Blood Ties [True Blood]

Chapter 1 - The Night That Changes Everything

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Merlotte's Bar and Grill was a safe and loving place where the people of Bon Temps came for some good food and even better company.

Sam Merlotte, the owner of the establishment, had a handful of waitresses; Arlene Fowler, the bubbly and loud redhead. Dawn Green the sexed up vixen who pushed her limits with every damn thing she did. Sookie Stackhouse, the sweetest waitress with a gift to see inside people's heads. And lastly, Elena Collins.

Elena originally came from Bulgaria with the name Anelia Dimov, and left with her parents when she was four. However, a year after she lost her parents in a horrible car accident that took not just her parents' lives, but also five others, while Elena was sitting on the grass near the destroyed cars, holding tightly her teddy bear while she cried. No one knew how the little girl managed to survived that accident, not even her.

Since her parents' passing, Elena was sent to the Orphanage and moved homes a couple of times until she ran away and changed her name to Elena Collins. At the age of 17, she ran away to a small town named Bon Temps and quickly befriended a young man named Lafayette Reynolds, who helped her settled in town and meet some of the people who were all very welcoming.

Elena was just like Sookie. But, she was stronger with her abilities and knew how to control them better. The two had quickly bonded with each other after discovering they both were the same. They mostly kept to themselves about their abilities, not wanting to look more crazy than the town had made them out to be. But Elena had learned to keep out of other's thoughts at a young age, unlike Sookie who struggled to the core of her being.

"Elena, take the catfish," her best friend, her first friend she made, Lafayette shouted from his spot on the grill. He was the town's queen. And by queen, he was the most stylish, fiercest and proudest man around.

Reaching into the serving window, Elena grabbed her table's order and smiled back at him. "Thanks, babe," she said before she spun around and headed back into the dinning room.

"You know daddy loves you, baby girl," Lafayette said, waving her off with a gentle swift of his wrist, making her chuckle.

Elena walked to a table where a couple was sitting at, and placed the plates on the table, "There you go, enjoy."

"Thank you, Elena," the woman told her kindly.

Elena smiled and walked away with her empty tray. She stopped at the bar where Sam was when they heard the phone ringing. Sam grabbed the phone off the hook and answered, "Evening, Merlotte's. Hey, Tara." He then looked at Elena. "Uh, yeah, Elena is right here."

Elena tilted her head, sighing as Sam handed the phone to her. She spoke to him as she covered the phone, "I'm really sorry, Sam. She knows not to call me or Sookie at work."