Title: The Hills have Eyes
Summary: Seems there's finally town where being a teenager will kill you
-oOo-
THE BLUE BLOOD PRINCE
-oOo-
'Seriously, that's gruesome.'
"I know right, dying like that?" Caroline drummed her fingers on the steering wheel.
"I feel like I just stepped into the twilight zone." I shook my head looking out the misty window at the flurry of dark clouds still roaming around like circling vultures. The storm wasn't over. Resting my forehead against the glass, I tried to calm the growing knots in my stomach by drawing shapes on the window.
"So, I think Kol likes you." Caroline's darted away from the rain slicked road to look at me.
"He's just being sweet." I said wiping the window with the palm of my hand. The traffic was moving slowly due to the wet roads but the rain was giving us momentary break but you could tell the storm was far from over. I was starting to think that this fishbowl of a town rained all the time.
"He's old money. His family is like part of the four founding families."
'What are the founding families?'
"I thought you grew up here?" Caroline shot me an incredulous glance.
"How did you…?"
"I'm a journalist remember, I make it my business to find out about things, about people."
"Then I guess you also know that I left town when I was five. It's been a while." I snorted, swiping a strand of hair out of my face.
"Ok. They're families that founded the town, built it from scratch from the backs of slaves, that sort of thing. His great grandfather even has a statue of himself in the center of town.' her eyes burned the road.
"Well…talk about narcissism"
"Exactly. Kol's like the crown prince of Mystic Falls, the golden son." she chuckled, her knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.
"He thinks he's so superior, like the sun revolves around him or something." She gritted her teeth, her foot stepping on the gas pedal.
"Gee, bitter much?"
"Sorry, its just some people rub me the wrong way you know. It' almost like they think they own the town or something. He's the blue blood Prince." she quickly snapped her head back to look at me.
"Guess you're not coming to his party then?" I said trying to lighten the mood. I wasn't in the mood for a history lesson and I sensed she wasn't too eager about Kol's feelings toward me.
"Kol Mikaelson invited you to that?"
"Yeah…"
"I grew up in this town and they've never invited me to anything."
"Ok then I' m inviting you. We'll go together."
"Thank you that would mean a lot to me" her face lit up like I had bestowed her with the golden key to the popular club.
"You're welcome."
"Do you want to come by my house for hot chocolate before the party?" she asked as we pulled up outside my new home.
"Nah, it's been a long day. I'll take a nap then freshen up" I replied peering out the window at the house. It was a charming little place overlooking a small marina scattered with yachts for Mystic Fall's elite. We hardly fell into that bracket but we got by well enough.
"Cool, pick you up around eight?" Caroline reported as I climbed out of the car, leaning over the passenger side to bid her farewell.
"Isn't that a bit too early, for a party I mean?" I asked. In New York parties hardly started before eleven and I didn't want to appear overeager.
"The curfew is at midnight." She reminded me.
Just like Cinderella I thought instead I just smiled and patted the side of her car with my hand.
"Great, see you then" Maybe Nancy Drew wasn't so bad after all, she probably just needed a friend and so did I.
My mother was still in her blue sweatpants when I got home. She was hunched over her laptop, hammering at the keys pausing briefly to lift a cup of coffee to her lips. She was no doubt working on her next epic play.
"Another dead line? "I asked leaning on the doorway arm crossed.
"Something like that." she shifted on the cream leather chair, glancing up at me.
"So, how was your first day?"
"Interesting, where's grams?'
"She's upstairs, resting or mediating." She waved the statement off with her hand and examined me over the rim of her cup.
"I think I'll do the same, rest that is. It's been a long day."
"Okay."
"Oh yeah, there's this party thing I've been invited to tonight."
"There's a party on a school night?"
"I know something about a Harvest moon, "I bit my lip holding my breath. "I thought since I'm new…"
"You're probably right, as long as you don't do anything stupid. Did you meet anyone interesting, any of your old friends?"
"I don't have old friends here mom…but yeah, a few people."
"Are any of them boys?"
'I'll see you at later mother.' I teased running up the stairs.
