(outfits in link) 

~~~~1864~~~~

I watched as my brother Stefan went to greet our visitor as the horse drawn carriage was steadily coming our way to our home on Miller Lane.

Stefan's suit was beige, he had a blue bow tie, his hair groomed back neatly while my long blonde hair were in soft, tiny riglets.

Our brother Damon was off defending the South during the Civil War, and I worried about him deeply--yes, our father kept slaves. Stefan didn't like it at all, and I felt sorrow and pity for the mistreated people, no matter their skin color. Damon didn't have an opinion on it. Or . . . At least he didn't show it.

I was glad our father treated the slaves as if they were equals.

The man escorting the women in the carriage stepped off, placing a hand-made step on the ground for the women in inside, opening the door

He held out his hand to the hand-maid inside, letting her step out with his aid.

At least she was dressed well, treated well.

She then turned back to the carriage, lending her hand to the other girl, who was dressed more noticeably, she too stepping out.

Her head raised, her eyes scurrying over my brother, olive skin, brown eyes, and long, brunette curls in soft riglets.

As he stepped down our steps, I stepped out onto the porch.

Stefan bowed his head to the newcomer. "You must be Miss Pierce."

"Please," Miss Pierce said, holding out her hand for him to take. He had, she curtsied. "Call me Katherine."

~~~~Now~~~~

(previously)

I rose, turning too, and by the time I was coming out, Stefan threw me a stake, both of us running down the hall, up the stairs, down the other hall, to the door.

I wrenched it open.

And Elena turned toward us.

"What are you?"

Elena, who looked exactly like Katherine with the same long, brown hair, brunnette eyes, olive skin, even though she wasn't a vampire and Katherine had burned inside Fell's Church.

When neither of us answered her demand, she repeated more forcibly, "What are you?"

I didn't speak a word, a long hesitation before Stefan had. "You know."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do, or you wouldn't be here."

Elena shook her head. "It's not possible. It can't be."

Putting down the stake in my hand, stepping forward, Elena stepped back.

"Everything you know . . . " I trailed off. " . . . and every belief that you have is about to change. Are you ready for that?"

She swallowed her fear. "What are you?"

I looked slowly over to Stefan, not knowing if I should tell her even though she obviously knew.

Stefan was just staring blankly at Elena, waiting for a reaction.

I looked back to Elena. "We're vampires."

And like that, her bravery seemed to melt away. "I shouldn't have come."

She started to back away, and Stefan stepped forward. "No, please."

"No," Elena said, still backing away.

Then she ran around him, running for her car before he blocked her path.

She froze, looking back at the spot he had been, then back to him. "How did you do that?"

"Please don't be afraid of me," Stefan pleaded.

She tried to step around him, and he got in her way. "Let me go."

"There's things you have to know and understand," Stefan said, his hands gently holding her arms.

"Let me go!"

"Elena, please," Stefan said as he let her go, and she ran for her car, getting in and driving away.

I stepped onto the porch like I had 145 years ago when Katherine had arrived, only with Elena running away.

"Nicely done, Stefan," I taunted as I walked out to the sidewalk. "Go after her." When he didn't do anything, I added, "Now."

He then disappeared.

A few minutes after, my cell phone started to ring. I got it out and looked at the caller I.D.

Unknown number.

I answered anyway, putting it up to my ear as I hit the talk button on my touch screen. "Hello?"

"I want my ring," Damon told me.

I didn't answer that part. I had taken it from him and hid it, but now I wanted to know something. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the Sizzler. I had the buffet. Where's my ring?"

"I don't have it," I answered honestly, thinking back to his joke. Who did he kill? "Where are you? What have you done?"

"No," Damon said, drawling out the word. "What have you done? You and Stefan are the ones that locked me in the basement and starved me, so whatever I've done, whoever I've sucked dry, is on you, sister."

I sighed. "You're being careless," I sang. "How many animal attacks is this town gonna believe, huh?"

"I know how to cover my tracks, Kaylin. Where's my ring?"

"I gave it to Zach to hide," I lied, sounding serious for the first time since I answered his call. "Probably shouldn't have killed him."

A secons passed before Damon said, "Ah, you almost got me. Where is it?"

Damn it. "I'll get it back, but I need time."

"What, did you FedEx it to Rome?" Damon demanded. "Where is it? I want my ring, Kaylin, or my next stop's Elena's. Or what was the quarterback's name? Matt?"

