Author's note: It was a stupid slumber party that was Caroline's only choice at a social life while she was grounded. But somewhere in between binge-eating, gossiping and bad rom-coms, someone decided to bring out the Ouija board...

Warning: Hints of abuse.


"Curiosity in children is but an appetite for knowledge."

― John Locke


Boredom was salt and vinegar chips with caramel sauce swirled on top. Caroline had eaten half a bag by herself and was feeling queasy when her friends decided they wanted to try the Ouija board. Turning down the rom-com everyone had been talking over, she snorted, "Seriously? Just because slumber party stereotypes exist doesn't mean we have to do all of them tonight!" What was next? Pillow fights?

It was bad enough they were having to do a slumber party. But Bonnie and Elena weren't allowed to date until they were juniors next year and Caroline was still kind of grounded because she accidentally had some people over after the homecoming dance last month and now this was the only social thing her mom was letting her do.

"I'll light the candles," Bonnie excitedly said, grabbing the two pillar candles out of the decorative tray and setting them on the floor. Caroline rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but watch her friend with a tiny bit of curiosity because lately she'd almost had a...knack for fire. It sounded stupid, but now it almost was like Bonnie barely had to touch the top of a match to get a spark going. Science was so weird.

Elena pulled out the old board from underneath the bed, wrinkling her nose at the filthy layer of dust on top and threw an accusing look at Caroline. Her friend was so judgy.

Fighting the slight sting of guilt when she remembered Elena gave that to her as a birthday gift years ago, Caroline shrugged her shoulders and defensively said, "I know I haven't looked at it in awhile, but I bet you stopped playing with that mermaid Barbie I gave you years ago too. So there."

"What are you guys doing? I wanna play," Jeremy demanded, barging into Caroline's room while the girls glared at him.

Bonnie scoffed and asked Elena, "Why did your parents make you bring him again?"

Elena scowled at her younger brother as he started doing another one of his stupid magic tricks, this time balancing a deck of cards and pretending to make several cards float. "Because they wanted to do date night or something and if I don't babysit him then I can't go to the next out of town game."

"Seriously?! You're one of the bases on the pyramid! You can't just NOT go to the game and NOT tell the squad ahead of time! Do you have ANY idea how long it takes to retrain a flyer to be a base," Caroline asked, a hint of hysteria creeping into her voice as she started texting the captain to start coming up with backup plans. If Elena ruined her chances of being captain next year, she would rip out all of her hair.

Bonnie carefully positioned the candles on the table, centering the board as she told Caroline, "Will you calm down? It's not a big deal because Elena did bring Jeremy who is leaving to go back to the living room now and so her parents won't ground her, right?"

"Right," Elena said with a toss of her hair as she pointed to the door, glaring at Jeremy's retreating back as he mumbled under his breath.

Rolling her eyes, Caroline pulled up a chair. "Whatever." Gesturing to the board, she touched the planchette with her friends. "Can we make this quick? And if we're bothering the spirits about boys, I call dibs on asking about Tyler."

The metal triangle suddenly lurched forward, startling the girls as it veered violently to the left, pointing at 'C'. Raising an eyebrow, Caroline muttered, "I'd thought you'd guys at least pretend for a few minutes not to be so obvious about moving this thing."

"I'm not moving it."

"Me either."

Shrugging her shoulders, Caroline replied, "Well, it's not me." The board continued to spell out her name in a continuous loop, and she suppressed a shiver when it felt like her room had turned cold. "This is stupid."

"Obviously, the spirits have a message for you," Bonnie said with a nervous chuckle.

"Fine. So, what's the message then, spirits," Caroline asked sarcastically, blinking a bit when it seemed like the flames on the candles were a bit taller than before. Cheap candles.

'KLAUSKLAUSKLAUSKLAUSKLAUSKLAUSKLAUS'.

The planchette forcefully slid across the board, repeating the same sequence of letters over and over. "What the hell is a 'Klaus'," Caroline whispered, hating how her skin prickled just then. Her blinds were down and her door was closed and yet it still felt like she was being watched.

'HYBRID'.

