The Wolf - Klaroline

01. Always and Forever

Season 1 Episode 1

Caroline's vision swims before her, spots of color dancing before her eyes. For a moment there, her mind feels completely blank, so wildly out of focus she can't even identify her surroundings.

Sounds consolidate first; a low whirring of a fan, then the distant chirping of birds, and finally a creaking noise, like steps on an old wooden floor.

She tries to move her head, but is hit by such a wave of dizziness that everything starts spinning around, and she has to shut her eyes and stay very still. A low moan escapes her lips, her mouth so dry it's like it's filled with cotton. Not on her worst drinking binges did she ever wake up feeling like this.

The last thing she remembers is Taylor Swift. She was in her car, on the way to the Salvatores' mansion, and Ready for it? started playing. Stefan and Damon were keeping Elena locked up in a box for days to no avail and Caroline wanted to have a word with them about their methods.

Then... Nothing.

She's not in any pain, not that she can tell, but she feels heavy all over with an unnatural sort of lethargy she can't explain. When she opens her eyes again, the world has stopped spinning and she can finally see more clearly, although it doesn't seem to be of much help.

She has no idea where she is.

The room is barren save for a few simple wooden furniture pieces — the bed she's on, an old closet, a small table next to the bed and a chair. Sunlight shines in through a large window, a gentle breeze swaying the white curtains.

All she sees of the outside is the lushy green top of a tree framed by a clear blue sky. Aside from the birds, there's no more sounds to indicate where she is, but the quietness tells her it's probably not the city center or even anywhere close to a road. Maybe somewhere near the woods, although the tree doesn't look quite right — and neither does the weather, come to think of it.

It was chilly and cloudy when she left her house, so, unless she's been knocked out for a long time, this isn't Mystic Falls anymore.

She tries to move her hands and realizes there's something binding them. A chain. Old and rusty but sturdy, with large metal cuffs around her wrists.

"What the..."

Caroline forces the chains, twisting and pulling, trying to slip her hands free. When everything fails, she takes a deep breath, shutting her eyes to fight off the dizziness to call upon her magic. But nothing happens.

Her magic is completely muted. She can feel it inside of her, but it's as though it's gone dormant. Maybe it's her foggy mind, or perhaps it's the location. Some houses are spelled against magic. But if that's the case, she is in serious trouble.

A cold spreads in her guts. Someone took her, brought her to a place likely far away from home and stripped her of her powers. Oh, boy...

Her survival instincts kicking in, Caroline sits up in bed, but is racked with so much nausea she can barely hold herself up.

"Oh. You're awake."

She whips her head to the door, where a woman is leaning against the threshold. A woman she's never seen before in her life. She's very tiny — short and thin like a twig. Caroline could probably take her on, with or without magic, if only her body wasn't so debilitated.

"Who the hell are you?" she slurs, having trouble keeping the contents of her feeble stomach in.

"Just a second."

She disappears for a moment and returns with a glass of water. "Drink this."

Caroline stares down the woman and doesn't move. How much of an idiot does she take Caroline for?