Warning: Graphic depictions of violence

The entire room was closing in on her.

Beads of sweat clung to her brow. Her breathing became shorter, heavier. The blood coursing through her veins rushed to her head, pounding against her ear drums, sounding like the loudest siren she had ever heard. No more, she couldn't take anymore.

They ambushed her again, five or more men and women wearing white coats. Pinning all her limbs against the bed, they stared down at her with those repugnant countenances. They looked at her like she was a deformed hyena, like she was even more monstrous than they had anticipated. The looks they shared made her stomach lurch. She shouldn't have cared what they thought- it wasn't like she would ever get them to change their mind, or change herself, but she couldn't help the feeling of revulsion that was projected onto her.

She shook her head fervently, pleading to the strangers to release her, but no one answered. This shouldn't have phased her anymore. She had been suffering through it long enough to know that resisting only brought more pain, yet she continued to fight. Her body convulsed and her face twisted into a painful expression as she tried to wrench herself free. Those lithe arms of hers felt like they had been sore for days when she used all her strength to push against the iron grips of the captors entrapping her.

Most nights, she would lie awake wondering why she couldn't just have the same problems her friends did. She should be worrying about what outfit to wear for school the next day, whether her crush thinks she's cute or not, or complaining about the workload her teachers were giving her. Why couldn't she just be a regular fourteen-year-old?

She screamed violently, thrashing under her restraints when she saw that familiar syringe that always seemed to drain the life out of her. They just loved sticking needles into her. Enjoyed judging her, staring at her like a lab rat. After they were done poking inside her head- after they had gotten what they needed to sate their thirst for knowledge on the darkest parts of one's mind- they forced her to lay dormant until they felt that need pique once again.

The sharp, gray needle approached her neck, just like it always did. A stray drop of clear liquid hung off the pointed end, taunting her, causing her blood pressure to rise even higher.

Caroline groaned when she felt a sting from an intrusion shoved into her neck. The fluid slowly traveled down her neck, gradually lulling her to sleep within minutes. The entire world began to fade to black as her eyes fluttered shut.

When the effects of the drugs finally began to dissipate, lifting her eyelids felt like the equivalent to pushing a minivan off of herself. Once she did, her eyes rapidly blinked until most of the sleep had been cast out of her vision and her entire body suffered from grogginess, just as it always had during these pleasant mornings. To no surprise, her arms were constrained by a straitjacket, but she still continued to fight it in hopes of freeing herself this time, akin to all the other times.

She loathed them all. Every last one of them.

She imagined so many times what it would feel like if their roles were reversed. If she would be the one in control, and they were at her mercy. To hear their screams, perform her own experiments, and see how long it would take them before they reached their breaking points. She wanted to watch them as they watched each other burn.

"Caroline?"

The young blonde slowly turned her head to face the middle-aged woman, dressed in a white coat, holding a notepad and a pen in each hand. Caroline's expression remained austere, arguably inhuman. Making no effort to respond, she wasn't in the mood to amuse their hypocritical minds.

"You've been quiet, lately. That's unlike you," the lady claimed.

Still refusing to play this game anymore, Caroline turned away from her.

The older woman pursed her lips. "We've done more brain scans, Caroline. I regret to have to tell you that your condition seems to only degrade with time."

Great. More useless information. At least now she knows that every second she spent here was an even bigger waste of time than she had originally thought.

It was confirmed now; she would never be free.

"However..." the doctor continued. "I wouldn't go hanging a noose around your neck just yet. Another doctor in this town has created another method to treat patients like you, and your mother has already signed off on it. We'll begin treatment immediately tomorrow morning."

"What are you going to do to me?" She held her breath. Of course, her current treatment wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but something told her that this other method wasn't going to be any better. If the treatment wasn't working, then they obviously needed to step up their game, and sometimes the patients didn't even last past halftime.

The woman flashed her the same fake smile that Caroline always wanted to punch. "Get some sleep, sweetie. You have a long day ahead of you."

