4th chapter
The moment, Caroline opened her eyes, she didn't move. She looked at the ceiling, while her eyes wandered over the small bricks. She had another dream last night, but not as she would have imagined. By all the information she got, she imagined she would see something related to her death, considering living under a roof with countless vampires. Strangely, even to her, she took the news more relaxed than she thought she would. For now, those people didn't give her any reason to be afraid and, technically, her job was safe. It was not like her employer would die of old age someday. She sighed with an amused smile and finally sat up. Her feet touched the soft carpet next to her bed, as she finally stood and looked around for her slippers.
She started the coffee machine and went off to the bathroom. She yawned extensively when she finally stepped under the hot shower. Her mind raced again. That day, most of that coven would leave to deal with an outlawed coven in America. She wondered what that would be like, but then her dream came back into her mind. Maybe her 'gift' wanted to warn her about the people there. Even though she wouldn't be there, she could warn Aro, if she saw him today. Caroline wasn't quite sure, so she didn't want to bother him or his brothers with unnecessary input. They seemed to be on edge already.
After a few minutes, Caroline stepped out of the shower, her hair tangled in a towel. Her mind was still occupied with her strange dream, she didn't know anyone she saw there, some had the same red eyes as everyone around her, so at least some had to be vampires as well. She hummed lowly, while she put on her clothes and went off to the kitchen to get her coffee. She poured some milk in it and stirred the liquid to cool it down a bit. She loved coffee, but she could never drink it when it was too hot.
Since Caroline spoke to Heidi yesterday; she would be alone at her desk until everyone would return. She still heard some noise, fast footsteps and moving objects, so she assumed that they had not left yet. Ten minutes before she should leave, she dried her hair and put on her sneakers. She was no fashionista, never been. Punctually, she arrived at her desk and started her computer. The woman looked at the picture of her fiancé and her and a smile spread on her face. She hoped she could talk to him in her break or at least after work. She really needed to hear his voice, she missed him dearly and knowing, that she would spend Christmas and New Year alone, since everyone else was away, she felt a wave of sadness washing over her. Though, she wondered if vampires would still celebrate any holiday.
Caroline took her notes from the drawer under her desk and started the different programs. Of course, she couldn't remember everything from memory, that was why she was glad she took notes yesterday. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't completely concentrate on her current task, as her dream kept haunting her. She looked at the clock on her monitor and took a deep sigh. Two more hours until her break, two more hours until she hoped she could speak with John again. She could tell him, her job was safe, she didn't even have a probation. He could finally start looking for a job, if all went well, he could join her early next year. Anticipation was written all over her face at the thought and she could barely hide the smile.
Right at that moment, she heard footsteps nearing her room and a few seconds later three people entered her room through one of the many doors. Caroline saw Aro with a beautiful woman with long black hair and another woman she had never seen before. She took a deep breath as she stood. "Good morning," she greeted the vampires who glanced at her briefly. The woman nodded slightly in her direction, a small smile on her lips. "Excuse me, master Aro. Do you have a moment?" Caroline's voice shivered slightly; she wasn't even sure if she was allowed to call him like that, but her feeling told her he had to know about her dream.
The vampires stopped in their tracks, their eyes focused on Aro, who in return had his eyes glued to the human. He was a little bit impressed at her courage, but also a bit annoyed by her interruption. But by the look in her eyes his curiosity got the better of him. He nodded to his wife and the guard, and both disappeared out of the room. For a moment, Aro remained on the spot before he turned to the secretary and walked in her direction.
Caroline gulped slightly and she started to play with her engagement ring in a nervous manner as the man approached. Once he got closer, she got reminded that those people around her where no ordinary human beings. Though, she had no reason to fear them at the moment, she knew full well that that fact could change within a split second. Shortly before Aro arrived at her desk, she breathed deep and spoke up again.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you. As you maybe already know, sometimes I get strange dreams that come true in one way or another," she started slowly, which resulted in a slight frown from the vampire. "Last night, I had such a dream and I assume it has something to do with your journey. You probably are in danger." Caroline slowly looked up at the taller man who eyed her with suspicion. "Elaborate", he ordered and the woman sighed once more to control her breath. "I don't know what it means, but I saw lots of people, some with golden and some with red eyes in a snow-covered field. Two women were the most prominent and," she paused for a moment, closed her eyes for a second, before she continued. "And I saw huge wolves among them." Her voice was even lower at the last part and she looked shyly at the man in front of her.
