[ BOOK ONE ]
Erin Gilbert believed the worst thing that could ever happen to her was the death of her parents. But when the Salvatore brothers waltz into town, she finds herself longing for the sorrow-filled days of the past.
All too soon, Erin's n...
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IN TRUTH, IT DIDN't take much to anger Erin. She had always been quick to the feeling. Not much was needed to trigger it. A snide comment, a slow driver on the road, or even the discovery of an empty cereal box could set it off. That fact should've concerned her, at least the tiniest bit, but she didn't really mind it much. After all, the awareness never registered until it was too late.
And when Erin came home from an awful day of watching Rose suffer the worst death imaginable, she didn't have the capacity to sort through the irritation the formed at the unannounced presence of John Gilbert.
Stefan mentioned that he wanted to find Isobel, hoping that the woman had information on Klaus. But instead, he seemed to find the other half of the tragically horrible parenting duo.
An unwelcome surprise when Erin strode into her home that evening. She didn't like surprises. She hated them, actually. And as of late, her entire life seemed to have devolved into one lengthy surprise. John's sudden appearance just happened to be a tipping point.
Erin didn't explode into a rage filled rant, or even snap an annoyed retort like Elena. She just simply gave the man a long, hard look and then retreated to her room without a word. She couldn't deal with John at that moment. Not after the day she had. Not after Rose.
Come morning, Erin wanted nothing more than to lay in bed. To remain under her blanket and watch bad day-time television. But the world couldn't let her have a day to herself. No. It needed to drag her out by the strands of her hair and force her to participate in the chaos.
And by it, she meant Elena.
Her sister wanted answers, and she refused to face John on her own. And if Erin's anger was a force to be reckoned with, Elena's was a wrecking ball hellbent on taking everyone down in its path.
So instead of arguing, Erin threw her hair into a bun and slipped on a pair of sweatpants, not caring to change out of the shirt she slept in the night before. Together, they headed downstairs with the intention of cornering John.
To their luck, they found him in the kitchen, watching the morning news and pouring himself a mug of coffee. He looked up, lifting the television remote to turn it off. "Morning," he greeted them.
Elena stormed up to the opposite side of the island and exclaimed, "what're you doing here?"
John glanced down at his mug and replied in a confused tone, "coffee?"
