Chapter 18

                                    

                                          
FOREST-DAY
[Alaric and Matt are walking toward crushed car.]
Alaric: Jogger called it in. Yeah, the plates match. It's Dana's car. Think it's safe to say she's not a runaway.
Matt: You said the creatures were after a Knife that you had sent far away.
Alaric: They are. And I did. This doesn't make any sense. [They see Dana's corpse.]
"Oh god." Said Caroline. Davina looks sad for the girl, too.
Alaric: Ah, damn it.
Matt: Actually, it's starting to make perfect sense.
Alaric: What is it?
Matt: A vampire bite.
"Kaleb?" Asked Elijah.
"Probably." Answered Hayley.
MYSTIC FALLS HIGH-GYM-DAY
MG: Nice form. You're one of Dana's friends, right?
Girl: Jill, and my friendship with Dana doesn't define me... That was a joke.
Of course it does.
MG: (chuckles) Cool, cool. (Compells) Tell me where Dana and Sasha are and we'll get out of your hair.
Lizzie: More like split ends.
Caroline chuckles.
Girl: Shut up, Saltzman. And why are you all up in their business? Are all of you private school kids this creepy?
"Why didn't it work?" Asked Stefan.
MG: Uh. [Coach blowes the whistle.]
Coach: Okay, that's it. Hit the showers. [Students get up and start leaving.]
Lizzie: Compulsion fail. Hope and Audrey are probably doing a victory lap by now. What's with the performance anxiety?
MG: I think you're distracting me.
"Straoght forward." Said Audrey surprised.
Lizzie: I'm wearing polyester.
MG: And you're totally pulling it off.
"I don't like him." Narrowed his eyes Damon. Stefan and Caroline chuckle at Damon's protectivness for Lizzie.
Lizzie: (sighs) Get your head in the game, MG. [Mg's phone calls.]
Lizzie: You have the school phone?Where were you keeping it?
MG: It's your dad. He trusts me. You smell like gummy bears.
"Why is he still talking?" Said annoyed Damon.
Lizzie: Answer it.
MG: Okay. (Answers) Hello?
Alaric: I need to talk to everyone.
MG: We split up.
Alaric: Lizzie. I told you to work together.
Lizzie: In order to conquer, we had to divide, Daddy. So looks like you're gonna have to trust your own gene pool for once. Sorry to disappoint.
Alaric: Look, I'm about to tell you three things, all equally horrifying, so I need you to keep your cool. Can you both do that?
MG: Of course, no problem.
Alaric: Okay. One: Dana is dead. Two: A vampire killed her. Three: I just told the sheriff that we had nothing to do with it so I need to know right now that I am right. Have either of you heard anything about the vampires at our school feeding?
Lizzie: No.
MG: Nah. We're not supposed to, everyone knows that.
"He is the worst liar i have ever seen." Said Freya.
Alaric: Okay. Good. I'll call you back when I know more. And I expect you to be with Hope when I do. [Alaric hangs up a phone.]
Lizzie: (to MG) You are a horrible liar. Spill.
MYSTIC FALLS HIGH-CORRIDOR- DAY
[Hope and Audrey go toward Landon.]
Hope: Hey.
Landon: Let me guess. Pigtails spilled her guts and confessed to kidnapping Dana and Sasha. Case closed.
"I don't like his tone!" Glared Klaus.
Audrey: Her name's Cheryl, and not exactly.
Hope: But she did invite us to try out for the cheerleading team.
Landon: Who are you right now? And what are that things on your heads?
Hope: It's a gift... from Cheryl.
Landon: You're better than this, Hope.
Audrey: Who you are to tell my sister who she is, arsehole? [Landon takes a step back, clearly scared of Audrey.]
"Good job, sweetheart." Said Klaus to Audrey. Audrey smiled at him. Hayley shakes her head at two of them.
Hope: Dana gave it to her. It's potential locator spell material.
Audrey: Plus, even though Sasha and Connor are dating, Dana was sleeping with him behind her back.
Landon: Yeah, some clue. Everyone at this school knows Connor's a dick.
Audrey: It's more than you have ever accomplished in your entire life, hobbit.
Kol chuckles.
Hope: Come on, Landon. Adultery, missing girls... It's like every TV show that old people watch. A "crime of passion," I think they call it.
"It's not for old people." Defended Stefan without thinking. People looked at him amused.
Landon: I know Connor. He's made my life a living hell, but he's not a killer. Trust me.
"Why would they trust you?" Said Klaus.
Audrey: (laughs) Trust you?
Hope: Trusting you is what got us into this mess in the first place. Look. There he is. So do you want to play good cop or bad cop? Because I don't think "emo cop" is a thing. [Audrey laughs.]
