Part 2, here we go.
Her skin had bristled as she sensed Eudora heading her way. It had been years, years she was sure, of constant torment and blood and so much magic that a mere ripple of it near her made her want to vomit.
To imagine that all this had only happened during less would kill her for sure.
Her eyelids dropped in exhaustion. She wished she'd sleep and never again awake, but she knew it was futile and foolish to do so when Eudora and her witches and the humans with the hungry eyes and research equipment were only a step away.
"My pretty Caroline, how are you today?" Eudora's voice had been soft yet cackling with energy, hands dabbing at her skin with a towel, cleaning away the grime.
She whimpered at the rough scratch of her teeth against her tongue only gasping out an answer when the movement of the scratchy towel hardened.
"Thirsty."
The witch had clicked her tongue, "You poor thing," she murmured, fingers sliding through her hair.
"Do not worry my dear, we're so close. Soon you'll be the terror that I'm making you to be. My witches tell me that the new assortment of spells will be ready in time."
Caroline's breath stuttered "But I thought you wanted to make me a vampire." And they had been successful, she could hear the drum of the blood beneath the witch's skin, wanted to sink her fangs in it and tear it to pieces, had burned in the sun and ran fast and lifted walls. A perfect creation.
"And I did, I made you, my sweet. You weren't turned, my magic flows in your veins and gives you life and power. And I can unmake you and bend you to however shape I see fit."
She shuddered, her cellmates screams ringing in her ears.
"Sshh," Eudora crooned.
Caroline thought the talking session was over but it seemed her torturer was bursting at the seams with her mad plans, wanting to share any of it.
She knew it was because the witch never thought that the first one Caroline would bask in feasting on would be her.
"Heard of smoke and mirrors, Caroline? Because that's what I'll do. You're called Succo and Lamia and so when anyone reads the old tongue of my master they'll see vampire and think you're just another child, they won't be able to look beneath the surface, never understand exactly how vital you are. They'll believe you're not a danger but you will be. You will be."
Rome was strange to say the least. There was the air of danger and fright that she felt in every place she went to since that fateful day five years ago, and yet a serenity that she only felt while in Egypt. The thought made her brows furrow, a chill running through her at the implications.
Was it her connection to Silas that made her restlessness subdue, or something else?
Having Enzo with her, made up for any displeasure that being with the Originals caused. She'd missed his jokes and flirting and unusual sense of humor that sometimes matched her own.
And it made her laugh, watching him smiling at Rebekah with invitation while the Original shot him the evil eye, for one reason or another refraining from digging her fists into his abdomen like Caroline was sure she wanted.
Well, she had a hunch for what that reason could but she was firmly ignoring that. Just as she was pointedly ignoring the peeks Klaus sneaked every once in a while.
They were ones in a line of others that were strategically given at the exact moments she'd look at him.
Which were not a lot.
Elijah walked leisurely into the living room where they were all sitting, most doing nothing of peculiar use to their current goal save for Bonnie and Kol who were reviewing grimoires side by side. "I've been contacted by the witches of my inner circle. We have some of Silas's fanatics following our trail."
She almost snorted at the choice of words, she sincerely doubted any of them had really met a fanatic.
"There was no need to speak to any of your minions Elijah, I simply could have told you that myself."
"Yes, Niklaus, I suppose you would have been able to give me their names and mark them too?"
Klaus pursued his lips in a mocking posture, waving his hands in surrender. The exchange was so simple, so familial, it struck a chord with her.
"We could always welcome them. I do remember having aided in building one of the neighborhoods here. Perhaps they'd like a private tour. What do you say, love?" He turned his head towards her.
Caroline narrowed her eyes in warning before she picked up one of the manuscripts lying on the table. Her Ancient Greek was sketchy at best but it gave her something to do other than useless brooding.
Kol flipped a page on what they were reading, "Unless you've suddenly developed a knack for a dead language, put that down."
She opened the book at random as a response, mentally taken back by the slew of confusing alphabet that suddenly sprung at her.
Damn her and her stubborn streak.
The space beside her on the couch sprang down with his weight as Klaus sat down. Teeth grinding together, she focused harder on the writing, so close to growling in annoyance.
But she would not give him the satisfaction. No. She held in the world-lash she'd been preparing for days, noting the big grimoire he picked up out of her peripheral vision as she skipped over the chunks of text and checking the symbols instead.
Klaus made an amused noise in the back of his throat. "Isn't it so amusing that witches have this strange philosophy of cursing their supposed loved ones with a moonstone? Shame Qetsiyah and Mother never met."
A tendril of curiosity wrapped around her at the words, for all the two weeks she'd been in the company of both Kol and Klaus she'd yet to discover why Klaus's supernatural presence was so much brighter than the other three combined.
The Originals exchanged wry glances as they watched their brother flit through what she now could see was a witch folk history book. The binding looked old and worn but it lacked any sort of mystical aura, for all she knew
"Well it is probably not that amusing given that the former buried hers in a public temple in the middle of friggin Rome," Rebekah said irritably.
"I'd like to remind you all that none of this would have happened if you two-" Kol pointed at Rebekah and Klaus. "-had listened to me like you should have and Nik hadn't stored me in a box when he got too irked."
