Bonnie yawned, stretching as she heard a quick and persistent knocking downstairs. She glanced over at a sleeping Caroline. She could see her friend's eyelids flickering and frowned. She was having another dream.
Stealthily climbing out from the covers and tip-toeing downstairs, she hugged her robe closer as she opened the front door, only to be greeted by Kol.
"Morning, darling."
Bonnie groaned. "What do you want?"
"I just came by to see my favorite witch," he commented.
She rolled her eyes. "Do you have any idea what time it is? It's eight in the morning on a weekend. It's too early."
Kol shook his head, "Can I come inside? I need to talk to you."
Moving aside to let him in, Bonnie couldn't help but watch him. Her eyes lingered in his lanky figure and she sighed shakily. Her hormones were a bit out of control lately- it'd been a while since she'd even been on a date, much less since she'd... Well, you get the idea.
"I went down to Georgia yesterday," Kol started, taking his usual spot on the couch. Bonnie arched her brows in an expecting manner. "I consulted with a witch named Genevieve about how to stop Garnet."
"What did she say?"
"She was about as helpful as a fruit cup," he stated blandly. "She knows about certain groups of witches that still practice the dark magic that Garnet practices but she doesn't know much about her agenda."
"Wait-" Bonnie assessed. "I thought that Garnet followed the rules of the spirits. How can she have practiced dark magic?"
"Garnet is a two-sided monster. She doesn't necessarily follow what she preaches, you know. That's one of the reasons why she was so persistent in coming back even as a ghost. She never stops."
"What could she be planning?" Bonnie asked. "It's one thing to come back and live a life but... Why mess with the balance?"
There was an abrupt pause as Kol straightened up slightly.
Bonnie's forehead crinkled in confusion. "Kol?"
"Balance. That's it!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide as he stared at Bonnie. "Even Esther was disgusted about making us into vampires... Garnet is going to try and wipe out the entire vampire species."
"Kol- if she tries to do that, she's going to need some serious power," Bonnie said. She put her face in her hands.
"That's why she still needs Caroline- why she needs Klaus." Kol added.
Bonnie's eyes sparked and she shook her head. "Of course, it makes sense now."
Kol blinked. "What?"
"My Grams. She said that for Caroline to restore the balance-to stop Garnet-she needed an Original vampire, the original hybrid, and an original witch."
"She needs my family?" Kol asked.
She nodded once but let out a harsh breath. "But there's a hitch-there is no original witch. Your mother is dead."
They both stared at each other, contemplating the possible solutions. In order for Caroline to save them all, she needed the Originals. It would only make sense that Garnet needed them as well. It was the same spell but they were aimed at different results. Bonnie bit her lip and wondered when everything got so out of hand. She could barely recall the days when everyone was normal. When nobody knew about the supernatural world out there.
"Bonnie," Kol said sharply. "Is it possible to make a vampire back into a human?"
Bonnie shook her head. "No- vampires are dead so it wouldn't work. I assume they would just be dead. Besides, I don't know of any spell that would do such a thing. I think it'd be messing too much with the spirits and nature."
Kol was silent again. "The only way the whole original witch thing would work out is if Rebekah were to be a human again."
"Kol, I just don't think that's possible." Bonnie said morbidly.
"Caroline." a beautiful voice echoed softly throughout the white abyss. It wasn't another nightmare and she wasn't dreaming of Klaus again. Instead, she seemed to be floating through an empty vacuum of white space.
"Where am I?" Caroline questioned cautiously, moving her hands in front of her. Luckily, she still seemed like herself. The other weird part was that she was dressed in a simple and pretty white dress with one thin gold band wrapped around her wrist and a similar belt wrapped around her waist. "What am I doing here?"
"You have suffered much, my child. You have an even greater journey ahead of you where you will suffer more."
"Well, that's comforting," she grumbled, squinting her eyes. "But you didn't answer my question."
"You are in the in-between. It is not quite the Otherside and it is not quite Heaven."
She shook her head. "That makes absolutely... No sense."
"We have chosen you, Caroline. You are our champion and you will restore balance."
"Listen- I'm not... I'm not what you think I am," she stated. "I can't be who you want me to be. I'm not a hero. I'm just an insecure, neurotic teenager who's a complete drama queen."
"You are unique," the voice said. "If you did not show promise we would not have chosen you. Believe in yourself, Caroline. Trust yourself and what you are capable of."
"How can I do that if I have no idea of what I'm doing?"
"Because we believe in you," the voice replied. For once, Caroline let that response fall through. Everyone seemed so certain that she could do this. So why couldn't she?
"What if I mess it all up? What if instead of saving everybody, I just end up killing them all?"
The mysterious voice didn't respond and Caroline's heart raced with anxiety. The momentary lapse was making her want to tremble-there was a feeling so dark and lost that it almost clouded her thoughts completely.
