"Nothing is with me now but a sound,
A heart's rhythm, a sense of stars"
- W. H. Auden, Compline
In which Charlotte Salvatore wakes after a 145 year slumber and is thrust into a supernatural world before she can cope with the modern one.
(THE VAM...
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It hadn't taken Klaus long to make his next move up once the hybrids failed, the next morning they'd already returned to the car with a new destination in sight. They were in Chicago now. Once they arrived they abandoned the car that they'd spent months in, now being chauffeured places by people Klaus was compelling. Charlotte didn't know much about Chicago, but she knew that Stefan was here as a ripper for a period, it was one of the few periods that had disturbed her so much she'd had to stop watching.
"Looks familiar doesn't it?" Klaus said, standing in the doorway of a bar that Stefan apparently used to frequent.
Neither Salvatore was quite certain why their journey hadn't ended in the woods when Ray wouldn't transition. Stefan half expected that Klaus was just keeping it going so that he could be with Charlotte, still tugging her around and sharing a bed with her. Charlotte felt like perhaps he couldn't quite let it all go and that her brother and her would be here with him for another ten years like Klaus had first suggested in Alaric's apartment.
Klaus didn't like to reveal his plans before he needed to. His flair for the dramatic was ever present and he liked to reveal everything piece by piece, never letting Charlotte nor Stefan know more than he wanted them to at a time.
"I can't believe this place is still here," Stefan sounded surprised.
"You've gotta be kidding me," another voice added to the mix and Charlotte looked up startled.
"So a hybrid walks into a bar, says to the bartender–" Klaus started to joke before he was cut off by the woman who'd appeared
"Stop," said the woman. She was beautiful, she had dark skin but light hair kept short, jewellery hanging messily off her wrists neck and ears and a book tucked beneath her arm.
"You're not funny Nik," Charlotte rolled her eyes which Klaus caught as he shot her a glare.
"This one's right," the woman agreed, "You may be invincible, but that doesn't make you funny." She then turned to Stefan, "I remember you."
"Yeah," Stefan replied, "You're Gloria."
"Mm-hmm."
"Shouldn't you be–" Stefan trailed off, not wanting to be rude but Gloria spoke up supplying the answer.
"–Old and dead? Now, if I die, who's gonna run this place, huh?"
"Gloria's a very powerful witch," Klaus explained.
"I can slow the ageing down some. Herbs and spells. But dont worry it'll catch up to me one day," Gloria then turned her attention to Charlotte, still standing near the entrance, not having wanted to intrude, "So who are you dear? How'd you get roped into helping these sorry folks."
"Charlotte, uhh– Charlotte Salvatore," she felt intimidated talking to the witch, which in turn embarrassed her because she'd spent the entire summer beside Klaus who was undoubtably more terrifying, "Stefan's my brother."
