The flight back to Virginia happens in a blur of events, and Jordan can't fully grasp what is happening around her. She clutches her backpack tightly to her stomach and chest, and she feels as if everyone is staring at her like the word 'nymph' is hanging above her head, with flashing arrows pointing in her direction. She feels marked. She feels like a deer in hunting season, and it terrifies her. How is she going to break the news to her family and friends that she is a nymph and that her mother possibly lived during the fifteenth century. Jordan inhales and exhales loudly, and before she realises it she is sitting in the taxi on her way home, and she wonders how she can ever relate Mystic Falls to home again when her whole life has been a lie?

She asks the driver to drop her off on Wickery Bridge, and he does so without question, although he does give her a strange look when she gives him 50 ponds. The taxi drives off and leaves Jordan with a dazed cloud swirling around her standing in the middle of the road

That the bridge is deserted, doesn't come as a surprise to Jordan. Although it is a vital part of Mystic Falls – it connects the town to the rest of Virginia – nobody ever likes to come here. Not before the accident, and definitely not after the accident. A layer of fog rests upon the surface of the river and spirals across the edge of the bridge. There is no sign of animal or human life, and the only sound that enters Jordan's ears is the whistling of the wind. Jordan understands why nobody wants to come here, because as she stands at the edge of the famous Wickery Bridge, she can almost feel the fog seep into her body, colleting all the life and happiness out of her before disappearing. She can imagine her parents driving here with Elena. Them caring more about Elena and her feelings than the fact that she ditched family night to go to a party. They were so kind, and Jordan misses them so incredible much.

The last few days, her biological parents have spooked through her brain more times than Jordan likes to admit, but as she stands on the Wickery Bridge that took the lives of her adoptive parents, she realises something. Even though Miranda and Grayson aren't her real guardians, in her memory, they will always be the best parents a child could ever wish for. She craves to see them one more time, to have them tell her how proud they are, and reassure her that she is going to be fine, because Jordan Gilbert is a strong woman. But they aren't here to tell her that she will uphold her façade. They aren't here to stop her from falling apart.

A strangled sob escapes her lips, and she turns away in an instant. Her feet pick up the pace, and before she knows it, she is running. With no destination in mind and tears streaming down her cheeks, Jordan runs as if her life depends on it, because in that moment, it feels like it does.

♛

The Salvatore estate shines in front of her in all its glory, and Jordan wonders in which year it was built and whether her mother ever stumbled upon it.

No matter which vein Jordan touches, she can feel her heartbeat thump. Without a destination in mind, she has ended in front of the boarding house. She wants to believe it is because of the fact that Elena, Stefan, and Damon are most likely here, but she knows that that is not the case.

She stretches out her arm to push open the door, and her eyes catch sight of her trembling hands. She moulds her hands into fists to stop them from shaking before opening the door and inviting herself in.

The warm and cosy fireplace greets her like an old and familiar friend, but the combination of people standing in front of the fireplace feel like a knife is being stabbed in between her midriff. "Damon?" His name leaves her lips with an ounce of vulnerability, and she can practically feel the hurt dripping from his name.

Damon lets go of Kelly at once, but he wishes he never did. He wishes he could keep on kissing Kelly's chapped and cherry red lips, to drink her in like he does with alcohol. Kissing Kelly while he ignores Jordan who stands in the doorframe would hurt him less than the seeing the look on her face.

"Jordan," he whispers her name carefully, afraid that if he will raise his voice she will crumble right there and then.

She shakes her head anxiously slow from left to right while she takes small steps back. "No, please, leave me alone."

He reaches out with his left hand, fingers outstretched and Kelly long forgotten, but Jordan doesn't take it. She doesn't even look at it. Instead, she turns around and runs away from his touch and words with the speed of a vampire.

Damon smashes the bottle of wine that is standing on table in the direction of the wall. The clash of glass with concrete makes a scream of fear erupt from Kelly, but Damon pays her no mind. He lost. He lost her. His heart is wrapped in thorns, dripped with a sweet and sickly poison. And with every touch and every word, the veins tighten around his heart. Although his heart no longer beats, and blood no longer rushes through his veins, everything he touches dies. If he was human, tears would be forming in his eyes, and his knees would buckle underneath his weight. But he isn't. He is a vampire with a heart of ice, and he has just frozen the only person who could melt it back to life.

