The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 2

estimable Diary,I AM HOME I can hardly hardihood to suppose it, but here I am.I woke with the strangest feeling. I didnt consent it forward where I was and full lay here smelling the clean cotton-and-fabric-softener aromatize of the sheets, trying to figure break why everything looked so familiar.I wasnt in Lady Ulmas mansion. There, I had slept nestled in the smoothest sitin and softest velvet, and the air had smelled of incense. And I wasnt at the boardinghouse Mrs. Flowers washes the bedding there in some weird-smelling herbal commixture that Bonnie says is for protection and good dreams.And jerkyly, I knew. I was home. TheGuardians did it They brought me home.Everything and nothing has changed. Its the aforementi adeptd(prenominal) room I slept in from when I was a tiny thwart my polished cherry-wood bureau and rockingchair the little stuffed black-and-white dog two-dimensionality won at the winter carnival our junior year perched on a shelf my roll slide by desk w ith its cubbyholes the ornate antique mirror above my dresser and the M hotshott and Klimt posters from the museumexhibits Aunt Judith took me to in Washington, DC. Even my comb and brush are lined up neatly side by side on my dresser. Its either as it should be. I got out of bed and used a bills letter opener from the desk to pry up the secret board in my closet floor, my old hiding place, and I found this diary, sightly where I hid it so many months ago. The last entry is the one I wrote forrader Founders Day grit in November, before I died. Before I left home and neer came back. Until nowadays.In that entry I elaborated our plan to steal back my other diary, the one Caroline took from me, the one that she was planning to read aloud at the Founders Day pageant, knowing it would dash my life. The very next day, I drowned in Wickery Creek and rose once again as a vampire. And then I died again and returned as a human, andtraveled to the Dark Dimension, and had athousand a dventures. And my old diary has been seated right here where I left it under the closet floor, just waiting for me.The other Elena, the one that the Guardiansplanted in everyones memories, was here only these months, going to school and living anormal life. That Elena didnt write here. Im relieved, re all in ally. How creepy-crawly would it be to witness diary entries in my handwriting and not phone any of the things they recounted? Although that might have been helpful. I have no supposition what everyone else in Fells perform thinks has been happening in the months since Founders Day. The whole town of Fells Church has been given a fresh start. The kitsune destroyed this town out of vapourific malicious mischief. Pitting children against their parents, making people destroy themselves and everyone they loved. save now none of it ever happened.If the Guardians made good on their word,everyone else who died is now viable again poor Vickie Bennett and Sue Carson, murdered byK atherine and Klaus and Tyler Smallwood back in the winter disagreeable Mr. Tanner those innocents that the kitsune killed or caused to be killed. Me. All back again, all starting over. And, except for me and my closest friends Meredith, Bonnie, Matt, my darling Stefan, and Mrs. Flowers no one else knows that life hasnt gone on as usual ever since Founders Day.Weve all been given another chance. We did it. We saved everyone.Everyone except Damon. He saved us, in theend, but we couldnt save him. No matter how hard we tried or how desperately we pleaded, there was no way for the Guardians to bring him back. And vampires dont reincarnate. They dont go to Heaven, or Hell, or any kind of by and bylife. They just disappear.Elena stopped writing for a moment and took a deep breath. Her look fil ed with tears, but she deform over the diary again. She had to tel the whole truth if there was going to be any point to keeping a diary at al . Damon died in my arms. It was agonizing towatch hi m slip away from me. But Ill never let Stefan know how I truly felt about his brother. It would be cruel and what good would it do now?I still cant believe hes gone. There was no one as alive as Damon no one who loved life more than he did. Now hell never know At that moment the door of Elenas bedroom suddenly flew open, and Elena, her tit in her throat, slammed the diary shut. But the intruder was only her younger sister, Margaret, dressed(p) in pink flower-printed pajamas, her cornsilk hair standing straight up in the middle like a thrushs feathers. The five-year-old didnt decelerate until she was almost on top of Elena and then she launched herself at her finished the air.She landed squarely on her aged sister, knocking the breath out of her. Margarets cheeks were wet, her eye shining, and her little hands clutched at Elena. Elena found herself holding on just as tightly, feeling the cant of her sister, inhaling the sweet scent of baby shampoo and Play-Doh.I missed you Mar garet said, her instance on the verge of sobbing. Elena I missed you so muchWhat? condescension her effort to make her voice light, Elena could hear it shaking. She realized with a flutter that she hadnt seen Margaret really seen her for more than eight months. But Margaret couldnt know that. You missed me so much since bedtime that you had to come running to find me?Margaret drew slightly away from Elena and stared at her. Margarets five-year-old clear blue eyes had a look in them, an intensely knowing look, that sent a shiver round off Elenas spine.But Margaret didnt say a word. She simply tightened her grip on Elena, curling up and letting her head rest on Elenas shoulder. I had a dismal dream. I dreamed you left me. You went away. The last word was a letup wail.Oh, Margaret, Elena said, hugging her sisters warm solidity, it was only a dream. Im not going anywhere. She unlikeable her eyes and held on to Margaret, praying her sister had truly only had a nightmare, and tha t she hadnt slipped through the cracks of the Guardians spel .Al right, cookie, time to get a move on, said Elena after a few moments, gently tickling Margarets side. Are we going to have a fabulous breakfast together? Shal I make you pancakes?Margaret sat up then and gazed at Elena with wide blue eyes. Uncle Roberts making waffles, she said. He always makes waffles on Sunday mornings. Remember?Uncle Robert. Right. He and Aunt Judith had gotten hook up with after Elena had died. Sure, he does, bunny, she said lightly. I just forgot it was Sunday for a minute.Now that Margaret had mentioned it, she could hear someone down in the kitchen. And smel something delicious cooking. She sniffed. Is that bacon?Margaret nodded. run away you to the kitchenElena laughed and stretched. Give me a minute to wake al the way up. Il get through you down there. Ill get to talk to Aunt Judith again, she realized with a sudden burst of joy. Margaret bounced out of bed. At the door, she paused and look ed back at her sister. You real y are coming down, right? she asked hesitantly.I real y am, Elena said, and Margaret smiled and headed down the hal .Watching her, Elena was struck once more by what an amazing here and now chance third chance, real y shed been given. For a moment Elena just soaked in the essence of her dear, darling home, a place shed never thought shed live in again. She could hear Margarets light voice sound away happily downstairs, the deeper rumble of Robert answering her. She was so lucky, despite everything, to be back home at last. What could be more wonderful?Her eyes fil ed with tears and she closed them tightly. What a stupid thing to think. What could be more wonderful? If the crow on her windowsil had been Damon, if shed known that he was out there somewhere, ready to flash his lazy smile or even purposely aggravate her, now that would have been more wonderful.Elena opened her eyes and blinked hard several times, wil ing the tears away. She couldnt fa l apart. Not now. Not when she was about to see her family again. Now she would smile and laugh and hug her family. Later she would col apse, pampering the sharp ache inside her, and let herself sob. After al , she had al the time in the world to mourn Damon, because losing him would never, ever stop hurting.