The last time I was in Mystic Falls, the town was small and filled with a few hundred people. It was brand new, recently found years before I died. Now, looking at it, it was as if it jumped through time. There were more buildings, more lights illuminating the streets and making it feel a bit less homey than before. Of course, it had been about a hundred years or so since I last came to Mystic Falls. And to be honest, I enjoyed how it looked now than it did back then.

   There was a small restaurant that was filled with locals and a few others from outside of town, The Grill. Quite an original name, if you ask me. The bar was filled with people enjoying their alcohol, and so were the numerous tables. I didn't know that Founder's Day was such an important day in Mystic Falls, but apparently it was still celebrated and loved. And by loved, I meant completely loved since this was the 150th Founder's Day Celebration. During the day, there was a parade with floats and costumes and a reconstructed Battle of Willow Creek and then the marvellous football team. In the evening, there would be a speech by the mayor, who was surprisingly still a Lockwood, and fireworks. I wanted to see the fireworks more than hear another Lockwood give a long and boring speech.

   I chuckled and took a sip from my drink, savouring the alcohol on my tongue as I watched my surroundings. Although I didn't need to eat or drink, I enjoyed the savour of human food. It was nice, although it had too much fat in it, but so did their blood. There wasn't much difference between human food and and human blood; they were both equally delicious and filled with fat. Although, sometimes I could taste the sickness of the person in the blood, and that ruined it.

   "What'a girl like you doin' here?" a man asked as he sat in the chair next to mine. "All alone and drinkin'..."

   I watched him as I sipped on my drink. He was in his early thirties, spent his nights playing pool and drinking and picking on girls he could take home. The man wasn't my type, but maybe he might be my blood type. I chuckled and put the glass on the table, taking a deep breath.

   "I'm alone and drinking," I responded. "Am I not able to do that?"

   "I think you'd prefer some company," he said, taking a swig of his beer. "How about mine?"

   I kept watching him and tilted my head to the side, a small smirk spreading around my lips. He seemed delicious, and I could go for an afternoon delight. So, I nodded and leaned slightly forward, showing him the top of my breaths. Human males were weak for sexual appeal, which meant if I showed mine, my meal would come faster than anticipated.

   "Sure," I agreed. "Why not? It should be fun. How about buying me a drink?" I stared into his eyes and smiled softly, hoping he'd fall even more.

   "What'd you have?"

   "Bourbon," I said, leaning back and crossing my legs. "I'm feeling a little bad tonight."

   The man brought me a drink, and then a few more. He was drunk by the time I finished my sixth glass. It was the kind of drunk where he stumbled over his words and made advances that would never work on a human female, even less a vampire. That was when I decided to make my move. I invited him out of The Grill so we could go somewhere quiet, which would be the alley right by it. He thought it was my house, and that made him smirk. I pulled him with me, and that made me laugh in the inside. Poor little human thought he would be getting laid, instead I would be sucking the life out of him.

   He began to kiss me as he pushed me against the wall, his hands roaming everywhere. They were disgusting, just like the kiss. Everything about him screamed disgusting, but I was hungry. I turned around, pushing against the wall and pulling away.

   "Don't scream," I whispered, using compulsion. He seemed confused at first, but opened his mouth to let out a scream when my eyes began to darken and the veins began to show. My gums began to open, revealing my fangs. When they pulled through the skin of my gums, it hurt. I had done it so many times that the pain was no longer a problem.

   The man opened and closed his mouth as he tried to scream, but he stopped moving once I sunk my teeth into his neck. The sweet blood escaped the two punctured wounds fast, leaking into my mouth I drank as if I hadn't drank in months. It was sweet, tangy, with a hint of iron or rust. I drank till the man fell over and my fangs were pulled out of his skin. He was pale and leaning against the wall, and breathing hard.

   I leaned down and looked into his half opened eyes, and began to use compulsion once again. "You were drunk and you fell," I told him. "The last thing you remember is passing out in the alley from the fall."

   The man nodded and leaned back, closing his eyes and falling asleep. I chuckled and straightened my back, wiping away the blood on my lips with the back of my hand. "And I didn't even know your name," I mumbled with a chuckle. One last look at the man caused me to smile, and then turn to walk right back to The Grill.

