𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒𝐄 | KLAUS MIKAELSON

𝖥𝖨𝖥𝖳𝖤𝖤𝖭

┏━━━━•❅•°•❈ - •°•❅•━━━━┓
𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝟏, 𝐁𝐄𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘
┗━━━━•❅•°•❈ - •°•❅•━━━━┛

IT'S BEEN one hell of a week. Scratch that, it's been a tough week. A lot went down.

First, we lost Ms. Sheila. She kicked the bucket right after performing that tomb spell. The power drained her, and well, you can guess the rest. Bonnie bailed town after her funeral, probably needed some space to deal.

Then there's my sister, on a quest to unearth the mysteries of her birth mother. Digging into the past can be a real emotional rollercoaster.

And let's not forget about elder Salvatore. He's a wreck---hurt, drunk, and completely shattered (though, he's hiding it well in his drunken haze but I know better), after finding out Katherine pulled a fast one with her fake death. Now she's MIA, and nobody knows where the heck she's hiding.

And yours truly, Everly Gilbert, has decided to embark on a journey of self-discovery. Translation: I finally convinced everyone to let me crash the lakehouse trip. I'm pumped, but also kinda nervous.

Especially after what Bonnie's grams dropped on me. Apparently, my Seer side is a ticking time bomb. You hold the power to both shape and potentially destroy the world, she warned. Talk about a major buzzkill. Now I'm walking around with a target on my back, thanks a bunch.

I dig the whole witch gig, don't get me wrong. It's cool, it's empowering. But this other side of me? It's a whole different ball game. Dangerous, painful, and definitely not invited to the party. Plus, these damn headaches are making a comeback, and let me tell you, they're a real pain in the you-know-what.

I let out a heavy sigh, slouching back in my seat as I eyed the wooden house in front of me. This was the place where our parents used to drag Elena and Jeremy for vacations.

It felt like I was about to crash someone else's party because I'd never set foot here before. I mean, let's face it---I was always the odd one out, probably because I'm adopted. (P.S. Haven't spilled that little nugget of info to Elena, Jenna, or Jeremy yet.)

Come on, Evie. You've survived vampires, you've survived your own identity crisis. How bad could this be?

Yep, famous last words.

With a resigned sigh, I pushed open the car door and stepped out, making my way towards the porch. I gave the door a quick once-over before mustering up the courage to push it open.

Stepping inside, I took in the mustard-colored interior, trying to shake off the nagging feeling of being an intruder in my own---now adopted family's history.

I scanned the living room, feeling like a total outsider in a sea of family memories---Gilbert family memories, to be exact. Except, well, not a single photo of yours truly. Yep, definitely feeling like an intruder. Wouldn't be surprised if someone popped out and demanded to know who the heck I was. Talk about awkward.

Focus, Evie. Just focus on why you're here.

I made my way up the stairs, eyeing the three bedrooms on the first floor. Which one to choose?

I hesitantly entered the closest room, pushing the door open, only to let out a scream that could probably be heard from the next county over. A freaking lizard decided to skydive onto my head, sending my heart into overdrive. I bolted out of there faster than you could say reptile retreat.