Elena woke up before the others, thankfully. She didn't want to explain everything or have a teary goodbye, she just wanted to leave.

Quietly, she packed the necessities. It wasn't like she was planning to stay in one place for very long.

Making her way downstairs to the kitchen, she scribbled out a quick goodbye to Katherine and the brothers on a notepad sitting nearby. Hefting the duffle bag, that contained her life, over her shoulder she set off on her adventure, away from Mystic Falls.

She had no idea where she was headed as she got into her car but it didn't matter. For too long had Elena spent, wasting her life away in a town that was leading her nowhere. It had never occurred to her while she was human that Mystic Falls was sucking her in and she would never be able to leave. That was until she turned and so many doors flew open. Choices, options, something other than becoming a teacher or a writer-they no longer held any place in her heart, getting married, having kids and then dying. At one point that plan seemed ideal for her life, but anymore she wanted to be unrestricted, love without warning and break hearts. The thought of settling down didn't hold appeal to her anymore, it hadn't since Katherine showed up at the boarding house declaring her affection for both Stefan and Damon. It had all changed in one moment, in an incident that should have ended her it instead gave her eternity.

It was freedom, when she had thought those many nights about changing into a vampire; freedom was never on the list of pros.

Now it was all within reach, Paris, Egypt, Venice, it was all a possibility thanks to vampirism.

She pulled out onto the main highway leading out of Mystic Falls, Virginia and never had the urge to look in her rearview mirror. The place where she was born and raised was behind her, Elena was onto bigger and better things, she was sure of it.

Xxxxx

He grabbed a couple of things, not too much since he decided he would be traveling a lot. He would just skip across the country, staying in the many houses he had accumulated over his thousand years.

"Sir, shall we pack?" A hybrid walked in, disturbing his thoughts.

He thought about it, about everything he had done to get the hybrids. How he took away their choice, as well as Elena's. Nothing would ever change the loneliness he felt, not even hybrids.

"No." Klaus turned to address the male hybrid.

"Round up the others please, Jared." Jared looked beyond shock that his master had asked in favor of commanding but did as he was told and gathered his 'brothers' and 'sisters'.

What was left of his hybrids stood lined up in front of him, "You all are free to do as you wish, I no longer need your company." Klaus said with a twinge of melancholy.

Klaus grabbed his bag and walked out the door, leaving behind a group of confused immortals.

"Did he just leave us?" Brianna asked, sounding sad.

Jared nodded, "I think he did."

"Well what do we do now?" Caydance asked concerned by the docile behavior of her master. He had saved them, didn't he realize that. Without him, they would have been stuck, forced to shift every full moon. No choices, only extreme pain. Now he wanted nothing to do with them, she had thought that he cared for them, that they weren't expendable to him. His actions were making it hard for her to keep up that line of thinking. The high regard she held the original hybrid in was slowly turning, changing into and extreme hatred.

"We stick together." Jared replied, not knowing what else to say. He too felt abandoned by his sire. The one who promised to never leave him like his parents had. But he felt something was off with Klaus. He wasn't leaving for their punishment; it seemed more like he was remorseful. Jared knew one day that they would cross paths with their sire, until then they had to live life on their own.

Xxxxxxx

Elena arrived in Alberta Canada after 25 hours of driving nonstop, stopping only for gas and a quick bite. The trip normally took longer but she had inherited the lead foot all vampires possessed. She had no idea what she was doing in Canada but she felt a need to be there, a sixth sense if you will.

She pulled into the nicest looking hotel in the vicinity, preparing herself to compel for a good room. Retrieving her bag from the back seat she strode with purpose into the ornately designed hotel. Walking over to the check in desk she saw the person she needed to compel was a man.

Piece of cake.

"Hello sir, I need a room." Elena purred, batting her eyelashes at the unsuspecting man. The man visibly gulped before checking the computer for available rooms.

"We have a master suite on the top floor for 300 a night but that's all we have at the moment." He replied nervously.

"I'll take it." She said staring into the man's eyes as he was getting ready to ask for payment, "I already paid for it remember?" The man nodded, "You already paid for it." He repeated in a monotone voice, proving he was compelled.

"Yes Miss, here's your room key." His face lit up with a smile, handing her the key card.

Taking the key she hopped in the elevator, pressing the 8th floor button. Reaching the designated floor the door opened with a ding.

Elena gasped at who was standing in front of her, waiting to use the elevator. Couldn't she ever catch a break from the damned people or was she bound to find them everywhere she went.

"Why, hello Elena." A deep voice asked, his hand pressed against the door of the elevator preventing it from leaving.

Elena folded her arms over her chest like an upset child, "Hello Elijah."

A/N A little cliché I know but it isn't what it seems, I promise. Review please and tell me what you think.