Double Trouble

5

Elle looking like Lena and Lena looking like Elle were saying goodbye at the bus station. Lena's father had promised to pick her up with his car while Elle's mother was picking her up from the trainstation. The train that would arrive in about 10 minutes and it was organized for a supervisor from the organization of the summer camp to escort a geoup of girls with the train to Richmond. Elle was planning on going to the parking lot to catch her father right there, in order to avoid him seeing Lena.

"Don't forget to be nice... Elle!" Elle said to her sister as she hugged her.

"Huh! I'll try!" Lena responded, chuckling.

And with one last wave of goodbye, Elle went away from the bus station and headed towards the parking lot, where her father would come to pick her up. Meanwhile, Lena went to the platform on which her train would be arriving soon.

Elle was doing her best keeping a normal face, but she was terrified. What if her Dad had left her because he did not want her? What if he decided that he did not like her when he found out about her not being Lena? With all those thoughts racing through her head, she was scared to death.

A few minutes later, a polished black car drove onto the parking lot and stopped in the spot that was next to where Elle was standing. A man with dark hair got out of the car. He was wearing a suit and a huge smile on his face. Elle recognized him from the pictures Lena had shown her. The moment of truth had arrived.

"Lena! Welcome back, honey!" he said, looking at Elle lovingly while approaching her. Elle came running to her father and he immediately pulled her into a warm hug. His immense love and tenderness for her made her fear disappear quickly. She sighed in relief and hugged him tight.

"Dad! I missed you so much!" she said.

"Not as much as I missed you, my little troublemaker!" he responded. He lovingly cradled her head to his chest and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Look who's back!" a cheerful voice coming from the car said. Elle looked up and saw a woman with dark blonde hair getting out of the car and coming to her. She recognized her from the family photos Lena had shown her. She was her aunt, Freya. The eldest of her father's siblings.

Freya was grinning at the sight of the girl she thought was Lena and hugged her tightly. "Hey there, squirt!" she said and brushed her fingers through her niece's hair.

"Let's go home! I can't wait to see everyone else again!" Elle said.

***

Meanwhile, on the platform, Lena waited for her mother. As her mother was running late, she got a photo out of her pocket. Elle had given it to her, as she always carried a photo of her mother with her when she left home.

Suddenly, Lena heard someone quickly approaching and looked up. As she did, she saw the woman from the photo walking towards her.

"Elle! I'm so sorry, sweetheart, but the bus was late! Did you have to wait for long?" she said.

Lena stood up from her suitcase and, remembering Elle's advise, said: "It's  fine, Mom, you're here now! I'm just glad to see you again!"

"Aww, and I am glad too! It's been too long!" Elena said and pulled her daughter into a warm hug. 'You have no idea just how long' Lena thought to herself.

Her mother smiled at her and took her by the hand. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go catch our bus home! Aunt Bonnie and Aunt Caroline are already waiting for us!"

Lena was curious to meet them. Elle had told her about Bonnie, Caroline and their families. Bonnie was currently single and Caroline was married to Klaus. Lena already knew Klaus. She had met him a couple of times on family parties. He was a cousin of her Dad's. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that Klaus was married to her mother's best friend, though. Of all the surprises the twins had had in that particular summer, this was one of the biggest. Seemingly, the last years had not been completely without contact between her parents.

In her head, Lena now reminded herself that she would have to be nice to Klaus and everyone else and not mock anyone. She already guessed it would not be easy, but she was determined to make it.

"Hey Elle! So nice to see you again!" Bonnie said, greeting her warmly. Lena liked Bonnie immediately. She was calm, warm and, in Lena's opinion, very pretty. Much like her aunt Freya.

"Elle! So glad you're back, sweetie!" a blonde woman squealed and almost lifted her up in her hug. Lena recognized the bubbly blonde because of Elle's description of her. Caroline Forbes. Her husband Klaus was also there and greeted Lena calling her 'little mouse'. His nickname for Elle. Lena sighed on the inside, because it really made her want to use the nickname she had for Klaus. But she knew that would destroy her Elle performance.

The afternoon was relaxing. Lena actually found it a bit boring, but she kept all of her complaints to herself like a nice girl and just played along.

"So, how was summer camp?" Elena asked her daughter at some point.

Lena smiled. If only her Mom knew.

"It was great! The weather was warm and the lake was so beautiful. Oh, and I've met some really nice people there." she replied.

"That's great! I so think we could send Hope to summer camp too one day." Caroline said, smiling.

Klaus smirked. "Perhaps. But not now, remember she's only eight years old."

"Yeah, I know. I said one day. But for now, why don't you tell us more about that exhibition of yours. Your new collection of paintings are absolutely gorgeous!"

The adult talk quickly became boring for Lena. She knew if she had to hear this on a regular basis, she would eventually snap. Her motivation to find out why her parents split and kept her and her sister apart grew by the minute. The sooner she found out, the sooner she could be herself again.