NIGHTMARE ; Damon Salvatore

Prologue

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Everything went wrong in a second. It was the summertime in New York, and Ashley Gilbert was walking the streets of the upper east side, with a coffee in hand and her purse in the other. The twenty-one year old girl was on her way to her job at the Gucci Store. But soon enough that all ended when Ashley got a call from her little Sister, Elena Gilbert.

It was strange for the girl to get a call from Elena, because her and Elena were not close. The two girls had broke off all contact when Ashley had decided to move to New York a year ago. Ashley put the phone to her ear.

"Ashley?" Elena's soft voice said through the phone. It was a tone that was quiet and filled with almost no emotion.

"Elena? What's wrong?" Ashley replied as she stood on the sidewalk. She heard a whimper on the other end of the phone.

"You need to come home Ash, something happened.."

By now Ashley's heart was pounding. All of the worst scenarios possible ran through the girls mind.

"Elena? What happened?" Ashley had asked more sternly. The cries on the other end of the phone became louder.

"It's mom and dad, they're gone..."

Ashley dropped her phone on the ground. It felt as if her breathing had stopped. She had just spoke to her dad yesterday morning. Her mind couldn't comprehend what her younger sister had told her. Ashley was in denial. It all flooded through her mind. The only thing she could do was sit there on the sidewalk.

   Ashley didn't waste no time driving back home. It was a seven hour drive. The girl couldn't quite remember it. Everything was a blur. Once she arrived to her parents house, the girl sat in the car for a moment longer, looking at herself in the mirror. Her long blue hair was in a bun, and hadn't been brushed in three days. Black eyeliner was smeared across the girls eyes, inhancing her dark circles. There was nothing left for her here, and the thought tempted her to just turn back.