AN: And the wait is over (for those of you who were waiting :P). This story will happen in parallel with what happened on the show so look out for some familiar dialogues. Before I actually get to the story, we'd like to thank everyone who submitted their characters for the story and let me tell you, your characters sound fantastic and we do have a plan for all of them. So keep your eyes open, you never know when your characters might pop up in the story. This first chapter introduces two characters, Callie Lockwood (an OC from gleegurl100) and Louis Williams (an OC from TVD123). So here goes nothing. I hope you guys like it. Please do review and favourite and follow and if you have a character you want to submit, just send us a message or leave the description in the review. Enjoy!
Callie Lockwood stepped out of the airport and into the harsh sunlight. She squint her eyes as she scanned the parking lot looking for a familiar face. She sighed and dropped her heavy suitcase by the side of the road and sat down on top of it. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and searched her contacts for her uncle's phone number. Just as she was about to hit dial, she heard an obnoxiously loud horn. She grinned when she saw her cousin. Tyler wave at her from inside his truck but didn't return the smile. He got out and helped her load her luggage before turning around to hug her. He held her at a distance and took in her appearance. She wore dark denim and an almost too short red blouse. The piercings really just reiterated her status as the rebel. "What happened to the girl who got mad at her mother because she couldn't wear her hello kitty nightgown to sleep every night?" he asked her.
"She grew up and realised that there are so many other things that are so much more fun", she said simply as she hopped into the truck. "Where's Uncle Richard anyway? He said he would be picking me up."
"He's the mayor so he's kind of busy", answered Tyler. "There's a beauty pageant today and the whole town's kind of gearing up for it. Oh and before I forget, my mom expects you to be there."
"Small town celebrations really aren't my thing", said Callie as she idly watched the changing scenery through the window.
"Well, you're a Lockwood so whether you like it or not, you're going to be there", said Tyler. "You'll also have to wear a dress", he added with a smirk.
"You're enjoying this way too much", said Callie, fixing him with a glare.
Tyler glanced at her and shook his head. "It's just nice knowing that there's going to be at least one other person there who hates these things as much as I do." From then until they arrived at the Lockwood mansion, an awkward silence stretched between the two. As soon as they were home, Tyler helped her with her luggage and showed her to her room.
"The event starts in two hours so you've got one hour to get ready and be down. I'll take you to the Founder's Hall myself", Tyler told her before leaving her alone in her room.
The first thing that Callie noticed when she stepped into the house was how big it was. She knew that the Lockwoods had money but she herself had never really lived in luxury. She and her mother, Emily Lockwood had lived a comfortable life in Florida. Emily had been a hairdresser and had been just a few signatures away from opening her own high end boutique and salon. She had been so excited and had even told Callie on multiple occasions that things were really taking off and Emily had been right. Things were going great for Emily and Callie for about five months after the opening of the boutique but from then on, things had taken a turn for the worst. Emily met Neil at a bar on one of her girls' nights out and the two had really hit it off. When Callie finally got to meet Neil, she could tell that there was something off about him. She had tried to warn her mother, she really had. But soon, she saw how happy Emily was with Neil and tried to convince herself that she was just being paranoid. Now, two years later, she was forced to admit that she hadn't been imagining any of it. Neil really was bad news. He had gotten her mother into drugs and partying. Emily had taken to the lifestyle and as of last week, both Emily and Neil had been arrested and charged with possession. That's what had landed her on Richard Lockwood's doorstep. When Richard had heard about his sister's impending jail time, he had wasted no time in taking Callie in. She was grateful to him and his wife, Carol Lockwood for that which is why she was going to attend the stupid pageant and be a good little girl for the remainder of the time that she was to spend at Mystic Falls. It went against her nature but she was going to try anyway.
