His eyes were a pure cerulean-blue, so deep and mysterious that you could get lost in them. Dark brown curls spilled out from underneath a beige bowler hat, his attire that of an average man at the turn of the century - white button-up shirt with an open collar paired with suspenders and dark-colored trousers.

But something about him drew me in. Whether it was his smug smile that night we first danced together or the way that fall afternoon when he had kissed me underneath the old willow tree...I'll never know.

But even after 145 years, Damon Salvatore still had me wrapped around his finger, for better...or for worse.

My fingers grasped the fountain pen in my hand tightly, my hand shaking as I pressed the tip to the yellowing page before I began to write my name in the tattered book, droplets of crimson sliding down my skin onto the paper.

So shall it be...written in blood.

A gasp burst free from my lips as my eyes shot open, chest heaving whilst I struggled to separate fantasy from reality. Thrashing in the sheets that had wrapped around me in my own bout of restlessness, I sat up in bed in a haze of confusion. What just...was that a dream or...what was that?!

Gently, I pressed a hand to my head, my bleary eyes half-closed from sleep when suddenly, a reverberating knock sounded on my door. Still not totally conscious, I jumped at the sound, somehow managing to entangle myself further in my sheets. I tried to right myself but too late - I landed with a loud thump on the hardwood floor. Suddenly, my bedroom door was wrenched open and a short woman with strawberry-blonde hair strode in.

"Riley! Riley, what in the world?! You're gonna be late for school!" my mother shouted, shaking her head in exasperation briefly before exiting the room just as quickly as she'd come.

I sighed from my position on the floor, dark locks of hair fanning out around me. If only I could just climb back into bed. I wonder if I could pretend I was sick...

"And don't even think about faking illness, you'd still have to go!" she yelled up the stairs.

I let out a sound that was a cross between a growl and the noise that Perry from Phineas and Ferb would make. Great. Just great.

After five minutes of struggling with my sheets, I finally fought free and tread over to my vanity mirror that stretched up the wall opposite my bed. Chocolate-brown eyes and caramel skin looked back at me from my reflection, strands of hair in every direction. I huffed, making one of them blow into the air before landing back onto the smooth skin of my forehead like a cowlick gone wrong.

"As usual, this is as good as it's gonna get." I said to myself, making a face.

But just before I turned, my eyes landed on something that made a frown split my face. Resting just on the inside of my open window, right on the sill, was a long, obtrusive, ebony bird feather. I twirled it between two fingers curiously as I picked it up. Finally, shrugging, I let it fall from my hands, the feather fluttering on the wind, right out the window.

In ten minutes flat - okay, fine, maybe more like 28 - I was ready for the day and flying out the door with mom shouting after me to have a good day. She meant well but I had a feeling she'd totally forgotten what high school was like. Could one really have a good day there?

Bonnie sent me a bright smile from the driver's side as I tumbled into the backseat. Even Elena managed a small smile before the car pulled out of the driveway and headed to Mystic Falls High.

"Aunt Jenna was in an uproar last night," Elena teased with a smirk plastered on her face, "When did you get in anyway?"

I shrugged as I rummaged around in the floorboards of the car before snatching up a bag of Cheetos and popping one of them in my mouth. I made a face. Ew, stale. How long had Bonnie had these in here?!

"Can't remember. One-ish?" I answered my cousin while avoiding a very judging gaze I might add.

"You know you can't be doing this anymore. This is your first day, the start of a new semester and-" she started but I cut her off.

"Elena, don't you think I'm aware of that? Look, I have enough stress with moving to a new town, a new house, a new school plus a cousin that we both have to watch out for today. I have enough problems with mom breathing down my neck, I don't need it from you too. So just drop it, okay?"

Silence lapsed in the car then and Bonnie pursed her lips just as we pulled into the high school's parking lot. A sigh escaped my mouth and I shook my head, Elena almost on the verge of tears from being snapped at. It was no secret that we had never really gotten along too well. But I should've been kinder and I knew it. She'd just lost her parents - they both had. She needed kindness now, not tension.

"El, I'm sorry. It's just-I'm a little stressed right now. I have a lot on my plate." I admitted, my words quiet in the backseat.

She shot me a shaky smile before we exited the car, her hand resting briefly on my arm as we did, "I'm sorry, too."

I nodded in response just before we walked inside.

