Chapter 6

Meredith

 

I never thought I would see the inside of the school environment again.

I was left to find a way to fend for myself, apparently being watched by this mystery man who had made a decision to spare my life. He could have finished me off, like he did to that cold lady, but he chose to spare my life. My head was pounding; I think my food was mixed with something that had put me out for some weird reason.

 

I sighed walking into my dorm room when Kayla was wandering around the room. I staggered into my dorm room. My stuff was still on my bed, unpacked.

 

"Yo, you look terrible." I shrugged, not knowing what to tell her. It was one thing to scream my lungs out; it was entirely different to spill what I had experienced. She might be the one who is watching me. Not to sound clingy or anything, but he doesn't seem like the kind of man who minces his words. I didn't want to find out what he meant when he said he was watching me. Kayla looked at me with wary eyes and asked, "Are you sure you are okay? You can just skip today and stay in. Not that today is kind of an important day." I could feel her eyes staring intently at me. Coupled with the fact that I was being watched.

 

"Thanks Kayla. I would stay in."

 

"Should I get you anything?" I shook my head. She was all dolled up, ready to go to class. Her blonde hair was straightened, and that accent of hers was hard to miss. It was clear that She was Italian, which made me wonder why her name was Kayla. "Alright, I just have a class. I will be here as soon as I'm done."

 

"Why are you nice to me?" I couldn't help but ask. I wasn't used to people being nice to me, considering all that I had seen these past few days. People can be cruel; I had experienced it firsthand. "When I first got here, you were so hung up, you didn't even notice me. Now, it seems you want to be a participant in life." She scoffed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it that way. What I am trying to

"Calm down," she trailed off her words, then it dawned on me what she wanted.

 

"Meredith. My name is Meredith Walker. You see, you don't even remember my name."

 

"Maybe the time you told me your name was when I was a nut job due to all the alcohol I was ingesting the previous night." She sighed. Coming too close to my bed, I said, "Fine, let's begin with a clean slate. My name is Kayla Llaria Ferrante. You already know me as Kayla, which you would love for you to call me."

 

I squinted while resting to understand why she had two names from two different cultures. "But... you are Italian?"

 

Yes, originally, but my parents moved to America at a very young age. Things were strange at some point, so we decided to move back here, to our home. You know how that story goes. My mom is American; she named me Kayla."

It made sense to me because it was clear that lost Italians moved from Italy to America. Some reside over there; other times, they love going back home. Llaria was a rare name, and I wondered why she wasn't answering it. Some people change their identity when they come to school because they need a fresh start or something. One thing was clear: either she was running away from something or she just didn't want to be involved in some family drama. which, of course, I respect.

 

"That's lovely."

 

"So, why Italy? You are a long way from home, Mer." I have never had someone give me a nickname before. Meredith had always stuck in people's minds. For some reason, 'Mer' had a little bit of touch.

 

"It has the best business school. Besides, I love the food." There was no way I would hate to enjoy the fact that I was hiding. My nightmare followed me here all the way from New Orleans. "There is not much happening in New Orleans, by the way."

 

She smiled with her eyes wide open. "You come from the home of vampires, witches, and werewolves."

I groaned, "No, no, not you. Everybody thinks there is this ancient folklore of witches and vampires secretly living in New Orleans just because of one TV show."

 

I pushed my back towards the bed, and she did the same. We were both laughing so hard. "C'mon, it is a good show. It allowed us to believe in the supernatural world. So tell me, which of the original vampires do you love the most?"

 

I didn't want to reply, but she didn't seem like the kind of person to let things go. I grimaced at her for a bit, but she was smiling at me expectantly. "Fine, I am all for Elijah."

 

"Noooo! You are the serious type." Her accent got in the way of her words.

 

"I mean, he was the serious one, and he made sure he kept his family together. Even when his mother got in the way of that. Besides, he is a cool-headed and smart killer. He can only get messy when he is really pissed off. I love him. Kol too…" 

 

"Are you kidding me? You love the one with no self-control?"

"C'mon! You can't tell me you loved that he grew and was ready to change for the woman he loves." She dangled her head a bit, arguing with me. She knew I was right, but she didn't want to admit that.

 

"Well, I agree with you. But I'm one with Niklaus Mickelson."

 

"Everybody loves Niklaus. Everyone wants a taste of the big bad wolf." She took the pillow at the back of her head, stuffing it on her face and hiding her expressions. From the little discussion we were having, it was clear just how much of a pure soul she was.

 

"Okay, fine. Stefan or Damon"

"Really? Damon!" She pulled me into a hug immediately.

"We are going to be good friends." Checking her watch. She immediately stood up, adjusted her hair, and exhaled.

 

"Well, my class will begin in a few minutes. I would love to stay and talk more about my music favourites, but I have to be in this class because the professor is quite strict."

 

I nodded. "I still have to register for my classes. I will fully resume tomorrow, as for now I just have to relax."

 

She huffed, smiling as she swung her bag over her shoulder. "What? Why are you making that face?"

 

She stopped at the door, sighing. "You don't have to hide that you went out with the Salvatores. It was pretty obvious from the car that dropped you off."

 

"You saw the car that dropped me off?"

 

"Yeah, their licence plate has their name on it. It wasn't hard to miss." She winked before dashing out of the door.

 

I still had some questions, but she had already left. At this point, all I knew was the last name of the surprisingly hot man who had kidnapped me and also committed murder.

 

"Salvatore."