*Juliet's POV*

A million thoughts ran through my mind as I followed Kol down the hallway to our unknown destination. Perhaps I should've suggested a place to go rather than following him blindly; I was already on edge. Not knowing just made it worse.

What was I going to say to him? "So, I know you're a vampire and I was just wondering if you're planning to kill me anytime soon?" Hell no! I had to think of what to say and quickly.

Kol slowed his pace and led me out the back entrance of the school. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, beating quickly like a hummingbird's wings. I was sure Kol could hear it and that he could sense my anxiety without even trying. I swallowed hard. I don't think I've ever felt so self-conscious in my life. We walked a bit farther until he stopped once we were out of earshot of the other students; we were in the parking lot near what I assumed to be the "stoner pit" I had heard about. I mentally noted how people seemed to avoid him; maybe I should be doing the same. I question my sanity. Apparently my tendency to hang out in the "wrong crowd" prevails because I don't head for the hills.

My eyes wandered back to him as he leant against the side of the school in a casual way that made him look a bit less threatening. I relaxed a little. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked, looking down at me. His tone was even, cool, and yet unnerving.

I took a breath to calm my nerves, glancing over to a group of students nearby - surely he wouldn't kill me if there were witnesses, right? Even if those witnesses were stoners? "About last night, I still... I remember everything." I said. My voice is quiet and I'm unable to meet his piercing gaze.

He narrowed his eyes in confusion, but before he could answer I flew into a nervous rant. "Please don't think I'll tell anyone about you, I barely understand it myself as it is! I promise I won't tell!" I babbled. A complete and utter nervous wreck, I ran a hand through my hair. If he hadn't cut me off I probably never wpuld have shut up.

"What do you mean you remember?" he asked. He looked furious but also shocked. He kept talking before I could answer. "I compelled you - you shouldn't remember. Are you on vervain?" he demanded. As he spoke, he took a step closer to me.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." I told him honestly. "I don't know why I remember. Believe me, I wish I didn't."

Kol sighed, rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger. "The mayor must have put vervain into the town's water again." he said. He stepped back so he was leaning on the wall again, trying to calm himself down. "I'm sorry that you remember what happened last night. Are you alright?" To my surprise he seemed genuinely concerned. Then again, if he cared absolutely nothing for me I guess he wouldn't hsve saved my stupid ass in the first place.

I nodded. "Yes. Well, no, not really." I said. Despite my rattled neveres, I couldn't help but crack a smile. "I'm still confused about everything. " I bit my lip anxiously.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "What exactly are you confused about?" he asked.

"A lot of things. To start, how many of your kind are there in this town?" I asked. The phrase "your kind" felt so weird to say out loud. I just couldn't bring myself to say "vampire".

He looked a little amused at my choice of wording, smirking as he looked down at me. "Well, let's see. You've actually met the majority of the vampires in this town already."

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. "What do you mean? Who?" He laughed at my blatantly shocked expression. I felt like a cartoon character, eyes bulging out of my head and my jaw scrapping the floor.

"Well darling, as far as the ones you've already met there's Elena Gilbert, Stefan Salvatore, Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood - well technically Tyler's a hybrid. And as far as people you haven't met, there's Stefan's brother Damon," he paused for a moment, "And then there's my family." He seemed unsure about telling me about his family, which was understandable.

I nodded. "I didn't realize how many... vampires there are in this town. Are there any dangerous vampires here? I mean, what about the one that attacked me last night?" I asked, pushing a loose curl behind my ear. The familiar yet strange feeling of comfort washed over me again, reminding me of when I was in his car last night.

"He was just a passerby - a new vampire I suspect. They usually aren't too careful." I couldn't help but think that Kol was holding back.

"That wasn't all of my question." I snapped, growing frustrated. "Are any of the vampires here dangerous?" I persisted, folding my arms tightly across my chest.

He sighed. "All vampires can be dangerous darling. It just depends on whether you give them a reason to be." The edge in his voice waa crystal clear. My confidence waned slightly.

I furrowed my brows. "But I didn't give the one from yesterday any reason to be dangerous. I didn't do a bloody thing." My voice rose as my anxiety escalated.

