Rayna's Game
A Vampire Diaries fanfic
Anonymous J.

Authors Note: I'm debating whether or not I want to change stuff around. Like letting some people die, letting some people live, making sure some stuff doesn't happen. I would never change something that I didn't think couldn't be removed. I'd play with it first, and if I didn't like the way it was going, I would scrap it and start that part over. Let's just see how this goes. Also, forewarning. I will only be going so far in the series. If I don't procrastinate too hard, I plan on doing at least 1 season maybe 2 and 3. You'll understand why when we get there. If we last long with you reading and me not procrastinating. I don't go into much detail at all on appearance, so if you would like a visual of her looks every day/event, you can check it out on my URSTYLE account: The Anonymous J. There's actually a period after the J in my screen name. Just look for the ones with the title of this story (it'll be Rayna and a number – ex: Rayna 1). I might spring a few A/N's throughout the story. Enjoy! Also, I am writing a book – For Whom the Craft Tolls. If you like witchcraft fictions, check it out. It may not be that great, but I'm writing. LOL! Lastly, if you see any errors (spelling, grammar, and/or show information-wise), please let me know in the comments. I would prefer you did it next to the paragraph you see it in, but at the end is fine, too. Just note where. Please and thank you! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Vampire Diaries. I only own the OFC and other OCs and any plot changes throughout this fanfic.

Summary: Rayna explores the world of Vampire Diaries, integrating herself within its story. Her main goal is to mold it to her survival. She feels like this isn't the first time she has been through something like this, but she can't conjure up the details of the previous times. Follow her along on her unnamed quest. Rated M for language, violence, and mature scenes.

Rayna's Game
Chapter 1
Summer of Love Games (Part 1)
Preseason 1 (starts summer before S1)

I wake up suddenly but calmly, sitting on the ground of a wooded area and slumped up against a tree. I don't know where I am, but I do know to check my bag for my identification and whatnot. I don't know my name, birth date, or address, but I know those wouldn't be the case here anyway. The bag lays about a foot away from me, so I have to reach a little to my left to grab it. I pull it towards me and open it up, pulling out the wallet. I search the wallet for an ID and find one. The first thing to notice is the picture; I look somewhat young. I then scan the name, date of birth, and address. It shows that my name is Rayna Abremins. My last place of residence is stated to be a small town in Rhode Island. Next, I search for a phone. I grimace at how old it looks to me; it's a Samsung Galaxy (Original). According to the date and time on the phone, it says it's May 23, 2009, at 9:33 pm. Apparently, I'm privileged enough to get this phone a month before it comes out. Based on the year, plus the birth date on the ID, I would be 19 years of age here at the moment.

I finally decide it's time to get my ass up and figure out where I am. Using the tree to pull myself up, I do so slowly. Once on my feet, I grab the bag and pull up the map app on the smartphone to figure where I am and where I'm going. (I don't know if there was a map app then or if location services was a thing you could use on it, just go with it). Making sure location services was on and ready, I pull up an area map of my GPS location.

Mystic Falls, VA

Oh, okay - Vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, etc. I can work with this. I. Can work. With this. Wait- May 23, 2009, in Mystic Falls, VA. That's when Miranda and Grayson Gilbert go off the Wickery Bridge and die. The day when both Salvatore brothers officially lay eyes on Elena Gilbert. Quickly, I locate where the Falls area is and head in that direction. Thankfully, I'm not that far from where I think Damon and Elena first meet.

I arrive at the spot on the road away from the party; I can hear it just off in the distance. However, there's no Elena. I do see Damon laying on the ground in his usual trap. I walk over to him slowly and stop a few feet away. Leaning more on my right foot with my right hip cocked out a bit, I cross my arms and watch him. Eventually, he peeks an eye open to look at me. I just stare back, so he fully opens both eyes to really look at me.

"Are you done playing? Because there's no one else out here," I say with a lining of boredom.

He props up on his elbows as he asks, "You're not at all worried about a potentially dead or injured man, laying in the middle of a road?"

I smirk. I just know that I'm going to enjoy my time here. Well, until shit starts to really hit the fan...

