Chapter 39: The Klaus Arrival - Part 1
Something was wrong with Alaric.
My Sensory clone's mental alert hit me during third period history, a discordant note that made my skin crawl. Alaric stood at the front of the classroom discussing the Civil War, but his heartbeat was different—slower, more controlled. Ancient.
"Emotional signature reads as predatory," my clone reported from his position near the window. "This isn't Alaric Saltzman."
Ice flooded my veins. Klaus was here. The Original Hybrid had taken my friend's body, and I was sitting ten feet away from him like a lamb at slaughter.
Klaus—wearing Alaric's face—caught me staring and smiled. It was Alaric's mouth, but the expression behind it belonged to something that had been killing for a thousand years.
"Mr. Barton," he said pleasantly, "perhaps you could stay after class? I'd like to discuss your latest essay."
Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I forced myself to nod calmly. Running would only confirm his suspicions, and there were twenty other students in the room who could become collateral damage.
The minutes crawled by like hours. When the bell finally rang and the classroom emptied, I remained seated while Klaus closed the door with deliberate care.
"Hello, Sam Barton," he said, and now his voice carried traces of the accent I remembered from the show—ancient, cultured, absolutely terrifying. "I've heard fascinating things about you."
My Mind Shield clone materialized beside me, invisible barriers of Epic-tier mental protection crackling to life. Klaus's eyes tracked the movement with predatory interest.
"Ah yes, the shadow soldiers Katherine mentioned. How delightfully unique." He leaned against his desk, still wearing Alaric's body like an ill-fitting suit. "The boy with immunity to compulsion. She wasn't exaggerating."
I kept my voice steady through sheer force of will. "Where's Alaric?"
Klaus tapped his temple. "Sleeping inside his own mind. Don't worry—I need his body intact for now. Such a convenient cover, the humble history teacher. No one suspects the monster wearing their friend's face."
"What do you want?"
"What I've always wanted. Freedom." His eyes flashed gold for a split second, hybrid nature bleeding through human features. "You're going to be very useful in my ritual, Mr. Barton. Katherine told me about your... extensive alliance network."
My blood ran colder. He knew about Pearl, about Rose and Trevor, about my connections to Stefan and Damon. Worse, he knew about my clones.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Klaus laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Please. Pearl's tomb vampires, the Salvatore brothers, Rose and Trevor who owe you their lives, even my dear brother Elijah. Quite impressive for a human teenager."
He stood up and walked around the desk, moving with Alaric's familiar gait but carrying himself like a predator. My Mind Shield clone tensed, ready to intercept any compulsion attempt.
"But here's what's going to happen," Klaus continued conversationally. "You're going to help me prepare for my ritual. You're going to use your network to ensure everything proceeds smoothly. And you're going to do it with a smile."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then people start dying. Starting with Jenna Sommers, who I've already compelled to walk into traffic if she doesn't hear from 'Alaric' every six hours." Klaus checked his watch with exaggerated care. "Currently, she has four hours and thirty-seven minutes left."
The casual cruelty of it hit me like a physical blow. Jenna was Elena's guardian, Jeremy's protector, an innocent woman who'd never asked to be part of the supernatural world.
"You're a coward," I said quietly. "Using hostages because you're afraid to face opposition directly."
Klaus's expression didn't change, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
"I've built quite the alliance network—Pearl's vampires, the Salvatores, Rose and Trevor, even my brother Elijah. Impressive for a human teenager. But now you work for me, or everyone you love dies, starting with the pretty blonde sheriff's daughter."
Caroline. He knew about Caroline.
My clones tensed around me, three separate manifestations of my will preparing for violence. But I couldn't fight Klaus here, not in Alaric's body. Killing the Original meant killing my friend, and Klaus knew it.
"Smart boy," Klaus observed, noting my restraint. "You understand the rules now. Cooperation ensures survival. Resistance ensures suffering."
I forced myself to nod, buying time while my mind raced through options. "What do you need me to do?"
"For now? Nothing. Continue your normal routine while I make preparations. But first, you're going to send a message to your network. Tell them Klaus has arrived, tell them cooperation is expected, and tell them that any interference will result in immediate and painful consequences."
[QUEST ALERT: SURVIVE KLAUS'S DOMINATION]
[OBJECTIVE: PROTECT ALLIES WHILE MAINTAINING COVER]
[WARNING: FAILURE CONDITIONS INCLUDE MASS CASUALTIES]
[REWARD: SURVIVAL, POTENTIAL ADVANCEMENT]
I dismissed the System notification mentally while Klaus continued his instructions.
