Consequences
Chapter 10
Caroline's hands were trembling as she fumbled with her phone, slowly making her way up the beaten path leading to an old and crumbling house, surrounded by trees with the Wickery Bridge less than a mile away. The sound of the running water filled Caroline's ears, darkness still lingering with purple smudges beginning to appear in the sky. Bonnie had reassured her in numerous text messages that Katherine wasn't even in town, but she still shook violently as she reached out and tried the front door. Stefan had told her it would be left open, and to her surprise, it was.
As it creaked open, a dull and unwelcoming foyer unfolded before Caroline. Crystal chandeliers, marble floors and expensive vases lay covered in dust ridden cobwebs and centuries of neglect. The large stained glass window on the opposing wall was partially covered by a faded red curtain, casting eerie shadows all around. What had once been a house of grand stature seemed to have slipped in standards somewhat, Caroline thought to herself. Stepping inside, she stuffed her phone into her back pocket and closed the front door behind her. The room fell into total darkness, but her vampire vision allowed her to see her path to the splintered wooden staircase.
Tentatively, she crept up the steps as they creaked loudly beneath her feet. "First door on the left", she repeated Damon's words under her breath as she reached the top of the staircase. A long, dark hallway lay in front of her, the house falling into a deafening silence as she drew to a halt. She could just make out a door through the gloom, a few feet away on the left hand wall. Shuffling towards it, Caroline whined as she spotted the enormous cobweb stretched across the door handle. Taking a deep breath, she slowly reached out and prodded the web with the tip of her finger. Squealing, she jumped back as the massive hairy spider darted out from the shadows, revealing its self. Wiping her finger on her jacket, Caroline pushed the door open with her foot and strode inside the bedroom.
An old four-poster bed took up most of the room, it's blankets covered in dirt and posts artfully draped with more silky cobwebs. There were only two other items in the room; a wooden rocking chair by the door and a small dresser over by the grime- coated window. There came a sudden bang from downstairs, startling Caroline. What was that? The door? It couldn't be; Bonnie would have let her know if anyone was coming. It must have been the wind, she reassured herself. Shivering, Caroline made her way toward the dresser and pulled out her phone from her pocket.
"In room. See dresser", she typed to Stefan. Reaching out, she opened the drawer with a clammy hand and fumbled around inside it, not daring to look for fear of what other spiders may dwell inside. Pulling out the drawer's contents, she placed them on top of the dresser and sorted through them. Some old photographs of the Salvatore brothers made Caroline giggle. Aside from those there were only a few other items on the dresser: a letter in Katherine's handwriting, a jewel encrusted hairbrush and something which Caroline was glad to see. The moonstone. Pocketing the precious stone, Caroline's phone buzzed loudly on the dresser. A message from Bonnie lit up the screen, illuminating the dark room.
"Katherine. Get out, NOW."
Frozen in fear, Caroline held her breath as she heard quiet laughter from the corner of the room. Slowly, she turned around with widened eyes to see Katherine emerging from a dark corner of the room.
"What could you possibly want with my moonstone?", the Petrova asked sarcastically. "Let me guess. It has something to do with Elena."
"Maybe it has, what's it to you?", Caroline's voice broke as she forced the words from her dry mouth.
"It's my moonstone, now hand it over", came the reply from the shadows.
"N-n-no", Caroline stuttered, looking around for a way to escape.
"I hoped you'd say that", Katherine uttered, and she lunged at Caroline.
Bracing herself, Caroline drew her hands up and shielded her face, but to her surprise was not struck by anything. Lowering her hands, she saw, much to her delight, Katherine crouched against the wall with Klaus standing above her. Blood dripped from her nose as she rose to her feet, trembling at the sight of the hybrid she feared most.
"Go", Klaus hissed at her, and she didn't hesitate to dash out of the house at vampire speed, leaving Caroline alone with him.