Caroline gasped as her eyes shot open. The bright florescent lights blinded her for a few seconds, adding to the mounting headache that was rapidly settling in. It seemed as if the entire world was spinning and she barely moved from her spot, lying down on the uncomfortable bed. She brought her hand to the crown of her head, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

She quickly blinked her eyes when they finally rested on a familiar face. "... Taylor?" Her eyes flicked around the room, noticing an expensive desk and several group photos of not-so-friendly looking students. "What's going on?" Caroline tried to take a step onto the cold floor and would've toppled over if Taylor hadn't pulled her back to the bed.

"I got you, Caroline," she mumbled.

The blonde gripped onto the petite girl's shoulder and saw her dark hair fall away from her shoulder. Her eyes were drawn to the milky flesh on Taylor's neck. The usually perfect skin was marred by two puncture wounds, stained by dried blood. Caroline's blood pressure gradually sky-rocketed. "Taylor... what's on your neck?"

Taylor instinctively reached for her neck, hiding the injury from her view. "It's nothing."

"Don't give me that bullshit," Caroline spat. "Let me rephrase that. Tell me how you got that."

Taylor averted her eyes sheepishly. "Okay... I... I'm into BDSM, okay?"

"What?"

The brunette sighed. "You know? Like the stuff they do in Fifty Shades."

"Oh." Caroline stared at her with her mouth agape. "Wow."

"Yeah..."

"Good, good for you." Caroline nodded awkwardly.

Taylor scratched her head for a moment, desperate to change the subject. "Wait... so, do you not remember?"

"Remember what?" Caroline grumbled, cursing her body for failing her. She hated feeling weak and now she was an invalid.

"Caroline... I found you passed out outside your room."

"What?"

"You've been out for like twelve hours."

It felt like Caroline just had the wind knocked out of her. Her head stopped spinning, but her mind immediately went into overdrive, bits and pieces of memory running through her skull. The first thing she remembered was Elena's face. It took her several minutes of intense thinking, but it came back to her. "Elena tried to kill me..."

"Elena Gilbert?" Taylor's jaw dropped. "I didn't see anyone else with you."

"Did you look inside the room?"

"N-no. I was with Mr. Collins when we found you. We were too freaked seeing you out cold on the floor. We didn't think to-"

"Get me out of here." Caroline found her strength and leaped out of bed, heading for the door. "Get my stuff. We're leaving." She flung the door open, nearly bumping into a woman with short, brownish/blonde hair, fine lines seeping into her pale skin. The woman wore a white coat and an all too familiar sympathetic smile on her face. One look at her was all Caroline needed for confirmation. She was not going to like this woman, at all.

"Hello, Caroline." She smiled insincerely. "I'm Doctor Augustine, your psychiatrist."

Caroline's body tensed as her face burned red from fury. No. Not another one. She wouldn't last another round. Her anger exploded and she knocked the doctor to the ground. She dashed towards the nearest door, but was yanked off her feet like she was attached to a bungee cord. Five muscular nurses had her pinned back into her bed while she screamed her head off. It was as if she had never even left for boarding school. She was in the exact same position she was in two months ago, except she was watching Taylor run out of the room when she felt a sharp needle stab her neck.

Klaus harshly tapped his fingers against the top of the oak table while he pursed his lips, irritated. He had showed up to the library hours ago and waited an hour for Caroline to show up, but she never did. Although, it wasn't a complete waste of his time. Caroline won't have any grounds to stand on if she ever tries to deny his suggestions about their work schedule.

However, what bothered him was that he got stood up. Klaus Mikaelson does not get stood up, unless it's his siblings, because that's an entirely different story. He even emailed her three times, warning her that if she didn't show up, he would have full control of the project- still nothing. It seemed odd to him that she wouldn't even take that bait, so he visited her room to make sure she was alright. There was no answer. He assumed that she had blown him off for Homecoming committee, considering the dance is tomorrow night.

"Nik?" Kol peeked his head inside the room, spotting his brother at his desk with his silver flask beside him. "Oh, good. You're not busy."

"What is it, Kol?" Klaus spat.

Kol furrowed his brows in confusion. "Someone's in a mood. Weren't you supposed to be 'meeting' with Caroline Forbes tonight?" He snickered.

Klaus shot to his feet, chest to chest with his brother, sending a death glare at him. "Speak something of relevance to me before I rid you of your pancreas."

