"SO, SHE'S OKAY?" Charlie asked Stefan through the phone as she stood outside of the school. He had just told her that him and Damon had found Vicki and that she was safe and sound at the Salvatore house with him and his brother. 

"Yeah, but she'll need some time to learn and get used to it. Damon and I will help her," Stefan confirmed, nodding his head although he knew Charlie obviously couldn't see him. She breathed out a sigh of relief before realizing what he said.

"Damon's gonna help?" Charlie scoffed, frowning at the older brother's name. After his uninvited visit to her room last night, you could say she wasn't his biggest fan at the moment. Vampires seriously needed to learn that there are some places that are off limits at certain hours of the night.

Stefan chuckled. "He's...being Damon."

"Thought so," Charlie sighed. "Well, I gotta go. Good luck with Vicki and Damon." She then hung up and when she turned around, she felt like she couldn't breathe.

The Lockwood girl froze when those strikingly blue eyes fell on her. She remained in place as the person made their way towards her. In the time that they had spent apart, although it was little, Charlie felt that her brain had struggled to comprehend how absolutely perfect she was, and it made her less gorgeous in her mind. She was the most beautiful girl in the world.

JJ Martin.

JJ made her way towards the still brunette and stood in front of her. "Hey," the blonde greeted, "You ready for the tour?" She smiled, a really pretty smile that made Charlie swear she was going to faint.

After the Martin girl had texted her last night, she and Charlie texted for almost an hour about class and the town and each other. 

"Uh, yeah," she stuttered, "I was thinking that we could, um, go into the school, and I could, like show you to all your classes and stuff. And then, after school, I can, um, show you around town and stuff. Maybe get dinner. Um, sound good?" As she continued rambling, she could feel her face get more and more red.

JJ giggled as she spoke. "Yeah, sounds great." She then gestured toward the school. "Ladies first." 

Charlie smiled brightly at JJ before stepping in line next to her and moving toward the entrance. As they walked, she found herself staring at the blonde very often, more often than she would look at a normal person. Well, JJ wasn't a normal person. She was absolutely beautiful, stunning, amazing, and more.

As they stepped into the school, JJ almost did a double take at the sight. The hallways were covered with decorations—streamers, banners, and paper mache creatures covered the walls, lockers, and classrooms.

"What's with the..." JJ paused, "that?" She moved her hand to gesture toward the scene in front of them.

Charlie sighed deeply, "I totally forgot. There's this Halloween party tonight. It's, like, this costume party that the school throws every year. Mystic Falls gets really excited about its events. You should see the decade dances, or the pageants."

"Decade dance?" JJ asked, eyebrows raised as she thought about what that could possibly mean.

"You'll see." Charlie led the girl around the corner to where Caroline showed her the junior classes were. Only, there was one problem—she wasn't exactly paying attention on that part of her blonde friend's tour. "Huh."

JJ turned to her in confusion and a little bit of concern, asking, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Charlie shook her head. "It's just that I have no idea where any of your classes are except for gym." She mentally face palmed in embarrassment as she felt herself blush.

That blush only grew when JJ grabbed her hand, Charlie's heart beating faster and faster by the second, and said, "Well, we will figure it out together."

☾⌑❄⌑☽

Before class, Charlie thought that she'd introduce JJ to some of her friends, like Caroline and Bonnie, just so the blonde would know some people in her grade. However, as soon as an excited Caroline entered her sight, the Lockwood girl regretted it.

"Just remember," Charlie started, turning to JJ before Caroline ran over to talk to them, "just because they're my friends, that doesn't mean you have to like them. Care can be a bit much, but Bonnie is pretty cool."

JJ smiled. "I'm sure they're great." Charlie nodded before turning back around and moved toward Caroline. As soon as the blonde saw her younger friend, her face broke out into a smile.

"Oh, my God, Char. Thank God, you're here. I have your costume," Caroline cheered as Charlie and JJ approached her and Bonnie. "It's all here." She handed the brunette her costume before turning to Bonnie. "And here is yours."

"Caroline, before you go into all of this," Charlie interrupted, "I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is JJ. She's new, and she's in your grade." She stepped away from the Martin girl so that her friends could get a good view of her. "I was hoping you guys could show her around and help her out while I'm not there."

Caroline looked JJ up and down before hesitantly asking, "What are your opinions on Halloween?"

Charlie rolled her eyes before awaiting JJ's answer. The girl looked to her friend before turning back to Caroline. "It's festive, and I love to get dressed up."

Caroline paused before smiling. "Perfect," she told her, "Of course, you're probably going to have to get your own costume. I would get you one, but I have to set up for tonight. We'd love to have you, though."

JJ seemed pleased with her answer because she beamed and nodded. "Charlie's taking me on a tour this afternoon. I'm sure we can find something," she said, and Char nodded along.

