Episode 1: The First Day

In the real world

As in dreams,

Nothing is quite

As it seems

-Dean Koontz, The Book Of Counted Sorrow

Chicago, 1922

Rain fell heavy in the alleyway where I was standing. It was so cold I could see puffs of air like white clouds every time I exhaled. My short brunette hair stuck to my face in dark tendrils. I hadn't dressed for the rain, my sleeveless beaded dress left me defenseless against the cold and the rain. I had dressed for the speakeasy, which was raided not that long ago, forcing me outside in the rain. I should go home, but I was holding onto the sliver of hope that my date would come back for me.

I had to hold on to the hope that he wouldn't leave me so soon after we found each other again.

A man joined me in the Rain. I knew him as Stefan Salvatore. He was a new friend of my date's, and he was an old friend of mine.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" He asked. There was a predatory gleam in his eye that I hadn't caught at the time.

I told him I was waiting for my friends.

"I don't think they'll be seeing you again, doll." He replied, stepping closer to me.

I didn't understand the underlying meaning. Didn't Stefan know who I was? He should know I would see him again, even if it took another hundred years.

I turned to Stefan, a correction on my lips, only to be horrified by what I saw.

Stefan had gotten very close to me without me noticing. And he was no longer a man, but a monster. His face was distorted. Thick dark veins surrounded his eyes, which were red as blood, and sharp fangs protruded from his gums. It was the last image I saw before he attacked. The feeling of his fangs ripping into the skin of my neck was the last thing I felt.

Mystic Falls, 2009

My scream woke me up.

Throwing off my tangled blankets, I got out of bed as quick as I could and grabbed my dream journal. I sat at my desk, and furiously wrote everything I could remember. The problem with dreams is if I didn't write them down, I could forget them. I didn't want to forget my dreams, no matter how bizarre or scary or insignificant.

I've realized for a couple years now that my dreams differed from other people's dreams. My sister had dreams of dating her favorite TV character and had nightmares about coming to school naked. In my dreams, I was always someone from the past, never myself, and no matter how hazy the dream was, it always felt real. Even tonight's dream had me rubbing my neck to make sure I didn't have a bite mark.

"Charlie!" My sister rushed into my room, still in her pajamas. "Are you okay? I heard you scream."

"I'm okay, Care," I said from my desk. "Just a bad dream."

"Another one? You've been having a lot of those lately." Caroline perched herself at the edge of my desk, "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Caroline knew all about how my dreams had been disturbing me, especially after sharing the same room while Elena stayed with us over the summer.

"No," I said, but my sister continued looking at me expecting more. She knew I was lying, just as I knew she was worried we would grow apart. "If I had something I wanted to talk about, you'd be the first to know Care. After all, we shared a womb, you can't get much closer than that."

"Okay!" She smiled, satisfied for the moment, and straighten up, "Well, we better get ready, don't want to be late for the first day of junior year!" Caroline left to get ready and I started to do the same.

I marveled at how different I appeared now than in my dream. Caroline and I were fraternal twins, but we shared the same long blonde hair, albeit mine was wavier. My face was covered in freckles.

Sometimes in my sleep it felt like I've lived a thousand different lives, but in the waking hours I'm still Charlotte Forbes: high school junior. First days still made me nervous. In theory, this year should be the same as the first two, but somehow I felt this year was going to be different.

"Oh, there's Elena," Carolina pointed out. Care and I had arrived to school a few minutes ago and found our new lockers. It appeared Elena and Bonnie had done the same, and were standing up ahead in the hallway. "Should we say something? We should say something. What should we say?"

I was busy sorting through my class books, and putting away the materials I wouldn't need until after lunch.

"You should treat her like normal Care," I started to say, but Caroline was already half way up to hug Elena before I could even finish my sentence. With a sigh I grabbed the books for first and second period, closed my locker, and followed.

"Elena. Oh, my god," Caroline said, hugging Elena, who looked rather reluctant to return the gesture. "How are you? Oh, it's so good to see you." I thought it was kind of funny my sister acted as if we hadn't spent the greater part of the summer sharing our roof with her. "How is she?" Caroline directed her questions at Bonnie now, "Is she good?"

"Caroline," I nudged her lightly, "let the girl speak for herself. How are you, Elena?"

"I'm fine. Thank you." Elena replied, sounding strained.

"Really?" Caroline asked.

"Yes." Elena confirmed, "Much better." She tried to smile, but I could tell it was fake.

