Um... Hi! I'm not dead and pretty please don't kill me! I'm so sorry that I have t updated in so long and that I missed this stories one year anniversary! I have no excuse other than the fact that I've had an extreme case of writers block, so yeah, ON WITH THE STORY!

Chapter 8

Something was missing from the usual sounds of locker doors slamming and shoes squeaking across hallways. That something seemed almost unnoticeable, you really wouldn't have noticed it if you weren't apart of Mystic Falls High's everyday life. The somethin

g that was missing was not, in fact, a something, but rather a someone. And this someone? This someone was on a plane to nowhere and this someone's name, was Katie Charleston.

Tyler slammed open his locker door. He was angry and he was hurt. That morning he'd woken up to find his mother in tears, being held tightly by his father. The reason was aone Tyler had yet to comprehend. His cousin, who'd been living with him for four years, who was more of a sister than anything else, was gone. She'd up and left in the middle of the night, only leaving behind a letter for each of the people she'd left behind. He'd found his on his bedside table when he'd woken up. He'd read it and had started crying right then and there. Tyler Lockwood hadn't cried since he was 9 years old; but this morning, he cried. Tyler watched out for his friends one by one as the opened their lockers. First Matt, then Caroline, then Elena, then Bonnie, then Vicki, then Jeremy, and then Stefan. Tyler watched as their faces morphed from confusion to recognition and then to heartbreak as they realized what they had received and who'd gifted it to them. The heartbreak wasn't the end of it. The entire day, one by one the entire student body noticed the absence of one Katie Charleston and everyone decided to ask those closest to her. Those who'd received the letters? Well, their hearts broke over and over again as they had to explain to people why she wasn't there.

The news spread around the school, and soon the entire school, temkkachers and janitors alike, knew that there was an important person missing from the school. Some people, like their English teacher Mrs Biggs, were sympathetic and didn't give out any homework that day. Other, like Mr Tanner, couldn't keep that shit-eating grin off of their faces. Mr Tanner was tormenting every man, woman or child that had the bad luck of crossing his path. He was finally free of the one person that challenged him, he was now able to be as much of an asshole as he pleased. By the time the final bell rang that day, Tyler had, had enough of everything, and he just wanted to go home and brood, but Matt had texted him to tell him that everyone who'd gotten a letter was going to meet at the Grill after school and he'd promised he show up. It was a strange idea to meet up and talk about it, but this was a strange circumstance. Katie wouldn't just disappear, it wasn't like her to do so. Tylee didn't care about why she left or who she was with, she just wanted to know where she was so he could fly over there and get her himself.

Katie stared out of the airplane window. She watched as he world disappeared anpad became a sea of white fluffy clouds, and she felt like crying. She wondered if her friends had gotten their letters, and if they had, what were they doing. They'd probably tear the letters up or burn them or maybe just throw them away, the probably hated her now. She would understand if they did, she hated herself at the moment. Not only had she attacked her closest friends, but she was too much of a coward to face them and say goodbye face to face. After everything, they at least deserved that and she hadn't been brave enough to do so. She was a disgrace. If her father could see her now, he'd be so disappointed.

Katie was going back to South Africa, she hadn't been lying then. She just wasn't going to stay with her mother. She'd taken Elijah's advice and was going to be living on the Kruger National Park for the entire time she was away. It would be safer for her there, she'd be able to shift with ease and with the Park's no hunting or poaching policy, she'd be safe. Following Elijah's orders, during the day she was to keep up with her high school work, while at night she was to practice her ability to shift and her control. She was also to prepare herself for going back to Mystic Falls.

Elijah had very clearly explained to her that this was not a vacation nor was it an escape. Her trip to South Africa was for training and safety purposes only, she wasn't going to run away from her problems, Elijah refused to let her. Katie didn't know what it was going to be like, living without her family and friends, she had no one. Even Elijah had told her that he wasn't going to be helping her with this. He'd said that she would be staying in South Africa until she felt she was ready to return to Mystic Falls. Katie was fine with that, she didn't think she'd ever think she would be ready to go back home.

"So that's it? Katie's just gone?" Stefan said incredulously. Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, Elena, Tyler, Vicki, and Matt all nodded in agreement.

"And none of you spoke to her before she left? She didn't tell any of you anything?" Stefan asked.

"Ty and I did," Matt said, causing the two to be on the receiving end of several accusing glares.

"So it's your fault!" Caroline hissed, her glare causing Matt to cringe.

"I would expect it from Tyler but not from you Matt! What did you say Ty, did you remind her of her mom? Of her siblings?" the blonde cheerleader accused.

"No! I wouldn't do that! I know as well as any of you do that mentioning Katie's mom is taboo! I didn't buy into her up, Katie did it herself!" Tyler defended, getting angry at the accusation that he'd been the reason the Katie and left.

"Katie optionally bringing up Anne? Now that's something I definitely don't believe!" Vicki scoffed. Everyone of them agreed whole heartedly that the likely hood of that event was almost beyond impossible.

"We're not lying, in fact it was strange, Kattie was strange. She said that she wanted I try reconcile with her mom and her brother and sister, I mean Amy of all people! But we couldn't argue, I just didn't know she was going to leave now, I thought she meant over Christmas break or something!" Matt explained.

"Reconcile? But Katie can't stand Charlie or Amy, and she hates her mother! Why would she want anything to do with them?!" Bonnie demanded.

"Because no matter what you do, or what they do, they're still your family and sometimes family is all we have, even the ones we can't stand," Stefan reasoned, and wisely.

"You sound like you speak from experience," Jeremy remarked.

"Trust me, I do," Stefan stated bitterly.

"But there must've been something else," Elena murmured. This caused Stefan to quirk an eyebrow. At this Elena decided to elaborate.

"Katie wouldn't have just up and left, she would've told us or at least explained to us where she was going and why she was going to our faces," she added when Caroline opened her mouth to correct her by saying that Katie had explainedwhere she was going and where she was going there.

"Right now we've just got to accept what Katie told us and trust her. She said she would come back when she was ready. Thaw Katie we know, the Katie we love, would want us to trust her. I know that she'll come back, I trust that she'll come back because I know that if anyone of us did the same, she trust that we'd come back too," Vicki stated.

"But what if she's not the Katie we know and love? What if she comes back a different person? What if she doesn't come back at all?" Elena played the devil's advocate.

"Katie can be spontaneous, arrogant, and sometimes incredibly stupid, but she is the most loyal person I've ever met and if she cares about you, there is nothing in the universe that will stop her from protecting you and she will always come back for you, no matter what," Stefan said, a fond smile spreading across his face.

No one spoke after that, what Stefan said resonated throughout their heads and bringing up memories that proved his statement. So they decided to trust their best friend, the decided to do exactly what Katie had always done for them, they decided to have complete and utter faith in the hope that she'd return to them.

A thousand miles away, Katie felt something resonate within her heart, a feeling of absolute certainty that she would return to Mystic Falls for the friends that she loved. That she would return home.

So, the end of another chapter, I hope this satisfies you and I'll try really hard to not take this long to update but I'll make no promises! Tell me what you think! Review, review,REVIEW!

So until next time,

Becca