The Vampire Diaries 1 - The Awakening | Page 2

She stared at the last line she had written and then shook her head, pen
hovering over the small book with the blue velvet cover. Then, with a sudden gesture, she lifted her head
and threw pen and book at the big bay window, where they bounced off harmlessly and landed on the
upholstered window seat.
It was all so completely ridiculous.
Since when had she, Elena Gilbert, been scared of meeting people? Since when had she been scared of
anything? She stood up and angrily thrust her arms into a red silk kimono. She didn't even glance at the
elaborate Victorian mirror above the cherrywood dresser; she knew what she'd see. Elena Gilbert, cool
and blond and slender, the fashion trendsetter, the high school senior, the girl every boy wanted and
every girl wanted to be. Who just now had an unaccustomed scowl on her face and a pinch to her
mouth.
A hot bath and some coffee and I'll calm down, she thought. The morning ritual of washing and dressing
was soothing, and she dawdled over it, sorting through her new outfits from Paris. She finally chose a
pale rose top and white linen shorts combo that made her look like a raspberry sundae. Good enough to
eat, she thought, and the mirror showed a girl with a secret smile. Her earlier fears had melted away,
forgotten.
"Elena! Where are you? You're going to be late for school!" The voice drifted faintly up from below.
Elena ran the brush one more time through silky hair and pulled it back with a deep rose ribbon. Then she
grabbed her backpack and went down the stairs.
In the kitchen, four-year-old Margaret was eating cereal at the kitchen table, and Aunt Judith was
burning something on the stove. Aunt Judith was the sort of woman who always looked vaguely flustered;
she had a thin, mild face and light flyaway hair pushed back untidily. Elena landed a peck on her cheek.
"Good morning, everybody. Sorry I don't have time for breakfast."
"But, Elena, you can't just go off without eating. You need your protein—"
"I'll get a doughnut before school," said Elena briskly. She dropped a kiss on Margaret's tow head and

turned to go.
"But, Elena—"
"And I'll probably go home with Bonnie or Meredith after school, so don't wait dinner. Bye!"
"Elena—"
Elena was already at the front door. She closed it behind her, cutting off Aunt Judith's distant protests,
and stepped out onto the front porch.
And stopped.
All the bad feelings of the morning rushed over her again. The anxiety, the fear. And the certainty that
something terrible was about to happen.
Maple Street was deserted. The tall Victorian houses looked strange and silent, as if they might all be
empty inside, like the houses on an abandoned movie set. They looked as if they were empty of people,
but full of strange watching things.
That was it; something was watching her. The sky overhead was not blue but milky and opaque, like a
giant bowl turned upside down.
The air was stifling, and Elena felt sure that there were eyes on her.
She caught sight of something dark in the branches of the old quince tree in front of the house.
It was a crow, sitting as still as the yellow-tinged leaves around it. And it was the thing watching her.
She tried to tell herself that this was ridiculous, but somehow she knew. It was the biggest crow she had
ever seen, plump and sleek, with rainbows shining in its black feathers. She could see every detail of it
clearly: the greedy dark claws, the sharp beak, the single glittering black eye.
It was so motionless that it might have been a wax model of a bird sitting there. But as she stared at it,
Elena felt herself flush slowly, heat coming in waves up her throat and cheeks. Because it was… looking
at her. Looking the way boys looked at her when she wore a bathing suit or a sheer blouse. As if it were
undressing her with its eyes.
Before she realized what she was doing, she had dropped her backpack and picked up a stone from
beside the driveway. "Get out of here," she said, and heard the shaking anger in her own voice. "Go on!
Get away!" With the last word, she threw the stone.
There was an explosion of leaves, but the crow soared up unharmed. Its wings were huge, and they
made enough racket for a whole flock of crows. Elena crouched, suddenly panicked as it flapped directly
over her head, the wind of its wings ruffling her blond hair.
But it swooped up again and circled, a black silhouette against the paper-white sky. Then, with one harsh
croak, it wheeled away toward the woods.
Elena straightened up slowly, then glanced around, self-conscious. She couldn't believe what she had just
done. But now that the bird was gone, the sky felt ordinary again. A little wind made the leaves flutter,
and Elena took a deep breath. Down the street a door opened and several children poured out, laughing.
She