Even though I hadn't known Matt long, I had only been on one date and then had to reschedule another . . . that still stung. I could relate to him on so many levels, and there was something about him that just made me want to protect him . . . Plus, killing Elena would hurt Stefan.

"We already want you dead. Don't give us another reason to make it happen."

"Don't give me a reason to rip you both apart."

"Yeah?" I asked. "Is that gonna be before or after you get your ring back?"

Damon knew I had him. "Just get it."

The line disconnected, but I went to dial a new number--Stefan's. He answered on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Stay at Elena's," I told him, starting to walk for the road instead of taking my Ashton Martin Vanquish. "Damon wants his ring, and the alternative is either killing Elena or . . . ." I didn't finish.

"Thanks for the warning," Stefan said.

"No problem."

I hung up my phone and kept walking, putting the phone in my pocket before I thought of where Matt lived.

There was such a strong need to protect the All American quarterback.

Stefan wasn't the only one Elena called to interrogate.

We all met at the Grill.

"You said you would explain everything," Elena said, looking at Stefan, and then to me. "That's why I asked you to meet me here." Stefan nodded while I waited for her to go on. "When you Google 'vampire', you get a world of fiction. What's reality?"

"We can tell you whatever you wanna know," Stefan said.

"I know you eat garlic."

"Yes."

"And, somehow, sunlight's not an issue?" Elena asked.

I held up my finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet, and she gave me a weird look before the waitress across the table from me sat down our orders. "Hi. Here are your drinks."

"Thank you," Elena said as she took hers.

Then I reached for mine, setting it in front of me. Facing Elena, I held up my hand to show her my daylight ring almost like Stefan and Damon's, except girlier, and with a K instead of S or D, all having the Salvatore family crest from the Italian Renissance. To answer her question. "We have rings that protect us."

"Crusifixes?" Elena asked.

"Decorative," I answered.

"Holy water?"

"Drinkable," Stefan said.

"Mirrors?"

"Myth," I answered.

Elena looked at Stefan. "You said neither of you kill to survive."

"Animal blood keeps me alive," Stefan answered his part.

Elena looked at me. "Taking from blood banks is a necessary evil if I don't wanna kill," I told her.

"But neither of us are as strong as Damon," Stefan finished. "He can be very powerful."

"And yet you let him get involved with Caroline?" Elena asked, accusing.

"Forcing Damon not to do something is much more dangerous," Stefan said. "Believe me."

"He was hurting her," Elena exclaimed.

"He was feeding on her," Stefan corrected.

"There's a difference," I added. "Sorta."

Stefan ignored that. 'he was able to take away her memories of being bitten using a form of mind compulsion. She never knew what was happening to her. If he wanted to kill her, he would have."

"Is that supposed to make it okay?" Elena demanded.

I was getting really annoyed and impatient, but I tried to keep that hidden, remembering that she was just now stepping into the land of the supernatural. Like that, the impatience and annoyance slipped away as I said, "No. no, none of this is okay, Elena. We know that."

Stefan leaned back into his chair as Elena asked, "Are there any others aside from you guys and Damon?"

Stefan shook his head. "Not in Mystic Falls, not anymore."

"Not anymore?" Elena repeated.

I ansewred this part. "There was a time when this town was very much aware of vampires, and it didn't end well for anybody."

"That's why it's important that you don't tell anyone," Stefan said.

Elena started to shake her head. "I can't promise that."

I looked over to Stefan as he said, "Elena, give us today. I will answer any questions that you have and when it's over, you can decide for yourself what you wannd do with what you know. It'll be your choice."

Elena looked to me, and I nodded my agreeance.

Then she ansewred the request with a nod.

While we had been talking to Elena, Damon had left me a message on my cell.

"Where are you, Kaylin? I'm trapped at the house. And I'm getting really bored and really impatient, and I don't do bored and impatient. Bring me my ring."

I sighed, getting out of the voice mail and saying to Stefan as Elena walked ahead of us, toward her car, "Damon's hounding me. He's gonna kill Elena or anybody else if I don't give him his ring."

"Where did you put it?" Stefan asked.

"Our old house on Miller Lane," I answered.

Stefan nodded. "Then let's go."

He gave directions to Elena to our old home. "Stop here," he said when we got there.

He was in the passenger seat, and I was in the back as Elena pulled to a stop in front of the shambels of our old home, the overgrowth of the evergreen forests covering most of it, except for the big artifacts.

