"You okay? Is Ray getting heavy?" Klaus checked with Stefan, who had the unconscious werewolf slung over his shoulder.

"I'm fine," Stefan grumbled in annoyance.

"You sure about that? You know, we've been walking for quite some time now. If you need some water or a little sit-down..."

"You know, I get that we're, uh...we're stuck with you, but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat, it'd be great," Stefan said under his breath.

"What about you Angel? Want me to carry that bag for you?" Klaus called over his shoulder, where I was grunting under the weight of my hiking bag.

"I'm fine," I snapped, hating the flustered feeling I felt at the nickname.

"What do you even have in there?" Stefan asked in curiosity. "You don't need that much."

"I like to be prepared for anything," I answered vaguely when in truth there were half a dozen bottles of Hellcraft stashed in there.

I kept trying to lighten my intake of Hellcraft over the past couple of weeks, but every time I forced myself to miss a bottle, I just drank 2 the next time around. It wasn't that the liquid tasted good, it just satisfied me, making me feel strong instead of weak, which is how I had felt in Mystic Falls.

Useless to my friends, useless to the situation, and utterly helpless against anyone else.

Now I had power flooding through my veins, allowing me to shift at any moment, have strength even in human form, and have limitless stamina. I just had to act normal so that no one would suspect anything. In truth, I could have carried three more backpacks on my back and ran up and down the mountain.

"We're here," Klaus announced, slightly frustrated because no one wanted to talk to him.

We arrived at a place in the middle of the woods where camps were set up and people were sitting and standing everywhere. As soon as Stefan flung Ray onto the ground, a woman looked up in alarm.

"Ray!" she yelled, rushing over to him. "Oh, my God. What's going on? Who are you?"

Klaus walked up to Stefan's left, while I stepped towards his right. "The important question is who am I. Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus."

"You're the hybrid," she spat after a second's thought.

" You've heard of me." Klaus smiled maliciously. "Fantastic."

I resisted rolling my eyes. He was so dramatic.

∆ ∆ ∆

I excused myself under the pretense that I would relieve myself when in reality, I was just stocking up on my daily ration of Hellcraft. I sighed in delight, the taste not burning down my throat anymore. I had long ago abandoned any will of telling someone about my addiction. They wouldn't be able to help me anyway.

That's right. They wouldn't. And besides, now you're useful. You're stronger, badder, and more powerful than you've ever been. You can show people who you truly are now.

I smiled, now enjoying the voice of the liquid speak in my head. I almost considered it as my new conscience, it did help me get things done easier.

My phone started ringing incessantly and I picked up with slight annoyance.

"Kaitlyn, you finally answered," I heard a voice sigh, and I gritted my teeth.

Shoot! I hadn't even bothered to check who was calling!

"Katherine," I greeted. "Yes, I did. To tell you to stop calling me."

"Oh honey, you know I won't stop," Katherine said in a sugary-sweet voice. "Besides, what are you doing in the middle of the woods anyway?"

My heart thundered as I turned around, but not seeing anyone.

"How do you know where I am?"

"I've been following you guys," she admitted. "It's better to keep an eye on your enemies, to always be one step ahead."

"So you abandoned that nice vacation you were thinking of taking?" I asked snarkily, and she let out a breath.

"That was supposed to be with you," she reminded me, and I noticed the trace of sadness in her voice. "Please come back home Lynie. Stop this...whatever you're doing! In fact, I still don't even know what's gotten into you! You come back from being kidnapped by Liam completely different! What happened?"

"You need to stop poking your nose into business that doesn't concern you," I hissed, then added almost out of instinct. "Besides, I'm more like you now, isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you never liked poor, weak, defenseless Kaitlyn Paige. Or maybe you did. Maybe you did like how naive and trusting I was, so you could have a friend, for once in your life."

"Why are you being like this?" Katherine whispered. "This is me, Lyn. Be real for at least a few seconds."

"This is the real me," I snapped. "Don't call again."

I hung up promptly, taking another swig of Hellcraft when I felt negative feelings swirl inside me. Immediately, the emotions vanished, and I closed my eyes in relief when I felt the numbness again.

I joined Klaus a few seconds later, and he looked mildly curious about what had been taking me so long. But since he was a "gentleman", he didn't ask.

As if on cue, Ray sat up with a gasp, looking around deliriously. He had woken up in transition.

"Excellent timing Ray," Klaus smiled. "Very dramatic."

"What's happening to me?" he croaked in panic.

"Stefan?" Klaus called him over.

"Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die."

No one volunteered, naturally. Instead, they just looked around at each other, scared out of their skin as to what would happen next. I stood up theatrically, capturing their attention.

"You will help us," I smiled while I uttered the words in a menacing tone. "Or I won't hold back from giving you absolute hell."

My wings sprouted from my back, black as the night, matching the color my eyes transformed to. The werewolves and humans in the camp started screaming as I looked them in the eye. Another fascinating upgrade I discovered the Hellcraft gave me, was that I could inflict fear on people with only the merest eye contact.

"You!" I yelled, pointing at a cowering human man behind a tree. "You can be our first volunteer."

He walked shakily over to us, and I slashed his wrist with the top of my wing, throwing him over to where Ray was sitting. Unable to contain himself, the transitioning werewolf/vampire bit into the human's wrist, feeding greedily.

Stefan was standing with his mouth hanging slightly open, gaping at me, but Klaus took advantage of the situation, forcing people to drink his blood and then snapping their necks.

5 minutes later, I was sitting on a rock next to a shaken Stefan, and Klaus was pacing around impatiently as he waited for all the dead werewolves to wake up. Ray was a few meters away, shivering uncontrollably and rocking himself back and forth, muttering words under his breath.

