Hey guys! It's been a while since I've uploaded a new story, and clearly this is my first Vampire Diaries story so go easy on me. I started writing this a couple months ago and didn't want to post anything until I wrote at least a few chapters. Well, I completed chapter 4 and figured I'd post a new chapter every 10 days or so. This idea came to me quite randomly, and I wrote the majority of it in my study hall at school. I don't own anything in this story, blah blah. Enjoy (:


Caroline sighed, shoving her History book into her locker and slamming the door shut. It was only third period and she already had a major headache that left her head throbbing and her eyes squeezing shut in pain. She leaned against her locker and took a deep breath, rubbing her temples in an attempt to soothe the pain as the swarm of students around her raced to their next class.

A sharp bell rang throughout the halls and Caroline reluctantly made her way to Calculus. Turning the corner, she stopped in her tracks as she spotted a confused boy holding a map of the school in front of his face. With the dirty blonde locks and a subtle old-fashioned hint at his clothes, Caroline immediately recognized Klaus. But there was something odd about him that she couldn't place, like he was refreshed and youthful.

She stood there contemplating while Klaus lifted his gaze and landed directly on her. His eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise as the two slowly approached each other.

"Hello darling." He said smirking.

"Klaus?" Caroline asked hesitantly. It was obviously him, but his appearance threw her off. "What are you doing here? And why do you look so… different?"

His smirk faded and he adjusted the strap on his shoulder awkwardly, obviously out of his element. He took a deep breath and looked behind her, not meeting her eyes.

"My mother has placed a spell on me," He began. Caroline opened her mouth in a silent gasp at the news. His eyes flickered to hers and then back to the designated spot behind her. "Which has rendered me years younger, placing me in this dreaded high school in order to 'tame' me, in her words."

Caroline took a few moments to process the new information. The fact that his own mother would curse him didn't surprise her; it was the nature of the spell that had her confused. As Klaus stood silent before her, she couldn't help but feel the need to comfort him, despite all the wrongdoings he had committed against her friends. Klaus in this new state showed his vulnerability, and she knew he was struggling to take it all in.

"Well, why don't I show you around?" She replied, sighing. "That way you can explain a little more." She added, scrutinizing his face as his eyes lit up.

Grabbing the papers he held, she glanced over his schedule and rolled her eyes. Of course, it almost mirrored hers exactly.

"Are you sure it was your mother who placed you in high school?" She asked half-jokingly.

Klaus' face turned stoic and he replied in a grave tone, "That evil wench has not only cursed me and placed me in this god forsaken hole, she skipped town with a promise of returning to 'check up on me' as if I were a bloody child."

The venom in his tone chilled Caroline to the bone and she vowed to never be on the receiving end of his rage. Although her mind was filled with a million questions, she simply nodded and started walking, gesturing him to follow as she took him to his first period class.

"Well, first of all, school starts at eight o' clock, not ten," She chastised lightly as they turned a corner. Klaus nodded. "And this is your first period, which is Biology." She said, gesturing to the door as they passed by.

"I'm thrilled." Klaus replied in a monotone, sounding like the typical teenage boy forced to attend school.

"Next." She said, leading the way down the hall, a brooding Klaus one step behind. She was met with silence that had her continually glancing behind her to see if he was following.

Caroline knew the subject of his mother was touchy due to his difficult upbringing ever since Esther condemned her children to a life of immortal infamy. Klaus had inherited his short temper from his father, quickly earning a reputation as the vampiristic impulses consumed him. But underneath his hard exterior, Caroline knew there lurked a sensitive side as she had seen very brief glimpses during their more personal moments together. However, the spark in his eyes had always died as quickly as it flared; leaving her questioning the wall he had built up over the centuries.

Caroline paused beside room 203, nodded and said, "2nd period, world history."

Klaus snorted, raising his chin and declaring "As if I weren't there to live it all, I know a lot more than these filthy-"

"Klaus!" Caroline chastised, glancing around them nervously although they were alone in the halls.

"Honestly Caroline, I don't see why you bother with this redundant institution when there's a whole world out there to experience." He said as she took off in the opposite direction, making her way back the way they came.

"I'm not going to throw my life away just because I turned," she responded in a hushed tone. "I want to actually make something of myself."

"You know, compulsion is a very handy tool when you put it to use." He replied smirking.

She rolled her eyes, pointing to the room a few feet away from her locker.

"Calculus."

He made a face but quickly masked it, returning his expression to neutral.

"What, are you a master at calculus too?" Caroline questioned, moving to stand in front of him.

"Actually, I never bothered to learn more than basic arithmetic." He admitted, turning to the wall behind him and studying the relics lining the hall.

"So you're telling me the Klaus Mikaelson doesn't know everything and anything?" She teased lightly.

Klaus just silently studied the plaque declaring the school first in the districts for cheerleading with feigned interest. Next to it, a beaming Caroline stood amongst her team.

