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Post by yolanda7g on Sept 16, 2010 19:54:40 GMT -8
 So I put out my hand and I asked for some help
(We tore down the walls I built around myself )
I WAS STRUCK BY THE LIGHT AND I FELL TO THE GROUND - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -The last bell of the day rang but Alaric was still stuck in his class room. A hand to his forehead, his eyes scanned the answers of yet another student who didn't know the difference between the confederacy and the union during the civil war...even though they went over it in class about a good 10 times. Really, there was just no excuse for that. But then again, a lot of things have been going on in Mystic Falls recently. Founders Day, for instance.
He knew that a few others got hurt in Mystic Falls' efforts to rid the town of vampires that night. Stefan and Damon even got caught up in the mix. But from where Alaric was sitting, it seemed to do more damage than good. Caroline was sent to the hospital after Taylor got into an accident, and the mayor was dead.
Yeah. Some of the kids might be just a little distracted.
Alaric thought that maybe he should have postponed the test but it was too late now. He resolved to just put a curve on the test grade.
He flipped through the stack of ungraded tests and saw one student didn't even bother to finish all the questions.
Yeah. These guys needed a break.
Alaric continued grading but then heard someone at the door of his classroom. He looked up. "Hey," he greeted. "Need something?"
( S T A T U S ? !) Done!
( N O T E S ? !) 2nd post as Alaric woot!
( C R E D I T ? !) this lovely code was made by dear joey AKA xoxsilvermoonox of the lovely CAUTION 2.0 don't steal this or else I will send my rabid heffalumps and woozles after you!! (: the lyrics are by papa roach |
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Post by revan on Sept 16, 2010 22:44:27 GMT -8
 
Meredith headed down the hall, the soft thuds of her shoes finally starting to reach her ears as the other students filed out of the building. This high school was on of the few places Meredith had never been before. She had moved just before high school had started, one of the things her parents figured would help with the move. The fact that she was going to have to get used to a new school anyway. Except that here she would have had her friends with her to enjoy the ride with. That would have made things a lot easier on her.
Nevertheless, that wasn't how things had happened. And it didn't do any good dwelling on them. She was here now and would be finishing the rest of her time at high school here. Normally, it was a bit late in the semester for new students. But Meredith's parent's had some pull around here - after all, her family had lived in Mystic Falls since it was founded. Plus, she had great grades and schools had a tendency to welcome the type of people that increased their grade point average. She was kind of looking forward to it too. It would be nice to go to school with her friends again. It had been so long since they had, it felt like forever. But now it'll be just like old times.
Meredith looked down at her schedule. Today she just needed to go around and introduce herself to her teachers. Unfortunately, the school decided to make her do this now, instead of just before class. Probably so the teachers had more time to look over her grades from her last school. She had mostly A's though, so she wasn't really worried about that. Looking at her list, she saw the next name. 'A. Saltzman', the history teacher. She didn't remember anyone with the name 'Saltzman' living in Mystic Falls before. He or she must have moved to town within the past four years. Perfectly sensible, but she couldn't imagine this place getting many immigrants.
She arrived at the door of his or her classroom and saw a man sitting at the desk, whom she assumed was Mr. Saltzman. At least he was still in, Meredith was worried being sent out so late would make her miss all of the teachers she was suppose to meet. She had managed to get to most of them while the last period was still going and talked to them while the other students were busy. She had got a few stares, but staring had never bothered her before. Now though, the final bell had rung and some teachers would have bolted by now. Mr. Saltzman was not one of them, apparently.
As Meredith walked in through the door way, the man looked up. He had a ruggedly handsome face that still managed some boyish charm - an unusual combination, but she was sure it had something to do with the stubble. One thing was for sure, he didn't look like your usual history teacher. Her last history teacher had fit all the stereotypes. Old, bald, glasses, and a tendency to drone on and on. His classes were only good for curing insomnia. However, this guy was so far the exact opposite. Hiring a handsome man as a history teacher - the girls in this town must be experts by now. He'd certainly have Meredith's attention.
Though there was something else about his features. Something... familiar. Meredith racked her brain for this handsome face, but it wasn't coming to her. She also racked her brain for the name 'Saltzman', maybe he actually did live here before. But she couldn't place him. But still, it was nagging at her. Another thing that was odd was her lack of nerves. Not that she had been nervous meeting her other teachers, but she did have some of the 'meeting someone for the first time' jitters. But there was none of that here. She actually felt quite comfortable looking into that face.
"Hey. Need something?"
"Not especially." Meredith replied dryly. She gave him a small smile and walked forward to his desk. Her confidence exuded itself in her steps. She stopped before him and stood there with perfect posture in all of her five foot nine glory. She looked like she could be a model, though she wore no makeup. Her face didn't need any help to look beautiful. Her dark eyes gazed out past her heavy black eyelashes; her dark brunette hair cascaded down and curtained her olive colored face. Her skin's naturally darker tone lightened by a slight paleness. Her appearance and mannerisms gave the impression she was much older then she actually was. As did her mature personality. She was often mistaken for an adult and it was repeatedly a surprise for people to hear that she was only seventeen. Her slender fingers held out her schedule and the notes on her grades from her last school.
