Damon Salvatore Is A Monster.

I woke up he next morning to sun shining through my thin curtains. I arched my back in a long deep stretch, the squishy cozy bed creaking beneath me. I looked around at the boxes marked bedroom stacked up around the room. I was in for a long day of unpacking... but I was looking forward to it. The warm morning air energized me, I felt ready for anything.

I hopped out of bed and threw open the curtains. Daylight burst into the room, instantly warming my skin. The sense of new beginnings was making me so giddy I took a deep breath and did a little twirl, my nightgown flaring out around me. Then, I got to work.

I decided to do the kitchen first because nothing is more frustrating than feeling hungry when you can’t find any silverware. After that, it was time for the bedroom. The very first box I opened had a picture of my mom and dad right on top. I sighed, my eyes locking on my dad’s face. He was a good man... he didn’t mean to do this to me.

My parents were a happily married couple when it happened, they had just had their two year anniversary. My dad came home, disoriented and covered in blood. My mom sat him on the couch and asked him what happened. What he said completely altered her reality for the rest of her life. He said he was working at the bar (my dad was a bartender) when a man came in. He sat down, gave him a wad of cash and started ordering drinks. The man, steadily getting drunker, stayed until there was no one left at the bar but him and my dad. Then he began to talk to him about being lonely and my father, like the good hearted bartender he is, listened to him and gave him advise.

The man was silent for a second before leaping forward and tackling my dad to the ground. The man bit into my dad’s throat and drank his blood. After drinking his fill, the man told him he was a vampire and he was going to turn him into one so he wouldn’t be lonely. He forced his own blood down my dad’s throat, and then told him when he’s in transition, he’ll need to feed on human blood and become a vampire or he’ll die. Then he grabbed my dad’s head, and snapped his neck.

He woke up hours later, got in his car and came home. Then he told my mom that he wouldn’t become a monster. He would stay there and die. He made them their favorite drinks, looked through pictures, made love to her one last time and died. The next month, my mom missed her period. And that’s how I came to be... half human, half vampire.

My vampire half didn’t really make itself known until I was seven and on the soccer team. A kid on my team fell and scraped his knee, and he dared me to lick it. I was always ready to prove myself to the boys at that age, I wasn’t really into the whole girly pink and pearls thing, so I did. It was my first taste of human blood, and it woke my dormant vampire side.

I’d never met a vampire before and to be honest, I didn’t really want to. I didn’t know anything about them either. There was no one to teach me what it meant to be a vampire. With no one to coach me, I had to learn it all by myself, sifting through lore on the internet. I could walk in the daylight, something I was extremely grateful for, and I wasn’t effected by holy water, crosses or garlic. Blood was a necessity, I bought in gallons from slaughter houses.

I ran my finger down my mom’s face, sighing softly. My moving out was sudden and I was going to miss her, but it was time for me to start my life. I was twenty and still living with my mom when I decided I wasn’t going to be afraid anymore. I was going to live my life, embrace my vampirism and finally support myself. That’s why I moved here, to Mystic Falls.

The picture in my hand, I walked to the dresser and propped it against the old fashioned vanity by the window. “Enough of memory lane... time to move in.” I sighed, and the unpacking began. Clothes and shoes were put away into the medium sized closet, my makeup and body care in the vanity, my toothbrush and face wash all set up in the bathroom. It was starting to really look like home when I heard the mail man approach my porch. Being a half vampire has it’s perks. I have super senses, including a heightened attention to detail because of my excellent vision, a highly tuned sense of smelling and hearing and lightning fast reflexes.

When I heard his mail truck roll down the dirt road, I ventured out of the house. There was a letter from my land lord, welcoming me to Mystic Falls, all nice and made out to me at my new address. There were also instructions on how to get the gas on. There were fireplaces in both the living room and the bedroom and everything else warmed with old fashioned gas heaters. Lucky for me, it wasn’t too complicated and I had figured it out the night before. It was humbling, living here in this house. My fortress of solitude.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a loner by nature... I just sort of got stuck with it once my vampire half was awakened. It’s safer for the people around me if I just stay out of their lives. Better for my mom too. After that day at soccer practice, my mom’s social life ended. She loved me very much and sacrificed her happiness to keep me safe. I left so she wouldn’t have to anymore.

