His [Elijah Mikaelson]

One

It was Adelaida's first day teaching at Mystic Falls High School.

She was fresh out of her master's program, and this was her first job as a fully-credentialed history teacher. Adelaida was incredibly excited for her first classes, but there was a deep anxiety hiding beneath her skin.

Adelaida was a marked submissive. There was a name behind her right ear that labelled her as someone's perfect match. That fact lit her up inside to think about. She belonged to someone. She belonged to him.

However, her mark didn't just pair her with the ideal partner. That mark meant she was a submissive, a fact that greatly affected her behavior and lifestyle. Her designation meant that Adelaida had a baser need for approval, comfort, a strong touch—essentially, Adelaida craved the presence of a dominant. She got by with the help of friends who are designated dominants, but she would never fully settle until she found her soulmate.

Despite what antiquated stereotypes might say, being a submissive doesn't mean you're an introvert. Some subs are shy and subdued in social situations. Others thrive with the feeling of an audience. Subs can be touchy and cuddly, or enjoy a wide girth of personal space. Each sub and their dom perfectly compliment each other, something that manifests differently in each couple. All submissives and all dominants have similar base needs, but they're still individual human beings with their own personalities.

Adelaida just happened to be an awkward, desperate-for-approval, soft-hearted girl with an anxiety disorder.

After finding the classroom with her name on a placard outside, she dropped her stuff on her desk and pulled out her bottle of Xanax.

She loved teaching. She loved the subject matter and the opportunity to share it with young minds. Adelaida despised public speaking, but it never bothered her to teach a class. Most of the time, students were too busy trying to understand the subject material to pay much attention to her verbal skills. Of course, that's if they were even listening at all.

What really got Adelaida reaching for her meds was the new people and place she wasn't familiar with. Thankfully, she hadn't gotten lost trying to find her classroom, but what if she needed to make copies? Where was the teachers' lounge?

With her luck, she'd be the only teacher with less than ten years of experience. She was the wide-eyed newbie, and the students would eat her alive.

Adelaida had mulled over her outfit for twenty minutes this morning. She wanted to look mature so she'd be taken seriously, but she didn't want to look like she was trying too hard. A high school was no place for a glittery cocktail dress, but she still wanted some fun to her outfit. Going back and forth while she ate breakfast, she finally settled on tailored but neutral-colored pieces with a bold lipstick to put some bounce in her attitude.

She was doubting the lipstick now.

The first couple of days set the tone for how your students will see you. If you don't capture their respect quickly, you'll never have it. Her first class will be scrutinizing her every move, detecting any weakness.

Social stigma made it difficult for subs in positions of authority. Too often people would assume being submissive meant they could walk all over you. They believed subs were meant to take orders, not give them.

They were wrong, but that didn't stop their words from affecting the lives of submissives like Adelaida. In less forward-thinking areas, Adelaida would never have gotten this job. Still, she would have to work her hardest to prove she could handle being in charge of a class. There was no room for error.

This was what had Adelaida's anxiety hitting a new high.

All too soon, the bell rang signaling the start of her first class.

—

She was managing very well.

Her words were coming out clear and strong. The students—as many as can be expected—seemed to be giving her their attention. Some of them were even quite pleasant.

Adelaida had stayed in her classroom to eat lunch. She was too nervous to worry about finding the teachers' lounge—and then finding her way back. Not to mention, how scared she was of facing the other teachers. She had enough new things to deal with today, making friends could wait.

She only had one class left for the day, and then she could pat herself on the back for her success. It was ten minutes in when that success went out the window.

One of her students, Tyler, must have figured out she was a sub. From the way he started acting, he either had a brute of a dom father, or was a brute of a dom himself. It was likely both. He seemed to sniff out every weakness she had, took note of all her triggers.

Adelaida hated the type, had dealt with plenty before. She tried to let it go, but he was skilled at what he was doing, and she couldn't stop it from getting to her. His stare was unnerving. Each comment was prodding at her basic need for approval, and Adelaida was crumbling.

Luckily, she was done lecturing. She left the students to work on a first-day introduction worksheet at their desks while she sat at her own. She'd managed to get some distance from the Lockwood boy, but Adelaida still felt that familiar anxiety creeping in on her and tunneling her vision.

Another student, Stefan—who had been a warm and friendly face throughout her lecture—noticed her distress. He approached her desk cautiously.

"Are you alright, Ms. Nogueira? Do you need something?" The boy spoke softly, getting close but allowing for her personal space.

She thought she had it under control, but as she opened her mouth to respond, it became obvious she wasn't. Her chin wavered and her breaths were inconsistent. No, she was not alright.

From her wide eyes and the unintelligible sound she let out, Stefan concluded that she needed help. With that in mind, the teen left the classroom.

Adelaida wondered what her students thought of her now.

—

Stefan headed to the administration office and found Vice-Principal Shepard. Looking at Ms. Nogueira's file, they discovered she had no dominant listed for emergencies. Shepard pulled Stefan along with her, and went looking for any dom teachers who might have a free period.