Everyone laughs.
"Now that's my niece!" Cheered Kol. Davina looked at him amused.
Audrey: (to Hope) I don't know what possesed you today, but is should possess you more often.
"I agree." Said Audrey.
"You agree to yourself? What a surprise." Said Hope.
Landon: Oh, very funny. But while you were off making friends I did some sleuthing of my own... Scarf in Virginia heat? Sounds like a lead, I think they call it.
FOREST-DAY
Matt: They're vampire bites, Ric.
Alaric: If they said they didn't do it, they didn't do it. End of story.
"Then why does people have bites?" Said Caroline.
Matt: No, actually, it's just the beginning, because now I have to put a 17-year-old girl in this body bag, then lie to her parents about what actually killed her. Or maybe you forgot what it's like to be on this side of that conversation.
Alaric: It's not about sides.
Matt: Oh, yeah? Tell that to Dana. [Alaric and Matt see that Dana's corpse is gone.]
"What? Where did it go?" Asked Davina.
MYTIC FALLS HIGH-GROUNDS-DAY
[Landon, Hope and Audrey are walking, Jed joins them.]
Jed: Hey! [Audrey looks at him.]
Audrey: You still have lipstic on your neck. [Audrey gives him her handkerchief.]
Jed: Oh. Thanks.
Landon: Why do you--
Jed: (smirks) Cheryl is a good company.
Kol and Damon chuckle.
Hope: (rolls her eyes) I'm sure she is.
[At the corner.]
Girl: I thought you said we were gonna have lunch.
Kaleb: Yeah. Well, uh, one of us is. (compells) Don't be afraid. [Kaleb is about to bit her.]
Hope: Let her go. [Audrey, Jed, Hope and Landon came.]
Kaleb: (Sighs; compells) Date's over. It's not me, it's you. Now forget this ever happened and get back to class.
"Jerk." Said Caroline.
Lizzie: Great. Hope's already here.
Kaleb: (to Mg) Thought we were cool, bruh.
Lizzie: Don't "bruh" him. Second place or not, we know you killed Dana.
"It's not a game." Said Hayley.
Hope&Audrey: Wait. Dana's dead?
MG: Dr. Saltzman said they found her dead from a vampire bite.
Kaleb: I didn't kill her, so y'all need to get the hell outta my face. [Kaleb whooshes away, but Lizzie stops him with migrane.]
Lizzie: Come on, guys, let's go. It's hero time. To the Blondemobile... Not so fast, Kaleb.
Kaleb: (grunts) I told you, all I did was feed. Torture me all you want to, but my answer's gonna remain the same... because I didn't kill Dana. [Jed and Audrey share a look. Audrey raises her eyebrow, Jed nods. Audrey nods back.]
"Did they just have a conversation?" Asked Hayley.
"Yep." Answered Hope.
"How? What did you say?" Asked Freya.
"It's not that hard. I asked him if he thought Kaleb was saying truth, he said he did and i said i did, too." Explained Audrey.
Landon: Uh, he's right.
Lizzie: What, so you're a mind reader now, Landon?
Landon: Call it a hunch. [Dana looks like a zombie as she crawls out of forest.]
"What the hell--?" Said Davina.
[Later, they are sitting outside, at Mystic Falls high school's table.]
Dana: We were on the way to graffiti that mill at your school. It was a harmless prank. But then I got snatched. Next thing I remember, I woke up in a ditch. So enjoy it while you can, Lizzie. I'm sure I look like crap.
[Dana accidentally touches bite on her neck.]
"It doesn't look like vampire bite." Observed Klaus.
"It doesn't." Agreed Elijah.
"Another creature?" Asked Kol.
"Most likely." Said Elijah.
Dana: Oh, my God. What is that?
Hope: It's... Someone help me out here.
Lizzie: It's the mother of all hickeys. You're fine, Dana. You're just a-a little slutty. [Audrey and Jed laugh.]
Offscreen people laugh or chuckle, too.
"I really like her!" Chuckled Damon.
Jed: She's got humor. You can't deny that. [Audrey nods, still chuckling.]
Dana: (Scoffs) I don't even like any of you.
Audrey: (rolling her eyes) And your name is written on my heart. 
Mikaelsons chuckle.
[Dana stands up to leave.]
Dana: I should be talking to the cops.
Landon: I can't let you do that.
Hope&Audrey: Ad somnum.
Landon: I mean, They can't let you do that.
Jed: Ooh. Double knock-out.
"I love how Jed is their cheerleader." Chuckled Davina.
Lizzie: So you didn't kill her. You freaking turned her?
