CHAPTER- 2

"Guys, we didn't came out on picnic just so you can do things which you do at your house, and by that I mean sitting and playing video games." said Caroline a little annoyed, looking at her friends all hooked up with their gadgets. Caroline likes everything to be perfect and organized and go with the schedule she makes. When she turned around to make her friends have some fun, they were gone and nowhere to be found. She looked around her in confusion. "Uh, guys, if this is some way of pulling some prank on me, let me tell you, it's not working." she said laughingly. However, she did felt some fear inside herself. She was walking in the woods looking for everyone. And then she saw someone out there, standing still.

"Hey, do you need any help." Caroline asked the girl who was standing in the shadows. Suddenly the girl started laughing hysterically. The girl turned around to be face to face with Caroline. Caroline was horrified to see the girl. She was looking at a girl with hunger burning in her eyes, blood dripping on the side of her mouth. On the ground there were piles of bodies covered with blood groaning in pain. She was looking at her dark self.

"Are you sure I am the one who needs help?" said her dark self, tilting her head.

"No, this is not happening. You are… You are not real... I... I turned my humanity back." Caroline stammered backing from the person she never wanted to be.

"You can never run from me Caroline. You think that I am gone. But, I will always follow you. This is the real you Caroline." Her dark self said gesturing toward herself. "Admit it that you liked being the monster. And you will always be the monster. I will always haunt you for the rest of your eternal life."

Caroline didn't heard what her mirror self said next as she vamp sped away from the darkness. "It's just a dream, all I have to do is wake up." she thought to herself, but felt unable to do so. Nothing was in her control.

"You disgrace me Caroline. I hate the person you have become. "She saw her mom's face disgusted on her. Caroline stopped to look at her mom to convince her that she never meant to hurt other people, she just wanted her pain to be gone, but her words were choked into her throat.

She felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Stefan standing there.

"Do you need a snack?" He said bringing a head on his palms in front of her. Caroline gasped and almost fainted to see the ripper in charge.

"Oh my god, Stefan. What have you done?" She whispered disbelieving what she saw.

"This is all you. Just to bring you down to your senses I have to become the ripper. Are you happy now?" He said with a mischievous smile. Caroline couldn't believe what she was seeing right now. She never wanted this. She never wanted to be the reason to be the downfall of Stefan. "You have to turn it on. I can never let this happen to you" Caroline begged him.

"Well, I can't now, you know. You asked me to do this and I DID. I don't care about anything now. And even if I could feel anything, I will feel hate and disgust for you Caroline. You tried to kill my only living family, and you say you have feelings for me." Stefan said laughing.

Caroline tried to blank her mind. She couldn't hear all of this. It was killing her. She kept her hands on her ears to shut his voice out, but his laugh was piercing through her skin. And, then her eyes stopped on the head lying on the ground. It was Sarah's.

Caroline woke up shocked and shaking with fear. It was still dark outside. She say around her and found Bonnie and Elena sleeping soundly. She wished she can go back in time and stop herself from all of the things she did. She got out of the bed and went to the living room. Although she didn't killed anyone but she did considered humans as blood bags, hurt her friends, and above everything she hurt Stefan. The way she acted with Stefan made her feel like jumping off the roof right now. The only thing is, it won't take away the guilt she is feeling right now. Slowly, tears started to fall on her cheeks, and she cried all night silently without making any noise so that Elena won't hear her.

Next day when she woke up, she was wrapped in a blanket on the sofa. She looked for Elena and Bonnie, but they were gone. She started shaking in fear again feeling that the dream she had last night is haunting her again, but she found a note from Elena saying that they will wait for her in the dorm and be prepared for a surprise. She sighed and got dress up as soon as possible to get away from this place.

"Elena, I am so going to k..." Caroline stopped in the middle of the sentence while talking to Elena on the phone. KILL. She was going to say kill. "How can I think of killing someone?" She thought to herself.

"Caroline, are you still there?" asked Elena getting worried when she didn't heard anything from the other side.

'Huh? Yeah, I was saying that we could have gone together to Whitmore you know. This is Bonnie's house and you guys left me here without even waking me up." She said trying to calm herself.

"You were sleeping, so we didn't wanted to disturb you. Now come here soon. We are waiting here for you. "Elena said trying to cheer her friend, and smiling to herself with the idea when Caroline will see her gift of surprise. Someone is on a move today, and she hope that everything works out fine.

"I will be there soon." said Caroline while locking the door and heading towards her car. She sat in the car and when she saw in the rear-view mirror, she saw bloody red eyes staring at her. She almost jumped when she saw it again. She closed her eyes and started counting. Elena was right, this is going to haunt me forever. And for a vampire, forever literally means forever. She started her car to just reach at the dorm as soon as possible, but her car wasn't ignited.

"Car trouble." She heard a voice from her side. She stopped at her place. She didn't wanted to look at him, and remember what she did to him.

"Nothing I can't take care of." She replied without looking at him. She went to check the engine, and just stood there with her eye wide.

"What happened?" asked Stefan innocently.

"Some of my car parts are missing." Caroline said in disbelief. What the hell is happening?

Stefan looked at her reaction and tried to hide his smile. He knew too well what was happening. Step three of his plan was in action currently. First was to get Elena and Bonnie away from Caroline so that she won't have any kind of lame excuse and try to run away from him. So, he convinced Matt to convince Elena and Bonnie to decorate the dorm room for Caroline, to which even he was astonished that they convinced. Third, was to break her car. At first, he was going to just steal her keys, but then he knew Caroline too well and so he knew she will figure out to even hot-wire the damn car. So, he just removed some parts here and there. He was amused that she even noticed the missing parts. However, he was glad she didn't put these pieces together that her car was broken at the same time when he was present there.

"Uh, when did you drove this thing last time?" He asked to go for the next step.

"A while ago." she said sighing. "I will just call a cab." Caroline started dialing but then next thing she saw, her phone was in Stefan's hand. That was the moment when she saw him, and the all kind of feelings started flooding into her. Love for him, admiration for the person he is, guilt for treating so badly, pain for giving him so much pain, and she was lost in his eyes.

"Why would you go in a cab? My car is still working, so I can drop you. "He said in one beat.

No, she promised herself to stay away from him. "Um... Okay." she told him and almost cut her tongue for being so helpless when the matter concerns him. Stefan gave her a huge smile hearing her reaction. Seeing him smile brought a tiny smile on her lips too, but it stayed for a fraction. "I don't deserve his smiles." she told herself while sitting in the passenger seat.

"Caroline Forbes, I am never going to let you go away from me ever." He thought to himself, feeling a jolt of joy that he is going to spend the time with her finally.

"Next step in action." he whispered to himself so slow that she couldn't hear him.