"Mom?" She asked quietly. She peaked her head inside the dark room. She could feel her body shaking, palms sweating and she couldn't seem to take another step. The possibilities were infinite. The smell of blood was getting stronger, more sickening. As to the shattered glass and broken furniture, she was sure someone else was here. She didn't trust her sense of smell; she only convinced herself it was some bad leftover in the fridge, but her sight didn't lie. The rug in her parents' room was soaked in a crimson liquid, and it was still spreading.
Tears already welled up in her eyes and she found herself shaking even more, if that were possible. She took a short step in the room and the tears burst. Her hands covered her mouth quickly, as if to cover the cries. Laying on the bed were her parent's bodies, with blood over their clothes which seemed to be leaking from their necks. Tears poured out like a stream, overwhelming and unstoppable. Her eyes moved to the window; it was open. The gentle breeze of wind crept into the room, making her bones freeze like it was snowing. A black crow landed on the window and stared at her. Its eyes seemed to wonder her existence before she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. She let out a bloody scream…
Jennifer Gilbert jolted in her bed with a loud gasp. She found herself gripping the sheets tightly, heart beating like a drum and losing breaths. Third time this week, she thought. The nightmares began four months ago, since the night her parents died. That was also around the time when she would see a black crow for numerous times. She always felt like she was being watched, being followed. This crept her out, but she never told anyone. Her family, at least what was left of it, had enough to deal with. She wasn't going to lash her problems out to her sister Elena.
Elena had had enough on her plates with Jeremy's drug issues, and her aunt Jenna wasn't exactly the one who could provide for their lives. Three teenagers with dead parents, what could go wrong?
She got out of bed and got dressed for school. As she gazed out the window, the sun shone brightly. Just another day in Mystic Falls, she sighed. As she walked down the stairs, she could hear Elena and Jeremy fighting. Another sigh.
Breakfast used to be something she enjoyed, because her parents were there. Now it felt like that meal wasn't nessacery anymore, just like any meal of the day.
"Aren't you gonna eat breakfast?" Aunt Jenna asked.
The girl just shook her head softly and headed for the door. She didn't want to go to school, yet she had to. Today was the beginning of a new school year, and that meant condolences would go with the package. She didn't want any 'I'm sorry your parents died's anymore. Sure, people still noticed enough to say a word, but that only brought the bad memories.
She composed herself and waited for Elena and Jeremy.
At school, nothing much was going on. Everything was back its rightful place. And she was right, condolences, but this time, people didn't bother enough to make their apologies sound real. No more fake sympathy in the eyes, no more fake cracks in the voice. Everyone moved on. Mystic Falls moved on, and it was time for herself to do so. She couldn't live in the past anymore; she couldn't relive the bad memories anymore. Everyday, she had to wake up to the reminder that her parents were never coming back. The loss was too much, but somehow, she liked the way the pain inflicted on her. It made her teary-eyed all the time, yet the emotional stab was pleasurable.