Author's Note : I am so sorry that's been so long, but I honestly couldn't think of a proper third chapter. I had four different chapters and ways for it to go, but I finally settled on this one. I also should mention that while I never actually read the comics, I managed to see the motion comic for the first ten or so. This story takes place before that though, when they are still gathering the new Slayers around the world. If you have any information that you think I should know, please tell me. Thank you!

Charlotte stood on the beach, looking out over the ocean, her paintbrush poised over her paper. The nearly-full moon shone down on the waves, creating a beautiful scene that she just had to get down. It had been a couple days since she accidentally broken Lewis's arm, and Charlotte had locked herself in her room for the remainder of the weekend, refusing to see anyone. Instead, she had spent the days researching what on Earth could've possibly caused whatever had happened to her, but nothing had really come up. Her first thought was, of course, Mako Island, but she hadn't been there since the incident with the three other mermaids, and she was sure that if she even got within spitting distance of the island, they would all kick her butt all the way to Sidney.

Actually, she thought with a slight chuckle, if she even thought of going to their place, the three would probably just conjour up a gale to fly her all the way there.

She sighed, and stepped in the water, letting the waves lap at her feet. The instinct to jump in hadn't quite left her yet, and even now, she found herself counting. It hurt her heart, but she couldn't stop herself.

One... two...

The hairs on the back of Charlotte's neck prickled, like someone was watching her.

Three... four... five...

She looked around, but there wasn't anyone there. A little ways down, a couple walked together, but even from that distance Charlotte could hear the girl's drunken giggles.

Six... seven...

Her skin was crawling with anticipaton, but with what, she wasn't sure. Charlotte looked up at the moon, hoping for some kind of direction. What was she supposed to do?

Run

Eight...

An ear-splitting scream rang out, before being suddenly cut off. Without even dropping her paintbrush, Charlotte took off in the direction of the couple. As she got closer, she saw the blonde girl passed out in the sand, and the man was leaning over her, his face buried in her neck.

Nine...

"Get away from her!" Charlotte screamed, lifting her foot up and kicking him away. The girl jumped up and ran away, while the man fell back with a slight thump on the sand. At the sight of his appearance Charlotte had to stifle a gasp.

Ten

The man, creature, demon, whatever it was, had a twisted face, with ridges and sharp teeth. It was the single most terrifying thing she he had ever seen. Blood dripped down from his mouth and for a minute, Charlotte felt her heart stop. But she needed it dead, it didn't belong in this world. The thing attacked her, pinning her to the ground.

Now, Charlotte didn't have any fight training, but the second he landed on top of her, Charlotte knew exactly what to do. With all her might she brought her head up to hit him square in the forehead, and while he was dazed, she took the opportunity to push him off. She quickly jumped up and took a stance, ready to fight him. After the week she had, Charlotte felt the need to hurt something.

"A Slayer, huh?" The thing sneered at Charlotte. "Good. I've always wanted to kill one."

For a minute, Charlotte relaxed her posture, confused. What was a Slayer, and why did he want to kill her?

"I'm not... I'm not a Slayer. I don't know what you're talking about," Charlotte stammered. "What the hell are you?"

Her attacker didn't answer, instead, he took advantage of her hesitation and lunged. Her attention snapped back and Charlotte got out of the way just in time. She quickly kicked him at the base of his spine, thankful that she was actually wearing shorts, and wrenched his arm behind his back.

"Stake him!"

Charlotte looked behind her, and a red-haired girl running toward her. Charlotte didn't think about how silly that demand sounded, she just acted. Her forgotten paintbrush lay right next to them, quickly, she grabbed it and jammed the brush into her foe's back.

Of all the things Charlotte expected when she woke up this morning, turning a man into dust was certainly not one of them.

Her mouth dropped open as she remained kneeling in the sand, right where her attacker had just been laid out. This... whatever it was, could not be happening. Had she just killed someone? Was this a dream? She pinched herself, groaning in pain just as the girl finally caught up, kneeling down next to her and putting an arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay, you're okay."

Charlotte looked at the ginger in confusion, because how could it be? Either she was a murderer or she had finally cracked and went insane. For the second time in her life, everything she knew had been flipped upside down.

The girl gently took her arm and slowly stood her up. Charlotte's legs felt like jelly, and it was hard to stay still.

"What's your name?" The red-head asked.

"C-Charlotte. Please, what is going on?" she begged desperately. "Who are you?"

"My name's Willow, and I've got a lot to tell you."

Sorry that the fight was a little lackluster, but to be honest I'm not that good at writing fight scenes :) Don't worry, it won't happen all that often. I'll be quicker with the chapters this time, I promise.