chapter one ―― silhouette

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May 30th, 2009

The Gilbert household was abnormally quiet for a Friday evening.

There was laughter throughout the house. Miranda and Grayson would drink wine and talk about their week, recapping the good and the bad because it mattered to them. They didn't ask because they had to, they asked because they genuinely cared. They loved each other more than anything in the world - other than their kids, of course. Their love was sweet and charming and real. They had the kind of love people would kill for, they were completely and utterly enchanted with each other.

Jeremy would be playing video games in the living room with his friends. It ranged from Mario Kart to Grand Theft Auto most nights. And sometimes he would litter the pages of his worn-out sketchbook he got for Christmas three years ago in whatever came to mind. He had a talent for art, all of his pieces were beautiful and Adrienne had some of them hanging up in her room.

On a normal Friday night, Elena and Adrienne would be dancing around the halls with Caroline, Bonnie, Isabella, and Jade, singing out the songs from their iPod playlists. They'd wear homemade face masks and try not to chip their freshly painted nails. By the end of the night, they would be piled onto Elena's bed, talking about crushes and boyfriends or the latest gossip at school. They were a chaotic group of teenage girls, high on life and full of warmth.

The Gilbert house was made of love, family, and friendship. Relationships were strong and real. The house was comforting to all who entered, it was a warm space full of happy people.

Now it seemed empty. There was no laughter, no joy. It was dull and lifeless, the way it had been for almost a week. Everyone was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the air conditioning that ran through the house to battle the incoming heat of the summer. If Adrienne focused, she might've been able to listen to sniffles coming from Elena's room.

Grief hung over the home, haunting those who lived within. Ever since Grayson's funeral earlier today, nobody had said a word. The house had an eerie air to it. Everyone was in pain and nobody knew how to help each other.

Miranda and Jenna tried to keep it together for them. But Miranda was grieving the love of her life, the person she was meant to grow old with. The wound was still fresh, still bleeding. And the blood poured out everywhere. It was messy and everyone could see it. She couldn't help anyone until she helped herself. So Jenna tried to be there for her older sister, but she seemed inconsolable.

Everything was wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be dancing and talking and playing Monopoly at the dining room table. Adrienne was supposed to land on Boardwalk and Park Place and win the game by grabbing a couple of 500s out of the bank like the dirty cheater she was. Elena should have been complaining about how her twin was cheating and Jeremy should've been defending his older sister, going on and on about how Adrienne would never cheat. Grayson and Miranda were supposed to be laughing in amusement while holding each other's hands under the table.

Her father was supposed to be there.

The man who taught her how to walk on her own two feet, who would hold her for hours and let her sleep in his bed when she had nightmares as a kid. He was her first word, he was the one who picked her up from school early when she got her first period and was sobbing in the nurse's office, refusing to go back to class. Grayson let her use his shoulder to cry on when she went through her first heartbreak.

He was supposed to be with her in the house, not six feet under the ground in Mystic Falls cemetery. They should have gone out to the lake house today to enjoy the start of summer break. They shouldn't have been at a funeral. She shouldn't be picturing the wreck over and over again, going over each detail to make out what made their car go off wickery bridge.

Adrienne had never felt more empty in her life. Her stomach was a pit of hurt and grief that she couldn't bear. It was excruciating, that feeling she had. The feeling was unfamiliar, she never felt a pain like that in her entire life. She wanted to scream at the world, curse at whatever was out there for bringing her this agony.

Why did she have to suffer? Why did she have to lose one of the people she loved most?

Grayson Gilbert, despite his faults, was an exceptional father. He truly cared about his family, they were the world to him and more. Adrienne could never forget what he did to the Augustine vampires - but she didn't let that one bad thing he did define him. He was still the man who held her when she had nightmares and checked the closet to get rid of the monsters that hid in it. His smile still brought her joy and would light up her darkest nights.

Adrienne saw him in the house at every turn. She could picture him on the couch, on the stairs, and in the kitchen.

He was inescapable.

His face plagued her dreams, reminding her of the good times she had with him. Her head was trying to disguise the pain she held in her heart with memories, but it only reminded her of what she lost.

The nightmares were worse than the dreams. Filled with vivid flashbacks to the crash, of the water filling her lungs and the face of her mother as she took her last breath.

It started at the moments before the disaster when they talked about who was winning at game night so far. It ended with her in the hospital, dread filling her entire body as her mom broke the news about her dad.

This house was filled with things she wanted to forget.

Jenna's watchful eyes constantly burned through the back of her head whenever she walked around the house. She knew her aunt was just worried, Adrienne had hardly spoken or left her room for the past week. But she didn't want to be treated like a piece of glass that was about to shatter at any moment.

She wallowed in self-pity for a week after the accident, grieved, and let herself feel for once in her life.

