Remember

Part 5

5 years earlier...

You pulled your knees closer to your chest, peeking through the gap between the door and the doorway. The men were taunting your mother, who didn't appear fazed. If anything, she seemed ready.

"Where's the kid?" One of the men demanded.

"Not here," your mother replied.

He sneered. "Find them."

The other men left the room.

"You won't," your mother insisted.

She wasn't totally lying. You were there, in her closet. But there was a protection spell on you to keep you hidden from those people. They could hunt all they wanted; they wouldn't find you.

You so badly wanted to call out to your mother. To help her, to fight them, to just get out of there. But you couldn't. She'd made you promise that you would stay put in the closet until she got you out.

When the men came back without you, the leader grew angry. He shouted obscenities at your mother, who kept a neutral face.

When you were about to burst from the closet to kick this guy's ass, it happened. He took out a knife and slit your mother's throat. You clapped a hand over your mouth to stifle your gasp.

Your mother's body fell, and the men disappeared from your view. You lowered your hand and stared at the door. You buried your face in your knees, waiting. Either for something to happen, or until you grew hungry or thirsty. Only then could you leave the closet.

Whether it was hours or minutes that passed, you had no idea. All you knew was that your mother, the only person you had left in the world, was gone. Now you had to figure out what to do and how to survive doing it.

Your ears began to register voices. You tensed, but didn't lift your head. The voices grew closer, and light suddenly filled the closet. You lifted your head up and saw a blonde man kneeling in front of you.

"Y/N?" He asked.

You didn't respond. He seemed vaguely familiar. But how the hell did he know who you were?

"My name is Klaus," he continued.

Klaus. Klaus. The one man your mother said you could trust should something happen to her.

"I knew your mother, you can trust me."

Your mother had shown you a picture of him she still had so you'd know what he looked like. That's why he seemed familiar to you.

Klaus held out his hand. You took it, and he gently pulled you up. You slowly walked out of the closet and glanced to your left. Another man was there, kneeling next to your mother's body.

"Don't look," Klaus said.

You turned your head straight in front of you, wrapping your arms around yourself. Klaus took his jacket off and laid it over your shoulders, then wrapped an arm around you and guided you out of the house. Outside was a blonde woman standing on the sidewalk.

"This is my sister, Rebekah," he said.

You weren't entirely sure what happened after that. You knew you got in a car with Rebekah and suddenly you were sitting on a sofa in their home. The car ride felt almost like you'd dreamt it. You weren't sure how long you'd been sitting on the couch, staring off into the distance.

A hand tapped your shoulder. You tensed and looked up. Seeing Klaus, you relaxed ever-so-slightly.

"Come with me," he said.

You followed him upstairs to a bedroom. A queen-sized bed was against the wall on your left with nightstands on either side. French doors were straight in front of you; you guessed they led to a balcony. Right next to the doors on the left were two empty floor-to-ceiling bookcases. On the right of the doors was a single armchair. Against the right wall was a wardrobe and a vanity. Left of the vanity was another door, this one open, leading to a bathroom.

"This is yours, for however long you decide to stay," Klaus said.

You sat on the foot of the bed, looking all around the room.

"How did you know?" You asked.

"I heard your mother was in trouble," he replied. "I wanted to help."

"How did you know her?"

"We became friends before you were born."

You nodded and caught your reflection in the vanity mirror. You still had Klaus' jacket on. You looked...dead. There was no other way to put it. You just looked like you were dead, or about to die.

"I was at your christening," Klaus said.

He wasn't talking about a normal, human christening. A werecat christening was different. After they're born, a werecat must be christened within the first year of their life. It's to prevent premature Turning and to protect them from bad magic. The prevention lasts until they officially Turn, and the protection lasts exactly one year.

"I know," you replied. "Mama showed me a picture."

"So you know me?" He asked.

You nodded. "Mama told me about you. You're the only other person in the world besides Dad she trusted with me."

Klaus looked away for a moment, then back at you. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Still a while before you Turn, then." He sighed. "Get some rest. Tomorrow we'll figure out what to do."

You nodded. He left, closing the door behind him. You took off the jacket and laid it across the back of the chair. You took your shoes off and placed them in front of it. Then you pulled back the covers on the bed, moved the pillows and crawled in. You pulled the covers up to your neck.

You refused to think about what happened today. You refused to acknowledge it had even happened. You stuck yourself inside a safe, ignorant cocoon, and you weren't coming out.