A buzzing rings throughout his ears whilst he stumbles to the trolley that displays his drinks in range from old to new. Instead of pouring himself a shot of bourbon, he takes the bottle. With the bottle in his left hand he walks towards the chair in which the blanket Damon gave Jordan still lies. His index finger graces over the luxurious material before he lets himself sink into it, hoping to be consumed by the material completely. He doesn't hear Kelly leave, and he only realises Elena and Stefan have entered the living chambers when Elena speaks to him with disgust leathering her voice.

"You don't deserve Jordan. You hear me? You don't deserve her."

♛

Jordan is gasping for air when she arrives at the place she knows they will accept her. She rings the doorbell, and Jordan doesn't know how, but even the sound of the doorbell reflects wealth.

Mrs. Lockwood opens the door with a kind smile painted on her face, "Oh, Jordon! It has been so long since I've seen you. How are you holding up? Everything going alright at school."

Jordan charms a smile upon her face, but it doesn't reflect her usual twinkle in her eyes. "I've been doing okay, thanks for asking Carol. The last couple of months have been hard, but thanks to my family and friends, I've managed to survive. Do you know where Tyler is?"

Carol motions for Jordan to come inside, and when she does, Carol places her hand on her lower back. "He's in his room, and please, dear, do make yourself feel at home."

Jordan shoots Carol one last thankful smile before descending up the grandiose stairs that are littered with golden details. "I will, Carol, thank you."

Jordan knows the Lockwood estate like the back of her hand. When she was little, she almost used to spent an equal amount of time with Tyler as she did with her family, and Jordan instantly feels bad once she realises she hasn't taken it upon herself to visit Tyler even once ever since she came back from London months ago.

She opens the door, and if she hadn't just experienced the worst feeling in her life, she would have laughed. Tyler wiggled in his stool as the door opened without warning, and unable to keep his balance, he crashed – alongside with his black and beaten down office chair – to the floor.

"Mom! How many times have I told you to knock before-."

A giggle escapes Jordan's lips as Tyler realises it is not his mom standing in the frame of the door.

He lifts himself off the floor and rushes over to Jordan. "Jordan! It's so good to see you, but if you don't mind me asking, what in the world are you doing here?" Tyler's hands leave Jordan side and his face falls alongside the one of Jordan. "Hey, Jordy, what's wrong?"

With his thumb Tyler wipes away tears Jordan didn't realise were escaping her eyes.

Jordan laughs through her tears, "I've never cried so much in one day in my entire life. Stupid, aren't they? Tears, I mean. Most people associate tears with sadness, but sadness is such a big complex. It can be divided into so many more boxes. Depression, grief, tiredness, anger, heartbreak. Heartbreak, another stupid thing, don't you agree? Heartbreak. Heart, break. The breaking of the heart. Did you know that that is exactly how it feels? It feels like my heart is being crushed. My air pipe is being cut off, and I can't breathe properly. I feel like a falling star, but instead of carrying hope to fulfil ones wish, all I carry is despair. I've been playing with fire, but I didn't expect to get burned." She rushes everything out at once while she clutches onto Tyler's broad shoulders with a firm hand like he is the anchor to keep him from losing her mind.

Tyler brushes his hands through Jordan's blonde locks, while rocking her back and forth in a steady and calm pace. "Come on, let's sit down for a minute, alright?"

Jordan bobs her head as they sunk into Tyler's ocean blue sofa. Tyler drapes a fuzzy blanket over their legs. "You want me to beat someone up? Like I used to do?"

Jordan shakes her head, but a smile does tug at her lips.

The smile encourages Tyler to bring a happy and silly memory to the surface, "You remember Dally Rease? He used to make fun of you because you always wore flowers in your hair. You never let it bother you, but I knew it hurt. I wanted to beat him up, but you never let me. One day you were sick, which was the perfect opportunity for me. I decked him in his jaw after school that day, and when you found out, you didn't speak to me for a week. Although you were stubborn, it did help, he never bothered you again."

Jordan pulls her lips into a somewhat positive line. "I remember," Jordan murmurs, "and I'm so sorry I haven't visited you since the summer vacation. I've missed you."

Jordan feels Tyler's chest vibrate and not soon after a deep chuckle follows. "Please, Jordy, you know it doesn't matter if we go without seeing each other for multiple months, maybe even years. You are and will always be my best friend, nothing in the world can change that."

"You will always be my best friend as well, Ty."

Tyler jumps up from the sofa, only to collect the remote of his television, and he immediately sits down again. "I know you're still hurting, I can see it in your eyes. I don't know what cures heartbreak, but Caroline once told me comedies and mountains upon mountains of ice cream does wonders."