The statue piller being one, and they were all still there, but wrecked. The whole thing was, I realized as all of us got out of the car.

Stefan and I had gotten out first, already walking ahead as Elena got out.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"I wanna show you something," Stefan said.

That and I had put Damon's daylight ring here.

"In the middle of nowhere?" Elena pressed as I heard Stefan following me.

I walked slowly, memories of hte past pouring over me as I said to Elena without looking back at her, "This didn't use to be nowhere. Used to be our home."

That peaked Elena's curiousity, shutting the car door and walking after Stefan and me.

My hand ran smoothly over the brick and statue pillar as I heard Elena and Stefan stopping behind me.

"It looks so . . ." Elena trailed off.

"Old?" Stefan finished. "It's because they are."

"Wait. How long have you . . .?"

Stefan answered one more time. "I've been 17 years old and Kaylin's been 16 . . . since 1864."

Elena was hesitating as she said, "Oh, my God."

"You said you wanted to know," I said bluntly. "We're not gonna hold anything back."

I finall looked back at her, over my shoulder as I finished, but she looked away.

"Half-century before the boarding house was even built, this was our family's home," Stefan said. "Damon, Kaylin and I, we were all born here." Elena walked past me, after Stefan. "The Salvatore siblings, best of friends."

~~~~1864~~~~

I was so happy that Damon was finally home, laughing quietly on the porch, watching my bothers run out of the house together, Damon having his hat and dressed mostly like Stefan, only with a brown leather ball in his hand--a football.

"Wait," Stefan said as they headed down the porch stairs. "Where did you learn this game?"

"Camp outside Atlanta," Damon answered, running the opposit of Stefan. "One officer picked it up at Harvard. Catch."

he threw the ball toward Stefan, who caught it. "Wait, wait. What are the rules?" I chuckled lightly as Damon ran toward him. "What are the rules?"

Katherine and her hand-maid stepped onto the porch behind me. "Who needs rules?" Katherine asked. She stepped down the stairs, causing both of my brothers to stop and look at her. "Mind if I join you?"

"Well, you could, uh--You could get hurt," Stefan said, walking closer to her. "My brother likes to play rough."

"Heh, heh," Katherine laughed. "Somehow, I think that you play rougher."

Stealing the ball fro Stefan's hands, Katherine began to run away.

Damon looked from her to Stefan. 'Why are you just standing there? That is a girl who clearly wants to be chased. If you don't do it, I will."

Damon ran, and Stefan looked up to me. "Play with us, Kay?"

I smiled a bright, beautiful smile that made me look younger, what with the blonde riglets and gown and all, than I actually was. "Absolutely."

As he ran after Damon and Katherine, I followed, carrying the ends of my green gown with me.

~~~~Now~~~~

Looking at the shambels of the house now, standing next to Stefan and Elena and no longer by the pillars, you would have never believed it was the same place.

Elena was in shock. "You knew Katherine in 1864? Damon made it seem like--"

"Damon was trying to make you think that I was still heartbroken," Stefan said, cutting her off, turning to face her. "He saw that I was happy with you and he wanted to ruin it."

"All because you loved the same woman one hundred . . . " Elena looked to the side, doing the math in her head, " . . forty five years ago?"

