Baby I need a friend, but I'm a vampire smile, you'll meet a sticky end. [Open]

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Who: Caroline Forbes + YOU

Where: All over!

When: October 13th

Rating: PG-13 to be safe? Will update if needed.

Summary: Caroline arrives in Wonderland. Not sure if like.
Notes: There will be a few starters! Add your own if you like. Prose or action are both fine!

The Story : 

The amount of voicemails she's left in her life has given Caroline the uncanny ability to know instinctively, in her gut, exactly how much time she has to talk before the time runs out. So when her fingertip presses the End Call button on her touchscreen phone this time, she knows she barely has a second to spare before the heartless and emotionless computerized voice asks her if she's satisfied with her message. Hitting it just in time gives her a surge of adrenaline, making her previously steady hands shake ever so slightly as she runs her fingers through her hair. Okay, so maybe the reason she's shaking isn't because of something as lame as the thrill of perfect timing. Maybe it's because of what she left on the voicemail to Stefan and the tightened nerves and emotional release of saying everything she needed to say to someone who won't even call her back. An uneasy feeling in her stomach reminds her of the times she called Tyler, using his voicemail as the only place in the world she could say what she was really feeling, and she's reminded of the trainwreck of that failed relationship. But she refuses to accept defeat with Stefan, wills herself to believe this time it will be different. One of these days, and one of these days soon, by the way, he will pick up the phone and call her back and tell her he's going to help her fix everything. Just like he used to.

Caroline, now more or less back to her optimistic and determined self, receives her check from a pretty waitress at the diner. She leaves cash with more of a tip than she can probably afford, and moves to start carefully packing away the newest batch of occult books she's been reading. When she opens her bag, however, there's something not quite right in the darkness that she sees there. Frozen with a book in hand, her eyes are transfixed by the emptiness staring back at her. At first she thinks she's had way too much coffee and nowhere near enough sleep, but that's nothing new these days with working so hard to get her home back. Then she feels something.

A lurch in the air, a pull in her chest. Startled, she stands clumsily out of her chair and knocks over her coffee cup on the way. With quick reflexes, she moves to catch the cup before it shatters on the ground...

Only to find herself in the middle of a dark forest, feeling dizzy like the entire world flipped upside-down and she's getting used to being on the wrong side of the earth. 

Comments

The Deep Dark Forest - OTA

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[Caroline takes a moment to reorient herself, blinking in the darkness, breathing in the smell of lush greens and old dirt. Whatever just happened certainly wasn't natural, which probably meant magic. Maybe Liv decided to play a cruel joke on her for revenge? Maybe she'd been dosed with something in her coffee and was hallucinating? Caroline rules those possibilities out, as Liv didn't seem like the practical joke sort, and her senses were clearly telling her that whatever this place is, it's very very real. Spotting somewhere in the distance that seems to be a little brighter, Caroline begins to carefully travel towards the light.]

Hello? Is anybody there? [She calls out, surprised at how loud her voice sounds before it hits her. She can't hear a single bird, or the buzz or skittering of insects, not even the rustling of wind through the leaves. She's completely and utterly alone here, wherever here is, and as her heart skips in her chest she realizes how very afraid she is.]

Somebody? [She cries, turning to look behind her, but never stopping her progress towards the lighter part of the forest.] Anyone??

[In an attempt to calm herself, Caroline stops and puts her palms over her eyes, willing herself to take a few deep breaths.]

Okay. Okay. [Feeling less panicked, she drops her hands and blinks open her eyes, giving herself a quick look-over. She's in one piece at least, and the creepy dark forest is also kind of pretty, and no noise probably meant that nothing was coming to kill her. Things could be much, much worse. Caroline holds onto that, looking for the silver lining in this extremely trippy dark cloud. Thumbing the daylight ring on her finger, she continues her journey toward the light, maybe hoping to stumble on some ruby slippers and wish herself home.]

Mansion Grounds - OTA

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[The more Caroline explores, the more she learns, the more questions she has.

As much as she might need a vacation from, well, her entire life, being magically whisked away to a whimsical yet eerie wonderland against her will isn't exactly her idea of a dream getaway. The mansion in the distance unnerves her, the way it shifts and changes like a mirage, so for now she's wandering the grounds, looking for clues, for people to talk to. And most importantly, a way home.

Dressed in quite the colorful summer-y sundress, she moves with purpose even though she isn't sure where her feet will take her.]

[Caroline can be found Nope-ing out of the hedge maze, starting to wander in then deciding that going into a maze in a magical whatever-land is probably the worst idea ever and marching right back out.]

[Later, Caroline will be exploring vendor stalls with extremely guarded body language, side-eyeing the hell out of the creepy silent masked people and keeping an eye out for anyone who looks sane and approachable.]

[Or pick your own!]

The Beach - Closed to Klaus

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[Caroline Forbes is not a quitter. Not even a little bit. She's the type of girl who would not only take on the impossible, but somehow find a way to force it to bend to her will, first by inches and then all at once. But with the light in the sky starting to fade and the air beginning to cool, she can't help but feel a little bit defeated. If this strange new world remained unchanged, if day never turned into night, she might be able to fool herself into hoping that it's all a strange dream she'll eventually wake up from.

The truth is, she can't fight the dying of the light no matter how much she might wish to. This is real. The home she'd been fighting so hard for has been taken from her once again, and something tells her that all the reading in the world won't be able to fix it this time.

As Caroline finally accepts all that she's learned, she finds herself stepping into the sand of a long and empty beach. Pulling off her sandals and carrying them by the straps in one hand, she walks towards the shore, enjoying the feeling of the warm sand between her toes, feeling the calm that comes along with the salt-sprayed breeze teasing her hair. She lets the tension in her shoulders and the worry lines on her forehead fade away.

She finds a spot to sit and stare out at the waves, and after a moment, delicately wipes away the stray tears from her eyes that leaked out without warning. Soon enough, Caroline has had quite enough of the uncomfortable feeling of hopelessness, and she decides to summon some from the light in her heart, the eternal optimism of her soul.

Taking a breath, she sits up a little straighter, and with a determined clench of her jaw, Caroline Forbes not only starts to see the bright side, like the beauty of this solitary beach, but she starts to put together a plan to turn this freaky hostage scenario into something worthwhile. She can make this place a temporary home, at least. She can help where she's needed, get to know her fellow captives, and make some lemonade out of this sour situation.

Her mental pep talk/to-do list is interrupted, though, as her senses start to give her hints that she isn't alone anymore.]

The Mansion, evening - Closed to Elena

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[As the last of the light begins to fade from the sky, Caroline finally gives into the inevitable and decides to settle in for the night. It's been a long, confusing, upsetting and tiring day, and she's far more hungry than she'd like to admit. The mansion, at least, is visually impressive and not the horror show she imagined when she spent a long time staring at it in defiance a few hours ago. It's roomy, well-lit, decorated in the whimsical nonsensical fashion she'd expect from a world out of a drug-trip inspired children's book. It'll do.

Having picked a room for her own on the first floor and a successful first attempt at using a closet to fetch some bloodbags and a change of clothes, Caroline's wandering back down the hallway and spending some time developing a better idea of the layout of this massive, seemingly endless building.

She can make this work. After everything, this, of all things, isn't going to break her or tarnish her spirit. Even if she feels lonely, hopeless, frustrated, and still a little bit scared, tomorrow is another day.]