Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville or The Vampire Diaries, nor the Three Days Grace song "Life Starts Now".

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Chloe decided for Crater Lake.

It might have been a popular place, but this time of the year the students were all too busy to congregate in multitudes like they would do during the summer, so it was the most isolated place she could think of. She was weak and felt sick, the agony too painful to ignore as she held onto her stomach and collapsed to her knees by the waters edge.

She'd had so many good memories here.

It was as good a place as any to die.

Chloe laid down and looked up at the sky, at the clouds, remembering how she and Clark would come here to either gaze at the clouds during the day, or try to count the stars during the night.

She clutched at her stomach as a hot flash of agony curled inside of her.

She was so hungry.

And angry.

She didn't want to die.

She didn't.

Green eyes closed as she took in deep breaths.

She wanted to live.

There was so much that she hadn't done yet.

The world had so much to offer her.

You say you feel so down

Every time I turn around

And you say you should've been gone by now

At least her eyes weren't burning her anymore, neither was her skin uncomfortable, like hot clay.

It was as if she was in her body again, but it was just that her body was in agony from hunger.

She could literally feel herself growing weaker.

And you, you think that everything's wrong

You ask me how to carry on

We'll make it through another day just hold on.

"Not many people come here at this time of the day."

Chloe jumped at the voice, turning in horror to see the man towering over her.

Oh no.

Sitting up immediately, Chloe pushed herself to her feet.

She needed to get away from here.

She was in an isolated place.

Far from anyone who could help...

...him.

"No, no." He put his hand on her shoulder when she tried to walk passed him, closing his fingers around her and keeping her in place. "Don't go. That's rude." He smirked. "Especially when I'd like to get to know you so much better."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "I need to go."

He tightened his grip before pushing her down on the ground. "You're rude."

"You're making it easy." Chloe whispered, looking up at him, gulping.

She could hear the sound of his blood, his heart, could smell how could he would taste.

"Oh really?" He sneered. "Making what easy?"

All the emotions and desires she'd been trying to hold back were breaking her control.

"Making it easy for me to justify killing you."

And then she snapped.

Chloe didn't remember pouncing, didn't remember clawing at him before biting deep into his skin, her blunt human teeth still able to pierce his skin and draw blood.

The first taste of blood was the first thing she really focused on, felt the changes in her, could feel the tingling in her eyes and the life returning to her as her teeth grew sharper, fangs descending.

He screamed, he tried to overpower her, but she easily pinned him to the ground, burying her fangs into his neck and making a mess of it. She didn't know what she was doing, didn't know where exactly to bite, what to do, all she wanted to draw the blood that made all the voices and the hurt disappear.

He stopped moving, body going lax.

Chloe purred, drinking from the well of life gushing from his torn neck.

With every gulp she took, Chloe could feel something of herself being lost, and yet she couldn't remove her mouth from his opened wound, couldn't even consider not drinking.

Only when he was completely dry did she let her fangs slide out from his skin, and she sat up, grinning up at the sky as she giggled somewhat drunkenly.

It was a good thing that sunlight thing didn't really work on vampires, because she'd be toast right about now if that had been the case.

That really hadn't been a smart move, turning in full daylight.

What if the legends had been true?

She would have burnt up!

"Finally, my luck seems to be changing." Chloe stood up from the body, looking down at the dead man, licking her lips at the memory of the taste of his blood.

The craving wasn't as violent, not now that she was relatively full, but it was still a sweet tingle of want in the back of her throat.

Chloe sighed, realizing that she should be feeling something right about now.

Something that wasn't satisfaction.

Something more along the lines of repentance.

But she wasn't.

It was as if the moment she'd turned she'd hit some switch that got rid of the guilt.

She could get used to that.

Licking the remaining blood on her fingers, Chloe went into the lake, to wash off the blood on her.

It wouldn't do to go into town covered in blood, now, would it?

Cause life starts now.

