Hey all! This will be my first story on this website. This is me trying to revive my passion for writing. This is a Vampire Diaries fanfic in Elena's point of view. I am basing this off of seasons 1-4 of the TV show. (No season 5 spoilers please!) I hope you all like it.

Elena's POV

I didn't want to look back after all that had happened. I couldn't even look back at the house I had stepped out of for the last time. It was the only house my brother Jeremy and I have lived in. I had packed my bags and was ready to leave. I only took what was necessary from the house: my clothes, all of the money I could find, and a photo of my parents, my brother Jeremy and me. Jeremy angrily refused to pack up and leave, so I had to pack for him. It was quite an ordeal to get him out of the house:

"I am NOT going ANYWHERE Elena. My whole life is here. You can't make me!" said Jeremy.

"Is this about Vicki?" I asked, afraid I knew the answer. I knew he would have trouble leaving her. He always had trouble making friends before, and she had been the first girl to show interest in him. The girl had him infatuated although they only knew each other for a couple months and were dating only half that time. That was my brother's ultimate weakness; he put all of his faith and efforts into other people. I couldn't do that. Not anymore.

"Of course it's about Vicki!" he fired back. "Well part of it. I was finally starting to put my life back together! I had a girl that really loved me and I loved her. Why must you swoop in and take me away from that?"

If only you knew, Jer.

"Look Elena, I know our parents are dead now," he continued, his tone becoming more solemn. "I can see how much this has upset you." He reached out and grasped my shoulders. "We can face this together. We don't have to run away from it."

My eyes started to burn with the threat of tears. His eyes were pleading. That was my brother. He tried to act strong but really needed me. Especially now I needed him too. Jeremy always knew how to reach into the deepest pocket of my emotions. I always worried about him because of his social isolation and hinted battles with depression. Which was why I couldn't leave him here in the chaos that had permanently fractured our strong family backbone. If I stayed, I don't think I could be the strong one. Or the stronger one at least. I couldn't tell him either how our parents died. That would send into a downward spiral that I couldn't help him resurface from.

But would the depression become even worse by leaving the only home and people he had ever known? No. I was making the right decision. I was sticking to it.

"Jer, you know we can't. The murder investigation is just starting, and we would get caught up in it soon enough. Not to mention social services will come looking for us. We must choose our own lives, not have them chosen for us."

I could see he agreed on the most part, but his eyes still held disapproval.

"At least let say bye to Vicki. You know I can't leave until I see her," he pleaded.

"No way. You'll be even more reluctant to leave if you did."

"I couldn't be any more reluctant than I am now," he said icily before moving away.

Now he had given up his pleading. He had nothing left to offer but silence. He would never stay without me, so he had no choice but to go. I lifted both bulging bags over my shoulder and stood there outside the house until he came outside. I closed my eyes to calm myself in this tense moment of transition in my life. I stood there for probably minutes, but the only comfort I could find was my brother coming with me. He just needed more time than me to let go. I felt a whoosh of air, opened my eyes and saw Jeremy steadily moving down the street, not looking back. I struggled to keep up with him, who stomped on a half of a block ahead.

"Wait Jer!" I called. My shoulders ached from the weight and the tight nylon straps as I rushed after him.

We walked, me running after him as fast as I could for five blocks until we can to the bus station. Seeing Jeremy stop to sulk behind me, I scanned the cities at the ticket window. Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia… Oh yes, Philadelphia sounded perfect; it was a big city where no one would know us, and we probably wouldn't see the same people twice. I purchased two tickets. I turned around, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when Jeremy wasn't there.

I frantically picked up my bags and started circling the area. A lot of people looked the same because of the dark clothes they were wearing. Was Jeremy wearing dark clothes today? Still none of them looked like him. I continued on to the edge of the station where the crowd of people was thinner. The noise of people died down as I moved on to a secluded area next to a side street. The silence continued on until I heard a soft voice coming from the right. I turned and saw the silhouette of what had to be my brother.

"We will see each other again Vicki," he was saying. "I'll make sure of it. We're not over. I'll call you every–" he cut off as he glanced over and saw me. His expression darkened. "I've got to go Vicki. I'll call you when I'm there. Wherever we're going." He snapped the phone shut.

Oh no, now he thinks I'm controlling his life. I did just buy the tickets without asking what he wanted. Maybe I am controlling, but there is a means to this end. I slowly moved toward him.

"I was thinking about Philly, if you were wondering," I said. "How does Philly sound?"

"Whatever," he replied. "I don't really have a choice in the matter. Let's just get out of here." Feeling like I got punched in the stomach, I handed him a ticket and he walked away again. I followed him to the bus.

He got on before me since I was still carrying the two bags. I handed the driver my ticket, and got on. I spotted Jeremy near the back in a full row. I sighed and chose an empty row near the front. He was avoiding me. Hopefully our relationship would get back to how it was before our parents died. He was all I needed right now. Memories of that horrible night were struggling to come into consciousness. I refused to let them consume me and thought instead about the new life that was right ahead of us in Philadelphia. I could imagine there were good people out there, attending university classes, starting charities for the poor, running small pretzel stands…

My thoughts drifted into emptiness until a jolt woke me up. I looked around and saw the bus was nearly empty at this point. Jeremy, however, moved up to the same row although he wasn't next to me. Night had already befallen on the land, so I could not see much of the surroundings except the road illuminated by the bus's headlights.

"Where are we Jer?" I mumbled, trying to recover from my sleep. "Are we near Philly yet?"

I could see a quick flicker of amusement in his eyes before turning back to the vindictive glare. "We passed Philly hours ago. We are now going through Virginia to the last stop I think."

"And where is that?" I said, panicking.

"Mystic Falls sweetheart," a voice sounded from ahead. It was the driver. "It's a small town in the center of Virginia known for its rich history."

That didn't sound good. I swallowed the rising lump in my throat. I looked out the window and saw the darkness was joined up ahead by a small expanse of street and building lights. The bus slowed down and crossed into the town.

"Welcome to Mystic Falls," the driver said.

That was the first chapter! Let me know what you thought. Any feedback would be very helpful! I should have the next chapter up soon.