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Elena/Dean- "I was stupid to think that my life could ever be normal." With Stefan away with Klaus and the recent death of her aunt Jenna, Elena makes a rash decision to leave town, not only to stop those around her from dying, but in an attempt for a somewhat normal life. But when has life been normal for a Petrova doppelgänger?
Teen idle
.
.
.
"Wish I'd been a teen, teen idle
Wish I'd been a prom queen fighting for the title
Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible
Feeling super, super suicidal
The wasted years, the wasted youth
The pretty lies, the ugly truth
And the day has come where I have died
Only to find I've come alive"
.
.
.
Mystic Falls, Virginia.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ELENA IS GONE?!"
"Exactly that, vampire Barbie." Damon responded dryly, avoiding eye contact with the pacing blonde as he took yet another swig of his liquor. Huffing, Caroline frantically waved her arms around in the air, her blue-green irises trained on the drunken, older vampire.
Shaking her head, Caroline frowned. "I don't understand!"
None of it made sense. The Elena Gilbert that Caroline knew would never leave town without telling anyone. But then again, who could blame Elena if she had? They all had lost someone in the dreaded town known as Mystic Falls, but no one, no one had lost as much as Elena Gilbert. Her adopted parents; Miranda and Grayson, her biological parents; Isobel and John, and her aunt Jenna. The list was endless and went on and on. And now, she had lost Stefan to Klaus.
Rolling his eyes, Damon downed the remains of his bourbon. "Am I speaking in Spanish? Elena's gone, blondie. She's left, she is ido." Damon snapped as the blonde's lips curled into a wounded frown.
Her shoulders dropped in realization as it flooded in that her best friend had left. "But… What about Jeremy? What about us, her friends? She wouldn't just give up on us, Damon. There has to be some other explanation. Maybe-" Caroline babbled, but was cut off by Damon's harsh words.
"Face it, vampire Barbie. Elena's skipped town and she is not coming back. What has she got left? Her brother who barely talks to her now? A witch who is way too concerned about her brother? An annoying best friend-" Damon was cut off by Caroline's protest. "-I'm not annoying!" The fellow vampire insisted, narrowing her eyes while crossing her arms over her chest.
The older vampire ignored her and continued. "A ripper boyfriend who is somewhere wreaking havoc along with a psychopathic hybrid who thinks she's dead? A grieving Ric and me, an impulsive, selfish vampire." Damon drawled, "I hardly doubt she's going to come running back." Damon snapped, his sapphire orbs darkening as he slammed the crystal glass onto the wooden surface of the table.
Caroline jumped as Damon began re-pouring his drink. Her eyes softened slightly at the mess Damon Salvatore had become. Sure, she didn't like the vampire, like, at all. After all, it was an insult to the devil to compare Damon to him, but she didn't hate him, much... Anyways, Damon was clearly in pain, no matter how much he tried to conceal his emotions, it was evident when looking into his large blue orbs. Somehow, Elena had been able to find something somewhat redeeming in Damon, and now... She was gone.
"But-" Caroline paused, not knowing what to say. "-She belongs here. What about Klaus?! If he finds out she's alive…"
Once again, the older vampire took a gulp of his drink. "He won't. Leave her be. She's better without us. Elena deserves better than the life she had, maybe she can find that."
For a moment, both of them were silent as Caroline pursed her lips, her eyes hurt. "You've truly given up, haven't you?" Her voice was soft as Damon took a seat on the couch.
He didn't respond, instead he kept his eyes trained on the flickering fire as he sipped the bourbon. For a moment, Caroline watched him, before she headed out the door. Leaving Damon to wallow in his own self-pity.
…
Nebraska, 10:21 PM
With a distant look in her doe eyes, Elena's nimble fingers tightly gripped the steering wheel as music blared out her car stereo. Technically speaking, it had been Jenna's car, but it wasn't like her aunt would need it anymore. She was dead. Gone. Like the majority of her loved ones nowadays. The thought of her ruby haired aunt caused a familiar pain to erupt in her chest. A pain she was used to.