"Thank you Ty," Jordan says, indicating that she is indeed very grateful.

On cue, Carol walks in with two enormous bowls of chocolate and strawberry ice-cream, both decorated with sprinkles and tiny umbrellas.

"Thank you, mom." "Thank you, Carol." Tyler and Jordan say in unison.

Carol closes the door of Tyler's room and she can't help but smile at the two best friends who are stuffing their mouths with heaps of ice-cream while the opening credits of 'White Chicks' are displayed on the screen of the television.

♛

A groan leaves Jordan's lips the second her eyes flutter open. Her throat is hoarse, her eyes are puffy, and her head is pounding. Sunlight is peeking through Tyler's black-tinted curtains; tickling her face and arms. Beside her, Tyler is still asleep, and Jordan smiles. He looks very young and definitely not troubled with closed and mouth slightly agape.

Jordan quietly pulls herself out from under the covers. She – and Tyler probably as well – had fallen asleep last night during the fourth movie. Jordan grabs her phone, and panic instantly strikes her.

6 messages from Elena and 2 missed calls from Elena.

12 messages from Damon, 8 missed calls from Damon, and 4 voicemails from Damon.

She doesn't open Damon's messages, and she sure as hell doesn't listen to his voicemails. Jordan knows that she can't handle hearing his voice, because it will only hurt her more. She does message Elena instantly, texting that she is sorry she didn't come home, and that she is alright, and that she fell asleep while watching films with Tyler.

Her phone starts buzzing, and the screen lights up with Damon's name. The telephone shakes in her hand and she has to strain herself from picking up. 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds. It takes Damon 30 seconds to give up, and Jordan lets out a breath she doesn't know she was holding. Not trusting herself with avoiding Damon's future calls, Jordan shuts off her phone completely so she can't give in to future temptations.

A fine fountain pen is lying on Tyler's mahogany wood desk and with difficulty Jordan keeps herself from laughing. His family is so damn wealthy, Tyler probably doesn't realise that everything he touches is worth a fortune. With the pen in her hand, she instantly feels like an elegant and sleek business woman, and if she ever has the chance, she is so going to buy a deluxe fountain pen.

Thank you, Tyler,

for yesterday, it really

helped talked with

my best friend. When

you're awake, I'm

already gone.

Love you, Jordan.

Jordan doesn't have to worry about leaving the house in complete and utter silence. Tyler's parents are probably not home – they rarely are. And Tyler is one of the heaviest sleepers she knows. She could literally throw a party filled with booze and a loud bass in his bedroom, and he would probably snore right through it. So when the marble falls in its hinges with a loud grunt, Jordan doesn't cringe from the sound.

Her heart still feels deprived of love, but being with Tyler did fill up some of that void. She decide to not walk across the main road, instead she rounds the Lockwood estate and disappears into the woods.

A soft laugh echoed through the trees, bouncing from oak trees to pine trees. She finally knows why she enjoys the intoxicating aroma that enters her nostrils once she enters the forest, and why the little rabbits with fuzzy furs bump their adorable pink noses with the palm of Jordan's hand. It is because she is part – if not whole – nymph. She shakes her head from left to right, and a feeling of unease settles over her. She is a nymph for crying out loud! Who would ever believe the sweet and kind Jordan to be anything other than that? She certainly wouldn't believe herself. And it is strange, isn't it? That for seventeen years Jordan has been invested into her future plans so much: the steps had already been laid out for her and she knew which path she wanted to walk upon. But to realise that, when walking on a certain path, you only ever stumble across dead ends. That is of course, until instead of stopping at a dead end, you climb over it. You climb over the bricks and cement that are your dead end, and when your feet come in contact with the surface again, you realise that you are no longer walking on a concrete path. Instead you are surrounded by miles and miles upon forest with no idea which way to turn to. Jordan feels like that. Trapped in her surroundings, stranded on a zig-zagging path with too many obstacles to even be close to the finish.

Something hard hits Jordan's head, and she figures she must have hit her head against a mean branch or something. Unfortunately, it isn't a branch that hits her head, and Jordan can feel her thoughts drifting away from her as she falls down. The left side of her lower abdomen coming in contact with a clammy log. Two neat black, shining shoes are in Jordan's line of sight, and they are gaining on her. They stop mere inches away from the tip of Jordan's nose and she wants to push against them, but the energy has been drained out of her and her green, almost luminous eyes roll into the back of her head.