It's just another brick in the wall (open)

[Dakota Shay]

"...so, as you can see, just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's evil. In the Middle Ages, many Europeans believed wolves were tools of the devil and the animals were ruthlessly hunted. Epileptics and the mentally ill were often brought to court and accused of being werewolves, then put to death. Is that crazy, or what?

From the years 1764 to 1767, an unknown entity killed upwards of 80 men, women, and children. The creature was described as a giant wolf by the sole survivor of the attacks, which ceased after several wolves were killed in the area. Wolves were still found in England as late as 1600, but became extinct by 1680 due to mass hunting caused by irrational fear.

Let’s say that, thanks to some stroke of good or ill fortune you become a werewolf. It’s great at first – your senses are heightened, you command obedience from every dog you see, and every full moon you get to tear up the lawn of your most hated person! But, after discovering that every full moon you grow hair faster than you can shave it off, you realize that this is really going to kill your social life to the point that it won’t take too long to organize a werewolf-hunt. What the hell are you gonna do now?

There aren't many known effective cures, but then again, they're not real, right? So there's no need to worry about that." He wasn't quite finished speaking when he heard the bell ring. Letting out a sigh, he turned his attention back to the class. "Okay, there's no actual homework tonight, but I suggest you start reading up on the Phoenix. We'll start that Monday."

His words most likely fell on deaf ears as he watched the kids scramble out of the classroom like rats deserting a sinking ship. It wasn't as though he could blame them. He hated school when he was their age. Why was he teaching then? Fate was a bitch, that's why. He smiled inspite of himself. His classes today had been like a living hell. Most of them hadn't a clue as to what he had been talking about and only about half of the homework he'd recieved had been in anyway passable. He needed to be a lot more strict with the kids, but he just couldn't find the heart to follow through with it.

After he had put everything away, he headed out of the room and started down the hallway. 'Damn kids,' he thought viciously to himself as someone slammed into him and trampled on his foot. He held on tightly to the book in his arms. They were the new text books that had been recommended to him for next year and he had to review them before sending them back. He hated the research aspect. It was boring and tedious, but someone had to do it.

He quickly found out he'd been headed in the wrong direction and tried to turn back. This proved to be harder than he'd thought. The boys were pushing each other around and were raming into everything and everybody. As he made it past the giggling girls, he felt someone shoved right into him. Dakota's back collided with a hard wooden door and he soared through it falling flat on his ass. As he looked around, he saw he was now outside. This was just perfect. "Son of a Bitch!" He got up, dusted himself off, and headed back inside.

tagged: open
outfit: here.
words: 608
notes: meh...

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[Stefan Salvatore]

Mythology class. Why was he in here again? He wasn't even sure why it was in the curriculum. Wasn't this course more suited for college? Oh well. It was in his schedule and he wasn't about to ditch---no matter how appealing the thought was. At least he had remembered to feed before school today. The few times that he had let himself run late, the day had been torture and he had had to practically stay in the shadows, fearing that he would lose control and attack someone. And that was something that he couldn't allow to happen. He was doing really good so far---he had only had one set back and that was after Elena had fed him her blood to help him after he had been injured---and seeing as how Mystic Falls was still standing with most of its population intact, he counted that as a win.

Stefan leaned back in his seat and let his mind wander a bit but still kept his focus as the teacher---Mr. Shay---continued his lecture. They were talking about werewolves, but from what the teacher was saying, it was just basic stuff: reflexes, strength, etc. Were werewolves even real? Of course he had seen movies and had read about them in books, but whether or not they were real, he had no clue. He hoped they weren't real. That was the last thing they needed.

When class was finally over, Stefan gathered up his books, put them in his backpack, and slung the pack over his shoulder before heading out behind Mr. Shay. I wonder if I could find one of the gang, he mused to himself. However, they probably weren't here today. The last he had heard, Caroline was still in the hospital, and they had probably opted to visit her instead. Not that he could blame them. If it was one of his friends in the hospital, he'd want to keep an eye on them too.