Kol raised his hands up in defense. "Alright, alright. Don't get your knickers in a twist, mate."

Klaus growled.

"I've made progress." Kol flashed him a devilish smirk.

"Now that's what I want to hear." Klaus emulated his smirk.

"It seems our witch friend was a bit of a religious fanatic." Kol brought out an antique piece of parch paper that was yellowing with age and had been rolled up. The two brothers looked back down at the words they had read over and over again for a few centuries now.

Three will free. Every step closer, means two steps back. A rare tainted beat makes the clock go ticktock. Adorn the house in 6 16 19. Sin reverts to virtue and the arms of hell release you.

Kol began to explain to his brother. "We couldn't figure it out before because we didn't understand the three numbers she was referring to. Before we thought it was a date or coordinates of some sort, but it turns out it's a passage from the bible."

Klaus raised his brows. "That's a tad ironic, considering the Old Testament states 'thou shall not tolerate a witch.'"

"Exactly," Kol confirmed. "How many vampires have you ever seen pick up a bible?"

"Then how did you come to this conclusion?" Klaus asked.

"One of the girls started to pray before I ate her." Kol chuckled. "Referenced the bible in between all her gibberish."

"So translate the witch's non-sense, brother," Klaus ordered.

Kol ran his rough finger along the lines as he explained each one. "'Three will free... Sin reverts to virtue.' It refers to the seven deadly sins. It requires us to turn three sins into a virtue. Lust to love, gluttony to selflessness, all that rubbish. 'A rare, tainted beat makes the clock go ticktock.' A twisted kind of love that you don't find every day is what makes it begin, which means we only have one shot, so don't waste it. 'Adorn the house in 6 16 19.' The house refers to the church and the passage 6 16 19 covers everything that is forbidden in the church."

Klaus placed a firm hand on Kol's shoulder and smiled proudly. "Good work, Kol. It seems we'll be able to avoid complications, afterall."

Caroline laid down on the bed, her head tilted to the side on her pillow, hearing nothing but the rise and fall of her chest. Surprisingly, they hadn't put her to sleep, but the sedatives they injected her with left her in a lethargic state. She had no desire to do anything and she was so calm she often wondered if this was what it felt like to be dead. Being there, yet not being there at all.

The psychiatrist had been sitting there, barely an inch away from the bed, watching her, but Caroline was unphased, not that anything could phase her in this state. The doctor had a pad of paper out and a pen, smiling at her like a dog that just learned a new trick. "I'd like to ask you a few questions, Caroline."

"Get in line, Lady," Caroline replied lazily.

The woman feigned a smile. "You got into a bit of an accident earlier today. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"Why don't you burn in hell?"

"I'm trying to help you, Caroline."

"I don't remember asking for it."

"If you don't want to talk about what happened today, that's fine. We'll save it for another day." She shifted in her seat. "You're a very special girl, Caroline. Your case is quite interesting. It's something people like me don't come across every day."

"Gee, thanks. I think I'm blushing," Caroline quipped. "Because I'm not just a regular psychopath, I'm a cool psychopath."

Doctor Augustine sighed. "Caroline, you will only improve if you believe you will. That is what we call the placebo effect."

"Why does something have to be wrong with me?" she murmured. "Who decides what's mentally fit and what's not? Shouldn't that be subjective? Out there I'm a monster, but here... I'm someone who loves life."

The psychiatrist fixed a striking stare at her for a moment before furiously scribbling several notes on her pad. "Is that what you believe? You don't think there's anything wrong with killing people?"

The blonde inhaled deeply. "I don't think there's anything wrong with killing you."

Augustine remained stoic. "Why? Can't we be friends?"

"Don't make me laugh," Caroline bit out. She shifted her head on the pillow and stared straight at the cracked, stale, and cream wall. "I'm tired of looking at your face. If you're not going to split my skull open, I suggest you leave, because I have no more answers for you."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," she declined. "We were having quite an interesting conversation on your philosophies, Caroline. I'd like for you to continue... or perhaps, you'd like to tell me why you were passed out outside your room."

Caroline smirked. "Oh, I have a few choice words for you, Doctor."