Klaus smiled tightly. "Yes, Kol. I made the mistake of my life. No need to hear it again."
The gasp Kol gave was nothing short of dramatic. "You're admitting your own mistake? What happened Nik, war too tiresome for you?"
"No, your whining is," he deadpanned.
She stifled a laugh, locked gazes with Klaus, who was a mixture of languid and tense, before she inevitably looked away.
The stone, contrary to what she thought, had been almost insultingly easy to find. It'd been stored in one of the antiques in the Augustus Temple, hidden in plain sight. Protected by humanity.
Qetsiyah had devoted her time to make sure that tracking down the ingredients to destroy her wayward lover was painfully exhaustive. Her dramatic streak was definitely showing in the locations she'd chosen. The library for exhibiting her retribution as triumph. A hidden page of her incantation sealed in North America where she'd sealed Silas's tomb, far away from civilisation at the time... And now this.
The catalyst in the temple of one considered a prosecutor of two lover who'd stood in his way. Of two people who'd betrayed him. Caroline knew that Qetsiyah thought of herself an Augustus who triumphed over such hardships, Silas a Mark Antony who became a traitor for the sake of love and Amara as the illustrious lover who stole him.
It was all so very maddening, how such a story that was meant to only be repeated as a cautionary tale became the doom of the planet two thousand years later. She couldn't part with that bitterness when her scars were hidden beneath her skin and everywhere she went people were hiding away in fear.
This war had spared no one, not the supernatural nor the humans. The only ones who seemed to be winning were those who'd allied themselves with Silas, willingly submitting to his whims, and even the lives of those wouldn't be lasting for long.
But they served a purpose and the power they were offered was too sweet to refused, coated in lies and half-truths and the illusion of safety and superiority.
The hair on her arms rose as she felt the tell tale signs of being watched, realised how soon it would be that a confrontation was going to occur. The question was if it would be Silas himself, drawn to the threat that vampires almost as powerful as him were, or would it be his witches?
Klaus's fingers drummed against her hand in a series of quick taps.
On your right.
The look she gave him out of the corner of her eye was of pure vexation. Her senses were perfectly attuned to her surroundings, thank you.
She spotted the brief smirk that crossed his face, laughing at her with its very existence as she frowned. What was he, five?
The presence she felt around them seemed to increase in size, shadows moving over roofs and building, hiding more easily in the darkness the midnoon clouds provided. They seemed thicker in Rome, richer in colour. Europe as a whole was where she saw them at their worst save for its islands.
Kol pulled Bonnie closer to his side, squeezing her shoulder once when she shot him a questioning look. They'd left Elijah and Rebekah back at their flat, Enzo of course, an insurance against her, while they tracked down one of the old local witches in the area. Rebekah had sighed wistfully as she mentioned her darling Sofia, had warned Klaus not to kill her and that Kol kept his paws off her or else
The scorned mutterings of Eudora about the originals and their witches was slowly making more and more sense.
At ease, they walked towards one of the less-frequented streets, dragging their watchers with them to where they wanted to be. She catalogued the number of the buildings, the width of the roads, ever so grateful that she'd worn one of her more comfortable pair of sneakers, the one that masked the ever slight shift of her steps.
Kol headed to a roman looking structure that was seven stories high, a chilly breeze running through the air. Faint footsteps sounded around them as Silas's minions closed in.
Her blood heated and rushed in her veins, her muscles tensed. She waited for the perfect moment, the brief second when she wouldn't be caught.
These footsteps echoed closer. She watched Bonnie as her eyes shone with power, Kol and Klaus wearing identical expressions of readiness.
She took the leap.
They didn't realise she was gone fast enough, didn't even think to grab her. Not the originals, or Bonnie or the various creatures that were slowly crowding the building. She jumped with speed that would not have ever been possible had she been a normal vampire.
But she did, hid herself in a deep crack in the wall where no one would sense her. Folded her limbs and waited.
She heard Kol curse lowly, "I'll kill her for this."
Caroline wanted to snort, but she resisted.
Klaus swept his eyes in a show of marking those who were standing boldly before him, ready to pounce. She knew he was looking for her though. He crossed his hands behind his back, his features for all intents and purposes pleasant.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?"
A number hissed at the jovial tone, red and golden eyes staring at the three in the center.
"Hybrid."
Hot ice poured itself on her skin. That voice.
Silas.
"The madman behind the last ten years, I presume."
She rolled her eyes; ancient being sassing each other was quickly becoming very normal for her.
Typical.
Silas chuckled low in his throat, the sound a loud warning to her. "Oh, I've been orchestrating this for far longer than that."
"So I have been told."
Those standing on the edges of the staircases breathed harshly, like they were holding themselves back from snapping and tearing flesh.
"Where is my blonde pet?"
She saw Bonnie tense, her jaw clench. Kol leaned back on the heels of his feet."We seem to have lost her, you wouldn't happen to know where she could be, would you, mate?"
One of the witches on Silas's sides narrowed her eyes, her onyx hair gleaming. Silas only smoothed her hair back to settle her down.
Disgust coiled itself deep in her abdomen.
"Unfortunately no," Silas said, his fingers playing with the strands of hair between them, the witch preening under his ministrations. "My pet is a little harder to track than was originally intended."
