a/n: I finally found time to write chapter three! I've been so happy with the reviews I've received so far, and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as well. For news on story updates, or just to talk about Vampire Diaries and other topics, follow me on Twitter at rachel_leann58

Also, Happy Thanksgiving!

As always, please review!

Chapter 3 The Cost of Survival

Day One…

Caroline stared at the expanse of trees that lay before them with something less than enthusiasm. The last thing she wanted to do was go waltzing through a forest Klaus had quartered off for them. There was no telling what he had placed within its dark depths.

"We have to go in there, Care," Bonnie's voice called from nearby. "We don't have a choice."

Caroline mumbled something that was unintelligible to the rest of the group. A frown crossed Alaric's face, but he nodded in agreement.

"If we sit out here in the open, Klaus will take us out himself," he shrugged. "We might as well see what's in there."

"But…" Caroline's voice trailed off as she realized she'd lost the argument. Then, she sighed and motioned toward the ominous trees. "After you."

The majority of the trek was quiet. No one was really sure what to say to try to boost the morale of the group, so there really wasn't any reason to talk.

Although the threat of death hung over Caroline's head, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the area around her. The sunlight glistened through the lush green leaves before sprinkling across the ground. The air was warm, but not overbearingly so, and a soft breeze glided through the trees that helped to cool her body down.

They had walked about a mile when she noticed the effects the trek was taking on Bonnie and Alaric. Their movements were becoming much slower, and Bonnie even looked like she was going to get sick. Knowing they needed to stop, Caroline cleared her throat.

"Do you have any way of finding out where water is?" she asked as casually as she could.

Bonnie looked at her with tired eyes and nodded. "I have a better idea though."

Caroline stared in amazement as Bonnie walked over to Alaric and took the dagger that was in his hand. Without hesitation, she took the weapon and drew a circle in the dirt. A nervous laugh escaped Caroline's lips, but her voice died down as Bonnie chanted.

"Nunc ad me… Nunc ad me…"

Just then, a dark cloud appeared overhead. Only a few seconds elapsed before rain fell from the sky and covered all of them in a thin mist.

As the rain intensified, Bonnie took a large leaf from nearby and used it to catch the water. Jeremy and Alaric repeated the process and did the same. Even Caroline and Tyler opened their mouths and let the water enter their bodies.

Although the water didn't help to satisfy the thirst Caroline had, she still felt a little more revived after the water. She tried to ignore the burning that consumed her throat, and instead focused on the people she cared about.

Alaric had finished filling up a canteen of water to take along with them until they found another water supply. Bonnie had walked across the dirt circle she had drawn and had erased the lines that had been there previously. Just as the lines were completely erased, the sky lightened up again, and the rain stopped falling.

"That's pretty incredible," Jeremy spoke. His brown eyes looked to Bonnie, and she only nodded in response.

"We need to find a good place to camp out for the night," Alaric remarked as his eyes looked at the darkening sky. "I'd like to be in a good defensive location when night falls."

Caroline understood the logic in this, but knew they'd just waste time wandering around if they didn't have a plan.

"Wait a second," she spoke up before she climbed the nearest tree. Even with her vampire abilities, it was difficult to maneuver around the awkwardly shaped limbs. But once she was at the top, she could see for miles.

First, she glanced back the way they had come. She could see the small break in trees that revealed the place they'd started this game at. Beyond that break stood the trees where she knew Elena, Damon, Stefan, and Katherine would be fighting for their lives.

Then, she turned in the opposite direction and surveyed the forest they were located in.

It was hard to tell from her current position, but she could see a very small clearing in the southwest from where they were located. Going in the direction of a clearing didn't seem like the smartest idea, so she instead turned her attention to the eastern side of the forest. Through the dense foliage, she could barely make out a tall stone structure. Although it was a long shot, that structure was the best thing she saw.

She quickly climbed back down the tree, and then pointed in the direction she'd seen the structure.

"I think there's some form of shelter over there," she explained. The rest of the group nodded in acceptance, and no words were spoken before they headed off in that direction.

