Firstly, thank you so much for the lone review Cassie-D 101. If at all I am uploading its thanks to your review :)

I was a bit at sea about where I wanted this story to go, but fortunately I let my imagination run a little wild and found some insight. Basically, in this chapter I am going to try to shed some light on the lead female protagonist. And it is in first person POV because somehow, I found it to be a more comfortable medium to proceed. Those of you who aren't too happy about it, please don't hesitate to let me know!

I hope you guys enjoy this one!

Happy Reading.


Chapter 1:

I wasn't a huge admirer of long journeys. No, wait. I detested long journeys. Yes, that seemed more apt. I felt dizzy, and sick, and tired. The mild jet-lag wasn't helping either. I should have been happy that I was returning home reunited with my family after a very long absence, but no, I wasn't.

Home! I laughed to myself, my mouth twisting in a sarcastic smile. Yes, Mystic Falls was certainly my home. A home which held memories I craved to forget. It was my home.

A home – with a father who had been unfortunate to be killed by the numerous animal attacks that occurred.

A home – with a mother who strangely seemed to have forgotten what animal had attacked her husband while being in the same car.

A home – with a brother who was determined to ruin his life and blame his father for it.

Yes, I was certainly home.

When I was offered my acceptance letter from Cambridge to study Psychology, I had thought that it would be the end of my pain. The prospect of relocating to England had seemed lucrative. It promised what I most craved – a fresh start. My mother had been delighted at the news I shared, my brother impassive and indifferent and my father had already been taken too long to express his appreciation. I had vowed to myself to never return till his memories lived in the same house that I was headed to, till they'd continue to haunt me, but alas! Here I was, Mystic Falls.

I pulled my glasses to the bridge of my nose, hastefully searching for any spare dollars I might have saved from the currency exchange centre at the airport. The cab driver, a kind old man waited patiently as I fidgeted with my bag, always being the clumsy one. After much trials and tribulations when I did hand him over the designated amount he smiled at me kindly and helped me with my huge suitcase and drove away.

It was nearing impossibility and somewhat shameful to stand in front of the Griffith Manor looking nothing short of a lost, expectant beggar child. I was well aware of the lack of coördination of my attire and my extremely messy hair. I walked upto the electronic gate, punching the numbers on the automated lock. Much to my surprise, it wasn't the one I had been aware of. I tried again, thinking of another possible combination only to fail. On my final attempt when I couldn't make it, I saw a guard approach towards me.

"Ma'am, may I ask who you want?" his voice was stern and serious.

"It's my house. Open the gates." I answered dryly, yawning. It had been a very long, sleepless day.

"Ofcourse it is. And you would be?" He muttered sarcastically.

"Arianna Griffiths. Now stop asking me questions and open the bloody gate." I snapped at him angrily.

"I'm sorry ma'am but I'm going to need identification." He persisted.

I was furious. "You need identification? I'll give you identification." I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and hastily dialed the digits.

"Mother, it would be very kind of you to ask your guards to allow me into my house. Could you oblige, please?" I snapped the phone shut without waiting for her response and waited patiently as the guard helped me in, apologizing after orders from his senior.

Nothing had changed. The hedges were trimmed in the exact manner as they were when my father had been alive. The white marble fountain of which my grandfather had been very fond still stood shining like a star under the sunlight in all its glory. The smell of fresh berries wafted in the winds and the secret memories that this house held unfurled like an old lady's secrets. I could feel the sudden dampening of my spirits.

Memories. Yes, I certainly had been afraid of them; precisely them.

"Arianna, darling." My mother hurried towards me, her gracious figure engulfing me in her tight grasp. "Have we not missed you?" Her voice was filled with unexpressed emotion and had I not known her better, I would have said she was not tearful.

"Yes, which is why I had the pleasure of calling myself a cab home from New York. You certainly have missed me, mother." I muttered, extracting myself from her embrace, dropping my bag on the couch nearby.

"What are you talking about? I wasn't even aware of your trip. Do you really think I wouldn't have made arrangements if my daughter was to come home?" She defended herself, indignant that I was questioning her motherly affection. It was typical of my mother.

"Mom, I think I we discussed this more than a month before that I was going to Denver. You were the one who insisted I stop by before leaving."

My mother was the Chief of Surgery at Mystic Falls Hospital. My father's untimely death had made her a woman of determination. She had grieved her husband's death like a woman who had been stripped off her virtue. My father had been the pillar of strength of our increasingly depleting family. My mother however was a woman of strength, a woman of discipline and had been quick to collect herself and pick up the pieces. She was a dedicated surgeon, much like my father and quickly took over the chair he once commanded. And once she did, there was no looking back.

We had grown in the company of our ever changing caretakers – my brother and I. I had been fourteen when my parents had decided to shift back to their ancestral town much to my distaste after having been born in New York City. Mystic Falls was a boring place and I was convinced I would take to developing suicidal tendencies if I was to live in a place like it. I had been proven wrong however. This town had its very own secrets; secrets that were out in the open, but never spoken of.

The beeping of my mother's pager broke my train of thought. "Arianna, you did not tell me about your trip." She stated sternly, checking her pager. Before I could protest, she collected her medical journal and phone. "We will discuss about this when I return. You look tired darling, why don't you get some sleep?" she hurried towards the door.

Reluctantly, I walked upstairs towards my room. I could not help but walk in to my parent's room. The large mahogany bed still stood there, the curtains were of a different shade of beige. A vision clouded my mind,

"Daddy, I want to sleep with you tonight." Little Arianna was a stubborn little girl. Only lately had she discovered that mommy had a very bouncy bed. She had naughtily jumped on it all day spoiling mommy's linen. No doubt her mother had been infuriated for she held her sheets very close to her heart, but the sound of her daughter's laughter and the mirth it brought to her face had been her redemption.

"Of course my sweetheart. Why don't you come right here?" her father shifted making way for her, helping the little girl under the sheets till she looked insignificant on the large bed. "What did you do today?" he asked her stroking her head. Dr. Peter Griffiths adored his beautiful little daughter who was currently playing with his ancestral ring. She recited to him the events that had coursed through her day – the mild fight she had with Darla – their neighbor, over the color of the house they wanted to paint, the food that was cooked for her lunch which she chose to feed the rabbits without telling mommy, the fact that grandpa had infact fallen asleep when she had been reading 'Little Red Riding Hood' to him earlier during the day.

She saw her mother come out of the dressing room slipping further into her blanket praying dearly that her mother had not heard of her exploits. Mrs. Eleanor Griffiths simply gave her a knowing smile and returned to drying her hair before the mirror.

Little Arianna continued to play with her father's ring as her words picked up pace until her tired little eyes gave her exhaustion away. Dr. Griffiths only smiled lovingly at his little daughter and pressed a kiss to her temple before picking her up gently and carrying her to her room, winking at his wife.

" I'll be back in a minute."

The picture before me began to fade and slowly melt into oblivion. I stammered back, my balance uneven. I could feel cold moisture beginning to assemble in my eyes. Closing the door behind me, I hurried to my bathroom. My hands mechanically found their way to the shower and pulled it open till I felt warm streams of water trickle down her forehead. I was grieving and afraid. I was afraid of all those memories I had tried very hard to shackle in the deepest recesses of my mind. Never had I once thought that my reality would be such a wide contrast if I was to compare then and now. Upon hearing the footsteps of someone I collected myself at once and hurriedly showered.

The bed was warm and inviting. Without giving it a second thought, I slipped out of my bathrobe and into my satin sleep shirt which had been laid out on my bed. I had questions, yes but decided that they could wait for later. For now, all I wanted was complete and unperturbed sleep.


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