"That's a risk we are all willing to take. You have the potential. Now, whether you use it for the right reasons is up to you. As a mortal you have free will-the decision is yours alone to make."
Caroline gulped. She was asking her to choose. It was all up to Caroline to be the savior. The feeling of immense responsibility landed on her shoulders and she found it hard to breathe. She had never been one to make good choices. She was just a stupid kid, reckless beyond belief.
Every mistake she had ever made came rushing back to her. All those rebellious moments, all the times she had recklessly let other guys use her, and for what? So she could try to feel something and not be numb anymore? So that for a single moment, she would be special?
Now the choice was hers and hers alone. Nobody could do this for her. That was the scariest thought of all... To have no one to rely on was one of Caroline's greatest fears, one she just couldn't run from anymore.
Caroline awoke slowly, her mind crawling to consciousness. She noticed that Bonnie was no longer there and bit her lip. Getting out quickly, she gathered fresh clothes and walked into the bathroom.
After changing and brushing her teeth, she came out and made her way downstairs.
"I just think that this is impossible," she heard Bonnie say. Walking into the living room, she stopped short when she saw that Kol was there, sitting on the couch with a grim expression plastered on his face.
"Hey," Bonnie said. "You're up."
Caroline nodded. "Yeah- I was just going to the hospital to see my dad. What are you doing here, Kol?" she asked, looking at the young vampire.
He shrugged. "Just informing Bonnie about some business I had down in Georgia."
The blonde blinked slowly, glancing between her longtime friend to the new boy that had abruptly entered their lives along with his crazy siblings. Caroline wasn't an idiot. She could see that something was definitely going on between the two. "Okay. Well, I'm going to get going. I'll see you later, Bonnie."
Bonnie nodded and watched as Caroline shut the front door. Her soft eyes shifted back to Kol, swallowing. "Why didn't you tell her?"
He rubbed his hands together. "I don't think it's a good thing for her to know right now. Just because of her powers being iffy and all," he justified. Bonnie sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration.
"Bonnie, if I asked you to do something- if it was for the good of our cause- would you do it?" Kol asked.
Bonnie's eyes looked at him questioningly.
Caroline made her way to the reception desk, the hospital full of civilians. It seemed to be extra crowded and extra busy. Stepping aside to make room for a man in a wheelchair, she barely managed to make it to the desk in one piece.
"How may I help you?" the lady asked, taking a moment from her flurried movements to assist Caroline.
"I'm here to see Bill Forbes?"
The lady shifted to type into the computer. A couple of seconds passed before she shook her head. "He's already been checked out."
Caroline's heart stopped. "What?"
"Sweetie, your dad was discharged earlier this morning." the lady shrugged and left, leaving Caroline shocked.
Clearly she made a mistake, Caroline thought dizzily as she started to quicken her pace to the patient rooms across the lobby. She vaguely heard a man calling to her about a visitors pass but she muted him out, her mind focused solely on getting to the room. He had to be there, he just had to. Her breaths were faster and shorter as she shoved the door open and to her horror, the room was empty aside from a single note.
She clasped her hand to her mouth to muffle her yelp as she read the words on the paper. It was a simple segment that was scrawled messily across the parchment paper.
I TOLD YOU HE WAS NEXT.
She didn't understand. Why was Garnet still tormenting her in such a manner? Why not kill her already? Her mind couldn't grasp the reason behind all the charading around. It was a sick and twisted game and she was the prey.
Clutching her stomach tighter, she made her way out of the building, her mind turning to only one person she could talk to about this.
"What do you mean he's gone?" Klaus muttered through the phone. Rebekah sighed on the other end.
"I mean he's gone. Kol left with Bonnie this morning." There was a rustle in the background. "No, you idiot! On the left!"
"Rebekah!" Klaus growled through the receiver. He didn't have time for this- there were other matters to attend to. Now, as resulted, Kol had taken Bonnie to God-knows-where without a single explanation. Klaus was just grateful that at least Rebekah had told him this instead of keeping to herself like she always does.
"I'm sorry, humans these days…" she cleared her throat. "So what's the plan?"
"Well I'm not exactly sure. Will you be sentimental if I shove a dagger through Kol's heart again? Or shall I hunt down the witch and keep her hostage so she doesn't leave?"
"Klaus?"
Klaus turned at the sound of Caroline's distressed voice.
"I'll have to call you back, Bekah."
Rebekah muttered something under her breathe and hung up the phone.
"Klaus-?" Caroline asked again when she reached the threshold. Her eyes were wide with worry.
Klaus frowned. "What happened?"
"She took my dad. She warned me about it and then it happened- you, you said-"
"Wait, slow down. Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Caroline flailed her arms. "I checked- his room is empty and she left this sick note and," her breath stopped short.
Oh God, not again. Caroline thought dizzily as she clutched her stomach. These stupid anxiety attacks were becoming more frequent. It seemed that the more she delved into the supernatural the more they happened. The thick pounding in her head made her wince.
