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hybrids and their knack for flair

❝the best weapon against an enemy is another enemy.❞

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 is everything Caelemin expected it to be: sparkling lights, snow-themed décor, and shallow smiles. She moves through the outdoor venue beside Stefan, her ivory dress whispering against her legs. The occasional stares don't escape her, but she barely acknowledges them.

"Well," she drawls, glancing up at Stefan. "You didn't tell me we'd be crashing a snow globe scene."

Stefan chuckles softly, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Welcome to Mystic Falls."

As they step inside, her attention snags on a familiar face by the bar. Brett—the bartender from the pageant. But something about him feels off now, a shadow over the innocence he'd once carried.

"Stefan," she says softly, her eyes narrowing. "Give me a moment."

Before he can respond, she's already weaving her way through the crowd and reaching the bar, leaning against it with practiced ease.

"Fancy seeing you here," she says, her voice light but her eyes scrutinizing.

Brett turns, his expression softening for a brief moment before his guard slams back into place. "Caelemin," he greets, his voice steady—too steady. "You look...different."

"And you look like you've been through hell." Her lips curls into a smirk as she tilts her head. "Care to share why you've been snooping?"

His gaze darts over her shoulder for a split second before returning to her. "I don't know what you're talking about." When he moves to leave, her hand shoots out, gripping his wrist with surprising strength.

"Don't play dumb," she says, her voice dropping an octave. "Who's pulling your strings, Brett?"

She follows his earlier glance, her eyes landing on a man with dirty blonde hair who is deep in conversation with Caroline. The pieces clicking into place, and her smirk sharpens.

"You're working for someone," she said coolly. Her grip tightens, and Brett winces as a soft crunch echoed between them. He clutches the bar for support, pain flashing across his face.

"Now, spying on me Brett?" she mocks, her voice dripping with faux pity. "That's a dangerous little hobby."

"I—ah—fine!" he hisses. "It's Klaus! He told me to dig around, keep tabs on you and your friends, and report back."

The infamous Klaus.

Caelemin studies him for a long moment, her eyes gleaming as realization strikes. There was something about him—an energy simmering beneath his skin, not unlike Stefan's, but also reminiscent of the girl she'd encountered in Shane's office, Hayley. Her smirk deepens. He's changed, transformed.

"Brave of you to poke your nose where it doesn't belong," she says softly, her nails elongating as her grip tightens. Brett's eyes widen, terror flashing across his face as she leans in closer.

"Next time I catch you lurking, you won't live long enough to regret it. Got it?"

He nods frantically, swallowing hard.

Such a cutie. 

Her smile turned sickly sweet. "Good. I'd hate to lose a bartender who actually knows how to make a decent drink." She releases him with a pat on the shoulder and turns toward Klaus.

Caroline catches sight of her over Klaus's shoulder, and Caelemin sends her a teasing wave, her fingers moving slowly, deliberately. Without waiting for a reaction, she turns and walks the other way, intent on rejoining Stefan.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓✩༓･*˚⁺‧͙.

Time slips by, and the event remains as nauseatingly festive as ever. The cheerful hum of conversation and the twinkling lights blur into a haze, but Caelemin barely notices. Her focus has shifted entirely to the realization that Stefan has completely disappeared.

Now standing at the edge of the crowd, she scans the glittering sea of faces, her irritation simmering beneath her calm exterior. She dials Stefan's number again, holding the phone to her ear. Still no answer.

"Unbelievable," she mutters, slipping the phone into her purse. "Of all the times for him to pull a vanishing act..."

She sweeps her gaze across the venue and, with a growing sense of annoyance, tries Caroline's number next. Silence. No answer there, either. Her irritation deepens—she had just seen Caroline not thirty minutes ago. Where the hell are they?

Yet, what Caelemin doesn't know is that both Stefan and Caroline have been taken by the group of hybrids, with none other than Tyler Lockwood leading the charge.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a prickle at the back of her neck—a sensation she recognizes immediately. A presence.

"You seem a bit lost," comes a voice, smooth and unhurried.

Caelemin turns, her eyes lighten up as they land on Klaus. His smirk is infuriatingly charming, like a blade cloaked in silk.

"Ah, the infamous Klaus," she says folding her arms. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Pleasure, indeed." His smirk widens. "You've been stirring up quite the intrigue lately—a mystery wrapped in a rather stunning package."

She laughs softly, the sound laced with mockery. "Flattery already? You don't waste time, do you?"

"Time is a luxury I don't take for granted." His tone shifts, the underlying threat unmistakable. "But you... you seem to enjoy making people guess."

"Is that why you sent your lackey after me?" she asks, tilting her head. "What do you want, Klaus?"

"I could ask you the same," he counters, stepping closer. "You're not exactly subtle, darling. And I've noticed your meddling."

But before she can respond, a faint sound from the direction of the women's restrooms catches her attention—a muffled noise that doesn't belong amidst the holiday cheer. Her head turns instinctively toward it.

"As riveting as this is, I have more pressing matters," she says, pivoting to leave. "Let's continue this later, shall we?"

Klaus's hand shoots out, his grip on her arm is firm but controlled. His strength is staggering, a force she hadn't encountered since being in Mystic Falls. "You and your friends would do well to stay out of my business," he says, his tone cold as ice.