"She wasn't just any girl.

~~~~1864~~~~

Katherine wasn't mean or hostile or anything bad, as my first impressions had predicted. We became good friends in such a short amount of time, and I was surprised. I had always been fast at making new friends, but not this fast.

We laughed, running through the bushy maze, running from Stefan. Damon had left for the Confederacy, but with both Katherine and Stefan here, things were all right.

The game was a race between Katherine and I. One of us had to reach the statue first, before Stefan would come after us, and if he tapped one of us, then we would both lose.

Stefan's hand almost touched my shoulder, and I laughed, running again, faster, Katherine pausing on the other side of the maze until Stefan chased her, and she laughed, running.

My brother was the "it", and Katherine and I were racing for the statue, trying to get there first.

I ran as Katherine had, both of us heading to the statue from opposite sides of the maze, Stefan chasing Katherine like he had chased me.

Near the back opening, two seperate lanes led to there, both Katherine and I in each, but Katherine was first to the opening, running out to the statue, grabbing on tight.

"Ha!" she said. "I win." She slowly let go of the statue as I exited the maze, and she stepped closer to me and Stefan. "What's my prize?"

'What would you like it to be?" Damon's voice asked, all three of us looking toward him in his uniform.

"They extended your leave?" I asked, my voice on the verge of surprise and excitement.

"I was simply having too much fun to return to battle," Damon answered, smiling and standing.

I started to walk over the same time Stefan did, Stefan saying, "Your commitment to the Confederacy is inspiring."

I wrapped my arms around Damon, and he did the same with me, and then Stefan did the same with all of us.

When Katherine spoke, Stefan and I side-stepped to face her, Damon still having an arm over both of our shoulders, Stefan having his over Damon's, and my arm behind his back. "Well, this works out wonderfully for me."

"How is that, Miss Katherine?" Damon asked.

She shrugged her tiny shoulders. "Now I'll have all of you to keep me entertained. Fist and foremost, I'll need someone to escort me to the Founder's Ball." Katherine's gaze slipped to me. "If you'll allow me, I'll find someone perfect for you."

I smiled. "I would be very pleased."

"Wonderful. Now, what about me?"

Katherine held her arms together behind her back as she turned and Damon's arm left my shoulder, removing his hat with the arm that had been around Stefan's as he bowed forward. "With pleasure."

"I would be honored," Stefan spoke at the same time.

Katherine turned back to us as Damon replaced his hat, standing straight. "The smart and kind Salvatore brothers both coming to my rescue." As she started to walk around us, she said, "How will I ever choose?"  before moving on.

~~~~Now~~~~

"She chose me," Stefan said. "I escorted her to the ball at the original Lockwood mansion."

Elena spun to face us. "The first Founder's Party." I nodded. "Where you signed the registry." I repeated my answer 'yes' with another nod.

"I didn't care that I had gotten something that my brother wanted," Stefan said. "I dind't even care if it hurt him. I only knew that I wanted her."

And the only reason I had "became good friends with her in such a short amount of time" because of her compulsion. I had remembered her not wanting me to hate her, for God knew what reason. I still didn't know, and I wasn't ever going to.

My father had put vervain into the food I had been eating after Stefan had went to him for a cryptic help. He had thought all of his children needed to be safe from the "demons of the night". He had always seen me as his little angel, and it had been no wonder it had taken me so long to grow up and be a woman. Hell, I still liked to play games, but not that that anymore.

I wondered if it had been Katherine who had slipped the vampire blood into my drink the night I had been killed.

I had no idea.

Elena's voice brought me back. "So he was upset."

As she sat down on the stone bench behind her, I said, "That's the thing about Damon. He doesn't get mad. He just gets even."

'What Damon wants, Damon usually gets," Stefan agreed. "Now, I didn't know it at the time, but turns out that night . . ." Stefan took a few steps to the side, then went on, " . . .Katherine was with him too."

"So he stole her from you, not the other way around?" Elena asked.

My small smiled was a little bit bitter, because I had hated the way Katherine had tore their bond apart. "Turns out she wan't theirs to steal."

The stupid vampire bitch.

Stefan told Elena how he had found out about Katherine. And so much more that I hadn't wanted to hear--like how they were in bed when she fed on him the first time, and every other time.

"She could control my mind," Stefan said. "And Damon's. And Kaylin's. That's why they were friends at all." I nodded in agreeance. "She hadn't told Kaylin about what she was, but she compelled each Damon and I to keep the secret from the other. She wanted all of us to be together, forever. Kaylin was a best friend rather than lover, and she knew that Damon and I would need her in the end."

Elena stood from the bench, leaning against one of the many trees around, looking overwhelmes while I stood next to a pillar that had fallen down.

"Didn't work out that way, but . . ." I trailed off, leaning down and picking up a fabric folded over Damon's ring. " . . . Damon, Stefan and I, looks like we're stuck with each other." I unfolded the cloth, pulling out the ring. "Like it or not."

"Is that Damon's ring?" Elena asked.

I looked up, nodding. "I took it from him. I have to give it back."

"No," Elena said, walking toward me. "Don't, Kaylin. Keep it hidden."

"Elena, if she doesn't give it to him, he'll retaliate in the only way that he knows he can hurt me," Stefan said.

"And how is that?" Elena asked, but sounding like she didn't really want to know.

"By hurting you."

Elena looked surprised, looking to me. "What's his leverage against you?"

I didn't look up. "What makes you think I'm not just wanting to protect Stefan?"

"Are you?"

