Paige's POV

The hospital discharged me. Something's off with Damon. He's hiding something. I needed to find out what it is. I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I got out of bed. Today was the first day at a new school. I was nervous to go. We moved because there was vampire activity in Fells Church. When he said we had to move, I didn't want to leave my friends behind. Then I remembered that vampires have no remorse. It's the council's job to protect the people of this town. My motivation for hunting vampires was that my best friend, Hallie was murdered by a vampire at a party. I blamed myself for what happened. I just thought that I could've done something. Ever since then, I swore that I would risk my life to help save the greater good. I took a shower. Then I got dressed. I went downstairs. I walked to the kitchen. My dad was sitting down reading a newspaper.

"Good morning," I said.

"Hey, you're up." He said.

He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"What happened?" I asked.

"A teenager got attacked by some kind of animal." He said.

I thought of Hallie.

"The attacks have been getting worse. That's the second one this week." He said.

"I think the town is going to find out. It's only a matter of time. It's going to wreak havoc when they do." I said as I grabbed the step-ladder to get the oatmeal out of the cupboard.

"Don't say that. It might happen." He said.

"We moved because of the greater good. Not because I wanted to move you away from your friends." He said.

"I know," I said.

I glanced at my phone. It was getting late.

"It's getting late. I should probably go." I said.

"Have a good day at school." He said.

Then I went out of the door. I went out to the car. I went straight to school. This town was like my hometown. I thought I can make friends here. My house was very close to my school. I drove into the car park. I made my way to the office to get my schedule. I opened the door. I went inside. A middle-aged woman was sitting down.

"Hi. I'm new. I was wondering if I can get my schedule." I said.

"Certainly. Just a minute." She said.

Then she printed out the schedule.

"Here you go." She said as she handed it to me.

"Thanks," I said.

Then I walked out of the room. I examined my first class. I had AP English. I went to my locker and put all my stuff inside. Then Aria came running up to me.

"You're here!" She said as she hugged me.

"Hey," I said.

She backed away from me. Then we started walking through the halls.

"So how are you liking it here?" She asked.

"It's fine," I said.

We walked into a classroom. We found a seat next to each other.

"Why do you move here anyway? There's nothing to do. I can't wait when I move." She said.

"I don't know. I like small towns." I said.

The class started. Then a middle-aged woman entered the room. All of sudden a tall boy entered. He was handsome. He had olive skin, green eyes, and spiky dark brown hair. He resembled a historical romance hero. He went up to the teacher.

"I'm Stefan. I'm new." He said as he gave her a tardy slip.

"I'm Claire. I'm old." She said.

He sat down. He stared at me strangely. I had never met him before. Then I got a text from Aria.

"The well fit bloke is staring at you. That's the second time. You're on a roll or something." She said.

"This one's different. He's weird." I said.

"You should talk to him. Get to know him." She said.

"I don't even know what to do," I said.

"Relax. I'll teach you." She said.

"So what do I do?" I asked.

"Just go up to him and say hi." She said.

Then I shut the mobile. After class, I followed him. I went up to him in the hall.

"Hi. Don't we have English together?" I asked.

"I'm Stefan." He said.

"Paige," I said.

We shook hands.

"I noticed we're both new." He said.

"Yeah," I said.

"So what brings you here?" He asked.

"My dad's job transferred here," I said.

"Oh, I see. Have you made any friends?" He said.

"Only one. You?" I said.

"None that I can think of. I tend to keep to myself. It's hard for me to make friends." He said.

"I'm sure you will make plenty in no time. Everybody's going to be talking about you. You'll see." I said.

"I should probably go. I don't want to be late. It was nice talking to you." He said.

"Likewise," I said.

He walked off. He seemed nice. I didn't think I had anything to worry about.

Paige's POV

When class was over, I went outside. The rest of the day was the same. Then it became lunch. I went to my locker and put my stuff away. I ran into Aria. She was doing the same.

"Hi." She said.

"Hi," I said.

"Did you talk to the new guy?" She said.

"Yeah," I said.

"So?" She asked.

"We just talked. That's all." I said.

"How did it go?" She asked.

"It went fine. I guess." I said.

Then we walked to the canteen.

"I think you're my new best friend. You should sit with us." She said.

We made our way to the dining hall. We sat with her friends. A boy and a girl. They look like they were my age.

"Hey, guys. I hope you don't mind I brought a friend along." Aria said.

"No, not at all." He said.

"So you're the one that's everyone's been talking about." He said.

"Yeah, that's me," I said.

"I'm James." He said as he gave me his hand.