All of a sudden, he held his right hand out to her, his bright red eyes pierced into her almost trembling frame. "Show me." By the sound of his voice, Caroline twitched immediately, but she obeyed on instinct. Slowly she put her hand in his and he quickly put his other hand on top her hand, leaving her no way of escape. He quickly searched her mind and found what he was looking for after a short while. His facial expression hardened as he concentrated on her 'dream'. Of course, he knew the women she talked about. Those were no others than Bella and Alice Cullen. Why they would be taking such a huge role in her dream, he wasn't sure of. He could also identify some others but the wolves didn't make any sense. Aro knew, that Caroline thought her 'little gift' had flaws and things could be altered in the outcome, but he still wondered. But more so, he made a mental note to himself. He had to keep an eye on their new secretary. She could be proven useful, probably with a gift on her own. Maybe some sort of 'danger sensor'. He had to check that when they returned.
After a few seconds, Aro lowered his hands. His mind still raced as he looked at the woman. "I thank you for your concern and your warning. When we return, we will explore that 'little gift' of yours." With these words, Aro turned around and left in the same direction he sent his wife and the guard off to. Once he had his back on the human a small but dark smile appeared on his face. He couldn't quite believe his luck, after so many useless secretaries he finally got an interesting find. He quickly joined his brothers and the wives as they made their way to get witnesses and stop those who are already on the way to Carlisle and his coven.
Caroline sighed deeply as Aro left the room. She had a small smile on her face, she was truly glad that she told him. She sat down and switched her attention back to her work. Unfortunately, there wasn't much left to do. There were barely any emails, no phone calls and the cleaning staff would come again next week. Heidi told her yesterday, that three people of the lower guard would stay. They would stroll around to make sure that the castle stayed safe in the absence of the masters, but they shouldn't interrupt her or her work. Caroline didn't even know the names of those three, it was possible that Heidi mentioned them, but for the love of God, she couldn't remember.
The next time she looked at the watch, she realized it was already 12:05pm. Caroline quickly grabbed her phone and dialed John's number. Her left foot bounced slightly on the ground in anticipation, the smile widened ever so slowly and with her right hand she took a pencil to scribble mindlessly on her writing pad. Just before the voicemail would kick in, she heard a low click, some rustling noise and finally the voice of her fiancé. "Hello?", his voice was low and careful, something Caroline should be questioning but she was just glad to finally hear his voice. "John, honey, it's me. I'm so glad to finally hear you." In her happiness she jumped off the chair and started to stroll around behind her desk. "Caro, hi. How are you?" He chuckled nervously and that time Caroline stopped with a slight frown on her face. "I'm fine, but," she started and looked around, checking if someone would be walking through the room any moment. As she heard nothing, she continued. "You sound distressed. What's wrong? Lots of shifts at work? Maybe you can take some time off and come over for the holidays." For a moment it was silent at the other end of the line. "No, no. Work is the usual. That sounds really sweet, but I guess that's not possible," John explained in a low voice.
Caroline sighed deeply, swallowing the upcoming sadness, before she turned to happier matters. "Well, but I have great news. The job here is safe, I don't even have a probation. That means you can already start to look for a job here. You could join me earlier than we hoped." Her voice was full of happiness as she told him her plans. "I miss you," she added and looked at the picture on her desk. It was silent again for a moment. Caroline almost wanted to ask, if he was still there when she heard a deep sigh from him.
"Listen," he started and sighed again. "I wanted to tell you that earlier, I promise, but it never seemed to be the right moment." The frown on Caroline's face was back again, but she didn't want to interrupt him. "How do I put his," he said more to himself and cleared his throat. "A half year ago, we got a new colleague at work. I was in charge to guide her and show her the ropes, so to say." He paused again for a moment and Caroline stood still, not daring to move as she listened to him. "Her name is Natalie and we got along quite well. We took our breaks together and we have a lot in common." Caroline gulped, her mind slowly realized where the call was going but her heart beat heavy in her chest, as if it wanted to challenge the mind that it was wrong.
