Paste your docum

chapter 1

Elena Gilbert stared at the clear taxi windows watching Manhattan move past her slowly, she didn't miss the city that much since she went away to college in London. But being in the city once more made her realize how much she missed the city without even realizing it up until she found herself staring at the buildings and the environment. She had quite a number of memories in the city, going to school with her best friend and stopping at Bergdorf or Barney to shop after school or the wild parties thrown at the Empire or the Plaza hotel.

It was a really hard decision for her at that time to throw her dream of studying in her dream school Harvard like her father and attend Stanford so she could be far away from her.

Now he was dying, the same man who meant the world to her, she blamed herself this past week over and over again. She cut off all ties from her family after that woman hit her after telling her then seventeen year old daughter that she was nothing but trash to her face, a disgrace to the Gilbert family. Elena simply stood there tears falling down her face as she stared at the woman who was supposed to be her mother, who was supposed to be there for her through thick and thin, flatly call her a mistake that should have never existed.

She was just back from school, 5 years ago and ran up to tell her then nanny Noon in their Park Avenue penthouse that she was nominated for prom queen alongside her ever perfect twin Katherine. She just walked into her parents' room to find her mother, Miranda Gilbert was seated on the adjoining patio sipping her usual afternoon tea when she spotted her.

'Elena,'

Elena was just going to slip back out the room, at the age of seventeen she'd already figured out that her own mother would rather see her kidnapped and hurt than as prom queen over her beloved Katherine.

'Mother.' She walked slowly towards the patio's clear glass careful to keep a distance between them.

'What are you doing home, it's just lunch time.'

Elena rubbed her palm together, a habit she developed due to the constant criticism from this woman. She struggled to look for a way to explain that due to all the hard work she put in during her last three years at Constance, she had only two classes for her senior year, hence she and her best friend bonnie Bennett could skip school whenever they didn't have classes.

'I believe you still have your vocal cords intact.' Her cool voice rang with disdain.

It was so hard to believe that that cool voice coated with ice would change to a warm loving melodious voice when either Katherine or Jeremy walked into the room.

'I er I was just em…'

'Just what? You think we pay thirty five thousand dollars per semester so you could just skip class whenever you like?'

Elena kept rubbing her hands fiercely staring at the lush Amazon carpet. 'No, I was just….'

'Where's your sister?'

The last time she saw the dark haired angel, she was at the steps in school, aka her throne.

'At school, I think.'

Miranda scoffed 'You think? You mean you have no idea where your sister is?'

'I just told you mother, you want to see her? Then go look for her.'

It was the first time she ever stood up for herself like that. Bonnie told her to swallow her fear and stand up to her mother so she wouldn't see her as a weak teenager anymore….the end result? A stinging cheek as her mother's hand collided with her face.

'You will never speak to me like that again, I gave you life and I can take it.'

Elena sobbed silently in shock and just grabbed her coat and ran down and got onto a cab and straight to her best friend's apartment. Elena remembered how Bonnie just hugged her as she spilled everything to her.

That was over five years ago and since then, she never spoke a word of it to anyone but Bonnie. She didn't even tell her father when he pleaded with her that Stanford was too far from Manhattan, all she told him was that see needed time away from the city. Thankfully he understood the rift between his wife and two daughters. She hardly thought of home till she got the fax in her office.

Elena,

It's been a while, father is dying please come home, I know this is probably unexpected but please understand he needs you here. There's a first class ticket back to New York try and be here.

Love,

Jeremy.

She cried when she read the letter as guilt washed over her. She hadn't spoken nor heard from her dad since she won a scholarship that paid all her bills that was four years ago. Even her older brother Jeremy had previously tried to reach her but to no avail. She cut off all ties from her life in Manhattan. Now her father was ill and as asking for her, Elena knew she didn't need anyone to tell her the next step to take. After all she couldn't run away from her past forever.

Her iPhone rang beside her jolting her from her train of thoughts.

She glanced at her screen.

It was her roommate back in California, Caroline Forbes, the blonde haired fickle babe.

'Hey! Becca's here.' She was referring to their rich blonde haired friend Rebecca Mikaelson

'Hi Becca!'

'Hey girl, where the heck are you right now?' Becca wasted no time in asking.

Elena was already missing them. 'I'm on my way to the house right now, I miss you girls already.'

'We miss you too Lena, I hope your dad's gonna fine.' Caroline's voice boomed with emotion, she was one emotional girl.

'He'll be.' Hopefully, she added silently.

The cab slowed down and as Elena looked out the widow, the rush of emotion that flowed through her caused her to forget the conversation with her friends. Park Avenue had hardly changed.

'Girls I'm already there.' She muttered as she exited the cab.

'Oh my God! How's the environment?' Caroline's voice was filled with envy. It was understandable since she had never left California in her entire life.

'Relax Car. Don't get all sentimental on me, I can't handle that.' Rebecca said laughing.

Elena giggled lightly. 'I've got to go girls but I'll keep you posted.'

'Okay. Bye.' Rebecca managed to say before she back to her argument with Caroline. How they were going to get along with each other without her there was beyond Elena, they usually fought over the tiniest of things.

Elena took a deep breath and smelt the fresh air, it'd been a while. She gazed at the building unsure about if she wanted to do this, the idea of just jumping into the nearest cab and boarding the latest flight back to San Francesco was tempting but she took a deep breath thinking about her father, if there was one thing she learnt in her four years in Stanford was to never run away from your past like she did before it always came back to haunt you. She took another deep breath when she suddenly heard her name.