I finally looked up. "Part of it."

"What's the other?"

Stefan looked at me too. I hadn't told him about Damon threatening Matt.\

But realized crossed over his face when I didn't answer. "He threatened Matt . . .didn't he?"

Elena looked from me to Stefan with worry and shock, repeating, "Matt? Why would he--?" I looked up again, and she cut herself off. She sighed out a big sigh. "Thank you for protecting him."

I nodded, looking up at her. "Let's get you home."

In agreeance, Elnea started to walk for her car, and Stefan and I followed.

Stefan opened her door when we got there.

She started to walk around it, starting to get in when she turned back. "The mind control you said Katherine used." Stefan nodded for her to go on. "Do you ever do that to me?"

'No," Stefan said honestly, then pointed to the neklace he gave her. 'That necklace . . . " Elena looked down at it, tucking her hair behind her ear. " . . . it contains an herb called vervain. It protects you from being compelled. I wanted to protect you from Damon's influence. But I also wanted to . . . protect you from me. Elena, you should never take that necklace off. because no matter what happens after today, and no matter how you feel about me, about Kaylin . . . you'll know that you were free to make you own choice."

I didn't say a word, getting into the back seat, Stefan in the passenger seat while Elena ot into the driver's, and she drove us to her house.

She walked in first, and then Stefan, but I had to stop at the door.

I had forgotten that I had never been here, never been invited in, and I cleared my throat to get their attentions. "Uh, guys?" Elena and Stefan turned back to face me. "Little help here?"

"Oh, right," Elena said, stepping closer. "Well, Stefan and Damon both have been invited in, so . . . Kaylin, please come come in."

I smiled a little, taking one step forward, and then the other.

My smile disappeared when we heard, "I'm fine, I'm fine," from Elnea's younger brother say when I was fully inside.

"Damn, Vic," Matt said to his sister.

We got to the kitchen, Stefan and I looking at the mounds of food cluttering the kitchen, sunglasses on the floor.

vicki had been Damon's play-thing since he had gotten to town. Other than Caroline. Caroline had been a girl friend snack toy play-doll while Vicki had been the victim.

I didn't know what made me think Vicki was transitioning. Maybe because of those two facts.

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

"She's really messed up," Matt said.

Well, that made that thought more-so thinkable.

Stefan stepped forward, grabbing Elena's shoulder. "Elena, back up."

Matt had seen me, looking at me for a second before both of us looked back at Stefan and Vicki, Elena's little brother standing.

I remembered the rooftop, compelling her. The hospital, Stefan compelling her. The rooftop again, when Damon had compelled her to think that Stefan had been the one to attack her.

This girl was used to being compelled.

But this was different.

"Vicki, look at me," Stefan whispered. 'Focus. You're gonna be fine." With each of Stefan's words, she seemed to calm down. "Everything's gonna be fine."

I told the two boys, "Guys, take her up to bed. Shut the blinds. She's gonna be okay." Matt stepped forward, and I urged Vicki along with hi. "Come on." Stefan led Jeremy after them. "Come on."

elena had her hand to her head as I turned to her, Stefan coming back. "You guys know what's wrong with her?" she asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"What is it?"

"She's transitioning," Stefan said.

"Transitioning into what?"

What, was this girl seriously forgetting everything we had told her today?

"A vampire," Stefan answered.

"What?" she asked desperately.

"Damon must have gotten to her," I said. "She's new. She hasn't completed her transformation yet."

"How--How does she do that?" Elena asked.

I was pretty blunt about it. "She has to feed on human blood."

"And what if she doesn't?"

Again, I was blunt, but hesitating just a second. "She'll die."

Elena started to pace, a hand over her head as Stefan turned after her, saying, "She may ony have a few hours."

She pointed up to the ceiling. "She's upstairs with them right now."

"It's okay," I said. "She doesn't know what's happening to her yet."

"So when is she gonna know?"

"Right now, she doesn't remember anything," Stefan said. "A part of her is still human, but slowly," Elena leang against the table chairs, her hand in her hair, "the deeper she gets into the transition, the memories will start to come back and then she'll know she has to make the choice."

Elena turned back to us. "The same choice you made?"

Neither of us answered.

Both of us had different reasons to feel guilty for. Stefan had killed our father, different from the first time he tasted human blood.

I had changed, too. Indulged in it. Completely murderous, like Damon, but not a ripper, like Stefan.

