Beneath the Carnival Lights
Caroline arrived at the annual Mystic Falls Carnival, determined to shake off the unease that had followed her since leaving the hospital. The vibrant lights shimmered against the night sky, the buzz of laughter and carnival rides filling the air. But everything felt off. The lights were too bright, the sounds too loud, and the smells, everything from the sugary tang of cotton candy to the metallic undertone of something sharper, were overwhelming. Her stomach churned with a hunger she didn't understand, a gnawing ache that had persisted since waking in that cold, sterile hospital room.
She took a steadying breath and pushed through the crowd. This was supposed to be fun. Normal. She needed to be normal. But flashes of memories kept invading her thoughts, things she'd thought were buried. Damon's cruel smirk, his hands gripping her wrists too tightly, and the way his words made her forget the way he'd used her. She should have told her mom, she'd wanted to, but for some reason, she never had. Now, those memories surged to the surface, and she couldn't stop them.
Shaking it off, she focused on her surroundings. She spotted Elena and Stefan standing near a booth, their heads close together in what looked to be a heated conversation. Her stomach twisted, a fresh wave of bitterness rising. 'Of course they're talking about something important without me.' Across the field, she caught sight of Tyler Lockwood, his usual scowl in place. The sight of Tyler reminded Caroline of his uncle Mason, whose return to Mystic Falls felt strange, despite his brother being dead, it was unsettling even. Caroline had never liked him, there was something too polished, too calculating about him.
Her gaze drifted to Bonnie, who stood a few feet away, laughing and flirting with a carnival worker who looked like he'd stepped straight out of a teen drama. Caroline's lips twitched into a half smile. 'Good for you, Bonnie. He's hot.' But even as she tried to latch onto that brief moment of normalcy, her thoughts turned again.
She needed to find Matt. Her boyfriend. Her anchor. He'd make everything feel okay. But as she wandered through the carnival, weaving between classmates and strangers, the darker thoughts returned. She saw her fellow students laughing, carefree, and the thought struck through her like a bolt of lightning. I could kill them. Rip their heads off like it was nothing.
The realization terrified her, and she stumbled away, nearly tripping over the edge of the field. Her breaths came in short gasps, her hands trembling as she reached the parking lot. She needed space. She needed Matt. She..
A voice pulled her from her spiraling thoughts. “Hey, are you okay?”
She turned to see the guy Bonnie had been flirting with earlier. He looked concerned, but he was hurt. Blood dripped from his arm, a shallow gash trailing crimson down his skin. The scent hit her like a freight train, and suddenly, nothing else mattered.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered, barely hearing her own words before she lunged. Her fangs pierced his skin, and the moment his blood hit her tongue, the hunger vanished, replaced by an overwhelming, horrifying satisfaction. She didn't stop, not even as his heartbeat slowed, becoming weaker and weaker.
“Caroline, no!” A scream tore through the night, followed by blinding pain that forced her away from her prey. She hit the ground hard, disoriented, her body thrumming with an unbearable heat. She looked up, blinking through the haze, to see Bonnie with her arms raised, palms glowing with energy. Elena stood behind her, hands over her mouth in horror. Stefan was shielding her, his expression tight, while Damon stood off to the side, smirking.
“Well, well,” Damon drawled. “Looks like Barbie got herself turned. Guess that's another problem I have to take care of.”
Before Caroline could process his words, Damon blurred towards her, his hand reaching out. She flinched, bracing for impact, but Elena’s voice stopped him cold.
“Damon, don't!” Elena stepped forward, her voice shaking but firm. “You don't get to decide this.”
Caroline tried to speak, but her throat burned. Words drifted in and out of focus, vampire, compulsion, magic. Her body still hummed with whatever Bonnie had done to her, leaving her shaky and terrified.
“What the hell is going on?” She finally managed to stutter.
Bonnie exchanged a look with Elena. “Your turn,” she said flatly before kneeling beside the injured man. “He's still got a pulse. It's faint, but it's there. I'll get him help while you explain what's going on.”
As Bonnie left with the man, Stefan followed, leaving Caroline alone with Elena and Damon. The silence pressed down like a weight, and when Elena stepped forward, Caroline flinched back. A flicker of hurt crossed Elena’s face.
“Care…” Elena began softly.
“What the hell did you do to me, Elena?” Caroline's voice was a whisper at first, then louder. “I remember at the hospital. What did you do?”
Elena glanced at Damon, muttering something about Katherine before turning back.
“Who the fuck is Katherine?” Caroline demanded.
And that’s when the truth came tumbling out. Vampires. Bonnie’s magic. Katherine, Elena’s doppelgänger. The Salvatores. Everything Elena had kept from her. As the words spilled out, Caroline’s horror deepened.
When Elena finished, the silence stretched long and heavy.
“Why?” Caroline’s voice cracked. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this before? Why didn’t you think to warn me?” Her voice rose, trembling with anger. “And why are you hanging out with Damon after everything he did to me?”
Elena opened her mouth to respond, but Caroline didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t care. Without another word, she turned and walked away.
She needed Matt. Matt would make this right. He had to. But when she arrived at the Grill, her heart sank. The bartender informed her that Matt had the night off.
Defeated, she ordered a drink, sat at the bar and hoped that some solitude would give her the answers to the questions that were swimming around in her mind.