His instructions concerning Caroline's safety had been simple: Drive her to school, pick her up later, don´t leave her out of sight. Mostly, despite her promise to wait, make sure to not let her wonder too close to the Lockwood property. Klaus had feared how she´d take meeting Haley, hadn´t wanted to risk her learning the truth the wrong way. However, things hadn´t played out that way.

Elijah had been wondering for quite some time, how Caroline was faring at school. He knew of her grades, but wondered how the rest of her life was going. She´d been spotted having lunch with her friends, although his spies confirmed that she kept up her silence with them as well. Sheriff Forbes had recently contacted him about letters from school. Apparently, Caroline´s written work was as outstanding as ever, it was her class participation that had started to lack. Teachers had displayed worry towards her silence.

Her cheerleading was another matter. While she oddly enough managed to keep all her peculiar committees, seemingly moving from vocal bossiness to the quieter, more frightening type, she had simply abandoned her spot on the squad. Elijah understand the general sentiment, as cheerleading did require some sort of smiling, but he felt bad for her. She had simply taken her uniform to school one morning and had returned without it. That night she had skipped dinner.

But he still wondered how she made it through her day without talking to anyone and without smiling, even after all those weeks since Tyler Lockwood's murder, she still had yet to show a sign of either.

Elijah should have known. He should have suspected some sort of foul play when Kol had returned a day after Niklaus had left for Italy. He should have distrusted his younger brother's sudden display of concern for Caroline. By now means should he have given him leave to drive the poor girl to school. It was a short-sighted decision, purely made out of hope for some peace and some resemblance of a family.

Though, later he found himself utterly relieved by the developments.

He received the call, hours after he had sent them off.

"Hallo, brother."

"Kol, is something the matter. Shouldn´t you be pretending to attend classes? "

"Yeah... about that..."

He had come to fetch them right away. Kol, as it turned out, had had many things that bugged him. The list started with Nik`s superiority complex and him daggering Rebekah AGAIN, and ended with the girl and her accusing silence. The girl whom all of his wit, humor and charm have failed to compel into talking again. It had been a whim. He had read about that other school online, and the next, he had simply taken a couple of different turns along the road.

When he had stopped the car in front of "Founders' Rock High school for the deaf and mute", he had even been amused. Caroline had looked like an exquisite china doll in that moment.

"Well... you were the one who chose to stay silent, now go and be mute." Was all he said, before opening the door for her. He had walked into the building, knowing she´d walk after him in her ghostly way.

Then he had compelled the principal and her staff. He had spent the rest of the day watching her.

By the time Elijah had found them, he was lounging on a set of bleachers, watching his newest sister adapting to signing.

"What on Earth were you thinking?" Elijah asked quietly.

"I thought it would be fun."

"Whatever you´re angry about, it´s not her fault. She did not dagger our sister. To my knowledge, she had not even been aware of Niklaus' plans."

"Maybe so... but she did choose to shut us all out. Still does. I just thought I´d give her some place new to fit into." he smirked, still looking at the girl from afar.

"She doesn´t belong here. This place is not for people like her..."

"Caroline can´t speak. She might be able to physically, but she can't bring herself to actually do it. She needs to talk, but she can´t use her voice. That girl is too terrified to even utter a syllable. So what if this is all a joke... look at her... it looks like she finally found a place where she might fit in."

At that Elijah´s eyes followed Kol`s. He saw Caroline, shyly practicing signs, adding more and more gestures to her vocabulary. She even attempted small conversations. Her face was still blank and sad, but the passivity had gone.

"Look into her eyes, Elijah" Kol had said in annoyance. His joke had gone a way he hadn´t premeditated. Instead of hurting her, he had helped her. It felt good and dark at the same time.

Elijah had never been more surprised when he found joy in the eyes of Caroline Forbes. It may not have been a joy that reached her face, but it was a joy that had not been there before.

"Niklaus will not be pleased."

And Niklaus hadn´t been. Elijah had informed him of Kol's indiscretion and of Caroline´s progress. He neglected to pass on the fact that throughout the entire conversation the girl was sitting on the stairs, listening in. His brother's response had been a firm rejection. "She does not belong there Elijah" and with that it had been made final. Caroline would not be returning to Founders' Rock.

He hadn´t blamed the girl for running out, Elijah thought she could use some time to herself. It hadn´t occurred to him that she might go the Lockwood Mansion, where Klaus had been housing most of his hybrids these days.

