gilbert boy ▪ tvd [completed]

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In Mystic Falls, if you were born from one of the Founding Families, you were practically famous. The Gilbert family was widely known to be "perfect." Miranda and Grayson were important figures in Mystic Falls, their children often participating in town events. The family was all well-behaved, intelligent, and had a bond that never seemed to falter; it allowed them to share anything and everything.

Charles Grayson Gilbert was the Golden Boy of Mystic Falls. Perfect grades, put-together appearance, and excellent reputation. He almost didn't seem real until you met him. He was the varsity football team captain, president of the student council, a musician, a painter, and a hopeless romantic—along with the complete gentleman.

He was described as charismatic, warm, passionate, and, most of all, kind. He included everyone and made them feel welcome. He was the dream guy, and almost all of the girls fawned over him like a celebrity, but there was one girl that had stolen his heart: Celia Monroe. They were a cliche. They started dating their freshman year of high school, and they never seemed to leave the honeymoon stage of their relationship.

But the older Charlie seemed to grow, the more he realized he wanted more than just his average life. Sure, he had a pretty great life, but it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to travel; he wanted to go somewhere where no one knew who he was. A blank slate to start over, remake himself, but he could never leave his family. They relied on him too much for him to leave anytime soon.

He was his little brother Jeremy's role model in life. And he set the bar pretty high for what a man should act like; everything Jeremy did was meant to make Charlie proud. Elena adored the way Charlie showered her with attention and protected her as if his life depended on it.

All over the Gilbert home were pictures of the family. Two kind parents, three children, and a dog. Jo-Jo had been Charlie's best friend since he was a kid. The golden retriever was with Charlie when he could be, and Charlie could never ask for a better companion than him, and the dog truly loved his owner. They would never survive without the other. But all good things must come to an end.

The Gilbert family was woken up in the middle of the night by Sheriff Forbes, giving them the grim news. Charlie Gilbert's car had crashed into the side of Wickery Bridge, submerging in the water below, his body nowhere to be found. There was blood and glass, but it was like his body vanished into thin air. They drained the water, but his body wasn't there either. After a three-week-long search, they hadn't made any progress with the investigation.

When school started up again, it wasn't as bright without Charlie's melodious laugh bouncing off the walls. It was dreary without seeing him running through the halls to catch up with his friends, and it was silent without the sound of his saxophone being heard from the music hall.

The accident was just before his senior year—that was five years ago. Elena was going to be a fifth-grader, and Jeremy was going to be in third-grade. Elena felt a void where her brother was supposed to be, and Jeremy was heartbroken. Some days, the little boy would sit in Charlie's room, just staring at the musical instruments that were laid out, thinking back to the days he would hear Charlie playing them.

Miranda and Grayson tried to stay strong for their kids, but it was hard. Their firstborn was missing, meaning they had to bury an empty casket. He could be injured somewhere, or worse, dead, and it pained them to think their child was really gone forever.

Celia lost the love of her life. When she went off to college, she was broken-it hurt too much to think about being with someone other than Charlie Gilbert.

To this day, his memorial picture still sits in the trophy case, his smiling picture reminding everyone that he was gone and he wasn't coming back.

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He took a trip out of town to visit a college looking to give him a full-ride scholarship through their art programs and possibly their athletic and music programs. He knew his parents would have something to say about the fact that the college was far away and that he should be pursuing a reasonable degree.

It was late, and he could feel the exhaustion beginning to creep up on him now. He closed his eyes for a second before he opened them again. A deer stood in the middle of the road, his eyes wide as it stood in the headlights. Charlie's first instincts were to swerve the opposite way.

It felt like slow motion. His body jolted around as his car rammed into the side of Wickery Bridge. Then came the water. Everything was dark as he gasped in his seat, his car settling at the bottom of the lake. Water was filling his car, but he couldn't move to save himself. Blood poured down from his forehead into his eyes, making him close his eyes, waiting for the end.

It felt like an eternity as the water finally reached his throat. He tried to breathe in as much air as he possibly could until he couldn't anymore. His body felt like lead as the water filled his lungs. He closed his eyes as he began to lose consciousness.