The girls released the game piece at the same time as though it had burned them. "What the fuck," Bonnie warily asked, green eyes going wide.

Elena stood up, pointing to the board as she demanded, "That was...I don't understand...what just happened?"

Heart pounding, Caroline moved away from the table, cracking her knuckles as she nervously started to pace. "It's another one of Jeremy's stupid tricks," she said hopefully. "You know how he's always doing that rubber pencil trick or making quarters disappear." Waving a hand at the table she shrewdly added, "That's a metal frame and I bet he rigged the board with magnets or something just to scare us."

Her friends looked relieved, and Elena said excitedly, "That's right! He didn't join us in the kitchen when the pizza arrived and he supposedly was in the bathroom forever, so he easily could've come in here and set it all up just to scare us."

Caroline eyed the bare doorknob where she'd had a couple of bras hanging earlier. She grimaced, deciding not to think too hard about when and why they suddenly were missing. Hopefully Elena's pervy little brother was done trying to scare them.

Sleep didn't come easy that night, but Caroline was comforted in the knowledge that scary stuff always seemed more believable at night. Everything would be normal in the morning.

In the morning, they learned that the Gilberts' car had driven off Wickery Bridge.

And that's when things got really weird.


The Gilberts' funeral was the last normal thing that happened in Mystic Falls.

After that, the Salvatore brothers arrived, and they were the perfect blend of mysterious and hot with a dangerous air that made them even more appealing. But with the hotness was an equal helping of weirdness and Caroline trusted her instincts and stayed away. Unfortunately, Damon took an interest in her and suddenly she'd feel sick to her stomach whenever he came near. There were gaps in her memory and all she knew was that she'd wake up crying or screaming with blood smeared on her body and the sheets.

Plus, there was a sudden increase in animal attacks and this bizarre mist that would appear out of nowhere like a bad CW TV show.

It had been a strange couple of months.

The gaps in her memory stopped as quickly as they started — weirdly around the same time a bunch of strangers arrived in town. They typically traveled around town in small groups and seemed to move with a precision and grace that Caroline wistfully wished she could take with her to the cheer squad. They were objectively attractive, but something felt...off. Almost like how the Salvatores felt off. Also, she always managed to spot at least one or two everywhere she went. Mystic Falls was small, but it wasn't that small.

Caroline wasn't stupid — things had gone wrong in her town. Damon's sudden death was hushed up and no one seemed to really know what had happened. Elena had been on edge for ages now, teetering between bitchy paranoia and hysterical tears. Bonnie was furious and terrified and constantly hung around Elena and Stefan talking in frantic whispers.

Caroline was good at pretending to be clueless and self-involved, and when she wasn't quietly watching her friends, she was paying close attention to those creepy strangers.

Slowly sipping her iced tea, Caroline casually studied the Mystic Grill menu, wishing the pair of weirdos she was eavesdropping on had chosen an indoor table. The afternoon sun was brutal today and while some girls could look good sweating, she knew she wasn't one of them. The strangers ordered a lot of food for just two people, but Caroline had noticed all of the new people seemed to be football-player-sized appetites every time they were seen at the Mystic Grill.

While she managed some small talk with Matt as he took her order, she casually flicked her gaze over to the strangers, making sure to smile and nod in all the right places. Their intense gazes kept straying back to her every so often, but it wasn't just her — they also seemed to keep a close watch on Elena, Bonnie and Stefan. Not that those three seemed to notice — they were crowded in a booth near the back, trading worried looks as they spoke in urgent whispers.

Now was NOT the time to be so self-involved you didn't notice how closely you were being watched. Caroline wanted to shake Elena and Bonnie until their eyeballs rattled around in their heads, but she was still too hurt that they'd basically cut her out of their lives. Plus, she couldn't ignore the disturbing feeling that somehow they knew what had happened to her during those times with Damon that she couldn't remember.

They could fend for themselves.

The pair today were just as attractive as the rest of the strangers, and all of them seemed to like wearing dark colors and leather despite the heat. Weirdly, it was almost felt like a uniform. Although twice she had to talk herself out of going over there to ask the girl where she got those absolutely gorgeous chocolate suede boots with the fleur-de-lis intricately embroidered up the side.

