"These images tell a story... to learn the story, you have to decipher these images." Alaric explained, going through the photos. Elena and Damon were busy sparring while Shiloh tried to help Alaric the best she could.
"This one kinda looks like it could be a cat." Shiloh said.
"I doubt it's a cat." Alaric said.
"So a creepy, admittedly cool, werewolf-vampire hybrid is totally reasonable but not a ancient picture of a cat?" Shiloh asked.
"Shiloh." Alaric sighed.
"Fine, fine. I'm getting tired of playing pictionary anyway." Shiloh said, grabbing her bag and jacket.
"Where are you going?" Alaric asked.
"You wanna know about an original, ask an original." Shiloh said.
"You really think that's a good idea? Rebekah could kill you in a second." Damon said.
"Better then sitting around waiting for Alaric to figure everything out for us." Shiloh said.
"You could always train with us." Elena offered.
"I think I'll pass. Besides, you're a human, and no matter how strong or fast you are, I'm still gonna be stronger and faster. So for me, it won't really be training." Shiloh said. "Have fun, though." Shiloh said, sending them a fake smile before exiting Alaric's apartment.
"I thought she was actually starting to forgive us." Elena said disappointingly.
"Guess it's a bit hard to see you two getting so close." Alaric said with distaste. Damon and Elena looked at each other. "Just my opinion."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Shiloh found Rebekah with the other cheerleaders at school. "Rebekah?" She called, getting the girl's attention.
"Can I help you?" Rebekah asked, walking away from the cheerleaders to join Shiloh.
"I was hoping maybe we could talk." Shiloh said.
"About what?" Rebekah asked bluntly.
"Well... About your father, Mikeal." Shiloh said.
"I should get back to the girls. Homecoming's right around the corner." Rebekah said, turning to leave.
"We know where he is, Rebekah." Shiloh said. Rebekah paused, turning around to face Shiloh asked.
"You're bluffing! You don't know where he is. No one does." Rebekah said.
Old cemetery in Charlotte?" Shiloh said.
"If you wake Mikael, we are all doomed!" Rebekah said.
"Why? What's so bad about Mikael?" Shiloh asked.
"Why do you want to know?" Rebekah asked.
"Why don't you want me to wake him?" Shiloh said.
"I need to get back to the girls... but... I'll text you later." Rebekah said, spinning on her heel and walking back to the other girls.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Shiloh entered the Salvator boarding house with caution, inspecting her surroundings. "Don't worry, Damon isn't here." Rebekah said, walking into the foyer with champagne glasses. "What's up?"
"Uh, not much. You wanted to talk?" Shiloh said.
"All right girls, have at it!" Rebekah called over her shoulder. Six girls from the cheerleading squad dressed in formal dresses marched into the room, lining up to show off their dresses. "Okay, now twirl please." Rebekah commanded and the girls obeyed.
"You compelled your own fashion show?" Shiloh asked confused.
"I need a Homecoming dress. So, what do you think? Pick one." Rebekah said.
"Uh, I don't know. I like the blue one, but red is more your color. I'm not really good with this kind of stuff, maybe you should've asked someone else" Shiloh said.
"Like who? You're the only one in this pathetic attempt of a town that I can stand to be around for more then five minutes at a time without compelling or killing." Rebekah said casually.
"I'm gonna take that as a compliment." Shiloh said.
"So what exactly is up with you and Damon? I mean, I know my dear brother Niklaus mentioned you and he were a thing, and now you're obviously not, so what happened?" Rebekah asked.
"Elena Gilbert happened." Shiloh replied.
"Ah, you got doppelganger too." Rebekah stated, raising her glass. "I'll drink to that."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"How fun is this?" Rebekah asked, going through Stefan's things in his room.
"Kinda weird actually... I haven't exactly spent much time in here." Shiloh said.
"Come on, like you've never wanted to snoop." Rebekah said, holding up a pair of Stefan's boxers. "Boxer briefs. A lot has changed since the twenties."
"Must've been cool, to be alive so long, seeing everything change." Shiloh said.
"You would think, it actually goes at a rather slow pace." Rebekah said.
"Rebekah, I did come over here for a reason, you know. I want to know more about you. About your family. Are you all from Mystic Falls originally?" Shiloh asked.
