Consumed » Kai Parker

Fifteen

My eyes flutter open, the cloudy sky being the first sight to greet me.

Wait.... Cloudy sky?

My head turns to the side to see Kai laying next to me on the leaf-covered grass, beginning to stir. A small groan leaves his lips and his eyes soon open, lips parting when he notices the sky.

"Oh, shit," He breathes, sitting up. I mimic his movements, my eyes widening when I see the home Elena, Jeremy, and I lived in practically all our lives. Until Elena burned it down with Jeremy inside, after Damon told her to turn her humanity off in an attempt to ease her pain after our brother's death. A death that, fortunately, turned out to be temporary when Bonnie bravely saved him.

So, how was the house here now, still standing and completely intact?

"We made it out of the prison world," I say in disbelief, looking up at Kai, who already stood up. He offers me his hand and I grab it, allowing him to pull me to my feet.

"I never thought I'd see a cloudy sky again," Kai says, staring up at the sky above us, a wide grin on his face.

My gaze is locked on the house. "Something isn't right."

He looks back down to me, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe because you've been stuck in a continuous loop of May 10, 1994. The real world is bound to feel a little off, at least at first."

I shake my head, taking a step backward. "No, Kai, I mean, this is my house. My old house. It was burned down a while ago. How is it still here?"

Kai shrugs, unbothered. "Maybe someone was kind enough to rebuild it, who cares? We're out!"

He pounds the air with his fist gleefully. I don't join him in his joy, an uncomfortable feeling twisting my stomach. A feeling that something is definitely wrong.

"I think I should go check it out," I tell him, walking toward the steps leading up to my front door. "Maybe Elena and Jeremy are here."

"You know, your lack of joy is seriously killing my vibe right now," Kai calls after me. "We finally escaped and you haven't even cracked a smile."

I ignore him, placing my hand on the doorknob, hesitating for a moment. The feeling in my stomach only grows stronger as my proximity to the house increases. But I force myself to push the door open, holding my breath as I did.

The hall is empty, the house lacking the chatter of my siblings, a sound I'd grown to associate with the home. I gulp, slowly walking down the hall.

"Elena? Jeremy?" I call out. My voice echoes throughout the eerily silent house, no response from either of my siblings.

When I enter the living room, my mouth opens in a scream. No sound comes out, just air forced out my throat. Because on the floor before me lies Elena and Jeremy's motionless bodies, shirts soaked with crimson. I fall to my knees, my hands trembling when I reach for them, tears streaming down my face.

"N-no," I sob, wrapping my fingers around Elena's cheeks and shaking her. I do the same to Jeremy, praying that by some miracle, if I shake them hard enough, their brown eyes will be revealed to me again. Eyes so much like my own.

"You can't be dead," I whimper. "I came back, I made it back to you. We're supposed to be a family again. You're the only family I have."

I choke on another sob rising in my throat, voice cracking on the word "family".

"Please don't leave me," I cry.

"They're already gone, Charlotte."

I freeze at the voice, one that certainly doesn't belong to Kai. My head snaps up to meet the eyes of Joshua Parker, standing in the middle of the living room.