As he watched them disappear around the corner, presumably heading upstairs, he let his body slump back onto the couch to wait for their return.
The first thing he did was to start relaxing his body and all his senses, as they were in overdrive. He was experiencing so many sensations at once. He could hear farther—hell, he could hear Damon and Elena chatting as they walked upstairs. He could also hear a woman who was on the floor above. His vision was enhanced; he could see farther and in detail, even small things. His sense of smell was enhanced too. So, exhaling slowly, he started trying to block out all of those things, attempting to return to the normal level of a human. He had seen them do this on the TV show so many times, like enhancing their hearing to hear farther when they wanted, similar to how vampires sped up when they needed to be that fast or experienced a surge in power when they needed to be that strong.
In what he was resting after getting the trick to block his enhanced senses, he started thinking again about his situation. He had obviously been brought to this place by some unknown entity, but that didn't bother him too much. What truly concerned him was who had sent him to this time and place at the moment he was born. It obviously wasn't too friendly with his existence, trying to erase him by sending him into the past, but somehow he was still alive.
Sighing, Henrik didn't give too much thought to the matter anymore. There were a lot of confusing things about the existence and non-existence of a person and time travel. He just needed to accept that he was here and now, but one thing he was sure of: he needed to be born at the right time in the church in the future.
Given that he couldn't do anything about it nor dwell on it, he started examining his physical condition. Standing up, he approached a large round mirror on the wall and began checking himself out. He was a tall young man, around 1.8 meters, with blond hair and light blue eyes. His body was emaciated, given his situation, but he could already see the powerful muscles underneath the skin. If he were to eat enough to replenish it to his top condition, he would be a beast—neither too bulky nor too lean, probably with a calisthenic body build.
After being satisfied with his new body he sat again on the couch and started to experiment with his newfound powers, he activated and deactivated his enhanced hearing until he could do intuitively when he wanted. Letting it active he started hearing what was happening upstairs.
"Hey, talking about naked people with the mysterious guy and all. You heard me, you knew I was there." Elena seemed reproachful of Damon for appearing naked.
"Yeah, you know you should have called before suddenly appearing. What if I was... indecent?" Damon's voice didn't sound too concerned about it. "Besides, you screamed; I thought something was wrong. You should thank me instead of complaining about me being naked and all. Just saying."
"Okay, whatever. Sheriff Forbes gave us another location to check out—Memphis." Elena changed the subject, seeing the current conversation was going nowhere.
"Another dead end, you mean?" Damon interjected.
"You don't know that," Elena chided him.
"You're right, Elena." Damon sighed, seeing her like that. "This could be the one. After almost two months, this could be the clue that tells us Stefan's... alive and well and living it up in Graceland."
"Fine. I'll go by myself," Elena said stubbornly.
"And let Klaus know that you're tracking him? He thinks you're dead; let's keep it that way," Damon said.
Henrik somehow sensed Damon using his vampire speed to move next to Elena and grab something.
"It's a new lead, Damon. We haven't had one in a while," Elena said softly.
"Ok. I'll check it out. If I find anything, I'll call you," Damon said playfully with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"But—" Elena tried to speak.
"Elena, I need to find something for my new mysterious guest to wear. We'll talk later, alright?" Damon said, stepping away from Elena's side.
"Dammit, Damon," Elena sighed.
"He moved on to Tennessee," Damon said shortly after, when he moved into another room.
"That Florida victim you had me look into had family in Tennessee." ." The woman he had felt up before said, standing beside him.
"Which one, the Pensacola guy?" Damon asked.
"Uh-huh."
"You up for a road trip?" Damon asked.
"No can do. I have got to work, but I can see if I can get you an address. See you at the party." The woman said before leaving the room.
"Get me that address," Damon called after her, "and don't try to talk to the guy downstairs. He's dangerous, and I don't know him." He then turned his attention to his next task, "Now, let's see what I can give that little guy."
As Henrik listened to Damon talk with that woman, Elena appeared beside him.
"So, Henrik, huh?" Elena said, standing beside him, her eyes avoiding the area from his neck down, because she felt if she stared it, she would want to keep looking. "Here, take this while you wait for Damon to bring you some clothes."
"Yeah, thanks. What's your name, miss?" Henrik took the towel from Elena's hand and wrapped it around his waist.
"Elena. Elena Gilbert," Elena said as she now looked at Henrik, not mincing her wandering eyes around his chest and face. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise, Elena. A pleasure." Henrik said as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles, feigning gentlemanly behavior.
"Oh, a gentleman, I see." Elena gave him a smile with a slight teasing tone.
"Only with pretty women." Henrik smiled naturally, without a care. He wasn't sure yet about this girl; she seemed like too much drama, just like that one from Twilight.
"So, you're the dangerous guy Damon was talking about," the woman said as she approached Henrik and Elena.
"I'm not sure what he meant by that, but I can see why you might be considered a danger—to women, at least," the blonde woman said, devouring Henrik with her eyes as she looked him up and down, not mincing her looks or hiding her intentions.
Elena looked disgruntled as she watched the woman, already knowing where she came from.
"Heh, who might you be, miss?" Henrik addressed her courteously, not bothered by her taking liberties with her eyes, roaming over his body.
"Andie Star, the local newscaster here in Mystic Falls. A pleasure to meet you..." Andie introduced herself, extending her hand to Henrik.
