CHAPTER ONE: Welcome to Beacon Hills
[O1]
After her last class of the day ends, Charlotte steps into the familiar hallways of Beacon Hills High School as masses of students flood out of their respective classrooms, eager to make the journey home or get to their after school activities. Walking with her books held close to her chest, Charlotte weaves through the throngs of rowdy teenagers, careful not to bump any of her peers as she heads toward her locker.
Unlike the rest of the student population, Charlotte wasn't in a big rush to go home. Returning to an empty house to do her homework in silence and then eat dinner alone at a dining room table meant for six is the last thing she's looking forward to. Besides, she doesn't mind school or the people who attend it with her. No one is outright rude to her, but they don't bother her either, and she was fine with being left out of most social interactions. Conversation was not her area of expertise.
"Hey! Nelson!" The booming voice of the one and only Coach Finstock startles her as she passes by the boy's locker room. He yells a few choice words at some lacrosse players who stumble past him before turning his intimidating expression on Charlotte, who stares up at him with alarmed green eyes. "Where the hell has your brother been? He skipped out on practice this morning and if his ass isn't at tryouts in"—Finstock pauses to glance down at the watch wound around his wrist—"exactly five minutes, tell him his ass isn't getting back on my team this season."
Oh, she is so going to kill Kyle for putting her in this situation.
Charlotte nods hastily, then mentally reprimands herself for acting like a bobble head. "I-I'll let him know, Coach," she manages to say. "I promise."
Finstock points a serious finger at her and Charlotte has to stop herself from gulping.
"I'm going to hold you to that, Nelson," he states before disappearing inside the locker room once again.
Charlotte's shoulders deflate in relief as she releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding. That man gets way too much fun out of terrorizing teenagers.
Wanting to make a quick escape just in case Coach Finstock decided to come back out, she turns away from the locker room and her heart almost leaps into her throat for the second time in a matter of minutes as she nearly collides with someone else.
"Oh—sorry," a surprised voice says as the person stops short, also avoiding the close collision.
"Um, no, you're fine," Charlotte responds automatically, glancing up at the boy briefly as she tucks a lock of her dark chocolate hair behind her ear. She steps backward to create a more comfortable distance between them, but her back comes into contact with the locker room door, preventing her from going anywhere. Her pulse speeds up in urgent fright at the thought of being trapped in such close proximity with a stranger, especially one as good looking as this one. "I—um, I wasn't watching where I was going," she finishes in a stutter, a soft blush coloring her cheeks.
When he doesn't say anything, she chances another look at him. He's staring down at her with a lopsided smile, and Charlotte doesn't think she's ever seen something so attractive.
"Are you a freshmen?" he asks, licking his lips once as his eyebrows pull together in curiosity.
The brunette in front of him nods. "I'm Charlotte," she tells him.
The sides of his mouth quirk up farther. "Liam."
The pieces suddenly fit together in Charlotte's mind. The boy in front of her is Liam Dunbar, the new student who transferred from Devenford. For the past couple of days, he's seemed to be the hot topic of conversation among Beacon Hills High School. From the gossip she unintentionally overheard (and subsequently tried to ignore) in some of her classes, he was supposedly a pretty good lacrosse player.
The locker room door opens unexpectedly from behind her and Liam — almost like it was an instinctive reflex — reaches out to grab Charlotte by the waist before she can stumble backward.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Charlotte attempts to calm her erratic heartbeat and keep her breathing steady as she glances up at Liam in bewilderment. His face is within inches of hers, but his blue eyes are trained on something over her head, an expression of mild annoyance on his face as he gazes at the person who came out of the locker room.
"Do you need something, Garrett?" Liam questions, impatience laced through his voice.
Charlotte turns her head to see the infamous blonde-haired freshmen, smirking at Liam and herself. She doesn't have an issue with Garrett, but she doesn't entirely like him either. He's been in her classes since elementary school and they exchange a few words every once in a while, but they run in completely different circles. He's your standard athlete — handsome, entitled, and a bit too cocky for Charlotte's tastes.
