The Good Daughter

Twenty five

"What happened last night?" Tyler made me jump.

I glanced around wearily, as if a Mikaelson might appear, and shut my locker. "They took Damon."

"What?"

"As a punishment."

He grasped my hand and pulled me into an empty classroom. "Because of what we did?"

"No, they don't know about Stefan. It's because I disappeared and didn't tell them where I was going." I wanted to throw something. "They're holding Damon hostage to get me to behave." And it was fucking working. "They don't know about you. I just said I was out with a friend."

"They believed it?"

"You wouldn't be alive if they didn't." The bell rang. "I have to go. It's part of the deal." Perfect attendance and all.

Though I guess that was already ruined yesterday.

"You have to be okay first, you look like you're about to burst into tears and you're shaking."

"One of my brothers is locked in your cellar and the other is apparently taking the brunt of my family's anger at me. I can't be okay."

Tyler pulled me into his chest, and at first I tensed, but I slowly relaxed into it, allowing myself to be wrapped in a hug. He set his chin on top of my head. "How can we make Stefan better?"

"He's compelled. Only Nik can release him."

"Okay... you may be stuck at school but I know a few nosy people who care about Damon. They aren't under the same restrictions."

"No." I pulled back reluctantly. "No. If they try to get him out, he might get killed in the process. We have to let this happen."

"I don't know how to make this better."

"I don't need you to make it better. I need you to stay hidden." Right now, Tyler was the only thing keeping me from losing it. "Please. I don't want them to find you."

"I can do that." He nodded, brushing some hair behind my ear.

"Thank you." I let out a breath.

Tyler opened his backpack, and pulled out a box. "My mom said the way to a girl's heart is jewelry."

"You didn't..."

"I noticed you wear a necklace all the time, so I got you this." He opened the box and it was a  bracelet with a matching pendant to the one I wore. "It took me a while to find it because apparently it's super rare."

I grinned, touching the delicate metal. "It's beautiful." And it was actually mine. I'd lost it when we had to leave New Orleans. "Do you mind me asking where you got it?"

"Some guy named Marcel. He wasn't interested in selling until I showed him a picture of you wearing the necklace."

That fucker. "I love it."

"It's not gonna mess with anything if you wear it?"

"I can make something up." I took the bracelet out and handed it to him. "Help me?"

He grinned, setting the box down. Tyler clipped it around my wrist. "So what do you prefer, Morgan Salvatore or Mikaelson?"

"That's not an easy answer. If you asked me that question a year ago, I would've said Mikaelson. That's my family. But at that point I still thought both Damon and Stefan were gone." My hands still trembled. "I tried for a long time to forget them." The thought that I needed to get to my next class kept itching at me. "Elijah told me they were dead, and it was so much less painful to bury them in the past. I embraced who I became as a Mikaelson." And I was different then than I was now.

The classroom door opened and we jumped apart.

"Hello? Subtle much?" Caroline slipped inside. "If I can hear you across the school, other vampires can."

"You only heard us because you're nosy." Tyler deadpanned.

"True." Her head dipped to the side. "Do you guys know where Stefan or Damon disappeared to? I thought Stefan was supposed to be stalking Elena and Damon was supposed to be on Stefan duty."

She hadn't heard all of our conversation.

"Maybe they're on a murder binge. It's not exactly out of Damon's character and we all know Stefan's not in his right mind." Tyler moved to sit on the teacher's desk.

I folded my arms. "I'm working on Nik, but until he gets back to take his compulsion away, there isn't much we can do to stop Stefan."

My phone rang alongside the bell.

Holy shit.

I glanced at the time. Holy shit. "I have to go."

Tyler and I exchanged a glance and on my way out I caught Caroline's knowing one.