[Location: The Town Square – Founders' Statue] [Time: 7:45 PM – The Night of the Comet]
The sun had dipped below the horizon, but the heat remained, rising from the asphalt in shimmering waves. The town square was transformed. String lights crisscrossed overhead, weaving between the ancient oaks like glowing spiderwebs.
Hundreds of people milled about. Tourists with cameras, locals with coolers of beer, and children running with sparklers.
It was a Norman Rockwell painting.
And above it all, streaking across the indigo sky, was the comet. A smear of brilliant white light, a celestial scratch on the darkness.
I stood near the base of the General's statue, holding a cup of lukewarm punch. I was watching the crowd, but my focus was entirely on the sensation in my right pocket.
The Gilbert Watch was ticking.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
It wasn't the rhythmic sound of gears; it was a physical pulse against my thigh. It was faint—meaning the vampire was distant, perhaps on the periphery of the square.
"Adrian!"
I turned. Caroline Forbes was marching toward me, holding a clipboard like a shield. She looked manic, her perfectionism cranked up to eleven to hide her insecurity.
"You're not wearing a candle," she accused, thrusting a wax taper into my hand. "Everyone needs a candle for the lighting ceremony. It's tradition."
"I wouldn't want to offend the spirits of the Founders," I said, taking the candle. I gave her a warm, grounding smile. "You doing okay, Care? You look like you're about to annex a small country."
She paused, taking a breath. The nickname 'Care' slipped past her defenses. "I'm fine. I just... Elena is here with Stefan. And Bonnie is being weird. And I'm just trying to make sure the wax doesn't drip on the historical plaque."
"You're holding the whole event together," I told her. "Take a second. Look at the comet. It only happens once every... what? 145 years?"
She looked up at the sky. For a second, the anxiety left her face. "It is pretty."
"And a harbinger of doom, historically speaking," I added dryly.
Caroline laughed. "You're weird, Adrian."
"I try."
I watched her walk away to yell at a freshman.
Asset Maintenance: Complete.
I took a sip of the punch. The watch buzzed harder.
I looked toward the Mystic Grill.
Damon was moving.
I couldn't see him, but the watch was my radar. The signal was getting stronger. He was heading toward the darker side of the square, near the restrooms and the path to the woods.
I set my cup down on a bench.
The canon event for tonight: Vicki Donovan gets attacked.
In the show, Damon attacks her in the woods. Stefan finds her. She survives but becomes a problem.
I had a choice. Option A: Stay here, eat popcorn, let it happen. Option B: Intervene.
Intervening was suicide. I was human. I had a sharpened stick in my boot and pepper spray. Against Damon, I was a squeaky toy.
But... if I was the one to find her, before Stefan...
It would solidify my bond with Matt (her brother) and Jeremy (her sort-of boyfriend). It would make me a witness. It would give me a reason to be "paranoid" about vampires later without blowing my cover.
I checked my boot to make sure the stake was secure. I touched the pocket knife in my jacket.
I started walking toward the woods.
[Location: The Woods – Edge of the Cemetery] [Time: 8:30 PM]
The sounds of the festival faded quickly once I crossed the tree line. The jazz music became a distant hum, replaced by the chorus of crickets and the crunch of dry leaves under my boots.
The air here was cooler. Damp.
The fog began to roll in.
It wasn't natural fog. Real fog doesn't move against the wind. This fog slithered along the ground like a white snake, wrapping around my ankles.
Damon's theatrics, I thought, my heart rate spiking.
I pulled the Gilbert Watch out of my pocket. The needle was spinning wildly now.
He's close.
I crouched low, moving off the main path. My "Salaryman" life hadn't included stealth training, but I had spent the last two weeks jogging these trails. I knew the terrain.
I heard voices.
"Come on, Vicki. Don't be like that."
Jeremy.
"Leave me alone, Jere!" Vicki's voice. Slurred. She was high. "I just need to pee. Go away."
I stopped behind a large oak tree, peering around the bark.
Vicki Donovan was stumbling through the clearing, holding a red solo cup. Jeremy looked defeated, kicking at the dirt before turning back toward the party.
Vicki was alone.
The fog thickened.
I saw the bird first. The crow landed on a branch directly above Vicki. She didn't notice.
Then, a shadow detached itself from the darkness.
Damon Salvatore.
He didn't sparkle. He didn't glow. He looked like a predator. He moved with a terrifying, unnatural stillness.
