****REWRITING IN PROCESS****
A thousand years ago, seven stars sat illuminated in the night sky, surrounded by the moon, wrapped around its comfort and loving embrace, secured in the safety net that always provided them protection.
Too soon, it all...
"Hello, Darcy," Alaric said, looking between the two, not recognizing the raven-haired male. "Who's this?
"Oh, right." She waved her hand at Damon. "This is Damon Salvatore, Stefan's guardian."
Alaric nodded. "How'd you get roped into chaperoning?" He shook Damon's hand. "Alaric Saltzman. I'm the new History teacher."
"Ah, the uh, cursed faculty position." Damon hummed.
"So I've been told. Stefan's brother, huh? I hear he's very bright, not that I've had a chance to see for myself."
Darcy squinted her eyes at the side of Alaric's face. Her breath hitched when her gaze dropped down to the black ring on his hand. She gulped, diverting her sight to look around the gym while they had their little chat.
'That ring...Dad.'
"What about your parents?" Alaric questioned, his squinted eyes running up and down Damon's face.
"Mm, it's just the two of us now," Damon said while observing the crowd.
Darcy shuffled on her feet, uncomfortably rocking on her heels; she sighed, silently urging them to hurry up.
"You, uh...lived here your whole life?" Alaric asked while rubbing the stubble on his chin.
Damon shook his head side to side, "On and off. Travel a bit."
"Really? Where? Around the States?"
'What the hell?' Darcy inwardly questions, shooting Damon a look as to say, What's with the interrogation?
He replied with narrowed eyes and a shrug, 'How the hell am I meant to know?'
"Uh. I'm sorry. I'm nosy. I...I don't mean to pry. Look, it was nice meeting you." The teacher continued, backing away with an awkward flair; his eyes met Darcy's before he spun on his heels and parted through the heavy crowd.
"I don't trust him," she murmured under her breath, her mind flashing back to the ring on his hand. 'Why does he have Grayson's ring... Only him and John and...M- Is there another? No, there can't be, they would have said. Wouldn't they?
