Raf was a terrible roommate.

"For the love of the Mother, if you don't stop snoring, I will suffocate you!" she groaned, waking up again because he was being too noisy. "Raf, shut up!"

"I can't help that I snore!" he said, annoyed. Look, I swear, it's just for tonight. Next time, they gotta do it in Josie's room."

"This is why you should request your own room."

"Lan is going to be upset if I ask for that."

"You can say you need it so those guys can have privacy! It's not fair to have to be kicked out by your roommate."

"Like you've ever had that experience."

"Um, arguably worse than that considering my own parents would tell me to go for a nice long walk when they wanted to do it."

"That put a horrible image in my mind. I'm sorry I asked."

She got out of her bed, purposely stepping on his legs. "Screw it, I'm going to get a midnight snack."

Though Vardemus had implemented a curfew, she wasn't about to listen when she was hungry. Several of the students were passed out all over the couches of the living room and library, some groaning and holding their heads, others just tired. She slipped into the kitchen to make herself a sandwich, startled when the door opened behind her. Thankfully, it was just Jed.

"Rhysaenya, hi," he said, smiling at her. "Didn't think you'd be awake."

"Yeah, well, Raf snores loudly. Roommate kickouts."

He smirked. "I know that feeling. Um... I actually did want to talk about something. I don't want to pry into your business, but I heard something about you being... attracted to all types of people?"

"Yes, I am. Recently, I learned it's called being 'pansexual.' I like men, women, those who identify as neither. Everyone, really. Why do you ask? Are you not... comfortable with that?"

"It's not that, I swear. I uh... I don't have anyone else to talk to about this kind of stuff."

Her expression softened. "Oh, Jed, are you–?"

"I'm not pan, but I am... bi. Today's the preparation for Commonwealth Day, and we're signed up to volunteer in the town square with the Mystic Falls High kids. I saw the schedule last night and I saw that I am working to set up the gazebo with... someone that I noticed at the football game."

"Oh? Someone you think is cute?"

"Yeah. I kind of noticed him when I moved back in and saw him at the Mystic Grill, and I haven't wanted to think about it, but I guess now I'm wondering... what may happen. I mean, I'm going to have to talk to him. And I'm not one to really shy away from what I feel. I don't want to pretend there's nothing going on but I also don't know if speaking up is the right choice. Particularly when he does not like our school right now."

"Are you talking about Ethan?!"

"Maybe. But I don't want to tell anybody else even though it would be super sweet for a vampire to ask him if he's straight or not so at least I know if I have a chance. I want to do this the right way. Starting with... ending this mutually satisfying hook up."

"Of course, whatever you need. If you want, I can talk to his sister, Maya. Maybe I can find something out from her to at least point you in the right direction. Just... talk to him normally, get to know him, maybe exchange phone numbers, or something. Hope healed him fully. He won't know it yet but... I'm sure he doesn't harbor as much ill will for the school as you think. Aw, Jed..." she smiled, taking his hands. "You can talk to me about this whenever you need. That's what friends are for."

"You're not upset? You're sure?"

"Hey, the term is 'friends-with-benefits,' not just 'benefits.' We're friends first and foremost. I'll always be here for you. Thank you... for making me feel comfortable with my body. I want you to be free to explore everything the world has to offer. And if I can help in any way, I will."

"Thank you, too," he said softly. "For not judging. And for also helping me feel comfortable with myself."

"Of course. Va moriot." (T: Always.)

She made sure she was assigned to work with Maya, lifting lights into the trees. It was easy to find out more about her; Maya wasn't at all shy about telling her all about a girl she currently had a 'thing' with, and Rhysaenya honestly liked her quite a bit even from such a short conversation. The problem was that she wasn't sure how to find out whether Ethan was or wasn't into guys, which meant she wasn't going to be any help to Jed.

"That's so nice," said Rhysaenya, genuinely interested in learning more about a pride parade that Maya had attended. "But don't you get lonely going by yourself?"

"Not at all!" said Maya. "My brother's always with me."

Jackpot? Maybe?

"That's so nice that he's supportive. I never had a sibling but if they did, I'd want them to be an ally."

