𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 ☾ The Vampire Diaries

C H A P T E R E I G H T E E N

"Merry Fucking Christmas"

☾

She remembered the sun setting. The trees shifted in the breeze, as the wind carried the soft sounds of Mystic Falls. The creaks of their bikes filled their ears, accompanied by their giggles.

Elena also remembered the smell of sugar cookies, although she was nowhere near the kitchen. Rue biked close to her, and the smell of her perfume hit Elena's nose. Back when they were eight, Elena felt intimidated by how fast her best friend was maturing. Already wearing perfume, eyeing training bras—even if she didn't need it. She found herself looking up to her, trying to keep up.

Their bikes came to a stop, as their houses came into view in the distance. Rue was raving about her excitement for middle school next year. Elena listened but half of her mind was gone. Trapped in a state of the unknown.

"I miss you."

Elena was surprised that her voice wasn't the squeaky, child-like voice from her eight year old self. But instead, she spoke like her eighteen year old, heavy with burden.

Young Rue tilted her head, a confused grin on her face.

"But I'm right here, Elena."

Elena shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes. Rue's image became distorted, torn between the human version of her and the vampire version.

"No you're not," Elena cried. "You're dead. And it's my fault. If Stefan never saved me—"

"You're right. It is your fault."

A voice that didn't belong to Rue struck her attention. Elena slowly turned, trembling, her face stained with tears.

Connor stood behind her, his neck bleeding out.

"You're a murderer."

☾

Elena woke in a cold sweat. Her heart pounding against her rib cage and her throat burned. For the last month or so, she woke with the same thought—the same desire.

Blood.

Blood that she can't have. Blood she didn't want. And yet, the blood she needed.

Elena tried to erase the dream, and the countless of ones before that. Ever since she's become a vampire, her thoughts always led to one person:

Rue.

And how could it not? It was her fault that she was like this. Burdened with the future she'll never have, but will forever want. When Rue was gone, with her humanity flipped, Elena spent that entire month hating her. Running that night over and over again in her head, with millions of questions she'll never have the answer to.

And then she returned. Elena admits that when she saw Rue, all of the hate she had suddenly melted away. She couldn't understand why. She had every single reason to hate her, to plot revenge. But she couldn't. Because Rue was her best friend, or atleast once upon a time she was. And Elena knew no matter how much she tried to hate her (oh, she tried and still is trying) Rue was always going to be that little girl she used to look up to. The same little girl that lost her parents way too soon. Just like her.