He was tall and lanky. He had dark brown hair with a floppy fringe that falls to his eyes. He had kind brown eyes, full lips, and tan skin. He was very handsome.

"Paige," I said.

"I'm Violet," Violet said as she gave me her hand.

She was beautiful. She had long dark brown hair, green eyes, and fair skin. She was short. She was slightly pear-shaped.

"Paige," I said.

"What have you heard about the new guy, Stefan?" Aria asked.

"Everybody's been talking about him. He's kind of a loner. He does seem like a good guy." He said.

"Yeah. Do you know if he's seeing anyone?" Aria asked.

"No, not that I know of. Why?" He said.

"I fancy him. He's well fit." Aria said.

"I think he has a thing for Paige," Aria said.

"No, he doesn't. He was just being friendly." I said.

"So, what do you for fun?" I asked.

"I play baseball." He said.

"I'm good at cheerleading." Aria said.

"I like to read. I like to scrapbook and journal." Violet said.

"I like to read as well. I like to study." I said.

"What's your favourite book?" Violet said.

"I like classic books. I like Jane Austen, Tom Hardy, and the Bronte Sisters." I said.

"What's yours?" I asked.

"I like YA. l like Mortal Instruments series, The Hunger Games series, Divergent series, The Maze Runner series," Violet said.

"I like those as well," I said.

From what I gathered that Aria's boy crazy like she had a new suitor every week. James was a very nice and sweet bloke. Violet seemed shy. As lunch progressed, these two jocks started to fight. I was too busy to hear why they were arguing. Then they started to fight. Everyone glanced in that direction. I could tell that something like this didn't happen very often at this school. Everyone surrounded the two jocks. Some people yelled "Fight!". In less than a second, Stefan made his way to squeeze through the crowd of the two jocks. Stefan was right in the middle of the two jocks who had their arms locked each other's arms on each other's shoulders to push each other down. Then Stefan pushed the two jocks away from each other like they were made of nothing. They backed away from each other. Everyone looked surprised that he could do that.

"What was all that about? Are you some kind of freak?" A guy asked.

Stefan looked like what he did was out of his control. Then all the students were waiting for something to happen. Everyone moved away; clearly out of boredom. Then the bell rang for that lunch is over. I looked over at Stefan. He vanished out of thin air. I wanted to confront him and demand to know what happened. I went to the library for study hall. I didn't feel like doing anything. I was distracted by what happened in the dining hall. What Stefan did was inhuman. Stefan had to be something. My dad and my whole family are hunters. I knew how to kill one. I wanted in some way to defend Stefan that he didn't want anyone to get hurt and he showed his strength. It wasn't human strength. I wanted to know his side of the story. Stefan was sitting down at one of the tables. I don't think he noticed me. I went over to him.

"Stefan, we need to talk about what happened at the dining hall," I said.

"There's nothing to talk about. What I did was nothing." He said.

I was getting frustrated.

"What you did wasn't nothing. You pushed the two jocks like they were a grain of sand." I said.

"Alright before you get melodramatic. I was on the wrestling back team back at my old school. I just did some moves." He said.

"What I saw wasn't a wrestling move. It was something that superman would've done. In less, there's a wrestling move that makes you have inhuman strength." I said.

"Are you saying I'm lying? I've been nothing but honest with you." He asked.

"No, I just need to know the truth," I said.

Then all of sudden, he gathered his stuff.

"I have to go." He said.

He went for the door. I watched him leave. I knew that Stefan's hiding something. I'm not going to stop until I found what it is. I plan to do this on my own. If I tell my dad he'll hurt Stefan or worse. I can't let that happen. I can't help but defend Stefan. I plan to find what he is and then go off from there. He's been so nice to me. I couldn't get past what happened in the dining hall. I come from a long line of hunters. I had to ask what other people had seen. I walked into my next classroom. I had Art right now. I could ask her what she thought. I stood in front of easels. I stood next to Aria.

"Hey, there you are. I wasn't expecting to see you." She said.

"Neither did I," I said.

Then the class started.

"Hi everyone. I'm Madame Deluca. Your task is to paint what you perceive the world to look like. There's no right or wrong. Begin." She said.

Everyone started working. What do I perceive to look like? I had no idea. I thought there's no black and white. We lived in a world of grey. I looked over my shoulder to see what everyone else is doing.

"What are you going to paint?" Aria asked.

"I don't know. How about you?" I said.

"I hadn't thought about it." She said.

"Understandable," I said.

Then I took out my mobile. I started texting.