"He's the best. We fight a lot, but he's always there for me."

"He seems like a good guy."

"You know, if you like him, you should probably just ask him out."

Rhysaenya stared at her, letting out a series of snorts and shaking her hands so much, she nearly dropped the lights. "Woah, woah, no– not at all what I was implying."

"You sure?" asked Maya, tilting her head. "I remember you were at the game. You helped get him to the ambulance."

"Because he was hurt and I was close by. I swear, I don't like your brother. You two are good looking but just– no. I don't think he and I have anything in common." (Truth be told, Rhysaenya didn't think she could date a human. How could she be with someone who would never be able to understand her struggles?)

Maya narrowed her eyes. "For someone who doesn't like him, you're awfully curious."

"Um, can you keep a secret?"

"Hell yeah."

"I'm asking on behalf of a friend. A secret admirer."

"Oh! Well, whoever it is, they probably have a chance. Ethan does not discriminate."

"Ah... I don't want to pry, but does that mean what I think it means? Is he, you know..." she flicked her hand the way she'd seen Penelope do once.

Maya giggled. "Everyone in my family is as open minded as possible. My brother likes honesty. So... whoever your friend is, they should probably just ask him on a date. Most likely, he'll say yes."

On her next break, she relayed the information to Jed, who thanked her and puffed his chest up, trying to gather his wits before his next shift.

She returned to the school, her work for the day done. MG was waiting for her, announcing that he, Kaleb, and Kaleb's sister Kym (who was visiting for Commonwealth Day) had captured Sebastian and managed to question him.

His story was much sadder than anyone anticipated. At the age of eight, his parents sold him to vampire pirates, and no matter how hard he tried to escape, he couldn't. He was eventually turned, and in the late 1500s, terrorized the settlers for Roanoke, turning his hunger into a sport and earning him the title of 'Sebastian The Merciless.' He'd been in love with a witch named Cassandra who let him desiccate to keep him safe. Cassandra had died violently, while he watched helplessly. He'd remained imprisoned and desiccated in his coffin for four hundred eighty-three years, until he convinced Wade to free him. The blood he'd wiped off his mouth was from him. He was okay now, but shaken by the incident.

"And you want to introduce him to Lizzie?" said Rhysaenya in disbelief as they walked to the gym, where Lizzie and Josie were apparently having a conversation about their dad's new relationship. "That's a terrible idea."

"She deserves to know," said MG with a sigh. "I can't keep this secret from her."

"Ugh... on your own head be it. You're never gonna get the girl like that."

"It's okay," said MG quietly, looking over his shoulder at Kym, who was sitting with Kaleb in the library. "I'm not going to let that hold me down."

"Sure, Romeo."

The twins flinched as they opened the doors of the gym. As soon as Lizzie laid eyes on Sebastian, she said anxiously, "Oh, God, I'm having an episode."

Josie smirked, "At least this one's got a hot guy guest star."

"Wait, you can see him?"

"Everyone can," said MG quietly. "There's something I need to tell you."

Rhysaenya stayed with Sebastian while MG pulled Lizzie aside to talk.

"You don't like me very much," noticed Sebastian with a smirk.

"I don't trust you," said Rhysaenya. "And I don't want you hurting Lizzie."

"And... you want your friend to have her to himself. It's why you wanted to kill me." He took a step closer. "You're not exactly unlike me, Rhysaenya Targaryen. I learned all about you when I went into the mind of that boy... Wade, was it? You're already in a spot of trouble with the old Headmaster for having killed a man. Apparently, you're the one of the only students here with multiple kills."

She held up her shirt, showing off the thirty-two circles on her abdomen. "I'll gladly add another by killing you if you're going to prove problematic."

He ran his tongue over his lips. "I don't intend to. Believe it or not, I am entranced by Elizabeth. I wish to know her. Kaleb has already spoken with the current Headmaster about letting me become a student here. Believe it or not, I amattempting to turn over a new leaf."

"You're five hundred years old! What do you need from a school like this? Lizzie is sixteen, you freaking weirdo. That is so wrong on so many levels."

