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Chapter 1

"Dear Diary," Elena whispered, "how frustrating is this? I left you in the trunk of the Jaguar and it's two o'clock in the own as if she had a pen and washer forehead against the , "And I'et you I' tears slip down her cheeks, reluctantly turned her mobile on to record It was a stupid waste of the battery, but she couldn't help it She needed this

"So here I a up in the backseat of the car This has to be my diary entry for today By the e 's backseat and it's the Great Outdoors for Matt and Daht now it's so dark outside that I can't see Matt anywhere But I've been going crazy - crying and feeling lost - and so lonely for Stefan

"We have to get rid of the Jaguar - it's too big, too red, too flashy, and toonot to be remembered as we travel to the place where we can free Stefan After the car is sold, the lapis lazuli and diaave me the day before he disappeared will be the ot tricked into going away, thinking he could beco And now

"How can I stop thinking about what Theyto him, at this very second - whoever 'They' are? Probably the kitsune, the evil fox spirits at the prison called the Shi no Shi"

Elena paused to wipe her nose on her nightgown sleeve

"How did I ever get myself into this situation?" She shook her head, hit the seatback with her clenched fist

"Maybe if I could figure that out, I could come up with Plan A I always have a Plan A And my friends always have a Plan B and C to helpof Bonnie and Meredith "But now I'ain And I'm scared for the entire town of Fell's Church"

For a moment she sat with her clenched fist on her knee A s, Elena, and think Think Start fro"

The beginning? What was the beginning? Stefan?

No, she had lived in Fell's Church long before Stefan came

Slowly, almost dreamily, she spoke into her e eighteen" Even more slowly, she said, "Idon't think it's vain to say that I'm beautiful If I didn't knoas, I'd have to have never looked in aI should be proud of - it's just so that was passed down from Mom and Dad

"What do I look like? I have blond hair that falls in sort of waves past my shoulders and blue eyes that some people have said are like lapis lazuli: dark blue with splashes of gold" She gave a half-choked laugh "Maybe that's why vampires like me"

Then her lips tightened and, staring into the utter blackness around her, she spoke seriously

"A lot of boys have called irl in the world And I played around with them I just used the honest, all right? I considered them to be toys or trophies" She paused "But there was so - but I didn't knohat I felt as if I were searching for so or playing around with them ever touched " She stopped and sed and said it again "One very special boy

"His name was Stefan

"And he turned out not to be what he looked like, a norh school senior with rureen as emeralds

"Stefan Salvatore turned out to be a vampire

"A real vampire"

Elena had to pause to take a few choked breaths before she could get the next words out

"And so did his gorgeous older brother, Damon"

She bit her lips, and it see time later that she added, "Would I have loved Stefan if I'd known he was a va? Yes! Yes! Yes! I'd have fallen in love with hied own by touch alone "You see, va blood The proble blood with Damon, too Not really by choice, but because he was after ht"

She let out a sigh "What Damon says is that he wants to ht What that translates into is: he wantsunless he gave his word That's one quirk he has, he never breaks his word"

Elena could feel an odd s calotten

"A girl involved with two vampireswell, there's bound to be trouble, isn't there? So ot

"I died

"Not just 'died' like when your heart stops and they resuscitate you and you coht I went into the Light

"I died

"And when I came back - what a surprise! I was a vampire

"Damon waskind to me, I suppose, when I first woke up as a vas for hie of me when he could have easily

"But I only had tis in my vampire life I had time to remember Stefan and love himwas for hiot to listen to et a chance to do that I learned to always, alear lapis lazuli so I wouldn't becoood-bye to aret, and visit Bonnie and Meredith"

Tears were still sliding almost unnoticed down Elena's face But she spoke quietly

"And then - I died again

"I died the way a vaht I didn't crumble into dust; I was only seventeen But the sun poisonedwas almostpeaceful That hen I made Stefan promise to take care of Damon, always And I think Damon swore to take care of Stefan, in histo sleep

"After that, I had dreams I don't remember, and then suddenly, one day everyone was surprised because I was talking to theuess I had landed the job of being Fell's Church's guardian spirit There was a danger to the town They had to fight it and soot du to help And - well, when the on I was left with these weird powers I don't understand But there was Stefan, too! We were together again!"

Elena wrapped her ar Stefan to her, i his war slowed

"About my powers, let's see There's telepathy, which I can do if the other person is telepathic - which all varees unless they're actually sharing blood with you at the tis

"It's true - I have Wings! And the Wings have powers you wouldn't believe - the only proble that I don't have the faintest idea how to use theht now, trying to get out ofto s of Protection and that sounds like so we could really use on this trip But I can't even reure out how to use this new one I say the words until I feel like an idiot - but nothing happens at all

"So I'ain - as human as Bonnie And, oh, God, if I could only see her and Meredith right now! But all the ti closer to Stefan everyus up and down and everywhere to throw off anybody trying to track us down

"Why would anyone want to track us down? Well, you see, when I ca explosion of Power that everyone in the world who can see Power saw

"No do I explain Power? It's soenuine psychics like Bonnie - don't even recognize Vampires definitely have Power, and they use it to Influence hus are different froh school staff to think his records were all in order when he 'transferred' to Robert E Lee High School Or they use Power to blast other vampires or creatures of darkness - or humans

"But I was talking about the burst of Pohen I dropped down fro that it attracted two horrible creatures from the other side of the world And then they decided to come see what had made the burst, and if there was any way they could use it for themselves