"Nothing like an out of control minion. They absolutely drive you mad."
Silas smiled with teeth. "So the accounts were true then; I've been told your sense of humor is quite unmatched."
Kol held his hand against his chest. "I'm touched you search for my news."
Klaus was strangely silent, perhaps still trying to sense her. She wanted to tell him tough luck because she wasn't making herself susceptible to anyone tracking her with their senses as long as Silas was present. Not when their thoughts was ever so ripe for his picking.
The immortal flexed his shoulder blades, the tension and anger of those around him rising in tandoms. A brave wolf moved closer towards Bonnie and the Originals but Klaus grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, cutting off air.
"Perhaps some light on why you've seeked us out?"
"I've been told you aim to destroy me. Not the only ones, I admit, but you have come awfully close to my liking."
Klaus smirked, "Thank your pet for that, she was an ever lovely help."
Add baiting to the list of annoying character traits. But he was doing her a favour; as long as Silas's followers were occupied with the threat that Kol and Klaus represented, they wouldn't be able to use their senses to track her keeping Klaus and Kol busy with being on guard in case they attacked.
"Hm, Caroline was quite the surprise waking from eternal sleep. Sweet, vicious, smart creature with quite the healthy dose of self survival. Eudora had been inordinately fond of her."
The wolf in Klaus's grip faltered in his fight, his face red and eyes bulging. Klaus only squeezed harder.
"Again, your reasons for broaching us are?"
Silas's eyes darkened. "Again, Where. Is. Caroline?"
A heart stopped beating, its body stilling. Klaus discarded the corpse with a flick of his wrist, landing at Silas's feet.
She wished Enzo was here; he would have liked having the distinct possibility of being able to punch the immortal in the face.
She supposed she'd have to hit harder as a compensation, should she ever have the chance in the future.
Someone dolled out a reply, Kol probably. It all became background noise as she rechecked positions and numbers, noted the vampires on the roof. Her heart held the phantom memory of beating loudly in anticipation and fright.
"Who, Caroline?" At the mention of her name, she re-focused on the conversation.
"She'd not dare run, not when a friend of hers is in the crossfire. She's simply hiding," Silas's eyes turned cold and calculating. "Unless she had been abandoned, I suppose. Tell me, Bonnie, how long did it take for anyone to notice she'd gone missing. How long did you mourn her for?"
Bonnie gasped, holding her head in pain. Her eyes watered as her legs seemed to buckle under an invisible weight. Kol immediately hauled her up, fixing Silas with a murderous expression.
She choked on her desire to sink her teeth in Silas's neck, to make him feel the agony Bonnie was experiencing.
"Stay out of my way or what I did to the world will seem like mercy, vampires," Silas said. "Find her."
Like a mirage, he faded out of vision and all that was left were his compelled creatures.
She could work with that.
With great speed, she flashed to the onyx haired witch, snapping her neck with too much ease. A ripple went through the air. Snarls came from all side.
"You found me," she told them jovially. "Now, the question is who'll be the one to take me?"
She broke through the muscles and skin of one of the vampires who went to grab her, tore out her heart with satisfaction.
"The answer is no one."
The room was awfully quiet.
Rebekah kept shooting her withering glares every once in a while which she refused to cower under, returning her own cool glances. She was not beholden to any of these people who thought of themselves royalty, did not owe them her loyalty or trust or even to divulge her plans or stories.
And from Elijah's assessment of her once he'd heard what happened in that backstreet, she knew he was aware of that.
Still, she did not retire to her room until she made sure Bonnie was well and sleeping, had healed after tiring herself today. Her muscles unclenched then, relief heady.
Finding Klaus in her bed, shoes removed and limbs splayed on the cover in a graceful manner made that fly right out the window. The smell of sage that filled the room had her sighing.
Looking at him so made that relief turn into bone deep wariness.
He watched her as she stripped out of her shoes, left them at the foot of the bed and crawled under the duvet. The shower she'd taken had done its job and she was well and cozy beneath her sweater.
There was prominent silence in which she felt she could hear the ants as they dug beneath the earth if she tried hard enough.
"Is there any reason you're here?"
She winced at the question. Sometime, she really despised her no brain-to-mouth filter.
He reached to tug at one of her curls, looping it around his index and rubbing the strands with his thumb.
"Plenty, love."
Am arch of her eyebrows had his eyes gleaming.
"Perhaps we could start with why you hid yourself away so neatly as soon as Silas became present?"
"Other than the reason that he's the reason behind me getting tortured for a quarter of a century? Maybe it's because he's a mind reading creep and that gives me anxiety."
He tugged again. "Other than that."
She felt he was much calmer than she had thought he would be, and she eyed him in trepidation. Then narrowed her lids.
Oh, was this a part of his negotiations? Two could play that game.
She widened her eyes and allowed a touch of breathlessness to enter her voice, batting her lashes for good measure. "I don't like sociopathic murderers."
The smile he gave made his dimples show and it was incredibly unfair. "Should I feel special you have yet to hide from me?"
Caroline shrugged, "You're kinda pretty and he not so much, his cheekbones don't really do it for me."
A rumble vibrated in his chest as he laughed. She watched him as she slid herself better under the cover, the duvet coming up to her torso.