Haley was talking to the hybrid, not even noticing the blonde entering. "Look man, this guy is dangerous. He´s highly trained... He´s armed..."

"I can handle myself." That´s what the doomed boy had said. "Besides, Klaus asked me personally..."

"This is a bad idea." Haley had been about to not give up but maybe take a breather before trying to argue again, when Caroline, blonde and clad in a green leather jacket, had stepped in, confusion in her eyes. She knew about the hunter who had taken Jeremy and Matt, her mom had send her a text confirming that she´d help her friends... but Caroline had grown accustomed to being the quiet spectator, her job had become to stay out of things, and the thought of having once more stepped into something terrified her.

"Who the hell are you?" Hayley had asked. She had heard about Caroline living in the house, but had yet to see her. The girl was known to hide out in her room, to stay out of everyone's hair until Klaus' other brother brought out the china. At least that´s what she´s heard. But she could tell that the girl in front of her had a similar, yet unspoken question on her mind.

"Oh, you´re Tyler's girl." Ignoring the hurt in the other girl's eyes. "Told me about you. I'm Haley." Since her name did not seem to ring any bells, she added. "I´ve been staying in town for a few days. At the Lockwood mansion." When the sad girl's eyes only grew wider, she added. "I needed a place to crash. Tyler is.. was ...a buddy, his mom was kind enough to offer." For a second there was a flash in those blue eyes. Defiance. Demand for answers, but it vanished. Haley had heard little of how exactly Tyler's girl had come to stay with Klaus, but she knew it was connected with death and rumor had it the event had put out the girl's fire. As content as Haley had been with being spared the teen drama, she pitied the girl. "Excuse me..." she added, remembering the bound-to-be-killed hybrid in the other room.

"Dean you don´t need to do this" She said, strolling in like she owned the mansion.

"Stay out of this, Haley. I´m going."

"Just listen to me, ...it´s suicide. Klaus told you to take Connor by yourself and you can´t even fight back." She heard Caroline step in behind her, and a look at her face told her that Caroline at least knew who Connor was. "You have to use non-lethal force... what the hell is that?".

"Klaus gave me a direct order."

"It´s too dangerous. That maniac already killed Nate."

"You´re not a hybrid, you don´t know what it´s like. Klaus asks for something, you do it." She swore she saw Caroline giving a brief yet disgusted nod at this.

"Look, Tyler was a hybrid. He used to do everything Klaus said, until he didn´t anymore. You don´t have to either."

"Tyler´s dead. You think someone like you could stand up to Klaus?." Dean had asked in a sad mock. Caroline had seemingly shrunk after that. Then Dean had given Haley his phone. "Prove it."

"Hallo." Klaus had responded on the first Ring.

"Klaus."

"Haley. I hope you´re not causing any problems?"

"I can do whatever I want, I am not sired to you?."

"Fair enough." the bored voice had answered. "But if you insist on hanging out with my hybrids, I suggest you stay clear off my mansion. I´d prefer if your little secret about Tyler's time in Appalachia stays secret." He didn´t add Caroline´s name, the demand was clear enough to Haley though. Had he known about the girl already being in the room, he´d probably shut up about that. "So if you wish to keep up your boytoy's reputation as a stand-up guy who´d never cheat on his girlfriend, I assume you you drop the attitude."

That had pretty much been the end of the conversation. She could see something break in Caroline´s face, her conscious urged her to clear it up. Haley gave a defeated look to Dean. "Do whatever the hell you want..." He wound up dead within the hour.

Caroline walked back in, as she was hugging Kimberley, one of the few other female hybrids around. "I can´t believe Dean's gone. We could have saved him." Haley had just finished the sentence, when she caught sight of the girl that had her arms wrapped around herself protectively. "Caroline...about the phone call... it´s not like that." Haley explained. All she met was doubt, though.

"You have to understand..." and she found herself pushed against a wall before she even got to finish.

"He never fell for me." Haley yelled. "Caroline, I saved his life. Tyler almost died, trying to break the sire bond. I was there for him, I helped him get through it, but nothing else happened." Caroline´s expression did falter, but not by much.

"I just rather have Klaus think THAT then him knowing the truth..." she sighed, realizing there was no way back from telling her. "There are other hybrids that need to be set free. I can help them. But if Klaus found out about what I´m trying to do, he´d kill us all." An hour later, Haley knew how weird and difficult it was talking to a mute person. And how annoying it felt.

An hour after that, Caroline had agreed to help her.

okay... I am not overly happy with this bit... but I hope you still like the way it