Two chapters straight away...might make people like it a little more... :)

I left the day after the funeral…more time would have appreciated but I was becoming used to having no say in things that affect me. It hadn't been easy saying goodbye to my friends. Had I had a little more time for everything to sink in I may have been more prepared but as it was, I hadn't and I wasn't. We left with promises to call at least every other day and 'I'll miss you's'. As I took my place in a luxurious first class American Airlines' seat, I almost cried for the millionth time that week. How could it be good for me to go and live thousands of miles away with people I hardly knew? Surely I needed to be with my friends…surely the only way for me to accept all this was to be at home and let it sink in slowly. This all felt so surreal like some sort of nightmare.

Jenna met me at the airport, looking just a few years older than as I remembered her from her last visit. The age gap between her and my mother was quite large, putting her only 18 years older than me. I'd always gotten on with her; she was like that crazy aunt who never quite knew what they were doing but loved pouring gifts and bad advice at the niece she never saw. When my mum heard her telling me to marry a footballer then I'd have it easy she hadn't been entirely happy…I was ten and found it absolutely hilarious. Now she stood before me a million times older in all but her appearance. I may have lost my parents but she'd lost her big sister…her best friend and her childhood idol. I couldn't expect this to be any easier on her than it was on me.

She wrapped me in a huge hug when she spotted me, a sad look in her eyes, "I'm so glad you're here." She told me, taking my huge suitcase from me. I wanted to say it back but I didn't want the first thing I said to her to be a lie. I wasn't happy to be here…I was furious that I was here. I'd give anything to be back at home…but I couldn't say that could I. She let out a sigh, "Come on then, the car's just outside." And we started walking, her wheeling along my suitcase and me holding my bag, looking around the modern airport like it was the strangest thing.

When I was younger I'd always wanted to move to America…just live there for a year and maybe go to school there for a while. The idea of calling a term a semester and fitting into one of those 'cliques' was just brilliant to me. At school we'd put ourselves into groups and my friends had said without hesitation that I'd be a nerd because I was apparently clever. And to be honest I'd be perfectly happy with that. It was pretty ironic that now it was all coming true and I wanted nothing more than to go home.

Jenna drove a smart grey Range Rover…at home I drove a beat-up MGB. When, after a good two hours of driving and little conversation, we pulled up at her house, my first thought was that it was huge. With white panelled walls and a wrap-around porch and green shutters on the windows, I was sure my house could fit inside it at least twice. She parked in the two car garage next to a dark blue Toyota Prius, a shiny blue Suzuki motorbike parked in front of it. Memories of my dad and his best friend George illegally teaching me to ride one on my fifteenth birthday filled my head and I cracked a sad smile.

Was it possible that the house was even bigger on the inside? The whole place was amazing but just not home. Was I meant to live here for five months? How? Jenna set my bags down by the door, motioning for me to take off my coat and shoes and follow her through to the kitchen. It wasn't until I saw my cousins that I remembered them…Katherine, who was my age and Jeremy, one year younger. When we were younger we'd been quite close…there was one summer when we came to stay for a month and a bit.

It didn't take long to realise that Katherine was one of those 'popular' girls…what with her long, shiny chocolate coloured curls and made up face. She was wearing a denim mini skirt and a pink tank top which was in my eyes just so stereotypically American…it was weird comparing fashion to here to that of home. Here it seemed more colourful and generally tighter…you walk around London for a day and you'll baggy jumpers bought in a charity shop, leggings, top-knots, crosses, peace signs, creepers and Barbour jackets…standard. It was like now; I was wearing black leggings, a black sweater and some white superga's, my hair pulled up into a messy top-knot and make-up free. I didn't see the point in trying.

Her greeting seemed somewhat cold…what reason I'd given her for disliking me so immediately I wasn't sure but I didn't dwell on it, instead accepting my younger cousins hug. Jeremy had certainly grown since I last saw him, now standing at least height taller than me. I wasn't tall and I wasn't short but he was tall. His dark hair was messy and the same colour as his eyes. He wore a band shirt that looked more metal than anything…the one genre I just couldn't appreciate no matter how hard I tried…each to their own.

"You want some tea Elena? We've got some cake too…" Jenna offered, setting about boiling the kettle.

