"Good morning."
The girl awoke abruptly, finding herself in a dim room, with the least bit of orange sunlight entering through the drawn curtains. She looked around, noticing a pair of memorable eyes, displaying a muted friendliness. This familiar character sat by the bed she was curiously lying in, and she quickly started to crawl backwards, pushing herself against the headrest in a frenzied defense.
"Get away from me!" she cried frantically, feeling his informality was quite uncalled for.
"Whoa," he replied with an innocent look, his pointed face rounding out with immense boyishness. "I'm not here to hurt you."
"Who are you?" she asked, her mind in a mess more chaotic than her messy, blond hair and her dirty clothes. "Where am I? How did I get here?"
"Don't you remember anything from last night?" he questioned curiously.
She observed him carefully, even with her thought process in disarray. She noticed his brawny structure and his harmless, yet authoritative green eyes. In a manner that was too slow for her comfort, pieces of memory started to return to her.
"Look, just tell me who you are," she begged, her curiosity and coyness freezing up her mind.
"My name is Stefan Salvatore," he told casually, his attitude very comforting. "You're in Mystic Falls, Virginia. I found you in the forest."
"What?" she questioned, straightening up with a vibrant quickness. "How did I get here?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," he said with slight humor. "Now, please, try to remember anything from before you woke up this morning."
Her eyes darted swiftly about the room as she dashed through her memory, searching for answers. Her heart started to race as her memory became more intact, revealing horrors she hoped weren't her own. It all became incredibly clear, and the man's eyes started to pierce through her recollection.
"I was taken by a man," she explained cautiously, still wondering how her memories could ever be real. "He put me in a room. And…he burned me."
"Burned you?" Stefan asked, looking extremely concerned. "Where?"
She looked at her arms for a moment, still trying to recall where that unforgettable pain had been made. With a slow uncertainty, she carefully brushed her right hand up her left arm, all the way up to her shoulder blade, where she felt the slightly raised mark of a burn.
"May I look?" he queried, rising from his chair and moving towards her.
"Sure," she whispered, feeling a little numb as more memories pieced together in her mind. His light touch on her exposed shoulder hardly affected her, and she stared down at her hands as he studied the markings with much intrigue.
"Do you remember anything else?" he asked, his eyes showing more than a little anxiety.
"He asked me a lot of questions," she continued, abhorring the vision that repaired inside her mind. "Random questions. What my name was. Where I was from. I didn't understand why. And then, he made me…he made me drink his blood."
"You drank his blood?" Stefan questioned, sounding much like an invested scientist.
"I didn't want to," she told him coldly, feeling shivers wandering down her spine. "After that, he stabbed me."
Stefan started to pace around the room, his steady eyes always staring at the floor. The girl gave a hurried look down at her chest, where no puncture, mark, or blood was found. She felt the skin just above her heart for a simple reassurance, but definitely was not satisfied.
"And after that," Stefan suddenly persisted, "what happened?"
"I don't understand," she told in frustration. "I remember waking up in a forest at night. I couldn't find my way to a city or anything. But I found these campers. They let me stay with them for the night. When I woke up, they offered me some eggs and toast for breakfast." She started to shake, feeling a strange, unwanted sensation coming over her. "But I didn't want to eat it. I just smelled…them. They smelled so…good. Oh, god, I can't stand it-"
"What did you do?" Stefan asked, jumping towards her suddenly, his eyes incredibly severe.
"One cut himself," she told anxiously, a terrible tingling all throughout her body. "There was blood…I wanted to drink it! I wanted it so bad!"
"Calm down," Stefan ordered, his voice intending for the command to help the both of them.
She put her face into her hands and started to sob. Her whole body appeared fragile as her fingers shook rapidly and her tears dripped down her face.
"I ran away," she murmured, accomplishing a bit of might inside of her frenzy. "I couldn't stand myself. I wanted to die."
"Look, you can't think this way," Stefan insisted, sitting down on the side of the bed. "If you want to get through this, you have to be strong."
"Tell me what I am," she demanded impatiently, grabbing his hand with tremendous force.
His eyes stayed connected with her gaze, but his whole emotion shifted. He let out a small sigh, and he appeared apologetic in an angry way, looking as if this whole situation made him terribly furious. But sadness overshadowed his deep regret, and he squeezed her hand comfortingly.