As he walked down the hall, Stefan noticed the mythology teacher heading back in the direction he had just come from. He either forgot something or he realized he was going the wrong way, he thought to himself. However, it was none of his business and besides, he had to get to his next class. Then, he let a silent scoff as he shook his head. Imagine that, a vampire worried about high school classes. And yet, that was the complex puzzle known as his life. He could've very well just chucked the whole school thing in favor of embracing the vampire lifestyle as Damon had---and he could admit, he was tempted to do so sometimes---but if he had, he never would've gotten to know Elena or her friends. So, all in all, it had worked out.

His thoughts were broken when he heard a crashing noise followed by Mr. Shay's voice as he let out a curse. That doesn't sound good, he thought to himself and then headed in the direction he had heard the noise, going as fast as possible without using his vampire speed. When he finally reached his destination, he saw the teacher coming back in.
"This obviously isn't your day," he commented. "You okay?" he asked.

[Dakota Shay]

As annoyed as he was by having been shoved out, he tried hard to control it. He remembered what happened the last time he’d let his temper get the best of him. He’d effectively managed to set fire to his entire apartment with nary a match in sight. That was fun trying to explain to the Fire Marshall. He’d learned, after Tamera, to keep that aspect of himself as well hidden as he could. The last thing he needed was an angry mob marching across the town square with torches and pitchforks shouting “Witch!”

Still, if he found himself angry about it later, he could always write up a surprise quiz. Those were always entertaining. He’d seen several students go white as a sheet when he’d said it was worth a third of their grade for the semester and it was on material they hadn’t even covered yet. It hadn’t actually been worth more than extra credit, but at the time, he was making a point and needed to appear firm.

The only students he actually managed to be strict with were the football players. Most teachers were lax with them, figuring they had enough on their plate with a sport, let alone a class, or, God forbid, homework. He felt the exact opposite. If they couldn’t manage to even play a decent game then they deserved no special treatment and if anything, he was harder on them. Though he had to deal with them sometimes four hours a day between classes and practice, so he’d earned the right.

He inspected the book he’d had with him for any signs of damage. It survived the assault. He sighed in relief. That was one less thing off his mind. He was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of someone talking to him. “I’ll live.” It was a standard answer, but it wasn’t exactly something he needed to elaborate on. He tucked the book under his arm and looked over at the kid. "Salvatore, isn't it?" Even without any extrasensory ability, he had the advantage of having seen him during practice. "Don't you have somewhere you're supposed to be?"

tagged: Stefan/open
outfit: here.
words: 373
notes: meh...

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[Stefan Salvatore]

Well, from what he could see, the guy wasn't too hurt. He just looked more annoyed than anything. Not that he could really blame him. He had heard the crash, which had sounded pretty bad, though he wasn't quite sure how it had happened. It could've been a fight, but the teacher wasn't showing any signs of having been involved in an altercation and he hadn't heard anything of the sort. Okay, granted, he hadn't been paying attention, so he could've missed it going down, but he highly doubted that. He had been so on edge since the events of the Founder Day had occurred that he had been tuning into even the slightest hint of trouble.

Okay, so some type of fight was out. But then, what had happened exactly? Well, at least there wasn't any blood, so that was a plus. He wasn't sure if he could've handled dealing with human blood again so soon after his last slip up. True, he hadn't killed anyone, but he still caused a lot of damage and had even nearly hurt Elena. Which was partly why he hadn't been to the hospital to visit Caroline, as well as wanting to give Elena some time alone with her friend. I can't take that kind of a chance, he thought himself as visions of the last time he had lost control danced through his mind.

In some ways, he envied Damon's ability to "Snatch, eat, and erase" as he called it without losing control and going freakin' psycho. He could feed to his heart's content, and then go on with his life. But not him. If he had even one drop of human blood, he lost it. Why is that? he wondered, not for the first time. Why was it that every other vampire that he had met could feed on humans with restraint but he couldn't? It just didn't make any sense.

