"A three day stand off with the Originals, you had everyone go underground, but me, and you still chose to come back to high school?" Tyler leaned on the locker beside mine.

I hung my jacket inside before slamming the locker door closed.

"Come on, don't be like that." He followed me into history. "I was being selfish."

The teacher and I briefly made eye contact as I claimed my seat. I pointedly took out a book from my bag, this one a messenger bag, and pulled it close.

"Morgan. Talk to me." Tyler poked at me with an eraser at the end of a pencil. "Please."

"Give it a rest." Caroline huffed from a couple desks over. "She's been ignoring you all day."

"Stay out of it." He snapped.

"Maybe if you didn't out all of us to Klaus, ruining her plan, she wouldn't be pissed at you." She spat back. "What gives?"

"It's what he wanted."

I rolled my eyes.

The teacher began his spiel, this time it was about the First World War.

Lived through it the first time.

"Morgan." Tyler whispered. I never thought I'd get sick of my own damn name. Yet here we were.

My book wasn't exactly Elijah approved. It was hardly something he'd find educational or what he'd read if he was in a fantasy mood.

Who wanted their dad to know they essentially read fae porn.

"Miss Mikaelson."

I looked upward, trying my best to look as annoyed as I felt. "Yes?"

"Since you're so disinterested, why don't you share with the class what's so important."

I smiled with a sickly sweetness that Rebekah would be proud of. "Why don't you actually focus on your lesson plans instead of trying and failing to embarrass a new student."

"Speak to me after class."

That wouldn't be happening. "Of course."

"So she can talk." Tyler grumbled.

"Why don't you go betray another friend." Caroline glared at him, to which I was grateful for. At least one of us could do it. I'd resolved myself to not even acknowledging his existence. He could follow me around all he'd like, I wasn't going to budge.

Tyler flipped her off.

"Real mature, Lockwood." She hissed

Was it too much to ask that I be able to read in peace? It was finally starting to get interesting. If not for the promise of the slow burn, I wouldn't read it.

My phone buzzed.

Who the fuck was texting me?

It was an unknown number. My stomach twisted at its cryptic message.

'Call me.'

Bold. I glanced at Tyler, who was still busy quietly bickering with Caroline.

He was distracted enough.

I used my speed to find a nice, out of hearing, spot. The thought occurred to me that Elijah might have someone watching the school to ensure I actually attended, if not for the teachers already snitching if I was late, god forbid I missed a class.

Curiosity would have to kill the cat, I suppose.

I tapped the call button, and listened to it ring.

And ring.

And ring.

Who the hell was this?

"Hey Princess." Came an all too familiar voice. "How is my favorite little sister doing?"

"Considering I'm your only sister, it's hardly a competition for your favor."

"Someone's in a mood."

"And I'd just like to say that you only have forty four years on me." Which was honestly nothing in comparison to the Originals we lived with. "So bite me."

"Ouch. You wound me, Princess."

"Stop calling me that." I snapped. "What do you want?"

"Word on the street is that you've reunited with Elijah and Klaus."

"What of it?"

"Have you told them?"

"Of course that's all you want to know. As if you and she didn't trick me into doing that. I hope you're proud of yourself." I hadn't exactly been able to confront Rebekah about it. Not with her either near Nik or disappearing like she has. "Because now I've had to deal with the consequences."

Marcel sighed over the line. "We shouldn't have done that."

"You're right. You shouldn't have taken advantage of my post daggering anger." Everyone had it. Except him. He'd never been daggered. And I wasn't salty about it. Not at all. "Elijah knows everything, by the way. He searched my memories, I never said anything."

"And Klaus?"

"He did a head dive and there wasn't anything I could do to stop him, he'd only watched long enough to know of my involvement, not yours or Bekah's."

There was a beat of silence. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I've faced his anger. When he does find out, and it is a when, he's going to be pissed off all over again. Add that to the fact that you're still alive..."

"You haven't said anything?" Why did he sound so surprised?

"I valued my freedom when I had it, I'm not about to strip away yours over something petty." I found a desk to sit on. This was apparently going to be a long conversation.

"What are they doing?"

"The usual shit. Except I got Elijah to agree to giving me more freedom so, there's that."

"How'd you manage it?"

"In a way that'd only work once. I think if I tried it again, I'd end up next to Finn." It sounded like a joke but really was my deepest fear.

It was far too easy to forget my anger toward him. I used to go to Marcel for everything. He was as much my brother as Stefan and Damon are.

"You're okay though?"

"Yeah."

"Then you should probably get back to class."

"How did you-" My head snapped toward the windows so fast, I almost lost my balance on the desk.

A blur.

Someone had been there.