Update:
Thank you everyone for the reviews! I really appreciate them :)
Guest: You're right. Damon isn't a good person at all. I was trying to go with the 'fangirl gets into her favorite series' and stuff... guess that didn't work out too well for you. I was going to have Madeline's views change on him entirely and face reality; however, I wasn't happy with the ending of the first chapter and decided to rewrite it.
Most of the chapter are still the same except for the ending. Also, I divided the chapter into two since it's too long in my opinion and I prefer to upload shorter chapters since it's easier for me to write around 3,000 words instead of 11,000.
Thank you to those who have read the story and I hope you guys like what I did with it :)
By the way, if anyone has the time to be a BETA for this story, let me know.
'Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it'
Charles R. Swindoll
I wasn't supposed to be alive — I knew that — but for some reason I was.
I had died, that I remember quite clearly. There was no way I could ever forget the sound of my bones breaking or the hot white blinding pain; the car impacting against my body, sending it flying a few feet in the air before making contact with the hard, paved road that had my skin and blood now staining it; my mother screaming my sister's and my name at the top of her lungs. The pain had been unbearable; more than enough to make me lose consciousness right then and there, but I had to know if my sister was alright, that nothing had happened to her. Though, no matter how hard I tried, my eyes wouldn't focus, only blotches of black and white were visible. How had the day turned out so bad? The three of us had only wanted to get some last-minute things for Christmas dinner. We had gotten everything we needed, miraculously since by the twenty-four most ingredients to make the turkey were close to impossible to find; however, we wouldn't be going home to continue the meal.
My sister had been on her phone, texting, when it happened. Practically out of nowhere, a speeding car rounded the corner, the driver swerving left and right, unable to go in a straight line. At first, I thought we were all out of the way, but another look sent my heart into overdrive, dread and panic chilling by body to its very core. My sister had wandered to the middle of the road we had to cross to get back to the house, eyes still glued to her phone so she didn't notice the lone car that was driving towards her.
Without thinking and her name caught in my throat, I did the only thing I could: I ran straight to her, pushing her out of the way. As I laid on the cold, hard ground in a puddle of my own blood the only coherent thought the fleetingly passed my mind before my insides had started to burn was 'At least this isn't a Final Destination kind of death'. It was a good way to go, actually, knowing my life had protected my loved one's, though I regretted the pain I would cause my family; wherever my soul ended up —be it heaven, hell, or limbo — I would always remember them...
Who was I kidding? I hadn't wanted to die. There had been so much I still wanted to do, to experience, places I wanted to visit. I would never see my sister with her first boyfriend (even though she was already seventeen, she was still single. What can I say? She had been a character), I would never graduate from college (it didn't matter that I didn't know exactly what I wanted to study right now, I would've figured it out eventually), I would never get to sit with my parents at the dining room table and talk for hours with them.
Something wet slid down the sides of my face, blurring the blotches in my vision, the white spots darkening more and more until there was nothing but absolute blackness. Silence prevailed in the abyss I now found myself in. It was eerie, scarier than when I was a little girl afraid of the monster hiding inside my closet or under my bed. My parents had comforted me then; now, I was completely alone.
Time didn't seem to have any meaning here as it was always dark, making it impossible to determine how many minutes, hours, or days had passed since the accident. One thing was for sure though, it was boring. There was nothing to do, nothing to see and, to make matters worse, I couldn't move. Maybe this was my own personal hell, I thought, a place so dark not even a spec of light could cut through.
Or so I thought.
It started slow, so slow I didn't even notice the difference at first, but could, after some time, discern a glow in the distance beaconing me like the light at the end of the tunnel. I didn't know for how long I waited there unable to explore; however, it seemed as though every time I closed my eyes and blinked them back open the glow would be stronger, closer. It became all I could focus on, chasing away the freezing cold, warming my immobile soul. It became my own personal ray of hope, hope that there was something more outside of this prison; nevertheless, there was still a small voice in the back of my mind whispering it could be nothing good. The wait was nerve-wracking.
Soon enough, the darkness disappeared, completely consumed by the light that now enveloped me. My eyes slid shut on their own accord, unable to continue looking into the brightness. The next time I opened them, though, left me wondering if I could return to the dark. It took my eyes a few blinks to focus and, once they did, I was left starring up at a white ceiling. It wasn't the worst thing I could've woken up to and I was beyond exhilarated that I made it alive out of the accident. Nevertheless, I was exhausted. My mind felt hazy, my eyes heavier by the second, closing on their own accord.
