Heeeyy! I decided to finish this chapter a little earlier than planned in anticipation for tonight's episode! Really excited to see the twin's reactions to Jo, or whoever this person marauding around as their biological mother is. I'd like to thank tablekorner for the wonderful review, I'm glad you like it and that I didn't screw up writing Klaus.
Disclaimer: I don't own Legacies or any of the characters besides my OC.
Klaus Mikaelson had absorbed the Hollow and been killed by Alaric Saltzman two days later, his elder brother, Elijah, dying with him as a final act of his never-ending loyalty to his sibling.
The news had traveled through the grapevine and she heard her Uncle Kurt talking about it with another pack member, John, while she was struggling to come to terms with being a hybrid.
The pack hadn't explicitly said it, but her vampire side put a wall between her and them, something that happened because of their experience dealing with Henry. Many had vouched for him out of a sense of kinship and were upset with the outcome of all the trouble he caused.
She was never an actual member of the Crescent Pack because her werewolf gene lay dormant and now that it wasn't, she was now also half vampire and the wounds from the Nightwalker purists were still fresh.
Caroline Forbes had shown a week or so after Shiloh had become a hybrid. Apparently, Klaus had informed her of what he had done as a one last ditch effort to make sure his daughter would be safe and although she was unhappy with his actions, she knew that the teen would be better off at the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted.
Shiloh could see the grief hidden beneath the blonde's kind demeanor and while she smiled when she introduced herself, the pain of the Original Hybrid's death was obviously still weighing on her.
The headmistress made the school sound like a paradise and quickly had her uncle on board—though that might have to do with tensions within the pack—and requested that they leave for Mystic Falls that night. Caroline emphasized her lack of control and the nearing full moon that would cause her to shift, playing on the guilt she felt from killing that prostitute. The vampire explained how, even though a hybrid could shift at will, their first full moon as a wolf was like that of any other werewolf.
Time was apparently of the essence,because she was instructed to pack her things while her uncle and the headmistress talked. Of course, she could still hear them despite their hushed whispers.
"Will she be safe there?" her uncle asked.
"Yes, we will teach her how to control her supernatural abilities," Caroline reassured him, continuing on to say, "There are many other students in the same boat as her and considering the circumstances, this will be best for her emotional health as well."
Shiloh wasn't sure what the woman meant when she said, 'emotional health.' Her spirits may be low, but the brutal reality of what she had now become was just another tragedy in the story of her life. She had dealt with her parents' deaths and she would deal with this too.
"You mean the sire bond," Uncle Kurt stated, an edge in his tone.
She had almost forgotten that she was tied to Hope Mikaelson.
"While it isn't ideal and I don't agree with what Klaus did," the hitch in her voice at the hybrid's name isn't lost on Shiloh. "Its better than the alternative."
Nothing else needed to be said because they all knew that the alternative would've been death; and not the kind of death that one wakes up from.
In a burst of enhanced speed, Shiloh had shoved all of her most meaningful belongings into two ratty duffle bags, along with her entire closet full of clothes, unsure of when she'd be back to get more.
When she'd returned to the living room, both adults were waiting by the front door, her uncle with a sad smile and Caroline with an encouraging one.
"I guess this is it," she said, stepping forward to hug the man who had practically raised her. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."
Uncle Kurt laughed, "Try not to get yourself into anymore while you're at school. I think you've hit your quota for the year."
Eyes watering, Shiloh hid her face in his jacket, inhaling the scent of motor oil and grass that clung to him. "I'm gonna miss you."
"Me too, kid, me too," he pulled back, holding her at arms length.
Caroline, who had pulled out her cell to give them a moment of semi-privacy cleared her throat, signaling that it was time to go. "We really should get on the road if we want to make it by nightfall," she spoke apologetically, gesturing to her car parked in the driveway.
With one last hug, the two separated and Shiloh followed Caroline to her car, where she put her bags in the trunk and sat in the passenger side, waving as the blonde pulled out of the drive and turned down the road. She watched as the only home she had ever known became a small speck in the sideview mirror.
The ride was mostly quiet. Hours and hours of endless road was paired with a pop radio station and occasional information about her new school. The older woman could sense that she needed time to soak it all in and gave it to her, figuring it was the least she could do since she felt partially to blame for the situation.
It was nearing midnight when they finally made it to the tall metal gates that led to the boarding school. Her eyes widened at the sheer size of the campus, not realizing how many supernatural creatures actually called it home.
Caroline turned to her with a small smile as the gates opened, "Welcome to the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted."
Two girls were sitting on the steps at the front of the school when Caroline's car pulled up. It struck Shiloh as odd for that time of night until both of them jumped up when the blonde got out, rushing over to engulf her in a hug.
"Mom!"
Caroline had failed to mention having daughters during their fourteen-hour drive. Both were extremely pretty, one blonde with blue eyes and pale skin, and the other a slightly shorter brown-eyed brunette. Both couldn't have been more than thirteen, like herself.
Once the reunion was over and the three had untangled themselves, their mother stepped back with one eyebrow arched. "What do you two think you're doing being up so late after curfew?" she asked, though it was obvious that she missed her children.
"Well, Jo and I couldn't sleep because dad said you would be home tonight, so we thought we'd just wait for you," the blonde girl explained, looking to her sister for confirmation.
The brunette nodded along with her sister, "We know we shouldn't have, we're sorry."
Caroline stared at them a moment longer before visibly softening. "It's ok, but don't let it happen again."
Each girl immediately relaxed when they realized that they weren't in trouble and now focused on the newcomer who was standing next to their mother's Prius, trying to look inconspicuous. Shiloh quickly glanced at her feet when she realized they were staring at her.
"Oh, girls, this is Shiloh, the new student your father and I told you about." Caroline introduced them, "Shiloh, these are my daughters, Lizzie and Josie," she pointed at the blonde teen, then the brunette.
