For those of you who want this to be a Caroline/Klaus love story, I'm sorry but it's not. As I stated in the summery, this is Forwood(sorry team Klaus). On that note, I was busy from 7:30 am yesterday until my head hit my bed pillow. I am so sorry, but here it is! Ok, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1

Or

The Crone

Unlike my sister, I was up and ready before the morning light shone through our window. My shoes, as worn in as they were, still fit comfortably in their rough state.

"You need new ones," a groggy voice said in the bed next to mine.

"No I don't," I told her as she was getting up. We both knew she was talking about shoes.

"Yes you do. And I need new gloves. Mine are starting to get holes."

"Elena, you know we can't afford that right now." We weren't destitute but we didn't have enough money to go buy things for the fun of it. Her gloves were fine and my shoes kept me warm. That's all I wanted.

"What if we could afford it, Caroline?" she asked finally popping out of her bed. She slumped over, stretching as she was getting ready for the new day.

"But we can't," I reminded her.

She got up and changed into new clothes that I didn't know she had. It was a maid's dress that went right to her knees. Instead of the dark bonnet that every woman in the town had to wear, hers was white and only covered a small portion of her hair.

"Elena, why are you wearing that outfit." My voice sounded dead, as if I had changed into a different person.. Who knows, maybe at that moment, I had.

"Because. More maids are needed and I decided to take the job."

The job. At the Manor. The Salvatore Manor of Lord Damon and Lord Stefan Salvatore. The Lord Brothers who owned our small town of Mystic Falls.

They've been around for hundreds of years, and we were lucky to have them as our Lords. They didn't abuse the humans they owned, nor did they sell them. It's one of the reasons they're so rich. More workers in their estate meant more things to sell in others.

But to actually work in their household was a completely different situation. Maids hosted their parties when other Lords and Ladies came to visit. Maids were known to do special deeds for their masters and for other vampires that came to visit. I refused to watch my sister whore herself off to the undead.

"Elena, you can't work for them. You can't. Do you know what this means?" I turned her around as she went to grab her shawl. She started to ignore me, shut my words out.

"Caroline, let go of me. Yes, I know what this means. Don't you? Pappa's shop is going down the drain. The Salvatores raised taxes. Jeremy has been in and out of the hospital and mom is too busy taking care of Jeremy to help out. Do you know what Lord Stefan and Lord Damon pay their maids?"

"I don't care what they pay! Elena, you go into that house and you will come out a different person."

She gave out a sigh, her shoulders hunched and her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. "I know what they become. But I'm not them. And our family is going more and more into debt to people who don't care about our sob stories. They will come after us if we don't pay them and—why can't you see that I'm doing this for us?! I already got the job. Today is my first day. If I quit, who knows what the Lords will do to us?"

"Does Pappa know?" I asked, my voice getting higher with every word.

"Of course he does. Who do you think got me the job? He has friends over there, you know that. Don't give me that look Caroline, and don't blame him. I was the one who went to Pappa, I was the one who pleaded with him until he caved."

"He is our father. Our protector! And he just sold you like this? Elena, I refuse to let you work in that household. So help me, if you go—"

"Caroline, stop it! Do you think I want to work for them?! Please, just help me through this right now. Today is my first day and I am so scared."

She turned away from me and took a few steps to our drawer of ribbons.

We could never afford grand things like laced gloves with pearls like some of the townspeople, or crystal earrings, but we could afford ribbons. Throughout the years, Elena and I picked out so many colors and kept them in mint condition. We would always put it somewhere in our hair when we were done.

She tied her hair up and picked out a dark plum color to wrap in her waves.

It was her favorite color, something that always reminded her of home.

When Pappa would let us go over to a friend's house to play when we were younger, she would wear that ribbon in case she missed home because it was Momma's favorite color. Soon enough, it became Elena's as well.

"Here," I said coming up behind her. "Let me help." She could never tie it right.

I wish we could go back to being seven again and not worrying about anything really. Pappa's shop was booming with customers, faithful members in the town. Sometimes travelers would even come to check out his trinkets. Now he could barely hold up the shop and had to get a second job in the factory, a fate that has yet to doom me.

I looked at my sister, her perfect brown eyes and beautiful brown hair. This new job was going to help us, but she would be forever shamed in the people's eye.

"Do you want me walk you there?" I asked letting my hand fall.

She nodded touching her own hair. "Caroline, what if I do become one of them? What if I do let them use me."

