Hey guys! Sorry for the really long wait, so much drama in my life. Its very stressful but I'm dealing with it. Well I reread what I wrote for this chapter a while ago and I said to myself that I'm going to do some major editing for this chapter. I have pre-written the other chapters too so I will be posting chapters more frequently. So that's good! Well I really hope you like this rewrite. I promise I'll update sooner. Enjoy! =D
1999
There's lightning outside and it's raining; it's dark outside too. I don't like when it rains, it scares me. Jeremy always tells me scary stories about the creatures in the night. I know he is only trying to scare me but something about the stories he tells me seems real. He tells me about werewolves, vampires, hunters, and even witches. Mommy tells me not to believe him but I can't not believe him. I have dreams about vampires every night, there not always bad dreams but most of them are. Last night I had a dream about a vampire who set my house on fire while my mommy and daddy and Jeremy are inside. I told the dream to mommy and she said that the bad dreams never come true only the good ones do. But she lied to me.
My dream did come true.
13 years later.
Dear Diary,
I feel alone in this world. I don't belong here. I know I say this everyday but it's true I don't. Sometimes I daydream about having a normal life and then I can't imagine a different life. I can't see a life without my dad or my best friends: Stefan, Caroline, or Bonnie. Life is hard and I'm only 17 years old, so much has happened to me in a short span of time. Many years ago I wouldn't have guessed that I would be living in a world where there vampires, werewolves, and witches. I learned that these creatures were mystical and not real but deep down in my soul I knew that those stories I was told as a kid didn't was made up on the top of somebodies head. There had to be something real behind Dracula, or red riding hood. And there is. Even though those stories are fictional, part them are real. I am no longer scared of the truth about these creatures because now they are my best friends. Well I have "school" to go to. I'll write more later.
Elena Gilbert.
"Elena Gilbert, get down here! We're running late as it is!" I look at the time on my night stand. I have about a half an hour to get ready for school. Lazily, I got out of bed, grab my glasses, and head to my bathroom; I do my usual morning routine: brush my teeth, take a shower, brush my hair, get dressed, add some makeup, and then go down stairs to greet my dad for the day. After drying, brushing, and putting my hair in a high ponytail, I head to my closet and take out a pair of dark navy blue skinny jeans, a white lace tank top, a white button up cardigan, and my blue vans. After checking myself out in the mirror for a couple minutes, I sit at my vanity mirror and start putting on my makeup. I grab my tote bag and start for the stairs.
I hear my dad on his cellphone like I do every morning. He's the dean and rightful owner of Jardings High School. The Petrova family has tried to buy the school off of my father for many years now but came out unsuccessful each time. This school is my dad's pride and joy as I am to him. I am his only daughter, or as I should say his adopted daughter. My dad, Jack Jardings, can be one of my best friends but when it comes down to authority he is my enemy. We have our family fights like any 'normal' family does but we can never live without each other. It's like we have some super glue bond going on. "Hey daddy." I give him a kiss on the cheek and head to the cabinet to get some cereal.
I sit down at the table and start eating. I hear my dad end the conversation on his phone abruptly. "Good morning sweetheart." He smiles at me. "How was your sleep last night? Same as usual?"
"Yeah dad, nothing's changed. Still the same dream every night." I sigh.
"Do you want to tell me about it now?" He looks down at his watch and looks back up at me. "We have some time to spare."
"No dad, I'm not ready yet." I finish my cereal and put my bowl in the sink. "I have to go dad, I'm meeting Bonnie at the Grill in five minutes." I give him a hug. "I'll see you at school, I love you."
"I love you, too. Be good at school today, please. I don't want to have to see you in my office for any reason today or your training is going to be extended for another hour."
I grunt and sag my shoulders. "Okay dad." I sigh.
I walk outside and give my car a glance. I'm just going to walk today. I sigh; I head down my driveway and start walking towards the Grill. As I'm walking I see from the corner of my right eye a familiar car following me. I start walking a tad bit faster, if I head a little bit more down to the last house on my street I could cut through the backyards. Almost there!
