When I was a little girl it was not uncommon for me to be told that I was trouble. They said "Honey, you look sweet as a doll but inside I'm sure there's things that would make the devil cringe." I was ten.
I think, now, they said that because I wasn't raised like everyone else.
Darkness isn't born, it's created. By other darkness, so I guess that's a contradiction if you follow it far enough.
Firstly, I was raised by my mother, and if you knew her that would be more significant to you. But you're lucky, that you didn't know her.
Secondly, I wasn't raised by my mother, and you might know by now that most of my childhood was spent in an orphanage. I was "unlucky", even by the standards of an orphan, because my mom didn't let my hand out of her cold grasp until I was twelve (there had been lots of white powder and sharp objects before the small plates and dirty shoes) and by that time no man or woman or both seeking a child wants one that old, that far into corruption.
So you could say that I grew up with a sense of abandonment, but I would contradict that I grew out of that, like my bangs.
Thirdly, I was raised by the city. This doesn't really say much even for the people who knew my city, but for me it does. My home meant more to me than most people did, and sometimes I feel like it still does. When I was little and needed someone to talk to, not for any dark reasons, simply because my voice was going unused, the city listened. Brick can't run away when you tell it about the inner workings of your mind.
So, from this, you can glimpse some reasoning into why I was perfect for the times. Definitely troubled, "no doubt about that" they would say, partially lonely, not that I was ever alone but physicality doesn't always touch your soul, and a bigger part melancholy, because dark walls and bright people and varying homes don't really make for a Suzy or a Shirley.
No, but they do make for a Caroline.
-j-
"Listen, darling, it'll be perfect. All you gotta do is show up, and with that face nothing could possibly go wrong." I smiled at the man with shining teeth, because he had just said my two least favorite promises; "perfect" and "nothing could possibly go wrong". This of course guaranteed it will go wrong, but he didn't know that.
He was a con, but not an artist, with his black slicked hair and brown eyes that begged you to trust him. And if you were naïve enough, maybe you didn't grow up here or maybe he got you to try the house specialty, you'll trust him.
I was the artist. At least, that's what I told myself as he took my cold hand (how ironic) into his gloved one (he likes to say they're for fashion, but I know there's some scars there that brand him) and led me through the back entrance to the club. A free flowing string of my dress snagged on the rusty door, but I kept walking because everything else will unravel by the end of the night anyway, so why not the dress I didn't pay for?
I was the artist because artists take unexpected turns, and that's what I did. He was a con because cons think they know everything, and that's what he thought. I'll show him.
"Don't forget, you're a complete knockout and nothing can possibly go wrong (there it is again) if you just keep to my perfect (not what I would call it) little plan." He was whispering into my ear when we enter the club, and my first genuine smile of the night crosses my face. It was because Gloria's in the 1920's really was something to behold, and it reminded me of my city.
It was dimly lit, of course, because the deeds done here really didn't need any more light shed on them. There was a dance floor in the middle of the club, packed but not sweaty, of which everything else is centered around. A bar, which only serves a pop and fries, thank you very much, was placed on each end of the large room that was made smaller by the big personalities. And there was booth seating scattered all over the place, with greasy tables and soft seats. And, my favorite part, there was a stage across from us where a young girl was crooning along to the cello, serenading everyone in the place. It was ritzy, yes, but more like my home than the place where my bed resides.
"You're not listening to me baby." He said, and of course he's right, because I didn't even know he was still talking. And because I was still not listening, my eyes focused on the dancers, his hands took me by the shoulders and spun me around.
"What I was sayin' is this ain't your usual caper, and he ain't your usual bimbo. He's gonna know our tricks, and doll I know you're good but you're gonna have to be perfect tonight." My hand fleetingly touched the small gun dug into the lace of the ensemble under the ensemble and I finally met his eyes. I didn't want to tell him I was nervous, because he wouldn't know why.
