Fitting In

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'Dear diary,
  In all the years that I found myself walking through the doors to this Salvatore boarding house, never in a thousand years did I imagine I'd make my home here and now live as caretaker, deputy headmistress, next to my best friend Caroline Forbes and in her absence and teacher of a few favourite subjects such as English and even the supernatural art of magic (Bonnie took off on her gap year) it's like living in a world where all our isolated peers and species live and interact harmoniously. How long before I'm teaching them with my grey hair and wrinkles?
  -Oops, sorry, to be continued, just realised its seven minutes past seven in the morning and the school needs to be opened by 7:45 a.m. -'

*****
Unfortunately, Elena didn't have any time to eat or even make herself a coffee, not that even mattered- she hadn't been eating well in the last week - there would be some cereal at the boarding school where her other bedroom was and her second place of residence was situated. Currently, she found herself living in her best friend Bonnies house since she left for her gap year six months ago, meaning that her class of occult and mastering the craft of magic for the young witches that came to them for guidance with their abilities. Elena was no witch but she was no novice to spells and witchcraft which in this case was regarded legitimately as were the equal rights all of the children had as students.
     The young cubs; children whose werewolf genes had not yet been triggered were most like orphans - children that were dropped off like a gift by their parents who ran back off into the wilderness and never came back even to visit them once.
   For the vampires, Caroline was the only one for the most of the day, but until a month ago, some old friends (vampires) from across he globe had come gallivanting into Mystic Falls, acting as guidance counsellors in a way and wishing to teach as much as they'd learned in their extended existences.
  Witches were growing faster than the flowers around the Salvatore gardens, Josie and Lizzie were always sneaking off at recess and lunch, teaching all of the other witches and used their magic to make the daisies, daffodils, lilies and all other assortments of flowers for the others. It made things beautiful but not perfect enough.
   Not for Elena.
  Even with the sun buried under an avalanche of clouds, it was still a dismal start to the morning, Elena was always the first to arrive at the Salvatore home with the keys - the only set and her own - to the door. Once inside, Elena made a quick detour to make sure that all of the classrooms were clean and everything was in the right place, the parlour room looked ever as immaculate as always, Elena recalled the first time she stepped into it; the first time she met Damon, of course.
  The memories were like the fast moves her hands made when it involved pressing the ink of a pen to the lines pages of her diary. There were so many ghosts that still loomed over this very room - Stefan.
   Elena pictured him with his hand reaching to select one of the classics from the bookshelf or digging through the pile of journals he kept. All of them had been locked up in the one place you can imagine, his own room. The place that no one; not the students, teachers and not even Elena or Caroline themselves set foot inside, as a way of honouring Stefan's memory for the time being. Locking it wasn't enough, Bonnie had placed a spell on it so it was sealed tight enough that not even a moth could force its way out to find light.
   It was past 7:25. Soon the grounds would be buzzing with the running and giggles if every young supernatural born child that had been welcome into the open arms of Mystic Falls - the birthplace of everything supernatural. Perhaps even the human children could one day understand. Caroline ha sit out into the curriculum that none of the human boys and girls be allowed to learn about any of the supernatural education that went on in the old Salvatore home, not forever, of course. Before too long, the truth of fables was going to get out into the minds of mortals, and when that time came ... the only thing there was then was Hope.
   *****
08:07 a.m.
  Like every morning, Hayley Marshall found herself walking her little girl, Hope Mikaelson up to the doors of the Salvatore boarding school for the young and gifted. Hope carried her light dark violet coloured satchel over her shoulders, without holding onto her mothers hands when they crossed the streets, so as to avoid any embarrassment, though not that she minded at all. It had been a month since she started as a student at the school, yet she still felt new and not yet fixated on the other faces, teachings and new life she had here in Mystic Falls, her own mother didn't know the town like the back of her head but she did know it was where her father was born and from what she told her, Hope felt that her new home was like her deathbed. Meaning she would never want to leave not even when her time finally came to.
   Outside, the crowds of students had risen, Hope was finally set free of her own mothers company, all of them were rushing inside as Caroline and Alaric each guided his two little girls, Josie and Lizzie; Hope's two best friends at the Salvatore school to the door where their favourite teacher and caretaker, Elena Gilbert was kindly letting them inside.
  It had been a brief spring break, but the clouds were starting to disperse from the sun, signifying an end to the cold at night and the warmth in the day.
   Hope and Hayley watched as Ric's two girls raced up to hug their older stepsister, Elena. They were both growing up fast as was Hope and for only a few of them, time was about all there was left they had to lose.
   "Okay, sweetie," Hayley said, bending over her chest, she stretched her posture down to Hopes to speak to her, "I'm going to let you go now, just follow Elena, do what she says and have a nice day."
