Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. All recognizable characters, places, and plot belong to the CW, and or L.J. Smith. I also do not own NCIS the word hinky, or Diet Pepsi.

Edited: 2-11-2011 Damon pov added. Couple changes here and : Betad by Kechara29, without whom my story would be much messier, and Damon would be completely different.

Chapter 1: First Day

Arianna stood in front of Mystic Falls High School early on a Monday morning on the first day of the new school year. She was staring at the building trying to psych herself up to go in. It wasn't working. She knew she had to go in, but that would mean putting her mask back on. The cheerful and happy mask she wore all the time now, especially in front of her mother Alexandra. Sometimes she wished she could just stop pretending, and just be who she was. Granted she didn't know exactly who she was at the moment. She was mostly empty inside, all she had left was her love for her mother to keep her going.

She took a deep breath in and held it then let it out. She did this a couple more times to calm her nerves. Her therapist in Ann Arbor had taught breathing exercises to her to help her stave off panic attacks and continue with what she needed to do. She needed to go in there, get her schedule from the office, and go to her first class.

When she and her mother moved back to Mystic Falls from Ann Arbor Michigan it was supposed to be a new start. Unfortunately a new start included a new school with new people she didn't know. She could do this though. She could. She took another deep breath, and put her mask on. Smile firmly in place she headed towards the front door with purpose.

When she got to the office she saw that a boy was there before her so she stepped aside to wait. She felt a shiver go down her spine. This guy gave her the creeps. After he was done he left the office, and Arianna stepped up to get her schedule.

"I'm Arianna Keagan a transfer student from Ann Arbor high. I was told you should have my schedule ready?" I asked politely.

"Of coarse, dear." The secretary went through a file beside her on the desk, and handed me my schedule and a map of the school. She spread another map on her desk facing me and pointed to a spot. "Your first class is right here. Just take a right out of the office and go down to room 312, its on the left hand side of the hall. Your locker is over here across from the cafeteria, locker number 529. Here is your locker combination. She handed me a small piece of paper. Have a good day, dear. And if you need anything don't hesitate to come back here, alright?"

I nodded. "Thank you." I turned and left to find my locker.

As I was putting in my combination, an overly bright and cheerful blond bounced up to me. "Hi! You must be Arianna the new girl!" She held out her hand for me to shake, and after I finished opening my locker door I took it and shook firmly. "I'm Caroline Forbes! I'll show you around if you want?" she asked.

I let out a breath, and brightened my smile. "That would be great. Thanks!" As Caroline showed me to our first class, History with Mr. Tanner, she asked about me and my mom, and were we Keagan's as in the Keagan's from the founders of Mystic Falls. I told her that I was, as my dad, who died when I was two, was descended from one of the original founding families, and that we moved back here because my mom had just recently gotten a divorce from her second husband. This was true, however it wasn't the main reason for us moving back here. There was no reason to tell her the truth though. I was hoping no one in this school would ever find out the truth.

History was interesting as Mr. Tanner was one of those teachers who loved to belittle the students to make themselves feel more important instead of teaching us anything. Luckily the text book looked good so I would be able to teach myself hopefully.

At lunch Caroline invited me to sit with her and her friends Bonnie Benet and Elena Gilbert. They were nice enough, although Bonnie set off my hinky-dar a little bit. Yes, I watch NCIS, and have a strange fascination with Abby. Get over it. My hinky-dar was a recent development. It started happening the night my stepfather was arrested. When he hurt me I just took it, I had learned it was easier than fighting him. But he was going at my mother. Hurting her. And something in me snapped.

I don't remember everything that happened that night, but I do remember getting the first hit on my hinky-dar the next day. One of the nurses at the hospital me and my mom were at made me feel this buzzing in the back of my head, and I just knew there was something off about them. What, I still don't know, but I know it was bad. This person was dangerous, I just knew it. This ability would have been useful to have before my mom got married again when I was nine. Then I wouldn't have lived in hell for the past almost six years, but when has anything ever been easy for me? Never, that's when.

Bonnie didn't feel bad, or evil, but she did feel different. Caroline invited me to a start of school party in the woods tonight, and I couldn't talk my way out of it. Hopefully the party wouldn't be as horrible an experience as I feared it would be.

When I got home from school, I got a snack and then did my homework. It didn't take me long to finish the days assignments, even though I was in many AP courses. By the time I finished reading ahead a bit in each coarse, my mom was home from work.

"Hey, baby!" she said as she kissed my cheek. "How was your first day?"

"It was okay. I made a couple friends, and got invited to a party tonight. I'm also thinking of trying out for the cheerleading squad." I told her.

