Chapter 2

Disclaimer: TVD characters belong to L.J. Smith and the CW

Gwen had a late start the next morning. Driving across country was more tiring that she had thought it would be. Not that it was hard; but it was just so boring.

She had been pleasantly surprised to see that the motel was well maintained, even if its décor was out-dated. Her room and bathroom were clean, and the bed was fairly comfortable. The only downside was that the motel did not serve breakfast. The morning attendant had directed her to a café on Main Street, but she figured she should buy some food that day so she would not have to eat out for every meal.

The early fall weather was nice that morning. A light jacket was just enough, so Gwen, happy she had remembered her leather jacket, ate her breakfast on the café's patio. The shops and restaurants on the main road definitely gave off that quaint small town feel. God, why were small towns so predictable? Honestly, the amount of paranormal activity here just made it that much more predictable. It was almost aggravating that she was even drawn to this place. She sipped her tea and thought, It might all be a giant obnoxious cliché, but at least it's a pretty scene with all the fall colors.

The library was probably one of the newer buildings, though they had tried to give it a more historical look. For such a small town, the library was quite large. Her inner nerd squealed before she remembered her task. She was not a patient person, so she walked straight to the help desk, figuring the librarian would know the exact location of what she was looking for.

"How can I help you?" a middle-aged woman asked from behind the counter.

"I was hoping you could point me in the direction of the town history books? Specifically, between the years of 1840 and 1865?"

The woman smiled and gave an exaggerated sigh. "That was one this town's busiest times. You have anything more specific than the years?"

"I'm really looking for a list of the town's citizens during that time, and then I plan to go from there."

The woman gave her a look that might have been pity and said, "We might, but it won't be easy to find. Follow me."

Gwen was led to the reference section, which was in the far corner of the library. They stopped at the end of section labeled "Town History, 1800-1899."

"They're labeled by decade. The 1840s are just about four units in. A lot of these books have been donated over the years, so they're mostly first-hand accounts of events or whatever someone felt needed to be recorded. We need to go through and figure out what we have, but the transition to digital has taken precedence. Sorry I can't be more helpful."

Well shit, Gwen thought. "It's no problem."

"All right. We close at five, and none of these books can be checked out."

"Thanks," Gwen said, laying her bag on the lone table at the end of the stacks. The librarian nodded and went back to her desk, leaving Gwen to a self-imposed and daunting task.

It had been three days since Gwen started her search. Three, very long days. She had almost made her way through the first stack in the 1840s section and had yet to find even a hint of what she was looking for. In addition, the first stack only went through 1842. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. She sighed, realizing she had been overly optimistic in how long her search would take. She would have to extend her stay and ask Helen for more money.

It was almost five, so she put away her things and left a piece of paper between two books to remind her where she had stopped. Tomorrow was Sunday, which meant that the library would be closed and she would have a twenty-four hour break. She was really looking forward to not being in the library tomorrow.

Her first step outside was not as enjoyable as she would have liked. The temperature had dropped dramatically since that morning and the wind had picked up. She pulled her leather coat closer to her, and walked to The Mystic Grill. The local hangout had decent food and free WiFi, so Gwen preferred to go there for a bit at night before returning to the motel room.

The Grill was busier than it had been the last two days she had come here. Thankfully, her small booth in the corner was available. She made a beeline for it, sat down, and pulled out her laptop to boot up while she waited for the server.

"I like our food, but I don't know if I'd eat here three nights in a row."

She glanced up to the blond-haired, blue-eyed, All-American server smiling as if he had just told some kind of joke. She glanced quickly at his nametag, which read Matt.

"Yes, but you also have free WiFi, and my motel doesn't have either," she said, grinning slightly.

"An outsider," he said knowingly. "Visiting family?"

"Actually, I'm researching some town history for a family friend."

He looked surprised for moment and then took her order. He was a good waiter for the rest of her stay. They actually managed to talk quite a bit during his stops at her table. Gwen hadn't realized how much she needed the human interaction and appreciated him talking to her, even if he was just trying to get a better tip. As the night wore on, The Grill got louder. Eventually, it was too loud for Gwen to concentrate, so she finished up her email to Helen and packed up her things. She was stopped by hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Matt. He looked a bit nervous.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, confused by his demeanor.

"No, um.…," he stumbled for a second. "I know this will sound like a line, but I swear I don't usually do this. I know you're only in town for a short time, but would you want to get coffee sometime? And by sometime, I mean tomorrow night at eight, when I get off work."

Her rational side told her to tell him no, to not get involved. She needed to get out of this town and back to her normal life. But, did that mean she couldn't have any fun?

"Sure," she said, causing relief to flood his features. She took out a scrap piece of paper and wrote her number on it. Handing him the paper, she smiled. "Text me."

"Wait," he said as she turned to leave. "I still don't know your name."

"Alexa," she said with a small laugh. Yes, she thought, this town is just full of clichés.