???????, klaus mikaelson

Chapter-Three
what the fangs

❝SOMETHING ABOUT NOAH FEELS. . . OFF.❞

Caroline Forbes woke up with a gasp.

Where was she? Her lungs greedily pulled in air like she'd just surfaced from drowning. Her chest heaved, and her wide eyes darted around the room, taking in the lifeless white walls of the hospital, while the faint tang of antiseptic stung her nose. And then there was the monitor━silent. Not the rhythmic beep of reassurance she expected but a flat, eerie stillness. It hit her like a freight train━she was alive. But alive felt wrong. Like a slap to the face, fragments of memory began to slot into place. The accident. Yes. That explained why she was here, why her body ached in strange, almost incomprehensible ways. But the explanation fell short. The discomfort that coursed through her was unnatural, like an itch she couldn't scratch beneath her skin. Her senses were raw, hyper-aware. The scratchy sheets against her legs felt like sandpaper. The dim overhead light scorched her eyes like a blazing sun. Every faint creak of the hospital seemed amplified, echoing like thunder. She pressed her palms to her temples, trying to quiet the chaos inside her head. A sharp exhale escaped her lips, and her gaze finally settled on the small, lumpy figure slumped in the corner of the room.

Noah Gilbert.

The older woman was curled up on the narrow hospital couch, a threadbare blanket draped over her shoulders. Her long legs were tucked beneath her, one arm dangling over the side, and her head lolled against the couch's armrest. Her brunette ponytail was a mess, strands of hair sticking out in every direction, but her face was peaceful, almost childlike in sleep.

Caroline frowned. Noah had been here. The blonde remembered that. Vividly, in fact. She'd refused to leave, practically threatening the nurses until they agreed to let her stay. And after that, they'd talked for hours━laughing, venting, diving into conversations that were more therapy than small talk. Her brow furrowed. There was something else. Something important she couldn't quite grasp. Noah had taken a call. Yes, her boyfriend. Nik. She'd stepped out to talk to him, leaving Caroline alone in the quiet of the hospital room. And then Caroline had fallen asleep━or, at least, she thought she had.

Hadn't she?

The memory was slippery, elusive, like trying to hold water in her cupped hands. Her frustration deepened as she shook her head, trying to clear the fog. Without thinking, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, the cold linoleum biting against her bare feet. It startled her, the sharpness of the sensation. The world felt too real in a way it hadn't before. Behind her, Noah stirred. A soft groan broke through the stillness, and Caroline froze, her hands gripping the edge of the bed for balance. She watched as Noah rubbed her eyes, her movements sluggish with the haze of sleep. The hospital blanket slipped off her shoulders as she sat up, blinking in confusion. Her loose ponytail stuck out, giving her the appearance of someone who had fought a hard battle with gravity━and lost.

"Caroline?" Noah mumbled, squinting in the dim light. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Caroline hesitated. Her friend's voice, groggy and laced with concern, should have comforted her, but it didn't. Instead, it grated against the unsteady rhythm of her thoughts, like nails on a chalkboard. Her blue eyes flicked to Noah, who was blinking slowly, still half-lost in her dreams. "Nothing," the blonde replied, her voice clipped and flat. She took a tentative step forward, her bare feet silent against the cold linoleum. "Where is everyone?"