12 years later...
He laid with her on the red blanket, propped up on one arm as they gazed at the starry sky. She looked at him with a small smile, her brown waves falling over shoulders and neck.
"It's beautiful.." She said softly.
He smiled at her, brushing her hair away from her neck, and with his icy blue eyes piercing into her blue orbs, he parted his lips to speak. "I'm sorry, but this whole romantic thing is making me impatient. You are going to forget everything about tonight, and you're not going to suspect a thing about me."
"I'm going to forget, and I won't suspect a thing about you.." She copied, in a trance.
He covered her mouth and slammed her into the ground before burying his fangs into her neck, her screams muffled.
September 6, 2009
Mystic Falls, Virginia
The Salvatore Boarding Home
Mia stood in front of her closet, her arms crossed as she examined her clothes. It was funny...she had enough clothes to last her the century, yet it felt as though she had nothing to wear. It was her birthday, she wanted to dress up for it. Sighing, the girl tossed a set of clothes onto her bed before walking to her radio. She turned it on and peeled off her shirt with a small gasp of pain. Her head had been pounding since she woke up.
"Mia, hurry up, we don't want to miss the reservation." A voice spoke from outside her door. Zach, her...nephew? Brother? Uncle? Father? She was a little fuzzy on what he was to her. Regardless of his title, he was family. He helped raise her to grow from the little girl that had been found in the woods.
"Don't worry I'll be out in a minute," Mia replied, tugging the shirt over her head. She cried out, pain exploding in her neck. Tears pricked her eyes. Why did her neck hurt so bad? Had she been bitten by something? Burned maybe?
"Mia?! What happened? Are you okay?" Zach asked, worry soaked in his voice.
"I don't know," Mia answered, pulling her jeans up to her waist and buttoning them. She slipped on her shoes and opened the door, pushing past him and walking to the bathroom.
"What's wrong?" Zach asked, following her.
His aunt opened the cabinet and dug through it, searching for pain medicine. She grabbed a bottle and twisted the lid open, then poured a few into her hand. Swallowing them painfully, she put the bottle back and shut the cabinet.
"I don't know, my neck and head just really hurts." Mia told him, pulling her hair into a ponytail.
Zach walked to her, turning her head to the side to examine her neck. "Jesus, when did this happen?"
"When did what happen?" The girl asked, pulling away and walking down the stairs and through the halls of the Salvatore Boarding House.
"Your neck, Mia, you were bitten!" Her nephew exclaimed.
Mia furrowed her eyebrows and walked to a mirror, turning her head to examine the bite. The bite was nasty looking; the creature had bitten her with a full set of teeth, and the area surrounding was red and bruised.
"I'll be right back," Zach said, heading back upstairs.
Mia frowned, brushing her fingers over the bite with a small wince. She racked her brain, searching for any memory of what could've happened, but she simply didn't remember.
"I'm back." He nephew announced, walking to her with alcohol wipes and a giant bandage. "I'll fix you up real quick and then we'll leave." He told her, cleaning her neck gently with the wipes. She winced and he mumbled an apology.
"Do you remember what happened?" He asked, placing the bandage on her neck.
"No.." She replied, rubbing her hand. "And I'm not sure I want to. Let's go." She said, grabbing her purse.
Outside Mystic Falls, Virginia
Mia and Zach spent the afternoon at a restaurant outside of Mystic Falls called 'Red's Outsider'. They laughed and ate, swapping stories and dreams. Mia looked at him, smiling.
"I think I'm going to go into a food coma if I continue eating." She laughed, setting down her fork.
"I guess I better call off the celebratory cake." Zach teased.
"Cake? There's always room for that." Mia smiled.
Her nephew laughed and set down his own fork. "We can put it in a box to go so you don't explode. We still have a lot to do."
Mia shook her head, laughing. "Fine." He got up and walked to the cake bar area, where he got a cake in a to-go box. He paid the bill and walked over to her.
He held his hand out to her. "Shall we go, m'lady?"
She smiled and took his hand, standing. "Always, good sir." Together they walked to the car. She reached for the car handle, but he stopped her.
"Wait," he said, grabbing something from the back seat. A tiara. He placed it on her head. "There we go. I found this in one of the bedrooms back at home. Seemed fitting for the birthday girl."
Mia smiled widely, looking at her reflection in the side mirror of the car. "It's beautiful."
"And it's yours, well, for the day." He said, opening the door for her. He shut it once she got in, then got in the driver's seat.
"Where to now?" She asked, looking at him.
"The carnival."
Mystic Falls, Virginia
The Salvatore Boarding Home
Mia walked tiredly into her home, crickets chirping in the grass behind her. She kicked off her shoes and walked to the living room, where she fell onto the couch, laying on her stomach. She hugged the pillows, closing her eyes.
"You gonna crash there?" Zach asked, setting the car keys down on the table.