"I'm only stressin' right now 'cause Linda got pinched last week and I can't afford to lose you too, baby." He did that a lot, talks for you. And my eyes gained that special glint that adults noticed when I was ten, because he didn't know it but he would lose me tonight.
"Tyler, I know. I know." I paused, allowing him to focus on me. People told me I had got a great voice, a convincing one. A damning one. "I'm with you, don't worry." And I laughed inside because he really, really, should be worried. His brown eyes calmed, and I almost regreted saying it. We've had some good times, he always payed on time, and he had never gotten handsy though I knew I was a terrible tease. Probably my best boss so far, but I didn't like staying in one place too long and I liked to go out with a bang.
Even though I knew he was keeping something from me about tonight's event, I was still exiting this evening. If something went terribly wrong I knew a couple of loopholes in this city.
So, when he subtly pointed his finger in the direction of my mark from our very dark corner of the club, I smiled. Next stop; freedom.
He was packing, I could tell. Don't ask me how, it just came with the job. And I wasn't just talking about his weapons or money either.
What Tyler's plan said is that I'll walk up to his booth, seduce him, and take what I came for. But I don't like being the obvious cat to the mouse, I liked my opponent to think he can be the cat and it turns out he's the mouse. So instead I slowly walked over to the bar and took a seat.
"Hi, Caroline." Gloria said sweetly, and I think she's always had a soft spot for me 'cause she never made me pay for my drinks.
"Hi." I said simply, and she was already making my drink. I felt eyes on me and I glanced over to my left to see a not unsightly gentleman staring daggers at me. I raised my eyebrows at him but didn't make any motion that he should join me, as he wasn't not my mark. But, characteristic to the men that frequent bars, he slid down the couple of stools anyway.
His smile reminded me of a waning crescent moon, almost happy but not quite. His eyes were a blue that could be green if he said so and thick lashes which fell around these that match his hair, lighter brown. He had a sharp jaw and was wearing a sharp suit. I still made no effort to acknowledge him, but as Tyler would say "you mustn't be rude, you never know when they'll be useful". So I smiled.
"Stefan." He said, and I assumed he wanted my name in return. I gave him my best bored look and took a sip of the drink Gloria had just set down in front of me.
"Caroline." I said after what felt like a long while. He smiled again. It was a smile that hides sadness. I was good at reading people.
"Why haven't I ever seen you here before, Caroline?" He asked smoothly and I shrugged.
"Maybe you weren't looking." He chuckled, and it was deep and sounded forced. I think he was hoping I would say I was a newcomer. I suddenly felt another pair of eyes on me and I glanced over my shoulder again to find my mark staring at me from across the club, still tucked away in his private alcove.
"You know, a girl like you doesn't belong in a place like this." Stefan said to regain my attention and I looked back at him and almost laughed, the line is that practiced.
"Oh, yeah? And what kind of girl am I?" I asked and his eyes seemed to flash at my question. I saw a kind of hunger in his eyes that put me off my drink.
"A kind that doesn't belong in a place like this." He murmured distractedly and then it was as if someone had called his name, though I didn't hear anything, because he turned his head away from me and smiled as if listening to a private joke.
I hadn't answered what he said so he spoke again.
"My friend would like you." He said simply and I smiled, there was always a friend that would like me.
"Mmm." I murmured as I took another welcome sip of my drink. "And who's that friend?" I asked, although I already had a bad and good feeling I knew who his friend was.
"Come with me." He said and stepped down from the stool, offering his hand out to me.
I found that that this side of life often offered you a last choice before your damned, but I accepted his hand anyway and stepped down from my stool, glancing back to Gloria in a way of saying goodbye. I knew Tyler was no longer watching by now, the actual hunt made him nervous, and I felt freer already.
"Behave." Stefan said so quietly behind me it was as though he said nothing at all. I looked up at him with a look of astonishment, does he know what I'm doing?, before I remembered where I was and I wiped it off my face. We had finally reached the booth, and I could feel his eyes on me, scraping over my body. I would say running, but his gaze was much harsher than that.