The perfect combination.

And I had hated it.

Since then, I began to change, thanks to another blonde, 300-year-old vampire, my oldest friend, Lexi. She was Stefan's best friend, though.

Elena took that answer, walking away.

I heard someone walking downstairs, and I started to walk in that direction.

Matt came down, and when he saw me, he sent me a smile. "Hey. Thanks for helping. I don't know how you and Stefan did it."

"Of course," I said, even though I hadn't been here for that reason, though I had helped. "Uh, we went through something similar," I explained. "Just not so . . .intense." He nodded. "So, about yesterday--"

"Don't worry about it," Matt said. "Oh, is your uncle okay?"

I sighed, remembering closing Zach's dead eyes.

But I had to lie to Matt, and that hurt more than I was willing to admit. "Yeah. He's just .. . gonna be gone for a long while."

That wasn't technically a lie. Just not telling the truth.

"Oh," Matt said.

"So, when to have that rain check?" I chuckled.

"Hmm . . ." Matt said. "There's gonna be a Halloween thing at the school on, well, Halloween. Go?"

I smiled. "Yeah." Then I took a breath, looking upstairs, already knowing the answer to my question. "She okay?"

"Uh, now, I think," Matt answered. "Jeremy's got her."

I nodded, smiling a small smile.

I didn't know why I liked this boy, I just did. Not as bad or as hard as Stefan and Elena, not at all. But, still . . . It was a little more than "just friends", like his friend Tyler had said in the hall at the school, "So what's up with you and the new girl?"

"She's not knew . . . Sorta," Matt said. "She's lived here before."

I smiled a little, walking to my locker and pretending I wasn't listening, Tyler was smirking, saying cockily, "Didn't answer the first part."

"Nothing's up," Matt answered. "We're friends."

"Yeah, 'friends' don't look at each other like that."

And then at the car wash the next day, what Bonnie and Matt had said while they had seen me,

"Uh-uh," Bonnie, across the car from him, said. "None of that tortured pining stuff."

I started to wash the car, still hearing them talk as Matt said, "I'm just observing."

"Uh-huh," Bonnie said. "Doesn't matter if it's Elena or Kaylin. Same rules still apply." 

"Kaylin," Elena called to me, snapping me out of it, and I turned around to face her, and she nodded for me to go over there.

I looked up at Matt, shrugging, backing away with a teasing smile I knew that he was trying not to fall for as I turned around and starting to walk to the kitchen and Elena. "What?"

"The mind control, the feeding Damon did to Caroline . . . do you ever do that to Matt?"

"What?" I nearly demanded, but quiet. "No. God, no."

She seemed to relax at my words until Matt said, "Vic! Vic!"

Vicki was running out of the house, Matt following behind.

I was the first to follow, going off the porch steps into the yard, Elena and Stefan following, Jeremy on the porch.

Vicki was gone.

"She was fine and then she just freaked out," Jeremy said.

"I'm gonna go look for her," Matt said. "Call me if you hear anything."

He turned and ran for his truck and Stefan told Elena, "We can track her."

"Go," Elena said.

I looked behind me, over my shoulder, to them, nodding, and then we took off too.

"Split up," Stefan said. "We'll find her faster."

I nodded, disappearing with the breeze.

I managed to find my way to the Mystic Falls' old cemetery.

"He said that I need to feed," Vicki's voice said as I neared her and Stefan. "What will happen if I don't?"

Both heard me coming from behind Stefan. Both looked at me as Stefan said, "You will fade quickly." He looked back to Vicki sadly. "And the it'll all just be over."

Vicki nodded, tears streaming down her face. "I'll be dead."

Stefan nodded, and I said softly, "Yes."

She looked down, then up again and I sat down next to her. "I don't want this," Vicki cried.

"I know, I know," Stefan said softly to the crying girl. "It'll be okay, all right? You're gonna be okay. We can help you." 

"Is it better?" Is it better? Will I be better?" Neither of us ansewred. None of the Salvatores could answer that with complete honesty, not even Damon. You felt all the bad and good things intensely, the constant hunger that some--like Stefan--had never learned to control. The emotional flip-switch. Compulsion, dream-manipulation. The sun, vervain . . For each good thing, there was a bad. For every strength, there was a weakness. Vicki took the long silence as a bad sign, crying harder. "I wanna go home. Will you take me home? Please." 