My adrenalines pumping like crazy! I was trained for this, I tell myself. I stop right in front of the last house, I glance to the right and I see the car stop. I take a deep breath and sprint to the left, through the backyards like I planned. I don't stop, I don't look back either. I jump over fences, lawn gnomes, beach chairs. It's like an obstacle course. Most normal girls would probably worry about their outfits and hair. Not me, not when it's a life or death situation in my case, where you live near blood thirst vampires.
Towards the end of the backyards I see a familiar entrance. If I just make a left I could make it to the Grill safely and in time too. I make it to the end and run as fast as my legs can take me to the Grills parking lot. As I run close to the Grills entrance I see the car pull in. I see Bonnie sitting at a table through the glass window of the restaurant. I run inside and sit with her at the table like I wasn't just being chased here.
"So, how was your morning run?" She asks. I laugh at her joke. I look out the window and the cars gone. Yes! I turn my head back to Bonnie and let out a loud squeal. "You beat me here again, but you cheated, I'll let it slide for today." I try to calm my fast beating heart down.
"I hate when you do that Stefan! And can you warn me when you're going to make me run a million miles, especially before school. I could've worn more appropriate clothes for the occasion." I joke and then smack his arm. Bonnie hands me a mirror and brush so I could tame my hair back to its normal state. I take out my ponytail and brush it down. I heat Stefan, "why don't you ever put your hair down, it looks better that way!"
"Do I have to explain this to you every day? My hair down means all the attentions on me and when all the attention is on me, well it's not the good type of attention. Anyways, it means buts attention and that's the last thing I need at the moment." I sigh.
"Maybe you need a little boy attention; it's good for your health and soul. You can't be alone forever Elena. There someone that you have to like at school, you can't just hate everyone there, not everybody's so bad." Bonnie explains. I sigh. They'll never understand.
I try my best to change the subject, "is Caroline coming?" I ask while handing Bonnie her brush and mirror back. "No, she's with Klaus this morning." Bonnie rolls her eyes. "Bonnie he's not that bad, you just have to get to know him a little. He's really a good guy." When I say that someone's a really good guy, I really mean it. I can read people like an open book. My dad says it's a gift, I say its human instinct. Luckily I'm not the only human here. Bonnies human too but she's also a witch. This is why she's able to go to an all mystical creature's school. Well, more like forced to go there because of her father and my father. Poor girl, when I first met her she wanted to kill everyone she saw. When she realized she couldn't use her mind to give me severe headaches, we became best friends. I realized I'm not the only human here.
"I still don't like him 'Lena, he just seems like a douche bag. Like he might hurt her or something even more badly." She says worriedly.
"Actually, Bonnie I'm going to have to side with Elena on this. She has the super human instincts and I've known him since before I was turned." Stefan states. I lift my eyebrows indicating that she should listen to the vampire. Bonnie shrugs and I sigh. I look at the time and realize were going to be late for school.
"Guys, we're going to be late to school!" I start rushing to get up and head for the Grills entrance. When I slam into a really hard body and fall to the floor. I hear Bonnie gasp and some women at the table near the door giggle and snicker. "Watch where you're going loser." Right when I hear his voice, my blood starts to boil. I stand up from the ground and straighten up my clothes. I give the boy an evil glare. When I'm about to tell him off, I hear Stefan butt in. "Damon, leave her alone."
"She shouldn't be in my way in the first place. Who let the losers enter the Grill anyways?" indicating Bonnie and I. That's Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older brother and most popular guy at school, also so happens to be my trainer. I can't stand him, I hate how my dad makes me put up with him every day. If I could kill him, he would be the first on my list of vampires I want to stab.
I roll my eyes at him and walk outside the Grill. "Ugh! He infuriates me, your brother is an ass Stefan." I turn towards Stefan coming out of the restaurant with Bonnie in tow. "Trust me El, I know. Now do we want to walk or take my car?" Bonnie and I gave him a look that said it all. "Ok sheesh! Car it is." He disappeared into the parking lot.
