Chapter 1: First Class

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It was in the first week of August and the smell of autumn filled the air. It was a beautiful Monday morning in Mystic Falls. The sky was as an enchanting shade of cerulean. The trees were beginning to show their fiery colors. Tangerine and Burgundy colored leaves danced with the wind. The air was cool and refreshing and it was a nice enough atmosphere for a long, deep breath.

Elena walked from her apartment to the small kindergarten center just a couple of blocks away from her house. 'It was a nice day for a walk', she thought, deciding to stretch her legs in the morning instead of taking her car to school on her first day as a teacher.

Yes, it is her first day as a teacher. It had been her dream since she was 6. She had always convinced her playmates to play 'school'. She was supposed to be the teacher, and her friends were to be the students. Her mom even supplied her toys to make their play time much more of a reality. She bought Elena rubber stamps and an inkpad which had the words 'Job Well Done' and a picture of a smiley face on them. She even gave her a small chalkboard and an eraser. It had always been her interest to teach when she was young. And now, she was going to live her dream.

It was 7:10 in the morning when she was a couple of blocks away from the small building called 'Mystic Falls Kindergarten Center'. Elena wore a long-sleeved white blouse and a navy blue pencil skirt, since she didn't believe that black was a color appropriate for wearing. She didn't like dull things. She wanted everything around her to be bold. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun held together by ornamental pins that gathered her dark brown locks. She had thin make-up on, just enough to enhance her appearance but not too much as too make her look like she was going to a party. She held her navy purse on her left hand and a couple of folders clutched to her chest on her right arm. She looked like a natural educator.

A smile had been plastered on her face since last night, as she brushed her teeth and fixed the things she was going to have to use on the following day. Like any other teacher, she had prepared a lesson plan for her students, fun games to entertain them with and of course, stamps and stickers as rewards for their job well done. 'I hope it'd be that easy for them to like Me.', she thought again.

15 minutes later, the small beige-colored building began appearing before her eyes. She saw the sign, close enough to be readable: 'Mystic Falls Kindergarten Center: A place where kids can learn, laugh and grow'. It was a one-storey building that almost looked like an ordinary house, only bigger. There was an exceptional garden on the front yard where lots of plants and flowers grew. The lawn was newly mowed and although the building was still empty. It would be, of course. Classes don't start till' 8:10.

When she had arrived in the school, she entered the two front doors quietly. The place was still deserted and quite dark, but there were rays of sunlight that had entered from the windows and they brought light to the corridor. She saw a huge bulletin board on her right side that greeted 'Welcome to Mystic Falls Kindergarten Center!' and it had 3 sheets of paper hanging below it. She lifted them one by one and realized that they were a list of names of the kids that would be attending the school this year.

She saw her name on the first piece of paper that lay on top among the others. It said: Class I – Teacher: Ms. Elena Gilbert. And then below her name were 15 other names that she was in need to memorize: Angelica, Elisha, Christine, Jennifer, Ryan, Kevin, Justin, Isabella, Candace, Elaine, Steven, Dylan, Taylor, Michael and Ronald. She smiled as her eyes hovered over each name. She took another deep breath and then made her way to the farther parts of the center.

The echo of Elena's heels clicking against the floor reverberated along the corridor. She turned her head as she passed by each room. There were two classrooms that held at least 15 small desks each. Then followed a small play room filled with play houses, a small slide, toys, action figures and dolls and even a small kitchen set for those who wished to play 'house'. There was also a small computer laboratory that was filled with small desktop computers for the children to use. The last room that was available was the teacher's lounge, she had guessed.

Elena entered the teacher's lounge and opened the lights. There was a small counter where coffee could be made. There was also a small couch and a TV set that settled on one side of the room. There were three large desks that scattered in different portions of the room, wherein two of them were filled with papers and pictures, while the other one was empty. Nearly empty.

"This must be mine." Elena whispered to herself as she walked to the empty mahogany-colored desk and placed her items on them. She saw another small folder that lay on top of the table. A look of curiosity marked her face as she took the folder gently into her hands and flipped it open. It was her attendance sheet with the list of her student's names on them. A smile of excitement settled on her lips as she laid down the folder into the desk again and walked over to the counter where coffee could be made.

She made herself a mug of freshly brewed coffee and sachet back to her desk again. She took a sip from her mug and scanned her attendance folder again. It was the same familiar names she had seen on the bulletin board along the corridors: Angelica, Elisha, Christine, Jennifer, Ryan, Kevin, Justin, Isabella, Candace, Elaine, Steven, Dylan, Taylor, Michael and Ronald.

