Changeless ( Sequel Of Timeless.)

Chapter 9

Despite falling asleep as the sun rose-and the exhausting day before-Caroline's internal alarm clock still woke her in time for school. She opened her eyes; her face smashed into a large, soft pillow and wondered how she had ended up in Klaus's bed. The ache in her chest was overshadowed by the dull throb at the top of her forehead and as she rubbed the sleep away from her eyes, she began to regret the drinks she had shared with Kol on the balcony during their sunrise heart to heart. He'd been right, she was a lightweight now.

She glanced over, noticing the crisp, smooth set of the covers-a sign that the other side of the bed hadn't been slept in—and deliberated again whether or not Klaus had put her to bed after she had passed out. Kol could have been the one to do it, not realizing that she and Klaus were...at odds, so to speak.

She headed to the en suite bathroom to freshen up and then made her way downstairs. The house was silent, yellow sunlight pouring in through the sky lights above and illuminating the grand staircase as she descended. Everyone must still be sleeping, she thought. She crept out the front door and headed toward her car, still parked in the large driveway. Her school things were still in the back seat. She told herself that she had to go school that day. No more putting it off. Life was going to continue whether she was vampire or not.

Whether Klaus still loved her or not.

Her radio came on as she turned the ignition. Some morning talk shows hosts sounding much too chipper for how she was feeling. She turned the knob as she backed out of the driveway, content to pass the time in silence.

As she drove, Caroline replayed the conversation she'd had with Kol the night before inside of her head. Deep down, she knew he was right about Klaus's feelings. The hybrid had never been great at showing emotion, she knew that from the moment she dropped into the past and they began their romance. He'd tried to push her away before, but it hadn't worked, and in the end he had given into his love for her and chose her love over everything else in his life. She had realized after that, that a guy didn't just go for centuries loving a girl, all the while thinking she was dead, only to throw it away the second he learned she was, in fact, alive. That would just be stupid.

She wanted to be confident, she really did. But they had both believed that they hadn't already survived the worst together. Her friends, his crimes, hybrids, old grudges, death...they had come out on top of it all.

She paused at a red traffic signal and looked down at her hands. Her touch. It wasn't even the fact that she was human, it was the fact that by touching him, she made him human too. It was a weakness. And there was nothing he hated more than having a weakness.

Tears pricked the back of her eyes. She didn't want to be his weakness. She wanted to be his strength, his equal.

A horn blared behind her, shaking her from her depressed musings. She stepped on the gas and continued until she got to school.

She parked her car in the Mystic High parking lot and pulled an emergency bag of makeup up from her glove box. A little bit of concealer for those dark circles, some blush, mascara, and lip-gloss and she was ready to attack the day. A yawn bubbled from her throat as she double-checked her appearance in her mirror.

"Hey," Matt greeted her as she walked into first period and took her seat. "Didn't expect to see you today."

Caroline shrugged. Gone was the need to overcompensate for her mood, the way she felt she needed to the day before. "Yeah well, life goes on."

Apparently, that was going to be her new mantra.

"Where'd you go yesterday?" Matt asked. "I noticed both you and Stefan were gone."