In a certain bar, there was a boy and a girl working behind the counter, wearing blue clothes with brown aprons. They were Vicky and Matt.
Vicki and Matt were working part-time immediately after school to support themselves, and they worked at Mystic Falls' only restaurant and bar, "Mystic Grill."
"Matt, where's Max? He was supposed to be here an hour ago."
Vicki asked her brother in surprise while preparing an order for a customer.
Matt sighed as he cleaned a glass in his hand and said, "He got punished with two hours of detention by Mr. Farris."
"What?! Why?!" Vicki left the order and it fell to the floor.
"Hey! That's my order!" the customer said angrily.
Vicki quickly apologized and went to Matt, asking, "What happened? I mean, it's the first day of school!"
Matt looked at Vicki and said, "I don't know, Vicki! Mr. Farris said he was distracted in class, and when asked to focus, Max told him that the lesson didn't matter to him."
"He did what?!" Vicki shouted sharply while pouring a drink for another customer, which caused it to spill on the man's shirt.
"My clothes!" the customer shouted angrily.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll make it up to you with a meal on the house," Vicki quickly apologized, then went back to Matt.
"What did Max do again?"
Matt sighed and told Vicki what happened to Max in class today and how he was punished with two hours of detention after school.
Vicki exhaled sharply, then took a new plate to serve the customer she spilled the drink on, saying, "I can't believe this… what's wrong with Max?"
Matt shrugged and placed the cleaned glass on the table, saying, "I don't know. He's just been cold since Mom left us, and it got worse when Elena left him this summer."
Vicki looked at Matt and said, "Elena didn't leave him, Matt."
Matt shrugged and said, "We'll see."
Vicki shook her head helplessly, then carried the plate to the customer. Just as she was about to place it in front of him, Matt said, "Oh, by the way, Max was about to let Jackson beat him up."
"What?!" Vicki shouted sharply and threw the plate in the man's face.
The food splattered on the poor man's face, and his clothes were worse off than before.
"That's it! I've had enough! I want my money back and to speak to the manager!" the man shouted angrily, glaring at Vicki and Matt.
Vicki gasped and quickly said, "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to—"
"No! Don't give me that nonsense about not meaning it! I don't care about your family problems! I want to speak to the manager now!"
Vicki tensed, unsure of what to say. If the manager found out about this, she would surely be fired, and she couldn't afford to lose this job because she desperately needed it to support herself and her siblings.
Matt stepped forward and said, "Look, man, it wasn't intentional. How about we give you compensation? A guaranteed free meal here for a week?"
The man looked at Matt angrily and said sarcastically, "Compensation for a week? Why would I accept that? So this whore can keep spilling food and drinks on me for another week?!"
Matt's face changed when he heard the man's words. "That's it!. No one insults my sister in front of me and gets away with it!". Matt said angrily and approached the man.
"Matt, stop!" Vicki screamed in fear and tried to stop him, but Matt removed her hand, grabbed the man's shirt, and punched him hard in the face. Before the man could react, Matt grabbed his collar, lifted him, and slammed him onto the table with force, then started hitting him powerfully.
"Matt, stop!" Vicki screamed again, trying to prevent her brother from beating the man.
Matt stopped hitting the man's face, who was bleeding heavily, then grabbed a bottle of drink and poured it all over him. Then Matt grabbed the man's shirt and tore it in half.
"Matt!!" Vicki shouted loudly, trying to stop her brother again before he did something more extreme.
The man got up quickly, staggering right and left, then said, "You're dead, kid! I'll make sure you lose this job and live on the streets!" Then he stormed out of the restaurant angrily.
"Great! Now look at what you've done! You've just gotten us fired from the only job we could work at!" Vicki shouted angrily at her stupid brother.
Matt looked at her and said, "He deserved it."
"No, he didn't! We were the ones at fault for throwing food and drinks at him and ruining his clothes."
Matt dusted off his shirt, then began cleaning his hands, which were covered in blood, and said, "I'll go outside for some fresh air."
Matt removed his apron when he finished speaking and went outside the restaurant while whispers and noises rose from the customers as they looked at him in awe.
Vicki sighed deeply, then went to the kitchen and began crying silently to herself. It was more than she could bear.
Her father had left her when she was five and went somewhere only God knew, and she never saw him again. Then her mother treated them as if they were just a burden and restraints, and when she reached the legal age, her mother abandoned her too to pursue romantic adventures with another man, never to see or hear from her again.
