a/n: First of all, thank you for the reviews. I really do appreciate it. Second, i realize that the story is hard to follow with all the long paragraphs and i apologize for that. This is my first story that I have actually let anyone read. I will try my best to make it more readable. I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know if you like the layout better. :)

Damon looks at the girl on his couch. She looked so peaceful. Like she was asleep. But he knew she wasn't. This sleeping beauty would never wake up. Elena walks in with tears falling down her face along with Caroline.

"We need to come up with a story."

Elena touches his shoulder,

"Damon-"

He shrugs her off. "No don't. Just don't. She was innocent in all of this. This doesn't make any sense."

They all look at him and see the silent tears fall down his face. Suddenly, Rachel gasps. They look at her with surprise as she shoots up to a sitting position.

"What the hell just happened?"

They stare at her silently. She looks at all of their faces.

"What?"

Stefan comes into the room and stops, "You were dead."

Rachel's eyes widen in shock, "What do you mean? I'm not dead. I can't be. Oh my god!"

Damon sits down next to her and takes her hand, "You died, but you didn't stay dead. You are a vampire."

She shakes her head, "But how?"

They all look at each other. Tyler speaks up, "Klaus must have fed you his blood."

Rachel frowns, "Why don't I remember that?"

Caroline sits down on her other side, "He must have compelled you to forget."

Rachel puts her head in her hands and starts to cry. Damon pulls her towards him and comforts her.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel. This shouldn't have happened to you."

Rachel looks up at him, "What happens now."

Alaric steps in, "You either choose to die or complete the transition and drink human blood."

She cries out, "I can't drink human blood! I don't even eat meat."

Damon holds her at shoulder length, "it's up to you Rachel but if you don't you will die. Are you ready for that?"

She shakes her head, "I don't want to die. I don't want to die."

Jeremy walks over to her and cuts his hand, "Here drink it."

She looks at him startled, "No, I can't. What if I drink too much?"

As he gets closer it gets harder for her to resist. Without realizing it she rises and walks closer to him. She grabs his arm and puts it to her mouth. As she gets her first drink her eyes start to change and her fangs come out. She lifts her head for a second only to bite into his arm deeper and starts to drink with a sigh. He sinks to the floor along with her and she feels someone pull her back. She falls to the ground with Damon over her.

"Oh god. I am so sorry. I couldn't stop."

Jeremy laughs, "No problem. If you had killed me I would have come back to life anyway."

She wipes her mouth. She stands up and looks around her. "This isn't going to be easy is it?" They all shake their heads.

The next day at school Rachel stares at her locker. She listens to everybody's conversations. Listens to all the normal teenage drama around her. Girls complaining about their boyfriends. Guys complaining about not getting laid. Then she thought about her problem. She thought about the one thing she wanted more than anything. She could hear all of their heartbeats. She could hear the blood rushing through their veins. She puts her head against the locker. Finn walks over to her,

"Rachel, I'm so sorry. If I could have stopped him I would have."

Rachel doesn't look up, "I know, Finn. I'm fine." She walks away.

Elena watches Rachel as she walks away from Finn. She looks over to Stefan,

"We have to do something. We can't let her get depressed."

Stefan furrows his eyebrows, "I don't know what to do. Her whole world has been turned upside down." They both frown.

Rachel walks into Alaric's classroom and takes her seat next to Caroline.

Caroline looks at her sympathetically, "How are you doing?"

Rachel ignores her. She was tired of that question. She didn't even want to be here but she knew if she stayed home she would go crazy. Alaric walks in.

"So it is time for another decade dance and as usual we are going to be studying that decade in class."

Rachel laughs. Everyone looks at her.

"Really? A decade dance. Is there anything normal about this town?"

Alaric sits on the edge of his desk, "How is that not normal?"

She looks at him, amused, "Well most schools have homecoming. They announce a king and queen. The wear normal fancy dresses and suits. But no, instead this school insists you dress up from another decade."

Alaric laughs, "Isn't it better to be a little different from time to time."

She smiles, "Of course. From time to time. Not forever. Forever is just too long."

Alaric gives her a sad look, "I have a feeling we aren't talking about a decade dance."

Rachel looks at her desk, "Probably not."

A tear slowly trickles down her cheek and falls onto her desk.

"Excuse me."

She walks out of the classroom and outside. She sits down on a bench and puts her head in her hands. Suddenly she hears crying. She looks around. She gets up and starts walking towards the sound. She walks around the corner and sees a girl sitting on the ground.

"Hey. Are you ok?"

The girl looks up, "my boyfriend broke up with me."

Rachel touches her arm, "I'm sorry. It's going to be ok. I know something that will cheer you up."

The girl looks questioningly at her, "What?"

Rachel's fangs lower and she bites the girl's neck. The girl screams and Rachel puts her hand over her mouth.

She stops and looks in the girls eyes, "Don't be afraid. Don't scream. Everything is going to be fine."

The girl nods. Rachel goes back to drinking her blood. All she could think about is how good it taste and how great she felt in that moment. She pulled back.

"Do you have a scarf?"

The girl nods.

"Wear it until that heals." She gets up and wipes off her mouth. She walks back to class with a smile on her face.

At lunch Rachel sits down with the rest of her friends and smiles.

Caroline looks at her, "So, I saw this girl with a scarf around her neck."

Rachel raises her eyebrow, "That's kind of where you wear scarves. I would be more worried if she wore it around her legs."

Caroline frowns, "It's the middle of August."

Rachel laughs, "So you have something against fashion statements in the month of August?"

Caroline shakes her head, "No but I also smelled blood on her."

Rachel shrugs and says, "She could have cut her finger. I think you are overreacting to this whole scarf thing. People don't need vampires to do the whole bleeding thing."

She gets up and walks away.

Caroline frowns, "Well that went well."

Elena shakes her head, "We need to get that scarf off."

Stefan agrees.

Tyler looks at all of them, "Is it really that big of a deal? The girl is still alive and breathing. So she has to wear a scarf for a couple days."

Matt nods his agreement, "At least we didn't find a dead body. Little victories right?"

Stefan shakes his head at them, "Yeah today it is just a little blood. Tomorrow it is a little more than we are finding dead bodies. We need to stop this before it begins."

Rachel walks into the Salvatore house and plops down on the couch.

Damon walks towards her, "Rough day?"

She laughs harshly, "Your brother and friends are driving me crazy."

Damon smirks, "Yeah I heard about the whole scarf incident. It was a little reckless, but she is still alive."

Rachel rolls her eyes, "I'm a vampire. I drink blood. And as it turns out I enjoy it. Is that so wrong?"

Damon sits next to her, "Not at all. As a matter of fact I share your sentiment, but there is a time and place and I know the perfect place."

Rachel touches his face, "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

He laughs, "You are going to want to get ready."