Carline waves Elena over, her blonde hair shining and her confidence radiating as she stands by her locker, embodying a spirit of boldness in her shorter skirt.
"Elena! I can't believe you actually did it!" she exclaims, eyes sparkling with admiration. "You went through Blackwood Forest at night? Alone? And didn't scream once?"
Elena leans against the next locker, striving to maintain her composure. "I didn't *exactly* say I wasn't scared," she responds with a cheeky grin. "But I made it home in seventeen minutes. Coffee's mine."
Caroline squeals with excitement and wraps an arm around her shoulders. "I knew you wouldn't back down! You're like… the bravest person I know." Then she leans in, her voice softening: "But seriously—did you *see* anything weird out there? Like… strange noises or shadows moving on their own?"
Elena pauses, her heart racing.
She recalls those burning golden eyes—the urgent voice urging her to run—the pain etched on his face as if he were battling something profound within.
"No," she says a bit too quickly, looking away. "Just some raccoons and my imagination."
Caroline raises an eyebrow, but lets it go—this time.
Together, they head to first period: History with Mr. Tanner, who shares tales of Founding Families and local folklore while half the class effortlessly drifts away into their own worlds of distraction.
Elena tries to focus on the lesson but finds herself doodling moon phases in the margins of her notebook, immersed in thought.
Then comes lunch.
They settle at their usual table outside beneath a cherry tree, the soft pink petals cascading like confetti every time someone shifts—a perfect backdrop for powerful memories, but today it feels intimate with just Elena's friends: Caroline, Bonnie Bennett—thoughtful and observant, always drawing cards from her tarot deck—and Matt Donovan, the sweet-faced lifeguard ex-boyfriend, determined to keep friendliness alive; Tyler Lockwood, the loudmouth jock, unapologetically sharing his opinions.
Tyler slams his tray down with deliberate intensity.
"Another hiker attacked last night near Wolf Creek Trail," he announces, and everyone looks up expectantly. He tosses a crumpled newspaper onto the table—the front-page headline screams: MYSTIC FALLS ON LOCKDOWN? ANIMAL MUTILATIONS SPARK PANIC.
Bonnie flinches slightly, her fingers tightening around the card left face-down beside her plate—the image of The Moon. She hadn't flipped it yet.
"That's three attacks this month," Matt states thoughtfully, gazing at the photo of torn tent scraps surrounded by yellow tape. "Whatever did this... isn't normal."
"People keep saying werewolves," Tyler scoffs, loud enough for surrounding tables to catch every word, "but come on—monsters aren't real." He laughs with bravado, yet his eyes dart toward the woods beyond the football field, revealing an underlying uncertainty that betrays his facade.
Bonnie locks her gaze with Elena's, a knowing look passing between them.
"You were out there Friday night," she whispers, just low enough to be heard over the bubbling arguments about whether the creature was a bear or an escaped lab experiment gone wrong.
"And?" Elena asks, her curiosity piqued.
"You felt something." Not a question—a truth.
"I don't know what happened—"
"You came home different," Bonnie interrupts gently, brushing a petal from Elena's shoulder as a sudden stillness envelops them. The chatter fades beneath the weight of unspoken truths that linger in the air, heavy yet empowering, urging a reckoning with hidden layers of reality.
And then—
From behind them, a voice cuts through the moment with clarity—
"I need your help."
They all turn to see Stefan Salvatore stepping forward, breaking his silence for the first time since transferring mid-semester two weeks ago. He's the quiet boy whose presence often goes unnoticed, yet carries an unshakeable depth, a wisdom beyond his years. He hands Elena a folded note, his pale hands gripping it tightly, as if it holds the key to something greater than their everyday lives:
*I saw what followed you.*
*I can keep you safe.*
*Meet me tonight.*
Stefan stands still after passing the note, already turning to walk away, though a final glance towards the forest edge beyond the parking lot confirms a haunting realization—
He sees things too.
And even more crucial?
He sees them coming