Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Okay, so… This story is a major Elena Bashing story. Sorry, not really sorry. Also, it includes major Damon Bashing, so another head's up. There will be Catherine Rollins and Bonnie Bennett Bashing as well but to a lesser extent than Elena and Damon.

This story starts a week after Caroline got bitten by Tyler in Season 3 of TVD! ;)

Chapter 1:

Most stories begin with 'Once Upon a Time' and usually end in 'And they lived Happily Ever After'. But this story is not one borne from a fairy tale, but of reality and while real life has its immeasurable beauty, it is balanced by cruelty; it is brutal, it is grueling and it can be measurably brief. When composing a story, it must have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

This story however, has a beginning and an end: …And it all started when Kamyra met Steve.

Now, if this were a fairy tale, their life would be chronicled as: "It was love at first sight, a love so transcendent everything paled in comparison, and then, they shared True Love's Kiss, sealing that they were Fated to be. Shortly thereafter, they set a wedding date, exchanged the sort of marriage vows that could bring an entire house to tears, and started a family – you know, the one with a white picket fence, two point five kids, and a playful golden retriever – and they all lived Happy Happily Ever After…

The End.

But again, this is not a fairy tale, and Kamyra and Steve's whirlwind love story ended similarly to how it started: quickly and fleetingly, with one difference… the procreation of a beautiful baby girl named Kaydence.

To understand the true subject of this story, which is Kaydence, background information must be provided, and it all starts with Kamyra Gilbert.

You see, Kamyra was the youngest of three. Her eldest brother Grayson, while he preached about the importance of family, was mostly distant in young Kamyra's life, treating her with a sort of detached interest, an impassive spectator throughout her childhood. On the other hand, John was a completely different story; maybe it was because they were closer in age with only a three-year gap, but probably because John had no tangible memory of his mother and therefore, could never resent Kamyra for her birth.

There had been complications with John's birth which inevitably led to a decline in Erica Gilbert's health and sadly, a month later, she passed away. Grayson was seven at the time, and had vivid memories of his mother and of his parents' love. John didn't. He never had the chance to experience a mother's love, or touch, or hear her sing him a lullaby or read him a story before bedtime. Their father Christopher grew lonely and a year after his beloved's death, grew adamant in finding a mother for his sons.

Now it may sound like a 21stcentury spinoff of Cinderella, but truly it was not.

Nobody knew of the woman Christopher became enamored with, for he kept her close to the chest, keeping her a secret from the picturesque town of Mystic Falls. Grayson managed to steal a few glimpses of the beautiful blonde woman with large, expressive blue eyes that captured his father's heart and earned her his devotion, but he, like the remaining populace of the town, never had a name to the enigmatic woman that made the widower a happy man again.

But one day, and here is where it all turned into speculation, each gossipmonger, namely the dull housewives around town, coming up with a conjecture of their own. Nevertheless, each rumor had one thing in common: "one night, Christopher returned home to his sons with a newborn swathed in baby pink." The mysterious woman never to be seen or heard of again, almost as though she never existed, and try as they might, nobody ever succeeded in garnering a confession out of Christopher who had now become a single father to three children.

As Kamyra came to maturity and evolved into a young teen, nobody could deny the identity of her mother, for she was the spitting image of Christopher's mysterious woman. But with age, Kamyra grew more rebellious and became known as Mystic Falls Troublemaker. The girl reveled in causing mischief and mayhem, disobeying orders, acting out left and right without a thought or care for the consequences. She was a true rebel and a free-spirit who dreamed of one day leaving the dull and dreary life of Mystic Falls to travel the world and never look back, disliking to be restrained. She was the personification of her name, for Kamyra meant 'surrounded by sunlight', and despite her rebellious nature and her insubordination, nobody could deny that being around Kamyra was like being near the sun, basking in its brilliant rays.

Being around Kamyra was like experiencing sunshine throughout all hours of the day, every single day.

However, the day finally came where Christopher could no longer carry on with being a single father, especially since Kamyra was a handful, risking a stroke every day merely in an attempt to control her boisterous attitude and repress her obstreperous-self. It was after Grayson returned from his honeymoon did Christopher finally put his foot down, trusting his eldest and most responsible son with the wellbeing of his two youngest while he lived out his remaining years in a retirement home for the elderly.

And then, the unthinkable happened. John got his high school sweetheart pregnant.

Miranda yearend for a child and it was agreed that she and Grayson would raise John's child as their own. By the time the child was born, John would be a fresh graduate and would head off to college in California. That decision changed Kamyra's entire life and set the future events into motion…

The conclusion was made that Kamyra would be a bad influence on the youngest addition to the Gilbert Clan: Elena; she was already a handful, and adding her rebelliousness to the newborn's demanding needs, and it was unanimously decided by Grayson and Miranda that Kamyra be sent to a boarding school in California, with John nearby in case he was needed by her.

Hurt by her brother and sister-in-law's rejection and low opinion of her, Kamyra didn't put up a fuss; and though she was saddened by her own flesh and blood's behavior towards her, she was inwardly glad at the chance to spread her wings and soar, no longer restrained by her uppity brother, sickeningly perfect sister-in-law and the snobbish denizens of the small town. Kamyra decided to make the most of it; she would be able to enjoy three years of independence, away from judgmental eyes, and then attend college somewhere far away, maybe in Europe.

Her first week of boarding school, Kamyra met Steve and the rest was history…

After graduating, Steve, him being a couple of months older than her, at the age of eighteen, joined the service and after one last magical night where the two enamored teenagers intimately said their last goodbyes, he disappeared to train at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, and that was the last Kamyra ever heard of the love of her life.

That night, according to Kamyra, truly was a magical one, because that was the day Kaydence was conceived, born of true love, and passion, and trust.

