Chapter 3

Or

Silver Bracelets

"And where is your uniform?" her stern voice asked me.

I took the directions Bonnie had given me and they led me right where they said. To Miss. Greene's office. "Bonnie is getting it for me. I just arrived with my sister's things and I came to tell you I'd like to accept your job offer."

Her pointed nose turned up as she shuffled through some more papers and responded with short words. "Of course you wanted to work here. Riddle me this, Miss. Gilbert. Did you think I would just hand this over to you? What are your qualifications?" Her gaze met mine for a moment in blunt blasé before turning back to her papers. "In what areas have you worked before. You don't simply become a maid for the Salvatore Brothers. They are the Lords of this land and need hard workers."

I shuffled with my hands in my lap and cleared my throat. Why was she giving me such a hard time? I thought she wanted me to work here. "I've cleaned kitchens, organized things for businesses, served for hosts and hostess's."

"I'm not looking for a tavern waitress, Miss. Gilbert." She glanced at the time and looked me over. I tried to sit straight as her grey eyes judged my well worn jeans and overly washed sweater. Her eyes had a blue tint to them the more I paid attention. Streaks of blond popped out in her silver hair the more I began to asses her.

"You shall escort Lord Salvatore's guests from the entryway to whatever room they will be staying in." She absentmindedly grabbed her glasses and put them on her nose. She broke eye contact with me as she found the papers in front of her, yet again, more important than her newest employee. "You will clean their rooms, you will address them with their proper status. Anyone here for a job, you will send to me. You will meet me in my office every morning at seven, sharp. We will go over the schedule to see when either of the Lord Salvatore's are having guests. Any questions?"

I licked my lips, trying to think on the spot. Why didn't I think of any on my way here? Why did I have to catch up with Matt? I should have prepared myself for this. Was asking how much I was getting paid, offensive? "Where will I be sleeping?"

"Your last name is Gilbert, I'm assuming Elena Gilbert is your sister?" I nodded. "She has a room all to herself, no?" I nodded again. "Now the problem is solved, isn't it?" I would think that would have been a happy statement had she not said that so grimly. "Anything else?"

"When are the meal times?" She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Her tight sleeves clung even closer to her. The sigh she let out made me feel like I couldn't have asked a more stupid question.

"You get three meals a day, and three only. You will take them at your convenience for thirty minutes. If you are busy and don't have time for a meal, that is fine. Skip it. Your job is more important than a selfish stomach."

"What about—"

"Miss. Gilbert, do take time from someone else's day to ask these daft questions. In the meantime, go back to your room and change. There will be a carriage arriving with a Tyler Lockwood. He is here to speak with Lord Stefan. You will take Mr. Lockwood to the west wing where Lord Stefan shall be waiting. Can you manage that, or do you need me to hold your hand for anymore things rambling around in your head? Oh and one more thing, don't worry about his clothes."

I took a deep breath, trying not to let her words offend me. I was supposed to wake up and spend every morning with this woman? And what was she talking about, not worrying about his clothes?

I left her room and headed back to my own. When I got there, there was a note next to the maids dress on my bed. I knew it was mine because Elena's was messy, a habit I don't think she'll ever grow out of. I plucked the note from the top of my sheets and began to read:

I ran into Elena and told her the good news that you would be here with us.

The three of us have a lot to catch up on!

-Bonnie

I smiled thinking about our childhood sleepovers. Maybe we could do it again in this hell hole.

I changed outfits and slipped the dress over my head. I ran my hands down the lower part of my dress, admiring how soft it was. It wasn't lace nor was it velvelt. Just very soft cotton. After about ten minutes, I decided to add the purple ribbon to my hair. The color was growing on me.

I stepped outside of my new room, halls just as empty as they were when I first walked in, and took the first step out into my new place.

From a nearby window, I saw it was still raining out and I peered over the ledge to see how to get down to the side entrance, the only area that had shelter, and most likely where Lord Stefan's guest would be arriving. I hoped he wasn't a Vampire Lord; I'd never encountered one in person.

After about fifteen minutes wandering around, I finally made it outside. Bonnie said there was always someone in the halls, but I ran into no one for help.

I took shelter underneath the side entryway. Puddles began to form on the cobble stone mixing with the mud beneath it.

I tried to see through the downpour when finally two white horses came up pulling a metallic carriage. A man in a top hat peered down to me underneath our shelter and nodded to the back of the carriage. There weren't any doors or windows. It seemed more like a cell instead of a way of transportation.

"Tyler Lockwood for you, madam. Be careful, he's a live one."

He got down from the carriage and led me to the only door in the back. It was locked by three separate holes and I watched him put the keys in bit by bit until the door was able to open. I wouldn't have known there was anyone inside until a dark figure came forward. So this was Tyler Lockwood.

He didn't say anything as he stepped down. The driver turned to me and handed me two keys from his front pocket. "I'm taking the horses back to the stables before heading off. This was a long ride from Mayfield." My eyes widened. Mayfield was at least four hours away and that was by car.

Each town owned by a Lord Vampire was set in a time period which the Lord or Lady decided. Many other towns or cities were refreshed with a more industrial environment, phones and cars, but the Lord Brothers wanted their town to be in the time period they were raised in, so everyone had to dress a certain way. That's why the driver wore a top hat.

