Kismet | Damon Salvatore

Chapter 1

September 6, 2011

"Good morning."

The woman glanced over at the man in her bed while she slid her clothes on. "Morning," she replied. "First day of the new school year."

He hummed. "Your first day as a PhD candidate. How does it feel?"

"Same as it felt last year when I was a Masters student," she replied, facing him fully once she'd fastened her pants. "Except there's a greater feeling of authority." She raised a brow. "Do I finally get to know why you got here so late last night?"

The man sat up. "There was an animal attack."

She frowned. "One of those? Or a real one?"

"One of those."

"How is that possible?"

"You know as well as I do that they've probably begun to migrate from Mystic Falls. You're from a Founding Family. Maybe you can use your connections to get me some names."

She gave a dry laugh. "Wes, I don't have connections. I abandoned all of that the moment I turned eighteen."

"You go back ever so often," Wes replied. "Your sister was involved in some trouble, you told me yourself. I think you know some names. It would help us a lot if you revealed them."

She crossed her arms. "When we decided to go through with this arrangement, nothing was said about me giving you information about my hometown. I came here to do research and to get my Masters and PhD under the many professors I have heard great things about. I agreed to help in your class because you needed it, but none of that has to do with my past, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask that of me. I want to stay out of vampire business."

He got up, the sheets wrapped around his waist. "I'm sorry," he said calmly. "I just worry. About the students, about you."

"Don't worry," she said simply. "Any Mystic Falls vampires that are here won't hurt me. I know them, and I am notexposing their identities to you unless I think they are a threat. You don't have to be worried. Hurry up and get ready while I make us something to eat."

He drove them to Whitmore College from her apartment, occasionally glancing at her while she organized her journals for the semester in her backpack. He parked as close as he could to the Biology building, and they walked together, trading pieces of paper to finish organizing the lesson plans for the day.

"I'll be right there," he said, turning the corner toward his lab. "I just need to get something."

She nodded, and walked into the lecture hall as students started to file in. She took the chalk in hand, writing in big letters on the board 'APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY.' In a smaller font on the bottom corner, she listed the Office Hours for the semester.

At last, Wes walked in. "Morning everyone," he said, causing the students to cease their conversations. "I'm Dr. Maxfield." He dropped his bag on the floor by the projector. "First name is Wes, but call me Dr. Maxfield. One day, when you're out of medical school, you'll understand."

He gestured to the woman beside him. "This is Maribel Fell, your Graduate Student Instructor for the course. She's still working on getting her doctorate, but soon enough, you'll be calling her Dr. Fell. You'll address her with the same respect as you would if it were me. Would you like to introduce yourself, Maribel?"

She gave an awkward wave. "Hello, all. I'm looking forward to spending this semester with you. Ah... a bit about my background, I was born and raised in Mystic Falls, Virginia. My big sister Meredith is a doctor there, and she inspired me to study Molecular Biology and Genetics for my Undergrad, which I did at the University of Washington in Seattle. Since graduating with my Bachelor's, I have worked to obtain my Master of Science in Human Genetics and Genomics—"