RAVEN SAT in history class, her eyes unresponsive as powerful streams of sunlight warmed the side of her face. Her eyes fixed on the board behind her teacher. But her mind, however, was fixed on something else.

Her mother used to tell her that she could read Raven like a book. And maybe that wouldn't be so impressive considering she raised her if it wasn't for the fact that Raven wasn't your average book. She was a tablet inscribed with hieroglyphics—hardly anyone could discern her thoughts. Until the accident.

Now every time someone saw Raven staring off into space, they assumed she was engrossed by lingering thoughts of the tragedy. But that wasn't the case. The aftermath was the only thing on her mind, which was why she could see her teacher's lips moving but couldn't hear a word he was saying.

"1861...tension...Virginia...ideals..." Soon the fragments of his lecture blended into silence. Raven could practically feel her environment spin and disappear. It might've taken her a lot longer to escape the trance if she hadn't felt someone's gaze fiercely locked onto her.

It was an odd sensation—whoever was watching her didn't seem to take pity on her. Instead they seemed fascinated, transfixed even. And she didn't understand why until she turned and saw the new kid staring at her. She met his gaze and smiled before turning around, feeling a faint blush tinge her cheeks. Was he checking her out?

She didn't even have to look to know Bonnie was eyeing her with that teasing smirk. Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard a faint ring at the phone in her lap to see a text from her friend:

HAWT-E STARING @ U.

She couldn't help but giggle as she looked up to meet Bonnie's glimmering eyes. Bonnie shrugged, a playful grin on her face, but it quickly faded when she realized their history teacher, Mr. Tanner—or Coach Tanner, depending on who you asked—was looking straight at them. And he didn't look nearly as amused.

"Is something funny, Ms. Gilbert?" He asked, visibly annoyed that she was disrupting his class.

Raven looked at him and cleared her throat, fighting back a smile. "Yes, sir."

"Oh so then you wouldn't mind sharing with the rest of the class?"

"Actually, I would," She responded. "Sir."

Mr. Tanner laughed softly, though he clearly didn't find humor in the situation. But he knew that hassling the orphan wouldn't exactly help his reputation, so after giving it some thought, he sighed. "Turn your phone off and put it away. If you disrupt my class again, you'll be looking at a three-day detention."

Raven nodded and complied. The only upside to having dead parents was that everyone seemed to give her unlimited free passes. But much like the so-called unlimited phone data, she knew it wouldn't last forever.

◇◇◇

Each class was the same. A teacher droned on and on about the rules of the year—no drugs, no weapons, no PDA, no fights...not that anyone would listen. Raven had suspected there would be at least three suspensions by the time the week was done. And of course, she couldn't forget the condolences she'd received from many of her peers—or people asking her what it was like to be in the car. Her favorite phrases were "Are you okay?" or "You are so strong. I just couldn't imagine going through that." Raven didn't have to imagine it. It was her life. But wow, she was so thankful that no one else could relate...and that they felt they need to give her a painful reminder. 

Before she knew it, the final bell had rung, and she was standing outside of her locker, shuffling and stacking her supplies. 

"I'm hanging out with Caroline at The Grill later," Bonnie informed her as she came to her side. "Wanna come?"

Raven hadn't really been anywhere since she got back, but maybe returning to a place that was deeply woven with her past would do her some good, especially since it'd be with two close friends. She needed a little fun, happiness, and familiarity in her life. In fact, her therapist had recommended it.

So, looking at Bonnie, she smiled and said, "Sure."

Bonnie grinned. "Great! See you later."

Raven nodded and watched as Bonnie turned and skipped away happily, most likely to tell Caroline the good news. Good news. It'd been a while since she'd thought of that term. And she didn't know what was better—receiving good news or being the cause of it. Either way, her heart brimmed.

◇◇◇

Raven passed the polished iron gates and tread across the sandy pathway, holding her diary to her chest. Her bag was slung around her shoulder, swaying as she walked. 

The cemetery was the only place where Raven found total solace and security. Every day for the past week, she'd lean against a blank tombstone in front of her parents' grave as she wrote in her journal. And today was no different. Of course, she wasn't hung up on the tragedy. She'd already moved on—accidents happened, and she gradually accepted that. All she could do was find peace. Her parents never wanted her to suffer.