He quieted down, "Come on, sweetheart. Tell me your real reasons."
She stared at him, didn't blink when he met her eyes. They stayed like that for a few minutes. She was suddenly filled with the wish to be able to read his mind, crack open his skull, find out his intentions.
But she couldn't and so she had to make the choice whether to trust him or not on her own.
"You saw the way Qetsiyah's tombstone reacted to me. I am an anomaly," she said at last.
"I was made aware of that," he said dryly, impatience beginning to colour his tone.
She huffed and rolled her eyes.
"You can tell me, love. I'm a hybrid, after all. I know quite a bit about improbable anomalies myself."
Curiosity shot through her, "What's a hybrid?"
"Hmm, sometimes I do not acutely remember how young you are."
She felt offended and it must have showed on her face for his fingers pulled again in a teasing manner.
"A hybrid is a mixture of two different species, retaining abilities unique to both lineages."
"I got that from the car," she said, unable to keep the joke in, getting a tiny bit more satisfaction than she should have when his eye twitched. "Alright let me rephrase that, you're a hybrid of what creatures?"
"I'm wolf and vampire."
She'd known of the animosity between the wolves and the vampires, heard bits and pieces about it in her cell and collected what information she could when she'd hunted for anything that could help her, but it was unclear how this tibid about Klaus related to their conversation, other than solving the puzzle of the strong magic she'd always felt from him.
"Is it nice?" Because she had to ask.
His lips curled in a smirk, "It does have its perks."
The sentence was so him that a ghost of a smile crossed her face. She swallowed heavily when she remembered why he said that, what led to them to this point.
Throat dry from something other than hunger, something much closer to uncomfortableness had her struggling with words.
"I didn't turn out the way I should have, the way the witches had planned," she spoke carefully, the words an iron weight on her tongue with the memories they held.
Klaus's reaction was so minuscule that if she hadn't been looking for it, she would have missed it. He froze unexpectedly.
Her breath dragged in her throat, jaws grinding.
"When they took us, they had a very specific purpose for us. We were meant to be Silas's safeguard. His very own private henchmen. But the magic reacted differently, became unique to each one of us, having completely unforeseen results."
He inclined his head to the side, expression nameless.
"They casted spells that made us impervious to subtle compulsion and magic mind control and somehow I ended up being able to block Silas himself out," she paused. "The ingredients we're hunting, the tombstone and the moonstone, they're Silas's failsafe, the witches wanted to link parts of us to it, make the spell stronger, I think? I've never really found out what was the reason but I do know that it mutated to something else."
"What?" he murmured.
Eyes starting to fill with the need to sleep, she smiled cheekily. "That's enough for today."
He arched a knowing brow but she wasn't deterred. She'd never ever tell him of how vital she actually was, to tell someone of why Silas hunted her so thoroughly. While his witches were modifying her to his wishes, Qetsiyah had worked her magic from beyond the grave, had insured that Caroline had something within her necessary to complete the destruction of the other side.
It took her years of research and tracking down witches known for their strict policies when dealing with creatures of the night to know all of this. Had dealt with having to work with riddled puzzles and sitting through a seance with Qetsiyah as she, laughing, had told her the truth. She'd murdered and lied and bartered for information, had ended every soul that could speak of any of it.
They were not her proudest moments, but to survive they'd been necessary.
And then there was the possibility that the spell Eudora had used was the same that created the Originals.
If they knew there would be no chance for her to live, they'd grind her marrow and bones and incrinate her from existence.
Old creatures rarely reacted well to being threatened.
"How many of you were there?"
"Twenty."
A flicker of surprise, "Twenty?"
"Only two survived in the end."
The accident that'd made for her and Enzo's escape had been just that — an accident. And it had taken the lives of nearly everyone else, Eudora excluded.
But she'd rectified that soon enough.
A low considering noise at the back of his throat and Klaus continued speaking, "I suppose my witches did not know of your true value when they'd mentioned how imperative you were."
She yawned, tilting her head back against the pillow, "I reckon between you and Silas, you guys have the ability to build a fabulous witch army and take over the world." Caroline paused. "Well he already did that so you'll have to do something else to get an award."
He chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind."
Outside a siren blared to life, warning all of danger, the pattern of the beat signalled a vampire spotted on the loose. Her eyes closed shut as she heard the fast patter of feet on concrete. Wondered what nightmare she'd dream.
A hand tangled in her hair, soothing. "Sleep, Caroline."
She did.
Getting out of Rome and the mess that suddenly came up had been their highest priority. A group of rogue vampires and a pack of ravenous wolves had infiltrated the city and Rome had apparently gone to hell.
The commotion and sudden alertness had left the country on edge, had made it harder for them to move as freely as they would've liked. Rebekah had sulked at the missed opportunity to visit her witch, had seethed at a crude remark from Kol and buried a knife in his liver.
It had ruined an antique sofa and Caroline was still pissed about it.
Still, part of her revelled in exiting the city with so much flourish. They'd left it behind them in ruin, fire and blood flooding the streets.
Crossing the borders proved to be challenging with the armed forces walking through routine checks with a fine comb. Yet, Klaus and his siblings had long mastered the art of slipping through obstacles and in the end they managed to cross over to Austria like they wanted.
