Here's is the 5th official chapter. Now, I want to say that the poll is officially closed and thank you for your votes. Honestly, until I saw the increasing votes on my poll, I didn't think anyone, but my followers were listening or reading my story to be exact. But, now I know that some people do to read, no matter how much they hate Charlotte. It when Charlotte and Thomas get picked back up and her second day of school. Read and review!

And no offense, but PLEASE BE NEW READERS!

Charlotte's POV

To make it clear: Phil was not so taken with meeting Thomas. Keyword: NOT!

Thomas and I were sitting outside the main entrance of the mall, right where Phil had dropped me off. A pile of grocery-filled boxes next to us and I was holding a Pet Smarts bag of dog stuff and a book about pit bull terrier. We must have looked like an odd pair because anyone who passed us on the way in gave us a funny look.

What? Haven't you ever seen a girl and her dog before? I thought.

That reminds me. I reached into the bag and pulled out a black collar with tiny spikes sticking out and it had "PROTECTOR" on it.

''Hey Thomas, do you like it?" I asked as I showed him the collar.

WOOF!

Approved.

I took out some scissors and started to cut the chain off from around his neck. I didn't realize how tight it was until I heard a CLANG! and the chain fell off. The hard part came when Thomas started licking me.

"Alright, alright, I get it,'' I said as I stopped him from licking me, ''the leash was too tight on you.'' I put the chain in the bag and put the new collar on. And let me tell you, I swore he was posing afterward.

WOOF!

WOOF!

''Your welcome,'' I said. While Thomas started to run around, I picked up the book I brought and started to read.

After all, since I now own a pit, I might as well read up on it, I thought. I was halfway passed chapter one when I heard a...

BEEP! BEEP!

I looked up from my book and saw the school bus pull up. Thankfully, the bus was empty...except for Phil.

Crap! How am I gonna explain Thomas to him? The bus stopped in front of me and the doors opened. Phil was looking at her, mischief in his eyes.

''Wow, I knew you were going to do some shopping, but I see you got busy.'' He flashed me his trademark grin as he walked off.

''What did you buy?" he asked.

"Oh, just some groceries, but I put them in boxes so they'd be easy to carry,'' I said.

''Genius," he said.

He started picking up the boxes until he saw the book in my hand.

''Say, whatcha got there?" he asked as he snatched the book out of my grasp.

"You just move to California and you're already thinking about getting a dog, and not a Chihuahua, a pit bull!'' As he started to flip through the pages, I saw a silhouette of Thomas walking behind him.

Crap! I've got to distract him!

''Well, since I live in such a good neighborhood, I was thinking 'Yeah, let's get a dog!' and pit bulls and protective and fun-loving' '', she said as she rubbed the back of her neck. He gave the book back to me and started to pick up the boxes.

''Well, at least it's not a rat. Anyways, we should get this stuff on the bus before your parents get home,'' Phil said as he started to pick up the boxes, he heard a growl.

''Was that your stomach?" he asked. I shook my head until I realized that was the wrong thing to do. He turned around before I could even warn him and...

''AAAAAHHHHHH!''

3rd POV

Charlotte would like to say everything went well and Phil and Thomas were best friends.

But the opposite happened.

Long story short: Thomas jumped on Phil, causing him the fall on the ground and hit his head. Charlotte quickly put a leash on Thomas and hauled him onto the back of the bus, where he remained as she helped Phil and the boxes onto the bus and rode home.

At the moment, she had given him an ice pack to put on his head while Thomas was outside, sulking.

"That's the dog you've got!" Phil ranted, "well, I can't believe he attacked me! What did I ever do to him?"

"Well, I was sort of chased by bad guys and he saved my life. So, I took him in," Charlotte explained. Phil looked at her, got up, and started to leave.

"I should probably leave now," he said," put the groceries up and let him in when I leave because you better have a good excuse to tell your mother why there's a dog in the house."

And she sometimes hated when people were right.

That evening, Annette nearly had a heart attack.

After Phil left and she opened the boxes and put the groceries away, she finally let Thomas back in. "Alright, I told you there were some ground rules and I expect you to follow them.

Rule 1#: You must obey my every command, and that goes for my mom, sometimes.

Rule 2#: If you have to use the bathroom, not to talk to other dogs, but ONLY to use the bathroom, bark 3 times and stand at the door.

Rule 3#: You do not chew on the furniture or anything that is human stuff or else my mom will want to throw you out.

Rule 4#: You will NOT beg for food and only accept it when given to you.

Rule 5#: You can't tackle anybody unless I introduce you and give you the all-clear.

Rule 6#: For Today and a while, you must be nice to my mom, like getting the newspaper or something.

Alright, do we have a deal?" she asked.

WOOF!

Charlotte nodded. This should go well.

By the time her mom got home, she and Thomas were sitting in the living room watching TV.

"I'm home!" her mom yelled. Thomas ran to the door. Then, Charlotte's eyes widened in realization. She forgot about her explanation. She ran to the door and was surprised, in a bad way.

Thomas was on top of Annette, licking her face off.