"You're a vampire," he whispered, giving her a soft, assuring stare. "I'm sorry."
"I can't be," she cried delicately, her innocent gaze extremely intimidating. "I just can't be."
"I am a vampire as well," he informed with slight regret. "And so is my brother. We will help you."
"Vampires aren't real," she replied defiantly. "They aren't supposed to be real."
"We are," Stefan corrected sadly.
"I just can't drink blood," she insisted strongly. "I mean…it's cannibalism, isn't it?"
"I drink animal blood," Stefan told, optimism in his voice. "It's not like the movies, trust me."
"I…I can't be a vampire," she repeated, her teary eyes giving him a pathetic look.
"Please, just tell me your name," he requested kindly. "Then you can go into whatever mental state you need to."
"My name is Alex," she answered, her cautious eyes loosing a bit of their defense. "Alex Somers."
"Well, Alex," Stefan started, "you have a few options. You can either wallow in your own sorrow right in this room, or you could follow me into the living room, I can introduce you to my brother, and you can embrace this new lifestyle."
"It's more like a slavery, isn't it?" she said, contempt and pessimism in her voice.
"Please, trust me," he beseeched with a sigh, holding out his hand to her. "This whole thing is going to be a little weird no matter what."
She reluctantly took his outstretched hand and climbed off the bed. Slowly and carefully, he led her out of the room and down a flight of stairs. He frequently looked back at her, as if his gaze could keep her from breaking down any more. And she couldn't help but feel his reassuring eyes built her up gradually.
"Damon," Stefan called, leading Alex into a beautiful, stylish room, filled with plush furniture, book-filled shelves, and a humongous fireplace. The splendor seemed to take her away from her new pain for a moment.
A new character entered the room from an opposing door. He had a dark and sarcastic expression about him, and he caught Alex's attention right away.
There was a magnificence to his face as the fire played shadows against the unique symmetry of his bone structure. His jawbone was incredibly sharp, and it only heightened the display of coldness in his expression. But his sapphire eyes were imposingly different. The emotion inside of them was not obvious at all. There was only a mysterious light that distracted Alex even more.
"Who is this?" Damon asked, his eyebrows raising in an assuming fashion.
"This is Alex," Stefan introduced, a certain discomfort in his voice. "She's a vampire."
"And she was here all night?" Damon continued, looking even more intrigued. "Hmm, Stefan, I'm not sure I heard when Elena ever called your relationship an open one."
"She's a new vampire," Stefan retorted. "I just brought her here to help her."
"So you didn't sleep with her?"
Stefan gave a loud, fuming sigh as he ran his fingers through his auburn hair. After he took a few seconds to calm down, he gave an apologetic look towards Alex and let go of her hand. Damon looked quite entertained.
"Look, Damon, I need to call Bonnie," Stefan informed placidly. "Please don't scare her away."
Reluctantly, Stefan left the room, giving one last reassuring glance towards Alex before she was left alone with the awfully intimidating man before her. She quickly looked down at the floor as she played with her fingers awkwardly. But she couldn't help but look up at Damon, who was staring at her with a small smirk. It was difficult to determine if it was malicious or endearing.
"I'm Damon, Stefan's brother," he told charmingly, holding out his hand to her.
"Alex," she replied shyly, happily accepting the jumbling of her thoughts that his gaze brought her. "Um, you know, I wasn't…with your brother last night."
"I know," Damon chuckled. "I just like to mess with him."
They exchanged a small laugh, and Alex became less hypnotized. She clenched her jaw together as her memories flooded back into her mind, bringing more anger and pain. Damon's expression turned sympathetic.
"I suppose becoming a vampire was not in your plans," he sighed, giving an unsure smile.
"Of course not," she grimaced, looking up at him with tortured eyes. "To drink blood. To kill something, whether it's an animal or a human. It's disgusting. It's scary."
"Trust me," he grinned. "It will get better. You'll see."
"I don't see it right now." She started to pace around the room, looking to the beauty of the scenery to inspire the horrors out of her mind. But she could see her kidnapper fresh in her mind. She could see him as he asked his distracted questions. She could feel the searing pain on her shoulder as he merely leered at her. And where he plunged the knife into her chest, she could feel a terrible prickling.
