Lyla’s POV
“What are you doing, Lyla?”
I turned to see Henry looking at me intensely while standing at the door. I ignored his question and continued packing up my clothes. I moved to the wardrobe and brought out a new suitcase for my sneakers, heels, and sandals.
“I asked you a question, Lyla?” He yelled, making me stop in my tracks.
“I’m leaving Henry. I can’t stay here. I need to go” I answered.
He yanked me away from the wardrobe angrily and made me sit on the bed.
“Leave for where, Lyla?” He asked, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Back to where I was before. They need me back there, I can’t stay here when he’s about to lose his life”
Henry ran his hand through his hair out of frustration.
“You never belonged to that place in the first instance. You belong here, your place has always been here with family”
“I don’t want to argue with you, Henry but I need to leave. He needs me. If you will, I’ll appreciate it if you respect my actions and let me go without any argument’ I suggested and he frowned.
“Impossible Lyla, you’re not leaving and that’s final. What is wrong with your head? Why the hell are you not thinking straight?” He yelled.
“I shouldn’t have come back in the first place” I whispered under my breath, hoping he won’t hear me but to my surprise he did
“Then why did you?” He asked, angry at my words.
“Because I needed to ask you some questions. I made a shocking discovery and I was hoping it wasn’t true” I replied.
“So, you didn’t come back because you care about your only brother and family but you came back because of some stupid discovery you made. This isn’t Nat Geo wild, Lyla. This is family and forever, I thought I had a family but to my utmost disappointment, I also just discovered that I’m all that’s left in the Salvatore household”
He spat.
Angrily, he banged the door close as he walked out, leaving me confused and feeling so bad about what I said and myself as well. I quickly stood up from the bed and walked out of the room, in search of him.
“Henry,” I called out his name as soon as I sighted him in his study room after five minutes of searching around the house. His head was resting on his hands as his ankle was rooted on the desk.
“Why are you still here, stranger? I thought you should have left”
Sarcasm! I get it!
“I didn’t mean it that way, Henry,” I said.
“Well, it sounded that way to me. I’ve made a decision, you can leave Lyla. Nobody is stopping you from going. Not me, not anyone” he replied nonchalantly.
“I’m sorry Henry” I apologized as I moved closer to him.
“You’re an adult Lyla and I should understand that you’re old enough to make your decisions. Whatever you want, missus” he joked, smiling awkwardly.
“I know you’re not okay with it”
“I’m good baby sis” he smiled.
I sat down opposite him, ready to ask him those questions that have been in my mind for days.
“I want to ask you some questions, I hope you give me a sincere and honest answer, Henry” I pleaded.
“I didn’t impregnate any lady” he joked, appearing to be shocked and I couldn’t stop laughing.
“I’m serious, Henry”
“I’m serious too, Lyla”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Whatever, so, here’s my question” I hesitated a little bit.
“Are we biologically related?” I dropped the question and for seconds, the whole room was silent.
I could hear my brother’s heavy breathing as he stared at me, if a pin was dropped on the floor, you could hear the sound loud enough.
“Henry,” I called out when the silence was taking too long.
He suddenly opened his drawer, brought out a golden necklace, and gave it to me.
“Open it,” I collected it and opened the locket. In it, was a picture of a woman and a baby.
“According to what I was told, that’s you and your mother”
I whipped my head up and stared at him.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“We share the same father but not the same mother. I only got to know when I saw that locket with Dad months before they died. I don’t really know the story behind your birth but I think my father had an affair with your mother and she got pregnant with you” He explained.
Tears dropped from my eyes, as it dawned on me that all my life, I’ve been living a lie.
“So, I’m not mom’s daughter. How come I’m here? Did my mother abandon me?” I asked, hoping Henry would have an answer to my questions.
“That much is what I don’t know, Lyla. I don’t also know where you can go for answers, the only thing I know is that locket I just gave you. I’ve wanted to give that to you for years now but I didn’t know how to tell you that the woman you’ve always thought to be your mother isn’t your mother. I’m so sorry for keeping this information from you”
“I never doubted my birth because of how much mom loved me but I had it after something strange happened and I got this memory of me being with a different woman when I was small. Do you know if I grew up with you or if I just came into your life suddenly?” I asked another serious question.
“I can’t really remember but from the family album, you only came into the picture at the age of five. Which means, it’s possible you lived with your mother till you clocked five and you were brought here after that” he explained.
“Do you have any of dad’s stuff that I could go through just to have a clue?”
“All his personal belongings were sent to Amsterdam, his birth home after his death. I only have this locket because he gave it to me before then” I nodded upon realizing I was at a dead end.
“I don’t think I’m human, Henry” He raised an eyebrow. I continued, “I see things, things I’m not supposed to see about people. Their darkest secrets once I touch them”
I wanted to tell him about werewolves and everything that’s happened back there but I already promised Damon that I won’t tell anyone about what I saw and it’s crazy that my brother was one of those I couldn’t tell.
Henry was silent for seconds and it scared me. I don’t know if my brother would accept me for who I am.
“Whatever you are Lyla, I don’t care. To me, you’ll always be Lyla Salvatore, my annoying little sister and my best part” I cried out and threw myself into his arms. He hugged me just as much as I hugged him.
“You’re the coolest brother ever” I complimented and he smirked.
“What do you want to do now, Lyla?” He asked.
“Find myself” I replied.
“Do just that and always remember you have a place here. This is your home, I’m your family and I’ll always love you no matter what, and guess what, flower, I kick ass too. So if anyone tries to mess up with you, tell them your brother is a badass”