She was an invisible girl, metaphorically speaking, but that was because she was afraid. She was afraid of the world and all the dangers within it, yet she never surfaced these fears, she kept them hidden. She was not one to express her problems, unlike most of the population in the small, quaint town she resided in.
She was sat upon a small, wooden stool, harshly clutching a mug half-full of coffee. She was not one to wake up early in the morning, but due to the previous incident, her sleeping patterns have been abnormal.
She turned her head slightly, her chin resting on her shoulder. Footsteps echoed down the hallway and she caught a glimpse of strawberry blonde hair. Sighing, she placed her head down, staring at her mug intently.
"Morning, short stack," laughed her aunt, bouncing into the kitchen with fake enthusiasm. Her aunt, now her and sibling's legal guardian, could never comprehend as to why her deceased sister could care for three children without pulling her hair out due to stress.
"Maddy, my name is Maddy. You've known that for quite a while now, Aunt Jenna," Maddy bemoaned, taking a sip of her coffee. A strand of blonde hair, though tied back, managed to fall upon her lips, causing her to suck on it by accident. Her aunt noticed the mistake, laughing merrily as she avoided the unusual glare her niece gave her.
Another person descended down the staircase, gracefully walking into the kitchen. Though a graceful entrance, the girl looked tired, a fake smile plastered upon her flawless face.
Jenna walked over to the fridge, nearly tripping over nothing making Maddy giggle with amusement. She pried open the fridge, jutting out a hip and began staring into the inanimate object with a pensive look on her face.
"Toast, I can make toast," she suggested, her eyes following Elena's figure as she walked by, waiting for Elena to reply. Jenna then turned to look at Maddy, who raised her mug, answering Jenna's silent question.
Elena herself walked over to the kitchen countertop, grabbing a mug painted purple and the coffee jug. She nodded absentmindedly to her fraternal twin sister, something that had recently become a habit during the summer holidays.
"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna," Elena reminded the woman gently, pouring the black beverage into her mug that she was clutching loosely.
Jenna frowned, though obviously relieved that she wouldn't have to prepare anything, and closed the refrigerator, walking behind Maddy's younger sibling, Jeremy, as he entered the kitchen, a tired look on his face.
"Is there coffee?" he questioned, looking at Maddy who, once again, raised her mug and nodded.
Maddy continued to look at her aunt, who was currently scavenging through a bag that looked as though it was torn apart.
"It's your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared," Jenna groaned continuing to fiddle with the bag.
"You're doing fine, Aunt Jenna," Maddy reassured her anxious aunt, grabbing her bag that lay in front of her. She hopped off the stool, the legs of the object scraping along the floor, causing Maddy to wince at the unbearable noise.
Jenna uttered out a noise of success, grabbing out crumbled dollar bills.
"Lunch money?" she questioned, walking over to Jeremy and Elena, holding out the money of which Jeremy immediately snatched.
"I'm good," both Maddy and Elena proclaimed, refusing to look each other in the eyes.
Maddy walked over to Jenna, patting her shoulder with silent sympathy. She noticed a car parked in the driveway, smiling as she saw her friend, Louise, flip off a random jogger.
"Louise is here," Maddy told her aunt, walking to the door, her shoulder brushing against Elena's harshly.
She didn't bother to say sorry. Why would she? Though an extremely nice, optimistic person, her parent's death had taken a toll on her as well, and for just a short while had she blamed Elena for their death.
"So, you've been a bit antisocial these past months," Louise commented tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, refusing to allow her eyes to stray from the road.
Maddy lifted her head from its previous position on the cold window. She arched an eyebrow and in return said, "My parents died, Louise."
"Don't do that," Louise cried, hitting the steering wheel in frustration.
"Do what?" Maddy inquired, once more looking out the window as they passed the cemetery.
"Make me feel guilty. I'm supposed to not give a fuck, you know? Be an extreme pessimist," she rambled, grinning as Maddy gave a quiet chuckle.
"Don't worry, you still are," Maddy comforted, already returning back to her original persona before her parent's death.
"I'm still what?" Louise asked, pulling into the car park outside of Mystic Falls High School. She didn't move, just stared at the building in disgust, her blue eyes narrowing as she analysed each person.
"Still an extreme pessimist," Maddy teased, punching Louise lightly in the shoulder, getting out of the car.
She began to walk away quickly, Louise following as she attempted to keep up with the short girl's surprisingly long strides.
"I want to go home," Louise informed Maddy, looking at a couple making out against the locker next to her's in disgust.
"It's been five minutes, Louise," Maddy said, raising her voice an octave as she stared at her friend in disbelief.
"Doesn't mean jack shit. I hate it here and I want to go home," Louise continued, ignoring Maddy's light scolding. She poked the couple, grinning with satisfaction as they broke apart from each other. Her smile turned into a frown as she saw a trail of spit dribble down the female's chin. "Okay, ew gross, please don't get your saliva on my locker."
She pushed the couple away from her locker, glaring at Maddy who pressed her lips together in amusement.
Maddy looked around, fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt, ignoring the glances Louise warily threw at her. She noticed her sister receiving a hug from Caroline, and yet she looked reluctant to accept it. Maddy looked at Bonnie who in return nodded at her.
"There's something up with her," Louise commented, staring at Bonnie as well. Louise glared at Bonnie, causing her to look down.
"Don't be mean," Maddy scolded, lightly slapping Louise's wrist.
"Hey, it's me, I'm always mean," Louise joked, her eyes still narrowed as she continued to glare at both Bonnie and Elena, who both seemed to be invested in the new guy.
Maddy slammed her locker shut, throwing an apologetic look to a person that jumped at the sudden noise. She followed Louise's gaze, biting her lip as she made eye contact with the new guy.
"This year's going to get a hell of a lot more interesting," Louise commented tugging on Maddy's sweater as the bell rang.