He shrugged. "I turned when I was seventeen. And I was a vampire for only a few short years before I was desiccated. I could benefit from the instruction here just as much as any vampire. I suppose you'll have to accept that." He smirked, wiggling his fingers at her and heading out of the gym when he saw MG in the doorway.

Vardemus had absolutely no problem with enrolling Sebastian, which Rhysaenya absolutely hated. The only upside to the following day was that Jed and Ethan were going on a date up at the Old Mill (she'd helped pack a picnic basket for them) and that Lizzie was happy, though unfortunately for the wrong reasons. MG was bummed out and Kaleb wasn't about to let him occupy himself with Kym, but he opted to focus on schoolwork (which Rhysaenya was already extremely behind in).

She was on her way to Mystic Falls High School to ask Alaric what she might be able to do to prevent Sebastian's enrollment. She didn't even have to exit the gates, finding him already making his way in.

"What's going on?" she asked, wondering what brought him there at that time of day.

"Rhysaenya?" he said, bewildered. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was on my way to find you! Why are you here?"

"There was an attack at a bar... Dorian ran the DNA found at the scene and I wanted to get Hope's help tracking the person down... long story short, this person's genes say they're both male and female, every ethnicity under the sun, and all sorts of species, including part dog, goat, rabbit, you name it. I think they might be involved with Malivore."

"Hope is upstairs working on her homework, I think... I'll take you there."

He got out of the car, following her. "What were you on your way to tell me?"

"Sebastian got Wade to wake him up," she explained. "And Vardemus is letting him enroll at the school!"

"I really hate that guy," Alaric mumbled. "How he convinced Caroline that he was fit for this job is beyond me."

"I imagine it wasn't hard for him to fake being a great guy, he puts up Illusion Spells everywhere he goes to make the place look cute. As if there aren't bigger problems on the horizon at any given moment."

They were just on their way to Hope's room when Alaric noticed the door to one of the lower libraries was shut. Frowning, he popped it open, the two greeted with the sight of candles all over the floor and Josie unconscious on the carpet.

"Josie!" cried Alaric, rushing toward her. "Oh Josie, Josie– baby, wake up."

She opened her eyes groggily. "Dad? I... I think I did something bad."

"What happened?"

"Vardemus," said Josie weakly. "Not... Vardemus. Ryan... Clarke..."

Rhysaenya's body went rigid. "No! Hope snapped his neck at the Malivore pit, there's no way..." she smacked her forehead. "He called Landon his brother. If he's the son of Malivore, he can't die. Oh, this is bad. This is so bad..."

"He had me doing black magic," said Josie, holding her chest. "He... he used my own anger and jealousy against me. I felt so powerful, I put it in the Mora Miserium..." she gestured to an hourglass filled with a black swirling cloud. "He just... he manipulated me. He had me do a spell on this trident... I don't know what it does..."

"Why?" said Rhysaenya, trying to think. "Why would he need to do this?"

"The attack at the bar," said Alaric, narrowing his eyes. "A werewolf from out of town was killed. Damon told me supernaturals frequent it. There wasn't a body. The bartender was saying all sorts of crazy things about eating. Did he... did he eat it?" He shook his head. "There's no time to find out. I need to evacuate the students. Rhysaenya, find Hope, tell her what's going on."

Usually so accessible, Hope was suddenly nowhere to be found. Students were running around everywhere trying to get out as soon as they heard alarms blaring overhead. MG and Kaleb were focusing on helping the lower class, Lizzie was now with her sister, and Sebastian was nowhere to be found. Landon and Raf hadn't seen Hope since that morning, which didn't bode well with Ryan Clarke on the loose.

Then, she picked up on some whispers down in the tunnels.

"...wasn't hard to lure you here," came Ryan's voice. "You do have a thing for wanting to save people. And my trusty ring comes so in handy for creating illusions. While your friends are emptying out the school, you're going to help me with something. Ah... I wouldn't try that if I were you. If you break out of those antimagic manacles, I'll have no choice but to shoot you with these red oak bullets. It's funny, isn't it, that I now hold the weapon that will lead to your demise... and you have nothing."

