Chapter 1

Disclaimer: TVD characters belong to L.J. Smith and the CW. The wonderful honestgrins is beta-ing this story. Check out her woks on , AO3, and tumblr.

It was late when she finally passed the town's welcome sign. Unusually dark for this time of year, the car's headlights were the only source of light on the road. She felt her body involuntarily tense as she drove further into town. She could not explain the draw to this small Virginia town, but some part of her needed to be here. And after a year of eerie dreams and flashbacks, she was ready to find out why.

Her phone rang and she quickly answered it, putting on speaker in order to avoid hearing the annoying and generic ringtone. She should really just suck it up and pay for a less grating one.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Gwen. It's Helen. I was just calling to check in."

Gwen should have known. Since she left Colorado, Helen had called every night to check in, just as any mother would. Helen wasn't her biological mother. In fact, Helen had never formally adopted her after taking in Gwen after her parents' deaths. But she had assumed the role for the last nine years, so Gwen considered Helen be her mother.

"I'm about five minutes away from the motel. It's been an easy, mind-numbing drive."

She heard Helen scoff, which was her unspoken I told you so. "I can't believe I let you do this," Helen continued. "You should be going back to school."

"I know, I know. But it's not as if I'm missing out on a whole semester. I'm enrolled in three online classes. I won't be that far behind," she reminded, trying to pacify Helen. "Besides, I can't do another year of this former-life-recall nonsense. Especially since I'm trying to stay under our former coven's radar. Too many of their kids that showed up at school last year to be a coincidence."

She heard Helen sigh in understanding on the other end. They left Virginia six years earlier to escape their coven, which had been growing rather extreme in its philosophy and agenda. Helen had been wary of the direction the coven was going in already, and knew Gwen's parents would not want their daughter involved. So, Helen made the decision to formally leave the coven and took the uninitiated Gwen with her to Colorado. They had left so abruptly that Gwen was sure that the coven did not appreciate their departure, which would explain why three of the coven's novitiates had shown up at Gwen's university last year. Clearly, tabs had been kept on Gwen and Helen, which was concerning to say the least. What did they want with them?

"You just do what you have to do, and come home," Helen said firmly. "Mystic Falls is about the last place a witch without her full powers and memories should be. The amount of supernatural activity there is unheard of."

"I will," she said as she pulled into a parking spot in front of a motel, only a block from the main street of town. "I just parked. I'll talk to you soon."

"Love you."

"Love you, too," Gwen said before hanging up.

Gwen slipped her phone into her bag and turned the car off as she surveyed her surroundings. It was past midnight, so the streets were fairly empty. She gave a tired sigh and grabbed her purse and duffel bag from the passenger's seat. The hotel was nondescript and appeared to be built sometime in the seventies. As the only option in town that wasn't an overpriced bed and breakfast, though, it would have to do. Besides, it was only temporary and she didn't plan to be there long.

She dodged some bugs swarming the flickering, fluorescent light and went inside. The lobby was in definite need of a makeover. Everything was banged up or chipping. Thankfully, there was an attendant behind the front desk. He was a man in his mid-thirties with thinning blonde hair and a skinny frame. He must have been half-asleep when she walked in because he jumped slightly when he heard the bell. She smiled apologetically.

"Hello," the man said, starting his spiel. "My name is Bill, and welcome to the Crescent Moon Hotel. How may I help you?"

Gwen had to fight every urge to roll her eyes at the hotel's name. Crescent Moon, really? How cliché.

"I need a room for one, please," she said, digging in her purse for her wallet.

"All right," Bill said, turning to his computer. "Name?"

"Alexa James," she said, handing him her fake credit card. She had every intention to pay the bill, but she did not want to use her real name. It was just a precaution.

"How long will you be staying?" he asked with what she thought was supposed to be a charming smile, but came off as slightly creepy.

"A week." She knew that timeframe was a bit optimistic, but she could always extend it if she needed. Bill finished up with the computer and handed her the room key. It was an actual key. This hotel really needed an update.

"Room two-fourteen. Just go back outside, make a left, take the stairs up, and your room is about three from the end."

"Thank you."

As she made her way to her room, she could only hope that the room and, more importantly, the bathroom were clean.