Then she saw her siblings transform into people she could barely recognize. Max had become a broken, empty person inside, and Matt, who was always kind and popular, had become harsh and violent, hitting people for the slightest reasons. She herself lost passion for life, became addicted to alcohol, and started dating people who didn't care about her, only her body.
Yet she endured everything—she endured the pain, the hardship, and exhaustion of caring for her siblings every day. She endured the anxiety for them. She endured the loss of her academic future because of her mother. She endured the humiliation caused by Tyler.
Tyler! Vicki gasped when she thought of her boyfriend, then took her phone and called him.
"Vicki? What's wrong? Do you need more money?"
She heard Tyler's voice on the other end and began explaining what happened, asking for his help.
"Hmmm, don't worry, Vicki. My dad is the mayor. He can bribe the man to shut up and not report what happened."
Vicki exhaled in relief and said, "Thank you, Ty."
"You're welcome. But you need to come to my house tonight to warm my bed."
Vicki shivered at Tyler's words and said in a trembling voice, "O-okay… I'll… I'll come later."
"Good," Tyler replied, then hung up the phone.
Vicki collapsed into tears again. She hated this. She hated being around Tyler because he always made her feel like a whore selling her body for money.
Vicki had started a relationship with Tyler after their mother left them. At first, she thought Tyler was a good guy and would help her forget the pain her mother caused. But it turned out he only desired her body.
She didn't break up with him because he was the mayor's son, and angering him could harm her and her siblings greatly in Mystic Falls. He also spent a lot of money on her, giving her money to support herself and her younger siblings.
So she endured the humiliation and abuse from Tyler, even when he said bad things to her and didn't treat her with respect, and she never told anyone what happened, especially Matt, because she knew he would try to kill Tyler if he found out how he treated her.
Vicki wiped her tears, then went out again to continue her work, despite the emotional pain she was feeling.
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[Meanwhile, with Stefan].
Stefan entered his house and went to his room, sighing tiredly from the events of the day, but he didn't relax much because his great-nephew had barged into the room and said, "You lied to me, Uncle Stefan! You promised me you wouldn't do anything during your stay here."
Stefan looked at his great-nephew with confusion and said, "What's the matter, Zack? What do you mean?"
Zack looked at Stefan coldly, then took out a newspaper article and showed it to Stefan. Stefan looked at the article carefully and saw the headline: "Couple Daren and Monica Martinez Killed Due to Animal Attack in the Woods."
A bad feeling immediately rose in Stefan's heart because he knew what this meant in Mystic Falls. Yet, he looked at Zack and said, "That was an animal attack."
"Don't tell me that. I know the game. If you mutilate their bodies enough, they'll always suspect an animal attack. You told me you had it under control, Uncle Stefan," Zack replied to Stefan.
Stefan looked at Zack and said, "I am doing that, and I haven't harmed anyone since I came to Mystic Falls."
Zack sighed, then stepped forward and said with a pleading expression, "Please, Uncle Stefan. Mystic Falls is a different place now. It was peaceful for years, but there are still those who remember. Your presence here will stir things up."
Stefan looked at Zack and calmly replied, "That's not what I mean."
Zack looked at him and said, "Then what is it? Why did you come back? After all this time, why now?"
Stefan looked at him coldly, his patience running thin from his great-nephew's audacity, and said, "I don't have to justify myself."
Zack sighed and said, "I know you cannot change what you are. But you no longer belong here."
Stefan looked at Zack angrily and said, "Then where do I belong?"
Zack looked at Stefan coldly and said, "I can't tell you what you should do. But coming back here was a mistake."
Then he turned and left the room before Stefan could respond.
Stefan sighed, then went to a drawer in his room and pulled out several things that belonged to him, including an old notebook. Stefan picked up the notebook, opened it, and looked at an old black-and-white photo of Elena, with "Katherine Pierce, 1864" written beneath the picture. Stefan sighed and closed the notebook. He took his diary from another drawer and sat down to write in it.
"My dear diary, I lost control today. Everything I had been hiding inside surged to the surface. I am simply unable to resist it; I cannot resist my thirst for blood. People speak to me, and all I hear are their heartbeats. All I think about is tearing their throats apart. I don't know how long this struggle against myself will last, but I will never give up, so I don't become what I once was again, so I don't turn into the monster that killed thousands once more."
Stefan closed his diary, sighed, and stood up from his desk. Then he looked at Elena's diary, which she had dropped in the cemetery, and then he picked it up with him.
Stefan picked up Elena's diary, and a small smile appeared on his face as he thought of Elena. Then he decided to go to her house to return her diary.
Unaware that this was the beginning of a complicated love story full of drama, pain, and betrayal.