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"Between the Christianity of this land and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference—so wide that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ; I therefore hate the corrupt, slave-holding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason but the most deceitful one for calling the religion of this land Christianity." -Frederick Douglass
(from The Great Stain: Witnessing American Slavery by Noel Rae)

Mystic Falls, Virginia

Veritas Estate, 1855

Sunday Morning

"Damon! Stefan! Hurry now, we will be late," Giuseppe yelled up the stairs of the huge mansion.

It was May and sunny outside.

Upstairs, Damon was tying his tie hastily and walked to his younger brother's room to hurry him along. Stefan was glumly pulling on his trousers and moving at the pace of a snail.

"Could you move any slower? You are going to get us both in trouble if you do not stop moping today!" Damon hissed through clenched teeth as he finished his own cravat and buttoned Stefan's trousers for him.

"But Damon, all the guys are going to be playing in the woods today. How come we got to go to stupid church service? I hate it," Stefan whined.

Damon frowned and began to re-button Stefan's white dress shirt. The material was thick and it would be hot today.

"Shh, if Father hears you, you are gonna get it. It is Sunday, we do the same thing every week. We have to be seen with the other Founding Families in our pew to represent the town. How would it look if a Salvatore was off with the other ruffians in the wood, hmm?" Damon asked with a smirk.

"Not good, I suppose. Can I play after?" Stefan asked hopefully. Damon ruffled Stefan's blond hair and then tried to fix it unsuccessfully.

"We shall see. Maybe Father will get called away to one of the mills. Pray to God that he does. And remember to pray for Mother's good health and quick return to us. That is all that matters," Damon reminded him, brushing off his little brother's brown jacket.

"I always do pray for Mother, but we never hear from her. Damon, do you think-," Stefan started sadly.

Guiseppe's manservant Bruno burst in the room without knocking.

"Young masters, your father said if you do not come this instant he is going to strap you both and send you to bed tonight without supper. Come now," Bruno urged. He was a large man and picked up Stefan as if he as light as a feather and carried him down the grand staircase.

"Bruno, you will spoil him. Boys, if you have made us late, God Himself will not save you. Hurry," Guiseppe said firmly ushering them into the waiting carriage.

The Salvatores got to church services early. All the founding families members had their own pews in which to suffer through the long, dull sermons by the pompous minister. They settled in the hard wooden benches and Guiseppe greeted the other Mystic Falls citizens around him with a stiff nod. Lily had always been the social one, he was at a lost as to what to say to folks. They had quit asking after her health as Guiseppe had heard little in the way of updates.

Stefan leaned over Damon, "Father, if I behave in service, can I play with my friends later in the woods?"

Guiseppe frowned, "With those town boys? Stefan, I do not like you associating with lower folk like that. We have a family name to preserve."