For over a century, I have lived in secret; hiding in the shadows, alone in the world. Until now. I am a vampire. And this is my story.
"An hour's drive to hear that crap. You know, it wasn't even a band. A guy with a guitar. An hour each way." Darren said, glancing sideways at his girlfriend as he drove.
"He wasn't that bad." The girl, Brooke, defended with a smile.
"He sounded like James Blunt." Darren pointed out.
"What's wrong with that?" Brooke asked
"We already have a James Blunt. One's all we need." Darren teased.
"So why did you come?" Brooke asked
"Because I love you." Darren grinned at her.
"Nicely done." Brooke grinned back. "What's with all the fog?"
"It'll clear in a second." Darren shrugged.
"Watch out!" Brooke screamed, pointing to the road. The car swerved, but not before hitting a man that had been hidden by the fog.
"Are you ok?" Darren immeaditly asked Brooke as soon as the car screeched to a halt.
"We just hit someone! Oh my god!" Brooke cried franticly.
"Call for help." Darren ordered, getting out of the car to go inspect the man.
"Come on, come on!" Brooke said, clutching her cell phone to her ear as it rang.
"Please be alive! Oh, my god." Darren felt his blood run cold as he felt the man's neck for a pulse. There was nothing. He had killed a man. He was about to call back to Brooke when the man he thought was dead suddenly sprung to life and bit into Darren's neck roughly.
"There's no signal! Darren!" Brooke called, getting out of the car and looking around for Darren. She walked out into the fog, stopping where the body had been. The only thing left was a pool of blood. "Darren?" She called one more time in a paniced voice. Her breathing picked up as she turned to run only to be snatched into the air and vanish.
Dear diary,
today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable. My smile will say "I'm fine, thank you." "Yes, I feel much better." I will no longer be the sad little girl who lost her parents. I will start fresh, be someone new. It's the only way I'll make it through.
"Toast. I can make toast." Jenna offered, rushing around the kitchen.
"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna." Elena, her nease, said.
"Is there coffee?" Jeremy, Elena's younger brother, asked.
"Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared. Lunch money?" Jenna asked, holding up two ten dollar bills for the teenagers.
"I'm good." Elena said.
"I'll take it." Jeremy said, taking both bills and stuffing them in his pocket.
"Anything else? A number two pencil? What am I missing?" Jenna asked.
"Don't you have a big presentation today?" Elena asked.
"I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at...now. Crap!" Jenna said, cheaking her watch.
"Then go. We'll be fine." Elena assured her. Jenna gave the two one last look before grabbing her bag and heading off out the door. "You ok?" Elena asked Jeremy.
"Don't start." He replied, fallowing Jenna's lead and heading out the door. Elena sighed and grabbed her bag before leaving her house. Bonnie was waiting for her in the driveway when she got there. Elena slid in the car and greeted her best friend before the short curly haired girl started the car and pulled out.
"So Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that, I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it, and I'm like, put this woman in a home already! But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands. . .Elena! Back in the car." Bonnie ended her ramble when she noticed Elena was zoned out.
"I did it again, didn't I? I-I'm sorry, Bonnie. You were telling me that.." Elena trailed off, letting the other girl fill in the blank.
"That I'm psychic now." Bonnie annonced with an amused smile.
"Right. Ok, then predict something. About me." Elena challenaged.
"I see..." Bonnie began but was inturrupted when a loud thub hit the windsheild. Bonnie swerved and pulled the car to the side of the road, her eyes wide and shocked.
"What was that?! Oh, my god! Elena, are you ok?" She cried, turning to her friend with worried eyes.
"It's ok. I'm fine." Elena said.
"It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere." Bonnie said, guilt shinning in her eyes.
"Really, I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life." Elena reasurred her. Bonnie took a moment to study her friend before smiling brightly.
"I predict this year is going to be kick ass. And I predict all the sad and dark times are over and you are going to be beyond happy." She stated.
"Major lack of male real estate. Look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beech. She looks like a hot — can I still say "tranny mess"?" Bonnie asked. The girls were walking through the high school's hallways towards Elena's locker where they stopped as Elena put in the combanation and opened it.
"No, that's over." Elena informed her.
"Ahh, find a man, coin a phrase. It's a busy year." Bonnie said. Elena noticed a certain blond haired boy looking their way from across the hallway and waved to him, offering him a small but friendly smile. The boy didn't return either, he simply put in his other headphone, practicly slammed his locker shut, and stormed off down the hall.
"He hates me." Elena stated sadly.
"That's not hate. That's "you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits."" Bonnie informed her. Before Elena could respond, Caroline had marched right up to the pair and stood in front of them with a sympethic look on her face.