"I hear you're quite the expert in planning school dances." The woman grinned darkly. "You've been working quite hard on that Homecoming dance, haven't you? It'd be such a shame for you to have to miss it, but fret not. I know that lovely girl, Rebekah Mikaelson, will be more than happy to make sure everything runs smoothly in your absence."

She scoffed. "You must have me confused with someone else if you actually believe I would trade my dignity for a school dance." Caroline had had enough of hearing this woman talk. "Drop the act, Lady. Just say it: you don't care about me. You hold the cockroach beneath your shoe to a higher degree than people like me. I am the chimpanzee you get off from when my brain explodes. You are all such hypocrites and you can't even see it."

The psychiatrist only flicked her eyes back and forth between Caroline and her pad. It was like she wasn't even hearing her. She acted as if she was in a lecture, only half listening to her professor, as she took mindless notes.

"Let me help you with that." Caroline pounced on the doctor, knocking her chair backwards and slamming her head against the marble tiles. She pinned Augustine's legs down with her knees and plunged the short nails of her thumbs into the doctor's eye sockets. The psychiatrist screamed with anguish and tried to yank on Caroline's blonde locks, but she was losing strength rapidly. "You really need to get stronger drugs, Doctor. Do you feel this, Melissa? Do you know the pain you inflict on your patients? Do you understand how twisted your 'ethics' are? Well, today, you're able to see your own soul."

"NOOOOOOOOO!" she cried.

Caroline felt the squishiness of Melissa Augustine's eyeballs beneath the pads of her thumbs, blood running down her arms and staining the gray slacks she woke up in. There was one last deep croak of Doctor Augustine's throat before she gave out and Caroline let her skull crash back to the ground.

Caroline sniffled and then looked down at her hands, completely soaked in warm crimson. When the room grew silent, she suddenly became aware of how heavy her breathing became in the last five minutes. She felt... good. She felt fantastic, actually.

Murmuring voices emitting from down the hall caused Caroline to snap her head in that direction. They grew louder and were soon accompanied by quick footsteps. She had to go; they would put her down for sure if they found her there.

She ran towards the wide window on the opposite side of the room. Trying to lift the window sill open, it wouldn't budge. It was like someone super-glued it down. The nurses were rapidly approaching the door, so she dove for it, narrowly locking the door before they were able to burst it open.

Caroline sat in front of the door with her palms flat on the chilly floor. She could see the impact the harsh pounding from the other side had on the door. It wouldn't hold for more than five minutes, and she didn't have that kind of time.

"Melissa? Melissa?! What's going on in there? Answer me!" Several voices sounded from the other side.

The blonde scrambled back over to the bed she had occupied before, trying to ignore the sound of the door splitting in half. Stripping the bed of its sheets, she wrapped them around her fist and swung at the window for several minutes until the glass shattered. She probably broke her hand and bled in several places, but she couldn't care less at the moment.

She hoisted herself onto the window sill, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw the full moon shining down on her.

Freedom.

Caroline's eyes widened as her head whipped around to see the wooden door explode into large chunks and ten angry male nurses' jaws drop when they saw her sitting on the edge of the window.

"Later, boys." Caroline waved slyly before jumping onto the roof.

Rebekah curled up against Stefan's chest as she threw the rest of her drink into her throat, the burning sensation in her throat leaving her with satisfaction.

Most of their group had either made plans for the night or already went to bed, so, Rebekah, Stefan, Finn, and Sage were left lounging in Stefan and Rebekah's room. School policy forbade any co-ed dorms, but no one in their right mind would try to deny Rebekah Mikaelson her boyfriend.

"So did you guys hear who might be winning Homecoming queen this year?" Sage giggled, her head resting on Finn's lap. Bourbon filled the crystal tumbler loosely dangling from her hand.

Rebekah's hand tightened around her own drink. "I don't know how intoxicated you are, Sage, but everyone knows there has only been one Homecoming queen for the past centuries and as long as I am here that will not change."

"I'm just saying..." the red-head shrugged. "You might want to step up your shameless self-promotion." Sage smiled.

Rebekah rose to her feet. "I don't know why you're enjoying this so much. You do realize there are only three nominees each year for Homecoming queen, right? If Caroline is nominated, who do you think will be the first to be rejected from court?"

