"How do you like it there, Caroline? I wish you would come home, we don't like that you're out there all by yourself."

Caroline rolled her eyes as her mother talked, lucky for her, her mother couldn't see her through the cell phone.

"I'm fine, Mom. I love it here. It's perfect for me. It's what I've always wanted."

"Your father and I think that you should come home…We could pay for you to go to school here, we'd know you're safe, don't you want that?" Katherine tried to persuade her. "We really miss you, Care."

Her words caused Caroline to groan, "Mom, the point for your children to leave the nest, is to leave the nest. I don't want to go back and live there. I want to get out of the small town mediocre life. You and Daddy have to understand that."

With that said, she heard scuffling, oh her mother was probably handing the phone to her father. Great.

After a few more seconds, sure enough, she heard her father's voice. "Caroline?"

Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut, "Hi Daddy…"

"Your mother seems pretty upset, what did I miss?"

"She wants me to go home…She says you think I should too…But I like it here Daddy…I feel like I'm finally my own person."

"I never said I think you should come home…I said that I'd like for you to come home, but I know you won't…You were always too ambitious to stay here, Sweetheart."

Caroline smiled, grateful that her father understood her. "I guess I am a bit too ambitious…I get it from you."

"It's a Petrova thing." He chuckled.

"Are you laughing with her?! You're supposed to tell her to come home, Elijah!" Caroline heard her mother's voice in the background, which made her laugh.

"Oopsie, I think I got you in trouble, Daddy."

"Aw, she'll get over it. Your mother has a hard time letting go, that's all."

Caroline smiled, "And you don't have a hard time?"

Elijah sighed, "Well I do miss you, and I did go through about 2 boxes of Kleenex when you left, but I'm much better at coping than she is."

"Well I miss you too, Daddy." She had always been closer to her father…She and her mother had a…complicated relationship, to say the least.

"We'll go visit you soon enough. I promise, Honey." Elijah told her.

"Okay, I'll see you soon then. I love you, Daddy…Tell Mom that I love her too."

"We love you too, Sweetheart. Be safe."

Caroline smiled, "I will…Bye." She said as she hung up the phone.

She felt guilty lying to them, they would throttle her if they knew that she dropped out of NYU. But it just wasn't her thing, to go to school, to go to this school.

She wanted to travel, study in Paris, be a real fashion designer, but she couldn't do that properly in New York. She thought she could, but she feels that she could do better in Paris; which is why she's saving all her money for a plane ticket.


On her way to work, to a horrible hotel where they paid her way under minimum wage, Caroline heard her name being called.

"Hey Caroline!"

Caroline turned, hearing her co-worker Mason calling her, she slowed a bit to match his pace, "Hey, what's up?" she asked as they walked down the busy street together.

"I've been thinking about this for a while…We should go out…You and I." He told her straight forward.

She couldn't help but laugh, "You mean…Like a date? Really Mason?"

He looked kind of offended, "Well yeah…I mean, haven't you thought about it?"

Caroline shook her head, "I don't see you that way, I'm sorry…You're a good friend and all, but…I think that's all we could ever be. Just friends…"

"Just give me one night…One date and I'll prove to you that we can be way more than "just friends", Caroline…Just one date."

They were coming up to the hotel and she sighed. "Fine. One date. Tomorrow night, pick me up at 7 at my place. If you are even a minute late, I will not answer the door." She said as she stalked into the hotel.

Mason smiled and nodded, "I'll see you then." He said to her as he walked to the security area of the hotel.

Going to the front desk to take over the new girl's shift, Caroline noticed a man sitting in the corner, holding a newspaper in his lap.

"Sir, can I help you?" She asked politely as the new girl gathered her things.

The man shook his head at her and just stared at her.

It kind of creeped her out, so she turned to and smiled at the new girl, her name was Rebecca, she remembered.

"How was your first day?" She asked, remembering that Rebecca had started early this morning.

"It was…interesting. Quite hectic, I had no idea how many people would want to check in so early in the morning." She chuckled.

"Well the afternoon shift is better, it's kind of hard to deal with if you start at seven in the morning like you did." Caroline smiled.

"Oh I can't wait to start the afternoon shifts, I may just steal them from you." Rebecca joked as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Well bye!" She said cheerily as she walked away.

"Bye! Have a nice day!" Caroline said back as she tried to ignore the man who was still sitting there, staring at her.

Don't think about it, he's probably just another creeper that'll be gone by day's end. She told herself as she continued her work.

If only she knew what horrible things that man would put her through.


A/N: There it is...Now to remind you all, this is humanverse! All are humans, there is no mystical hybrids, werewolves or vampires...Just really messed up people.

Who do you think the man is?

And if you read, please leave a review! that way i know people are really reading this...