Adrienne didn't want that anymore. She didn't want to feel that ache in her chest any longer. If she allowed her grief to define her then she would never be able to move on. Being sad forever wasn't an option. She was Adrienne freaking Gilbert for God's sake. She was the girl who told off teachers in school and took what she wanted when she wanted it. Hell, she made a business out of selling daylight rings to vampires when she wasn't even a witch.

She was an impulsive girl who lived by nobody's rules but her own.

Nothing would stop her from getting what she desired and if something or someone tried, they would regret it. Consequences be damned.

As of now, all she wanted was to leave Mystic Falls and all her memories with it. Her father died and with him went part of her.

She would turn 18 in a few weeks so if she slipped away before then, it wouldn't matter much. Adrienne just finished her sophomore year of high school with a bang. She and Elena started school a year late and their birthday was in June - hence why they were only finishing their sophomore year. Nobody could blame her if she left for the summer, right? She'd be back before school started, she wouldn't miss it. Besides, it wouldn't matter if she was gone. Jeremy and Elena had Aunt Jenna and their mom to take care of them.

♡

After an hour of contemplation, she finally pushed herself out of bed. She wasn't allowed to be sad anymore. She couldn't continue wallowing in self-pity or else she would drown in it. No, that was over now. Adrienne went over to her closet, bare feet pattering against the ground. There were only a few things she needed from in there. Her suitcase, her favorite clothes, and her stash of vampire-killing stuff. Stakes, vervain, and whatever.

Not bothering to be organized, she just shoved everything in and zipped it shut. Once that was over, she exited her room and went downstairs, walking past Jenna without a word. She went down to the basement next, going straight to Grayson's little corner of things he brought back from work. Adrienne dug through the piles of stuff until she found a silver lockbox and typed in the code, which was her and Elena's birthday.

The only contents within the lockbox were a folder labeled Augustine - filled with extremely disturbing photos of experiments and notes about the things they had done to vampires. Pictures of Enzo, torn apart and piecing himself back together again. Horrific stuff. But she was desensitized to it now. After making sure nothing was left behind, she closed the lockbox and took the file with her. She'd burn it later on.

♡

Adrienne Gilbert had always been much too curious for her own good. It was a rotten habit of hers, digging into the past and other people's business and finding out everything there was to know about something. If there was nothing left to learn then nothing could catch her off guard. She'd be prepared in every situation. Being aware would make her safe, she was sure of it.

But knowledge always comes with a price.

When she was about nine years old, she discovered why the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" existed. Adrienne hid in the back of her dad's car while he drove to work at Whitmore College. She'd been increasingly curious about what he did and there was never a bring your kid to work day like there was at his office.

When they arrived, she snuck out of the car and followed him around to the best of her ability. It was hard to blend in as a kid on a college campus but if she learned anything from Austin Powers, it was that acting like you know what you're doing is just as good as actually knowing what you're doing. It worked out well enough. Somehow, she snuck into the building and managed to make it inside the room that had the code on it. Adrienne was smart enough to discretely slide over a door stopper that would prop the door open enough for her to get in.

Adrienne watched through the crack as her father talked to another man, one she had never seen before. When they walked into the other room, she went into the one they were previously in and found a little staircase on the side. Obviously, she had to know what was down those stairs. She went down the steps and opened the door that was at the bottom. It was a mistake. A terrible mistake.

People were in cages, clinging to the bars in tattered and ripped clothes. They looked sick and it was clear they were injured. She walked in all the way, observing the people who appeared to be either dead or asleep. It was horrifying.

She carefully made her down the hall, glancing inside each prison until she found someone who was awake. It was only when she made it to the end of the hallway that she found what she was looking for.

The man inside the cage stared at her with curious eyes, watching her every move. He looked confused. Like he didn't know what she was doing there.

Adrienne stared back until she built up enough courage to say something. "What's your name?" She questioned. It was a basic enough question and the first thing that came to mind.

"Lorenzo, and you?" The man coughed right after, his throat was dry and his voice sounded scratchy. He must be thirsty, she thought. Sliding off her backpack, she dug around until she came across her water bottle. With a small smile, she slid it through the bars of the cage.

He took a sip and gave her an appreciative look when he realized that it was just a plain bottle of water.

"I'm Adrienne," She told him as she sat down in front of the cage. "What are you doing in there?"

It was meant to be an innocent question. She was never meant to hear the truth.

Lorenzo quirked an eyebrow at the girl, he figured she already knew. "Darling, I'm a vampire. Why else would I be here?"

She froze at his words. Vampire? No, that wasn't possible. She'd seen The Lost Boys and Interview With The Vampire at least a hundred times. Vampires didn't look like that. They weren't locked in cages like animals. It was unheard of in vampire lore and she of all people would know, she was extremely invested in it. Yeah, she was a big fan of it all. But real vampires? No, they didn't exist.

"Vampires aren't real, Lorenzo. Everyone knows that," She argued.