There was someone in the room with me the next time I woke up; nevertheless, a tube was stuck in my mouth, hindering my ability to move my neck and looking at the person who was keeping me company. I wanted so bad to rip it off and walk out of the room. More than anything, I wanted to cry and throw myself at my parents and sister, to tell them that I was alright and hadn't died; however, my body wouldn't allow it. It felt heavy, the muscles protesting even the smallest of movements though I wasn't in any pain, thankfully.
As if making sure, she wasn't seeing things, the nurse rubbed her wide eyes with the heel of her palms. Once she decided that I was indeed awake, she wasted no time calling for a doctor, looking over my vital signs as we waited. The doctor ordered a multitude of tests to be done to me as soon as he double checked my vitals. It wasn't that I was complaining since they took the tube out and allowed me to breathe on my own.
The first thing I did when I was able to move my neck, was take inventory of my body. To my utter surprise, I wasn't covered in bandages and casts; that wasn't normal, right? Unless I already healed. Dread pooled in the pit of my stomach at the thought. For that to happen would mean that I spent a long time sleeping, just how much of my life did I lose because of the accident? Probably a good couple of months if the ivory skin that I usually kept sun-kissed was any indication, plus the amount of broken bones I had suffered needed the time to fully heal, as well as any other kind of trauma I suffered (would you look at that? I knew watching those few episodes of Grey's Anatomy would come in handy).
Another thing that took me pleasantly by surprise, was the fact that there were no visible scars on the exposed skin of my arms, which rested by my sides on top of the hospital sheet that covered the rest of me; it gave me hope that maybe I wasn't disfigured during the accident—
"I will inform your family you have woken up, Ms. Gilbert, before we take you to get a CAT scan," The doctor told me gently.
Nodding in acceptance, I prepared for them to move me when the words registered in my medicated brain, making the machine go from a steady beep-beep-beep to an erratic beepbeepbeepbeep that had them putting me back into a deep sleep no matter how hard I fought it.
I wasn't sure how much time it had passed since they had sedated me, but the sun was still high in the sky outside of the window, though my hair told me at least a day had passed; it felt dirty. However, I soon noticed the guy sleeping on one of the chairs by the bed. He had spiked up brown hair and a handsome face that reminded me of Steven R. McQueen, he was wearing a black hoodie over a black band shirt, dark jeans, and converse shoes. A part of me wanted to let him continue to sleep — the kid looked like he needed it, especially because of the prominent purple half-circles under his eyes and the paleness of his complexion —, but the other part wanted —needed— answers.
Whatever I had been expecting, I had not been prepared for him to start crying and hugging me like his life depended on it... and I let him, hugging him back even though he was a complete stranger to me; there was something about him that made me want to protect and make him feel better. After he was able to control himself, he told me about everything I had missed in the months I had been in a comma. Months! The kid, 'Jeremy' he had introduced himself teary eyed when I asked his name, told me what I missed since the accident. 'Our' parents died after the car fell off Wickery Bridge, the only survivors were Elena— my 'older twin sister' and I.
A nurse had to come in, telling my 'brother' he had to leave, and sedate me again after my brain caught up with what exactly Jeremy was saying. I wasn't home anymore. I wasn't even in the same dimension. Somehow, someway, I had fallen into the Vampire Diaries, which was supposed to be only a tv show, not even real! Could I even get back to my own dimension? No, probably not. At least, not if I had died on the other side, 'That's probably what happened' was my last thought before I knew no more.
The next time I woke up, I spent all five minutes I had before being put under again grieving for the family I lost. For my mom, dad, sister, and friends, even for the life I had had.
Jeremy came back the next day, bringing with him 'my' diary and some pictures of 'my' friends, family, and me. The good part was that I looked exactly the same as in my other life: caramel hair that fell in waves to the middle of my back, dark blue eyes, heart shaped face, svelte figure from years of exercise with curves in the right places.
I couldn't see how people thought Elena and I were twins; we looked nothing alike — okay, maybe we looked similar enough (though she was taller than me at five foot six, while I barely reached five foot four inches), but seriously. The bad part, was that I wasn't supposed to exist in the Vampire Diaries. There wasn't a girl in the TV show with my name (that I remembered) and Miranda and Grayson Gilbert certainly did not have a daughter before having their one and only son. It didn't make any sense for me to be here. However, the pictures with the people who could only be Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, Caroline Forbes, Tyler Lockwood, Matt Donovan left me with no choice other than accept that this was now my reality.