"Don't forget your twelve' clock curfew and it's a school night!" she yelled. I missed my bed and I was sort of looking forward to taking a nap. Maybe I'd get lucky and dream I was in New York again or perhaps I'd get even luckier and dream about the blue blood prince.
-oOo-
"I feel guilty," Caroline smacked her glossy lips besides me as we stood around a drinks table sipping on spiked punch from one of those plastic tumblers environmentalists detested. I could taste the whisky in the orange juice and wondered if Abby would be able to smell it when I got home later.
"There's a dead guy, possibly murdered and we're at a party" Caroline whined and plucked a thread of fabric from her vintage polka dot blouse. Her large frame retro glasses didn't look half as geeky with her hair worn down and sleek, she actually looked attractive.
"Hey" a strappy dark haired blue-blood jock in a red shirt jerked his head grinning at Caroline as he sauntered past us.
"Ok… that never happens to me, like never." she squealed and I had to laugh, suddenly the dead guy in the hills was no longer a factor.
"Get used to it, you're a fox tonight." I teased winking at her.
"I so love it!" she cooed wrapping one arm around mine. Kol was still nowhere to be seen even though the party was in full swing. We stood in the sidelines watching skeletal Barbie dolls writhe in the middle of the dancefloor. They were so thin and beautiful it made me feel conscious of my not so sleek thighs in an embellished backless sweater dress. I was thankful for the invention of tights and I tugged my dress down awkwardly, ruffling my freshly curled hair. Scanning the room I soon discovered that people living in a fishbowl dressed in jeans and sneakers with the occasional boot and frilly top thrown in. I on the other hand looked like I was auditioning for a small part in a music video.
"You came." Kol called coming toward us with his Abercrombie pants flaunting a taut stomach in a preppy long sleeved tee- shirt." I felt my lips pull into a wide grin as I unconsciously tugged a hair behind my ear.
"Well I said I would, didn't I?"
"You certainly did." I felt his arm softly wrap around my waist as he bowed his head to kiss my cheek. His hand was firmly planted on my lower back touching my bare skin and I felt a surge of energy travel through my entire body as my skin tingled.
"It's a great party." Caroline interrupted my moment looking giddy.
"Oh look, the beasts have arrived." someone drawled and I turned around still in Kol's warm grasp. The owner of the careless voice stood a few away from me, the smirk on her face barely veiled by her dark hair. Next to her was a girl who looked exactly like her and for a moment I thought I had drank too much punch and was seeing double.
"The Gilbert twins" Caroline whispered in my ear.
"No shit, Nancy" I mumbled, nudging her with my elbow. My eyes followed the twin's flaming glare toward the door and there he was, Kai. I could smell him threefold as he prowled in followed by two friends. His natural scent seemed to overpower me, overpower the room and I was surprised that nobody else sensed it. The room felt instantly hotter, smaller and I felt like my heart was about to shatter my rib cage. His gaze, his tormenting gaze found me and burned the skin right off my bones. I was on fire, in fact the entire room was on fire but no one seemed to notice, no one but me.
"What are they doing here, Kol did you invite them?' I heard someone snarl.
"I have no qualms with them; they can go wherever they please.' I heard Kol's voice from outside the smoldering flames.
"Can I get you some more punch?" Kol jolted me awake and I nodded my response, I still needed to find my voice. Kol left and I was pulled back across the room where Kai stood with his clan starring at me, his smoldering eyes yanked me in again, the room disappeared and everyone in it. Slowly he took off his black hooded sweatshirt and I caught my breath not quite prepared for his chiseled torso in a fitted black tee. He suddenly felt a little too close for comfort even though he was a distance away from me; I could feel his heart beat against my chest and his sweltering skin press against my own. Then he looked away, quite nonchalantly like I didn't exist, like I was a speck of dust.
"Something wrong Bonnie?' Caroline asked grabbing my arm.
"No, "I protested, I refused to let Kai ruin this night for me.
"Why do they hate Kai so much?' I asked Caroline pulling myself back to the present.