"Well, not all of us. My parents were from Europe. They had just started a family, when a plague struck their homeland. They lost a child to it. They wanted to escape and protect their future family from the same fate." Rebekah said.
"Why Mystic Falls? Of all places, what made this one seem right?" Shiloh asked.
"My mother knew the witch Ayana, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy... blessed by the gifts of speed and strength, that lead my family here, where we lived amongst those people." Rebekah said.
"Werewolves?" Shiloh questioned.
"To us, they were just our neighbors. My family lived in peace with them for over 20 years, during which time my family had more children, including me." Rebekah said.
"That must've been... fun?" Shiloh said.
"It wasn't bad." Rebekah said.
"Well how did you survive the full moons? How did you live?" Shiloh asked.
"Once a month our family retreated into the caves beneath our village. The wolves would howl through the night and by morning we'd return home." Rebekah said. "One full moon, Klaus and my youngest brother Henrik snuck out to watch the men turn into beasts. That was forbidden. Henrik paid the price... And that was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbors. And one of the last moments my family had together as humans." Rebekah said.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Rebekah lay on Stefan's bed, reading his journals. Shiloh sat on the floor, leaning against a wall and throwing an old baseball up into the air, catching it, then repeating the process over and over. "Find anything interesting? I figured it was all pretty standard Stefan, 'killed a bunny today, awkward interactions with people, did something normal and completely cliché with Elena.' You get the point." Rebekah let out a sigh, dropping the journal she was reading and picking up a picture from Stefan's nightstand.
"Honestly, I don't get those two as a couple." Rebekah said, showing the picture of Elena and Stefan to Shiloh.
"Well, when Stefan isn't ripper mode, he's actually pretty stereotypical for a high school boy. Likes football, hates dancing. They get along." Shiloh said.
"He's a vampire. We're a predatory species." Rebekah said. "We don't have time to care about humans and their silly little lives."
"I don't believe that. I'm still me, I didn't change." Shiloh said.
"You think you didn't change." Rebekah said.
"I still hate wearing dresses, play video games with my best friend on the weekends, and ride my bike to work." Shiloh said.
"Just because your habits haven't changed, doesn't mean you haven't. Maybe you just won't let yourself change. You could be totally hot if you let me give you a makeover, you know." Rebekah said.
"I don't think so." Shiloh said.
"Sooner or later you're gonna have to accept that you're not the same girl you were." Rebekah said.
"Can you just tell me the rest of the story?" Shiloh asked.
"Well, lets talk about the original witch, shall we? After all, she is the one that started the vampire bloodline." Rebekah said.
"Isn't she the one that put the hybrid curse on Klaus?" Shiloh asked.
"It's kind of complicated. You see after my brother Henry died, my mother was desperate to find a way for us to protect ourselves. I'm thirsty. Do you want a drink?" Rebekah said, going down to the library. Shiloh followed behind.
"Wait, so that's why vampires exist? To save your family from a pack of werewolves." Shiloh said.
"Yup, vampires are all about protection. Now you know a little bit more about yourself. See, isn't this fun?" Rebekah said.
"Why didn't you guys just leave, if you were so afraid of the wolves? Wouldn't it make more sense then making an entire new species? Why stay?" Shiloh asked.
"Pride... My father didn't want to run anymore. He wanted to fight and be superior to the wolves. Where they could bite, we had to bite harder. Where they had speed, we had to be faster. Agility, strength, senses. Our father wanted us to live forever, but Anyana wouldn't do it. So he left everything in my mother's hands."
"Wait... your mother was a witch? The original witch?" Shiloh asked.
"The witch of the Original Family. The Original Witch?" Rebekah said, looking through the shelves. "Where do they keep their best vintage?"
"If your mother was a witch, why aren't you a witch-vampire hybrid?" Shiloh asked.
"A witch is nature's servant; a vampire is an abomination of nature. You can either be one or the other, never both. My mother did this for us. She did not turn." Rebekah said.
"How did you turn?" Shiloh said.
"She called upon the sun for life, and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality. That night, my father offered us wine laced with blood. And then he drove his sword through our hearts." Rebekah said.
"He killed you? He killed his own children?" Shiloh asked.
"And he wasn't delicate about it either." Rebekah said picking up a bottle of wine. Then, once we awoke, he brought us a girl, then forced us to feed from her. Klaus tried to stop him, but my father was stronger. He made me drink."
