I got tired of the Constant Elena Twin stories being exactally the same. They hate Elena, they obsess over her, they get all the guys or date Tyler and he cheated. They have no agency or story of their own, being an Elena clone or somehow are amazing and powerful entity like a powerful werewolf, vampire, reincarnation or uber witch.

I found a great path for soooo much potential that fits in the series. I like writing charecters that feel like they can actually be a part of the series. Like this is a natural variation of the universe and timeline...

I hope you enjoy!

"Rasanble pouvwa yo, péniche fwi ki sou te a, pouvwa nan epi akode mwen serenite" Softly, the words were whispered over a bowl filled with herbs. Lavender and Sage, sitting steeped in water. "Rasanble pouvwa yo, péniche fwi ki sou te a, pouvwa nan epi akode mwen serenite. Rasanble pouvwa yo, péniche fwi ki sou te a, pouvwa nan epi akode mwen serenite." Raising a blade, she cut a tiny mark onto her thumb, whispering her chant once again as she allowed the blood to drip onto the herbs. "Rasanble pouvwa yo, péniche fwi ki sou te a, pouvwa nan epi akode mwen serenite"

Fire erupted, dancing across the water, seeping into the herbs. As the fire evaporated, steam rose from the bowl. Leaning towards the potions, Samantha Gilbert wafted the steam and breathed in. Magic danced across her skin, shuddering weakly within her until finally the pain, fear and guilt from her most recent nightmare began to fade.

"God, that's better then pot." She collapsed, jellyboned and smiling onto her swivel chair almost unable to mask her satisfaction. Then her high vanished, pain and fear and guilt slamming back into place quicker then it disappeared. "Shit... guess I'm not strong enough for that. Damn Curse, I didn't do anything, why do I have to suffer because my ancestors got too greedy with their magic."

Annoyed, she grabbed the potion and dumped it into her trash, not caring that the herbs were water logged. No one walked into her room anyway, there was little point in hiding anything. Grabbing her phone, she took a picture and the failed potion, sending a copy to her email and another to the first contact in her phone with the message.

'Not sure if lacking skill or power. Try again with talisman later.'

As satisfied as she was going to get, the Gilbert girl stood, grabbing a notebook from her shelf, contemplating it for a moment before shrugging.

"Twelve potions and two spells and I still can't move this fucking feeling from my chest." Almost as in response, pain flared up in Samantha's chest, a dull heavy ache that sapped her strength as it washed through her body. She knew what it was. "Can't use magic to help me, maybe Elena's method will help... Never thought I'd be the journaling type. How do I even start, it just seems to weird to write down my thoughts... I mean I do like writing stories, so I guess I could just write like I'm talking to someone instead of just a journal. Not that it really matters, I'm going to have to burn the page anyway."

Sighing loudly, the dramatic Gilbert began to write.

Hello Journal... I guess I should introduce myself, huh?

My name is Samantha Jean Gilbert, daughter of Greyson and Miranda Gilbert. I am seventeen years old with black hair and green eyes, which I only mention since it's my appearance actually plays a pretty big part in my story. Why you may ask? Well no one else in my family looks like me including my beautiful older twin sister Elena who is very tall with dark olive skin and brown everything else. Even our body type is different, most Gilberts are stocky or have this athletic build where as Elena is all willowy and model thin and I'm somewhere in the middle of curvy and athletic.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised since I am almost ninety percent certain that Elena and I are adopted, I'll explain that later, I promise. It's a tale all it's own. Also, I know your just a journal but I kind of feel bad that I started to rant. I do that, a trait I do share with my sister... one of the only one I share, but again I'll get to that later.

Oh and let me be clear if I am adopted it means nothing. My mom and dad were Miranda and Greyson, Jeremy is still my little brother! Also despite my complaints I do not hate my sister. I need these things to be very clear!

Now since I just threw some names at you, I think I need to explain who they are because they played a big part in my story and why I need to heal.

First off are my parents, Miranda and Greyson. You need to know that they died a few months ago, in a car crash my sister and I were also involved in. They drove off of Wickery bridge while picking Elena up from a party, my sister and I survived which I am glad for but how I personally survived makes me think I was responsible. I'll explain that later, it deserves it's own paragraph at least. Anyway I loved my parents even if we didn't always get along. I was a party girl, getting into drugs and booze and sex as early as twelve. Yes, Twelve! We have a serious but ignored drug issue in Mystic Falls, Virginia and I was a part of it thanks to one Kelly and Vicki Donovan. Vicki wasn't my friend persay, but since we grew up together and her brother had been dating Elena I was exposed to their naughtiness.