"Now that's one guy you shouldn't let your hair down for."
"You said it Bon." I nod.
Stefan brings the car out front and we all head to school. As were parking into the schools parking lot, the first bell rings for class. "Shit." I mumble. "Damn Elena, what's with the swearing?" Bonnie asks.
"My first hour teacher hates me and I promised my dad I wouldn't get myself in trouble today." I sigh for the millionth time today. "Now I'm going to have to suffer an extra hour training with Damon."
"It can't be that bad."
"Oh it is Stef." That's the last thing I said before sprinting to my first period. I walk right up to Mrs. Summons class and the door swings open. "Glad you've decided to join us today Ms. Gilbert. I will be calling your father during your detention today after school and to you too, Mr. Salvatore. Please take a seat, so I can have no further interruptions with my class." I take a seat in the only two chairs that are left in class. With just my luck they are in the front and right next to each other. This is going to be a long day.
"Good morning to you too, Mrs. Summons." I hear Damon says as he sits right next to me. "Damon, I don't want to hear your back talk today." Mrs. Summons turns to the board and starts writing out the notes. The class period goes by agonizingly slow, when the bell rings Mrs. Summons asks Damon and I to stay after class so she could hand us our detention slips. I take mine and leave so I don't have to associate with either of them.
While I think I'm walking away alone, I'm not. Damon catches up to me. "Didn't know you had it in you." You'd be surprised. "You always seem like you have a stick up your ass even when you train." He snickers. That was the last straw, I turned around swiftly and kicked my legs under his feet catching him off guard but by my luck he grabs me and I fall with him, right on top of him.
"You listen here Damon and you listen good. I am not one to take peoples bullshit but you are so lucky that my dad is protecting you or you would be dead before you could even blink, got it." I poke his chest as hard as I can, I know it doesn't hurt him but it makes me feel better. "Ooh feisty I like." He purrs. I quickly stand up and wipe my clothing down.
"Ew." I say more to myself than to him. "You disgust me." I grab my bag off of the floor and start to walk away, as I'm walking away I hear: "See you later, detention buddy!" Ugh!
The rest of the day went by smoothly after the whole dilemma in the morning. I think my luck is turning I haven't seen my dad all day nor have I seen the bitch, Katherine Petrova. She is also on my list of vampires I want to stab. My dad says that she is just jealous of our family's wealth and that we own more than what her family has but I honestly don't believe that one bit. What's weird is that I feel like she's always hiding some huge secret from me, sometimes I feel like I know her and then everything's blank. In some points of my life I get these weird visions or flashbacks of things that I don't remember or recall what has happened to me in my past life.
The last bell of the day rings and it's finally time to go home. I meet Bonnie and Stefan by his car like I usually do so he can take me home, when I realize I have detention after school. I can't be late again! I sprint as fast as I can towards the detention hall and my dad is sitting at the desk with Mrs. Summons, probably waiting for me to arrive. I try to walk away as slowly an as quietly as I could when I suddenly hear: "Elena get in here now!"
"Ooh someone's in trouble by daddy." Damon says from behind me, I jump a little not knowing that he was standing behind me the whole time. I walk into the detention hall with Damon in tow.
"Sit down, both of you." Damon and I both sit down in the front two seats. "Thank you Mrs. Summons you may leave now."
"But-," She stumbles. "Now." My dad says sternly. Mrs. Summons leaves with her head hung low and a fast walk. She's scared of my dad.
I snicker to myself; I always knew she enjoyed it when I got in trouble with my father. "Young lady why are you laughing, you are in serious trouble."
"Sorry dad." I mumble. "Now both of you have some explaining to do, I don't care why you were both late to school. But as to why I see in the security cameras that you two are fighting in the hallways." I realized there was something wrong with my father's usual stern voice; someone must be listening from outside the door.
My father waits a couple more minutes and then smiles at us.
"Honey, you're not in trouble and neither are you Mr. Salvatore. Thank you for listening to my advice on making her angry, it helps her fight more aggressively." Wait, what?
"No problem Dean." Damon leans back more comfortably in his chair like he accomplished a new goal or something.
