Chapter One

The day we met ...

I was dreaming. I had to be. I could not find a single explanation to justify what was happening otherwise. I was surrounded by fire, encircled by a ring of flames. Dancing orange and yellow flames flickered upwards towards the sky, ten foot in the air. I was trapped, ensnared by a fiery inferno, yet I did not feel the intense heat that should have accompanied this unnatural fire; I was protected by something as the flames did not seem to even near me let alone touch me. Curiosity got the better of me and I reached out my hand towards the flame, expecting for them to be burnt, but I felt nothing, not even a sting.

It was then that the chanting begun in a language foreign to my ears although I was fairly certain it was Latin. It sounded like some kind of spell being spoken in a soft voice that I recognized as a woman's. The speaker was either invisible or hidden behind the flames so I did not know their identity. However, after a moment or so, the flames decreased in size and ferocity in front of me, opening to allow me out. As I moved towards it, making a break for freedom, I found my way out barred by a shadowy figure. I realised then that the fire had not been diminished to let me out – it was to let someone, this mystery person, in.

I stood transfixed in the centre of the circle, unable to move, my feet planted firmly on the ground as the figure, darkened by shadow, moved towards me. Behind them, the flames on both sides of the opening were reunited and my escape was gone. I was trapped as the figure moved closer towards me. There was silence except for the sound of the flickering flames and my own panting breath. The figure stopped in front of me, their face imperceptible, completely silent and formidable.

'He is death,' murmured the speaker who had been the source of the earlier chanting.

Before I had a chance to let those words sink in, the figure, who must have been the 'he' the voice was warning me about, reached out suddenly and grabbed me by the throat, his fingers tightening around my neck. I gasped for air, wanting to scream for help but not having the breath to do so. I could only stare on in terror as he drew closer, the eyes glowing, the mouth displaying glistening fangs. The grip around my neck loosened and I thought that he was being merciful but this was only so that he could place his lips on my neck and puncture my neck with his razor-sharp fangs. I could scream at last and I let out an ear-piercing screech.

'Leah!'

My eyes flew open and I sat up straight up in my bed, my shoulders clutched by a figure sat next to me. I let out another scream before the figure shook me and my vision refocused. I was silent as the figure turned out to be my twenty-seven year old brother, Cal, with a concerned look on his face and worry in his sleepless eyes.

'Leah, relax, it's me,' he said in a raised voice as though he was worried his voice would not carry over another scream.

I struggled to get my breath back so I spoke to my brother in gasps. 'Cal ... I ... fire ... '

'It was just a dream, Leah,' he said reassuringly. 'You were having a nightmare again.'

Despite having gotten my breath back, I found that I could do nothing to reply but nod. My brother and I had moved to the town of Mystic Falls only a week ago and even though I was still bitterly resentful of our move, I was determined to make a new and fresh start. However, every night since I had moved to this town, this house, this room, I had been plagued by the same nightmare, haunting every moment I closed my eyes to drift to sleep. My behaviour had not gone unnoticed and Cal was adamant that I should see some kind of shrink. Maybe I was going mad ...

I shifted in my bed and stared into my brother's eyes which were identical to mine: a bold and almost electric green. 'I don't understand why I keep having the same dream, Cal. It's ... scaring me.'

'It scares me too,' he admitted. 'Do you know how terrifying it is to be woken up in the middle of the night by you screaming? '

'This never happened in Tennessee ... ' I murmured in a bitter tone.

Cal rolled his eyes at me and looked away, out of the window next to my bed. 'Still mad at me?'

'A little,' I admitted. 'Cal, how long do you reckon we'll stay here before you pack us up like you did then?'

'I don't know, Leah. Maybe we can stay here. This could be our permanent home. The job looks good, ideal for you. The town seems welcoming.'

'That's what you said about Tennessee,' I pointed out. 'We had lives there, we had friends and yet we packed up all our stuff to move to another state.'

Cal spoke next in a quiet, contemplative voice. 'You know why we had to move. We couldn't stay in Tennessee, not after ... '

I brought myself to say the words he couldn't. 'Not after Mom and Dad died.'

About two months ago, a terrible accident occurred that rendered Cal and I orphans. Mom and Dad had decided to go on a weekend hiking trip to the mountains in Tennessee, leaving my brother and I to our own devices back at home. I had stayed at home while my brother had gone out to a party so it was me who had answered the door to a grim-looking pair of police officers. It was me who had to be helped to my feet after my knees buckled upon learning that my beloved parents had been the victims of a vicious animal attack just a few hours ago. It was me who had to gather all of the courage within me together for almost half an hour to call my brother and tell him to get home so that we could grieve together. I must have cried about twenty years' worth of tears that night, cradled by a shaken Cal who would later mourn in private so that I would not see him sobbing. Because there was no one else to take guardianship of me as I was only seventeen at the time, Cal became my legal guardian and he felt it best that we make a fresh start after burying our parents. I disagreed at first, but now I was coming around to the fact that this move to Mystic Falls could mean the start of something, something new, something I had never experienced before.

'Now,' Cal said, breaking the tense silence, 'you'd best get some sleep. You've got school tomorrow, don't forget.'

'Like you could let me,' I said, mustering a grin.

Cal laughed, 'Wouldn't want you falling asleep in my class now.'

'Yeah, about that,' I murmured coyly. 'What do I call you in class?'

'Let's start with Mr James, shall we?' he chuckled and kissed my forehead. 'Goodnight, Leah.'