"Elena. Oh, my god." She said, pulling the other girl into a hug. "How are you? Oh, it's so good to see you." Caroline said to Elena, then turned to Bonnie and continued "How is she? Is she good?" She asked the shorter girl.
"Caroline, I'm right here. And I'm fine. Thank you." Elena said, smiling a small and forced smile
"Really?" Caroline asked with concern
"Yes. Much better." Elena confirmed.
"Oh, you poor thing." Caroline said hugging her again.
"Ok, Caroline." Bonnie said, giving her a look.
"Oh! Ok, see you guys later?" Carolined asked, suddenly her bubbly self again as she skipped away.
"Ok! Bye!" Bonnie called after her.
"No comment." Elena said, closing her locker door.
"I'm not going to say anything." Bonnie said.
"Don't take more than two in a six-hour window." Jeremy warned, standing in a loading aread behind the school as he handed a over the pills to Vicki. Vicki downed the pills that lay in her hand with a coy smile at the younger boy.
"Hey, Vicki. I knew I'd find you here with the crackheads." Tyler said, wrapping his arm around the girl's waist and looking over at Jeremy.
"Hey." Vicki greeted.
"Hey, Pete Wentz called. He wants his nail polish back." Tyler mocked.
"Pete Wentz, huh? How old school T.R.L. of you. Carson Daly fan?" Shiloh said, appearing at Jeremy's side. Tyler narrowed his eyes at the two and toke a meneacing step forward before Vicki put her hand on his cheast to stop him from attacking the younger boy.
"Oh, Ty, be nice. That's Elena's little brother." She pouted, pulling him to face her.
"I know who he is. I'll still kick his ass." Tyler said, ducking his head to connect his lips with hers. Jeremy rolled his eyes as Shiloh pulled him away from the two.
"Hold up. Who's this?" Bonnie asked, stopping to look through the window of the front office.
"All I see is back." Elena shrugged.
"It's a hot back." Bonnie said. "I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays the guitar."
"You're really going to run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?" Elena asked.
"Pretty much." Bonnie confirmed
"Jeremy, good batch, man." A random boy in the hallway called as Jeremy walked by, heading off to the boys washrooms.
"I'll be right back." Elena said distractedly, fallowing her brother.
"Please be hot." Bonnie mumbled under her breath, not noticing her friend had left she stood still staring through the window at the boy in the office.
"Whoa! Pants down, chick!" Some guy called as Elena marched into the boys washroom and striaght up to her brother. Elena grabbed Jeremy's face, looking into his eyes carefully.
"Great. It's the first day of school and you're stoned." Elena snapped sarcasticly, releasing his face from her grasp.
"No, I'm not." Jeremy argued.
"Where is it? Is it on you?" Elena asked, not waiting for an answer before she grabbed his jacket, cheaking his pocket for drugs.
"Stop, all right?! You need to chill yourself, all right?" Jeremy said, pulling away from her.
"Chill myself? What is that, stoner talk? Dude, you are so cool." Elena grabbed at his coat pockets again and Jeremy quickly pulled away.
"Look, stop! I don't have anything on me. Are you crazy?" He asked.
"You haven't seen crazy, Jeremy! I gave you a summer pass, but I am done watching you destroy yourself. No, no, no, you know what? Go ahead. Keep it up. But just know that I am going to be there to ruin your buzz every time, you got it? Jeremy, I know who you are. And it's not this person. So don't be this person."
"I don't need this." Jeremy said, storming out of the washroom. Elena sighed and exited the bathroom, running into a tall body.
"Uh, pardon me. Um. . .is this the men's room?" Stefan asked, cheaking the sign on the door again.
"Yes. Um, I was just, Um—I was just—It's a long story..." Elena stuttered.
"Hey Vick." Jeremy greeted as the girl walked by the table he and Shiloh were sitting at in the grill.
"Working." Vicki said shortly without so much as a glance. She continued on to another table were Matt and Tyler sat.
"Thanks, Vick." Tyler grinned as she gave them their food,
"Do you need another refill?" She asked with a flirty smile.
"I'd love one." Tyler replied, handing her his glass. For a lingering moment, the two simply smiled at each other before Vicki walked off to get him his drink.
"Please tell me you're not hooking up with my sister." Matt begged.
"I'm not hooking up with your sister." Tyler said.
"You're such a dick." Matt said disguestedly.
"Jer, just leave it." Shiloh ordered back at their table.
"She can't just ignore me." Jeremy argued.
"She can and did. Just leave it for now, please." Shiloh pleaded. "Can't we just hang out one time without you pinning over Vicki. She's not into you, man. She's into Tyler. That's her loss, not yours."