"Oh, you poor thing." My sister commented before hugging Elena too tightly. Care could tell it was a fake smile too.

"Okay, Caroline." Elena said as she disentangled herself from my sister's arms.

"Oh! Okay, see you guys later?" Caroline said. Turning to hug me goodbye, she added, "I have a student council meeting to get to."

"I feel like I should be apologizing for her." I said awkwardly once Caroline was out of earshot. "She means well, I swear."

"Honestly, I didn't expect anything less." Elena commented. Caroline and I had known Elena since kindergarten, so when her parents died it was a tragedy for us all

"Well, if you ever need to talk Elena, I'm always here," I reminded.

"Thanks, Charlie." She replied with a sad smile.

As a group we wandered the halls towards our first period class. Bonnie stopped us outside the school office, "Hold up. Who's this?"

Elena and I peeked into the office to see the back of a guy in a leather jacket.

"All I see is back," Elena commented.

"It's a hot back." Bonnie replied. She placed her fingers to her temple, imitating a psychic, "I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays the guitar."

"You're really going to run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?" Elena laughed.

"Wait, psychic? What are you guys talking about?" I asked, confused. Obviously, I was missing something.

"Bonnie thinks that—" Elena stopped mid sentence as she caught sight of her brother across the hall, "Actually, I got to go." She followed him into the boy's restroom.

"Basically, Grams thinks I'm psychic." Bonnie explained, "weird I know, but apparently our ancestors were witches from Salem."

"And you predicted Obama, and Heath, which I still cry over by the way."

"See? So, I am psychic." She joked.

"Okay, so if you're psychic, predict my future." I shifted the books in my arms and offered my hand, palm up, so she could read it. Bonnie only grazed my hand when she froze.

She stared, eyes wide, at nothing for a few seconds and whispered, "Fire." Then, as if nothing happened, she was back to normal. She pulled her hand away as if she actually touched a flame.

"I'm sorry, did I say anything?" Bonnie looked freaked enough as it was, so I told her no. "I- I think I need some water." She left in a hurry, much too quickly for just a drink of water.

I looked back one last time at the new student. He had finished with the clerk and was walking out. I dropped the books I had been carrying in shock when I saw his face. It was the human face of the monster who killed me in my dream. Swooping down to pick up my books, I hadn't noticed that he bent down to help me until our hands brushed on accident. I pulled away as if shocked by electricity.

"Sorry," He apologized.

"It's okay, Stefan." A second later I realized I shouldn't know his name.

"Have we met before?" He asked, confused.

"No!" I blurted, swiftly adding, "I've got to get to class."

With a sharp turn of my heels, I left as fast as Bonnie had.

After school, I picked up my gardening supplies and went to the cemetery. Elena was already there, sitting by her parents' grave writing in her diary. I didn't say anything. I didn't want to disturb her and I was heading to an older part of the cemetery anyway.

Farther into the cemetery there was a tombstone for Maggie Byrne, a young woman who died in 1864. The tombstone read a quote from Emily Dickinson, Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.

I'm not entirely sure why, but I've always felt drawn to this particular grave. I started planting flowers by her tombstone, forget-me-nots mostly, when I started high school, and I've kept up the small garden ever since.

I had just gotten rid of the weeds when a fog rolled in. I stood up, confused by the sudden change in weather. I heard Elena's yell in the distance. Turning to go check on her I ran into the very firm chest of a man.

"Oh, hello there." The man said, smirking down at me. He was very handsome, with raven hair and striking blue eyes. He held me by the arms to steady me and I couldn't help but feel like the embrace was familiar.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. I admit it sounded a bit accusatory, but I rarely ran into other people in this part of the cemetery. If I did they were usually teenagers looking for a spot to drink or to do drugs. Besides, I couldn't quite place why he seemed so familiar.

"Visiting my dearly departed, it is a cemetery." He said as if it was obvious, but his eyes, which sparkled mischievously, belied that he had other intentions.

"Well, unless you're looking for someone who died in the civil war, I doubt they're over here." I stepped back gesturing to the tombstones around us bearing death dates in the 1860's.

"Must have gotten lost in the fog then." He said this with a level of mirth that implied he knew something I did not. He offered a hand, "Damon Salvatore."

"Charlotte Forbes, but everyone calls me Charlie," I introduced myself, taking the proffered hand, but Damon didn't shake it like I thought he would. Instead, he raised my knuckles to his lips and kissed them.

