Chapter One: Ladylike Behavior

1854

"Hurry up, Kitty!" eight year old Caroline Forbes grabbed the chubby hand of her best friend practically since birth, Katherine Pierce. Her blond curls were held back together in tight pigtails with dark blue ribbons.

Eight year old Katherine Piece followed behind her, unlike Caroline her dark brown curls were messy and tangled and she had dropped the pink hair ribbons in the mud on the way here. "I'm going, Care"

"Hurry, before the sun goes down." Caroline and Katherine made it up the hill, just as the sun was about to set. They watched with awe expressions the beautiful sunset.

"Meredith is getting married tomorrow." Caroline sighed as she clutched her doll, Laura in her arms. The doll's head laid limply on its side and although Caroline had many dolls, Katherine knew she preferred this one because Meredith had given it to her when she was a baby. Meredith was Caroline's older sister and she had just turned seventeen a day after Katherine had turned eight years old. "She's nervous."

Katherine shrugged as she picked up a daisy and started pulling out the petals. She didn't have any older siblings, she was an only child and once she had asked her mother why she didn't have a baby brother of sister and Miranda had just answered that they only wanted one little baby angel and that was Katherine. "Then why is she getting married?"

"I don't know." Caroline bit her lip. "She and Mommy and Daddy were arguing about it. Meredith is going to live in Paris."

"I always wanted to go to Paris." Katherine said dreamily.

Caroline shot her an angry look. "Kitty, this means I might never see her again, maybe for a very long time."

Katherine didn't respond.

Caroline sighed as she started braiding Laura's hair. "Katherine, do you ever want to get married?"

"No," Katherine said stubbornly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm never going to get married. I don't want a husband to tell me what to do."

Mystic Falls, Virginia. Summer of 1864

"Wake up, Miss Pierce."

Eighteen year old Katherine Pierce opened her brown eyes sleepily as she sat up in her bed in the large bedroom she occupied in her home. Her nightgown was already sweaty even though it was still the early hours of the morning. This summer seemed to be the hottest one yet. "Morning, Bonnie."

Bonnie Bennett, her maid since she had turned thirteen gave a quick nod. "Your mother wanted me to remind you that church starts in two hours and that you better get going, she said to remind you that she didn't want to be shamed for arriving late to church for the fifth time in a row because you Miss Pierce wanted to use your sweet ol' time to get ready."

Katherine smirked. She had taken so long to get ready the past four times on purpose just so that they could arrive late to church and see her mother's angry expression. If there was one thing that Mrs. Miranda Pierce didn't tolerate it was ungrateful and unruly daughters.

And she had expressed more than once that Katherine was not the daughter she had expected on having. She wanted someone like the Pierce's neighbors' daughter-Elena Gilbert. Elena was sweet, good, and had perfect manners at least to everyone else and Katherine was headstrong, stubborn, and brutally honest.
"Can you please get my bath ready, it's so damn hot."

"Miss Katherine!" Bonnie blushed. "It isn't lady like to swear! Your mother would faint if she heard you talking like that. Your bath is already ready, I'll change your sheets, miss."

Katherine smirked. "Thankfully, it's only you Bonnie."

Katherine let out a little huff as Bonnie gave one more pull of her corset strings. She could already feel herself getting lightheaded and even though she had already taken a bath she could feel the sweat piling under her chemise and corset.

Bonnie gave another hard pull of the corset strings. "Ow, Bonnie that's tight enough!"

"Yes, miss."

Katherine stared at herself in the mirror. She had been wearing corsets since she was thirteen years old, when she had been a little girl she had been desperate to wear them and now the only thing she wanted to do was burn them.

Yes, they did make her figure more pretty, but they were uncomfortable and suffocation especially on a hot summers' day. She started unlacing the strings that only minutes before Bonnie had tightened until she only remained in her drawers and her light, cotton chemise. She threw the corset on the floor. "Good riddance." She turned back to the pain stricken maid. "Please Bonnie can you get my favorite green dress?"

