Rylie awoke slowly. She looked around as her eyes fluttered open. After twenty seconds she realized where she was. She sat up in the king size bed and looked out the window. Wow was is already night time? She thought. She flung her legs over the side of the bed and walked uneasily to the bathroom. She took a washcloth and washed her face. The warmth of the cloth felt great on her. Sleeping in that bed felt even better. Rylie was still in shock that she had slept as long as she did. She never slept like that. Not since high school at least. Not when she didn't have to look over her shoulder at every corner.

Taking the washcloth off her face she went back into the bathroom and grabbed her backpack. Unzipping the front she searched for her new cell phone. Finally finding it at the bottom she scooped it out and saw not only was it past 7PM but she had two missed phone calls from Caroline and few text messages too. Caroline insisted she get the unlimited text messages on her phone. Rylie told her that was more than she wanted to spend. But Caroline told her living here it was the easiest way to get out of something. When Caroline started to offer that she would pay for it Rylie gave in and got it.

The first few texts were asking if she was up yet, the last one said 'disregard all the texts and calls, I called Stefan he said you were still sleeping. So call me when you are awake and we can do dinner.' Rylie smiled. She wanted to go to dinner but she wanted to explore this huge house she will be calling 'home' for as long as it needed to be. She grabbed a hair tie and threw her blonde hair into a low ponytail and walked out the door. To the left were the stairs to Stefan's room. She thought about asking him for a tour but went against it. She wanted to see it herself. Walking down the hallway she saw open doors on either side. Walking past and looking in she saw they were all bedrooms for other boarders. Turning around she went down to the first floor. Making a left she saw another door and it was open looking in she saw a huge bedroom. Much bigger than the rooms upstairs. She saw a huge bed in the center, with big floor to ceiling windows. It had dark wood going all the way around the wall, the bed post were a little lighter. The sheets were a silky white. Walking in she saw that there was a fireplace on the other side if the room across from the bed. On the fourth wall there was a large bathroom with no door. It had the same dark wood on the vanity as the bedroom had. It was an amazing room. Looking around the bedroom again she saw that it was lived in. Her eyes went wide and the realization came that she was in Damon's room. She hurried out not touching anything. She past the stairway and made a right at them. She noticed the area. It was the hallway Stefan brought her down on the way to her room. She was in the main hallway of the house. Seeing the front door she turned and saw the living area. Rylie walked down the two small stairs and did a circle as she looked up. Where they serious? It was the largest ceiling she had ever seen. There was another fireplace at the far end with bunch of couches. She ran her hand over the top of them as she walked by. On the east side she saw the dining room and from where she was standing she was looking threw to the kitchen. On the west side there was a door. The blonde headed to the door and saw that it was a study. She walked in and saw another fireplace. How many fireplaces did one house need? She thought. She took in the walls and walls of books. She could get used to crawling on the couch in front of the fire and snuggle up to read a book. She gently touched the book binds as she passed them. She saw some of the classics and smiled at them. She hadn't read a good book in a very long while. She saw a book on her must read list she had in high school but never read it. She took it down and stared at the cover. She traced the cover with her fingers. She put the book in the crook of her arm. She was going to ask if she can read it. Leaving the study she passed the kitchen and took a peek in. It looked like any normal kitchen except bigger in every aspect of the word. On her way down the main hallway she saw a door as she passed it. Turning around she went to open it.

"Going somewhere?" she heard from behind her. Rylie screamed and jumped back holding her hands over her face. "Whoa, it's just Damon." Rylie put her hands down and looked at him. Taking the book she hit him with it.

"Don't do that!" she said hitting him with it at each word. He backed up with every hit.

"Stop hitting me." he said taking the book from her. "Gone with the wind?"

"Yeah, I never read it. I was going to see if it would be alright if I borrowed it." Rylie said rubbing her arm with the other.

"You live her now, read what you want. But do not go down there. The stairs are shot and any weight can cause them to break." Rylie looked at the raven head and then to the door. She looked back at Damon and then nodded.

"I'm going to go back to my room. Thanks for the book." She said holding it up. She walked around Damon and went for the stairs. At the top she turned for her room and passed the stairs for Stefan's room. Shrugging she went up and knocked.

"Come in." she heard from the other side. Opening the door slightly she poked her head in. "Hey Rylie. You're awake." Stefan said with a small smile.

"Yeah, I went exploring. Damon let me borrow a book." She said holding up the book.

"Did you need something?" Rylie leaned on the door frame and looked around. The place was a mess. Piles of books all over the place. Tables around the whole room. She shook her head.

"No, just wanted to tell you I heard from Caroline. And I wanted to see your room since I saw your brothers." At this Stefan raised his eyebrows. She saw the expression and gave a small shy smile. "He didn't know, I thought it was another room for boarders." Stefan softens and gave a short nod. "Can I ask you something?" Stefan stood from his desk and nodded his head. "Why don't you allow boarders here anymore?" the younger brother looked to be thinking about this.