"Mr. Saltzman? My name is Meredith and I will be in your class for what's left of the semester." she told him. Her eyes continued to study his face with their piercing gaze as she continued trying to figure out who this man was. Standing closer now only strengthened the feeling that she knew that face. And the feeling of being completely comfortable in his presence did as well. That one was even weirder then the former. What caused that? Was it possibly just because he was handsome? She did find herself quite taken by those blue eyes of his, and yet it seemed the feeling stemmed from more then a simple physical attraction. Meredith continued her thoughts over all of this as she patiently waited for Mr. Saltzman to look over the papers. Her eyes never leaving his face as she studied it. Though she wasn't entirely sure this was just because she was trying to remember it from somewhere and not also because she found him attractive and was enjoying it.
TAG: Alaric
WORDS: [/color] 1021 LYRICS:[/color] drumming song by florence and the machine OUTFIT:[/color] ClickyNOTES:[/color] I'm getting carried away a lot today XD CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size] |
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Post by yolanda7g on Sept 17, 2010 10:51:15 GMT -8
So I put out my hand and I asked for some help
(We tore down the walls I built around myself )
I WAS STRUCK BY THE LIGHT AND I FELL TO THE GROUND - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Alaric watched as the new student entered the room and something about her was just very familiar. Something about her face. It was strange because every since he came to Mystic Falls everything was always fairly new to him. New school, new faces, new everything. This sudden familiarity was something very different, and something he couldn't exactly pinpoint. Nonetheless, she walked into the room confident, very confident for someone who had just entered new, uncharted territory. Tall and lean, she had a striking look about her, so striking that she didn't even look like a student.
"Not especially."
[/color] she responded as she approached his desk. Alaric put his pen down and sat back in his chair, giving her a friendly smile and his full attention. What was it about this girl? He decided to let it go for now, it'll come to him eventually. "Mr. Saltzman? My name is Meredith and I will be in your class for what's left of the semester."[/color] She handed him notes from her last school. Alaric took them and flipped through it briefly before looking up at her again. "Well," he said in his deep, but still very non-threatening voice. "Welcome to Mystic Falls High, Meredith." Alaric returned his attention to the papers and looked at them more carefully. Sure, he looked over them for reference, and it seemed as if she was a pretty solid student...but he wasn't inclined to let that influence anything. New town, flesh slate. "So Meredith, are you finding your way around here pretty well? Moving from the city to here must be something else. Busy and bustling to small and quaint. That's got to be something to get used to. "He dropped the papers on his desk and looked up, seeing her pointed gaze. Alaric gave a small grin, furrowing his brow curiously. And then again, the question popped up, where have I seen her before?"Wait. Have I...have I seen you around before? Maybe one of your relatives?" It was a silly question. Of course he hadn't, she was new. But he had to ask anyway. "You just look...very familiar for some reason."[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center] (T A G ? !) Meredith
( S T A T U S ? !) Done!
( M O O D ? !) Feelin like dancin 
( C R E D I T ? !) this lovely code was made by dear joey AKA xoxsilvermoonox of the lovely CAUTION 2.0 don't steal this or else I will send my rabid heffalumps and woozles after you!! (: the lyrics are by papa roach |
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Post by revan on Sept 17, 2010 11:57:13 GMT -8
"Thank you." Meredith replied to his greeting. Her gaze continued to watch him as he took a second more thorough look through her papers. She was beginning to wonder if her time living in New York had simply cause faces to blend together. Maybe she didn't know him at all and he just looked familiar because she had seen one or several people that looked similar to him in the city. There were so many people there, it seemed a possible theory. One could easily make such a mistake, it probably happened to a lot of people. It could easily explain this away.
Except Meredith didn't believe that in the slightest. She was not some easily influenced insecure girl. She did not simply buy into quick fixes for difficult problems. She knew who she was, and she knew that she was not making a mistake. She had seen Mr. Saltzman's face before, and that comforting feeling wasn't a phantom either. There was something here, Meredith just needed to figure out just what that was. And she had no problem with that. She liked a good mystery, though all this one needed was for her memory to stop failing her. She figured she needed something more to work off of though. She knew his face, that much was clear. But she needed more to go off of.
Meredith listened very carefully to him as he spoke. She was hoping that something he said or his voice would help trigger the right memory. His voice had a soothing quality to it, much like his appearance. It wasn't his voice exactly that was soothing, but something about it was just comforting. Like a light in a dark nightmare... Yes, nightmare. That word seemed to fit for some reason. But how? Meredith doubted very much she had dreamed about him before now, so how did a nightmare fit?