"I've gotta remember that." Elena muttered as she began chanting the names over and over again: "Angelica, Elisha, Christine, Jennifer, Ryan, Kevin, Justin, Isabella, Candace, Elaine, Ste "

"Steven, Dylan, Taylor, Michael and Ronald." Elena's head shot up to where the small voice came from. She twisted her head to the side to see a blond-haired woman over at the counter making her a cup of coffee. "Memorizing names are a lot easier if you've already met them." The woman added as Elena still had her eyes glued to her.

After preparing her coffee, the woman turned around to face Elena. She looked young, in her mid 20's, just like Elena herself. She had curly, blond hair that reached till' below her shoulders and she her skin was snow white. Her emerald green eyes had a tint of hospitality in them and her pink lips widened in a smile. "You must be the new teacher." She muttered as she walked over to Elena's desk with both her hands clasping her mug.

"I'm Caroline. Caroline Forbes. This is my 3rd year teaching here." The woman whispered as she raised a hand and offered it to Elena. Elena shook it unhesitant and even gave Caroline a friendly smile of her own.

"Oh, hi. I'm Elena Gilbert." She said as sheer happiness in her voice. "It's finally good to know that I work with other teachers here." Elena let out a low chuckle as Caroline took a seat on Elena's desk. She placed her mug beside hers and then casually laid her hands on her lap.

"So, Elena, is this your first time teaching?" Caroline asked her sweetly.

"Um, yeah, kinda." Elena answered back nervously. "Are they nice?"

"Of course they are." Caroline giggled at her slightly obvious question. "They're 6 year old kids. How bad could they be?"

"I don't know. What if they hate me?"

"They wouldn't hate you unless you don't give them enough play time or if you actually get their names wrong." Caroline told her informally, and Elena's face twisted into a face of terror. 'Oh No! I should've memorized those names the moment the superintendent gave me the list! How could I lose it! My teaching career has already ended before it even began.' Elena was about to stressfully place her forehead on her palm when Caroline interrupted, "I'm kidding." And burst into a fit of laughter.

"Aw, Elena, nobody could ever hate a kindergarten teacher. Those kinds of hatred are only geared toward High School professors who give too much homework. While we," And then Caroline grabbed the mugs of coffee, hers and Elena's, and handed the other one to Elena. "Get hugged by kids and feel like the most loved people in the whole universe." She raised her mug, offering a toast, and Elena raised hers in level with Caroline's and their mugs touched with a low clunk.

Elena took a long sip off her coffee with a small smile. She felt the intoxicating aroma of the coffee fill in her senses. She felt calm and relaxed, till' she felt the incisive ringing of the school bell. She finished her coffee until the last drop had come into contact with her tongue. She laid the mug back to her desk and saw Caroline collect her stuff.

"Come on, Elena. Are you ready for your first class?" Caroline asked Elena with a smug smile, her hands crossed on her chest with her files in place. Elena nodded and collected the belongings she needed for class and stood up. She held her attendance sheet clutched in her right hand and followed Caroline out of the Teacher's Lounge.

How long had it been since she was in that room? She could see how much things had changed for the past 40 minutes? The corridor was now well lit by fluorescent lamps that hung low on the roof. There were still a couple of students that were left in the hallway, running as fast as they could to their respective rooms. And now, she could also hear the laughter and the high voices of the children inside the rooms.

Caroline escorted Elena to her room, but before they separated for the morning, Caroline whispered a few encouraging words in Elena's ear. "Good Luck, Ms. Gilbert." Caroline said reassuringly, bumping Elena with her hips. Elena let out a short giggle of relief.

"Thanks, Ms. Forbes." Elena whispered back. Her hand shot out to grab the doorknob, but her movements were interrupted by Caroline again.

"Meet me at the Teacher's Lounge after class. Tell me about your day." Caroline didn't ask. She insisted that Elena tell her about what might happen. Elena just nodded at her and then turned the knob to glance at her first class.

As soon as she walked in the room, she felt 15 pairs of eyes watching her every move. Elena walked to her desk and laid her items on top. She felt her heart race as if it was running a marathon. 'Come on, you can do this Elena. Don't be afraid. They're just 6-year-olds.' She reassured herself, taking her time with arranging her things, her back to the students. 'But they out number me one to fifteen, and fifteen 6-year-old kids sum up to about 90. They're 90-years-old combined all together!' She thought to herself stupidly. She shook her head and then thought again. 'What? That's impossible. 6-year-old kids can't turn to a 90-year-old terror. I can do this. You can do this, Elena. Good Luck.'