"That's good sweetie! I know how much you love cheerleading." She looked at me mock sternly. She was never good at serious discipline, but I appreciated the effort. "You can go to the party as long as you promise not to drink, and that you'll be home by 1 am."

See? She wouldn't even care if I came home at sunrise, drunk as a skunk, as long as I was happy but I humored her anyway. "I promise, mom."

"All right Ari, I'll go order dinner while you get ready."

"Thanks, mom." I packed up my school stuff and went upstairs to take a shower. As I wiped the steam off the mirror, I took a good look at myself. I was taller than the average seventeen year old girl. At 5'10 I found myself looking down at most people my age. I was slim, but not skinny. I have a cheesecake addiction that started when I was 13, for reasons I wont go into now. Or ever if I can help it. I was a dancer, and a cheerleader, so I was toned, but I was curvier than a lot of girls, like Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena. I had been well endowed in the chest department since I was twelve, and it has always gotten me plenty of attention. I had long, wavy, dark red/auburn hair that I kept straitened some of the time. It was almost to my waist, so it was heavy enough to keep most of the wave out anyway. My skin is a pale porcelain white that almost seems translucent in certain lighting. My eyes were a startling shade of green. So light it was almost grey, they looked like a fine piece of jade. My eyes actually freaked people out sometimes, some people called them unnatural, or ghostly. In fact my coloring often times does look like I am some kind of ghost. My lips have a naturally rosy hue, so that along with my hair helped me not look completely dead even without makeup.

I always took great care in my appearance. I always wore makeup, and nice clothes. As I do my hair, and makeup and pick out my clothes for the party, I feel like I am girding myself for battle. I always have to put my armor on before facing the world. Even before facing my mother I have to don my mask, my normal happy teen expression, even if I am just in pajamas. No one can see the real me. I wont allow it.

After I was dressed I went down to the kitchen to eat with my mom. We ate Chinese and talked about her day. At 10:30 I got into my car, a 1969 Corvette Stingray Convertible in blood red, and took off to the woods.

When I got there Caroline came up to me and started introducing me to a few people. I was offered alcohol, and politely declined. I wasn't a goody-goody or anything I just didn't like to do anything that could impair my mind in any way. I always wanted to be in full control of my actions, to be able to think quickly and logically, and act accordingly. I had a Diet Pepsi in a can instead, and nobody seemed to care. More beer for them I suppose.

It was freezing out here, but luckily, having lived in the north all of my life, I had come prepared with thermal underwear on under my jeans , and a leather jacket. I wandered around and chatted with people, getting to know a few a bit better. I was hit on a couple of times, and shot them down expertly. Everyone was being polite about it, not too pushy, so I was doing fine with it. I had to breathe deeply a few times during the night, but I was doing really well I thought.

Until someone at the edge of the woods screamed. I froze, dropping my drink as I started trembling. Screaming always brought me right back to the worst moments in my life. I fought to breath deeply as I looked around frantically to see what was wrong. Jeremy Gilbert was rushing into the middle of the party with an unconscious girl in his arms. She had blood on her neck. A picture flashed through my head of a woman who looked just like Elena lunging at my neck fangs bared.

I stumbled as I came back to myself, and found tears filling my eyes. I wiped them away before any could fall, and walked a little closer to the injured girl. I could see now it was Matt's sister Vicki, who Caroline had pointed out to me earlier. Someone was already calling for help, so I put in my two cents as far as first aid went. I had taken a course on CPR and first aide after that last horrible night with my stepfather. I didn't ever want to feel as helpless as I had felt that night, not knowing what to do as I watched my mother struggle to breath, again.

I took off my jacket and laid it over Vicky's chest. I unwound my scarf and handed it to Elena. "Here keep pressure on the wound." I checked her pulse, watched her chest for respiration's. She was alive, but her breathing was slow and her pulse was very weak. I sat down on the table next to Vicky's legs and lifted them so her knees were rested on my right shoulder.

"What are you doing?" asked Jeremy in a panicked voice.

"Calm down Jeremy. Just breathe. I'm just elevating her legs to help keep her blood pressure up, keep blood flowing to her heart and brain, until the paramedics get here. It seems obvious from her pallor that she has lost a lot of blood." I said calmly. Wow. I was being calm in a crisis situation. Who knew? I guess all the therapy, first aide, and self defense lessons had paid off. Look at me following generally agreed upon first aide procedure!

"Straighten her head and tilt her head back Matt, like you're going to do CPR. That's it. Now she can breathe easier." I sat there calmly trying to keep Vicky alive until help could arrive. When the paramedics got there I immediately stepped aside to let them do their work. As they were loading her into the ambulance, someone tossed me my coat.

