I pointed to a single house in a vast field of wheat-like grass. It was painted a sickly color of blue, probably due to the grime covering it and there was a depressed looking mailbox, it's left hinge destroyed so the lid was swaying with the wind.
"That's it, I think."
"How do you even know?" Caroline asked, glaring at me as though I was making up information to seem impressive and helpful. Maybe I was, I didn't even know. At least it was a subconscious decision.
"See that, lying on the grass over there?"
Caroline squinted slightly and nodded. "Yeah. What are they?"
"It's feet and feet of chains all wrapped up. I can practically guarantee you a werewolf lives or used to live here with that much chain. Besides, there are no houses anywhere near it. That's another good sign."
Caroline no longer questioned my half-certainty and pulled into the gravel driveway as slowly as possible, trying to minimize the crunch from the tire-gravel contact.
"What do we do now?" she whispered.
"I don't know. And why are you whispering?"
"Can't they hear us?"
"Probably not."
"But what do we do!" she cried.
I raised my hands palms facing outward. "This is your baby, Caroline. I'm just along for the ride. And to beat Tyler up if you so desire."
"You will do no such thing."
I sighed dejectedly and glanced out the window. The house sure looked deserted, but that could just be to keep up appearances. I knew enough about this situation to know that for some reason Tyler didn't want to be found. Not even by his own girlfriend. "Well," I began, "we could do it my way, or we could think on it and go rest in a motel for awhile or something."
"What's your way?"
"Barging into the house and hope you can pin them down and threaten them before they can jump out the windows."
"Um..."
"Your decision," I chortled silently.
"Let's do it your way."
I raised my eyebrows in shock, and thought about questioning her logic but realized she probably wouldn't be so keen to answer. Either she trusted me enough for this to work, which she wouldn't freely admit, or she didn't want to spend any amount of time with me in the same motel room. Ever. Which hopefully she was too kind to admit. "Okay."
"Lead the way. You know what you're doing."
"Gladly," I smiled, wishing I could rub my hands together mischievously like the cartoon characters in those comics Rebakah watched when she was trying to feel more human. I wrapped my hand around Caroline's without thought and turned with my finger over my lips to indicate silence. We tiptoed to the front door of the house and paused inches away. I grinned at her before stepping back and giving a massive kick to the door right next to the handle so the lock would give way and we were home free.
The door burst open and I did a quick mad dash throughout the entire house searching for any sign of life. Caroline had abandoned me somewhere along the way, probably conducting the same rounds. I eventually stalled in the living room and waited for Caroline to meet me there.
"Find anything?" I asked, when she whirred into the room.
"Nope. You?"
"Absolutely nothing." Caroline closed her eyes in disappointment and I thought I better mention the little piece of information I had found. "But, there was a fire in the fireplace."
"So?"
"That means someone was here. And not that long ago."
"What are you saying? They're probably long gone."
"Nah, they couldn't have gone far. And that would be under the assumption they knew we were coming which I would highly suspect they didn't. They just had time to get somewhere safe. But most likely somewhere in this house."
"So you're saying there's some secret passageway or hidden door like Hogwarts."
"I'm not sure what you mean by Hogwarts, but kind of yes. More like a trap door that leads to, say, a basement."
"You've never read Harry Potter?"
"I'm afraid not. And with a name like that, I'm almost positive I don't want to."
"That needs to change. We'll have to work on that, you and I. Okay, well, I guess I'll go look for a secret passageway." And she darted off. I was too busy reminiscing on you and I. Eventually I strolled around the house, trying to avoid any squeaking searching as well.
"Klaus?" I heard her angelic voice ring quietly through the house. I appeared at her side seconds later and she pointed to a wall.
"I don't see anything."
"No, I know, but listen."
I placed my ear on the wall and focused on nothing trying to discern something. Then I heard Caroline's voice, but not from her body. I thought for a second I was having an out-of-body experience until I heard the shrillness on the phrase undeserving douche.
"He's listening to your messages," I whispered, desperately trying to refrain from bursting into laughter which would almost definitely give us away. Not that we should've already been found out as being beside this wall. But, then again, Tyler had never been calculatingly smart. "He's an idiot."
"Not that I think so, but in this case I kind of agree."
"How do we get in?"
"Don't know. I've been looking for some kind of nob or something."
"Like this?" And I pressed down on a small symbol, hardly noticeable against the grain of the wood, allowing a door to swing open. We careened in to find no one there.
"Shit," Caroline said.
I bent down to the phone left on the ground playing the message and grinned. I'd underestimated Tyler Lockwood. No, that wasn't right. I'd overestimated his feelings for Caroline, not that I would ever say that to her. This had been a distraction. They'd escaped while we were trying to find a way in here. They probably hadn't even been in the room, but I wasn't positive.
"How long was the message you left him?"
"I don't know. A couple of minutes?"
I recalled all the moments I'd ever talked, like seriously talked to Caroline, and she talked a little too much. That one-sided conversation likely went on longer than that. Which meant they hadn't even been in the room.
"They must've just got away," Caroline whispered to herself. "Jesus, the luck I've had."
I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was not as close as she thought and sunk down, leaning against the wall. She sat beside me and leaned her head on my shoulder in exhaustion. Probably mental. But I could tell the feeling wasn't romantic. "What now?"
"I have no clue. We'll find something."
"Will we?"
"Maybe. But I won't give up until we do."
"You know the amazing thing?"
"What?"
"You don't give a shit," she said. "And yet, you're still here and determined to find Tyler, even though you could care less if he disappeared forever."
"You're unhappy," I said simply.
"Since when has that mattered to you? I'm always unhappy around you."
I internally cringed but managed to squeeze out a couple of words without sounding hurt. "It always has, love. I just didn't understand what that was like for you until now. And I probably still don't," I laughed shortly.
"You're getting better," she murmured, "Because I'm not mad right now. I'm glad you're here with me. I'm not sure anybody else would be at this point. They would just say he'd come back when he's ready. But how do they even know he wants to be gone?"
"They don't, Caroline. But you have to be ready if..."
"I know. I am. I have plenty to say to Tyler Lockwood right down, and I have it all written down in notes on my phone."
I laughed and she joined in until tears were both in our eyes almost ready to overflow out. "Sounds like you," I gasped.
"God, I'm awful."
"No, you're wonderful."
"Thank you," she whispered and rested back on my shoulder. This time I wasn't sure what the feeling was behind it.