Elena took a one last breath and turned to her class with a nervous smile on her face. "Good Morning, class." She greeted them loud enough for it to look like she knew exactly what she was doing. Just then, every one of her students stood up and greeted her back in chorus.

"Good Morning, Ms. Gilbert!" They all said with smiles, and that was all it needed to take to give Elena her final reassurance. She was welcome here, and she felt their warmth in her heart. That was the moment Elena had her chance to smile genuinely. And at that, Elena insisted for all of them to sit down.

"Okay then," She smiled at let her eyes hover on each of the faces she saw before her. She tried to recall all the names she had read earlier, but of course, the most important thing she had to do was to stir up an introduction she could use for the class. "My name is Elena Gilbert, but you may call me Ms. Gilbert or Ms. Elena, whichever you prefer. This is my first time teaching and I'm glad to say that you are my first class. Your faces will all be in my heart." She said sweetly and received a couple of Aws from the class.

"I am 23-years-old and I love the color blue. When I was young, I used to play teacher with my friends. Who would've known that I'd actually be one? Well, that means all dreams could come true." Elena said as her eyes trailed from face to face. "Now, let's check your attendance first. When I call your name, you raise your hand and say present, alright?" The kids nodded.

Elena walked to the other side of her desk and pulled out a chair. She saw something on it, a blue box that was at least an inch thick. She took the box in her hands and shook it. It made a peculiar sound. She turned to the class, wanting to ask if any of them knew about the box that was on her chair.

"Now before the attendance, I would just want to ask one thing. Class, who could me tell what this is?" Elena asked them. Most of the class raised their hands. Elena called the one whom raised her hand first, a sweet-looking girl with long, curly, dark brown hair. Elena motioned a hand to her, "Yes?"

"It's a blue box." The student stood up, answered the question for a matter of fact, and then sat back down.

"Very Good!" Elena added. "Now, could anyone tell me if they know who placed this box on my chair?" She asked again, but this time, nobody raised his or her hand, and Elena wondered. "Come on, guys and girls. The one to give me the answer first gets…" She paused as she took out another folder on her desk. Elena scraped a sticker of a star from the folder and showed it to the class. "This sticker of a star on their notebook."

And that was when one hand shot up in the air. It belonged to a small boy with messy, coal black hair that almost covered his cerulean eyes. She called him and he stood up from his seat. "Do you know who put this here, sweetie?" Elena asked the kid.

"Yes, Ms. Elena." He answered in a cute, high-pitched voice when he opened his lips. "I put it there." The boy added, and Elena was caught in shock. 'Now, why would a kid put this box here?' Before she could ask him another question, the boy continued. "It's a gift for you." And those words almost melted her heart. She couldn't even find words for it.

"Come here and bring your notebook, sweetie." She muttered under her breath, but she guessed that it was loud enough for the boy to hear it. He bent down to his bag and took out a small notebook that had Optimus Prime on the cover. Then, he took small steps toward Elena's table.

Elena sat down on her desk and placed the box on the table. She didn't even know what was in it. She took the notebook in her hands and flipped it to the last page. "What's your name, sweetie?" Elena asked the boy as she stuck the sticker into the last page.

"Dylan." The boy said with a cute smirk on his face. "Daddy told me to give this to you. He found out that you were new, so he wanted to give you a gift." Dylan added as he collected the notebook back in his small palms.

Elena gave him a smiled back. She stared into his eyes. Strangely familiar eyes, she thought. But then she shook her head and came back to reality. "Well, Dylan, you tell your daddy thanks." She whispered to him with a cutesy-tone in her voice. Elena patted Dylan's head and then motioned for him to get back to his seat.

Elena then took the folder that lay on her desk and opened it. "Now remember, if your name is called, raise your hand up high and say 'Present!' in the loudest voice you can, okay?" She reminded the students and they all seemed to nod. She began saying the names one by one, and they all seemed familiar to her now, since she read them a couple of times earlier this morning.

Then, she began reciting the names in alphabetical order and started remembering their faces.

Jennifer Adams was a redheaded girl with light green eyes and wavy hair that reached below her shoulders. Ronald Allen, or as he prefers to be called as Ron, was a slightly tall boy with slightly long, chestnut brown hair. Kevin Banks was a thin boy with curly, blond hair and light blue eyes that almost seems transparent. Justin Burnette was a short boy with freckles and long dark brown hair. Taylor Daniels was an olive skinned boy with short, black hair and a seemingly perfect nose. Angelica Diaz was a tall girl with slight wavy, long black hair and eyes that were too small for her face. Christine King was a striking girl with beautiful features. She was the curly, longhaired girl that had answered Elena's question on what she was holding in her hands.

