She caught sight of something dark in the branches of the old quince tree in front of the house. The air was stifling, and Elena felt sure that there were eyes on her. The sky overhead was not blue but milky and opaque, like a giant bowl turned upside down. They looked as if they were empty ofpeople, but full of strange watching things. The tall Victorian houses looked strange and silent, as if they might all be empty inside, like the houses on an abandoned movie set. And the certainty that something terrible was about to happen. She closed it behind her, cutting off Aunt Judith's distant protests, and stepped out onto the front porch.Īll the bad feelings of the morning rushed over her again. Bye!"Įlena was already at the front door. "But, Elena-" "And I'll probably go home with Bonnie or Meredith after school, so don't wait dinner. She dropped a kiss on Margaret's tow head and turned to go. "I'll get a doughnut before school," said Elena briskly. "But, Elena, you can't just go off without eating. 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. In the kitchen, four-year-old Margaret was eating cereal at the kitchen table, and Aunt Judith was burning something on the stove. Then she grabbed her backpack and went down the stairs. "Elena! Where are you? You're going to be late for school!" The voice drifted faintly up from below.Įlena ran the brush one more time through silky hair and pulled it back with a deep rose ribbon. Her earlier fears had melted away, forgotten. Good enough to eat, she thought, and the mirror showed a girl with a secret smile. She finally chose a pale rose top and white linen shorts combo that made her look like a raspberry sundae. The morning ritual of washing and dressing was soothing, and she dawdled over it, sorting through her new outfits from Paris. Who just now had an unaccustomed scowl on her face and a pinch to her mouth.Ī hot bath and some coffee and I'll calm down, she thought. 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. She didn't even glance at the elaborate Victorian mirror above the cherrywood dresser she knew what she'd see. 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. 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. 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. Is that why I'm scared? Am I frightened of them?Įlena Gilbert stopped writing. We're supposed to meet in the parking lot before school. Aunt Judith told everyone who called that I had jet lag and was sleeping, but she watched me at dinner with a funny look on her face. Meredith picked up my schedule for me, but I didn't feel like talking to her on the phone. I was too tired yesterday to go to Orientation. And the worst thing is that I feel there's somewhere I do belong, but I just can't find it. This is my bed, my chair, my dresser.īut right now everything looks strange to me, as if I don't belong here. I can look out the window and see the big quince tree Matt and the guys climbed up to crash my birthday slumber party two years ago. This is my same old bedroom, with the scorch mark on the floorboards where Caroline and I tried to sneak cigarettes in 5th grade and nearly choked ourselves. I've never felt so utterly and completely lost. And the most horrible feeling I've ever felt in my life came over me. Just then Aunt Judith let a suitcase crash down on the floor behind me and sighed a huge sigh and said, "We're home." And Margaret laughed. And when Aunt Judith unlocked the door I burst inside and just stood in the hallway listening, expecting to hear Mom coming down the stairs or Dad calling from the den. I ran up the steps and I tried the door and knocked with the knocker. They must have missed me so much."īut even when I saw the house and the empty front porch I still felt that way. I bet they'll be on the front porch or in the living room looking out the window. When we turned onto our street I suddenly thought, "Mom and Dad are waiting for us at home. The day before yesterday, while Aunt Judith and Margaret and I were driving back from the airport, I had such a strange feeling. But that doesn't explain why I feel so scared. I keep telling myself it's just that I'm all messed up from the time difference between France and here. There'sno reason for me to be upset and every reason for me to be happy, but.īut here I am at 5:30 in the morning, awake and scared. Something awful is going to happen today.
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