Sometimes fables and fairy tales exist.
Be it in the heart of many,
Or in the homes of a solemn few.
Whatever the case I do swear to this,
All dreams can come true.
The sun was shimmering overhead, the birds were singing, the air was warm, and the grass was an earthly green. It was spring again, and that meant it was back to conditioning for Elena. Track and Field, a selected summer sport, was what made her thrive through the listless days at home tending to the woes brought about by her juvenile brother, and a reprieve for eons of stresses she couldn't bring to surface. As easy as it sounded, the miles that passed under her nimble feet were quickly becoming blurred. Here, she was invincible.
Until the dreaded four o'clock, that is. With it brought a quick shower in the locker room and a shuffle off toward home in the close confines of Aunt Jenna's economy-sized sedan. Not so much that Jenna herself was part of the hellacious ensemble, so much as she was the messenger for whom Elena was shooting - a gate keeper for pits of suburban hell - and the unfortunate surrogate mom to two orphans. She tried her best, what with being only in college herself, she was a downright good parental authority; but she never asked for this. None of them did.
Climbing from the car after the fifteen minutes it needlessly took to cross town, and sauntering around to the backside of car Elena felt herself pondering over whether or not Chester had been walked. Surely, an excuse to dodge the shoddy excuse for a family dinner was inappropriate. A lady of Elena's nature, and upbringing should never consider such a thing; but she wanted to. Jenna was far from the best cook, so it was mostly a take-out meal or two. However, that was not where the awkward associations lie. Somewhere between Jeremy's mega-earphone's blasting and the teacher playing stand-in Uncle, Elena had had enough.
Peeling the duffel from its neat nestle, and wheeling on agile heel, Elena could evade Jenna without a word; lifting her light feet over the broken section, in the otherwise cleanly cut pavement of the main walk, and ascending the drive. By the looks of it Jere wasn't even home yet. . Elena kicked the dust from her sneakers once firmly planted upon the porch, and abandoning them altogether.
Elena's first step into the home was always the same. Warm and inviting smells entertained her sense of smell, alongside the vision of quaint but cozy household decor. All this was a kind cloak, and mirage in a desert and particularly part of keeping appearances when in fact a family was falling apart.
Whistling lightly as her fingers slid together creating a sharp snap, Elena lured her fluffy fur-ball from his hiding place. As always his puppy feet padded the floor rapidly, and made her wonder if he'd been paid any attention at all. Quite frankly, it was her own fault. She insisted upon the dog, with the promise of being the sole person responsible. Jenna had two mouths to feed already, and a third was just too much.
Jostling the leash from its placement upon the cluttered coat rack, Elena offered the pooch a few predictable affections as she bent over to snare the loop of Chester's collar. Luggage set aside in an already full foyer, and keys still in hand Elena was nearly set. Elena dashed up the stair with pup in tow, and curved the upper corridor to break the boundaries that lead to her room.
Pausing only to stop at the door prior, Elena saw Jeremy up and stewing haphazardly atop his bed. Addressing him she kept her outward demeanor collected, as always.
"Hey, Jeremy." Elena waved meekly, as if timid.
Nothing.
"Jeremy…" Chester was already slighted rattled by the light escalation of Elena's voice.
No answer.
"JEREMY GILBERT!" This time her voice fluttered from her lips in a menacing and hearty sound, awaking half the house had they been sleeping.
"What?"
Noticing that he had headphones, and was more than likely absolved in the music, Elena shook her head. Now he was irritated, and more than likely wouldn't accept Elena's offer to walk to the park. Not that he would have had she not made such a shaken an attempt to rouse him.
"Matt Donovan says hello." It was a lame excuse, but one that would warrant less of a sarcastic retort. Jeremy loved Matt, like a brother; and he was honestly affected when Elena and Matt had decided to call it quits.
"Tell him I said hey, and he should learn to pick up a phone once in a while. We need to get back into our Saturday night footballs games." The distraction dutifully worked, and even brought a smile to her brother's face.
"I will." Nodding first in a crappy attempt of a small parting gesture, Elena let her feet lead her to her room without so much as another peep.