"Charlotte," He started, as if testing the word out. The sound of my full name from him sent shivers up my spine. "I'm lost, but what were you doing in this part of the cemetery?"

"Gardening." I replied, slightly embarrassed now.

"Gardening? In the cemetery?"

"I thought it was poetic, bringing forth life from death."

"Sound's a little morbid to me." Damon walked over to Maggie's tombstone. Looking at the flowers flourishing around it, his hand stroked the stone tenderly, as if he had actually known her.

"No it's not." I said, his focus was back on me now. "I chose her grave for my garden because I thought it was sad. This cemetery is littered with the ancestors of founding families. Even the older ones like these get visitors on certain celebrations. Maggie is the only Byrne buried here. So no one visits, or tells stories of her, and that seemed like a lonely afterlife. So I visit, and plant flowers so she knows she's not forgotten."

"You are a strange girl Charlotte Forbes. And I mean that in the best way possible." Damon had moved closer to me. I stayed rooted in my spot transfixed by his blue eyes.

Our gaze was broken by my phone alerting me to a new text message. Reluctantly, I checked the message. It was from my sister and apparently everyone was meeting up at the Grill. When I looked back up Damon Salvatore was gone.

I sipped a soda, sitting with my sister at the bar of the Mystic Grill. She was telling me everything she had learned about Stefan that day. If it wasn't for the fact I dreamt he killed me the night before I would have thought my sister's crush was cute.

It wasn't the first time my dreams had images of someone I knew. I've had several dreams involving girls that looked like Elena, but this was different. Elena wasn't Elena in my dreams, I always recognized that she was a different person than the girl I'd known since kindergarten. But I had the dream before I met Stefan, and I knew it was him I had dreamt of. What if Stefan really was a monster?

"Not to rain on your June wedding or anything, Care. But I just don't see it." I took a long sip of my soda.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Like I don't get why everyone's so gaga over the new guy, I don't think he's that hot," I said. Of course I could tell Stefan was attractive, but I knew somehow he was more dangerous than he appeared.

Caroline gasped in response. "Who are you and what have you done with my twin?"

"I guess he's just not my type." I shrugged.

"Then who is?"

"Well, I did meet someone today." I admitted, blushing.

"Spill!" Caroline said excitedly.

"It's probably nothing. We met at the cemetery."

"Classic meet-cute." She said encouragingly.

"His name is Damon. He's got dark hair, a killer jawline, and the bluest eyes I've ever seen." Caroline hummed appreciatively. "But he's a little bit older than us."

"So you like them more experienced." Caroline smiled suggestively, "You are my sister after all."

"Stop." I blushed harder, if possible.

Then Stefan entered the Grill with Elena and we joined them at a table with Matt and Bonnie. It seemed everyone was going to take the opportunity to question the new guy. But I felt bad for Matt, he still held hope that Elena was going to get back with him. It was obvious to everyone, except Caroline, that Elena had her eyes on Stefan, and Stefan was returning the favor.

"Any siblings?" Elena asked.

"None that I talk to." He replied "I live with my uncle."

"Any relation to Damon Salvatore?" I asked.

"He's my brother," Stefan said, suddenly seeming paler. I had the sinking feeling that if Stefan was a monster, maybe Damon was too. But monsters weren't actually real, right?

"But like I said I don't talk to him," Stefan continued. He focused on me, his eyes roving over me as if checking for injuries. "How exactly do you know Damon?"

"I met him today actually, at the cemetery."

"Really?" Elena said quietly, "Stefan and I were at the cemetery today too. Must have missed you."

"So, Stefan, if you're new," Caroline segued, "then you don't know about the party tomorrow."

"I'm sure Stefan doesn't want to go…" Elena said.

"It's a back to school thing at the falls." Bonnie added.

"Are you going?" Stefan asked Elena, making it plain that he would go if she was.

"Of course she is." Bonnie answered for her.

Mystic Falls, 1861

In this dream, I was a maid employed by the Salvatore household. Locks of my curly red hair danced in the wind even with it tied up in a head wrap. I was finishing with the laundry, hanging the sheets to dry. Damon and Stefan were playing catch nearby. I could hear their banter and it made me smile to see the brothers getting along. Someone had thrown the ball too far and it landed by my feet.

Picking it up I looked at the two brothers staring at me expectantly.

"Maggie! Throw it back." Damon requested. I didn't think it would be proper for me to play boys' games at my age. I looked around us to check that no one was watching.

