Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore

CHAPTER ONE - Begin Again

Dear Diary,

Today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable. My smile will say "I'm fine, thank you." "Yes, I feel much better." I will no longer be the sad little girl who lost her parents. I will start fresh, be someone new. It's the only way I'll make it through.

Elena woke up startled to the sound of a soft yet sharp ding, only to see a light turn on that signaled to fasten your seat belts. It took a moment for her head to clear, and her surroundings to register. She was on board a plane. A plane that was taking her to a brand new life. A new beginning.

Her mind drifts back to that young girl with pin-straight brown hair from her dream. That's not her anymore. That sad little girl who lost her parents grew up. The pin-straight hair was replaced with a more naturally wavy one, with scattered flecks of blonde frosting at the tips. She still writes, but no longer hangs out on cemeteries. She's lost not one, but two sets of parents. Lost two of her best friends, one to death, the other one to anger. She was still sad, but not lonely. No longer human, but struggling to keep her soul. Constantly in search for a reason to go on. Waiting, with hope that her heart would beat once again.

Her heart did beat before. It beat excitedly, thrilled at that idea of first love blossoming from a friendship that started when they shared a crib. Her heart beat enthusiastically, over a love that gave her hope again. Hope that she can risk loving someone, and not worry about the pain of losing him. It was epic. But then the sun came up, and reality set in.

But then, her heart did beat again, this time very passionately, once she found the one love that consumed her. The one love that gave her passion, adventure, and a whole lot of danger. That one love that, even in death, made her feel more alive. That one love who promised to never leave her again. That he will find his way back to her. She likes to let people believe that she's moved on, but the truth is that deep inside, she's still waiting for him to fulfill that promise.

Damon. You lied to me. Why did you lie to me?

Another one of the questions that filled her head, when she's alone at night and nobody can see her cry herself to sleep. She misses him. The man she was supposed to spend the rest of eternity with was gone. It's been years, but the pain still remained fresh.

For quite some time, she had been filled with anger. Angry at Caroline and even angrier with Stefan. It's not their fault, she knew that much. It was Damon's decision to bring his brother back from the dead, and it was also his decision to not let Caroline's mom die. It wasn't anyone's fault. Last time she heard, Stefan and Caroline were together, and she wishes them well. She's just not a big enough person to tell them that to their faces.

She knew better than letting her anger control her. She needed to focus on more important matters. She sighed and looked to her the left, where her brother sat, then at their 'guardian' who sat at the seat in front of her. Bonnie was wrong when she said that she doesn't need to be there for everybody. She does need to be here, if not for everyone, at least for the family that she had left. Everyone else can find their own way.

Jeremy. Her brother was all grown up now. For a while, in his grief, he pushed her away, plagued by the same demons that haunted him after their parents' death. Sad, but mostly angry. His anger directed towards himself for failing to save the woman whose love and sacrifice brought him back from the dead. But that's all in the past now. He found his way back to his family. Her brother's clean and recently rehabilitated. He's managed to pull himself together, something she admired and wished for herself.

She was so happy when Jeremy broke the news to her and Alaric. He got accepted at two art schools. One in Orlando, Florida, and a scholarship at New York Academy. Personally, she was glad that he chose the latter. Orlando didn't appeal much to her. It implies fun and amusement, which she's been highly allergic to lately, and Florida means beaches, which means swimming. Little tip...vampires hate to swim.