She meets his gaze evenly, her own magic simmering just beneath her skin. With a subtle surge of power, she wrenchs her arm free, stepping back. "Warn the rest of your lackeys that I don't take kindly to being spied on," she says, her tone sharp as a dagger. "And consider getting smarter ones—I hear idiots taste bad due to the lack of oxygen going to their brains."

His expression flickers, the sharp edge of his threat softens into something that looked suspiciously like amusement. "Noted," he says, stepping aside with a mocking flourish. "Until we meet again, Caelemin."

She huffs brushing past him as she strides away.

He doesn't seem as dangerous as everyone was making him out to be.

Though her arm still tingles from the strength of his grip and he wasn't even using his full power.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain blonde had subtly warned Klaus to keep his distance after overhearing—no, eavesdropping on—her conversation with Brett. And Klaus, of course, bent to her will like a rubber band.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓✩༓･*˚⁺‧͙.

Pushing open the restroom door, Caelemin freezes. Caroline lies crumpled on the floor, unconscious, while Hayley stands over her, looking rattled but determined.

"Well, isn't this something." Caelemin's voice cuts through the tension like a blade.

Hayley's head snaps up, but before she can react, Caelemin is on her, a hand wrapping around her throat.

"Hi again," she says smoothly, her smile cold.

Hayley claws at her wrist. "I—"

"Save it," Caelemin snaps, her eyes flashing golden. She glances down at Caroline again before looking back up. "Do you have a death wish?"

"She'll wake up," Hayley rasps. "I didn't kill her."

Caelemin's curious gaze falls to Hayley's phone peeking out of her pocket, the screen still bright and unlocked. She snatches it with her free hand and sees her last received message which so happens to be from Shane: "Fix it."

Her laugh is dry, devoid of humor. She holds the phone up. "You're working with Shane. How unoriginal."

She tilts her head. "Although rats usually do like to travel in packs... and so do wolves."

Caelemin stands there, silent for a moment as she studies Hayley. The girl didn't seem inherently evil, just someone who—given the right motivation—would do anything to succeed. How ironic.

Let's put this dog to work.

"What do you want?" Hayley croaks, her voice strained.

Caelemin leans in closer, her tone now deadly calm. "I'm going to have you send a message to Shane for me. Tell him that if he wants to keep his little secrets safe, he's going to owe me something substantial. Something unreachable. And he knows exactly what I mean."

With a shove, she releases Hayley, watching as the werewolf stumbles back. Hayley rubs her neck, her glare fierce but tempered with wariness.

"Don't ever touch her again," Caelemin warns, her voice venomous. "Now go."

For a moment, Hayley hesitates, the fire in her eyes hinting at the temptation of revenge. But she thinks better of it, retreating without another word.

Caelemin stands still, considering. The option of following Hayley and ending her right here and now is tempting—her alliance with Shane makes her a liability. But that same alliance also means she has access to something Shane values. Something that might, in turn, prove useful to Caelemin.

Her eyes narrow. She needs to find out what that is. Only then will she decide whether Hayley is more valuable alive or six feet under.

Caelemin turns her attention to Caroline. She kneels down, placing her hand on Caroline's forehead. Her magic flares softly, golden light flickering as she channels energy into waking her up.

Caroline stirs, her eyelids fluttering open. "What... happened?"

"You got blindsided," Caelemin said dryly. "By a certain scrappy wolf."

Caroline groans, standing up with Caelemin's help. "Where's Stefan?"

"That's the question of the night," Caelemin mutters. "What exactly have I missed?"

Caroline rubs a hand down her face, exasperation etched into her features. "Ugh, Tyler and his idiot hybrid friends kidnapped us," she says, her tone sharp. She scrunches her face in disbelief. "And right after we got free and I told Tyler there might be a way to shove Klaus into someone else's body, everything goes dark."

"Look," Caelemin starts. "I'll find Stefan. You go check on your boyfriend—make sure the wolf bitch didn't get him too."

Caroline hesitates, her blue eyes narrowing as though she wants to argue. But after a moment, she sighs and nods.

"Thank you," she says softly.

"Don't thank me yet," Caelemin quips. "Let's just hope nothing else has gone to hell."

As Caroline leaves, Caelemin leans against the sink, her fingers gripping the edge as she stares into the mirror. She can feel the drain from using her magic, but her mind is already racing in irritation. Shane was playing a dangerous game, and it was starting to interfere with her own.

She exhales sharply, trying to align her thoughts. She can't keep track of everyone's plans and she hates feeling like a pawn on someone else's board.

She needs a back-up plan.

Her so-called "alliance", half of which aren't even around to deal with today's events, seem woefully powerless against the growing web of enemies. If she's going to survive this mess, let alone emerge victorious, she needs to start tipping the scales in her favor.

She needs an upper hand. 

So preoccupied with her own thoughts, Caelemin doesn't notice the faint shuffle behind her as she exits the bathroom. She misses the small figure of April Young, tucked away in the furthest stall, her trembling hand clamped tightly over her mouth. The girl shakes in fear, her wide eyes brimming with terror at everything she just overheard.

✩✩ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓✩༓･*˚⁺‧͙. ✩✩

( 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞! ) considering saving mrs. lockwood because I'm just so nice and kind-hearted. but then again... death does build character, and maybe tyler should suffer just a little more. decisions, decisions. 

anyway i do hope that you all enjoyed and thank you so much for reading!