[Location: The Cross Residence – Bathroom] [Time: 6:30 AM – First Day of School]
The mirror was fogged up. I wiped a circle in the glass, revealing my face.
I looked calm. I looked like a teenager getting ready for his first day of Junior year. But underneath the skin, the vervain was circulating in my blood, a bitter, silent shield.
"Game face," I whispered.
I didn't dress like the new kid who wanted to fit in. I dressed like the guy who already owned the place. Navy blue button-down, sleeves rolled up to the forearm, dark jeans, clean boots. It was the "Young Professional" aesthetic—approachable but authoritative.
I checked my backpack.
Textbooks: Check.
Vervain spray (disguised as breath spray): Check.
The Gilbert Watch: Tucked into a hidden pocket in the lining of the bag.
I wasn't just going to school to learn algebra. I was going to manage assets.
[Location: Mystic Falls High School – Parking Lot] [Time: 7:45 AM]
The school looked like every high school in America—red brick, sprawling, and filled with the low hum of teenage anxiety.
I parked my Jeep next to a flashy convertible. Tyler Lockwood's car.
As I stepped out, the humidity hit me, thick and smelling of cut grass. I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked toward the entrance.
I saw the cliques forming. The jocks by the benches. The stoners under the bleachers. The cheerleaders near the fountain.
I walked right through the middle of the courtyard. I didn't look down. I made eye contact with people, nodding as I passed.
"Morning," I said to a random guy. "Hey," I said to a girl putting on lip gloss.
They looked back, surprised by the confidence. In high school, confidence is currency. If you act like you belong, people assume you do.
I spotted Bonnie and Elena standing near the main doors. Elena looked better today—less shadowed. Bonnie was laughing at something on her phone.
I altered my trajectory to intercept them.
"Ladies," I called out, flashing a bright, easy grin. "Please tell me one of you knows where the registrar's office is. I'm pretty sure I'm about to walk into a broom closet."
Elena smiled—a real smile this time. "Hey, Adrian. You made it."
"Barely," I joked. "My GPS tried to take me to a cow pasture."
"That sounds about right for Mystic Falls," Bonnie said. She pointed down the main hall. "Take a right at the trophy case, second door on the left."
"You're a lifesaver," I said. "I owe you one."
I didn't linger. Hit and run. Be charming, get the info, leave them wanting more.
As I walked away, I felt a prickle on the back of my neck.
I glanced toward the office.
Through the glass window of the main office, I saw him.
Stefan Salvatore.
He was compelling the secretary. I could see the way he leaned in, his eyes locked on hers, his voice low and rhythmic. He was fixing his missing transcripts.
I slowed my pace just a fraction, watching.
The secretary blinked, her face going slack for a second, then she smiled dreamily. "Everything seems to be in order, Mr. Salvatore."
Magic in broad daylight, I thought. And nobody notices.
I griped the strap of my bag tighter. Stefan wasn't the villain, but he was the lightning rod. Where he went, trouble followed. And he was enrolling in my grade.
[Location: History Class – Room 104] [Time: 9:30 AM]
Mr. Tanner was exactly as I remembered him from the show: smug, bald, and aggressively condescending. He was the kind of teacher who got off on embarrassing students.
I sat in the middle row—neutral ground. Elena and Bonnie were to my left. Matt was in the back.
Stefan Salvatore walked in late.
The room went quiet. He had that "brooding novel cover model" look that made high school girls lose their minds. He handed Tanner a slip of paper and took the empty seat... right next to me.
I didn't look at him. I opened my notebook and wrote the date.
September 7, 2009. Status: Stefan is 2 feet away.
"Okay, settle down," Tanner barked, pacing the front of the room. "Since we have new blood in the district, let's review. The Battle of Willow Creek."
He launched into a lecture. It was wrong. The dates were off. The casualty numbers were inflated. It was 'winners' history.'
I saw Stefan shifting in his seat. He was annoyed. He was there. He knew the truth.
Tanner zeroed in on Elena. "Miss Gilbert. Perhaps you can tell us the number of casualties at the Battle of Willow Creek?"
Elena froze. She looked deer in the headlights. "I... I'm not sure."
"Typical," Tanner sneered. "Cute, popular, but useless."
I felt a flash of irritation. Not because I loved Elena, but because I hated bad management. Tanner was a bad boss bullying a subordinate.
"Actually, Mr. Tanner," Stefan spoke up. His voice was calm, velvet-smooth. "There were 346 casualties. Unless you're counting the local civilians."
The class turned. Tanner looked at Stefan, eyes narrowing. "And you are?"
"Stefan Salvatore," he said.
"Well, Mr. Salvatore," Tanner smirked, sensing a challenge. "Perhaps you can tell us the year the armistice was signed?"
"1864," Stefan answered instantly. "But it wasn't signed at Willow Creek. It was signed at the exorbitant estate of the Lockwood family."
Tanner's smirk faltered. "And the founding of the town?"
"1860," Stefan said. "Though the charter wasn't ratified until '61."
The class was silent. Stefan had won. He had out-smarted the bully.
But Tanner wasn't done. His ego was bruised. He looked around the room for a new target to re-establish dominance.
His eyes landed on me. The other new kid.
"And you," Tanner pointed a chalky finger at me. "Mr. Cross. Since Mr. Salvatore seems to have memorized the textbook, perhaps you can give us some context. The economic impact of the war on Virginia's trade routes. Can you summarize it?"
It was a college-level question. He wanted me to stutter. He wanted me to fail so he could feel smart again.
