A/N Sorry for the extremely long chapter. This is only the first half, too. From chapters after this one, the number of the chapter will no longer correspond with her age.

Two years later and the war had not even begun. Elena had gotten used to Stefan's on comings and questions and had learnt to ignore it, maybe even warm to him. At fifteen-years-old, Elena was definitely becoming slightly antisocial. Her phone was often in her hand and the few times she did talk to her friends, to which she only had little, was through text messages. Klaus, as old as he was, wasn't quite used to the natural state of a teenager and was surprised by what he now had to deal with on a daily basis.

Elena, on the other hand, did not think that she was being antisocial at all. She was indeed often on her phone around Klaus but that was for an entirely different reason altogether. It could be described as crush in simple terms and the fact that it was on her supposed father figure had made the situation all the more complicated. She hadn't told a soul and she didn't intend to. It wasn't as if she could tell anyone. Her friends would believe she was in love with her foster father, as she had put it, and her Aunt and Uncle would only persuade her to move on. Rebekah loved gossip but was awfully protective of her brother, even from little Elena who she cherished dearly.

Maybe, Elena was just worrying too much but that was what a crush was- a constant state of panic yet a somewhat amazing thrill that came along with that. It was love, but not quite. It was the border where one step could make all the difference. Crushes are held as so insignificant yet that moment where Elena's heart snapped and found itself heading in a direction was the day her life changed forever. The man she could never see as her father, hardly even her brother, had finally become something. She had realised what her child-self was so torn upon. She wanted more. But, she was fifteen- she could have more.

'Elena! Get off your phone and get in the car.' Klaus' voice boomed throughout the room and Elena flinched slightly- lately, Klaus' temper had become shorter than it already was. She nodded, though, and stuffed her phone in her pocket, shuffling towards the car. She hadn't said a word in days except for a few answers to Elijah when he continued her education with him as a few extra-curricular activities. She hadn't noticed that was why Klaus' temper had been snapping. Elena hadn't spoken to him. She simply had that much effect on him yet she didn't seem to notice or care as they drove to school in a thick silence.

When they arrived at school, Klaus said the words he had every day since that first day at school two years ago: 'get that moonstone off, Stefan, will you love?' Every time he said it, it was said with more disdain. Whether that was towards Elena or Stefan, only Klaus knew.

It was Monday first period and that meant she had English first. She sighed, although she loved English, Stefan was starting to pester her more and more and despite warming to him just a little, she couldn't help but feel suffocated in his presence. He was like a harmless fly, constantly buzzing but never quite to the point where you swatted it away.

She entered the classroom, the air foggy with sweat and dust. The classroom smelt of old crisps with a hint of boy's deodorant and despite Elena knowing this smell all too well, she gagged when she entered. Now, not a single pair of eyes landed on her- except a single one. Chloe sat in the corner of the classroom, her jumper loose and her light brown hair swiftly placed in a slightly askew ponytail. Elena smiled and ran up to her, waving. 'Hey!' She shouted as she neared the table, Chloe's large eyes growing even bigger, and went to sit down on the desk beside hers. 'Have you done the homework?' Came a panicked voice and in front of them was Nicole and then the trio was complete. It was the same every day. Nicole had been in school years longer than Elena had been yet she still hadn't learnt how to do her homework on time and it would be no surprise if Chloe had only done it last night after the sun had gone down so she could hand it in, no matter how rushed. The trio sat in a line, busily chatting until the bell rang and Stefan entered. As soon as he did, his eyes landed on Elena and she gulped nervously. His eyes were like steel and they didn't look happy. 'Elena, can I talk to you outside for a moment.' Elena stared at her two friends who both looked just as afraid as her. Nicole began to plait her thick black hair, finding anything to fiddle with as she watched her friend get dragged out of the classroom by a furious looking teacher. Chloe, on the other hand, had almost gone up to follow her but had stayed planted in her seat by a firm word from Nicole. It seemed the two, usually laid back, friends were now worrying and it was a sight to behold. Stefan, when irate, really could revert back to a primal vampire's ways and although his fangs weren't out, she could see the veins almost bulging under her eyes- not quite noticeable for a normal human but one who had lived with a vampire for years, it wasn't so hard.

'What do you want, Stefan.' Elena spat, her height almost matching his despite his attempts to look down on her, patronise her.

'You need to know the truth.' Suddenly, all anger flooded in his eyes and was replaced by a dreadful looking guilt. 'I didn't want to. It's Klaus' story to tell but he won't tell you!' He shouted and threw the nearest thing he saw into the wall, it chipping under the pressure. 'I don't care about this stupid teacher role anymore; you need to know. I've waited years and I need to explain some things to you and I expect the same in return.' He sighed and leant against the wall, his eyes closed and his fists clenched.

