A Way Out

Chapter 10

Tyler walked up to the Salvatore boarding house like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He couldn’t get the look of the pack’s faces out of his mind. He sighed. To think that just a few days ago, his life had been normal…well, as normal as a hybrid’s life could be anyway. He had found a pack that accepted him, a girl that adored him, it had seems like his life was finally coming down from the roller coaster it usually was.

Then Caroline had come back into town.

To say that it had been awkward was the understatement of the year but she was so calm about his having moved on…he should have known it was too good to be true. Caroline could be calm about many things; an ex was not one of them.

He still couldn’t believe his Care would…

He mentally shook himself before pushing open the door and walking inside.

Hearing footsteps, Stefan looked up from his bourbon. He saw Tyler’s tired visage and knew the news wasn’t good.

“I take it you told them,” he said.

“You don’t not tell your pack members when your vampire ex-girlfriend kills another pack member.”

“Werewolves are renowned for their emotional stability.”

Tyler shot Stefan a look before taking the seat opposite his and replying, “They’re out for blood. Just like I said they would be. They saw the note…they’re packing up right now. New Orleans is about to face a wolf invasion.”

“Didn’t you tell them Caroline was our problem? We have to fix this. Anyone else would only make it worse.”

“Make what worse, Stefan? We don’t even know what’s going on. Care’s always been neurotic but to kill my girlfriend is a bit much even for her. I think something else is going on here. I think…I think someone else is pulling her strings.”

Stefan raised a hand to Tyler, “Whoa, wait a minute. Why are you so quick to blame Caroline for this? Because Katherine said she attacked her? Newsflash, Katherine lies. Because the note was in her handwriting? People can mimick writing styles. Because she’s nowhere to be found? Maybe she’s a victim in all of this too. All I know for sure is that Caroline has only ever been a good friend to me, to you, to all of us. She deserves the benefit of the doubt this once.”

Stefan’s speech silenced Tyler for a while. The room hung thick with tension as they both mulled the situation over.

Finally, Tyler muttered, “I have to go with my gut. And right now my gut is saying that Caroline did this. It’s also saying that stuff is working on her that we don’t know about. My guess is that that ‘stuff’ might be the Original Hybrid.”

Stefan cast his eyes downward. “You think Klaus compelled her?”

“I don’t know what he did but I know he’s involved. It’s too much of a coincidence that the note directed the pack to New Orleans.”

Tyler rose from his seat and wiped a hand down his face. “Look man, I just came to give a heads-up. I’m going with the pack to New Orleans so you won’t be seeing me for a while.”

“Actually, you might be seeing us sooner than you think.”

A confused look flickered across Tyler’s face.

“You really thought none of us was gonna want to find out what’s going on with Caroline? And New Orleans is the best clue to her whereabouts so far so I’m definitely heading down there to look for her.”

Tyler’s face went slack and he groaned, “Great. One more member of the Mystic Falls gang in NOLA.”

Klaus had once said that his love of painting stemmed from it being the medium through which he had learned that he could bring his wishes into actuality by simply having the requisite will. That wasn’t the whole truth. It also brought him peace, calmed him down in his many moments of anger. Seeing a blank canvas be transformed into a palate of beauty before his eyes never stopped filling him with wonder and happiness. He was in such a tranquil state when his reverie was broken by loud thumps downstairs