Chapter 1

I walked into my new school, Mystic Falls High School. I don't know anyone, seeing as I just moved a week ago with my dad. As I walked down the halls of the high school, I saw people glancing at me, giving me weird looks. I gave them weak smiles as I continued to walk. Just then, the bell rang. I sighed and walked to my first class of junior year, history. I walked in to see my dad standing up at the chalk board. I sighed and made my way to an empty seat in the back.

"Alaric Saltzman. It's a mouthful, I know. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Saltzman is of German origins. My family emigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. You'll probably want to pronounce 'Al-a- ric' but it's 'A-lar-ic,' okay? So, you can call me Ric . I'm your new history teacher." He explained.

I sighed knowing this will be a long year. After class was over, I waited until everyone was out of the class before walking up to him.

"Could you be anymore geeky?" You'll probably want to pronounce 'Al-a-ric' but it's 'A-lar-ic,' okay? "I said mocking him.

" Hey, you're my daughter which makes you just as geeky as I am. "He said.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head." Ok. Whatever you say. "I said heading towards the door.

" Myra. "He called out.

I turned to look at him.

" I know this will be hard. A new home, a new school, me as your teacher. But, you'll get used to it. Eventually. "

" Yeah, eventually. "I said.

" Hey, I have an interview for a job after school at the Mystic Grill. So I'll be home after that. "I informed him.

" I'll stop by. I heard they had good burgers. "He said smiling. Then the bell rang." I gotta go to class. I'll see you later. "

He nodded and I walked to my next class.

The day went on and school ended. I met a lot new people, but none that stood out from the typical high school cliques. I got in my car and drove to the Mystic Grill. When I walked inside, I saw a couple of familiar faces from school. I found the manager and, after my interview, he told me I was a perfect fit. I thanked him and saw my dad sitting in one of the booths. I smiled and walked over to him.

"Hey." I said sitting down.

He looked at me with anxious eyes.

"So, did you get the job?" He asked.

"You're looking at a new Mystic Grill waitress. You must be so proud." I said giving him a sarcastic smile.

"Hey, I am proud of you. This is your first job. Start out small." He said.

I nodded as a young boy and a slightly older woman came to our table.

"Mr. Saltzman." The boy said.

"Jeremy. What's up, man?" My dad asked.

"This is my aunt, Jenna." Jeremy said referring to the woman standing next to him.

"Alaric Saltzman. It's nice to meet you." He said shaking her hand. He then looked at me.

"This is my daughter, Myraliana." I held my hand out to shake her's.

"Hello." I said with a smile. I shook Jeremy's hand and smiled.

"Jeremy was just telling me about his paper. Thanks for giving him another chance." Jenna said with a smile.

"It was my first day. I wanted to make a good impression." I rolled my eyes.

I looked around the room and saw only one worker, the one at the bar.

"Man, I see why their hiring. There is nobody working here. I'm gonna go to the bar and get two iced teas." I said standing up.

"It was nice to meet you both." I said being polite.

I walked to the bar, which was only occupied by two men, and I could only see one of their faces. I sat down one seat away from them.

"Excuse me, bartender?" He wouldn't turn around, and that was when I noticed he had earphones in his ears, as he listened to music. I sighed and walked so I was right in front of him. I waved my hand in his face, until he saw me.

"What?" He asked angrily.

I scoffed.

"Hey, come on man. That's no way to talk to a lady. So how about you try again? Nicely this time."

One of the men from the bar asked looking the bartender straight in the eye.

"How can I help you?" The bartender asked more politely.

"Much better." The man said as he smirked.

"Thank you." I said confused as how the bartender's attitude had changed so quickly.

"Your welcome." He said as he walked back to his seat. I looked back at the bartender.

"Can I get two iced teas?" I asked.

"Coming right up." He said with a smile. Once he handed me the iced teas, I walked back to the booth, to find just my dad sitting there.

"Where's your new lady friend?" I asked raising my eyebrows. I put one of the drinks in front of him and scooted back into the booth.

"The bathroom." He said.

"What took you so long?"

"It doesn't matter. Let's just say when I work here, I won't be listening to music on my shift." I said taking a sip of my drink.

Jenna then came back to the table.

"Jeremy totally ditched me." She said surprised.

"Where's he go?" My dad asked.

"Home. It's not far. He can walk it." She said.

I scooted over motioning for her to sit with us. She smiled and sat down next to me.

"So, are you from here? Are you a townie?" He asked.

"I'm a returnee. Left town for a while, now I'm back." She explained.

"Why'd you leave?" I asked, intrigued.

"School. And then there's the real reason. I was wronged ... a guy named Logan." She said with a sigh.

"Ah. Boys, they don't know they have something good until it's gone. And their also idiots." I told her.

She nodded as we laughed.

"I like her." Jenna said pointing to me while looking at my dad.

"What'd he do?" I asked curiously.

"Basics..lied, cheated, lured me back in, left me again." She said. I nodded, knowing the feeling.

"Your turn. Any sad relationship stories?" She asked looking at my dad.

"The basics ... fell in love, married young, my wife died." He said.

