Prologue
October 21st, 2017
She woke up feeling considerably recharged and excited in the cozy student accommodation room. She dismissed her alarm and wiggled out of the sheets to sit up; leaning against the tufted headboard that Caroline DIYed, she plugged her phone to the charger and stretched: today she's going to say yes to opportunities and conquer her life.
She got out of bed and coiled her straight chocolate hair into a messy bun while she tip-toed towards the bathroom. Elena Gilbert was always an early bird, she lived in a practical world where success wasn't served to you in a plate, you had to work your ass off for it. Her period of sulking and mourning had passed, she looked into the mirror and was happy to see the old vibrant Elena looking back at her, not the one with bags under her eyes and a swollen nose. She brushed her teeth and did her little skincare routine taking all the time she had.
Once back in the room, she carefully pulled the curtains down Caroline's four-poster bed and freed the windows of their black-out ones, it was still pretty dark outside but the birds had already started singing their way through the skies of this big city. She glanced at the clock: 5:20 AM. Perfect. Elena placed her handbag on the bed and pulled out her laptop. Opening it up on the desk, she played slow upbeat instrumentals to set up her mood for the day. She quickly grabbed two eggs from the fridge in the cooking area and started to beat them as she placed the pan on the stove. While she fried her eggs, she heard the email notification pop up; quickly plating up her breakfast with a muffin and pouring herself some mixed-fruit juice, she sat at the desk and opened the email. The sky outside was now turning a light shade of blue and the cold breeze brought a pleasant smell into the room. The email was from the magazine company she was going to be interviewed in for the post of a content writer; it was a simple reminder email stating the details of her interview today. This was one of the interviews she was most looking forward to in New York, their office was in Lexington Avenue and was one of the most popular lifestyle magazines in the country, "Lillian".
Her eyes grew wider in surprise as she read the email till the end, the time of the interview was 9 AM, but that's not what surprised her. The far bottom of the email read: Regards, Damon Salvatore, Managing Director.