"Henrik. Nice to meet you, Andie." Henrik replied, taking her hand and kissing it.
"I must be going, but if you ever need anything related to my work, you know where to find me," Andie said, moving towards the door. She accentuated the sway of her hips to ensure Henrik noticed her ass. She was drawn to his looks and wouldn't mind if he fucked her sometime.
After Andie left the house, Elena gave a snort. "Damn woman, 'If you need something, you can find me,'" she mimicked in a sarcastic tone. "What a lousy hoe."
"Elena! words, please." Henrik chided, teasing her. "She couldn't be that bad, could she?"
"You'd better stay away from her, that's my advice." Elena rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I need to get something for my birthday party tonight. See you later if you're still around, Henrik."
"What? A birthday party?" Henrik replied automatically, without thinking. "It's your birthday?"
"Yeah, today I'm eighteen." Elena smiled, stopping a few steps away from him.
"Awesome! Happy birthday, Elena. I wish you a good and happy day." Henrik said, kissing Elena's cheeks.
Elena blushed at his sudden kiss, feeling electrified when his lips touched her skin. "Th--Thanks, Henrik."
"I--I probably should go," Elena said hastily, her face flushed. "I don't have much time to prepare everything for later. You should come to the party. It'll be here tonight." With that, she left quickly.
"Alright, have a good day, Elena. I'll be here for the party." Henrik waved to her as she left and sat on the couch.
After a moment, Damon appeared, having vamp-sped beside him with a few clothes in his hand. "These are the only things I have for kids," he said as he tossed a few pieces onto Henrik's arm.
Henrik took what Damon gave him and saw it was a shirt, pants, and sneakers. Without much preamble, he dressed in them, no longer naked.
"Don't get too friendly with Elena, kid," Damon said, slightly disgruntled.
"Why? Is she your girlfriend or something?" Henrik asked, raising an eyebrow. He was teasing Damon, already inwardly smiling at Damon's attitude toward him and Elena.
"Just don't get too close, alright?" Damon said, offering no further explanation.
"Alright, alright. I can spot a jealous man a mile away. I was just wishing her a happy birthday. She invited me, you know," Henrik teased.
"Hmph," Damon merely harrumphed in response.
"Okaaaay, anyway, from the looks of those two girls leaving and not seeming to live here, I see you live in this big house alone," Henrik said as he surveyed the place.
"Yes, for now. And no, I know what you're going to say—you can't stay here." Damon denied him instantly.
"Why? Dude, I haven't even asked yet and you're already rejecting me. Are you psychic or something?" Henrik laughed. "Come on, be nice and let me crash for a while. I don't have any money or anywhere to go."
"Maybe I should ask that woman, Andie, if she has a place for me to stay? She seemed keen to get to know me better," Henrik said, seemingly expectantly about the prospect of fucking that blondie.
"I don't care, you can try with her," Damon shrugged.
"Maybe Elena would let me stay at her house if I asked her nicely," Henrik then added.
Damon's forehead creased into a frown as the vein in his neck started to throb. Sighing after a moment, he relented, "Fine, you can stay for a while, but don't get too comfortable. You'll need to leave eventually."
"Alright, alright. Thank you very much, you're a lifesaver," Henrik said with a victorious smile.
"I keep giving and giving, little guy. You still owe me for all the bottles you drank." Damon grumbled. "What are you, anyway? You don't seem bothered by my speed, so I figure you already know what I am."
"Yeah, I'll pay you. Eventually." Henrik conceded, raising his hand in surrender. "I know what you are—a vampire."
"I'm one too," Henrik said, revealing his true face. His irises glowed a golden yellow, and dark veins appeared around them, contrasting against the pearly white sclera. Fangs extended from his teeth, but he kept his werewolf set hidden.
"You're not a normal vampire. I can see that," Damon remarked, his doubts growing as he observed Henrik's strength and eye color, similar to those of Klaus. Perhaps this little guy could be useful in his schemes against Klaus, if the need arose.
"You can start repaying me for those bottles and your stay by coming with me to a place," Damon said after a moment.
"Alright, let's go," Henrik said, having nothing else to do. "But first, you need to feed me. I'm running on empty."
"What? Do you want blood?" Damon asked.
"Yes, but not just blood. I need real food too," Henrik nodded.
"You're high maintenance. Alright, let's go," Damon said, accepting his request.
After a moment, Damon's vampire dashed away to somewhere in the house and returned with three bags of blood that Henrik savored as he sat in the passenger seat of the car while Damon drove away from the house.
Henrik was looking everywhere as they went; everything was new to him. They pulled up beside a house in a neighborhood, and a blond, middle-aged man got into the car. Henrik recognized him as Alaric Saltzman, the quick-trigger vampire hunter.
"Who's this guy?" Alaric asked as he tossed his bags onto the back seat.
"Henrik, a new guest at my house," Damon said, not offering much explanation. "He's a vampire."
"Oh. Alaric Saltzman," Alaric introduced himself from the back.
"Henrik," Henrik replied.
"Don't you have a last name, Henrik?" Alaric asked, suspicion in his voice.
"I do," Henrik said slowly. "It should be Mikaelson."
"What?" Damon and Alaric both exclaimed, alarmed at his response.
The car's tires screeched as Damon abruptly stopped it by the side of the road, leaving the town behind.