"You must have been terrified." Shiloh said.
"It was euphoric! The feeling of power was indescribable... but the witch Ayana was right about the consequences. The spirits turned on us, and nature fought back... For every strength there would be a weakness. The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks and though my mother found a solution, there were other problems. Neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. Flowers at the base of the white oak burned, and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away... so we burned it to the ground. But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated... The hunger. Blood... had made us reborn and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it... And with that, the predatory species was born..." Rebekah said.
"It must have been scary. Being the first. Being scared of yourself, your brothers, your parents. No one to help you through it." Shiloh said. "If it wasn't for Stefan, I don't know where I'd be."
"We helped each other." Rebekah said. "Though it took a while for us to learn."
"So... Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?" Shiloh asked.
"When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that, he became my father's greatest shame." Rebekah said.
"Why?" Shiloh asked.
"Because it meant that Nik was not his. My mother had an affair with one of the wolves and Nik was the result." Rebekah said. "She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side, and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire, that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her."
"Mikael killed your mother?" Shiloh repeated.
"He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched." Rebekah said.
"Afterwards, my father took off in a rage, and the rest of my family scattered. Nik stayed, so he could help me bury her. He knew I had to say goodbye to my mother. We made a promise to Nik that day, Elijah and I. That we'd stay with him, always and forever." Rebekah said.
"Does that still apply after the ninety year time out?" Shiloh asked.
"We're vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Elijah moral, and Nik... Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times." Rebekah said.
"But you still love him?" Shiloh asked.
"He's my brother. And I'm immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead?" Rebekah asked. "You know... I think Nik rather fancys you. He talks of you fondly."
"That's- That's insane. Klaus isn't capable of loving anyone but himself." Shiloh said.
"I'd like to think he loves us. His family. Just because you see him as a monster, doesn't mean he has any less of a right to emotions. You haven't given up on Stefan." Rebekah said.
"Stefan turned his humanity off, it's different." Shiloh argued.
"And what about Damon? I've been in this town long enough to know he wasn't always so friendly." Rebekah said.
"He changed! Klaus... Klaus hasn't! And not all of us can survive ninety years with a stake through their chest!" Shiloh exclaimed.
"Leave! Whatever you've come here for, you've already got! I told you the story so just go!" Rebekah yelled.
"I didn't come here just for the story-" Shiloh said.
"Just leave!" Rebekah cut her off. Shiloh let out a sigh.
"Fine." She muttered, making her way to the front door. "But, Rebekah... I think the red dress really would suit you."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"What are you doing in my bed?" Shiloh asked unimpressed.
"That's not a very pleasant greeting." Damon replied.
"Damon, it's late, I'm tired. I just wanna go to bed." Shiloh said. Damon scooted over on the bed, leaving her room to join him. Shiloh sighed, but climbed into bed, looking up at the ceiling with Damon.
"How was your bonding time with Rebekah?" Damon asked.
"Started out well." Shiloh said.
"Yeah?" Damon asked surprised.
"Yeah. Until I told her that her brother was incapable of love and I didn't want to end up in a box for ninety years if I angered him." Shiloh said.
"Huh. Probably shouldn't have said that." Damon said.
"I know, but she said that she thought he liked me, and I guess I was just a bit shocked-" Shiloh said.
"Wait, wait, wait. Rebekah thinks Klaus likes you? Like, likes you?" Damon asked.
"She said that he 'fancys me'. I don't think she's right, but wouldn't it be weird, the big, bad hybrid having a crush me?" Shiloh said.
"The big, bad, evil maniac you mean?" Damon asked.
"I know, what's up with you?" Shiloh asked.
"Oh, nothing, I just think it's odd that you wouldn't mind a sadistic murderer as a love interest." Damon said.
"Are you jealous?" Shiloh asked.
"I don't get jealous." Damon said.
"Really, cause you sound jealous to me." Shiloh said smirking.
"I'm not jealous, Shiloh. Just drop it." Damon said.
"Fine, fine. Whatever you say. Goodnight, Damon." Shiloh said, turning to lay on her side.
"Goodnight, Pup." Damon said. Neither realized they had fallen asleep in the same bed. For the first time in a long time, they lay together in a peaceful silence.