"Tryouts are starting," Garrett tells him as he leans in the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest in a smug manner. "Coach wants everyone in here." His eyes then flicker to Charlotte, falling to her waist where Liam's hands are still resting.
Liam jolts at the realization that he's still holding her and he immediately withdraws. Soft color heats his cheeks as he reaches up to grasp the back of his neck. "Yeah, okay." He clears his throat uncomfortably. "I'm coming." Liam then glances at Charlotte, his mouth curving into a soft smile. "I'll see you around, Charlotte."
Charlotte nods and swallows. "I'll see you around," she agrees in a voice just above a whisper.
Liam smiles once more before moving past her and vanishing inside the depths of the locker room.
Her eyes nervously flicker to Garrett, who's staring at her with a sly grin resting on his lips. "Bye, Charlotte," he says before turning and following after Liam.
Charlotte shakes her head as she continues her path toward her locker. This day is just too weird.
Finding herself at the Beacon Hills County Hospital in the late hours of the night was not an unusual occurrence for Charlotte. Her mother — Josette Nelson — was one of the few surgeons employed there and worked around the clock six out of seven days a week. Charlotte made frequent trips to the hospital on a daily basis to see her in the rare moments she wasn't dealing with a patient crisis.
She walks up the cement stairs leading to the front entrance, carrying a bag of takeout from her mother's favorite Italian restaurant. The glass doors slide open upon Charlotte's approach and she steps into the reception area, where she's surprised to find Melissa McCall leaning against the secretary's desk, flipping through papers on a clipboard.
She looks up as Charlotte nears her and offers the teenage girl a kind grin, tinged with motherly warmth. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise," she says. "Hello, Charlotte. Your mother didn't tell me you were coming in tonight."
Charlotte's lips curve into a small smile. Melissa McCall is one of the few people Charlotte felt comfortable around. "Hi, Melissa," she greets softly. "I just wanted to drop off some food for her. Is she free?"
"She should be in a few minutes," Melissa assures her. "She's dealing with a trauma patient upstairs—Sean Walcott. He came in early this morning."
Charlotte nods in understanding. "I saw the story about his family on the news," she says. "It's awful." She shakes her head in disbelief. She can't even imagine what the boy must be going through. "Do the police have any suspects?"
"They have an idea, but there isn't much to go off of," Melissa informs. "Sean refuses to talk to anyone. I think Sheriff Stilinski said something about calling in an expert to examine the scene."
Charlotte nods once again, her eyes flickering absentmindedly to the clipboard Melissa sat on the counter of the receptionist's desk. She does a double take when she notices a name she recognizes scribbled on one of the lines.
Liam M. Dunbar — room 210, minor injuries sustained.
"Do you know him?" Melissa's voice startles her and Charlotte's eyes dart back to the dark-haired woman, a telling blush of embarrassment staining her cheeks.
"I—um, yes," she stammers foolishly and Melissa's knowing smile grows. "Well, I mean—not really. I, um, I just met him at school today."
Charlotte sounds absolutely ridiculous and she knows it. Liam wasn't even there and he still had her flustered to the point of stuttering.
"You're welcome to see him while you wait for your mother," Melissa states.
Nervously sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, Charlotte looks up at Melissa with an uncertain expression. "Are you sure that would be okay?" she questions in a small voice.
Melissa grins reassuringly, then her eyes flicker to something behind Charlotte. "Oh, there's the Sheriff," Melissa murmurs. "He's here to see Sean. I should probably go talk to him." She touches Charlotte's shoulder affectionately before heading over to the entrance where Sheriff Stilinski and another Deputy Charlotte doesn't recognize has just come in.
Charlotte leaves the food she brought for her mother with the secretary—Caroline—before wandering over to the elevator. Thankfully, there's no one inside when the doors slide open, and Charlotte is able to ride comfortably to the second floor of the hospital. She takes the time by herself to think about what she's planning on saying to Liam.
God, what is she going to say to Liam? He probably already thinks she's weird, and now she randomly shows up to see him in the hospital? He'll most likely add "stalker" to her classification. After all, they only met a few hours ago, and hardly exchanged enough words to constitute a friendship.