He went on asking about how she was adjusting to the small town, which she found pretty amusing. Having grown up here, she felt more at home now than she had ever felt in New York. That had been an adjustment, this was just a return to the familiar. Give her a couple of days to get updated on the changes that had happened over the past four years and she'd be perfectly integrated again. Not that would Mr. Saltzman know any of this, so Meredith didn't fault him. His was made out of light concern and an attempt to comfort if she really was having trouble. This only connected him more in her memory. She knew before he spoke that he was the comforting type and now she had proof. Now she just needed to place him...
And then the bigger shocker of it. He recognized her? Meredith's outward reaction was contained. Her eyebrows knitted slightly in confusion. Internally however, she had had a full reaction of shock. Okay, it was definite - she had met him before. But when? Where? Her eyes were all the more studying now as she gazed at him. Her face was an open book of her mind, expressing her puzzlement and attempt to figure it all out.
"Actually..." Meredith responded, wondering where she should go with her words to help with this mystery, "I grew up in this town. My family moved away around four years ago, but we just moved back recently." she told him.
"I feel like I've met you before too..." she confessed, "How long have you lived here, Mr. Saltzman?" she added. She figured she might as well ask that first, though she was fairly certain he hadn't been living here when she had. But maybe she could find something that would give her her answer.
TAG: Alaric
WORDS: [/color] 630 LYRICS:[/color] drumming song by florence and the machine OUTFIT:[/color] ClickyNOTES:[/color] Also fyi - the grandfather that was attacked was her mother's father, so her last name won't be recognized. :P CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size] |
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Post by yolanda7g on Sept 17, 2010 12:58:28 GMT -8
So I put out my hand and I asked for some help
(We tore down the walls I built around myself )
I WAS STRUCK BY THE LIGHT AND I FELL TO THE GROUND - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Actually...I grew up in this town. My family moved away around four years ago, but we just moved back recently."
"Huh," Alaric said and nodded, still trying to recognize her face in the back of his memories. He wasn't really inclined to search his memories lately. As far as he was concerned, he was moving forward from the past. Some sense of liberation that seemed to come from absolutely no where. Did it come from discovering Damon Salvatore and what he did to his ex-wife? Couldn't have. Damon was still alive and his ex was a vampire who eventually left him a second time. Not something to feel liberated about. In fact, he should feel really shitty about it. But he felt...he felt fine about the whole ordeal and he wasn't exactly sure why.
So when he thought back to his times with Isobel, which took up most of his memories unfortunately, he felt really uneasy about it. He wasn't hurt, he wasn't resentful, he was okay with it all. That still didn't sit right with him. But it was what it was. At any rate, still couldn't recognize the name Meredith Sulez or her face in those memories.
"I feel like I've met you before too...How long have you lived here, Mr. Saltzman?"
Alaric shrugged a bit and casually crossed his arms over his chest, adjusting himself in the chair. "Not long actually." It was strange, she recognized him too. So he must've seen her from somewhere. "Just moved here. Let's just say I've successfully earned the title of 'The New Replacement History Teacher.' Apparently its pretty prestigious around here. Kind of like the Mr and Miss Falls of academics. " He grinned and laughed a bit before returning a more pointed gaze at her, studying her face again.
"You know, this is going to bug the heck out of me," he said, baffled, referring to their mutual recognition. "But just to cover all bases, just in case, nice to meet you again." He smiled at her, leaned forward and picked up her papers again, just to take another glance.
"I think you'll do well in this class. And..lets say you have met me before. If you have you'll probably figure out sooner or later that if you tell me you're absolutely excited to learn about ancient civilizations, wars, and social hierarchies...well...first I'll probably accuse you of lying. Then I'll probably give you a bit of extra credit." He looked at her and grinned, just to see if she was just as amused at his humor as he was. "Just a heads up."
Then another question dawned on him and he paused, his grin dropping. "Wait. You haven't met a woman by the name of Isobel by any chance, have you?"
( S T A T U S ? !) Done!
( M O O D ? !) Chill
( C R E D I T ? !) this lovely code was made by dear joey AKA xoxsilvermoonox of the lovely CAUTION 2.0 don't steal this or else I will send my rabid heffalumps and woozles after you!! (: the lyrics are by papa roach |
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Post by revan on Sept 17, 2010 18:28:47 GMT -8
Meredith listened closely to Mr. Saltzman's response. So she had been correct in her belief that he hadn't been here very long. She knew she hadn't recognized the man from this town. But then where else could she have seen him before. They definitely had met before though, there was no way they could both be having this sense of deja vu otherwise. And he seemed just as put off by the connection as she did. It was always annoying when something was just on the edge of your mind and you couldn't grasp at it.
He went on to tell her he had been the replacement history teacher. She hadn't met the former, but wondered what had happened to him. Probably just moved away, she reasoned. She gave a small laugh and grin at his little joke. His eyes returned to hers and she could tell he was scanning her features in an attempt to remember, much as she was too him. He had that reading look on his face. The one of slight puzzlement and curiosity, it afflicted his features as he gazed at her with his deep blue eyes. She could feel a slight flutter make it's way through her chest as he looked at her, though her body made no acknowledgment of the feeling outwardly.