"If you were injured, there would be blood, bruises, and/or odd angles," I start. "And before you say it, if you were passed out from a preexisting medical issue, you wouldn't be laying perfectly straight on your back," I continue. Waving my right hand out, palm up, "And, if you're dead, what the fuck do you want me to do about it? You're already dead."

He smirks, tilting his head at me. He stands up and brushes himself off. Suddenly, he's in front of me, staring into my eyes. His pupils dilate.

"Who are you?" He compels while holding my upper arms.

"I'm Rayna, and it's nice to meet you, too, Damon," I answer, completely unaffected by the compulsion.

His eyebrows furrow in confusion. I just give him a small smug smile. I walk out of his grip as I hear a car pull up.

"Excuse me," a man calls for our attention.

I walk in his direction, but not too close. I know who he is, Grayson Gilbert, but he doesn't know that I know him.

"Yes?" I question. I can also see his wife, Miranda, in the passenger seat. She's on her phone, probably texting Elena to find out where she is. I, myself, am surprised that they beat her to the spot.

"You haven't seen a teenage girl with brown hair and eyes, have you? She would've come from the party at the Falls," he asks. "She may have been upset."

"No, I'm sorry," I answer while looking behind me to pretend to look for her. In reality, I'm looking to see if Damon is still here. He's not, of course. "Just me out here. I needed a breather from the bonfire," I continue. "I can go check at the party for her."

"Thank you-" he starts, but something catches his attention. I look to see what has caught his attention. It's Elena, finally making her way to the spot. "There she is, but thank you for the offering."

I smile and wave at them, heading towards the party like I'm going back to it. I even throw out a "drive safe" just for my own shits and giggles. Once they're far enough away, I pull out my wallet again to see if I have any cash. When I feel that I have an adequate amount, I pull my phone out again and search for cab services in the area. They actually have an UberCab here, and it runs 24 hours a day. I call up one of the local drivers and request the service.

Once they arrive, I ask to be taken to the Salvatore Boarding House. He gives me a strange look. "That is still a boarding house today, right?" I question.

"It is, but they rarely get any guests anymore," he supplies.

"Well, good; maybe I'll get the whole place to myself," I say with a smile on my face.

We drive off to the boarding house, and, as we pull into the driveway, I can see Stefan just arriving. He's soaked to the bone. The crash must have happened during my Uber ride. I pay the man while opening my door and tell him to keep the change. It's just a few dollars. Stefan was already looking at me from the porch. I'm sure he heard us pulling into the driveway.

"Hi!" I open with. "Are you a guest here?" I continue. "I was hoping to get a room here; I just wanted to know if the place is as great as I was told it is."

"Um... No, I live here," he states. There's that brooding forehead we all know and love.

"Really? You look a little young to be running a boarding house," I say while smirking.

"Oh, no... My...uncle runs the place," He stumbles over his words just ever so slightly.

I pretend to be taking in his appearance for the first time and question, "Are you okay? You're completely drenched."

He looks down at himself as if I had distracted him enough to make him forget.

"How about we get you inside, so you can change before you catch a cold, and you can get your uncle for me to see about a room," I say, ushering him inside with fake concern. I hope my acting is good enough to fool a vampire that has been around for over 150 years.

Still confused, I hope by my seemingly blind sincerity, he just nods slowly, and we walk into the boarding house. Zach, who happened to be up still, walks into the foyer to see who came in.

(***A/N: The Zach I'm going for here... If you go to IMDb and search for Chris William Martin. That's Zach, but look at the black and white photo of him where he's sideways and looking at the camera. That's the version of him I'm going for. Also, it never gives his age in the show, so I just went with his age in 2009 (the start of the show), which is 34. I know, compared to her age of 19, that's kind of old for her, but the vampires are older, and they're dating teenagers, so... LOL!***)

"Stefan? What happened?" Zach asks with concern. I think it was more of a concern of who I was then what he had been through. "Who is this?"

