So I realised that I never said something which is pretty important and I'm sorry about that, but here goes. I do not watch The Originals, which means that any history that is canon there is not canon in my story. An example would be something like Rebekah alerting Mikael to them being in NOLA (or something like that? I don't watch the show) – not a part of the history in my story. The Originals have an intense relationship in my story and I deal with it quite often so I just wanted to clarify that. I'm really sorry if it's a bit confusing for any TO-viewers!
Chapter 4: Inferno
I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognise your beauty's not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart
Caroline didn't have to look to know who it was.
But she did anyway. Because it was Klaus and how could she resist?
She turned as he stepped out from the shadows, as casual as he usually was at first appearance, no matter how much his presence shook up anybody else.
Without any permission from her, his name formed softly on her lips.
"Caroline," he murmured in return, the greeting accompanied by a small smile before he stepped further forward to address the rest. "Gang. I suppose my invitation got lost in the mail."
He stood next to her and Caroline profusely wished that her stomach would stop doing flip-flops.
It was when she realised that they were now accidentally portraying a united front when his opening comment came back to her.
He'd defended her.
Damon seemed to be thinking along the same lines, hardly able to hide his displeasure at the Original hybrid's surprise appearance.
"Klaus, so glad you could make it. Just in time to take your girlfriend and leave," Damon announced snarkily.
Caroline barely had the time to analyse how she felt about Damon's comment before Klaus' arm shot up and a wooden bullet launched itself straight into Damon's chest.
Damon staggered back half in pain and half in genuine surprise as Caroline wondered why on earth Klaus had a gun and wooden bullets.
"Now, Damon, I know you believe yourself to have quite the clever tongue, but I suggest you keep your witty comments to yourself whilst I have my new gadget here," Klaus smirked.
Damon growled, digging the bullet out of his chest. Elena looked as worried as she did when anything relatively bad happened, while Stefan looked on neutrally. He was used to his brother's big mouth getting him into trouble. He wished Damon would consider the person he was talking to before starting with his snide remarks.
Damon gritted his teeth as he removed his bloody fingers from his body and dropped the bullet to the floor. Caroline realised that it must have gotten very close to his heart. Klaus wasn't messing around.
It warmed her heart a little that it had been in her defence.
"Caroline isn't going any further than this," Damon said, stubborn as always.
Klaus regarded Damon in amusement.
"You aren't really in any position to negotiate, mate. Unlike the last time you got shot – from which I saved your life, by the way – that bullet was not laced with werewolf venom. But," he said, smiling and dropping his fangs as his eyes turned hybrid gold, "that can easily be arranged."
It was the second time that day that Caroline felt fear in Klaus' presence.
She wasn't used to him having a gun. And his tone might have been only lightly threatening, but he wasn't joking. She could tell from the resolve in his eyes that he was serious about biting Damon.
For some reason she felt like it was up to her to step in and defuse the situation, but she wasn't sure how. Moreover, she wasn't sure she wanted to. Klaus was essentially standing up for her and Damon still seemed unrelenting.
Caroline was considering her options when Elena placed a light hand on Damon's arm.
"Damon, just let them stay."
Immediately Damon's entire body relaxed. He sighed.
"Fine. Let's just get moving," he muttered in annoyance.
They turned around and began heading further towards the tunnel when Klaus spoke up again.
"Just a minute, gang."
The three of them turned back around and stared at Klaus in frustration.
"I'm up front."
Stefan rolled his eyes, clearly not surprised by his old friend's audacity.
"No, no way. You stay in the back with your… Caroline," Damon refused.
Caroline hid her smile. Damon had been on the cusp of calling her Klaus' girlfriend again. Clearly the bullet to his chest had been a poignant warning.
"That wasn't a request, mate," Klaus replied, walking forward.
Damon blocked the way with his arm slightly. Caroline wanted to roll her eyes. Why did he always pick battles he knew he couldn't win? It was like he wanted a werewolf bite from the one man who also had the monopoly on the cure.
She still stood rooted to her original spot, curious how this would play out.
"I don't trust you," Damon clarified.
"What a surprise," Klaus replied sarcastically.
"For all we know, you're the reason for whatever's through there."
"For all you know there's something supernatural waiting for you through there. Surely it makes sense, even to you, to have the immortal up front?"
Damon began to mutter under his breath about white oak stakes as Klaus smirked.
"Caroline will accompany me."
Caroline looked up in surprise at the mention of her name, but Klaus wasn't looking at her.