Dear Diary,

The only reason I'm doing this is because Holly recommended it. I still think it's stupid—the me a few months from now will probably agree. Because it won't fix anything. I'll still be with Ryder if you can even call us a couple, I'll be trying to make my friendship work with Bonnie while keeping myself at arm's length and she'll realize I'm not worth the trouble, and my parents will still be dead. I'll be holding on to this secret, and every time I close my eyes, I'll hear my parents haunting screams before our swan dive off Wickery Bridge. But at least I'm alive. At least I lived long enough to say I'm fine

Every time Raven's pen hit the paper, she slipped into a reverie. In it, she heard herself saying every word she wrote. Her parents were sitting right next to her, listening intently with proud smiles on their faces. She was so engrossed in her excitement from speaking to them that she didn't see them trade their usual knowing looks and laugh quietly to themselves. Because Raven had a tendency to get lost into things; whether it was people or fiction or conversations or her emotions, they consumed and affected her deeply. Her parents were two of the few people who understood that.

What she would give to have one last moment with them...to hear their laughs, to see their smiles, to feel a kiss against her forehead and arms engulfing her, like a warm blanket wrapped around her. And...

Raven blinked, snapping out of it. She looked to see her pen busted in half, ink dripping on the pages. "Dammit!" She tossed the pen as far away as she could and dabbled the ink spots with her blouse. A few of her words were smudged, but at least they were semi-legible. Not that it mattered...only Holly would be reading it. But that didn't make her any less frustrated. 

Lately, Raven had been having more and more daydreams. Nothing good could ever come from a reality divergence, but she hadn't told her therapist because she knew she'd be sent back to that wretched place. And she couldn't go back, not after she worked so hard to convince everyone that she was okay.

Raven sighed and turned her head to see a black crow perched on her parents' tombstone. This wasn't uncommon as the cemetery was one of the only quiet places in town, and she figured it would fly away soon enough, so she disregarded it and slammed her journal shut. But then it cawed.

She looked back up. The fog was rising. Now, that was uncommon.

She could've sworn the bird was staring at her with sinister, beady eyes. A weird way to describe a bird, she knew, but for some odd reason, she was picking up an eerie vibe.

You're being ridiculous. It's only a bird.

"Hi there, bird," Raven said softly, even giving it a small wave.

She dug through her pocket for a small bag of nuts and seeds before pouring them on the ground. She liked animals, but she wasn't about to let a strange crow eat from her hand. And it seemed the bird wasn't going to take food from a stranger anyway since it didn't budge.

All it did was sit there, squawking like a broken record. Raven frowned, almost offended by its patronizing stare. Was this bird actually making fun of her?

Fog rolled in unnaturally quick, almost like someone placed a fog machine behind the trees.

She shivered at the mist's icy touch. She glanced around as it came coming closer and closer, threatening to consume her. She looked back to the cawing bird and then wondered if it could be causing this.

"You're ruining my therapy assignment!" She exclaimed without thinking. The bird slightly cocked its head to the side in a strangely taunting way. She threw her hands forward dramatically and shouted, "Shoo!"

It spread its wings and flew away.

Raven breathed a relieved sigh, questioning how much of that was in her imagination. She was contemplating on whether or not to write that experience in her journal, but a loud squawk behind her caused her to jump six feet in the air. Her journal flew in front of the tombstone. She scrambled to her feet and turned around, her eyes blazing.

So much for peace and quiet, she bitterly thought as she picked up her bag and walked away. She'd only gone a few feet when she noticed the bird was no longer cawing. In fact, the only movement in that cemetery was hers.

Curiously, she turned around. And she wished she hadn't, because then she saw the figure of a man standing casually in the mist, right by the grave where the bird had been sitting. Her parents' grave. She gasped quietly and stared for a moment, blinking a few times to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her. They weren't.

The silhouette turned. His face...he was staring straight at her. "Doc?" She squeaked and stumbled back. If that was really Dr. Blake, surely he would've announced his presence by now.

Which meant...there was a random man watching her. 

Raven didn't understand much about people. But one thing she did know was that strange men stalking her in a cemetery with their creepy bird sidekick usually meant something along the lines of cannibalistic psychopathic serial killer.

And she wasn't planning to be someone's dinner. So she did what any sane person would do—she ran like hell.