"You did give him a reason actually. He wanted to feed and you're a human." At that point I was tempted to slap him. He said it like it was my fault, like being human was a crime.

"So what, I'm just always going to be target? It's not my fault I'm human!" I had been hoping that talking to Kol would help to clear my mind, but instead it was just making things worse.

He rolled his eyes. "Just because you're human doesn't mean that you'll be attacked by a vampire, well, again."

"Fine. I guess I'll just try not to get myself killed then." I muttered, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. I reminded myself that Kol a vampire and he could easily kill me. I didn't want a repeat of what had happened last night.

He visibly relaxed and chuckled. "As long as you're on vervain, you should be alright. Not many vampires can stand the taste." he said, flashing me a grin that gave me butterflies.I ignored them as best as I could.

"So, what exactly is vervain?" I asked. He seemed to talk about it like it was some sort of vampire-repellant. I hoped that's what it was - that would definitely come in handy.

"Vervain is an herb. It prevents humans from being compelled, but it's also like wolfsbane is for werewolves; it's sort of a poison, but it can't kill us."He sounded like a webpage from Vampire Wikipedia..

Werewolves? "Wait, werewolves are real too?"

A chuckle slipped thought his lips. "Yes." He seemed to loosen up a little, but still unsure.

I nodded. "So, what else is real? Mermaids? Unicorns? Witches perhaps?" I laughed a lightly, mimicking his attempts at diffusing the tension between us.

He laughed, shaking his head at me. "I'm afraid not about the mermaids and unicorns. Witches however are in fact very real." he told me.

The bell rang, making me jump. I had 5 minutes to get to class. "Well, thanks for clearing everything up for me. I better get to class." I said, starting to walk away.

Kol caught my arm, turning me to face him. The contact sent electric shocks through my body. "Or we could just ditch. I don't think Mr. Saltzman would miss us if we weren't there." he said, grinning cheekily. There was a glimmer of mischief in his eyes that was both frighten and alluring.

I shook my head. "You can ditch if you want. I'm trying to get a good reputation here." I pulled my arm out of his grasp.

He seemed sort of offended, but quickly recovered. "Alright then. How about I take you out sometime after school?" he suggested, still grinning.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. No guy had made me feel like this in a while. My heart screamed "yes", but my head say "no" - I decided to trust my head. I shook my head. "No thanks. I'm kind of not dating for now. It's a long story." I said quickly. I turned around and walked away, not giving him a chance to respond.

There was no way in hell that I was going on a date with him. It didn't matter thar he was ridiculously hot and somewhat nice to talk to and a bad boy, which was just my type - that was exactly why I declined. Plus, being a vampire didn't exactly make me want to warm up to him. I reminded myself that my taste in men had never proven to be any good - they were charming and a bit rebellious, but they had always gotten me into trouble.

This town was my chance to become someone else, someone who made good choices. It was a chance to reinvent myself. I promised myself that I would no longer be "that girl". The girl who skipped class to go drink and smoke and make bad decisions. I was tired of being a disappointment, both to my mother and myself.

Of course, I knew it would be easier said than done - it's hard to become a different person. I was set in my ways and I knew it. At least I seemed to be making the right choices so far. How long would it last? I just hoped that Kol would give up soon. I didn't know him very well, but I did know that he was a vampire and if I was smart, I would stay away from him. I knew that Caroline, Elena, and Stefan were vampires too, but them seemed harmless. Kol however seemed dangerous and unpredictable; in all honest, he seemed...psychopathic. That worried me.

As I said, charming and rebellious men were my type, but unfortunately psychopaths sometimes go hand-in-hand with that. I knew how they could easily fool everyone around them into thinking that they weren't dangerous. I knew that it would be stupid, borderline insane, to trust one.

A.N.- I'm sorry if the last few paragraphs are a bit vague. I plan on getting more into Juliet's past in the next chapter, but basically Juliet is very unsure of Kol and doesn't want to get close to him because she is afraid of what will happen. If anyone is confused, please message me or ask a question in the reviews. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please do don't be rude. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed, followed and added this story to their favorites; I appreciate it. Please keep up the support! It's very encouraging. Thanks! (: Anyway, thanks for reading. Bye!