Day One - I Can Feel Your Heartbeat.
Caroline wanted to close her eyes and not see what was going to happen. She had already seen Bonnie use magic before, but never directly on her. She wondered if it was going to hurt, if she was going to feel unusually hot or cold, if she would disappear in a ray of light, like an angel. Well, all of the above. When her friend stopped chanting, Caroline barely had time to wave at them before she felt her skin go on fire. She felt violently pulled back, as if someone ten times stronger than her was grabbing her. She had to close her eyes at the brightness of the light. It felt like it was never going to stop, and all she could think about for those long minutes was how she was doing the right thing, for once. She finally landed on her back after a fall from at least 40,000 feet. When she opened her eyes, her surroundings were nothing familiar – while she had been expecting to be in the woods with Matt, Damon and Tyler, she found herself alone in a bedroom. She felt so, so exhausted that she couldn't help herself: she closed her eyes and dozed off into a peaceful sleep, wondering where Damon was and how she was going to accomplish whatever mission she was there to accomplish …
A few hours later, she slowly stretches in the bed and her eyes pop open. Where is she? Because, she's clearly not in a forest and this is not her bed either – she has been taking a nap in red silk sheets and the pillows are made of goose feathers or something just as fancy. Even the smells are foreign to her: eggs, bacon, toasts. Closing her eyes, she focuses on the noises around her. This is a huge house, more of a mansion, actually. Probably she's on the first floor and there are several people going here and there, mostly women from the lightness of their steps. There are at least three men.
Caroline is still amazed at how sensitive she can be to her environment. Just a few months ago, she would have freaked in such a situation; maybe she would have cried and asked for help. But she isn't pretty little Caroline anymore and she can deal with this on her own. She pulls the sheets away from her body and she nearly screams at her clothing. She quickly finds a dresser with a mirror. Her discreet but pretty makeup is gone and her skin is just about flawless regardless. Her French manicure is gone and her hair falls down to her waist but the worst is, she is wearing some sort of old-fashioned night gown. Surely, she looks prettier. There is something nobler in the way she stands, in the way she smiles. It's like she is looking at a much enhanced version of herself. And suddenly, in the mirror, the reflection is distorted until her face turns into Bonnie's. Suddenly, it sinks in that all the help she can get is here, staring at her in a mirror.
"What the Hell?" Caroline whispers under her breath. "What is this, Bonnie? Where am I?"
"Find Damon and look for the signs."
"I don't look like me! I am in someone's house and Damon is not with me!"
"Just play along. I'll be in touch."
And with that, Bonnie's face vanishes from the mirror, leaving only Caroline's frightened eyes looking back at herself. She wonders when Bonnie got so enigmatic. What kind of sign is she supposed to look for? Where can she find Damon? And in whose house is she? Before she can decide what to do, someone knocks on her door. Somehow, she decides that the most important in everything Bonnie has just told her is "Just play along", so she takes a deep breath and takes a few steps towards the door.
"Who is that?" she calls, slightly concerned about the answer.
"It's Dolores, Miss Jones. You are expected for breakfast. I am coming to help you get ready."
"I- I think you are mistaken," Caroline answers in a shaky voice, but she opens the door.
Before her is standing a short teenager who must be just two years younger than she is – that is, if she is still seventeen. Her hair is as long as Caroline's and she wonders if this is some kind of trend to wear very long hair and to have a flawless skin. Dolores, that's what she said her name was, doesn't seem surprised to find a complete stranger somewhere she doesn't belong, so Caroline assumes she is no stranger to this girl. That can only be good – at least Bonnie didn't just abandon her without anyone. Maybe this girl is a sign. Caroline looks at the way she is dressed and it suddenly becomes evident that she has been sent back long before Tyler bit Damon. She takes a deep breath and regains composure. You can do this, Caroline.
"Hello," she says tentatively, not entirely sure of how she is supposed to behave.
The young girl curtseys and makes her way into the bedroom. In a few seconds' time, the sunlight is shining bright into the room and Caroline instinctively jumps a little when the sun rays brush against her skin – luckily, she still has her ring. Thank God.
"Is something the matter, Miss Jones?"
"Please call me Caroline," she asks, wondering where that last name comes from. "And I'm fine, thanks."
"Very well, Miss Caroline. Shall we?"
Not expecting any answer, Dolores storms around Caroline and tries to help her out of her nightgown, embarrassing the blonde beyond compare.
"I think I can do this alone," she says, a little more fiercely than she intended.
"Of course, Miss Caroline. You always do. Fetch me when you get to tying your corset?"
Corset? This must be some kind of joke. Caroline gives Dolores her most grateful smile and nods.
"Thank you, Dolores."
"I hate rushing you, but the gentlemen downstairs have never been very patient when it comes to the pleasure of your company," Dolores smiles, stepping out of the room. "I will be right behind the door."
