Chapter I

I woke up to find myself in a big, warm place. From what I could see, it was a bedroom. I was lying on a wide bed with white sheets and big pillows. My head was resting on one of them, and my whole body was perfectly still and straight. I suddenly panicked when I saw the blood stains on my clothes and remembered what had happened. The idea of not knowing where I was scared me, so I tried to get up quickly. My body still ached from the injuries, but the hole I had on my chest was gone, only blood and marks remained. I sat up, letting my legs fall on the floor beside the bed. I felt dizzy and I couldn't see everything very clearly. I looked around. The light was soft, warm. Then I smelled something. A bittersweet scent filled my nostrils. I turned my head at the little table that was beside me and saw a small glass full of blood. I wasn't fully recovered, so I took it. I felt relief, as I tasted every single drop of blood that ran through by throat. That gave me a little boost, and then I got up.

I looked around one more time as I walked. I saw a door, so I went to it, but something stopped me. I felt a horrible burn on my right arm, and in about a second I realized I was standing in front of a window. I yelled softly and drew back as the light smoke that came from my arm dissolved quickly.

"What?" My ring… where was it?

I panicked again and started searching. I looked everywhere until I finally found it under some papers that were on the table. The big green stone was shining bright, and I grabbed it as fast as I could, placing it on my finger. I walked through the light again and nothing happened. Good. I returned to the door and tried to open it. It was locked, so I couldn't get out. I thought of escaping through the window, so I opened the big glass doors and took a peek outside. Just when I was about to jump, I heard a noise.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" A voice said.

I turned quickly to face the door. It began to open slowly, and a body stepped in. A man with black hair and black clothes entered the room. From what I could see, he was on his early twenties, but maybe I was wrong. He was very fit and quite handsome, and he was staring at me with piercing blue eyes. He stood motionless with his arms crossed. At first I felt scared, but he seemed good. He wasn't going to hurt me. Well, at least it was what I thought at the moment. Not everyone can be trusted, so I just stood there in silence.

"So, I see you found your ring." He said as he took a step forward.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" I asked slowly.

"Well, when you find people like you, unconscious and alone in the street bleeding to death you don't usually just leave them there" He said while he walked to the table and organized the papers I had grabbed. He wasn't watching me as he said that, but I was staring very closely.

I remained silent for a moment. What was I supposed to do? He had me trapped, and I assumed he wouldn't let me go just by asking him.

"Who are you? Where am I? How did – "

"Whoa, whoa, listen. I am more interested in knowing how did you end up in a situation like that. If someone did that to you, it should mean that you are in serious trouble." He said, making a big emphasis on serious.

"That's because I am" I said very softly "Please, I need to know where I am. I should really be going…"

"You're running from something." He said calmly, while walking towards me. He knew things, but how… "So, from what exactly?"

"Don't you think a name would be nice?" I smirked and crossed my arms too.

"Hmm, smart." He smiled at me. "I'm Damon. Damon Salvatore"

"Salvatore? You're a Salvatore?" I asked.

That name brought me a lot of memories. But… Katherine. That was it. I remembered her, and the days I spent watching her, waiting…

"The one and only, well apart for my baby bro… Anyway, I guess you should give me information too. Now, who are you?"

Damn. Well, I guessed that it would lead to a long background story… I sighed and stared at him. I knew that once I said the name, he would know, just like I new his.

"Does the last name Petrova ring any bells?"