"Because we don't want annoying new comers staying in town." She heard from behind her. This again, made her jump. Turning around she saw two blue orbs looking down into her hazel ones.

"Can you give me some notice that you're coming up from behind me? That is the second time within fifteen minutes that you did that to me."

"You are so jumpy." Rylie looked at him and shook her head. Turning back to Stefan she gave him a smile and walked around Damon. But Damon stood in her way. "No smile for me?"

"You don't want me here, I get it but I can't really go anywhere right now."

"Why is that? Why Mystic Falls?" the older brother asked. She was getting sick of those questions.

"I needed to start over. A small town can do that for me." she said looking down.

"Hey Rylie, why don't you go with me to Elena's for dinner?" she heard the younger say. Turning around she shook her head.

"I'm going out with Caroline for dinner."

"At the Grill again?" she shrugged. She wasn't sure. They hadn't made the plans yet. But she wanted to see her. "I can ask Elena if you two can come to her house for dinner. Caroline and Elena are best friends. I'm sure she won't mind." Rylie nodded her head. She really didn't want to get close to anyone else in this town. She already made good friends with the younger blonde she didn't want to make friends with anyone else. Stefan and Damon were her 'landlords' in all things considered. "It's set then. Go get dressed I will call the girls." Stefan said with a smile. Nodding, Rylie walked around the older brother and went back to her room.

Rylie opened her backpack and found the picture of her mother again. Missing her more and more every day. Her mom even though she was her adoptive mother looked like her. She had long blonde hair and brown eyes. Her father on the other hand was Irish; he had the red hair and green eyes. When people met the family for the first time everyone that her father was her stepdad. Rylie traced the photo with her thumb. Her mom was her rock. They were inseparable even when Stephanie Carter was on her death bed. After she died Rylie's life went downhill. Thus why she was in middle of nowhere Virginia. This was the last place she wanted to be. But it was the safest place for now.

"I miss you so much mom." She whispered before putting the picture away. The blonde walked into the closet and grabbed a pair of jeans a shirt and a pocketbook. After getting dressed she threw her wallet, paperwork and phone into the bag. Glancing at the mirror she wished she had some makeup. He eyes were sunk in and she was pale. She shrugged it off and went to find the younger brother. She first tried his bedroom and after calling his name into the open door with no response she went down the stairs. Looking to the left she saw Damon's door was closed. She swung around to the main hallway.

"Stefan?" She said when she walked to the front door. The fire in the fireplace was going and it felt warm even from where she was standing. "Stefan?" She said again.

"Hey." She heard from behind her. The younger brother was coming from the basement. Didn't Damon say not to go down there? "Something wrong?" he asked. He saw the confusion on her face. Shaking her head she answered.

"Uh, no. I'm ready whenever you are."

"I'm ready. Let's go." She turned to go and he put his hand on her lower back out the door. She stiffened up when his hand made contact with her. She was heading towards the street when she heard him call her. "Where are you going?"

"Aren't we walking?" she asked.

"Why would we walk? I have a car." She blushed a little at the thought. If Caroline drove why wouldn't he? She thought to herself. Stefan opened the passenger door to the tiny red sports car and gestured for her to get in. She stepped in and he shut the door. After Stefan was settled they made their way towards Elena's. "So Caroline said you're from Pennsylvania?"

"Yeah. I grew up there."

"Are your parents still there?" Rylie shook her head and looked down at her hands. Talking about them still had an effect on her sometimes.

"No, my parents died. Dad's been gone about 10 years and mom 5."

"Sorry. I know what it's like. I lost my parents too. So did Elena, if you need to talk about it you can talk us." She turned towards him and gave him a half smile. After her mom died all her friends from high school offered the same support. They didn't know what it was like. They all had their parents. If they were divorced, separated or still together, they all still had their parents. "You know I never did catch your last name."

"Carter."

"What did your parents do?" he asked.

"Dad was in the service. Mom was a stay at home mom." Stefan was now seeing what Caroline meant when she said her answers were vague.

"The service huh? The must have been rough for you and your mom."

"A little. He was killed while on deployment."

"And your mom?"

"Cancer."

"That sucks. I'm sorry you had to go through that." He saw the girl nod her head. She seemed nervous being around him. Maybe because she didn't know him. The vampire couldn't place what was going on. But now he had more information on her then Caroline did. Dad was a military man and died 10 years ago while working. Mom died of cancer 5 years ago. Both he assumed were buried in Pennsylvania.

They pulled up to the two story white house. Stefan got out and ran around the front to open the door from Rylie.

"Thank you." She mumbled.

"You're welcome." He smiled.

The two walked up the walkway and up the stairs. Stefan knocked on the door and a few moments later Elena opened the door.

