Hello all! My name is Mel. I'm a diehard lover of TVD, but instead of doing a fanfic with those characters, I wanted to explore and build my own, with their own backstories and relationships and such. It's very much based off of the show, so don't be surprised when you spot similarities, and it does take place in Mystic Falls. I've had so many hits and only one review so far, so please write a quick something. Even if it's criticism, it'll help me write and encourage me to continue. At the beginning of each chapter, I give a brief playlist for it. You can ignore it if you'd like, it's just something I've discovered I like to do. But it would mean a lot if you listened to these songs while reading, or at least pictured them during the chapter! Anyways, happy reading!

"The A Team" Ed Sheeran
"Automatic Stop" The Strokes
"Don't Wait" Dashboard Confessional

Victoria Eddison woke to the warm sun sneaking through the curtains, tickling her pale skin and beckoning her out of bed. She crinkled her bite-sized nose in pleasure, chuckling to herself as she pushed her petite body up. Victoria's long, wheat-colored waves fell loosely down her back and sides as she stood. She yawned, stretching her arms up towards the heavens and extending herself up on her toes, like a ballerina on pointe. As she drew back the curtains, her pale blue eyes settling on the green meadow stretching as far as she could see, she felt the sunlight hit her face again and let out a dreamy sigh. It was beautiful mornings like these that made Victoria thankful for the crafty ring Genevieve had bewitched for her many years ago. The beautiful green stone that made it possible for Victoria to endure the sun at all.

Walking around her tiny attic bedroom and listening to The Killers as she got ready made Victoria feel peaceful. Victoria examined herself in the mirror once she was done. Only a swift brush of mascara and a tinge of blush was needed on her pale, pristine face. Victoria's childlike beauty was a treasure, she knew, yet she often found herself wishing she looked older. More mature. She tied a ribbon around her scalp as a headband, her hands drifting towards her throat afterwards. The bare touch of her pinky finger averted her eyes to the short golden chain around her neck, carrying a single pearl. In terms of her immorality, her "condition", the necklace had no real value or meaning. But remembering the giver of the gift, she couldn't bear to remove it. It took her back to days of endless bliss, and those familiar electric blue eyes that had once made her feel so safe. That very beautiful boy had once been her world. But compared to how long she had been living, those times had felt like minutes overall.

Victoria's eyes met her own in the mirror. She blew air out of her mouth, her cheeks puffing out, and for once since she had devised this whole silly scheme, Victoria felt anxious. No, more like fear. The kind of fear that a kid who was often bullied got when she first walked into the cafeteria, knowing with dread that she would have to sit alone. She felt so small inside, and every single doubt was showing in her eyes. What am I really doing here? She wondered. I know exactly the stuff that happened here, in Mystic Falls. This town is a hotspot for supernatural activity. Yet I feel myself being drawn here… In odd ways that I can't quite explain.

An alarm went off on her cell phone, snapping Victoria back into reality. She only had fifteen minutes until the first bell at Mystic Falls High would ring, and she didn't want to be late on her first day.

Victoria's head was throbbing, and she had only suffered through homeroom. She had forgotten what it was like to be around so many humans, the scent of their thick, sweet blood stuck in her nostrils and the loud buzz of their conversations in her dainty ears. In her homeroom, there were twenty-seven other kids. They had all stared at Victoria with such intensity it made her paranoid, as if they knew she was a vampire. Being "the new girl" was more pressure than she had imagined.

Victoria looked down at her schedule, her body twisting automatically to the left as a kid rushed past her, muttering his apology as he sprinted down the hallway. Her next class was AP American History. How ironic, she couldn't help but giggle.

"Something funny?" The warm voice made Victoria's head snap up, her mouth and eyes wide. She really didn't want to offend anyone on the first day. Her pale eyes took in the owner of the voice all at once, and she found herself actually blushing. The boy stood tall, with a lean yet built body. He had big hands, the kind that love finding their way through yours. His skin was a warm chocolatey brown, like a light hot cocoa. He was smiling at her, revealing deep dimples and polished white teeth. But his eyes were the best of all, a brilliant jade, with rings of gold and deeper than pools.

