In the middle of summer, the burning sun was shining brightly in the clear sky on one of the worst days the small town of Mystic Falls have ever experienced. The usually happy residents were dressed nicely in black suits and dresses as they all sat so closely together that their knees were touching in the only church that the town had to mourn the lives of Miranda and Grayson Gilbert.

The aforementioned deceased's oldest child, Brianna, was currently standing in front of everyone that she had grown up with along with the people that had watched her grow as her fingers squeezed the sides of the wooden podium.

The small gray Cathedral was filled with small whispers and sobs as Brianna focused her hazel eyes on the scrunched up piece of paper in front of her. She could feel the pressure of everyone's attention on her, which made her even more nervous than she already was. However, Brianna knew she had to do this. She needed to say goodbye to her parents.

Brianna took a deep breath before she looked out to the crowd as she moved her nude colored lips closer to the small microphone and began to speak to the residents of Mystic Falls, "good evening and thank you for being here today. As you may all know, my name is Brianna Gilbert, and on the night of May twenty-third, the life of my parents, Miranda and Grayson, was taken too early. I would like to take this opportunity as their oldest child out of three to help everyone celebrate their great lives like they would have wanted instead for us to be saddened by their early departure."

Brianna cleared her throat as she ringed her hands together with the nervous tick she had picked up at the age of twelve before she continued her speech, "family was everything for them. A mantra my parents would always use was, 'family doesn't end in blood, it just starts with it.' Miranda, my mother, would always tell my siblings and I that this town is our family. Every single one of you. How my mother described it was by using medical terminology." Brianna shook her head and commented with a chuckle, "I think my father got her hooked on medicine since he would always bring his work home."

A small laughter sounded through the church before Brianna continued once it grew silent again, "my mother would say that the center of city hall, where every important thing happens, is the heart of our family and everyone who contributes," Brianna pointed towards the audience as she added, "the residents of Mystic Falls are the blood that pumps the organ to keep it living."

Brianna glanced over at the two black caskets as everyone soaked in her words. She focused on the one to the left that had a purple outline before she continued mournfully, "Miranda Gilbert. My mother. My best friend. My personal cheerleader. My confidant." Brianna looked back to the residents of Mystic Falls as she stated, "or the woman you all knew her as the caring, sweet, kind hearted, hard working person, and the director of Mystic Falls Foundation."

Brianna pushed a portion of her long brown hair behind her left ear as she recalled, "the one memory that I will always carry with me about my mother is how she made it a rule in the Gilbert house that we all had to cook dinner with each other every single night." Brianna wiped a loose tear from her right eye as she chuckled, "but the thing was, my mother couldn't cook to save her life." The brunette girl shook her head as she glanced over to her crying sister as she continued, "I remember one time, she tried to make Thanksgiving dinner because my sister, Elena, and I saw this beautiful dinner on some sitcom show on TV." A small smile rose to her nude lips as Brianna explained, "let's just say, we went to the Grill for dinner that night while the smoke cleared out of our house."

There was an even louder sound of laughter that ran through the small building as everyone could picture the beautiful and carefree Miranda running around the Gilbert house with a burnt turkey in her hands as Grayson and their children laughed. It was just something the residents of Mystic Falls could just picture as that was the type of woman she was, someone that wished to make her children happy and someone that cherished life to the fullest.

"My mother would always say when my siblings and I would ask her why she made us go through all the trouble of cooking is that, 'it doesn't matter if we ruin all the food in the house and have to pick up take out or only eat a peanut butter sandwich, it was all about the moments we got to spend with each other.' And I think she was right, because every time I close my eyes now, I can see her sitting next to my father with a wine glass in hand while my sister and I dance to the classic, Frank Sinatra and how we would always try to make our brother dance with us. It was just all about the memories we spent in our kitchen that mattered in the end."

"Even when it was just small memories, I can still look back and see they all came back to one word, family," Brianna added before she glanced over to the black casket with the blue edges. "Like my father, Grayson," Brianna began as she moved to talk about her father, "it was the small things he did for me that meant the most. As you all may know, my father was a busy doctor in town, so he couldn't always be there for us. But the moments that made the biggest impact on my life was the small ones. For example, the times he would show up to my soccer games in his lab coat, or the small homemade chocolate cakes him and I would make on a long day."