I always had issues with my parents, mostly about their desire to control my life a bit too much and make me just like Elena or my mom. I liked being me, I hated Elena's friends and most people in general. Mystical Falls is fully of patronizing dickholes and fake people, I hate this so I may have acted out. I never once attended a function without complaining, which is really saying something since the freaking town is obsessed with it's past and has to celebrate it once or twice a month to great expense. My mom was loved being a part of this and my dad was big into tradition... it became an issue.

I did manage to grow up and stop partying, but only after I saw the impact Kelly has on her kids. Somehow it got me to stop, slowly but I did it. My parents thought it was their tough love, it wasn't. I chose to stop and somehow became a pretty good student, but people still called me slutty and whatever. I don't care what they think, not anymore. Seeing a mother neglect and abandon her kids, turning her daughter into her mirror image with a drug issue and lack of self confidence was a hard hit for me. I admit that I used to party, in part, to get a taste of the soical love that I wasn't getting elsewhere. I found that in writing stories and myself, the promise that I would leave Mystic Falls as an adult and just be happy. It was a nice feeling.

Hell the reason I wasn't at the at the part with Elena was that my parent banned me and I chose to stop partying only six months before. Not that they knew... or cared. They tended to only see me as their party girl daughter instead of the girl who probably needed therapy for depression... Like I said, I love them but they were not perfect.

Anyway, I guess my Aunt Jenna is next. She is the aunt on my mom's side, her little sister. She was a party girl like me but got it together to get to school after Logan Fell, a local reporter who is yummy, cheated on her. She went to college and only came back to care for my and my siblings after our parents died. She and I are very, very close... but I am not stupid. Like most people she prefers Elena, not really a bad thing since Elena is a bit of a kiss ass and a naturally warm person where as I am a bit bitchy but hey it hurts a little regardless. Jenna is strong, stronger then all of us. People have ignored her grief, including my siblings... which, in part, is why I spent my summer with my Uncle Jon.

Then there is Jeremy, sweet dumb Jeremy who is now a Druggie and Drunk if what Elena told me is true. I think he might have had a fling with Vicki, but since I sometimes talk with her on the phone, I may or may not have threatned her if she so much as got him to touch more then weed or occasional alchol. Vicki, like a lot of people, knew better then to piss me off. Party girl was also fight girl and I may have sent two fully grown men into the hospital for harassing me, one groped my breast during a party. It was a rare moment where my mom approved. I was actually let out of grounding for that one. Anyway, what I do know is that Vicki stopped seeing my brother at all out of fear. She was into way harder things then Jerbear needed to be into. My sweet little brother used to be a constant artist, actually we all kind of were since my parents wanted us to have a love of art in some way. My sister and I wrote and Jer was an artist. I wasn't overly close to Jer, my parents made us stay apart when I got really into partying but I am still trying to keep him safe since no one has thought to put him into Therapy where he belongs. Not even Jenna with her Psychology major... this town has a poor opinion on Therapy, which would have helped a lot of people I think. I being a perfect example.

Next was Elena and her irritating friends. My sister was a good person, judgy and a little self absorbed, but good none the less. People flocked towards her, wanting to be a part of her light. That I wasn't like her made it a bit hard between us. I loved her but I didn't like her all of the time. She was a cheerleader and into public service, I was partygirl that turned to writing and watching Anime. She made friends with everyone and I hated people... Her best friends were Bonnie Bennet and Caroline Forbes. I hated them both.

Caroline was bossy, obnoxious and honestly I may have beat her up once when I was thirteen. I admit though, even at Thirteen she up a better fight then those grown men. Wicked intelligent and dedicated, she thought everything was a challenge and that she has to compete against against Elena. Honestly I see her as the girl to get into an abusive relationship just to either be a victim or to piss off Elena or Her mom. That being said she is neglected by both parents, her recently openly gay dad who abandoned her and her Cop mom who is married to the Job.