I leaned back in my chair. I didn't panic. I was a Salaryman. I had given presentations to board members who wanted to fire me. Dealing with a high school history teacher was child's play.
"It was devastating, sir," I said, my voice bored but projecting clearly. "The Union blockade strangled the export of cotton and tobacco. Inflation in the South hit 9,000 percent by the end of the war. A barrel of flour that cost $6 in 1861 cost $250 by 1864. Essentially, the Confederacy didn't just lose on the battlefield; they starved to death economically."
Silence.
Even Stefan looked at me, his eyebrows raised slightly.
I looked Tanner dead in the eye. I didn't smile. I gave him the 'Professional Stare.' The look that says: I did my homework. Did you?
Tanner blinked. He cleared his throat, adjusting his tie. "Correct. Surprisingly adequate."
He turned back to the board, defeated.
I felt a gaze burning into the side of my head.
I turned slightly. Stefan was watching me. He was analyzing me.
"Inflation statistics?" Stefan whispered, his voice low enough that only I could hear. "Most people just memorize the battles."
I looked at him. I kept my face open, friendly. "My dad's an engineer, but he's obsessed with the logistics of history. 'Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics.' It rubbed off."
Stefan studied me for a second longer. He was listening to my heartbeat. It was steady.
"I'm Stefan," he offered a small, polite nod.
"Adrian," I nodded back.
I turned my attention to the front of the room.
Interaction survived. Status: Respect earned.
[Location: The Cafeteria] [Time: 12:15 PM]
I sat with the football guys. Tyler Lockwood waved me over.
"Dude," Tyler laughed, slapping the table. "You wrecked Tanner. I saw his face twitch. That was legendary."
"He asked a question," I shrugged, peeling an orange. "I gave him an answer."
"You and the other new guy," Tyler said, looking across the cafeteria.
I followed his gaze. Stefan was standing awkwardly by the entrance, looking lost. Elena waved at him, inviting him to her table.
I watched Stefan walk over. I watched the chemistry spark instantly.
But I wasn't looking at the romance. I was looking at Bonnie.
She was sitting next to Elena, touching Elena's arm. She looked worried. She had touched Stefan's hand earlier and gotten a "bad vibe"—the psychic flash of his cold, dead nature.
I needed Bonnie.
To become a vampire—especially an Upgraded one—I needed a Daylight Ring. I couldn't walk into a CVS and buy one. I needed a witch to enchant a piece of jewelry with Lapis Lazuli.
Bonnie didn't know she was a witch yet. She thought she was just "psychic."
I needed to be the one to push her. I needed to be the supportive friend who helps her discover her magic, so she trusts me when I ask for a favor later.
I finished my orange.
"Hey, Ty," I said. "I'm gonna go say hi to Elena. Catch you at practice?"
"Yeah, later."
I walked over to Elena's table.
"Is this seat taken?" I asked, standing behind an empty chair next to Bonnie.
"Adrian!" Elena smiled. "No, sit. You know Stefan?"
"We survived Tanner together," I smiled at Stefan. "We're war buddies now."
Stefan gave a tight, polite smile. He was on edge. Being around this many humans was testing his control.
I sat down. I turned my body slightly toward Bonnie.
"So," I said, looking at her. "I heard a rumor."
Bonnie looked up, mid-bite of her yogurt. "About what?"
"That you predicted Tanner was gonna call on me before he did," I lied. "Matt said you have... 'the sight'?"
I said it playfully, but I watched her reaction closely.
Bonnie blushed, looking embarrassed. "Oh god. Grams has been talking to people again. My grandmother tells everyone she's a witch. It's... a thing."
"A witch?" I raised an eyebrow. "That's cool."
"It's embarrassing," Bonnie sighed. "She says I'm psychic. But really, I just have good intuition."
"I don't know," I said, leaning in, dropping my voice to a whisper so it felt like a secret between us. "My grandmother used to say that magic is just science we don't understand yet. If you have a gut feeling... maybe you should trust it."
Bonnie looked at me. Usually, people laughed at her Grams. I was validating her.
"You think?" she asked softly.
"I think this town is weird," I said, glancing out the window at the woods. "Maybe being a little 'psychic' is exactly what you need to survive here."
I let that hang in the air.
Stefan stiffened next to me. He heard it. The double meaning.
I stood up before it got too heavy. "Anyway, I gotta run. I promised the librarian I'd help move some boxes. See you guys."
I walked away.
Seed planted. Bonnie trusts me a little more. Stefan is suspicious, but he thinks I'm just an open-minded kid.
[Location: The Cross Residence – Bedroom] [Time: 8:00 PM]
I sat at my desk. On the surface was a silver ring I had bought from a pawn shop downtown. It was ugly—chunky silver with a square blue stone.
Lapis Lazuli.
It wasn't a Daylight Ring yet. It was just jewelry.
I spun it on the desk.
I had weeks before I could turn. I needed to get Bonnie to the point where she could cast the spell.
But first, I had to survive the Comet Festival.
Tomorrow night. The night Vicki Donovan gets attacked. The night Damon kills the coach. The night the shit hits the fan.
I opened my laptop.
Objective for Tomorrow: 1. Secure the Crow (Damon). 2. Don't let Vicki die (or... let her die if it advances the plot? No, saving her gains points with Matt and Tyler). 3. Test the Gilbert Watch in the field.
I closed the laptop.
I looked out the window at the moon. It was almost full.
"Welcome to hell, Adrian," I whispered.