𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐃

𝐢. Tʜᴇ Bɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ

❝THEY'RE HUNTING
WEREWOLVES.❞
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'𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪...'

Those were words that Marley Gilbert has heard only twice in her life, and doesn't want to ever hear again. The first time she had heard those words was the night that her parents died after their car drove off of the Wickery Bridge with them and Marley's younger sister, Elena, in the car. Miraculously, Elena survived the accident.

The second time that she heard those words was the day after her maternal aunt, Jenna, had mysteriously died. Marley tried to get answers as to how this had happened, but it seemed that not even the person on the other end of the line knew what to even say. This was struck as being odd and suspicious in the older Gilbert girl's mind. How can someone die, and no one can provide a proper explanation as to how that happened?

When Marley received the second call begging with those 5 dreadful words, she knew that it was about time that she had returned home.

After not having been there since she had left for college, Marley couldn't help but feel a wave of anxiety come over her as she passed by the 'WELCOME TO MYSTIC FALLS' sign, knowing that meant that she was mere moments away from seeing her younger siblings again, after not having seen them in years. Especially when the very day that she was returning was her younger sister's 18th birthday.

The anxiety began drumming at her thoughts when she finally pulled up to her childhood home and parked her car on the street in front of it. Turning off and climbing out of the car, Marley swiftly brushes a couple of annoying stray whisps of her hair behind her ears as she makes her way to the front door of the house that she once called home.

Marley lifts her fist, preparing to knock on the door, but she hesitates due to not knowing how her younger siblings will react to seeing her after so long. Will they be happy? Angry? Both? They hadn't seen her in years. She didn't even come back home for her parents' funerals, but now that their Aunt Jenna is dead, she comes back. In retrospect, the reason Marley stayed away from all of them was to keep them safe, safe from her.

Pushing her anxiety to the back of her mind, Marley finally knocks at the door several times, alerting those in the house of a presence just on the other side of their front door. After a few seconds, the door swung open as Marley's eyes made contact with her younger sister, who went to say something but became speechless at the sight of her older sister who she hadn't seen in years.

"Hey there, little sister." Marley softly greets, a small smile coming onto her face.

"Marley?" the younger Gilbert girl asks, still in disbelief that she is standing there. Marley's smile just widens, confirming to Elena that her older sister is back. "Your home!" Elena exclaims, launching herself at her older sister and pulling her into a tight hug as the older girl reciprocates it. "Please tell me that you're never leaving us again."

"I won't leave ever again, I promise." Marley whispers into her younger sister's ear, causing Elena to tighten the hug even more. "Lena, I know you missed me, and I have missed you as well, but I still need to be able to do this thing called breathing." Marley states.

That is when Elena releases her from the hug and steps back, smiling shyly towards her older sister. Opening the door a bit more, Elena motions for Marley to come inside the house.

"Where's Jeremy?" Marley asks as she walks in, stopping to stand by the stairs before turning to look back to her younger sister. Before Elena could respond, the sound of rapid footsteps was heard from upstairs as the youngest Gilbert sibling quickly approached the top of the stairs after hearing the familiar voice of his oldest sister.