"I'll give it back." I said, getting a good grip on the ball, "but, you'll have to catch me first." I shot off towards the trees behind me. I could hear a single set of feet racing after me.

It was hard running in a long dress, and he quickly caught up to me.

"I've got you," Damon said, wrapping his arms around my torso. Amongst the trees we were alone.

"It appears you do," I wiggled out of his embrace so I could turn around. I offered him the ball, "Here's your prize."

He took the ball and threw it behind him. Damon stepped closer to me and on instinct I stepped back until my back hit the bark of a tree.

"I can think of a better one," Damon whispered before his lips descended on mine.

Mystic Falls, 2009

I awoke begrudgingly by the sound of a raven cawing at my window. Not all of my dreams were so pleasant. It was dark out, but I could still see the bird sitting on my window sill. I got up and shooed the bird away, closing and locking the window as it flew off.

I sat back on my bed, journal in hand. It was nights like these that made me think sometimes dreams are just dreams. I met a cute guy, and I dreamed up a scenario where we kissed. Except I wasn't me in my own dream, I was Maggie Byrne. The girl on the gravestone.

Caroline and I got to the falls early to help with set up, so by the time the party was in full swing we'd both had more than a few drinks in us.

"Oh, look Stefan's here." Caroline said.

"Great." I said, sarcasm dripping off the word.

"I know you don't like him for some bizarre reason, but I do. So play nice, please? For me, your favorite sister in the whole world."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled.

"You're my only sister." But the words seemed hollow for some reason. I glanced at Stefan and saw him watching Elena. I sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt over a guy who clearly has already chosen who he wants."

"What are you talking about? He's still fair game."

"Okay, Caroline." I didn't want to argue anymore. "Whatever you say." Caroline went over to grab Stefan and I tried to hide the sour expression on my face before she dragged him towards me.

"Stefan, you've met my twin, Charlie." Caroline said.

"You're twins?" Stefan said with the same amount of surprise we've heard from everyone. It seemed the Forbes girls were similar enough in appearance to be sisters, but everyone expected twins to be identical.

"Fraternal, obviously, Caroline got all the good looks." I replied for my sisters benefit.

Caroline giggled.

"Oh stop it, we're both smokin'." Caroline went behind the fold-able table where all the drinks were stashed, pulling out a couple beer bottles. "So, Stefan," she began, "how are you liking your return to Mystic Falls? Find anything interesting, or anyone?"

Caroline wasn't going to listen to anything I had to say, and the sight of my sister flirting with a guy who was obviously not interested made me want to gag. So I left them alone to join the rest of the party.

"Hey Matt." I greeted. Matt was standing by himself and staring off ahead. I looked back to see he was looking at Elena. "Don't do that to yourself Matty."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He was still looking at her, but then Stefan joined her. Matt's jaw clenched and his hand tightened around his red solo cup.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and Elena." I took in a deep breath before continuing, "and this probably isn't what you want to hear, but she isn't going to get back with you. She's moved on and you should too."

"You're right, that isn't what I want to hear."

"Oh, come on Matt," I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him toward a crowd of dancing teenagers.

"What are you doing?"

"Making you dance with me! You need to get your mind off of Elena and on to the dance floor."

"I don't feel like dancing."

"Oh come on, please?" I gave him my best puppy dog eyes, "For me?"

"Fine." Matt gave in, reluctantly following me.

After dancing for a while I took a break, leaning against one of the trees on the edge of the party.

"Boo." I jumped at the voice suddenly in my ear.

"Oh my god, Damon! You scared me half to death." I placed my hand over my racing heart. It seemed like my heart was never going to slow down with how close Damon was to me, smirking with that mischievous twinkle in his eyes. I wondered if he could her my heartbeat.

"What are you doing over here? The party's over there." He pointed off to the throng of dancing drunk teenagers.

"Taking a break, what are you doing here?" I asked back, "Aren't you a little old to be hanging out at a high school party?"

"I'm looking out for my brother." He said, "We don't have the best relationship, but I'm trying to mend it."

"Then what are you doing over here with me? Why aren't you talking to him?"

"Because he doesn't want anything to do with me. Besides, I find you...interesting, Charlotte." Damon leaned over me now, putting his hands up against the tree effectively caging me between his arms. I flushed, suddenly reminded of my dream last night. I stared into his eyes, they seemed to dilate but it must have been a trick of the light. "Kiss me."