"No way," Elena refused.
Caroline huffed on principle. She was becoming really sick of Elena being in control of what she would or wouldn't be doing today.
"It's been made clear you lot don't trust me," Klaus said, a hint of amusement evident in his voice, "Caroline here can keep me honest."
"Then I'll do it," Elena announced.
Caroline glanced at Elena. She wasn't even sure what was going on here anymore. Sure, Elena was probably trying to do her a favour, but Caroline felt like a ragdoll, stuck between whatever Damon and Elena wanted her to do.
"I'll do it," Caroline declared.
Elena glanced back at Caroline in surprise. "Caroline, you don't have to–"
"I want to."
Klaus turned to face her for the first time, giving her an almost imperceptible smile.
"Right, well, now that we have that sorted: Shall we?" he said, gesturing for Caroline to lead.
She smiled and moved forward for the first time since she'd gotten here. She smirked at the bloody hole in Damon's shirt as she passed him.
"A headstart would be nice. Five minutes or so should suffice," Klaus added, following behind Caroline before any of them had the chance to protest.
The two trudged on in silence, Caroline secretly glad that he was with her. These tunnels were legitimately creepy. And wet. And smelly.
She wanted to say something, but was waiting for them to be far enough from the rest. Instead she took the time to figure out exactly what she would say.
When she could no longer hear Damon's complaints, she took a deep breath.
"Thanks. For back there," she added unnecessarily.
Klaus looked at her in surprise. "Caroline Forbes thanking me? I never thought I'd see the day."
"That saying only works if you're human," Caroline pointed out, hiding a smile.
"And when talking about you."
"I'm not that stubborn," she said, knowing fully that she totally was.
Now it was Klaus' turn to hide a smile and they walked on.
The eerie silence was beginning to get to her when Klaus spoke up.
"Tyler came to see me today."
"I know."
"Did he tell you about his idea?"
She hesitated.
"He told me you'd only do it if I agreed."
He nodded in confirmation and she felt as if she should thank him again. He obviously cared more about her say in the whole thing than her own boyfriend did and she was grateful for that.
But she had already thanked him once today and that was so not happening again.
They walked some more in silence and she was beginning to wonder exactly how far they still had to go.
But, really, the main thing on her mind was what she'd been worrying about since the second Tyler had mentioned that he'd visited Klaus.
"Klaus, did you… did you say anything to Tyler?"
"No," he said, surprisingly concise.
She looked at him, frowning. "Why not? You made it clear this morning that you wanted to."
"I knew that if I told him, you wouldn't have forgiven me and it would have made everything you said this morning true."
Caroline bit her lip to stop from smiling. She had said really harsh things to him that morning. But.
"How do you know it isn't true already?"
He came to an abrupt halt and she stopped too, their eyes connecting.
"Because I don't want it to be," he replied, a tiny vulnerable smile on his face.
It was half an assertion and half a request and Caroline looked down at the ground, smiling. It scared her that everything could have changed so easily between her and Tyler. Klaus wouldn't even have had to seek him out; her idiotic boyfriend had sought him out.
And it had only been Klaus' belief in her and them that had stopped him.
He'd daggered his siblings for less.
"Klaus, you're right. I was just so mad this morning. I didn't mean what I said," she admitted.
Klaus looked at her in surprise. "Gratitude and a retraction from Caroline Forbes in one day?" he joked, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise.
"Shut up!" Caroline said, slapping him with the back of her hand as they both laughed.
Her smile disappearing, she halted. He turned back to her curiously.
"Klaus. I still want to be friends," she confessed softly.
A conflicted look crossed his face before he suddenly frowned, sniffing the air.
His reaction confused Caroline before she imitated his action.
"Oh my–"
"That does not smell like good news," Klaus interrupted, his frown deepening.
"Why, what is that?"
"If I'm not mistaken… rotting corpses and stale blood."
The words alone made Caroline want to hurl, but she cautiously followed behind Klaus as they approached a clearing in the tunnels.
Caroline wasn't sure whether to cover her mouth or nose.
She turned to her right to gauge Klaus' reaction when she realised that he was no longer beside her. She felt panic begin to rise when she realised that he was on the other side of the room, examining the bodies.
What seemed like hundreds of them.
Caroline stood rooted to her spot as she heard the rest approach behind her.
"What the hell," Damon spoke first, scanning the room with his eyes.