"Great," the other blonde answered before turning to Bonnie and Charlie. "Now, you two. Have a look at your costumes."

Bonnie went first, unfolding the bundle to reveal a witch outfit. It was a cloak, topped with a hat and some decorative jewelry. "Seriously?" Bonnie asked, commenting on the fact that Caroline had used her witch claims against her.

"Come on," Caroline groaned, leaning back against the locker. "Can someone please be excited that it's Halloween? I just wanna have fun, you know, just some silly, fluffy, Damon-free fun."

"Damon?" JJ asked Charlie curiously.

The Lockwood girl sighed, not wanting to even think about the eldest Salvatore. "It's complicated. I'll explain later."

Bonnie then lifted up a necklace from her pile of clothes. "Hey, isn't this the one you got from Damon?" Charlie examined it closely before realizing that it was the necklace that Caroline stole from her vampire ex-boyfriend, probably not the best idea.

Care nodded. "Yep. Wear it. Toss it. I don't care. I just want it gone. Charlie, look at your costume. I got it hand-made for you. You'll love it."

"Okay," Charlie sighed. She unzipped the bag that Caroline gave her to reveal a dress. It had a grey corset top and a flowy skirt topped with soft silver fur. The skirt should go down to her knees, so at least it wasn't too showy. It was sleeveless, but there were two furry armbands in a bag taped to the dress. It also came with a headband with grey dog ears on it and two grey, furry leg warmers that flared so that she could wear them over some boots or something.

She was shocked, not just because the costume was actually kind of cute, but at the choice of creature that Caroline picked. Bonnie was going to be dressed as a witch, and for all they knew, she could actually be one. And Charlie was going to be dressed as a werewolf. 

That was in no way ironic.

Caroline beamed, "So, what do you think? I know it might be a bit chilly, so I found this jacket that you could wear over it if you get cold, but-"

"I love it," Charlie told her, cutting her off, and she wasn't necessarily lying. It was a nice costume. The werewolf part was what freaked her out. She then checked her watch and realized that her and JJ should go if they were going to have time to wander around, trying to find classes. "Well, we should go. Bye, Care, Bonnie."

"It was nice meeting you two," JJ told them, and Caroline wiggled her fingers in a wave while Bonnie nodded in acknowledgement. "See you later."

Then, they scrambled off, listening to Caroline starting to talk about Elena before running aimlessly down hallways in search of classes.

☾⌑❄⌑☽

Music pounded from speakers, and bright lights shone in every which way as Charlie and JJ approached the party. They had spent the afternoon wandering around town, going into shops and restaurants so that Charlie could show the blonde the good spots in town. They found JJ a costume for the party at the holiday store. It was an angel costume with a dress similar to Charlie's, a halo headband, and some white knee-high boots. 

She looked absolutely perfect.

"Wow," the Martin girl commented, "This is...spirited." She glanced around at  the party full of sweaty, dancing teenagers dressed up as a variety of creatures.

Charlie nodded. "Yep. I told you. Our town gets very into its events. You can't walk into a single building at Christmas without being smothered with elves and tinsel. It's crazy." They walked further into the party, toward the blood red punch that had no doubt been spiked already. "Want a drink?" Charlie questioned, gesturing toward the bowl.

"Sure," JJ smiled, accepting the cup from the brunette. They began talking, but before they could move on to dancing or anything, Elena ran into Charlie. 

She was frantic, and she looked worried when she asked, "Hey, have you seen Jeremy? He ran off, and I think he went to find Vicki." 

Charlie shook her head, going into search mode. "Vicki's here?" she quizzed, her eyes moving through the crowd for any sign of either the Donovan or the Gilbert. No luck, though.

"Yeah," Elena answered, "She came with Matt. Let me know if you see anything, okay?" Charlie nodded before turning back to JJ. The blonde seemed to be comprehending everything that just happened.

"So, that was Elena?" she said, looking back to the direction that the brunette went. "And Jeremy's her brother?" Charlie had told her about the Gilberts during their tour.

Charlie replied. "Yep." Then she looked to where Elena had disappeared, contemplating what to do. She wanted to help, but she didn't want to leave JJ alone at a party where she didn't know anyone. "Um, do you mind if-"

"Go," JJ cut her off, "I'll dance or find someone else to entertain me. I think I saw Caroline and Bonnie somewhere. I'll go find them."

Charlie smiled before running after Elena. She finally caught sight of her with Stefan, moving through the party toward what she hoped was Vicki or Jeremy. She sprinted after them, and they saw her but continued moving. They finally stopped in a hallway and she could see Stefan's ears twitch as he tried to locate the new vampire. 

