Dim sunlight filtered through her cell, casting a shadow over the bruised and bloody girl lying on the floor. For her, it was a constant temptation, to simply step out in the sunlight – her captors had long since taken her daylight ring, and end this world of pain and torture. She knew that she had to resist, had to stay strong so that when her friends rescued her, and that they would, she could finally be free.
The days had blurred into a ceaseless hum. She didn't know how long she had been a prisoner, only that the thirst in her throat had long since dulled from a fire that ignited every-time she breathed, to a dull ache. She knew that she was dying, could feel it in her bones, see it in the greyness of her skin. Before long she would wither, until nothing remained but ash. Her dress, the one that she had worn to that stupid party was in tatters. She slid back into unconsciousness, remembering the glitter of lights and the gentle beats of music.
"How do I look" Caroline asked Elena. "Great" her friend replied, distractedly. Caroline twirled her pale blue dress, checking her hair and makeup in the mirror. She's probably just thinking about Damon. Or Stefan, she thought. "Matt's here" Elena said, grabbing her jacket. "Great, oh- and Elena?" Caroline called "Yeah?" Elena replied, looking back at her. Caroline looked her friend in the eye "tonight, can we just pretend that no creepy Originals live in town, that you're not constantly in an epic love triangle between two guys, and pretend that everything is normal and happy?".
Elena rolled her eyes. "You know, just saying that probably just jinxed the entire night" "but fine, I will, it would be nice to have one night without drama".
Arriving at the party in the Salvadore Mansion, Caroline spotted her friends, Matt and Jeremy were at the bar. Damon had stolen a bottle of whisky and was secretly swigging away in a corner, watching everyone, probably making some secret plan for world domination, Caroline thought. Stefan quickly whisked Elena away, leaving Caroline at the bar to sip her champagne. She could feel the beat of the music reverberating through her glass, shaking the liquid, could feel the people dancing on the floor's pulses increase as the tempo increased, making her undead heart beat faster, her throat burst into flames with thirst. She sipped on her drink, not now Caroline, deep breaths.
"Hello sweetheart" she heard from behind her, so close that she could feel the warm breath on her neck, sending a tingle down her back. She sighed. "Klaus, what are you doing here?" she sighed, can't I have one frickin' night without him stalking me? "Well, I thought that you might like some company, what with my errant hybrid Tyler currently occupied with Hayley". She could see the flash in his eye, the pupils darkening as his anger for the Lockwood boy grew. Caroline couldn't help but feel an ache in her heart. At first it had seemed the perfect plan, distract Klaus, pretend that Tyler had cheated on her with Hayley, but as the lies and deceit grew thicker, as Klaus had shown more and more of his true self, telling her stories of his life and of great art, she had become to feel guilty about lying to him. The rift that separated her and Tyler had become an enormous stretch, impossible to reach across. Whenever she saw Tyler, all he was focused on was freeing hybrids, his mind distant, and Hayley seemed to be the only one he could completely trust.
Caroline tried to smile, but Klaus could see the pain in her eyes, the slight downturn of her shoulders, the slight sigh that escaped her lips. "Dance with me" he offered. Before she could retort, he had grabbed hold of her hand, twirling her around, his hand on her waist. She could feel her heartbeat increase at his touch, knew that he could hear it. Suddenly the music slowed, changed to a slow dance song. Great, like a scene in every corny love movie that has ever been made, she thought. "Did you compel the DJ to do that?" she asked him. He grinned, his dimples lighting up his face "You'll never know, sweetheart".
Caroline, her mind now drawn back to the present, to the dank cell, smiled. A small tear escaped her eyes.