Home at last. It had been a very long and tiring day which had seemed to have gone on forever but now the last day of her sophomore year of high school was finally over. Taking a rather loud sigh of relief as she pulled up into the driveway of her ancestral home home, Scarlett Salvatore put her car into park and proceeded to climb out of her car. It it only a short walk from here into her home which Scarlett didn't mind as it was a beautiful day, far too much of a beautiful day to even be driving but Scarlett had no choice in the matter. She lived too far out of town to be able to walk to school everyday like some people here in Mystic Falls, Scarlett pretty much lived on the outskirts of town and there was nothing she could do about it which meant driving to school was the only option she had. There was a reason why her family had chosen to live on the outskirts and it was better for everyone if it remained that way as the Salvatore's had a lot of secrets in this house that they needed to keep quiet. Unless she wanted to leave for school an hour earlier than she usually did. It had been such a long day that all Scarlett wanted to do was lie down in the back yard and take a nap for a couple of hours until she had to get a start on dinner but she couldn't do that. Even though it was now summer vacation it didn't mean that Scarlett could just lay around and do nothing as there was always something that she needed to be doing, if it wasn't working a shift down at the grill, studying or doing her homework there was always something for her to be doing at the boarding house. It was a big house and it needed to be maintained and Scarlett was more than happy to help out be it with squeaky floorboards or mowing the lawn. The Salvatore boarding house was home to Scarlett, it was the place she had been born and raised in every single day of her life, just like every other Salvatore before her since the house had been built in 1914. It was rumoured to be the creepiest place in all of Mystic Falls much to Scarlett's amusement, people in town liked to talk and they could about her family home all they liked but to Scarlett it was just home. The only place where she truly belonged, some of her happiest memories were being allowed to run around the boarding house and make as much noise as she wanted. The place was every kid's dream, it was the best place to play hide and see because of the countless places there were to hide. The Salvatore boarding house was the place that Scarlett felt most safe and there where else she would rather be. Walking through the front door of her ancestral family home Scarlett found that it was unusually quiet which was weird as despite the size of the boarding house, there was always some kind of noise going on somewhere especially now given the fact that there were three guests currently staying with them at the moment including a couple.

"Hello anyone here? Uncle Zach, I'm home…" Scarlett called out as in a house of this size it was easier to yell then to search the entire house for whoever you were looking for. But Scarlett wouldn't change anything about her family home in the slightest as despite it's vast size, the house had it's charm and was very homely. The house was pretty much filled head to toe with antiques that had been passed down through the generations, Scarlett was surrounded by items that reflected her family history and knowing where she and her family had come through had been a huge part of her upbringing. There was nostalgia everywhere, a lot of people would think that the boarding house was like some museum but it was home for Scarlett. She wouldn't change a thing as knowing where you came from was a big part o f being a Salvatore, there was a big emphasis on family history especially given how one of their darkest secrets was very much rooted deep within their history as well as Mystic Falls.

Calling out once again and receiving no response, Scarlett ventured further into the house and past the foyer, idly walking into the living room and proceeding to dump her jacket on a chair. The house was a little too quiet for liking, the last time it had been this quiet was just after Scarlett's father had passed away and for the following year when the boarding house had been closed to boarders. Letting out a rather loud and dramatic sigh, Scarlett allowed herself to fall onto one of the antique couches with a rather loud thud. It was only now that she found herself being able to fully relax after such a long and taxing day. Before Scarlett even had a chance to kick back, she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her and mere moments later, her dear Uncle Zach appeared – no doubt coming from the kitchen or the pantry with a rather surprised look on his face. He looked the same as Scarlett had ever known her uncle to be, warm blue eyes that ran within their family, short curly brain hair and then there was the stubble. It was more than just morning stubble but not quite a full on beard. As a child Scarlett used to get her uncle and her father mixed up quite often, especially when she was looking at one of them from behind. But that no longer happened anymore as Zach was here and her father Gabriel was gone.

"Scarlett what are you doing home so early? I thought you had a shift at the grill today? I wasn't expecting you to come home for several hours." Zach questioned, the expression on his face made it clear that he hadn't been expecting to see her and Scarlett just idly shrugged her shoulders. Just like her uncle, she had been expecting to work her shift today but there had been no need for her as soon she had been sent home. Stuff like that tended to happen with being a waitress, it was a pretty unpredictable job and Scarlett never really knew if she was coming and going.

"Neither was I… But you know what things are like at the grill, the schedule is always a mess and I wasn't needed today I was sent home. It's a pain but if I'm being honest I really wasn't in the mood to be working today. Robert did promise me a shift the day after tomorrow and some extra shifts next week so I can't really complain. Plus I'll be getting a heap load of work this summer, so really it all works out for me as the less time I spend at the grill means the more time I can be here helping you out Uncle Zach." Scarlett replied with a weak smile, like the name suggested the Salvatore boarding house did board actual guests and Scarlett's Uncle Zach ran it and Scarlett helped out. It had just been the two of them for the last eight years ever since Zach had become Scarlett's legal guardian after her father and Zach's elder brother Gabriel had died. They lived a quiet life and that was how they liked things.