Brianna closed her eyes briefly with a soft smile on her face before she recalled, "there is one memory of my father I can always picture that seems unimportant but is really big for me." Brianna ringed her hands together as she began to explain, "it starts with this tradition we all had. Every Saturday, my father would wake my siblings and I up at the crack of dawn on his day off and we would all go down to Virginia Beach, where we would spend all day and night together. Those days were always filled with laughter, jokes, playing around, and just spending time with each other. But there is one time that I will always remember out of all of the Saturdays we were at the beach. It was the weekend before freshman year."

Brianna took a deep breath before she continued, "I was so nervous to be starting high school. I had tryouts for the soccer team and I was taking multiple AP classes. Plus, I had this one thought that I was going to fail horribly at everything." Brianna chuckled as she stated, "I told everyone that whole summer that I was going to get kicked out of school because of how bad I was going to do."

Brianna listened to the laughter that fell through the church once again before she continued, "but as it got dark that night at the beach, my father sat me down by the small fire we made and told me the story of how he became a doctor. My father explained how he failed his big medical test five times before he decided to quit and go into a different career. But when he tried to find a job elsewhere, his father told him something that stuck with me, 'those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.' My father then told me how he finally accepted his past failures and pushed himself even harder, and so, the very next time he took the medical test, he aced it with flying colors."

Brianna glanced down at her fingernail polish that was red and black with small flames as she tried to get control of her shaky breath. Once she felt calm enough, Brianna continued her speech with a chuckle as she recalled, "I remember coming home from school that Monday afternoon with tears in my eyes, because not only did I get a spot on the soccer team, but I was put on the varsity team." Brianna shook her head as she stated, "my father was so proud of me that day." The brunette girl glanced back to her father's casket and uttered like she was only talking to him, "I promise, I will always believe in myself because of you and for you."

Brianna quickly wiped the fast tears away from her face as she cleared her throat. "In final, I would just like to thank my parents for giving me a good life that taught me so many things. You will always be in my heart and I hope I will do you justice as I continue in your name," Brianna uttered as she was speaking to her parents for the last time before she focused back on the smiling and crying audience, "and on my parents behalf, I would like to thank you all for celebrating their lives. I know they would want us to move forward and help keep our large family going. Miranda and Grayson Gilbert were the heart of this town, so we have to keep going for them. So in closing, I would like to leave with this final word, this isn't a goodbye. This is only a see you later."

Brianna gave the residents of Mystic Falls a small smile as she bowed her head and whispered, "thank you," before she quickly walked away from the wooden podium and took a seat next to her sister. The brunette girl grabbed a hold of Elena's hand as she laid her head on her sister's shoulder while the priest spoke. Brianna didn't even know how she got through her speech. But she was glad that she did. Brianna knew she needed to say goodbye to the two people that raised and loved her or it would be more difficult later on.

The oldest Gilbert felt like everything was going in super speed once she had sat down and got lost in her thoughts. It was like every time she blinked, something else happened. Brianna only remembered the end of the prayer the priest recited in the memory of her parents before she was standing underneath an umbrella with her sister and brother while they lowered their parents into the ground. The next time Brianna had finally got control of her senses and out of her dream-like trance was when she felt a hard tap on her shoulder.

"Miss Gilbert?" The unknown man with the curly blonde hair questioned as he stood in front of Brianna with his brows furrowed.

Brianna didn't even know how long the man had been standing there until she finally heard him. She guessed it was a while since the guy looked like he was about to call for help from the worried expression he was sporting. The brunette girl quickly placed a polite fake smile on her face before she greeted the man, "yes?"

The man gave the mourning girl a soft smile before he opened his black briefcase and pulled out a simple large white envelope. "My name is Christopher Stevens," he introduced himself before he added, "I was your parent's lawyer." The man, Christopher, held the envelope out to Brianna as he stated gently, "they wanted me to give you this if their death was to happen."

Brianna's hazel eyes furrowed deeply as she reached out for the envelope. Once she had the package in her possession, Brianna ran her shaking fingers across the familiar cursive that belonged to her mother that read in perfect writing, 'My sweet, Bri.' The brunette girl looked up at the lawyer after a moment before she nodded her head and mumbled, "thanks."

Christopher gently placed his hand onto the young girl's shoulder as he gave her his condolences, "I am so sorry for your lost. They were good people." He then gave Brianna one last smile before he walked away from her without another word.