Damn it! I loved this coat, but now it was covered in blood. Cream leather and blood do not mix. Well might as well give it a proper funeral, there was no way I was taking a blood covered coat home for my mother to see. She'd lose it, and never let me leave the house again. She's a bit overprotective sometimes, but who could blame her? I sure didn't.

I walked over to the fire and threw it on. I watched as it caught, and smoldered. "Oh, fair coat! How I have loved thee." I said under my breath. I heard a little shriek and turned to see Caroline almost jump into the fire. I grabbed her and pulled her back. "Whoa! What are you doing?" I asked.

"That's a Rick Owens lambskin coat! That thing had to cost like two grand! What were you thinking?" she cried.

I looked at her dubiously. "I was thinking that if I ever wanted to leave my house again, my mother better not catch me with blood all over my coat." I said.

She seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating. "Blood? The poor thing!" she wailed.

"Breathe, honey." I said. "It's in a better place now, frolicking in a field with Vintage Chanel I'm sure." I placed my hands on her shoulders, and helped direct her to breathe until she had caught her breath. "Do you need a ride home, or to the hospital?" I asked her. "I don't know how close you and Vicky are, but I can take you there if you want."

"No, I brought my car, I'll be fine." She said.

"Good." I stepped back. "I better get home before I freeze to death. Sleeveless tops are all well and good until your coat dies. I'll see ya tomorrow."

"Night." Caroline said.

I turned and hurried to my car. I wanted to get out of there before the cops showed up.

Damon pov

I was walking through the woods looking for sustenance , when I came across a high school party. Perfect. I followed a boy as he meandered away for a walk in the woods. Just as I was about to strike, I had my fangs out and everything, he bent in half and puked all over the foliage. Eww. I should kill him just for the smell, let alone ruining my hunt. I left quickly wanting to get away from the smell.

I smelled the delicious tang of fear and female in the air, and followed it to a couple making out. It looked like she wasn't so into it. The male finally left and I stalked closer to the girl. She was attractive, but obviously drunk and/or stoned. She also looked to be a bit of a slut. I could remember the good times of yore, when a woman made you work for a chance to bed her. The anticipation made the conquest all the sweeter. Now a days girls just gave it up left and right, without a care for their reputation.

The girl was upset, and distracted with her crying, as I crept up behind her. I put my arms around her thin form, pulled her head to the side, and struck. My fangs slid into her neck with ease, and I savored her fear as I drank deeply. Her struggles grew weaker the more I drank. The blood slid down my throat smoothly, like silk, temporarily quenching my eternal thirst.

Her heart was just starting to slow when I heard someone moving swiftly through the forest towards our position. I debated snapping the neck of my prey, but decided to leave her to her fate. I was sated. For now anyway. I decided to head back toward the party to see if I could find a way to amuse myself further.

A deep throaty laugh drew my attention to the center of the revelry. There I saw a young woman with her head thrown back in mirth. She had long dark red hair, she was tall with long shapely legs. Her body had the kind of curves you could grab onto. She wasn't over weight, just filled out in all the right places. Not like the skinny, sickly stature human females preferred in this day and age. Her breasts were full and high, and her hips just wide enough to give her that hour glass shape. Her rear was high, full, and round. I could imagine myself grabbing onto it as I devoured her luscious mouth. Her face brought to mind the beauty of a renaissance painting. Soft, yet strong. Sharp, yet feminine all at the same time. Her eyes were the palest green I had ever seen. She was perfect. I decided I would have her tonight. I watched with annoyance as inept, drunk, high school boys hit on her over and over. She snubbed each and every one of them. Maybe she was looking for someone a bit more 'mature.' I licked my lips. I could definitely show her a thing or ten.

My eyebrows scrunched on my forehead as I watched her face as she turned away from the last boy. Her eyes closed and she breathed deeply, like she was trying to calm down. I tasted the air, and smelled a tinge of her fear. It was delicious, her entire scent and person was mouthwatering, but it would have been much better if I had been the one to frighten her. I couldn't figure out what was so frightening about that boy.

My head snapped up when I heard screaming. Damn. My dinner had been found, and she was still alive. The red headed Goddess looked startled, and dropped her drink. The screams became louder and multiplied, as the crowd got a good look at the wounded girl. The Goddess finally pulled herself together, and hurried to offer her aide. The way she took control with such a commanding tone, as she hurried to assess the situation, was very stimulating. I wouldn't mind her ordering me around. The rest of the revelers were fleeing, in the face of the authorities. I decided to occupy myself elsewhere. I could work on my plans to make Stefan's life a living hell. They could always use improvement.