   The restaurant seemed to be even more crowded than it was before, more teenagers than adults. There were a few teens that sneaked drinks from the waiter behind the bar with a twenty dollar bill. The waiter smiled and handed them their drinks, as secretly as he could. Others hung out with their friends at the tables, laughter filling the air and fries filling the table. The table I was sitting at before was already taken by a group of friends. I sighed and moved to the empty stool at the bar, immediately ordering another glass of bourbon. One of the best things about being undead was that I couldn't really get drunk, only slightly buzzed.

   "The fireworks are about to start!" a teenager yelled from the entrance. The majority of the people stood and ran outside, all of them anxious to see them. I followed behind them, taking a bottle of beer with me. The lights were turned off on almost every building. The ones that were by the small stage where Mayor Lockwood was were turned off as well.

   Colourful fireworks began to illuminate the town: blues, yellows, reds, and greens. It was a kaleidoscope of colours between the dim stars. I crossed my arms and admired the beautiful sky, a small smile spreading across my lips. It was raining colours, beautiful and bright and warm. And then, it was ruined. A horrible high pitch sound surrounded me. It was like needles being injected into my skull over and over again. I fell to the ground in pain, covering my ears and groaning.

   "Ma'am?" Someone besides me asked. "Are you okay? Is everything all right?"

   "I'll take it from here," another person joined. The person picked me up, and then I felt something sharp on my neck. I hissed once again, feeling the liquid begin to shut down my system.

   "Vervain," I mumbled, glancing back at the man who dragged me somewhere. It was a deputy with a disgusted look on his face as he dragged me.

   "Stupid vampires," he mumbled. "Your species ruin everything. I'm so glad we're getting rid of you for good."

   I let out a chuckle, trying not to hiss from the pain the vervain caused. "You're here because of us," I muttered. "If it weren't for us, you'd be out of a job."

   "Shut up!" The police officer threw me on a cold ground as he hissed. I groaned, moving from my side to my back and trying to take a look at my surroundings. It was the inside of a building, the basement. I wasn't the only one in there, though. There were countless other vampires, all of them passed out from the vervain. And then the stench of gasoline swallowed me. It was a man pouring it over everyone that was around.

   "The device is done; the only thing keeping them down is the vervain," a man said. "We don't have much time, let's finish this." The man began to leave but a vampire caught his leg. He stopped walking and looked down at her with a curious look. "Anna," he mumbled, almost quietly. The man then looked at the deputy. "You can hear up; I'll take it from here."

   The deputy left and the girl, Anna, tried to get up. The man pulled out a stake from his pocket and looked down at the girl.

  "Please... No!" Anna begged. The man didn't listen, though. He plunged the stake to her heart, and then began to pour more gasoline. The man then began to leave, trailing gasoline up the stairs. When he stood at top of the stairs, I heard a match being lit. The gasoline began to lit immediately, decorating the basement in red. Vampires began to burn, and screams and echoed all around me.

   "Mayor," a voice echoed in the middle of the fire. "Is that you?"

"What are you doing here?" The annoying voice of Mayor Lockwood rang in my ears.

   "I'm a vampire, what's your excuse?" The other voice asked, sarcasm etched in his voice. "No, really. The vervain didn't affect you, you're not a vampire, what the hell are you?"

   The mayor began to scoot back, away from the other figure that was speaking to him. He bumped into another vampire, a man who was just waking up. "Mayor Lockwood!" the man hissed just as he snapped the mayor's neck.

   I watched in surprise as the mayor fell, his head going in a way that was impossible for someone who didn't have their neck broken. And the man that snapped his neck was consumed by fire. He yelled and thrashed around, groaning.

   I didn't know how much time passed while I waited for the flames to engulf me. Something inside of me told me to give up, and I did. I wanted to close my eyes and turn off my emotions so I wasn't afraid of the flames. But, I couldn't. I couldn't turn them off, I wanted to be engulfed and to feel the flames. Sort of like the fire was a sacred thing that would rid me of everything horrible that I have had.

