The Girl in the Woods

Chapter 19: True Love

~Recap from Chapter 17~

"You turned it off, didn't you? He questioned Elena with a knowing smirk.

Everyone turned to him then to Elena.

"Turned what off?" Caroline asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Her humanity." Damon answered to the astonishment of everyone.

In response, Elena's face transformed to one void of emotion.

"Yeah, I did." With that said, she sped out the door and vanished into the dark before anyone could react.

~TGITW~

Chapter 19: True Love

MYSTIC FALLS. 2010 A.D.

The pain was too much.

Unbearable.

Everything in the room reminder her of him.

Anna sat on Jeremy's bed and surveyed the room. The room showed signs of wear and tear. Scruff marks on the walls and floor. Cracks on the furniture indicated constant use. Clothes randomly scattered.

As Anna continued to scan the room, her eyes fell on a slight bulge on the floor. Never noticing it until now, she became curious. She moved the dresser a bit to give her more room. Then she knelt on the floor and prodded the area, trying to figure out the cause. She felt a gap in the wood. Something was hidden here. Finally, one of the panels gave way and she found a hole underneath. Inside, it looked to be a journal.

Anna took the book out and started flipping the pages. She skimmed the book's content until one of the journal entries caused her to pause. Her eyes started to water, and droplets of tears fell on its pages as she read it.

I almost lost Anna today.

I still remember when they pulled her away from my arms. There had been nothing I could do to stop them. If Stefan had not saved her from that burning building, she would have been dead too, like the other vampires.

She's sleeping now. Here in my room. They assured me she was a bit bruised but will wake up.

As I watch her sleeping face, I feel a sense of relief. I don't know what I would do if I lost her.

All the memories of our time spent together rushed to my head. When we first met. Our encounters in the library. Her laughter. Her smile. Everything about her was perfect. Every moment with her had been amazing.

That's when I realized it.

I loved her. I have always loved her.

~TGITW~

After Elena fled, the Mystic Falls gang had to come up with a new strategy. Damon and Stefan would go after Elena. Caroline and Bonnie would help Finn and Sage. Other than offering her blood, Faith couldn't really do much of anything. The future she knew was changing. Some things had accelerated, and other things have not happened at all. She sat on one of the stools by the kitchen counter watching Caroline and Bonnie talk about the best way to approach things. Bonnie thought that they should launch a sneak attack against the Originals while Caroline felt they could make the vampires see reason.

Finally reaching a dead lock, the two girls turned to Faith and snapped the question at her: "What do you think?"

Faith looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She knew if she sided with one the other person would get upset at her. Just when she thought she had no choice but to answer, the doorbell rang.