Adelaide had been washing dirty cars for a few hours and was exhausted. She decided to take a break and let Bonnie take over until she could locate Caroline. As Adelaide made her way to the cashier to handle the money, she was surprised to find Elena already there, managing the cash register.
"Hey," Adelaide greeted Elena as she took a seat beside her. Before she could settle in, a familiar man approached the cashier, catching Adelaide's attention. "Hi. You were talking to a friend of ours at the Grill?" She said..
"Well, I mean..." he hesitated, trying to recollect his memory. "I thought it was somebody I knew," he finally replied.
"Stefan Salvatore," Elena interjected, causing the man to pause in surprise before responding, "Nah, it can't be. It's just my mind playing tricks on me."
Curious, Adelaide asked, "Where do you think you have seen him before?"
"When I first moved here, I stayed at the Salvatore boarding house," the man revealed.
"Oh," Elena acknowledged, intrigued by his connection to Stefan.
"Stefan was just passing through to visit his uncle. I mean, none of us knew he was even here until the attack," the man explained.
"The attack?" Adelaide inquired, leaning in with interest.
"His uncle died," the man continued solemnly, recounting the tragic event. "Mauled by an animal in the woods."
"His uncle Zach?" Elena questioned, trying to piece together the puzzle.
The man shook his head. "No. His uncle Joseph."
Adelaide looked at the man in confusion. She had lived her whole life in Mystic Falls, and the only Salvatore she knew about was Zach. Adelaide tilted her head as she looked at the man. "I don't think I'm familiar with the story."
"How could you?" The man said, glancing between the Gilbert sisters. "I mean, it happened years ago."
Before anyone could say anymore, Tiki suddenly walked up to the old man. "Grandpa, you gotta go. Mom wants you home. Okay?" She told the man. The man looked at his granddaughter before nodding his head and shuffling away. Tiki turned to the Gilbert sisters. "He wasn't bothering you guys, was he? He's a little alzheimer."
"No, he's very sweet," Adelaide said as she stood. "Can you watch the cashier for a moment, Tiki?" Once Tiki nodded, Adelaide grabbed her sister's hand, and they hurried after the old man.
"Excuse me, sir," Adelaide called out, and the old man turned around. Adelaide asked, "Are you sure the man you saw, the man you knew, was Stefan Salvatore?"
The man nodded. "Yes. I remember him and his brother."
"Damon?" Elena questioned.
"Yes, Stefan and Damon Salvatore."
"When did this happen?" Adelaide questioned, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"It was early June, 1953," the man replied, his eyes distant as he recalled the memory. "Yeah, June, 1953," he reiterated after a brief pause.
Adelaide exchanged a bewildered glance with her sister, Elena, as the old man wandered off. "1953? That was like fifty years ago!" she remarked, a sense of disbelief creeping into her voice.
Elena, who had been watching Stefan intently, finally tore her gaze away and nodded absently. "Yeah, it was a long time ago," she agreed, her expression puzzled.
As Adelaide nudged her sister playfully, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss. "Maybe Tiki's right," she mused aloud, trying to make sense of the mysterious connection. "Right?"
Elena's puzzled expression deepened, and she turned to face Adelaide. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" Adelaide asked, knowing her sister's determination all too well.
Determined to unravel the mystery, Elena's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "He's hiding something, and I'm going to find out what," she declared with unwavering resolve.
" What ´re you still doing here?" Adelaide questioned as she and Elena walked towards Jenna, who was still sitting on a bench. "
My car isn't done yet," Jenna told her niece.
Adelaide and Elena exchanged glances before Adelaide informed her, "Um, yes it is. It was done hours ago."
Jenna avoided eye contact with her nieces as she mumbled, "No, it isn't."
Just then, Logan greeted them as he walked up. He glanced at Elena and said, "Elena, right?" Elena nodded, prompting Logan to turn to Adelaide and say, "And that would make you Adelaide."
Adelaide rolled her eyes at her aunt; now she understood why Jenna was lingering around. While she didn't particularly like Logan, she decided to be civil for her aunt's sake because she knew Jenna still had feelings for him. Adelaide couldn't fathom why Jenna held onto him when she deserved much better.
