Prologue

It was early Sunday morning when a young girl woke up on the bus she was on and took a peek outside her window. All she could see were the vast fields of grass that stretched for miles across the land. She was almost home.

It has been nearly five years since Kimberly Donovan left her family and now she was going to show up on her little brother's front porch and pray to God he let her in. She knew there would be a good chance he didn't want to see her after how she left thing five years ago, but she had to try. Truth was she didn't want to come back. In fact she would still be out living on her own if her dead beat mother hadn't come and told her what was going on. Vampires, the original family, her sister dead! As soon as she heard the stories she packed her bags and got on the first bus to Mystic Falls.

"Hey Sweetheart," A rather large wrinkling old man chimed at the bartender in a deep southern accent, "Top me off, would ya? I'm getting thirsty over here."

Kim looked up from the glass she was cleaning and sighed at the old man, "Jim, that's your sixth drink. Don't you think it's time to slow down?"

"Sweetheart believe me, I've been drinking since before ya been in diapers." He smirked, his yellowing teeth poked through his bushy white mustache. "I can hold my liquor a lot better than ya think."

"Not swaying on your seat like that, you're not." She muttered under her breath as she hurried up and got him another drink. For the past six months Kim has been working at this back side bar out in the middle of nowhere. Usually she'd never stay so long in one place, but money was tight these days so she needed to stay for the time being.

As the night went on she finally finished up her shift and headed out to her car. She was just about to dig in for her keys when she felt a familiar presence standing behind her. With an annoyed sigh, she rolled her eyes and looked back. There stood her mother, Kelly Donovan.

"It's been a long time, Kimberly." The older woman smiled at her daughter. "You've grown."

"So have you." Kim grimaced, "Is that another wrinkle on your forehead there?"

"Cute." She narrowed her eyes, "Listen, Kim. I did't come here to fight with you. I need you're help-"

"Really?" She arched a brow, "After everything you put me through? Forget it." She shook her head and started walking away, "I ain't doing shit for you."

"How about for your brother?"

Kim immediately stopped in her tracks and paused. Then slowly she turned and looked back at her mother, "What about him? He's still in Mystic Falls, right? The most boring town in the universe."

"He is, but that exactly the problem." Her mother stepped closer, "Mystic Falls isn't safe anymore. Matt's in Danger."

"What about Vicki?" Kim furrowed her brow, "Where's she? isn't she supposed to be in Mystic Falls too?"

"She's still in Mystic Falls." Her mother nodded. "In the town cemetery."

Kim felt as if she had just been hit in the stomach. Her feet almost gave out from under her. She reached out her hand to steadied herself on her car, "What?..." She exhaled and caught her breath, "H-how? How'd she-"

"I'm not sure. The police did everything they could to keep it under wraps, they say it was an accident."

Kim paused for a moment before collecting herself and glaring at their mother, "An accident? You can't be serious!? Damn it Mom! How could you let this happen!?" A sob threaten to escape her lips, but she held it back. She'd be dead before she let herself look weak in front of her mother.

"I wasn't there. It all happened before I got back in town" Her mother glared back. "There was nothing I could do."

"Nothing you could do?" The young girl scoffed, "Please, Mom. I know you. You could have at least found out something about her death."

"I tried." Her mother confessed, "But I had to leave town. I wasn't welcomed in the house anymore.

"Jesus Mom, What did you do?"

"Why do you always assume I'm the one that did something?"

"Because it's always you. Now tell me." Kim demanded.

"It doesn't matter. No one wanted me there and now I hear that Klaus Mikealson is causing problems there too."

"Klaus!? You mean one of the Originals!?" Kim exclaimed. She'd heard about the notorious Vampire and his appetite for chaos. He was the last person she ever wanted to get involved with, much less her little bother.

"That's the one." Kelly nodded, "He's in Mystic Falls. And since I can't show my face over there, I thought perhaps you could go over there and look out for Matty. Last I heard he and his friends have a habit of getting mixed up in his business."

"Matty? Our Matty? The most normal guy in our whole entire family? Is getting mixed with Vampire business? You can't be serious. How does he even know about him? He hasn't activated the curse has he?

"No." Her mother shook her head. "And he doesn't need to. It seems that little miss Elena Gilbert is the one drawing him into all this. "

"Elena? What does she have to do with anything?"

"Oh sweetie, there's so much I need to tell you." Her mother stated sadly. "There's so much you don't know."

"Then tell me." Kim spoke flatly, "What the hell's been going on in Mystic Falls?"

It took a long two day ride and three bus transfers to get there, but finally Kim made it to Mystic Falls. She honestly thought she'd seen everything in her past five years on her own, but she was wrong. From what Kelly was able to tell her about Elena, Klaus, and the Salvatore's. She was surprised this town was still even standing. It would seem as if Mystic falls has become rather exciting place in her five year absence. If only it hadn't cost her a sibling.

Now she needed to find little brother and figure out what the hell happened to their sister. Once she found all the guilty parties involved with her murder, she was going to make sure each of them pay. She'd make them rue the day they even laid eyes on her too. She'd get them all.

One way or a fucking other...