Chapter Two: Iris
"And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am…"
Once we entered my home, I watched Annabelle take in her surroundings. Her gray eyes were wide with shock and she nervously was biting her lip.
"Nice digs," she muttered, not looking at me. I suppressed a laugh.
"Digs?" I asked her. Ah, that got her to glance at me. She looked at me with amusement.
"You know, nice place. Must have cost a fortune… Unless of course, you just compelled someone to give it to you." She gave me a pointed look.
"That, sweetheart, is really none of your concern at the moment," I commented, keeping my tone even. I motioned for her to follow me up the stairs. Leading her to one of the guest rooms, I paused at the door.
"Go ahead and clean yourself up, I'll fetch you some clothes to wear," I said. I opened the door for her. She smiled at me.
"Thank you for this," she said. I nodded at her and closed the door behind her when she walked into the room.
Flashing to Rebecca's room, I went into her vast closet, eyeing her wardrobe. "Well, sister, I'm sure you won't miss a few of these items," I muttered to myself, selecting a few articles of clothing.
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When the door closed behind me, I had to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. The room was huge, easily the size of a small apartment. It was decorated in golds and creams, tasteful and expensive.
"Someone's got one hell of interior decorator," I said out loud. Walking to the window, I noticed the gorgeous view of the woods and the sky. Turning, I walked to another door that I assumed lead to the bathroom. Again, I was taken back by the sheer size of the room. It held a massive claw footed tub that could hold at least five people and a large shower.
Shrugging out of my clothes again, I turned on the shower and cranked on the hot water full blast and dove under the spray. Sighing with relief, I let the heat soak into my bones. Noticing the shower was stocked with shampoo, conditioner, soap and even a razor, I decided to indulge myself.
Around an hour later, I stepped out of the steamy room with a towel around my body and hair, feeling refreshed. Rubbing the towel through my hair, I walked to the window again. I could make out the call of birds, the wind going through the trees… A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
Opening the door cautiously, I saw Klaus standing there with an armful of clothes. I wanted to grin at the sight of him holding women's clothing but I resisted the urge.
"These are my sister's, I suspect they might be a bit large on you, but they will suffice for the time being," he informed me, holding out the outfits.
"Thanks," I answered, smiling gently at him. Again, he just nodded before walking away. Closing the door, I walked over to the massive bed and laid out the clothes. He had selected a soft blue dress and a worn leather jacket with matching knee high boots.
"Well, for a guy he sure knows how to pick out an outfit," I laughed. Slipping into the dress, I noticed that it did look baggy against my frame. With a shrug, I slid on the boots and jacket.
I found Klaus waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, his arms behind his back and blue eyes unfocused.
"Klaus?" He turned at my voice and his lips curved when he looked me over.
"Much better," he said. Running a hand through my damp hair, I looked down, trying to figure out why the hell I wanted to blush.
"Now then," he began, causing me to look back up at him, "Let's get down to business, shall we?" He stepped towards me, slowly. Like a predator to its prey.
"What are you doing in Mystic Falls?" he asked, still approaching me. Refusing to feel nervous under his intense gaze, I held my ground firmly.
"Just passing through," I said. That wasn't a complete lie. Still, I knew he heard my heart jump slightly. His eyes narrowed, confirming my theory.
"I don't think it'd be very wise of you to lie to me, Annabelle," he whispered. My name on his lips made me want to shiver. He stopped when he was directly in front of me, looking down at me.
"Let's try that again. Why are you in Mystic Falls?"
"Are you going to compel me to tell you?" I whispered.
"If it's necessary. Play nice and things wouldn't have to get ugly." He leaned towards me, his eyes capturing mine, but he didn't compel me. "Now, answer me."
"Why do you care?"
"Answer my question, Annabelle."
"What if I don't?" I challenged, getting tired of his bully tactics. In a blink of an eye, I found myself turned around, braced against the front door with a very angry Klaus glaring at me. His hands gripped my upper arms tightly and I winced.
