9th chapter
'Just one more day and I'll have the weekend all to myself,' Caroline thought to herself as she sat at her desk. The dream was still present in her mind and the choking feeling still occurred sometimes. She was glad, she had only normal stuff to do, nothing extraordinary and no visits from any tourists. She sighed every so often and after every little task she did, her eyes wandered nervously through the room. Any minute she didn't get interrupted was relieving and frightening at the same time. Every time, she heard a noise her eyes wandered from one door to another, just anticipating that it got opened. But she was on her own. Caroline felt a tension in the air and she wasn't sure if it was her mind or if something was going to happen that day.
During her break, she didn't stop working, slowly but steadily. Her job, as fun as it could be sometimes, didn't offer enough work for a full-time job. Caroline guessed, that the masters wanted the secretary to be observed most of the time and therefore they made it a full-time thing. Time dragged on in an almost unbearable slow pace, that she couldn't help but look on the clock every few minutes. She looked at her desk with pleading eyes, hoping that something she could do would appear out of thin air. But naturally, she only stared at a nicely arranged desk.
The last 1,5 hours of her shift seemed endless. She sighed deeply, as she left the restroom and went back to her desk. She got barely anything to do which left her only more time to think. Just as Caroline sat comfortable in her chair once more, the door to her right opened, revealing, much to her confusion, a young girl. She couldn't help but stare at the petite girl, Caroline was bad at 'guessing ages', but she must be very young, around her early teenage years, if not younger. The stern expression on her face, combined with her piercing red eyes, made the woman grow nervous. She didn't know, kids could look so intimidating. The girl didn't let her much time to take in her appearance.
"Your presence is requested in the throne room," she said in an angelic voice and turned immediately. Caroline was still completely taken aback by the young girl's appearance and voice and she needed an extra second to react. As soon as she was out of the room, Caroline hurried after her. Fortunately, the girl was walking in human pace, obviously wanting her to follow, though she didn't even turn around once. Caroline's thoughts were too focused on the petite vampire in front of her than to think about, why she was summoned or even about her dream. She wondered if there were even younger vampires around and what would be the youngest age to be turned, though she wondered, if turned as a child, would you be stuck to think like a child or would you outgrow it over the centuries. Would they ever reach the mind consciousness of a mature person?
When the huge double doors came into view, Caroline's heart skipped a beat, her hands grew sweaty, her breath quickened and she could hear the blood pumping heavily through her ears. Her mind screamed at her to turn and leave, hammering against her skull but her body moved on its own; following the girl into her potential demise. It was possible, that her dream was false or showed an event happening in the far-off future, but she couldn't calm down. Her eyes wandered nervously around as they got closer to the doors. Once in front of them, they were pushed open slightly and the girl let the woman in. She closed the door behind her, as the woman watched her.
Just as Caroline wanted to turn her attention to the other people, she felt a large, cold hand on her throat, that pressed her body against the person behind her. Due to his height, she was lifted a little, leaving her feet to tiptoe around to lessen the pressure in her head. Her hand grabbed immediately to his and tried to free herself. She tried desperately to loosen his fingers, she even scratched over it, which resulted in him tightening his grip ever so lightly. Tears dwelled in her panic-written eyes, she wanted to scream, to say something, but all she could do was open her mouth. Not a word came out of it, just incomprehensible rattles could be heard and soon her vision became blurry due to the lack of oxygen. The tears streamed over her cheeks and her face reddened from the strong hold. She wouldn't give up; she used her arms and fists to hit the man behind her. But her movements got sloppier by every passing second, while the man didn't seem affected at all.
Caroline barely managed to keep her eyes open, she blinked uncontrollably and almost didn't notice that Aro appeared in front of her. She only realized it, when she wanted to beat the man behind her once more, but her hand wouldn't move as if it was stuck. Her free hand clawed at the hand on her throat, as she finally managed to notice the vampire in front of her. He could be talking to her; she wouldn't hear it as the only thing she was capable to hear was the constant rushing of blood in her head.
Just before she would lose consciousness, the grasp on her throat disappeared, as well as the one on her hand. Unable to contain her weight, her legs gave in and she fell to the ground. Her right hand shot to her damaged throat and she sucked in deep breaths, which made her rattle and cough even more. Her wide and panicked eyes were glued to the tiles of the lowest step in front of her. It almost hurt as her heart pumped the blood through her system in a hasty manner. Her lungs were screaming for air as she tried to manage breathing. Caroline couldn't hold back the tears and once in a while a low sob came through. She hardly heard the delightful, almost hysterical laugh of Aro. He paced on top of the stairs in an excited manner, his hands were folded in front of him, as his eyes gleamed with joy at the human on the ground.
"Marvelous, absolutely marvelous," was the first thing Caroline heard as her body slowly returned to normal. Her breathing was still uneven, but her senses came back slowly. She put both of her hands on the ground in front of her, she switched into a kneeling position before she tried to get up. Her legs shook as soon as she put weight on them. She took her time until she managed to stand on her own, her legs still shaking a little. She closed her eyes to concentrate, she wanted to appear strong, she didn't want to show them, how much she was hurt. After a short while, she raised her head and her eyes met Aro's. He looked like he found a new toy to play with as he stood in front of his throne. The tears slowly subsided but her wet cheeks only showed what happened. The skin on her throat felt hot and burning, she would definitely get bruises. She gulped hard at the thought, but doing so made a pain shot through her body. Instinctively, her right hand felt for her throat but she only winced lowly at the contact. The adrenaline slowly left her body and she felt more and more pain, which forced more tears out of her eyes.
