Caroline's voice echoed in my ear like a distant melody, full of urgency and longing, while the dim glow of the lamp illuminated my house, the shadows dancing on the walls like ghosts of a past I could not forget. "Clark, we need your help to find Stefan… He disappeared, and we remember that you are a werewolf. Your sense of smell can help us…"
"He disappeared? What happened?" I asked, my hoarse voice cutting through the silence, my heart clenching as the wolf inside me growled in warning. Thoughts: Of course I know what's going on… Sylas… The name echoed in my mind like thunder, a dark memory of those days in Mystic Falls that I had never left behind.
She explained, the words coming out fast and shaky, painting a picture of a nightmare I knew all too well. "Sylas came to town using Stefan's body and disappeared with the real one… We have no idea where he is."
"I'm going now, Caroline…" I replied, the decision beating through me like a war drum, the love for the friends who had welcomed me into another life burning like a flame I could not extinguish.
"Thank you so much, Clark…" she said, her voice softening with a relief I could feel even through the line. "Be careful on the way…"
"Bye…" I muttered, hanging up as silence returned, the weight of the mission falling over me like a curtain I couldn't push aside.
Some time later, I quickly got ready, my heart pounding as I threw clothes into a backpack, my trembling fingers tracing the fabric as if I could grasp the certainty that was eluding me. I hailed a taxi, the roar of the engine cutting through the silence of the night as I headed to the airport, the dark sky reflecting the turmoil inside me.
Riiing, riiing, riiing.
"Love?" Sam's voice cut through the sound of the engine, soft and full of longing, a ray of light that pulled me back to the present.
"Sam, I'm going on a trip," I said, my voice firm but filled with an urgency I couldn't hide. "I need to find a friend who's lost…"
"Lost how? Who is it?" she asked, concern dancing in every syllable as her love for me echoed through the line.
"He's a vampire…" I explained, the weight of the truth falling between us like a stone in a still lake. "A friend who helped me in the past. I owe him a favor. His friends called me asking for help finding him… He's in Virginia, in the same place I lived for a year, Mystic Falls…"
"!!! Virginia?" she exclaimed, shock piercing her voice like lightning. "It's so far, Clark! When are you coming back? The tournament is starting soon…"
"I won't be long," I reassured her, my voice softening as I tried to erase her worry. "I'll be back the day after tomorrow, maybe… If anyone asks for me, tell them I went to help a friend in trouble. I'll be back soon."
"Okay… Good luck, love…" she said, her tone full of confidence and longing, a thread of love that held me even though I was so far away.
"Thank you, beautiful…" I murmured, hanging up as the taxi sped toward the airport, the weight of my promise to Sam mixed with the love for those I had left behind in Mystic Falls.
Three hours later, the plane touched down in Virginia, the cool night air enveloping me as I descended, the smell of damp earth and pine trees bringing back memories I'd carried like scars. "I'm finally here," I murmured, hailing a cab with a quick wave, the roar of the engine echoing as I gave the address of the quarry—a place I knew held dark secrets.
"So this is it…" I thought, Stefan's scent hitting me like a faint, almost-erased thread, probably drowned out by the water. I dropped my backpack to the ground, its weight falling like a sigh as I dove into the deep pool, the cold cutting into my skin like blades as I swam toward the submerged vault. I gripped it tightly, my muscles tensing as I dragged it out, the metal grinding against the stone, the weight—over eight tons, maybe—crushing my hands as I pulled. Holy hell, this is heavy… It must be the water… I opened the trapdoor with a final effort, the sound echoing like low thunder, and there was Stefan—"dead," his face pale and still in the dim moonlight.
I took it out of the safe, laying it carefully on the floor, the weight of the friend I had come to save bearing down on me like a promise I could not break. I picked up my cell phone, my fingers shaking as I dialed, the sound of the ring cutting through the silence of the night.
Riiing, riiing, RIIING…
"Clark, are you here?" Caroline asked, her voice thick with anxiety as she answered, her love for Stefan echoing in every word.
"I already found Stefan…" I replied, my voice firm but carrying a weight I couldn't hide.
"WHAT? YOU FOUND HIM ALREADY? BUT WHERE WAS HE?" she exclaimed, shock flashing through her voice like lightning.
"In a quarry… In a deep lake, inside a vault…" I said, my tone low as I stared at Stefan's body, the silence around me echoing like a lament.
She gasped on the other end of the line, the sound muffled as if she had clapped her hand over her mouth in horror. "OH MY GOD, CLARK…"
"He's been drowning this whole time…" I continued, my voice cracking as I spoke, the weight of the words cutting through me like a knife. I didn't notice Stefan moving behind me, his eyes—crazy, hungry—glowing in the darkness as he stood, silent as a shadow.
Then he bit me.
"ARRRRG!" I screamed, pain exploding in my neck like fire as his teeth tore into my skin, hot blood streaming down my face as I ripped him off me in one swift motion, throwing him away. He fled, his footsteps echoing in the night like thunder I couldn't reach.
"CLARK, WHAT HAPPENED?" Caroline screamed, her voice thick with panic as the sound of my pain carried through the line.
"Stefan woke up and bit me…" I replied, my voice shaking as I pressed my hand to my neck, blood trickling between my fingers. "And ran away…"
"Shit…" she muttered, desperation echoing in her voice. "Tell me your location, I'll come there with everyone…"
I gave the address, the world spinning as exhaustion hit me like a wave, the wolf inside me roaring in confusion. "Shit, I feel tired…" I muttered, my eyes heavy as I fell, the cold quarry floor swallowing me like a dark embrace. An hour and a half passed, the silence of the night wrapping around me like a blanket as I lay unconscious.
