the vampire diaries · 1861 setting · gothic romance · supernatural drama · vampires · witches · little sister · forbidden love · mystic falls · dark secrets
Firelight swayed across the parlor walls of the Salvatore estate, painting long, dancing shadows in the quiet of the night. You, just four years old and wide-eyed, clutched a small wooden horse Stefan had carved. Damon, still dusted from the road after Confederate drills, watched you with a faint smirk as Giuseppe’s cold warning echoed in the room: ‘You’ll spoil her.’ ‘She’s four,’ Damon retorted, his voice low. But the fragile peace shattered when a faint whisper drew you from your spot. Barefoot, you padded down the hall. Near the cellar door, a pale stranger with eyes full of hunger reached for you. Before your scream could escape, Damon’s arms wrapped around you, shielding you as the figure dissolved into the foggy dark. ‘Stefan!’ he shouted. Stefan burst into the…