Brianna didn't bother saying anything to the lawyer as her eyes kept going back to the envelope that was settled in her shaky hands. The brunette girl couldn't believe that whatever was inside the envelope, was the last thing her parents would ever say to her. Brianna didn't even know she could read it right now as her emotions were all over the place. However, that choice was quickly made for her when Elena came walking up to her and questioned, "hey, what's that?"

Brianna swiftly looked up with her hazel eyes widened before she quickly controlled herself and slipped the envelope into her black purse. She shook her head as she lied to her sister with a tiny smile, "it's nothing, just a letter from the church." Brianna didn't know if she was going to tell Elena about the letter from their parents. Maybe she got her own, Brianna thought. The brunette girl decided she was going to read it first before she told anyone about it. She thought that was the best idea at the moment.

Elena nodded her head in understanding before she linked her arm with her sister's and began to pull her away from their parent's buried caskets as she told Brianna, "everyone's leaving for the Grill. But I told Jenna we should just go home."

"Oh, thank God," Brianna sighed in relief. She didn't know just how much more people she could deal with in one day. It was just a lot to handle, especially when she had just said goodbye to her parents for the last time.

"I figured that would be your reaction," Elena stated with a small chuckle before the two sisters silently headed towards their aunt Jenna's red car, where they saw the aforementioned strawberry blonde and their sad younger brother.

Brianna released her sister's arm once they were standing in front of the red Honda and walked over to her brother. She gave Jeremy a soft smile before she pulled him into a tight hug. Brianna could only imagine how her brother was feeling when he's younger than her and Elena, so it must be harder for him. Brianna ruffled up her brother's brown hair once she pulled away with a tiny smirk and enjoyed the small smile she got in return. She was glad to see that her brother was showing another emotion besides grief as she didn't want him to fall into a dark hole because of their parent's death.

Brianna squeezed her brother's shoulder after a silent moment and muttered, "let's go home," before she opened the backseat of her aunt's red car. Brianna knew it was going to be hard for all of them as they have never lost anyone in their entire life. She honestly didn't know how they were going to move on as she still kept having trouble processing that their parents wasn't going to be smiling at her tomorrow morning. But the one thing Brianna knew for sure as she settled into her aunt's car, was that she just wanted to shut her mind off for once and sleep in for a couple of days.

The three Gilbert siblings silently walked into their empty house with their new legal guardian, their aunt Jenna, once they had returned from Mystic Falls Cemetery. The rain was still pounding hard as they all shook off the excess water and slipped out of their wet shoes. The Gilbert house felt too quiet for every single person that walked through the door. It was like something was missing. But they all knew exactly what it was. It was their parents or in Jenna's case, her sister and brother-in-law that was missing.

Brianna hated the silence as it was slowly driving her insane. That was one thing she haven't been able to get use to over the last couple of months. Brianna was always use to the loud chatter of her father talking about some new medical case or research and her mother complaining about burning another meal. But now it was just too quiet. "I'm going to change out of the these clothes," Brianna told her family as she needed out of the gloomy and silent living room.

However, the only response Brianna got out of her family was, of course, more silence along with their heads nodding at her. The brunette girl sighed loudly before she trotted up the wooden staircase with the only sound of her bare feet pattering against the steps.

Once Brianna made her way into the first bedroom on the right side of the hallway, she closed the door behind her before making a beeline towards her radio. She turned the volume all the way up before she heard the music of Thirty Seconds to Mars that stopped the uncomfortable silence she hated. Brianna sighed in relief when there was actual noise playing through the quiet and mournful house.

The Gilbert girl then threw her black purse onto her queen sized bed before she switched out of her wet clothes for a pair of black Nike running shorts and a thick red sweater along with a pair of red knee high socks and swiftly threw her long brown hair into a messy bun.

Brianna moved back over to her bed once she was comfortable and laid across her lilac comforter as she squeezed her eyes shut. The brunette girl felt like she could throw up at any second. It was like the whole experience at the church and at the burial sight didn't even happen. Brianna felt like she had an out of body experience. She remembered everything that happened but she wasn't actually there. She was only just going through the motions.

Brianna wiped the tears from her hazel eyes before she went to roll her body into a ball, but was soon stopped when she felt her purse in the way. The Gilbert girl swiftly remembered what was inside, so she quickly jumped up and grabbed the bag. Brianna's shaky fingers then opened it up and pulled out the big envelope.