"I'm here aren't I?" Mia answered, her voiced muffled by the pillows.
He snickered and grabbed a blanket, covering her form with it. He turned on her speaker, which played soft music. He raised an eyebrow when he heard a sniffle. He turned to look at her.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Stefan wasn't here.." She croaked out quietly, causing her nephew to frown.
"I'm sure he didn't forget about you, Mia." He said softly, rubbing her shoulder. "Get some sleep, your first day of public school is tomorrow."
Mia nodded and drifted off the sleep, her back rising and falling with her breathing.
Mia ran, her bare feet pounding against the pavement of the road, which seemed endless. Her breathing was quick, cold air filling her lungs. She looked behind her, the man standing about fifty feet behind her. Her running came to a stop when she looked in front of her, familiar icy blue eyes piercing hers. She gasped, stumbling and falling onto her back.
"Hm.." His voice sounded. "Pathetic." He tugged her to her feet by her arm, watching her terrified face. "I was under the impression that you were smarter than to run from a vampire."
The girl pulled away and turned around, only to be face to face with him once more. "Who are you?"
"Damon Salvatore. Surely you've heard of me."
She shook her head.
"I'm hurt." He said sarcastically. "Totally surprised. I'm Stefan's brother...and you're going to tell him I'm in town. Can you do that for me?"
Mia swallowed and nodded. She winced, feeling pain in her neck.
Mia opened her eyes halfway, making a small noise of distress and pain. The room was dark, fireflies lighting up outside the window. She brushed her fingers over her neck, which was bare of its dressing. She grimaced.
"Don't touch it." A voice said in the dark. Stefan. He walked to the couch, kneeling down next to it and turning the girl's head a bit. He rubbed ointment on the bite with gentle fingers. "Zach told me about the bite."
She sighed, ignoring the pain. "I don't remember what happened."
"That's compulsion for you." He said softly, placing a bandage over the bite. "I'm sorry about missing your birthday.."
Mia sighed and turned to her side. "Where were you?"
"I was traveling, trying to find the best birthday present possible." He said, turning on the lights.
Mia covered her eyes, which hadn't adjusted to the light yet. She slowly uncovered them and sat up, letting Stefan sit next to her. He handed her a bag.
"Open." He said.
She looked at him, then at the bag. She took out the stuffing and took out a box. "Really? A box?"
He smirked, elbowing her arm gently. "Just open it."
Mia smiled and opened the box. Inside was a ruby necklace in the shape of a moon. She smiled more. "It's beautiful,"
"And it's laced with vervain, which makes it impossible for any vampire to compel you," Stefan said, helping her put it on. "Now sleep. We're going to actual school tomorrow. You need human interaction."
She sighed and laid her head on his lap, pulling the blanket over herself more. He smiled, running his fingers through her hair, and with a swift motion he turned off the lamp.
"Hey, Stefan?" She asked after a few moments of silence.
"Yes, Mia?"
"Do you have a brother named Damon?"
Stefan furrowed his eyebrows in surprise. "No," he lied.
"I didn't think so.." She yawned, falling asleep.
September 7, 2009
Mystic Falls, Virginia
Mystic Falls High School
Mia and Stefan stood in the school office the next morning, talking with the lady at the desk.
"We're Stefan and Mia Salvatore, I turned in our records yesterday," Stefan told her, his arms folded.
"I'm sorry but your records are incomplete." The lady said, looking at the two of them. "You're missing your immunization records, and we do insist on transcripts." She continued, holding what little records they had.
Mia smirked. "I'd say we're pretty immune to things." She then faked a sneeze.
Stefan chuckled a bit, elbowing her arm a bit. He took off his sunglasses and looked into the lady's eyes. "Please look again. I'm sure everything you need is there."
The lady slowly disconnected the eye contact and looked down at the records. "Well, you're right." She glanced back up at them. "So it is." She reached into her desk and pulled a few papers out. "These are your schedules, and the map of the school."
Mia took the map and schedule. "Thank you."
"Thank you." Stefan also said, turning around and walking with Mia out of the office. The two of them walked down the hall, ignoring the stares of other students.
"I have this feeling in my gut like its screaming 'go back home go back home!'," Mia mentioned to Stefan while they walked.
"You know, that's called being nervous. Maybe you should try it every once and a while." Stefan teased. "I have to go to the bathroom quick. I'll see you later."
She nodded as Stefan walked towards the door of the men's bathroom. The door swung open and a girl stepped out, bumping into him. Mia looked at her, the world around her seeming to disappear from actuality. Stefan and the girl exchanged a few words as she stared. She recognized her, and she knew exactly where. Katherine. She watched as the girl walked away, and gave Stefan a looked of confusion.
"What're you doing? Is this why you came here? To see Katherine?"
Stefan sighed, and without an answer, began to step into the bathroom.