Drowning her parmesan fries in ketchup, she was struck again by how their movements were so fluid and graceful. But it was their eyes that really concerned her. Dark, intense eyes that seemed to study everything around them with a cold calculation. And she swore there were multiple times that she spied a bizarre golden flare that would creep in. Not to mention how they seemed to lock gazes with the regular townspeople and speak in a too-pleasant, lilting tone that almost seemed like they were briefly hypnotizing people.

Which is why Caroline had reread all the Twilight books and stalked monster websites and was WAY past caring how stupid it sounded. Because all folklore had to come from somewhere, and maybe these new people and Stefan weren't vampires or werewolves, but they were different and definitely dangerous.

Unfortunately, only a few others seemed to realize something was wrong — Bonnie's grams always had been a wonderfully weird eccentric, but when her garden suddenly circled her whole house like a moat right after the Salvatores and the other strangers showed up, Caroline tried to ask her about it and had been surprised by how tight-lipped and almost suspicious the woman had been with her. All she'd revealed was that the two plants growing side by side in her garden were vervain and wolfsbane.

Taking a bite of her jalapeno mac and cheese, Caroline frowned, recalling how her research had been frustratingly slow. The wolfsbane was easy enough, with folklore agreeing that it was considered a cure or weapon against werewolves (not to mention had been a really popular poison for both humans and predatory animals throughout history), but vervain was more mysterious. Ancient cultures believed it to have purifying effects and often used it on sacrificial altars and other rituals, but there wasn't any folklore that tied vervain to a specific monster. She set aside the bowl, suddenly finding her favorite dish bland and greasy. Why couldn't she figure out what was going on?

"Klaus will know what to do."

Caroline stiffened at the words, dropping her fork to the floor with a clang. Carefully schooling her face, she casually leaned over to pick up the utensil, lingering a bit to try to calm her breathing. The weird strangers had spoken the one name that she'd tried to forget ever since that night with the Ouija board when she and her friends witnessed something they couldn't explain. And lied to themselves every day about what really had happened.

Taking another bite of her suddenly tasteless food, she strained to hear the rest of their conversation, wondering if Bonnie, Elena or Stefan caught Klaus' name. A quick glance in their direction told her they were still caught up in their own little world. Idiocy was apparently contagious.

The strange couple murmured lowly, and all Caroline could pick up on was something about 'original hybrid' and that he would arrive soon.

Nope. She was DONE. She recalled the fear she felt when the Ouija board spelled out her name and 'Klaus' and 'hybrid'. She'd done her best to pretend it had just been Jeremy or her friends messing with the board that night, but Caroline had instincts and decided to trust them. It was time to leave.


There was always more dirt. That was the first thing Caroline had learned when she took the first bus out of Mystic Falls and stumbled into a housekeeping job in one of those obscenely gaudy historical mansions in Rhode Island. Muttering under her breath at the rows of greasy fingerprints, she carefully polished them away once more, hoping to finish the second story portion of the grand staircase before the next tour group got started.

At least her hands no longer shook as she did her work, paranoid that at any moment someone would spot her fake ID and realize she was a runaway and ship her back home. However, once she got out into the world, she learned that it was easy to keep her head down, do her job and fade into the background.

She let out a soft curse when her hand slipped, ramming her knuckles along the iron scrollwork. Blinking back tears, she cradled her hand and once again fought the urge to call her mom. They'd never been close, but it still had hurt to run off without telling her mom what was going on. She couldn't risk putting her in danger.

The too-chirpy voice of the tour guide announced the next group would be coming through. She'd have approximately 15 minutes before they would make their way to the stairs. As a stream of tourists filed into the marble foyer below, a man with dirty blonde curls caught her eye. His stride was confident, and even from this angle Caroline could appreciate his beauty.

He leveled his piercing gaze to where she was crouched on the landing above. She was caught in an instant, swept up in the power that radiated from him. No. Her pulse quickened as she realized he felt wrong. Just like the strangers in Mystic Falls. She whirled around, racing toward the narrow staircase that lead toward the servants' quarters.