"You don't understand." Jeremy shook his head stubbornly.
"I understand puppy love perfectly well, thank you very much. I live with Caroline, remember, she's constintly in love with someone." Shiloh said, referring to her sisters boy crazy rep.
"Vicki's not just someone. She's her." Jeremy said, abandoning his chair and heading towards Vicki.
"Never was good with words." Shiloh sighed as she watched Jeremy march up to Vicki.
"Hey, what's your deal? I mean, summer you act one way and then school starts and you can't be bothered." He demanded.
"Look, Jeremy, I really appreciate all the pharmaceuticals, but you can't keep following me around like a lost puppy." Vicki replied.
"When's the last time you had sex with a puppy?" It was at this point Shiloh truely did want to stop listening, but she couldn't help herself.
"Hey, keep it down. I don't want to tell the whole world I deflowered Elena's kid brother." Vicki sushed him.
"Yeah, and deflowered and deflowered."
"We hooked up a few times in a drug haze. It's over. You gotta back off before you ruin things between me and Tyler."
"Oh,come on, the guy's a total douche. He only wants you for your ass." Jeremy argued.
"Yeah? What do you want me for?" Vicki asked before storming away. Bonnie and Caroline slid into the emtey seats at Shiloh's table from seemingly no where.
"His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with uncle up at the old Salvatore boarding house. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favorite color is blue." Shiloh rolled her eyes at his sister's latest victim.
"You got all of that in one day?" Bonnie asked shocked.
"Oh, please, I got all that between third and fourth period. We're planning a June wedding." Caroline said.
"And this is why you don't have a real boyfriend." Shiloh muttered, leaving the table and meeting back up with Jeremy as Matt and Tyler relocated to their table.
"How's Elena doing?" Matt asked Bonnie.
"Her mom and dad died. How do you think? She's putting on a good face, but it's only been four months." Bonnie answered grimly.
"Has she said anything about me?" Matt asked.
"Oh, no. So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and call her." Bonnie said.
"I feel weird calling her. She broke up with me." Matt pointed out.
"Give it more time, Matt." Bonnie comferted him. Unfortantly it was at that moment that Elena and Stefan entered the grill.
"More time, huh?" Matt asked sarcasticly before getting up and walking up to the pair. "Hey, I'm Matt, nice to meet you."
"Hi. Stefan." Stefan introduced himself.
"Hey." Elena said awkwardly.
"Hey." Matt replied.
"So, you were born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline asked.
"Mm-Hmm. And moved when I was still young." Stefan answered. The group were cuttently sitting at a table questioning the new guy.
"Parents?" Bonnie asked.
"My parents passed away." Stefan said.
"I'm sorry. Any siblings?" Elena asked, trying to change the subject.
"None that I talk to. I live with my uncle." Stefan said, changing the subject again.
"So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow." Caroline but in.
"It's a back to school thing at the falls." Bonnie said excitedly.
"Are you going?" Stefan asked Elena.
"Of course she is." Bonnie answered for her, smiling brightly at the two.
Stefan stepped into the woods at the edge of the party, scanning for Elena.
"Just admit it, Elena." Bonnie's voice reaches his ears.
"Oh, ok, so he's a little pretty." Elena admitted.
"He has that romance novel stare." Bonnie said, causing Stefan's lips to curl in a grin. His listening was inturrupted by Caroline appearing in front of him.
"Hey! You made it!" She cheered.
"I did." Stefan agreed.
"Well, let's get you a drink." Caroline said.
"Well, I'm-"
"Oh, come on." Caroline inturrupted him, grabbing his hand and dragging him off.
"No, Ty. I'm not having sex against a tree." Vicki protested, lightly pushing on Tyler's cheast as he had her pinned against a tree, grinding her and kissing her neck.
"Oh, come on, it would be hot." Tyler said, moving her jacket so she was more exposed and pressing himself harder against her.
"For who? No, it's not going to happen. It's not going to happen, not here, not like this. No. I said no. I said no! Ow, that hurts!" Vicki cried as she attempted to push Tyler off of her with more force.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Jeremy called, marching through the woods to stand a few feet from the couple, Shiloh trailing unsurely by his side.
"You know, you're starting to get on my nerves, Gilbert." Tyler said, getting in Jeremy's face.
"Just go, Tyler, get the hell away from me." Vicki demanded.
"Wow. Vicki Donovan says no. That's a first." Tyler snapped before storming off.
"I didn't need your help." Vicki snapped at Jeremy.
"It seems like you did." Shiloh said gantly.
"He was just drunk." Vicki defended him.