Another sigh left John's throat as he continued. "After a few months, we both worked longer shifts and we also had dinners at restaurants. And we finally got closer. Look, I'm sorry, I really wanted to," he started but got interrupted in an instant. "How long?" Caroline's voice was deadly calm, she wondered herself how she managed to do it. "What?", John asked in confusion. "How long have you been cheating on me?" Her voice stayed calm and she breathed slowly, as the first tear made its way down her cheeks. "Four months," he answered in a low voice, not sure how she would react. "So, now that I'm away in a different country, you finally have the guts to tell me?" This time she raised her voice a little, more and more tears raced down her cheeks.
"Caroline, I'm really sorry. You don't deserve this, I know I've been an asshole, but I wanted to tell you that myself. You probably already noticed that we weren't that close anymore in the last few years. We drifted apart especially over the last year and I'm sorry that I wasn't honest with you." He paused for a moment but didn't leave Caroline the chance to speak up again. "I'm sorry that it has to end like this, but I don't love you anymore. Keep the ring, I don't want anything. If you send me your current address, I send you your belongings. I," he couldn't finish as Caroline finally found her voice again. "If you had manners to begin with, you had that address. I want nothing from you, I don't want to hear another single word out of your goddamn mouth. Go to your whore, play pretend you weren't engaged and enjoy your pathetic life." By the end her crying voice faltered and she ended the call without giving him a chance to answer.
Without a second thought she took the picture and ran into the restroom on the other side of the room. Her eyes were red from crying and sob after sob left her throat as she ran past the bathroom stalls on her left to the wall on the far-right side of the room. There, she pressed herself against the cold tiles and slowly glided down, while the photo fell from her hand and the glass broke as the frame hit the ground.
Caroline cried heavily, every so often she glanced at the photo to her left and the broken glass that ironically had a cut right between the former pair. She thought about everything they experienced together, the journeys they did, the plans they made for the future. They have even talked about a potential wedding date, next year in May. Another bitter sob left her throat and she dried her tears with her sleeve. They spent nine years together, nine wonderful years and she truly believed he was the one. The one she would grow old with, the one she would raise kids with. Her eyes wandered to her smartphone and more tears fell down in her lap. It was the first time, since her parents' car crash, six years ago, that she felt such a deep sadness. She felt betrayed, she felt used and reduced to a second-hand-girlfriend. Good enough for when his real girlfriend was busy.
She lost completely track of time or her surrounding at all, so she didn't notice that after two hours the restroom door opened silently and another person walked in. When she finally heard footsteps, her eyes shot up and when she realized she looked into a pair of red eyes, she felt fear and desperation taking over. In a hasty movement she dried the tears with her sleeve once more, she tried to hide her phone in her jeans but was too nervous to focus. Her eyes were glued to the person in front of her who stepped slowly in her direction. His eyes showed confusion and slight curiosity while his brows were furrowed. He stopped, when his right foot softly bumped against a metallic object on the ground. He switched his attention to the object and carefully picked it up; examining it in the palm of his hand.
To say, Demetri was confused to find their new secretary in the restroom while she should be back at her desk, was an understatement. Aro ordered Felix and him to leave later, they had to arrange something before they could leave. He was about to track his master after he finished his task, when he walked through the entrance hall. He didn't need his gift to know the human was in the restroom, her sobs and cries could be easily heard through his enhanced senses. Usually, he wouldn't mind, but his curiosity got the better of him. Once he saw, the crying woman he felt pity. By the look of it, her fiancé finally broke up with her. It was only a matter of time, Heidi told him. That's why she was chosen. Besides her fiancé, she had no one. No family, no friends, no colleagues. No one who would miss her once she disappeared. It took Heidi only a week to know, that he was cheating on her and so it was an easy game to lure her far away, so he had no other choice but to decide. And truth be told, if he really loved Caroline, he wouldn't have looked for another one in the first place.