Then Stefan realized that Mr. Shay was talking to him again, asking his last name.
"Yeah...Stefan Salvatore," he confirmed. When the man asked him if he didn't have anywhere he was supposed to be, he gave out a shrug. "I thought I had forgotten something and was about to go in check when I saw you here and the door open," he responded. He couldn't very well reveal to the guy that he had heard the sound of the crashing. He was supposed to be a normal high school student and normal kids couldn't hear the sound of their teacher crashing through something. "So, is everything okay?" he asked, stepping past the man and walking to where he had been sitting, making a show of looking for something. He wasn't sure it this was going to convince Mr. Shay of what he had been saying, but at least he could say he put in the effort. If the guy was truly okay---which he had a feeling he was if his scent was anything to go by---he would have to go soon so that he didn't blow his cover.

Note: Can I just say kudos for the Pink Floyd reference in the title?

[Dakota Shay]

I can’t believe I’m doing this. Teaching high school? It’s absurd! Koda thought to himself. Considering that he wasn't the one learning here, he was pretty nervous. This was the first teaching job he'd ever held. Unless you counted student internships that were mandatory for graduation. Oh well, he'd gotten himself into this mess and he was the only one who could be held accountable. Small price to pay for keeping secrets. Some days he wished he was back doing what he thought he did best. Big cities tended to foster big dreams and New Orleans was a magical place to begin with. They had Mardi Gras, jazz, voodoo, riverboats, all designed to keep the illusion of mystery. If he'd been born anywhere else, he might have turned out differently.

Music was everywhere. You heard it when you went down the street, in café's, bars, clubs, didn't matter where you went, it was a;ways there. No surprise he'd become interested at a young age. No matter how rebellious he acted in general, it was the one thing he had focused discipline at. He'd spend hours in his room learning new songs on the guitar. The lessons had been a birthday present from his grandmother. When he'd first learned about chords and such, the first thing he did was run and try to explain it to his friends. Those friends would later become his band-mates.

He missed them. Not so much the parties and the groupies and the money, though all of those things were a bonus. It was the people. He hadn't contacted them since he'd moved to this town. For one, he didn't want Tamera to find him and for another they wouldn't get his new life at all. Funny when you reach a point where you realize exactly what your friends are like. It was best to leave them be for now. His attention was brought back to the present when the kid spoke up. "Well, for every cat that curiosity killed, an intellectual has thrived from it. Cat, the other brain food…"

Very little got past him and psychic ability only enhanced that fact. However, he found the pantomime of searching for something non-existent mildly amusing so he let that slide for the moment. "I'm fine. Look, kid, if you want a hug the guidance counselor's office is right down the hall."

tagged: Stefan/open
outfit: here.
words: 417
notes: meh...

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[Stefan Salvatore]

Okay, this was getting a bit old. He could only pretend to be looking for something for so long. And it wasn't like he could compel a teacher to think that he hadn't been late for class. Not only was there a chance that the compulsion wouldn't work due to his diet, it was just plain wrong. Wrong. He let out a scoff at that. He couldn't believe he was actually thinking like that. Not that he had changed his mind about it being wrong to compel someone, but that he was actually considering it. Then again, he supposed that getting blasted by a witch's device that was supposed to kill you could make a person change their perspective on a few things. Like compulsion, for example. But that's all it was. An example. He was the good brother. Stefan let out an inaudible scoff. Good? Who was he kidding? As a Ripper, he had been worse than Damon. He had been so bad that he had blocked what he had done from his memory. So why was he trying to convince himself that he was good?

He gave himself a mental shake as he realized that Mr. Shay was talking again, saying that for every cat that was killed by curiousity, it helped an intellectual thrive, calling the cat brain food.
"Didn't you know? Curiousity was framed," Stefan quipped. He then rolled his eyes as the man assured him that he was fine and that if he wanted a hug, he should go down to the guidance counselor. Now there was a man who would be worth breaking his diet for. He was a complete idiot and easily fooled. But then again, he meant well. "Well, since I apparently didn't leave something here, I'll be going," he stated and then walked out, determined to put the conversation behind him.