"I'm drunk. Am I throwing myself at you?" Jeremy argued.
"No, you're worse. You want to talk to me, get to know me, see into my soul and screw and screw and screw until you're done with me." She yelled at him angrily.
"I really feel like I should not be apart of this conversatation." Shiloh said, backing away.
"What conversatation? I'm out of here." Vicki snapped, storming off into the woods.
"Why'd you have to say that?" Jeremy snapped at Shiloh.
"Are you serious? You're blaming me for this?" She asked.
"You offended her!" Jeremy yelled down at the short girl, gaining the attention of a few people at the party. Jeremy had managed to back them up so far they were now once again at the edge of the party.
"Jer-"
"No! Don't even try to defend it! This is your fault." He yelled at her. A few guys standing near by looked ready to jump in if anything happened. Jeremy realized how he must look and hoped he hadn't actually scared Shiloh. "Just leave me alone." He sighed, turning and heading off into the woods.
"God, you gotta be kidding me!" Elena said as she looked over to see what the comotion was about and found it was her brother yelling at Caroline's little sister.
"What is it?" Stefan asked.
"My brother." Elena sighed.
"The drunk one yelling at the girl?" Stefan asked
"That would be the one. Excuse me." Elena said.
"Need some help?" Stefan offered.
"Trust me, you're not going to want to witness this." She said, turning to chase her brother. "Jeremy! Jeremy!" She called. jogging to catch up to him. "Jeremy, where the hell are you going?" She asked once she was within speaking distance in the woods.
"I don't want to hear it!" Jeremy snapped.
"Yeah, well, too bad!" Elena yelled. Jeremy opened his mouth to reply but triped before he could get a sound out. He fell, catching himself with his hands, not on the ground, but on another person.
"Vicki? No! Oh, my god, it's Vicki!" Jeremy yelled, panicing as the girl lay motionless on the ground, her blood pooled around an open cut in her neck that was to covered in her own blood to make out how deep it was.
"Oh, my god!" Elena gasped.
"No!" Jeremy yelled, carefully but quickly lifting her into his arms. Elena led the way back to the party, going ahead and screaming for help.
"Somebody help!" She called.
"Vicki? Vicki, what the hell?!" Matt asked, rushing to their side.
"What happened to her?" Tyler asked frantically as he appeared at her side.
"Somebody, call an ambulance!" Matt yelled.
"Everybody back up, give her some space!" Tyler ordered as Jeremy placed her gently on a nearby picnic table
"It's her neck. Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood." Elena said paniced.
"Vicki, Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me." Matt cried.
"What's going on?" Zach asked as Stefan swept through the house in a hurry.
"Someone else was attacked tonight, Zach, and it wasn't me." Stefan said briskly, entering his beadroom. "Damon." Stefan said, looking at the man standing on his balcony wearing a sly smirk.
"Hello, brother."
"Hey. We're gonna go to Mainline Coffee, wait for news." Bonnie told Elena.
"I gotta take Jeremy home." Elena replied.
"Elena, there's no way I'm psychic. I know that. But whatever I saw, or I think I saw, I have this feeling..." Bonnie trailed off looking unsure.
"Bonnie, what?" Elena asked.
"That it's just the beginning."
Jeremy sat to the side sipping on his latest beer. "You ok? I called Jenna, she's on her way." Elena said, approaching him. "Those people in uniforms, last time I checked, they're the police. People are going to stop giving you breaks, Jer. They just don't care anymore. They don't remember that our parents are dead, because they've got their own lives to deal with. The rest of the world has moved on. You should try, too." Elena lectured.
"I've seen you in the cemetery writing in your diary. Is that-is that supposed to be you moving on?" Jeremy asked.
"Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted this." Elena said sadly.
"Are you sober yet?" Bonnie asked.
"No." Caroline sighed. The two were seated in the grill waiting for the blond to sober up.
"Keep drinking. I gotta get you home. I gotta get me home." Bonnie said.
"More coffee?" Shiloh asked Bonnie, handing Caroline her cup. Bonnie shook her head but smiled in thanks.
"Why didn't he go for me? You know, how come the guys that I want never want me?" Caroline whinned
"I'm not touching that." Bonnie said.
"I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing. 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." Caroline said.
"It's not a competition, Caroline." Shiloh sighed.
"Yeah, it is." Caroline corrrected her.
"I think I will have that second cup after all." Bonnie said quickly, speeding away before she was put in an awkward sitiation yet again.
"Care, no ones trying to compete with you." Shiloh said. She looked up her sister only to notice Caroline wasn't listening to anything she was saying, instead the older girl was looking over her shoulder with a smile on her face.