"The ritual will take place tomorrow night at the old quarry. My brother has the moonstone, the sacrifices have been selected, and Miss Bennett will channel the magic. All very civilized."
"And Elena?"
"Survives, as promised. Assuming everyone follows the script." Klaus's smile was sharp as a blade. "Though I may have neglected to mention certain... insurance policies to dear Elijah."
My stomach dropped. He was planning to betray the agreement, to kill Elena after the ritual completed. I'd suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed made the betrayal feel like ice in my veins.
"Now then," Klaus said, straightening Alaric's tie, "I believe you have a girlfriend to protect. Miss Forbes is such a lovely girl—athletic, intelligent, fierce when cornered. It would be a shame if something happened to her."
I was moving before he finished speaking, not caring about maintaining cover anymore. My Mind Shield clone shifted to intercept any supernatural attacks while I backed toward the door.
Klaus made no move to stop me, just watched with amused satisfaction.
"Six hours until Jenna dies," he called after me. "Do try to be punctual."
I sprinted through the hallways, texting frantically as I ran. Coded messages to Stefan, Damon, Pearl, Rose and Trevor—warnings that Klaus was here and in control. But the priority was Caroline.
I found her at her locker, laughing with Bonnie about something trivial and normal. She looked so beautiful, so alive, that my chest ached with the need to protect her.
"Caroline," I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. "We need to go. Now."
She took one look at my face and grabbed her purse without question. "What's wrong?"
"Klaus is here. He's wearing Alaric's body, he knows about us, and you're not safe."
Bonnie went pale. "Oh god. Elena—"
"Is protected by the ritual agreement. You're not." I guided Caroline toward the parking lot, my remaining clones forming a protective formation around us. "Pearl's safe house. My Defensive Shield clone will stay with you."
"I'm not hiding while you face him alone," Caroline protested, but I could hear the fear beneath her defiance.
"You're not hiding. You're staying alive." I cupped her face with both hands, desperate to make her understand. "Caroline, you're my weakness. If Klaus grabs you, I'll do anything he wants. Please, let me protect you this way."
She stared into my eyes for a long moment, reading the terror and love I couldn't hide. Finally, she nodded.
"Okay. But you come back to me, Sam Barton. You come back."
I kissed her desperately, tasting tears I didn't realize I was crying. "Always."
[TACTICAL DECISION: CAROLINE PROTECTION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
[DEFENSIVE SHIELD CLONE AND SENSORY CLONE ASSIGNED TO GUARDIAN DUTY]
[ACTIVE CLONES REDUCED TO 2: MIND SHIELD, STRENGTH]
Pearl's safe house was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town, warded by centuries-old vampire magic and stocked with weapons that could kill anything supernatural. I left Caroline there with my two most defensive clones, knowing it was the safest place in Mystic Falls.
But as I drove back toward town, toward the Mystic Grill where Klaus waited in my friend's body, I felt like I was driving toward my own execution.
The Grill was nearly empty when I arrived, just a few late afternoon customers nursing coffee and avoiding eye contact. Klaus sat in a corner booth, wearing Alaric's body like a mask and sketching something on a napkin.
"Punctual," he said approvingly as I slid into the seat across from him. "I do appreciate punctuality."
On the napkin was a detailed drawing of the quarry ritual site—stone circle, altar, positions for the participants. Even in Alaric's handwriting, it looked like a diagram for murder.
"Good, you came back," Klaus continued, signaling the waitress for two bourbons. "I was worried I'd have to start killing people to get your attention."
"What now?"
"Now we discuss how you're going to help me break my curse." Klaus leaned back in the booth, completely at ease despite wearing stolen flesh. "Your clones will provide security during the ritual. Your network will ensure no interference. And you will personally guarantee Miss Gilbert's cooperation."
I met his ancient eyes and saw a madness that had been building for a thousand years. This wasn't negotiation—it was dictation from a creature that had forgotten what compromise looked like.
But buried beneath the madness was something else. Desperation. Klaus needed this ritual to work, needed his freedom more than he needed revenge. That desperation was the only leverage I had.
"The ritual happens as agreed," I said carefully. "Elena survives. No additional casualties."
"Of course," Klaus replied, but his smile promised otherwise.
Outside, the sun was setting over Mystic Falls, painting the sky the color of blood. Tomorrow night, everything would change. Klaus would be free, Elena would be in mortal danger, and I would have to choose between saving my friends and saving my soul.
But tonight, for these last few hours of relative peace, I sat across from the Original Hybrid wearing my friend's face and planned for war.
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