'We should find somewhere more private, dismiss the class.' Elena stated, shoving her hands in her pockets, glowering. 'This is not what I want to do with my day but you need to calm down and if this will do so then go ahead.' It was true that growing up, Elena had been taught a certain amount of courtesy but like Klaus, she only used it when seemed fit- and, right now, didn't seem the right time. Elena had also become somewhat cruel in Klaus' presence and her eyes said it all. If looked could kill, hers would murder. She didn't want to waste her time with Stefan but somewhere in her own mind, she knew that he could have crucial information.

Stefan strolled back into the classroom and Elena heard his obnoxiously grovelling voice dismissing the class. All the students flooded out, including her friends, with smiles on their faces- that was one less lesson for them. Although, before her friends left, they approached her, curious look on their faces. 'Are you not coming?' Nicole said, looking up at Elena- she was even shorter than Chloe and Elena couldn't understand how her friends could both be so short. 'We've got a netball match after school, we need to get changed, why don't we now?' Chloe said, of course, she would only talk about sport- it was her natural state and was proven by her slim figure.

'I have to talk to Mr Salvatore.' The name slipped off her tongue like gunk. She rarely used his last name nor did she ever really say his name at all. The two other girls sighed; there was no getting her away from the mysterious English teacher that rarely taught them anything. They were going to fail their end of year tests.

Elena stalked away from her friends who were now bustling along with the rest of the small class to hide in the bathrooms before a teacher found out that they had just been let out- that was definitely not allowed. Stefan, meanwhile, led the way back into the classroom and when they were both alone in the room, he locked the door and sat down in the teacher's chair whilst Elena hopped up onto a desk timidly, watching as Stefan's eyes never left her. 'If we are going to do this, I am asking the questions first. I'm sure I have more than you do.' Stefan nodded, understanding the testament. 'I want to know more about vampires. Or more so, the original vampires.' Elena stated, not evading the question. She and Stefan were blunt people and there was no point in meandering around her true intentions.

'I'm almost as much in the dark as you are, Elena. The original family mysterious to even their closest allies, you prove that.' Stefan spun on his chair and faced the board, the whiteboard pen spinning between his fingers. He drew his chair up and began to write. Elena felt as if she had suddenly come into a lesson but I guess it was a replacement for the lesson that had just been dismissed and this was one was much more useful, for her, at least.

'Just tell me what you know.' She growled, leaning back in the hard plastic chair on the front row of the class. Her arms were folded protectively over her chest and her teeth were bared in a way that mimicked Klaus' menace.

'I already said I would, Elena. Don't get pent up.' The two were already fed up of being stuck in a room together. It felt as if the walls were closing in and they were smothered by each other's presence. 'They're powerful, we both know that. I also know they were born sometime in the dark ages or at least that was what the books told me.' Stefan wrote some more on the board. It was four symbols. Some were moons, others suns and one a mix of both.

'These are the symbols for a witch, vampire, werewolf and hybrid- a mix of a vampire and a werewolf.' Elena stood up, curiously walking to the board, tracing the lines with her finger, some of the ink blackening her fingers. 'I've seen these symbols a lot yet I haven't found what they mean. Nor have I even seen a vampire-werewolf hybrid.' Stefan spoke, adding a final symbol on. 'This is the final one that explains everything. Or, at least, I hope so. I haven't figured it out myself. It looks like a sacrifice but that's all I can decipher.' Elena agreed with him. The symbol was a raging fire surrounded by the symbol for a wolf, a witch and a vampire and within the fire, the symbol for a hybrid. 'I don't know anymore. I had only heard of them just before I found you.' Stefan stated, turning his back to the board as Elena trudged back to her seat.

'Found me?' She asked, lifting her eyebrows up. He nodded.

'I'd been looking for you for years. As soon as your room was burnt down actually.' Stefan looked incompetent to the subject. He cared much more about Elena than her family and the house she had once lived on. He was focused on the Original family and why they had taken Elena. Nothing else mattered.

'So, you met my family?' Elena's eyes looked hopeful but Stefan just sighed.

'Not personally. I know they're all still alive, that's it.' Stefan said and Elena's eyes went wide.

'My brother is dead.' She stated solemnly, the glint of hope in her eyes.

'No he isn't, is that what he told you?' Stefan barked out a laugh, he couldn't believe it. 'It seems you and Klaus have a lot to talk about, I'll leave this conversation for here now.' Elena nodded but her mind was elsewhere. Klaus had lied that her brother was dead.

Klaus had lied.

He lied that her brother had died.

He lied.

word count: 2063

published: 11.03.17