Demetri honestly couldn't understand her feelings, he was usually the one, charming a woman away, but he never dealt with the aftermath. In most cases, that woman was dead after anyway. So, he felt kind of sorry for her, even though she was just a mere human. Nevertheless, he did notice that Aro took quite the interest in her. Maybe she would be the first secretary who got the privilege to be turned. He eyed the ring in his hand, while his thumb stroke over it. It was a simple, silver ring with a small pearl on it. Nothing real, it was rather cheap in his opinion. After a while, Demetri lifted his gaze and looked at the now trembling woman on the ground. He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes at her behavior.
"I'm so sorry, I will be back at my post immediately. It won't happen again," Caroline started with a trembling voice. Tears were still falling down her cheeks as she spoke and she started to get back up. "I will take care of the mess I did. Please don't report me, sir." Her voice faltered in fear as she finally kneeled. She managed to put her smartphone in the pocket of her jeans at last and switched her attention to the broken frame. Every so often, her eyes looked at the vampire in front of her in a more than terrified manner. She didn't notice the smirk that appeared on Demetri's face as she addressed him as 'sir'. He undoubtedly liked that and it boosted his ego even further as he twisted the ring in his hand in a playful motion. Her slightly shivering form told him, that she knew her place, which pleased his inner beast. Oh yes, he loved having a new secretary. He couldn't wait to push her buttons once they were back, he could have a little fun until the masters would decide her fate, though he had to be cautious. If she was to become one of them, they had to get along to some extent. The smirk slowly turned into an almost evil grin at the thought of their last secretary and how he could finally end her miserable existence.
His inner monologue was left unnoted by Caroline, she was beyond afraid, that he would tell the masters that she neglected her duties as soon as they were gone. She couldn't think clearly and her quivering hands grabbed the frame. She held what remained of it in her left hand, while she picked up the shards of glass with her right hand. In a moment of carelessness, she accidently cut herself on one shard. With a low hiss, she dropped the shard again and looked at the small cut. It wasn't deep and didn't hurt too bad, but a few droplets of blood trailed down her index finger. It took her a second to realize that she wasn't alone and the other person in the room basically lived off her life essence. She pressed her bleeding finger to her chest and looked with wide eyes at the vampire, while she still kneeled on the ground.
Demetri's eyes darkened instantly as the smell of her blood reached his nose, but he was used to be around humans and their clumsiness. He was often amongst people when he was out for a hunt, either for the Volturi or for his own amusement. Therefore, he was possibly the best of them regarding self-control. He didn't even flinch, but his eyes immediately darted to her hand. As soon as she tried to hide it, the smirk was back on his face. It was quite amusing for him, that she actually believed that her acting would save her if he really wanted her blood.
For a few seconds, both looked at each other. One with fear, the other with amusement. Caroline cleared her throat at the tension, it was only then that she realized that the tears came back once more. She inhaled deeply and used the sleeve of her right hand to rub over her already swollen eyes. She continued to gather all shards of glass and once she did, she slowly stood up, but her saddened eyes were focused on the picture in her hand.
"The ring?" Caroline looked surprised at the man's words. He held his palm open with the ring on it, clear for her to see. Her lip twitched as she looked at her engagement ring, but she just shook her head. "I have no more use for it," she stated in a beaten voice. His next action honestly surprised her, without even blinking or looking away at all, he closed his palm. With no visible effort, but his vampiric strength he crushed the ring in his hand. Caroline looked at him in shock, not sure how she should react.
Suddenly, he darted out of the room not caring that she wasn't used to their inhuman speed. She let out a shriek as the door crashed close behind him and she looked baffled at the point where he stood. Nervousness crept through her at the thought, that he could tell Aro that she wasn't doing her job and she shuddered inwardly as she got reminded of those people's inhuman existence. What else were they capable off and how could she possibly protect herself if things went wrong. With a shivering sigh, she made her way out of the restroom and to her desk where she put the broken glass, the frame and the photo alike into the bin. She took a tissue out of her bag as the tears began to fall again. She couldn't help it; she couldn't just forget the nine years they spent together.
Slowly she started to work again, the pack of tissue still next to her. When her shift was finally done, she shut off the computer and as she wanted to grab her bag and leave to her room, she noticed a lighter next to it. She didn't smoke, she had no use for one and most importantly she didn't own one. Caroline wondered how it got there, but an idea formed in her mind and she took the photo out of the bin carefully again.