Chapter 1:

29th December, 1890

It was still dark outside. The pine trees near the beach swung around in a frenzy dance. The waves washed across the shore, cleaning the muddy and trembling feet of a young blonde girl of about seventeen.

She kept peeking behind at the trees near the southern edge, making sure no one was coming. Her breathing was agitated and her brows were covered in sweat. She couldn't remove the mud off her feet fast enough.

She felt a sudden tingle on her ear and she screamed. It was the monster behind her, the monster she had been running away from, he had blood dripping from his mouth. He sat magnificently on a white horse, her dream come true now her worst nightmare.

The young girl thought back on those days when she'd sit with her two sisters, Elena and Bonnie, and talk about a beautiful future with a handsome young man, who would come to get her on a white horse, her knight in shining armor.

The monster got off his horse onto the ground, making the girl move back a few steps into the water.

'Caroline', the monster whispered, she shuddered at her own name. He took her face in his hands and said with a even tone and an unblinking eye 'You did not see anything, you came here because you wanted fresh air.'

Her mind went blank, his words reverberated through her mind like an echo.

You did not see anything, you came here because you wanted fresh air?

'I did not see anything. I came here because I wanted fresh air.' Caroline repeated, trying to keep her voice calm and toneless. The monster looked pleased, he got back on his horse and rode away into the darkness.

Caroline waited till he was out of sight before she started running in the opposite direction. She glanced back to check whether he was coming behind her after every few seconds, in the process she slipped and fell into the mud twice numerous times. Finally she fell, exhausted, into the mud. Her breath was slow and deep.

She heard footsteps coming towards her. Had he caught her deception? Had he by chance seen the vervain anklet her sister, Bonnie had made her wear? She lifted her head up ever so slightly and found herself staring into the eyes of a friend, Damon Salvatore.

'DAMON! We have to get out of here.' Damon clasped his hand around her mouth and pulled her behind a tree signaling her to remain quiet. 'Da-'

'sshhhh.' He whispered before he turned his attention back to the clearing in front of him. Caroline kept quiet and waited for a few minutes before she turned back to Damon exhausted. 'Damon? Is everyone okay?'

'Yeah, Fine. Go home now.' he pushed Caroline towards the edge of the clearing and waited for her to leave. Caroline stared at him. 'What are you doing out here at this time of the night Damon? I thought you and Stefan were going to go hunt!'

'Change of plans, little Caro' Damon stared at Caroline waiting for her to leave.

'But Elena said-' Caroline managed, before she heard footsteps behind her.

'CAROLINE?' it was Caroline's sister, Bonnie. She called back out 'BONNIE! Im here!'

Bonnie emerged out of the edge of the woods looking shaken and tired in her nightgown.

'Caroline! Where did you go? I thought you went to get some water. And why are you all sweaty and shaken?' She turned to look at Damon. 'Damon what happened? You're back so soon?'

'Yeah. Well, by the time we got to the Lockwood Estate, it was already dark so we dint have much of a choice except to come back.'

'Why? You could have stayed there! I've heard the Lockwood's son, Tyler, is quiet the welcoming kind!'

'Well, Mrs. Lockwood claimed that she and Mr. Lockwood had somewhere they had to be, and their son wasn't home. And when I was coming back here, I heard some howls like wolves.'

Bonnie held onto Carolines hand pulling her forwards. Damon bid his farewell to the two girls and ran back home, Bonnie and Caroline slowly walked back to their estate, where Elena was still deep asleep.

On their way back, Caroline filled Bonnie in on the way the monster had tried to compel her and how it hadn't worked. Bonnie was anxious and distressed to know whether he had caught her ruse, Caroline shook her head.

'We'll leave for our Aunt Jenna's tomorrow morning anyway Caro. Away from all this, then there wont be any more reasons to be afraid.'

Bonnie kissed her scared sister on the head and went upstairs to sleep. Caroline waited until Bonnie was out of sight before she turned back to the clearing one last time to assure herself that there was no one there. Her eyes opened wide in shock, there he was, the monster, walking towards her through the mist.

Caroline tried to keep her eyes expressionless, but fear was inevitable, and the monster had seen it rather clearly in her eyes. He stared at her neck and then at her wrist and then finally at her ankle and smirked.

'Vervain, I see?' he whispered in a silky low voice and walked around Caroline, smelling the fear that engulfed her body that now rooted her to the spot where she stood.

'So you and your friend had planned this together?' his voice got, if possible, even more deadly 'Too bad, I really liked you Caroline!'

In a split second, the monster snapped Caroline's neck, from behind him he heard a scream of agony.

'NO! KLAUS!' screamed Damon in agony.