Grace - Elijah Mikaelson -

Chapter 3

The next day, when she finally got Elena and Jeremy to school, Grace cared about her own stuff. Fortunately it wasn't much of a problem to take a semester off. She quickly found someone to take over her one room apartment in New York for the time she was gone.

Grace missed the noise of the city. The silence here now that she was all alone in the house was unbelievingly 'loud'. But still, Grace was surprised how fast she felt home again. Maybe the distance between her and Mystic Falls had helped her realize that this town wasn't that bad after all.

What she definitely had learned during her time of living on her own was to actually survive in the expensiveness of New York. Of course life in Virginia was much less expensive, but still bills had to be paid. Grace checked the incomes and bills of the family and was shocked when she saw how it really looked like. Their parents had left them quite the amount of money, but her siblings had lived off it without any income. Seems like no one cared so far that money gets less when there's no income.

The young woman sighed and covered her face with her hands. She had assumed that something like this would happen. Grace herself earned her money by proofreading and correcting historical papers. It would be enough to get her family food and pay the most important bills, but she had to talk to her siblings about getting jobs. They never had to help with the families's income before, but they had to grow up concerning this. At least the house was fully paid without any depts.

Some years ago, Grace never would've imagined that she would've to care about a family at her young age. But her siblings relied on her, it was the most important job she had to do.

She now regretted having herself talked into the historical society. Grace was sure that this wouldn't end with attending the meetings and have a nice tea time. Carol slowly wanted to hand her over the responsibility for the old ladies' club. If handling rebellious siblings wasn't enough.

What bothered her the most was that her siblings, especially Elena were acting strange. After she danced with Stefan, the two seemed to get into a quarrel with Damon and Elena was busy running around with a 'I'm on a mission'-look. They sure kept something important from her, but how could she get through to them? Grace had been away for so long, she wasn't in the position to ask questions.

After Grace ate a cup of instant noodles, she noticed that it was already afternoon and that she had together ready for the historical society meeting. She spent nearly half an hour in front of her closet, only to find something that wouldn't cause too much of a scandal for the tight up elderly women. But actually she couldn't care less, her whole presence at the meeting would be a scandal.

At least the weather was fine. When she stepped outside, she stood still for a moment, just enjoying the sun on her skin and the fresh air. Mystic Fall's air was the enjoyable scent of the woods, mixed with the smell of small town drama. Grace loved it. She remembered playing in the woods as a child, even though it was forbidden. But Grace always had a soft spot for the forbidden things.

She took a deep breath before walking in the direction of the Lockwood estate. As she walked, she thought about the countless times she'd passed this way. Carol and her mother had been pretty close concerning voluntary work and often Grace had accompanied her. She always had admired the Lockwood estate, the family kept it very well. So much history could be discovered here.

Grace went up the stairs and knocked at the huge door and was greeted by a widely smiling Carol shortly after. She hugged the younger woman tightly.

"Thank you so much for coming, Grace. It's so good to have you here."

Returning the smile, Grace walked in followed Carol to the meeting room.

"It's my pleasure, Carol."