Day 2:

No one has more suspicion of the Founding Families than I. It's been a mere day, and already, I've been visited by four of them.

No doubt, to understand who I am. Then, what exactly are they hiding that I am the one to be suspicious of?

I must unravel their secrets to determine my well being.

The bed Nancy had loaned me for the night was, what i could only describe, as excruciating. She did not mention exactly how old the bed was, nor that its kinks were so embedded, it was nearly impossible to sleep in it without a few bruises in the morning.

I pulled myself from its deep crevices with a huff and opened the bedroom window, casting in a bright orange glow from the morning sun across my mostly empty apartment. I basked in its warmth for a few minutes, surveying the emptiness of the town as I did.

I could view the square from here, the fountain and trees also covered in the warm orange color, with only a straggler here and there, probably to do their morning routine, or open up a shop. There was a runner heading off down one street, headphones in her ears and ponytail bobbing behind her.

What intrigued me, was the black sports car rolling up to the bar so early this morning. I raised an eyebrow as a man stepped from the vehicle, not even bothering with parking properly as he slammed the door. He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair (auburn, maybe?) and leaned heavily against the door.

He was agitated.

A few seconds later, as if almost instinctively, he turned his head immediately in my direction, as if he sensed me staring at him, and his arm fell as he stared back.

Quickly, I smiled and gave a small wave of my hand in his direction, trying to play it off as an accidental eye contact. He seemed to tilt his head in question, and I turned my attention elsewhere, trying to distract myself from his gaze.

I felt his eyes on me still and, with a small yawn, i pulled back into the room, covering my mouth.

I hope he didn't plan on coming up here.

I meandered into the bathroom, pulling my toothbrush from a cup that I had set up the night before, in an attempt to make it feel more real that I was here. I looked into my own eyes, the glow of orange casting their gaze over my mirrored form. I shook my head out a little, the wave of red curls a mess of tangles on my head.

"I will tame you in a moment." I pointed to the reflection with the brush in my hand before beginning my routine.

After an hour or so, my locks were kempt, framing my face in waves, and my face was refreshed, with just a touch of makeup to add a little color to my skin, and a little sharpness to my eyes.

As if they needed it.

I grabbed my pair of glasses off of the counter before exiting the bathroom, slipping them on. I didn't need them anymore, but they were a nice addition to my current disguise of nicety, with a sense of familiarity from wearing them for a time.

And, I liked them.

Digging through my suitcases, I decided on a pair of tight, black jeans, with a loose fitting green shirt and a black leather jacket, mostly for style. I donned matching black boots to conclude the look.

I closed the bedroom door behind me and snatched up my keys and a wallet out of a bowl I had placed at the edge of the kitchen counter, making my way to the outside world with the intent of hunting down some breakfast.

Really, I didn't eat normal food, so it was mostly just to scope out who was important here, and keep up the illusion that I was a normal new person in this town.

Although, it was hard to pass off as normal with my eyes the way they were.

I greeted Nancy as I strolled through the front door of the complex, breathing in the fresh air of the day. The sun had risen enough that the lightening had toned out, no longer hued in orange. I shrugged slightly before making my way towards the square, hands stuffed into my jacket pockets as I bounced along the sidewalk.

Upon getting there, I noticed there were several more people who had gathered on the benches, as well as around some of the smaller businesses. Looking around further, I no longer spotted the man I ad shared stares at with earlier. His car was still there, however.

I took another look around, noting that the only place to eat had to be that bar, and I wasn't exactly in the mood for the sub-par food they would serve there.

Not to mention how early it was.

I meandered a little ways more, trying to get a feel for the place, when a voice startled me from my thoughts. I whipped around to view him, and he gave me a small smile as he walked towards me.

"So," He mused, his hands going into his pockets, "Do you make it a habit of staring at strangers?" He raised an eyebrow, stopped a foot away from me. I laughed gently, raised my hand to tuck my hair behind my ear.

"Do you make it a habit of interrogating strangers that stare at you?" I chuckled quietly.

"Touche." He gave a huff of laughter. "I was just interested in what you were thinking while staring at me." His smile never wavered, but he did change the leg he was leaning on, and I tilted my head.

"Thinking?" I blinked. "Well... I suppose I thought you looked a little out of place. Isn't this a bit small of a town for that kind of car?" He stared at me for a long while before laughing gently.

"Well, I inherited it. Along with my house. I suppose that is a bit strange for a small town."