"Head cheerleader," he mused. "Don't you tire of routine?"

She stepped over and glanced at the memorabilia.

"Routine keeps me grounded. It's nice to return to familiarity." She replied, studying him.

The youth was clear in his face, the subtle scruff gone along with the light bags under his eyes. A gentle glow radiated from his face, affecting Caroline in a way she wasn't used to. Usually when she thought of Klaus it brought along feelings of anger and annoyance at his persistent stubbornness. But this new Klaus threw her off, the soft spot she had for the British flirt growing as the innocence in his appearance was more apparent.

"Like what you see?" He smirked, meeting her eyes.

Caroline blushed, looking away and down the hall.

"C'mon, let's finish this." She said, leading the way.

"How many classes are there in a day?" He questioned in a slight groan.

"Eight," Caroline replied. "Not including lunch."

"Eight? So I have to spend my whole afternoon here as well?" Klaus asked, stopping in his tracks.

Caroline turned around. "Well, yeah." She answered with mild confusion. "You don't know anything about high school?"

Klaus shook his head, sighing.

"Well," she said after a few seconds. "Your schedule is almost exactly the same as mine. Let's just go to class and I'll help you out throughout the day, okay?"

Klaus let out his breath in a big huff.

"Might as well please Mother so I can get this bloody curse lifted." He grumbled.

Caroline smiled sadly and turned around, leading him to their classroom.

"Do you remember what class you have third period?"

"Calculus." He said with disgust.

"It's not that bad, really." She replied, opening the door. "Just be nice."

They entered the room and everyone immediately fell silent, looking at them. Caroline blushed and made her way over to the teacher, Klaus following her closely.

"Caroline, thank you for joining us. Do you have a pass?"

"Um, no, I was helping out Klaus." She answered, pulling him over by the arm. "He's new and didn't know where to go."

"Ah yes, our new student. Thank you Caroline, you can take a seat." He said, motioning Klaus closer.

Caroline nodded and sat down, Bonnie and Elena immediately giving her quizzical looks as the room burst into a hushed chatter at the distraction. She mouthed 'later' to them and began taking her books out.

"Full name?" He asked, silencing the class with a wave of his hand.

"Klaus Mikaelson."

He scribbled something down on a piece of paper and handed Klaus a book.

"I presume Ms. Forbes would be willing to catch you up."

Klaus raised his eyebrows and looked at Caroline.

"Um, sure." She replied.

"Have a seat."

Klaus ran his eyes over the room, spotting a few empty seats next to girls staring at him and whispering excitedly. Rolling his eyes, he slumped into the seat next to Caroline and Matt.

Caroline shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Beside the fact that it was so odd to see Klaus in a school setting, glancing at the hands that had killed many innocent victims, including his own hybrids, had her unsettled. She struggled to keep her composure as the teacher continued with the lesson.

Glancing over at Klaus, she saw he had no clue what to do. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed his bag from his lap and opened it, digging through the brand new materials to find a notebook and pencil. Opening to the first page, she copied the first few notes on the board and returned it to him, motioning for him to continue. Giving her a confused glance, he complied, jotting down everything the teacher wrote.

With a sigh, Caroline returned to her thoughts, doodling on her paper absentmindedly. To go without insight from her friends would be difficult, but she didn't want to explain the situation when she didn't even know everything herself. The main factor being, what did Klaus do to have his own mother place a curse on him? Granted, she had cursed him years ago by suppressing his werewolf state, an action that left him furious, but he had simply gone and undid the curse. Not being one to comply, the fact that Klaus would sit in a seat in a high school and actually attempt to learn seemed ridiculous to Caroline. Yet there he was, scribbling down the convergence of a series. Maybe Klaus had an ulterior motive, but none came to mind.

Giving up on trying to solve the enigma that is Klaus, Caroline glanced at the board. It was all review from the previous week, already engraved in her brain. She copied down the notes anyway, trying to set an example for Klaus, for whatever reason.

With five minutes left of the period, Klaus suddenly raised his hand.

"Yes?" The teacher said, pausing.

"I'm sorry, but is it possible to test out of this class?" He asked.

Caroline turned toward him, giving him a look he didn't see.

"Test out? I'm sorry but, especially for a new student like yourself with no previous experience of the subject matter, that is not possible."

With no visible response from Klaus, the teacher ended the period, releasing the class a few minutes early.

"What the hell was that?" Caroline hissed as the students embraced the extra minutes with a dull roar of chatter.

"What?" Klaus replied, packing his things back into his bag.

She leaned closer so only he heard her. "You are supposed to be fitting in, not standing out. Don't draw attention to yourself."

"I was just curious." He said, standing up.

"Whatever, let's go."


Whew! Well I really really hope you guys like it. If you did, or have anything to add, please leave a review! Chapter 2 will be coming out July 24th!