   The door opened and someone came in, slowly. The flames were high and it was almost impossible for someone to come in unless they had a death wish. The person began to move around, coughing from the fumes.

   "Damon!" the man said. "Come on, hurry!"

   "Wait," the man allegedly named Damon said. "Her. Take her as well."

   "We don't have time," the other man hissed. "We need to go!"

   "Her!"

I felt someone left me up, an arm on my waist as mine was pulled over their shoulders. I opened my eyes wider, seeing the flames engulfing us as the man used his speed to go up the stairs and out to the front. It was an alley.

  "Oh my god!" A girl gasped as she came running to us.

  I pulled away from the man and began to cough, leaning against the side of the flaming building. If I could throw up, everything would have been out of my system by then. I would have thrown up everything I had eaten slash drank. Without me noticing, once again, I was whisked away at a fast speed. I didn't know why, but that caused me to let out another groan.

   "How are you here?" the person that took me away asked. "You... You died."

   I blinked several times and groaned, standing up straighter than before. I then turned to the person that was speaking. It felt as if my heart stopped and my breath was knocked out of my chest. Instead of saying anything, I kept my emotions in check and simply blinked several times as I looked at him. He was the person I least expected to see in my return, but...

  I took a deep breath and glared, laying my hands on my waist. "I did die," I said, a smile curling up my lips. "But, at the same time, I didn't. Isn't it easy to figure out, Damon? Come on, I thought you would have been a lot more intelligent than that."

   He swiped his tongue across the inside of his bottom lip, looking at me as if I were something unbelievable. With a sigh, he crossed his arms and walked around to grab a glass of alcohol from the small bar. "I thought you were completely dead," he sighed. "I didn't know you... Who's blood was it that turned you? Was it Katherine's?" I smelt the bourbon emitting from the glass, the alcohol and the blood that created a delicious concoction.

   "No," I rolled my eyes. "I strayed away from Katherine's path. You should know that more than anyone."

   He scoffed and took a big swig from his glass. "Good luck, then, Clara." He leaned back on the chair and continued to stare at me.

   I allowed a small smirk to spread around my lips as I circled the couch, brushing my fingers against the smooth leather. It felt old under my skin, old and warm and stunk of alcohol. I wondered how many drinks did Damon have on the couch, how many times did he spill the alcohol and let it sink into the leather. He wasn't a big drinker back then, but it was obvious that he was one now. Damon had the smell of leather, blood, and bourbon emitting from him, almost as if it were part of his natural scent.

   "So, tell me," I began, "how did you end up in such a boring old town, love? I thought you were the one that wanted to explore the world. Did Katherine leave you behind and take Stefan instead?" I pursed my lips, and then let out a small laugh. "Stefan always was the better brother, wasn't he?"

   Damon scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Do you have your humanity turned off?"

   "Oh on," I sarcastically frowned and shook my head as I laid a hand on my chest. "Why would I do such a thing? I revere in the pleasures of doing what I do. It's...satisfactory."

   No, that wasn't it. I was still angry at him after more than one hundred and fifty years. One could say that I held grudges, but those grudges sometimes faded. Looking at Damon, I could feel the grudge I had held for so long was slowly fading. All the feelings I had kept inside were leaving my system.

   Another presence marched into the room then, slamming the door behind them. I turned my head to see a man I knew so well before I died. After all the years that have passed, he still looked the same. He didn't look at me as he marched towards Damon, hands ready to collide with his face. 

   "What the hell, Damon?" he shouted. "Why the hell would you make me save another? She was one of the tomb vampires!"

   Damon rolled his eyes and took yet another drink from his glass, his eyes turning to me. They were hard, nowhere near what I wanted them to be. "Relax, brother," he sighed, rolling his eyes halfway. "She wasn't one of them."

   "Oh?" Stefan raised a brow, crossing his arms. "And tell me, then, who was this she?"

   "An old friend," Damon said, continuing to look at me. 

   I smirked and took a small sip of my drink. Stefan had yet to notice my presence; he continued to glare at his older brother, almost as if the look could kill him right then and there. Then, he turned his head to me, and stopped. His face sunk, almost as if he had just seen a ghost. But, of course, to them, I was a ghost. The last time they saw me, I was in a coffin and getting buried six feet underground. 