Brianna took a deep breath before she carefully unsealed the envelope and noticed that there was two folded papers inside. One was very small, like something you would write a grocery list on and the other one was like any other paper you would buy at any store. Brianna decided she would go with the larger paper first. So, the brunette girl took another deep breath before she began to read as her hazel eyes glazed over at the very first sentence that held her childhood nickname ~

Our sweet girl,

If you are reading this letter, then it means we have passed on. But just know, our sweet baby girl, we are so proud of the smart, brave, and strong young woman you have become in the last seventeen years. It has been an honor to be able to raise and love you.

We wished we could have told you this when you were older like we planned, but we wrote this just encase we didn't get the chance. What we are about to tell you, it might be hard for you to understand but just know we have loved you like our very own.

Our strong warrior girl, seventeen years ago, we received you from a man as at the time we couldn't bare children. You were our little angel sent from the heavens. I know it must be difficult for you to absorb this information right now on a day like this, but we don't want you to never know where you came from. We would never want to take that away from you.

You may have noticed, there was two papers in this envelope from Christopher, and the other letter holds the only information about where you came from. But in longer terms, you were born from a family by the name of Labonair in New Orleans, Louisiana. We received you when you were only three months old. We don't know much but if you want to learn about where you came from, a man named Marcel in the French Quarter will be able answer the questions we could never answer.

It will be your choice if you wish to look into your origin or to even tell Elena and Jeremy about your adoption. The only one that knows the truth is Jenna. Please, don't be upset with her. She kept a promise we wanted to keep. I know this is a lot to take in, but we hope you aren't hurt or upset, our sweet girl. We just wanted you to have the best life we could give you. Our warrior girl, no matter how you feel about this information, you will always be Brianna Bellatrix Gilbert, our very first child.

We love you so much, Brianna, and we are so proud of you. We will always be with you even when we are resting above. You will get through the feeling you are experiencing right now. It's going to hurt but you will keep on going like we know you will, our strong girl. Thank you for being the best child anyone could ever ask for.

xoxo mom and dad

Brianna gasped as warm tears streamed down her face and sobs left her sore body. She couldn't believe what she just read. Brianna would never have thought in a million of years that she would have been adopted. It just never crossed her mind. Brianna didn't even know what to think right now. It was like she didn't know who she was anymore.

The brunette girl soon remembered the other letter, so she quickly grabbed a hold of it and opened the small paper. However, when Brianna looked it over, she instantly recognized the paper. It was the type her mother have used her entire life. It was from a small notebook that is still to this day sitting by the house phone. It's covered in pink and purple butterflies along with purple lines. Brianna couldn't remember a single day that she didn't see this type of paper as it was her mother's favorite.

Brianna focused on the writing on the paper and noticed it wasn't a letter like the last one but a short list. In the corner was her birth date; June 6, 1991, along with five things written on separate lines ~

1. Labonair

2. New Orleans, Louisiana

3. Andrea

4. Marcel

5. Crescent Moon

Brianna furrowed her brows as the list was very weird. She knew her origin came from the Labonair family and that they were located in New Orleans, Louisiana - plus the guy that gave her way was named Marcel. Brianna guessed crescent moon had to do with her birthmark on her shoulder, but she didn't know why it was important nor did she recognize the name, Andrea. It made Brianna even more curious about her origin.

Brianna sat there in silence with only her music playing in the background as she continued to read over the list of words multiple times before she made up her mind and swiftly jumped up from her bed. She quickly jogged over to her small closet and bent down to pick up a large black bag before she began to throw random clothes inside. Once her bag was half way full, she jogged over to her wooden dresser and threw more shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, socks, panties, and anything else she could think of.

Brianna decided she needed to know the truth. She needed to know who she really was. The brunette girl knew it wasn't a good idea to just run off, especially after her parent's funeral. But Brianna needed to figure herself out. Brianna just felt out of place here with knowing she was adopted and not actually a Gilbert. Even though her parents or adopted parents said she would always be apart of the family, but she couldn't do that if she didn't know who she was before this life in Mystic Falls.

Brianna tossed her laptop into the black bag along with her charger for the electronic device plus for her cell phone and a pair of boots, sneakers, and heels before she zipped up the bag. She then grabbed the two letters from her parents before she jogged her way down the stairs as fast as she could move.

"Hey, did you get lost up the-" Elena began to ask her sister when she heard Brianna's fast footsteps coming down the stairs but froze when she saw the bag in her sister's hand. "Where are you going?" Elena quickly questioned in confusion. She didn't understand why her sister looked like she was leaving. Where did she have to go?

