Back in Time

2

"Bonnie?" I yelled, standing up and looking around. "Damon? Stefan?" There was no answer. I stumbled through the unfamiliar forest, looking around, calling for Bonnie. My mind was racing, trying to come up with anything that would explain what on earth was happening.

All of a sudden, I heard a scream. It was most definitely a child, and I took off running in the direction of the sound. My vampire speed got me there in seconds.

I burst out of a cluster of trees and saw a young boy who looked not even five years old. He was on the edge of a cliff over a lake. The drop was at least twenty metres, and would surely kill him if he fell onto the rocks.

Running to him, I grabbed his wrists, pulling him quickly but gently back onto the land. He collapsed against me, curled up and trembling. I sighed and sat back on my knees.

"Edward? Edward?" A woman's voice screamed behind me. I turned and saw an older woman standing there, her hands over her mouth. Her outfit confused me, a dress that would have been more fitting to the eighteenth century than now.

"He's safe." I reassured the woman. She sank to her knees next to me and held out her arms. The trembling child climbed into her lap and hugged her tightly.

"I saw you save him." The woman rested a hand on my arm. "Thank you."

"Anyone would have done the same." I said. The woman shook her head.

You would be surprised. Half of the townspeople would not have batted an eye to save my Edward. If not for you he surely would have fallen." I didn't miss her use of the word townspeople, and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as I started to slowly connect the dots.

"I'm glad he's okay." I stood and brushed the dirt off my jeans. The woman looked me up and down, stunned.

"Your clothes are strange." She gracefully got to her feet. Edward peeked at me from under her arm. "Where are you from?"

"Mystic Falls. I'm actually lost, do you know where it is?"

"Oh, you're only a few minutes out of town. Come with me dear." The woman set off into the woods, and I began to follow her.

We walked quietly through the woods, and after only a minute or two, we stepped out into a town. It was totally unfamiliar to me, and I stopped as I took everything in. The more I stared at the old town, the more I realised that it loosely resembled the Mystic Falls that I knew.

People were wearing clothes from another time; huge covering dresses, strange hats, suit-like outfits, weird jackets with heaps of buttons. There were also people in scruffy clothes, girls in brown dresses tied with rope and boys in long shirts and shorts of the same colour.

"What year is it?" I asked, praying that this wasn't actually happening. This wasn't possible.

"November of 1863." The woman replied, looking baffled. "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor? You look unwell."

"No." I waved off her kindness. "No thank you. I just remembered I have to be somewhere. Thank you for showing me here."

"Well, thank you for helping my son." The woman said. I nodded and ran away, leaving her staring after me. She probably thought I was insane, but it was everything going on that was insane. I just prayed that this was all a dream.

I didn't know where I was going. I wanted to go home, but I didn't know where home was. My home wouldn't exist for over a hundred years. I just ran, ignoring strange glances from the few people I saw. Eventually, I collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

This really was happening. I was trapped in 1863. There was no Bonnie, none of my friends. Except...

"Katherine?" A voice I instantly recognised asked. My head snapped up and my eyes met his. We stared at each other for a moment. "You are not Katherine." Damon crouched down in front of me. "But you look so much like her."

"I'm Elena." I said, wiping my cheeks. Of course, he had no idea who I was. This was a human Damon, at least for now. "Katherine is my second cousin." I lied on the spot, thinking that this was good enough for now.

"Why are you crying Elena?" Damon asked, genuine concern in his voice. I decided to give him the truth.

"Because my parents are dead, I lost all of my friends, I don't know where I am and I'm all alone." I said, just before I burst into tears again. I knew that crying wasn't going to help me at all, but everything was all overwhelming me at once.

Damon didn't seem to know what to do, and I quickly rubbed the tears from my cheeks and forced myself to smile. This was 1863, and they probably kept personal things to themself here. I should probably learn how to fit in.

"I'm sorry. I should know better than to act like this."

"Would you like me to assist you to your home?" Damon offered.

"I don't have a home." I blurted out. "It was destroyed in a fire"

"Then you are surely welcome at my family home. Or rather, you could discuss your matters with Katherine, since you are related." I nodded at Damon's offer and stood as he did, wiping my eyes as I did so. His eyes flicked down and then up, probably puzzled at my clothes. Damon didn't ask about them, though I knew he wanted to.

We began to walk. Neither of us really knew what to say, so we walked through the town in silence. I wished that I could take his hand and he could hold me close like we did in the future, but 1863 Damon had no idea who I was. He was probably in love with Katherine already.

Only when Damon walked in through gates to a large house did I stop. He looked back at me, clearly puzzled. I was hesitant, knowing that any action I took could change the future as I knew it.

"I'm not sure I'll be welcome." I said.

"Nonsense." Damon gave me a small smile. "My father will be more than willing to assist you. And I am sure that Katherine will help you too, in the rare possibility that my father is hesitant."

"There you are brother, I've been looking for you."

I recognised Stefan's voice almost as quickly as I recognised Damon's. Stefan looked at me, surveying my clothes and probably wondering if I was Katherine. He opened his mouth, probably to greet me as Katherine.

"Stefan, this is Elena." Damon introduced me. "Elena, this is my brother Stefan. She is Katherine's ..."

"Second cousin." I said. "It's nice to meet you Stefan." Stefan nodded and took my hand, raising it to his lips in greeting.

"You look a lot like Katherine, I must admit." Stefan gently let go of my hand. "She has never mentioned you."

"We haven't seen each other in years. It's...a personal matter." I scrambled for an excuse.

Both brothers nodded, and Damon motioned for me to follow him. Stefan came too, walking quietly next to me. I knew he was bursting to ask questions; he had the same expression in 1863 that he had when I knew him in the future, one that meant he wasn't going to pry. Damon led us into their home, which was huge. There were a few servants bustling around who paused to nod at the boys and I before moving on. We walked up the stairs, heading for a closed door.