Her room was cool, and disarming as she entered; a scene set for the perfect recollection of a restricted demeanor, but a shock to muscles still excessively limber. As Elena parted through the books based on a shelf neighboring the night shade, she was delighted to peel her journal from its proper enclosure. Jeremy had a habit of hunting it down, or purposely misplacing it to taunt her - but not today, thankfully.
Elena gave the mirror atop the boudoir a passing glance, in hopes that her brief encounter with her reflection would bring a sort of uplift from her compressed feeling of self-containment; and, it did. The shower at the locker room, and quick prep thereafter, had done wonders. It brought out a vibrant tone to her skin, and a flush to the apples of her cheeks. Her hair, left to dry at its own pace, had fallen to frame her face and tousled tirelessly into a cascade of curls. Flawless without the help of make-up, and toned by a healthy eating and workout regimen, she felt ready for an outing of sort.
Elena forced the delicate book into a larger side-shoulder handbag, along with the bottle of water left on the nightstand, and a few random necessities: wallet, phone, house key, and a tiny bag of crackers. She grabbed the dog's toy from the foot of her bed and held it up inquiringly. Chester's bark made the item make the list, and for that Elena made a particular place for her beloved favored object.
As she rounded the threshold to return to the hall, she could hear Jenna beckoning her from the floor beneath. Once able to crane her head over the banister, her aunt's face became visible.
"Yes, Aunt Jenna?" Elena tinged her tone with saccharine vocals, and purposely applied a dose of innocence to it.
"I assume you're heading out?" Busted.
"Yes, I just need to take Chester for a walk. I'll stop by The Mystic Grill for a bite to eat, so long as the regulars are working and will allow Chester in. I was hoping to head for the park, and maybe the cemetery all before it gets too dark." Plausible, at least it was to Elena.
"Okay, I suppose. But can I ask a favor?"
"Anything," Elena responded, her eyes softening slightly.
"I have a letter here, a welcome from the Founding Family's Society... erm, Council whichever.. I needed to drop off personally but couldn't manage." She looked apologetic, as if she was burdening Elena.
"Okay..." Confusion drifting in Elena's expression allowed her to look less-anxious, and more wary then she had moments earlier in the mirror.
"It's for the Salvatore's. They're welcoming Mr. Salvatore's nephews to the neighborhood. They, like you, can pledge legacy since their Uncle has no next of kin." Jenna looked as enthused as Elena felt. She wasn't a Gilbert; she was only posing as placement to fill the hole Elena's parent's left after their death.
"Yeah, I'm headed that way... I'll slip by." Elena's smile spelled warmth and eager notion to please; but inside she was being eaten alive.
"Thank you," Jenna responded with a relieved chuckle. "I'll leave it on the bottom of the railing here." With that she was gone.
Elena suppressed a groan. She didn't want to be heir to anything, unfortunately; and if these Salvatore boys were around her age, neither did they. On the outside, the Council seemed civil... dutiful, and respectable. Truth be told, if one was to only think of the charitable things done, or organized for the town they were. However, Elena was wiser, she knew that behind the mask of their frills and false grins, they were simply a revolving door or windmill made of gossip; a committee made for selected socialites and the Gilberts, we always unlike the rest of the lot.
The Salvatore's were new territory however, because Elena had never particularly dealt with the household. It was evident where they lived, but as honest as it was, Elena never paid the place any mind. Their Uncle was a recluse of sorts, and seemingly introverted; another reason Jenna wanted to displace duty.
It took Elena longer to descend the stairs then it had ever before.
While checking to see if Chester was still patiently waiting by her feet, Elena breathed a sweet sigh of regret. It was amazing at the trouble all her attempts to please would cause, and even more so what her big mouth would set her up for. Her nails scraped wood and she drug them over the shape of the rail and snatched the envelope, tucking it too into the depths of her over-sized bag.