"Oh. Wow." She said shocked and looked like she regretted asking the question.

"Yeah, that's always a good conversation stopper." I said glaring at my dad.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Well, you, me, Myra, and the North Carolina police department are all wondering the same thing. It's what's known as a cold case." He said sighing.

"So, why'd you two move here?"

" A change of pace, new scenery. I like it here. It's got a rich history. "He answered.

After a little while of talking, it got really awkward because I think they wanted to be alone.

"Hey guys, I got tons of homework to do. I'm gonna head out. I'll see you at home dad. Bye Jenna." I gave them a smile and walked out.

I was walking to my car when I was pushed against the wall by someone. I recognized it to be the man from the bar earlier.

"What the-" "I'm gonna stop you right there. I've had a pretty bad day, and I just need to take my mind off it. So, I said, why not go feeding? Fresh blood is always the best. " He said as his fangs retracted from his mouth and veins grew under his dark eyes.

That's when I realized this guy was a vampire. I grabbed his arm and put it behind his back before I kicked him behind the knees. I grabbed a vervain syringe from my back pocket and injected him with it. Then, he collapsed to the floor unconscious. I sighed in relief as I ran to my car. I called my dad as I drove.

"Dad?" I asked shaking.

"Myra, what's wrong?" He asked concerned.

"Are you alone?" I asked.

"No. I'm giving Jenna a ride home." He said.

"I'll tell you when you come home. Have fun." I said. I hung up and sighed as I put my phone in the passenger seat. When I got home, I grabbed some of last nights leftovers and heated it up. After I ate and got my homework done, I packed my bag for tomorrow and made sure to put a couple extra syringes vervain in there. I heard the door open.

"Myra?" I came out of my room as I heard my dad call me.

"What happened? You sounded scared when you called me." He said closing the door.

"A vampire tried to feed on me tonight." I said holding my arm with my other hand.

"Are you okay?" He asked walking towards me.

"Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine. Before he could do anything, I vervained him." I said. I sat down on the couch.

"But, we have to be more alert from now on."

"Yeah. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you." He said sighing.

"It's fine. Dad, I can take care of myself." I said.

"I just wasn't expecting it to happen."

"Hey, why don't you get some sleep? You've had a long day." He said.

"Ok." I walked up to him and gave him a hug.

"Goodnight." I started walking towards the stairs.

"But, don't think we won't talk about you and Jenna tomorrow morning." He rolled his eyes.

"Go to bed." He said laughing. I smiled and walked upstairs, took a quick shower, put on some clothes, and went to bed, knowing I have a long day tomorrow.

After school was over, I sat down on one of the tables outside the school. I pulled out my sketchbook and started drawing. While I was drawing, I sighed and looked up.

That's when I saw a blonde girl walking towards me. When she reached me, she smiled widely.

"Hi. I'm Caroline Forbes. What's your name?" She asked.

"Myraliana Saltzman." I said closing my journal.

"Oh, your the new history teacher's daughter." She said in realization.

"That's me." I said.

"Can I help you with something?"

"No, no. I just wanted to be the first to welcome you to Mystic Falls High School. Hopefully, I was the first." She said awkwardly.

"Well, besides the administrator, yep, you're the first." I said standing up.

"Oh! Ok, good. Just wanted to let you know that the career fair is tonight and you should come. It's going to be so much fun." She said smiling.

"I think I'm gonna skip it." I said packing my bag.

"No, you can't. Everyone's going to be there." She told me.

"You have to come." She was about to say something else, but I cut her off. I sighed.

"Look, it was nice meeting you, but I have tons of homework to catch up on." I knew she wouldn't stop asking me.

I paused before continuing.

"So, I'll see you tonight at the career fair." She smiled and started clapping.

"Perfect! I'll see you there." She said. I sighed and walked to my car and drove home.

I arrived back to the high school. I walked into the high school and started walking around. I knew my dad was around here somewhere because he didn't leave to come home.

A few moments later, I found something that interested me. It was a sketchbook. I opened it up and saw a bunch of really good sketches.

"Like 'em?" I heard a familiar voice ask. I turned to see Jeremy.

"Yeah. These are really good." I looked at him.

"Are these your's?" I asked. He nodded.

"These are incredible." I said flipping through the pages.

"Do you draw?" He asked standing next to me.

I went in my bag and pulled out my sketchbook.

"Never go anywhere without it." I said.

"Wanna see some?" I asked.

He nodded.

I handed it to him so he could see them. He opened it up and had wide eyes.

"Oh my god. These are amazing. Wh-Where did you learn how to draw like this?" He asked.

"My mom. Yeah, she was an art geek. She loved drawing, painting, all that good stuff." I said sighing.

"My Aunt Jenna told me about your mom. I'm sorry for your loss." He said.

"Thanks." I said smiling.

"So, Jenna and my dad? I assume I'm not the only one who sees something going on between them."

"You're definitely not the only one." He said smiling.

"My sister and I spent last night listening to Aunt Jenna go on and on about how mysterious he is and how dreamy his eyes are." I laughed.

"Jer? There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere."

