One Summer, three best friends, a fortune teller and a mysterious new arrival in town.
I Can See Clearly Now
"I can see clearly now the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way."
June 19 - Virginia
Looking back, Caroline blamed her unexpected discovery on boredom that summer. The temperature had hit a stifling 103 degrees mainly due to low cloud cover containing the heat and the girls piled into the car headed for the cool sanctuary of the movie theatre to catch the latest Nicholas Sparks adaption.
Well, that's what Bonnie and Caroline wanted to see. Katherine on the other hand preferred a lot less mush, as she liked to put it, and a lot more violence. Knowing her dogged determination, Caroline knew this was going to be a difficult argument to win.
They'd been best friends since they were six. Class bully Jimmy Johnson had been teasing Bonnie mercilessly and one day went too far, earning himself a smack from both Caroline and Katherine. The girls still maintained that their 'time out' punishment was more than worth it to see him return to school with two very attractive, black eyes. After that he'd never messed with Bonnie again.
Now here they were about to embark on their Senior Year of High School. All Caroline had ever wanted was to leave Mystic Falls but even now she was beginning to feel nostalgic for the only place she'd ever called home. Not to mention her best friends. They'd chosen not to discuss their plans for the following year, too scared to contemplate separating.
"Um, last time I checked the cinema is in that direction, Katherine," Bonnie gestured behind them.
"Who needs GPS when I have Bonnie Bennett barking directions at me from the backseat."
"Well, she does have a point, Kat," Caroline chimed into the conversation. "Surely the prospect of Nicholas Sparks isn't bad enough to make you drive in the complete opposite direction."
"Ah yeah he is, that Notebook movie you guys made me watch has scarred me for life."
"It's okay, we promised not to tell anyone you cried," Bonnie mused.
"There was something in my eye, I told you that," she shot back. "Anyway, I just thought we could do something a little different today. You know given it will be our last high school summer and all." The dread lingered between them for a while, each girl feeling the overwhelming sadness that came with that very fact.
"I'm almost afraid to ask," Bonnie murmured, finally breaking the silence.
"You'll love it, trust me."
"The last time she said that I ended up dancing on the bar at the Mystic Grill in a tequila fuelled haze," Caroline recalled.
"And look how much fun you had. Well, you know after the hangover subsided."
"And the subsequent grounding from the Sheriff. Katherine, she was this close to pressing charges against her own daughter for public drunkenness."
"Yeah those were good times," Caroline drawled, raising her eyebrows. "Please tell me this little surprise doesn't involve illegal activity of any kind?"
"You two really are boring," she muttered, checking out her appearance in the rearview mirror. "But no this isn't illegal, well not that I know of anyway. If I'm being honest, I'm not completely across the laws in Maryland." The girls were rendered speechless just as the 'Thank you for visiting Mystic Falls' sign rushed past their windows.
3 and half hours later - Maryland
"You brought us all the way to Maryland for this?" Caroline scoffed, throwing open the car door and stepping out before slamming it shut with a bang. "Some fortune teller called Madame Ophelia? I mean as if that's even her real name."
"More like Madame needs a new marketing image," Bonnie murmured, taking in the run down, brick house with the makeshift wooden sign outside that looked as if it was going to topple over at any moment.
"Mock all you like but Madame Ophelia is considered one of the best mediums in North America. According to Psychic Weekly her predictions have proven to be eerily correct time and time again. Her services are highly sought after but I managed to get us appointments. You can thank me later, ladies."
"Well, you'd think with all that talent she could afford to fix that rickety, front path and tame that unruly wilderness over there that kind of resembles a garden."
"Come on, live a little," Katherine pleaded, making her way up the path.
"I am not going in there," Bonnie baulked. "I'd rather not live out a real life rendition of Hansel and Gretel."
"Yeah especially without the enticing gingerbread house for added inducement," Caroline joked just as a loud crack of thunder sounded out and fat drops of water began to fall from the sky. Usually the rain would provide some relief but given the temperature was still so high it only made the conditions more humid. "Just great."