"Please-"
"Listen, a few days ago, I didn't even think vampires existed!" she exclaimed, her clenched fists shaking slightly. "Then some creep kidnaps me, burns symbols onto my skin, makes be drink his blood, and then kills me, and now I am one? It's not fair!"
"It's never fair," he replied with a low growl. "But you just have to deal with it. My brother and I have been this way for over a hundred years. You get used to it."
"Is there any way to kill myself?" she asked, with only the slightest bit of sarcasm. "Or have I been 'blessed' with invincibility?"
"If you keep acting like this, I may get to killing you myself," he sneered menacingly. She quickly stopped trembling and stared at him with obvious fear in her eyes.
Suddenly, Stefan entered the room again, bringing a concerned looking girl with him. She was particularly beautiful, with wavy brunette hair and dark, glowing skin. The girl stared at Alex with much enthrallment.
"Alex, this is Bonnie," Stefan told, walking up to Alex. "She's a witch."
"A witch?" Alex questioned, looking at Bonnie in a abruptly different light. "Now witches are real?"
"Yes," Stefan answered hurriedly. "Alex, I think she should check the burns on your shoulder."
"Alright," Alex agreed, fearing any opposition would bring Damon's wrath.
Alex submissively pulled the loose collar of her shirt away from the burn, and Bonnie was rushed over to observe it in an unrestrained way. There was a constant tension that Alex felt as she recurrently glanced towards Damon, whose dark mood showed no change for the better.
"Um, Stefan, can I talk to you for a moment?" Bonnie asked, starting towards an open door.
"Of course."
The two of them exited into the door, and Alex tried as hard as she could to ignore Damon, who was casually walking around the living room, playing with random trinkets that he spotted. Every few seconds, she could feel his gaze on her, and she blinked hard, hoping everything would just disappear.
"Stefan, it doesn't look good," Bonnie whispered, her voice suddenly perceivable by Alex. The startled girl looked towards the door where Bonnie and Stefan had gone, and she wondered how she could hear such small whispers.
"What is it?" Stefan questioned.
"It's definitely magic, Stefan," Bonnie replied with a sigh. "It's preparation for…a sacrifice."
"A sacrifice?"
"I'm not sure what kind of sacrifice," Bonnie admitted. "I just remember learning about these symbols very briefly. I've never seen them in person."
"What do we do?"
"Listen, maybe she should get used to being a vampire before she learns she's meant for some sort of sacrifice," Bonnie suggested in irritation. "It seems like she's already unstable as it is, and leaving her alone with Damon probably wasn't the best of ideas. Did you see the way they were looking at each other?"
"Yes," Stefan sighed. "I just thought Damon could show a little compassion."
"I can hear you," Damon announced drearily, picking up a dusty picture frame.
"Crap," Stefan whispered. "Alex, can you hear us too?"
"Yes," she answered timidly. "I…I don't know why."
Stefan and Bonnie reentered the room with a repentant and serious spirit between them. Alex wanted to ask them many questions, but Damon was still a daunting presence.
Calmly, Stefan took a phone from his pocket and dialed a quick number. "Elena. Hey, um, could you come over? Bring Caroline, okay? There's a new vampire in town."
"What are you going to do to me?" Alex asked, her immediate fate something she was willing to ignore Damon for.
"I just called my girlfriend," Stefan informed. "She's coming over with her friend. Why don't you girls go out?"
"Go out?" Alex exclaimed, incredible anxiety completely wiping Damon out of her mind. "Weren't you and Bonnie just talking about sacrificing me?"
"No one is going to sacrifice you," Stefan assured protectively. "Everyone here wants to keep you safe. Anyways, those markings may not mean anything."
Bonnie's awkward glances contradicted Stefan's words, but Alex just brushed the whole thing off. She took a deep breath and figured that dying in any sort of way would be beneficial.
"Fine." She stared at the floor with a childlike defiance. "Might as well have a little fun in town before I go to hell."
Damon gave a quiet chuckle, which was quickly silenced by an ominous leer from Stefan. All Alex could do was feel defeated and take Damon's despicable glances and the pitiful stares from Stefan and Bonnie. But as Stefan lead Alex out of the living room, she caught a last glimpse of Damon, who was giving a rather anxious stare. She quickly looked away, trying to decipher his strange behavior.