  Hope gave her a quick hug and just before she left her, the two of them kissed the two fingers closest to their thumbs in their right hands and tied a knot together using both their hands, no one had noticed except for Elena who was holding onto the hands of her two little stepsisters, kindly, she gave them both to Alaric and Caroline to welcome their last arrival for the day.
   Hayley and Elena both hugged and patted each other's backs like best friends as Hope raced to meet her two friends waiting at the front door for her. Alaric and Caroline joined Elena and Hayley as the girls made their way in.
*****
  "You don't know how much I can't thank you enough for what you're doing for her," Hayley kindly expressed her gratitude.
"Oh, there's no need, but you might want to work a little harder, I mean the tuition might be going up a notch," Caroline floated as Alaric swung her back slightly by her shoulder.
"Caroline," Elena whispered, but Hayley could still hear with her vampire-werewolf, hybrid enhanced hearing.
"I'm sorry, it's not been that easy for all of use fitting in at first," Elena tried to ease any unrest.
Hayley brushed her hair to the side as the wind swept at her a little,
"No, don't worry, look if it's not too much trouble, I was hoping you might have a spare room for the night, it's just..." Hayley moved in as if the four of them were in a group huddle, "we need to have a talk later, and Elena, I know you're super-busy but I'd really appreciate it if you could make it to the lake house tonight?" Hayley insisted.
Elena had decided to let Hayley and Hope make themselves at home in her family's lake house temporarily, occasionally she visited and read Hope a bedtime story or two, but that was getting a little old for her despite being almost eight.
Hayley and Alaric had told her and Caroline all about the Hollow and that it had possessed Hope and that New Orleans was no longer safe for her home anymore. Bonnies gap-year was an alleged excuse: her real purpose was to set out and find any magical disturbances and the Hollow might still have friends and followers, it may even still be trying to find Hope, but Bonnie had managed to take care of that when she placed a powerful cloaking spell on Mystic Falls and the boarding school so that no unwanted guests would find her or find out anything about the children being taught there. Before long, the children would be adults and be facing a manner of all untold dangers they had faced, except the wolves, vampires and witches were all trying to coexist in peace as students here, future generations had to learn to live among one another if there were to be any hope for a new era.
Hope was the one to lead that new era, they all hoped.
"I should go, class is about to start soon," Elena murmured as Miss Hallis was beckoning her presence at the front door.
Hayley flashed a clear white parchment from her leather coat pocket and gave it to Elena, carefully, along with the silver bracelet that Hope was to wear when she was not practicing her magic and for safety.
"Are you going to tell her, today?" asked Hayley.
Elena found her glasses in her top shirt pocket, she put them on like she was incognito slightly.
"There's no time like the present," she replied.
*****
Art Class 08:52 a.m.
Elena joined Mrs Jolere in her art class, Elena wasn't artistic with drawing or painting, but she had been given the qualification right to assist and observe the classes progress and even aid in teaching, but her biggest part of the day was when history would take place later this afternoon around ten past three.
For now, like a night owl with her glasses, she found herself spreading out across the class, adoring the art and pictures that all of the young children were making out of the passion of their minds.
First there was this young cub, Sima Erin's picture of a butterfly with a white body and golden blue wings, her mind was like a round sphere of rubber bands being disentangled into one round ring filled with an idea, Elena loved all of the detail she managed to get into the wings like they were a crown made for a queen. Sima's hair was tied up in two bunches quite like the two wings she had drawn. She was very new here, she'd only just started and was brought all the way down from Portland by Hayley as a recommended student by her aunt Keelin, who Elena had heard was close friends with Hope's family and her aunt Freya.
It seemed she was finding her place here.
"Umm, excuse me, Miss Gilbert?" cried one of the little boys on the other corner of the room.
He was not a werewolf, a witch and certainly not a vampire for an eight year old boy, his name was John, like Elena's father John Gilbert and was son to one of her former high school colleagues, Frank Corin. Elena made her way over to his desk side, there she found he'd broken one of the crayons that the staff allowed the students to use, it was the colour red like human blood that he'd broken, it had left a mark on his hand like a scar or a cut seeming like real blood on his index finger on his left hand, but it turned out to be real as it was fresh and watering his clear green desk. Elena grabbed a plaster out of the small medic kit she kept in the supplies cupboard on the top shelf where none of the children could reach it, dusting it off after a break and unused. She turned back around to find that Mrs Jolere's nostrils had caught a whiff of the blood on John. She was a vampire, but no one knew except those born supernatural, Elena had given her her morning coffee - a styrofoam plastic cup with blood from a bag from the Mystic Falls hospital, unfortunately, it was not enough, Elena quickly cleaned the scab on John and laid a plaster that wrapped around his speck of a wound like a bandage, it stuck and he calmed down in time enough for her to approach Ms Jolere at her desk.
"I'm sorry, I thought I had it under control as always," she whispered apologetically.
"It's ok, tomorrow I'll bring you spare in case, don't worry, it's all taken care of," Elena calmed her down and offered her a tissue from the box at the far front angle of her desk.