I pushed up on my tippy toes almost about to kiss him, like Maggie had in my dream, but I stopped. This was too soon, I didn't know Damon, even if I was already kissing him in my dreams. I fell back down on my heels.

"I might have a few drinks in me Damon, but I'm not that drunk. And I don't kiss before the first date. You're gonna have to buy me dinner first." At first Damon seemed confused, but the expression didn't last very long before it darkened.

"I guess I will. See you later, Charlotte." He lifted one had off the tree, freeing me, but the other was trailing down my arm. I closed my eyes at the sensation, when I opened them Damon was gone.

I walked back to the party in a bit of a haze. That whole interaction was...strange.

"Charlie, Hi." Stefan said as I almost ran into him.

"Oh, hi Stefan." I said, the awkwardness evident in my voice.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked.

"You just did, but go for it." I replied.

"When you saw my brother, did he do or say anything to you?" I was caught off guard, did Stefan know I was inches away from making out with his brother, or was he referring to earlier that week at the cemetery?

"No," I said nervously.

"Please, Charlie," Stefan said, and it looked as if his eyes were dilating as well. Maybe it's genetic, I thought. "Tell me what did Damon—"

"Hey! There you are." Caroline said, interrupting whatever Stefan was going to ask. She shot me a look that hinted to leave.

"I'm gonna go...by the bonfire." I said, leaving them alone.

I sat down on a log in front of the fire. I hypothesized my sister would be here soon, right after Stefan turned her down. A moment later I was right. Caroline plopped down next to me. We stared into the fire in silence for a few moments, my arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Don't you dare say I told you so." She finally said.

"Don't have to," I quipped, "you did it for me."

Caroline laughed, but if only to keep herself from crying.

"You're fantastic, you know that right?" I started, "You're beautiful and smart, and you are too good for these small town boys, okay? You are going to meet someone handsome and intelligent, a real prince. And he is going to treat you the way you deserve to be treated, with kindness and respect."

"Who's that?" Caroline asked, looking at someone from across the bonfire. I tried to see who she was talking about, but I didn't see anyone.

"Somebody help!" Elena screamed from the edge of the trees.

The whole party stopped when Jeremy and Elena brought a bleeding Vicki out from the woods. I looked for Stefan in the ensuing chaos, but he was already gone.

"Are you sober yet?" Bonnie asked my very drunk sister. We sat down in a booth at Mainline Coffee, drinking coffee to sober up.

"No." Caroline answered, staring into the murky depths of her drink. I was sitting next to her, already very sober after the events of the night, rubbing circles on her back.

"Keep drinking," Bonnie ordered. "I gotta get you home. I gotta get me home."

"Thanks for helping me with her Bonnie, I really appreciate it." I said, sipping my own black coffee.

"There's no way I could let you bring her home to the Sheriff like this."

"Why didn't he go for me?" Caroline suddenly asks, "You know, how come the guys that I want never want me."

"I'm not touching that." Bonnie said looking at me.

"You just haven't met the right guy for you yet, that's all." I said.

"I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing." Caroline complained, "and...Elena always says the right thing. She doesn't even try! And he just picks her. And she's always the one that everyone picks, for everything. And I try so hard, and...I'm never the one."

"It's not a competition, Caroline." Bonnie said.

"Yeah, it is." Caroline complained, "Even with my own sister."

"When did I become a part of this?" I asked, "I've never even had a boyfriend."

"But you could. I've seen the way boys look at you." Caroline was getting increasingly more upset. "You always do everything so perfect, without even trying, and I work so hard but it seems like no matter what I do it's not good enough."

"What are you talking about, Caroline?" I laughed, "Who cares about high school boys? You're on track to be valedictorian, you're the captain of the cheerleading team and school council president. You're so much better than them."

"Then why did Dad choose you?" She suddenly asked.

"What?"

"You two should continue this conversation alone," Bonnie said, excusing herself, "I'll be in the car."

"Dad didn't choose me over you, Caroline. He loves us both. He just needs time to grow on his own."

"Then why did he ask you to move with him and not me." Caroline said, sounding more sober than she had all night. "I heard him, the day he left home. He offered you to go with him, but he never offered that to me."

"Well, then he's a jerk. But it's not my fault Caroline. I didn't ask him to do that, and I didn't accept his offer. I chose to stay with my sister." I squeezed her hand in comfort before standing up. "I gotta go to the restroom then we'll head out. We're okay, right?"

I didn't leave until my sister nodded.