me, all of us running away from the car to the railing.

Behind us, the car exploded as we watched breathlessly.

Oh, my God.

~

Elena and Ric walked closer to me downstairs in the house.

"It's okay if you want to be friends with Damon again," Elena told him.

"I don't," Ric said.

I smiled. "I think he kind of misses you."

Stefan walked toward us. "Well, you got me tonight. Definitely wasn't expecting that."

"That was the point," I told him.

"Yeah," Stefan said. "You know, you can hate me all you want, but Elena needs me. I'll always protect her.  think you're all better off having me around."

Both Ric and Elena walked toward the door.

"Elena, wait," Stefan told her. He looked at both of us. "You guys could have let me die in that fire tonight. Why didn't you?"

"'Cause I'm an idiot when it comes to saving you and Damon, remember?" I asked.

"But why tonight?" Stefan asked.

"Because we still have hope," Elena said.

"After everything I've done, you . . . you still think I'll be able to find my humanity again."

"Yes, I do. I know who you really are better than anyone, Stefan. And I'm not giving up."

"Elena, do you have any idea how pathetic that makes you?"

"No, Stefan. It makes me strong."

Like I had done earlier, Elena used the sleeve stake mechanism to eject the stakes, making him fall.

Elena took the sleeve off, handing it to me as she walked past, walking past Ric and out the door.

Ric followed.

I smirked down on Stefan as he nodded, looking away  if to say I deserved that.

I walked away, still smirking.

Yeah, he did.