The group met up at the Boarding House that morning. "Okay, we're all here." Maria said.
"Yeah, I think we've noticed that. I double-checked to make sure." Bonnie told her.
"Okay, guys." Damon said. "Are we here to do a head count or figure this stuff out?"
"Alright, I remember everything." Caroline told them. "After everyone vanished or whatever, I found myself outside. Then I found Elena nearby."
"What was I doing there?" Elena asked.
"I had no idea." Caroline said. "But then something weird happened. You said something along the lines of, you backstabbed me, this is payback. Next thing I knew, we were fighting, like actually fighting."
"That doesn't make any sense though." Tyler said. "You two are friends."
"I wonder…" Stefan began.
"You have an idea?" Maria asked.
"Caroline, what did Elena look like in the dream? Before you started fighting."
"Well, she looked almost exactly like she normally does." Caroline said, indicating to her. "But there was something different about her."
"Different how?" Maria asked.
"She seemed darker, meaner, angrier than she usually gets." Caroline said.
"Even normally when she gets angry, she's kinda scary." Jeremy pointed out.
"True, but she'd never attack someone in cold blood." Bonnie said. "That much I'm sure of."
"Unless someone was threatening her, obviously." Maria said.
"Yeah, but I'd never attack one of my friends." Elena pointed out. "Besides, even if I were angry with them, I normally talk it out or write it down."
"Is there any reason you could think of why Elena would want to attack you, Caroline?" Damon asked.
"No way. I know Elena would never do anything to hurt me." Caroline said. "Then again, it was a dream."
"That was manipulated by some vampire that can clearly get into your head." Alaric said. As soon as it was out, Maria knew and glanced over at the others. When Stefan looked at her, he knew, too.
"You know who it is, don't you?" Damon asked.
"Yeah, and it's so obvious I can't believe I didn't see it before." Maria said.
"Okay, I'm still confused with all this." Tyler said.
"Think about it, guys." Maria said. "Elena attacking Caroline? Someone manipulating our dreams? Care, was there anything else in the dream that tipped you off that Elena wasn't Elena?"
"Not really…wait." Caroline said. "There was something. Her eyes looked really dark, almost as though they were black instead of brown. Oh, my…" In that instant, she knew she was right. That set everyone else off.
"Oh, great." Bonnie said.
"Not again." Damon groaned.
"Hasn't she messed with us enough?" Jeremy asked.
"Apparently not." Stefan told him as Elena wrapped her arms around him.
"What's going on?" Tyler asked.
"Katherine." Damon said. "She's back."