Stefan placed his hands on Caroline's shoulders. "Caroline, are you OK?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
"Can't say the same for these poor idiots," Damon said, still looking around with cold eyes.
"Damon," Elena admonished once again, seeming weary.
"Took you long enough, mate," Klaus said, now from a crouching position beside what looked like three heads and a kneecap.
Damon sped over to a spot closer to Klaus and rolled his eyes. He wasn't even going to attempt a reply to that.
"You do a count?"
"Sixty, as far as I can tell," Klaus responded.
"How the hell are sixty people missing in Mystic Falls and we don't know about it?" Damon asked, which seemed like a question directed at the general room, but he was staring straight at Caroline.
"Just because the Sheriff's my mother doesn't mean I know about everything that goes on in this town, Damon," Caroline replied, annoyed.
"We would know," Klaus said with the assurance one got from having spies everywhere. "They must be from out of town."
"We could confirm that with dental records if the poor bastards had any teeth." Damon looked around some more. "Anyone see any?"
The fact that the victims' teeth were missing from their skulls made Caroline want to hurl once more, but Stefan distracted her by pointing at a bloody clump not too far from them.
"Got a few of them over here," he called out.
Now that Caroline knew what they looked like – gloopy and red with a faint white shine – she started seeing them everywhere. These people's teeth had been scattered all over the room.
Klaus seemed to notice the same thing. "I have a feeling that fingerprints might be a better bet in identifying them."
"And more important than who they are… who the hell did this," Damon said, putting out there what they were all already wondering. He turned to Klaus. "Anything you wanna tell us, oh Almighty Original?"
Everyone turned to Klaus in suspicion, though Caroline winced at Damon mocking Klaus, mostly worrying for the vampire's safety.
Klaus seemed unfazed, though. "Mate, if I wanted to have a buffet, I would. And wouldn't feel the need to hide the bodies." He seemed to consider for a moment. "Nor waste all that blood," he added, gesturing at the amount of blood that covered everything in the room.
Caroline believed him immediately, though the others looked unsure. His explanation made sense. If Klaus wanted to kill sixty people, he'd probably throw a party and make a display out of it.
"This seems far more like the work of a Ripper," Klaus continued, smirking.
Everyone turned to Stefan suspiciously now.
"It wasn't me," he said simply, and everyone turned away again.
"Well, that settles that," Klaus said, clearly annoyed by the double standards of the situation.
"Guys," Caroline started, afraid of what she was about to say, "we did kill Silas, right?"
Stefan and Elena became a bit fidgety, growing uncomfortable just with the name being mentioned.
Damon nodded. "As much as you can kill an un-killable two thousand year old immortal."
"As opposed to those immortals you can kill?" Klaus asked sarcastically.
"Exactly. Like you. Say, you wouldn't happen to know where I could find that White Oak stake, would you?"
Caroline rolled her eyes as the two men pulled faces at each other that reminded her of grade school.
"Caroline, it can't be Silas. We put him down for good in the Salvatore tomb," Elena reminded her of the summer break's events.
"Yeah, because he earned his spot there and all," Damon said bitterly, still upset about the fact that Silas was in his family tomb.
Caroline didn't really get why. Silas was technically related to them and, besides, it wasn't like they were ever going to be joining the rest of their family in that tomb.
The ground inside the Salvatore tomb had been integral in keeping Silas locked away forever. They'd been assured that it would work by Qetsiyah herself, and yet this massacre laid out before Caroline made her have her doubts.
"Somebody should check on his corpse," Stefan decided, seconding Caroline's fears.
"Another group outing?" Damon suggested mockingly, glaring at her and Klaus.
"No. I'm leaving," Caroline said, speeding out before she had to put up with another smartass comment from Damon.
She had a conversation to finish.
Klaus' hand flew across the easel, kohl in hand.
He had decided to discard his earlier sketch and begin afresh.
Though the massacre he'd witnessed had not been one of his own, it had strangely inspired him.
He had re-drawn his earlier sketch but on a larger scale: three frosted panes of glass, each seeming to hide more from the viewer than the previous. The three-dimensional effect was extraordinary, even if he had to say so himself. He had spent one hundred years perfecting the technique.
Earlier he had been unable to understand what was behind the frosted glass. His fingers had, in a way, created them on his sketch pad by themselves. But he had known it was not complete, yet with no knowledge of what would make it so.
Now he knew.
He re-created the scene from earlier, carefully sculpting each limb and appendage strewn all over.
He made up stories for them.
