• • • •

"No, I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask any questions!"

"Isobel's here?" Faith asked as she walked inside the classroom. All eyes were on her as she slowly sat down in the desk next to Elena. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Where have you been?" Damon questioned the siphoner. His blue eyes studied her as well as the others in the room.

The siphoner was dressed in pants and a large sweater with the hood over her head. She seemed to make every move with so much pain. Like the littlest movement, physically hurt her.

"I was at home," Faith mumbled. "I was barely able to make it out of the house without my mother noticing."

"For a week?" Elena asked.

"Yes," the siphoner trailed off. "For a week, but that's not the point. Why's Isobel here?"

"She wants to see me," Elena said.

"Okay," Faith rubbed her temples. "So why not just see her?"

"You don't have to see her if you don't want to," Damon reassured the doppelgänger, causing Stefan and Faith to look at the dark-haired vampire, weirdly. Since when has Damon ever been sensitive?

"I don't have a choice," Elena admitted.

"She's threatened to go on a killing spree," Alaric explained.

"Oh," Damon said. "I take it that's not okay with you guys?"

"What's the big deal?" Faith asked. "It's just a little blood."

Elena narrowed her eyes on the siphoner before sighing. "No, I want to do it. I want to meet her. If I don't, I know I'll regret it."

• • • •

"We should be in there," Damon remarked before walking back to Alaric and Faith. The siphoner was seated down on a bench while the History teacher sat against the arm of the bench.

"No, Isobel made it clear we're not to step a foot inside," Alaric stated.

"What he said," Faith pointed at the teacher. "Plus I'm pretty sure I don't have enough magic to protect all of you if you do something stupid."

"I'm not going to kill her in a crowded restaurant," Damon remarked, sounding almost offended.

"You're not going to kill her period!"

"She ruined your life and you still want to protect her?"

"She's my wife," Alaric argued but gained looks from the vampire and siphoner. "Was my wife. I looked for the woman I married but she wasn't there. Whoever that is, she's cold and detached."

"Yeah," Damon scoffed. "She's given up her humanity."

"Yeah, see, I don't get that," Alaric said. "Stefan has his humanity, he's a good guy. And you're a dick and you kill people but I still see something human in you. But with her, there was...nothing."

"You can turn it off, like a button you can press," the vampire began. "I mean, Stefan's different. He wants the whole human experience. He wants to feel every episode of 'How I Met Your Mother', so he shuts his feelings out. The problem is, as a vampire, your instinct is not to feel," Damon continued to explain as he sat down next to Faith. "Isobel chose the easier road - no guilt, no shame, no regret. I mean, come on, if you could turn it off, wouldn't you?"

"You haven't," Alaric pointed out.

"Of course I have, Ric," Damon countered. "It's why I'm so fun to be around."

"Look," Faith stood up with difficulty. "It doesn't look like they'll come out anytime soon, so I'm going home. Give me a call if you need me."

"Where are you going?" Alaric asked.

"Home," she answered as she began walking away.

Just as she was a few feet away, a hand grabbed her upper arm. She hissed in pain and her eyes met with familiar blue ones. Damon narrowed his eyes before forcibly rolled up Faith's sweater sleeve up to her shoulder. A large ligature mark was around her wrist, bruising and newly made scars littered up to her shoulder.

Faith's eyes widened and hurriedly pulled her arm away from the vampire. She glanced behind him and relaxed when Alaric wasn't watching them. She glared up at the vampire. "What the hell, Damon?"

"Who did this to you?" The vampire countered back with a question.

"None of your business," Faith retorted. "Leave me alone."

Damon wasn't letting her go, easily. He grabbed hold of her arm again and held onto her with his vampire strength. "Is this why we didn't see you all week? Does your mother know?"

Something inside Faith snapped when he mentioned her mother. Everyone's first instinct was to ask if a child's mother knew what they were up to. It frustrated Faith to no end. It was always the mother who was innocent and could do no wrong.

"She's the one doing this to me!" She blurted out and her eyes widened. She realized what she said and before the vampire could say something, she disappeared from his sight.

• • • •

Faith stepped forward into the library of the Salvatore Boarding House. "You guys have to decide on one place to meet. It takes a lot of time to get everywhere in this damn town."

Her eyebrows furrowed at the tension in the library, specifically between Damon and Elena.

"But you can trust me," Elena insisted, looking at the dark-haired vampire.

The vampire had his eyes narrowed on the brunette before glancing at Faith. The siphoner wandered around the two before sitting down on the edge of the desk in the room next to Stefan. Everyone turned around to Faith after catching him looking at her.

"What? Why are you looking at me?" Faith questioned.

"What happened to your forehead?" Damon growled.

"I fell and hit my head on the corner of a table, hurts like a bitch," Faith grumbled, eyes narrowed on the vampire as she lied through her teeth.

"Faith," the siphoner's attention narrowed on Elena. "We need to give Jonathan Gilbert's invention to Isobel."

"Did she threaten to go on a killing spree?" Faith asked, unbothered.

Elena shook her head. "She has Jeremy."

"Well, give her the damn thing," Faith remarked but noticed Elena hesitating. "Who has it?"

"I do," Damon admitted. "We don't have to give her anything. Like I told them, I can save him my way."

"Hell to the fuck no," Faith scowled and stood up. "What are you going to do Damon? Just waltz into wherever she is? With what backup? Stefan won't follow you if Elena doesn't agree and Bonnie doesn't like you."

"What about you?"

"I barely have any magic in me," they were glaring at each other. Faith held out her hand. "Now give me the damn thing, please."

Damon glances down at her hand. He could see her ligature mark peeking out from her jacket sleeve. He pulled out what looked like a pocket watch and placed it on Faith's palm. They glanced at each other before Faith spoke, softly. "Thank you."

• • • •

Faith laid against a cold wall in the basement. Her blue eyes followed her mother's movements. Circe latched the metal chains on Faith's wrists and ankles before leaving the basement. Faith sighed as she dangled the metal chains in front of her before dropping her arm.

She was freezing. She was only wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. The basement had no heater and it was always cold, no matter the weather it was outside. Her stomach growled in hunger. Faith couldn't remember the last time she ate. Probably three days ago. Her mother had come down one time throughout the whole week Faith stayed down in the basement. Circe had brought down a sandwich and water before leaving without a word.

Faith was just thankful that her mother had not punished her all week. Only the night of the contest.