Bonnie gulped. "Yes, miss, but your corset-"

Katherine shook her head. "I'm not wearing that silly thing, it's too hot."

"But your mother would be most upset-"

"My mother need not know. The green dress, Bonnie."

Katherine Piece sat in the front pew dressed in a dark green dress with green lace around the collar and around the cuffs of the dress. Bonnie had rearranged her dark, shiny curls and held them back with a black and silver pedant. Katherine fanned herself with her silk fan, and instead of listening to the pastor she looked around the rest of the Mystic Falls founding families.

There was her best, well her only friend Caroline Forbes sitting in the pew next to her with her mother, Elizabeth. She was dressed in a black dress since her father had died last fall, but thankfully her mourning period was almost over.

On the next bench was the Gilberts, Isobel and John with their rebellious son Jeremy who was fifteen and their perfect daughter, Elena who was Katherine's same age and who was dutifully reading from her prayer book.

Two rows back there were the Salvatore's, Giuseppe with his twenty three year old son Damon and his eighteen year old son, Stefan.

In front of them sat the Mikaelsons', Esther and Mikael sat stiffly with their eyes on the pastor. Esther and Mikael had six children. Finn had gotten married to a London Heiress, a woman named Sage and he was living in London. Next was twenty five year old Elijah who was the picture of a perfect gentleman, then there was twenty three year old Klaus who had a brand new bruise on his chin rumor was is that he was actually a bastard child and that he was the result of an affair between Esther and the stable boy, then there was twenty year old Kol who's eyes were full of mischief and was known for flirting with every pretty girl, Rebekah was the only girl in the family and one year younger than Katherine and she was known to fall for every boy in town at least once and she was currently courting Stefan. The youngest Mikaelson, Henrik was only twelve years old.

As they exited the church, Miranda grabbed Katherine's arm. "We're going to talk to some of the folks, Katherine please I beg of you behave and act like a lady."

Katherine threw her mother a patronizing look. "Oh, don't worry Mother I'll try not to lift my dress up."

Miranda made a small chocking sound and went to speak to Elizabeth Forbes.

"There you are," Caroline squeezed her hand. "I've been wanting to talk to you, I've miss you."

Katherine laughed. "Care, we saw each other on Thursday."

"I know, but I missed you. You look pretty."

"You look pretty too."

Caroline rolled her eyes as she tugged on her black dress. "I can't wait to get out of this dress," she flushed. "Not that I mean any disrespect, but I'm just so tired of wearing black."

Katherine nodded as she caught the glance of Damon Salvatore. Damon winked at her and she blushed.

"Katherine, you shouldn't be flirting with Damon, he's five years older than you," Caroline scolded as she looked back in disgust. "And I heard that he sleeps with the maids in his house. You don't want to marry that kind of man."

"Caroline Forbes! Who knew you were such a little gossip!" she teased. "Besides I'm just flirting with him. What have I told you about men? They are just for pleasure, not for commitment."

"Careful, Caroline," Elena smirked as she came towards them arm in arm with Hayley Marshall. She hid her smirk behind her fan. "You wouldn't want to be too close to her otherwise her bad influence and bad reputation will stick on you like charcoal. We don't want our good girl reputation damage, especially by someone who's not worth it."

Katherine ignored Caroline's tug as she glared back at Elena. She pulled back her hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Hayley and Caroline gasped.

Elena glared at her while holding on to her stinging cheek.

Katherine said mockingly. "Careful, Elena you better wash that out otherwise I might infect you with my bad reputation."

"Oh!" Elena gave an angry yell like an ally cat and she pushed Katherine to the ground. Katherine hissed in pain as she pulled Elena's brown hair, Elena scratched her cheek. And without them realizing it the whole town had come to watch the battle between the two daughters of the prestigious founding families unfold.

-End of Chapter One-

Yay, new Kalijah story, please review and tell me what you think!