"Nice to meet you again too." she replied, smiling at his joke. He really was very charming. He went on, talking about his class and making another joke. She had never had a teacher quite like this before. Especially for a history teacher.
"I think I can honestly say I'm excited about your class." she told him with her usual dryness. Though a smile was present on her pink lips. While she didn't mind history at all, it was easy for people like her with a (usually) good memory, she wasn't a nut about the subject. Didn't mean she was lying though, she really was looking forward to this class now. Any subject could be made infinitely more interesting when taught by a handsome and charming man.
Then Mr. Saltzman went a different direction, randomly asking a question. Isobel? That actually did sound familiar. Where had she heard that name before? It wasn't a name she had heard often in her life, that was for sure. She couldn't remember meeting anyone in New York with that name, nor did she remember it from here in Mystic Falls. But then where did she know it from? Meredith put all of her facts together: Familiar face, familiar voice, that comforting feeling, seemingly no connection to either Mystic Falls or New York, the name Isobel, Mr. A. Saltzman...
"Wait..."
Meredith's mind was pulled back to a memory from a long time ago. She was around nine or ten and her parents had taken her to visit her grandfather. Unfortunately, he was having one of his 'bad days'. Meredith still had a lot of fear in her mind when he was like that. All stemming back to when he had tried to attack her when she was four. She had not been any better at dealing with it when she was ten either and when her grandfather had flipped, it had understandably scared her. Her parents had left her on the bench in the hall and went into the room to try and help calm him. On this day though, her grandfather had had another visitor. A woman named Isobel, who had been a parapsychologist and was doing research on supposed vampire attacks. She also went to the room, probably to take notes about her grandfather's ranting.
However, a man had been with her. Her husband, a man named Alaric. He had sat with Meredith and talked to her, trying to comfort her through her grandfather's shouting. It had worked too, and she had been grateful for it. The memory of that night swam into her mind and she saw it clearly now. The man's face was the same one looking at her now, though a little older. 'A. Saltzman'. Alaric Saltzman. This was the man that had comforted her that day. It fit everything. It even explained why she hadn't remembered it. Her grandfather was a... sensitive subject. She avoided thinking about him as much as she could and that was why it had slipped her mind. But the name Isobel had triggered the memory. She had been the only Isobel Meredith had ever met in her life.
This explanation also showed why Mr. Saltzman didn't remember her. It had been several years ago, and puberty had a tendency to make people look different. She was no longer a small, twig-like, little girl. She was tall, slender with curves, and looked very much like an adult. Connecting her to the ten year old of the past was practically impossible, it did credit to his memory that he even saw some resemblance at all. And Meredith and her parents had left soon after her grandfather had calmed down and they hadn't talked to Isobel. There wasn't any chance for him to get their last name, and her grandfather had her mom's maiden name. Everything fit.
But now the question was what to do with the information. She had a feeling he wasn't going to figure it out himself, so she could probably keep it a secret if she wanted. It wasn't that she was worried he was going to go around blabbing to people about it, but she wasn't accustomed to talking about things like that. Especially her grandfather. Not even her best friends had even known about him. She and the rest of her family preferred to avoid the subject and pretend it didn't exist. Normally she definitely wouldn't confess her realization. In fact, she'd have counted it a blessing he didn't remember her and moved away from the subject. Except, that comforting feeling was giving her pause on that idea.
Meredith was silent a moment after his question, and she continued staring at him with her piercing gaze. She was clearly trying to figure something out, and that was what to do here. The fact was he did know about her grandfather, whether he could remember it at the moment or not. He knew, and it wasn't a big deal to him. This was actually a prime opportunity for Meredith to share it with someone. Have someone who wouldn't tell anyone or ridicule her or any of that. However, he might pity her too and she didn't want that either. But again, he already knew. If she played her cards right, she could share the secret and act like she was over it. She kinda liked the idea of this reliable confidant.
"Hmmm...." Meredith said, chewing over her words. She leaned back against one of the front row desks, still gazing at him, "Do you... remember being in Virginia before? West Virgina more specifically, about seven or eight years ago?" she asked him, just giving him a little help. She felt a bit nervous discussing this. The part of her that usually stopped her from talking about this stuff was screaming at her. But she still felt that comfort, even after all of these years. It had meant that much to her back then. And now the part that was screaming seemed far away. She could hear it, but it wasn't strong. She felt this was the closest she'd get to being able to do this, though it still wasn't easy. It never was when you put trust in someone, especially someone you didn't know all that well. Or maybe that helped make it easier?
