"The lighting in the hallways isn't very forgiving, but the windows in the cafeteria? I'm really looking forward to developing the ones I took here. But I am hoping I'll be able to do something with the hallway photos, I read about this cool technique in an old issue of Popular Photography..." She pauses, realises she's rambling, "Uh. I'm sorry. I'm Juliet. Wanna be partners?"

"I think I do. Matt Daehler."

He offers her his hand.

She shakes his hand, acting very professional. But then cracks a small smile. "Please poke me next time I start rambling. Sometimes I get to a certain point and there's no stopping me. I just, uh, photography is my thing, you know?"

"Oh, I know. I should show you my portfolio sometime."

"I'd love to see it. And ditto. Though, kinda depends what sort of imagery you're okay with seeing. I have.. a tendency towards the... morbid? That's not the right word. I can show you some of my safe for work stuff, if you prefer."

"I wonder what else we have in common?"

"A taste for Shakespeare, dear Juliet?"

"Why thou art so fair?" She laughs, "Please. I was raised on it. My dad is obsessive like that."

"Trade you. Hamlet, Antigone, and the Orestia are probably my favorite plays."

"I'm a sucker for Hamlet and also Macbeth. And uh. When We Dead Awaken."

"Are you. I've always had trouble with Ibsen, but I know a good writer when I see one. Speaking of, we should get back to these lame exercises."

Indeed, the exercises listed on the board are reasonably insipid.

-Discuss something exciting that happened over the summer

-Tell your partner something unique about your family

-Share a happy childhood memory

"Uh, maybe a little lame. But. I'll start?" Beat. "So this summer was really exciting actually. My cousin and I managed to convince my dad to let me attend high-school. I was home-schooled. So yeah, it was a big thing. In celebration we went down to the water hole on our property and had barbeque. It's probably super corny, but my cousin and dad are super homebodies and they're pretty much all the company I get, so them coming out with me was... nice."

"No, that doesn't sound corny at all. It's sweet. The only thing I can think of is buying a new camera."

"Ohh. What model did you get? Have you seen the new Canon? I want it so much. But also. I'm so attached to my Olympus. It would kind of feel like cheating."

"Last one broke, so. I don't like replacing them.

Only child, decent parents. Nothing too interesting with my family."

"I'm also an only child. My birth was complicated, to say the least, so it was just me and my dad. Well. And my cousin, but he's always been kind of a second dad to me, despite his age," she laughs, amused at this. "The Salvatore's have been around since the Founding of Beacon Hills, that's interesting, right?"

"I'd say it counts. I didn't know you were a part of our town's history. Tell me more."

"It's a tale. So much family drama. You sure you're prepared for that, Daehler?"

"I'm a big fan of family drama, as long as there's a bit of revenge mixed in."

"There's a little bit of everything." She smiles and shifts in her seat, lowering her tone dramatically, "So picture this, it's 1864 and it starts out with a girl, as most stories do. She was beautiful, and as wicked as one can be. She shows up a little after we've put our pegs down in the ground here in Beacon Hills. And she very nearly wiped out the whole Salvatore family, the whole town, actually. Do you know this one?"

"Not this particular fatal woman. Go on."

"Her name was Katerina Petrova, though by that point she was going by Katherine Pierce. She showed up one night on the edges of Beacon Hills, alone and frightful. And very expertly managed to worm herself an invitation to stay in the Salvatore Manor, with Giuseppe Salvatore himself, my many many times Grandfather. He'd recently lost his wife, see, so I don't really think it was all that innocent on his part." She makes a face.

"I can imagine. Why was she worming her way in?"