Hello, my lovely readers. The newest mystery continues. On with the show…
Chapter 35: What Elena Knows
Lost in thought, Caroline continued to walk through the pitch black tunnels. Her hybrid senses did not need light and she wouldn't need it anyway. All she had to do was close her eyes and feel her way forward. Her thoughts were still consumed with fear for her friends—her sisters—really. Bonded for centuries. Wow. That just blew her mind.
"Ever seen So Above, So Below?" Enzo asked her, stepping into her personal space and Caroline rolled her eyes.
"No," Caroline snapped back. "Can we keep going?"
"Of course, love, but I was trying to make it less awkward what with our cramped quarters and all." Enzo ran into her and Caroline let out a snarl. "Don't bite me. I'm just a bit turned around. I think we already went down this passage some time ago. Reason for the film reference."
"Enzo, shut up," Caroline hissed, turning around and smacking him on the arm.
"Bloody hell! You hit hard for a girl," Enzo's voice echoed through the tunnel.
Caroline smirked. "It's going to hurt more if you don't shut up and stop with the sexist remarks."
"Back in my day, it wasn't consider sexist to call a girl a girl," he retorted.
"Shut! Up!" Caroline thundered.
Enzo began to chuckle but did as she asked. They continued down the tunnel and then Enzo grabbed her by the arm. "Hear that?" he asked.
"Yeah," Caroline nodded.
"Now, if this were that infernal tunnel system in the film, we'd have to go down to get up." Enzo's words echoed through the tunnel and Caroline felt confused.
"Down to get up? How does that even make sense?" Caroline huffed and trained her ears to the sound. "It's coming from that way." She tugged Enzo to the left and he followed her. When they stopped, Caroline rolled her eyes. "Down to get up," she sighed, looking at the hole in front of her, leading down. What if it were a trap and she and Enzo never made it out of here? Only one way to find out.
"Right," Enzo muttered.
Caroline patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll go first, again." She jumped into the hole, hoping that it did not lead to a broken leg. Yeah it would heal but it would really, really hurt.
Wind whistled past her ears and Caroline knew she must have dropped a good twenty feet. Luckily, no broken bones. Great. "Enzo, it's okay," she called to him, moving to the side so he could come down. Now, that she was down here, she could hear voices a lot closer.
Enzo fell inches from her. "That is exhilarating. Must be like a ride at a theme park."
"How would you know about those?" Caroline asked him.
"Lifted it off your friend, Bonnie's, phone and read about them on the news. You know how many deaths are caused by roller coasters a year? Almost as many as I can kill in a month," Enzo told her.
Caroline spun on her heel. "If we're going to hang, you're not killing people."
Enzo sighed. "Don't you suck all the joy out of being undead?"
Ignoring him, Caroline followed the sound of the voices until she found her feet on top of something metal. "Enzo, I think I found something," she called.
"Grate?" Enzo inquired, kneeling down and Caroline grinned, stepping off it. Enzo gave the manhole a kick and it went flying. They heard several people gasp in shock and then Enzo crawled out of the manhole. "Nothing to be alarmed about," he called and then popped his head back inside. "Coming?"
Turning herself upside down, Caroline took Enzo's hand and allowed him to tug her out of the manhole. Sunlight poured down on her skin and Caroline held out her arms; basking in its golden glow. She didn't think she'd ever miss the sun this much. "We did it," she cried, hugging Enzo.
"We did," Enzo replied, hugging her back.
Their joy was short lived as Caroline remembered what she needed to do next. "I have to get back to the dorms and talk to Bekah and Hayley about what was going on. You'll be okay, right?" She felt responsible for Enzo, like after she rescued him, she needed to help him get a new life.
"I'll be right as rain," Enzo retorted with a grin. His grin made Caroline feel worried but she had a hundred and one problems and counting.
"Okay." Caroline started to walk away. They were in the center of Mystic Falls and she needed to find a ride back to Whitmore. Glancing backward, she saw Enzo heading in the opposite direction, toward a tall, brunette. Caroline gritted her teeth and went after him.
Enzo had stopped the woman and was obviously flirting with her when Caroline moved in front of him. "Baby, I've been looking for you all over. Who is this?" she demanded, staring the other woman up and down with a look of disdain.
"You're a right troublemaker, Caroline Forbes," Enzo told her as the woman held up her hands and walked away.
"I've been called worse. Come on." Caroline linked arms with Enzo, "I swear, I cannot take you anywhere," she informed him on their way down through the town's square.
