Chapter One
Welcome home
The wind blew warmly through my outstretched fingers in the late summer heat.
Twining lazily threw the silver cars interior making my legs stick unpleasantly to the leather seat.
I drummed my fingers in time with my brothers ipod catching the rhythmic pulse of the music as it had played tirelessly threw the last six hours of driving. My mind begin to turn endlessly over the last seven months of mine and Jeremy's life in Georgia, Wondering if going back home to Mystic Falls was really the best idea. Honestly after everything i wasn't even sure it was a good idea the closer they came towards it. I couldnt deny the feeling of sadness that threatened to drown me when I remembered the reason we left home to begin with.
The day that my parents died was a Wednesday. For some reason whenever someone asked me about the accident and stumbled on unsure ways to say sorry over and over again all i could think about was what day of the week it was. How strange it was that i could lose my family on such an unimposing day. A school day. A work day. A completely normal, boring, every other day Wednesdays for me. Now i couldnt even stand tuesdays and thursdays because they where to close to the day that ripped my life apart at the seams.
The sign for Mystic Falls was planted between two giant trees welcoming residents back to the small out of the way town that id been born and raised in. Sighing i looked over at Jeremy who's eyes were closed and body was reclined back in the seat. I would have thought he was sleeping if not for the light tapping of his foot as the next song started up with a heavy drumming sound. I knew he wanted to be left alone. That coming back here was just as hard for him as it was me. I knew that my own enteral struggle with coming home would need to stay inside me for his sake. If it wasn't for there Aunt Jenna finally stepping up and taking custody of the two of them, they both would be stuck living with second cousins who up until the day they arrived they had never meet. It wasn't terrible but there had already been five kids living in the house and it was just a reminder of the family that both of them had just lost.
I reached over and pushed on Jeremy's shoulder lightly. He didn't open his eyes. i pushed again, and again still no response. Slightly annoyed now i reached over and tickled his ribs knowing he would get mad. Jeremy didn't fail to respond, he jerked upwards and yanked off his headphones glaring at her.
"God Elena, What?" he said clearly pissy that i hadn't just left him be when he didn't move with my first attempt to get his attention. "Nice of you to notice me after all these hours." i said pleasantly to him as though he had greeted me with a big smile. "Yeah, Yeah" he muttered clicking off his music and looking around trying to gather where they were. "Where about five miles outside town Jer. You might wanna get your stuff together." i tried to say it like it was no big deal, but i could tell by the way Jeremy's shoulders slumped that he new exactly where we were and it wasn't any more excited about it then i was. Silence filled the car until we both caught there first glimpse of the town through the crowding trees. "It looks the exact same." He said. "Some how I thought that it would have to be different. I mean were different, so how can it look like nothings changed?" He leaned his head against the glass as we passed the first houses. "Everything's Changed." He whispered almost to lowly for me to catch it. i looked out onto the picture sic town that looked as though the forest had grown around it and hugged it into its cradled embrace and thought I couldnt agree with him more.
Driving up to there childhood home kept the car silent. The craftsmen style house was still the same. Blue with white shutters and little flower boxes with daisy's attached the second story windows. The grass needed mowing and you could tell the property hadn't seen much care in the last few months but it was still theirs. I pulled the car into the open spot next to Jenna's Jetta. Neither one of us moved to leave the car. "Jer, we can do this. I know things have been tough but we still have each other. Where home again. Lets try to make mom and dad proud or at least not completely fail at being a family." I said quietly. My not so little brother nodded his head and opened the car door.
"Elena! Jeremy! Your here!" their Aunt Jenna opened the front door on their first knock. She smiled her quirky Jenna smile and pulled them both in for a hug. "I'v missed you both so much. I'm sorry that it took this long to straighten everything out. But your home now and thats what counts."
Surprisingly Jer hugged her back. "Nice to see you to aunt Jenna." He said with a sight smile. "Yeah, its great to see you Jenna" I echoed as she released us and ushered us towards the kitchen. "Im gonna go to my room." Jer said and bolted up the stairs before either of us could even say okay. Jenna turned back to me. "Is he okay?" She asked concernedly a little line crinkling her porcelain skin. "Coming back here is just gonna take some getting used to for both of us." i said Jenna lost her smile a little " Yeah I figure it would. I just want you two to be happy here with me. I know its not the best situation but I'm glad that we can at least all be together finally."
" We will be, in time. We all just need to adjust." i said and followed her into the kitchen.
