Intertwining Destinies

6

Caroline woke up the next morning with a broad smile on her face. The sun seemed to shine brighter and the autumn sky was bluer than ever before. She took her time to get dressed, taking special care with her long blonde hair. She styled it so that it fell in loose waves, giving her a casual but pretty appearance.

She met Kiera in the kitchen. Six children were sleepily eating cereal at the table.

"Want some coffee?" asked Kiera.

"Yes, please!"

"Looks like Bonnie Bennett is back in town. I felt her presence last evening," said Kiera, handing Caroline a steaming mug.

Caroline smiled. "She got back yesterday." She looked over the boys and girls in their pajamas and frowned. "You guys should hurry up. Classes start in twenty minutes."

There was a collective groan. Caroline had to suppress her chuckle. It didn't matter these kids were born with special abilities. They still hated sitting in a classroom.

"You guys had the afternoon off yesterday," said Caroline. Suddenly, another thought came over her. "I suppose you guys will have more off periods today."

"What do you mean?" asked Kiera. The children had stopped eating and were staring at her eagerly.

"I was thinking of taking Adrian for some sightseeing."

Kiera snorted. "In Mystic Falls?"

Caroline took a sip of the coffee to hide her blush. "I'm sure he will like it."

"So we'll have the afternoon free today too?" asked one of the boys.

Caroline nodded.

"And it is Uncle Damon's birthday tomorrow?"

It was so strange for these children to call him "Uncle Damon" but that is what Elena had taught them. Damon had more grays among his dark hair now but the mischievous gleam in his pale gray eyes remained.

"Yes. With the weekend after that, we might as well declare the whole week a holiday," said Kiera wryly.

The children giggled happily and began talking excitedly amongst themselves. Caroline was supposed to help with the party arrangements but she knew her distracted mind would cause more problems than solve anything. She decided to leave it all to Elena, Alaric, and Bonnie.

When Kiera left the kitchen with the children, Caroline sat the table to enjoy a break by herself. It was only then she realized she hadn't spoken to Alaric since yesterday afternoon. She wanted to know what he thought of Sophia Claremont. The brief meeting with Adrian's friend had reminded her of Katherine. A cold shudder ran down her spine at the thought. If he can be so similar to Stefan, there's a chance she can be like Katherine.

Adrian didn't seem close to her but their very friendship began troubling Caroline. Just like the curse of the doppelgangers, these individuals seemed to gravitate towards each other.

"Hello."

Caroline was shaken out of her thoughts. Looking up, she found herself facing Sophia.

"Hi," said Caroline, forcing herself to smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Professor Saltzman said I could stay here," said Sophia with a salacious wink.

"What?" Caroline didn't understand this. Why would he invite her to stay at the Salvatore House?

Without a word, Sophia opened the fridge and brought out a loaf of bread and peanut butter. Unscrewing the jar, she scooped out the butter with a finger and popped it into her mouth.