"I don't know. Kai's a bit of an outsider, what with being a gypsy and all?'
"Kai's a Romani?"
"Then again the Gilbert twins don't really like anybody." she guzzled the rest of her punch before raking the room with her blue eyes.
"I'll be right back." she said and I followed her eyes to the strappy brunette from earlier. She was braver than I was, Kai was still prowling the room and I didn't have the nerve to utter a word to him.
"Hi Bonnie, I'm Katherine." Her voice sounded like eerie wind chimes and I was more enthralled about the sound of her voice than the fact that she knew my name. I nodded.
"Welcome to Mystic Falls" she smiled, searching my eyes.
"Thank you"
"I'm Elena…' the other one introduced herself.' So, you like Kai?' Elena's voice tinkled.
"Uh…definitely not." I said shaking my heard heatedly and I swear I saw him flinch across the room as he glanced at me.
"Good, Kai is nice and all but he's just a mongrel with good breeding" Katherine said coolly smiling.
"Is he?" I replied, still disbelieving that the apparent queens of the school were talking to me.
"Here you go, "Kol offered me a red tumbler with punch. I was grateful he was back, thankful for his questing hands again.
"How about I give you a grand tour of the house?" He added with a glint in his eye.
"Yes, please" I smiled dying to get away from the Katherine and Elena, our encounter had felt awkward and I needed to get away as soon as possible.
"Ladies, if you will excuse us." he winked at Katherine whose red stained lips spread into an unnerving smile.
"Thanks for coming tonight." Kol said walking me up the creaking staircase; I could still feel Katherine's eyes burning holes in the back of my head.
"I'm having a good time." I half lied as his arm crept around mine and his hand clasped mine. I smiled; he knew just how to calm me.
-oOo-
The ceilings were high and the long passages were fashioned with old family portraits. It was an old gothic house that made me wonder just how many secrets it was hiding.
"This is the library." he said as we entered a large room with chestnut book cases that seemed to dwarf us in size. The floor was covered with Persian rugs and old English leather seats hugged the corners. I pictured his father in one of the wing chairs smoking a Cuban cigar or even a pipe but Kol just didn't quite belong in there.
"You play?" I asked motioning to a chessboard sitting on one of the tables.
"Unfortunately, yes." he laughed.
They were various pictures of Kol sailing a boat, riding a hoarse during a game of polo and even winning a medal in a swim meet. I noticed another boy in the pictures with Kol and his father; he was handsome, fair and slightly older than Kol.
"Who's this?" I asked holding up a picture of the trio clad in English hunting jackets carrying hunting rifles. They looked happy.
"That's my brother, he's dead."
"I'm sorry." I whispered.
I stood frozen for a moment wondering if I should pursue the matter.
"How did he… die?"
"He was in a hunting accident almost two years ago."
It explained why he'd been so uncomfortable discussing the killings happening around town. Death was too close to home for him.
"My parents never got over it, especially my father. He even stopped hunting and trust me that was a difficult thing to do." he smiled quietly.
"I guess your dad loves hunting."
"It's a long family tradition, hunting runs through our blood."
"You guys should really get a new hobby." I chuckled dryly.
"Legend has it, centuries ago the family used to hunt… something else" he picked up a black pawn twirling it around in his hand.
"Really, what did they hunt?"
He stared at the pawn for a long time, clenching it in his palm then his dark eyes sprang right at me and he said, "Witches"
"Of course that is utterly ridiculous." he added with a smirk putting the pawn back.
"Yes, I'm sure they were hunting grizzly bears or something' I shifted my weight to my right hip folding my arms; this town was getting stranger by the minute. Not only did they have a serial killer on a killing rampage but also a legend about Witches and witch hunters.
"I've been thinking about you all day today."
"You have?" the change of subject gave me whiplash.
"Yes, I have." he said moving closer and my eyes fell to his lips, his perfect bow lips. I felt his arms snake around my waist and I yielded to his touch weaving my arms around his neck. His lips brushed against mine and I opened my mouth to taste him and something blissful happened, I melted in Kol's mouth.