Naturally, a pregnant sister didn't go down too well with Grayson and he all but demanded she follow John's footsteps by allowing him and Miranda to raise her baby as their own. Their plan was, since Miranda was also pregnant, and the two of them shared the same due date, they could pass them off as twins and Kamyra would be free to attend college and live her life without the burden of motherhood. But the truth was, Grayson believed his sister too immature and irresponsible to look after a fragile life, one that would look upon her to take care of all its needs.

Insulted and old enough to take a stand, Kamyra cancelled all her plans for college, all her plans for Europe and put a temporary hiatus on her dreams of traveling the world. She left Mystic Falls and stayed with John throughout her pregnancy, naming him Kaydence's godfather. Ironically, Grayson and Miranda gave birth to a boy, Jeremy, and both he and Kaydence shared the same birthdate: October 13, 1994.

One year later, Kamyra revived her dreams and ensuring Kaydence was fit for travel, the two fled from the United States and began their journey, one that lasted fourteen years, culminating into a wonderful and memorable adventure.

And now, here's where the true story begins…

It was May 23, 2009 that Kamyra Gilbert's story ended, giving the opportunity for another one to begin…

You see, mother and daughter made it a point to visit the family at Mystic Falls once or twice a year, and since Kamyra had plans on taking Kaydence to Hawaii for the first time for the entirety of the summer, it was decided they would visit early. As per usual, Kamyra and Grayson got into another one of their never-ending arguments and, too stubborn to let Grayson win, when Elena called from the party by the woods, asking for a ride home, Kamyra tagged along, and it was the last time Kaydence ever saw her mother, her best friend, her only true companion, alive.

John was given full custody of Kaydence, as per Kamyra's will, but unfortunately, he had some super-secret work thing and therefore, transferred custody to Jenna, albeit temporarily, until he concluded his business.

his business ended a year later with his death, sacrificing his life for Elena's soul and Kaydence lost another loved one.

The moment her mother died, Kaydence's life was shot to hell, her days mostly spent in solitude. Elena was too busy with her friends – none of which she got along with, except surprisingly Caroline Forbes, who always took the time to inquire over her wellbeing. Jeremy preferred abandoning her for Vicki Donovan, feeding his disgusting pill addiction and thereby leaving Kaydence to mourn the loss of her mother by her lonesome. Jenna was too busy with college and taking care of three moody teenagers, and Uncle John was all over the place, rarely staying in one place for too long, making her miss the good old days when she and her mother used to do exactly that, spending their days on the road or in exotic places.

She did manage to make two friends, amazing individuals that quickly evolved into best friends, competing for Jeremy's empty spot. But when the supernatural barged into her life because Elena decided it was a good idea to date a vampire, Kaydence's life became entangled in vampire drama, which then morphed into witch drama and then werewolf and doppelgänger drama and lastly, Original drama. Kaydence couldn't catch a break and she feared her friends would end up as collateral damage and so, she made sure to keep her distance, not alienating them, though not treating them like she did before.

One thing Kaydence learned in the supernatural life of Mystic Falls, was this: at the end of the day, if you aren't a Salvatore, or Elena Gilbert, then you aren't safe in town and could easily end up as collateral damage.

But then, a ghost infestation took place in Mystic Falls, and much to Kaydence's surprise, her mother was one of them. It was a huge shock because Kaydence was under the impression that her mother was a mortal, but she was wholly mistaken: her mother was a powerful witch from a long line of formidable and equally powerful witches, meaning Kaydence was one as well. Kamyra handed her daughter her last saving grace, a contingency plan for when she was no longer safe in Mystic Falls.

And like her mother predicted, that day eventually came the day after she turned sixteen.

Faced with no other option, Kaydence fled for her life to elude her tormentors and would-be murderers.

According to her Uncle John's will and the words her mother's ghost parted her with, there remained one safe haven where she could hide from those that pursued her: Hawaii, where she still had living family – her grandfather.

"Aloha, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Honolulu, Hawaii! As we start our descent, please make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you. We are currently descending and landing. Mahalo!" the pleasant voice on the intercom announced.

Kaydence hastened to buckle her seatbelt and in order to distract herself from the plane's descent, she turned back to her journal that was balanced on her knee – a fourteenth birthday present from her Aunt Miranda and the last gift she ever received from her before she died.

For Kaydence, she had two stories: one that began the night her mother died in that fateful car accident, and two, three days before her sixteenth birthday, her loneliness driving her to desperation which brought upon consequences that had her fleeing from one she called family.

She just hoped her Grandfather John didn't turn her away since all Uncle John and her mother's searches for her father led to absolutely no results, his location a constant unknown.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Honolulu International Airport. Local time is 11:03 AM and–"

Wish me luck! – She quickly scribbled before slamming her journal close, tucking it into her hippy one-shoulder bag and squeezing her hands together, preferring to wait for everyone to filter out of the plane and therefore give her more time to soothe her frantic nerves.

"Calm down, Kay. Grandpa John'll love you. He will. He will," she assured herself under her breath, striking almond-shaped green eyes flickering to and fro in distress.

Hawaii was her last and only hope, she couldn't blow it… otherwise, she's a dead girl.

A/N: I hope you like this story, I've got hugeplans for it and this chapter, BTW, will be the shortest one from this story. Just a little head's up, the next chapter won't come out for a while… either next week, or in two weeks. Sorry!

Also, I know it seems confusing, but that's the intro. I promise everything will make sense as the story progresses and all Kaydence's experience in Mystic Falls during Seasons 1 – 3 will be portrayed in flashbacks.

Face-Claim – Kamyra Gilbert: Gabrielle Wilde & Kaydence Gilbert: Lucy Hale.

R&R.