June 2015

Fuck, she thought, coughing violently. Her face was against the ground, her neck hurt, her mouth eating dust. She felt her throat scratchy. There was sand everywhere: in her mouth, in her nostrils, on her face and under her clothes. She couldn't breathe. It was hot, way too hot, and she was sprawled on the ground. It was earth, sand…not tiled nor cemented . she didn't seem to be in a a second it reminded her of when she was little and used to throw herself on the ground while playing in the woods, during the warm summer afternoon in the South of her childhood. But there was grass then, life, the ground alive and flourishing. Now the ground was sandy and hot, so hot, arid and lifeless.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, she kept thinking in a loop.

She felt movement and coughing from somewhere near her. She had something on her eyes, ablindfold of sorts. She couldn't see anything. And she couldn't move her hands, they were tied at her back.

"Hello?" she rasped tentatively. It hurt to talk.

"Caroline?" she heard a male voice answer back, raspy as well.

"Stefan?" she said more forcefully now, feeling a bit relieved. "Are you ok? What happened? Where are we? How are the others?" she kept asking, still whispering. Her throat was protesting, she desperately wanted to just shut up and drink tons of water because fuck it hurt, but she had to ask.

She was trembling. She was scared.

"I don't know. I can see anything" he groaned. She felt shuffling, probably him trying to move. "Damon!" he called in the blackness "Damon!" he kept rasping out in a vain attempt at shouting.

No answer.

She lied down and stretched as much as she could. Great, her ankles were tied too. Of fucking course. She stretched and tried to move in circles so to use her body as a tool to measure the space around her and to feel if there was something or someone around her. She felt something that she thought was a leg. She tried to kick it. "Stefan is that you?", her voice was a bit more forceful now. Oh she would kill for a sip of water.

"No, why? What are you doing?" he asked, scared.

She kept kicking and didn't answer him. Honestly, she didn't know what she was doing.

She heard groaning, and it sounded male. "What the fuck?" the man groaned, more annoyed than pained by the feeble kicks and tried to move.

"Damon?" Stefan asked.

"Stefan? Stefan what the hell is going on? Where are we? What happened? I can't see anything!" Damon

coughed, now fully awake.

"I don't know", the brother answered, his fear plain.

"Where is Elena?" Damon asked, panicked. "Elena!" he half whispered, half shouted, sounding like an old man who smoked way too much. "Elena!" he kept going.

"I don't think she's here" Caroline said.

"Caroline? Are you here? Where are we? Are you okay?" Damon asked her, "Where is Elena? And Bonnie?" he kept going. "I'm tied up, I can't move. Fuck!" he groaned, probably trying to pull at his strings. She tried too but it was no use, the only result her struggling produced was sored and probably rough wrists.

"I'm as okay as you are. I know nothing. I can't see a thing!" she said, "I don't they're here."

"We're here" she heard Elena's frail voice coming from somewhere. She sounded close, but not as close as Damon or Stefan.

"Elena, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Damon asked frantically and she could hear him move, trying to reach his girlfriend.

"I don't know" she groaned, "Bonnie's on top of me" she coughed "she's unconscious, and she's kind of crashing me" she panted. Caroline could hear her pain, and she was glad she didn't have a person's weight on top of her, breathing was difficult enough as it was.

"Can any of you see anything?" she asked. God, being unable to see was frightening her more than she already was.

"No", Stefan's dejected voice came.

"No", Elena answered, barely audible.

"No, fuck!", Damon coughed.

"Great", she said. Just perfect.

"How the hell did we get here?" Damon asked, his voice stronger now. "Can any of you remember? I don't remember a damn thing!". He was mad, that much was obvious. His madness was covering his terror, that much was obvious.

"Nothing", Stefan said.

"Me too" said Elena.

Caroline tried to remember. She tried but she couldn't. So she did was she used to do when she couldn't find where she had put her car keys: if you can't remember where you last saw them, trace back all you did, every single step of your day since the last time you had them.

And so she did.