"If this isn't a sign, I don't know what is, Katherine," Bonnie squealed, just as the rain began to fall in sheets. "Let's just get the hell out of here."
"You can but I'm going in and last time I checked I was the one holding the keys to the locked car, so it's your choice to either get extremely soaked or come with me," she teased, dangling the keys in front of them teasingly. Bonnie and Caroline regarded each other seriously knowing they didn't have much choice and followed her inside out of the pouring rain.
"You like to be in control," Madame Ophelia said to Caroline a half hour later.
It was more like a statement than a question and Caroline was entirely too dubious to properly reply. The inside of her house had been just as run down as the outside and there seemed to be a severe shortage of lighting except for the unmistakable glow emanating from her crystal ball as she peered at Caroline. Her dark grey hair was piled on top of her head in a bun, a coloured scarf wrapped over the top.
"I didn't think crystal balls were real," she scoffed, by way of response. "Much like this whole facade you've created here."
"They aren't, same as this ridiculous outfit. I just use these elements to add a little bit of theatre, people apparently like that sort of thing. I'm guessing you're not one of them."
"No offence but I just don't believe in this whole thing."
"I'm getting that vibe from you." Her heavy set wrinkles even more so pronounced as she said it. "Katherine is very much a believer although I'm not entirely sure she agreed with my assessment of her future."
"Don't take it personally, she's high maintenance," Caroline snorted.
"Bonnie is very closed off although I think that had more to do with the fact she was so scared."
"Well, you might want to look at improving your customer service then. Redecorating this place might be a good start, Madame Ophelia. You know, if that's your real name."
"It's Gertrude but I didn't think it had the same ring to it," she smirked, playfully. "You could never be frightened, Caroline," she smiled, knowingly. "In fact, your inner energy is extremely powerful. You're very different to your friends."
"Different how?" Now Madame Ophelia had her attention.
"You know what you want and aren't afraid to follow your dreams," she added. "I have no doubt you will be a successful journalist, in fact Brown University will be very lucky to have you in their class next year."
She felt the breath hitch in her throat. Her lifelong dream had been journalism and Brown was at the top of the list. How did she know that? Maybe this psychic thing wasn't so bad, as long as she was telling the truth of course. Before Caroline could ask about future job possibilities she continued. "But that's not the most pressing future event I can see."
"Excuse me?" What could be more important than her future career?
"I can see him."
"Him?" She squeaked. Was she referring to a possible love interest? Caroline had always placed romance at the very bottom of her cluttered list of life goals.
"He's foreign. Dark, blonde curls, blue eyes and lips the colour of deep crimson." Caroline couldn't respond mainly because she didn't know what to say or what this all meant. "You've both been looking for each other without really knowing it."
"Who is he?"
"Your soulmate."
"I don't believe in soulmates," she uttered.
"You will," she smiled, knowingly. "Now, I believe our time is up."
"But," before she could argue further, Madame Ophelia was gone. Caroline wasn't sure whether it was an optical illusion she'd employed to add to the theatrics or whether she'd been wrong about her. The skeptic in her wanted to believe the former but something was telling Caroline not to discount her abilities.
Three hours later - Maryland/Virginia border
"Obviously Madame Ophelia knows nothing about me," Katherine ranted. Caroline rolled her eyes from the backseat wondering when she was going to finally stop whining. This thing was her whole idea in the first place after all. "And when the hell is this damn rain going to stop!" The summer storm had been relenting and the water was beating heavily against the windshield as the sun was beginning to set lazily on the horizon.
"She said you were highly ambitious and were going to be an extremely successful Harvard trained lawyer. I'd say she knows you pretty well," Bonnie offered.
"Harvard has been your dream ever since I've known you, Kat," Caroline added, trying to ignore Madame Ophelia's prediction about her mystery soulmate. She figured no one could get everything right. Brown was what she wanted not some unnamed blonde.
