The Imaginary Friend
Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or its characters. I only own my OCs and my plot.
Sorry for errors. Hope you enjoy.
My back arched and I rolled toward my window. I rubbed my thighs together and decided a shower is needed. I had the same dream from before, only this time Kol and I didn't get interrupted. My eyes fluttered open lazily and I bolted upright at the sight I found.
God, please don't tell me I moaned his name in my sleep.
I stiffened my shoulders and decided if I did, I'd own it and not let him see me embarrassed, because there he was, laying in my floor. The top half deliciously naked, bottom half tangled up in the blanket that was on my bed when I fell asleep. Only when I saw that, did I notice there was one less layer on my bed. Kol's clothes were scattered around my room.
Vampires should definitely have keener observational skills than me.
My gaze lingered on the V his lower abdominal muscles formed, before drifting to the line of hair that started under his navel and disappeared under the blanket. Then dark blue irises trail up his taut stomach. My tongue licks my lower lip absentmindedly. When I reached his collarbone he turned on his side. His toned back was smooth and a strong bicep stretched across his sleeping face.
Nobody can be adorable yet super-hot at the same time like he can. It's unfair.
"You're drooling." My older brother mocked, appearing in my room.
I cocked my head, giving him a proud look. So what? My face conveyed, while my stomach squirmed in embarrassment at being caught.
"Kol." I snapped, throwing a pillow at him.
When it made contact, Kol threw it back way harder than I did. I dodged it quickly, nearly getting hit in the face.
"Piss off." Kol sneered as he glared blearily at me.
"What are you doing here?" I demanded while he rolled over to go back to sleep.
He huffed. "You said I could, darling. Now, shut up."
My gaze shot to Henrik.
"You did," He nodded, "even gave him that blanket. Of course, you were barely half-conscious at the time."
"Ugh." A frown tugged on my lips. "You better be gone by the time I get back, Kol."
Kol pulled the blanket up to cover his handsome face. "Don't count on it."
"Jackass." I responded snippily and was promptly ignored. My hearing reached out and found a heartbeat downstairs. "Who's here, Pup?"
"Dad Forbes. After your mom let him in I went to watch Elijah and the doppelgängers again. Damon was there, him and Elijah were the only ones awake so early. I'm not sure Damon ever sleeps."
"What happened?"
"Weren't you going somewhere?" Kol snapped from my floor. "I'm trying to sleep here."
I rolled my eyes and gestured for Henrik to follow me. I got everything I needed and went to the bathroom. Henrik talked about the night before while I got in the shower. He started with Kol appearing at my house drunk, before moving onto what happened at Elijah's place. I was surprised at how late the vampiric Salvatore showed up. I thought Elijah said it'd be as soon as the sun set. Henrik was still with me long after that happened.
"Damon showed up and dumped Finn's doppelgänger right on the floor. Poor thing looked worse for wear. He must've been getting fed on a lot." Henrik said now as he stood in the shower with me. Not getting wet. "Everyone knows he feeds from vampires, so the first thing Rafael asked was how he tasted."
Since my shampoo was sufficiently lathered, I stepped under the spray. "What did he say?"
Henrik cleared his throat and deepened his voice. His young-looking head tossed back with haughty arrogance. "Elijah's is better, but it was nice to have variety."
I burst into giggles and my brother relaxed his dramatic stance. In my distraction shampoo ran down my face and into my eyes. I swore and tilted my head back, rubbing furiously at my burning eyes.
Henrik snorted in amusement. "Ever so suave."
"Shut up." I scoffed, fighting a smile.
He continued rambling as I finished getting ready. After the shower, I got dressed and plug in my curling iron and hair dryer. Once my looks were to my satisfaction I walked back into the room. The jeans hugged my legs, my makeup was tasteful, and I was having a good hair day. My half-up hairdo made my curls bouncy and full of life.
"Was Henrik in the shower with you?" Kol inquired, laughter in voice and suggestion in his eyes.
"Don't be childish." I responded. Henrik wiggled his eyebrows at me with a wink. I frowned at him. "That goes for you too."
Kol grinned, seemingly pleased Henrik joined in on his teasing. "I have to talk to him a moment. Do you mind?"
"If I said yes?"
