September 4

Dear Diary,

Something awful is going to happen today.

I don't know why I wrote that. It's crazy. There'sno reason for me to be upset and every reason

for me to be happy, but…

But here I am at 5:30 in the morning, awake and scared. I keep telling myself it's just that I'm all

messed up from the time difference between France and here. But that doesn't explain why I feel

so scared. So lost.

The day before yesterday, while Aunt Judith and Margaret and I were driving back from the

airport, I had such a strange feeling. When we turned onto our street I suddenly thought, "Mom

and Dad are waiting for us at home. I bet they'll be on the front porch or in the living room

looking out the window. They must have missed me so much."

I know. That sounds totally crazy.

But even when I saw the house and the empty front porch I still felt that way. I ran up the steps

and I tried the door and knocked with the knocker. And when Aunt Judith unlocked the door I

burst inside and just stood in the hallway listening, expecting to hear Mom coming down the stairs

or Dad calling from the den.

Just then Aunt Judith let a suitcase crash down on the floor behind me and sighed a huge sigh

and said, "We're home." And Margaret laughed. And the most horrible feeling I've ever felt in my

life came over me. I've never felt so utterly and completely lost.

Home. I'm home. Why does that sound like a he?

I was born here in Fell's Church. I've always lived in this house, always. This is my same old

bedroom, with the scorch mark on the floorboards where Caroline and I tried to sneak cigarettes

in 5th grade and nearly choked ourselves. I can look out the window and see the big quince tree

Matt and the guys climbed up to crash my birthday slumber party two years ago. This is my bed, my chair and my dress.But right now everything looks strange to me, as if I don't belong here. It's me that's out of place.

And the worst thing is that I feel there's somewhere I do belong, but I just can't find it.

I was too tired yesterday to go to Orientation.

Meredith picked up my schedule for me, but I didn't feel like talking to her on the phone. Aunt

Judith told everyone who called that I had jet lag and was sleeping, but she watched me at dinner

with a funny look on her face.

I've got to see the crowd today, though. We're supposed to meet in the parking lot before school.

Is that why I'm scared? Am I frightened of them?

Elena Gilbert stopped writing. She stared at the last line she had written and then shook her head, pen

hovering over the small book with the blue velvet cover. Then, with a sudden gesture, she lifted her head

and threw pen and book at the big bay window, where they bounced off harmlessly and landed on the

upholstered window seat.

It was all so completely ridiculous.

Since when had she, Elena Gilbert, been scared of meeting people? Since when had she been scared of

anything ? She stood up and angrily thrust her arms into a red silk kimono. She didn't even glance at the

elaborate Victorian mirror above the cherrywood dresser; she knew what she'd see. Elena Gilbert, cool

and blond and slender, the fashion trendsetter, the high school senior, the girl every boy wanted and

every girl wanted to be. Who just now had an unaccustomed scowl on her face and a pinch to her

mouth.

A hot bath and some coffee and I'll calm down, she thought. The morning ritual of washing and dressing

was soothing, and she dawdled over it, sorting through her new outfits from Paris. She finally chose a

pale rose top and white linen shorts combo that made her look like a raspberry sundae. Good enough to

eat, she thought, and the mirror showed a girl with a secret smile. Her earlier fears had melted away,

forgotten.

"Elena! Where are you? You're going to be late for school!" The voice drifted faintly up from below.

Elena ran the brush one more time through silky hair and pulled it back with a deep rose ribbon. Then

she grabbed her backpack and went down the stairs.

In the kitchen, four-year-old Margaret was eating cereal at the kitchen table, and Aunt Judith was

burning something on the stove. Aunt Judith was the sort of woman who always looked vaguely flustered;

she had a thin, mild face and light flyaway hair pushed back untidily. Elena landed a peck on her cheek.

"Good morning, everybody. Sorry I don't have time for breakfast."

"But, Elena, you can't just go off without eating. You need your protein—"

"I'll get a doughnut before school," said Elena briskly. She dropped a kiss on Margaret's tow head and turned to go.

"But, Elena

"And I'll probably go home with Bonnie or Meredith after school, so don't wait dinner. Bye!"

"Elena—"

Elena was already at the front door. She closed it behind her, cutting off Aunt Judith's distant protests,

and stepped out onto the front porch.

And stopped.

All the bad feelings of the morning rushed over her again. The anxiety, the fear. And the certainty that

something terrible was about to happen.

Maple Street was deserted. The tall Victorian houses looked strange and silent, as if they might all be

empty inside, like the houses on an abandoned movie set. They looked as if they were empty ofpeople ,

but full of strange watching things.

That was it; something was watching her. The sky overhead was not blue but milky and opaque, like a

giant bowl turned upside down.

The air was stifling, and Elena felt sure that there were eyes on her.

She caught sight of something dark in the branches of the old quince tree in front of the house.

It was a crow, sitting as still as the yellow-tinged leaves around it. And it was the thing watching her.