TAG: Alaric
WORDS: [/color] 1308 LYRICS:[/color] drumming song by florence and the machine OUTFIT:[/color] ClickyNOTES:[/color] Saw what you said in Cbox - I'm enjoying it too :D CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size] |
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Post by yolanda7g on Sept 18, 2010 12:52:04 GMT -8
So I put out my hand and I asked for some help
(We tore down the walls I built around myself )
I WAS STRUCK BY THE LIGHT AND I FELL TO THE GROUND - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Alaric smiled at her answers to his attempts at jokes. What a way to get on a teacher's good side - laugh at his jokes. Bonus points for that. But when Alaric asked her the question about Isobel, he gazed at her intently, anticipating her answer. What ever would come out of her mouth at this point would be interesting no matter what. Either the name didn't ring a bell and he met her through something else, a something else that he would have absolutely no clue about. Then he'll have a really fun time trying to figure out why his memory was spotty about it. ...or... the name did ring a bell, and this had something to do with Isobel. Then, just when he thought he was rid of her, she somehow makes it back into his life. But he figured it would be worse if he still was attached to her. But he wasn't. Not anymore.
It took Meredith a moment to answer his question, as if she was trying to figure out how to word what she was going to say next. All Alaric could do was watch and wait, his blue eyes unwavering, until she finally mustered up the words to answer him. He was really, really curious about all of this. How could he be experiencing this deja vu and not remember? Alaric was inclined to believe that he simply met a relative of hers a while ago. And with all of the stuff going on with Damon and Isobel, the vampires, the mayor...she was probably a face he forgot. Simply put, it probably wasn't on his Top Ten Things to Remember list at the time.
"Do you... remember being in Virginia before? West Virgina more specifically, about seven or eight years ago?"
Alaric continued to look at her as she leaned against the desk in the front row, his expression becoming a bit more troubled. Obviously the name Isobel triggered something for her.
Well this was just...great.
After a moment, Alaric pondered the question is his head as he stood up, went over to the classroom door and closed it. If this was about what he thought it was about, he didn't need other people catching an earful of it.
"I was doing research, and I dug up all this stuff about this small town in Virginia where I grew up," Alaric remembered Isobel telling him one night. "...every now and then, people die mysteriously. And they say that it's animal attacks except these bodies are drained of blood.....it's vampires."
Alaric walked back to the desk, his expression full of bemusement. He stayed standing, leaning against the front of his desk. He did come back to West Virgina.
"Uh...yes. I do remember." He said finally, looking up at her. He sighed heavily. "Me and my...ex-wife, Isobel. She was a parapsychologist," Was. It was strange talking about her in past tense. But it felt right. What ever who came back to town and left just as quickly...wasn't Isobel. "We went to investigate an elder man who..." he paused and really looked at Meredith, his brow furrowed. He took in a breath of realization. This was the young girl he met that day...apparently all grown up now.
"You were his granddaughter..." he said.
( S T A T U S ? !) Done!
( N O T E S? !) Lemme know if this is enough for ya to work with 
( C R E D I T ? !) this lovely code was made by dear joey AKA xoxsilvermoonox of the lovely CAUTION 2.0 don't steal this or else I will send my rabid heffalumps and woozles after you!! (: the lyrics are by papa roach |
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Post by revan on Sept 18, 2010 22:54:09 GMT -8
Meredith watched Mr. Saltzman carefully for his reaction. She was still attempting to ignore her nervousness as it tried to manifest itself physically, but she gave no quarter. She was perfectly still, her eyes continuing their study of the man. She was like a hawk, forever vigilant in her stare. Her dark eyes taking in every inch of the man, looking for that sign of recognition. The tells that would indicate he remembered her. She doubted he would hide it from her like she had considered doing from him. He had no reason to, from what she could tell. But she would take no chances with this. She didn't want someone running around with her secret and hiding the fact they knew from her.
Mr. Saltzman got up and walked over to the door. Meredith watched him curiously as he closed it, though wasn't complaining. Did he remember and was trying to keep people from over hearing them talk about it? His face didn't look like he had had a realization. It looked more... careful. Like they were on a dangers subject with their conversation. This didn't make sense though. She couldn't see any reason for him to want to keep this secret if he hadn't remembered what she was talking about. What exactly was on his mind that he wanted to hide? He definitely seemed troubled by whatever it was.
He walked back to his desk, but instead of sitting he walked to the front and leaned against it. He was now standing fairly close to her. Her heart jittered in her chest and her physical attraction to the man sent heat spreading up her spine and through her chest and neck. She pulled herself up on the desk, fully sitting on it now, in an attempt to not be quite so close to him. Her nervousness over him figuring out her secret was enough to handle at the moment, she didn't need her usually calm demeanor shattered because of her attraction to him. Once they were past the whole 'big secret' thing, then she could handle the other thing. One step at a time.
"Uh...yes. I do remember."
Did he? He still hadn't had that showing of realization flash across his face, so either he hadn't figured out exactly what she had meant or he was even better at keeping a 'poker face' then she was. And she was an expert at it, Meredith was someone you really didn't want to play poker with. Unless you liked losing all of your money.
