My Sweet Caroline
Authors Note: Wow, the response to this story has been amazing! I can't believe how many of you there are! I appreciate your support and every review! They all make me smile, and I love the questions andideas some of you have said! I love you all, but especiallymylovely beta throughmysoul44! She has been an amazing help, and I would be lost without her!
Chapter 7: He Did Not Save Me
I awoke from my sleep as the carriage we were riding in hit a deep pothole with a heart stopping blow. My head hurt and I think my finger may have been broken, but I wasn't dead so things were better than I expected. The woman sitting across from me was staring diligently at my weary body. I sat up as quickly as I could, but that didn't help my head much. She chuckled and continued to pierce me with her eyes. When I thought I might go crazy from the silence, she finally spoke.
`"I assume you have a lot of questions, so I am going to answer before you ask. I think that would save some time and patience. My name is Katerina Petrova, but you can call me Katherine. As you have probably guessed, I am a vampire, and I do not have a lot of patience, so I suggest you stay off my nerves."
I glared back at her, and tried to say something, but found I could not speak. I looked at her with confusion in my eyes, and she smiled.
"I see you have figured out that as of right now, you cannot speak. Don't worry it is only temporary, well unless you irritate me. Then I might have to make it permanent," She chuckled to herself.
I instinctively reached for my necklace, but found my beautiful and most prized possession gone.
"Don't bother. I smelt the vervain on you the second I grabbed you…speaking of, I guess you're guessing why you are here." She paused and looked at me intensely.
She was making me more and more angry with every word she said but I needed to know more.
"Well, let's just say I pissed off Klaus a few decades back, and he really knows how to hold a grudge, and know you are leverage," She almost spit.
I was trying to hold my anger, but confusion washed over me. Leverage? Why would Klaus care about me? He practically banished me from his quaint little palace, and now I was being used against him? How did that work?
"You seem confused. Let me just clear that up right now. He likes you...duh," She snapped rudely, acting as if I were stupid.
I scrunched my nose and squirmed a little. The thought that Klaus liked me like that was infuriating, but I decided not to focus on it. I needed to calm down and keep my temper or I would never get out of here.
"I think I have told you enough for now, but we are almost to our destination so I need to get your compulsion out of the way."
She looked deeply into my eyes, and it felt like she was peering into my soul. My palms sweated, and I knew I was going to hate what she was going to do. I tried to look away, but she grabbed my chin and forced my face towards hers.
"If anyone asks, you are my maid. We have traveled a long distance because our home was burned to the ground, and we are still mourning. Don't speak unless spoken to, and keep your eyes on the ground. You assist me like any other maid would, by helping me with my dress and other chores I say. Listen to me, and we won't have a problem."
As the compulsion settled in, I shivered. I hated her and even though I didn't think I was capable of hate, I really hated her. She took joy in hurting other people and underneath it all I believed she was just a hollow shell with not a single person to love.
The carriage came to a halt, and Katherine proceeded to adjust her dress and fix her hair. As she stepped out, she wore a smile on her face, and said a warm hello to the owner of the manor. As I stepped out, I saw he was not alone. He was accompanied by two men, probably his sons. One of them was shorter than the other and he had crystal green eyes and lighter hair. The other had jet black locks and blue eyes you could lose yourself in.
I tried to get a closer look, but my eyes darted to the ground. I listened to Katherine introduce herself before finally introducing me. All I could do stutter out a hello and curtsy as if I respected any of them.
I waited quietly while they introduced themselves. I still couldn't grasp the reality that I was no longer in New Orleans. I had been taken from my home, my family. Even though I was upset, I still missed them with all my heart. I hadn't cried yet, but as I stood there watching, I began to feel weak. Was this really my new life?
"Hello Miss Katherine. I am Giuseppe Salvatore, and these are my sons Stefan and Damon."
They all bowed their heads, and I no longer felt sad, but rather disgusted, like I was going to vomit. If they knew about vampires, they were heartless creatures, and if they didn't, they were all completely clueless. They escorted us to our room, and left us to unpack, even though I had nothing but the clothes on my back. When we entered the room, the compulsion lifted and I could finally raise my head just far enough to show Katherine how much I hated her with a single glance.
"Oh don't be angry." She said in an innocent voice. "If you are good, I might share them with you." Her throaty voice and evil smile once again returned.
I hoped she was just talking about the sons, but I didn't underestimate her. All I knew was that this family was in for a world of hurt, and I pitied them. I silently cursed myself, questioning how I could possibly pity them when I was the one who had been taken captive by an evil bitch vampire. Wow, apparently I had not learned enough about self preservation from the three siblings I had abruptly run away from.
I choked on my breath when I thought of them. Even though I had threatened to run away, I doubted I could ever leave them. They were my family, and I hadn't really known anything except them. I was sorry for the way I had spoken to Rebekah, and if I ever got the chance, I would make it up to her. I missed Elijah because without him, I felt I would go insane. Klaus, well he was a different story. I wasn't sure what I felt for him. On the surface I felt nothing but loathing, but I knew it went deeper. I didn't get to contemplate the thought much longer, Katherine's shrill voice calling to me from downstairs.
As I walked down the staircase, I considered an escape attempt, but I found none. I reached the last step and the compulsion came back. I quickly glanced to the ground and I felt anger rise up in my chest.
"There you are Caroline! Well I need you to escort Mr. Salvatore to the town market. His father has asked him to go, and he will need help carrying the bags," She directed, speaking to me as if I were a baby.
Thankfully my head was faced down, so she couldn't see me roll my eyes. I was almost past her when she grabbed my arm and looked into my eyes.
"You will engage in conversation with him and look at him, but you will not say anything about vampires or your captivity. If he asks about your home, you know what to say. Make it convincing, and I wont kill you." She smiled and sent me towards the garden.
I wandered around aimlessly, waiting for whichever Salvatore to show up. I started to think he wouldn't show but moments later, I felt his blue orbs looking at me. He gave me a warm smile, and I tried to think of something intelligent to spit out, but my mind blanked.
"Hello...Caroline is it? I'm Damon. Sorry to drag you to town, but my father was very insistent I go and I would rather not get a beating today." He laughed as if it was a joke.
I could tell he really didn't care for his father, and I almost felt a connection to him, sort of like I felt with Klaus. All of us had problems with our fathers, and it made me feel better that I was not alone with that burden.
After speaking with him for a while, I had a pretty good understanding of him. He cared a lot for his younger brother Stefan. Stefan had always been his father's favorite and his birth had killed their mother. I tried to ask more about her, but he brushed it off and I could tell it was a sensitive subject. He was a very free spirit and I thought that under different circumstances, we could have been good friends.
We laughed and spoke of different things and it reminded me of Marcel. I was just waiting for Klaus to rip him away from me. Sadly he did not come, and sadly he did not save me.