At least, it gives her a little time to think. While she clumsily opens the drawers to find the god forsaken corset, Caroline feels her brain racing. She'll find out soon enough the identity of the gentlemen who are so impatient to be in her presence and from then, she will think of something. It's actually exhausting to think so much; the past hours were devoted to saving Damon from death and now, here she is, some hundred and something years in the past, looking for a damn corset. What happened to simply avoiding the bite?
In the third drawer, Caroline finds what she understands is meant to be her underwear. She rolls her eyes at the stupidity of wearing something so fully covering underneath the clothes. She puts them on and makes a mental note to tell Bonnie and Elena about it as soon as she gets back. Her very long hair bothers her when she must clap her bra and then, it's time for the medieval torture device.
"Dolores?" she calls and it takes a second for the brunette to rush in. "Ready for you."
Caroline is surprised at how strong Dolores is when she feels how tightly she ties the knots of her corset. Thank God I don't need to actually breathe.
"So, the…gentlemen downstairs," she starts, hoping the girl will start talking with no further invitation, like people always do in movies.
"Yes, Miss Jones – Miss Caroline?"
"Why are they so impatient to see me?"
Dolores laughs a little. It's like she is used to Caroline's awkward questions.
"M. Damon is very eager to make your acquaintance."
"Oh," she just says and inside she's dancing around because everything is about to be okay. "I happen to be very forgetful, as you know. Please tell me everything I need to know."
"Mind you, Miss Caroline, you're acting very strange. Are you sure nothing is the matter?"
Caroline internally sighs. She dislikes using her Power on innocent people but this comes as an emergency measure. From what she understands, she needs to blend and she can't have Dolores wondering what is wrong with her. She turns to face the young girl and puts her hands on the thin shoulders. She locks eyes with her and while Dolores is considering whether she should call for help or not, Caroline tries to connect their minds in a way that only vampires know how. She lets the pupils of her eyes dilate and her voice is quite authoritarian when she speaks.
"Don't question my behavior and don't be scared. Tell me everything you know about me."
"Of course, Miss Caroline. Your name is Caroline Jones and your parents are very good friends of Master Salvatore. You have been living here for a week and I was hired to keep you company and help you with everything you need. I do not know how long you are meant to stay."
"Why haven't I met Damon yet?"
"M. Damon was not home. He returned yesterday."
"What about Stefan?"
"You and M. Stefan usually take a walk around the estate every afternoon, if the temperatures are not too unbearable. From what you have told me, M. Stefan is a very good friend to you."
"Could you please tell me what year it is?"
"Well, it is 1864, Miss Caroline."
Caroline just shakes her head. Of course, it is. Of course something like that would happen to her. Of course she would be freaking alone to deal with it!
She lets Dolores lead her downstairs, and she takes in the beauty of the Salvatore house. She feels like she is starring in a movie and she expects someone to yell "And cut!" at any moment. Although she has been surprisingly calm about this whole thing, she is fully aware of the craziness of it. Things get only worse when a man she assumes to be Giuseppe Salvatore greets her at the bottom of the stairs, dismissing Dolores with a sign of the head. He looks a lot like both of his sons and his voice is warm when he addresses her.
"Good morning, dear child. I hope you are feeling better?"
"Er – yes, yes I am. Good morning, M. Salvatore."
"How many times will I have to tell you?"
"I am sorry. Giuseppe," she says breathlessly, praying that she has taken the good guess.
Indeed, as he offers his arms to her, his lips barely twitch, but his eyes smile at her and she wonders how someone so kind can be the hideous person his sons have described back in 2011 – or it is forward in 2011? They enter a spacious room, designed exclusively for meals, from what she can see. The table can welcome at least a dozen people, but it's only Damon and Stefan grinning at her. Caroline herself can't repress a giggle at how young and innocent the brothers look. Stefan rushes to her side and kisses her hand with an unhidden affection. As for Damon, he is standing there like a child, waiting for his father's permission to speak. Giuseppe holds out his free hand to Damon and puts Caroline's hand in his son's. The vision of her hand, lying on Damon's, strikes Caroline.
"Damon, I want you to meet Miss Caroline Jones," Giuseppe Salvatore says. "She will be staying with us until her parents come back from Europe. I trust you to make her feel at home."
"It is an honor to meet you at last, Miss Jones," Damon says and he brings Caroline's hand to his lips.
Caroline stares at him, completely awe-struck. His lips are warm. Somehow, she manages to regain composure. She curtseys the best she can – a little clumsily. She will definitely need to get better at this if she must not attract attention. As for Damon, there is something different about him. Not only does he look a lot healthier, he also seems a lot livelier. His hair is longer and falls in messy curls on his forehead. When he takes in a breath, it seems like he really needs it and as much as Caroline would love to pretend like she doesn't hear it, he has a pulse. A freaking pulse. His undead heart is beating. Damon is human.
"Oh. My. God," Caroline says and she suddenly feels the need to sit down.
Thank you for your great response to the Prologue, I'm very excited to start another fiction and share it with you guys! So, what are your thoughts on this first chapter? Please excuse any typo that I might not have seen and corrected.
Review, review and review !
- M. -