***A new story I got inspiration from as I listened to Pretty Hurts by Beyonce. Right when I finished the song I busted open my laptop and I began to write this story. I am already in love with it and the concept behind it... But I want to warn you readers that this story will have it's fair share of dark moments. It is not a sun shining love story for any of the characters in it. There will be some abuse, physical/emotional as well as verbal. So with that warning out there I would love it for you guys to read the first chapter and tell me what you think of it. Also Elena's mother in this story is not Miranda, she is my own OC as well as her dad.***

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any characters from it.

(oh and for any readers of Desire I promise a new chapter will be up in the next couple days i didn't forget about it)


'Mama said you're a pretty girl. What's in your head, it doesn't matter. Brush your hair, fix your teeth. What you wear is all that matters.' –Pretty hurts, Beyonce


I remember when I was young sometimes my mother would let me stay up late at night with her. Those nights were special to me, it was the only hours of my life she was every any semblance of a mother to me. 'Coach first, Mom second,' was something my mom was known for saying, laughing it off like it was a joke with others. But I knew it was the truth.

On those nights she would stay up with me, were the nights we would stay up watching movies. 'Pigging out' as she liked to say with our variety of fruit and sugar free low fat cookies. But those nights meant everything to me. She was just my mom and I was just her daughter. There were no strict meal plans, no dress fittings, no dance class and no more stress of winning.

I'd been in pageants since even before I could crawl. My whole life had revolved around one thing and one thing only, winning that next crown. And I had more than the average person, a whole room in our house dedicated to nothing but my wins. Only the top title, there was no first or second runner up in my mother's vocabulary. Those crowns or trophy's never made it into my house, and I wasn't spoken to for the rest of the night.

The nights I won though, the nights I got that top title those nights were the best nights of my life. Until I ruined them, by telling my mother I no longer wanted to do pageants. The way her face fell, and the heat that raised to her face you would've thought I told her the world had ended.

When she recollected her composure after screaming at me how ungrateful I was she looked at me. Her look frightened me as she glared at me with her ice blue eyes. Her perfect blonde hair never a hair out of place was wild at that moment. Her lips turned into a sneer as she said to me.

"You have no choice." Her words dared me to challenge them and I felt the tears well up in my eyes.

"But momma I don't want to." I said and my bottom lip quivered as I looked up at her. And she showed no compassion as she reached out and struck her ten year old daughter across the face. I inhaled a sharp breath and held it as she looked at me with a deranged look in her eye. Then suddenly the ice melted from her gaze and she was quickly pulling me into her embrace and stroking my hair.

At her embrace I didn't cry, the tears that had filled my eyes were now gone. And when she released me and pulled back her face was streaked with mascara. She smiled and stroked the side of my face softly, and let her hand fall down into her lap.

"We have to keep doing them Elena, you understand that don't you?" I nodded scared of what would happen if I disagreed.

"You want to keep doing them right? For me, to make me happy you will keep doing them right?" When I didn't answer her hand was suddenly clutching mine and squeezing tightly. "Right Elena?" Her voice more anxious now, and her voice quivered.

"Yes," I said and she let go of my hand and smiled.

"Good, that's good. Let's go get cleaned up before your dad gets here." She led me to the bathroom and turned on the shower water and then stood with her arms folded across her chest and looked at me. "Well what are you waiting for Elena?" She exclaimed and I slowly peeled of my clothes as she peered over me.

"Have you been sneaking extra food Elena?" She looked at me her eyes filled with disgust.

"No," I whimpered and she shook her head.

"Than what is this from?" She reached out and pinched my stomach hard pulling the skin out. I jumped away and she sighed.

"Looks like extra dance class for you tomorrow to exercise more, and you'll have to go on a stricter diet. Take your shower Elena." I did as I was told and when I got out I found she had laid my Pajama's out for me. When I got into my bedroom I sat in the chair where I was supposed to as my mother came forward with a brush. I stared into the vanity mirror watching as she did it and when she was done she glanced up and caught my eyes.

"Pretty hurts Elena, something my mother once told me and you will be wise to remember." She held my gaze for one second longer before she walked out of my room and left me staring back at my reflection. A reflection that I no longer wanted to see even at such a young tender age. If my mother had been right about anything in my life, she had been right about one thing.

Pretty hurts.