'Elena!'

She turned back to the voice and tears filled her chocolate eyes, she gazed at the man who was once a boy to her, her knight in shiny amour when their mother constantly brought her down.

Before she could react Jeremy gilbert pulled her into a bear hug picking her up in the process. She smelt his cologne, probably Armani. Just like when he was a freshman in Yale. The tears she didn't bother holding rained down her face soaking his dress shirt in the process.

'I missed you so much Jer.' She felt him smile as she called him the nickname she gave him when they were still kids.

'You have no idea Lena, I didn't think you'd make it back.' He finally released her and she noticed his own blue eyes where wet with tears. 'I missed you too Lena.'

Elena just smiled, feeling too emotional to speak. Behind him the taxis were breezing by as well as town cars.

'you've changed so much' Jeremy said brushing her straight brown hair.

She managed a weak giggle as they stared into the building. She could say the same thing about him, gone was the blue eyed charming young boy she was used to instead this handsome young man with gold dusted hair replaced him.

'How is, father-'. She chocked on the words, she couldn't bring herself to imagine the bubbling man she knew was at the grip of death.

'He's alright.' Jeremy said as they stepped into the elevator. 'He's at the hospital in central Manhattan.'

She nodded still remembering the hospital. Nothing much had changed since she left for Stanford, sure there were a few additions here and there but nothing too serious.

Jeremy lead her out the elevator through the hallway that contained the only door to the largest apartment in the building.

'I can't believe you actually came, I just sent the fax cause dad kept asking for you, that was the only info I could get from your Stanford data base.'

She merely worried her bottom lips as guilt washed over her. 'I'm sorry, I just needed to get away fro-'

'I know, I'd have done the same thing.' Jeremy said. 'Just in a different way.'

Elena slowed down as all the memories from her days in that apartment came rushing back to her, the years of trying to impress a mother who always doted on her favorite daughter.

Jeremy opened the door and the memories crashed done at her feet as she saw who was standing there.

Dressed in a black beaded knee length designer gown and matching black leather four inch heels was the famous Miranda Gilbert. Her eyes seemed redder than usual and she sniffed once or twice. Elena watched Jeremy hug her slowly like she was a fragile thing. Truth be told, she really looked it. She looked so thin and delicate that Elena thought she'd break if you so much as yell as her

'Katherine?' Miranda's tiny voice broke as she walked slowly towards her. 'My baby, you came back.'

Shock bathed her chocolate eyes as she watched her mother draw her into a tight hug. Elena frowned as she heard her mother sniff behind her, her gaze landed on Jeremy. Typical, the hug wouldn't have happened if she knew exactly who she was hugging.

'How was Paris?' she asked once she released Elena. 'the fashion week was over long ago but I was shocked when you said you needed some time away from New york because of-'

Elena shook her head she couldn't stand the closeness anymore, she needed some space to think. 'I'm not Katherine.'

Miranda frowned.

'Mom, it's Elena.' Thankfully, Jeremy said the words that wouldn't leave her mouth.

'Elena?'

'Mother.'

She watched Miranda look at her from the top of her head to the sole of her brown Louboutin ankle boots.

'I see you finally realize that you have a family somewhere in the world.'

Elena narrowed her eyes in disbelief. Miranda's voice had gone from warm and welcoming to hatred and boredom just like that.

'Mom please not now, she just got back.' Jeremy appeared beside Miranda.

Miranda gave an evil laugh, 'She's not back. I want her out from this place, I will not stay in the same house as a child who goes away for over five years and think she can just waltz in back.'

'Mother?'

'I've made up my mind, either she leaves or I leave. And I'm not leaving.' For emphasis, Miranda folded her arms and glared at Elena.

Elena shook her head slowly, 'I didn't come to fight with you mother, I just came to see my father, I'll get my things.'

'No Elena stop this. Mom come on, this is no time for war.'

'You're right Jer, I'll leave.' Without hesitation, she picked her Stella McCartney suitcase and headed for the door.

'Lena wait. I'll call drop you off.' Jeremy was already headed for the door.

'No you won't, we have to drop off some things for your father.' Miranda took a slow step forward.

At the mention of "your father" Elena stopped on her tracks.

'Mom, the driver can take you.' Jeremy told her.

'What? You'll pick this this person that abandoned you for over four years over your dying father?!' there was pure anger in her voice.

Elena turned back wearing a blank expression. 'I'll be fine Jeremy. Go see father, I'll be at the Palace.'

'Ha! You can actually afford that?' Miranda gave her an evil smirk.

'Mother!'

'It's alright Jer.'

With that Elena wheeled her luggage out of the penthouse trying to erase Jeremy's voice complaining to Miranda.

She managed to stop a cab and mutter a 'The Palace.' Before breaking down in tears in the backseat.

A small part of her mind that kept telling her that going to see her mother was the worst idea yet. She wished she never listened, now all the cruel words she had tried to bury deep in her mind was suddenly in vain. She sniffed lightly and wiped her tears starting to look out the window as the cab slowed down.

Her life was an automatic mess all over again, a dying father, a loving brother, a devious sister and a heartless mother. What else could possibly go wrong?!

ent here...