"Alright, Alex, this is a special ring," he explained, taking an uninteresting silver ring off one of his fingers. "It allows you to go out into the daylight without getting hurt."
"So, it's true?" Alex whispered, the limitations of vampirism giving her a bit of a scare. "We can't be out in sunlight?"
"With these rings we can," he quickly informed. "Soon, I'll have Bonnie make you your own. Until then, you can borrow mine."
"Is this really safe?" she asked, looking out one of the windows of the house sheepishly. "I mean, I couldn't even let go of you last night. Do you think I can be with humans?"
"Caroline will take care of you," he promised. "She's a vampire as well. If anything happens, she'll know what to do."
"Wow, this place is just littered with the undead, isn't it?"
After a few minutes, Elena and Caroline entered the house. Elena, a mildly short, extremely gorgeous brunette immediately gave Stefan a huge hug, while Caroline, a magnificent, blue-eyed girl with long blond hair gave Alex a curious stare.
"Elena, Caroline, this is Alex," Stefan introduced casually. "I found her in the woods last night."
"It's nice to meet you," Elena smiled pleasantly. "What do you want us to do, Stefan?"
"I'm letting her borrow my ring for today," he told. "Maybe you guys could just show her around town."
"Sure," Elena agreed quickly. Her friendly expression showed a bit more worry as she and Stefan exchanged a few glances. It was as if they could read each other's minds.
Caroline stayed a bit more cautious, observing Alex with intense interest. She seemed undisturbed by Stefan's concerned gaze, and Alex felt incredibly awkward taking in the constant gape.
"Okay, Alex," Elena grinned, finally scraping her eyes from Stefan. "Are you ready to go?"
"Um, yeah," Alex informed, following Elena and Caroline as they started out the front door.
The sunlight felt somehow different on her skin. It felt warm and lovely as always, but it was slightly strange, giving a minor tingle on her skin as if it held imminent danger and potential pain. She couldn't tell if this was just a mental fear playing out in a physical form, but she knew that being a vampire wasn't very pleasant so far.
They headed toward a car at the curb, but Alex lagged behind Elena and Caroline in obvious reluctance. As Elena unlocked the car, she gave a worried look to Caroline, and they both stopped in their tracks.
"Is something wrong, Alex?" Elena asked cautiously. "You look a bit scared."
"Listen, I need to get to New York," Alex suddenly whispered, looking back at the Salvatore house vigilantly.
"New York?" Caroline exclaimed, looking quite surprised.
"Brooklyn, specifically," Alex added. "Please, I have to get there."
"Why do you have to go to New York?" Elena questioned. "I mean, can it wait?"
"It can't," Alex insisted in frustration. "Please, just take me there now."
"I don't think we can do that," Elena stressed rapidly. "I mean, you're a new vampire, you don't have control, and Stefan seemed adamant about keeping you safe-"
"Fine then. I'll just take a bus," Alex interrupted furiously.
As she started to walk down the sidewalk, Caroline dashed in front of her with unimaginable speed, being behind Alex one moment and in front of her the next. Alex's eyes widened as Caroline gave a ferocious, defensive look.
"We can't let you do that," Caroline growled.
"Was that…was that super speed?" Alex asked, staring at Caroline with powerful curiosity. "We have super speed?"
"You're not going anywhere," Caroline continued, looking even more ferocious than before.
"Get out of my way," Alex ordered irately, stepping towards Caroline.
"No."
"Caroline, be careful," Elena called cautiously.
"Get out of my way!" Alex repeated, in a stronger tone. She stared into Caroline's eyes viciously, with a glare that showed both anger and threat. Caroline looked thoroughly unconcerned with Alex's ferocity, but, suddenly, her expression showed unexplained pain. She squinted her dark blue eyes and gritted her teeth.
"Caroline, what's wrong?" Elena asked, now sounding quite frightened. "Caroline?"
Still, Caroline's expression never changed, and she continued to stare at Alex, who was starting to look confused. Then Caroline lost all of the personality in her face, and she appeared lifeless. She was like a motionless robot, ready to receive any command given to her.
"Get out of my way," Alex whispered heatedly, her rage still in tact.
With no objection, Caroline quietly stepped to the side, monotonously looking ahead of her. Elena only stood there in suspense, horrified by the new, peculiar nature of Caroline. Alex gave one last look towards Elena before she jetted away down the street, running out of sight.