Steven O' Riley was a tall boy with the most beautiful olive green eyes she's ever seen in the batch of kids before her. He also had light brown hair that was spiked all over his head. Bella Reed had shoulder-length, wavy, black hair which made her green eyes stand out. Elaine Roberts familiarly looked like Christine. She was beautiful too and she has the same features, except for the fact that her hair was straight and she was a lot shyer that Christine. I later found out that they were cousins. And then there's one name that had caught her attention. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"Dylan Salvatore." She mentioned once, and Dylan, the boy whom she talked with earlier, had his hand up in the air and screamed 'Present!' at the top of his lungs. "Dylan Salvatore?" Elena took a second glance at the name. Why did it seem so familiar? But, would she be stupid enough to forget one of the most unforgettable relationships we had.

Elena's eyes didn't leave the piece of paper in her hands when she asked Dylan a question. "Dylan, sweetie." She took her time in forming the words mouth. It took a long time for her to muster up the question she was about to release from her lips. "What's your daddy's name exactly?"

And Dylan took no hesitation on his answer. "My daddy's name is Damon." And at that, Elena felt her heart explode. "Damon Salvatore." The boy added and Elena felt the explosion double. She flinched at the name once again, and Dylan caught eyes of this. "Ms. Elena, do you know daddy?" Dylan asked, and this time, she didn't know how in hell she would be able to answer the question.

"Um, yes, I do know your dad. I've known him a couple of years back. We've been good friends." Elena answered unsurely, and when Dylan heard this, a smirk crept up to his lips. This time, knowing the genealogy of this kid, it had made her flinch once more.

"Good, cause' daddy told me to wish you luck and he'd be looking forward to see you again." And that was enough to make Elena frightened once more.

She just nodded at his statement and whispered, "Alrighty then." Elena knew that Damon and she had a long history together, and when Stefan was with her, things didn't go as smooth as it ought to be. And meeting after a long time of rivalry and angst wouldn't be such a good idea. 'I guess I found out where Dylan got his charm from.' she thought to herself and continued the list.

Elisha Smith was a cute little girl in a floral pink dress. Her hair was dark brown, short and tied into pigtails. Michael Stewart, and also prefers to be called Mike, was a dashing young boy with blond hair and light blue eyes. Ryan Wesley was a boy that caught her eyes as well. He had a rugged look to him, for a small boy. He had messy sandy blond hair, he wore a checkered shirt, and his green eyes pierced through Dylan like a knife. 'This might turn into a fight.' Elena thought, seeing how the two boys glance at each other from time to time. The last kid on the list was a beautiful blond with cherry pink lips. Candace Whitley looked exactly like a Barbie doll, pink lips, curly blond hair, and cute clothes. The only thing that differed was her green eyes.

She finished her attendance and had told the class that they weren't going to do much today, since it was the first day of school. They seemed really happy when they heard that Ms. Gilbert was going to take them to the playroom. Elena stood up from her chair and told them to form one straight line.

"Come On, Kids! The sooner you line up, the longer you get to play." Elena gave them a wide smirk, her voice singing a very playful tune as the kids began lining up. The boys playfully and roughly shoved each other as they quickly ran into their lines, while the girls just kept quiet with their hands behind their backs.

Elena placed a finger to her lips and motioned for them to keep silent as they passed the corridor. And eventually, they did. Elena bent down to Candace, the smallest girl who stood in front, and whispered something to her. "Candace, sweetie, could you quietly lead your classmates to the playroom. I'll just get something in the classroom." She asked the blond-haired cutie sweetly.

Candace nodded her head and answered Elena politely, "Yes, Ms. Gilbert." She said and then turned around to face her other classmates. "Follow me." She waved her arm in a come here motion and the line slowly and quietly began moving along with 30 legs.

Elena observed as she saw how well Candace led the group. 'I should probably let her be my Teacher's Help. She's good.' She thought to herself in an inner soliloquy. Elena's lips pulled up to a small grin and she walked back inside the classroom. She gathered her belongings on the table, folders and bag and all, and walked up to switch off the lights. Her hand had already grasped the doorknob when she suddenly remembered something.

She paused halfway through turning the knob and her head turned to face the desk. The room was dim, but she could still see the item she suddenly forgotten to remember. Her eyes stared at the blue box that still lay on top of her clear desk. It was the only thing that lay atop of the table, and the fine color of it stood apart from the brown of the wood.

Elena hesitantly walked back to the small desk in the middle of the room. She eyed the present Dylan's 'Daddy' had given her. A welcoming present, Dylan had mentioned. Her face twisted into a sour scowl when she'd realized that the kid's father had actually used his own son as a messenger to his teacher. Elena grabbed the box in her hands and stared at it with bitterness, yet also a tint of curiosity.