Kaleb: Turned her? You think I want to sit and listen to that for all eternity?
Hope: Well, someone did, meaning that we have a transitioning vampire on our hands. So what are we gonna do with her?
"It doesn't look like newly turned vampire." Said Kol.
[Later, Mg  is putting Dana in school's bus. Everyone is following.]
Landon: Dana died with vampire blood in her system so she came back to life and now she's in transition, and she needs to feed or die?
MG: Nailed it, bro. Easy decision, right?
"Not for everyone." Said Stefan.
Kaleb: All right, so... we give her human blood, it's that simple.
Hope: Not everyone wants to be supernatural. Some people just want to be normal.
"Why would you want to be normal? Normal is boring." Said Audrey.
"Exactly." Said Kol.
Lizzie; Dana's traumatized, you guys. This is a huge decision. Maybe we should give her a day or two.
Hope: She'll be dead in a day if she doesn't feed.
Lizzie: Oops. I suck at math. [Jed and Audrey laugh.]
Damon, Klaus, Kol, Audrey and Marcel laugh.
"Lizzie!" Scolded Caroline, but even she was slightly amused.
Audrey: (whispers) I would start liking her if i didn't hate her for things she did to Hope. [Everyone with superhearing looked at Audrey surprised.]
"Are you friends?" Asked Caroline.
"Frenemies." Corrected Audrey. Caroline smiles at Audrey.
Landon: You should tell her the truth. My guess is that she'd be psyched to be at a place like your school... I know I would.
Kaleb: You're awful quiet over there, MG.
MG: I'm a feminist, bruh. I'm not gonna tell Dana what to do with her body. Landon's right.
"Another reason why i like MG." Said Caroline.
Lizzie: Ugh, fine. Okay, but to be clear, she is not joining drill team.
Hope: Surgere. [Dana wakes up with groan.]
Dana: Did I pass out? I don't feel so well.
Lizzie: We know how you feel.
Hope: And it's okay, you're just hungry.
Dana: Anorexia was sophomore year. This is something else.
Caroline looks at girl sadly. Eating disorders aren't fun, she would know. She was leader of cheerleader team, she was always made feel bad for gaining even 1 pound.
MG: You'll feel better after you feed. I promise.
Dana: Oh, shut up. For real. Even thinking about eating makes me want to... [Dana throws up black liquid.]
"What the bloody hell is that?" Said Klaus.
"Holy shit!" Said Kol.
"What is that?" Asked Hayley. Everyone looked at screen schocked.
Kaleb: Oh, damn. What'd that girl eat?
Lizzie: I think her soul just got on my shoes. Ew.
Damon is still amused by Lizzie's comments.
MG: I think I'm-- about to be sick, too.
Landon: Is this normal?
Hope: She's puking her guts out.
Jed: Literally. [Audrey is looking at black liquid curiously.]
Kol is the same.
Hope: Dana. Dana! [Dana pukes all her insides out and only her skin is left.]
Hope: Should we call your dad?
Lizzie: Why? So he can take another bullet for you? 
Audrey: (to Jed) I take back liking her comment.
Hope: No. Because whatever did this is not a vampire. It's got to be another monster from the Knife.
Audrey: Creature! [Kaleb looks at Landon.]
Kaleb: Well, maybe the monster's been right in front of us all along.
Landon: What...? Are you serious?
Kaleb: Hey, none of this started happening until you showed up and stole that Knife, which is exactly what the other monsters came here to do.
You saying it's a coincidence?
"He is right. Landon shouldn't ve around Audrey and Hope!" Said Klaus.
Landon: Yeah. Yeah. Yes, I am. You believe me, right? [Landon looks at Hope, but like everyone else she is silent.]
Landon: Got it. Say no more. [Landon leaves.]
SALVATORE SCHOOL-MILL-DAY
Josie: You can relax here without wolves throwing glares at you or tripping you...
Rafael: (sighs) I didn't even do anything to them. I don't get why they...
Josie: They are very loyal to Audrey and they know you and your friend caused her trouble. 
Audrey smiles at her pack's protectivness. Klaus and Hayley sit up proudly.
Rafael: Josie.
Josie: I know you don't--
Rafael: Josie! [Rafael raises his hand and showes Josie webbed second floor. Rafael and Josie walk up to see what it is.]
Rafael: Josie...  [Josie sees Sasha wrapped in webs.]
"Sasha." Said Davina, looking sick.
Josie: It's Sasha. [Sasha opens her eyes.]
Josie: Uh... [Josie jumps back startled and get stuck in webs.]
Rafael: Are you okay?
Josie: No, Raf, I think I'm stuck. [Rafael tries to get Josie out.]