The landscape itself changed as they walked toward the stone structure. Now, they were moving downhill, and the trees thickened up so much that it was hard to find a path between them.

As darkness enveloped the land, Caroline felt a wave of anxiety wash over her being. They still hadn't reached the structure she had seen from the trees, and she feared they were traveling in the wrong direction. But then she saw a gray wall appear in the distance, and she let out an inward sigh of relief.

That relief, however, was short lived. Caroline could make out the silhouette of a person sitting inside the small rock alcove. Caroline stopped as she contemplated her next course of action, but the girl sitting there looked down at her and ruined any chance Caroline had at a surprise attack. And it was then that Caroline noticed that the girl had been crying.

"I… I don't want to die," the girl stammered. She wiped away angrily at her tears, but didn't make any motion to flee or fight. "I… I never wanted to be part of this. He just… He just took me."

A stab of pain tore through Caroline's heart. It was disgusting that Klaus had put them all together, only to expect them to kill off each other in a quest to survive. Surely there was some way they could all survive and beat Klaus together.

"We can-" Caroline began, but stopped in utter shock as the girl burst into flames. Her terrifying screams tore through the darkness, and Caroline stood frozen in her place.

When realization finally hit, Caroline turned to Bonnie with revulsion on her face.

"She wasn't going to hurt us," Caroline spat. "Why did you do that?"

Bonnie's eyes showed no regret. "It's us or her," Bonnie made clear. "I'm not going to die because I failed to take out someone who was evil."

Shaking her head, Caroline fought to contain the words she wanted to yell. Caroline thought they had moved past the vampire prejudices long ago. Apparently, that wasn't the case.

"Think about it for just a second," Bonnie continued, and that was the last thing Caroline wanted to do. "What one person in this arena deserves to win, Caroline? If you could choose the one person who survived, who would it be?"

Caroline didn't hesitate. "Elena."

"What about you, Jeremy?"

He crossed his arms over his chest before he finally nodded. "Elena."

"Alaric?"

"Jeremy and Elena," he responded, and Caroline smiled. Alaric was the one person who would guarantee that Klaus didn't make all the rules here.

Obviously Bonnie knew better than to ask Tyler, because she didn't even ask for his opinion on the matter.

"That vampire that I just killed stood between us and keeping Elena safe," Bonnie replied. "I'm not going to stand around and wait for our enemies to find us and attack us. If we truly want to stop Klaus from controlling all of the events here, we have to eliminate all of the loose ends. We have to be willing to get our hands dirty."

Although Caroline understood the logic in all of this, she didn't really want to kill people who weren't threatening her life. It seemed too cruel.

But Caroline knew there would be plenty of time for arguments and decisions in the future, so she walked the few remaining feet to the stone structure. The smell of smoke drifted past her, and she instantly cringed her nose. A breeze came through and blew away the ashes from the vampire Bonnie had destroyed. The place spoke of evil now, but Caroline knew they still had to stay there for the night.

The stone structure stood about ten feet off the ground with a deep stone alcove that allowed them to hide within in. Everyone worked quickly to ensure that the place was safe for the night from any other enemies that would come to take them out.

When everything was finally in order, Caroline leaned against the wall of the cave-like structure and tried to fight back the terrible thoughts that raced across her mind. Her throat burned with such an intensity that she didn't think she could take it. Taking her fingers, she fervently rubbed her neck in an attempt to bring some form of comfort. Unfortunately, it didn't come.

Caroline's gaze drifted nearby to Bonnie. Her friend stared at her with something close to hatred and with a bit of suspicion thrown in. Although no words were spoken, Caroline could tell that Bonnie knew the agony Caroline was going to be in until they escaped the arena. There was also something in Bonnie's gaze that told Caroline that she was prepared to defend herself if it came to it.

Knowing that her chance of surviving this was slim, Caroline snugged against the rough rock and tried to find sleep. And when sleep finally came, all she dreamed about was blood.

a/n: Please review!

Elena, Damon, Stefan, and Katherine will all appear in the next chapter. =)