"That I can handle," she growled, looking into the mirror at her friend briefly. "But she obviously doesn't know my taste in men. Apparently I'm going to meet some serious, thoughtful and protective brunette who is going to change my perception of things."
"How is that a bad thing?"
"Well Bonnie, serious isn't really type. You realise serious is just another word for boring, right?"
"Last time I checked it isn't," Caroline shot back.
"Only you would have memorised the thesaurus," she groaned. "Whatever the case, Katherine Pierce is not interested in someone like that."
"Woah, she's referring to herself in the third person, this must be serious," Bonnie joked from the passenger seat. "Oh sorry, pardon the pun."
"It's so easy to joke when you find out that not only architecture at Stanford is a sure thing but so too a cheeky, brunette that challenges everything you've ever believed. Maybe we should swap future, mystery men?"
"I don't think our destinies are interchangeable."
"Come on you guys," Caroline interrupted. "Do you really believe in all of this stuff?"
"And what exactly was your reading, Care?" Katherine asked, slowing down as they entered the main street of one of the smaller towns on their route. "You've been reluctant to share so far."
"It's not important," she murmured, eyes downcast all of a sudden. For some reason she'd been too afraid to relay the details given it would make it all the more real and Caroline wasn't ready to entertain some guy who may or may not be her soulmate.
"Oh come on, that's not fair," Katherine argued, turning around briefly to send her a dirty look.
"Katherine, look out!" Bonnie cried, just as her car ran straight into the back of a black SUV. The jolt from the impact was immediate and Caroline felt herself repelled forward into the back of the driver's seat.
"Ouch," she moaned, finally coming to from the initial shock. "This is why I don't like driving with you, Pierce." The girls emerged from the car slowly to inspect the damage. Funnily enough the rain had all but stopped as they did.
"It's not my fault that driver was going like ten miles an hour which is like thirty-five below the speed limit in this area," Katherine growled, rubbing her forehead. "I bet snails could drive faster than this grandpa."
"Grandpa?" A stern voice exclaimed. "Not only do you run into me but you have the audacity to insult me too?"
Although shaken, Caroline had to admit the stranger was extremely good looking with his English accent and in that fitted, dark suit. She was slightly relieved he was a brunette given Madame Ophelia's earlier prediction about her supposed, blonde foreigner.
"Well," she began. Bonnie and Caroline knew she was about to erupt in true Katherine Pierce fashion if they didn't intervene and given the accident was clearly her fault they didn't want to exacerbate the situation any further.
"How about we all talk about this calmly," Bonnie interrupted, before jumping in fright. Another attractive brunette had approached flashing a cheeky smile in their direction.
"Grandpa is extremely appropriate, trust me," he smirked, raising his eyebrows at Bonnie. "I have to drive with the guy."
"Really, Kol?" He drawled. "Your immaturity never fails to amaze me. Could you maybe wait in the car while I organise the insurance details?"
"I was bored," he pouted. "Anyone like to get a drink? I know this town is tiny but I'm sure we could find a beer somewhere."
"There's been an accident little brother," another accented voice chimed into the conversation. "This isn't an excuse to blatantly and desperately pick up women."
Caroline's blue eyes immediately flickered to its source.
Dark, blonde curls, blue eyes and deep crimson lips curved into a knowing grin. Madame Ophelia certainly had impeccable timing and Caroline knew she could possibly be in trouble. His eyes searched hers before glancing at his brother lazily. "Can we move this along and just get to Mystery Falls already."
"It's called Mystic Falls," Caroline corrected him tersely, trying to ignore the way those dark jeans and navy henley fitted him way too snugly
She'd only just met the guy but he was already wearing on her last nerve. She wasn't sure if it was because he couldn't get the name of her hometown right or whether it was the fact he could be her soulmate. Either way it looked like she wasn't going to be rid of him anytime soon.
TBC?