Vampire Diaries Blood Brothers

~Chapter Sixteen~

Bonnie was feeling sick this morning so Jenna drove me and Jeremy to school. The two of them spent the entire trip arguing about Jeremy's illegal driving to and from school over the past few weeks but I was barely listening. After a little bit of digging on the internet I found that Stefan, unlike every teenager ever, didn't have any social media. 
   Mystic Falls was a small place, and if he was born here like he said he was, there was no way searching Mystic Falls Stefan Salvatore would come up empty, but it did. There was a record of Salvatore's, but none of the colour photographs were of Stefan, Damon or their uncle Zach. I was going to have a look through the black and white pictures, but I ran out of time before school to find anything about their parents or ancestors.
   Ever since we first met, I knew there was something off about Stefan, something suspicious, but I just assumed he was holding back on telling me about his deceased family. However, after all the crazy stuff that had been happening recently, I began to wonder if it was something else, something a little more sinister. After all, it wasn't just Stefan who was suspicious. His brother was of equal suspicion and I was determined to figure out what it was that the two of them were hiding.

~~~

Standing on the pavement I waved as Jenna drove away to work. Jeremy had already gone so I knew no one would notice if I slipped away to the news station before class. Ditching my bag in my locker, I slid my phone into the back pocket of my cobalt jeans and headed down the road. 
   The lobby of the news station was full of people as the camera crew loaded their equipment into the vans parked outside. Weaving my way through the crowd, trying not to get smacked in the head with the camera poles, I made it to the front desk.
   "Hi, I'm looking for Logan Fell, please."
   The receptionist glared as she yawned boredly. "Somebody is always looking for Mr Fell. Why should he speak to you?"
   I opened my mouth to reply when Logan suddenly appeared beside me, a kind and nervous smile on his face. "Karen," he nodded to the receptionist. "Why is this young lady waiting?" He demanded, grinning at me.
   "Um-"
   "This is Eva Gilbert, the wonderful niece of my girlfriend, Jenna."
   "Oh, sir, if-"
   "Ugh, never mind Karen. Just don't let it happen again," he winked. Placing his hand on my shoulder, he steered me towards a quiet corner of the room. "Sorry about that," he breathed.
   "Don't apologise," I breathed, smiling. "That was... Awesome."
   "What can I say? Women just can't resist my charm," he laughed. "Now, what did you want to see me about?"
   "I was wondering if I could ask a favour?" I raised an eyebrow, hoping for a yes.
   "Shoot."
   "Do you have access to old news stories? Say... Fifties?"
   "Yeah, right here at the station. Between the archives and the internet we pretty much have everything. Why? Isn't school starting now?" He glanced down at his watch.
   "I have this report," I said hurriedly, trying to act casual. "For History. Would I be able to take a look now? Or..."
   "Yeah, of course," he smiled. "Follow me, I'll let you in. As long as you promise to remind Karen to lock it up once your done?"
   "Deal."
   "Great," we shared a smile. "Right this way Miss Gilbert."

Scrolling through the archives on the computer in the little box room stacked with files and tape records, I searched Giuseppe Salvatore into the search engine. If Stefan's father really did die from an animal attack in Mystic Falls, it would be in the archives. 
   I held my breath as the computer scanned the records. I got one hit, but it wasn't for Giuseppe Salvatore. "Joseph Salvatore," I murmured to myself in the dark, musty smelling room. "Died June 11th 1953... Animal attack."
   Frowning, I clicked the link which led straight to the video footage taken by the reporter of the time. "This is Franklin Fell reporting to you from the Salvatore Boarding House where a brutal animal attack has ended in tragedy."
   The camera zoomed in on a body covered in a blood stained, white blanket being wheeled out of Stefan and Damon's house. I covered my mouth with my hand as I peered at Joseph's arm hanging from the table. It was like nothing I had ever seen. In the movies when you see a dead body or limb it looks normal, but there was nothing normal about this. His arm looked as though his insides had been vacuumed out, minus a few off shaped lumps. The other day when Logan described Mr Tanner's body as a sack of skin full of bones and organs, he wasn't kidding. Whatever animal species killed Mr Tanner no doubt ended the life of Joseph Salvatore too.
   "Is that the nephew?" Franklin Fell asked the camera man.
   The black and white video then zoomed in on a shadow lurking in the doorway of the house, trying to get Joseph's nephew in the shot. Pausing the video, I leaned close to the screen and narrowed my eyes, trying to make out the face.
   My heart skipped a beat as I made out the familiar body language, bone structure and hair. The nephew of Joseph Salvatore was none other than... "Stefan?" I murmured.
   Shaking my head, I closed the tab and leaned my elbows on the table, clutching my head in my hands. There was no mistaking it, the nephew was none other than Stefan, my boyfriend, seventeen years old... In 1953. Tears pricked my eyes as I jumped away from the computer, my back slamming against the wall as I slid down it in shock. 
   1953 was fifty six years ago, yet Stefan looked the exact same. It was as though he hadn't aged a single day. But that was... Impossible. Every single person in the universe aged. They grew old, and then, if they were lucky enough, would live a good, long life before they eventually died of old age. Nobody cheated death, nobody! But... How could I deny what was right in front of me?