Chapter Twelve
Caroline woke up to an empty room, there was a ring on her finger and the blinds were open. There was a note next to her bed, she sat up quickly opening the note as fast as she could, the name on the outside was in her father's handwriting.
Caroline,
My dear and wonderful daughter. I wish I could continue to stay by your side as you face this next battle, but alas I cannot. I have arranged for Stephan Salvatore to help you learn how to control it, he doesn't know about me, he just knows he has to help. I swear to you that I will explain everything better in person soon, I just ask that you trust me. Klaus is very close, I have a plan that I believe will protect you and your friends from him, but it requires him thinking I am on his side, at least as much as I was the last time he saw me. I will never allow him to hurt you and if her threatens you I will not hesitate to handle it, but for now I just as that you trust me. Do not betray my identity to any more of your friends and when I show up, at least pretend like you don't know who I am. That I all I ask, my plan will hopefully not only keep you safe, but pay Kathrine back for what she has done to you. I love you more than anything in this world, my dear daughter, And I know without a doubt that very soon you will make an amazing vampire.
Always and Forever, beyond forever's end.
Your Father.
Caroline placed the letter down beside her bed and picked up her phone. There was a text from Stefan on it telling her that he and Bonnie were going to come over and get her a daylight ring. She knew that neither of them would have known that her father would give her a ring. So she responded with a quick "Okay" and then got ready for the day. She was dreading learning how to control everything, she knew she had to, and she wanted to so that she wouldn't hurt anyone, but more than anything she just wished that she wasn't having to do any of this. Especially without her father. Once her friends had arrived, they moved back to her bedroom where she had closed the blinds to pretend she didn't have a ring, and sat on her bed.
"So, I don't get to choose the ring I have to wear the rest of my life?" She asked, looking at the ring Bonnie had handed her, it was definitely not chosen for fashion.
"Hey, if you don't want it…" Bonnie began before being cut off by Stefan,
"No, she wants it."
"Now what?" Caroline asked, settled with the fact that she would be wearing her family ring instead.
"Now's the part where I explain the rules. The witch who spells the ring also has the power to de-spell it. So, if you ever do anything to hurt anyone…"
"I'm not going to hurt anyone." Caroline snapped at her friend.
"You're a vampire. That means the urge to kill is a part of who you are. The minute you let it take over, I will stop you." Bonnie finished, a determined look on her face, as if Caroline no longer existed and was reduced to a monster. As if her friend didn't even care anymore. It felt like the night Elena's parents died all over again. It felt as if she was along, and this time her father wouldn't be swooping in to save her.
"Bonnie, you're supposed to be my friend."
"I can't ignore what happened. Ok? If you want to be friends, you are going to have to prove that the Caroline I remember isn't gone. Now, put the ring on the bed." Bonnie replied. Caroline wanted so badly to scream at her, throw the ring at her and tell her to leave, but she knew with Stefan in the room, if she did that she would never be able to explain it away without telling the truth, and her father had made it pretty clear that he needed her, now more than ever, to keep the truth hidden.
"Do you really think I meant to kill that guy at the carnival?" Caroline asked, hurt running through her voice.
"He's still dead." Bonnie replied, looking at her friend as if she was no longer there. Caroline wondered where the Bonnie from that night had gone, the one who had called her father, the one who had helped her clean the blood from her clothes. After another moment, Bonnie spoke again.
"Now, do you want me to cast the spell or not?" With that, Bonnie performed the spell before handing Caroline the ring,
"All done." She spoke, as she then backed away from Caroline. Stefan still sat quietly in the corner.
"So, that's it? I mean, nothing witchy happened. You know, no flickering lights, no gust of wind. Have you even done this before?"
"Caroline…" Stefan tried.
"Well, I just want to make sure it worked!" Caroline tried, she flinched when Bonnie threw open the curtain,
"It worked."
Caroline spent the afternoon being trained by Stefan before going to the swimming hole. It was a long and eventful day and by the time she got back to her house she wanted to just sit down and cry. Instead, she grabbed her book of letters, opening it to a page she hadn't read before, and sat down on her bed,
Caroline Ahana,
It is currently 1750 we have landed in Europe and are getting settled for the time being. Your uncle, Kol, has gone to check on you since we are so close, Klaus has been watching me closer these days, so I was not able to slip away. Instead, I am writing yet another letter. There is speak of war coming to the nation, so I am not sure how long we shall reside here, but I am sure that Klaus will decide soon enough. Empires vying for power can get quite messy, and while some agree it is a useless philosophy to fight for alpha, I find that most of my siblings have chosen a nation to support. Klaus, of course, has chosen England, Kol has chosen France, and Rebekah, while she does not play along entirely, has chosen Spain. I myself have stayed out of it, yet, I believe that soon the Colonies will prove themselves to be in the running. It is funny what my family does to occupy their time. Kol and Klaus have been at each other's throats for weeks, I am almost certain Kol will be daggered soon. I just hope that for all of our sake that Klaus does not try to force Rebekah or I to pick a side. He has in the past, and it never ends well. I hope that when you are reading this you are okay, I pray that you will never have to be reading these letters because you are not okay, and I am absent. If, by chance, you are hurt, I apologize that I am not with you and all you have is this piece of parchment. I wish I could change it all. My days with my siblings have very little enjoyment with the lack of getting to watch you grow. I lack the knowledge of what I should write in these letters nowadays, as my life is quite boring. My father has lost our trail, and I am afraid that my siblings are quite boring. I miss the world we once lived in,, and I hope that you are living in one just as good. May your light shine bright no matter the situation, my dear daughter. May you never forget your father's love for you. May your trials be easy and your burdens light, and may you never be forced down a path you don't wish to be on. Chart your own path, rewrite the stars.
Always and Forever,
Your Father.
Tears fell from Caroline's eyes. She didn't know how, but her father always knew exactly what to say, even when he thought he didn't. She sat alone in her room for the second time that day, and yet it felt like it had been a month since the morning. Her world had been flipped upside down, and in the process she realized she had lost more than she had thought. She heard a knock at the door and with a quick movement, brushing the tears from her face, she went to see who it was. When she opened it to Bonnie, she almost closed it again,
"Caroline…"
"Go away, Bonnie."
"Caroline, please, just hear me out."
"There is nothing to hear, you made yourself pretty clear that you didn't want to be a part of my life. So just go." Caroline replied, her eyes tearing up again, she hated the heightened emotions.
"There is something to hear, I was wrong, okay. I'm sorry, just let me explain. Please."
"Fine." With that Caroline, walked into her room leaving the door open for Bonnie to follow. Once they were both inside, Caroline closed her bedroom door, knowing that her mother would be home soon.
"Caroline, I wasn't saying those things because you are a vampire. I was saying them because you're a Mikaelson..."