THE RECKLESS AND THE BRAVE

In Which Foster Is Not A Monster

It has been two day since Foster was abducted, and Bill was just becoming more and more harsh.

When her wounds scabbed over, he would open them. He woke her each day with a bucket of cold water and left her each night with no food, little water, or light; He was becoming impatient after each failed attempt to find Foster's "weakness".

After the first day, Foster began to hallucinate. Maybe it was from the small amount of water in her body, maybe there was a gas leak; either way she felt like she was going insane.

"If we don't find your weakness, Carol has given me permission to terminate you." Bill grinned at Foster's shocked expression. "She's acting as a mayor, Foster, not an aunt."

Foster decided to glare at the door, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of her tears. Her nails dug into the wood of the chair, trying to block out Bill and her hallucination of Caroline screaming at her.

"You think anyone's looking for you?" Caroline laughed before whispering. "Why are you still here, Foster? No one wants you, that's why Carol's doing this. That's why your mom shot herself and why your dad crashed into that tree; you aren't wanted. You're a monster."

"I'm not a monster." Foster squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm not a monster."

Somewhere inside her, she was starting to believe she was. She caused her parents' deaths, she was the reason her brother left and is probably never coming back. Maybe Foster was a monster.

"Shall we begin?" Bill asked as if she had a choice.

"Hit me with your best." Foster said stoically.

Bill dragged the blade down her arm, watching her for the slightest twitch. Foster remained still, her arm too numb for her to feel anything.

"It's a no for me."

"Do you realize what's happening?" Bill snapped, irritated with her comments. "Foster, you might not make it out of this room, have you realized that?"

"I'm not stupid, William, of course I have. My mom used to say it was my coping mechanism." Foster said the last part quietly.

"Your dead mother." Caroline reminded her.

Bill sighed before wiping the blade on his shirt and dipping it into the last jar. Foster watched him as he walked towards her, the liquid dripping onto the floor.

"Last one." He said offhandedly.

"Last one." Foster whispered, staring at the blade nervously.

Bill quickly reached out and swiped her cheek, making the skin sizzle. Foster screamed loudly, struggling against her restraints and clenching her fist. Bill began to laugh, not at her pain but at his success.

"I guess your weakness is holly."

￫￫￫

Foster was alone again. The Caroline hallucination left with Bill, who was probably out celebrating.

Her cheek stung and her body completely sagged onto the chair. The pain wasn't the worst thing, it was the silence that gave her time to delve into her thoughts. Her emotions grew darker and darker until she was as dark as the room.

Foster jumps when the door is kicked down, falling heavily onto the ground. Her head is too heavy for her to lift and see the culprit, but she hears the light footstep coming towards her.

A warm hand is placed under her chin, lifting it so she can meet blue eyes. Klaus's eyes roam her body, growing more angry after each second. He wordlessly bites his wrist, allowing his blood to heal her.

"Have you come to tell me I'm a monster too?" Foster croaked, closing her eyes. "I get it now, I'm not human, and anything not human is a monster."

"Why would I call you that?" Klaus asked quietly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Foster opened her eyes, staring straight into his blue ones. "Because that's what I am."

"You're not a monster, doll. Trust me, I've met monsters, I am a monster."

"You're real aren't you?" Foster looked him up and down. "Why are you here?"

Klaus ignored her questions and pulled off the metal restraints. He grabbed Foster, holding her tightly to his chest as he stood there for a moment.

"Who did this?" His voice was deathly calm, something that sent shivers down Foster's spine.

"Please, just get me out of here." Foster whispered brokenly, her voice cracking.

￫￫￫

Klaus was silently fuming as Foster was in his shower. He paced his room, forming plans of painful deaths for whoever did this, if she actually told him. The memory of cuts covering her body flashed in his mind and he sent a lamp flying towards the wall, feeling a sliver of righteousness at the sound of it breaking.

Klaus tried to block out the possibilities if he hadn't found her. He knew, without a doubt, that she would be dead if he were a day late. For some reason, the thought of her death disturbed him, almost frightened him.

The Hybrid stopped pacing as the bathroom door was being pulled open, revealing Foster. She was clad in one of his shirts and bed pants. He glanced quickly at her arms, relieved that the cuts were now fully healed. The only thing that remained as evidence of what happened was the cut on her cheek and the scenes flashing through Foster's mind.

"Thank you." Her voice was mouse quiet, something completely unlike herself.

"You're welcome, doll." Klaus smiled. "Would you like me to drive you ho-"

"No!" Foster cut him off, eyes wide with fear. "Do you think I could stay here? Or you could drop me off at Matt's or someone's?"

"You can stay here." Klaus nodded towards his bed. "You can sleep in here actually, I'll take the couch."

"No, this is your house. I'll sleep on the couch, I just need a pillow and blanket." Foster denied, already walking towards the door.

Klaus blurred over to her, stopping her from opening the door. "Princess, you've just been tortured. I'm not that evil, you take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch."

Klaus walked her back to his bed, making sure she was under the covers before leaving the room.

Foster did not immediately fall asleep. She imagined the hooded figures from her dream, surrounding her and chanting until her head exploded. She imagined her friends' faces when they realized that she wasn't exactly human anymore. Lastly, she imagined her parents, faces pale and bloody, screaming at her; asking why they ever loved a monster like herself.

"I'm not a monster." Foster whispered, shutting her eyes in an attempt to block the tears. "I'm not a monster."

The house creaked, making her clutch the blanket tighter to her body. Flashes of the cell, her blood dripping off the knife, and Caroline screaming at her went through her mind

"I am not a monster."