Uma smiled at Elena for her service and checked her watch, it was currently almost 09:10, nearly time for Elena to leave the class and go to check on one of the other two art classrooms. Josie and Lizzie were in the History classroom just next door, Hope was three doors across from theirs, she would go to Hopes last and just before the end of class at nine fifty-five.
   *****
   History Class 9:15 a.m.
    Speak of the devil. Alaric as you can expect was teacher of history at the Salvatore  larding school. Being that and next to being a father to his two little twin daughters, Josie and Lizzie, both of whom were sitting separate from each other, history to them was almost like imagining their father was once a kid just like them - Josie and Lizzie both used to joke about it with Elena. She laughed with them time and time again.
   Alaric welcomed her into his class, all of the kids were sitting down and doodling their own pictures of the portrait that Ric had pulled up on the SmartBoard of Queen Victoria of England. Alaric had spoken somewhat of England when he visited when he was twenty-two, he took a year off, Elena recalled, said he wanted to learn about some of the occult studies in England; witchcraft and ghosts, something he'd probably tell Josie and Lizzie at bedtime. The two of them were calm and quiet, the world was on top of their shoulders, just thinking about what they must be feeling just now: their class consisted of rarely any kids who were just like them - the last branch of Gemini Coven twins; siphoners in fact. Alaric and Caroline had taught them a lot about their ability to control and use magic, the problem was that they didn't have any, only the magic they drew from the channel of another witch.
   Elena observed and snuck a peak at some of their pictures, on the back of Josie's backpack that she his under her seat was a drawing she made of Stefan and Damon, Elena's heart nearly sank as she felt the need to take it, but she couldn't, especially when her duties called her. Hope was waiting for her in one of the other art classrooms.
  Time was flying, Elena fussed over the time like her life depended on it.
  *****
  Art Class 09:55 a.m.
  It was a miracle being let into Hopes art class - her teacher, Mr Volimia was not especially kind or pleasant when she set foot inside his class, he might have been a bit of a grouch, but at least he played his part as a teacher, Hope certainly enjoyed how much advanced art he knew all about, just before spring break, she'd made an almost perfect replica of one of a waterfall that fell to create a reservoir. Mr Volimia was pleased. Alaric met him once on his travels to Rome, he took a picture of the coliseum and the two ran into each other, Alaric knew for less than two days, but he was a very decent man, a lot younger back then, now he was roughly sixty or so.
   In the very far left, mid-corner, Hope sat by the window with the embers of the bright sun leaking in through the closed blinds, it didn't bother her at all, Elena adored how focused she seemed at her picture, her desk was clustered with about twenty different coloured pens; felt-tip, stabile and even a few crayons. Looks like some little ones just don't want to forget and grow up someday.
  Hope took a moment to look up at Elena, the teach wasn't looking, so they were in the clear, Elena was helping one of the other boys in the class with his pencil sharpening just so as not to get caught them both caught by the teacher or anybody else. Simon Derskit in the far corner opposite from Hope just sat their doing nothing but leave his paper, it looked blank; hadn't been touched for nearly a whole hour, Elena wondered why. Hope smiled at her, Elena smiled back but with caution. Mr Volimia could catch them both at the least expected second. He didn't, though, Elena approached Simon just as the bell sounded for recess.
Just like that, the kids were up, out and about, leaving the classroom like a swarm of bees. Nothing to hold them back.
   "Miss Gilbert, I thank you for following your duties, but I would insist that you don't take them all as serious as the one that requires you to waltz into my classroom while all my students are settled on their work," Mr Volimia said, approaching her in a stern; rather strict manner.
   He closed the door behind him, leaving Elena alone in the empty class. Old men were the lest the smallest number of problems and enemies with whom Elena had acquainted herself with. Alaric usually got an earful from Mr Volimia, insisting that she stop supporting his students in the middle of class time, in spite of the fact that her position as deputy headmistress was becoming a little worn out, Alaric as acting headmaster drew the line that meant he couldn't talk down to or about her. Not that he approved of it.
  *****
   English Class 11:00 a.m.
  Recess came to an end at 10:30, Elena's job in the leisure time was to check the letters for enrolment, funding and other trivial matters that concerned the adults, except for the half hour leeway until her English lesson, she took her time arranging for some of the students to help with delivering messages to the teachers, students and even herself and or Caroline. Her two students that she trusted with this were Keelin's niece, Sima and one of the young warlock boys called Arthur, probably after the history of King Arthur himself.
   "Settle down, everyone, come on, I know you must still be restless after recess, but you're back in class now," Elena raised her voice to a medium pitch so that the entire class heard her out.
   Lizzie sat in the middle front row seat, her idea to sit and be face to face with her older step-sister.
  Like the gentle strokes of a paintbrush, Elena made a few doodles of words and a few bubbles for a mind map which she drew up on the blackboard for the topic that they were covering:

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