When the elevator comes to a stop, Charlotte is a bundle of anxious energy. What in the world was she thinking? She can't possibly initiate conversation with Liam. With the thought in mind, she hastily presses the button for the first floor, running a hand through her dark hair.
The doors are nearly closed when a scream erupts from somewhere on the eerily quiet floor, the sound sending a cold chill down Charlotte's spine. Acting on an unknown instinct, her hand shoots out to stop the elevator doors from shutting. Stepping forward cautiously, she tries to locate the source of the sound. Another frightened scream rips through the air, startling her. She presses a hand to her racing heart, willing her pulse to slow down as she slowly ventures down the corridor.
As she rounds the corner of the hallway, Charlotte stops in her tracks, her green eyes widening. A mere five feet away from her, Sean Walcott stands, covered in blood and baring a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. His hands are wrapped tightly around Liam's throat and the sight sends panic surging through Charlotte at an alarmingly fast rate.
Her shoulder is suddenly grabbed from behind and she's spun around and pressed against the wall in one swift movement. A hand immediately covers her mouth, muffling her scream of surprise, and she looks up into a pair of red eyes. Her own eyes widen in shock as she recognizes the creature standing in front of her as Scott McCall.
Scott was well known around school — the popularity came easy with being the captain of the lacrosse team — and even though Charlotte's mother was friends with Melissa, Charlotte certainly wasn't friends with Scott McCall. He existed on an entirely different social level than her and had never spared her so much as a glance before now.
Scott holds his index finger against his lips, telling her without words to stay quiet. Charlotte — too stunned by the glowing eyes and the canines and the claws to even attempt to make a noise – manages a wide-eyed nod, showing Scott she understood. He carefully lowers his hand from her mouth and peers around the corner, his bushy eyebrows pulling together in a determined expression.
Charlotte glances around the corner as well. Liam and Sean have vanished, but the spatter of blood painted across the wall and the floor cause her stomach to drop in fear.
"Stay here," Scott tells her, before taking off in the direction of the stairwell.
Charlotte pauses for a moment, and after making a split-second decision, she dashes down the hallway after him, jumping headfirst into an ocean of unknown danger.
Being faster than humanly possible must be a perk of being . . . whatever Scott is because by the time Charlotte reaches the stairwell, he's nowhere to be found. Without hesitation, Charlotte heads up the stairs, following the smears of blood on the walls, the flashback of Liam's terrified expression as he stared at Sean the only thing driving the foreign feeling of courage building up within her.
The unmistakable sound of someone yelling out in agony echoes out from above her, sending reverberations through the stairwell. Charlotte's blood runs cold as she races up the last set of steps, the small heels of her ankle boots scuffing against the cement. She stumbles through the door at the top of the stairs and finds herself on the roof, staring in alarm at the gruesome scene.
Her eyes flicker from Sean's body lying limp on the ground, a pool of blood spreading over the back of his white t-shirt, to Scott, and then come to a stop on Liam.
He's sitting against the rooftop generator, clutching his forearm and grunting in pain. Charlotte watches as he gingerly peels his hand away, revealing a massive, bloody bite mark imprinted in his tan skin. Liam's expression is a mix of confusion and distress as he stares up at Scott, who she assumes gave him the wound. His blue eyes then flicker to Charlotte, and at the look of helplessness on his face, she wishes she could say something to comfort him, but she's just as bewildered by everything as him.
She suddenly feels uneasy as her thoughts start spinning, and when she takes another glance at the bite on Liam's arm, she does what any moderately normal girl would do.
She faints.
x
A/N: Surprise—new Liam story! So, I've had this plot idea in my head for a while now and I just decided to give it a try and type it up today. I'm really excited about this, there's a lot of deeper things that are going to be happening in this story. For those of you who read my other story, Behind Pretty Eyes, I haven't abandoned that. I'm just experiencing writers block for it at the moment, so I'm taking a short—very short—break from it.
Leave me a review and tell me what you think! :)