"Me and my...ex-wife, Isobel. She was a parapsychologist,"
Meredith attempted to ignore the sudden uncontrollable joy that hit her when he said 'ex'-wife. How 'school girl' of her to be happy about that. Especially when he said 'was'. That could mean several things, but one of them was that she had died. Though Meredith didn't know why he wouldn't have said 'late wife' if he was a widower. Looking at the terminology suggested they had separated and that was it. Though none of this was relevant to anything. Just a curse of being eighteen, your hormones got the better of you sometimes. Meredith shoved her feelings away again and continued listening to the story.
"We went to investigate an elder man who..."
There it was. A small smile played on Meredith's lips. That was what she had been waiting for, there was that moment of realization. Now he remembered, she was sure of it. The question was though, since he hadn't guess earlier, why did he close the door? Meredith's guess was it had something to do with his ex-wife. She was the only other major factor involved. And he had only closed the door after Meredith had more or less confirmed she knew who the woman was. But then what was so secret about his ex-wife?
"You were his granddaughter..."
"Bingo." Meredith replied, giving Mr. Saltzman a wry smile, "I guess this is when we break out into song with a fabulous rendition of 'It's a small world after all'. I hope you're a bass." she added dryly. A little humor. She was hoping to quickly break any tension over the situation. Meredith was certainly feeling plenty of it. She had just allowed him to remember one of her biggest secrets; she was putting a lot of trust in him. More then she was accustomed to, but better this then he remembering later and it getting out before she could talk to him about it. This was the best way to control it. On top of that, she had just given a guy she was crushing on the mental image of her as a ten year old. Not exactly the direction you want to take in that case.
"Look, Mr. Saltzman... I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself. What happened to my grandfather isn't a subject my family wants getting around." she told him, hating that she had to do this. At the same time though, it was kind of a relief. She just couldn't stand showing any weakness in herself. But, despite that it happened years ago, the memory of what he had done for her back then was still strong enough to create the feelings of comfort. She felt she could trust him, and she hoped that those feelings were right.
TAG: Alaric
WORDS: [/color] 916 LYRICS:[/color] drumming song by florence and the machine OUTFIT:[/color] ClickyNOTES:[/color] Told you you gave me enough :P CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size] |
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Post by yolanda7g on Sept 19, 2010 17:53:54 GMT -8
So I put out my hand and I asked for some help
(We tore down the walls I built around myself )
I WAS STRUCK BY THE LIGHT AND I FELL TO THE GROUND - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Bingo. I guess this is when we break out into song with a fabulous rendition of 'It's a small world after all'. I hope you're a bass."
"Heh," Alaric said with a bit of a sheepish smile. "Not so much bass but I could try lead vocals," he joked. He appreciated Meredith's sense of humor, even though the topic started to get pretty serious. Remembering that day fully now, this was probably a touchy subject for her, and because of Isobel, this was a touchy subject for him. Of course, the humor was probably a way to deal with whatever memories she was conjuring up right now, but he could understand that. And it was probably a good thing. Much better than the few drinks he usually swallows up at the bar when things in life weren't exactly agreeing with him.
As far as that night, he remembered a lot of things now. The features of that little girl from several years ago were clear as he looked at Meredith. Isobel wanted to talk to the grandfather, who was convinced he'd been attacked by a vampire. He was unstable, at best, Alaric remembered thinking. And while Isobel tried to make sense of it, Alaric decided to make himself useful by comforting Meredith. She was scared and upset, understandably. Alaric looked at her now and it was almost a very different person. She had a very reserved, strong personality to her.
That night further confirmed Isobel's suspicions about vampires. But Alaric brushed it off as an elderly man who was just mentally unstable. If only he knew then what he knew now.
"Look, Mr. Saltzman... I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself. What happened to my grandfather isn't a subject my family wants getting around."
[/color] He nodded. "Yes...of course. Of course. You have my word on that. But, uh..." He paused, wondering if it was his place to ask this question. It probably wasn't. Of course, it wasn't. He was her new history teacher, in what world would it be his place? But he was also a man who has killed a vampire or two...or three. She probably will never have the chance to confide in anyone else about what happened to her grandfather or what she thought happened to her grandfather. And who knows what other things happened to her after that night. He sighed, glancing downward and then back up at her, trying to find the right way to say this. "Meredith, if you want to talk about it..." he said with some concern. "You can, you know."[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center] (T A G ? !) Meredith
( S T A T U S ? !) Done!
( M O O D? !) feelin good
( C R E D I T ? !) this lovely code was made by dear joey AKA xoxsilvermoonox of the lovely CAUTION 2.0 don't steal this or else I will send my rabid heffalumps and woozles after you!! (: the lyrics are by papa roach |
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Post by revan on Sept 20, 2010 16:03:45 GMT -8
Meredith smiled, appreciating Mr. Saltzman's lighthearted reaction to her joke. It helped keep things from getting too tense in the room. It was best to break as soon as possible. Otherwise it just builds up higher and higher until you can't even look at one another. And at that point even the best of jokes can fall flat, dying off with very nervous laughter. Which just makes everything even more uncomfortable. The tension between Mr. Saltzman and herself was lessened now, though still there. It would be impossible for them to get over it completely so fast. now, however, they could at least move on with the conversation feeling a little easier about it all. Or at least Meredith could. But from analyzing his face, she guessed the joking had helped.