"I didn't mean to imply anything." I chuckled lightly. "I'm sorry, your name is..?"

"I'm sorry... Where are my manners." He held his hand out to me. "Stefan. I've had... a rough morning." That name rang a bell, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"So it seems." I took his hand, and we shook once. "Oleander."

"Interesting name." He pulled his hand back into his pocket, and I noticed immediately how defensive his entire posture was, even though he was trying to hide it behind a casual demeanor. His pointed questions only furthered my suspicions, meaning that newcomers didn't bode well here.

Especially ones that looked like me, I wagered.

"So I'm told." I shrugged, still smiling as sweetly as I could. "Say... You wouldn't happen to know where a girl could get some decent breakfast, would you?" Perhaps Stefan could be of use... I also wanted to know more about why he felt so... familiar.

"Uh, around here?" He laughed. "Unlikely."

"Damn." I twisted my face into disappointment as I looked around, clicking my tongue. "I'm afraid I'm new here. I failed to look into what my options would be while I was here." I sighed, exasperated.

"Are you not planning on staying long?" He tilted his head. It was a prodding question, one that a human wouldn't mind answering.

"Oh, uh... No, I moved into that apartment last night." I said as I motioned behind me. "But, my job allows me to travel at will."

"I see. And you just got in?"

"I did. Last night. I believe the remainder of my things will be in today... It will be a lot more flashy than the arrival of my taxi, I'm sure." I laughed. "Then everyone can make wild rumors about me." Stefan laughed.

"Used to it?"

"I've lived in several small towns. It's become amusing." I shrugged. He nodded, motioning to the car as he took a couple steps back.

"If you'd like, you can join me for breakfast." He offered, motioning to the seat.

"Really?" I inquired with a slight shrug. "I'm not intruding on your day?"

"Not at all." He grinned warmly. "I need to uh... Unwind, anyway. I'll give you a tour after." I agreed to his offer with a smile and a shrug, stepping in time with him towards his car.

A true gentleman, he opened the door for me and took my hand to lower me in the seat. I could say I was a little impressed. I was careful to remain light and dainty when I gripped his hand.

The inside was comfy, unlike the bed I had spent the night in, and I sighed into its leather interior before fastening my seat belt.

"Interesting reaction." He mused as he slid into the driver's seat.

"It's comfy. I've had a less than comfy night, courtesy of the landlord." I shrugged, and he snorted, pulling it into gear before driving off and onto a road that led almost out of town.

"So, you said you move around for your job?" He started as the Mystic Falls sign passed by my vision. My eyebrow twitched, but I did my best to remain calm.

"Quite." I grinned in his direction. "I'm a writer."

"Any kind in particular?" He seemed interested in the subject, as his face relaxed slightly.

"I've done several things here and there. Journalism, Novels, short stories, Poetry, song writing..."

"Wow." He really did sound impressed. "And the moving contributes to..?" He was prodding again, which I complied with the easiest of lies.

"Small town's are the easiest to work in. There's less... Hustle. Less distractions. There isn't copious amounts of colored lights and noises to pull you from the work, or various smells of delicious and equally disgusting scents all around you." I looked out the window with a huff. "Although one decent restaurant close to the apartment would've been ideal."

"Sorry to disappoint." He seemed to tease. I rolled my eyes, but smiled in spite of it.

Of course, while that was my cover, and I did do those things to keep that cover up, I was here because the journal told me I had been here before.

And yet, I had no recollection of it.

The journal only gave me so much information, based on a point of view I could not understand. In an attempt to jog any kind of memory, I decided coming here would be the easiest, most efficient way to get the upstairs working properly again.

Of course, a little havoc could be caused while I was at it.

He quickly pulled into the parking lot of a diner, only a few minutes outside of town, and parked. He was quick to jump out to, again, assist me from the car, the smile never really reaching those green eyes of his.

I thanked him anyway, and he led me into the diner. It was very clean on the inside, with several small booths and a bar across from them. There was a whole view of the kitchen, with a young waitress chatting up the two men on bar stools, clearly the only customers inside.

It was a pretty typical diner.

We sat in the booth at the farthest end of the diner, seating across from each other.

The waitress calmly walked over and asked what she could get for us.

He ordered a hamburger, to which I raised my eyebrows at.

"So early?" I questioned.

"Never too early." He smirked. I laughed, turning my attention to the girl again, noting how blindingly unattractive her uniform was, in striking yellow and red stripes.