I held my breath. My hand gripped the stake in my boot, my knuckles white. Don't move. Don't breathe.
"Rough night?" Damon's voice cut through the fog.
Vicki spun around, spilling her drink. "Who are you?"
"Does it matter?" Damon stepped closer. He didn't compel her immediately. He was toying with her. "You have that look. The 'nobody understands me' look."
"Back off, creep," Vicki slurred.
Damon smirked. "I love a girl with fire."
He moved.
It was a blur. One second he was ten feet away, the next he was behind her. He grabbed her shoulder.
Vicki screamed.
It wasn't a movie scream. It was a raw, guttural sound of terror.
Damon's fangs descended—veins popping under his eyes, his face contorting into the demon mask.
He sank his teeth into her neck.
The sound was wet. Tear. Crunch.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a second. Watching it on TV was entertainment. Watching a sentient being eat a girl twenty yards away was horrific. The primal part of my brain screamed RUN.
No. Wait.
Damon drank. Vicki's struggles grew weaker.
If I stepped out now, he kills us both. I had to wait for him to be... satiated. Or distracted.
Suddenly, Damon's head snapped up. He looked toward the town square. He heard something I couldn't—Stefan approaching? Or maybe just boredom?
He dropped Vicki like a sack of potatoes. She hit the ground with a thud, motionless.
Damon wiped his mouth, checked his leather jacket for blood, and—in a blink—vanished into the fog.
I waited five seconds. Ten.
The watch's vibration faded slightly. He was moving away.
Go.
I burst out from behind the tree.
"Vicki!" I shouted, putting genuine panic into my voice.
I skidded to my knees beside her. It was a mess. Her neck was savaged—blood pulsing sluggishly onto the dead leaves.
"Oh god," I muttered. This wasn't a prop. This was arterial spray.
I ripped off my flannel overshirt, wadded it up, and pressed it hard against the wound.
"Vicki? Stay with me!"
Her eyes were glassy, rolling back in her head. "Vamp..." she gurgled. "Vampire..."
"Shhh, don't talk," I commanded. "Pressure. I need pressure."
I heard running footsteps crashing through the brush.
"Vicki?!"
It was Jeremy. He must have heard the scream.
He burst into the clearing. He saw me. He saw the blood. He saw his sort-of girlfriend bleeding out in the dirt.
"Oh my god! Vicki!" Jeremy froze, his face draining of color.
"Jeremy!" I barked, using my 'manager voice' to snap him out of shock. "Call 911! Now!"
"I... I..."
"PHONE! NOW!" I roared.
Jeremy scrambled for his phone, his hands shaking so hard he almost dropped it.
"She's losing blood," I said, pressing harder. My hands were coated in warm, sticky red. "Tell them we're at the edge of the cemetery. Possible animal attack."
Jeremy was sobbing as he dialed.
I looked down at Vicki. She was fading.
Suddenly, another figure appeared. Faster. Quieter.
Stefan.
He stopped at the edge of the clearing. He took in the scene instantly: The blood. The wound pattern (Damon's messy style). Me holding the compress. Jeremy crying on the phone.
Stefan's eyes locked onto mine. His pupils were dilated—the bloodlust triggered by the scent. But he fought it down.
"What happened?" Stefan asked, his voice tight.
"I found her like this," I said, breathless. "Something attacked her. I saw... I saw a shadow. It was fast. Too fast."
I looked Stefan right in the eye. I let him see the fear. I let him see that I knew something was wrong, but I wasn't saying "Vampire."
Stefan knelt beside me. "Let me help. I know first aid."
He put his hands over mine on the wound. He was checking the severity.
"She's lost a lot," Stefan said grimly. He looked at Jeremy. "Is the ambulance coming?"
"They're on their way!" Jeremy choked out.
Stefan looked back at me. "You did good. You applied pressure correctly. You saved her life."
I nodded, pretending to be shaken. "What the hell was that, Stefan? That wasn't a bear. It looked like a person."
Stefan's jaw tightened. "We can talk later. Just keep pressure."
In the distance, sirens wailed.
Canon Event Modified. Result: Vicki lives. Bonus: Jeremy sees me as a hero. Stefan sees me as a brave, competent witness.
[Location: Mystic Falls Hospital – Waiting Room] [Time: 10:45 PM]
The fluorescent lights of the hospital were blinding after the darkness of the woods.
I sat in a plastic chair, still wearing my bloodstained undershirt. A nurse had given me a wet wipe, but the copper smell lingered.
