A/N:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's been a long time but i'm back guys. Thank you for sticking with me. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

CHAPTER 5

BELLA POV

"Rise and shine sleepy head. The earliest bird catches the sweetest worm!" Said my dear, sweet cousin Caroline who had just burst into my room.

"Caroline, would you be so kind please and enlighten me, when did I become a bird? I'm pretty sure that when I arrived here last night I was still a walking, talking human being. Unless this is a magic house and I just haven't realized it yet. Tell me Caroline, what am I? A sparrow? A robin? A blackbird?" I finished off in a joking manner.

"Whatever Isabella, very funny. You need to get ready. You, Victoria and I are going to the Grill. Victoria is already up and dressed so I suggest you hurry up because we need to be there in half an hour! This means you have approximately 20 minutes to shower, change and eat because it takes around 10 minutes to drive there. When we arrive I'm going to introduce you to some of my friends, don't be shy because they are very friendly…" Said Caroline as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as she closed the door, I sighed. Although I had only been here in Mystic Falls for a short amount of time, there was already a fair amount of information that I had gathered on Caroline:

1. She loves fashion and shopping - this was proven when she took Vicky and I to the mall pretty much as soon as we arrived here.

2. Caroline loved social status and friends

And

3. Caroline Forbes is a very, VERY bossy woman.

I quickly went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Then I had the fastest shower ever known to man. Next I dried myself and put on my clothes.

As soon as I was done changing, I made my way into the kitchen. This was a difficult task considering the size of the house. Since I didn't have enough time to cook myself a proper breakfast, I grabbed a granola bar, an apple and a bottle of water, and then I quickly drank a glass of orange juice. Since Caroline told me that we would be meeting her friends at the grill, I figured I would be able to order something once I got there.

I was about to go looking for Vicky and Caroline to let them know I was ready, but it turns out I didn't need to because they just appeared in the kitchen.

"Perfect!" Said Caroline as she clapped her hands together. "I can see that we're all ready so let's get this show on the road. By the way, Bella and Vicky, you don't need to worry about anything - I just know you'll have a blast. But let me just warn you. There may be one grumpy person that I may or may not know. There is a possibility that he could be sitting at the table with us, but that doesn't matter for just now. If this person gives you any attitude, don't take it to heart, they're always like this, I learned the hard way." Caroline looked at Vicky and I with a reassuring smile on her face. "I was specifically talking to you Bells, I know what you're like. Just because something bad happens around you, it doesn't mean it's your fault."

"Thank you for the pep talk Caroline." I said sarcastically.

"You're welcome," she replied with a huge smile on her face.

Victoria just laughed.

10 Minutes Later...

We had just arrived at the Mystic falls grill and my nerves were getting the best of me. I was shaking like a jellyfish. I don't think there was anything or anyone that could've calmed me down.

We all piled out of the car and walked through the main doors of the grill. The atmosphere here wasn't anything like what I was expecting. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this. There were crowds of young people gathered around booths and pool tables. There was a lot of laughter and smiling faces. This grill felt like a community.

As I looked around, I noticed a group of people sitting together around one massive table which was made out of a few smaller tables which had been pulled together. Every person in the group seemed completely different to one another, but they acted as though they had known each other for a millennium. I was jealous. I wanted a group of friends like that. I had this with the Cullen's, until they decided I wasn't worth their time and left me.

I watched the group with curiosity. There was a young light-skinned girl who looked to be a year or so younger than me. She had long, dark hair and gray eyes that shone with wisdom and knowledge beyond her years. The girl, whose name I did not know, had an air of importance surrounding her.

Next, there was an average height, tanned girl with long brown hair and eyes almost the same deep brown color as her hair. I noticed an arm around her which belonged to a handsome, athletic looking man. From what I could see, he was just above average height for a male. He also had a pale complexion and strong features. His hair was a similar shade of brown to the girls, but his was cropped short and gelled. When I thought about it, the male looked similar to Edward. I felt a pang in my chest.

Next I noticed a male who was around 5'10ft. His features were similar to the second girl that I noticed.

Next there was a man who was around 6ft tall. He had blonde hair and baby blue eyes. He was quite handsome, but not my type unfortunately. Beside him, I saw a male with quite a tanned complexion. He had short black hair and a pair of dark brown eyes. Like the other males at his table, he was quite toned and muscular. He too seemed to be around 6ft tall.

I then spotted another man at the table. He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. The man had hazel eyes and sandy brown hair.

I finally moved onto the last person in the group and I think my heart stopped beating. Maybe the world stopped spinning or time completely froze. This man was perfect, he was beautiful. He had jet black hair, and stormy gray eyes. I noticed a dark black rim which outlined the gray of his eyes, they were so mesmerizing. The man, who looked to be around 6ft tall, had the softest, most kissable lips I had ever seen. I wanted to kiss them so bad. The man was wearing all black, and he even had on a leather jacket. There was an air of danger about him, but it was sexy...

"...Bells, Bells, are you there? You kind of zones out for a minute. Everything okay?"

"Oh yeah um, I'm fine, don't worry about me. Like you said, I zoned out. It can happen to anyone." I said smiling at Caroline and Vicky.

"Okay, well come and meet my friends. And like I said, you have nothing to worry about."

I started to follow Caroline, then I realized we were walking in the same direction of the group of people that I had been staring at for the last few minutes. My heart rate sped up.

Just as I thought we were going to go past the table, she stopped. I almost ran into the back of her.

"Hey guys!" Said Caroline.

I heard a chorus of:

"Hey Caroline."

"Hey."

And my favorite, "Hello vampire Barbie."

The tanned girl with long brown hair spoke up.

"Hey Caroline, who are your friends?"

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me Elena." Well at least now I know one name. "This is my cousin Bella, and this is her friend Victoria, but she likes to be called Vicky. They're going to be staying with my mum and I for a while. Let me introduce you guys, this is Elena Gilbert." She said pointing to the girl whose name I already knew. She smiled and waved at me. "Then we have Stefan Salvatore, Elena's boyfriend." He smiled and said hello.

Next she introduces us to the young girl with dark hair and gray eyes. Her name was Bonnie Bennett.

Then there was the guy who looked like Elena. His name was Jeremy Gilbert. That explained things.

Then there was the tanned guy with short black hair, his name was Tyler Lockwood.

Next there was the guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. His name was Matt Donovan.

After him there was the man who seemed a few years older than the rest of the group. I learned his name was Alaric Saltzman.

Finally, the beautiful man in black. His name was Damon, Damon Salvatore. He was Stevan's older brother. I was surprised to hear this because they look nothing alike.

When Caroline introduced me to him our eyes locked, and I swear the world stopped spinning…

A/N:

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