Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1 (PROLOGUE)
Caroline sat in a circle of rock salt, the faint scent of crushed herbs stinging her nose. Bonnie and Freya stood just outside, their hands moving in careful, practiced gestures as the last preparations for the spell were completed.
“Are you sure I’ll be able to stop this?” Caroline asked, her voice tighter than she intended.
“Absolutely,” Freya said, crushing the final herbs into a small bowl, the faint crackle of dried leaves echoing in the quiet room. “You’ll go back to your second semester of senior year at Mystic Falls High. That should give you just enough time to stop them.”
“And the twins… they’ll be alright?” Caroline’s words trembled with worry.
“Yes,” Bonnie replied, her eyes still glued to the faded pages of the ancient Grimoire she held. “If you follow the plan, you’ll change only one crucial event. Nothing unrelated will be affected—your timeline with the twins is safe.”
Caroline’s fingers brushed over the leather-bound book on her lap. Though its covers looked aged and worn, the pages inside were newer, neatly typed by Camille O’Connell years ago: Klaus’s memoirs. She had read them cover to cover, memorizing the words that might convince Klaus she wasn’t insane once she got to the past. They were her only proof.
Suddenly, the quiet was shattered by yelling and the sound of scuffling outside the door.
“Okay, ready, Bonnie?” Freya’s voice was calm but edged with urgency as she held up the small bowl. “We have to move quickly. I can hold the acolytes off for a few minutes, but not indefinitely.”
Bonnie nodded. Freya handed Caroline the bowl. “Drink this while we chant. Once it’s in your system, it will take you back… erase everything… until the start of 2013.”
Caroline’s eyes flicked to the potion, a swirling mix of colors that shimmered unnaturally in the dim light. “Under the light of the biggest eclipse the world has ever seen,” she whispered, then lifted her chin and said with determination, “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
Bonnie and Freya began chanting, their voices weaving together like threads of some ancient spell. Caroline drank the potion, the bitter taste biting at her tongue, and then everything went black.
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When she woke, it felt as if she had slept for years.
The first thing she noticed wasn’t her bed, or the familiar scent of her old room, or even the worn posters and furniture she had once called hers. No.
It was the weight of being human. Her body felt sluggish, her reflexes slow, her senses dull. Every sound was muffled, every shadow blurred. She was fragile. Exposed. Mortal.
Caroline bolted upright, heart hammering in her chest. Panic clawed at her throat. “No… no… no! This can’t be happening. I wasn’t supposed to go back this far. I wasn’t supposed to be… this vulnerable.”
Her eyes darted to the phone on her nightstand. The date flashed: August 25, 2009.
Before the Salvatore brothers had arrived. Before Mystic Falls even knew vampires existed. Before the Originals had become legends in Mystic Falls.
Her stomach sank. How was she supposed to face Klaus Mikaelson—centuries-old, ruthless, and cunning—while she was weak, mortal, and utterly human?
She paced the room, the wooden floor cold beneath her bare feet. Her hands trembled as she clenched them into fists.
Fear and determination battled in her chest.
“I guess I won’t have a choice,” she whispered, voice tight. “Human or not… Klaus, here I come.”