"Excuse me, sir," Enzo called to a man opening the door to his Hybrid. "Our friends ditched us and we need a ride back to school; think you can oblige us?"
Caroline gave the stranger a wide, endearing smile which made his body relax. "Sure," he replied. Eyebrows rising, Caroline looked to Enzo who winked at her. Looks like having him around might come in handy after all.
Climbing into the backseat, Caroline watched Enzo get in on the passenger side and the other man get in on the driver's. "Where do you go to school?" he asked them.
"Whitmore," Caroline informed him.
"Oh, that's a bit out of my way. What if I dropped you about half-way there?" the man asked them.
"How about you give me your keys and I let you live?" Enzo's hand wrapped around the man's throat and Caroline shot forward.
"Stop. Now!" Caroline ordered Enzo. He let go and Caroline smoothed the man's shirt out with light strokes as she stared into the man's eyes. "I'm sorry about that. My friend's social skills are not great. At all. So, here's what we're going to do: you're going to give my friend your keys and we're going to have it sent back to you. Just write down your address for me. And you're not going to remember any of this." Shaking her head, Caroline watched the man shake his head with her. "You're awesome." Patting the man on the shoulder, she watched him hand Enzo his keys and write down his address. "Bye," she said, waiting for the man to get the message. He got out and Enzo drove away.
Caroline got out of the car and headed straight for her dorm. She needed to get changed and to call her friends. The question was how did she get Elena here without alerting Damon? She also needed to keep Klaus out of this—for now—in case he jumped to conclusions and tried to kill Damon for something that wasn't the vampire's fault.
"Enzo, you have Bonnie's phone, right?" Caroline called to Enzo.
"Yes, I do," Enzo told her.
"Good. Give it to me," Caroline took the phone and texted Elena: Need to talk.
After a couple of minutes Bonnie's phone began to ring. ""Bonnie?" Elena whispered into the phone.
"Nope. Sorry. Where's Damon?" Caroline whispered back.
"Inside the cabin with Elijah and Hayley. Why? Did you want to talk to him?" Elena asked.
"No, I want to talk to you. And I need Hayley here. Is there any way you can get away from the boys?" Caroline asked, tapping her foot and hoping that Elena did not clue Damon into what she was up to.
"Yeah. But why?" Elena sounded confused.
Caroline sighed. "There's just a lot going on. Things I don't really understand. Can you help me or not, Elena?" Her patience was wearing thin from the last twenty-four hours' crazy. She just needed people to do what she asked them to do.
"Okay. I'll figure something out. But don't expect them to not come after us. You know Damon. And Elijah will freak if Hayley disappears again." Elena stopped talking. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know. Bye."
Rolling her eyes, Caroline called Rebekah. "Who the bloody hell are you and what are you doing with Bonnie's phone?" Rebekah demanded.
"Nice to hear the sound of your voice, Bekah. Now shut up and get as far away from Klaus as possible," Caroline hissed back.
Rebekah let out a dry laugh. "I'm in the bloody bathtub, as luck would have it, my brother does not come into my bathroom."
"Good. I need you to come back to Whitmore." Caroline waited for Rebekah's scathing reply.
"Right. And how do I know you're you?" Rebekah snapped.
Caroline sighed. "You thought that Hayley put Lucky Charms in your favorite heels but I did it because I was pissed about you keeping me up half the night before a final exam."
"You little—," Rebekah began when Caroline cut her off.
"Come home," Caroline cried. "Please, I need you and Hayley. There's something that you both need to know. Now, not later."
"I'll be there soon," Rebekah's tone had softened and Caroline wanted to hug her.
"See you soon." Hanging up, Caroline strode over to her closet and pulled a blouse off a hanger and then grabbed a pair of jeans from her dresser.
Enzo took a seat on her bed, picking up a textbook and flipping through it. "So this is what education looks like outside a lab," he quipped with a smirk.
"Yeah," Caroline replied absently. "I'm going to take a quick shower. Let me know if the others show up, please."
"Yes, ma'am," Enzo saluted her before returning to her book. "Bloody hell. Diagrams. I've already seen my spleen." Tossing the book aside, he picked up a copy of Rent and began to read that. "Ah, theater."
Caroline rolled her eyes and went into her bathroom where she hoped to get some peace and quiet.
A knock sounded on the door while Caroline was blow drying her hair. She flipped the dryer off and listened to Enzo answer the door. "Caroline?" Rebekah called, barging into the bathroom without knocking. "There you are. Now, would you care to explain why you sent me and Hayley running for the bloody hills and within hours send for us?" Rebekah folded her arms over her chest, staring at Caroline, eyes narrowed, her entire expression reading suspicion.