There lay Carrie's jaw and here he would put her foot, which was missing two toes because the monster who had done this to her had scattered those too.
He shaped Phillip's arm and placed his hand not too far from it, the two seeming to reach for each other cruelly. Phillip had no other arm because he was a war veteran, but he had two legs and Klaus placed those beside Carrie's jaw.
When he was satisfied with the number of bodies behind the third pane of glass, he began to fill the spaces between them with black sludge instead of blood.
It was strange that he was replacing it, considering that it had been the glossy red sheen that had inspired him.
Perhaps it had been the disgusted look on Caroline's face.
He sighed and continued working on the black sludge, making it seem as if it contained waves in some places, whereas others were as still as a lake.
He stood back and admired the thick black goop that surrounded the dead bodies. They were no longer strangers. He knew each of them.
He was pondering the background for the lake of the dead when he heard a familiar pitter-patter and smiled. He liked that Caroline just entered his house uninvited now, even though it sometimes had bothersome repercussions.
He liked every visit of hers, truth be told.
Even ones when she had gardening equipment dug into his back.
He turned around as she entered; caught her quick gasp of breath.
It amused him that she seemed surprised to find him within his own home.
"Caroline, what a lovely surprise."
"Hey… Klaus," she said, sticking her hands into her pockets.
It was awkward.
He didn't normally label things thus, but the strange tension in the air was undeniable.
After she had left, Klaus had swiftly made his way out of there too. He'd had very little interest or purpose in staying without her there.
He'd come home to begin work on this new version of his sketch, not sparing a thought for what had occurred between him and Caroline in the tunnels.
It was all very odd. That same morning they had been at each other's throats, threatening and snarling. Then they had made up, seemingly spontaneously, after being brought together semi-accidentally. His spies in town had alerted him to suspicious-seeming movement at the Salvatore house and, after having them tailed, Klaus had followed. He hadn't considered whether Caroline would be there or not, but he was grateful that she had been.
However… now it was awkward.
He stepped forward. "Could I offer you a drink?"
"No thanks, I won't be long," she replied.
She didn't say why she was here to begin with.
Normally he would just ask, but after this morning he wanted to be as cautious as possible with her.
Suddenly she frowned and stepped past him. He froze as he realised that she had spotted his sketch. He hadn't yet decided whether this was a piece of art he wanted anybody else to view.
It was dark and strange, and he felt very naked having Caroline of all people view it. She had a way of reading into his work that left him feeling incredibly vulnerable.
"Wow," Caroline said.
Klaus joined her, anxiously observing the way her face was twisted as she stared.
"It's not done," he offered by way of explanation.
She said nothing, unnerving him further.
"It's… creepy," he admitted, employing a term he thought she might use.
"It's… ethereal," Caroline finally decided.
Klaus frowned, not sure what to do with that.
"The river Styx, that's what it reminds me of." She began to rub her arms as if rubbing away gooseflesh. "You know, Dante, hell."
He understood the reference, of course, and was pleased that she had said it. It was a charming comparison but, moreover, he loved that she knew that.
Caroline's intellect wasn't least of the extensive list of reasons he found himself attracted to her.
This time he was the one to remain silent, which seemed to spur her on.
"I love the glass. Like you're looking in on it. Standing on the outside."
Remembering the conversation they'd had on the roof of this very house about how he always viewed things from afar, Klaus shifted uncomfortably.
She sighed, reaching her hand out as if to make sure that the glass was laid flat on the easel, but it hesitated then fell short; it was obvious she respected his work too much to touch it.
"It's a beautiful representation of earlier. Albeit," she said, cracking a smile, "creepy."
He laughed, flattered that she liked his sketch when she'd been so plainly disgusted by the scene they had witnessed.
"And what it does it say about the artist? I thought that was your favourite part," he joked, unable to help himself.
She looked at it for another few seconds before turning to him.
"Klaus, I came here to ask you for a favour."
He almost smiled, realising that she was doing the same thing he frequently did to her: adeptly avoiding the question at hand.
However, he was also curious as to what she could ask of him.
"Anything for you, love," he said glibly, knowing that she wouldn't take it seriously.
It was a pattern between them. He would say something that he wanted her to know and she wouldn't take it seriously. But on some level it still stuck with her. So much so that she had managed to piece together how he really felt about her long before he himself had.
I know that you're in love with me.
The words still made his heart quicken.
As expected, she rolled her eyes and shook her head in annoyance. "I'm serious, Klaus."