You've done all the things that could kill you somehow

And you're so far down

But you will survive it somehow because life starts now.

She may have gotten weird looks due to the fact that she was wet, but other than that Chloe found herself relatively ignored as she made her way back into town. It'd taken her a while, but the sun was still very high in the sky once she found herself in front of that motel room.

The scent of blood called to her from within.

Licking her lips, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

There was an unhappy snarl and then the door was yanked open, Katherine glaring at her, before her eyes widened. "You've turned."

Chloe wondered why she looked so surprised.

Wasn't that what the vampire had been going for all along?

And now it's your chance to move on

Change the way you've lived for so long

You find the strength you've had inside all along.

"I decided I wanted to survive instead of shrivel." Chloe responded, pulling a strand of now dried hair behind her ear. "I'd like to talk though." Her gaze went inside. "Unless you prefer to eat alone."

"You've turned." Katherine whispered again, almost as if in awe, as she looked at her. Then those brown eyes narrowed. "Where is it?"

"Where is what?" Chloe frowned.

"Don't play with me!" Katherine snapped, storming out of the motel and beginning to search her, feeling through her clothes and such, before backing away, eyes wide. "You have nothing on you."

"What is wrong with you?" Chloe snapped, feeling slightly violated.

She'd never been felt up before, especially not by a female vampire in broad daylight.

"How?" Katherine whispered. "How are you in the sunlight? Why aren't you burning up? How?"

Chloe frowned, confused, pointing to her sire. "You are in the sunlight."

For some reason, that seemed to piss off Katherine. "I know how I am in the sunlight! How are you though?" She leaned her hip against the doorframe, folding her arms over her head. "This must be what Emily was talking about when she said that you'd be of great use to me."

Chloe had so much she wanted to ask.

Katherine suddenly smiled, reaching out and hugging the blonde, whispering in her ear. "There is so much you need to learn."

Chloe smiled, feeling in her element when it came to learning.

Take this life and make it yours.

"Unfortunately, I have some very important business that I need to put all my attention on at the moment." Katherine pulled away, motioning for Chloe to enter the motel room after her.

Chloe did as told, closing the door behind her, eyeing the woman sitting on the bed, in a daze.

The woman had bite marks all over her, and yet was smiling serenely.

"What's wrong with her?" Chloe frowned.

"You will learn that there are more advantages to being a vampire than just eternal life." Katherine replied with a cheeky smile, flicking a curl behind her shoulder. "You never did tell me your name."

"Chloe." The blonde answered. "Chloe Sullivan."

"Chloe." Katherine smile a cunning smile, reaching over and caressing her cheek. "Well Chloe, there is much you need to know, and while I don't have the time or patience to teach you, I do know someone who would do so for me. And this would serve my purpose perfectly. I need to punish him for being such a fool and letting out those vampires from the Tomb. As if I would still be there. It's insulting to think that I would be trapped all those years. And now thanks to him, those Tomb Vampires are causing too much havoc. They're going to ruin my plans if they continue this way, and its all his fault."

Chloe frowned, wondering who it was that Katherine would place to teach her.

The dark haired vampire pulled off a ring and passed it to Chloe. "This will be proof that you came from me. It will disorient him, and he'll have a lot of questions for you, but if he knows that I'm the one who sent you to him, he won't refuse you, or refuse to train you. The fact that you can go in the sunlight without...help...will also throw him and the others off their game for a while, which serves my purposes quite well."

"Katherine?" The blonde's frown darkened. "Where am I going?"

"To Mystic Falls, Virginia." Katherine went back to the bed and threw herself on it, chuckling. "He's not going to see this coming, poor, foolish boy."

"Who?" Chloe pressed, still trying to wrap her head around the thought of going to Virginia.

"Your mentor of course." Katherine chuckled once more, the sound sinister and amused. "Damon Salvatore."

Life starts now.

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See you all in the sequel! ... Whenever it comes out!