"Because you won't like it when I'm angry," he snapped. His eyes were dark as midnight with restrained anger. His grip on my arms tightened and I knew he would break them without a second thought.
"I came here because of you!" I yelped, struggling against his hold on me. I felt him freeze.
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I stiffened at Annabelle's words and immediately released her. She glared at me, rubbing her arms. The bruises were already fading though.
"I went looking for answers about the dreams," she continued, "And I heard about good old Mystic Falls. The town infested with witches, werewolves and vampires. Figured I would try my luck here. And, as luck would have it, I found you."
"I see," I said, eyeing her. She stood leaning against the door, watching me in turn. Her gray eyes were direct and somber.
"Don't you want answers?" she asked, raising a brow.
I ignored her. I walked into the living room and reached for a decanter of liquor and poured myself a glass. I lifted one in question at her when I saw she had followed me and she shook her head. After taking a sip, I turned to face her again.
"So you went out on your own and magically stumbled across Mystic Falls, and all of its little secrets, all for an answer." I raised a brow when she snorted.
"Secrets? They're not really secrets anymore, Klaus, I'm pretty sure every town around here knows what really goes down here," she replied sarcastically.
Then she gave me a sideways glance. "But I think my new question is, why are you here? I'm sure this place isn't that amusing for a guy who's over a thousand years old."
"Again, none of your business, sweetheart," I replied, drinking more of my beverage. Annabelle sighed and I saw her shake her head slightly.
"Well, seeing that we cleared the little question as to why I'm here, I think I'll leave," she said, starting for the door. I flashed in front of her, blocking her exit.
"Not so fast, sweetheart. Are you planning on staying in Mystic Falls?" I asked.
"I don't see how that's any of your business," she replied in a mocking tone. She moved forward to step around me and my hand shot out to grab her arm again. She struggled, glaring.
"Be that as it may, I still have my own questions to answer, so for the time being, find yourself a place to stay until I figure out what exactly to do with you," I commanded, letting her arm go.
"You know, no one likes being bossed around, not even by a big scary Hybrid. You better watch yourself, buddy," she snapped, shoving past me. The door opened and slammed as she made her exit.
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I stormed away from the mansion in a huff.
The nerve of some people!
I shot a glance over my shoulder, making sure he wasn't following me. I stomped down the path leading up to his place.
"Find yourself a place to stay while I figure out what to do with you," I mimicked. Growling, I clenched my fists. Asshole!
After walking for some ways, I didn't notice that I was heading towards the center of town. I ignored people that walked by and any stares I might have gotten.
The sound of a car pulling up next to me made me pause. Glancing over I saw a middle aged woman with blonde hair watching me suspiciously. Oh great, I thought when I saw what kind of car she was driving. The sheriff wants to chat.
"You look lost," the woman commented, stopping the police cruiser. Holding back a sigh, I stopped as well and plastered a grin on my face.
"Yes, I am, actually. New in town," I admitted in a fake sheepish voice.
"Well, I'm Sheriff Forbes. Could I give you a lift somewhere?"
I hesitated but then shook my head. Shooting the woman another fake smile, I said, "No thank you! I'll just explore a little bit."
The woman gave her a long look, clearly unsure whether or not to believe her, but then nodded. "Welcome to Mystic Falls, Miss…?"
"Davis. Annabelle Davis," I answered. "Thank you, Sheriff." The cruiser peeled away from the curb and continued its way down the road.
"Don't mind her, she's not use to seeing new people here."
I whirled at the sound of the bright, cheerful voice. Five feet behind me was a tall blonde girl with light green eyes and a blinding smile. I stiffened. Vampire.
"I'm Caroline. Annabelle, right?"
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Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for following me and reviewing the story so far! You rock!
Don't worry- more of Annabelle's story will unfold as the story progresses! And yes, so will the mysteries about the dreams! I decided to throw in a little fun with Annabelle meeting Caroline… How will Klaus react when he finds out they met?
Find out in the next chapter!