But somewhere along the way of her swift exit, her feet tripped over each other. She tumbled down a small hill and clung onto a tree for balance.  A sharp pain stung her leg. Something had cut it, probably a rock or a stick. Or glass if someone was stupid enough to leave it there.

Ignoring the pain, she hopped on her feet and ran for her life when—thump! She crashed into a familiar, sturdy chest. Her head bounced back on impact, and she scrambled to regain balance. Arms instinctively wrapped around her waist to steady her.

"You okay?"

"Get back!" She yelped, not fully registering his words. He dropped his hands. She sighed with relief when she realized it was just the new kid, Stefan Salvatore. Or, as she liked to call him, Hot Back Guy.

Raven leaned against a nearby tree to catch her breath and shook her head vehemently. "No, I'm not okay," She managed to choke out. He came to her side, hesitantly putting a comforting hand on her arm as she continued. "I just realized that I'm totally the blonde girl in a horror movie!"

Stefan stared at her with a small crease in his forehead, unsure of what to say. When Raven finally calmed down, she chuckled lightly. "I-I'm sorry, I'm usually not like this paranoid wreck but for a minute, I kinda felt like I was in that one Hitchcock movie with the creepy birds—even though I've never seen it, it's just way to freaky—and thought I was gonna get—I don't know—pecked to death or something and..." She took a breath. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Stefan laughed. "It's okay."

She smiled. Maybe she'd gotten worked up over nothing...perhaps she was imagining things. Maybe the light in the cemetery was playing tricks on her. Patronizing birds? Men appearing out of nowhere? She'd seen terrible things—things that would make anyone look twice and faint—but sometimes a bird was just a bird. Mist was just mist. 

She smiled, hoping he'd forget about her fear. "I'm Raven," She said. "Just letting you know in case you've already made friends and you want to tell them about this weird girl you met at the cemetery. Now you have her name."

"Stefan," He responded with a slight chuckle, pulling his hand back when he realized it was still gently resting on her arm.

"I know," Raven replied with a small nod. "We have history together."

"I know, I've seen you around. We also have English and French."

"Right."

Without warning, he leaned forward and pulled a leaf from her hair.

"Thanks." As he tossed it and let it glide in the wind, she noticed the ring around his finger. The stone was a deep shade of blue, the kind of blue that could make the ocean look beautiful instead of terrifying. Sunlight struck the stone, lighting a silver, almost winged design that she couldn't quite discern from where she was standing. "Nice ring."

Stefan glanced at his hand and back up at her. "Oh- um, it's a family ring, yeah. I'm kinda stuck with it. It's weird, huh?"

"Not at all," She assured him, smiling. "I think it's pretty."

"Then you'd be the first," He responded, and they both laughed. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Yeah," She breathed out and turned, walking to a nearby rock to prop her leg up. She pulled up the hem of her jeans to see blood gushing out of a cut, most of it smeared onto her skin. "Shit."

Holly was going to think she did it on purpose.

Raven looked up at Stefan, who now had his back facing her. "Are you alright?" She asked, noting his stiffness. "You're not hemophobic, are you? If you are, that's okay. Blood used to make me a little squeamish too."

But once you've seen the bodies of your parents sinking to the bottom of the ocean, it tends to not be an issue.

"You should go," Stefan replied, still not looking at her and not-so-subtly avoiding the question. She frowned. "Take care of that."

"Really, it's nothing," She said dismissively and looked away, carefully tugging her jeans over the wound. "Believe it or not, I've been through-"

She looked up to discover Stefan was long gone, leaving her completely alone in that creepy cemetery and talking to air.

"Worse," She finished blandly and sighed before putting her leg down. It seemed now was a perfect time to head home. "Okay then, first the crow with the fog and now this. This town isn't weird at all."

——

I had to cut this chapter. It was originally 10,000 words, so I'll publish the rest of it next Sunday. Stay tuned <3

I hope y'all are enjoying the story so far. If you have any questions or constructive criticism, comment or go to my message board!

In case you're interested, I made a playlist (which will be updated as time goes on). If you'd like, check it out! I'm open to all recommendations that may suit it. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3YBJsauSBOrrXYxyKj8Wqw?si=3148c6577cc2400d

- Jess