It was later that day that Elena and 'Aunt' Jenna came by to visit and they really did look like the actresses they were played by, no wonder my new 'sister' had boys falling for her left and right. Like Jeremy, the two of them started crying when they saw me, Elena continuously asked for forgiveness, saying it was all her fault 'our' parents were dead and that I 'lost' my memory since I told her not to go to the party and had only been in the car to accompany 'our' parents to pick her up. Also, she asked if I wanted to see Bonnie and Caroline, who had wanted to come visit me as soon as they heard I had woken up, as well as Matt and Tyler (who she couldn't understand how I could be friends with). I told her to tell them I was fine and thanks for worrying about me, but I couldn't see them today. Everything was still too much, too fresh. It was taking everything I had not to start crying again and demanding to see my real family. With the promise to visit again, the two of them left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
No matter how many times I pinched myself, the dream wouldn't stop; I wouldn't wake up. I really was in the Vampire Diaries tv show only three days away from the Pilot episode if the calendar was anything to go by. That meant there were only three days left before Elena Gilbert met Stefan Salvatore.
I hadn't watched every single episode, but I had read a lot of fanfiction on the subject and there were always recurring themes, such as the tomb vampires, Isobel, Mikael, Mason Lockwood, the moonstone, Elijah, Klaus, the rest of the Original family, Silas... Oh God, there was so much to do. There was no way I was going to be able to remember every single detail I had read about. Even then, the things that had happened might have been the author's imagination.
The next few hours, I spent them planning what to do, writing down, using a code my sister and I had invented when we were younger, everything I remembered happening in the show and in the fanfictions I read. Really, my next year of high school was going to be eventful.
Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long for the doctor to let me go home, seeing as there was nothing wrong with me — they had done all the tests known to mankind to make sure I really was healthy and wouldn't have a relapse. After giving me the talk about if I felt dizzy or a headache or anything like that to come back to the ER, he finally let me go.
The house was exactly like it was in the show, two stories, white, with a porch that encompassed the whole front of it. My room was on the second floor, next to the bathroom and Elena's room. My new guardian left me there alone to acclimate to it. Not going to say I didn't like it, because I really did, though it was a surprise to find out this world's Madeline and I shared similar tastes, if not the same. The room walls were a soothing white color, a wooden nightstand stood next to the full bed that had a white duvet, dark and light pillows, and a wooden Victorian-styled headboard, a desk that looked out the window, a vanity that sat in front of the bed, a dark bookcase that contained some of my favorite books, and let's not forget the window seat that had a small computer table next to it, ready to be used. It wasn't home... but it could be.
Tired from all of this, only taking the time to take my shoes off and get under the duvet, I fell asleep, not worrying about what the future was going to bring.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE—
Ugh, no matter how many lives I lived, I was always going to hate alarms.
Groaning, I lethargically made my way out of the comfort and warmth of my bed. It was the first day of class, meaning the only day I would be going to school early, the rest of the days would be a race against time. At least, that was the way I was when I started college.
Five days had passed since I first woke up in this world. Days filled with constant supervision from one of my new family members in case I needed immediate medical attention; if I wasn't with Aunt Jenna, I was with Elena. On very rare occasions was I allowed to spend time alone with Jeremy. I knew why, but I didn't find it fair of them to threat the kid like that. Those days were spent with them 're-introducing' me to the life I used to have, to the friends I should know and everything in between.
It got to be a bit boring and repetitive after the first couple of days and felt like they were trying to brainwash me, though I knew they only wanted their sibling back, so I went along with it, learning their likes, dislikes, and overall personalities. Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, and even Tyler came to visit me and I got to know them too, though my little brother clearly had a problem when he came back home and found the future werewolf sitting in his living room like he owned the place. It had not been pretty; Elena and I had to separate them before they started throwing punches. Hopefully, there wouldn't be a repeat of that anytime soon, but I knew for a fact they would be all over each other soon and was not looking forward to that.
Something that I was looking forward to, now that school was starting, was the fact that I would be left alone for longer periods of time; I didn't mind at all that I would have to send Jenna a message every few hours telling her I was still alright since it meant I could do whatever I wanted without taking an escort with me.
Stretching, I went to the bathroom and took a shower, after which I blow-dried my hair and brushed my teeth before returning to my room to get dressed. There were a lot of outfits I could choose from, so I just decided to don black leggings, black ankle booties with a little bit of heel, a dark purple loose V-neck sweater, and a black bomber jacket. Satisfied with how I looked, I put on some makeup before going downstairs for breakfast.
More like coffee, though.
Jenna was already in the kitchen looking into the fridge with a lost look on her face.
"Hey, Aunt Jenna," I said, taking a cup from one of the cabinets and pouring some coffee.
"Hey, Maddie. What do you want for breakfast?" She asked, a slight quiver in her voice.
Shaking my head, I sipped the heavenly brew, leaning against the island, "I'm good, thanks."