Damon had always been a man who loved surprising women, she thought, wondering what could be found inside it. She placed her items back on the desk and her fingers began intertwining with the elegant, translucent gold ribbon that wrapped around the box. She slowly tugged on the ribbon and watched it slowly fall to the floor. Her fingers had grasped the lid gently, and she opened it without a second thought.

Elena's eyes widened when she discovered that the box was in fact filled with chocolates. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sight. She could smell the intoxicating aroma of the dark brown bonbons that lay arranged inside the box, containing five a row and four rows all together. 20 pieces. Regardless of the mouthwatering present she had received, she wondered: This is too plain. There's something wrong.

It was more of a statement than a question, actually. She placed the lid back on the box and put it on top of the folders. She gathered all her items and then departed the room with several unspoken thoughts in her mind. 'Why would Damon give me chocolates, when my public hatred for cocoa was general knowledge to him?' Indeed, she didn't like chocolate. They were too sweet. In fact, if she were to live in a place where chocolate was the only available food source she could have; she'd rather choose to eat the bitterest piece of dark chocolate among others.

Elena then realized that she took a lot longer than she'd thought she would. She checked her watch and saw that she'd left her class for more or less 15 minutes already. She ran to the playroom as fast as she could, but she was too late.

The noise of the children's extreme euphoria rocked the whole building. And when she got inside, she dropped all her items on the floor.

Everything was a mess. The toys were scattered everywhere. The children who chose to paint were covered in the brightest of colors. The girls' hair was out of their cute hair clips and ponytails. The boys were rolling around on the floor, covered with dust and sweat. And it was all her fault.

Elena's eyes were filled with terror. What am I supposed to do? She was beginning to panic. Everything was ruined and it was because she left 6-year-old kids alone for just fifteen minutes! She stared at the kids, running, not seeing her. Her jaw dropped wide with speechlessness. There's only one thing to do.

She placed her fingers on her lips and mustered all the air she could put in. In one long breath, she let out one of the longest and high-pitched whistles she had ever let out in her entire life. Then, for 5 seconds, everything was still again.

All the students paused what they were doing and stared at her. Gratefully, they all knew what the look on the teacher's face means. All of it could be surmised into one word most parents say to their children. Behave. Everyone dropped what they held and stopped their movements and they all fell in one straight line again.

They organized themselves within 10 seconds, and this made Elena very impressed, although still petrified about what she saw before her eyes. The children were painted red, green and blue, and their clothes were dirty. What am I supposed to do? Elena asked herself again.

Instead of 'freaking out' like she usually does, she closed her eyes, took one long and deep breath, and tried to find serenity despite of the chaos she faced now. You can do this, she chanted to herself repeatedly. You can do this.

Her eyes shot open and a small smile spread to her face. She grabbed Candace's hand gently and then announced aloud, "Let's get you cleaned up now, before anyone finds out how messy we've all been." She said calmly, forgetting about the fact that this 'first-class-incident' might cause her job.

Elena began pulling Candace slowly and they walked back to the classroom, the other students trailing behind them. Their lips remained shut tight, but their footsteps were gradually becoming loud, so she gave them a quick reminder. "Shh…" She whispered. "If Ms. Forbes hears us, we might get in trouble. And if we get in trouble," She trailed off again, arriving the front door of the classroom. She let the class in one by one, shut the door and pulled down the blinds.

Elena faced the class with a huge smirk on her face. She walked back to her desk and added, "If we get into trouble… We wouldn't be able to eat chocolate before we go home." A huge smile pulled up the corners of her mouth as she removed the lid of the blue box she had in her hands.

She saw her students eyes turn ravenous as they glared at every bit of assorted chocolate arranged perfectly on the little blue box Ms. Gilbert had in her hands. 'I've got them right where I want them.' She thought once more as her smile of amusement transformed into pure deviousness.

She eventually placed the lid back on the box, her eyes never leaving the kid's faces. Elena saw the transition in their emotions, from mouthwatering with hunger, to frustration at the tease the teacher had just did to their senses. She was amused to see how much the kids were determined to get the chocolate.

"If you all promise to stay clean and behave for the rest of the day, I'd give you one chocolate each. Promise?" Elena tilted her head and asked them all sweetly in a small compromise. Wide smiles spread on the students' faces as they all answered Elena back in chorus.

"Yes, Ms. Gilbert." And it wasn't long after that, when Elena grabbed the kids one by one and cleaned them up in the bathroom.

I hope this day will end up better.

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