"Hi, I'm Rayna Abremins," I introduce myself. I hold out my hand for a handshake, but he hesitates. Eventually, he obliges and takes my offered hand. As he is attempting to discretely but quickly check my pulse, I continue, "I was hoping you had a vacancy?" I question more than state. When he let's go of my hand, I assume he has his preferred answer: I have a pulse.

"Um... Actually, we're not taking in any guest at the moment," Zach replies. I pause; I mean, I expected him to possibly try this since Stefan was in town, but being an everyday normal, human citizen, I shouldn't know that.

I pretend to falter as if I hadn't planned for this. However, let's be honest, I have nothing else planned... At all.

"Oh... Okay...," I hesitate. "Um... May I ask why?" I threw out, trying to trip him up, hopefully.

"Well... Uh... M-my nephew just got to town, and I was hoping to have to have some family bonding time with him," he fumbles out. "I haven't seen him since he was a kid."

"Oh, yeah. I totally get that," I let out in understanding. I nod my head and then turn to look out of the still open door. "I guess I'll just have to walk back into town... In the dark... By myself..."

Neither one of them budges, but they do have pitying looks in their expressions. I turn towards the door and slowly start walking towards it. I pretend to quietly say, as if to myself, "I really wish I hadn't forgotten my pepper spray..."

Still moving slowly towards the open door, I hear both of them softly sigh in defeat. I continue on, though, as if I hadn't heard.

"Wait," Zach speaks up with his hand reaching out to gently take my elbow to stop me. "You can at least stay the night," he caves.

Yes! I scream within my head. "Thank you so much," I say with gratitude before hugging him. "Okay, I just need to know where the room is, and I am out of your hair!"

Once Zach shows me to a room on the second floor, he turns to me.

"Did you bring any luggage?" he asks.

I look at him sheepishly, "It...was...a spur of the moment kind of thing..."

He nods his head slowly and hesitates before asking, "Um... How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

I smile, "It's okay, I'm 19," I answer smoothly. "I can show you my ID, if you need to be sure," I continue. I need all the trust I can get from these people.

"If you don't care, I feel like I need to be sure," He continues.

"No problem." I fish my wallet out of my bag and dig out the ID for him to see.

Once he appears to be satisfied that I am in fact old enough to be on my own, he hands it back and bids me good night. A few minutes later, after plugging my phone up and beginning to get ready for bed, there is a knock on my door. I answer it to see Zach on the other side.

"Since you don't have any luggage with you, I thought I would lend you a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants," he shyly says as he hands them to me. "The pants may be too big, though. They don't have a drawstring."

I honestly didn't expect this level of hospitality from someone who is so mistrusting of everyone and everything. I can use this.

"Thank you so much, you didn't have to do that," I say, taking the clothes from him. I allow my hands to brush his.

As far as I know, I'm not the best at flirting, but dare I say, I believe I just made a grown man blush a little. Ego boost much? We say goodnight again, and I change into the sleepwear. He was right; the pants are too big. Oh well, I go with just the t-shirt. It's long enough, anyway. And, I can use it, too. I smirk as I get into the comfortable bed. I'm already exhausted.

Ah, luxury. Acting is so exhausting.

THE NEXT MORNING...

I wake up early and listen for any kind of movement. I don't hear any, but this is a big house, and the rooms could be sound-proof. Plus, if Stefan was up, he could move around without being heard. I get up and use the bathroom before heading downstairs with my phone in search of coffee. Once I'm in the parlor area at the end of the stairs, I stop and listen again. I don't see anyone yet, so I walk in the direction that I think the kitchen is in. Once I locate it and the coffee machine, I search for the coffee. After finding it and the sugar right next to it, I make the coffee for the three of us. While that's brewing, I open the fridge to look for creamer or some milk or something. I ignore the chili thermos in the back of the fridge that has a somewhat noticeable drizzle of blood on the side from when Stefan was clearly filling it with animal blood. I find some creamer and then grab one of the coffee cups hanging on the mug rack near the machine. While it continues to brew, I grab my phone off of the counter and pull up the internet browser to search for Mystic Grill. I find the number and call them up.

"Mystic Grill, this is Angie. How may I help you?" a perky girl answers. Clearly, someone is a morning person.