"Jeremy," Elena called, searching the faces and asking around, and Charlie remained with Stefan. She knew her ears were probably not as good as his, but she could help. Elena wandered toward the exit and after a couple of seconds, both Stefan and Charlie heard her yell. "Vicki, no!" 

The two arrived at the buses just in time to see Elena thrown back into a pile of wood. She sat up, and Vicki tried to move towards her again, but Stefan caught her before she could. He slammed her into the side of a bus and held her there.

"Vicki!" Jeremy shouted, worried for his friend. He was clearly confused, and he moved towards the two vampires. Charlie stepped in front of him and held him back. 

Vicki pushed hard against Stefan, hard enough to release his grip on her. They all stood frozen for a moment before Vicki sped off, but not before causing a distraction. She moved fast, so none of them had time to stop her when she plunged a small piece of wood into Charlie's arm.

She didn't make a noise, but the searing pain made her want to scream. Stefan glanced toward her, and was shocked when she yanked the wood out of her flesh and quickly put her hand on it. She knew she had to go, or else she'd start healing right in front of them.

"Go. Get inside," Stefan ordered, and Elena and Jeremy followed Charlie toward the building. "Go!" 

They reached the entrance, but before they could get the door all the way open, Vicki appeared behind them. She pushed Jeremy out of the way before grabbing Elena and plunging her fangs into the girl's neck. Elena screamed and Stefan turned his head.

It all happened in a blur. Stefan called Charlie's name and she spun in his direction just in time to see a wooden stake flying at her. She caught it quickly and turned back around. Without thinking, she plunged the long piece of wood into Vicki's heart. Elena stumbled out of her arms, and Stefan moved towards them.

"Vicki!" Jeremy yelled from the ground. He stood up and continued shouting for her. "Vicki! Vicki! Vicki!" Stefan held him back as the girl turned grey, visible veins running up and down every part of her body. Jeremy cried as he watched her crumple and fall to the ground.

Elena and Charlie stood in shock before the Gilbert girl spoke. "Get him out of here." Stefan nodded before walking off with Jeremy and putting his phone to his ear.

Charlie felt her wound slowly starting to close up. It wasn't very deep, so it would heal within the hour. She looked to Elena. "I need to go." She didn't even wait for a response before sprinting to the entrance to the school.

She had just killed another person.

☾⌑❄⌑☽

Charlie stumbled toward JJ who was dancing with a cup of punch in her hand. She twisted her half-healed arm so that the wound doesn't show. Her dress was completely covered in blood, but she would have to figure out an excuse for that.

"Hey, you're back," the blonde girl greeted when she saw Charlie before frowning when she saw the red coating her costume. "Oh, my God. What happened to you?"

The brunette glanced down at the mess on her dress. "Oh, um, some asshole spilled punch on me. It's fine, but, um, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, right?" She turned to look at the parking lot before looking back at JJ.

"Or, you could keep seeing me tonight," she offered, and when Charlie scrunched up her face in confusion, she continued. "That was weird. Um, I meant that I can walk you home. I'm done here anyway, and I probably shouldn't drink anymore punch or else I'll have a huge headache tomorrow."

"Really?" Charlie questioned, and JJ nodded. "Okay, let's go."

As they reached the Lockwood mansion, the blonde girl's eyes widened at the sight of the huge house. "Holy crap, your house is gigantic. I know your dad is the mayor, but oh, my God, this is crazy." 

"Yeah, um," Charlie began, but she had no idea what to say to that. "Yeah." 

She looked up to see that Tyler's light, signaling that he was most likely awake while their parents were asleep. She led JJ up the stairs to the door of the house. She turned to the girl and smiled when she saw how pretty she looked.

"So, I guess this is 'goodbye' for now," the Lockwood girl said, stepping toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

JJ nodded, "Yeah. There's just one thing I have to do before I go." She smirked and stepped closer to the brunette. Charlie could feel her heart beat faster and faster as the blonde got closer and closer. Her breath got shaky, and the Martin girl reached her hand up to tuck a piece of brown hair behind the Lockwood's ear.

"Oh yeah?" she asked curiously, voice slightly shaking, and her feet were frozen in place. "And what is that?"

Then, JJ pressed her lips to hers. Charlie stood frozen, not moving a muscle as the blonde kissed her. She felt sparks fly throughout her entire body, and it felt like she was touching every single nerve. Once she registered everything that was happening, Charlie stepped back.

"Bye," she stuttered out quickly before opening the door and slamming it shut behind her. She leaned back against the wood and reached up to her lips. She could still feel JJ's on them, haunting her.

Just then, Tyler walked by in sweatpants and no shirt, bag of chips in hand. He examined his extremely shaken up sister. He furrowed his eyebrows, slightly concerned at the sight.

"You good?"