"Uhh…" Victoria bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. The boy laughed, shaking his head. He put a hand on her arm, and a flicker of recognition crossed his face. Victoria barely caught this in all her hectic ogling though.

"Don't worry, I'm just playing." He said, his tone friendly and conversational. Victoria nodded.

"I knew that," She muttered, feeling embarrassed at her vulnerability.

"Sure you did," He winked. "Look, since you're obviously new, I'll help you out," He said proudly with a self-righteous smile. This made Victoria roll her eyes, an irresistible smile on her face.

"How chivalrous of you," She replied lightly.

"I get that a lot," He shrugged.

"…But I think I can find my own way, thanks," Victoria tilted her head to the side, giving the mysterious boy a sweet, flirty smile as she turned and continued down the hallway, leaving the cute boy dumbfounded in the middle of the chaotic hallway.

Victoria found the classroom easily on her own, a fleeting moment of pride going through her. The bell rang just as she had slid into her seat. The teacher was much older, his hair a silvery gray and pulled back in a ponytail, and his skin sagging. He was dressed in ratty clothes, and from what Victoria could tell from behind, he slouched. But when he turned around, her throat tightened and she felt herself blushing for the second time that morning. His Greek nose, bow-shaped lips, arched eyebrows, and dark brown eyes made a face that was all too familiar to Victoria. John Tessen, one of her… well, what could one possibly say to describe the kind of relationship that John and Victoria had had?

Despite her best efforts to blend in, his eyes met hers, and his gray eyebrows shot up in recognition. He stumbled back, his hand flying to the chalkboard to catch himself while the other one went to his mouth. Victoria just sat in her seat, frozen in place, as decades rushed by between the two. Any hope of blending in was now vanished as the rest of the class stared at their teacher, confused, and traced his eyes back to Victoria.

And as if the class couldn't get any weirder, the boy from earlier waltzed in and slid into the seat directly behind Victoria.

"Well, it seems we have a new student," John recovered quickly, giving Victoria a small smile. She felt her body flood with relief. John wasn't going to reveal her secret. He wouldn't, no matter what happened in the past. She could feel the green eyes of the boy behind her piercing into her back with curiosity as the entire class turned to look at her.

"Miss…" He trailed off, waiting for Victoria to finish, even though he knew her name fully well.

"Eddison. Victoria Eddison," Victoria gave John a small smile, playing along beautifully. John smiled back at her, relief and interest fringed around the corners of his lips. Victoria shook her head slightly, as if to say, We can talk later. He seemed to get the message, his gaze turning to the boy behind Victoria.

"Baker! Don't think I didn't notice you slip in a good minute late," He said, his voice firm but amused. The boy laughed along, his stare just as strong as John's.

"Nothing gets past you, Mr. Tessen!" He retorted, in a faux- teacher's pet manner. The whole class tittered, including the elder instructor.

"Save it for your mother, Danny," John rolled his eyes, turning around to write back on the board. Once his back was turned, the rest of the class broke down into murmurs and chatter, the students clearly content with the spare opportunity for small talk. Victoria's sharp hearing caught every word uttered, relieved that nobody was interested enough to talk about her. Underneath her arm, Victoria felt a small poking of a piece of paper being slipped between the crook of her elbow and the desk's arm. She lifted her arm, his eyebrows furrowing curiously at the slip of paper that was folded up neatly there.

See? You can't escape me that easily

Victoria rolled her eyes, an entertained smile breaking out on her face. She bent down, scribbling a response in her swirled cursive.

Awfully cocky.

Without turning around, Victoria reached behind her and placed it carefully on the top of Danny's desk. She heard the boy chuckle, and the scraping of his pencil as he scrawled a reply to her hard answer.

Careful, you don't want to offend me

Again, Victoria rolled her pale blue eyes. She had a feeling he was playing along, but any hint of arrogance brought her back to the boy with the electric blue eyes, the boy whose necklace was around her thin throat.

And why is that, Danny?