She sprinted down to the armory, grabbing a spear as she heard Hope ask, "What the hell are you doing here?"

She debated what to do next, unsure if she should confront him alone. What if it wasn't enough? What if this really wasn't a risk to take? Last time, there had been enough of them that they could have protected Dorian and Emma to take the urn. But Hope was being held at gunpoint with red oak. Considering how similar it sounded to white oak, was there a chance Clarke really did have the thing that could kill her permanently?

She could still hear him talking downstairs, "I swore to my father I would bring him back. I made a mistake, betraying him. Then you killed him and now I'm dying. My form started to break down. He put a ticking clock on me from the moment he made me. I could only exist as long as he did. When he was gone, I had only one option... consume people and monsters to stay stable. Well, it didn't work. I burned through my monster food supply and I was still unstable."

He laughed darkly, "Your friend, the dragon, she knew something was wrong with me immediately. Eating her might've sustained me for weeks until I could figure out a better plan. But she sensed something was different and I couldn't get her guard down. She felt the darkness... the same feeling of being in the pit. How lucky for me that no one believed her. And then, it came to me. Dark magic. If all those creatures that my father consumed were made with dark magic, that was all I needed to stay alive. Josie Saltzman was all too eager to give me a source to feed off of. The Mora Miserium was supposed to sustain me. But it wasn't enough... I needed a permanent solution. And now I have it. You."

There was no time to wait for anyone. The school had been evacuated, she could hear Lizzie crying out something about Josie staying awake... Alaric wasn't going to be of any help. Rhysaenya needed to handle it on her own.

She made down to the tunnels as Ryan continued, "Why kill you when I can become a powerful tribrid and live forever?"

"Ah, everyone wants to be a tribrid until they actually have to be a tribrid," said Hope coldly. "What is that?"

"Mm... this is a little weapon your frenemy Josie helped create today. Now, my consciousness will transfer into the next person I cut with this trident. I know I shouldn't gloat, but... you screwed me over. And now I get payback. I'm going to enjoy this."

He whirled around just as Rhysaenya arrived, pointing the gun at Hope. "Ah, ah, ah," he said, smirking at her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Let her go," she demanded. "She's the freaking tribrid, she can find another way for you to live."

"Except... she won't."

"How do you know her body can even support your consciousness?" she challenged. "Her blood is toxic to Malivore. Won't being in her form be toxic to you? Besides, you really think you'll convince anyone with that Illusion Ring? Or are you going to stay looking like Hope? In which case... everyone will know. She's the hero. And like you said, she has a thing for saving people. I know her, and if you take over her body, she would want us to shoot her body with that red oak to get rid of you. There is no scenario here where you win."

"Not another step!" he demanded, seeing her gripping the spear as she tried to move toward him. He cocked the gun, aiming it at Hope's heart. "I'll kill her and then I'll take your body instead. You're a dragon... you may not be immortal but I can very easily use your powers to fly away and burn this school as I go."

"Then take me instead," she pleaded. "Don't hurt her. If all you want is to survive, then use me. She has a family."

"Rhysaenya, no!" shrieked Hope.

"Use me," she insisted. "Do it, right now, stab me with that trident, let Hope go, and she will promise to just leave you alone."

She looked at Hope over Clarke's shoulder, seeing the tribrid shaking her head, begging her not to let it happen. "I-I'll do what she said," Hope offered. "I'll give you a body that won't die. One of your own. If Malivore can create a being, so can I."

Ryan laughed darkly. "Not buying it. Put the spear down or the tribrid dies."

"I don't need a spear to kill you with my bare hands," said Rhysaenya, lowering it only because Hope was nodding her head. "Now your turn. Gun down."

"No can do," he said. "Why don't you–"

He was thrown back as Josie appeared behind Rhysaenya, holding up a small crystal. She threw the crystal at Ryan, a burst of white light flooding the tunnels as it made contact with his chest. Rhysaenya dove forward, yanking Hope out of the way as the gun fired, a bullet lodging into the wall right behind where the tribrid had been standing.

"What did you do?" asked Hope as Ryan twitched, groaning out in pain as the crystal embedded itself into his skin.