That made her look skeptically at me, "Are you sure?"
Giving her an eye-roll, I answered, Yes, don't worry about it. Besides, don't you have a meeting to get to?"
She looked down at her watch and jumped, "Oh crap!"
I fought down a grin as I watched her gather her things before turning narrowed eyes on me.
Waving her concern away, I told her, "Don't worry, Aunt Jenna, we have everything and I'll make sure we get to school on time.
Satisfied with that, she rushed out, leaving the teenagers to fend for breakfast.
Done with my cup of coffee, I put it in the sink to wash when Elena came downstairs, followed by Jeremy after a few seconds.
"Did Aunt Jenna leave?" The oldest Gilbert asked with a frown, going straight for the coffee pot.
"Good morning to you too, Elena," I mumbled before clearing my throat to explain, "Yeah, she had a meeting to go to. Jem, you ready?" I asked, grabbing the car keys from the counter.
The kid in question gulped down the remainder of his drink, putting the empty cup in the sink, indicating he was and followed me out without saying goodbye to Elena.
Once in the car, I gave him a look, opening my mouth to let him know what I thought about his behavior towards the eldest sibling, but he cut me off.
"I know what you're going to say," Oh? I raised a brow at that, "I'm not ready to play nice with her, Mads. Because of her and her need to go to that stupid party our parents are dead and you almost died. You were in a coma for almost seven months and lost your memories! Even if you can forgive her so easily for that, I can't. Not yet." He said with finality, slumping more into his seat and crossing his arms over his chest, saying without words the case was closed, his hoodie obscuring his face.
... Well, the kid knew me too well if he could so easily guess what was on my mind.
There were a few seconds of silence as I contemplated what he said. In a matter of speaking, he was right to be angry that our (I was making an effort to become a part of this family since I could never go back to my real one and they were all that I had now) parents died, but it wasn't Elena's fault, just some really bad luck. It was an accident for Christ's sake, but he wasn't seeing it that way and was angry at the world in general because it took the two people he loved most in the world. Jesus, sometimes I wished I had taken Psychology in college to have a better understanding of the kid's mind.
Letting out a long sigh, I looked at him from the corner of my eye, "Hey, Jer, you know I love you and am always here if you need someone to talk to. Heck, you can come to me even if you don't have anything to talk about." I added with a small laugh, hopping he would come out of the shell at least a bit. Though I wasn't an expert in guys, I used to have a younger sister and knew they always needed someone there for them even when they pushed everyone away. He didn't say anything, so I continued with my monologue, "I'm not telling you you should forgive her right now or anything like that, just— just don't isolate yourself and remember that, even though we might hurt each other, you can't give up on family, no matter how tempting they make it." Sorry Hermes, those words worked so well right now though.
Neither one of us said anything after that, so we just drove to the school in silence with just the music coming from the radio.
At school, we both went our separate ways, Jeremy to the smoker's corner and I to my locker, which was next to Elena's, who hadn't arrived yet. Opening it, I took the books that I needed, putting them in my backpack and closed it. According to my schedule, I had Trig, Art, Biology, U.S. History, P.E., Literature, and French. Definitely, I was not looking forward to either Trig, History, and Biology; Trig and Biology because I didn't like them and History because of Mr. Tanner. God, I really hoped I didn't have him as a teacher, but no-o, of course he would be and, to top it all, I was in the same period as Elena, Bonnie, and Matt, meaning Stefan would also be in the same class. At least it wouldn't be so boring, seeing as he would constantly put Tanner in his place, giving me something to look forward to if the guy was anything like he was in the show before Damon offed him.
People talked to me throughout the day and I tried to be friendly and open with them but, mostly, I was distracted with the thought of seeing Stefan. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go after him or anything like that, he loved Elena and, later on, Caroline so he was off-limits and would only make a good friend and ally in my book; I was just curious about his looks and he certainly didn't disappoint. He really was handsome but wasn't my type. Too broody.
Thankfully, classes passed by quickly and, before I knew it, we were out of the place. Nothing abnormal happened to my greatest relief, then again, this was only the beginning, with nothing major happening until tomorrow? Yep, pretty sure tomorrow, during the Back to School Party, was when the 'animal' attack happened. Did I want that to change? I mean yeah but, at the same time, what exactly could I do to change it and how would it affect the things to come? Even though I didn't like Vicki at all, she was still Matt's sister and, like everyone, had her problems to deal with. No, I didn't like it that she had too much influence on Jeremy, but it wasn't my place to be the one to decide whether she lived or died…
Ugh, why did I have a conscience? I couldn't just let her to her fate and not try to change it. I was going to do it for Caroline anyway, so why not for Vicki as well? Save them the pain that was coming for them, curtesy of Damon.
