Her Purpose || Kai Parker

Chapter 1

PART- 4 -Story of Estrella Salvatore

Year 2009

In the quiet, picturesque town of Mystic Falls, nestled among ancient trees and whispering winds, two brothers returned after a long and mysterious absence—Damon and Stefan Salvatore. The townspeople remained blissfully unaware that the Salvatore brothers harbored a chilling secret: they were vampires, creatures of the night who had walked the earth for over 162 years.

Their return to Mystic Falls was not without purpose. Though bound by blood, the brothers carried with them very different intentions. Stefan, the more brooding and introspective of the two, came with a single-minded goal: to meet a girl named Elena Gilbert. She had unknowingly captured his interest long before they'd ever spoken. Enrolling in her high school as a new student, Stefan started spinning his way into her life, quiet and calculated in his movements.

One evening, all changed, when Zach held up the morning newspaper, his fingers gripping the edges with restrained anger. The headline read "Brutal Attack Shocks Mystic Falls", and the accompanying image was a familiar, gruesome scene—one Stefan had hoped wouldn't repeat itself.

"You promised," Zach said sharply, his voice low but edged with emotion. "You said you had this under control."

Stefan took the paper, glanced at it, then calmly replied, "This was an animal attack."

Zach stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "Don't give me that. I know the game. I've seen it before. You tear them up just enough and everyone's ready to believe it was some rabid creature lurking in the woods. It's always the same story." He exhaled, frustration pouring out of him. "You said things would be different. That you wouldn't let this happen."

"I do have it under control," Stefan insisted, his tone still measured but tense.

Zach shook his head. "Please, Uncle Stefan... this town—it's not the same anymore. Mystic Falls has been quiet for years. Peaceful. But there are people here who still remember, even if they pretend they don't. They remember the blood, the fear, the disappearances. You being here—it's only going to stir all that up again."

Stefan looked away, jaw clenched. "That was never my intention."

"Then what is your intention?" Zach asked, stepping in front of him, blocking his path. "Why now? Why after all these years do you suddenly show up?"

Stefan's eyes met his, guarded and distant. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"No, you don't," Zach conceded quietly, his voice softening, "but that doesn't change what you are. I know you can't escape it, Stefan, but this... this town, these people—they deserve peace. And you—" he paused, searching his uncle's face, "—you don't belong here anymore."

There was a silence between them, heavy and unresolved. Stefan's voice broke through it, quiet and bitter. "Then where do I belong, Zach? If not here, then where?"

Zach didn't answer and just left. Stefan sighed and moved to a small cabinet against the wall, opened it, and carefully pulled out an aged leather journal. He held it for a moment, as if debating with himself, then opened it to a page where an old photograph was tucked between the pages.

The image was faded, but hauntingly familiar—an elegant young woman with dark curls and an enigmatic smile. Beneath the photo, written in elegant cursive, were the words: Katherine – 1864.

Damon, on the other hand, arrived like a storm—unpredictable, dangerous, and dripping with chaos. In his wake came a series of bizarre, savagely violent attacks that rocked the town's security. Vicki Donovan, one of the first victims, was a native girl who survived by a hair's breadth a life-and-death encounter. The brutality of the attacks was not unfamiliar to Stefan.