The country was a bit quieter than the main capitals of Europe, allowed for a reprieve and a good hunt for food that left her monster sated.
Vienna, beautiful and new, left the wanderlust that's always existed in her prickling. The city was pure magic, she could swear, it made her breathless to be surrounded by such loveliness.
Stephansplatz square became pretty much her new favourite place in the continent and she'd already catalogued a few boutiques to visit once everything settled down.
The amused, indulgent smirk Klaus had given her as she bit her lip, planning where to start had filled her with unexpected warmth. She refused to think about it though; it was neither the time nor the place.
And then they got attacked.
Again.
The second batch of underlings were loud and annoying and just plain insufferable. A brash vampire got handsy as he attempted to restrain her- which she did not appreciate - and ended up with his spinal cord on the floor.
After that things just escalated. Between her and Klaus they managed to end them rather quickly.
When they'd finished, dead bodies littering every square inch of the place, she turned to face her companion, become shocked stark at what she saw.
It wasn't the gore clinging to his shirt - there was just as much clinging to hers - the blood soaking the fabric and smearing across his skin.
His face though, it was what took her breath away.
Klaus's eyes shone a bright gold-yellow, vampire veins creeping up cheeks and when he should have had a set of fangs, there were two.
He watched her watching him rapturously.
"Can I touch?" It rushed out of her without thought.
The question seemed to both delight and amuse him, his lips slowly curling.
"What an interesting request sweetheart."
She swallowed heavily at the heat in his eyes. "I thought it would be rude not to ask."
He made a 'be my guest' motion and it was all the invitation she needed.
Hesitant, she walked towards him until she stood in front of Klaus directly. She lifted her hands, a quiver in her step, head spinning at how the moment felt so surreal. With a gentle touch, she traced his veins, fingers skimming under eyelids as she took in the vivid gold.
That gold was safety, danger and addiction all at once.
The double set of fangs were last. She felt them with the tips of her fingers with care, careful not to break skin; to draw blood would be to shatter the last of her control.
Gasping sharply when his hands touched her face, her eyes turned to his. Met a fascinated gaze as Klaus returned the favour.
She had not noticed her fangs coming out and the realization almost made her fall.
The witches had been utterly obsessed with idea of total willpower and control, had trained her so thoroughly that her monster wouldn't unveil itself even when tied up, weak and hungry, in a room full of dead bodies.
And years later when she'd accepted all her quirks, it took all of her to make her fangs appear. What did it mean that they came so easily to her now?
Caroline almost did not want to know.
"Good old Silas is pretty pissed, I reckon."
Kol seemed almost jovial with the picture they made as the entered the large ensuite, blood painting several areas of their clothes. She was sure her hair had a good dip itself; one of the werewolves' heart that she'd ripped had made such a splatter.
Klaus's lips curled a little, "As much as the possibility is entertaining, the underlings he sent us were no more than fodder."
And a jab at her, clearly, they were far too irritating to be anything else.
"There's always next time."
Rebekah's voice cut through the air. "Not here I believe."
The statement had her turning to Bonnie, imploring. "Please tell me there's no more travelling."
She's had enough of treasure hunting to last her several lifetimes.
The grim set of Bonnie's lips, the cradle of a hand on her shoulder by Enzo as he patted it told her all she needed to know.
"Oh, come on," she said
There was a lull as the train lurched forward to start its journey, then a steady trek. The first class compartment they'd booked was quiet, the whole train too. Aside from a bit of shuffling, the curious set of whispers, most passengers were sleeping.
Bonnie was resting in her seat, and Kol was double checking the grimoires, an unusually serious furrow between his eyebrows as he skimmed through the pages. Out of the four Originals, only three had rode the train from Vienna to Budapest; Elijah had promised to rejoin his siblings in Greece shortly with a quick nod to Klaus, an exchange only translatable to the two brothers.
She wondered if it had something to do with the mother they'd mentioned, but found no hints of it in Klaus's posture, not in Rebekah's quiet sighs as she browsed her phone.
A burst of speed and she fixed the blanket around her, adjusted her body and bent her leg beneath her hips to fit in better, leaning her head against the set of Enzo's shoulders.
Eyes fluttering as she closed them, she hoped she wouldn't dream.
She drew a laboured breath in, sweat clamming up her forehead. The floor underneath her was stony and uncomfortable, aggravating the wounds on the back of her thigh everytime she fidgeted.
Head hazy and spinning, it was a struggle to keep herself afloat the abyss that wanted to swallow her whole. It looked scary and never-ending and she didn't know where it would take her, what it'd do to her, so she fought.
Teeth biting down on her lip, she nearly gagged at the taste of metal on her tongue. It was familiar but so, so unwanted.
Something resembling silence made its way around her. She revelled in it, the scarce rest from constant torment.
A racket on the opposite side of the wall had her limply crawling until she put her ear to it.
"Finished your torture session?" she rasped out.
Another scruffle and Enzo's low voice came through the cracks in the wall. The first time he'd wanted to talk to her it had been a struggle to hear his voice, her human hears picking up the sound with difficulty.
His solution had been to punch the wall with such force, it trembled and then to laugh when their captors - torturers - punished him for being disobedient.
She'd wondered at the efforts he took to speak to her until his red eyes had gleamed as he hungrily eyed her neck.