The next three days seemed to drag on and there were times when I considered just ditching but eventually, I began to enjoy it more. I even got closer to Elena's friends which I thought would never happen in a million years - even Caroline with her control-freak nature was growing on me. In fact, things were looking up for Elena as well. She'd gotten closer to the new guy, Stefan, and was even going to meet him today.

I guess that's how I got roped into going. Not that I didn't regret it once we stepped out of the car and my gaze wandered up to the towering boarding house before us. The building looked old, expensive. It was a bit daunting to say the least. My mouth dropped open then as I realized Elena had already wandered into the house. Okay, so, I mean, the door WAS open but still!

"Lena!!" I whisper-yelled, chasing after her into the dark recesses of the old home, "This is breaking and entering!"

"Not technically!" she whispered back as I finally caught up to her, "I mean...I didn't break anything."

I rolled my eyes and huffed under my breath while Elena stepped into the living room. My eyebrows hit my hairline at the sight of the very antique-looking decorations scattered all over the room. Old portraits hung on the walls, probably ancestors of this Stefan guy.

"Elena," I warned, shaking my head as I grabbed her arm in an attempt to pull her back out of the house, "We really shouldn't be in here."

Suddenly, we heard a creak behind us and before we could even react, a large bird with ebony feathers flew inside the room, cawing as it went. Elena and I nearly dove for the floor as I spun around, coming face-to-face with a gorgeous pair of cerulean-blue eyes.

Standing before me was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen - he had high cheekbones, the sharpest jawline I'd seen since a Calvin Klein and his hair fell in soft waves of ebony across the porcelain skin of his forehead. But nothing could top the beauty of his eyes. They were...hypnotizing. And somehow...familiar.

"I-I'm sorry for barging in. The door was...open..." Elena trailed off as she glanced backwards at the closed door behind us.

"You must be Elena," the man said with a bright 250-kilowatt smile before his eyes darted to me, "And..."

"Her older, cuter cousin," I supplied, earning a smile from him.

He nodded in response, "I'm Damon, Stefan's brother,"

"He didn't tell me he had a brother," Elena said in confusion, eyebrows furrowed.

"Red flag," I coughed, low enough that she didn't hear me.

Evidently, Damon did though, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Wow, he had a great pair of lips. Whoa, where did that come from?! I thought to myself, shaking my head in an attempt to rid myself of these intrusive thoughts.

"Well, Stefan's not one to brag," Damon answered Elena's query, "Please, come. I'm sure Stefan will be along any second,"

Damon led us back into the spacious living room then, his hand resting on my back briefly as we stepped down the small set of stairs. As soon as he removed it, I moved to stand on the other side of Elena, feeling a tingling sensation where his hand had been.

"Wow. This is your living room?"

"Living room, parlor, Sotheby's auction. It's a little kitschy for my taste. I see why my brother's so smitten," he changed the subject quickly, "It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him,"

I arched an eyebrow before exchanging a glance with my cousin, "The last one?"

"Yeah. Katherine, his girlfriend?" Damon trailed off then, realizing he'd made a mistake, "Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet,"

Elena made a face, "Nope."

"Oops. Well, I'm sure it'll come up now. Or maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end,"

"Which is the reason I don't date," I piped up, grabbing the elder brother's attention, "The pain you go through when it's over and it's done - it's just not worth it,"

"You're a fatalist," he grinned darkly and I shrugged in response, smirking.

Damon's eyes never left mine then as the next words left his lips, "Hello, Stefan."

I frowned, Elena and I both turning to glance up at her boyfriend who stood on the threshold between rooms, glaring over at his brother. Let's just say there was way too much tension in that room so it didn't take long for us to get the hint.

"Yeah, we should probably go," Elena started to say, moving to slip past Stefan on our way out.

"It was nice to meet you, Damon," I called over my shoulder, turning to follow her when Damon's slender, pale fingers grasped mine.

"Great meeting you, too, Riley." he replied softly.

Before I had a chance to react, Damon had leaned down and pressed his lips to the back of my hand in a chaste kiss. A tiny, inaudible gasp slipped past my lips involuntarily and Damon smiled in response before letting go.

I finally rejoined Elena after that, listening to her blather on about Stefan and how rude he'd been from the adjacent passenger seat of her car. But I couldn't help but let my mind wander to a pair of bright blue eyes...and the hope that one day - I'd see him again.

Note: I may write a part two to this eventually but we'll see ;) I hope y'all liked it! ^_^