The walk outside wasn't as airy Elena had hoped, not now that she was on a mission. Having swapped sneakers for flats, at least her lengthy legs and delicate feet felt liberated; her spirits on the other hand were elsewhere. Watching her pooch play courageously as he scuttled along the pavement, sniffing random mail posts and chomping lazily on stray dandelions; footfalls echoed in Elena's mind, managing to pound out a war path, since her tender toes seemingly slapped the cement heavily.
The plus was that the older home wasn't too far from her route to the park, and with a tweak or two she could probably label it as a short cut considering the street it had dwell upon was desolate.
While she crossed the street, Elena couldn't help but recollect today's practice. Were these the young gentlemen that all the buzz was about? It never clicked until now, since she strategically excluded herself from such group-like gatherings and gossip. Caroline made a passing comment, what was it? Apparently come fall, they would be getting a new student and better yet, she would be getting a new beau. Elena couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. Though Caroline Forbes was her friend, she was every bit of the stereotypical cheer captain in the making; not yet appointed, but well on her way. She lived for the latest fashion, the best of everything, and boys. Quite frankly, she wasn't the common kind of friend for Elena, but they grew up together, so the bond between them was thick.
With each step her venture progressed, and with a mind muddled by the impending awkwardness this encounter was more than likely provided, each step contained its own dose of dread. Finally, rounding the corner casually with Chester in close quarters Elena could see it.
The looming silhouette of what was once the old Salvatore Boardinghouse, sat some hundred feet away. Revised just a little, and modernized a tad it was a living relic; metaphorically of course. With a pitched roof and antique feel, the house itself provided a sense of nostalgia or the promise of a yesteryear.
Padding softly as common cement turned to age-old cobblestone, Elena breathed in deep. She wasn't sure she'd ever been here, not as a child or in her later years. Her parents had headed the town council once or twice before there death, and yet she couldn't recall any meetings here.
Tracing her delicate fingers over the finer wooden fixtures properly lacing the semi-small porch, and marveling over the intricate pattern emblazon upon the cherry oak door. Elena was intimidated. To live in such a place, was to be wealthy. Something for which, the Gilberts were not.
Elena swallowed back the stale taste settling in her mouth; raising her tiny hand to rap gently on the frame, rather than the divinity of the door itself for fear of blemishing the hand-crafted artistry.
One moment passed, followed by a second, and still silence radiated from the dwelling at its entirety. Tugging Chester's leash to reel him closer, Elena stiffened. Was it rude to knock firmer and louder? Perhaps they were busy. Stepping in Elena went against whim and tried again, this time tapping on the door but away from the fancy emblem.
Elena breathed in quick. It had opened on its own accord, from the blunt force of her miniscule fist. It was obvious now, that the door was never bound by its lock, nor closed on its hinge.
Elena leaned in and called out into the darkness, "Mr. Salvatore?"
She checked the name on the envelope in her hand because she wasn't so sure of his full name, before ringing out once more in a louder melodic tone."Zachary Salvatore.. Sir?"
Nothing.
Impatience was getting the best of Elena now that she had taken time out of her day to come this way and a delayed Chester the promise of the park. She then did something she would never. Silently telling the dog to stay, while fastening his cord around the base of a seemingly heavy flower pot, Elena dusted her hands.
Home invasion was not Elena's forte, but she figured due to the vast expanse of the house and lack of a doorbell is was rightfully probable that she was going unintentionally unnoticed. Elena eased the door wide, standing only a moment in the light of the sun before submerging herself into the cryptic cloak of less-than-luminous inner light.
"Zachary Salvatore? Mr. Salvatore? Sir?"
Each level footfall made her feel less confident, and more embarrassed. Blazing with a blush so red it was visible in the dark, before catching a movement of shadows. Elena stiffly turned, and boldly crept toward what was surely the kitchen.
"Zachary," mouse-like vocals pronounced. "I've come to deliver a letter from the Founding Families Council..."
Silence. Eerie silence.
"Zachary Salvatore."
"Guess again," a foreign voice broke the silence; husky and otherwise indifferent. "Uncle goes by Zach, by the way... and he's not home."
Elena whirled on nimble feet, nearly dropping the parcel as she exuded the overall appearance of shock. How this man had evaded her, only to end up behind her was shiver-worthy.