"I would be fine if you hadn't lied," Mia stated as she turned and stepped down the hall. She was furious, and a bit hurt, that he hadn't informed her. From what she knew, Katherine was bad news. She walked to the locker and opened it, biting her lip in irritation.
"Trouble in paradise?" A man asked, holding a clipboard.
Mia glanced at him. He donned a nice suit, and his hair was attractively done. Not bad... She thought to herself. She grabbed her books and shut her locker. "No, he's my brother. Who are you?" She asked, turning to face him completely.
"I'm the guidance counselor, Elijah Hall. You must be Mia Salvatore." He introduced, shaking her hand. "Come, take a walk with me."
"Okay?" She drew her hand away and drove to walk with him down the hall. "Where are we going?"
"We, my dear," Elijah replied "are going to my office. A quiet place to talk."
Mia nodded and followed him into a room, which was given a therapeutic ambiance by the beanbags and couches.
"Have a seat." He spoke, his proper accent soaking his voice. Everything about him seemed...proper.
The girl sat down on the couch, the books still in her lithe arms.
Elijah stood across from the girl, leaning against his desk. "How long have you and Stefan been here in Mystic Falls?" He inquired, fixing his suit jacket.
The girl furrowed her eyebrows the slightest bit. They had just left the office after being accepted into the school...did word get around that fast? Or perhaps she was a new face amongst the crowd...Mystic Falls was a small town. "I've been homeschooled since I was little. Our parents died and our uncle began taking care of us." Mia replied, picking at the edge of her book.
Elijah nodded. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents," He told her softly. "You were upset with your brother in the hallway, what was that about?"
"Why are you asking?" Mia asked.
"It's my job. It's all right if you don't want to talk about it, I don't want to intrude." He told her, pushing himself away from the desk and walking behind her to the shelves.
She sighed a bit in relief and looked down at her book.
Elijah scanned the shelves with his eyes, his hands in his pockets. He grabbed a journal off of the shelf and opened it, running his fingers across the delicate pages. After a minute he spoke. "Is it about Katerina?" He suggested, saying the name with an accent.
"Who?" Mia asked, watching as he walked in front of her.
"Katerina Petrova...or as you know her, Katherine Pierce." Elijah placed the journal on top of Mia's book, and on the page was a photo of the woman.
She tensed a bit, swallowing. Elijah was not a guidance counselor. "Who are you really?"
"My name is Elijah Mikaelson, I'm one of the oldest vampires alive. I'm an Original." He told her. Mia got up and walked to the door, trying to open it, but the door wouldn't budge. "I knew you would try to escape. What are you afraid of?"
The girl turned and faced him, her eyes showing fear. "Please, I don't want any trouble, just let me go." The vampire stepped to her, brushing his fingers against her cheek and dragging them down to her scarf. She took shaky breaths, looking into his eyes as he took off the scarf. Underneath the scarf was her bandaged bite and her necklace. "A vervain necklace. Smart." Elijah remarked. He turned her head and peeled off the bandage. She winced, the bite had formed a scab, which had been stuck to the gauze. "A bandage over a wound like this, not so smart."
Mia attempted to move away from Elijah, but her back was pressed to the door. "Let me go.." She whispered as blood dripped from the wound.
"Who did this to you?" Elijah inquired to the girl.
"I don't know." She answered, looking away.
"Don't lie to me." He told her. "Look at me." When she didn't move he tilted her head up. "I said look at me. I think you know who it was. Was it Stefan, your dearest brother?"
She shook her head. "Stefan wouldn't do this to me." She insisted. "I don't know who did it."
"Perhaps it was Damon," Elijah stated.
Mia looked at him. "Damon isn't real.."
"Yes, he is, Mia. Damon is Stefan's brother, and he is very real." Elijah told her.
She sniffled. "No, he isn't.." She said shakily.
"Yes, he is," Elijah insisted, trying to get her to believe. "And the sooner you realize he's been feeding on you, the sooner you'll be safe."
Mia held back her tears. "What do you want from me?" She breathed out shakily.
"A deal. You get me intel on the doppelganger and I'll protect you." Elijah said.
"Doppelganger?"
"Yes. Did you really think Katerina was really attending a high school?"
She looked away.
"It's all right, you don't know her so you don't know what she'd do." He sighed and rolled up his sleeve.
"What're you doing?" She asked with wide eyes as he bit into his wrist. He pressed it against her mouth, despite her noises of resistance and fear.
"It's okay, Mia..drink up.." He told her, rubbing her back. She stopped resisting and drank his blood, closing her eyes. "Good girl."
Moments later he pulled away and watched as her neck healed. Mia coughed, wiping the blood from her lips with her fingers. She felt disgusted.
"Now you're going to report to me every day, and you won't tell anyone. Do I have your word?" He asked.
She rubbed where the bite used to be before looking at him. "You have my word."