"Hi, I was wondering if you did deliveries," I ask. "I'm at the Salvatore Boarding House."

"We do, but you'll have to make an order of $40," she answers.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem, I'm here with two guys, and it's for the 3 of us," I comment.

I tell her what I want, and the total comes out to be $45 even. After we hang up, I pour my mug of coffee and fix it up just right, then I head upstairs to grab the money plus tip. Still no obvious movement in the house. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only one here. I mean it's seven in the morning. I know that it's summer and all, but I would think they would be up and about by now. I stay in the t-shirt, waiting on being able to worm my way into Zach's life. He won't be here forever, so I have to get everything I can before Damon comes home.

Once the food arrives and the deliverer is paid, I finally hear movement. A floorboard creaks on the second floor. I quickly rush to the kitchen to set everything down on the island counter. Thankfully, they still haven't come down yet, so I have the chance to calm my pulse from rushing around. I also have to place myself. The shirt is long enough to cover my ass, but not if I lean over the counter. I do so near the sink to pretend to be looking out the window while I continue to sip on my coffee. Someone walks in, but I pretend not to notice. Whichever it is, they should be getting a good peek at my underwear from just under the t-shirt. Hopefully, it's Zach because Stefan would be harder to work.

"What is all this?" I hear Zach question. I turn around with wide eyes as if I hadn't heard him come in.

"Oh, hi...," I start. "I just thought I would show my appreciation for letting me stay." I put on my most innocent of the brightest smiles. I'm hoping it screams I'm a good person.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," he smiles. "I mean I could've cooked."

"Don't worry about it," I insist. "I wanted to do it." I walk closer to him, and he quickly glances to and away from my bare legs. "Why don't I get dressed, and you set everything up," I offer.

He gulps lightly and nods. I walk away and into the parlor where Stefan is walking down the stairs dressed for the day.

"Hey, I ordered breakfast; it's in the kitchen," I inform him. He just kind of watches me in wonderment and confusion. He nods as I pass him at the bottom of the stairs and heads to the kitchen.

After dressing and fixing my hair a little, I head back down to see them already digging in. I grab the plate that was left out for me and fill it up. Throughout eating, Stefan and Zach keep looking at each other and then at me.

"Don't be shy gentlemen; ask your questions," I prompt.

Stefan gets my attention to look at him. I guess it's time to pretend to be compelled. I'm both surprised but not quite. I'm surprised he's attempting it because he knows that his abilities aren't the best since he's on animal blood. On the other hand, they probably want their answers quick.

He dilates his pupils and commands, "Who are you, and where do you come from?"

I stare at him blankly and answer, "I'm Rayna Abremins, and I come from Rhode Island."

Again, he commands, "Why are you here?"

I've had plenty of time to think of an answer for this, so I reveal, "I wanted to start fresh; to get away from my ex-boyfriend." From the corner of my eye, I can see the contemplative look on Zach's face.

When it seems Stefan is finished, for now, I blink rapidly. "I'm sorry, I must have zoned out," I say chuckling. "What were you saying?"

"I was just saying it was very generous of you to get us breakfast this morning," is Stefan's cover reply.

"Oh, it was no problem," I start. "It's the least I could do for the two of you for letting me stay the night." I continue eating a little before continuing, "Once I finish eating, I'm going to call an UberCab and go looking for vacancies at hotels and motels." I look down with a sad smile.

"Um... actually, I was thinking about that," Zach speaks up. "Maybe you could stay."

My eyes light up. Stefan shoots a look at Zach. A look that screams, 'What are you doing!?'

"Seriously?" I question. He nods with a small smile. "Thank you so much!" I exclaim with a grin. "How much will it be a night?"

"Well, we can talk about that later on in the evening," he replies. "Why don't you head into town and buy you some clothes and things you need."

"That is a perfect idea," I agree with a big smile.

I stand up and grab my plate and put it in the sink. I call the UberCab to get a ride into town. While I'm doing this, I walk up to my room to grab my purse. I finish the call before I get back downstairs. I walk towards the kitchen again to let them know that I was going to wait on the front porch. Before I get there, I can hear them talking in hushed tones.

