A Change of Pace

Charlotte awoke to the smell of a musty damp cellar with a pounding headache, hers hands grazed the cold hard cement as she began to prop herself up, she was laid out on a small cement bench of some sort, she tried to take in her surroundings but there was little light coming in from a small barred window at the top of the cellar. She looked around and made out a large wooden door opposite her makeshift bed, the floor of the prison was very dusty and dirty. She began to think back to the last thing she remembered, that's when she began to panic, her hand instinctively went to her throat, where only hours before Klaus had ripped into it. Her neck had no wound to speak of, but her shirt collar was soaked in blood, her blood. Klaus must have fed me his blood. She thought.

Charlotte slowly rose up; she was still feeling a bit light-headed not to mention the splitting headache she still had. There was a noise, a sort of rustling coming from the other side of the big wooden door, as Charlotte approached the door, muffled sounds of people speaking could be faintly heard, she pressed her head up against the door, the whispers began to get louder, the voices were coming closer. Charlotte strained her ears to pick up even the slightest word. All she could make out was "what do you plan on doing with her?"

'her', they mean me…what am I going to do, how am I going to get out of here before Klaus, or someone else kills me. It's very easy to die here, I mean I've watched every character die at least once.

"you brother, should find out who she is, but I am leaving this godforsaken town" a man said, he was standing only a few feet away from the door now, his back was turned toward the small opening Charlotte was peering out of, but she recognised him, it was Elijah.

"Maybe we just kill her? Drain her dry, she tasted amazing mate." Klaus replied. Charlotte stumbled back a bit when she heard what Klaus had in store for her.

Of course he would just kill me, he doesn't know me. Not like I know him. I have to make him listen. I have to give him a reason to keep me alive. Charlotte frantically thought of something she could say, she heard Elijah leave, but Klaus's heavy footsteps were getting closer and closer. She had only seconds to think of something, something big that would stop him in his tracks, but she didn't know 'when' she was in the story, had Klaus's family been awakened, had ester already tried to kill them. Was Elena a vampire? She took a gamble and yelled.

"I can help you find the cure!". Charlotte held her breath for a moment, not sure whether that statement would be enough to save her life. She starred straight into Klaus eyes. She decided that bravery may be her best option, she knew it was something he admired about Caroline, so it might work for her.

"How do you know about the cure?" Klaus eyed her questioningly.

"I know about the cure, the hunters, I know about you killing the original five, but as to how I know, you wouldn't believe me" she boldly stated, she was putting up a very courageous front, but inside she was terrified. She decided to try and keep the information she shared with the original to a minimum, she didn't want anyone to get hurt, and she knew a lot more than anyone of them could imagine.

"I've lived for a thousand years love, and I've seen a lot, I'm sure your story isn't too astonishing." He smugly said, "And as I'm in an uncharacteristically good mood, I'm going to give you at least a minute to tell me your story before I rip your head off". The words he was saying were murderous, but the tone he conveyed was very calm. Charlotte decided to call his bluff, she knew that Elena was a vampire, or at least she would be soon, and that meant no more doppelgänger blood, no more hybrids.

"I can't tell you, but I can help you, is Elena a vampire, did Rebekah kill her?" she said

Charlotte could tell Klaus was weighing his options, he could kill her now. Or he could listen to her story. She hoped with all her might it would be the latter.

"Is that how you know about the cure? You know Rebekah?", Klaus was clever, he was trying to piece together Charlotte's story before she told it, but she wasn't exactly sure how to answer his question. No she didn't know Rebekah personally, but she did know almost everything about her.

"Not exactly" she replied "but, since you haven't killed me yet I'm guessing Elena is a vampire, and you are looking for the cure. Like I said I can help, trust me. I am just a human, if you find I'm lying kill me, but please let me out of this cellar. I promise, I'm not here to try and kill you, even if I could I wouldn't and no-one sent me here, I know that's hard to believe…" Charlotte realised she was rambling when Klaus raised his hand to stop her.

"Stop!" Klaus ordered. "enough, I will get answers out of you, one way or another, but for now I have bigger problems to deal with, truth be told, I will have a room set up for you, but mark my words. If you try to leave this house, my welcoming nature will be gone, and you will be spending you time back in this room until I'm done with you, do you hear me"

"Yes" Charlotte chocked out, it seemed as though her brave front was beginning to falter.

Klaus had taken her upstairs and showed her to a beautiful, large room. There was a four-poster bed situated below a large arch-shaped window, the sun was streaming, there was a bookcase, a bed side table and chest of draws each more elegant and beautiful then the last. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Wow, this place is amazing, if being a prisoner is like this, I wonder how they treat their welcome guests.

Klaus closed the door, Charlotte heard him lock the door from the outside.

Guess I'm stuck in here, crap! Where's my stuff, I had it when I walked through the door. Oh no! I dropped it all. I don't even know how long I've been here.

Charlotte's thoughts were racing so she decided to take a quick shower, she felt like the hot water might clear her mind and help her come to a decision on what she is going to tell Klaus.

She jumped out of the shower and sat down on the bed, she was all of a sudden hit with a wave of exhaustion, it had been a long and confusing day, Charlotte laid down to have a nap,

Maybe when I wake up I'll be home…I hope not!