Chapter Text
Introduction: Moving out and Moving on.
Occurring: Outside the tv show.
Set: Miss Hadden's Boarding School.
Growing up with Elena Gilbert as your twin sister meant constantly living in the shadow of your own incompetence. As was the case for many twins; she was the unwanted child. A badge of dishonour she’d failed to shake, never quite meeting her parent’s expectations. But Elena had always set the bar so impossibly high that she had no hope of even grazing said bar. And she’d tried. Not that it made much difference.
She’d been sent away to boarding school when she was just eleven. Clearly thrilled, her family had never bothered to stay in touch. After all, she was a blemish on their perfect record that was better kept out of sight. Jeremy had written to her frequently in the beginning but eventually, her parents had put an end to that. Elena only over made contact to lecture her about her duties to the family and reprimand her about what she perceived she had done wrong this time.
She'd stopped responding after that.
But on some nights when she was feeling particularly alone and abandoned when she would do anything to feel connected to her family once more, she’d open up the letters and read the scathing remarks her sister had left immortalised in ink for her. It was grounding. It reminded her of her place, hardened her. If her family wasn't there for her, she'd find those who appreciated her for herself.
So while her family ignored her, her friends were all she had. While she had been popular in school back home, there were few she was actually close with. They had all kept in close contact when she had left, however, even those letters had dwindled in response over time too.
With summer quickly approaching, she felt more detached from her home than ever. She had stopped returning home for breaks after the first year when her parents had made it clear that she was nothing more than a nuisance and a hindrance to their happiness. This meant that she hadn't seen her friends in a while either.
She tried to not let their lack of correspondence bother her, after all, if life had taught her anything, it was that it cared nought for your feelings or grievances.
But it was this lack of communication past these four walls in which she resided, that inevitably led to her shock discovery.
When she'd gone to register at the reception to let Madeline know that once again she would be spending her summer at the boarding school, she was informed of just how little she knew of the world outside of her concrete prison.
"I'm sorry dear but it seems your funding has stopped," Madeline told her sympathetically.
"My what? My funding? But I thought my parents always paid for the new semester months in advance?"
The black-haired woman grimaced, as though the news she was about to impart was painful.
"Yes, well usually they do. The funding covered your last school year however, they have not yet made the next instalment." She paused taking a deep breath in preparation. "When we called to investigate the hold up in payments we were notified that your parents passed away last May."
Time seemed to freeze around her in that moment. She felt numb, unable to attach to the world around her. She had no idea how to react. Her parents were dead. Though they had never been very receptive of her, they had still been her parents - the people who had brought her into this world - and now they were gone.
She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
She swallowed, in a futile attempt to ground herself in reality through her senses. Vaguely remembering the instructions she’d been given by the onsite counsellor one of the rare times she’d visited.
"I know this may come as a shock dear. I have spoken with the board of directors and they have come to the conclusion that in these extenuating circumstances you may continue to reside here for the summer but come the new school year, you must return home." The middle-aged woman's voice was gentle through-out as she dealt the verbal blow, and the kindness never drifted from her eyes.
It was better than she could have hoped for.
She swallowed again and shook herself for good measure, now was not the time for panic.
"Uh- Uh. Thank you, Madeline, please notify the board of directors that I will be taking them up on their offer and will be gone with the coming of the new school year."
With that, she turned on her heel and fled the lobby, eager to return to the solace of her room.
~~ August 25th ~~
It was time. Tomorrow, the students were to return from their holidays to prepare for another year of learning. While the new semester wasn't for at least a week, they all had to be settled into their new dormitories and given their new timetables in preparation.
As it was, there was one student that stood in their dormitory packing to leave rather than settling in. A tanned brunette perched primly on one of the two twin beds as she watched the girl pack.
"So you're really leaving, huh?"
"Looks like." She replied shortly.
"And I bet you’re just ecstatic to see your sister again, eh Margaret?" The girl chirped sarcastically, a smirk painted across her ruby lips.
"Urgh don't call me that, Cathica! And honestly, that's something I've been trying to avoid but it seems all my efforts have gone to waste with my parents' timely death." She’d never really accepted the fact they were dead even all these months later, but deflection had always been her gift.
Cathica snorted in amusement.
"She can't be that bad." She pointed out.
Margaret scoffed. "Oh yeah. Do you even have siblings?"
"Uh yeah!"
"Oh right, of course. What's their name again?"
"Kat."
"Kat?" Margaret turned to look at her best friend and roommate, one eyebrow raised in amusement as she smirked at her. "Kat and Cathica?"
The girl rolled her eyes.
"Yeah. Kat and Cathy. Don't ask me, my parents chose it.
Margaret shook her head with a smile returning to her packing.
"But you must be at least a little bit excited, right?"
"Well yeah. I'm looking forward to seeing Jer again and of course all my friends but I'm not that happy about returning to that small-town life."
"Where do you live again? Mystic Falls, right?"
"Yeah, it's a sleepy town in Virginia. Nothing compared to Chicago."
"Well. There's not much that can beat windy city."
Margaret scoffed once more.
"Great, thanks for comforting me. No 'I'm sure you'll be thrilled to back when you get there' or 'At least you'll have your friends again' just 'Yeah that sucks but there's not much you can do about it' ."
"Aww, it's not gonna be that bad May." She glanced at the clock. "But you better get going if you're going to catch that train."
Margaret's eyes flew to the clock at that. She muttered a quiet curse under her breath before she gathered her luggage and bolted for the door. She paused in the threshold and turned back to the only true friend she’d had during her time at boarding school.
"Call me, yeah?"
"Of course, you won't be able to get rid of me." Cathica smiled.
Margaret grinned before dashing out of the room with a quick goodbye called over her shoulder.
The smile dropped from Cathica's face immediately when the girl was out of sight. She sighed in annoyance before pulling her phone out of her skinny jean's pocket. She quickly opened the messaging app and sent a quick message before closing the app and re-pocketing the device.
'The Bee has left the hive.'
The brunette grabbed the pre-packed suitcase hidden in the false bottom of the closet and headed to the lobby.
Short black hair blanketed the view of the desk's occupant. But as the clicking of heels grew closer the receptionist raised her head to greet the approaching figure. A grin spread across her lips as she recognised the familiar face.
"Cathica, dear. What can I help you with?"
The brunette - who had previously been several feet away was suddenly right in front of her and gripping her chin, forcing her to look directly into dilated grey eyes.
"You will forget all about Cathica Jones, she never existed. You will delete all traces of her from the system as well as her roommate Margaret Gilbert. Just as you’ve been instructed."
The woman blinked slowly before moving robotically. She looked up when she felt a sudden rush of wind sweep through the lobby but there was nothing there... There had never been.