"We should wait for Hayley and Elena," Caroline replied.
Rebekah scoffed. "Since when did Elena have anything to do with it? And if she's coming—why aren't my brothers and Bonnie coming here as well?"
Shaking her head, Caroline stepped outside of the bathroom and into their bedroom. "Look, I know you have questions and I want to answer them but there's a ton of things I don't know yet. You just have to trust me for now."
Laughing sardonically, Rebekah shook her head. "Why should I trust you? You're the reason my boyfriend and my brother are bloody vampires!" Rebekah's words felt like a slap in the face but Caroline didn't have time to respond because another knock on the door stopped her.
Enzo opened the door and Hayley pushed her way past him. "Always a pleasure," he muttered under his breath while Elena stepped inside.
Hayley grabbed Caroline in a tight hug. "You're okay," she sighed before taking a step back. "What's going on?" Her wide eyes looked even wider as she searched Caroline's and then looked to Rebekah. "Did she tell you anything?"
"No, as bloody usual." Rebekah's contempt made Caroline's teeth set on edge.
Hayley looked at Caroline again. "How did you guys get out of there?"
"Long story," Enzo jumped in, closing the door and returning to his seat on Caroline's bed.
Rebekah's glare moved from Caroline to Enzo. "Is this your new boyfriend, Caroline? Is that what all the secrecy is about?" Letting out a disgusted noise, Rebekah moved to leave when Caroline grabbed her by the arms.
"Wait! You can't leave yet. I promise, I'll tell you everything I know. I just need to talk to Elena first. Please." Caroline watched Rebekah's lips purse and then she pulled away but moved to sit down on the end of her bed with Hayley.
Caroline focused on Elena. "Elena, I need you tell me everything that Damon's told you about his past." She pinned Elena with a look while Elena stared back at her.
For a moment, Caroline thought that Elena might say something useful but then she shook her head. "I'm sorry. Damon hates to talk about his past. It's like he wished it had never happened and I don't want to push him too hard. You know he can close off."
Sighing, Caroline's head dropped and she placed her hands over her temples, frustration taking over. "What if he told you something and you don't remember it?" Hayley suggested.
Elena nodded. "Yeah. Maybe. I don't know. I guess he could have said something while I was still human and compelled me to forget."
"How do we find something that she can't bloody remember?" Rebekah snapped, getting up and beginning to pace.
Enzo interrupted them. "You could get inside her head."
"How?" Caroline asked, looking at the older vampire.
"I'll teach you," Enzo said and Rebekah sneered at them.
Hayley grabbed Rebekah, yanking her down beside her and wrapping her arms around the blonde girl. "Stop worrying about them," Hayley whispered to Rebekah. "They're freakin' Klaus and Caroline, they'll figure it out."
Rebekah continued to glare at Caroline and Enzo but didn't argue. Enzo took Caroline's hands and placed them on Elena's cheeks. "Both of you, close your eyes. Elena, relax and let Caroline into your noggin like a good bird. Is she letting you in, love?"
"Yes," Caroline said.
"Right. Now, find Damon for her, Elena," Enzo ordered and Caroline saw a vision of Damon. He walked up to Elena outside of their school and offered her his arm. "Once you find him, look for a memory of his telling you something about his past."
Caroline saw images flash past her in a wave. It felt slightly overwhelming. Elena had so many memories of Damon. It flew by in a collage of kisses, promises, "I love you-s," blood and passionate arguments. All of a sudden the images stopped in the Salvatore great room.
"Hey," Elena called, stepping into the great room, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Damon looked up from the fireplace. "Hey you," he called back. His smile looked sad and Caroline stepped closer to them while Elena moved to Damon, stopping in front of him and placing a hand on his cheek. He took her hand and kissed the inside of her palm.
"Are you okay?" Elena asked him.
"Me? I'm great, now that you're here," Damon said, pulling her into a kiss.
Elena pulled back after a long moment to look up at Damon. "Don't try to distract me with kisses, talk to me, please?" She placed a hand on his chest, waiting for him to open up.
Damon brushed her hair over her shoulder. "Why don't we go upstairs and I can show you my new TV in the bathroom. It's got cable. We can watch whatever your little heart desires." He started to press kisses to her neck.
"Damon, as tempting as that offer is, I really want to talk about whatever is bothering you," Elena replied, easing away from him.