"Niklaus, this is my new friend Caroline." Stefan said as he slid into the booth, releasing my hand. I finally looked up from the ground to take my mark in. He was sitting next to another blonde whose eyes were calculating until they landed on Stefan and a smile graced her pretty face. Her hair was all pinned up to the high heavens and her lips dared you to make an insult.
My mark was still staring at me, and his eyes were two shades darker than that which was to be trusted. His hair was smoky quartz pushed back and his full lips were a red that called me to something I couldn't remember. He was wearing a suit that was sharper than Stefan's and screamed money. A wolfish smile crossed his face before he talked.
"Please, Caroline, call me Klaus." He said and it was then that I realize he wasn't from around here, but I didn't know where from. His voice rolled across my name like liquor and I found myself almost captivated by the sound of it, almost. He patted the seat next to him and I slid in willingly.
The game was just getting started.
For a while my mark- Klaus and Stefan spoke to each other, after Stefan managed to pull his face off the other blonde, in what seemed to be a code language, it was so fast. Then the blonde called for Stefan's attention again and Klaus looked back at me.
"Why are you here tonight Caroline?" And I blinked twice because he spoke like he already knew what I was going to say. So I stayed silent.
"You can talk, love, I don't bite." He said darkly and I flushed because I could tell he liked games just as much as I did. I decided the best way to get this mark was to surprise him. He was a predator, a wolf, who knew the trail well. I needed to make the trail have a sudden bump.
"Too bad." I said quietly, it was a whisper, and his eyes flashed darker. I've managed to surprise him, I thought. He slung his arms over the top of the booth and continued to gaze at me and I tried my best to look unaffected.
"You're going to regret that." He said eventually, and I shrugged my shoulders. He smiled.
"What do you like to do Caroline?" He asked and said my name again as though he was obsessed with it. I was momentarily struck by the question, I didn't think I had ever been asked before. I felt a sudden pull to be excruciatingly honest.
"I like to play." I murmured after a moment's pause, giving him what Elena has deemed my "bedroom eyes". It was a part of this, make them want you, bad. But don't let yourself want them. Then, when they're teetering on the edge take what you can get and vanish. I was good at it.
His mouth opened for a second, his tongue darting out to wet his plump lips. Yeah, he was attractive. All sharp lines, cunning wit, and unusual features.
"Me too." He answered in a voice more guttural than mine, and I liked it. For a moment we sat there, staring at each other and I brushed off the fact that I almost forgot for a moment that he was only a mark.
"How about we dance, love?" Klaus asked, and I nodded. We scooted out of the booth together and Stefan pulled away from the blonde long enough to give Klaus what seemed to be a knowing look. I frowned, not understanding. But Klaus gripped my hand and pulled me away before I could entertain the thought any longer.
He led me to the center of the dance floor and then pulled me close into his chest. We swayed gently to the jazzy music, and I could feel his smile against my hair. He was a harder mark than I thought, he took the lead much too often.
Tonight's main purpose was to steal the delicate beaded necklace he had hiding under his suit, and I only knew it was there because Tyler told me. It was a relic from the Stone Ages, crafted with stones and metals that belong in museums, and I had no idea how this Klaus man had it. But it was worth millions, which meant Tyler wanted it.
One might assume that I too was obsessed with money, as I came from nothing and I was in this business. It couldn't have been more false. I, in fact, cared very little about money, except when I didn't have enough to pay my landlord. My mother lived her life driven by her demons, controlled by her obsessions and I liked to think I lived opposite of what she was, I was much more powerful, in my mind. I refused to be run by anything materialistic.
Klaus pulled me from my reverie with a deep chuckle. It was more chilling than Stefan's, but then maybe because it was sincere. I pulled away from his chest where I hadn't realized my head had been resting. My gaze met his.
"What?" I asked, suddenly aware it was well past midnight and I hadn't yet earned my keep. He laughed once more.
