𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 | 𝐭𝐯𝐝

46

"You okay? Is Ray getting heavy?"

The three of us, Klaus, Stefan, and I, were on our way up the Smoky Mountains and towards Ray's pack. Stefan had been carrying the werewolf's body. "Oh for God's sake, hand me the man, Stefan." I huffed, "I've got it, Sundance." He promised. I knew he was lying. Stefan hated the fact I have had to touch dead bodies all summer when I'm supposed to be in bed, eating and crying like any other day. "Stefan. Take a break, okay?" I frowned. He looked at me and hesitated before throwing the man off of his back. I threw him on my own and held him up with all of the strength I could muster. "How sweet." Klaus teased. "How sweet." I repeated, mocking his accent. "Very funny, love. Ever thought about what your sister would think if she knew you two shared a bed most nights? Oh, and the hand holding, God, she'd go mad." He laughed. "You know, I get that we're, uh...we're stuck together, but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat, it'd be great." Stefan snapped.

"So much brooding. Your self-loathing is suffocating you, my friend." Klaus chuckled. "Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves. We've been at it all summer." Stefan complained. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you both shut up so we can find the pack, do what's necessary, and leave?" I interrupted. "There," Klaus said, turning and stopping to admire a campsite. "You two go first." He ushered. Stefan and I put on our 'we hate everything so fuck you all' masks and walked into the area, making heads twist to see who arrived. I threw Ray onto the ground and a woman approached the body. "Ray! Oh, my God. What's going on? Who are you?" she asked, shaking her friend.

"The important question is who am I. Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus." Klaus introduced, stepping next to Stefan and I. "You're the hybrid." The woman exhaled. "You've heard of him. Fantastic!" I smirked. Her face went pale.

Klaus, Stefan, and I sat down and made ourselves at home. We were waiting for Ray to wake up. Stefan and I intertwined our fingers and looked at Klaus, who decided to scare the campers. "It's fascinating, actually...A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid." He described. Ray began gasping. "Welcome back, Ray-Ray. How was the nap? Enjoyable? You're very heavy, you know. Invest in a fitness program." I greeted. "What's happening to me?" Ray asked. "Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to a vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die." Stefan said, getting up. My hand was cold. "Doesn't take much, just a sip. Anyone? A boyfriend, a girlfriend, along for the ride?" I continued. "Oh come on! He isn't picky." I scoffed. "You!" Klaus picked a man with brown hair and a short stubble beard. He rushed over to him and bit his forearm. Stefan grabbed the bitten wolf and threw him on the ground in front of Ray. The same woman protested but I was quick to strangle her. "If you don't drink it, Ray, I will. The problem is I don't know how to stop." Stefan warned. "It's the new order, sweetheart. You join us, or you die." Klaus said to the woman in my arms. "I'd rather die than be a vampire." She hissed. "Wrong choice, sweetie," I whispered sweetly, shoving her into Klaus's arms. He gave her his blood. Ray drank the blood from the man and Klaus twisted the head of the lady.

He finally finished and gave his blood to the human. "There. Good as new. Now you relax, okay, mate? We're gonna need you when the rest of them wake up." Klaus coaxed. I went over to Stefan, who eyed Ray. "He doesn't look too good." I frowned. Ray sat on a rock, moving back and forth and shivering. "Ah, he's through his transition. He should be feeling better soon." Klaus shrugged. "So is this your master plan? Build an army of hybrid slaves?" Stefan mocked. "No, not slaves. Soldiers, comrades." The hybrid answered. "For what war, might I ask?" I put in my two cents if that's worth anything. "Oh, you don't arm yourself after the war has been declared, Stefan. You build your army so big that no one ever dares pick a fight."

"What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?" I snickered. "Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team. That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder." Klaus said to Stefan. Stefan began laughing. "That's why you're, uh...you're keeping me around? To witness my attitude adjustment?" Stefan asked with a sarcastic tone in his voice. "You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know," Klaus replied calmly. Ray's eyes began bleeding. "This doesn't seem right, boss." I tsked and held Ray's head up with two fingers, looking at the blood falling down his cheek. "That shouldn't be happening, should it?" Stefan frowned. "Well, obviously."