The Way It Was (TVD OC Fanfic)

Chapter 2: Good Morning Mystic Falls

"Help!" My bare feet fell heavily on the tough ground of the forest, twigs and stones scarring my feet in the most hideous way. I didn't care though. All I could focus on was getting away. All I cared about was getting to safety. I felt my heart beating rapidly, almost jumping out of my throat. I had never felt this scared in my life. I pushed myself to keep running, but the cruel torture of the forest floor was cutting down my resolve. I felt my body turning against me, not able to take anymore pain. That's when I felt it. Hands found a firm grip on my shoulders, but instead of grabbing me as I had feared, I was roughly pushed to the ground. Everything felt like a cruel game and I searched around me, trying to find my attacker. Just when I thought that I was safe, a suffocating grip found its way around my throat, and before I could look at my attacker in any great detail, It was all gone.

I woke up gasping for air, reaching for any chance to breathe. My heart was beating rapidly, yet again. I tried to remember any details of my nightmare, but all I could recall was the eyes of my attacker. A piercing blue stare, filled with evil, as if my attacker had no remorse over their actions. I shook my head, deciding that the best course of action was just to forget the whole thing. I stole a glance over at my alarm clock, letting myself relax back into my covers when I saw that it was only 6:30. I really didn't care for the morning much, and considering I had just come back to Mystic Falls, I didn't really have anything to do.

After skimming through various forms of social media for around an hour, I decided that it was time to get out of bed. I heaved myself up and strolled over to my newly filled wardrobe, looking for my most presentable outfit. Today I was going to get a job. Or I was going to try at least. I slipped on my shoes before stepping, rather loudly, out of my bedroom. I cursed under my breath as I realised that Caroline would probably still be sleeping and I had probably just woken her up with the clack of my heels against the wooden floorboards. I tip-toed the rest of the way to the kitchen, trying to be quiet but actually managing to make even more noise than before. 

When I finally reached the kitchen, a small note addressed to me was waiting on the table. It let me know that, much to my surprise, both Liz and Caroline were already out. I read the words carefully, understanding that Liz had gone to work, however, I couldn't quite decipher where Caroline had gone. She had just written that she had something to do. I dropped the note back to the table and let out a breath as I walked towards the cupboards, searching for something to eat. The kitchen was practically empty, with the exception of an old loaf of bread and a questionable juice in the fridge. I settled for going out for breakfast and made a mental note to myself to go out and buy some groceries. 

After grabbing some copies of my resume from my suitcase, which I had luckily thought to grab before leaving Brooklyn, I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the house, remembering to lock the door with the key that Caroline had left me. I didn't really know where to start in terms of jobs but I figured I'd go to the Grill first and check if they had any breakfast options that were better than my previous discoveries. I hopped on my cherry red 1968 Triumph Bonneville bike, not forgetting to pull a helmet over my head, and set off towards the Grill.

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I almost couldn't bring myself to get off the bike, it was the only thing that truly made me feel at home. I ran my fingers over the initials carved into the side of the frame, A.R.H. and felt a small smile tug at my lips at the memory. I finally swung my legs around to land on the sidewalk and pulled my helmet off, leaving it on the bike. It was a small town, unlike Brooklyn, I didn't think anyone would steal it. 

On entering the Grill, I realised that I had only ever been here once before, and I wasn't exactly old enough then to do anything without some sort of supervision. It felt strange to be completely alone, and I can't say that I liked it all that much. Realising that I had spent almost five whole minutes just standing at the door, I finally got my feet moving towards a table. I took a seat in the corner, trying to avoid any attention. Clearly, God didn't want my plan to work like that as I constantly felt eyes from the bar on me. Eventually someone came over to ask my order and I settled on just getting some toast, not really feeling like eating a huge meal in front of about thirty people I had never met before.