A blinding white light hit her eyes when she first opened them. Gradually adjusting to the bright surroundings, Melanie sat up much surprised at when and how she got there. She was in a hospital room, laid down in a white bed and covered up with blankets. A heart rate monitor was positioned close by the bed and a drip was attached to her arm.

She had absolutely no idea what had happened that had resulted in her being in such a worse state and admitted in a hospital. Her whole body ached and the drowsiness from the sedatives used on her was still clouding over her senses as she found that she could not remember anything from yesterday nor even from the night before. 

Suddenly the door opened and a nurse entered. She was carrying a folder which probably held her details and seeing her sitting up, she came quickly to her, "Miss Grace, how are you feeling now?"

The name rung a bell somewhere in her mind but she couldn't clearly think at the moment. "Where am I?" she asked in a choked raspy voice.

"You are in the city hospital, Ma'am," the nurse replied.

"But... Why?"

She checked the folder for her questions, "well right here it says you were found at Redwood road badly injured in a vehicle crash. Two other victims were found dead and you were brought straight to the hospital. Among your belongings we only found an ID card and a phone. So we have called a friend of yours here too."

Redwood Road didn't sound in the least familiar. She was sure there was no such road anywhere in Virginia and that was the last spot she could think of her being in, everything else was just a blank haze to her.

"But where am I? What city is this? What state am I in?"

The nurse eyed her a little suspiciously, "I think you probably hit your head a little harder and received a minor memory loss. You are in San Francisco, in northern California. If you say so we can send your friend in. Maybe she could help in making things clear for you."

She only nodded in reply. Truth be told, she was a lot confused. 

A short while later, a woman with light brown hair and deep brown eyes entered the room. She was dressed in a long overcoat and looked genuinely troubled for her. But the problem was that Melanie couldn't recognize her at all.

The nurse left them both together after explaining a little to the visitor that the patient might not be able to recognize her instantly so she would have to work on it.

"I'm Andie Star," she extended her hand and Mel shook it after a little consideration.

"Do I know you?"

"You know me very well, in fact. My elder sister was your mother's best friend and we've known each other for years," Andie replied cheerfully.

While in reality it was nowhere close to the truth. Andie had been Damon's girlfriend for a short time and currently she was the person Damon had sent along with Mel to San Francisco in order to make sure she was safe and also report back how she was coping with it all to him.

She had been instructed to pose as Melanie's friend as well as the house's caretaker and to assure her that she was Alyssa Grace who had lived her whole life in San Francisco and also to keep her away from coming back to Mystic Falls.

The Salvatore brothers had made up a whole story for Melanie to fit in the city with her new identity. A few people had to be compelled, a few things removed from Damon's old home and it was to be her current residence in San Francisco.

It was the same house the three of them used to live together in before Stefan left for Mystic Falls, Virginia. And while there was some risk in sending Mel back to that very place, Damon had made sure to keep the threat of her suspecting anything close to minimal.

"I'm so sorry but I think it will take me some time getting used to all of this," she stated when Andie brought her to their current home after she was discharged.

"That's alright, I can understand," she smiled at her kindly and Alyssa returned the gesture.

Surprisingly for her, she adjusted quite well in her new life. She found enrollment papers to a university and all her forms in one of the cupboards. Andie was doing quite a good job in directing her around town as there was a time she used to formerly live there as well so she was well aware of all the places.

On the other hand, Damon had been notified that Mel was much better than before and his plan was working without fail which somehow put him at ease a bit. True, he still felt horrible for all that had happened to Mel because of him. But it made him feel a little better to know that she was far away and safe from all the hazards of the Supernatural world. She would never have to worry about Klaus or Katherine and she would never have to be the one to put up with a dangerously impulsive vampire like him.

Melanie Salvatore, now using the new identity of Alyssa Grace, started university classes and being busy with studies and new friends kept her mind off past memories. At some nights she would wake up from strangely vivid nightmares but paid them little heed as her quite hectic schedule didn't allow her to dwell on such things.

It was a new start for her and she was willing to make the best out of it and also the most as possible.

However she felt an odd feeling of nostalgia whenever she crossed by that huge room Andie always kept locked. Whenever she passed by that door, it seemed to her as if there had been something in there, something waiting for her to find out. 

It seemed as if a secret was lying there buried deep and something horrible could happen if she uncovered it.