They had decided to spend their summer away. Somewhere exotic and far away from old, boring Mystic Falls. It was Bonnie's idea: Egypt. At first they weren't sure: a different culture (would the girls be comfortable there? Of course, they were Egyptians, not barbaric, they shouldn't let stupid prejudices rule them, Bonnie countered), food (would they be sick? What if they were allergic to some spices or they stomachs were too delicate? They'll grow strong then, Bonnie laughed), language (They were a British colony, they can speak English, especially in the typical tourists areas where we'll be most of the time, Bonnie explained), climate (didn't you want to go somewhere exotic? Bring some sunscreen, cover yourself and you'll be fine, Bonnie reasoned). At the end they bought the ticket to Cairo and decided that June was the perfect time to go, based on the weather and the tickets price.

The plane ride had been long, but totally worth it. They were staying in a nice hotel in the center of the capital. The people were nice, the food was unexpectedly good and the torrid sun was kept at bay with lots of water, a full block sunscreen and long sleeved t-shirts and pants. They travelled to the historical areas of course, and they were amazed. Of course, America had it ancient buildings, but they were still of 1800s, nothing compared to the artifacts that went back up until ten thousands of years ago.

At the end of the first week (they were supposed to stay there for two weeks), they decided to go around the markets to buy presents and souvenirs for the people home. The boys and the girls split up and everything was fine. At one point, while Elena was looking for a necklace that would fit her sister Katherine's extravagant tastes, a man approached her. He was tall, blonde, he talked funny, had an accent she couldn't recognize. He seemed friendly and told her that he too was looking for something for his wife. Caroline watched the scene from a distance, not really alarmed, but thinking it was better to keep her eyes open. She pulled out her phone and texted Damon and Stefan, wanting the group to be together.

She could swear, on her life, it couldn't have taken her more than a minute to type and send the text.

Apparently a minute was all it took, because Elena and the blond man were gone.

"Bonnie!" she caught her friend's arm, alarmed "Where is Elena?" .

"Mmmh?" Bonnie answered distractedly, tearing her eyes from a shirt she eyed for her father, watching Caroline with wide eyes.

"Elena's gone!" Caroline said frantically, her heart beating madly, her breath ragged, her eyes scanning the crowd over and over, back and forth, looking for the familiar brown head.

"What?" Bonnie dropped the shirt and turned around in the direction of the stand Elena was supposed to be at.

"She was talking to a man and now I can't see her!" Caroline replied, running through the river of people to the stand her friend was in front of just moments ago.

"Excuse me" she said to the old man behind the sort of counter "there was a girl here. Where did she go?". The man looked at her. "A girl!" Caroline said again, slower and louder "Brown hair, very beautiful, about this tall" she gestured with her hand Elena's height, trying to use common words that the man may know. "she was with a man. Tall" she gestured the man's height "blonde, blue eyes". She kept describing. The man kept staring at her. Great. Everyone there was able to speak some sort of English at least. Everyone, except for this man. The only useful man in that whole damned city. Of course.

Caroline felt the panic rise and tears gather in her eyes. She couldn't breathe.

"Caroline!" she heard someone call her. It was Damon, walking toward her along with Stefan. "Where Elena?" he asked as soon as he got to them.

Caroline stared at him "I don't know" she whispered.

Damon looked at her, furrowing his brows, stepping closer "What do you mean?" he asked, smiling for the briefest of seconds, speaking in a low voice "Where's Elena, Caroline?" he asked again, looking around, as if she was going to pop up any second.

Caroline just kept staring at him, tears falling on her cheeks. He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her "Where's Elena Caroline!" he said shouting now, shaking her.

"I don't know!" she cried. She felt weak in the knees.

"There!" Bonnie shouted, pointing at a what seemed to be an alley, barely noticeable in that sea of people.

They run toward it. There was Elena, struggling against the blonde man, that was forcing her to climb on a black SUV or jeep of sorts, Caroline wasn't really paying attention.

It was all very fast, or maybe it wasn't and that was just Caroline's distorted perception of time.

Damon and Stefan run to the man, they pried Elena from his hands, not without effort, and started punching him, while Elena went to the girls, all of them shaking and watching, hypnotized and frightened, the scene unfolding before them.

The two guys were having the upper hand, the man was on the ground, trying to shield himself from their blows. They were winning. They could just leave him there and run back to the hotel and fly back home. Screw the other week and the loss of money, Caroline wanted to go home.