"Caroline?" Klaus said, grasping her shoulders squarely. He looked into her frantic eyes. "Calm yourself. Just breathe," he gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Just breathe."
She did as she was told and amazingly, after a couple of seconds, the attack passed and she was left standing there dumbstruck and embarrassed for looking so vulnerable in front of Klaus.
"Better?" he asked.
Caroline nodded and swallowed. Suddenly the close proximity of his body unnerved her.
There was something in the air- something electric. Her heart rate sped up a bit as he kept his profound eye contact with her. A part of her, the silly human side, wanted to close the small gap between their faces. She just wanted to try and see if it was worth it. Surely the dreams she'd had of him hadn't just been to stop Garnet. Surely they meant something greater…
He's not exactly bad to look at, either. she thought briefly.
But her other side-the responsible witch side- kept shouting at her to stop. To not complicate the current platonic and strictly business relationship they currently shared.
Klaus frowned, her silence making him edgy. What could she possibly be thinking about?
Get a grip, he thought harshly. Sighing, he released her shoulders. Caroline blinked and nodded again.
"Thanks."
"She's using your father as leverage to get you to do what she wants," Klaus stated. "You're not going to bend to her will."
"But won't she hurt him if I don't do what she wants?"
Klaus remained silent and she bit the inside of her cheek. Of course. He already knew that would happen. But what was she going to expect? Everything Bonnie and Elena had told her about him meant that he didn't care about anyone else besides himself. If saving her father meant risking their chances of stopping Garnet, he wouldn't do it. But there had to be a way, right? A way to accomplish both?
"Right," Caroline said after he didn't answer. She stepped back a bit to allow more space between them. She could barely stand close to him without having the urge to kiss him. To be closer.
"Bonnie's gone." Klaus said. "She left with Kol this morning."
She arched her brows. "What? Where?"
Klaus shrugged. "He didn't say- he failed to even mention taking Bonnie- in fact, he failed to tell me where exactly he was headed on such short notice."
"Let me call Bonnie," Caroline said slowly, reaching for her phone and hastily dialing. The other end rang until there was an automation for Bonnie's voice-mail. There was a groan and she ran a hand through her hair. "Oh god." She paced around. "Where could she be?"
"That's the million dollar question, love." Klaus said bitterly, pouring himself a glass of scotch.
Caroline let out a breath. "What are we going to do about my dad? I can't just leave him as a hostage. He's sick."
Klaus put his glass down, staring at her. "We're going to make it look like we're willing to do what Garnet wants."
She looked at him surprised.
"And when she least expects it," he ran a finger across the top of the glass. "I'm going to kill the bitch."
"I can't believe we're in Georgia," Bonnie said. "Without telling Klaus? Without telling Caroline?"
"They won't miss us, besides, this is a lead that'll give us the upper hand." Kol explained, killing the engine of the car. "Now the question is: where can we find this person?"
"Well, what does she look like?" Bonnie asked.
Kol drummed his thumbs against the steering wheel, blowing a puff of air. He wasn't making eye contact with her and Bonnie frowned.
"You have no idea what she looks like, do you?"
Kol remained silent, and Bonnie lost it. Her hand came up into the air and swatted his arm.
"I cannot believe that you dragged me all the way to Georgia for a person we have never seen and we have no clue how they look like!" she exclaimed, harshly swinging the door open.
She already didn't want to spend time with Kol- there was something dangerously tempting- and now they were in another state together- alone. She wanted to keep it strictly about their cause but he was making it entirely too difficult.
"Bonnie!" Kol said, getting out of the car and walking after her. She was walking briskly and he could have vamped sped to her at any moment, but like most vampires, he enjoyed the thrill of the chase.
"What?" she spat.
"I really think we should stick together. You never know what you might find in Georgia."
She stopped short. "What's that suppose to mean?"
Kol arched his brows. "What's what suppose to mean?"
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Ugh. You know what I mean!"
He sighed. "There are hotspots all around the western hemisphere. Clans of witches. Generations," Kol paused, swallowing. "Certain areas like New Orleans and here, it's a whole lot easier to find yourself in mischief."
There was a brief understanding as they stared at each other. For a moment, Bonnie seemed to get why Kol was always so mischievous. You learned from experience and he'd experienced a lot before Klaus had daggered him- including how to adapt.
"Is that what happened to you?" Bonnie murmured.
His eyes softened.
"We should start looking around. We have to hurry," he said as he backtracked towards the car.
I'm an asshole for not updating. I was super caught up in the end-of-the-school-year activities. I had two AP exams to study for, an SAT exam I need to retake come October, and I panicked because I'm now editor of the school newspaper. Yeah, I'm flying solo.
Stress!
But I'm determined to finish this story before I start my senior year. I swear! Please, leave a review for me! Reviews are the reason why I haven't abandoned this story.
Thanks, I love you guys!
-Fanatic4Fiction