"My sister over there has been severely angry all night." Klaus said, nodding to the blonde still sitting with Stefan. "Her name is Rebekah." He added, as though I was supposed to have any inkling as to what he was talking about.
"So…." I trailed, willing him to continue. A sly grin crossed his handsome face.
"Lovely Caroline, do you have any idea why my little sister might have been so balled up tonight?" He asked, and his hand slid daringly lower on my back and I had half a mind to tell him to stick it before I realized again he was merely a mark.
"No, I don't." I answered, a sinking feeling forming in my stomach.
"Well, just last night someone stole her favorite party dress from her home, which is very hard to do seeing as my sister keeps a tight hold on designers." My eyes widened as I comprehended. His eyes were smiling down at me in amusement, I think. He bent down, his lips grazing my earlobe. I couldn't help but shiver.
"Love, you're wearing that dress." He whispered roughly into my ear, and my eyes yearned to close within his proximity, but I kept it together. He pulled back, and his eyes still told of amusement. I was left confused as to whether or not he was angry. I looked down at the dress that hugged my body well. It was red with layers of glittering stands of quality silk hanging down so that they swayed seductively when I moved. I had indeed stolen it from an apartment in the city last night. I couldn't help but blush.
"Well…" I trailed off again, trying to gather my bearings. Hopefully he thought me a simple thief, and not the double-crosser that I was. "Finders keepers." I quipped and he laughed heartily.
"Don't worry, love, I won't tell." He said in that cursed accent of his and I gave him a small smile. He leaned down again, this time into my neck. His hot breath fanned over the delicate skin there, and for some reason I felt afraid and aroused all at once. He pulled me sharply closer before speaking.
"It looks better on you anyway." He murmured into my neck, and then pressed a kiss to the skin that was so brief I wondered if it happened at all.
We danced for a couple more minutes as the songs faded into one another, and I completely lost myself in his arms. They were warm, and for some reason I felt safe, which was so laughingly ironic it hurt. He pulled away after another song ends, piercing me with his gaze.
"Will you come with me?" He asked. I nodded after a moment, afraid of what my mouth would do if I opened it. Perhaps this was my chance to get the necklace. He led me off the dance floor, and I missed it when he glanced back to Stefan with a triumphant smile. We stepped out the front entrance of Gloria's and into the chilly night air of the city.
It rained earlier that day, leaving everything in its path gleaming with reflections of the lights. It painted a wanton picture that left me breathless.
I rubbed my bare arms, trying to hide my goose bumps that were definitely not from the cold. Klaus seemed to buy it as he shrugged off his suit jacket and placed it over my shoulders. It smelled of him; fire and ice, far off earths and something I couldn't quite catch. His large hand enveloped mine again as he led me to a sleek black car that was waiting, the engine running, off a side street.
He opened the door to the back seat and ushered me in first, his hand on my lower back. It was maddening. I scooted onto the plush leather seating, sitting by the window. Klaus closed the door after us. I glanced over at him and his features were slightly hidden in the shadows of the night, but a street light nearby illuminated his captivating eyes.
"Where to?" He asked in a husky voice that said he was rather affected too, and we both knew we weren't going anywhere. I whetted my lips with my tongue. I could hear his sudden intake of breath. I found my body inching closer to him in the proximity of the car, and his eyes glanced towards the driver sitting unaware in the front seat. I think he was surprised when I lifted my hand up to touch his cheek, feeling the stubble poke slightly against the palm of my hand. I could almost feel him leaning into it.
"Klaus, I- " But my words were cut off as an odd warmth suddenly caressed my mouth. It was his lips, I realized belatedly. He was kissing me. My mark was kissing me. I found no motivation to make him stop. His lips were surprisingly soft as they moved slowly against mine, awakening something I didn't know yet inside me. My hand remained wrapped around his jaw as he leaned in closer, kissing more deeply, taking me with him to some unknown place.
