Stronger than the rest

Chapter 9

"So, the Lockwoods really have no idea that these tunnels are underneath their property?" Elena asks. we venture further through the tunnels and she starts to wave the torch around.

"Careful where you shine that thing. Bats hate the light." I joke and her eyes widen.

"Wait, what?" I roll my eyes as I follow after alaric. suddenly, Elena's footsteps stop and I turn to look at her. She looks around, frowning. Suddenly, Damon jumps out from the shadows, making her gasp.

"Ah! God, Damon!" She says, glaring at him. he smirks back and I giggle.

"Scaredy-cat." He replies before walking over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Just ignore him. That's what I do." I reply and Damon frowns before pinning me to the wall, making me gasp.

"How can you ignore me?" He asks, pecking my cheek before letting me go. I hit the back of his head and he laughs.

"So, you really can't get in?" Elena asks as we continue to walk.

"No. Seems even the ancient Lockwoods were anti-vampire." Damon says and I frown.

"What do you mean, ancient?" I ask and he gestures forward, stopping walking.

"See for yourself." He says and Alaric and Elena walk in. I frown before carefully trying to step in. It works and I wear a smug smile.

"Well, this is as far as I get to go." Damon says.

"Sucks to be you." I tell Damon and he frowns. suddenly, something catches my eye. drawings surround us. The type I know too well. I continue to stare at them, my hand traces the carvings.

"What is all this?" Elena asks.

"Well, as far as I can tell, it's a story. In simple, archaeological terms, it's a really, really old story." Alaric says as he points to the wall. "That right there, is the moon cycle." He points at another drawing. "A man, a wolf."

"A werewolf." I whisper, memories flooding back as I read the pictures, listening to their stories.

"Yeah, it's the "Lockwood Diaries: Pictionary-Style." Damon jokes and I find a small story To the side.

"I don't understand. I thought the Lockwoods came here with the Original Founders in the 1860s." Elena says and I trace the carvings. The symbol I read as hybrid with a cross in the circle is above a drawing of a girl. the girl has a horizontal line from her right connecting to a vertical line with the werewolf symbol above another girl under. I look at the other girl carving and see a line connecting her to a human boy and them two connected to a girl. the girl has a line connecting her to a boy who looks to be lay down. I go back to the hybrid girl and she is connected to a human boy and from them, another girl. But the girl has a line connecting to the human girl and the human boy too.

"I don't know. Maybe the Lockwoods did, but according to this wall, these werewolves have been here a lot longer than that." Alaric says and I finally figure it out. my family tree. My eyes continue to scan it.

"How long?" Elena asks and Damon replies.

"Long. It gets better. Show her, Ric." he says and I turn to look at them. "Angel, you might want to see this." I nod and make my way over to Alaric and elena.

"Names. They're not native. They're written in Runic, a Viking script." He says and my eyes widen.

"Vikings?" Elena asks and he nods.

"This name here, I translated it and it reads Niklaus." He says and I look at them.

"Klaus." Elena says and I sigh.