Suddenly, Charlotte said "Thomas! Rule 1#! Sit!" And like that, he got off of her and sat down. Annette uses this as an opportunity to get up and looked at her, and boy was she mad.

''Charlotte, you've got some explaining to do."

Thomas was put outside, again, after Charlotte explained what had happened. Well, her revised version of it, to spare Phil some trouble. Though Charlotte didn't find this a punishment, she had complete responsibility for the dog.

Meaning, when she took him on walks, she picks up his little 'business'; buy and feed him food, which might mean she needed a job; pay for his shots, which after a heated argument, Charlotte agreed to pay half the bill; and she must watch him 24/7, meaning that Charlotte had to take him to school, only a safe difference.

That night, while her mom was asleep, she let Thomas into the house and was quite comfortable with him sleeping by her feet. She stayed up all night on her computer looking for jobs that would hire her. After all, since she brought him in, she had to take care of him. But there were no jobs for hire. Sighing, she closed her laptop and set it aside as she went into a deep sleep.

There was a full moon in the dark sky.

But something in the sea was not as peaceful as it was thought to be.

In a deep, dark cave at the bottom of the ocean, a voice was calling to her.

''My, my, Charlotte, you've been a naughty girl haven't you. But no worries, I can excuse your crimes, for they were never really your fault. Let me show you what I can do, in honor of my special guest.''

Suddenly, images passed her until she saw a vision.

Rikki, Cleo and Emma and their boyfriends were at the beach. While their boyfriends were sitting against the rocks, the girls were in their bikinis, looking at the water as if they were waiting for something.

Or someone.

''Where is she?" Rikki asked as she looked at her watch.

''C'mon, Rikki, she said she was going to be late. Her mom wanted her to do something and it was taking longer than usual,'' Emma reassured her friend.

''Alright, but if she's not here in a few minutes, we're going on without her,'' Rikki said.

"Hey!"

The girls turned around and saw Charlotte running towards them, wearing a white bikini with red, black and blue strips on it.

When she got to them she said ''Sorry I'm late. I had no idea that my mom wanted me to carry the fish to the restaurant. I swear trying to avoid touching water and running an errand at the same time is hard.'' Cleo came up and hugged her 'friend'.

''Don't worry, we waited for you. Now come on!

As the girls waved to the boys, Charlotte knew that Lewis and Cleo were together, but she felt as if he was looking at her.

Like she was something special...

Then, all 4 girls dived into the water, where they changed into mermaids and swam the sea.

Then, the vision ended and went back to the cave.

The voice said ''Well, isn't that a pleasant memory. Oh dear, I've seemed to have forgotten, that never happened. But it would be nice for it to be, wouldn't it? Your wish to be friends with the legendary mermaids of Mako Island and to belong somewhere is so great that it's like a memory. But don't worry dear. When the time comes, I can make it possible. It would be like you never did anything to them.

''Now wake up. Your dog is washing your face with his tongue .''

The cave disappears and everything fades to black...

Charlotte woke up to find that Thomas was indeed licking her.

''O.k., o.k., I'm up,'' she said as Thomas got off of her. She looked at her clock. 5:30 am. Thomas woke her up an hour early.

''Well, at least I can get things done faster,'' she muttered as she got up. She went to the bathroom, took a shower, did her morning ritual, and came out to pull out her school clothes which consisted of a red satin camisole top, a denim acid wash skater shirt, red all-star converse, a Swarovski slake crystal bracelet, and she let her hair down, covering it with a black beanie. After putting the attire on, she saw Thomas looking at her, with his leash in his mouth.

''Oh, you want to go for a walk?"

Thomas gave a soft bark.

''Alright,'' she said as she put the leash on him. Grabbing her satchel, for when she needed it, she and Thomas left the house.

By the time they got back, her mom's car was gone.

"Well Thomas,'' she said to him,'' this is my life.'' After taking his leash off, she washed her hands and made herself cinnamon toast with eggs and gave some bacon to Thomas.

''Rule 4#: Accept food only when given to you, no begging,'' she said to him. But she was sure he didn't hear her since he was too busy eating. A few minutes later, after she threw her breakfast away she heard the bus.

BEEP! BEEP!

Charlotte quickly grabbed her satchel and raced to the door, only to find Thomas there, leash in his mouth.

"Listen, I have to go! I'll see you later.'' Thomas moved out of the way as Charlotte ran outside to the bus.

As she got on, Phil asked ''Did she take the news well?"

''Sort of, but I hold full responsibility for him if he does anything bad,'' she said as she sat down. Phil laughed and the bus took off.

Back at the house...

Thomas watched as the door closed, he opened the back door with his paw and went into the backyard. Though there was a medium-size pool, there was also a grassy part near the wooden fence. He dropped the leash for a moment and began to dig a whole. When it was big enough, he grabbed the leash and squeezed through the hole perfectly. When he saw the bus pass, with the leash in his mouth, he started running after it. Thomas managed to the run-up to the side of the bus, where a few kids spotted him.

On the bus...