"How was your last day of school?" Zach questioned as he looked around uneasily and Scarlett grimaced, she hated school or rather the people and she went to no effort to hide it. Her and Mystic Falls didn't get along in the slightest and everyone knew it. School was the last thing that Scarlett wanted to talk about but she didn't really have a choice about it as it was one of those things that her and Zach talked about. Well they talked about everything as given the huge family secrets they were keeping, the only people they could confide in and be honest with was each other. So there were no secrets between them. Scarlett wasn't the biggest fan of talking but she didn't for Zach's sake as she knew that her uncle worried about her, he worried that is she kept everything in that she would end up like her father. So to ease his worries, Scarlett told Zach everything. It was the least she could do given everything he had done for her.

"It was the same old Uncle Zach, it's not like anything ever happens to me at school but I'm glad that sophomore year is finally over. That year went by really slowly and I'm kind of sick of everyone at school pointing and looking at me and saying 'oh, look there's Scarlett Salvatore that weird girl who lives in the creepy Salvatore house'. Why did our ancestors have to settle in this town? Why the hell do we continue to stay? All this town is good for is pointing, staring and gossiping…" Scarlett replied with a sigh, her family had lived in this godforsaken town for about a hundred and fifty years now and they happened to partly found Mystic Falls, hence why they were one of the founding families. It was something that annoyed Scarlett pretty much every day of her life but secretly she liked the fact that her family were considered very important here in Mystic Falls despite how much she hated this town. But her family had suffered a tremendous amount of tragedy just by living here, the history of Mystic Falls were stained with the blood of the Salvatore family in more ways that one.

"I don't think this house is creepy, I think it's home and you are not weird Scarlett, I think you are rather delightful and a joy to be around."

"I'm your only niece, you have to say that Uncle Zach." Scarlett quipped in a bemused manner, she could always expect her uncle to say things like that to cheer her up and let Scarlett know that she was loved. With her mom gone after walking out on them over ten years ago and her dad dead, Zach had been more than an uncle to her over the last eight years. He had been a mother and a father to her. He didn't have to take Scarlett in after her father died, he didn't have to raise like she was his own but Zach had done that and not once had he complained or ever wanted anything in return. For Scarlett, Zach was irreplaceable as he was the only person in her life who had never left her.

"Doesn't mean it's not true." Zach retorted in response and Scarlett let out a genuine smile before allowing herself to look around the room. The eerie silence within the boarding house was really starting to unnerve her as it wasn't something that she was really used to.

"So it's rather quiet around here which odd, where is everyone? Have they all vanished for some reason? Or have they made the mistake of venturing into town?" Scarlett questioned and the moment the words were out of her mouth, this unexplained tension filled the air and Zach had lost all colour in his face. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. It had been years since Scarlett had seen her uncle with such a grim expression on his face, it had probably been one of those times that she had woken up in the hospital.

"A-About that Scarlett… Something happened whilst you were at school and I had to kick everyone out because he's back. Uncle Stefan has come back to Mystic Falls to visit us." Zach announced and Scarlett could feel a blood vessel in her neck threatening to burst. This was so not the news she wanted to hear. But Scarlett had to remind herself that she couldn't allow herself to get too worked up over this news as it wouldn't end well for her. However her head and her heart were reacting to this information in two different way and she still felt her blood pressure slowly start to rise as she struggled to deal with this news. It was a good thing Scarlett was already sitting as she was certain that she had lost all feeling in her legs. The news of her Uncle Stefan being back in Mystic Falls had done that to her. It wasn't welcomed news and Scarlett's head was literally spinning as she tried to process this information and she needed a very stiff drink to deal with it but she knew that Zach would never give her one, regardless of what was going on. Scarlett couldn't drink for health reasons but that didn't mean she didn't crave a drink. It was a lot to take in given what had happened the last time her Uncle Stefan had turned up at the boarding house and the idea of him being back in the house was bringing up a lot of uncomfortable memories for Scarlett. Some that she wasn't sure that she could currently deal with at the moment.

"I-I, I just can't even…" Scarlett stammered as right now words were currently failing her, she couldn't even begin to get the words out to describe how she was feeling right now. She wanted to scream and shout but she couldn't. Scarlet was still trying to wrap her head around this entire thing as this Stefan thing had just come out of nowhere. It had hit her like a freight train and Scarlett wasn't sure how could move on pass all this.

"Scarlett take a few deep breaths, you need to calm down and not get worked up right now. I know that is asking an awful lot of you but I need you to do this for me..." Zach began and Scarlett wearily sighed and followed her uncle's instructions and took several deep breaths and after a few moments she felt marginally better. Scarlett still wasn't happy about the situation but at least her head felt clearer and she didn't feel like her head was about to explode because of the various emotions running through her head. But now Scarlett knew that she had a grip on herself that she could string an actual sentence together.