"Hey guys. Come in. Dinner is almost done." She said smiling.

"You mean we're almost done unwrapping the plates from the restaurant." A voice from the kitchen said. Elena led the way with Stefan and Rylie following her. Walking into the kitchen they were greeted by Caroline and another girl. "Rylie this is my friend Bonnie."

"Hi." The older blonde said. Bonnie came around and offered her hand which Rylie accepted.

"Nice to meet the famous Rylie that Caroline won't be quiet about." Rylie gave a half smile and looked at the younger blonde.

"I just told them that I liked you. And that your cool." The young vampire said shrugging. "But I hope you like Italian. Because that's what we ordered."

"Sounds great." Rylie said.

Soon after the 4 teens and Rylie sat down at the dinner table. They were silent for a long while. The sounds of silverware hitting plates were the only noise heard in the house. Rylie wondered if it would have been this awkward if she wasn't around. These people must have known each other for their whole lives. And in comes a nobody from Pennsylvania who knew nothing about them and they knew nothing about her.

"So Rylie, Caroline says you're from Pennsylvania?" She heard Bonnie say. Nodding her head as she finished chewing.

"Yeah, I'm from Allentown."

"What's it like?"

"Depends on what part you're from. I lived near I-22 so it was noisy at night. But it wasn't bad."

"Is there where you lived your whole life?"

"Yeah, I was raised there."

"Why did you leave?" She heard the brunette say. Rylie put her fork down and started to play with her hands under the table.

"Uh, just really needed a new start."

"And you thought Mystic Falls is where your new start is?"

"Yeah, something just pulled me here I guess. And I was sick of the city I guess."

"City?" Caroline asked.

"Allentown is a big town. We had tourist there every summer for the amusement and water parks. It got kinda busy depending if you were downtown. Small town life seems interesting." She looked down at her food. "Elena, where's the bathroom?"

"Upstairs, second door on the left." Rylie nodded her thanks and left the table. Once she was in the bathroom she felt like she could breathe again. She knew that questions were going to be asked. She just had to figure out how to answer them when she came to them. She also didn't want to be center of attention. She knew that was impossible since she was the new girl in town. The mysterious new girl in town. After washing her face she opened the door and bumped into someone.

"Sorry." She said looking up. She saw a teenaged kid standing there. He had shaggy brown hair and eyes. And he was built.

"Sorry." He gave her a smile and then nodded. "I'm Jeremy, Elena's little brother." He said.

"Rylie. I'm living with the Salvatore brothers."

"Are you a childhood friend or someone?" he asked crossing his arms.

"No, I, um just got to town yesterday. Caroline helped me to get them to say it was ok." She said rubbing her neck. She heard the noises of plates being moved around downstairs. "I better get down there before they think I fell in." The teen snorted and Rylie found her way down the kitchen again.

When she entered she saw that the 4 teens had already cleaned up the dishes. It looked like they were setting up for dessert already. She was so stuffed. She hadn't eaten like this in weeks. She thought her body was going into shock. But when she looked over at the girls she saw they had chocolate mousse and vanilla ice cream. Rylie felt her mouthwatering.

"We have wine too." she heard behind her. She jumped out of her skin and turned around. She saw Stefan behind her. The blonde put her hands over her heart. And took a deep breath. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." The green eyed boy said with his hands up.

"It's fine. And wine sounds great." She started to turn around and then went back with her eyes furrowed. She pointed a finger at Stefan. "Aren't all of you too young to be drinking?"

"No one in this town cares."

"Well, not a lot for you. I would like to get home in one piece." She said with a smirk. She turned on her heel and went into the kitchen.

The other girls were all laughing a joking with each other. Rylie could see that they had been friends for their whole lives. She understood that friendship. Her best friend in the entire world was back home. Sarah and Rylie were inseparable from first grade on. They joined dance classes together, sung together, at one point they dated brothers at the same time. They went to the same high school together. Summers sucked. Rylie was forced to follow her father with her mother. As soon as school was about to start up again the Carter girls went back home and waited for Mike Carter to come home on leave.

After graduation Rylie kept in touch with Sarah. Sarah had gone to NYU for dance. Rylie was supposed to. But her mother was more important. Soon the best friends became friends, and then acquaintances, and finally strangers. Rylie knew her friend had gotten married after college and moved back to Allentown. It didn't shock her that she wasn't asked to be in the bridal party. It did surprise her that she didn't get an invitation. As kids the girls said they would be each other's maid of honors. Now Rylie didn't know what was going on with Sarah. Rylie knew the reason why she wasn't friends with Sarah. It was the same reason she was in Mystic Falls.

"You ok?" she heard from the girls. Shaking her head from her memories of Sarah she looked up and saw the 3 friends.

"Yeah. I was just thinking of my best friend growing up. You guy reminds me of her."