"I'd say I don't give a damn." He responded without hesitation.
Brunette hair stuck up in every direction. Long fingers ran through his thick locks in an attempt to tame them. The blanket he used before was bunched up beside him on the bed. His rumpled shirt still managed to cling to him wonderfully and his legs were crossed at the ankles. There was something smeared on the knees of his dark jeans.
Rumbled and unbathed, yet I still want to grab his face and kiss the life out of him.
I put a hand on my hip and strut to the bed. "Go on then. Hurry up. Daddy made breakfast."
Kol started speaking in the same language as yesterday, expression carefully closed off. Henrik taught me how to say the words he wanted his brother to hear. I knelt and got the key from where it was taped on the underside of my dresser. Then I pulled out a locked cooler from under my bed. When I got a blood bag to sip on, I put everything away again and stood up to watch the conversation. My older brother was looking at his. Kol eyed my closet, not knowing where Henrik was.
Henrik's facial expressions ranged from earnest, to touched, to so happy he looked to be on cloud 9. My older brother's face was incredibly expressive, so was his voice. I could tell when he was conveying something serious, if he was joking, and when he was flattered or emotional. I might not be able to understand his words, but I could tell he was enjoying the conversation. Kol, on the other hand, kept his face carefully neutral most of the time, with an offhanded tone.
However, his composer was shaken one time during the talk. For a brief moment his beautiful eyes opened up. They were so soft and affectionate. For the quickest second, those chocolate irises burned with fierce emotion. It didn't last long. They flickered to me, and away again, closing off just as quickly as they opened. I was sad to see it happen. He stood now gazing at a wall, hands in his pockets with a small smirk on his lips. Appearing completely at ease yet utterly closed off.
"No." Henrik laughed while Kol tossed me a confused look when I butchered a sentence.
My older brother spoke in slow motion and I mimicked him. Kol's confused look smoothed out and he responded effortlessly in a foreign tongue. They continued their conversation for a long time before Kol finally cut it off.
"Come over after you have breakfast with your father." Kol said to me. "Angelo is working on the protective enchantment barriers. You need to be there so you'll be able to come and go whenever you please."
"Alright." I agreed. "See you in a few hours, tops."
He gave a gallant bow, winked up at me, before vanishing out my window. The curtains fluttered and I move over to press on the wooden frame. Then I twisted the lock.
"Race you." Henrik blurted and disappeared as quickly as his brother.
"Cheater." I huffed, slipping the empty blood bag between my mattress and box spring to dispose of later.
My older brother's good mood vanished when I walked into the kitchen and my father looked at me. Henrik's dark eyes moved between us and he frowned quizzically. I ignored him, because he was fine with my dad all yesterday evening. Instead I run to embrace the man who stood to greet me.
"I think your breakfast got cold." Dad chuckled.
I pulled back to beam at him. "I'm sure it's fine. Thanks!"
His eyes moved over my face like he was inspecting me. My head tilted in confusion. He came out of his daze and smiled.
"Sorry. The new hair will take some getting used to."
We sat down and Henrik got really weird. "Something's off. You should leave Caroline." Then he mutters to himself, "Why didn't I stay and watch him? I shouldn't have gone to Elijah's."
Seriously. We spent hours with my dad yesterday and Henrik was completely fine. What the heck is wrong with him now? Defensiveness nearly made me bristle.
"Thanks, Daddy. It looks great."
"Maybe I should warm it up." Dad mused.
"It's fine." I smiled reassuringly. "It's just French toast and bacon."
"I know he slipped under my radar yesterday, but something is off with him this morning. Yesterday I wanted to believe in him, wanted to prove Elijah's suspicions unfound. This morning though, I don't know Caroline. The way he looked at you when you walked in made my alarm bells ring. I'm not sure why, but please leave. Don't eat the food." Henrik implored.
I saw him in my peripheral vision with a conflicted look on his face. He always adored my father. A warm, loving man who played tea parties and - despite his relationship with my mother - was always devoted to me. My father was so unlike his own that he instantly took a shine to him.
His instincts were saying one thing, while his head was saying another. Love for my father made me pick up the fork. I was going to prove Elijah and Henrik's sudden flight instincts wrong.
