Tumbleweeds

The Vampire Diaries: The Return #2.1

by L.J. Smith

Cut from The Vampire Diaries: Shadow Souls for space. Elena and Damon have had an argument while driving to the Gateway to the Dark Dimension.Damon has stopped the car at a crossroads, and now Elena is pacing angrily. Tumbleweeds are all around them—piled up in suspicious mounds. Elena is furious at Damon, who has scarcely spoken to her all day. She can’t understand why he won’t even look at her.

Genres: Vampires, Fantasy, Short Stories, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

19 pages, ebook

First published July 1, 2011

About the author

Smith was born in Villa Park, Orange County, California. In interviews, she has said she realized she wanted to be a writer sometime between kindergarten and first grade, “when a teacher praised a horrible poem I’d written”, and began writing in earnest in elementary school. Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1987, followed by teaching credentials in Elementary education and Special education from San Francisco State University.

She taught kindergarten and special education for several years before becoming a full-time writer. Her first book, The Night of the Solstice, was published by MacMillan in 1987, followed by, Heart of Valor in 1990, and the 4-volume Vampire Diaries series in 1991-2. Three trilogies followed: The Secret Circle (1992), The Forbidden Game (1994), and Dark Visions (1995). The first installment of her popular Night World series was published in 1996, followed by eight more over the next two years. In 1998, Smith began a decade-long hiatus from writing, returning in 2008 with a new Web site and a series of new short stories. The Vampire Diaries series was reissued in 2007, followed by re-printings of The Secret Circle trilogy and Night World series in 2008/2009. The Night of the Solstice and Heart of Valor was also reissued in 2008. Three new Vampire Diaries installments were published in 2009 and 2010.

Smith lived in the San Francisco Bay area “with one dog, three cats, and about ten thousand books.”

She passed away on March 8th, 2025, after a lengthy illness.

Reviews

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too short... Too stupid... Too unreasonable!!! Απλά, μην σπαταλήσετε 10' από τη ζωή σας, ενώ την ίδια ώρα μπορείτε... να σουλουπώσετε, ας πούμε, τα φρύδια σας!

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's so much tension between these two that it's a miracle they don't self-destruct sometimes. Damon is as impossible and vampiric as ever while still trying to play his own warped game to win Elena and pretend he's what he thinks she wants him to be. Interesting how his internal dialogue highlights a lot of the same jealousy brought to light in Phantom, which I just recently finished reading. There are times when you can't help but love Damon, and others where he really deserve a quick kick to knock him back in line.

[Maud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was exiting. Too bad they cut it out from the actual book since it sounded like a good part but I'm happy that it was posted online anyway. After this story I felt kinda itchy and I'm happy that it was Elena and Damon and not me who was in the middle of all that. Now I know that at some points it's better to stay in the car and don't get out.

[M.D. Bowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, was immediately immersed back into the original vampire diaries story. As with many of the things that happen in the vampire diaries books it takes a minute to get over how riduculous they are, but then I get totally sucked in and I don't care anymore!
This is definately a story for people who have already read the 'The Return', rather than a taster for the book.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great fix for a one Delena shipper such as myself on a VD hiatus.

[Milagros Guevara Bernabé · Rating 1 out of 5]

Calificación: ⭐(1.1)

Opinión:

¡Gente curiosa, tomen asiento porque 'Tumbleweeds' nos está regalando el chisme jugoso que se quedó fuera de 'Shadow Souls' de L.J. Smith! 🚗🌪️

Elena y Damon, en su viaje épico hacia el portal de la Dimensión Oscura, se ven obligados a hacer una parada que ni ellos esperaban. ¿Y qué se encuentran en su camino? ¡Nada más y nada menos que un montón de bolas de planta rodadora! Pero, ojo, esto no es solo una pausa para estirar las piernas. Un auto pasa a toda velocidad, choca con una de las bolas y, ¡boom!, una lluvia de pequeños malachs cae sobre nuestros intrépidos protagonistas. 💥