"I figured you guys would wanna stay in tonight after that long drive. How was it by the way? Oh, and I ordered Chinese." She said as she walked over to grab plates out of the dishwasher. I watched her knowing she was trying to think of what a responsible adult would do. Jenna was still pretty young she was in her last year of college and coming up on her twenty fifth birthday soon. Thats why she hadn't been able to be their guardian until just a week ago. She had been studying abroad in england when the accident happened and couldnt get back to the states until recently. "Jenna I know for a fact that you eat your lo mien straight out of the carton. Its okay, I just want you to be you. Cartons and everything." I sat on the stools at the counter and flipped open a box while handing her the pre packaged chopsticks. "I just want you and Jer to feel at home again. Im afraid that being me is gonna make you guys miss out on the norman rockwell family life you deserve." She said looking unsure of herself. She set the plate down and ran her fingers through her auburn hair. "I think the rockwell life is behind us now. We have each other and it would be better and easier on all of us if we learn to be a different kind of family." I mused aloud leaning in to look at a weird smelling chinese mystery food box. Jenna sighed. "Maybe your right. I mean lets face it. I am no miranda and I'm not gonna spoil her amazing job with you two by pretending to be a parent. Im barley responsible for myself and im always gone at school." Hearing my mothers name sent a quick pang threw my heart but i pushed it down knowing that now wasn't the time to be sad. I needed to stop feeling awful every time someone mentioned my mom and dad. It was time to start living life again. Not just pretending, but really moving forward. "Not to mention that I don't think iv ever seen you cook or even clean a dish." I joked instead trying to elevate the mood. Jenna picked up on the shift. "Hey! Iv cooked. I will fatten you right out of your cheerleading outfit with my tater tots and grill cheese diet." She laughed.
"Oh no im not going back to cheerleading. No thank you. I think its time for new beginnings in every area" I said knowing cheerleading was just to much of a reminder of my mom. It was something we had used to do together. "But you used to love cheerleading! Didn't you try out for the squad while you were in Georgia? She asked surprised that I would let go of it so quickly. "No, I didn't feel like being very cheery really. I mostly just hung out with a girl named Bonnie" I said casually knowing that if Jenna ever found out what I was really doing those long months shed probably have me committed. And honestly after everything I'd learned from Bonnie and her grandmother I sometimes wanted to be locked safely away in a padded cell. "Well its good that you made a friend there. What's she like?" Ahhh, I was afraid she'd ask let's see. Her and her whole family are witches who run an underground center for magical users looking to learn self defense from the supernatural. They unceremoniously told me that Mystic Falls used to be an epicenter for vampires and there were still a few who lived in the area. Not to mention the self defense lessons and training on how to kill a vampire 101. But I didn't think Jenna would believe a word of that. Heck if I hadn't seen Bonnie vanquish a real vampire right in front of me to save my life I never would have believed it either. I still pretend like it never happened sometimes but then I open my purse and see a deathly sharp stake and I cant quite manage to forget after that. Instead I said "Oh you know, nice and a really helpful kinda person." I trailed off vaguely not wanting to lie to much. "Hmm thats cool, what about your friends here? Have you talked to any of them in particular? Jenna said the words like a cat about to pounce. "Umm Yeah.." I spoke the words hesitantly. "What about a certain football player?" she smiled waiting for my reply. I didn't know what to say about Matt. We had started dating a few weeks before my parents accident and he was so nice and sweet and well Matt. "We were friends for years before we went on a couple dates Jenna. I think it would be smart to keep us as friends." I said diplomatically. "Are you sure? Nothing more? Don't you want to know if the future could take you two out of just friends zone?" I thought about Jenna's words as she outwardly rolled my eyes. Did i want to keep seeing Matt? Would matt even still be interested after so long apart. Yes, he would be. Matt had been trying to get mw to go out with him since sophomore year and i'd finally agreed right after christmas last year at the junior winter formal. We'd gone to the restaurant where matt worked called The Grill a few times and to the movies. He was even the kinda guy that opened doors for you and just kissed your cheek goodnight with no expectations. i had thought he was a good kisser at the time because I didn't have much to compare it to and it left me with a pleasant feeling afterwards. "Im going to go unpack and then pass out until tomorrow. Im beat from that drive." I said to Jenna. Who was shoveling food into her mouth like she hadn't eaten all day. Which she'd probably gotten busy and hadn't. "Mmmmk night" she said with a full mouth and a gentle squeeze to her hand. I quickly escaped and climbed up the stairs and opened my bedroom door. I stood their for a moment thinking about unpacking all my things and then decidedly walked into the room left the light off and fell onto my bed grabbing the blanket that had been left on it and rolling myself up in it. To exhausted to do anything but sleep.