Elena Gilbert knew grief like no other. She had spent the majority of her young life grieving and now… She couldn't do it. Not anymore. Elena was determined not to spend the rest of her life being depressed. She had needed to get away from Mystic Falls. It wasn't healthy for her.
Of course she felt guilty for leaving Jeremy, but her younger brother deserved better than the likes of her. Everyone died because of her. And Elena couldn't let anyone else get hurt. She couldn't. She loved her brother way too much to see his pale body being lowered into the ground.
Swallowing, Elena turned the indicators on as she turned the car right. She had been driving for over two hours now and was still looking for a motel. So far on the back roads of Nebraska, she had only found gas stations and small diners.
Honestly, Elena didn't know why she was driving to Nebraska. It wasn't like there was anything out there for her. Truthfully, Elena just wanted to go anywhere but Mystic Falls.
The doppelgänger was abruptly brought out of her thoughts when a vibrant, 1963 Porsche Karmann Coupe drove past her. Elena winced. Sure, she didn't know much about cars, but she did know that Stefan owned a 63' Porsche Coupe. Stefan…
At the mention of him, she bit down on her lower lip, preventing it from trembling. Stefan… Her first true love. He had sacrificed so much for her, kept her safe, comforted her in her times of need, he had been her light, even if there was a darkness lurking within him. And now, that light would be out and the darkness within would have taken over. She would never understand the temptation of blood for a vampire being a human, but she could remember how he acted during the Mystic Falls pageant. Who knew if Klaus had gotten into his mind, or if his blood-lust had won.
Whatever the outcome, Stefan deserved better. All she did was cause pain to those around her. Damon, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Jenna, Alaric, Jeremy, Tyler and even Rose, they all deserved better. They'd be better off without her.
Of course Klaus crossed her mind. When she had left Mystic Falls, she hadn't given a second thought to the man who brutally murdered her aunt. The hybrid still thought she was dead. But now, Klaus occupied her thoughts. Hopefully Klaus would be too busy turning werewolves into Hybrids too find out she wasn't dead. Elena honestly didn't want Klaus tracking her, chasing her down like he had done with Katherine for five-hundred years. The beauty grimaced at the thought. A burning sensation pulsed through her veins at the thought of the evil son of a bitch.
However, before she could think any more of the immortal douchbag, a large, bold sign caught her eye. 'Harvelle's Roadhouse'. For a moment, Elena debated. She hadn't seen any motels on the way and maybe someone in the bar would be able to direct her towards one. But then again, she hadn't stretched her legs for two hours, plus she really needed a drink.
With that in mind, Elena swerved the car around.
…
Nebraska, Harvelle's Roadhouse, 10:41 PM
Swallowing, Elena looked down at her appearance in concern while pulling on the bottom of her 3/4 sleeve navy Henley. Here she was, stood outside a… Different kind of bar than she was used to. The brunette looked insecure as she debated if she should enter the bar. In Nebraska, the law claimed you had to be twenty-one to get served alcohol, unless you were with an adult or parent. Elena had neither. Anyways, she half-expected to walk in, only to be escorted out by a large, bearded bartender. She was seventeen and Elena was pretty sure she looked seventeen. However, her big doe orbs weren't like they used to be. They weren't full with the innocence they had once radiated, no, now they were hardened and dull. The things she had seen had taken a toll on her. All the deaths… For the past year, death had followed her every step, digging his sharp nails into her back, waiting and lurking for another victim close to the doppelgänger. But then again, Elena had walked into Bree's bar, but that was with Damon, who had been a friend of the witch…
Taking a deep breath, Elena bit the bullet and opened the single door. Immediately, she was welcomed by the rustic sight of multiple pool tables, dim lighting and wooden walls. Elena's chest convulsed as she walked in and anxiously took a seat at the bar. The interior of the 'Harvelle Roadhouse' reminded her of the Grill… An old home. The dented dart boards, the low music, the overall entire set-up reminded her off the Mystic Grill. Elena half expected to find Damon and Ric sat at the bar, drinking bourbon together.
