§hadows ☆ TVD

Chapter One

"Caroline was in an accident."

Those five words were all it took to bring Amelia Forbes back to Mystic Falls after nearly two years. She didn't rush, unsure she was making the right call. It took her two days. One to work up the courage to tell her father and another to actually book the ticket. Every step of the way she was having to remind herself she wasn't making a mistake.

Amelia had built a new life in New York with her dad and his new husband, Terry. For the first time, she was more than just Caroline's weird, less impressive sister. She had carved out her own little corner of the world, a place where she was able to grow and flourish. She was Amelia - messy, complicated, stylish and unforgettable. She was finally felt like her own person.

Yet here she was, on a plane returning home for the same reason she left.

Somehow, the cab ride from the airport to Mystic Falls was worse than the flight. Familiar streets blurred by, dredging up old memories she'd worked hard to forget. The park where Caroline posed for her Miss Mystic Falls photo shoot, insisting Amelia take the pictures for her. Mystic Grill where she met Vici properly for the first time and where they said their last goodbyes. The bridge where her friend Jeremy lost his parents.

Amelia's throat tightened. She tried to focus on the hum of the radio as well as the trees passing by, doing anything she could to soothe the sting of nostalgia. She felt warm and yet so incredibly empty.

When the cab pulled up to her childhood home, the sight of it hit harder than she expected. It hadn't changed much. The same blue shutters in the windows, the same picket fence. Though, something still felt off.

She pulled a small wad of cash out of her purse and handed it to the taxi driver. The man muttered a small 'thank you' but Amelia doesn't reply. She climbed out of the yellow vehicle, yanked her suitcase from the trunk, and dragged herself up the familiar path. She noticed quickly that her mom's car wasn't in the driveway, which was to be suspected, but what was not expected was the shiny new SUV.

Ask and she shall receive, Amelia thought bitterly.

Always the favorite. The perfect daughter and honor student. Their mom had always had a soft spot for Caroline. As if she knew from day one that Caroline would grow up to have insane insecurity issues.

The heels of her boots clicked against the pavement in a steady rhythm but as she approached the front door her movements slowed significantly. She went to reach for the doorknob, but hesitated.

Should she knock? Call her mom?

No, she told herself, twisting the knob. This is still my home.

The door creaked open, and Amelia stepped inside swiftly, pulling her suitcase behind her. The smell of lemon cleaner and older wood hit her nostrils immediately. The walls, once covered in family photos, were all but bare except a few headshots of Caroline.

"Hello?" Amelia called out.

The house was almost too silent. The space that used to be filled with laughter and siblings squabbling was now felt void of life. Unlived in.

A few seconds passed, Amelia sat all her luggage down by the front door and walked into the living room. She opened her mouth to shout once more, but she stops when the sound of footsteps ascend from the hallway.

Caroline appears cautiously, as if she is walking on eggshells. It almost takes Amelia aback to see the girl looks like she had stepped out of a magazine. Her blonde hair was immaculate, her skin glowing. She didn't look like someone who had been in a car accident two days ago.