Chapter 1

It was dark. I was alone. I didn't know where I was. My surroundings were blurred but I could make out the lean figures of the trees that wildly swung out of control as the howling wind whipped my chocolate brown hair across my fair pale face. I was surrounded by a thick blanket of fog. A sudden snap of a twig echoed the air. I spun around to the direction of the noise….nothing. I let out a deep sigh of relief-

"Hello there, Miss." A deep husky voice bellowed. My eyes widened in fear as I glared at who stood before me, the owner of the mysterious voice. A man. A very attractive man might I add. He was no more than a metre away from me. I could see his memorizing ocean deep eyes with glimmered with his raven hair. He wore a jet leather jacket and dark denim jeans.

"H- hi." I managed to spit out as I admired his beauty. He gave me a cocky grin, before stepping closer to me.

"Why are you here? Don't you know this can be a very scary place?" He asked me as if he were talking to a child. The harsh breeze began to nip at my skin. I wrapped my arms around myself, in a bid to keep myself warm. Shyly, I looked down at the ground.

"I- I'm lost." I shivered, biting my bottom lip. The stranger cocked his head to the side and pouted his lip slightly, but still with a dazzling grin on his face.

"Looks like you're in a bit of a pickle…" He stared at me with almost hungry eyes. It sent chills down my spine. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction that he intimidated me.

"And your name is?" I demanded, standing taller.

"Oh, how rude of me," he beamed in a brighter tone of voice. "The names Damon Salvatore, the pleasures all yours, I'm sure. I'll be on my way now but may I suggest you stay to the more lit parts of town?" Damon let out one last grin before disappearing into the night. I bit my lip again. What just happened? I thought. I slowly began to turn around, to attempt to find a way out of this place….once I found out where I was. From the corner of my eye, something glistened like a star in the sky. I picked the object off the moist, leafy ground and studied it. It was a ring. There was a huge blue stone on it; a lips lazuli stone I think. It had a thick gothic script "D" initial on it and had some sort of feathery shield pattern behind it. Beautiful, yet a confusing pattern. The ring was suddenly swiped from my palm.

"Thank you. I thought I'd lost that. FYI, important that I don't." Damon spoke out, slipping the ring back on to his figure. I didn't say anything. Damon gazed at me for a moment. "Hey, I never caught your name."

"Skylar Verbend." I smiled. He looked shocked after I announced my name.

"Verbend, huh…interesting…" He trailed off. He shook it off. "Anyway, a pleasure meeting you, must I must dash….and you might want to get those blood sugars up, Miss Verbend….." My eyes widened up again….What the- My thoughts were interrupted. Damon brushed passed me as I noticed to sharp canines, shining in the moon light. I jolted back as he inhaled deeply on my neck. I felt my body tremble. I was suddenly alone again. I jumped out of my skin as a huge black crow squawked and swooped straight passed my face. The terrible noise from the crow echoed the empty air again as my vision again became blurred…