"Can I help?"
Elena looked up, her doe orbs wide when she noticed a petite blonde stood behind the counter. The girl couldn't have been too old, perhaps a little older than Elena. Maybe nineteen or twenty. Either way, Elena instantly noticed how pretty the girl was. She had long, honey blonde hair that sat on her shoulders in loose waves and pale, blemish-less skin. In certain lighting, the girl would have reminded Elena of her bubbly best friend; Caroline. Although judging from the girls laid-back clothing and slumped, almost insecure stance, she was Caroline's polar opposite. "Uh, yeah, I'd like a drink." Elena responded, her lips curving into an anxious smile.
The girl behind the bar let out a husky laugh and shook her head. "You're not used to being in bars, are you?-" When Elena didn't answer, she continued. "What are you? A teenage runaway? Whatever. How old are you anyways, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen?"
With her lips parted in surprise, Elena shifted. "I don't know w-" The blonde cut her off. "Look, don't worry about it. As long as my mom doesn't see, I'll serve you. Us girls have to stick together, right" She chimed, arching a thin, fair brow.
The Petrova doppelgänger smiled brightly, nodding. "Right, thanks."
Reaching under the counter, the blonde pulled two beers out of a small, hidden fridge. Placing them on the counter, she popped the tops off before gently sliding one towards Elena. As the beautiful brunette stopped the beer from sliding off the counter, the blonde took a sip of her own beer as she leaned forward against the counter. "I'm Jo, technically Joanna but you can call me Jo, everyone else does." She admitted, her tone smooth.
Elena smiled, already liking Jo's attitude. "I'm Elena." She introduced.
Nodding, Jo took a sip. "So now that I've illegally bribed you with beer, you gonna' tell me how old you are and what you're doing out here?" Jo asked curiously, her head cocking to the side, causing her blonde curls to tangle.
Tensing, Elena took another sip of the beer before placing it back on the bar. Taking a deep breath, Elena prepared herself. Her life wasn't the easiest to summarize… In an attempt to not frighten Jo away, Elena decided to leave out Isobel and John, as that would only complicate things. "I'm seventeen, eighteen in two weeks. I, uh, left home after my aunt died… I used to live with my parents, but then they died in a car crash...-" Elena took a moment to swallow, her eyes clouding up with tears. Opposite her, Jo tensed, her eyes softening. However, before Jo could say anything, Elena composed herself and continued. "So, uh, my aunt took me and my brother; Jeremy, in. And then like everyone else, she… She died." Elena's voice cracked as her eyes glazed over.
Shifting awkwardly on her feet, Jo was silent for a moment. She wasn't the best at comforting people… After all, Jo hadn't had any friends at school. Everyone in Jo's school had thought she was a freak with a knife collection. "Shit. I'm sorry… You got somewhere to stay?" Jo asked, leaning forward on her elbow.
The Petrova doppelgänger sent her an unconvincing smile. "It's fine, and not yet, but I'll find somewhere." Elena reassured.
Jo frowned. "There's a motel ten miles from here. It's not the nicest, but it's cheap and close." Jo informed her. "And uh, about your parents. I'm sorry, my dad passed when I was little if that helps…?"
When Elena didn't respond, Jo leaned forward. "And be careful, there's a lot of pervy douchbags in this bar. I'm used to them, but a pretty girl like you? I'm surprised they're not swarming you right now." Jo snorted before shaking her head. "Well, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you and don't worry about the beer, it's on the house. Hopefully I'll see you again."
With that, Jo walked away, leaving Elena alone at the bar with her beer.
PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU WANT MORE AS ADDING MORE DEPENDS ON FEEDBACK.
