I woke with a start. Elena was knocking on my door.
"Rora, we have to get to school," She called. I looked at the clock beside my bed. It was later than I thought. I jumped out of bed to get ready.
"Are you still in bed?" She asked.
"Yea, I overslept," I said hurrying to change. As I rushed to get ready, I noticed a crow sitting outside my window on a tree branch, watching me. It was the same bird from the night before. I could tell by the look in his eyes.
After I got dressed, Elena and I sped to school.
It was my first day of school. School had technically started a week ago, but I had only just arrived in town.
Caroline was already trying to get Stefan to notice her when we pulled into the parking lot. As soon as Stefan saw Elena and me, he hurried over to help Elena out of the car.
"Morning," She said looking up at him, and Caroline and I were all but forgotten.
"Come on Care, let's get to class," I said tugging her arm as she gaped at Stefan and Elena. "No way you are coming between them." Caroline huffed but followed me.
"Did you know Stefan has a brother?" She asked giddily.
"Yes actually, I did," I said wondering where Caroline had heard that. I couldn't remember seeing Damon at the party at all.
"He is scrumptious," Caroline said giggling. The girl was sweet, but she was a bit superficial.
"Hey, Matt," I called over to the football player to get his attention.
"Yea?" He asked.
"How is Vicky?" I asked leaving Caroline's side and walking over to Matt.
"Much better," Matt said. "Although, she was talking about vampires or something," He added.
"Oh?" I asked. I remembered her saying the word vampire in the woods last night.
"Yea. I don't know, I think it is the pain medication," Matt said. I nodded as he left to meet up with his friends.
Elena sat in my car at the end of the school day, and we were getting ready to drive home.
"How was your first day?" She asked.
"Fine," I said shrugging. "Mr. Tanner is a dick, but I'll survive." Elena giggled.
"Oh, shoot!" She said.
"What?" I asked.
"I still have Stefan's notes," She said. I recognized the look in Elena's eyes immediately.
"No," I said.
"Come on Rora, I need to give him his notes back," She pleaded.
"Lena, his house is completely in the opposite direction," I said.
"Please?" She asked.
"Fine, fine, we'll go," I said cutting down a side street that would turn us around and bring us to the Boarding House.
When we pulled into the driveway I was a bit shocked at the beauty of such an old house. It was quite lovely. Elena and I walked to the front door.
"It is open," She said instead of knocking.
"Let's go in," I said with a mischievous smile.
"We probably shouldn't," Elena said. I ignored her and pushed the door open and took a few steps into the hall. The inside of the house was even greater than the outside!
"Wow," I said looking around. Elena was at my side now.
"We should probably go now," Elena said turning back to the door. I turned to face her and give her a look.
"We came to see Stefan, so we will find him," I said turning and finding myself colliding with a black clad chest.
"Hello," The dark, familiar voice of Damon Salvatore said as I took a step back from him. He was smirking at me, and in the light he was even more beautiful than I remembered.
"Hello, again," I said letting out a long breath.
"Rora?" Elena asked wondering who this was.
"Lena, this is Damon Salvatore, Stefan's brother, we ran into each other at the party," I said slowly.
"I believe you ran into me, actually," Damon said. I sneered at him.
"Is Stefan here?" Elena asked trying to gain Damon's attention, but Damon was staring intensely at me.
"He isn't back from school yet," Damon said not taking his eyes off of me. I kept my eyes locked on his almost expecting him to do something.
"Oh," Elena said looking down.
"You are more than welcome to wait for his return," Damon said though, and Elena smiled.
"That would be great, I have something of his," She said.
"I'm just the chauffeur," I said.
"The two of you are...sisters?" Damon guessed.
"Cousins," I said absently looking around as he led us into the living room.
"I see," He said. I felt his eyes on me.
"A girl got her throat torn out at the party last night," I said slowly. Elena was sitting on the couch now, and she had picked up a book and was leafing through the pages.
"Is that so?" He asked giving me a sideways look.
"They say a wild animal did it," I said.
"You don't believe that?" He asked.
"She doesn't," I said.
"So, what was it?" He asked.
"Vampire," I whispered so low I wasn't sure he would hear me, but he did. Damon's eyes narrowed at me, and then he began to laugh.
"Vampire, as in Stephanie Meyer, sparkling in the sun, or as in Anne Rice, brooding killers?" He asked still laughing slightly.
"You should know the stories this town was built on, you are part of a founding family," I said. "Our ancestors believed that vampires once lived here."
"Aurora is your name?" He asked me. I sighed.
"Yes," I hated that he was changing the topic, it was obviously touchy to him. He gave a small chuckle.
"Goddess of the dawn," He said more to himself, but I knew he was speaking my name's meaning.
"I think you know something, about Vicky," I said. Again that possible look of shock touched Damon's features, and then he smirked at me.
"And you think that because...?" He asked.
"You were out in the woods alone, and you were close enough to where I found Vicky that if she had been attacked by a wild animal you should have heard something, like screaming, or snarling" I said.
"You're being presumptuous," Damon said avoiding the topic again. I rolled my eyes and was about to say something, but the front door opened and Stefan walked in.
"Aurora, what are you doing here?" He asked.
"Elena has something of yours," I said as Elena materialized from at my side.
Stefan headed over to talk to Elena leaving Damon and me alone again.
"You know something," I pressed. "And I will find out what it is!"
Before Damon could respond I had walked into the living room.
"Lena, ready to go?" I asked. She nodded and followed me out the door.
"So what was that with you and Damon?" Elena asked as we got into the car.
"What was what?" I asked.
"Come on Rora, I know when you are attracted to someone, and he was definitely attracted back," She said.
"Actually we were arguing," I said.
"His eyes were eating you up," Elena said. "Just because I couldn't hear you two doesn't mean I wasn't watching the body language." I rolled my eyes.
"If you say so," I said shrugging.
"Do you like him?" Elena asked.
"Do you like Stefan?" I countered. Elena blushed, and I smiled in triumph.