She had barely time to notice the shadows on the ground in front of her, her brain had barely the time to process that someone was behind them, when she felt a sting in her neck. She had barely time to realize she had been injected with something, a sedative probably, before her eyes started to close and the last thing she saw were Stefan's and Damon's scared faces looking straight at them, forgetting about the man on the ground, before everything went black.

"We were at the markets. A man took Elena and he wasn't alone" she recalled "someone must have drugged us up or something…fuck, fuck, fuck" she swore.

They were all going to die. Or worse. She had read about what they did to girls. They were forced to become prostitutes, sold like animals to the best bidder. Used ruthlessly to satisfy some sick twisted maniac's desires, beaten, drugged, raped, tortured and then, if they were lucky, killed, never to be found again. Especially girls like her, busty, blonde and with blue eyes. She had seen that Liam Neeson movie.

Caroline couldn't breathe.

She heard muffled footsteps, and what sounded like a door creaking open. Then she heard a male voice, with an American accent, "Well, well" he said, approaching slowly and heavily (he was either quite tall or quite build or her wore heavy shoes, Caroline didn't know what to hope for out of the three options that came to her mind), "What do we have here?" he asked. She could feel his smile, and it made her stomach crump and churn and twist in a sudden and intense spasm. He sounded so content and utterly satisfied and she was reminded of Tyler and how he sounded after they had sex, or when drinking his favorite brand of beer. Oh God, Tyler, she thought suddenly for the first time. I'll never see him again. This is going to crush him, and my parents…No. I can't think about it. Her heart beat so fast and loudly she could feel its sound in her ears and she could actually feel it physically pulse in her ears. God, I want to die right know. Please, if you exist, save me or kill me. I don't want to be raped or tortured, she pleaded. She had never believed that much in God, nor in some other kind of greater force or spirit, but right then, she wished with all her heart that someone or something good, loving, merciful and powerful existed. And she wished for it, or for anyone to save her.

She heard the steps stop in front of her and then a hand touching and sliding up her outer thigh. She whimpered, and the hand was at her back, taking her hands in his and pulling her up. "Come now" he said, calm and collected but nonetheless authoritative manner, "Walk", he commanded and led her to what she supposed was the door, since she was still living in a world of darkness. She managed to stumble in front of him, crying, hearing her friends screams behind her, and then she felt the warmth of the sun's rays on her skin, before being thrown in the back of a vehicle.

Then she felt another sting, meaning another injection, and she fell asleep.

August 2015

"Bleah! These creatures are simply gross, brother! I don't know why you like them so much!" the black haired young man said from atop of his dromedary.

The blonde man just shook his head, smiled and stared ahead at the desert.

"Seriously bro, they're disgusting and so not elegant at all!" he kept whining behind his older brother, who just kept ignoring him. "Why couldn't we just use horses?" he wondered, "Black horses! Elegant stallions running through the desert, with our charming selves dressed in white on top of them, riding in the red sunset light" he painted the picture he had so clear in his mind, it seemed true. A quick glance at the drooling animal below him, however, remind him how far from the truth that picture was.

"Kol, I understand that you aspire to be a director, but I feel my duty to remind you that real life is not a movie. And even if it was" the man turned, one hand holding the reins, the other resting confidently on his thigh, smirking arrogantly and mockingly at his younger brother, "do you really think that of the two of us, you will be the one to direct it?" he said.

Kol glared at him, furrowing his brows "Ah. Ah. So funny, Nik. You sure know how to make people love you" he said, sticking out his tongue childishly.

The man just ignored him and turned back to the desert. Ah it was wonderful, more so at sunset. He had wished to go at dawn to avoid the suffocating heat that would rise during the long days of August, but business demanded his attention and he opted for the sunset, the only other time of the day that was not too hot nor too cold. He had asked Kol to come along, since he had never seen the desert. If only he hadn't. Kol couldn't stop pestering him about the heat, and the sweat, and the clothes, and the smell and the animals. It was supposed to be something relaxing, not an easy task since they were accompanied by other three people, their bodyguards, and a guide, thanks to their controlling brother, just in case, he said. But now it was pretty much impossible. He didn't expect Kol to actually find the desert invigorating as he did, but at least he expected him to let his brother enjoy it. Or, at very least, not to bother him. Was it too much to ask?

