Caroline's POV
I couldn't stay there, in his bed, with his scent all around me, filling up each breath I took. Once I'm finally home wrapped in my own sheets, I drift off to sleep again, but I am hunted even in my dreams.
The images that wake me are different every time, but they scare me and my fear grows. Flashes of blood dripping down my face, there's a soft female voice whispering encouragement. "Drink Caroline," she says and I'm suffocating. There's also the issue of Katherine, something about her struck a chord with me. Not just because she looks exactly like Elena, but because there is something very sinister and malevolent about the way she walks and talks. I wake up in a cold sweat, tired beyond exhaustion. There isn't anything concrete to hold on to in my dreams, and if someone were to ask me, I wouldn't be able to tell them what is so frightening.
I stay home from school that day. I'm too emotionally drained to see any of my friends and I don't have the mental strength to fake my way through my classes with a smile. Elena comes to visit me and as soon as I see her through the window pane I start sweating thinking that she's Katherine. Then I hear her heartbeat and I know it's actually Elena. I let her in and we sit sipping tea in the kitchen, not sure exactly what to say to each other. We've gotten closer ever since I became a vampire, but after the fight in the woods last night, we're both scarred and worried about what comes next. She wants to know why I wasn't in school today and I give her a noncommittal answer, something about sleeping off the affects of the battle. She purses her lips as if my answer isn't enough, but I'm not paying attention. Something about that action causes me to involuntarily shake. There's revulsion in my mouth and I'm suffocating.
"Elena…" I say cutting her off from her rant berating me for missing school. "Get out," I snap.
"Caroline, What…" she asks. She looks so confused and she's moving to slow. If she takes any longer, I'm going to sink my teeth into her slim elegant neck.
"Get out Elena, Get out!" I yell and shove her out the door. When Elena is out and the door is shut. I let out a breath of relief and sink to my knees. It's official, I'm going crazy.
The next person to pay me a visit that night is Stefan and it's sweet of him to have come, but I can tell it's only because I freaked the hell out of Elena. Nonetheless, I let him in because I think that as a vampire maybe he'll understand my predicament.
"What's going on with you Caroline?" He asks as we sit next to each other on the steps in front of my house. I thought I'd know what to say to him. Here's my chance to tell him all about the nightmares and how much Katherine scares me, but when I go to open my mouth nothing comes out. My brain cannot formulate a single thought.
"I don't know." I say and Stefan looks at me, pitying me as if this is something I am doing to myself.
"Caroline, if there is anything you need; you know I'm here for you, right?" He asks.
If there is anything I need! I need to stop being scared! I need to sleep without having nightmares! If only my stupid mouth would spit out the words. Instead I stay silent and eventually Stefan leaves.
I miss school the next day and the day after that. My nights are filled with horrific images and my days are filled with paralyzing fear. I can tell my mom is worried when she's not knocking on my door or at work, she's pacing downstairs. I can hear the constant tap of her shoes. By the second week, she bursts through my door and demands I go to school, but I look ragged and I have bags under my eyes so she leaves me alone. What she doesn't know is that I'm not feeding anymore. I haven't had blood since the boarding house almost two weeks ago. I am starving myself. I have no reason to do it except that I am so consumed by my fear that I cannot leave the house.