"Oh, I'm alright thanks…do you mind if I unpack…?"

She nodded, smiling a little, "Of course, sorry, Jer can you take her bags up." I was about to insist that I could carry them myself but he'd already left so I followed silently. Five doors led off from the upstairs balcony; the one he led me to was straight ahead, facing the street. A double bed stood in the centre between two small windows set in little alcoves, the one on the right with a window seat. A dressing table and wardrobe sat to one side and a full length mirror, and then another door into what looked like a bathroom on the left. It was pretty empty but I didn't mind too much…this wasn't home and never would be; it didn't have to look like one.

I muttered a quiet thank you as Jeremy set down the suitcase and left, clicking the door shut behind him. Letting out a heavy sigh, I pulled my white Apple Mac laptop out of my bag and sat down on the bed, turning it on. I still refused to go on Facebook and face all the notifications so instead I checked my e-mails, then Skype, relieved to see that Fran was online, not a second before the machine leapt into life and I answered the video call. She was in her room; sat on the big arm chair in the corner that I'd spent many a night sleeping on when she pushed me out of the bed (she was incapable of sharing the double bed).

"Lennie! How are you? Where are you?" she called, a grin on her face as she spoke.

At least I didn't get such sympathetic looks with her, "Heya, I'm alright…just got here and this is my new room." I said with little enthusiasm.

"Well let's see it then." She smirked, like I was being stupid.

Smiling a little, I picked up the computer and turned it around, showing her around the room, then out the window, "And that is my view…a road and a tree."

"Someone's enthusiastic. "

I sighed and sat down on the window seat, "How am I meant to be enthusiastic Fran? Sure, it's a nice house, nice room, nice view- I don't care! I want to go home. They're all lovely and all but I don't know them. I want to be at home with you and Jamie and Rich. Somewhere where I feel at home and can try and get used to the fact that they'll never be there again. How am I meant to do that when I'm on the other side of the world?"

She didn't reply for a moment, clearly thinking about what the best answer would be, "Well you're not technically on the other side of the world-"

"Fran! I don't need a geography lesson right now!"

"Jheeze okay…just saying…" I couldn't help but crack a small smile at her antics, "Any distance is too far thought; I miss you, we all do."

I nodded, biting my lip and looked away as I felt sharp prickles behind my eyes, blinking, "Don't make me cry Frankie, I miss you too."

"We'll Skype all the time."

I scoffed, shaking my head, "Like that's the same thing."
"It's only five months."

"I don't even want one."

She sighed, shrugging a little and uttering the only words that would really help at this moment in time, "Suck it up Len…you have no choice." It's the type of thing only a really good friend would say…others would skirt around the harsh truth but she just goes right in and says it. And I wasn't hurt or offended by it because I knew it was the only way around it. Sure I would cry later tonight and I'd have no choice in the matter, but right now I understood she was right.

"Thank you."

"No problem, what I'm here for."
We talked for a good half-hour longer before I figured I'd have to re-emerge from my room at some point. So I said goodbye, hung up and opened my case. I honestly opened it with the full intention of unpacking all my clothes into the wardrobe, but I only managed to get one pair of shoes out before I realised I just couldn't…not yet. Unpacking meant permanence…meant staying…I couldn't do that just yet.

Alaric arrived home somewhere around seven o'clock that night, about three hours after my arrival. I'd met him twice before as far as I could remember and he was very nice…a history teacher at Mystic Falls High, a school which I would be enrolling ('enrolling' as opposed to 'applying') in in a few days' time.

I'd spent the past hour sitting in the kitchen listening to Jenna and Jeremy telling me all there was to know about Mystic Falls. I learnt about the Founding Families that basically ran the town, surprised to find that the Gilbert's were one of them although none of them lived here anymore. My dad, Grayson Gilbert, and mum used to live here but moved to England when I was one (obviously I couldn't remember a thing about it), but he'd been a member of the founding council and everything. It all seemed very posh…all this community stuff. Here it seemed like you knew everyone on your street and invited them round for garden parties in the summer…the only time anyone would get together on my street was…never? The Diamond Jubilee? We knew the people in the houses surrounding ours but it was a long street…half a mile long I'd say.

