Chapter Text
Amidst a changing society, supernaturals are becoming more at risk for exposure to the world, to governments, and to military leaders who might seek to utilize them as weapons of war.
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Josette "Josie" Saltzman and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Saltzman are the twin daughters of Alaric and Caroline, the headmaster and headmistress of the Salvatore Boarding School for the young and
... gifted .
The sisters are gemini siphoner witches, and they've been enrolled in the school for as long as they can remember.
They're potential power is immeasurable, but over the years, they've adopted the practice of controlling their magic and urges to siphon from anyone or anything which contains an intoxicating amount of power.
There's only been one power source which constantly kept them entranced and yearning to take even just the smallest bit of magic:
Hope Andrea Mikaelson.
Well, she went by the name Hope Marshall at the time of her enrollment, needing to keep her heritage a secret from the supernatural world.
Josie and Lizzie were never entirely sure why she'd kept her identity a secret from everyone, but they never really got the chance to ask.
After Hope's father died two years ago and her true identity was brought to light, she unenrolled from the Salvatore School, and she never returned.
The twins' relationship with the auburn haired girl had been...complicated and estranged, to put it simply.
Lizzie was always irritated by their loss of control when the girl was around, since dark power always radiated from her, enticing them to steal whatever they could. It put Lizzie more on edge than usual, and rendered her envious of the power she knew she couldn't take.
Josie was slightly different.
She felt the same desire to feel Hope's magic, but she also hated her own attraction to Hope's darkness and mysteriousness and knowledge and power and...well, everything about her, really.
She disliked the distance Hope always put between them, always pushing away any sort of interaction Josie sought out.
Josie's jealousy wasn't aimed at Hope, though.
Not directly at least.
But she did feel an unpleasant twinge any time her sister expressed an interest in Hope, no matter how subtle or grandiose.
She couldn't describe what she was feeling or explain why she was feeling it, but she didn't like it.
So, in an attempt to dissuade her sister's interest in the girl, Josie pretended to hate Hope, and her antics eventually caused her sister to do the same.
The distance grew between the twins and Hope, much to the twins' disliking, but at least now it was a mutually constructed distance.
But, when the twins found out Hope was in fact a Mikaelson, and the one and only Tribrid, they were able to gain a little perspective.
It was a bit easier to see Hope's side of things.
While Lizzie tried to appear uninterested in Hope's life and identity, Josie was clearly more invested than ever.
She began to ask more questions to her parents, who hardly scratched the surface with their answers.
She tried to do research, but Hope's family proved to be professionals in removing any shred of evidence detailing her existence.
There are no records, no documents, no answers to any of her questions.
And she's too nervous to ever reach out directly to the source. It isn't her place or her business.
Plus, she and Hope aren't friends. She made sure of that over the years, even if she did regret it...
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Josie and Lizzie walk together through the great hall of the Salvatore School, entering their parents' office and seeing their mom working diligently.
"Hi Mom!" The two girls sit across from her desk.
"Are you looking for new recruits?" Josie tries to sneak a peek at the files on her mother's desk, but Caroline closes them promptly and stacks them.
"Um, no sweetheart. Just looking through some program proposals for the school."
"Where's dad?" Lizzie doesn't seem to note the odd behavior of their mother, but Josie does.
"He went to talk with Sheriff Donovan down at the station. He should be back any minute."
This kind of thing isn't atypical. Their father has been good friends with the sheriff for years, so the girls don't see a reason to worry about it.
As if on cue, their father enters the room, "Hi girls, I thought you two were studying with MG?"
"Lizzie wanted to take a break. Did your meeting with the Sheriff go well?"
He pauses and glances toward their mother before returning his eyes to Josie, "Well, he and I have a few concerns for the supernatural community. It seems government officials are becoming increasingly aware of the presence of supernaturals, and the ones they've identified have all been regarded as enemies of the state. Matt thought it might be a good idea to implement extra security measures for our students."
Josie and Lizzie share a worried gaze to each other and then back to their father, who takes a seat at his own desk.
"What does that mean for the school?" Josie can't help but feel a bit of panic rise in her chest.
Caroline lets out a sigh, "It means we need to adapt."
Initially, the Salvatore Boarding House was intended to keep the supernatural identity of its students hidden from the world by giving these gifted kids the proper tools to better control and maintain their power.
Overtime, though, the Salvatore Boarding House has taken on a much larger mission: Protecting its students from a corrupt world system.
Josie eyes the closed file under her mom's palm, a look of curiosity in her eyes that doesn't go unnoticed by her parents.
They finally cave, and Caroline turns the file over to the twins.
The file shows the logo of the school with the words ' Salvatore Shield Initiative' in bold letters.
"Is this why the new building was added on the edge of school grounds?"
Leave it to Josie to connect the dots before ever opening the file.
Caroline gives her a nod, and Alaric explains as the twins open up the file, "The Salvatore Boarding School for the young and gifted has expanded in consequence to new threats. We intend to select honors students with incredible power, knowledge, and skills to find newly turned supernaturals and reach them before officials get the chance."
Josie and Lizzie look up from the file to their parents.
Lizzie points between Josie and herself, "We're honors students...so do we get to help?"
The two already have an inkling of the answer. Their parents are very protective and strict when it comes to their use of magic.
The look that their parents share confirms these suspicions.
"Let's not worry about this proposal just yet. For now, we're more focused on securing main campus before worrying about the expansion and the rest of the supernatural community, alright?"
Before Josie gets the chance to flip through the next pages, her mom extends a hand out to take the file, and Josie reluctantly complies by handing it over.
Caroline looks over to Alaric, "Have you called her yet?"
"Called who?" Lizzie perks up in her seat, becoming much more nosy by the second.
Alaric shakes his head 'no' to Caroline's question, then turning to his daughter to answer her's, "Just...someone to help with security protocols. She knows more about the three factions of supernaturals than anyone I know."
Caroline nods to reaffirm his words, "Why don't you two go freshen up for dinner? We can go to the Mystic Grille as soon as your father and I finish up in here."
Josie and Lizzie nod to their mom before standing to their feet and exiting the office.
When the two are out of sight, Alaric takes out his phone, dialing the number of the most powerful supernatural in the world:
Hope Andrea Mikaelson.