What do you think about what happened with Stefan? P

I'm not sure what you mean. A

You know when he stopped the jocks from fighting P

No-body stopped them from fighting. They got suspended for it. A

Was the fight bad? P

Yeah one of them broke a few ribs. A

OK P

Why did you want to know? A

Just curious is all. P

Nothing happens at this school A

OK P

I wanted to invite you to a party at my house. A

I don't know. P

What do you mean? A

The truth is I've never been to a high school party before. P

Really? You haven't? Didn't they have parties at your old school? A

Yeah, they did. I just didn't go to them. P

Well, we'll have to change that, won't we? A

OK, that's cool. P

I'll see you then. A

Same here. P

Then the bell rang. It was the end of the day. So I went outside to my car. I drove off. I stopped in front of my house. I got out of the car. Then I walked to the front porch. I turned the doorknob. I walked inside. My beagle, Leila came rushing toward me. She jumped on me. Then my dad came around the corner.

"Hi. How was your first day?" He asked.

"It was great," I said.

"Have you made any friends?" He asked.

"Yeah, absolutely. I have a feeling that this going to be a good year." I said.

"Me too," He said.

"Can you go hunting later?" He asked.

"No, I can't. I've got coursework. I was invited to a party with my new friend at school. Can I go?" I said.

"Yeah sure, you can." He said.

"I'm going to start my coursework now," I said.

I went upstairs. My dog followed me upstairs. She lied down on the hardwood floor. I sat on a chair by my desk. I had a lot of stuff to do. I wasn't finished packing so all sorts of boxes were around the room. I couldn't wait until I go to a party. Then I finished all my homework. So I had enough time to go. I went downstairs to the kitchen. My dad was sitting down at the kitchen table eating spaghetti. Leila was lying down on the floor.

"OK. I should be going." I said.

"Be safe. Alright. Don't do anything I wouldn't approve of." He said.

I laughed.

"I'll see you later," I said.

Then I went out of the door. I drove to Aria's house. I parked in front of her house. I went out of the car. It looks like a lot of people are here. I walked to her house. I turn the doorknob. I went inside. It was a madhouse. Music was blaring in my ear. I saw a couple snogging against the wall. I saw a bunch of people from my classes. I was looking for Aria. She was sitting on the sofa. She was with some friends I didn't recognise. Some of her friends were drinking and smoking fags. I wasn't sure if she had seen me. I was standing in front of her.

"Oh, there you are. You made it. Everyone this is Paige. Paige this is everyone." Aria said.

"Hi," I said.

"I'd like you to meet some really cool people," Aria said.

She introduced me to some of her friends. I met Rachel who has dirty blond hair and small green eyes who was average in height. Then I met Miranda who has strawberry blond hair and fair skin who was petite. They seemed nice. I glanced over to see if I could find James and Violet. They were by a wall. I stood up to talk to them.

"Where are you going? This fun hasn't even started." Aria said.

"I'll be right back," I said.

They were off by themselves. Music was basically blaring. We had to try to talk over the music.

"Hi," He said.

"Hi," She said.

"I was really looking forward to this," I said.

"I've never been to a party before," I said.

"I heard," He said.

"What did you do at your old school?" He asked.

"Well, lots of things," I said.

"Do you like the party?" He asked.

"Yes, I like it a lot," I said.

"Is there any food left?" I asked.

"Yeah, I suppose." He said.

"How long have you known Aria?" I asked.

"Since primary school." He said.

"I had friends like that. It was hard to move away from them." I said.

"I know what you mean. I couldn't imagine moving away from this town. I grew up here. I have never really been anywhere. Maybe one day." He said.

Then I saw Stefan enter the party. I didn't think he would come. He seemed like a loaner. Why was he here?

"I'll be right back," I said.

"I thought he wouldn't come." He said.

"Neither did I. It doesn't seem like his scene," I said.

Then I walked through the crowd to get to Stefan. He was just frozen. Like he was figuring out what he should do.

"Hi, there," I said.

"Hey," He said.

"I didn't expect to see you here. It doesn't sound like your thing." I said.

"Well, I wanted to try something new." He said.

"I know what you mean," I said.

"Yeah," He said.

"So, how's it working out for you?" I asked.

"I don't know. I don't really know anyone. I'm not good at talking to people I've never met before. It's hard for me to make friends." He said.

"Perhaps you should practise," I said.

"I'll bear that in my mind." He said.

Then commotion started to arise. Aria was freaking out. I went over to her.

"Oh my god!" She said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know. Rachel went for a walk. She hasn't come back." She said.

"It's OK. Everything will be fine." I said.

