Author's Note: First revised chapter up! Some condensing, just an introduction into the story! There will be one or two more chapters for the rest of the first episode. Also, some extra information has been added to the Prologue, if you want to check that out!

Feel free to favorite, follow, review, and promote the story/fandom! I appreciate and love story feedback and suggestions, along with constructive criticism, but please keep any story flaming/hating and bullying to yourself; those are unneeded and tend to piss off the temperamental vamps! There are thousands of stories out there, if this one isn't for you, that's alright! :D

Disclaimer: See beginning!

-One-

There was a lion in my bedroom…not really, but the song blaring as my alarm for the morning insisted that I should be roaring louder than one. I groaned and attempted to bury myself further into my burrow of covers and pillows, fumbling with my hand out from underneath the pile of soft things in a half-hearted attempt to shut off the dreadful racket coming from the docking station on my bedside table that was screaming at me to wake up through the radio. I took a chance, fingers desperately hitting multiple buttons to quiet the music, failing miserably since I hadn't bothered to actually look while doing so. It mattered little, considering the irritated hammering on the wall behind me soon had my eyes springing wide open.

"Savvy!" The feminine voice called, the wall separating her room from mine doing little to muffle the sound. "Get up, you're going to be late!"

Cursing my twin sister under my breath, I swung my legs out from under the protection of the heavenly down comforter, eyeing the docking station next to my bed like it was an evil minion, sent up from the depths of hell to torture me. I practically growled at the offending piece of technology, clumsily wiping the sleep from my eyes and sifting my fingers through the long length of my hair as I leaned toward it, finally finding the correct one before I began to stab at it repeatedly, taking out my early morning irritation on the defenseless button.

"Stupid freaking buttons," I hissed, unable to help the glare twisting the features on my face. "Stupid first day of school, stupid staying up all night watching movies, stupid stupid stupid."

"Told you so!" Elena tittered, her voice transforming to a sing-songy tone as she mocked me.

I halfway snarled at her teasing jab, able to hear the low giggle from the room next to me, and I couldn't help the little smile that twitched at my lips, despite my obvious grouchiness. "Shut it!"

Biting the bullet, I flung myself from the comforting warmth of bed, reaching out to swipe the pair of cheer shorts I had left on the bench at the foot of it. I pulled them up my hips with little thought, stumbling sleepily out of my room before I turned the corner at the end of the short hall, pushing Elena's door open. Deep brown strands of hair were pushed back by long fingers as she glanced up toward me from where she sat at her window, the seat much like my own, pausing the writing she was doing in her diary. I wiggled my fingers at her in silent greeting and she smiled, eyes trailing over me as she took in my appearance.

"Morning sunshine," She crooned to me quietly, beckoning me forward with a wave of her hand.

A smirk curled my lips upward and I padded through her bedroom, reaching down to pick up her legs so that I could settle into the corner of the cushion opposite from her, before laying them back across my lap once more. She flashed me a small grin, turning to look back at the leather-bound journal in her lap, continuing her writing as I relaxed and leaned my head against the cool glass of the window, watching her knowingly from the corner of my eye before staring out at the pretty blues and greens of the world around me. We were silent together, only the sound of her pen scratching against paper and birds twittering to each other in the yard, before she completed the entry she had started, shutting the diary with a quiet snap as she slipped it back behind the pillow she had been leaning against. I didn't turn, not wanting to interrupt the peace we had achieved. Instead I remained still, waiting until she reached out with comforting fingers, brushing my hair back behind my ear in a silent plea for me to turn her way, the smile on my face matching her own, each tinged with sorrow.

"We can do this, Savannah."

Staring into the deep browns of her eyes, I swallowed back the brief feeling of gloom, blinking rapidly before nodding forcefully in agreement.

"We can do this."

I cleared my throat and reached out toward her, squeezing her knee in reassurance before I stood and rushed off to the shower, just barely dodging the pillow she threw my way after mussing up her perfectly straightened locks. There was only about thirty minutes left for my morning routine and I was going to spend as many of them soaking up the hot water as I could.