"Tell me, Nik, why do you like this…things" he referred to the dromedaries "so much?"

Apparently, yes. It was way too much to ask.

Nik sighed "It is not so much that I like them Kol" he explained, "They're just the creatures that are most adapt to travel in this environment. They're fast, they know the land and its tricks, they move easily" he patted the side of his one " and they're incredibly resilient" he added. He respected those animals, and actually admired their strength. Strength was something he valued, and anything strong was worth his admiration. Strength was power. Strength, in a hostile location such as the desert, meant survival.

"Aw look at that! Nik fell in love!" Kol mocked "Why don't you marry yours and have some babies with it? I bet they wi-".

Silence around Kol was something rare. Kol not finishing a sentence was even rarer. Kol not finishing a sentence that was a mocking to him, was something unprecedented. Nik turned around to look at his brother, the caravan halting. Kol was squinting his eyes in the distance, looking at his right, leaning over his dromedary in an attempt to see better, "Oh my God, Nik, is that…" he whispered, leaning more, almost sprawled on the head of his ride. His eyes went wide, just as Nik's ones followed his gaze "A person?" he was still whispering.

Niklaus squinted his eyes, trying to see what his brother was referring to. There, in front of them, not so far, was most certainly a person, barely visible between the dunes, laid in the sand.

I hope it is not a corpse, Nik thought. It was not uncommon as someone may have thought to find bodies of people that got lost in the desert and succumbed to its heat and lack of water.

They made the dromedaries run to where the person was. Kol could finally see the use of those creatures. Nik jumped off his ride as soon as he got there and turned the girl (it was obviously a girl) on her back, holding her blonde, curly head on his arm, high and above the sand that seemed to be on every inch of her skin. Her skin was red, sun burned, raw and dry, with many cuts and bruises. She was skinny, her skin dirty, her clothes ripped and filthy. He checked her pulse at the base of her throat. She was alive. That was a miracle, who knows how long she had been there, without food or water. Judging by her cracked lips, definitely too long, he mused.

"Kol, get me some water" he commanded, and his brother gave him a bottle. He tried to wake her up and have her drink a little, but she was unmoving.

He scooped her up and carried her to his dromedary, hauling her up sideways on her stomach and climbing behind her, reins in hand.

"Call Elijah, tell him to get a doctor, she needs help!" he shouted, already sprinting toward home, his bodyguards following him suit.

"Already done that Nik" Kol shouted, right behind his brother.

They raced back home, making it in half the time they were supposed to, Nik carefully making sure the girl didn't fall of the ride nor get injured in some other way. The help was already at the door, opening it for him as he carried the unconscious girl through the main door, "Elijah!" he shouted, just a moment before his brother appeared in front of him, a man with a brown leather bag in his hand, the doctor.

"Here, lay her down her Niklaus" Elijah motioned to the big sofa in the nearest living room. He laid her down and moved away, letting the doctor check her.

"What happened?" Elijah asked.

Kol answered first, "We were riding in the desert, talking and then, out of nowhere, I saw something. At first I thought I had imagined it, that it was a trick of the light, but then I realized it was a person lying in the sand. God, it was awful… then Nik got to her, tried to wake her, but as you can see she was comatose, and we thought to take her here".

Elijah nodded, "You did the right thing. There wasn't much else you could have done actually. There is not an hospital near by. We were the better option", he concluded, ever the practical one.

The doctor came up to them, "The lady is not in a critical condition, she will make it given the right amount of food and water. However her cuts need to be treated. And not just those…is she family?" he asked, obliged to even if he already knew the answer.

"No," Elijah said, "but do not worry, we will not harm her. We'll take care of her until she wakes up and can tell us about her family, then we will send her back home. Please, speak freely doctor" .

The doctor nodded, "It appears she had been beaten. Badly, and for some time. She will need psychological support. Do I need to check if she was raped? I know it is personal and usually it would require consent, but if she is injured or wounded, or pregnant or has caught some disease, it is better to know right away and cure her. Of course it can wait until she wakes up", he informed them.