The toothpick she'd nicked from one of the humans, that she had aimed at Enzo's cheek, had been a loss to a shabby raw escape plan but worth it.
And now they were friends.
It was certainly not stranger than many other events in her life.
"I think it's your turn tomorrow."
Eyelids squeezing shut at that, she shuddered. A silent prayer to the heavens for quick mercy was all that she was capable of articulating, a helpless sob trapped in her throat.
"It will be alright, Goldilocks."
They both knew that was a lie.
Would she die tomorrow, lie as a discarded heap on the floor? Would her body be found in a rotten forgotten place, an unspoken reminder of a world people had no idea existed? Would her friends remember her, years after death had taken her, nostalgic and reminiscing.
Would her mother bury her?
"You never did tell me how old you are," the murmur is soft and quietly uttered.
Her harsh breath dragged across her throat, "I'm not sure." Enzo didn't comment at the break in her words, let her gather her thoughts. "Seventeen, I think? I would have been seventeen in a few months."
Silence, then a sequence of taps against the wall had her smiling; for all his attempts to teach her Morse code they had sadly gone over her head.
"I don't understand," she said, something resembling a laugh floating at the edge of her subconscious.
He breathed a long suffering sigh, "You're the worst."
The laugh seemed a little closer. "Hmm, also gonna be shish-kabobed soon."
"Caroline."
"I don't know how much longer I can last," she confessed, suddenly tired. She crawled away, not wanting to hear any remarks, any reprimands.
There was no other way to say it, she despised Greece.
The country would have been fun and quirky decades ago, when she'd been human and unmarred by buried scars, but now it made her senses go on overdrive, the ties of the history and magic of the place to her unbearable.
Half-moon cuts formed in her palm where her nails dug in her skin, and fangs bit in the inside flesh of her mouth so hard she tasted blood.
Hearing they had to go there had brought to the forefront memories she didn't want brought up. Recently freed, she and Enzo had fled to the place that had birthed Silas, searching for any scrap or hint of stories and legends. She'd been hungry and anxious, had fought between restraining herself in a world where humans had yet to knew of the supernatural and tearing into where she'd wanted the most.
For someone whose thirst had been dangled in front of her, as punishment, as enticement, blood had been a respite.
She'd quickly shed her all-you-can-eat diet, though; rumors of rippers and their bloodlust an even bigger horror than perhaps the nightmare she was living. No one was allowed to strip her of control, mindless violence was not her. She wouldn't give all those who hurt the satisfaction of changing who she was.
Not now, not ever.
It had all started in Greece and the leftover marks showed in the country; where the violent clouds appeared only during noon in the lands of the old world, the entirety of Athens was bathed in darkness, there was a wind that blew in streets and roads, an unusual chill for the climate, and everyone openly wore weapons on their bodies. The weather reports had said the same for all the other Greek cities.
Whose punishment was it to inflict that terror? To rid a world of its sun was something irredeemable.
She sighed, flopping back on the bed. If she closed her eyes and concentrated, she'd be able to hear the sounds of the people moving inside the building, the threads of conversation, could sense where sage was being burnt.
The mansion that the Originals had was big and spacey, a combination that would have made her imaginative mind run with decorating ideas if she weren't so jittery. The furniture inside was absolutely to die for.
Not that she was surprised, they seemed to have no clue what lowkey meant.
She exhaled, her puffs of air pushing against the light strands of hair that fall across her face.
A beat then another and she sat up again, draping the family book Bonnie had given her across her lap. Bonnie had said something about her ancestors keeping track of the original story, no follies or gossip, passing it to generation after generation.
Leary yet curious, she'd taken it, wondering what fact that she didn't about, that she hadn't glimpsed in the magic of the tombstone. But she'd wanted a distraction and the book seemed as good as any.
And it was mercifully in Latin.
The pages provided enough work in translating without making her have a headache, even if there was nothing of value that she discovered so far.
Silas and his quest for immortal love, and the promise he swore to reunite with Amara in death after he'd known of her murder, of plotting eons to thwart his ex-fiancée. He'd carved a place into the world as a mystical god and enticed descendants of Qetsiyah to serve him willing.
Had desired near immortal creatures; strong enough to not be easily squashed, but still able to be destroyed.
She turned the page when she finished, her eyes widening in surprise.
The book detailed a spell Qetsiyah had cast, after finding that he'd made for a second plan to escape the pull of the other side should he fail to destroy it. It prevented Silas from interfering with anyone tracking down the items needed to obliterate him from existence, prevented him from collecting the ingredients himself, that would ensure his spirit's transition to the afterlife instead of the supernatural purgatory should he die a witch.
That's why he'd been sending wolves and vampires after their trail, and not witches like he had the first time he'd cornered them. He was bound to the rules of magic Qetsiyah had made.
He couldn't use witches, only brute force.
She felt her head spin.
Something was missing though; something important.
Information about Amara was little, as if they wanted to grind her memory from history itself.
Not beyond what a need for revenge would cause, but the thought didn't sit well with her.
She rubbed the sides of her head, thinking. Maybe she needed a second opinion.
