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SOMETHING'S UP

IT WAS THE SAME DREAM, THE ONE SHE'D BEEN HAVING SINCE SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL.

Only this time, the night after Mason had dropped her off at home with a tight lipped smile, there was something else. The dream was changing, so subtly that if Charlotte hadn't had that same dream every night, she would've never bat an eye to the difference.

But oh, how she spotted it so easily.

The man from her dreams, the handsome one who looked at her as though she was some rare oddity, had eyes that mimicked that of Mason Lockwood's for a split second. A flicker of golden yellow, gone so quickly before Charlotte Saint–Jermaine could even begin her babble about birthdays.

The Henry girl woke up in a cold sweat that morning, a minute before her alarm was meant to be going off. Maybe it was the dream that woke her up so viscerally, or maybe it was the soft buzzing sound coming from beneath her pillow.

Her hand lazily searched beneath the silk pillow, fingers wrapping around her phone that she swore she put on her nightstand before she'd gone to bed. Lifting it upward and noticing the familiar caller ID flash up at her, she answered.

Though, before she could get a word out, the person on the other end of the line spoke first.

"We need to talk about last night."

"Well good morning to you too, Tyler."

She heard a huff of annoyance from the boy through the phone. "Good morning," he corrected indignantly, and Charlotte had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, "but seriously, we need to talk. I feel like I'm going crazy."

Charlotte hummed, resting her head against the headboard of her bed. "You wanna talk about how your uncle's definitely an alien?"

There was a pause. "An alien? That's the best you could come up with?"

"Well I don't see you offering up any other explanations, smartass!" she snapped, her hand raking through her hair in frustration. She lowered her voice significantly, pressing the phone tighter to her ear if it was even possible. "His eyes were glowing, Ty."

"I know," he responded, also in some kind of a whisper. "When I asked him about it, he got all dodgy. He's hiding something, I know it."

Charlotte pulled her lip between her teeth. There was obviously something going on with Mason Lockwood, whether it be the flash of yellow in his eyes or the way he seemed stronger than she'd ever remembered. "You think he's on drugs or something?" she asked, trying to find a mundane solution to their shared question.

Tyler made a noise of disagreement. "You've seen the guy— he's not like that," he dismissed. Then he let out a sigh, almost dejected. "I gotta find out what he's hiding."

"When you figure it out, let me know," she told him, noticing the time on the clock by her desk, "but preferably, don't call me before nine thirty on the weekends."

He snorted. "Sure, next time I'll be more cute out to your sleeping regime," he responded, and that earned him a hearty laugh from the Henry girl. "Hey, are you free later today?"

"Gotta help Josh with some pre-calc, but that won't take us all day," she explained, "why?"

"You down for a party at the watering hole?"

"How is a party going to solve the total mystery that is your uncle?"

"Do you wanna come or not, Charlie?"

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Clad in some denim shorts and a yellow bikini top, Charlotte found herself situated on top of what had been a beer pong table just five minutes ago, staring at the group of high schoolers Tyler invited.

Tyler, with Matt Donovan in tow, was headed her way with an extra solo cup in his hand. He extended it out toward her, Charlotte happily reaching for it when he stopped just beside her. With the cup in her hand, she smiled thankfully at the boy. "My knight in shining armour, honestly."

Tyler rolled his eyes before nudging the blond next to him. "Is it me, or did Aimee Bradley's ass get hot?"

Charlotte's nose shrivelled up on its own. "Gross, Ty."

"Yeah, this guy's all class," Matt added sarcastically, his own cup of shitty beer in his hand.

Tyler turned to the blond with a, "where's Forbes?"

"I wish I knew," Matt sighed out, and that made Charlotte's interest pique.

She hadn't seen the blonde girl since her short visit to the hospital, but that was days ago at that point. And sure, had the Forbes girl been ignoring her calls and texts and baked goods she left on her doorstep? Maybe— Charlotte wouldn't know because Caroline seemed MIA as of late.

Almost dying would do that to any person though, right?

"You guys on the outs already?" Tyler asked.

"No, we're fine— I'm fine. I'm just not sure what she is," he responded with a shrug, before his head turned toward the beaten path. "What's your uncle doing here?"

Charlotte was quick with identifying Mason's car, and the confusion on her face was enough to alert Tyler that yeah, his uncle had just rocked up on the scene. She watched as he hastily started for the vehicle, leaving the Donovan boy with her.

"I really wouldn't be too worried Matt," she told him, pulling his attention away from the exchange between the Lockwoods. "Care really likes you. Just, give her some time."

"I just wish she'd tell me that," he said with a shake of his head. Then, his eyes squinted at something by her neck. "What happened to you?"

"What?" she questioned, eyebrows furrowing as she followed the path of his gaze. Her hand instinctually went to the spot on her neck where he was looking. "What?"

Her patience was thinning the more he was staring, but he ultimately shook his head. "Nothing, I think I'm just seeing things," he responded, though he said it more so to himself than to her. He lifted up his cup for a moment, "I'll be right back."

Charlotte merely nodded, watching as his figure retreated toward the truck that housed the keg of beer.

A group of girls walked by her as she sat there, and her hand was immediately stretching out to catch their attention. "Do you guys have a compact mirror or something?" she asked.

Two of the girls shook their heads immediately, though she was somewhat relieved when one began digging through her little brown shoulder bag. The auburn haired girl, one from her Spanish class last year, held out a small compact mirror in her direction. "Here!"

"You're a lifesaver!" Charlotte gushed, making quick work of opening it as the girls wandered off.

She pulled her hair to the side, craning her neck so she could see just what Matt had been so laser focused on. Only, she didn't expect to see what she did.

She hadn't noticed them before, partly because she did have an array of moles scattered on her body, but these— these two pin pricks in the side of her neck? Those were no ordinary markings. 

Something uneasy settled in her stomach, foreboding and all imposing on her once cheery mood. The more she stared, the more uncomfortable she became for a reason she didn't know.

Snapping the compact shut, eyes searching for the auburn haired girl in order to return it, Charlotte just wanted to go home.

Perhaps just leaving it on the table for the girl to find would suffice?

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[ wyn's note ]

chapter five!! caroline's dodging charlie and tyler's putting his detective hat on LMAO

all my love x