"Why is he here Uncle Zach?" Scarlett questioned slowly, she hadn't seen her 'Uncle' Stefan since her father died and with good reason. The Salvatore family had a rather strained relationship with each other to phrase it simply and they put they the dysfunctional in dysfunctional family. Everyone said that their family wasn't normal and yeah some families had black sheeps, drunks and other weird things. But Scarlett's family took things to an entire different level because she was related to vampires. Actual blood sucking vampires and Stefan, Scarlett's however many times he was great uncle was one of them as well as his brother Damon. It never bode well for the Salvatore's when one of their relatives came to visit because someone in their family tended to die. Last person was Scarlett's father, the person before that was her great grandfather Joseph who was killed at the boarding house in 1953 by Damon. That's why their visits weren't exactly welcomed. Damon had caused a bloodbath here in Mystic Falls during the fifties and he hadn't exactly cared who he had hurt.

"Uncle Stefan is just here to visit, that's all." Zach replied and by the tone in his voice he wasn't too happy about this either. This town had a history with vampires, stemming back to when Stefan and Damon were turned back in 1864 and ever since, the Salvatore's had been keeping that a secret. It was a black cloud all over their heads. Growing up Scarlett had been taught everything that her family knew about vampires whilst still being read fairytales at bedtime. Scarlett didn't grow up like most little girls, she knew things really did go bump in the night and that monsters really did exist. No little girl should have been raised the way she had but it was a necessity in order to keep herself safe. Learning about vampires and being trained in how to kill them if the need should ever arise. It was something that she had to learn in case a day like this should ever happen. It was why she had been wearing a locket filled with vervain since she was eight years old and started drinking vervain in her tea everyday from the same age. Scarlett knew everything about this town and vampires, about the founders' council and how the 27 civilians burned in the old Fells Church were actually vampires who had been terrorising the town in 1864. The same time her uncles had been turned into vampires. Stefan being here didn't bode well for anyone.

"What about Uncle Damon? Is he going to drop by and pay us a visit?" Scarlett angrily asked, her and Zach had managed to live normal life for eight years and now it was going to be ruined by her stupid relatives who did nothing but cause death and destruction whenever they came to town. So needless to say Scarlett wasn't too happy about about the fact that her relative had just suddenly dropped in for an unwanted family reunion.

"He says he doesn't know where Uncle Damon is and that they haven't seen each other in almost fifteen years." Zach explained and Scarlett just scoffed, she knew the stories about her uncles and how Damon was hell bent on ruining Stefan's life for the rest of eternity. Despite the fact that Scarlett had never met her Uncle Damon and she didn't really want to, she knew he was a dangerous vampire who was slightly unhinged and had a taste for blood and mayhem. Just because Stefan hadn't seen his brother in fifteen years, it didn't mean that Damon didn't know where he was.

"Just what we need our blood sucking relative strolling back into town… And it's not like we can stop them from coming in, because we made the mistake of inviting them in." Scarlett said with a shake of her head, she did so not want to be dealing with her creature of the night relatives at the moment. She was now officially on summer vacation, the only thing Scarlett wanted to be doing was working through the summer whilst hanging out at the house with the guests, her cat Lucrezia and Zach. Not constantly looking over her shoulder, paranoid that one of her relatives wanted to talk a big fat bite out of her jugular vein.

"At least it's Uncle Stefan." Zach offered and Scarlett knew that her uncle was trying to be comforting by reassuring her that the situation could be worse than it already was. It could be Uncle Damon who was coming for a visit, the one who would have no problem taking a huge bite of their jugular veins and sucking them dry despite the fact that they were family. However it was Uncle Stefan who was coming, the uncle who didn't drink human blood but instead fed on animals, it wasn't the most reassuring thing as Scarlett would have preferred not to have any of her vampire relatives in the house at all but at least it was something. Although she'd have to keep a closer eye on her cat Lucrezia or lock her in her room whenever Stefan was in the house. This was going to be very annoying, seeing as she hadn't seen him in eight years and even then they weren't on the best of terms with him being a vampire and all.

"I guess you have a point…" Scarlett wearily allowed herself to admit.

"I know that this is a scary thing to be dealing with, that I'm asking so much of you Scarlett and forcing you to deal with things that nobody your age should ever have to be dealing with. If I could change things and make sure you were safe from our family secret, I would do it in a heartbeat. I may not be able to stop us from being related to vampires but I will keep you safe Scarlett, I'll make sure nothing happens to you. I will protect you at all costs. I won't let anything happen to you."

As much as Scarlett appreciated her uncle's words, she knew this history had shown that the Salvatore men who were the ones who met their end at the end of their vampire relatives. If anything Zach was in more danger than she was and that scared Scarlett more than anything else in the world.