After hours of unpacking, it was finally done, the boxes flattened and leaning against the wall in the living room. The place was clean, and I was the opposite. I was so worn out from that horrible head splitting sound that I went to bed without a shower. After grabbing a towel from the hall closet, I went into the bathroom and started the hot water.

The steaming water pounding on my back and neck was bliss. There was apparently great water pressure in Virginia. The tub I stood in was huge and deep, perfect for baths. I’d have to find some bath salts in town somewhere. After I ran a cream rinse through my long dark hair and did my usual shower activities, I stepped out of the spray and wiped the condensation off the mirror. My reflection stared back at me, looking pretty worn out.

My hazel eyes had bags under them, my skin looking a bit transparent... even my freckles looked wilted. I opened my mouth a took a good long look at my teeth. My body had a hard time adapting when I changed. I was home sick for a week while my cells fought with themselves as they shifted and changed to display my vampire nature. My mouth bled for a day when my fangs set in. I don’t have obvious fangs like the movies, it looks more like a dental problem, but they were very painful coming in. The transition was extremely fast, my baby teeth were shoved out in a matter of hours.

I threw on a tee shirt and a pair of old jeans and went into the kitchen. My cupboards were filled with mix match mugs and plates, I didn’t have a full set of anything. I grabbed a nice big mug and went to the refrigerator. It was mostly empty, the door filled with random condiments and bottles of blood. Grabbing one, I poured the thick red liquid into the mug and popped it in the microwave. My stomach gave an impatient gurgle as I watched the mug slowly rotate.

When the microwave beeped, I grabbed it, lifted it to my lips and took a sip. The blood washed over my tongue, the silky texture lightly coating the inside of my mouth. I swallowed the mouthful, feeling the blood rush down my throat and into my stomach, though it didn’t stop there. It spread through my body, nursing my tired muscles. I could physically feel my skin liven up, the color return to my cheeks.

I sat on the couch for a while, sipping from my mug and admiring my new home. After I tossed back the last gulp, I set the mug in the sink and found my keys. My vampire half felt replenished, but my human side was hungering for a burger. I popped my wallet into my pocket and slid out the front door. The sun was setting, the sky bursting into vibrant colors before it dulled and melted into night.

I hopped into my truck and started it up, the engine making the steering wheel rumble under my fingertips. I didn’t really know the set up of the town, so I decided to drive around and get the lay of the land. Mystic Falls was a very well preserved town, the buildings and architecture instantly transported you to a simpler time. As I got closer to the center of town, I started to notice streamers and lights, no to mention the sound of laughter and fun floating in the air. I parked my truck on the street a little ways away from the high school and walked into the main celebration. Rainbow colored cotton candy, balloons and stuffed animals hung from every booth. There were games and prizes and candy galore, the whole area alight with a carnival theme.

My mouth watered as my nose caught the scent of barbecued goodness and my stomach grumbled in agreement. I followed my nose toucan style until I found the source, a little stand selling all sorts of barbecued meat.

“Kabob combo please” I said to the man with a smile.

“Chicken, beef, or both?” he asked, motioning towards the array of speared meats he had.

“Both” I said, handing him a ten dollar bill. He took my money and handed me a paper plate piled high with kabobs, grilled veggies and rice pilaf. My stomach screamed at me to hork it all down, but I calmly took my change and found a place to sit and eat.

I found a secluded little picnic table away from all of the festivities. As I ate quietly by myself, I listened to the people having a good time around me. There was laughter in the air, everyone seemed to be having a good time. That was until the scent of blood reached my nose. Lot’s of blood... too much blood. I left my half eaten plate abandoned and drifted even farther from the celebration, toward the back of the school.