Ron pulled into the high school parking lot in his luxury sports car, the engine's purr drawing curious glances. As he stepped out, with sharp features and a quiet confidence, he drew glances from nearly everyone nearby., especially among the groups of whispering high school girls nearby.
Following the signs, he circled around the campus until he finally reached the office for transfer admissions. Two girls were standing at the door, backs turned, chatting about a boy inside.
"Excuse me, could I get through?" Ron said politely.
"Oh! Sorry—of course!" one of them replied quickly, stepping aside with an embarrassed smile.
"Thanks." Ron gave a courteous nod and walked in with his transfer documents.
Inside, a teacher was speaking to the boy the girls had mentioned.
"Your documents aren't complete," she said. "We need your immunization record and academic transcript."
"Please, take another look. I'm certain everything you need is right there," the boy replied calmly, removing his sunglasses.
Thanks to the Rabbit Talisman's heightened reflexes, Ron noticed a strange shift in the teacher's expression. Her tone softened unnaturally fast, and the incomplete documents in her hands somehow became "good enough."
"You're right… everything seems to be in order," she said suddenly, beginning to process the transfer.
Mind control? Some kind of ability? Ron thought. Are there this many supernatural beings in this world already? Just my luck—first day of school and I run into one. I'm not sure my three talismans can defend against psychic control. The Horse Talisman heals physical damage, but mental influence? Not so sure. If only I had the Sheep Talisman—the one that strengthens the soul. Then I'd be completely safe.
He kept his expression neutral, quietly queuing behind the boy to register.
When the boy was done, he turned and left. Ron stepped up and finished his transfer smoothly—his papers were complete, so it didn't take long.
As he exited, one of the girls from earlier was still waiting outside.
"Hi, I'm Ron Mills. Just transferred here," he said, offering a friendly smile.
"Hi, I'm Bonnie," she replied, shaking his hand.
"Sorry to bother you already," Ron continued. "But could you tell me where the restroom is? The school layout here's a bit different from back home."
Bonnie laughed softly. "Sure, follow me."
She led him down the hall, stopping outside the restroom—where, coincidentally, the boy from earlier was standing awkwardly with another girl.
"Thanks, Bonnie. I'll see you around."
"Excuse me," Ron said to the pair at the door, politely stepping past them into the restroom.
Moments later, the boy entered too. After washing up, Ron glanced over his class schedule and followed the halls toward his next class. By coincidence, the two ended up heading in the same direction—to History.
In the classroom, Ron spotted Bonnie and the other girl sitting together. He waved to Bonnie and took an empty seat nearby.
The lesson droned on about Virginia joining the Confederate States in 1861 and the ideological conflicts between the state's northwestern and southern factions. Ron barely paid attention. This country's history isn't even 300 years old, he thought. If I wanted to study something interesting, I'd look into real ancient civilizations , not recycled war stories.
The morning dragged by. As class neared its end, Ron remembered that his "new" self had just lost his last relative recently. It didn't feel right not to pay respects—so after school, he decided to visit his uncle's grave.
He drove to the Mystic Falls Cemetery using the GPS. It wasn't far, but Ron preferred having the car just in case he got lost again.
The cemetery wasn't large, but Ron—being notoriously bad with directions—still had to wander for a while. Eventually, he found the headstone.
(And no, he'd never admit he secretly used the Rabbit Talisman to speed up the search.)
Staring at the gravestone, he didn't feel much emotion. This "uncle" was more of a story prop—someone who existed to give him a reason to be here. Back in his previous life, Ron had grown up an orphan too. He wasn't unfamiliar with loneliness. Family and friendship were things that had always felt… distant.
Before he could linger on the thought, the mountain suddenly filled with thick fog. The air grew cold and heavy. Ron decided not to risk using the Rabbit Talisman openly and instead started heading downhill.
Unfortunately, his poor sense of direction struck again. Between the fog and the unfamiliar paths, he quickly lost his way.
He ran aimlessly, trying to go downhill, when he noticed a girl ahead tripping on the path. The fog thickened, limiting visibility, so he sprinted—at normal speed, to avoid suspicion—and caught her hand before she fell completely. Still, her other hand scraped the ground.
"Are you okay?" Ron asked, helping her up—only to realize it was the girl who had been with Bonnie earlier that morning.
"Are you following me?" she asked, frowning. The eerie fog had made her uneasy, and now this coincidence felt strange.
"No, I just saw you about to fall," Ron replied, then noticed something else—a presence moving nearby, fast. Too fast for a human, though slower than his talisman-boosted reflexes.
"Oh really? You just happened to be wandering around a cemetery?" she said, clearly unconvinced.
"My uncle passed away recently," Ron explained. "I came from overseas and didn't make it in time for the funeral. Just wanted to pay my respects."
"And if you think someone's following you," he added, nodding past her shoulder, "maybe it's the guy standing behind you."
The girl turned quickly—indeed, a young man had appeared just a few feet away.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the boy said, stepping closer.
"Are you two okay?"
"We're fine," Ron replied casually. "Did you see anyone on your way down? She thought someone was following her."
The boy frowned slightly. "No. I just came to visit my family's graves. Saw you both from the path and came to check if everything was alright."
The girl hesitated, then softened. "Maybe I was just spooked. The fog came in so suddenly, and with birds flying off—it felt like one of those horror movies."
To ease the tension, she offered, "I'm Elena."
"Stefan," the boy introduced himself.
"Ron Mills," Ron said, smiling.
"I know. We're in the same history class. Bonnie mentioned you," Elena replied.
"And English and French," Stefan added.
Ron blinked. French? I didn't even know I was taking French.
"Well, do either of you know which way leads down? I think I'm a little lost," he admitted, already planning to leave them to their budding tension. They can have their mysterious chemistry. I just need food and a way out of this fog.
And with that, the three of them started down the misty path together.