A/N: Short chapter with some background. Not much action. Much action next chapter, promise.
Step 2: The Normal Conversation
Elena and I sat on one side, Stefan and Damon sat across from us, respectively. I was introduced to Matt who was working there and a few other kids from school whose names I don't remember now. Mostly, however, dinner was the four of us having a conversation. The nice thing about it was that there was never an uncomfortable silence. Stefan and Elena seemed to take a few minutes to warm up but when they realized everyone was just trying to have a normal discussion, they relaxed and joined in. Everyone meaning Damon.
I don't know if they thought Damon was going to reveal all the vampire and other supernatural goodness to me on my first night or what, but Damon was smart enough to not do that. I most likely would have thought they were all nuts, called them all crazy and left, never to speak to any of the loonies again. I mean, come on, vampires and witches and werewolves? I still have a hard time believing it, even after all I've seen.
Our conversation that night was very normal. We started with TV shows and movies, moved on to music and concerts we'd been to. By the time dinner was over we were onto our families. The three of them had tragic tales; I was embarrassed to complain about my parents. At least I had parents. Yet, my parents were very neglectful, have been my whole life, so there was still some sympathy to be had for me.
I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere, raised mostly by my grandparents. My parents were around, in the house, but they were distant; worried about other things. My dad had job with a computer software firm but he couldn't leave my grandpa alone to work the farm so Dad worked from home best he could and out in the fields the rest of the time. My mom was a manager of a prominent restaurant and was never around, spending most nights at a hotel in town so she could be back to work early the next morning.
This past summer my grandparents died, one after the other, of old age. Dad couldn't wait to sell the farm and move to somewhere closer to work. The farm took the whole fall to finally sell and mom convinced dad to not move into the city. She wanted a suburb lifestyle. Mystical Falls was the perfect distance halfway between the cities my parents worked in and was suburbia all the way. Never mind pulling their daughter out of her senior year at the only school she'd been to her whole life. They figured I would adapt.
Stefan, Damon, and Elena listened with surprising interest. At the time, I figured not many people moved to the small town and it was interesting to hear a different story. Now I think it was just nice for them to hear about "normal people" problems rather than mega supernatural ones.
It got late fast. One moment dinner was served, the next we had been through 2 rounds of coffee and the clock read 9:30. Yes, 9:30 is late for me on a school night. I'm no good if I don't get at least eight hours.
"I better get home," I said with a yawn and a stretch.
"Me too," Elena agreed, frowning sadly at Stefan.
"We'll walk you." Damon offered.
Elena looked surprised but declined. "I drove. I'll just drop Avvy off."
"See you at school tomorrow?" Stefan asked.
"Of course." Elena smiled and leaned over to kiss him goodbye.
And that was it. A normal, nice dinner with conversation and healthy debate over which Harrison Ford movie series was better, Star Wars or Indiana Jones. Most people might consider that tedious but I consider it lucky. Because most nights after that were much, much different.