Mr. Saltzman seemed to be deep in thought about something though. But from what the conversation had been so far, she wasn't entirely sure what it was that was bothering him. He couldn't be that perturbed by the concept of coincidentally running into a girl he once talked to many years later. It was a bit freaky sure, but nothing that should send someone off into brood mode. The best Meredith had for a guess still was that it was about his ex-wife. He had closed the door after she had entered the conversation and now he seemed to be partly lost in his mind. Meredith could only hypothesize on the details though; all she had to go on were his actions and facial expressions. But she was the only factor that Meredith didn't know anything about in this story and there was nothing else that should be this heavy for him. Unless she was missing something, but Meredith didn't second guess herself like that. She had her facts and she was confident in her theory.
But it still left the nagging question about his wife. Maybe it was just because he was being so nice to her, but Meredith felt the need to find out more and maybe help comfort him from whatever was bothering him. She wasn't used to being the victim, she was always the strong one. The rock everyone could use to help them get through their problems. She never let herself look for a rock. She'd probably feel a little better if this wasn't so one sided; if she could be supportive too. It would put them on a more even playing field that way. Not quite what Meredith was used too, but certainly much more preferable.
"Yes...of course. Of course. You have my word on that. But, uh..."
Meredith eyed Mr.Saltzman curiously. She watched him as he chewed over his words. He was undecided and mindful about something, but what could it be this time? This kind of put a hole in her ex-wife theory. She couldn't connect her to any part of what he was saying now. What else could he be worried about though? This bothered Meredith. She was definitely missing something, that much was evident now. There was one or more factors, some piece of information, that she didn't have and it was preventing her from figuring out the mystery. What bothered her most was that she already had a mystery like this going on. The reason her parents had moved back, the reason they gave her, was a lie. Meredith knew it and she doubted her parents thought so little of her to believe she didn't. Hence the new car she was getting. What was it she was missing from everything?
"Meredith, if you want to talk about it... You can, you know."
Was that really it? Was that what he had paused to think of saying, or was that a fall back he went to when he lost his nerve? Or maybe it was both. Considering all options, Meredith gave the idea a thought. Was the thing he had been thinking about involved involved with her grandfather? Meredith didn't like the insanity that train of thought led too. The same thoughts that got her grandfather where he was now. But nothing she could theorize down this path were viable, so she just left it. The crazy rantings of an old man didn't effect her now as they once had. She was older now; intelligent. She didn't buy wild ideas with no fact. And there was no fact, so she tossed it away.
"Thank you." she replied, "But I'm not sure what there is to talk about anymore. His mind went south before I was born, and he tried to kill my grandmother and I when I was four. That was when he was put in that hospital. He's been in there there ever since and I've had a lot of time to get used to that." she told him. She keep feel the uncomfortable feeling in her chest spreading around her body. She felt way too vulnerable right now and she hated it. But the cat was out of the bag already so she'd have to deal. She needed to get it all out, so she wouldn't have to go to this part of her anymore. Things could go back to close to normal. Meredith was the one who was there for everyone else. If only she knew how to be there for herself.
TAG: Alaric
WORDS: [/color] 910 LYRICS:[/color] drumming song by florence and the machine OUTFIT:[/color] ClickyNOTES:[/color] CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size] |
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Post by yolanda7g on Sept 21, 2010 17:26:48 GMT -8
So I put out my hand and I asked for some help
(We tore down the walls I built around myself )
I WAS STRUCK BY THE LIGHT AND I FELL TO THE GROUND - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Thank you. But I'm not sure what there is to talk about anymore. His mind went south before I was born, and he tried to kill my grandmother and I when I was four. That was when he was put in that hospital. He's been in there there ever since and I've had a lot of time to get used to that."
The bad thing about this whole situation was the fact that Alaric now knew that maybe this man wasn't completely crazy. That something could have happened to him. Was it worth rehashing, now that he was in the hospital and Meredith has moved on with her life. It was really strange how life turns out. The very thing that changed his life forever, a vampire, has effected one of his students. And since there wasn't exactly a starter's manual for how to deal with situations like this...he was at a complete loss.
On the one hand, should he let her go on thinking that her grandfather was crazy? Or does he let it go, keeping that nasty secret to himself? After all, neither of the two options were more appealing than the other. Either her grandfather was crazy on his own or driven crazy by a vampire. Not many options there. Then again, he had to ask himself would he have rather kept believing that his wife was murdered? Or was it better off that he found out the truth? He couldn't exactly say.