"Long story short," panted Josie, "Penelope gave everyone these pens that write down what they say in a journal. She used it to spy on people. And he wrote down a plan to recreate a body using the crystal we have for taking to our subconscious when we need to practice a difficult conversation. Didn't go for it because that form isn't immortal."

"Am I the only one here who doesn't have a diary?" muttered Rhysaenya. "You people trust little books so much... anyone could find them. Are you okay, Josie?"

"No," she admitted. "The black magic, I can still feel it in me. But that's a problem for later." She snatched the trident from Ryan, siphoning until a faint purple hue appeared, then nothing. Instead of the bright gold the trident had been, it became a dull bronze. "There, now it's useless."

"Oh my god!" said Hope, seeing dark veins crawling up Josie's arms, then vanishing.

"It's fine," said Josie quietly. "It'll go in the Mora Miserium. Lock him up. He can't do anything anymore."

"I ought to just kill him," said Rhysaenya angrily, storming over to him.

"Don't!" pleaded Josie, holding her back. "We might need him. I might need him. He made me start using the Mora Miserium. He might have a way of undoing it."

"Fine, how long is this body going to last?"

"As long as I have black magic in me. So... I don't have a set timeline."

There was no way that Rhysaenya was trusting anyone else to keep Clarke contained. While everyone else flooded back into the school, she stayed in the cellar, spear in hand and glaring at him.

"Shouldn't you be with the other kids, listening to a great speech from your old Headmaster?" he asked, glaring at her while she sat, cross-legged, entertaining the idea of flinging the spear through the bars and impaling him to the wall.

"I don't need to hear a speech," she said with a cheeky smile. "He's Headmaster again, hooray. The school year juststarted and everything is already going to shit. Another normal semester here at the Salvatore School. No... I'm staying right here. My friends are happy with their significant others and I am going to make sure you don't get out and ruin that."

He clapped slowly. "That is the most pathetic thing I've ever heard anyone say. Do you realize how embarrassing that sounds?"

"Does it look like I care?"

"You have to care. You're a dragon... the world should be yours for the taking. Yet here you are at this sad little school, all alone. Everyone else is happy, but not you, not really. You find something to the everywhere you go. Funnily enough, it's what made you suspicious of me for the right reasons."

"You're very bad at playing pretend."

"In a way, so are you." He got to his feet, nearing the bars. "Do you really think anyone buys all this heroic crap? You're a killer. You love it. You pretend you care about what's right and wrong to appease your friends. But I know how you reacted with that Triad guy. That was... right there, wasn't it? You bludgeoned him to death because he said something you didn't like. Talk about snappy."

"Are you approaching a point?"

"The point is that you're limited here. You are dark, Rhysaenya Targaryen. Just as dark as those who came before you. Your father is the Mad King's brother. Even Daenerys Targaryen had a little spot of madness. Is it so odd to believe you might be the same? What was that saying... each time a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin? Your blood isn't that diluted. And your other bloodlines are just as intimidating. I mean, you should've seen how your mother was when we pulled her out of the pit."

She shot to her feet. "What?"

He smirked, returning to his chair. "I think we can sit quietly for another few hours."

She slammed the spear against the bars. "What the hell did you say about my mother?"

"Oh, that we pulled her out of the pit? I thought you knew. Maybe your little tribrid friend isn't so honest after all."

"That's ridiculous, Hope would've told me."

"Would she have? If you'd found your mother again, you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't be paying any attention to her. She finally has a good friend, you really think she'd let that go."

"She'd only keep it from me if it was a matter of life or death. And it isn't, so you're lying! You're trying to turn me against her."

"Am I? Or am I just the only person with the balls to tell you the truth?"

She snorted. "Oh, Landon told us plenty once we came back alive. You can't reproduce. What balls? You're a spineless little cunt and when I'm done with you, whatever useless anatomy you have will be cut off and you will be screaming in pain and begging me for mercy."

"There she is," he said, leaning forward. "That mad look, the desire for blood. Let the dragon out to play, Rhysaenya. It's just us here. Why don't we be honest, for a change?"