"What are you doing? You know it's a risk having her here," Stefan scolds.

"You heard her about her ex. She probably wants the seclusion to keep hidden from him in case he comes looking for her," Zach reasons. I love it when people build the lie for me – makes it so much easier to continue it.

"And what if Damon shows up?" Stefan questions. "You know he follows me everywhere and will eventually find me."

"This doesn't mean she'll be here forever, just-" Zach begins arguing, but he's cut off by Stefan.

"You like her, don't you?" he asks softly, yet inquisitive.

"What?" Zach questions. "Don't be ridiculous; we just met her last night," he argues.

There was a pause between the two of them. "Okay, fine," Stefan caves. "But if there's even a small inclination that Damon is even close to Mystic Falls, she has to go," he compromises. "She's in less danger if it looks like she doesn't even know us."

I take that moment to quickly walk in as if I was speed walking already. This way, it won't give them the chance to wonder if I was standing outside the door. I'm surprised Stefan hadn't noticed my heart beat there. Must be the animal blood.

"Hey, I'm going to wait out on the front porch for the ride," I announce. "Do either of you need anything while I'm out?" They both smile and shake their heads 'no.' I smile back and wave before walking to and out the front door.

I don't have to wait for long until the driver arrives. This time it's a different guy. The moment he opens his mouth, I know he's gay. Perfect. A shopping partner who will be honest with me.

"How would you like to get a big fat tip?" I ask with a smirk.

He hesitates at first. "We're talking about money, right?" he questions, making me chuckle.

"Well, I mean, feel free to take the other if it's offered," I joke, "but yes, I am talking about a money tip."

"What do I have to do?" he inquires.

"Be my fashion consultant," I entice.

"Deal!" he immediately agrees.

(***A/N: Ahead, I will be describing more on the clothes and makeup and whatnot. Just a small bit, but it's a part of what's going on in my head for her manipulations with Zach. You can ignore the descriptors and make it your own still. The bigger details, of course, will be on my URSTYLE page.***)

We drive off and, after about a 30-minute drive of us getting to know each other, we arrive in town. He drives us to the square and stops off at a cute little boutique. We both get out and walk in to see a few women shopping and a girl and guy at the counter. The guy is training the younger girl.

"Damn," my new bae, Joshua, swears. "I didn't think he would be working today."

"Ex?" I question. He nods in the affirmative. "Well, maybe he's just here because he had to train her," I offer. "But don't worry about it," I continue. "You're mine today, and he can fuck off." He nods in agreement, and we continue to look around.

After about ten minutes of looking around and picking some things up to try on, Joshua's ex walks towards us.

"Aren't you supposed to be working, today, Joshua?" the guy starts in.

"Aren't you supposed to be not working today, Aaron?" Joshua counters, albeit childishly.

I step in because I really don't want to listen to this, but I, at least, make it look like I'm defending Joshua. "He is working, today, Aaron," I butt in while flicking his name tag. "I'm using his UberCab services as a chauffeur."

"I didn't know chauffeurs gave expert fashion advice, too," Aaron attempts to jab.

Joshua leans towards me and stage whispers, "Was that supposed to be an insult?"

I copy his movements and reply, "I'm pretty sure that was a compliment." I continue in my bitchy tone, "I'm sorry, but he doesn't want to be with you anymore." I shoo him away.

When I finish modeling, and we've selected a bunch of outfits, we head towards the checkout. Joshua gets a phone call from his boss and excuses himself to the car. I take my place in line behind another woman. Once they finish up with the woman in front of me, I step up and lay my items on the counter. Aaron appears to be sizing me up. I look at him in the eyes with a raised eyebrow as the girl, whose name-tag reads Tamera, starts ringing up my items.

"Well, don't hold back, Aaron," I prompt.

He doesn't talk right away, but then he asks, "How long have you known Joshua?"

I look at the clock on the wall as I hand Tamera my card to pay and answer, "For about an hour."