Navigating her way through the hallways when the mansion was filled with various creatures, all who, in a way or another, were loyal to the Originals, was a chore. She'd spotted Bonnie with a tutelage of witches, some old, some young, as she spoke to them all, her friend completely at ease with commanding so many.
She rolled her eyes at that, recalling with clarity the conversation in freshman year they'd had, she was convinced that Bonnie could nail running for cheer captain if she wished and Bonnie so vehemently insisting she couldn't.
Call her petty, but it felt good to be proven right.
Bonnie looked to her right, sensing eyes on her and smiled. Caroline arched a brow in reply, gesturing to the crowd. Bonnie frowned in confusion for a moment before it dawned on her, the unamused expression she made a thing that could kill before she gave her the finger.
Caroline laughed and sped away.
Much as she'd like to continue to tease, she had someone to find.
Everything was quiet.
The air was strangely still, as if the wind itself deserted its poste, there were no birds, no humans. Even the clouds she hated were dull and lacking.
There was a restlessness that plagued everyone, in the wide court of the Acropolis. A shift in how they stood, moved. There were hoards of witches, vampires and werewolves who came from all over the world, loyal to the Originals, who'd come at their commands.
The battle was growing nearer and nearer.
Inside the Parthenon, laid Amara's body, cooling in the cloth she'd found for her.
Klaus had been open to hearing her suspicions; together with Kol's help they managed to find some answers to the puzzle she was presented. A string here, a missing piece there and they'd connected everything.
Caroline didn't think she'd ever been more horrified in her life.
She thought herself the anchor, how wrong she and Silas were.
Finding Amara, buried beneath the rocks of the temple, a dessicated piece of stone with two vials of the cure was a punch to the gut. An older version of Elena has stared back, eyes alight with madness and despair.
Doppelgänger.
She did appreciate Klaus smoothly covering up for her in the seconds she'd slipped, her fingers lax with shock, even as she felt angry with herself for it. She should have learnt by now that caring about things she couldn't change got her nowhere but it was hard to quell her sorrow.
One mistake and Amara had payed for it twenty five lifetimes over.
At least she was no longer suffering though, her life no longer under the thrall of a hatred that was burning for millennia. Amara had looked like a bird, a beaten abused crushed bird, when she saw them, a bird who was being set free for the first time in far too long as her neck was snapped.
Bonnie walked over to her, climbing the stairs until she reached the step she sat on, a pinch of stress between her brows.
"Having fun being the boss?"
Sighing, Bonnie rested her chin over her palms. "You're never letting me live that down, are you?"
"Nope," she said cheerfully. "Ordering people around is my favourite hobby, I'm happy you're discovering its joy."
Bonnie snorted. "Okay, psycho."
Caroline stuck her tongue out as a reply.
"You'd think for someone who is mighty obsessed with living, Silas would be a bit more concerned about his timely demise."
She agreed with the sentiment of Kol's words, feeling edgy and restless as the hours dragged on with no sign of the immortal in sight. Her fingers tingled with the memory of gripping Amara's neck.
Caroline was no stranger to death, but she didn't want to think about why this one was any different.
She had to focus.
The hair on the back of her neck rose, and she stood up quickly, spine straightening from the imminent danger. The Originals formed a half circle facing the entrance, the vampires and wolves stretching muscles.
Bonnie had already ordered the witches to their places, the first and strongest line of defence.
Sensing fingers touching at the skin of her hands, she looked at her, felt a glass vial pressed into her pal.
"Ready?" Bonnie asked, brow quirked upwards
She was going to help bring down Silas, she was going to shove that cure down his throat and then she would kill him.
Above, the clouds rumbled.
"As I'll ever be."
Smiling at her in encouragement, Bonnie descended the steps. Her curls bounced as she moved, electric sparks flashing after each step.
Cure in hand, watching her friend walk so confidently, comfortable in her own skin, Caroline thought of one more secret she'd hidden.
Her head felt like it would explode. There was a ringing in her ears, a strain in her eye muscle. Her chains had been discarded, Eudora deeming her too weak to even twitch a finger.
Loathe as she were to admit it, the witch was right.
A sob constricted in her throat but she grinded her teeth tightly, curled herself in a ball as if that would force the tears to lay inside.
They'd killed her, injected something in her arm that burned as it moved through her veins. She'd faded in the darkness of death with the chanting of witches in her ears.
Loud footsteps echoed outside, the pattern making that constant ringing somehow more pronounced. The blood she licked from her lips soothed her, but barely.
"So the hybrid have only just begun siring his creatures?" The voice that could only be Eudora spoke.
The person who replied was male, "Yes."
A frustrated breath. "He's not on schedule, none of my master's pawns are."
"Wouldn't be better it be that way though? Less chance of someone following our trail."
There was a started yell and the snap of a bone. "I did not send you to Mystic Falls so you could lecture me on how to fulfil my duty, Shane. And do not forget that every critique you offer is aimed at the vision our lord has created."
Shane inhaled sharply, "I wouldn't dare."
"Good."
"The demon sacrifice will be ready, Eudora, I assure you. Klaus has already started tracking down packs, my informant even suspects he's already completed the transition of one. Then, I will push my mole and everything will be perfect."
The witch hummed, "And the Bennett girl?"
Bennett? She frowned.
A bucket of ice was poured over her.
Bonnie.