Matt Donovan was pacing. He looked wrecked.
"She's stable," the doctor had told us ten minutes ago. "She lost a lot of blood, and there are... severe lacerations to the neck. But she'll live."
Matt stopped pacing and looked at me. He walked over.
"Adrian," he said, his voice cracking.
I stood up. "Matt."
"Jeremy told me," Matt said. "He said you ran to her. He said you stopped the bleeding."
He put a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you. Seriously. I... I don't know what I'd do if..."
"Don't," I said softly. "You don't have to thank me. I just wish I'd gotten there sooner."
"You got there," Matt said firmly. "That's what matters."
Jeremy was sitting in the corner, his head in his hands. Elena was sitting next to him, rubbing his back.
Elena looked up at me. Her eyes were wide, fearful. This was the moment the reality of Mystic Falls hit her, even if she didn't know the cause yet.
She stood up and walked over.
"Adrian," she whispered. "Are you okay? That's... a lot of blood."
"It's not mine," I said. "I'm fine, Elena. Just... shaken."
"Did you really see something?" she asked. "Jeremy said you saw a shadow."
I hesitated. I looked around the room to make sure no one was listening.
"It wasn't a bear, Elena," I said quietly. "I know what a bear looks like. This was... it was shaped like a man. But it moved like a wild animal."
Elena shivered.
"Excuse me."
We turned. Stefan was standing there. He had cleaned up, but he looked exhausted.
"Can I talk to Adrian for a second?" Stefan asked politely.
Elena nodded. "I'll go check on Jer."
She walked away. Stefan steered me toward the vending machines, away from the group.
"How much did you see?" Stefan asked. No preamble. No charm.
I opened a bottle of water I had just bought, taking a moment to compose my lie.
"I heard a scream," I said. "I ran. I saw a guy in a leather jacket standing over her. Then... the fog got thick. And he was just gone. Like a magic trick."
Stefan watched me closely. He was checking for compulsion. He was checking if I was lying.
" Leather jacket," Stefan repeated. He knew it was Damon.
"Yeah. Dark hair. Scary vibe." I took a sip of water. "Stefan, be real with me. The police are saying 'animal attack.' Sheriff Forbes is sweeping it under the rug. What is going on in this town?"
Stefan sighed. "There are dangerous people passing through, Adrian. Drifters. Meth heads. It's not safe to be in the woods at night."
"Meth heads don't bite people's necks," I countered.
Stefan stepped closer. He used a technique I recognized: intimidation. "You're in shock. Your mind is making up details to process the trauma. It was an animal. A mountain lion, probably. Trust me."
He wasn't compelling me—he didn't want to use magic on a new student if he didn't have to. He was gaslighting me.
I decided to let him win. If I pushed too hard, he would compel me, and then he'd taste the vervain.
I rubbed my eyes. "Maybe. It was dark. The fog was crazy."
Stefan relaxed. "Exactly. You're tired. Go home, Adrian. Wash the blood off. Try to forget about tonight."
"Yeah," I said. "Good idea."
I turned to leave.
"Adrian," Stefan called out.
I stopped.
"You saved her," he said. "That was brave."
"I just did what had to be done," I said.
I walked out of the sliding doors into the parking lot.
[Location: The Cross Residence – Bedroom] [Time: 11:30 PM]
I stripped off my bloody clothes and shoved them into a trash bag. I'd burn them later.
I stepped into the shower. The hot water turned pink as it swirled down the drain.
I leaned my forehead against the cool tile. My hands were finally shaking. The adrenaline dump was hitting me.
I had survived the first boss encounter.
I verified that the watch works. I established myself as a hero to the locals. I gave Stefan a reason to "protect" me (as a witness/victim) rather than suspect me.
But the image of Vicki's neck wouldn't leave my mind. The ease with which Damon tore her open.
I shut off the water.
I stepped out, dried off, and walked to my desk.
I opened my laptop. I pulled up the map of Whitmore College.
"I can't stay human," I whispered to the empty room. "Not with things like that walking around."
I zoomed in on the science department. The Augustine Society.
It was time to accelerate the plan. I needed the serum. I needed to become a predator.
I picked up my phone and dialed the number for the Whitmore College Admissions Office (automated line).
Objective: Secure Internship. Target: Dr. Wes Maxfield (or his predecessor). Goal: Become an Augustine Vampire.
The prologue was over. Chapter 1 of the real story was about to begin.