Chapter 4
I wrote half of this chapter a LONG time ago and continued more recently so I apologise for any changes in tense and/or writing style.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing the characters for fun.
"He's a vampire, Elena."
"What?" Elena asked, her surprise genuine, just not about what Bonnie expected.
"You know, Elena, he's a vampire. Don't tell me you never heard the stories. You're a founding family member for goodness' sake."
"Whoa. Slow down a second. I know the stories but how do you know them?" Elena asked, figuring all pretences of ignorance were gone.
"Just like your family, my family keeps records too and we pass them down from generation to generation. I only learnt about it a year ago but since then I've come across three vampires, excluding Stefan. They're heaps more common than you'd think. I've also developed my powers a lot." Bonnie was talking about it so casually that it shocked Elena. Bonnie was one of the few people Elena thought might never need to know about the vampires of Mystic Falls but it turned out she was wrong. It seemed that it was as much a part of Bonnie's family history as it was hers. She was not bitter though, not resentful that Elena had never shared this information with her. She knew why her friend would want to keep her out of the loop if it was possible – she would try to do the same for any of her friends.
"Well, if we're going to be perfectly honest, there's more than one on the teaching staff." Elena said. "Stefan's brother, Damon, is one too but he's friends with Jenna and Ric."
"Really? Do they know?" Bonnie asked, surprised by the news.
"Yep and they're okay with it. Apparently he's not such a bad guy. Though, from what I've seen, I'd argue to the contrary." Elena laughed and Bonnie, after pausing to absorb all the information she'd just received, joined her in laughter. It was a combination of nerves and relief escaping for both of them.
"Hmm, I liked what I was hearing until that last bit." They heard Damon say as he approached them in the corridor. "You're not very nice to me, you know, Elena." Bonnie's eyes widened, growing fearful of the approaching threat but still standing her ground. She knew she could defend herself and Elena but she wasn't sure whether or not she would need to in a circumstance such as this. This uncertainty is what made her uneasy.
"Go away, Damon." Elena sighed.
"But we've been asked to welcome the new staff members. I was just coming over to be nice." He said, slowly edging towards them. "So, I see you didn't hold true to your promise. Just this morning I ask you to keep your mouth shut about my secret and yet here you are, blabbing away to Witchy." At this point, he had come so close to Elena that he was entering her personal space.
"Back off, Damon." Elena said, pushing him away. To his credit, he let her push him. She knew he could have easily continued standing his ground against her but he took a step back.
"Damon." It was Stefan, walking down the corridor to join the three of them.
"Ah, brother, you've come to join the corridor party, have you? Ladies, I believe you've already met Saint Stefan." Damon taunted.
"No, I've just come to make sure you're not harassing anyone." He turned to Bonnie and Elena, "I apologise, it's an annoying habit of his."
"Just checking out the fresh meat." Damon replied, obviously trying to make everyone in the vicinity feel uncomfortable.
"Very funny, Damon." Stefan glared at his brother before turning to Bonnie and Elena. "I'm sorry about my brother." He looked back and forth between the two girls, both of them looking like they didn't trust a word that came out of his mouth. "I couldn't help overhearing that you both know the truth about what we are. Damon has been living here for over two years now and my intent is to stay here too, making it my home again. I can assure you that Damon and I won't cause any harm to you or anyone in this town. You can take my word on that and I'm sure that a Gilbert and a Bennett can be trusted with our secret." Both girls were shocked by the obvious honesty in Stefan's voice. He seemed to really mean what he was saying and it was clear that there were bad feelings between the two brothers.
All the while, Damon was rolling his eyes and Elena knew that, as genuine as Stefan appeared, there was no way she could trust him. She was raised to know better. However, before she had a chance to vocalise her deep rooted mistrust of their kind, they were approached by the headmaster and whisked away to mingle with the rest of the crowd.
Elena tried to keep her head in the game as she floated around the staff room, mingling with some of her former teachers and meeting those who had joined the staff in recent years. As the staff members milled around the room, it became increasingly difficult to focus on remaining professional and courteous when she was constantly trying to remain aware of her surroundings and the locations of Bonnie, Damon and Stefan. She knew the vampires wouldn't try anything in such a crowded place but her instincts and years of warnings against the "demons of the night" told her to be cautious anyway.