Sweaters and jeans were an exception because the brothers let their town vote, and we wanted that type of clothing. After a few months after the vote, they granted us our wish.

Anyone going to or from towns had to respect the time period and dress the way the rules were set. The borderline between every estate was a stop shelter where people would show id of verification and change into that towns time period. Any vampire who didn't follow forfeited a portion of their land and humans to the vampire they disrespected.

Humans who were caught not wearing the required attire were sent to the blood banks. Even the thought made me shiver. It's like humans were alive, yet dead at the same time. They were given the nutrients they needed to survive, but only through needle and were locked up as blood drained from their bodies. Some humans have died from the cruelty, but there's nothing we can to stop the undead.

I looked down at the cold metal in my hands, the two keys he gave me, wondering what they were for. Before I could ask, he took off with the carriage. "I'm off for lunch and taking care of my horses," he called over his shoulder. I was surprised I could hear him over the rain.

"They're for me, you know," Tyler said raising his lowered head and pressing out his hands out. They were close together underneath the black leather jacket he was wearing. He was wearing handcuffs. His wrists were crusted with old blood from trying to get them off and his shifted his stance.

He was definitely from another town. His clothes didn't match that of the Lord's time period. He was wearing jeans and a white shirt under a jacket. But Miss. Greene did say not to worry about his clothes.

It was odd seeing him as a sort of prisoner instead of guest which was what I had assumed.

He cleared his throat and squinted down at me. He hadn't shaved in days, or so his scruffy chin said. He looked like he was in his early twenties instead of my age of seventeen. "So are we going to stay out here all day, or are you going to take me inside?"

I glared up at him, not appreciating his tone of voice. "Aren't you going to ask me to uncuff you?" I said turning around, expecting him to follow me.

"Would you?"

"No," my voice echoed behind me as we entered the atrium. We walked past the coat hanger since he didn't have one and we began our way through this obese home.

"Exactly." I looked over my shoulder and watched him shrug. "So why should I ask." He had a point. But what did he do to make himself a prisoner to Lord Stefan and Damon Salvatore? People don't just go into another town, let alone the Lord or Lady of the town, handcuffed.

"What's your name?" he asked following me through the hallways. I was supposed to take him to the west wing, right? "You know it's really not nice to ignore people." I stopped and took a deep breath. We were in the north area, so that meant we had to veer to the left.

"Caroline. My name is Caroline."

"What's your full name, Caroline." He said loudly as if people didn't live here, let alone vampires with acute hearing. "You know mine. I heard the driver give it to you."

"Why do you care."

"Want to know why I'm in cuffs?" His voice echoed down the halls. He was like a boasting child wanting to explain something he'd just learned.

"You're a guest to Lord Stefan Salvatore. I'm just doing what I was told."

"Guests don't wear cuffs, Caroline."

I stopped walking and turned around and bumped into him, his face nearly touching mine. I didn't realize he was that close. Even though he looked like he hadn't showered in days, he didn't smell like it. In fact he smelled like the first hint of spring. "Is there something you'd like to tell me or do you just like listening to the sound of your own voice?"

Elena always said I could never control my temper.

A grin spread out on his face showing how chiseled his jaw was and how white his teeth truly were. "You're cute, you know that? Maybe it is a good thing these things are on my wrists." He took another step forward, our chests touching. "It's cute when you get mad."

I looked back down at them and swallowed as I saw that his wounds were bleeding. "Tyler, stop trying to get out of them!" I grabbed the end of my dress and tried to wipe some of the red oozing form his wrists away.

He laughed as if what I said was amusing to him. "These are silver handcuffs, Caroline. I'm allergic to them. They're meant to bind my hands together because I won't fight to get out of them. I'm a guest to Stefan, or as you say, Lord Stefan." He gave another laugh. "But the truth is, I'm a prisoner. And according to him, these handcuffs are enough to protect you from me."

I looked up at him, glaring back at his grin. He seemed happy, trying to intimidate me, but it took more than a few words to scare me. "Do I need to protection from you?" He seemed delighted that I wasn't afraid, but challenging him.

Besides, if anyone were actually a threat, handcuffs wouldn't be stop them. It didn't stop my father, my real father. Bille Forbes was caught three times—each time escaping and killing more vampires. Four was his unlucky number—it wasn't until the fourth time that he was finally caught with no way out and set to hang the next day.

"No, I don't think you do," he said answering my question and taking a step back. I didn't know I was holding a breath until I let one out. "Yet, at least."

Ok, when would you rather me upload the next chapters? On Thursday nights after vampire diaries, or do you like it when I upload them on Fridays before the weekend? By the way, thank you so much for your reviews, I wasn't expecting to see 8 reviews total for this story so far! The positive words are very encouraging for me and I feel the need to continue Caroline's adventure even more! Anywoo, I won't be updating until two weeks from now bc I have a lot of tests and papers due and next Monday my cousin is leaving for Marine's bootcamp the 22, so that's kinda put me in a mood because she and I are close and it's not going to be the same when she leaves. We're going to try and hang out but she also has her friends and the rest of our family to make time for. It's hard, but I'm very proud of her.

Anyway, that's just a little bit about me and the next few weeks. Please review and let me know about Thursday/Friday, whichever you'd prefer and your thoughts on the story so far.

Thank you,

Pheyth