He hid a smile, then gestured with his hand. "Well then let's hear it, sweetheart."
She took a determined breath. "I want you to train me."
He arched his brow, waiting for more. When it didn't come, he made his way to the drinks table, mulling over her request. He deserved a drink after the day he'd had. When he finished pouring himself a scotch, the amber of the drink pooling sumptuously, he took a seat.
She stood rooted to the same spot, staring at him determinedly.
"You're serious," he noted.
"It's only slightly different from the plan you and Tyler came up with," she said, the last part rather bitterly.
He was about to contest him having had any hand in Tyler's request, but she rambled on.
"I am not a damsel in distress. And I refuse to be made one by my boyfriend and my…" she hesitated, drifting off, before clearing her throat. "Friend."
When he said nothing, she continued: "It just makes sense. Wouldn't it be easier to 'protect' me if I could protect myself better?"
"Does Tyler agree with that line of thought?"
A quick flash of her eyes told him no.
He was beginning to like this plan more and more.
"It doesn't matter what Tyler thinks. At least I had the decency to tell him about my plan before coming to you," she said, and he smirked at how annoyed she still clearly was with Tyler about that.
"Where is this coming from, Caroline? Did the massacre really freak you out that much?" he asked, again utilising terms he thought she would be more familiar with.
"Yes and no," she answered, sighing and flopping down on the sofa beside him.
He tried to hide his surprise at how much of a casual visit this had suddenly become. He set his untouched glass down on the table beside him, uneasy with drinking it when Caroline didn't have one.
He waited for more of an explanation and when it didn't come, he sighed.
"I don't think it's a good idea."
She looked at him obstinately. "Why not?"
"I'd have conditions," he answered vaguely.
"Fine," she said, knowing there was more.
He sighed. "I want to know your reasoning for this, Caroline."
She stared stubbornly at an indistinguishable item in the distance. He knew she wouldn't leave without his consent. Both because she was stubborn and because he inevitably gave in to all of her demands.
He thought about the last time he'd been in this situation with her: picking a film to watch when they'd been upstairs.
He'd just have to do now what he'd done then: sweeten the deal for himself before giving in.
He shrugged as if she'd persuaded him. "If I were to do it, it would be scheduled. A daily meeting time." He thought back to the bloody scene from earlier. "Whatever is coming seems to be approaching fast. If you want to be prepared, we'll need all the time we can get."
She looked at him for the first time since she'd sat down. Their eyes connected, both of them knowing but not verbally acknowledging how transparent his excuse for getting to see her every day was.
A small smile crossed her face. "Fine."
He narrowed his eyes. He hadn't actually expected her to agree to that. Not that easily, anyhow.
"Why are you so determined to do this, love?" he asked suspiciously, but with a softer tone than his previous interrogatory one.
It seemed to work.
Caroline sighed and turned away from him again. "It was something Damon said earlier."
"Damon. Of course."
The vampire constantly got on Klaus' last nerve, but earlier the elder Salvatore had particularly rubbed him up the wrong way. He hated the reckless abandon with which he treated Caroline. He hated that Caroline's supposed best friend couldn't control her boyfriend.
"What did he say?"
"Well, he more reminded me of something." She sighed. "When Elena almost killed me."
Klaus sat forward quickly. "She what?"
She looked at him again, clearly fearful of him going off and doing something to Elena. She wasn't far off.
"It was when her humanity was off," she hastened to add in an effort to calm him, "She escaped from the house and I went out to find her. We fought and she staked me. She was about to kill me when Stefan and Damon showed up."
Klaus sat backwards, flabbergasted. He prided himself on knowing the detailed goings-on of this tiny town. It annoyed him to no end to find out that Caroline had almost died at the hands of her own best friend, the bloody doppelgänger, and he hadn't even known.
"Damon cited that earlier as a reason for taking Elena into those tunnels and not me."
"You care about Damon's opinion?"
"No," she said disgustedly. "It's not that, it's just…" She sighed. "I'm older and stronger. She wasn't supposed to have been able to do that." Caroline bit her lip, as if pondering whether to say something or not.
She sighed heavily, seeming to make up her mind.
"She said it was because she was trained by Alaric. And I thought… I thought, what if I could be trained by the oldest, most powerful vampire?" she finished, seeming slightly ashamed of her line of thinking.
He suddenly understood. They were the same, after all.
He leaned towards her a bit, regarding her closely.