"He scoffs in disbelief, "And you think you have the right to butt into our life?"

Tamera hands the card back, and I put it in my purse while grabbing my three bags and reply, "What life?"

With that, I walk out of the store and to the car. Joshua is just finishing his call and opens the trunk to let me put my bags in. I get in the front passenger seat, and we drive down the road a bit and park again. This store is a men's and women's lingerie store.

We sit for just a second before he asks, "Did he say anything?"

I pretend to hesitate, "Yes, he seems to still think there is some kind of life together there."

He scoffs and chuckles bitterly while lightly shaking his head.

"Can I ask who broke up with who and why?" I inquire.

He doesn't speak at first. Eventually, he finds his words. "The usual - I broke up with him because he cheated," he begins. "I was told by a mutual friend of ours, but I didn't believe her at first, so I went to him to clear it up," he continues. "He didn't deny it. So, I left."

"Well, I say good ridden," I comfort. "You deserve someone better – like a devoted Latin lover," I finish before getting out of the car.

I hear him lightly laughing as he gets out, as well. We spend another two hours shopping around the square and a couple of other stores elsewhere within Mystic Falls. We head to the Mystic Grill for lunch before he takes me back to the boarding house. We bring in my plethora of bags from the car to bring them to my room. We see Zach and Stefan sitting in the main room.

"Hey, I'm back," I announce as Joshua and I start heading towards the stairs. Zach immediately stands up. What a gentleman.

"Hey, do you need any help?" he offers. He almost looks like he's hesitating when he sees Joshua.

Jealousy perhaps? No, it can't be this quickly. Either I'm that good, or he's that lonely. Either way... I secretly smirk to myself.

"If you don't care to, I do have some more bags in the trunk and the back seat," I say appreciatively. "Thank you so much!" Joshua and I go upstairs to unload the bags on my bed.

While we are pulling out the clothing, Zach and Stefan walk in with the rest of the bags. They reunite them with the others on the bed.

"That's all of them," Stefan announces as he stuffs his hands into his pockets.

"Thank you both, I mean it," I say. "This is Joshua Tanner, my new BFF," I introduce. "And these two fine gentlemen are Zach Salvatore, the owner of this place, and his nephew, Stefan

They all say hello to each other, but, unfortunately, Joshua had to get back to work. He had just received a text for another ride. We say our goodbyes and promise to have coffee tomorrow morning before his shift actually starts. Stefan leaves, as well, saying he's going for a walk.

"Did you need some help?" Zach offers, looking as if he was actually eager to help a woman put her clothes away.

"You are awesome," I answer. "Hangers are here in this bag."

He starts putting tops on the hangers and laying them on the bed to be hung altogether. He reaches for a bag that I know to be my lingerie bag. There's a ghost of a smirk on my lips as I fold up my pajamas to be put in the vanity dresser. He opens it up to reach in and grab an article of clothing; however, what he pulls out wasn't what he thought he would be pulling out.

"Oh, my god. I am so sorry." He drops the lacy panties back into the bag and steps away from it slightly.

I giggle lightly and move the bag over to my area at the end of the bed. "It's okay; they don't bite," I say.

He goes to say something else, but his phone rings. He pulls it out and looks at the caller ID. "Uh, I have to take this," he states before looking back at me.

"Hey, it's fine; I've got this," I assure him. "Thank you for the help, though." I smile as bedazzling as I can.

He smiles back and quickly walks out of the room, answering the phone as he does so. I suspect that Stefan called him to help bail him out. It seems too much like a coincidence for him to receive a call right when he gets embarrassed.

I put away the rest of the clothes in the closet and the dresser. I change into a more relaxed outfit and head downstairs. I don't see Zach in the main room, but I do see Stefan turning the corner to the foyer. I make my way to the kitchen to see Zach leaning against the island with a glass of what I assume is bourbon in his hand.

"Oh, come on; it couldn't have been that bad," I jest, startling him a bit.

He smiles embarrassedly and changes the subject. "Um, I'm making dinner tonight; did you have anything in mind?"

Holding in my laughter, I answer, "Whatever you have is fine. Something simple."