𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐒, klaus mikaelson

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐗

┏━━━━⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪━━━━┓

DADDY DEAREST

THE HENRY HOUSE LOOKED DAUNTING, ALL OF THE SUDDEN.

Damon and Elena had dropped her off at the foot of the driveway, peeling off after she'd retrieved her belongings from the trunk. Neither of them had been in the best of moods, and in that regard, Charlotte actually thought she preferred the car ride to Chicago over the ride back home.

The long stretches of silence were good if you wanted to be lulled to sleep as the vampire behind the wheel drove, but the brunette couldn't get some shut eye for more than an hour at a time. How could she sleep when so much was on her mind? How could she sleep and run the risk of having that dream, all but taunting her?

Taunting her on a past life she could not return to. Taunting her by withholding her real origin— the one that was not related to the Henrys in the slightest.

Sure, she'd been raised a Henry, she'd been treated like a Henry, and she bore the Henry last name; but all of that seemed so insignificant because she wasn't a Henry by blood. They certainly had no ties to Chicago, so they certainly had no reason to be connected to her— to Lottie.

It was just another thing that had been added onto her growing list of things to worry over, truly.

And speaking of worrisome things, when Charlotte's gaze fluttered over to where an additional car was parked, her body lurched to a stop. She then realized two very important things.

One: it was the end of summer.

And two: that was her father's car.

"Shit," she began murmuring, looking at the vehicle like it was going to eat her. "Shit, shit, shit."

In light of recent events, the return of their father had entirely slipped her mind. He was now yet another face he didn't feel like seeing, because he'd been in on the whole ordeal when she was dropped off on their doorstep. He was now yet another person who was never going to tell her the truth.

"Don't be a pussy, don't be a pussy," she chanted under her breath, fingers tightened on the strap of her bag as she approached the home. Each step forward felt like a step toward a prison sentence.

She crept into the house, footsteps silent as she closed the door extremely slowly. She made it to the first step of the staircase when she stepped on a squeaky floorboard, the noise sounding like a gunshot in her ears.

"Charlie? Is that you?"

The brunette's eyes squeezed shut at the sound of her older brother's voice, exhaling through her nose. "Yes!" she called out, prepared to leave it at that and retreat to her room.

Nathaniel had other plans, as he appeared in the foyer within a second. His eyebrows were furrowed. "Where have you been?"

"Elena's," she answered.

He observed her for a minute, as if he was trying to sniff out the obvious lie. She thought that maybe her eyes gave away the fact that she so desperately wanted him to let the topic go, because he had.

"Dad's out back. He wants to see you."

"Now? Or can I shower, and then do some of my summer reading? Oh, and then I've gotta—"