What are the motifs in The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and the Struggle by L.J. Smith?

Loyalty is a recurring idea that is expressed in The Vampire Diaries most strongly by Elena Gilbert's three friends, Bonnie, Meredith and Matt, although it can be seen in other characters as well. At the start of the book, Elena is presented as a girl at the top of her social peer group and someone who has a close bond with her friends, but perhaps does not really appreciate them. Through the course of the story Elena learns what true loyalty is by having to realize that she needs her friends more than ever and by becoming a social pariah at her school.