"What?" I'm baffled.
"Great fighting stance honey, you've got to work on your posture and form though. When I saw it on the camera, I knew that the training was paying off."
"So you told him to make me angry so I could fight him, even though he didn't fight me back?" I say outraged. "I don't have time for this dad, I'm leaving." I begin to stand up and gather my things when my father shakes his head and nods for me to sit back down. I give up and sit down. "Now you two have two options; either serve the rest of your detention or have an extra hour of training. Either one it's going to be the same time span. Talk amongst yourselves."
I turn towards Damon, giving him that look that says choose the detention. He looks at me, winks, and turns toward my father. "We'll take the training." My dad claps his hands together. "Well, it's settled. Training it is. Damon if you may be the gentleman I know that you are can you bring my daughter home before 6:30 tonight." Gentleman? "I'll see you later sweetheart." My father leaves the classroom and I'm left alone with Damon.
"You knew I didn't want to train! Why did you pick it?" He shrugged. "You are impossible!"
He rolls his eyes and got up from the desk he was occupying. "C'mon whiney, the longer were here the longer we have to do this." He was right, for once. I wonder if he hates me for making his life even harder than it already is. Hate is a really strong word, more like dislike. I've seen him hate people and he doesn't hate me. If I knew him just a little better I would think that he actually wants to be my friend, or he just feels bad. Either way, it's the best I'm going to get Damon Salvatore. At the moment, we have to tolerate each other until the end of the first semester of school and I'll never see him again, or anyone for that matter.
My father is sending me away to his brother, Danny, for a year and a half. He says it's a matter of keeping me safe and business. There's something my dad's hiding from me and I'm going to find out what it is before he ships me away.
The car ride to my private gym was interesting. Damon was in a good mood, I was a little suspicious at first but I realized he's just teasing me. We enter the gym and I head to the locker room in the back of the gym. I change into my boxing clothes; a black sports bra, a red tank top, my black boxing shorts, and my white and black Nikes. I leave my hair in its natural way, up in a ponytail and I take off my glasses to put on my contacts. Damon is the only person to ever see me without my glasses. It took me a while not to feel insecure without them on my face but I'm used to it now.
I walk out of the locker room and find Damon sitting on the couch near the door with his legs propped up on the edge of the couch, reading a book. Weird. "What are you reading?" I ask.
He looks up from his book, scans me from head to toe and sighs. What was that all about? "Gone with the wind." He says after a couple of moments. He closes the book and heads for the boxing ring and sits on the floor. I stare after him and he motions with his head for me to follow him. I do exactly as he had previously done. I sit a few feet in front of him with my legs propped up to my chin. "Elena you can come closer I don't bite I promise. Unless you want me to then I can make an exception." He wiggles his eyebrows at me; I give him a disgusted face and scoot a tiny bit closer to him. He rolls his eyes and uses his vampire speed to pull me closer. I was definitely not prepared for that at all. He crosses his legs and our knees touch slightly. I look at our knees and up at Damon but he's not paying any attention to my staring because he's too busy staring at our knees. I do him a favor and scoot back just a bit so that we aren't touching each other. I guess me touching him is something that makes him nervous. I shrug.
I see him relax for a moment and then get serious. "Now, if you didn't just bolt to the back room, you would have heard me when I said that were not training today." I stare at him wide eyed. "What? Then what am I doing here, I could be out with Bonnie, Care, and Stefan."
"Aw. And I thought you actually wanted to hang out with me." He says sarcastically. I get up from the floor and change back into my normal clothes and put my glasses back on. I'm about to leave the gym, when Damon motions for me to sit again. I sigh and sit in the same position I was in five minutes ago.
"Tell me again, why you never take off your glasses in public?" I ignore the question. "What is this, Elena and Damon bonding time? I don't think so. I'll see you tomorrow Damon for real training." I get up for the third time today and leave. From the corner of my eye I thought I saw Damon look upset. It's just my imagination; Damon wouldn't get upset over a girl not wanting his company. Would he?