Sage jumped to her feet, and the two girls stood toe to toe. Stefan and Finn both had their hands on their girlfriends' shoulders, preparing for the worst.

"Girls..." Stefan said with caution. "Come on, it's late at night and you've both had too much to drink. No one meant anything they said. Why don't we call it a night?"

"I agree." Finn nodded. "Sage, darling, I apologize. You know Rebekah is not a very nice drunk."

"Oh, bite me, brother," Rebekah snapped.

Sage held up a hand to silence Finn and locked eyes with the blonde. "That's where you're wrong, Rebekah. I don't care about Homecoming, or beating Caroline Forbes. I'm all for torturing humans, but, right now, what I want is my freedom. And I would think that you would want the same." She let her eyes drift over to Stefan's softened ones. "Maybe the question you need to ask yourself is why you feel the need to beat Caroline so badly."

Rebekah and Stefan slowly watched the other couple exit the room. Rebekah furrowed her brows. She wanted to slap that traitor for siding with the enemy. Although, she couldn't help but acknowledge that her family's freedom came before anything else, but it didn't mean she couldn't have both.

Caroline charged down the roof, panting painfully. There was a reason why cheerleading had always been her sport and not track. She had been zigzaging all over the roof to avoid the blinding spotlight they had been trying to flash her with. They had gunman posted at every angle. If she stopped for even a second, they would shoot her down.

At this point, she didn't have a choice; she had to run, far, and never look back. Her game plan was to hop over the wall, and wing it from there.

A guy with a bullhorn screamed at her. "Caroline Forbes! Stop!"

Did they really think she was that stupid?

She skidded to a stop when she reached the wall, barbed wire lining the top. The light kept following her every move, so she had to duck every time it came by.

She gulped, staring at the wall. This was no big deal. It was just like rock climbing, except if you fall, no one will be holding you up...

Grasping the stone structure, she pulled herself up and took a huge step, trying to avoid the dangerous wire. Caroline screamed and fell off the wall, landing on her back on the roof. She groaned from the new soreness on her back. Her slacks were singed from the brief contact with the barbed wire. The voltage from that thing could've set a wetland on fire.

Yeah. She was so not doing that again.

"Caroline!" The man with the bullhorn yelled again. "Get on your knees and hold your hands above your head."

She could hear her blood pounding against her head. It felt like every sound on Earth was filling her ears. The world was closing in on her. She looked to her left and right. She didn't want to die, but she didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she could do anything. She had no one.

Klaus quickly rubbed his damp curls dry with the navy, cotton towel. He had just pulled on his baggy sweatpants with the school's logo on it since he was getting ready for bed. He and Kol had spent the entire night putting their heads together, trying to think of ways to accomplish the requirements to break the curse the witch cast on them.

They seemed to have everything down except for the 'rare tainted beat' part. Klaus's first instinct would have been to use Rebekah and Stefan, or Katherine and Elijah, but if their love was 'rare' it would have already started the clock, right? I mean, where in the bloody hell would he find a 'rare' twisted love story?

He leaned back in his desk chair, crossing his muscular arms across his bare chest. He stared mindlessly at his brother, who was texting some girl who obviously had no shame.

He couldn't do this anymore, it wasn't healthy. Klaus needed some sleep. There would always be time tomorrow to plan out their escape plan. Pushing himself back to his feet he was just about to fall on top of his bed when someone rudely began pounding on their door.

Kol was way too absorbed in the sexts he was receiving to heed the ruckus. Klaus rolled his eyes and bitterly made his way over to the loud door. The person on the other side had better be durable, because if not, they might as well be a walking corpse.

He swung the door open, a deep scowl engraved on his face. Then, he was left speechless when Caroline Forbes, scratched up, with a bleeding fist, and wearing torn sweats, appeared on his door step, her arms folded across her chest.

"Okay... I'm listening."

I know! I know! I'm an awful person, but... at least now you know next chapter will be a klaroline centered one! Yay! And things are really starting to move, whoo!

So let me know your thoughts and what you would like to see happen between them in the next chapter or future ones :)

Also, I think a lot of people are still getting confused about what Caroline is.

Caroline Forbes is HUMAN at this point in time. Just want to clarify :)