Caroline didn't look away, her gaze was nearly challenging to the untrained eye, but all Aro could see was defiance. He knew, she would be a feisty newborn; nothing they couldn't manage of course. "She is loyal, after all." Aro tilted his head lightly at his brother's astounded words, but his eyes stayed on the woman. He was mesmerized by that fact; he didn't have to rely on Chelsea yet to retain her loyalty. She was truly a gift for him, though he knew he was walking on unsteady ground. She was proud, one more of his shenanigans and he might have to use Chelsea's power. Truth be told, she would be bound to them through that ability sooner or later. But for now, he would let her fragile body and mind recover on its own pace.
Aro smiled at the woman in an almost apologetically manner as he went down the stairs slowly. "My dear Caroline, I deeply apologize for this staging," he started and put one hand over his not beating heart. "We had to put your ability to the test and therefore no one was involved. Your gift wouldn't react properly if this whole situation didn't seem real and threatening." Caroline didn't move, she had her eyes glued to the man as he approached. He came to a halt next to her with a knowing look in his eyes. In the corner of her eyes, she saw another vampire, a woman nearing them from behind Marcus throne, but she switched her focus back to Aro. She knew, that by 'real and threatening', he meant clearly, that she could have been killed, if her little gift hadn't shown itself. It might have been a staging, but it was real all the same.
Aro's eyes switched to the approaching Chelsea for a moment, before he returned his attention to the human. "My dear, I want to offer you a place within our guard. Your gift is truly remarkable and I can help you unlock its full potential." He had a small smile on his face that barely hid his anticipation. Caroline was silent for a moment; she needed a few seconds to completely understand his words. She knew she basically had no choice; it was a 'die or become a vampire'-sort of decision. Rationally, she should take the chance and be changed, it would only benefit herself. It was not like she had family; she could never see again. As soon as that realization hit her, she lowered her gaze. A wave of sadness washed over her and another round of tears threatened to leave her eyes. Caroline closed her eyes and sighed deeply; she wanted to start anew; she could start anew. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again and met Aro's stare once more. He waited patiently, only because she was human and the knowledge, he would get what he wanted at the end of the day. The tension grew between the two of them. The longer Caroline held his gaze, the more uncomfortable she felt. She knew there was no point in challenging him; there was no way she could win. His age, his experience and his inhuman nature made him superior to everything she could offer, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. They looked at each for other for some more seconds until Caroline spoke up.
"Thank you for the offer, master," she started and by then she could feel his anticipation. "I will gladly accept it." Aro's expression turned joyful in an instant, unbeknownst to her, Aro exchanged a short look with Chelsea once more, who just shook her head slightly. She didn't interfere. "I'm so glad to hear that," he said and turned to leave to get to his throne, a satisfied smile on his face. Once he sat down, he continued. "We need some time for preparations, before you will be turned. One of the guards will instruct you with further details in due time. For now, rest and continue with your tasks next week."
Caroline nodded at his comment and turned around. With her head held high, despite the large red bruise that started to build on her throat, she walked to the door. She didn't look at anyone, but when she reached the door, it was opened without her doing. She looked at the tall man, that was responsible for her current agony when a cold shiver ran down her spine. He looked at her as well; she couldn't read his expression, but she knew he acted on order. Maybe he wanted to apologize through this gesture; she didn't know. Caroline stopped only for a second, then she looked on her way ahead and left the throne room. Once she was in the hallway, the door fell shut behind her with a loud thud.
She made her way slowly back to her desk. She shut off the computer and took her bag. In the same slow pace, she walked back to her room and as soon as she got there, she went into the bathroom. With a blank expression, she looked at a reflection, she barely recognized. The dark red bruise on her throat was larger than she imagined, her eyes were swollen from the tears and as she looked at her hands and arms, she gasped in shock. Until then, she didn't realize the multiple bruises on her arms and palms. Apparently, she tried to hit him harder than she thought. Some of her nails were dark underneath from her attempt to scratch him as the blood had dried, some were broken from the impact on his stone-like skin. She tried to bend her swollen fingers and hissed at the pain, her body must have been gone numb to protect her and now, it all came back.
Caroline knew, tomorrow would be hell for her. She started to change out of her clothes, careful not to accidently push a bruise but it couldn't be helped sometimes. With silent cursing, she managed to change into comfortable clothing, but she couldn't hold back the tears. Every time, she stroked with the fabric over her arms or used to much force with her fingers; pain shot through her entire body. Sometimes, she let out a loud yelp or a muffled scream but she continued until she was done.
It was already dark outside, when she finished and she went to the couch. She tried different positions to lie down, without being jolted up in pain. After a few minutes, she gave up and just sat upright on the couch. She put a blanket over her legs and lap and managed to put on the TV. She needed distraction and she let out a deep sigh. Caroline put her head back until it rested on the backrest; with her eyes open, she stared at the ceiling while she halfheartedly listened to the voice on the TV. It didn't take long for her body to fell asleep. The day was exhausting and she desperately needed time to rest and to heal.