They were shocked. For the first time in a long time, neither of them knew what to do. Should they have a doctor check a stranger in such an intimate way for something such a personal and delicate matter? Rape… the three of them craned their heads to take a peek at the sofa, her feet the only visible part of her.

"Uhm, no. we will wait for her to wake up" Elijah said, concluding it was the moral thing to do. The most respectful choice. Of course, if she woke up soon, if that was not the case he will have her checked…or woken up with some medications cocktail, after all if they can put you into a drug induced coma, they can put you out if it too, right? He mused.

The doctor nodded, "Alright then. I will come back tomorrow, or as soon as she wakes, though I don't expect that to happen before tomorrow morning. Good evening " he bowed and went for the door, a butler opening it for him.

The three brothers stood in silence for a while. Then Elijah took the matter in his hands.

"Ahmed, take the miss and place her in one of the guest rooms on the first floor, please" he said to one of their butler. Niklaus was faster and he had her already in his arms, marching toward the elevator, earning a puzzled look by his brothers. "Niklaus, what are you doing?" Elijah asked perplexed.

He just shrugged as much as he could with the girl in his grip, "I'm taking her upstairs", he simply said. Then the elevator doors closed.

He looked down at her. He had never been the sentimental type, and he sure as hell wasn't planning on becoming one now, but he felt as if it was his duty to take her to the room. He had carried her home, he would carry her to her room. She was young, so young, and pretty. Her skin must have been fair some time ago, and flawless he would bet, her hair were long and matted now, but he was sure they were shiny and luscious once upon a not so long time ago. Her features were delicate, round and plump. So young, he thought. She wasn't his type, but he could see the draw. And now, she was wounded, broken and frail, she almost seemed old, her beauty temporarily ruined, obscured by something evil.

He walked down the corridor to the room he had decided it would be hers, the closest one to the elevator, the most practical choice. A butler was already there to open it for him. He entered and laid her down on the bed, covered her , looked at her one last time, and then he joined his brothers downstairs.

Dinner was quite. The three of them had so many questions, but none of them spoke them out loud. What was the point, when the only person that could answer them was sleeping upstairs?

"Will you return home tomorrow as planned?" Elijah asked Niklaus at some point during the evening.

"Of course" he answered, sipping at his scotch. He had the distinct feeling he was lying to his brother, though he couldn't fathom why. Of course he would leave. He wasn't lying to anyone.

Elijah nodded.

They went back to bed. None of them managed to get much sleep. By dawn they were standing in front of their guest's room. No sound came from it.

Elijah sighed "Well, I suppose we should check on her" he said, and turned the doorknob.

They stood there at the foot of her bed, and then, just like in the movies where the timing is, obviously, so perfect and convenient, she stirred, turning her face from one side to the other, eyes still close.

And then she opened them.

She looked at the three men, lined up at the foot of her bed, staring at her.

She sat up, trying to pull the sheets to cover her as much as possible, while scurrying as far from them as the bed permitted, her eyes wide and terrified. And then she screamed.

Okay, so maybe having her wake up to three men staring at her hadn't really been the best idea.

Elijah was the first to talk and approach her, arms outstretched, palms open in a reassuring gesture, "No, no, it's okay, you're okay. We are not here to hurt you" he said slowly. Did she even speak English? She didn't seem to understand what he was saying.

"What is your name?" he asked her slowly.

She looked at him, her eyes moving frantically over his form, examining him. The she took in her surrounding, and in the two men left in front of her. She looked Niklaus straight in the eyes for the briefest of seconds, then she looked back at Elijah, more frightened than before, if that was even possible.

"Non lo so" she whispered in what they recognized to be Italian. Thank their mother for forcing them to learn that useless language.

Unfortunately, they understood what she said, and looked at each other, frozen and worried, because what she had just said meant: I don't know.

So, that's my new multi-chapter story. I really hope you like it and tell me what you think leaving a review. Sorry for any mistakes, it was not betaed. If someone would like to be my beta or do the cover for this story, feel free to Pm me!

I hope this is not offensive to anyone. I have never been in Egypt and I don't mean to pass on the idea that girls get kidnapped or worse. I just needed her to be near the desert. And I need her not to speak English at first (you'll see why) and I chose Italian simply because it's easier for me.

Drop a review!

Thanks for reading.