[ BOOK ONE ]
Erin Gilbert believed the worst thing that could ever happen to her was the death of her parents. But when the Salvatore brothers waltz into town, she finds herself longing for the sorrow-filled days of the past.
All too soon, Erin's n...
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ERIN HAD BECOME an expert when it came to grief, the crushing feeling that consumed her heart and soul. It started to become second nature, the motions that developed after the loss of a loved one. A routine that made it so she could get out of bed in the morning.
Or night, in her case.
Erin couldn't remember who brought up the idea. In all honesty, it might've been a collective effort. One singular proposal that popped into their heads when they tried to walk past the vacant room on their way to bed. All she knew was that come sunrise, she and her siblings were inside Alaric's gutted bedroom with a couple gallons of paint and brushes to slather it onto the walls.
The windows were opened to air out the piercing fumes of the paint, cooling the room with the winter breeze. Not that Erin cared. She didn't really care about anything right then. Her paintbrush dripped with the dark green pigment as she dragged it beside the window frame.
A calm quiet encased the room as they did their part to transform the space around them. To completely rid the home of who had once lived within the four walls. Not in a malicious way, or to even erase their parents and Jenna and Alaric. They just needed a fresh start, and so did the room.
"Going darker, huh?"
Erin looked over her shoulder to where Stefan leaned against the open doorway, taking in the patchy work of the walls. Good to know he still felt the need to barge into the house whenever he wanted.
Elena glanced toward him from where she pushed a roller up and down the wall. "It's the only color we had," she replied.
"That's what happens when you decide to paint your dead guardian's room in the middle of the night," Jeremy voiced from where he smeared spacal into forgotten nail holes and cracks in the drywall.
Stefan pushed off the doorframe and moved further into the room. "I don't suppose anyone tried to talk you guys out of doing this so soon," he said in return.
Erin returned her attention to the brush in her hand, keeping the bristles straight to not touch the window frame. "No one was here to stop us," she retorted, sounding much harsher than she intended, but she didn't attempt to apologize.
Elena sighed, moving to collect more paint on her roller from a nearby trough. "We have to keep moving. Otherwise, we'll start thinking, and we don't want to think."
Stefan stood there for a moment, before he offered, "want a hand?"
Jeremy turned and called out, "so, are you two back together or something?"