"Whatever your biggest breakfast platter is. I'm absolutely famished." I smiled warmly and she began jotting down several things, asking me about smaller details of the order, to which I would quickly comply.

"I'll get your order in. Any drinks today? The usual, Stefan?" She looked between us.

"Yeah, thanks, Vick."

"Uhm... Hot tea for me, please." I grinned. She nodded before heading back towards the kitchen, yelling about an order being up. I merely chuckled at the crudeness. Quickly, a mug full of hot water and a tea bag were placed in front of me, along with lemon and sugar, and a coffee was placed in front of Stephen.

"So, Stefan," I began as I assembled my tea, "You say you inherited your property. How long have you resided in Mystic Falls?"

"A few years now." He said, taking a sip of the coffee straight black. He smacked his lips together quietly before putting the mug to the table. "I was born here. Just decided to move back after my last relative died."

"I'm sorry to hear." I sympathized, adding several more scoops of sugar to my tea. "Were you close?"

"Not really." He seemed to shrug. "What about you? Any family?"

"None to mention." I grinned, stirring in the lemon. "I'm a bit of a black sheep, as it were."

"Is it because you're a writer, or because of your eyes?" He leaned forward slightly, staring intently at me. I chuckled.

"Both." I tapped the spoon twice against the cup before setting it onto the nearby napkin, holding the rest of my silverware for use. "They considered me... Unnatural." I waved my hand. "And my personality only furthered their suspicions, when I became nothing like them."

I picked up the tea and took a sip, looking out the window at several cars passing by. It was a true story. One of the memories I was able to come to first, was that of how my parents treated me so long ago.

But I tried not to think too much into it, flicking my eyes over to the man across from it.

"That's unfortunate. You seem very nice."

"In a way." I laughed, setting the cup down. "This is more formalities. Although... I have told you more than the average stranger." I teased.

"Ah, well consider me a privileged acquaintance." He smirked. I snorted.

"Indeed. I don't even know your full name."

"I don't know yours, either." He countered.

"Touche." A slow smile spread across my features before food was suddenly being set in front of us. We thanked her, and she nodded, wandering back off towards her conversationalist customers on the bar stools.

"It's Salvatore." He said while reaching over to grab ketchup from a little stand at the other edge of the table. "In case your curiosity gets the better of you."

Salvatore... The name bounced around in my head for a moment as I was salting my eggs, until it clicked. I flicked my eyes up at him, my hands pausing as I put pieces together in my head.

Stefan Salvatore. The good brother.

My brain played over the small snippets of diary that he had been mentioned in, and I couldn't help but feel like my luck was about to drop.

Keep calm, I told myself, resuming my motion of preparing my breakfast for consumption, he has no way to tell what you are. It doesn't seem like he recognizes you, if he would at all.

"What?" He seemed to notice my pause, and I cursed mentally.

"Salvatore... As in the founding families?" I tilted my head slightly. He paused, his fingers encompassing the burger, but he was staring hard at me. I laughed. "I apologize, I was bored upon arrival yesterday. I was reading plaque's around the park, and rummaging through some history books."

"So she studied." He mused before nodding. "Yes, it's a long line of mostly men."

"I see." I mentally sighed, glad I was able to quickly reel in my excuses.

I needed to be more careful with this one.

"What an interesting find." I grinned. "My first day, and I'm having nosh with the town's fame."

"It's not as big of a deal as it sounds." He laughed before taking a bite of his extremely messy burger. He sighed, clearly satisfied with his choice, and I could only roll my eyes before delving into the sub-par breakfast platter in front of me.

At least they hadn't burned anything.

The rest of the meal was enjoyed in casual silence, each of us stuffing our faces until we were satisfied, both plates cleared on either side. I was sipping on my tea when our waitress came over, laying down a paper face down at the edge of the table. I assumed it was the check.

I reached for my wallet, by Stephen waved me off.

"I got it." He pulled a wallet from his back pocket and slipped out a couple twenties, handing it to the waitress. "Keep the change."

"We'll see you soon, Stefan." She grinned, picking up the plates and carrying them off as well.

"You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate it, honestly." It was a sweet gesture.

A very small part of me wanted to trust Stefan, even if it was at arms length. Perhaps he really could be useful, if I managed to play my cards right.

"No trouble." He grinned. "Now, how about that tour?"

"I'd be delighted."

Little did he know, a tour of the town would be in her favor, for a little pocket information, later used.