Then there is Bonnie... obnoxious and weird, not in a good way, Bonnie is super judgy. Again her family life is a nightmare. Mom abandoned her, dad never sees her, grandma is a lush who is rarely there for her. Bonnie is annoying but I feel for her...

I guess there is also Matt, Elena's ex and Vicki's little brother. Handsome and sad, he will go no where due to his utter lack of ambition to better himself. He needs therapy and the town should be raising him since he was abandoned by both parents but no... no one cares. Shithole town. I don't like him either, he was too into my sister and honestly he was annoying...

Then there is Uncle John... my dad's brother. I know it seems weird to put him last and not my twin, but he is more relevant to my story so... yeah. Anyway everyone hates him. Even my dad was not happy to see him, even if he hid it well. Rude, judgmental and Sarcastic, he pissed everyone off but to be honest I enjoyed his candor. Yeah he was a prick but I liked that he didn't hide that behind a veil of propriety.

When my parents died, I needed to leave town to heal and... other things, so I begged Uncle John to take me on his travels. It took some convincing but he said yes! I spent the summer all over, in Texas and Mexico for a week! Florida and New Orleans for twelve days, North Dakota for a few days... it was wonderful. I never told him why though... which leads me to the next part of my story and why I am going to burn this when I am done writing.

I, Samantha Jean Gilbert, am a witch. I know, unbelievable right? I thought so too... but it was impossible to deny after the accident.

Let me explain.

During the accident, I tried to help Elena's unbuckle herself but due to a concucssion I was super dizzy and ended up scratching her. Blood got all over my fingers, and the shock of it knocked me out, though I was holding her arm and so woke up when she escaped the car. Panic, mostly due to the water in my lungs, kicked in and I gave one finaly attempt to save myself. The damn seatbelt wouldn't unlock, I thought I was going to die!

I felt something, like adrenaline but way stronger, shot across my fingers. It was the blood, I later realized, and it woke something inside of me. The belt tore and I felt a force shove me out of the car through the door on Elena's side. I passed out then, and I guess I floated to the shore next to my sister. I think someone saved us, my chest was badly bruised from what had to be CPR and Elena had been unconcious so there was no way she could have gotten out... she can't use magic like me, trust me I checked.

The memories were foggy for a day or so after I woke in the hospital, but as soon as we got home everything became clear. The internet is a wonderful thing and I found out all sorts of things. Mostly that there was a huge witch community in New Orleans... in theory at least. It was the real reason I went with my Uncle, I actually am the one to convince him to go there. I think he thought I wanted to party, I didn't at all, but I let him think what he wanted. I love him but I do not trust him.

It took like an hour to find actual witches, I could actually feel their magic! It was intense, like how static feels in the air. They did not like me though and I found out why... I am not just a witch, I am a Traveler.

Travelers are old witches cursed with an inability to connect to the Earth for magic, nor could they congregate for any reason... though apparently they would posses people to gather. I can't do that, I have no idea how to! As a product not only can I not draw on the earth, my body doesn't draw on the earth passively for magic so my body never develops a higher resistance or natural magic pool of any large note. Basically I am a really weak witch!. Channeling the Earth, passively, is what causes a witches powers to manifest even without training. Since I cannot do this, it prevented my powers from manifesting. Same with all Travelers unless they are exposed to strong emotion and a powerful source of magic. Training and upbringing as a Traveler not withstanding.

A witch named Lenore, a beautiful and skilled witch that didn't uphold a lot of the traditional prejudices of the Witches of New Orleans, found me and decided to teach me some basics. How to channel magical objects, which all witches can do and is basically the only way I can use any magic of note, some basic magical history, the use of herbs and fire in spells ( Which I can still use actually) and how to connect with other witches. She wrote a grimoire for me, filled with potions and spells that didn't require a lot of power so that I can learn. She also told me about Werewolves and Vampires, and how I need to be safe from their powers. I guess New Orleans is a battle ground for all three... so I did not want to stay!

As a parting gift she gave me her number and two talismans. The first was a bracelet that kept my magical artifacts and stuff hidden so that I did not have to hide it from my family. It has it's own magic, so I do not have to do anything to use it.

The other talisman was a skull necklace, I adore skulls so no one will question it. It was spelled with two purposes, and two only. The first was a simple protective spell that would react if I was under attack, the specifics were unclear on that. The other and more important part was to allow me channel it for magic. It wasn't overly powerful, as my body cannot handle any larger body of magic, but it does allow me to cast a few spells on my own.