A very familiar girl with dark brown hair said walking up to us.

"Oh, sorry. I hope I didn't interrupt."

"It's fine. I was just gonna look around some more." I said a little tense.

"I'm Myraliana Saltzman."

"Oh, so you're Mr. Saltzman's daughter. It's nice to meet you. I'm Elena Gilbert. I see you've met my brother Jeremy." She said smiling.

"Yeah, we met yesterday. Hey, I'm actually going to go find my dad. It was nice meeting you Elena." I said with a slight smile.

I walked away and when I turned the corner, I started walking quickly. I sighed in relief as I kept walking. I can tell how uncomfortable seeing Elena will be for me, since she looks exactly like Katherine. I wasn't expecting her doppelganger to be a young and innocent high school student. I shook it off kept walking as I looked for my dad.

After about ten minutes, I found him talking to two guys, one of them being Jeremy.

"Alright, work it out, tough guy." I heard my dad say to Jeremy.

"You two, follow me." I recognized the Mayor say.

"Excuse me, Mayor. Where are you taking them?" My dad asked.

"I'm gonna talk to them. All fights should end in handshakes, don't you think? Come on." He said to the boys.

I walked up to him and stood in front of him.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"I don't know. But what I do know is their not about to shake hands." He said angrily.

He walked past me and followed them. I decided to follow him.

"You don't fight in there like pansies. You take it outside, fight your battles like men, and move on. Best lesson my dad taught me. So let's settle it. Fight." I heard the Mayor say as we walked outside.

"Come on, dad." I heard the other boy say.

"That's not gonna happen." Jeremy argued.

"I said fight!" The Mayor yelled.

What a dick. His son tried to leave, but his dad pushed him into Jeremy. Alaric approached them, with me not far behind.

"Whoa. What's going on out here?" He asked.

"Just letting these two kids work it out. We're good here. Go back inside." The Mayor said.

"I don't want to go back inside. What I want is an answer to my question. What's going on out here?" My dad asked persistently.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Do I look like a student?" The Mayor asked.

"No. You look like a full grown alpha male douchebag." I said crossing my arms.

"You don't talk to me like that. I can have your father's job like this." He said looking at me and snapping his fingers.

"Ah, you do that. Then it will be you and me in this parking lot, working things out. You cool with that?" He asked.

"You just marked yourself." The Mayor shot back.

"Ok." My dad said back sarcastically.

The Mayor looked at his son, who walked away. He followed him. I looked at Jeremy who was trying to contain his smile.

"You all right?" Jeremy nodded.

"I'm gonna stay out here. Just get some air." Jeremy said.

We nodded and quickly walked away from him, and I followed my dad towards the cars.

"Where are you going?" I asked him.

"We are going to find a vampire, and take him down." He answered.

I nodded then I quickly got in my car and followed him in his car. We arrived at this warehouse. I stood by the entrance, hiding, as the vampire walked out. He tried to walk to a car but was stopped by my dad.

"Who are you?" The vampire asked.

"A friend of Jenna's." My dad answered.

"Jenna sent you?" He asked.

"No, I came on my own." My dad responded.

"Ah, I get it. Well, buddy, I know you think this makes you brave. But actually it makes you pretty stupid." The vampire told him.

"Either way, here I am." He said.

"What do you want?" The vampire asked.

"Jenna is a good person. She deserves the best. I'm here to make sure she gets it."

"Was that supposed to be a threat? Couldn't you throw a punch? Maybe provoke me a little?" The vampire said moving forward.

"I'm not a violent guy by design." My dad answered. That's when I started to move, as quietly as I could.

"Well, you're not a very smart one, either." The vampire said smirking.

"How's that?" The vampire turned his back to my dad. I slowly took the hidden stake out from inside the sleeve of my jacket.

"Cause you have no idea who you're talking to." The vampire said starting to vamp out. I ran up behind him and the vampire didn't notice.

"Neither do you." I said before staking him in back. He fell to the ground dead. My dad looked shocked at what I was capable of and we quickly got out of there. We got back home and, I closed the door.

"Are you okay?" My dad asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" I asked him.

"Because you just killed someone." He said concerned.

"Well, you told me that someone has killed a lot of people, and he was trying to hurt someone you care about. So, yeah. I'm fine." I said walking up the stairs and to my room.

I closed the door and sighed as I slid down the door. I grabbed my journal from my bag and decided to write. Another day in Mystic Falls. It was better than yesterday. Yesterday, I was attacked by a vampire who tried to drink my blood. He tried and failed. Sort of like my attempt to make friends. Every time I think I see someone potentially friendly, they turn out to either be too snobby, too peppy, too jerky, or a plain idiot. But, I mean, I don't expect to find friends right away. I know it'll take time.

I miss you mom. Every time I write in this journal, I always feel like someone's stabbing me in the heart. But, I promised I would write these things down, in your memory. Tonight, I killed a vampire. He was killing innocents, and dad and I thought that the only thing that would help would be to kill him. He was also threatening someone dad cares about. I killed that vampire. And I hate vampire because of what one did to you. I should probably get some sleep.

I love you mom. M. Saltzman.