Damon sighed. "Okay. It's just part of my past. Someone I used to know. Turns out they're coming back into my life soon and I don't know how to act around them. Now, can we, please, go upstairs?" Taking Elena's hand, Damon tried to lead her out of the room.
"No." Elena shook her head. Freeing her hand, she took a seat on one of the couches. "You can't tell me something like that and then just walk away."
Groaning, Damon rolled his eyes. "Look, Elena, this has nothing to do with us. We're happy, right? And we should be happier with bubble bath and champagne and a lot less clothes." He took her hands again, attempting to pull her off the couch which he could do easily if he used his vampire strength against her.
"Come on, Damon, you never tell about your past. Just tell me why you're worried about seeing this person." Elena folded her legs under her and pulled Damon down on the couch beside her.
"Because they mean a lot to me," Damon replied. "But that was in the past. Where it's going to remain. Okay? Bath time?" Damon grabbed Elena, placing her over his shoulder and carrying her upstairs. Setting her on her feet, he cupped her face between his hands. "You're not going to remember any of this," he told her gently.
Opening her eyes, Caroline stared at Elena. The memory only added more questions. Who was this important person to Damon? What did that have to do with her new mystery or did it have anything to do with it? She was no closer to the truth than she was before.
"Find anything?" Elena asked with a hopeful look.
"No," Caroline shook her head. "Thanks for trying to help us."
Elena nodded. "You're welcome. What did you need me to do now?"
Caroline thought about it. "Distract your boyfriend."
"Okay," Elena said. "Why?"
"If I tell you, Damon might get in your head and find out," Caroline told her.
Elena frowned. "You don't think he'd behind all of this, do you? Because Damon's not the villain of this story."
"I know," Caroline reassured Elena who still looked worried. "Go. Please." Elena left and Caroline turned to her remaining friends.
"What did you find out?" Hayley demanded.
"Nothing really. Damon said something about someone from his past coming back into his life and that he was worried about how to be around them. It was pretty cryptic." Caroline folded her arms over her chest, thinking.
"And you wouldn't know anything about being cryptic, would you, Caroline?" Rebekah demanded, sneering at Caroline.
Rolling her eyes, Caroline looked at Enzo. "Can you give us some time to talk?" she asked him.
"Me? Sure. I'll gave have a latte or something college-y," Enzo retorted with a smirk.
Caroline bit her tongue. "Don't eat anyone," she called but Enzo was gone. Turning back to her friends, her sisters, she walked to Rebekah's bed and sat down.
Hayley and Rebekah turned to face her. "This is going to sound insane," Caroline began when Rebekah rolled her eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, Caroline told Rebekah and Hayley what Liv told her.
When Caroline finished Hayley started crying, her arms curving around her middle. Rebekah got to her feet. "Caroline, you are insane," she spat. "That's a bloody load of nonsense." Her shoulders were tensed and she looked like she might bite someone. Caroline felt happy that there were no vampires in the room.
"My baby is going to die," Hayley moaned.
Caroline moved to the end of the bed and wrapped her arms around Hayley. "No, your baby will be fine, Hayley. We're going to beat the curse," Caroline swore, lifting Hayley's chin so they were looking each other in the eye. "There's a reason we met."
"Yes, it's called a computer database that places us in the same room," Rebekah snapped, glaring at Caroline.
Caroline ignored Rebekah, concentrating on Hayley. "And it makes sense now. We're connected; we always will be. You're my family and I will die protecting you."
Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Yes, that you probably will do."
"Shut up, Rebekah," Hayley snapped. "We need to find out who the protector is. Maybe he can help us."
"Maybe not," Rebekah added. "He's probably dead already. And how the bloody hell does Liv bloody Parker know so much about all of this?"
Caroline shrugged. "I guess we'll have to ask her."
A knock on the door caused Caroline to look up. "Who is it?" she called.
"Pizza delivery," a voice called and then Damon stepped into the room. "Mind telling me what the hell is going on?" he demanded, tilting his head to the side.
Caroline got to her feet. "How about you answer my question first: How long have we known each other?" she demanded.
"Blondie, did you fall on your head?" Damon quipped.
"How long, Damon?" Rebekah snapped. "How long have you known all of us?"
"About two years. Give or take a couple of months," Damon told them.
Caroline glared at him and then Enzo appeared behind him and Damon let out a gasp when Enzo shoved a syringe into his neck. "Little vervain will make him more likely to be honest, won't it, mate?" Damon looked at the three females before sliding to the floor.
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Mihaela Tudorica: I understand how you feel.
Peace,
Jessica