HUMANITY - A Stefan Salvatore Fanfiction

CHAPTER 1 - NEW WORLD

Reflections had always seemed strange. They were inescapable, a brutally honest vision of what you were. A constant reminder, that no matter how hard you try, you can never escape reality.

That was all Sophia Lockwood could think about, as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was blank, with tired, vacant eyes staring back at her. She had hardly slept. She didn't want to.

"Soph?"

Sophia heard Tyler say her name, pushing the  bedroom door open gently, the creak of the hinges filling the silence. She smiled half heartedly, and turned to face her twin brother.
"Hey" she started, noticing his eyes drift to the cast on her arm. She knew he felt guilty, but she couldn't blame him for what happened.

There was a car accident. Tyler was driving. But there was this noise. Sophia had heard it too. Loud and painful, drilling into her skull relentlessly. Her brother lost control of the car, and the next thing she remembered, was waking up in hospital with a fractured wrist. Caroline hadn't been so lucky, however. She had been in the passenger seat. And she was still in intensive care.

As if Tyler didn't have enough to feel bad about, she thought.

It was the day of their Father's funeral. And the both of them were dressed all in black, ready to receive guests at the house. He had died the week before, in a fire. An accident, is what they told the twins. And it still didn't quite feel real, to either of them.
"You ready?" Tyler asked after a moment, and she nodded, before sighing heavily.
"Do we really have to do this?" Sophia asked. She already knew the answer. "I don't think I can stand another day of fake sympathy."
"I know," Tyler agreed, "But... Mom's the mayor now. We've gotta do this. For her, if anything."

Tyler was tense, angry it seemed, as if he didn't quite agree with his own words. And Sophia couldn't help but feel the same. She pulled him into a hug then, sighing again as she gripped onto the fabric of his suit with her good hand.

It was strange. Sophia had felt so entirely numb for the past few days. She was a girl who rarely cried. And, when she did, it came from anger, rather than grief. Despite this, she still couldn't help but feel as though she should be crying. But she couldn't help but remain the same. She felt blank.

Loss, in it's own way, had a habit of bringing out the unexpected.

Sophia pulled back from Tyler then, and they shared a knowing look of reluctance, before heading out into the hall. He had his hand on her shoulder, secure and comforting, like a promise, as they descended down the staircase.

"We'll make it through this," Sophia said determinedly, "together."

__________

The day was dragging by, a relentless storm of false smiles from people who didn't truly care. Sophia and Tyler's Father had been The Mayor of Mystic Falls, so everybody in town had turned up on their doorstep to pay respects. Not because they cared about him, or the family, but because it was expected. Her Father wasn't a kind person, but he still cared about this town, aswell as his family. She knew that. But it still hurt to see how little people truly cared about him.

Sophia was stood at the doorway with her brother, greeting groups of guests as they filtered inside. A few people, she recognised from school, or her Dad's work, but many were unfamiliar. It wasn't until a car pulled up at the drive, and a man stepped out, that Tyler and Sophia shared a knowing look, as he walked up to the house.
"So the black sheep returns" Tyler called out, folding his arms over his chest.

Mason Lockwood blinked, recognising the two dark haired teens infront of the house.
"Tyler?" he said, before looking to the girl next to him, "No way is that you, Sophia."
"Yeah" Tyler replied, as the the three of them gathered in the doorway.
"What happened to you guys?" Mason added lightly, "In my mind, you're both still twelve years old."
"Then that's two years older than the last time you saw us, Uncle Mason," Sophia said with a smirk.