As a teenager, Caroline King gained a reputation of being a little bit lazy, although she would argue with whichever set of foster parents brought the topic up, that she was not lazy, she just liked to sleep, she wouldnât divulge that in her dreams she had a real family, her reality, quite frankly sucked. From being a mere toddler to the age of sixteen, Caroline had been with eight different pairs of foster parents, granted, they werenât monsters, they never abused her but after a few months or years, in some cases, just when she began to feel settled she would move, at first she would scream bloody murder but after a while she became indifferent. Caro did her best to supress the feeling of abandonment but ultimately it was the only thing that played on her mind before she fell asleep on an evening, her birth parents had abandoned her and so had everyone else. It was safe to say at this point in her life, Caroline was a bitter girl; thing became even more difficult when she hit puberty, when you already think youâre a freak and then suddenly on a full moon you transform into a wolf, its just what any thirteen year old girl wants. Ashamed, Caroline somehow managed to keep this part of her life a secret, until just shy of her seventeenth birthday; after a full moon, Caro had dragged her aching body home, where she was ultimately confronted by her foster-parents, to their credit they had just been extremely worried about her, but still an argument ensued and as her temper rose, she felt herself beginning to transform, that was the first time she had ever gone through a transformation outside of a full moon, after that she fled, too scared to face them. After that she travelled the states for a while, until she caught wind of a small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, called Bellingstone, a supposed âsafe havenâ for supernatural beings, did that mean there were many more like her?
Nearly immediately after arriving, an elderly lady took her in and for once she felt a sense of belonging. Pack life was everything she had ever wanted, for the first time she had a family; life was perfect, it still was, although she missed very little about her old life, Caro did wish she could sleep like she use to. Here she was on a relatively nice April, Sunday morning, sat up in bed, despite her shift having gone on till the early hours of the morning, awake far earlier than she had original intended on being awake. Caro had gotten home at around three am that morning, her bar, self-titled âCaroâsâ was the hub of the town on Friday and Saturday nights, which often lead her to extend the opening hours by a few hours, not that she minded really, she enjoyed making people happy, Bellingstone had quickly brought out that side of her, these people were her family, she would do anything for them.
She had no particular plans on how to spend her Sunday, although it would most definitely begin with a delicious breakfast at Axels diner and since she didnât have to be at the bar until that evening, that left her time to do anything else she fancied, whatever got her out of the house. Solitude was a provoking state, some times she sought it out and other times, like today, she wanted to be farther from it as possible; although she had found a family within her pack, a part of her desperately longed for a family of her own, you know, a loving husband, white-picket fence, 2.5 kids, the whole package, yet she figured it would come to her eventuallyâŠgood things come to those who wait, right?
Throwing back the covers, Caroline threw her legs over the side of the bed, her feet seeking out her slippers, upon finding them she stood up and walked out of her bedroom towards the bathroom. Her house was a modest home, one story, two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen and living room, it wasnât huge but it was big enough for herself and she loved it, one of the greatest moments of her life was when she was handed the deeds, that and receiving the deeds to her bar, she had worked so hard for so long and finally life was beginning to look up. She didnât spend long in the bathroom and was soon back in her bedroom, pulling a bristle brush through her tangled hair, wincing occasionally as the brush would snag on a knot, thankfully her curls were more or less still in tact, so that saved her the job of re-curling, placing the brush back down on her vanity Caro then applied her make up before changing into her outfit for today, something comfortable but light yet still protected her from the light chill still lingering in the air.
Pulling open the curtains, smiling as the sun flooded her room, summer was definitely not too far off and that meant, days by the creek, barbeques and family gatherings, long nights sat out on the veranda, a nice cold one nestled in her grasp, the summer months were heaven for the golden-haired woman. Turning back to her bed, Caroline quickly made up the covers before leaving the sanctity of her home, all though she hovered in the foyer for a moment, debating whether or not to take her car, she decided not to, it was only a short walk to the diner and so she would make the most of this glorious start of spring.
The sun always sent Caro into a happy delirium; something, which would have been evident to anyone walking past, the sheer smile on her face, said it all really. It didnât take her long to reach the main street, running straight through the middle of their little town, it was still a little quiet for the time of day, businesses didnât exactly boom on Sundayâs, besides it was a day for rest, or so the bible says, very few people in this town followed that by example, most just constituted a lie in and then spent the rest of the day happily with their familiesâŠsomething Caro was going to do.
With Axelâs diner in her sights, Caroline quickly crossed the road and entered the familiar building, the bell above the door ringing and the smell of something delicious immediately wafted through her nostrils, her stomach quickly growled. Taking a seat at the counter, she placed her bag on the empty stool next to her, quickly looking around, she seemed to be the first one there today. âHelloâ she called through the hatch back to the kitchen, wondering who would be first today, Axel or Sam, a smile tugged on her lips as she thought of the latter âWhatever youâre cooking, make doubleâŠsmells deliciousâ Caro called again, reaching back behind the counter and grabbed a cup and the pot of freshly made coffee, pouring herself a mug before putting it back, Axel helped himself to her liquor so she would sure as hell help herself to a cup of coffee. Clocking the paper to her left, Caroline grabbed it and placed it down in front of her, the headline capturing her attention immediately. âSTILL NO ANSWERS TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FAMILY IN PENNYSLVANIA- 3 YEARS ON FAMILY WANT ANSWERS.â
The story immediately brought a frown to the blondeâs lips, she knew exactly what happened, everyone in Billingstone knew what happened, it was the reason for the biggest rift in the town history. Of course the Vampires who had committed this heinous crime had been âdealt withâ it didnât ease Carolineâs qualms with the bloodsuckers or the pain she felt for the victims families. Folding the paper back up she pushed it to the side and concentrated on her coffee.