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It had been a cruel summer following the car accident that claimed the lives of Jenna Sommers' older sister Miranda Sommers-Gilbert and her brother-in-law Grayson Gilbert. Their daughter, Jenna's niece, had also been in the car when it crashed into the fence on Wickery Bridge and plunged into the water below.
Elena Gilbert had died.
No one was completely sure how long she was gone, but she was flatline for over an hour. However, being hypothermic meant that once she had been warmed up and given a large dose of epinephrine, the defibrillators were able to bring her back.
Her parents were not so lucky.
However, Elena's survival had not been without consequences. It was quickly established that Elena had suffered a traumatic brain injury leading to amnesia.
She knew that she was in an accident where she drowned. She was told that she was miraculously rescued. She was told that her parents didn't survive.
But Elena Gilbert could not remember her family, or friends or even her life before the accident.
It wasn't completely unexpected. She had head trauma from the crash, the doctors guessing that her head had struck the window.
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Everyone had assumed that Elena's quietness was due to feeling overwhelmed and grief-stricken. In reality, Elena understood everything that was being said to her but was having trouble formulating the words to reply.
"It is likely a form of speech aphasia," The doctor had explained Elena's stammering speech. "It can be caused by hypoxia."
Jeremy Gilbert, the young brunette boy who turned out to be Elena's little brother, had been squeezing Elena's hand when he asked, "But what does that mean?"
"When the brain is deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time, it can cause permanent brain damage. We won't know the full extent until we do a full assessment and get her into speech and language therapy."
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The brunette was frustrated. She didn't know who this 'Elena Gilbert' girl was, who she was.
She'd been given her old diaries and her friends had tried to talk to her about it all but she just felt like an imposter.
How could she grieve people she didn't remember? Why she did survive instead of them? Was she selfish for grieving a life she couldn't remember?
She found speaking incredibly difficult and felt constantly drained. Even her own name felt like a challenge, so Jenna had suggested shortening it.
Elena wanted something that was single syllable, it would be easier for her. She'd be less likely to stumble over the letters. It was beyond frustrating. Elena was intelligent, but the crash had left lasting scars that had completely changed her day-to-day life.
Her two best friends, Bonnie Bennett and Caroline Forbes had supported Elena with the change. She understood that they would still want to call her Elena, as they had grown up with her with that name. It was Caroline Forbes who suggested 'Elle'.
"It's one syllable and it's so cute! It will look really good in your cursive handwriting." Caroline had gushed, Bonnie agreeing with her.
So Elena became Elle. Well, sometimes. Most people still called her Elena, but she didn't mind. The new nickname was for her, when she felt like talking, for her new life.
Growing frustrated with herself and her perceived lack of process, Elena retreated into herself. She didn't want to talk anymore.
It was her little brother Jeremy who had started learning sign language with her. The duo had also learnt morse code, just for fun.
It wasn't as easy for Elena's friends and family to pick up, but Elena was always happy to type out messages on her phone or even hand write them in her diary. Jeremy had even downloaded a text-to-speech app for her.
She took both her phone and the little green book everywhere with her. Apparently her mother had bought her a new one not long before the car accident. It was meant to be a birthday present for Elena's 17th birthday on the 22nd of June, but Jenna had let her have it early.
Turning to the front cover of her new diary, Elena carefully wrote out a title.