Stefan nodded intensely, and I nodded too, but it was Stefan that took her hand, me still sitting next to her. 

And then Stefan was shot.

His wound bled, and he fell to the ground, Vicki and I confused before we saw the shooter.

It was the news guy.

I stood up, seeing the stake in his hand, with a gun in the other, and Vicki stood up too.

He was going for Stefan.

I let my face shift, eyes turning red, veins appearing benath, fangs protruding as he shot me in the chest.

I had been indulging in human from blood bags instead of animal blood. I was stonger.

I stepped closer to him, and he unloaded another four bullets into my chest, in a row. Two more were shot into my stomach.

That hurt.

Maybe I should start drinking from the vein. Be even strong, like Damon.

but then I'd have the whole major issue of not killing people when I fed. Sure, I wasn't a ripper, but if I let myself feed from the vein, I'd be too caught up in its power, the person would no doubt be dead.

I kept on going as much as I could.

Until the entire clip was emptied into my chest.

I couldn't even heal. And, for a vampire, I was considered young, not as strong.

Feeling myself drifting to the ground, the news guy threw his gun to the side.

I could still move. I was faking not being able too. If he got close enough, I could kill him.

He got close enough to where he raised the stake in his hand, posed at Stefan's heart.

And I hadn't fed in three days. I hadn't needed to me, and seeing the news guys' blood pulsing in his neck, with anger that he was trying to kill my brother, it all blurred into one urge.

Hunger.

"No!" Vicki yelled.

Speeding toward him, I sank my teeth into his neck, knowing that I was going to regret this later. He was lowered to the ground, so I could still be on my knees and feed from him.

The power. It was so much more than a blood bag, and I couldn't even describe it. Euphoric, the power, directly from the vein, as his blood sank down through my throat.

Gulp after gulp, I drank. I wasn't used to it. Not now.

I heard Stefan groaning, and I opened my eyes to see Damon pulling the bullet out of his chest before it reached his heart. "It's wood. They know." Then he turned to me, taking the news guys' body away, tossing his on the ground. "I know you're not accostumed to that much power, but, sis, he's dead." I wiped the blood from my mouth, sinking to the ground. What did I just do? "And stop with the guilty look. You were saving Stefan. Which reminds me, if anyone's gonna kill you, it's gonna be me." I rolled my eyes, getting the bullets out of my chest one by one. Damon saw one in my stomach and pulled it out for me, tossing it to the side, then held out the bloody hand. "My ring."

I groaned in annoyance, reaching into my jean jacket pocket, pulling it out and dropping it into it. "Happy?"

"Mm-hm," he answered with a smug smirk, putting it on. "P.S., I like this side of you better than the other."

I rolled my eyes, and slurping behind me made me look over my shoulder, Stefan and Damon following my gaze.

Vicki was drink the blood from the dead news guys' body.

"No!" Stefan yelled. "No, Vicki!"

Neither me or Damon said anything, me still reeling from the power over-load, letting out a sigh. She tasted human blood. She was a vampire.

At least Matt didn't lose his sister.

Was I seriously thinking about Matt right now?

vicki pulled away from the dead body--the dead body I killed--blood covering her mouth. "I'm sorry."

Getting up, and taking of, at least she wasn't dead.

I would hate to see Matt's reaction to his dead, un-dead vampire sister.

"Oops," Damon said.

he stood, walking past me and Stefan, and then he took off too.

I needed blood. I had blood in my room. I needed to get there.

But after what I had just tasted, and stealing another's life force, I didn't want blood bags.

I was gonna force myself, anyway. I wasn't going to kill anyone else.

Okay, it wasn't like I hadn't killed before. I had. Clearly. I had killed a lot. But I hadn't killed like this in forever.

Then I was already moving, faster than the speed of sound, straight up to my room where blood would be.

Getting to my mini-fridge, I opened it and got the tiny pouch of blood, leaving the door open as I sank to the ground, ripping the top of the tube off so I could drink from without the straw, trying not to make a mess as I pushed it to my mouth and drank hungrily, relishing the taste.

I had already healed before I had even gotten home.

Because human blood from the vein was more powerful, and strong, and taking all of it at once . . .

I had forgotten how strong it could make you feel. How powerful.

I drank another sip, trying to reeducate my senses to blood bags.

last time I had drank had been at least three days, before I had killed the news guy.

Never that long without blood again.

And I was gonna make it a goal to stay away from Matt until I knew that I was good.