Soon enough, Bonnie was whisked away to a support staff meeting while the English staff members were told to head to their faculty meeting. Sure enough, the first faculty meeting of school year began with introductions for the sake if the new staff members and Elena was reminded of the tedious around-the-circle first tutorial meet-and-greet in every topic she studied on her way to this moment. I guess things don't change much after college…
Everyone was eager to hear the reasons Elena gave for returning to her old high school. Those who had known her mother knew that she had always encouraged her to journal everyday and they were proud that she had continued to pursue her love of English and writing. Others, the more cynical members of the faculty, thought she was crazy to return.
"It's a big world out there. There are so many other opportunities for young people such as yourself." They were saying. Just because you should have retired 10 years ago, she thought. She remembered these teachers from her time as a student at the school. They were the disenchanted type who received very little respect from students because they no longer cared about their work.
"Really, Elena, why would you join the teaching field?" At this stage, Elena was getting tired of the negativity. These former teachers of hers were talking down to her like she was still a student and, as a result, she was ready to get snappy with some of her new co-workers. However, she was stopped before she could even get started.
"I think it's fantastic that you chose to return to your old high school, Elena." It was Stefan. "Surely some of your former teachers should be honoured that you felt inspired enough to study teaching and comfortable enough to return here in a teaching capacity." He looked challengingly at a few of the teachers around the room who had been criticising Elena's decisions. "After all, correct me if I'm wrong - you've all been here longer than I have- but you need to be passionate about this profession or you'll never succeed." He punctuated his statement by looking Elena directly in the eyes. She couldn't help but smile in thanks. He had stepped in before she managed to make a bad impression on her first day.
"You're absolutely right, Stefan." Replied one of the female faculty members who had been supportive of Elena from the beginning. Elena recognised her from back when her parents were alive but she couldn't remember her name. "I apologise, Elena, for the rudeness of my co-workers." She smiled warmly at Elena and Stefan. "People tend to stick around in this profession for far too long." She glared at a few of her colleagues. "Anyway, to continue the introductions, I'm Carol Lockwood. Yes, I'm Mayor Lockwood's wife but please try to forget that. I'm here because just like most of you," she threw a glance at the Negative Nancys in the room, "I love to teach and I'm thrilled to see a familiar face and a fresh face joining our faculty." Elena and Stefan both smiled in thanks and the introductions continued.
After the dangerous almost-outburst earlier, Elena remained extra attentive and professional for the rest of the meeting. She was puzzled by the fact that Stefan had decided to step in and stand up for her earlier. What reason would a vampire have to defend me? She wondered. Unless he's trying to gain my trust. Tough luck for him, that's never going to happen.
She did, however, pay careful attention to the reason he gave for being in Mystic Falls. Apparently, he had just finished college and he decided to move to Mystic Falls because Damon was the closest family he had. If they're close, Elena thought, I don't want to imagine the relationships they have with people they don't like.
As it was, the meeting concluded soon afterwards with, courtesy of Carol Lockwood, the teachers receiving details of the upcoming town events that the English department would be involved in. All of the teachers returned to the staff room and it was announced that any staff members who were not involved in the art and music departments were welcome to head home since the other faculty meetings were scheduled for the following day.
At this stage, feeling relieved at the end of her first day and with her head almost entirely vampire-free, Elena was on a mission to find Bonnie so that they could organise surprising Jenna. The girls quickly figured out a plan and Bonnie had driven herself to the school that morning which meant that Elena didn't need to catch a ride home with Damon, thank god.
Out of courtesy, Elena sent Ric a quick text - she didn't want to risk running into Damon - letting him know that she was getting a lift home with Bonnie.
Elena: Hey Ric, just letting you know that I'm getting a lift home with Bonnie so we can surprise Jenna. Oh and I can't believe you managed to keep that from me! Great surprise! Thank you.
Ric: Wait! No, you can't surprise her without me! I'm one of the masterminds here, remember? I didn't get to see your reaction so I'm not missing out on seeing Jenna's.
Elena: Hahaha ok Ric. Get your arse into gear and get home then. Bonnie is going to wait outside and come and knock on the door… "Unexpectedly…" We're leaving the school now.
Ric: Sounds good. I'll see you guys there.
Ok… So what are we thinking? Has anyone read this far? I'm sorry, I feel like I lost my way a bit in this chapter but I hope I'll get back on track.
The only trouble is I'm not entirely sure where the story is going yet… I've got some ideas but it's not quite enough to form a full story yet. Any ideas are welcome…
Please review! Thanks for reading :)