All I Need

Beautifully breezy with just the right amount of sunshine. Katya stretched out on the grassy lawn of her family’s Shore Ditch vacation home. Soon enough they would all be packing and making the flight to Mystic Falls. An extended vacation was her parent’s gift to her for uprooting the family just before her senior year. Meditation was the perfect way to spend her last hour, especially after a tiring yoga session to prepare her for the flight. The Shore Ditch home always calmed here, even if the visits were few and far between.

A quick gust blew through her long, pecan colored hair right as her soul drifted away from her body. Cobalt orbs moved together on a plane completely desperate from that of her Earth, and she felt at home. Unfortunately the hour passed much too quickly and next thing she knew she was boarding a plane, hoping that blue orb would return to her soon.

Unlike LAX the airport in Mystic Falls was very calm and inviting. Getting off the aircraft and retrieving her belongings was simple and allowed her time to observe how the people walked about as if they were at peace with the world. People greeted one another with an air of familiarity, though that was expected of a small town. Katya groaned inwardly when she realized that this was her new home. So far her new home wasn't nearly as fast paced as she was hoping. Nonetheless she climbed into the back of the large truck her parents had waiting and attempted to check in with some of her old friends.

Red lights made for lovely delights. She noticed a street with a coffee shop, a few cafes, various bookstores, and a little boutique. Very Sunset Boulevard, she thought. As they pulled up to the Gilbert House she couldn't help but to let her annoyance get the best of her. Feeling some sort of dejected sense of defeat she made her way up the front steps and into the doorway, hands on her hips. “Which one is mine?” she called out to her parents, who had begun to unload their belongings.

“Whichever one you want,” the perky voice of her mother could be heard from the bed of the truck. Despite her relation to the founding family, she had never bothered to learn about her ancestors, the town, or many of her relatives. The one visit she remembered lasted only one short weekend and was so many years ago she had lost count; the only person she really remembered without having to hear stories was Jeremy.

Somehow the room she wanted called out to her. The room that was off-limits when she had first laid eyes on it. Mr. Gilbert’s study was the largest room in the house at the time. The master bedroom. In the last few years it had become a storage facility of sorts, but what could she have expected? The death of Elena’s parents was a shock, but not the biggest. Elena Gilbert had become so distraught that she had thrown herself into her school work, graduated a year early, and then shipped off to Australia to attend university. At the time of death her mum and Mrs. Gilbert had been in an argument over some items from their parents will. Because of this Elena didn't want them anywhere near the funeral.

Katya shook the negative thoughts from her mind. Lifting the dust covers from the furniture that had been haphazardly pushed into the room, she decided to keep an old wooden trunk, a vanity with a large, circular mirror, and a wardrobe for all of her clothes to hang. Just as she had tied her hair up into a messy ponytail her mother entered the room with a taller boy. “This is Matthew Donovan,” Mrs. Whiteley said as the boy brushed his clay colored hair from his eyes. “He’ll be helping you to move whatever you don’t wish to keep out so you don’t strain your back again.” Katya shook his hand and muttered a thank you to her mother.

“I’m Katya, it’s really nice to meet you,” she spoke softly, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. “And thank you for offering to help.” Her eyes wandered across the room, surveying all of the furniture that she didn't want. There was no way that she could get rid of any of it seeing as how it belonged to the Gilbert’s. What would Elena think if she knew that her cousin was getting rid of stuff that meant something to her? There was no way to know without flying Elena over. “Actually, do you know where Jeremy is at? I feel like it isn't really my place to get rid of things that belong to his parents.”

Matt’s hair fell into his eyes once more as he shook his head, “Right. Um, let me go see if he’s at our place. We can probably just get everyone over to a storage unit.” His smirk was apologetic, and he looked unsure of his words. Katya just smiled and began to pull the wooden trunk to sit directly under the window. The room was already white and would look even better with re-purposed minimalist furniture in it. She had already decided that the trunk would hold clothes meant for different seasons and become a bench underneath the window; the wardrobe would hold everything she would need for autumn.

Just as she was about to begin making a list of things she still needed Matthew walked back in with Jeremy, who hugged her. “Cousin, I've missed you,” he smiled. “You can get rid of whatever you don’t want. There’s nothing here I care to keep and I honestly don’t think Elena is coming back.” He looked genuinely sad, but if he was he didn't let it show in his mannerisms or voice. “If that’s her prerogative fine, but she had the choice to take care of things here and decided to go anyways.”

Katya wrapped her arms around Jeremy, rubbing his back lightly. “Look Jer, I know you miss her, and your parents. That’s perfectly normal. I don’t mind loading everything into a storage space.” Pulling away, they smiled at each other. “Don’t make a decision just because we’re moving in. We aren't here to impose in any way, and we love you. Okay?”

He nodded and took a seat atop the trunk that Katya had pulled to the window. A thoughtful look crossed his face but he didn't say anything for a few minutes. Neither did Katya or Matthew. “Why don’t we sell all of this?” The other two looked at each other in confusion, but he continued. “Why don’t we sell the things you don’t want to raise money for the school?”

“That could be really nice, actually,” Katya smiled. “You’re such a sweet kid.” She had taken to rifling through the drawers in one of the dressers she was not keeping. “But I think first we should worry about emptying all of this stuff… Did you know there were letters here? They look awfully old.” The next three hours were spent sorting family artifacts from legal documents and trash, the sunset shining beautifully through the gauzy pink curtains that had earlier appeared to be white. Perfect, Katya thought, a beautiful view every day.