"What if something happened to her?" She asked.

"Don't talk like that. She's probably lost or something." I said.

"I'll go look for her. How about that?" I asked.

"Yeah just be careful." She said.

"I will," I said.

"I'll go with her. To make sure she's safe." Stefan said.

"Yeah, that's a great idea." She said.

Then we went outside into the woods. We were walking in the woods. He was walking ahead of me. He's walking really fast.

"You walk really fast," I said.

He didn't say anything. He just kept walking.

"You didn't have to do that. I can take care of myself." I said.

"I've noticed." He said.

It was really dark. We could barely see. I didn't know how we're going to find her.

"Where do you think she is?" I asked.

"She could be anywhere really." He said.

"She couldn't have gone far," I said.

"Right." He said.

I walked into something. What was that? Then I realised it was Rachel.

"Oh my god!" I said.

"She's dead, isn't she?" I said.

"I'm afraid so." He said.

"What are going to do? How do we tell her?" I asked.

"Who's doing this? Who could have done this?" I asked.

Then he walked over to me. His hands were at my face.

"Hey, it'll be fine. We'll work something out." He said.

I turned away from him. Then I turned around again. His face changed. There were veins under his eyes.

"Hey? Are you ok? Your eye."

He turned away from me.

"It's nothing." He said.

"It didn't look like nothing," I said.

"We should probably go back." He said.

We walked back. Everyone was outside waiting outside. I didn't want to tell Aria. She'd be upset. I had to though.

"You're back. What happened?" She said.

"No, she can't. It can't be true." She said.

"I'm sorry, Aria," I said.

I turned away from her. I took out my mobile. I phoned Dominique. She said to ring her if something came up.

"Hi, it's Paige. I'm fine. Something happened. A girl has been attacked. No, I don't know." I said.

"OK. I'll be right over." She said.

After a while, the police came. Dominique came toward me.

"You didn't see anything?" She asked.

"No, we just found her," I said.

"Then I can take it from here." She said.

Then I walked to my car. Of course, the party was over. I slipped on a rock. I felt something catch my fall.

"Oh. Great reflexes." I said.

"You should be more careful. How are you doing?" He asked.

He pulled me up.

"I've had better days. You?" I said.

"Nothing much." He said.

"You seem a little tense." He said.

"I'll be fine," I said.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"I was at a party with my friends," I said.

"Did you have fun?" He asked.

"Not really," I said.

"Why is that?" He asked.

"Parties aren't really my thing," I said.

"Oh, I see." He said.

Then there was some time passed between us.

"I know your type." He said.

I was confused. I thought we were friends.

"What does that even mean?" I asked.

He walked closer to me.

"It means that you seem innocent on the outside. But inside there's something more underneath." He said.

I was frozen in place. In a way, I was intrigued. He was attracted to the darkness. Does that mean I am too? No, this couldn't happen. This wasn't me.

"I should probably go. My dad is probably wondering where I'm at. I'll see you around." I said.

"Do you want to have breakfast with me?" He asked.

I turned around.

"Sure," I said.

"Meet me at my house." He said.

"Yeah. Where do you live?" I said.

"I live in the boarding house." He said.

"Oh, you live there," I said.

"I'll see you then." He said.

"Yeah," I said.

I walked past him. Then I went in my car. I drove off. I parked in front of my house. I got out of the car. I went through the door.

"Hey," I said.

"You're home early. I heard what happened. Are you alright?" He said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

"Was she a friend of yours?" He asked.

"No," I said simply.

"She was a friend of Aria's," I said.

"Oh. How's she doing?" He said.

"She seemed upset," I said.

"It's understandable. She was her friend." He said.

"Yeah," I said.

"Do you think it's the same vampire that's been killing all these people?" I asked.

"I think so." He said.

"We should turn on the telly and see the news for the attack." He said.

Then we turned on the telly.

"I'm Dana Chandler. Reporting live from the streets of Fells Church. The live animal that has been terrorizing the citizens of Fells Church has claimed another victim. Police are certain that this is the same animal for this recent attack." She said.

Rachel's high school photo appeared on the screen.

"I should talk to Dominque about this." He said.

"Didn't you say you fancied her? You should ask her out." I asked.

"Yes, but I don't know if she feels the same way. I don't know. Maybe I will." He said.

"It's worth a try," I said.

I'm so exhausted.

"I'm kind of tired. Good night." I said.

Then I went upstairs. I laid in bed thinking about the animal attacks and how this should end. I thought about Damon too. He makes me feel a certain way that I'm not sure I like.