Jeremy had gone to Mystic Grill and Elena was going to the cemetery, it was the perfect opportunity to get one of the things of the checklist marked as done. Pulling out my phone from my back pocket, I scrolled through my contacts until I found the one I was looking for and quickly dialed it.
"What's up?" Came the greeting from the other side.
"Hey, Ty, are you going home?" I asked, hoping that yes, he was.
"Yeah, why?" Yes!
"Just wondering if you wanted to play some video games before going to the Grill?" I said in my most innocent voice possible.
There was a chuckle, "Don't you mean you want to have a few beers before we go out?"
I made a face at that, "You said it, not me,"
There was a definite laugh this time, making a smile appear on my lips, "Sounds good, I'll leave the door unlocked,"
"Since when do you lock it? Thought you kept it open for any woman who caught your eye to waltz right in," I teased.
"Ha ha, very funny. You know they have to use the ladder by my window."
I burst out laughing, "Charming, really charming. And here I wondered why your poor mom complained about you," Thank you Madeline Gilbert for keeping a diary.
"Aw, Mads, you're just jealous 'cause you want to climb that ladder too,"
"Su-ure. Thanks, but no thanks, I prefer to stay germ free. Don't know what kind of decease I could catch if I went anywhere near it,"
"Hey! I keep it clean," He said, indignant.
I had to restrain the urge to laugh loudly, "If you say so. Still not touching it, though."
"Whatever," I could've sworn he was rolling his eyes when he said that, "Just get here already,"
"Sir, yes sir. See you soon, Ty," Cutting the line, I got into the car and drove out of the parking lot.
The Lockwood mansion was exactly that, a mansion. It was huge. Then again, Tyler's dad, Richard Lockwood, was the major so it stood to reason they would have the money to have such a house.
Getting out of the car, I bounded towards the front door, which was pulled open before I could even knock, revealing a smirking Tyler on the other side, making me raise a brow.
"You weren't waiting for me, were you" My tone dripping with sarcasm.
He chuckled, "Just come on in,"
Stepping aside, he let me into the house. I really liked the interior design of it; it was cozy, warm, modern, and stylish at the same time.
Tyler led us to the second floor, where the bedrooms were. Together, we stepped into the only one that was open. It wasn't necessarily messy, but it wasn't clean precisely; clothes were scattered over the oak desk and rolling chair. I raised an eyebrow at that, "Really, you couldn't even pick up your clothes? Is this how you welcome all your lady friends?"
He chuckled in response, "Don't worry, you're special."
Now I was the one that let out a snort, "Yeah, I feel the love,"
"Am I going to destroy you in Mario Kart or are you just going to criticize me?"
Plopping on the floor in front of the TV, I grabbed one of the controls for the GameCube and said, "Let's play."
Unceremoniously, he also dropped on his butt and took a control after turning on the game.
We played a few rounds, screaming at the TV as loud as we could to the point his mom, Carol, came in to see if something was happening, but she soon left with a smile after seeing everything was okay. So far, he was winning by, but I planned on beating him the next round, evening the scores if it didn't put me ahead of him. However, he paused the game and stood.
"I'm gonna go get a beer, you want one?"
I nodded, following him out of the room, "Sure, I'm just going to use the restroom first,"
"It's the last door on the left," He said, pointing at the direction before bounding down the stairs.
It was now or never.
Turning on my feet, I stalked as quietly as I could towards the room I had seen Damon and Caroline enter in the show, praying to God the box was there. The Founder's Ball wasn't until a couple of weeks, but I needed to get the talisman as soon as possible. If there was one thing I wasn't about to do was leave everything to chance; chance that on the day of the Ball I would be quicker than the vampire and get to the crystal before he did. Ha! what a laugh that would be.
However, what if the box wasn't there? I already had a plan in case that happened, but preferred not to use it, seeing as the last thing I wanted was to volunteer to help prepare the place for its many guests. It wasn't that I hated volunteering, I just didn't like to do it if it involved something so pointless and boring.
The room was dark, the light switched off; nevertheless, props and things for the display were already placed in their proper place. It gave me hope and, sure enough, the box was there. Thanking every single god out there, even Jashin from Naruto and Ryuk from Death Note, I opened it and the secret compartment and took the talisman out. It was exactly like it was supposed to be: a very pretty amber color. Putting it inside one of my boots since I didn't have any pockets and I left my jacket on his bed, I made my way back to Tyler's room, where we drank a couple of beers before Matt called him asking where he was, that it was past the time they agreed to meet at the Grill.