Caroline's point of view
"CLARK? WHERE ARE YOU?" I screamed, my voice echoing through the quarry as I ran, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and love for him, the moonlight reflecting off the dark waters like a broken mirror. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and something else—blood, faint but unmistakable.
"CLARRRK, STEFAN!" Elena called, her voice cutting through the night beside me, desperation dancing in every syllable as we searched the shadows.
"Hey, look at that!" Damon exclaimed, his sharp eyes catching sight of something near a tree—a fallen figure, body still against the cold ground. "There, look…"
"IT'S CLARK!" I yelled, running to him, my heart pounding as I knelt beside him, my shaking hands touching his face. "Hey, Clark… Wake up…" The warmth of his skin against mine was a relief, but his silence cut through me like a knife.
"I don't know what happened to him, Caroline…" Elena said, her eyes wide as she approached, worry dancing across her face like a soft shadow. "You said he was bitten by Stefan?"
"Yes, that's what he said…" I replied, my voice shaking as I placed my hand on his neck, feeling the faint but steady pulse of his heart against my fingers. "His heart is beating… Phew…"
Minutes later, a low moan cut through the silence. "ARRRRRRRG… Arf, arf…" Clark woke up, his body shaking as he opened his eyes, the familiar green glowing in the darkness like a flame struggling not to go out. "What the hell happened?"
"Clark, you're awake…" I murmured, relief exploding through me like a bolt of lightning as I hugged him, the warmth of him against me erasing the fear that was consuming me. "What happened to you?"
"Shit, did I pass out?" he asked, his voice hoarse as he tried to get up, his confused eyes dancing between us. "Why is that? What's with this gigantic hunger?"
"!!!! Hungry?" Damon exclaimed, his eyes narrowed as he stared at him, surprise tinging his voice like a discordant note. "Are you feeling hungry now? What kind?"
"I can't explain it, but…" Clark murmured, his eyes fixed on Elena, who was looking at me with a mixture of concern and curiosity. "Elena… Why do you look so… desirable?"
"!!! WHAT?" she exclaimed, shock flashing across her face like lightning, a blush rising to her cheeks as she took a step back, embarrassment dancing in her eyes like a shy flame.
"!!!" Caroline's eyes widened, her heart racing as she processed.
"Hey, hey, easy there, buddy," Damon said, his tone firm but laced with dark amusement as he took a step forward. "She's my girlfriend now… But I get the gist of it. You, buddy, are transitioning into a vampire…"
"How is that possible?" Caroline asked, shock echoing in her voice as she stared at Clark, her eyes wide, searching for answers. "Clark, did you drink vampire blood before you came here?"
"No…" he replied, his voice filled with grim certainty as he stood, the weight of the revelation bearing down on him like a storm. "But I understand everything now… It was Stefan's bite…"
Damon grimaced, his eyes narrowed as he stared at him. "You 'turned' into a vampire just by being bitten? What the fuck?"
"Yeah, that doesn't make sense…" Elena agreed, confusion dancing across her face as she stared at me, searching for an explanation I didn't have.
"I don't know what the hell is going on," Clark said, his voice gravelly as he stood, his eyes fixed on the dark sky as if searching for answers in the stars. "All I know is that I need Elena's blood to complete my transition…"
"But I'm a vampire," Elena snapped, her eyes wide as she stared at him, shock mixed with uncertainty. "Why do you need my blood, Clark? Wouldn't a human be better?"
"…" Caroline hesitated, the weight of realization crashing over her like a wave. "It's because you're a doppelgänger, Elena… It has to be that. You give him your blood…"
"Okay, Clark…" Elena murmured, her voice softening as she cut her hand with her nails, blood running down her face in red lines as she held it out to him. "Please don't bite me… I don't want to die from your bite…"
"Don't worry," he said, his voice steady as he leaned closer, his lips touching her blood with a gentleness that belied the beast I knew him to be. "It tastes incredible…" he murmured, his tone heavy with dark fascination as he drank, the red liquid dripping from the corners of his mouth. Then something changed—his hair began to grow, the strands stretching like dancing shadows in the moonlight, a transformation I hadn't expected.
"!!!! WHAT IS THIS?" I exclaimed, eyes wide as I stared, shock flashing across my face like lightning.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" Damon shouted, surprise echoing in his voice as he took a step back, his eyes fixed on Clark with a mixture of fascination and disbelief.
"!!! CLARK, YOUR HAIR… IS GROWING!" Elena exclaimed, terror dancing across her face as she backed away, blood still dripping from her hand as she glared at me.
He stopped drinking, his eyes rising to the dark sky as one turned red, the other remained green, a contrast that shone like fire and emerald in the night. Then he began to float, his body rising from the ground as if defying the laws of the world, the air around him pulsing with an energy I could feel on my skin.
Damon, Elena, and I gaped, the silence falling like a curtain as we stared at him, the weight of that sight echoing in our hearts like a thunder we couldn't comprehend.
"WHAT IS THIS, CLARK?" I cried, my voice filled with dread and wonder as I stared at him, love for him mixed with fear of the unknown. "MY GOD…"
"HE'S FLYING… HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?" Elena exclaimed, her eyes wide as she pointed, shock passing over her face like a wave.
"Wow, that hair suits him…" Damon murmured, his tone filled with dark amusement as he crossed his arms, a crooked smile curving his lips despite the tension.
"…" I fell silent, my eyes fixed on Clark as he floated, the red and green shining like beacons in the darkness, the love I felt for him—as a friend, as family—fighting against the fear of what he was becoming, a transformation that echoed like a dark melody I didn't know how to follow.