Suddenly, he appeared before her, studying her intently. In a seductive voice touched by an accent she couldn't place, he observed, "It's quite curious — we've never met before and yet you knew to run."

Caroline let out a small gasp, closing her eyes as she stated grimly, "You're Klaus."

"And you're Caroline," he replied in amusement, steering them toward a small study and sitting in the wingback chair across from her. "There are no modern images of me — how did you know who I am?"

Caroline started to lie, but realized there was no point. This was happening and the only way out was through. "A while back, my friends and I were messing around with this Ouija board and it spelled out my name, and then yours over and over along with 'hybrid' from some reason." The chair's heavy brocade scratched her skin as she shrugged, adding, "It was super creepy and felt like a warning."

Klaus muttered something about meddling spirits before asking again, "But how did you know I was Klaus?"

Dimples. He had dimples. Why did the bad guys have to be so pretty? Mother nature was a bitch. "Educated guess. Plus, your vibe is wrong. You remind me of the new people who showed up in Mystic Falls."

Cocking his curly hair to the side, he said, "I'm intrigued, sweetheart. By all accounts, you were quite loyal to your friends. However, you went to great lengths to avoid the supernatural element in your town despite your friends' obvious involvement."

She waited for the guilt to creep in. Nothing. She tucked away that dark tidbit to obsess over later. Holding his gaze, she told him, "They left me out of it and I preferred it that way. Especially after I started losing time."

A hint of gold flared in his gaze and black veins briefly appeared as he growled out, "Damon."

A peculiar silence stretched between them, and Caroline was surprised that she wasn't afraid when finally faced with concrete proof of the supernatural. Klaus seemed to be the head supernatural thingy, but for some reason, she sensed that he wasn't there to hurt her. Yet. Trust your instincts.

Caroline shrewdly observed, "You had something to do with Damon's death."

A muscle twitched along his jawline as he gruffly replied, "I gave the order."

"Why? I'm not anyone," she sputtered in disbelief. "Why are you following me?"

Klaus seemed embarrassed and lowered his lashes, a hint of red appearing in his cheeks. "It is said that you were quite enterprising and ruled your followers with an iron fist — something about an entire dance committee being reduced to tears. You're also clever enough to have hidden from my...associates for months, not to mention you're a radiant little human with a lovely smile. Is it any wonder why I'd be enamored by such a creature?"

Caroline realized her mouth had flopped open in shock, and didn't know which to address first. Instead, she blurted out the least important part that still irritated her every time she thought about it. "I had gone over every detail with the committee ahead of time — there was absolutely NO excuse for our homecoming decorations to be that tacky! I made them a PowerPoint, for fuck's sake!"

Klaus chuckled in delight, shaking his curly head as an indulgent smile touched his lips. He truly was the most attractive man she'd ever seen. But Caroline wasn't fooled. He was lulling her into a false sense of security. Klaus liked to play with his food.

"You're here to kill me."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by her bluntness. "Of course not, love. I quite fancy you." Casually leaning back in his chair, he asked incredulously, "You don't seem to understand what a rare occurrence that is. Do you know what I am?"

"I've got a few theories," Caroline admitted begrudgingly. "You're probably like a head vampire-thingy, maybe even royalty, because it seems like your minions are organized into a hierarchy, but The Lost Boys and Underworld franchises are aggravatingly sparse on those details. Werewolves are somehow in the mix too, but I don't think they're decision makers. But then there's that weird eye thing your people do, so maybe you guys are all aliens? But Bradbury and Wells are less than useless when it comes to aliens and mind control and Hollywood's made way too many movies with conflicting canon on the subject."

At his gobsmacked expression, she added in exasperation, "All I know for sure is that you're the bad guy."

Flashing her a dimpled smirk, he stood up from his chair, looking down at her in amusement. "Such an enigmatic little human. I'd very much like to get to know what other surprises you have in store."

When Klaus held out his hand to her, there was an endearing, hopeful expression on his handsome face.

Caroline found she couldn't say no.