Her voice was barely over a whisper, humiliation icing the words as her deepest fears came forth. "Elena, that's not going to happen. I won't let it." She still couldn't look at me.

"How can you. It's not like you'll be there to help—or be there period." She looked down at her hands. This was the first time we would be separated. And I know she was just as afraid as I was.

I placed my forehead against hers and took a deep sigh. "Everything will be ok." I kissed her temple and took a step back. "Now then, we had better be off before you're late for your first day of work."

We put on our jackets that covered the dresses we wore and walked out the front door, her hand wrapping around my arm for support.

Eyes immediately went to my sister as they trailed along to her shiny new shoes for the proper maids attire. The white napkin on her head shined brighter against her dark hair and people stared, shaking their heads in disappointment. Already, murmurs were going from one person to the next on this dim day.

Elena looked unaffected with her head high and shoulders back, but no one felt her shaking hand or saw trembling lips.

We seemed to have walked for ages, longer than anywhere my feet have been. It was times like these when I wonder how far Bill Forbes had stepped for the resistance.

"There it is," Elena whispered to me. Before I knew it, we had arrived. It was the tallest house, more like a castle than home, that I'd ever imagined, the kind not even a book could fulfill. Small gargoyles were on each corner of the stone mansion and it seemed unearthly quiet.

Some gardeners were attending plants and I heard horses nearby, a hidden stable perhaps?

This didn't look like a place that would ruin someone's reputation; it looked like a dream home.

When we finally reached the front gate, we didn't know what to do until we heard a very loud voice speak nearby.

"Hello," a woman said in a low shrill. The sound came from a box. Pappa was talking about these things—these intercoms. "With whom am I speaking," she said when we didn't answer.

Elena cleared her voice and said loudly into it, introducing herself and her station.

"No need to yell, dear," said the woman. "Come to the side of the house."

Before we could ask which side, the gates bursted forth as if pulled by an invisible string. "Maybe magic still exists," I said as we took a step forth.

We walked forward until Elena pointed out a woman on the side of the house standing firmly and glaring at us as if in greeting. She was wearing an outfit like Elena only longer and with a stiffer back. The closer we got, the more I recognized her as the Lord Salvatore's head maid, the one who did the hiring and overlooked all the gatherings at the home.

"Miss. Greene," Elena said in greeting.

She looked between the two of us, her crone nose longer up close. "Where are your bags Miss. Gilbert. Were you not told you were to be living here during your time of work? This is a five day job. You are not part time, you are full. You get two days off, of which you may go home or stay for overtime, the pay is cut in half should you choose to stay and work. Now where are your bags."

My sister and I glanced at each other, comprehending what had just happened. Elena wasn't told that she would be working so much. She and I thought she would head home every night, not live at the manor.

I took a step forward, not knowing what I was doing. "She left them. A-at home. The bags, that is," I said. "She didn't want to fuss about getting settled the first day, she wanted to get straight to work. I am to bring them tomorrow before noon."

Her beady eyes turned on me. They were nearly just as grey as her hair. "The workers here don't receive guests, Miss…."

"Miss. Gilbert," Elena answered for me, loudly and clearly. Only I would know the more boldly she spoke, she more she was nervous inside. "She's my sister. Caroline Gilbert."

Miss. Greene's eyes seemed to have widened, as if in shock and then shrink back to their normal size before scrutinizing my clothes and messy hair. I put it up in a clean bun earlier but it came untangled with our walk. "Caroline, did you say?" I nodded, feeling as though she were about to fire me even though I wasn't even working there. "You don't look too thin, although more meat on your bones will do. But we have been short of maids as of late. Should you choose to work here, bring you and your sister's bags tomorrow. Elena, let me show you to the coat room and you shall begin your work as soon as you wanted. You," she said turning to me. "Tomorrow, if it is just your sisters bags that you are bringing, you are not allowed to visit as you will be considered a guest, of which you are not. You will be ordered to leave once you drop your sister's things off."

Without saying goodbye or barking more orders, she turned around and left.

Elena stopped to give me a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I watched as they walked off. And that's when I knew she couldn't work here alone.

Alright, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and give me your feedback with that little button down below that all of us writers love when you click! Thanks! And if not I won't take it personally, so it's ok. But I wish you would! Next chapter will be posted next Friday before midnight. Enjoy your weekend in the meantime. =)

-Pheyth