Trouble In Paradise (2)

• With exposure comes enemies, but a wise man once said; 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.' •

".."

Hayley eyed her reflection in the glass door.

Dark brown hair that fell in lustrous waves down her back, clear green eyes and a sculpted face, she was beautiful. Now that she was sixteen, she was losing the baby fat in her face, and the constant exercise as well as her werewolf side kept her figure looking very nice.

After checking the black sundress with multicolored flowers that hugged her waist perfectly, Hayley nodded. This would do.

It would either be a gift or a form of torture. What happened at this lunch date would either get Tyler lucky or it would be the end of the couple.

Pity. Hayley thought to herself. They were fun together.

Using all the subtlety she could muster, Hayley looked to the side, sending a meaningful gaze to a dark alley before she walked inside.

What she saw made her eyebrow twitch. Tyler was already in their booth and their waitress was none other than Vicki Donovan — who already had her hands on the Lockwood.

With a mantra to prevent her killing urges repeating inside her mind, Hayley walked over with a smile, as if she had no care in the world.

"Right on time," Tyler smiled at her, giving her the menu. "Vicki has been waiting for a few minutes."

"Oh," Hayley made her mind right then and there, opening the menu. "We wouldn't want dear Vicki to wait any longer," it was a pity she couldn't hide the sarcasm in her voice. "I'll take a small fries."

Tyler frowned. "Just that? Babe, you need to eat more."

Hayley merely smiled at him. Oh, she would eat her fill. Just not with him.

Tyler ordered, giving Vicki a bonus in the form of a subtle wink before she walked away with a bright smile.

"Is it fun?" Hayley suddenly asked, startling the boy.

"What do you mean?"

It appeared Tyler really thought he was that slick.

"You and Vicki." Hayley wasn't in the mood to play games and got to the point quick.

She couldn't believe she'd spent a year believing Tyler Lockwood was actually a perfect boyfriend.

Tyler's composure seemed to crack a little when he replied. "Babe, what are you on about? Vicki's just a friend."

"Vicki is just a friend," Hayley repeated his words with a mocking chuckle. "What's next? 'We were drunk.' or 'It didn't mean anything.' ?" She tilted her head, looking at him with disdain.

Tyler was one hot-headed soon-to-be werewolf. Of course he couldn't stand being mocked and she perfectly knew that.

"So what if I look a little?" He exposed the truth. "Hayls, in case you've forgot, I'm a guy. And waiting a whole year for my girlfriend to put out or even say she loves me makes a pussy."

10,9,8,7,6...3,2,1. Phew.

Hayley calmly stood up. "Well, fell free to get all the pussy you want, honey bunchs," seeing his confused face, she smiled. "Since as of now, you're single."

Tyler quickly stood up, his temper flaring as he leaned forwards. The smile fell off Hayley's lips and she slammed a hand on the table, the action — and her magic — forcefully making the boy sit back down.

"I will only say this once, Tyler Lockwood," Hayley's voice was eerily quiet. "You and I are over. Look for trouble and I will end you."

Without waiting for another reaction, Hayley dusted her dress and walked out of the Grill, her head high.

Now that she'd gotten rid of one pig, she had another to slaughter.

Hayley walked into the alley she'd seen earlier that day, making herself look as harmless as possible. When her heightened hearing caught a certain pattern of footsteps, she wasted no time in turning around and catching the man by the throat. She slammed him against the wall, not caring for his pained groan.

".."

"Who are you and why have you been following me?" Hayley asked, the threat clear in her tone.

She'd felt the lingering eyes on her since early that morning. At first, she chalked it up to her popularity in school but after the third appearance, she became suspicious. She even spotted her little trail when entering the Grill and couldn't wait to see just which idiot wanted to mess with her.

The man following her was human. He was tall, brunette with blue eyes but looked average. He could be Mr. Anyone. Perfect for all kinds of jobs.

And he was clearly under compulsion, his eyes gazed over as he replied.

"I have a job?" He said. "There's nothing personal. The witch needs to die. You need to die."

Hayley lifted a brow, wondering what this was all about. The only way she could explain her current situation was that one of the vampires that had received a daylight ring from her had found her but it was impossible. She'd only worked for five vampires, all above two hundred years of age and all of them out of the country.

Impatient, and still reeling from Tyler's betrayal, Hayley slammed a hand on the man's forehead, closing her eyes to focus. She was overriding a vampire's compulsion so she needed to be perfectly calm. It didn't take long to be inside the human's mind at the time he underwent the compulsion and Hayley was quite surprised.

Isobel? She frowned. What did Elena's biological mother want to do with her? They had never crossed paths and the vampire wasn't due in Mystic Falls for more than a year.

What the hell was happening?

Hayley stepped back from the human, looking him up and down.

"Sorry, but there will be no loose ends for me in this world," she told him before she gathered her hands together tightly and chanted. "Lihednat Dolchitni," the spell had barely left her lips when the human collapsed on the cement floor, having trouble breathing.

When she was sure of his death, Hayley swept a hand in the air. "Incendia," burning his corpse and any evidence that could lead back to her.

It may seem cruel but Hayley would not be merciful with anyone that wanted to take her life. Regardless of their species.

As she climbed into her car, Hayley rested her head on the wheel, thinking of Elena's bio mother.

Isobel Flemming, in Hayley's eyes, was merely a small player in a bigger game. Lifting her head up, they flashed with a dangerous light.

If the person Hayley suspected to be behind Isobel was really Katherine, it meant that John Gilbert was also involved and they knew she was a witch. They wouldn't know of her werewolf side since she'd concealed herself so deeply.

"Katerina Petrova," Hayley's fingers drummed on the wheel in a lazy staccato. "Guess I've just entered the game."