napalm skies <<>> kol mikaelson

03

"and once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through...you won't be the same person who walked in. that's what a storm is all about."

03 | PHOENIX

May, 1854

Her braids bounced against her back as she ran, bare feet feeling the cool grass underneath as she spread out her arms to either side. She laughed, the sound seeming to echo through the small clearing where her house sat. Her bright blue eyes sparkled in the morning light, and she was happy.

"Charlie, wait!" A voice called from behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see her older brother, Stefan, running after her. He was stumbling, trying to keep up with her fast pace and looking completely ridiculous whilst he did so. He wore brown pants and an oversized shirt that must've been Damon's before it was his. Charlotte, on the other hand, wore a pretty pink dress that didn't suit her complexion at all; her father liked pink though, so her mother made her wear it. She would much rather be wearing trousers like her brother; it would make playing their game so much easier if she didn't have to worry about trippping over the long trim. Her small hands came to pick the fabric up, turning around and running backwards as she faced Stefan.

"This is part of the game, Stefan!" She reminded him, and he rolled his green eyes before continuing to run toward her. She giggled, her small body turning back around and almost immediately running into someone else.

Before she could think or do anything, the seven year old girl was lifted up into the air. She let out a yelp of surprise which almost instantly turned into a fit of laughs and giggles. She thrashed in their arms, shaking her head.

"Damon!" She whined, trying to wiggle out of his arms but he had gotten much stronger than either Stefan or her. He was now sixteen years old, where Charlotte was only seven and Stefan was eight. He knew how to use his strength now, which caused for a very unhappy Charlotte whenever they played games together. He always managed to beat her with everything.

"Yes, Charlie?" He asked playfully, not letting her down from her perch over his shoulder. She frowned and started hitting his back with her tiny fists; she hit harder when he started to laugh.

"Let me down!" She screamed and she noticed that Stefan had finally caught up to them, his brown hair ruffled from chasing Charlotte for the past hour or so. He eyed his brother and sister in amusement. Charlotte wanted to smack that small smirk off his face if she could actually reach.

"Hmm, I don't think so," he replied, and she pursed her small lips, pouting even as she hung upside down. Her oldest brother was standing in the clearing with black trousers and a light blue shirt that brought out the pretty color of his eyes. Charlotte had the same eyes and wanted to wear blue just like him, so her eyes could be that bright. She hated wearing pink.

She had to grab onto his waist when he started walking back to their house, and then she began to hit his back even more. "Damon!" She cried, shaking her head. "Don't make me go back in."

"Your tutor was just telling me to go find you after you ran from your lesson," he reminded her, sounding like he was trying not to laugh. He shook his head, his curly black hair going every which way as he did so. "She looked very distraught, Charlotte."

She rolled her eyes as Damon finally put her down. But before she could escape, he set his hands on her shoulders, keeping her in place as his blue eyes stared deep into her own. Charlotte could see a sprinkle of freckles on his nose from this close, and smiled as she realized that she had the same freckles in the same spot. She had a little more than Damon, and much more than Stefan, but nowhere near the amount that their mother had.