Imaginen la escena: Damon y Elena, cubiertos por una lluvia de bichitos, ¡y esos malachs decididos a hacer agujeros en su piel! ¿No es el drama de carretera que todos desearían presenciar? 🤔 Pero la diversión no termina ahí. Ahora, nuestros héroes se enfrentan a la misión de encontrar un granero vacío, el único refugio donde pueden librarse de estos bichos indeseados. 🏚️

En este paquete de sorpresas, no podemos dejar de lado la tensión romántica entre Damon y Elena mientras lidian con los malachs. Damon, el chico malo, hace esfuerzos desesperados por ocultar su atracción hacia Elena, quien parece ser el sueño de todos. ¡Vamos, Damon, no estás siendo nada sutil! 🙄 Pero para ser justos, Elena tampoco se queda atrás, provocando a Damon al aparecer en bikini. La situación se torna bastante extraña cuando Damon usa una especie de visión de rayos X al estilo Superman para advertirle a Elena sobre un malach debajo de su pecho. ¡Incómodo! 😬

En resumen, 'Tumbleweeds' nos sirve una porción pequeña de acción, caos y, por supuesto, una pizca de romance clandestino para los fanáticos de Delena. ¿Será este desvío una pausa necesaria en la trama principal o simplemente un capricho momentáneo? ¡Solo los lectores valientes decidirán aventurarse en este episodio frenético de 'Shadow Souls'! 📖💨

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a snippet which should have been in 'Shadow Souls'. Basically Elena and Damon are driving to the portal when they stop. There are lots of tumbleweeds, and when another car comes past and hits one, it explodes and showers Damon and Elena with small malachs, which begin burrowing into their skin. They then have to find a vacant barn where they can pick the bugs off of themselves. Poor Damon trying not to show how much he fancies Elena obviously, as she's such a dreamboat and all 🙄

[Ashlie Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad scene as far as this sub series goes. I wish she would've included the car stopping, Elena getting out to pace, and just some more set up material for this scene - in the published version of "Shadow Souls" Damon and Elena stop because of a nasty storm, not for the sake of Elena taking a bath so this original scene was more than the 19 pages published online.

[The_Books_Music_Life · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2 stars.


Don't have anything to say really, it was okay, kind of boring in my opinion.

[Juan Antonio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Bharti Nankani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't get why this was cut, it was so much better than most of the chapters that were actually included in shadow souls

[Sukriti · Rating 3 out of 5]

"L.J. Smith's novel is a captivating blend of supernatural intrigue and teenage drama. The protagonist, navigating a world of vampires and witches, faces both love and peril. Smith's writing skillfully weaves suspense with a touch of romance, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. The character development is strong, and the plot twists add depth to the storyline. While some clichés are present, Smith's unique spin on the paranormal genre sets this book apart. Overall, a thrilling read for those seeking a mix of the otherworldly and the everyday challenges of adolescence."

[Daiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cut from The Vampire Diaries: Shadow Souls for space. Elena and Damon have had an argument while driving to the Gateway to the Dark Dimension. Damon has stopped the car at a crossroads, and now Elena is pacing angrily. Tumbleweeds are all around them—piled up in suspicious mounds. Elena is furious at Damon, who has scarcely spoken to her all day. She can't understand why he won't even look at her.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting part of the story. I do understand why it's cut our, cause besides it's hot to have Damon staring at Elena's body there is nothing really important in this story. I did like the last few pages of Damon's Point Of View though. I so, an extra star for that part! :D

[Jamie Coudeville · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how much I loved LJ's writing. The tension between Damon and Elena is just incredible. I hate that those books by the ghostwriter kind of ruined the series for me. Gotta re-read the first few books again.

[Chandni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty pointless story - didn't add much to the Damon and Elena storyline.

[Marjolein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to have a part from Damons point of view!

[Kushnuma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely love all the TVD books except the ones that were written by the ghost writer.

[Carly Fries · Rating 3 out of 5]

EXTRA DALENA SCENE HOORAH

[Denisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another rating: 4/10