"You want me to be aggressive, I will gladly make you suffer for it."

"Oh, I don't doubt you'll hurt those who hurt you. You hate me because I'm associated with Malivore and Malivore ruined your life."

"You tried to bring him back all because your daddy was disappointed in you. It's pathetic. And you threatened to kill my friend!"

He replied in a sing-song voice, "The same friend who has been lying to you about your mother this whole time."

"She wouldn't lie!" snapped Rhysaenya. "If my mother had been released, I would know! She would come for me! She'd be here! She wouldn't abandon me!"

"She would if she didn't remember you."

"That's impossible! It ate her first and I still remembered her. My memories were restored the moment I entered Malivore." She turned away, holding her head. "She'd be here. She'd be right here with me if she knew."

"Not if she couldn't," said Ryan. "Not if someone kept her away."

"If you pulled her out of the pit, you would be the reason she can't come!"

"I wish I could say that, but that wouldn't be true. God, she really was Caraxes reborn, wasn't she? She looks just like the Blood Wyrm, but according to our sources, she was far bigger... the same size as Sheepstealer and Silverwing, right? And you, you look like Meleys and you're the same size as her... but you'll grow far quicker than your mother did. I bet in no time, you'll be the size of Balerion The Black Dread."

"Shut up!" she demanded. "Shut up!"

The door opened, Hope striding in and putting a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"He's telling me things about my mom," said Rhysaenya, holding her head. "I just want him to stop."

"Good thing I'm here to get information out of him," she said. "Landon and Raf went on a road trip to meet Raf's family. Lizzie ran off with Sebastian and we're still nowhere near figuring out what to do with the Mora Miserium. As it turns out, there is a spell I can do to make sure everything he says is truthful." She flicked her hand, eliciting a cough from Ryan. "Now, what's this about Rhysaenya's mother?"

"Nothing," he blurted out. "We tried to get her out when we learned the first dragon failed. There was nothing in that pit. She was already gone."

"But how is that possible?" whispered Rhysaenya. "Why– why isn't she there?!"

"We didn't know. We tried to find her. We couldn't. There's no trace of her. If she was taken out, she was probably killed."

Rhysaenya began to tear up. "No... no, what?"

Hope grimaced, holding up her hand. "Let's get this over with. How do we fix Josie?"

"You can't," said Ryan. "The Mora Miserium can't be destroyed. She already started using dark magic. She can either conquer it or delay the inevitable... when it will take over. The sand clock won't last forever."

"Damn it," said Hope angrily. "Damn it... I'll have to call my Aunt Freya. She'll have a solution."

"It won't work!" He returned to stand by the edge of the cage. "There's no way of undoing it. She has to deal with the consequences."

"This wouldn't even be happening if you hadn't manipulated her!" said Rhysaenya angrily. "Why do you hate us all so much to make this happen?! Hope saved everyone, why can't you leave her alone?!"

"I don't hate you," said Ryan, against his will. "You two are just as screwed up as I am, but your friends still love you." His expression softened. "Guess I always wanted to believe my father could do the same."

Hope winced. "Anything can be real if you believe it enough."

He shook his head. "Not this."

Hope hesitated, looking between Clarke and Rhysaenya, who was still trying to calm herself down. "Look... we call still revisit the idea of giving you a new body."

"For the love of the Mother, just kill him!" cried Rhysaenya angrily. "Kill him and be done with it! Who cares if he wants to be free?!"

"He's under a truth spell," said Hope. "Clarke, tell me honestly, if you were given a body of your own... one that wouldn't die... would you use it to find your own peace? If I made you a new golem form... or if I made you a human body and turned you into a vampire so you were sired to me and I could control what you did... would you opt for a fresh start?"

"I just want to live," whispered Ryan. "That's it. That's the truth. I want a second chance. I won't bother you all ever again. All this time I've been alive but I haven't been living. I want that to change. I want to change. I don't want to be like this."

Rhysaenya flung the spear to the ground, fed up with everyone's constant need to let people live even when they deserved to die. "Screw this. You deal with him. I'm not sticking around to watch it happen."