Chapter 7

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The late autumn sun cast a warm glow across the Mystic Grill, illuminating the hodgepodge group of teens huddling in the corner booth. Elena Gilbert, the embodiment of summertime elegance in her dainty floral sundress, sips on a glass of iced tea, a smile painted on her lips as the rest of the group laughs at something Stefan said.

Meanwhile, I sat in a corner, four tables away, watching as they enjoyed their time together, wallowing in my misery. I had my hood up and my head ducked, my hair tucked in with the hopes they wouldn't recognize me.

"So, harvest festival is next weekend," Bonnie announces, a hint of uncertainty lacing her voice as she tucks a stray curl behind her ear.

The group falls eerily silent, the only sound to be heard coming from the others sitting in the restaurant at the time. Matt was the first to break the silence.

"About time," he exclaims, his voice excited as he stabs a cherry from his plate. "The corn maze last year was epic, from what I remember. Didn't Tyler get lost for, like, a few hours or something?"

Elena chuckles at the memory of their friend, the nostalgia bringing a renewed warmth to her eyes.

"Poor Tyler. I don't think he's ever going to live that down, will be?" She asks, trying not to laugh.

Stefan, the typical voice of reason, interjects in his defense.

"Well, let's just hope this year's maze isn't quite as extensive as it was last year... I'd hate for someone to get lost, especially given some people's tendecy to attract trouble," he says, staring pointedly at Damon, who feigns offense.

"Oh please Stefan, after the way he treated Caroline, mock away Matt," Elena says dismissively.

"Hey, the way I see it, getting lost in a corn maze isn't so bad. Especially if I took a beautiful woman with me," Damon admits shamelessly.

"Oh yeah, and who exactly is your latest victim, Damon?" Elena fires back, causing Damon to crack a smile, which triggered heat to flush to Elena's cheeks.

The banter flowed easily, following a familiar rhythm that was comfortable for them. After everything they've been through together, they were practically inseparable. Well, except me, of course.

"Hey, uh, who all is going to the bonfire Saturday night?" Jeremy pipes up, a slight hesitation in his voice.

Everyone was a little on edge still after Vicki. Especially when it came to parties in the woods.

"Wouldn't miss it bro," Matt says, clapping Jeremy on the shoulder. "The bonfire is where the real fun begins. Ghost stories, making s'mores..."

" And hot cocoa," Bonnie adds with a wink, causing a small chuckle from everyone.

Jeremy grins.

"Hot cocoa sounds amazing."

The conversation continues, flowing into stories of past harvest festivals. Of the costumes we wore as kids. The turn Stefan accidentally lit a scarecrow on fire. The year Matt fell and broke his pinky finger. Finally, a story about last year, where I tried to outdo everyone at the pumpkin carving. They all laughed about that.

"Speaking of Caroline," Bonnie interjects, "has anyone talked to her lately? I figured she'd be here, but..."

"No," Stefan and Elena say in unison.

"Nope," Damon chimes in.

"No unless you count a passing stare in the hallway," Matt adds.

Bonnie sighs audibly.

"You guys, I'm worried about her. We all know things have been weird with her since Klaus came into the picture," Bonnie says gently, her concern evident in her facial expressions.

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"Hey guys, we gotta get going. Jeremy and I have a thing with our friend, Penny, and some others. We'll catch you later," Matt says as they both say their goodbyes and head off.

"You guys, maybe it's time we tell her the truth," Elena says as soon as Matt and Jeremy are out of ear shot.

I perk up, curious what they're talking about. 'The truth', she said.

"What do you mean? The truth about what?" Bonnie asks, frowning.

"Klaus."

I shoot up out of my seat, effectively blowing my cover, but at that point, I didn't care anymore. I was going to confront this right here, right now. I needed answers.

"Caroline, hey!" Bonnie stutters, flashing a warning look at the others she thought was too subtle for me to notice.

Unfortunately for her, it wasn't.

"Hey, Bonnie, what're you guys up to?" I ask coyly, sliding into the seat Jeremy used to sit in.

"Uh, nothing, just a group of friends out for lunch," Elena lies, causing me to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Really? Then why'd I hear you all mention my name?" I ask, making note of the shared look between them.

"Caroline, I don't know what you're talking about-" Elena starts.

"No, Elena," Damon says forcefully. "It's time we stopped lying."

"Damon, are you sure about this?" Stefan asks, concern shining in his eyes.

"I'm sure she'll understand why you didn't say anything," Bonnie insists reluctantly.

"Why you didn't tell me what, exactly?" I demand, crossing my arms and staring at them expectantly.

"Why we didn't tell you that Klaus was the one who killed Vicki," Damon blurted out before sipping his drink, causing Bonnie to smack his arm, and earns a death glare from Elena.

I can barely hear the clink of Damon's glass hitting the table, jolting me from the overwhelming screaming silence. All around, the usual banter and noise of the Mystic Grill seemed mute, completely lost to the roar of disbelief washing over me. The news, casually tossed at me over sips of coffee, felt like a punch to the gut.

"He... What?" I manage to croak out, my voice barely above a whisper, and shaking as I try to sit down before I blacked out.

Damon, the blunt, observant one he was, immediately noted her distress, and while being personable wasn't common for him, I could tell he sympathized at least a little. After all, even he had lost someone he'd loved at some point in the centuries he's been alive.

"Yeah, uh, Klaus was the one who snapped her neck right in front of us," Damon continued.

"No..." I whisper, blinking rapidly as I stare blankly ahead.

"No, you're wrong. The Klaus I know wouldn't do this. Not the guy who bought me a car just because. The guy who danced with me at the party because I wanted to make Tyler jealous... No, Klaus didn't do this. You're wrong," I insist stubbornly, still trying to process what just happened.

"Caroline, I don't know anything about this, but... I believe them," Bonnie says gently, resting her hand on top of mine.

"Caroline, we tried to warn you, Klaus is bad news. You cannot keep seeing him," Elena insists, her voice demanding.

"First and foremost, you're all wrong about Klaus," I spit bitterly, ripping my hand away and quickly rising to my feet. "Klaus isn't like that."

"Caroline-" Stefan starts.

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