A/N: I suppose I should include a disclaimer here.
I do not own The Vampire Diaries or anything related to it; I am merely playing around in their sandbox.
The character of Riley Davis in this story, however, is of my own creation.

It has been roughly a month since the accident. A month since my entire world changed. Everything I thought I knew about my life and about the world around Williamsburg, Virginia was flipped upside down. Literally and figuratively. Things that were supposed to be myths and legends turned out to be real. I didn't know what to think anymore.

And though I didn't know it at this particular point in time, it had also been about a month since Matt Donovan's truck went over the edge of Wickery Bridge in Mystic Falls — a town about 150 miles away — and crashed into the water below.

My day had been a collage of last-minute packing and then sitting on a coach bus for four and a half hours. I put off packing until I absolutely had to. I didn't want to leave, but I knew I couldn't stay here in a house and a town filled with memories. I was conflicted, even though I had no choice — in that way that seventeen-year-olds never have a choice because they're not yet eighteen. Add to that how terrified I was of my eventual destination, and it equals me, being a complete mess.

Figures — when I'm dreading the destination, the four-and-a-half-hour bus-trip feels like it took no time at all. Before I realized it, and before I had enough time to full prepare myself, I saw the bus drive by a sign saying "Welcome to Mystic Falls." I had arrived. I'd arrived in a town I was scared of. I felt anything but welcome.

I didn't tell anyone which bus I was taking so there was no one at the bus station to pick me up. But my aunt gave me directions to her house, which was only five blocks from the station. I threw my bag over my shoulder, collected my two suitcases, and began walking. After sitting in a bus for more than four hours, it felt wonderful to stretch my legs.

I only had to stay here for a few months — not quite a year — and then I could leave this town forever. I could survive that long here. I had to. Once I turned finished high school and turned 18 — legally becoming an adult — I would be gone. I just had to stay in town that long.

I tried to take in the scenery as I walked — to take notice of the buildings or trees — but I spent most of the walk looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was following me, or if anyone had noticed me at all. It sounds paranoid, I know, but I couldn't let my guard down. Not in this town.

My plan was simple: keep my head down, blend in, don't get too attached, finish school, and get out of this town as soon as legally possible. How hard could that be?

If I was scared of this town, I was terrified of the house I now stood in front of.

Standing where the sidewalk meets the front walkway, I looked up at the house: a corner property, surrounded by a few trees — but not too many that it was overwhelming or hiding the house; two front steps, made out of the same red bricks as the walkway, led up to the front porch; white siding with dark shutters; and a black roof.

I wasn't afraid of the house as a structure — I was afraid of who lived inside the house: my aunt.

As I stood there, watching the house, the front door opened and my aunt came towards me.

"Riley, you're here!" She stood in front of me.

I put a fake smile on my face; it was the best I could do. "Hi Aunt Liz."

We stood, looking at each other. We both seemed unsure of what to do. She seemed to pull me in for a hug because it was the customary thing to do. I stiffened instantly. We were both uncomfortable, though if Aunt Liz noticed the change in my body language, she didn't draw attention to it. I was glad to learn she was an avoider, just like me. "You must be so tired of that bus. I know I would be. Come inside," Aunt Liz said as she took the handle to one of my suitcases. "I'll show you your room."

I paused at the doorway, took a deep breath, and stepped into the house.

Aunt Liz looked at me and smiled before raising her voice slightly. "Caroline, Riley is here."