Glitch in the Reflection

The Daylight Ring

While Caroline and El were in bed, cuddling away, across town Stefan went back to the Boarding House only to pause when he smelled blood. Knowing his brother, he immediately thought of the worse. Speeding into the house, the dried out corpse of his nephew stared back at him with cold empty eyes.

"Zach!" He knelt down, not even needing to use his super hearing to know he doesn't have a heartbeat. "Oh, no Zach..." Of course that was when his phone rang. "Hello?"

"I want my ring."

—-------

"Where are you?"

Damon poured alcohol on the body's that littered the campfire at the cemetery. "I'm at the Sizzler. I had the buffet. Where's my ring?"

"I don't have it. Where are you? What have you done?"

"Noooo, what have you done?" He corrected his brother. "You're the one that locked me in the basement and starved me, so whatever I've done, whoever I've sucked dry is on you, buddy."

"You're being careless. How many more animal attacks is this town gonna believe, huh?"

"I know how to cover my tracks, Stefan." He spoke into the phone, watching the flames grow taller. "Where's my ring?"

"I gave it to Zach to hide. Probably shouldn't have killed him."

Damon's face palled for a split second. "Ah, you almost got me. Where is it?"

"I'll get it back, but I need time."

"What, did you FedEx it to Rome?" How much time does one need to get a ring? "Where is it? I want my ring, Stefan, or my next stop's El's." He had to go there anyway, but Stefan didn't know that.

"I already want you dead. Don't give me another reason to make it happen."

"Don't give me another reason to rip you apart."

"Yeah? Is that gonna be before or after you get your ring back?"

Already tired of all the games that he was pulled into today, he didn't have the energy to come up with a witty comeback. "Just get it." Shutting the phone, Damon tossed it into the fire. Turning to see another body, he grabbed the liquor that he threw on the ground and started pouring over the girl when she began coughing.

Curious, the Vampire crouched down, balancing on his heels when he recognized the face. Vicki. "You just don't wanna die, do ya?"

—-------

Back at the Forbes residents, up in Caroline's room, the two girls were cuddled up with one another. Caroline was laying on her back with El curled into her. The witch's nose was pressed into the blonde's neck while Care's hand was tangled up in her hair. Both dead to the world.

Well, they would have been if El's phone didn't start to buzz. Shifting slightly, El moved in closer, like her body was fighting to stay asleep. But the buzzing wouldn't stop. Detangling herself from her girlfriend(?), her hand patted the bed before stumbling across her phone.

"Hello?" The grogginess in her voice could be easily spotted.

"You certainly sound like Katerina."

Her mind jerked. Sitting up, quicker than she ever thought possible, only to wince when Caroline rolled onto her side. "Niklaus?"

"Hello, Jamie Micheals was it? Love the last name, clever. Little on the nose, but clever nonetheless."

She pulled the phone away from her ear, putting her hand over the speaker. "...shit." She whispered to herself. Why now? Why couldn't the bastard call her at a normal time. Bringing the phone up again, she cleared her throat. "Yeah, yeah that's me. Just give me a sec."