"I remember seeing you around when we were younger," Logan reminisced.
"Your emotional maturity level hasn't changed much since then," Jenna retorted, looking straight at Logan.
"Ouch," Logan mumbled. "Here I thought we were making progress."
"Hey, Logan. If it isn't too much trouble, could I ask you for a favor?" Elena chimed in.
Logan turned to Jenna with a grin and asked, "If I do her a favor, will I get back into your good graces?"
Jenna sighed. "Uh, a very reluctant maybe."
Logan turned to Elena as he said. "Done." But he quickly turned to Jenna. "Wait. One one condition. Dinner, tonight, your house."
"Fine. But you're eating leftovers," she told him.
Logan turned to Elena. "What do you need?" he questioned.
"Do you have access to old news stories, say the fifties?" Elena questioned.
"Yeah," Logan nodded. "At the station. Between the archives and the internet, we pretty much have everything."
Adelaide realized what Elena was up to, so she turned to Logan with a smile. "We have this report due. You would be a lifesaver."
Logan nodded. "I'm heading there now, let's go."
The sisters smiled before Elena turned to Jenna. "We'll see you at home." Jenna nodded her head, and Elena grabbed Adelaide's hand, quickly following after Logan.
Logan directed the sisters, Adelaide and Elena, to a small room as he began to explain. "We digitized all our archives last year. You can pull all the remote footage right up on the screen," he said, gesturing towards the large monitors.
"What is it exactly you're looking for?" Logan inquired, curious about the girls' request.
"An incident from 1953. At the Salvatore boarding house," Elena replied, her eyes focused and determined.
Before Logan could respond, his cell phone started ringing, interrupting the conversation. "Sorry, one second," he apologized to the girls before taking the call. "Yeah, fire? Alright, I'll be there," Logan spoke into the phone before hanging up. "I gotta go," he informed the girls apologetically.
"Alright, use keywords to search through the database. It's pretty easy to navigate," Logan explained as he made his way towards the door. "And Brady down in Tech will help you out with anything you need."
Adelaide nodded her head with a warm smile. "Okay, thank you."
As Logan was about to leave, he paused and turned back to the girls. "Could you guys put in a good word for me with Jenna?" he asked with a hopeful expression.
"You got it," Elena assured Logan with a kind smile, appreciative of his assistance.
Logan nodded his head as he said, "Good luck," before shutting the door behind him.
"He does not deserve Jenna," Adelaide told her sister, Elena, as she sat down next to her. Elena pulled up the search engine on the computer and typed in "Joseph Salvatore and animal attack" before hitting enter. Within seconds, they found a match.
"This is Franklin Fell, reporting from the Salvatore boarding house, where a brutal animal attack has ended in tragedy," the news reporter spoke into the camera. "Okay, they are bringing out the bodies. See if you look closer." Franklin commanded as he noticed someone in the background.
The cameraman zoomed in on a person, and the sisters' eyes widened. The person in the background was none other than Stefan Salvatore, the nephew. He looked exactly the same as he did now. Adelaide turned to her sister, who had the same shocked expression on her face.
Adelaide sat on her bed, staring intently at the elegant wooden box Sheila had given her. The box was ornately decorated with intricate carvings, adding a mysterious allure to its appearance. Adelaide had hidden it away under her bed, unsure of what to make of the cryptic information Sheila had provided. But everything changed when the news flashed on the TV screen, revealing the impossible - Stefan was alive and appeared to be younger, as if time had somehow reversed during his time in Mystic Falls in the fifties.
Her heart raced with a mix of excitement and fear as she contemplated the box's contents. Could it hold the answers she desperately sought? Answers to why she was still walking this Earth when she should have perished on that fateful night of the accident that changed her life forever. Adelaide's hands trembled slightly as she reached for the box, the wood cool to her touch.
Just as she was about to lift the lid, the tranquility of her room was shattered by the sudden intrusion of Elena bursting through the bedroom door, her expression urgent and panicked. Adelaide hastily shoved the box under her pillow, her heartbeat quickening as she tried to compose herself before turning to her frantic sister.