She tried to tell herself that this was ridiculous, but somehow sheknew . It was the biggest crow she had

ever seen, plump and sleek, with rainbows shining in its black feathers. She could see every detail of it

clearly: the greedy dark claws, the sharp beak, the single glittering black eye.

It was so motionless that it might have been a wax model of a bird sitting there. But as she stared at it,

Elena felt herself flush slowly, heat coming in waves up her throat and cheeks. Because it was… looking

at her. Looking the way boys looked at her when she wore a bathing suit or a sheer blouse. As if it were

undressing her with its eyes.

Before she realized what she was doing, she had dropped her backpack and picked up a stone from

beside the driveway. "Get out of here," she said, and heard the shaking anger in her own voice. "Go on!

Getaway !" With the last word, she threw the stone.

There was an explosion of leaves, but the crow soared up unharmed. Its wings were huge, and they

made enough racket for a whole flock of crows. Elena crouched, suddenly panicked as it flapped directly

over her head, the wind of its wings ruffling her blond hair.

But it swooped up again and circled, a black silhouette against the paper-white sky. Then, with one

harsh croak, it wheeled away toward the woods.

Elena straightened up slowly, then glanced around, self-conscious. She couldn't believe what she had

just done. But now that the bird was gone, the sky felt ordinary again. A little wind made the leaves

flutter, and Elena took a deep breath. Down the street a door opened and several children poured out,laughing

She smiled at them, and took another breath, relief sweeping through her like sunlight. How could she

have been so silly? This was a beautiful day, full of promise, and nothing bad was going to happen.

Nothing bad was going to happen—except that she was going to be late getting to school. The whole

crowd would be waiting for her in the parking lot.

You could always tell everyone you stopped to throw stones at a Peeping Tom, she thought, and almost

giggled. Now,that would give them something to think about.

Without a backward glance at the quince tree, she began to walk as quickly as she could down the

street.

The crow crashed through the top of the massive oak, and Stefan's head jerked up reflexively. When he

saw it was only a bird, he relaxed.

His eyes dropped to the limp white form in his hands, and he felt his face twist in regret. He hadn't meant

to kill it. He would have hunted something larger than a rabbit if he'd known how hungry he was. But, of

course, that was the very thing that frightened him: never knowing how strong the hunger would be, or

what he might have to do to satisfy it. He was lucky that this time he'd killed only a rabbit.

He stood beneath the ancient oak trees, sunlight filtering down onto his curly hair. In jeans and T-shirt,

Stefan Salvatore looked exactly like a normal high school student.

He wasn't.

Deep in the woods, where no one would see him, he'd come to feed. Now he licked at his gums and lips

painstakingly, to make sure there was no stain on them. He didn't want to take any chances. This

masquerade was going to be hard enough to pull off as it was.

For a moment he wondered, again, if he should just give it all up. Perhaps he should go back to Italy,

back to his hiding place. What made him think that he could rejoin the world of daylight?

But he was tired of living in shadows. He was tired of the darkness, and of the things that lived in it.

Most of all, he was tired of being alone.

He wasn't sure why he'd chosen Fell's Church, Virginia. It was a young town, by his standards; the

oldest buildings had been put up only a century and a half ago. But memories and ghosts of the Civil War

still lived here, as real as the supermarkets and fast-food joints.

Stefan appreciated respect for the past. He thought he might come to like the people of Fell's Church.

And perhaps—just perhaps—he might find a place among them.

He'd never be accepted completely, of course. A bitter smile curved his lips at the idea. He knew better

than to hope forthat . There would never be a place where he could belong completely, where he could

truly be himself.

Unless he chose to belong to the shadows…

He slapped the thought away. He'd renounced the darkness; he'd left the shadows behind him. He was blotting all those long years out and starting afresh, today.

Stefan realized he was still holding the rabbit. Gently, he laid it down on the bed of brown oak leaves.

Far away, too far for human ears to pick up, he recognized the noises of a fox.

Come along, brother hunter, he thought sadly. Your breakfast is waiting.

As he slung his jacket over his shoulder, he noticed the crow that had disturbed him earlier. It was still

perched in the oak tree, and it seemed to be watching him. There was a wrongness about it.

He started to send a probing thought toward it, to examine the bird, and stopped himself. Remember

your promise, he thought. You don't use the Powers unless it is absolutely necessary. Not unless there is

no other choice.

Moving almost silently among the dead leaves and dry twigs, he made his way toward the edge of the

woods. His car was parked there. He glanced back, once, and saw that the crow had left the branches

and dropped down on the rabbit.

There was something sinister in the way it spread its wings over the limp white body, something sinister

and triumphant. Stefan's throat tightened, and he almost strode back to chase the bird away. Still, it had

as much right to eat as the fox did, he told himself.

As much right as he did.

If he encountered the bird again, he'd look into its mind, he decided. Just now, he tore his eyes from the

sight of it and hurried on through the woods, jaw set. He didn't want to be late arriving at Robert E. Lee high school