Forty-five minutes later I was freshly showered and purposefully ignoring the irate mutterings of my grumpy younger brother who was pissed that I had used the joint shower between his and Elena's room instead of my own. The chestnut and auburn strands of my hair had been straightened and tumbled down over my shoulders to nearly brush the small of my back, while the green of my eyes had been accented in shimmering shadow and sleek ebony liner. Quickly, I shimmied into a flowing, yellow summer dress and a pair of gold, sparkly sandals, both colors that paired well with the sunkissed tone of my complexion, before I stepped back and took a look at myself in the mirror, eyes critically sweeping over my figure as I tried out a smile or two.

The yellow was probably a bit on the bright side, but it was in style and drew attention, cleverly distracting everyone who would approach me from the obvious situation at hand. The problem that my sister, brother and I were now tasked to cope with, the nightmare that had taken over our lives throughout our summer.

The obvious knowledge that both our parents were dead.

My throat tightened, emotion constricting my airway and causing a thin tendril of panic to wash over me before I shook my head, determinedly pushing the horrific memories far away from my mind as I did. I couldn't let myself go there, couldn't think about that, about our new reality, and still make it through the first day back to school. Like my sister said, we could do this; I just had to give myself the chance. Snatching up my things, I padded down the stairs, unable to stop the growing smile that threatened my expression when the sound of my aunt's chirpy voice filled my ears, both entirely too cheerful for the morning and just a tad bit anxious.

"Toast," She exclaimed, her tone triumphant. "I can make toast!"

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna." Elena said, swallowing her laughter as she set about filling our travel mugs quickly.

Unable to hold back, I giggled as I rounded the corner into the kitchen, setting my bag on the counter while I leaned against the bar.

"Yes, my dear Aunt Jenna, the easy access to caffeine is what makes high school all the more bearable. Well, that and the hot guys." I considered, winking across the counter top at her.

The strawberry blonde grinned knowingly before attempting a stern expression as she tossed her dish towel at me.

"Behave yourself, Savannah Danielle; I want no new babies in this house any time soon."

Wiggling my eyebrows at her suggestively as I put on my best pout, Jenna bit down on her trembling lip, lasting just over a minute as I widened my eyes and fluttered my lashes, only stopping when she finally could hold it no longer and burst out laughing. Elena's quiet chuckles joined my own snickering before the sound of combat boots scuffing on hardwood captured my attention, and I turned to catch Jeremy slinking his way into the kitchen. My gaze flickered over his choice in outfit, nose wrinkling in distaste before just managing to wipe the expression from my face when his dark orbs met mine, a mask of neutrality taking over my features.

What the hell is that?!- I thought, biting back my opinion of wardrobe change. –What is he, a total emo punk kid now?

"Is there coffee?" The youngest Gilbert questioned, his voice gruff but hopeful.

Jeremy crowded up between Elena and myself before he was even finished speaking, grabby hands reaching out in, what I'm sure he thought, was a stealthy manner. I gently smacked his hands away from my own cup, ignoring his protests that soon quieted when I passed him his very own mug and shooed the teenage boy away from us some. He tossed me a smirk, accepting it good-naturedly since he knew that I was more than aware what he had been up to all summer long; the last thing I wanted was the stench of his stash seeping into the fabric of my dress.

"Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared," Jenna huffed, digging frantically through her overflowing purse.

Eyebrows arching upward in mirth, I snorted quietly, drawing the attention of my twin who stood with her hip angled into mine. "Honestly Aunt Jenna, it's high school. No one can ever really be prepared."

She looked up and smiled gratefully at me before holding up a wad of cash, passing it around to the three of us. "Lunch money!"

I waved the money off as it passed in front of me, knowing that both Elena and I were already set. My eyes narrowed though when I noticed Jeremy scooping it all up, pocketing it during our aunt's distraction. There was really only one reason he would need all of that, and it had absolutely nothing to do with lunch of any kind. I bit down on my lip to keep from calling him out in front of the other two females, making a mental note to kick his ass later on in the evening, once we were alone; he really had to quit his self-destructive reign of stupidity.

Dimly, I could hear Jenna rattling off sarcastically about a few things we might need while I stared at Jeremy, before I finally snapped out of it and turned toward her, a look of confusion twisting my features. "Hey, don't you have something today…?"

"Yeah, some big presentation?" Elena finished for me.

Jenna stared blankly at us for a few moments before her face morphed into a panicked expression and she scrambled to check her watch.

"I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at…now." Reaching up, she quickly took her hair down from the sloppy bun she had pinned it up in, fluffing it around her shoulders as she cursed. "Crap!"