I felt his tongue seek my mouth out, tracing the edge of my lips erotically. It surprised me when a low whimper escaped my mouth, opening it to his unforgiving lips. He explored my mouth like no one else ever had, and I could tell he was really very good at these kinds of things. Goose bumps were rising again on my pale skin as I felt his one hand on my knee, the other wrapping around to my lower back. He was urging me closer and I let him pull me further into hell.
I reached my hand that wasn't still holding onto his jaw to grasp the back of his neck, where his soft curls met even softer skin. I could feel the clasp to his necklace there, but I couldn't bring myself to care about my mission. His mouth pulled at me, as though he was trying to tell me something. The fingers of the hand on my knee wrapped around it, tracing the sensitive skin under it. I couldn't help but moan.
He used this hold as leverage to pull me closer to him, urging me onto his lap and I followed all too eagerly. My bare legs rested on either side of his as I sat on his lap, my dress hitching further up on my hips due to our embrace. His lips didn't falter once and my hand fell from his jaw to his chest, incidentally right over his pounding heart.
A hardening between my legs suddenly opened my eyes and I pulled away from his mouth that was much too hot to belong to anyone human (perhaps the devil, maybe an angel). Our gazes locked as he pulled me by my thighs further into lap, more directly onto his need that had surprised me so. I could only hope he hadn't noticed my inexperienced blush as he buried his face into my neck, his lips suddenly latching onto the skin there.
I really couldn't help the moan that fell from my open mouth as he sucked the sensitive spot of my neck, blunt teeth scraping against my skin. A dangerous shiver crept down my spine. My hips seemed to have a mind of their own as they undulated against his. I could feel rather than hear his growl.
Seven shades of hot fire were exploding deep within a part of me that was unexplored. His hands inched up my thighs, the callouses of his touch leaving a trail of unadulterated need. My dress pushed further up as he wandered higher on my body.
"K-klaus." I stuttered. I wasn't sure why calling his name felt so right in that moment, but it did. He looked up at me, his eyes a dark blue that seemed to mirror undiscovered oceans. Both of our breathing were heavy, mine faltered and unsure.
It was as though everything suddenly moved very, very fast. I turned my head to the right as he kissed my neck there, incidentally facing the street. I screamed at the sight there and Klaus pulled away from me with a movement I couldn't even see as he looked out the window.
And then he was outside the car, though I couldn't tell how it was possible for him to move so fast. The figure that had been standing there was in Klaus' grip, the stranger's feet not touching the ground anymore and I could barely hear Klaus talking before the body of the man fell to the ground. I screamed again as I watched blood pour onto the city streets. The door to the car was opening and Klaus reached out for me.
Maybe it was primal instinct that trusted him, I'm not sure. I said before how the other side gives you a choice before you're damned, and I'm sure this was mine.
Regardless, my body was eager to be back into his arms so I reached out for him and he pulled me from the car. He yelled something to his driver but I wasn't paying attention as my eyes were fixed on the body strewn across the street. The head wasn't attached I realized and I glanced up in fear to Klaus as he wrapped his arm around my waist and half dragged-half carried me back into the club.
It was utter chaos inside as people ran, knocking over tables and chairs, screaming in pain or fear. I suddenly registered the sound of gun shots ringing through my ears. I couldn't see what was causing it and I felt like my body was moving much too slow. Klaus wasn't though and he led me confidently through the masses, towards where Stefan and Rebekah were standing. He yelled something to Rebekah that I couldn't make out and Rebekah's eyes widened in fear. She was shaking her head, crying.
Klaus then let go of me for a second to grip onto the sides of Stefan's face. He said something to him, and Stefan nodded blankly. Rebekah was still screaming and crying.
"I love him! I love him! Please don't!" She was saying but whatever she was pleading Klaus not to do was already done as Stefan stepped away in a haze. Klaus was just turning back to me, the same look of determination on his face as which had been when he had confronted Stefan.
He was reaching out towards me and the last thing I remember was the warmth of his hand and the steely coldness of his eyes before I felt another hand yank me away, and then darkness.