Plus, she seemed to be handling it pretty well. However, Alaric knew that outside appearances can definitely be deceiving. And that leads right back to the original question...did he have a place in this?
Honestly he felt that the students had much more things to worry about and, not to mention, telling her about vampires would put her in serious risk. It simply wasn't worth it. That was all the thinking he needed to do about the issue. He had made up his mind.
Nodding after she had told him all of this, he said, "Well I'm really sorry that had to happen to you. It's just that sometimes...it's pretty hard to get over something like that." He felt really strange telling her that. When he came to Mystic Falls, sure he was devastated over Isobel's death, when she came back, he had no problem getting over it. He sighed and looked at her, sincerity in his eyes. "I'm just saying that I'm here if you ever want to talk. Or vent." He smiled warmly and started moving behind his desk. " But if you want to gossip, I'm probably not to guy you want to talk to. There's probably some teacher - student code against that, and if not, I'm making one up now." He glanced at her again just to make sure that his attempt to lighten the mood worked.
"Oh and I forgot - I need to give you your first assignment since you weren't in class today. It's painless, I promise. The topic of the civil war seems to be a big hit in Mystic Falls. I wonder why." He joked sarcastically. His hand hit the desk and his ring made a clack on the surface as he bent down to look into a drawer. He pulled out a short assignment sheet and handed it to Meredith. "Feel like you're all set?" Alaric couldn't help but search her eyes or expression for any sort of doubt about what they just talked about...any sort of sign that she might have given her grand father's madness a second look...
( S T A T U S ? !) Done!
( N O T E S? !) None
( C R E D I T ? !) this lovely code was made by dear joey AKA xoxsilvermoonox of the lovely CAUTION 2.0 don't steal this or else I will send my rabid heffalumps and woozles after you!! (: the lyrics are by papa roach |
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Post by revan on Sept 23, 2010 19:15:32 GMT -8
Meredith watched Mr. Saltzman's face as he continued to look thoughtful. He clearly had been given a lot to think about from this little discussion of theirs. The question was however, what about it was making him so thoughtful? Another mystery for her to add to the list. It was starting to grow quite large. Who would have thought a small town like Mystic Falls to be so full of enigmas? And Mr. Saltzman was one of these enigmas. There was something very mysterious about him. Something was hiding behind those beautiful blue eyes. And he was definitely not your typical history teacher, that was evident.
Meredith found him very intriguing. He was handsome and mysterious. Smart and funny. He could could crack a joke at the right moment to relive tension and still take the right things seriously. He had a good heart and was wiling to look out for people, even if he didn't know them. Maybe Meredith had just gotten used to the indifference of New Yorkers, but that was a rare thing in her opinion. And it seemed her past experience with him had left her with a feeling of comfort around him. Not something she was used to feeling around people, she usually fancied herself to be the strong and protective one. On top of that, she had always been very mature for her age. That left her with an attraction to more mature, or older, guys. All in all - she had the potential to crush pretty hard here.
"I appreciate it, Mr. Saltzman." Meredith replied. She imagined that if she did, and that wasn't to say that she would, but if she did need someone to talk to about this then she'd probably turn to him. Meredith didn't need anyone else knowing this shadow of her family history. While she was sure her friends wouldn't judge her or anything like that, there was just no reason for them to find out about it. They'd probably feel sorry for her or whatever, and Meredith didn't want that. Mr. Saltzman already knew, by sheer coincidence maybe, but he did know. He said he'd keep it a secret and she believed him. That left her someone she could turn to about if she needed to by default. She didn't think she need to take him up on that offer ever, but it was nice to know she could. And she smiled, appreciative of his offer and continued attempts to keep the mood lighter.
She smiled a little bigger when he turned the topic to class and joked about the subject matter. A very interesting teacher indeed.
"I guess I'll have to look up who won that." Meredith joked in return, but in her usual serious tone that carried her own amusement at her comment. She already knew a good deal about the civil war. Her memory was good for such things. Her eyes followed the clacking sound that sounded when Mr. Saltzman's hand hit the table. She saw the large ring on his finger. An interesting looking accessory; it looked old. It geld little interest to her though and she turned her attention to the sheets of paper Mr. Saltzman was handing to her. She took them and glanced at some of the work.
"Feel like you're all set?"
Meredith looked back at him, and her expression was her usual calm and collected look. Whether she was bothered by something or not, it would be difficult to tell either way. She was an expert at keeping her feelings to herself. It's how she had always managed to remain the calm and collected one. The girl who went unphased. A facade perhaps, but one she liked to have. So far it had yet to fail in supporting people she cared about through hard times.
"I can handle this easy enough." she assured him, though wondering from his gaze if school work was the only thing that question was asking about, "Thanks again, Mr. Saltzman."
TAG: Alaric
WORDS: [/color] 680 LYRICS:[/color] drumming song by florence and the machine OUTFIT:[/color] ClickyNOTES:[/color] CREDIT:[/color] TILLY of caution 2.0.[/font][/left][/size] |
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