I Know The End | D. Salvatore

Frozen in time

Dear Diary,

My mind is completely blank, devoid of any words that I could write onto the blank page. I sighed softly and tapped the pen against the lined paper. My mind is too full for this to work. I have too many thoughts and not the right words to express them. Besides, I'm far too paranoid about someone finding it and reading my thoughts.

I closed the leather bound journal with a quiet thud and pushed it across the desk. This just isn't working. Elena had been insistent that I try it, because it works for her. But trying to write down my thoughts, my emotions, my pain, just didn't appeal in the slightest.

I clicked the end of my pen a few times subconsciously before I dropped it onto my desk. It landed with a light clunk, and directly onto the thin sliver of sunlight that was peaking through the gap of the blinds that draped across my window.

The only light aside from that was the soft glow of the fairy lights that were strung across my ceiling. It made for a comforting atmosphere, one that I desperately craved. Which is how my bedroom became my safe haven over the summer.

This isn't how I imagined this summer would go. I had so many plans, but those plans were plunged into the depths alongside my parents, never to be seen again. I had been accepted into college to study psychology, but I dropped out before the first semester even started. Ever since the death of our parents, leaving didn't seem very appealing.

My friends all left me, not that I expected them to stay. They all moved out of Mystic Falls to go and live their own lives. While I stayed exactly where I was, like I was frozen in time. Unmoving and stuck in my childhood home, where memories haunted me in every corner.

I heard shuffling in the quiet house as Elena and Jeremy got ready for their first day back at high school. Before I had graduated, I used to think that I would happily sleep in while my younger siblings went to high school, but sleep didn't come easy these days.

I heard my door creak open, and I spun my chair around to see who it was. Elena lent on the door, a pitying look in her brown eyes that I hated. "Hey, I just thought I'd check on you before I went to school." Her voice was soft.

"I'm fine. Have a good day." I forced my face into a smile that was visibly pitiful.

"Okay." Elena smiled back, a look of reluctance on her face as she shut my door and left me in my own self pity.

I tell myself that I stayed because they needed me to stick around. But the truth is that I needed them, and that I could hardly manage the thought of leaving after everything that had happened.

The rest of the day went by in an uneventful blur. I did manage to take my meds, shower, and eat. Which I consider to be a win. It was the evening when I was curled up on the couch, the tv was playing a show that I wasn't watching, finding myself too occupied by my phone. Elena had come home from school an hour late, having stopped off at the cemetery like she always does.

The door opened, and I looked up from my phone automatically at the noise, watching as Elena opened the front door and leaned against it almost sheepishly. I watched with a curious gaze, wondering who she was talking to.

My curiosity seemed to win me over, and I put my phone down, pushing myself up off of the sofa and walking over to the front door. I placed a hand on Elena's shoulder, catching her attention and making her open the door wider. On the other side, there was an attractive guy with sandy blonde hair standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Um, Stefan, this is my sister, Althea."

"Please, just call me Thea. Althea makes me feel like an old woman who has six cats." I said, making Stefan chuckle lightly.

"It's nice to meet you, Thea." Stefan bowed his head in a polite nod.

"You too, Stefan. Are you still going to the grill?" I asked Elena, raising my brow slightly out of curiosity.

"Yeah. I am." She nodded, barely managing to keep her gaze off of Stefan.

"Okay, I'll see you later then. Bye, Stefan." I said to him, catching his attention again.

"Bye." Stefan replied politely. I shot him a small smile before I moved away from the door, making my way back up the stairs again to let Elena talk with Stefan.

I collapsed onto my bed, my gaze locked onto my ceiling that was draped with soft fairy lights. My fingers twisted into the fabric of my soft blanket that lay messily across my duvet, feeling my heart ache painfully. Ever since that day four months ago, It's felt like there had been a physical weight sitting on my chest, stopping me from even breathing.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

I pulled the sleeves of my sweater down over my hands as I stood in the town square. It seems like the entire town has come for the passing of the comet, and it's the first time I've left the house in over a week. I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see it, and I knew that I needed to leave the comfort of my home every now and then.

My eyes were practically glued to the sight of the comet. It was a massive icy rock, and it was burning up as it got closer and closer to the sun. It would continue to burn for as long as it was trapped in its gravitational pull. But regardless of the science, it was a beautiful sight to behold.

"Uh, hi. You're Althea, right? Althea Gilbert?" My eyes were dragged away from the night sky at the sound of a voice beside me.

"Yeah, that's me." I nodded, a slight questioning tone to my voice as I looked over at the man who had spoken.

I tried to stop my breath from getting caught in my throat at the sight of him. He had an insanely sharp law line, and an upsettingly attractive face to match. His bright blue eyes bored into me like he could see straight through me and into my soul.

"Damon Salvatore. From what I've gathered, my little brother is dating your little sister." He introduced himself. My gaze darted behind me at Elena and Stefan, who were standing very close to one another with candles in their hands.

Damon shifted, and his hand brushed against my own. I fought to keep my face neutral as a cold, haunting feeling washed over me. It was like brushing past death itself, and it unsettled me greatly. I clenched my hand into a fist as the feeling lingered on my skin even after he moved away.

"Oh, your Stefan's brother. Elena mentioned meeting you." I mused as I turned my gaze back to him, pushing down any thoughts about the weird sensation. I remembered how Elena had barged into my room to talk about the really strange interaction that had happened at the boarding house the two guys live at.

"The one and only. I'm glad to see I made an impression." He smirked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. I merely hummed, unsure as to what to say to the man as I directed my gaze up to the starry night sky above.

"You know, you don't look much alike, you and Elena." Damon said. I could feel his gaze burning into the side of my head.

I shot a glance over at him again. "That would be because we aren't related, not really. She is my sister, but not a biological one."

"You're adopted." Damon hummed with a nod, a look of understanding gracing his features. "How old were you?"

"When the Gilbert's adopted me? Um, I was five. I have a vague memory of my birth parents, but I was young so..." I shrugged. He nodded lightly, listening to my every word with rapt attention that caught me slightly off guard.

I jumped slightly when a hand landed on my arm gently. That same cold feeling washed over me, and I turned my head to see Stefan, a concerned and serious expression on his face as he looked between Damon and I. "Thea, My brother's not bothering you, is he?"

"Come now, Stefan. We were just getting to know each other." Damon spoke in a tone that almost sounded like he was complaining, like Stefan was ruining his fun.

"It's fine, Stefan. Everything's fine." I shot him a small smile, even though it didn't fully reach my eyes.

"Okay, good. I'm gonna go and find Elena." Stefan nodded, his gaze shooting a warning glare at his brother before he turned and left us. I couldn't help but feel like something weird was going on between the two of them that went further than brotherly quarrels. But I pushed my suspicion to the back of my mind as I turned my attention back to the comet.