   "Hello." I waved my fingers at him, letting out a small smirk. "How have you been?"

   "C-Clara..." he uttered, taking a small step back. "H-how... Why..." He ran a hand through his hair and let out a small smile. "You were dead."

   "Well, technically, I was," I sighed, standing. "I mean, isn't that the way one turns? You drink the blood, you die, you come back to life. Blah, blah, blah..." I waved my hand as I spoke, standing and walking to the table where the alcohol was. With another sigh, I poured myself another glass of Damon's bourbon. 

   "Does she..." Stefan began to ask, looking at his brother. 

   Damon shook his head, keeping his eyes on me. "No," he sighed. "She has every emotion intact. She just..."

   "Changed?" I finished his sentence, raising a brow. "Come on! I'm 169 years-old, how can I not change? Do you think I'm still the same Clara Forbes I was in before I died? That girl is no longer present; she's long gone."

   The brothers kept their eyes on me, Damon more than Stefan. I smiled at them as I took a sip of the alcohol in the glass, smacking my lips together as the taste swam from my tongue to the back of my throat. "Mm... What's this? Did you mix some blood in this?"

   "Secret recipe," Damon shrugged. "Now, if you'd stop drinking it."

   "Why would I do that?" I giggled, taking serving myself yet another glass. "I almost died today, Damon. I deserve to get raging drunk on alcohol and blood." I tilted my head back and swallowed the glass. 

   He stood and walked over to me, immediately grabbing the bottle from my hands before I could serve myself another glass. Without glancing at me, he made his way out of the room. I pursed my lips and crossed my arms, watching how the muscles on his back moved behind he leather jacket he wore. More than one hundred years have passed, but his looks hadn't changed that much.

   "He's in a bad mood," I said, chuckling and leaning against the sofa. 

   "How did it happen?" Stefan asked, walking in to my line of vision. He waged his finger as he spoke. "Who turned you?"

   I shrugged my shoulders and crossed my arms. "I don't know," I told him. "To be honest, I don't remember drinking any blood. At first, I thought it could have been Katherine, but she hated me, so she's out of the list of potential makers." 

   There was a difference in the way I acted towards the Salvatore brothers. I treated Stefan with calmness and honesty. He wasn't the one that betrayed me and broke my heart in 1864. The way I treated Damon was the complete opposite; I wanted to harm him, to make him feel what I felt, to slowly break his heart into there was nothing left. 

   "Is that why you're here?" Stefan asked, taking a seat on the couch in front of me. "To figure out who turned you?"

   "I gave up on that a long time ago," I chuckled, jumping over the head of the couch and taking a seat with a small groan. "I came back because I wanted to see how much Mystic Falls changed. Apparently, not a lot." I huffed and stretched my arms on the back, letting out a breath and moving my fringe out of my eyes with it. "Are they still hunting vampires or did that finally stopped?"

   "The Founding Families are still hunting," Stefan sighed with a nod. "The Fell's and The Lockwood's are mostly the ones that direct it."

   "Any other family?" I asked, curiosity laced in my words. 

   Stefan kept his eyes on me, and then let out a small smile. "Are you curious about your family?" he asked, the same smile around his lips.

   I shrugged my shoulders as a response, looking anywhere but his face. I couldn't tell him that I was curious, I couldn't show him that I had any other emotions than just anger and pure sarcasm. My fingers tapped against the leather of the sofa, creating a soft rhythm of four beats every two seconds. Was I anxious to know about my family? Yes, I was. I wanted to know whether the Forbes family line had survived, if my siblings had children. 

   "Well..." Stefan slapped his hands against his thighs as he stood, letting out a breath. He looked over at me and smiled. "I need to go."

   "Are you serious?" I scoffed, following him to the front door. "Stefan! Hey, won't you tell me?"

  "Later," he said. "I have to do something now." He stopped when he opened the front door and turned around. "You can stay here, Clara. Pick a room, make yourself at home, just... Just don't kill anyone, okay? I don't want anymore deaths in this town."