Very minor telekinesis, fire starting without a spell, a very weak and tiring tracking spells that would do nothing for a moving target, and a few other spells. Like I said, I am not strong so there are limitations...

Currently I am studying my limitations, seeing what I can learn safely. I am considering on collecting more dark objects and the like, learning sacrificial magic and what not so I can cast magic and not by tied to just what my body allows. I guess Travelers only draw on dark objects and each other, but sacrificial magic is not Earth magic so I should be able to do it. There is a problem with dark objects and how it effects the mind so I am going to be careful.

I have some goals... I want to make a talisman that draws on my magic while I sleep and whenever I choose to channel my powers into it, so that it can be used to cast stronger magic in the future. Reading the Inheritance Cycle gave me that idea! I also want to find the other Travelers, learn my heritage and see how they have adapted to our curse! Oh, I am also learning Creole , Latin and Czech! Creole is the language of the spells Lenore taught me, Latin is what most witches outside of New Orleans use and Czech is what Travelers use.

I have always been a scraper, so it wasn't hard to get Uncle John to teach me some hand to hand. Not a lot, he only knew so much and he is too secretive by nature. I figured it made sense, I mean I am a freaking weak witch so by nature vampires and other assholes will find me like they seem to do to other witches. I refuse to be helpless and aim to learn more self defense stuff as school goes on. Not sure what but hey, I will do what I can. I have been pretty active this summer though, jogging and working out for at least an hour and a half a day. I have bulked up quite a bit, hopefully it helps?

Lastly and most importantly... I want to break the curse... for myself, my sister and to honor my parents. I am honestly sure that they died because Elena and I are Travelers, remember the curse. It causes natural disasters and it was raining hard... Remember how I said I checked Elena for magic? It was spell that is really easy to cast, even weak as I am. She has the potential like me, but my parent's didn't. I checked at their graves, and I checked Jeremy, John and Jenna. I think it was the curse that killed them... I want to Tell Elena, train her so she is safe. I think it was her magic that allowed me to escape, I think I channeled her blood since Witch blood is a powerful binding agent and force for magic!

But, problem, If I tell and train Elena then she is a witch in full. The Curse, if I am wrong and it has nothing to due with the death of my parents, would come into full effect. I do not and cannot allow that.

So, it is in secrecy that I train. That I work hard...

I am Samantha Jean Gilbert, Trainee Traveler Witch! I will do what I can to protect my family and end this curse that is destroying so many lives!

That is my story and I am proud of it...

Huh, Elena is right, that is Cathartic... Thank you paper. Now I have to kill you... sorry about that. May you find happiness in another life.

Giggling at her treatment of the paper, honestly uplifted by the writing, Samantha pulled each page off and rolled them up. Grasping her skull necklace, she dipped the paper in the cup of water on her desk. Taking it out, she said one word.

"Sanflaman"

Dancing flames erupted from the water, consuming the paper entirely. With a weak wave and some focus, the ashes and smoke shot out of the window, following the winds as they escaped. Secrets and shame and endless guilt dancing away...

Leaving Samanatha panting with a smile, proud of her accomplishments and standing to get ready for school. This was her junior and sophomore year, parties and drugs had taken so much attention that she all but failed tenth grade despite trying to grow up and be better. She didn't mind it though, no matter the judgement. She was working on herself and that was more then she could say about the rest of Mystic Falls.

Before she left, half an hour earlier then her siblings, she grabbed the bracelet and placed it dead center of her desk. The spell activated, bound to her blood, and masked her occult objects and grimoire.

Satisfied the Gilbert witch walked out of her room, ready to face the day.

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

I am really proud of this. I have learned a lot from my Arryn Lannister story, mainly how to accomplish my goals of realistic slow developments with characters that feel in tune with the Universe as a whole. Elena has Traveler blood, so it feels like it fits to me.

This sister is going to be fun to write with!

Here are a translation of the spells I wrote! Oh and yes Lenore was from the Originals she was the witch Esther ended up in when she became a vampire.

Gather the powers, infuse the fruits of the earth, power within and grant me serenity.

Ignite!

These spells are in Creole!

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.