Dear Diary... ugh where were we,
after hearing the fight between my brothers and realising that our family would never be the same, I made the decision to follow through with Kat and my plans to meet in NYC. From there we travelled around the United States and watched as cultures changed and developed, and protested in support of people in colour... occasionally killing the white supremacists (which back then were just majority of white people) that initiated mobs. Our travels led us to New Orleans in 1918, where we eventually settled down and fell in love with the city of jazz (and vampires).
Our routine became reliable, we would go out to the local bakery and talk about everything and anything, and Kat would usually try and get me to talk about my brothers subtly mentioning Stefan's killing spree across the US each morning over a coffee and pastry and then we would separate. Kat would go off and get a snack and although she would never admit it, stalk Stefan. While I was happy to walk around town, sometimes going into the library and sitting there for hours reading a new book, whether it be romance or historical, the opportunity to read was one that was rare in my childhood home, as dad would when he saw me with a book say; "its a woman's role to know how to cook and clean, otherwise what purpose do you have" and slap it out of my hand, and then slap me.
It was a morning in 1919 when things got really weird, I was talking to the locals after breakfast with Kat, when she drags me away...
"Aria- we have to leave now!" her grip tightens on my wrist and her pace increases
"OW- Katherine what are you doing?"
"You're a vampire, Aria this isn't hurting you. We have to leave right now, leave New Orleans possibly even the United States" her voice started shaking towards the end of her sentence
"is it the people you're running from? The Mikaelsons? Kat what is going on, I don't want to leave"
"Aria, I will tell you more as soon as we leave, are you in?"
"Kat... I am so sorry, but being here... being in New Orleans is the first time in my life where I feel as though I belong, I feel content and happy with myself. I love you and we will meet again, but for now we must go our separate ways" with tears in my eyes, I force us to stop and hug her tightly.
"Thank you for being my family, but now... now you must run, run as though your life depends on it" she nods in response and her words almost get lost in the wind
"I love you Aria, I will see you soon".
I look sadly in the direction Katherine disappeared in, "run fast" I mutter, as the news starts to kick in, Katherine is gone... and now for the first time in my life I am truly alone. I start to walk aimlessly around town with tears streaming down my face, mindlessly listening to the chatter surrounding me pausing to say "hi Aria", "Aria my girl!", and responding with an unenthusiastic wave. My walk leads me to sit on a bench under a giant tree, one of my favourite spots to sit and read. I settle in and pull out my book, and get all of 1 pages in before hearing a;
"hello love".