"She's flourishing well; threats to the the doppelgänger has made sure that she keeps trying to hone her skills. The disappearance of that girl you took had done us favours."
Her, they meant her.
They were using her against Bonnie and no one knew. No one knew.
"I did say taking Caroline was a wise decision. She was the perfect catalyst to speed up the Bennett's magic and if we need it a suitable leverage to utilize should the witch prove to be testy, not to mention she'll make a fine soldier for my master. Two birds with one rock."
Rock, motionless and without will. She certainly felt like it.
She ran her hands over the backpack she'd just finished packing, some part of her in joyous disbelief.
It was over, it was truly and finally over.
Maybe the world would never return to how it once were, maybe she'd always have to be on alert from hunters and creatures that would come sniffing after her, seeking her secrets but Silas was dead, spirit cast to the winds and wasn't that something to celebrate.
There would be no more angry clouds.
She braided her hair, thinking of where she could go. She longed to return to Reykjavik and her small apartment -that she'd left for months, unattended, uncleaned and uncared for - wake to the mountains, drink hot chocolate.
Taking one last look at the room she'd been occupying for the last few days, she opened the door. The only things that were slung over her back were hers, all the clothes that Bonnie had insisted they buy were folded neatly in the cupboard.
Her footsteps were the only thing she could hear in this stark silence, and even those the carpets were doing a good job of hiding.
Caroline typed a quick message to Enzo, telling him when she'll leave, uncertain whether or not he'll follow her soon. If not, then she always had plenty of sleep to catch on.
Reaching the stairs, her legs faltered.
Klaus was standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for something. For her?
He looked refreshed and showered, no sign of the fight apparent, his curls damp and the clothes he wore lighter, a Henley and a pair of jeans that did nothing to lessen his appeal.
She took the steps one at a time, unsure of how this will go.
"Leaving so soon, sweetheart?" he asked, possessiveness bleeding into his words.
Muscles tensing, it was a reflex to search for exits, to plot an escape but all that flew out the window when he gently touched her hands, coaxed her to look at him. His eyes weren't soft, but they were not hard either.
She stared at him with a bit of steel. "I have to go back to Iceland."
He seemed amused. "Apartment troubles?"
"I haven't stepped foot in it in quite some time. It's sure to be a bit… dusty."
Suspiciously, he smiled.
"I don't think it will be."
"And how would you know?"
His expression became tinged with mischievousness. "It's hard for it to gather dust when the cleaning team I've hired are to make sure it sits spotless every few days or so."
He… what?
Caroline blinked once.
"You, hired a cleaning team for my apartment." She said it again just to be sure she heard correctly.
Klaus's fingers were warm against hers. "A gift."
She blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. "I'm honestly not sure whether to think of that as cute or creepy."
"Why the necessity of limitations, think of it what you want."
She took a deep breath to steal herself. "Okay. Why the gift?"
"For what reason does one usually give a gift, love?"
Caroline huffed, exasperated. "Okay, Sir 'dark and mysterious', as much as I'd like to continue this conversation, I've a transport to catch."
The hand that clasped hers moved to hold her wrist.
"Or you can stay."
She almost stumbled. "What?"
That smile deepened, his charming dimples she'd peered at through lowered lashes at occasion appearing.
"Stay, Caroline," he said ever so casually. "I admit that when I first saw you, you did not particularly pique my interest, aside from your use to getting rid of Silas and your abilities but I find your sharp tongue delightful and your lively expressions charming."
"So what, now you want… a relationship?"
Voice low and at ease, Klaus spoke, "I believe the term best fitting is dating."
Standing there, with just the two of them in the dim light, she could admit that yes she'd felt intrigued by him, had liked the hidden moments they'd shared.
"I have secrets."
She thought of what made her who she was, the magic that set her apart from sired vampires. And while she'd never be strong as the Originals, would take more decades to be able to catch up, she had a more even footing with Klaus than if she'd have been just a normal monster, and that only seemed to sweeten his words.
"As do I, Caroline. Creatures like you and I don't survive without accumulating some."
"If I agree to this, what will we do exactly?"
"You'll let me take you out to a place of my choosing, we'll enjoy the day and end it in a lovely restaurant that offers the best of Greek cuisine."
"Are you trying to bribe me with food?"
"Is it working?"
Yes, but she was not admitting that to his face. The knowing glimmer of his eyes told her she didn't need to.
"What if I don't like Greek cuisine?"
He shrugged, "There are a variety that we can sample."
Freeing her hands, stepping back for more distance between them and crossing her arms in front of her, she frowned, "You're being awfully persistent."
"And you're being awfully evasive."
Her face must have displayed some of her hesitancy, for he stepped closer again, but not enough to touch.
"Take a chance, Caroline," he spoke, her name a sweet temptation on his tongue. "I dare you."
A beat of silence, then:
"Fine, I'll stay."
What did you guys think? Please don't be shy with your opinions, I want to hear what was your impressions about the plot, the character dynamics, KLAROLINE, I admittedly wanted to explore them further but where would I do that, this was already much more huge than I initially planned for it to be. JUST TELL ME EVERYTHING.
*Also in case I hadn't made that clear, Succo and Lamia are the rough translations of vampire in Latin, according to Google that is.