"Oh yeah? What is she like?" the witch asked.

"Well, growing up we did everything together. Join the same teams, classes, sports, lessons. Her dad was in the service too. Only he was always home. He was a recruiter. Mine wasn't. Every summer I would go to where he was station. And for the school year I would stay in Allentown. Sarah would stay home over the summers." Rylie took a wine glass and the bottle and poured herself a glass. She saw Stefan from the corner of her eye come into the kitchen as she took a pull.

"I bet you are the same way even now." Caroline said. Rylie shook her head.

"She went off to college right after graduation. I stayed home. Mom died right after. We grew apart. I haven't seen her since high school." She said taking another drink. She felt comfortable talking about Sarah. It was one subject where it felt normal.

"Sorry to hear that. I know what it's like to grew apart from someone. But you never know, you might get together in the future." Stefan said from the side. "My brother and I did. We don't like each other most of the time. But we get along because we have to."

"It's different, you two are family. She isn't." Rylie retorted. Turning her attention back to the girls she felt the effect of the wine. She hadn't drank in a long while. She was never allowed to. "How long have you guys known each other?"

"Since the day we were born." Elena said smiling. "Caroline and my family are part of the founding families. And Bonnie's family came from Salem like 150 years ago. So our parents all knew each other and we all grew up together."

"So your families founded Mystic Falls?" Rylie asked interested.

"Yeah, it was the Gilbert's," Caroline said pointing to Elena. "The Salvatore's, Lockwood's, Forbes', and the Fell's." she continues pointing to all the members of the founding families in the room.

"So I'm in a room with royalty?" Rylie joked.

"Just call my Princess Caroline." The young blonde said standing a little straighter. The rest of the girls laughed.

For the next hour the girls and Stefan sat at the island in the kitchen laughing and joking. Rylie felt normal for the first time in years. She hadn't laughed and smiled this much since senior year. After seeing Stefan eye the time she looked at him and nodded. She understood that he wanted to get home. He must have been tired. The teen didn't drink like she asked. But she had a little too much. Getting off the stool she slipped a little. Stefan was in reach and helped her. She gave him a smile in thanks.

"Well, since Rylie is drunk I'm gonna bring her home. Good night Bonnie, Caroline." He leaned down to his girlfriend and gave her a kiss goodnight. "I will talk to you tomorrow."

"Good night Rylie." She heard the girls say.

"Good night. Thanks Elena for a WONDERFUL time." The blonde said. She heard the giggles of her new found friends as Stefan put his arm around her waist and helped her walk to the car. Stefan opened the door and sat her down. She put her belt on as he closed the door. After getting in himself he started the car and they drove off.

Rylie leaned her head back and turned towards Stefan. He looked nothing like his older brother. Stefan had lighter hair and green eyes. Damon had black hair and piercing blue eyes. Stefan must have sensed that Rylie was looking at him and he glanced at her.

"You feeling alright over there?" he asked looking back at the road.

"Great. I was trying to find something where you and Damon look alike. I mean I met Jeremy tonight and he has brown hair like his sister. They look alike. But you and Damon? Not so much."

"That could be a good thing. Why didn't your parents have any more kids?" Rylie rolled her head to look out the window. She wasn't expecting him to bring her parents back up.

"They could never have any." She said softly.

"They had you."

"No, they adopted me. They tried for years to get pregnant. For whatever reason she couldn't. So there I was a week after I was born, living with Mike and Stephanie Carter. Being raised by a military man and his wife." Stefan looked at the blonde. Why did she sound so upset about it?

"Do you resent them for adopting you?"

"NO! I love my parents. I wish they were still alive." She whispered the last part. "Dad would have liked you." She said looking at the younger brother. And he looked at her with confusion. "You open doors for girls, make sure their drunken asses get home safe. You're a real gentleman."

"I was raised to be an old style gentleman. Hope that's alright." She nodded her head yes.

They pulled up to the Boarding House a few moments later. Again, Stefan opened up her car door and gave her his hand to step out. He helped her up the stairs of the Boarding House to her room. By then she was so tired she could barely make it up the last few steps. Stefan picked her up bridal style and laid her on the bed. He took off her sneakers and found a blanket in the closet. He covered the blonde and left the room for his own. With more details from Rylie, he was going to start the digging Caroline asked him to do. He just hoped he could find what she was running from.

AN:: Sorry for such a long delay in updates. It's been a busy few weeks for me. Between work, and being a mom as well as many other things.

But here is Chapter 3. Hope you enjoy it. Leave some reviews for me to enjoy! Which I do all the time!

Also, like in my last story I asked if someone could make a cover for this story. I am horrible at being creative with that stuff. I see Rylie as Diana Agron. If you can do that for me I would be forever grateful. Just let me know in a PM or review.

So again, leave a review for the story. I don't know when my next update will be.