Darkness, there was nothing but darkness. Its cruelty seemed to grasp her and pull her breath away. Her legs moved faster and faster until they moved almost spontaneously. The soft ground supported the girl's legs and helped her to run faster. Suddenly, a small light shined on the beautiful olive skin of the girl. It came from an opening all the way at the end of the dark woods. The light distracted the girl, for she did not see a branch hanging low, and ran straight into it. A loud shred echoed as her sleeve ripped open. Her skin, now exposed, met with the sharp end of the branch, tearing her soft skin. A warm, red liquid escaped the small red wound, dripping down her arm slowly and staining the rest of the shirt. Finally, she was about a foot away from the light. As she stepped towards it, feeling the light warming her skin, a hand from behind was thrown at her mouth and another hand pulled her back. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. He was helpless alone. Darkness began to set in. Not the darkness of the forest, but something much worse. This darkness was evil and it wanted her dead.
Trees and grass passed in a whir through the window of the moving truck. Elena, with her headphones on, stared mindlessly into the blurred scenery. Moving 3000 miles was not the most enjoyable thing, but she was used to it by now. However, she was moving to a small town, and she loved small towns. They felt so homey and everyone seemed to be one big family. She had heard many things about Mystic Falls. It was a small, safe town with a population of a thousand people. It was almost too small for crime.
An old, wooden sign ahead read, Welcome to Mystic Falls! As the car proceeded through the town, Elena couldn't help but feel a chill make its way down her spine. It was so strong, that she physically began to shake. Thankfully, no one had noticed, but that was not to say that it didn't have meaning.
As she progressed through the town, small shacks and boutiques caught her eye. Most of them were dully colored, with only a hint of seemingly bright colors. Each store conformed to the one that stood beside it, apart from the obvious difference in names. The town seemed to be right out of a book; perfect and peculiar all at the same time.
Finally, the car halted as it reached the steps of a small wooden house. I inhaled deeply before finally placing a clammy and unstable hand on the door and pushing it open. She paid the cabbie and stepped out of the car, grabbing her suitcase and carry on from the trunk. As the small car drove away, Elena took in the house. It was brightly lit, which did not at all match the outer decorum. She wheeled her suitcase to the door, and lightly knocked three times. In less than ten seconds, an exuberant face answered the door.
"Hello! You must be Elena! Welcome! I'm Mabel." the woman said as she stepped out of the way so Elena could walk in. The woman looked as if she was middle-aged and happy. Her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm and her voice was very jolly.
Elena examined the house. It was colorful and lively, which was not what she expected with her knowledge of the outside of the truly vivacious house. She stepped a sneaker in and pulled her bags along with her. Suddenly, a man with an equally enthusiastic face as the woman sprang up from the couch and walked towards me with open arms to take my bags from Elena.
"It's alright. I can carry them myself." She said, with a smile on her face.
"Oh, don't be silly. What kind of a foster parent would I be if I didn't help you carry your heavy bags? I'm Phil, by the way." He said and latched onto the handle of the suitcase.
Elena allowed the weight of the bag to leave her hands, smiling politely.
"Come, let me show you your room." Mabel said as she led Elena up a wooden staircase. With each step, the floorboards creaked, but Elena didn't mind it. She thought it felt and sounded homey, something she hadn't had much of.
They walked to end of a short hallway when Mabel opened a door, which Elena assumed was the door to her room. The small and dimly lit room was painted a faded shade of pink. A large bed with white sheets and large pillows took up most of the room. A dark brown desk sat right under a lengthy mirror with a golden frame around it.
"So, what do you think?" Mabel asked, hoping for a positive reply.
"I love it. Thank you, Mabel." Elena said, keeping a subtle, yet polite smile glued to her face.
"Oh please, call me mom, dear." She said.
Elena nodded, and Mabel began to leave.
"I'll let you get settled in. Dinner will be ready in an hour." She said and closed the door behind her.
Elena collapsed onto the bed. She was exhausted from the trip and knew that she had to take everything in before she could feel normal. She tousled her hands through her hair and stood up to walk toward her suitcase. She began unzipping it and placing the clothes on her bed. Finally, she spotted a door next to the desk, which she realized was the closet. She hung up all of her clothing and sorted everything. Finally, she realized that she had to go down for dinner, since an hour had passed.
When she reached the table in the dining room, she was shocked to see two faces she had not met. One was a pale girl who looked close to Elena's age. The girl had long blonde hair that seemed to be perfectly styled. She held a bright smile as the table's inhabitants all turned towards Elena. The second was a boy. He seemed a bit older, however. He had glistening blue eyes and dark tousled hair that made butterflies rush through Elena's stomach. She never thought that small towns would possess such good-looking people. There was something mysterious and enigmatic about him. His presence alone caused shivers through Elena's spine. Finally, Mabel stood up and introduced Elena to the two guests. The boy's name was Damon and the girl's was Caroline. They both said their nice-to-meet-you's to her and I returned them as she pulled a chair out and sat. The food smelled delicious, which is something that Elena did not usually think in past foster homes. She sat quietly, listening to the conversation that seemed to be incessant and yet interesting. She began to daze away into her own thoughts, when Mabel began to say, "Elena, sweetheart, what's your opinion?"
"I'm sorry I was just thinking about something. What is my opinion on what?"
"On this town, honey. What do you think of it so far?"
"It's… quiet. And homey. I'm starting to like it." Elena answered.
Elena felt a stare on her and turned to see the dark-haired boys eyes planted on her. The second she looked at him, he turned away. There was something so inviting about him that his essence alone made her interested in everything about him.
Finally, dinner was over and the guests were about to leave. Mabel and Phil walked them to the front door and they all began to say good-bye.
"It was great to meet you Elena!" Caroline said, as she flashed a bright smile and leaned in for a hug.
Elena hugged her back and maintained the polite smile that had been plastered on her face all evening.
Finally, it was Damon's turn, and in an icy and deep voice he said, "Nice to meet you Elena. Good night." He smiled slightly and quickly turned and walked out of the house.
Elena had had enough for one day, although she had a feeling in her gut that she would meet with the blue-eyed boy once again. She said good night to the middle-aged couple, and headed upstairs. She was so tired, that she instantly fell into a deep sleep on her bed.
Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open to the sound of an alarm. She jumped out of bed, only to see she was surrounded by men in all black, holding guns pointed right at her. She screamed but it seemed to be stifled for some reason. They paced towards her and as they were about to cock their guns, she screamed and shut her eyes. Suddenly, the footsteps halted and Elena opened her eyes. The men were gone and she was alone. Her heart was beating quickly and she layed back into bed breathing heavily. Oh no, she thought, it was happening again.