"Hi," the two chorused in perfect harmony and Shiloh had to have wondered if it had been rehearsed.
Shiloh waved, wordlessly.
Caroline asked, "Would you girls mind showing Shiloh to her room? She's going to be rooming with Hope when she comes back to school," she continued, "I have to go speak with your father."
It may have been voiced like one, but it wasn't a request. Shiloh may have noticed if she wasn't stuck on the part where Caroline said Hope wasn't at the school. She couldn't explain it, but she felt as though something dropped inside of her when she found out the tribrid wasn't there. Like a part of herself was missing.
She didn't have time to dwell on it because the two girls had stationed themselves on either side of her and were leading her into the building.
"Like our mom said," the blonde said, "I'm Lizzie and this is Josie and we're twins, witches, actually." Lizzie looked the new girl up and down before bluntly stating, "And you're a hybrid."
The girl in question suddenly felt self-conscious in her simple long-sleeve shirt and sweats, pulling at the fabric nervously. Seemingly sensing the new student's distress, the brunette siphon came to her rescue.
"Lizzie!" Josie hushed, giving her sister a stern look. "You know we aren't supposed to just say that!"
Her sister rolled her eyes, "Everyone is going to be asking her about it tomorrow, so we might as well get her used to it," she spoke as if she were doing Shiloh a favor.
"Yes, I'm a hybrid," Shiloh confirmed before a fight could erupt between the siblings, though the admission still felt strange coming from her mouth.
Lizzie shot Josie a triumphant look before they entered the school.
The inside of the school was just as breath-taking as the outside. Everything had a more modern feel to it that paired nicely with a large staircase and marble floors. The hallways were wide and spacious, reminding Shiloh of the boarding schools she had seen depicted in pop culture. She could practically feel the magic pulsing through the walls even though she wasn't a witch.
Leading her up a set of stairs, Josie smiled apologetically, "Normally, we'd give you a tour of the whole school, but I don't think our dad would approve," they entered a smaller hallway that was lined with similar looking doors, each with a number engraved on it. "These are the girl's dorms and," she and her sister stopped her in front of one, "this one is yours."
Neither twin made a move to open the door, instead seeming to be waiting for Shiloh to do it, watching in anticipation.
"Is something wrong?" Shiloh asked, eyeing the slab of wood in confusion.
"We're just waiting to see if Hope booby-trapped it or not," Lizzie informed her, dodging the elbow that Josie tried digging into her ribs.
"Not that she would do that," Josie added quickly but didn't quite look like she believed her words.
Shiloh grasped the handle, warily, glancing back towards the sisters, Lizzie giving her a thumbs up and Josie smiling encouragingly. While neither girl was really doing a great job of assuring her that she wouldn't be brutally maimed when she opened the door, Lizzie's halfhearted attempt of hiding a grimace was definitely the least helpful.
Taking a deep breath to prepare herself for whatever might happen, Shiloh slowly turned the knob, flinching when it clicked softly and then pushed it open. All three girls visibly relaxed when nothing happened.
Lizzie clapped her hands together after a few moments of silence, "That settles that, I guess," she barely spared the inside of the room a glance before announcing, "Now that we've gotten you to your dorm and you're still alive, I have to be getting to bed because I need my eight hours."
The blonde twin turned on her heels and started to march down the hallway, only pausing when her sister didn't follow.
"You coming, Jo?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Josie looked between her sister and Shiloh, taking note of how the hybrid hadn't yet made a move to enter her room and the way her fingers gripped the strap on one of her bags so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
"I'll be there in a minute," Josie said softly, moving to push the door open further and causing the frozen girl to jump slightly. She stepped over the threshold and moved over to stand by the empty bed on one side of the room. "This one's yours,"
The second she stepped into the room, her eyes were drawn to the side that looked 'lived in.' Pictures covered the space above a desk, most of which contained what could only be the Mikaelson family, all of them smiling in every single photo. The bed wasn't made and a teddy bear that had seen a lot of love rested on the comforter.
Tearing her eyes away from everything that belonged to Hope, she made her way over to where Josie was still standing, unknown to her that the Saltzman girl was studying her closely.
"So, breakfast is usually around nine in the dining hall," Josie told her as she placed her bags on the bed, "and since it's the weekend, there aren't any classes tomorrow that you have to worry about."
Shiloh remained silent as she traced the mahogany molding on the wall with her finger, admiring the golden vines on the green wallpaper that wrapped around the upper part of the room, finding the patterns soothing.
Knowing that it was a lot to take in, especially since her father had briefly explained her situation to the twins, Josie decided to give her some space, "If you need anything, Lizzie and I are right down the hall in seventeen."
"Wait," Shiloh's soft voice called after her, the hybrid waiting until Josie turned to face her once again before saying, "Thank you."
Josie nodded but was once again stopped by Shiloh.
"I'll see you around?"
It was spoken in such a fragile tone that it caused Josie to frown, a wave of sympathy rushed through her at the other girl's unsure statement. It reminded her of when her sister would cry about a boy and ask her, 'what's wrong with me?'
"Yeah," she smiled as Shiloh perked up slightly, giving her a small wave, "I'll see you around."
Shiloh watched as Josie shut the door behind her, leaving the fifteen-year-old in a room that was basically a stranger. She couldn't explain it, but Hope's side was actually sort of comforting in a way, yet she could also sense the sadness that lingered after the events of the last few months.
As she unpacked her things and filled her wardrobe with all her clothing, she could only hope that things were starting to fall into place and everything was going to be smooth sailing from there on out.
Next chapter will probably be the last one before jumping to around the time that Legacies starts. I want to do a little more building with Shiloh at school, meeting Hope and such. Please review!