"I'm leaving," Brianna murmured as she placed her bag onto the ground and rushed towards the hallway closet. She then looked through all of the jackets before she found her leather one. Brianna swiftly grabbed the jacket and slipped it over her large red sweater and pushed the letters and her cell phone into the pockets as she couldn't go anywhere without the jacket her father bought her.

"Brianna? Elena? What's going on?" Jenna hollered as she walked out of the kitchen along with Jeremy when she heard the commotion from the two sisters. "Hey! Woah! Where are you going?" The strawberry blonde quickly asked when she noticed how fast Brianna was moving and the heavy bag on the floor.

"Louisiana," Brianna stated simply as she slipped on her velvet burgundy combat boots while she tried to focus on leaving. She just needed to get out of here. Brianna felt like she was suffocating in this house with all the lies and memories - from her now adopted parents. It was just too much.

"LOUIS- LOUISIANA!" Elena shouted in disbelief before she quickly ran after her sister, who was rushing towards the front door. "BRIANNA! ARE YOU EVEN THINKING STRAIGHT?" The brown eyed girl questioned in a shriek. Was her sister actually going crazy right now? Elena couldn't even comprehend what was going on as she never seen Brianna like this.

"Elena," Jenna whispered as she knew exactly what was going on with Brianna, "let her go." The strawberry blonde always feared of having this conversation. However, it seemed like her sister took care of it like she had promised years ago.

Elena swiftly twirled her head around and looked at her aunt in utter shock. "Are you serious?" She questioned before she ranted, "she's running off to another state! How can you be okay with that?"

Brianna stressfully ran her hand through her messy bun as she heard her sister's erratic voice before she finally turned around and faced her family. "I'm adopted," Brianna stated simply as she shrugged her shoulders. There was no other way for her to get around it. She knew her parents gave her the choice in telling them, but she needed them to let her go and this was the only way.

"W-What?" Elena stuttered in a whisper as she stared into her sister's sad hazel eyes. She then looked over at Jenna as she asked in a calmer voice, "is that true?"

Jenna silently nodded her head as she whispered right back, "it is."

"I'm going to find out who I am," Brianna explained to her family in a soft voice. That was the only thing she cared about. It was the only way she could ever move forward from this and live her life. She just needed to know.

Elena ran her hand through her long brown hair in distress as she shouted, "you know who you are!" Elena's brown eyes began to fill with tears as her voice turned into one filled with desperation, "you're a Gilbert and you're my sister!"

Brianna sighed softly when she saw the tears leave Elena's eyes. She slowly walked towards Elena and brought her into a tight hug as she cried into Brianna's red sweater. "You're my sister," Brianna told Elena as she assured her. Even though Brianna wasn't a Gilbert, Elena and Jeremy would always be her siblings. That was never going to change. "I have to go," Brianna whispered after a couple of minutes had passed between them.

"Don't go," Elena begged as she hugged Brianna tightly.

Brianna hugged Elena just as tight as she glanced over her sister's shoulder and looked into Jenna's sad eyes. The strawberry blonde nodded her head before she silently walked towards her nieces. She then grabbed a hold of Elena's shoulders and pulled her away from Brianna's grasp.

Brianna then glanced over to her baby brother, who was standing to the right of her with his arms crossed. She slowly walked over to him and brought Jeremy into a tight hug. "I will always love you, Jer," Brianna whispered before she pulled away and looked at her family. "I'm sorry," she uttered before she grabbed her black bag from the ground and grabbed her car keys from the small glass bowl by the door.

Brianna looked back to her family for the last time and saw Elena crying in her aunt's chest and her brother watching with sadness in his brown eyes. "I'm sorry," Brianna whispered once more before she walked out of the house that had held her childhood.

Brianna hated doing this to Elena, Jeremy, and even Jenna. But she needed to find out who she really is. She just feels lost with knowing that she's adopted and that she doesn't even know if her biological family was still out there. Once Brianna tossed her bag into the backseat and started her car, she leaned her head against the steering wheel. She then wiped the tears from her hazel eyes before she looked at the Gilbert house for the last time as she backed out of the driveway.

The brunette girl then drove through the dark and silent Mystic Falls before she whispered to herself when she saw the familiar welcome sign, "goodbye." Brianna didn't know when or if she was even going to come back to the town she grew up in. The only thought Brianna knew was that she needed the truth and the only way she was going to get it was over sixteen hours away in the small town of New Orleans, Louisiana and her next destination.