John had begun his lesson, his voice loud and powerful, yet hearty. Apparently the class was deep into the Great Depression, a time Victoria knew like the back of her hand. Back then, her hair had been cut into a fresh bob and she practically lived in red lipstick. The Great Depression hadn't effected Victoria, who was enrolled in one of the first all-girls colleges, and knew how to live on her own anyways.

Victoria felt the now familiar prick of the piece of paper on her arm, and the sensation brought her back to the real world. She opened the piece of paper in her lap, quickly scanning the message.

Aww, you know my name.

Victoria sighed, bending over her desk and scribbling another response.

And you know mine.

Behind her, Danny chuckled and crumbled up the paper, sliding it into his bag. He leaned over Victoria's desk and murmured, "Yes I do, Victoria Eddison."

The bell rang, freeing the students from John Tessen's exceptionally boring class. Victoria would know, she heard students mutter and complain to one another about it for the past forty-five minutes. She scooped her new textbook up and slid it into her bag, giving John another weak smile as she passed his desk. He nodded, his face stony, but his eyes lit and dancing with his usual hearty manner. Behind her, she heard Danny scramble to catch her.

"You can't get away from me that easily," He gloated, slowing his stride to match hers. Victoria looked up at him, a good head taller than she, and laughed politely.

"I know, you mentioned that," She bit her bottom lip in delight.

"Because it's true!" Danny beamed, clutching his books to his chest. Victoria noticed how people seemed to clear space for her and Danny to pass, looking up at him with awe and respect. So people liked this curious Danny. A few obtuse-looking jocks whistled at Danny, cat-calling at him and giving him high-fives as the two passed. One of them stopped to check Victoria out, provoking a light scarlet blush to bloom on her already-tinted cheeks.

"They seem fun," Victoria snorted, glancing down at her schedule and then back up at Danny. He just shrugged.

"Guys are all the same," He said mysteriously, giving Victoria an earnest smile. "So hey, you should give me your number…"

But Danny's talk was completely lost on Victoria, whose face was suddenly frozen in place by shock and dread. She had been doing a great job of tuning everyone else out, focusing her energy on Danny, until the recognition of a sleek, articulate, and rather cheeky voice had crossed her mind. A voice that Victoria knew couldn't be duplicated by anyone. A voice she could swear by, one she never thought she would hear again.

"That may be true, but what kind of an argument would that make? A bloody horrid one, that's what," A low-pitched, yet strong voice of a girl rang out, one that Victoria did not recognize.

"It's too bad nobody asked your opinion Suri," And again, the familiar voice responded easily. Victoria felt every nerve in her body stand still. What the…

"Victoria, are you listening?" Danny stopped, turning to face Victoria, his voice and face fringing with annoyance.

And just then, the two turned the corner of the hallway, traveling down another one. Victoria's hairs stood on end as the two recipients of the voices stood in front of them, lounging against a row of lockers, both bored and annoyed. The girl was beautiful in a threatening, mature way, with sun-kissed skin and dark auburn hair flowing loosely down her over-exposed back. Her lips were stained red, she had high cheekbones and a sharp nose, her lips thin and her body thinner. Just one look at the boy confirmed everything. He was tall and lean, yet strong-looking in a sense of willpower and stance. His hair was dark as well, with tints of wheat and caramel and dark red. He had a small nose that sloped, then rounded itself out. His face was chiseled, with high cheekbones and a jutted jaw line. His lips were naturally red, and impressively full. When he smiled, the corners of his mouth crinkles around his lips, and his teeth were shockingly white and perfectly straight. His essence reeked of confidence.

Danny turned to catch Victoria's gaze, and his own deep green eyes landed on the boy. A look of disgust and annoyance spread across his face, and he sneered. "Suri Blanc's the girl. She's from London, but her dad is French and her mother's Indonesian. Or, she was Indonesian. She died in a fire before Suri moved here, and her father's always working."

Danny pursed his lips, his eyes moving to the boy. "And that's Conrad James. He's just too damn annoying to even talk about," Danny shook his head, and Conrad's eyes moved to the two of them, his hearing obviously picking up on Danny's speech. His electric blue eyes met Victoria's, and time itself seemed to stop completely.