Carson Gilbert

Chapter One

I had been born with a weak constitution and lungs which had made it at first hard to go outside or even walk about a room. Things hadn't gotten better as I began to get older, instead I had been forced to stay inside this bedroom filled with medical equipment.

My parents had been rich and had easily paid for a full-time nurse along with everything that was needed for my care outside of a hospital.

So, instead of being chained to a hospital bed and room I was instead chained to my bedroom and unable to ever leave my own bed. Trying to sit up took a lot of effort alone.

"Carson," called out Layla as she skipped into the bedroom causing my eyes to flick toward her while I reached for the remote hooked to my bed to raise it up into a sitting position. "You'll never believe the new series that I've gotten into!"

"Oh?" I rasped out before a coughing fit had me curling up in agony.

"Shit," rushed out Layla while she moved closer and gently helping me straighten back against the bed while holding up a cup of water in the other hand. "Didn't mean for that to happen."

It wasn't even really her fault. Truly, I hated my life and the fact that I had been bound to this bed since a young age and unable to actually live like everyone else.

That alone had caused jealousy to rage within me, much to my shame.

"Not your fault," I got out after my body calmed down and I could speak again. "What new series are you now watching?"

For the next hour I listened to Layla talk about the show The Vampire Diaries and the characters in it that she adored and hated. The fact it was about a teenage girl Elena Gilbert who shared a face with others was a bit weird, which didn't even include the added vampires, werewolves, and witches that Layla began to go on a rant about.

Her main rant involved that of Damon and Stefan Salvatore, the first two vampires to be introduced fully in the first season and who revolved around Elena herself.

Truly the show sounded like nothing but drama.

~ Time Skip: Two Weeks Later ~

I knew it was finally time. In the last two weeks my health had only further waned to the point lifting my hand or opening my eyes was difficult.

This seemed to be something that Layla, who I had always been closer to as our parents were always gone because of work, seemed to sense as well since she stuck close to me.

But in the end, I died in the middle of the night alone. It was better than having her suffer alongside me in my last moments.

~ Gilbert Household ~

From one moment of everything going dark, while I finally gained a sense of freedom and peace with no pain, to another moment of my sense returned to me I felt nothing but a mix of peace and confusion.

Opening my eyes showed an unfamiliar bedroom. Just what had happened?

"Carson?" called out an unfamiliar voice making my head turn towards it and seeing a set of stairs set further back from the rest of the bedroom area. "You alright there?"

His voice seemed to be the needed key to unlock fourteen years' worth of memories. Memories filled my head of one Carson Gilbert, twin to Jeremy Gilbert and younger brother to Elena Gilbert, and every moment of his life to this point.

Seeing memories of Carson being able to go out and play, learn how to ride a bike, learn how to play ball and join the basketball team, and just being able to live almost brought tears to my eyes as I thought back on each memory shown.

Because I never had any of that. It was everything that I had ever wanted and more, and all it had cost me was my life.

"Just went to bed too late," I offered while shoving back my swelling emotions to give the other a strained smile that had him nodding. "I'll be upstairs in a few, just give me a minute."

"Right," drawled Jeremy before being shoved slightly out of the way while Jared and Garrett rushed past him to dive onto the bed with me. "Watch it you idiots!"

Jared Grounds and Garrett Donovan were Carson's two best friends, having met in the first grade and being inseparable ever since. Both had even joined Carson onto the basketball team and spent every weekend at the Gilbert house.

Not that they weren't friends with Jeremy either, it was just they were closer to Carson.

"Come on," shouted Garrett while shifting to kneel beside me and reach out to shake my shoulders while Jared sprawled out against my side. "Today is the first day of our last year in junior high, you gotta get up!"

From what I could understand, and piece together from what Layla had shared with me, I was a year before canon actually started.

Jeremy Gilbert was a freshman in high school when things started off and only fifteen, currently we were only fourteen. Which meant I had plenty of time before the supernatural showed up.

"You know he won't stop until you get up," added Jared with a knowing grin making me choke out a laugh even as I shoved Garrett out of my face causing him to tumble out of the bed. "He so deserved that. Oi!"

Garrett had reached over me to snatch Jared and yank him from the bed as well with that single comment. Truly, everything was happening so quickly and a large part of me just wanted to soak in the fact that I had such control of my own body. Because I had everything I had ever wanted in this new chance at life.

"Boys," shouted Miranda Gilbert, my new mother, from upstairs since my bedroom had used to be the basement until I had gotten help to turn it into a bedroom with an attached bathroom. "If you don't hurry up, you'll be late to school!"

That had us all rushing as Jared tossed me a shirt at the same time that Garrett was handing me a pair of jeans. Jeremy was off to the side shoving things into a bookbag before handing it to me after I had changed into the clothes being offered.

"Don't forget your keys and cellphone," teased Garrett while shoving said cellphone into my pocket before tossing the keys into the bookbag that was still unzipped. "Time to go my fellow musketeers!"

"Aye," called out Jared while hooking his elbow with mine even as Jeremy shoved the bookbag at me so he could head back upstairs. "Today is going to be great, I just know it!"

With both Jared and Garrett working to keep me distracted, for what real reason I didn't know, it made it even easier to slide into the role and place of Carson Gilbert.

Because I refused to let this real chance at living pass me by. Even if that meant dealing with the supernatural.