𝓤𝓝𝓕𝓞𝓡𝓣𝓤𝓝𝓐𝓣𝓔, 𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓞𝓡𝓘𝓖𝓘𝓝𝓐𝓛𝓢

CHAPTER 4

Riya groggily wakes up, her head throbbing with a massive headache. She blinks a few times, trying to remember the events from the previous night. Flashes of the confrontation with Katie, the surge of unfamiliar power, and collapsing in Klaus's arms play in her mind. Panic sets in as she realizes something strange happened to her.

She rushes out of her room, walking briskly toward the hall. Her heart races as she reaches the main area, only to see a figure sprawled out on the couch, snoring softly. It's Josh, sleeping with his mouth wide open.

Riya freezes, her eyes wide. He was there last night... he knows what happened! Her instincts kick in, and she decides it's best to sneak out of the loft before he wakes up and starts asking questions. She carefully tiptoes toward the door, trying to avoid any noise.

But luck isn't on her side. As she passes a side table, her foot nudges a small decorative vase, sending it tumbling to the floor with a loud crash.

Josh jolts awake, his eyes wide with surprise. "What the—?!" he shouts, still half-asleep.

Riya, startled, lets out a scream. "AHHHHH!"

Josh, fully awake now, screams back, "AHHHHH!"

Without thinking, Riya grabs the nearest object, a larger vase and brandishes it like a weapon. "Stay back!" she yells, her voice a mix of panic and determination.

Josh, hands up in a defensive gesture, quickly tries to de-escalate. "Riya, it's me! Josh! I'm not a threat!"

But Riya, still overwhelmed by the previous night's events, isn't hearing it. "You were there last night! You saw what happened! What if you're one of them?!" She steps closer, the vase raised above her head.

Josh backs away, stumbling over his words. "No, no, no! I'm definitely not one of them! I'm just a friendly neighborhood vampire who's really bad at fighting!"

Ignoring his protests, Riya starts chasing Josh around the hall, the vase swinging wildly. Josh dodges and ducks, frantically trying to avoid getting hit. "Riya, stop! You're going to break something or me!"

The chase continues, both of them screaming and darting around furniture, until Josh trips over a rug and crashes into a chair. He scrambles up, running again as Riya closes in on him, determined to take him down.

At that moment, the front door bursts open, and Klaus, Marcel, and Rebekah walk in, stopping in their tracks at the chaotic scene. Marcel's eyes widen in disbelief, Rebekah raises an eyebrow in curiosity, and Klaus simply crosses his arms, bemused.

Riya finally tackles Josh, pinning him down and raising the vase. "Tell me the truth, or else—!"

"STOP!" Marcel shouts, his voice booming across the room.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Rebekah exclaims, utterly confused.

Riya and Josh freeze, turning their heads to look at the three newcomers. They stare back, the tension in the room palpable.

For a moment, no one speaks. Then, Josh manages a weak smile. "Uh... morning, everyone?"

Marcel sighs, rubbing his temples. "Riya, put down the vase."

Riya hesitates but then slowly lowers the vase, her heart still pounding. She gets off Josh, who sits up, breathing a sigh of relief.

Klaus steps forward, eyeing the scene with mild amusement. "Quite the morning routine you've got here."

Rebekah, still trying to make sense of it all, gestures to the mess in the room. "Is this a normal occurrence, or did we just walk into some sort of bizarre ritual?"