Salvation

Chapter 1

Sophia

I gripped the open drawer tight, reeling over the argument I had with my brother. We quarrelled and it blew out of proportion. When two people are just as stubborn as the other and both have an anger the size of earth's equator, it's bound to get messy and ugly. I shook violently as the tears slipped down. The door swung open and aggressive footsteps entered. We've had plenty of arguments, disagreements. This was the worst. We both lashed out and I was horrible. I've said things I would never have said to my brother, had I not been under the influence of anger. I slapped him full across the face, with my open right hand. It rocked him and he took a step back and then steadied himself, eyes blinking and staring at me. I had been riled and it was the first time I struck him. I left him in the living room, running into my room. The anger turning into frustration and eventually tears. I could sense his nostrils flaring, as he stood behind me, fists clenched at his sides.

"Why can't he know?" I slammed the drawers. I was livid. For over a century I had known of my brothers existence, yet I only ever met one. Damon. I needed to meet Stefan, yet Damon insisted I stay hidden as it was not safe for me. There was pain in his eyes. Damon was conflicted. It hurt to see him that way. It hurt more to be kept in the dark. His tense body loosened, and his shoulders slumped.

"...He can't know because I'm afraid he will resent me. All these years I kept you a secret because Stefan and I weren't always on the same page or saw eye to eye. We resented each other for many reasons. I will tell him soon—we will tell him soon." A small hearted smile flickered on his features. Something troubled him and it hurt me to see him that way—torn, trying to do right by us both but I pushed on.

"Afraid?" I scoffed. "Do you care how I feel? I don't know who my birth mother is and our father as you put it, he abhorred the idea of fathering a girl, so he manipulated my mother into discarding the 'God forsaken' thing! Mind you, after he was the one that was unfaithful to your mother! I don't know who my birth mother is! But that's not the worst part is it, Damon?" I glared at him daring him to answer but he didn't. "A noble family took me in and loved me, raised me, gave me EVERYTHING! I was happy..." I could feel my eyes water, tears welling up and lumps forming in my throat.

The pain was fresh in my mind as if it only just occurred yesterday, but it wasn't. It was a lifetime ago. Swallowing the lumps down I continued "...then one day they were brutally killed, ripped apart by some animal. There was no mercy..." I choked "my family gone...Damon...GONE! Savagely torn away from me! And I spent years trying to locate and hunt down the two men responsible with no success. Then as if it was fate...I found you Damon. Knowing you were my brother made me feel whole. Knowing Stefan was my brother too, everything fell back into place. So why can't he know, it's been over a hundred years brother?" I sobbed into my hands.

He hung his head low. I wiped away my tears refusing to let this have power over me, make me weak. "Look at me DAMON!" I demanded through gritted teeth, dropping my hands to my sides. "You can't keep this a secret from him any longer! You can't keep us apart."

"I know." He sighed.

"I want to meet our brother. Even if it's just a picture! How is he?"

"He's good. We're not in hell and our souls are not forever condemned to hell. I've not spoken to him since he left to travel the world with Care bear...he's not really spoken to me." Other than sharing the same stubborn flair and anger we shared the same sense of dark humour.

I shrugged. "You never tell me much or even let me see him! I know all about your lives and he knows nothing of mine. I spent so long searching but nothing...and when I went Mystic Falls, he wasn't there."

"Bitsy...promise me you won't come to Mystic Falls, not without protection at least?" he implored. So sincere. "You've not come into contact with Stefan, have you? Stefan is the easiest way Klaus Mikaelson can get to you!"