Knowing she needed proof, he showed her his real face. The scleras of his eyes turned dark red and veins protruded from underneath his eyes. He flashed her a toothy smile to show off his fangs. That was all the evidence she needed to believe him.

She watched him in amazement, his face was so terrifying yet completely enthralling to her. Fiction became real to her in a matter of minutes and how it made her feel was explainable. She wanted─ no, she needed to know more.

Taking out her notebook and pencil, she flipped to the nearest blank page. "Let's make a deal, okay? You tell me everything you know about vampires and about how you turned... and I'll do something for you, okay? I mean, I know everything about fake vampires like Lestat de Lioncourt but this is completely different from what I've read."

Lorenzo was amused by her bargaining, for a kid she was a good businesswoman. "You've got yourself a deal."

Adrienne and Lorenzo talked for hours and she learned everything there was to know about real vampires. They were weakened by vervain and they needed a daylight ring spelled by a witch to walk in the sun. Apparently, witches were real too, which was insane.

She left around six o'clock in the evening, it would be too difficult to sneak into the back of her dad's car again so she'd have to catch the bus and make it back before him. Adrienne wished Lorenzo goodbye and let him know she'd be back again soon. She considered them friends by the time she left and she'd feel bad if she just left and never came back.

It was sad that he was trapped in the cage. She thought about setting him free but she didn't quite know where the keys were. Her dad probably had a copy somewhere and if not, then she'd look around more next time and try to find them. Adrienne was known to be a kleptomaniac for a good reason. There was an entire shoe box under her bed filled with stolen makeup she'd collected from stores for the past year. She'd surely find a way to get her new friend out of that hell hole one way or another.

She was happy with how the day turned out, even if she learned absolutely nothing about what exactly her father did. Lorenzo promised he'd tell her the next time she came to visit. When he said it, there was a weird feeling in her stomach... like she knew whatever her father did wasn't good. Adrienne couldn't help but hope that it wouldn't be anything too bad.

Oh, Adrienne... if only she knew how that day was going to change her entire life.

♡

It was about time she broke Enzo out of that hell hole anyway. The only reason she even waited this long was because she was afraid he would go after her dad. Since he was dead now, she had no excuse to keep him locked up at Augustine. He deserved to get out of there. And Grayson being killed was no longer a concern. Can't kill someone twice, right?

She also needed to track down more vampires so she could spread the word about her daylight ring business. It was a good enough deal, being able to walk in the sun in exchange for some money and a favor. It was also a way to make some powerful allies, which she would need in a world full of supernatural creatures.

Adrienne Gilbert was going to run away, break her best friend out of Augustine, and hunt some vampires for the summer.

It was around four in the morning when she left.

Sure, this was a last-minute decision that she made only a few hours prior and would most likely regret soon enough. But that's what life's about, right? Living on the edge and doing things without reason. Acting impulsively.

All she had was a suitcase and her Hello Kitty backpack from elementary school filled with the essentials. Aka; wooden stakes, vervain, daylight rings, and some other personal items. She didn't need to bring money, Enzo could easily compel them free stuff like hotel rooms and gas for her car. The perks of being friends with a vampire.

Adrienne decided it wouldn't be right to just disappear without saying anything at all, so she stuck a post-it on her door that explained everything. Hopefully, her family would get the memo and wouldn't report her as a runaway.

She tip-toed away from her door as quietly as possible, looking around every few seconds to make sure nobody was around to see her go. Once the coast was clear, she bolted down the steps and hurriedly unlocked the front door. Adrienne pushed her suitcase onto the porch and shut the door behind her, making sure to lock it for safety. didn't need anyone burglarizing her house in her absence.

She was running on pure adrenaline mixed with the strawberry milk she made two hours ago. How was she going to drive one hour to Whitmore without falling asleep at the wheel? That was a mystery. Adrienne hadn't slept in almost 48 hours, she was lucky she wasn't passed out on the ground right now. But as she always said, the best decisions are always made when you're sleep-deprived.

Once she got to her car, she shoved the suitcase in the trunk and put her bag in the backseat. With a sigh, she turned around to take one last look at her childhood home. There was a small frown resting on her lips. Adrienne was sure she'd be getting a lot of calls in a few hours when everyone woke up.

There wasn't any time for hesitation. She sat down in the driver's seat and put her keys into the ignition, starting up her vehicle. With one final glance at her house, she set off on her new adventure. No regrets.

Well, no regrets yet.

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A/N

Hi everyone! I finally have the motivation to pick up this story again and write for it :) I've had so many ideas since I originally started creating Adrienne - so to everyone who had been waiting for so long, here's the first chapter! My goal is to upload weekly or bi-weekly. Comments and votes help me stay motivated and I love when readers interact with my story! Thank you so much for reading!! Also, I make edits for this story on tiktok! @/glxmor.wp

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