Usually they were dead on, but not this time. My father doesn't suspect anything. He still loves me. Last night more than proved it.
"Caroline Elizabeth Forbes." Henrik snapped worriedly. "Don't you dare even think about it! Leave now. Go to Elijah."
Dad poured me some syrup before sitting next to me. I cut into my French toast with determination. It had such a small amount of vervain that I didn't smell it, didn't know it was there until I was choking on it. Fire scalds my mouth and manicured nails flew to my throat. Despite drinking a bottle of it every day, it didn't make this hurt any less.
Man I wish it did. Maybe I could've played it off like I didn't feel it.
"Oh, Caroline." Dad said mournfully as he stabbed my neck with a syringe. So. Much. Vervain. "I was so sure yesterday they were wrong."
I screamed a piercing wail. Henrik cried out. He tried to get Dad away from me out of reflex, the light died in his eyes when he went through my father's body. The last thing I saw was Henrik's devastated, self-loathing, face before I passed out.
"Wake up. You have to wake up and break free before he gets-" The sound of the door opening and closing cut him off. "Bugger."
My eyes blinked heavily. Instantly the repugnant atmosphere registers. The walls were cobblestoned lined with broken chains. Metal shackles were hammered into the floor. I was strapped to a chair with throbbing temples, a dry throat, and veins that felt like sandpaper.
"Daddy." I plead hoarsely.
He fiddled with my daylight ring with one hand, dark blue eyes looked deeply into my own. "I'm going to fix this. I learned to train my brain to resist compulsion, Caroline. It took years, but it was possible. Yesterday was proof there's potential in you. I can train you not to desire blood anymore. It'll take a while, but it'd be worth it in the end. Then I wouldn't have to…"
He trailed off, unable to finish, but he didn't have to. Then I wouldn't have to kill you. The words hung in the air between us. I could feel my heart breaking in half.
"I don't hurt people." I promised, watery eyed. Well, not including my first feed anyway. It was a miracle my tear ducks were still able to produce moisture. My entire body felt like a desert. "I never will. You said it yourself, yesterday was proof. I'm still me. I really am. Please let me go."
The vulnerability shifted into hard determination. "I will, but we'll accomplish this first. We can do it, Caroline. Together."
"Daddy." I begged. "Please don't hurt me."
I never thought I'd say those words. Especially not like this.
"Don't think of it like that." He retorted, throwing my daylight ring as he made his way behind me. It hit the stone wall with an eerie sound that echoed. I strained my neck to see what he was doing. "Think of it like this. You're an addict and this is the rehabilitation center that will cure you. None of this is your fault. You're a victim, but I can fix it. I promise."
He arrived at the wall behind me and reached for a chain attached to metal shutters. Panic grew inside of me. I thrashed in my binds.
"Daddy." I sobbed, truly and deeply terrified. "Please. Please. Henrik help me."
I didn't mean to say the last part. It just came out in my desperation. My head turned to face forward again. Regret nearly shattered me when Henrik's face twisted in anguish.
"I'm so sorry." He choked out. "Forgive me."
No, forgive me. I mouthed back.
If I wasn't so stupidly stubborn, we wouldn't be here. He tried to tell me. My love and devotion to my father led to this. Being tortured in a creepy, horror-movie-like dungeon. My heart broke even more at the thought. What twisted alternant universe did I land in?
At the time, I thought becoming a vampire would be the biggest change my world would go through. Then surely my world couldn't get crazier than when I lost Henrik. I suppose Mother Nature took that as a challenge, currently my universe was tilting on its axis once more. I felt so lost and scared. I wanted the dad from my childhood, from yesterday even.
"Daddy." I begged again, getting choked up. My neck craned to lock eyes with him. "Please. There has to be a better way to train me to not need blood."
"I really wish there was." His arm started to lower. Metal shutters open slowly with a creeaak. I started thrashing again.
When the sunlight hit my flesh it burned worse than vervain. Pale skin peeled off, smoke swirled up from the burns. I let out an earsplitting wail of agony. I tried with all my might to get away from the sun, but the shutters were open completely now. The whole dungeon bathed in torment.
Never has sunlight been so terrifying and hideous before. Never have I ever yearned for darkness so fiercely.
"HENRIK!"