"What the hell was that Kaitlyn?" Stefan asked authoritatively after he had some time to gather his thoughts. "That was incredibly dumb."

I turned towards him in frustration. "And how is that? I got those people to obey. What more do you want?"

"First of all," Stefan tried to maintain his angry voice. "Since when are your wings black? And second of all, you're not supposed to reveal what you are to everyone yet. What if one of the people spreads the word to those doctors you're so scared of!"

I froze, suddenly remembering the other problem I had not thought of yet. "I forgot about that," I covered my mouth in alarm.

"What is he talking about?" Klaus marched over to us. "Frankly, I thought you were brilliant. Hell, even I was shaking a bit!"

Under other circumstances, I might have appreciated the compliment Klaus threw my way, but I was too busy trying not to freak out about the current situation. Liam had told me that he had informed the doctors about my location, what I was, and how to capture me.

What if Stefan was right? What if one of these dead imbeciles spread the word about what they had seen?

"Hello?!" Klaus waved a hand in front of my face impatiently.

"No," Stefan broke in. "I'm more curious as to why you're wings are black! And how you did that eye thing! The same one you did in Tennesee!"

"I already questioned her about that," Klaus sighed. "She won't give you any information."

"Please," Stefan's eyebrows creased in frustration. "Of course she wouldn't tell you anything."

"I'm not telling you anything either," I interrupted, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Stop asking me questions I won't answer."

He walked away in anger, leaving Klaus and me alone for the time being. I got up to leave, but not before his fingers wrapped around my upper arm.

"I'm not stupid, I know this has something to do with that drink you were drinking the other day," he mumbled lowly, and before I could protest added, "But, since I know you aren't inclined to share anything, I won't tell Stefan about it either."

"Thank you," I cleared my throat awkwardly, trying to tug my arm out of his grip.

"However, you need to control yourself," he warned me. "Pretty soon, Stefan won't just sit back any longer. He cares about you."

"Got it. Thanks," I managed to pull my arm back, and folded both of them over my chest. "So what is this for anyway? What's your master plan?"

"I'm building an army of soldiers," he replied loftily. "Comrades."

"Um, I don't think you understand how friendship and loyalty work," I remarked, and he frowned. "You can't just force it to happen. It needs to develop over time."

"And what are you even building it for?" Stefan walked back towards us. "A war? And if so, what war?"

"Oh, you don't arm yourself after war has been declared, Stefan. You build your army so big that no one ever dares pick a fight," Klaus explained as if it were obvious.

I walked over to Ray, who was shielding his face from us. He was still cradling himself and rocking back and forth, making it look like he should be in a mental institution instead of on the top of a hill in the middle of the wilderness. At the sound of my footsteps, he looked up at me, and my hand flew to my mouth.

"Um, guys?" I called. "Is that supposed to be happening?" I pointed to the blood streaming out of the transitioning man's eyes.

"You said it was gonna feel better. Why doesn't it feel better?" Ray sobbed.

"Some master race," Stefan grumbled underneath his breath.

"Lose the attitude," Klaus demanded, walking over to Ray in concern.

Ray jumps up and snarls, charging towards me. I froze unable to move in the shock of his superhuman speed. Stefan dove in front of me, and the two men rolled over in the grass, throwing punches. I heard a yell come from Stefan, and Ray was able to run away.

I dashed over to him in alarm, seeing that he was clutching his arm. He had gotten bitten.

"Where did he go?" Klaus challenged frustratedly.

"He, uh, got away," Stefan stammered, but his mind seemed like it was elsewhere.m

"Klaus, he got bitten," I showed frantically, and Klaus sucked his teeth in a mocking matter.

"Well, I tell you what. You find Ray, and then I'll heal you."

"You can't be serious," Stefan huffed in disbelief.

"You better hurry, 'cause that bite looks nasty."

Klaus turned to go back to the campsite, motioning me to follow him. I stayed back with Stefan for a few seconds, catching his glance.

"Thank you for saving me," I said gratefully, and he let out a sigh.

"Yeah, hope I don't regret doing that."

∆ ∆ ∆

"Bloody hell," Klaus shouted in anger, watching the staggering werewolves bleed from each opening.

"Why are they doing that?" I asked in disgust, and he kicked a tree in rage, the whole thing toppling down.

"I DON'T KNOW!" he yelled. "This...this wasn't supposed to happen. It's supposed to work. I did everything right."

Stefan walked back, looking sick to his stomach, but not only from his bite. He walked over to me and put his mouth next to my ear.

"I just ran into Damon. They're still looking for us."

"And? What did you tell him?" I asked nonchalantly, ignoring the thundering of my heart.

"To stop searching. That we weren't coming back," Stefan replied. "I don't think he'll listen though."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't see them," I muttered, knowing it would stir up emotions that I didn't want to feel.

"I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppelgänger!" Klaus barked, still screaming. "THEY'RE ALL DEAD!"

"Well at least they won't share my little angel secret," I whispered to myself, glad for the one lucky thing that came out of this.

Stefan and I shared an uncomfortable glance at the last part. The last time we checked, Elena was definitely alive. Which was probably the reason the hybrid thing didn't work.

"You look like hell," Klaus commented, turning to discover Stefan had arrived.

"Last I checked, I'm dying...and you don't want to heal me."

Klaus rolled his eyes and picked up an empty bottle of beer. He then promptly bit into his wrist and let the blood splatter inside the bottle.

"Bottoms up. We're leaving," he gave the drink to Stefan and looked at me. "It appears you two are the only comrades I have left."

I almost smiled, then caught myself. Why did I get the feeling that I wanted to be more than just his comrade?

∆ ∆ ∆