I choked a little on my coffee when she answered, sputtering as I looked up at her owlishly, a grimace of sympathy crossing my features; she was so totally late. Despite still just being in high school, I was pretty damn sure a meeting with someone deemed as important as a 'thesis advisor' wasn't something you should be showing up late to.

"Go, go!" Elena urged, fluttering her hands in front of her. "We'll be fine!"

Jenna glanced between each of us, light eyes capturing mine with an imploring look that didn't falter until I nodded my assurance to my sister's words. She hurried out of the kitchen then, the slam of the front door echoing back toward us a few seconds later, the squeal of her tires following quickly as she sped off for the college. Elena wasted little time before she turned to Jeremy, looking him over with appraising eyes until a faint frown tipped her lips downward and she glanced over at me with a raised eyebrow. Her silent question was met with a small shrug of my own, and I busied myself, toeing at the kitchen floor with my sandal.

"You okay?" She finally asked, her tone soft and pacifying.

Unfortunately, that was the exact way to piss the brooding adolescent off. He heaved out an irritated sigh, his eyes narrowing into slits while a bored look reshaped his features as he shook his head with, what looked to be, extreme annoyance.

"Don't even start."

He huffed through his nose, attempting to stomp by the pair of us, but I stopped him in his tracks, kicking my leg out so it landed on the counter across from me and effectively blocked his path. Jeremy swung around, a silent snarl curling his upper lip, before his darkened eyes met mine. His expression changed quickly, adopting a look of shock as he eyed me almost warily, unused to having me step in on his and Elena's little sibling spats. I narrowed my eyes at him just the tiniest bit and his face quickly took on a smirky glare, prompting my own grin as I leaned up on my toes and kissed his cheek, finally allowing him to pass, despite his eye roll in my direction.

"You'll thank me one day little brother!" I called after him playfully.

"Yeah Sav," He snorted, disappearing around the corner. "Sure thing!"

I turned to Elena once the back door slammed shut, already frowning and shaking my head. She knew exactly what I was trying to say without even uttering a word, her fingers reaching out to squeeze my wrist in silent support, echoing my worry.

Sliding into the backseat of Bonnie's little blue car after losing the draw for shotgun was not the highlight of my day by any means. I sighed once the thud of slamming car doors had ceased, relaxing back into the cushy seat, before sipping on my coffee while I watched our little town of Mystic Falls pass by outside the glass of my slightly tinted window. Both of their voices drifted in and out of my hearing as Bonnie went on chattering to Elena, before she finally said something way too interesting to pass up, even for a non-morning person like me.

"So, Grams is telling me that I'm psychic," She muttered, humor coloring her tone.

"Say whatttt?" I exclaimed, drawing out the 'T' on my word as I eagerly leaned forward between the front seats.

"Yeah!" Bonnie snorted, catching my eyes in the rearview mirror. "Our ancestors were from Salem which isn't all that, I know, crazy-"

I quirked an eyebrow up, tilting my head to the side in thought- Um, it's kind of crazy.

"But she just keeps going on and on about it!" She continued, her lips tipping upward in amusement. "And I'm just like, put this woman in a home already. But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off-"

"Bonnie-" My raised voice echoed in the small space, desperately cutting into her rambling spiel. "This is us, you don't have to fill the silence just because it's the first day of school, we're okay, okay? Everything is going to be…okay."

Trailing off, my eyes centered in on my sister's vacant expression, and I nearly wanted to shake her with my own annoyance. I was urgently trying to reassure one of our closest friends that she could be herself around us without having to worry, but Elena's spastic space-staring wasn't helping my cause at all. Bonnie angled her head at my sister, giving me an arched eyebrow and a look that screamed 'I-Told-You-So!' in the rearview. I rolled my eyes, reaching out and nudging my twin in the shoulder, the physical touch calling her back into the now.

"Elena!" We shouted in unison, making my sister jump in her seat.

"I did it again, didn't I?" The darker brunette murmured, squeezing her eyes closed in both embarrassment and resignation.

Peering over at her, I simply hummed in response, tipping back my mug for another shot of coffee that I so obviously needed. There wasn't much I could say about the behavior, she had been doing it all throughout the summer. It was part of the reason the journal writing had been suggested to her, giving her an outlet for the raging thoughts that sometimes seemed to take over and transport her elsewhere. I glanced back up, meeting Bonnie's dark gaze in the mirror for a second time and I nodded in quiet response before Elena's voice cut off our silent communication.