'Night, Cal,' I murmured and watched him walk out of my room, running his fingers through his hair, a dark reddish blond. I sighed heavily and relaxed back into my bed, allowing my eyes to close and silently praying that I would not be plagued by the nightmare I knew was lurking somewhere at the back of my mind.

I woke up rather early the next day considering the events of the previous night. It was as if my body was willing me to go through this new start and my first day at Mystic Falls High was the first step. I got dressed before having my breakfast and picked my outfit with careful precision. Once I was dressed, I gave my appearance the once-over in the full length mirror in my room and was satisfied; my mother had always said that first impressions were not always everything, but I thought it best to make notable exceptions, for instance starting a new school where you are judged and classified from the moment you walk through the classroom door. I had chosen a green short-sleeved shirt and a pair of black jeans, topped with black boots and a leather jacket. A long pendant was at my neck and my earrings were showcased by my fiery red hair which had been left in its natural waves. I took a breath and exhaled, deciding that I was ready to face the day and whatever it would bring.

'You ready to go?' Call yelled from the bottom of the stairs, heard through my open door.

'Coming!' I replied and grabbed my bag before heading downstairs to meet him.

Cal was dressed smartly for his first day as the new English teacher in a blue shirt with a black tie, his hair suitably tamed and his face cleanly-shaven. Once he saw me, he smiled encouragingly and gave me a warm hug, lifting me off my feet and causing me to laugh out loud, something I hadn't done in so long.

'You look great,' he said as he settled me down on my feet. 'Ready?'

'Ready as I'll ever be,' I smiled and made my way to Cal's car. The car journey was rather short and once we had arrived, I looked at the building, adorned with red banners and about a hundred students on the grounds. I got out of the car and cast my eye over the school and the students, some of whom stared at me or threw me a fleeting glance as they busied themselves with their friends or getting to class.

'I'll meet you back here at the end of the day, okay?' Cal's voice alleviated me from my wandering and I turned to look at him. 'Do you ... Do you want me to walk in with you?'

I rolled my eyes in despair at my brother. 'Cal, I'm eighteen, not eight. I can walk in to the big, scary school by myself.'

'Fine,' Cal said, holding his hands up in defeat. 'I'll see you around then.'

'Okay,' I agreed. 'Have a good day ... Mr James.'

At his laugh, I turned round and made my way towards the main building, avoiding stares and glances here and there. I felt eyes boring into me and my step somewhat quickened until my body collided with another, that of a young blond boy who was wearing a football jersey. He was startled and turned to face me, his blue eyes locking with mine instantly as he held out a hand to steady me.

'You okay?'

'Yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't really looking where I was going. Sorry about that.'

'Don't worry about it,' he shrugged off my apology. 'Not meaning to snoop, but are you new here, by any chance? It's just ... I haven't seen you round here before.'

'You're very deductive,' I chuckled and held out my hand. 'I'm Leah, Leah James.'

He took my hand and shook it firmly. 'Matt Donovan. Pleased to meet you, Leah.'

'Likewise,' I said, smiling at him. 'Now, I know myself far too well and know that I'm going to get lost. Can you perhaps show me around?'

'I'd be honoured,' Matt said. 'Do you have your class schedule with you?' I fished through my bag and, upon finding the piece of paper which was slightly creased, handed it to him; he then scanned the words written there and smiled again, a glowing smile that was one of a kind. 'Well, your luck is in. You're in the same homeroom as me.'

Matt gave me back my schedule and I nodded. 'I wouldn't say I had the best luck in the world, but today may be an exception.'

Matt laughed and started to walk towards the building, me by his side. He started chatting away about his friends and the school entwined with questions about how I liked it here in Mystic Falls and if it was weird that my brother was going to teach here. I answered his questions and smiled along with him, but I could not help but notice that someone was watching me. I had the same feeling that eyes were boring into me, but this time, it was only one pair and I looked up to find the source – a very handsome young man about twenty or thirty feet away from me, with dark hair and eyes with a lean build, dressed in black. He was watching me intently, observing my every move as though savouring each step I took. I squinted to get a better look at his face, this mysterious stranger in the distance.

'Leah? You all right?' Matt asked.

I turned to face him away from the mysterious young man. 'Sorry, Matt. I was miles away.'

Matt smiled at me and we continued on our route as though nothing had happened. I turned back to see the stranger once more, but he had vanished into thin air. My brows furrowed and I thought of his eyes, dark and mysterious. Was he really there? Maybe I was going mad ...

Kol had not expected to see her, not here, not now. He had come to the high school on a whim to see what innocent girl he could convince to let him wine, dine and drain. Then again, he could compel any girl of his choosing, but sometimes, Kol preferred to use his charms and wit to seduce women before using his vampire powers. He thought about how his charm and wit had won her heart before and smiled despite himself, remembering her fondly as he always did. Everything in his life reminded him of her. He had glimpsed the high school students fleetingly, not spending more than a few seconds on each pretty face.

And then his eyes fell on hers. Those electric green eyes that set his dead heart racing like a jackrabbit.

Kol's lips broke into a smile as he took in her fiery red hair, wavy this time; it had been curled and straight, short and long. He remembered every single one of her looks, but there was nothing he treasured more than her eyes, the colour of which he could lose himself in again and again. He froze when he noticed that she had seen him too, their eyes locking despite the great distance. He remembered the first time he had seen those eyes and he found that his emotions had not changed at all since that time.

Kol was not certain what life she led now, what memories she had, even what her name is, but there was one solitary thing that he had never been more certain of.

The love of his very long life had returned to him once more.