Ch3

A little warning to readers: This ff is very low on my list of things to write and I may post new chapters but it will surely be few and far between. I was just re watching random episodes of vampire diaries the other day and it sparked a desire to work on this a little. With my other main stories (that 70s show and the outsiders) I try to make an idea sheet and a rough draft and ideas for where I may want them to lead, with this I'm just writing stream of thought and not really going back and re reading, I haven't even thought out how much I want to mess up the story line or not- just a few "hmm what if" thoughts. It's just a story to write stress free with no worries about how it'll turn out or how well its written. Maybe it'll end up being something I get passionate about later on and come up with fun ways for OC to try to change the plot and then have it backfire on the OC, but for now- don't get your hopes up. I hope if you can get past the non- eloquent way it'll be written, that you find something fun or enjoyable about it. Anyways, here we go.

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When Tyler came over the first night I was able to get away with us just cuddling while watching movies until I fell asleep. It was uncomfortable emotionally to snuggle up to him, but even more uncomfortable with the way he smelled. It wasn't unbearable, but it definitely got stuck in my nostrils in a unpleasant way for most of the first movie. Not in the way an active teenage boy smells bad, but smelled bad in a way that stirred an animal instinct in me to fight or flight. Luckily, he was gone by the morning.

My relief was short lived though when not even an hour into the day the surprisingly high tech cell phone for the time that was now mine wouldn't stop buzzing with messages from people I had no interest in hearing from. Even worse, the messages were all related to an event that I was supposed to be getting ready for: the Lockwood family potluck, where all the founding families and many towns folk are invited for a day of strolling around the yard eating and chatting. It was exactly the type of thing I wanted to avoid.

I sat in the Forbes kitchen, staring at my now empty cereal bowl trying to think of a good reason to bail. Then it dawned on me, the perfect excuse! Mayor Lockwood was the one who handed Caroline over to her father in the first place! Caroline was definitely over-forgiving, so I would have to go to their house and play nice eventually, but I didn't think it'd be out of the realm of possibility for her to need a few days first.

I began to answer Tyler first: " I'm not sure it's a great idea for me to come over just yet, considering... ya know, your mom helping my dad and all. I think everyone can survive one party without me." I debated adding some sort of emotion icon, like a wink or something to show the end of the text was lighthearted, but decided he could figure that out.

It dawned on me that despite my efforts to find a laptop for snooping reasons, I didn't think to scroll through the phones text conversations. After a few minutes of reading past messages with Bonnie, Tyler and Elena I realized that leaving Tyler might not be as difficult as I originally thought. I let out an unattractive screech of joy, cradling the phone to my chest as I was reminded of how early they were in their romantic relationship. Luckily, Caroline had been texting Bonnie with every detail of drama that she had been missing while out of town for the summer, giving me a better understanding of what the hell was going on.

Caroline had been friendly and helpful to Tyler during his transitioning while still getting over Matt and it turned into a night of lust, which was immediately crushed with his mom aiding in a kidnapping. Watching the show made every moment of their relationship seem like searing eye contact and deep understanding, while in reality they weren't even dating yet! I felt a bit guilty, knowing that if it wasn't for my presence they would have had years of connection and passion, and it led me to wonder if breaking it off would ruin Tyler's character.

The buzz of a reply pulled me out of that thought: "Totally get it, I'd like to see you after the party though if you're free."

I groaned. I was terrible at breaking hearts, much like Caroline I wanted everyone I knew to be happy and feel supported, but I knew that friendship I could fake and maybe grow to truly feel, but love and sexual attraction? I don't think I could fake that without damage to my own emotional and mental well-being. I tapped my foot anxiously, staring at the phone while debating if I should pull a fade-away by avoiding him until he got the point, or if I should say yes to meeting so I could end the relationship in person. Fuck... Caroline would probably have the balls to do it face to face. I settled for suffering through the inevitable: "How about tomorrow?"

I took a deep breath, done with one stress for the day and went to answer Elena next: "Hey, so I know that usually I would be the first one to encourage everyone to go to a party, Butttt I was thinking I would sit this one out. Sorry! Xoxo" I pursed my lip, it felt strange to end a message with hugs and kisses, but flipping through Caroline's past texts it was something she did fairly often.

Last task was deciding how to handle the note Caroline's mom left on the fridge for her. Essentially, it said that Bill would be leaving town today without remembering what he had done. I understood why he needed to be compelled, for all the vampires safety, but how terrible would it be for Caroline to have to pretend everything's fine next time he decided to call or visit, knowing he would torture her all over again if he re-discovered her vampire condition. I decided it was best not to text her mom any specific reply to the hand written note, so instead a simple: "I saw your note, thanks mom, love you"

I set the phone down and opened up the fridge to look for more food, wondering why I was still starving after having eaten scrambled eggs, bacon and two bowls of cereal. I looked down at Caroline's small stomach, speculating whether or not vampires could gain weight since they don't age or need human food. My mouth fell open in an O shape, realizing that I was still starving because food isn't what this body wanted. Question was, where did they keep the blood bags in this house?

After taking 20 minutes to search the house I finally found an igloo cooler in the attic that was mostly full of bloodbags. I pulled one out and looked at it, I looked at it with distaste before sighing and opening the top. In an instant, my stomach burned in hunger as I felt a pressure around my eyes. With no hesitance I aggressively drank from the bag, to compare my thirst to needing water after a walk in the desert would be an understatement. After the bag was done I let out a hard breath, and put my head back, eyes closing in satisfaction. The closest thing I had to compare it to was eating delicious food while being blissfully high, except once the sensation of satisfied hunger was quenched there was a lingering effect of euphoria, a feeling of energy and power. I understood completely how Stephan could be a ripper, and it was terrifying.

I was someone who often couldn't stop snacking until past the point of being full, how was I supposed to be around blood without wanting more? I had to hope Caroline's body had much less of an appetite than I had, otherwise pretending to be someone so well controlled would be impossible. These worries about killing numerous people in my hunger faded as I heard the sound of a phone going off. Realizing I was hearing it even though it was still all the way down in the kitchen made my worry be redirected to thrill. I had super powers, basically, I should be happier even if it comes with the responsibility of playing the part of caroline, at least until I had some understanding of why the hell I was in her body anyways. Maybe I was in a coma, I thought. Maybe I really didn't have to care about anyones feelings, or my actions consequences. Maybe I could just run free. The sound of the phone ringing a second time was enough to pull me back to the moment. I decided to test out running quickly on purpose.

Dashing down the attic and second floor steps, it was only seconds until I arrived in the kitchen. I thought it was going to be like exercising: something that took effort, but it was only slightly more work than walking at a normal human pace. All I wanted to do was test out how it felt to be a vampire, how far could I dash before it became work? Could I make myself sick on blood like a human could eating too much food? What was it like to hunt something with these increased senses? Would everything feel enhanced? The show said it did but did that mean I would find comedy shows even funnier, cry at emotional songs more often, be thrown into a physical fit of rage when upset? I wanted nothing more then to spend the day testing it out.

I checked the phone despite my desire to abandon it: two missed calls from Bonnie. Before I could even begin to think about if I wanted to answer, a new text popped up from her: "You better be home, because I'll be at your door in a few minutes! Surprise!"

I sighed, I wanted to be upset, but maybe this was a sign that even if I wanted to break away I should be staying involved in the plot. I'm sure there would be down time that wasn't shown in the series where I could break away for awhile, might as well role-play for today.