"I…" She swallowed, sucking in a deep breath. "I'm sorry guys. Okay, you were telling me that-" Elena trailed off, obviously unsure of where the conversation had ventured.

"That I'm psychic now," Bonnie supplied the ending of the sentence, her attempt at a mystical tone prompting my giggles.

"Well, if there was ever a place for the supernatural to exist, it would definitely be a place called Mystic Falls," I murmured, meeting their exasperated looks with twinkling eyes. "What! Seriously, we might as well put a 'Welcome!' sign up for vampires, werewolves, witches, and who knows what else."

Schooling my features into a serious expression, I broke into a grin the moment that my sister and our best friend began choking on their own fits of giggles in the front seat. My laughter joined theirs, though I couldn't help but think I had a valid point. It finally died down to the occasional sputter, each of us working to regain our breath, leaving Elena to continue with the conversation.

"Right okay, then predict something…" She challenged, a faint smirk curling her lips.

"About me!" I interrupted, finishing her sentence with my own excited declaration.

Unlike Elena, I happened to think it might not be totally impossible that things that went 'Bump!' in the night might actually be real. But then again, I was a sucker for romance novels and television series with vampires, werewolves, and telepaths cast as main characters. That probably made me a tad bit biased, and possibly unreliable for expert testimony, now that I think about it.

Bonnie grinned at me over her shoulder, her gaze mischievous as she parted her lips to speak. "I see-"

A heavy thud against the windshield cut off anything she might have said.

Bonnie's car spun out of control in her shock, the tires screaming and squealing along with the three of us as we slid sideways across the pavement. My travel mug went flying into the floorboard as I braced my hands against the front seat; frantically trying to prepare myself for the impact of the other car that I just knew would soon be crunching, crashing into us. Metal twisting and screeching against each other just like-

"Savvy! Savannah! Hey, it's okay! It's okay-" Elena soothed from in front of me, reaching back to squeeze my leg. "It was a bird, just a bird."

"Oh my God, oh my god!?" Bonnie squeaked, her voice extremely high with the stress. "A-Are you guys okay?"

"Totally," I panted sarcastically, swallowing back the lump that had risen in my throat. "Just saw my life flash before my eyes, that's all. I seriously need to get out more; you two have been dragging me down."

My words had the desired effect; faint, hysterical giggles breaking out from each of us as we breathed, greedy and deep inhales of oxygen. I leaned forward and squeezed Bonnie's shoulder gently, ignoring the way my hand shook and trembled as I tried to reassure her that everything was alright. Knowing her, she'd feel extremely guilty, which would soon lead to her beginning to freak out. It would only make the situation worse though, and I totally didn't feel like trying to calm her down when my own heart was still beating against my chest like a herd of wild horses.

"It came out of nowhere!" Bonnie exclaimed, eyes wide and voice shaky.

"Really, it's okay. We can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of our lives." Elena murmured soothingly, her eyes meeting mine in the rearview. "Right Sav?"

My head was already nodding before she could finish, though I didn't speak, choosing instead to reach down and snatch my travel mug back up from the floorboards of Bonnie's car. Silently, I sent a prayer of thanks up for the blessing of locking and non-spill lids, because the stain would have been a bitch to get out of the carpet if the brown liquid had spilt. I sucked in yet another deep breath, steadying myself as I willed away the adrenaline rush, fingers fumbling just a bit as I opened the top to take a sip again.

Still good.

"I predict this year is going to be kick ass!" Bonnie proclaimed, her tone confident, her fingers tight around the wheel. "And I predict that all the sad and dark times are over and the two of you are going to be beyond happy."

Smiling as Elena did, I pushed forward between their seats, leaning in to kiss Bonnie's cheek with a loud smack before I eased my way back into my seat again. I made sure to fasten my seat-belt this time as Bonnie pulled back out into traffic, not wanting a replay of our near miss, the soft smile on my face lingering as I watched the town square and the people bustling around within it.

Bonnie's right –I thought, nodding to myself– This year, things will be better.

Of course, we didn't notice the raven-colored crow, completely out of place, resting on the stop sign that watched us. Perhaps then, we would have known.