''Look! A dog!'' someone shouted from the side of the bus. Charlotte's eyes widened and went to the other side to see what it was. Though she was hoped that it wasn't Thomas, she was wrong.

If Thomas was smiling, he was when the bus stopped. As Thomas entered the bus, he gave Phil a low growl before he sat next to Charlotte, who was a mixture of surprise and furious.

''What were you thinking? Did you want to get run over?!" she exclaimed.

But he still smiled at her. Charlotte sighed.

''Keep going, it's too late to take him back,'' she said to Phil. He grunted and continued the ride.

Valencia High

Once everybody got off the bus, Charlotte tied Thomas to the nearest tree. '

"Alright, I'll be in the building,'' she pointed to the school,'' for a while. But when I came out, we're going to have lunch for a few minutes. Then, I' leave and come back to go home. Understand?"

WOOF!

Charlotte smiled and went to school.

The commotion Thomas started had spread through the school. Now, everyone who saw Charlotte asked

''When did you get your dog?"

"Does he always follow you to school?" and, her personal favorite,

"Where did you get him?"

It seemed like Thomas ran after the bus on purpose. And it didn't get any better during her classes. During her classes, Thomas would bark for an hour until one of the teachers sent her outside to deal with him.

RRRRRRIIINNNGGGG!

Lunch.

Charlotte could finally be with Thomas. As she was heading outside, she bumped into someone. ''I'm so sorry-I'' Charlotte looked to see who she bumped into. Alaine. And behind her were her friends.

''Sorry, Alaine, I was trying to get to my dog-''

"Wait? That's your dog that's about to be taken by animal control? If I were you, I would stop them,'' Alaine said as she pointed to the door.

Charlotte didn't have time to thank her as she was rushing to Thomas. There was Thomas, but no animal control.

She lied to me, she thought as she walked towards Thomas.

The two eat in silence, Charlotte eating half of her sandwich while Thomas ate the other half. ''Do you think I'm a good owner to you?" she asked Thomas.

WOOF!

She took that as a yes.

Then, the bell rung again.

''Well, Thomas, I've gotta go. I'll see you in a few hours.'' As she got up, Charlotte felt a wave of energy hit her.

''Such an awful thing for her to do, huh. Make you think that your pet was being taken away. Just say the word and I'll fix it.''

WOOF!

Charlotte stumbled back. Who was that voice and why was it talking to her? She looked at Thomas, who was looking at her strangely. Shaking it off, she went back into the school, feeling a bit uneasy.

End of the day...

As school ended, Charlotte went and untied Thomas.

"You've had a change in heart lately,'' she said as she untied him,'' you spared me your barking for the rest of the day and now your acting as if there's a problem.'' When she untied him, he started to bark. She looked behind her to see a woman standing behind her. Her hair was light brown and her eyes were emerald green. She was wearing a blouse and some jeans that looked GREAT with the high heels she was wearing.

''Thomas, it's Rule 5#,'' she said to him, ''this is my music teacher, Miss Analies.''

Miss Analies was her music teacher and a sweet lady. ''Charlotte, it was a good thing I could catch you, I was just wondering if you're joining the choir?" she asked. Charlotte nodded. ''Well, at the auditions, you and all the others must wear black shirts. Only solid black.''

''O.k., I'll see you on Friday,'' Charlotte said and turned to Thomas, ''Come on boy! By Miss A.''

With that, the two got on the bus and went home.

By the time they got back, Charlotte found the whole that Thomas dug and covered it up before her mom found it. She played fetch with Thomas for an hour before she retired up to her room and doing her homework.

''I'm home,'' her mom said as she stuck her head through her doorway.

Charlotte was on her computer again, looking for a job. '

'What's up?" her mom asked.

''Nothing much, just job searching,'' Charlotte said, not looking from her computer.

''Well... I guess I was a little harsh when I gave you full responsibility of Thomas, so, though everything else stays the same, I'll pay fully for the shots.''

''Okay,'' Charlotte said, still looking at the computer screen. She didn't look slightly interested.

''Alright, I brought pizza if you want it,'' her mom said. When Charlotte didn't answer, she left.

The moment the door closed, Charlotte did a quick, silent happy dance. Though she still had to pay for everything else, she was glad to avoid paying for shots.

That night...

While Charlotte was asleep and Thomas was on the floor, something murky was happening in the bathroom. Something dark rose from the bathtub drain. It was completely made up of water, only it was black and murky. The water-like creature had vicious eyes and fangs dripping water. It slowly opened the door that led to the bedroom.

As it levitated over the bed, it looked down at Charlotte, who was peacefully asleep. She had no idea she was being watched. But she would later. There was a glow coming from its eyes as it scanned her body, almost as if it was looking for something.

Grrrrrr...

It turned and saw Thomas staring at him menacingly as if to say:

''Do something. Try it, I dare you.''

The snake tentacle immediately retreated, closing the door and going back down the drain. But Charlotte didn't hear it. It was like nothing ever happened. But to Thomas, something did happen, and he spent all night watching Charlotte, scaring away anything that threatened to come near her.

Read and Review!