Humanity 6 "The Change"

Chapter 11

ASHLEY'S POV

My eyes slowly pry open as I try to take in my surroundings. It looks like I'm in the Grill.

"See, we never went out to dinner when I was a kid, so I always had this fascination with chefs and fine dining. Dad actually let me cook...taught me to measure by eye. Seasonings to taste, all that stuff, but it's different now in the restaurant world. Everything's on a timer. It's like, the fries go in, you push a button, it dings and you take them out. Literally no guess work."

I hear a voice ramble as I regain consciousness. Kai.

I try to move, but my hands are tied behind my back and they burn. Vervain. The little ass put vervain on the ropes.

"Why am I here?" I ask weakly.

"Uh, well I spent eighteen years in abandoned restaurants and now I'm showing you the fruits of my labor." He says, walking around me so that I can finally see him.

"I don't mean at the Grill." I tell him as he takes a seat at the table across from me.

"Oh, you mean like, here here, in Mystic Falls." He says with a giggle. "Sorry, I'm nervous. You're like...really pretty."

"Why am I here, Kai?" I ask coldly.

"Well, I took the spell that was keeping supernaturals out of Mystic Falls, and I like...absorbed it...like ate it, I guess." He says with a shrug. "It's pretty cool. First I eat magic, and then eventually, I lose it. But a huge spell like that? I mean, come on. Magic's oozing out of me. It's all over the place. I didn't even realize how out of control I was until I met the manager of the Grill a few hours ago."

I watch Kai as he speaks, seeming to be pleased with himself.

"He was all like, 'hey, you can't come in here. We're closed, and you have an unconscious girl over your shoulder.' And then I was like, 'don't judge me.' And then I gave him a heart attack...well, tried to, but all it did was make him vomit uncontrollably, which was like, ew. So, then I tried again, and I think I broke his spine? I mean, I'm not really sure, because the third time I tried the spell, he kinda exploded in blood."

Kai smiles as he takes a sip of water from a glass on the table. I cannot believe him. He is seriously messed up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I ask in disgust.

"I just told you, I have too much magic. You know what, it wasn't until after my test run with the manager that I realized, if I start to merge with Jo and my gushing fountains of magic turn her into that guy, then I'm not gonna have a twin for the merge." He explains.

I continue to look at him in complete horror as he speaks.

"So, Ashley, that is why you are here. Because I need to get my magic under control...by practicing with you...or rather, on you." He says as I begin to panic. "Oh, silver lining...after the manager finally stopped thrashing around, I managed to do a cloaking spell. It's easy to do and undo.

"Suddenly, Kai chants something and the dead manager appears on the table in front of me. I gasp as I see him covered in blood.

"Table for there." Kai says with a laugh as he takes in my shocked reaction. "You had no idea." He continues laughing.

He is a psychopath, and I'm stuck with him. What the hell am I supposed to do?

STEFAN'S POV

I hear the loud noise of bottles clanking and music playing, and I find myself sitting up in bed. What the hell is going on?

I sigh and stand from the bed, making my way down to the kitchen.

When I come around the corner, Jeremy is standing by the sink with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.