"What's wrong?" Adelaide inquired, her voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions raging within her. Elena's eyes darted around the room before locking onto Adelaide with a mix of concern and determination.
"Come with me," Elena pleaded, her tone conveying a sense of urgency.
Adelaide nodded her head before she quickly followed her sister towards the car. Elena started to drive. Adelaide turned to Elena and questioned once again, "What's wrong?" Elena mumbled, "I know what Stefan is."
"What is he?" Adelaide questioned.
"Stefan never ages and as soon as Damon comes to town, there are animal bite marks on people as well as people being drained of their blood and..."
"Wait a second," Adelaide said, holding her hand up, stopping Elena from saying anything else. "You do know what you're saying is impossible, right?"
"Is it?" Elena questioned as she pulled in front of the Salvatore boarding house and rushed towards the front door.
"Elena! Wait!" Adelaide shouted as she rushed after her. Before she could reach her, Elena had knocked on the door. Not even a second later, Stefan answered the door.
"What are you?" Elena questioned.
Stefan stared at the two girls with shock in his eyes. When he didn't say anything, Elena questioned again. "What are you?"
"You know," Stefan told her.
Adelaide hoped that Elena was wrong about Stefan. Elena shook her head. "No, I don't."
"Yes, you do," Stefan stated as he nodded his head. "Or you wouldn't be here."
Elena shook her head as she spoke. "It's not possible. It can't be."
"Everything you know and every belief that you have is about to change. Are you ready for that?" Stefan questioned.
Elena grabbed Adelaide's hand and asked one last time, "What are you?"
"I'm a vampire."
Adelaide gasped as she pulled Elena close and took a few steps back. She couldn't believe what she was hearing—Stefan was a vampire.
"We shouldn't have come," Elena said, before she quickly pulled Adelaide towards her car.
"No, please," Stefan begged.
"Stay away!" Elena yelled when Stefan tried to walk closer. Elena ran back to her car, holding onto Adelaide's hand. But before they could make it to the car, Stefan was suddenly in front of them. "How did you do that?" Elena asked in shock.
"Please don't be afraid of me," Stefan begged.
"Let me go," Elena said as she slowly began to walk backward.
"No, Elena, there are things you have to understand, both of you," Stefan told the two girls. He went to grab Elena's hand, but Adelaide quickly stepped in front of her sister. "Don't come any closer," Adelaide warned him. She quickly made a run towards the car and jumped into the passenger seat before Elena drove away from the boarding house.
As Adelaide opened the door to the Gilbert house, she felt a shiver run down her spine. Elen's urgency was palpable as she darted up the stairs, leaving Adelaide to close the door behind her before following suit. Adelaide found Elena pacing in her bedroom, in a state of distress.
"Hey, hey. Calm down," Adelaide soothed, wrapping her arms around her sister in a comforting embrace. But when she glanced over Elen's shoulder, she stifled a gasp. Stefan, a figure from their past, stood in the doorway watching them.
"Elena, Adelaide," Stefan's voice was surprisingly gentle as he approached the two girls. Sensing their fear, Adelaide instinctively shielded her sister as they stepped back cautiously.
"I would never hurt you, either of you. You're safe with me," Stefan assured, his voice firm yet comforting. Elen peered out from behind her sister, her eyes filled with doubt and confusion.
"All those animal attacks, those deaths..." Elen's voice trailed off in disbelief.
"No, that was Damon," Stefan clarified, shaking his head. "I don't drink human blood. That's not how I choose to survive, but Damon does."
"Damon?" Elena gasped, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Please, I'll explain everything, but you must promise not to tell anyone," Stefan implored, his eyes pleading for their trust.
Elen's emotions were a whirlwind as she grappled with the newfound knowledge. Adelaide, sensing her sister's turmoil, took charge.
"You need to leave, now!" Adelaide's voice was firm, her protective instincts kicking in.
Stefan nodded sadly and disappeared through the window, leaving a trail of unanswered questions behind him. Elen collapsed into tears, her world turned upside down.
Adelaide held her sister close, feeling her pain and confusion. "It's okay, I've got you," Adelaide whispered, offering the comfort and strength that Elen needed in that moment of uncertainty.