"I understand. Being a vampire, it's your thing, isn't it? Stefan's the Ripper, Damon's the irresponsible one, but you're the controlled one. You're the success story, Caroline. The thing you excelled in more than Elena ever could. And best of all," he smirked, liking how this connected them, "you revel in it. Unlike dear little Elena who just cannot seem to bear being such a 'monster'," he smirked.
They stared at each other for a minute, him revelling in the knowledge that he'd hit the nail on the head. If it were otherwise, she would audibly be denying it.
"So, will you do it?" she asked eventually, her eyes not leaving his.
He breathed and moved back to his original position.
"I said I'd have conditions."
She pushed back her hair, irritated. "Then just spit them out, Klaus!"
He smiled, liking the desperation. It meant she'd be more likely to agree.
But he wanted to drag it out.
"While I don't doubt how intensive Alaric's training was, I do doubt that it was only it that allowed Elena to overcome you."
Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, wondering where he was going with this.
"You see, for some inexplicable reason vampires often think that any fight can go any way, but it's rather pre-determined, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically. "Really, it's a combination of three factors."
Making sure she was still paying rapt attention, he held up a hand to begin counting.
"Strength, which is directly determined by age and, rarely, diet. Technique, which can be taught, be it by myself or Alaric. And lastly, the relish one feels for being a vampire."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on."
He smiled patiently. "What is the most impossible fight you've won, Caroline?"
Besides winning my heart.
She thought for a moment. "It was with Damon. He was trying to kill my dad."
"And he's approximately a hundred and fifty years older than you, give or take, correct?"
"I was angry," she smirked proudly.
He smiled, shaking his head. She was so young. "As true as that may be, it's not the reason you won. You beat him because you truly wanted to be a vampire. In that moment, your sole focus was the possible death of your father, correct? And you wanted to do anything to prevent that. Which meant, sweetheart, that you were taking the fullest advantage of your vampire abilities."
She exhaled heavily, seemingly convinced. "Ok, fine, so what?"
But he wasn't ready to reveal his trump card just yet.
"Elena won that fight only half because of her training. Her humanity was turned off; she was intensely focused. She wasn't concerned about hurting you or your feelings or anything besides killing you. A-K-A revelling in her vampirism."
She glared at him, now clearly at the end of her rope. She was growing bored of all this exposition and just wanted a final answer.
He smiled slyly. "I'll do it. But my condition is that you do everything I tell you to. Which may occasionally include dabbling in the dark side." He cocked his head, still smiling. "In other words, being a vampire to the fullest extent of the word."
Caroline gritted her teeth. "And if I say no?"
He shrugged. "Then I don't do it. I'm afraid it's all or nothing here, love."
She turned away, considering.
"I'm not turning my humanity off."
"Wouldn't dream of asking."
She sighed, before standing up.
"Fine."
He grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Caroline. Say… noon?"
She nodded quickly. He could tell she wasn't happy, but in the end she had gotten what she had come for. He had just gotten a little something, too.
He was getting better at negotiating with Caroline.
She started walking away and he was picking his glass back up when he heard her footsteps halt.
He turned back toward her, frowning. She had stopped midway to the front door.
She turned slightly now, with her back still to him, but in a position where she could view his sketch once more.
"The artist, he envies them."
He frowned, looking at his sketch too.
The three panes of glass that had intrigued her so. He knew it was what she was drawing her conclusion from.
He didn't say anything; scared she would leave and he would not get to hear more.
"He envies the dead because he can never be one of them. He can't ever get to where they are."
"That much of a megalomaniac, is he?" he asked, now unable to resist.
"No. He isn't envious because he wants everything. Hell is where you're punished for your sins," she explained. "He's envious because he doesn't believe in anything. Not even the things he paints," she said, right before disappearing with a whoosh.
He dropped the glass, afraid he would crush it between his fingers.
She was right, as always.
It was why he couldn't fill in the background. He didn't believe in the existence of it.
He stared morosely at the sketch until the image was branded into the backs of his eyes.
Ever since he'd met Caroline he'd begun burning a significantly larger amount of his work.
It was troublesome.
So you probably noticed that I completely skipped a conversation between Tyler and Caroline in this chapter and that's what my story will be like. If it's not necessary to the plot and the same information can be relayed some other way, I will not subject you guys to Forwood scenes.
With Klaus and Caroline's agreement I've also promised you guys that there will be Klaroline scenes in every chapter, sometimes including physical fighting so I hope you're prepared for that!
Lyrics are from Undisclosed Desires by Muse.