The other founding families that they told me about were the Lockwood's (Mayor Lockwood…they had Mayors of towns… (was that like the equivalent of Boris? Who knows…?), the Forbes', the Fell's and the Salvatore's…all of whom had children around our age which my cousins were good friends with. I wondered what they would be like and if they'd even compare to my friends…nahh impossible.

By the time dinner came around all I wanted was to go to sleep, get away from all the awkward conversation. I understood they were trying to get to know the stranger suddenly living in their house, but I didn't feel like talking…I wasn't good at talking. "So Elena, you'll be starting at school in a few days…it'll be quite different from your school in England."

"College…we were at sixth form college…but it will be different yeah." I said, taking a small bite of the pasta. I really wasn't hungry, just like I was never really hungry anymore but I figured it would be rude not to touch it.

"Well you'll be in Kat's year so at least you'll know someone."

Awkward…I glanced up at my cousin who did not looked like they were excited at the prospect of being me first step out of loner-hood; she covered it quickly, "Oh yeah, you'll get to meet all my friends." She said blatantly sarcastically but her parents didn't pick up on it. I didn't care…I truly didn't because if her friends were anything like she seemed, I didn't want to be part of their group…I didn't even particularly want a group. And to some extent I even understood the seemingly undeserved animosity towards me; I was a stranger coming into her house and taking what seemed like all the attention…things had probably changed because I was here…I wouldn't be too happy about it either. Not that I wanted to be here but I figure that's established already.

Jeremy shot his sister a glare before turning to me, "Or my friends if you don't want to be in that preppy group, I totally understand."

Katherine rolled her eyes, talking to him in the most patronizing way, "As opposed to what? Your little stoner friends?"

"Katherine, don't talk to your brother like that." Alaric scolded quickly and I got the impression that maybe she didn't treat her little brother any better than she did me. I told myself to stop making assumptions…it would get me nowhere.

Jenna pulled me out of my thoughts with a gentle question, "Elena are you not hungry?"

I glanced up at her in surprise, and then down at my practically untouched food, "Oh…sorry, not really…I ate on the plane earlier." It was a lie but they didn't need to know that.

"That's fine love; nothing goes to waste in this house." She said with a smile, nodding towards her husband.

"Well best not waste!" he defended, failing in hiding a smile.

"Clearly." She teased before turning back to me, "What do you want to do tomorrow? I can show you around town or if you want to explore on your own that's fine. Maybe we could go out for dinner…?"

I hesitated, not having thought about what I'd do to pass the time yet, "Um, yeah I might explore a little…"

"Well you can borrow my car if you want-oh! That's the other thing; we'll need to get you a car."
My eyes shot wide and I shook my head, "No, you don't…I'm fine, I don't need a car." God if they bought me a car I'd feel completely shit. They may technically be family but they were strangers to me and I would never let them buy my something as expensive as a car. Besides, I had money; I'd had a job in a café for at least three years on top of babysitting so I had enough on my own.

"Are you sure? Everything's pretty far away around here…and it would be no trouble."

"No seriously, thank you but I don't want one…"

Katherine spoke next, a sly smile on her face, "What? Can you not drive?" She said it like it was reason to be embarrassed or ashamed which I found strange. Maybe everyone drove here but in my year of 150 people only about twenty drove.

"I can drive, I have a car…I just don't want a car here. It's not a big deal." Why were they making it so hard for me to just say no?

Jenna saved me, thank god, "Alright…I was just thinking about getting to places but you can always carpool or borrow one of ours."

I nodded after a moment, setting down my knife and fork, "I'll buy a bike or something."

"Or a scooter." Katherine muttered sarcastically and I rolled my eyes, ignoring her.

"That's a good idea…we could look for one tomorrow."

I nodded again before faking stifling a yawn, "I'm quite tired…do you mind if I go to bed?"

"Of course, and don't rush in the morning."

I muttered a goodnight and thank you before leaving the room and heading upstairs. I expected to fall straight to sleep but typically that was not the case. Rather I spent the vast majority of the night sat on the windowsill looking out at the inky black sky…and crying…always silently crying. The constant ache of their absence would surely kill me before long…I felt like I was in some nightmare that just refused to end but I'd wake up and they'd be here, laughing at my idiocy, telling me that they'd never leave me like they always used to. I could only hope.

I promise you...it will get better