She breathed a sigh and took a good look at the room that was going to be hers for the next year and a half. For the first time she noticed the garment bad that lay on her bed. She unzipped it and found a short black dress with a white belt. It was trimmed with elegant lace work and Callie smiled as she was forced to admit that her aunt really did have good taste in clothes. She quickly stepped into the bathroom and found that it was laid out with towels. She washed her hair out and made a quick job out of getting ready. She slipped the dress on and then went through her suitcase and found a pair of black stilettos to wear. As she was blow drying her damp hair, she heard a knock and Tyler called out, "It's time to go Callie. If you're not out in ten minutes, I'm leaving you here." She rolled her eyes and yelled out, "I'll be down in a minute." She decided to wear her hair straight and then went downstairs to see Tyler impatiently pacing the hall. The minute he saw her, he just huffed and walked out. It must be the werewolf in him, Callie thought with a smile and got into the car lest he make good on his promise of leaving her there.
The minute, they reached the Tyler disappeared from view and she was left all alone. She just couldn't figure Tyler out. All of a sudden he was nice to her and then the next he would act like he couldn't be bothered with her. That was just Tyler she figured and began wandering around the hall until she reached the large room with a set of staircase. The place truly was beautiful.
"This is where we'll be introducing our contestants", she heard a voice say behind her. "They'll walk down the stairs, join their escorts down here and then they'll walk out to the front and there will be a dance."
"Aunt Carol", exclaimed Callie, recognizing the voice. She laughed as her aunt engulfed her in a big hug. "Thank you so much for taking me in", she said.
"Richard and I are happy to have you here", said Carol. "I'm sorry we couldn't come pick you up at the airport."
"That's alright", answered Callie. "It was nice to see Tyler anyway."
A woman tapped Carol on the shoulder and whispered something into her ear. Carol nodded and turned to Callie again, "Why don't you just have a look around and watch the competition? If you like it, maybe we can even talk about you entering next year. Uncle Richard will give you a call at the end of the night when we're ready to leave and we can catch up on the ride back home. I have to get back to the contestants now. Will you be alright?"
"I'll be fine, Aunt Carol", Callie reassured her.
Just as Carol walked away, she heard Tyler say, "I thought you were little miss rebel. I wasn't expecting to find you talking to my mom about competing in one of these things."
"You were right", said Callie evenly. "Beauty pageants aren't really my thing but as long as I'm here in Mystic Falls, I'm going to do everything I can to stay in line."
"Huh, good luck with that", said Tyler with a smirk, before leaving her alone again.
Tyler really was every bit the spoilt brat she knew him to be. When he had come to pick her up at the airport, she had almost thought that he had changed. She shook her head and continued to explore the large hall. She walked up the stairs and she saw a number of rooms. Some of the doors were slightly open while others were closed. In one of the rooms, she saw a blonde girl wearing an emerald green dress adding the final touches to her make up. This must be where the contestants get all dolled up for the pageant, she thought. She was about to go back downstairs when she heard someone rush past. She turned around and saw a tall man in a suit dashing through one of the doors and slamming it shut. She heard glass shatter and wondered if she should go in and check. Just then Carol appeared from one of the rooms and said, "Callie, why don't you go down stairs? The pageant is about to start." Callie nodded and headed down the stairs trying to shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Soon the contestants walked down the stairs one by one, joined their escorts and began an old fashioned dance. She knew that most girls her age would find it romantic and would probably wish they were one of those girls too. But not Callie, she just got bored. She still stayed until the blonde beauty she had seen getting ready earlier was crowned Miss Mystic Falls. By the time it was all over, it was dark outside and she remembered she still had to wait for her aunt and uncle. She also remembered the woods just outside and decided to take a walk. Besides, she'd seen enough strangers to last her a life time.
A while later, she heard a shrill scream not too far away from her. She began to run towards the voice but stopped short when she remembered the last thing her friend Louis Williams had told her. A part of her wanted to run to the girl who was obviously in distress but she knew the risks and if something went wrong, she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle the consequences. Her mind made up, she walked slowly trying not to make any noise and before long, she spotted the source of all the confusion. She stood a little ways away and made sure that she was well hidden behind the trees. One of the men had his back to her while she could see the profile of the other. She couldn't tell for sure, but she was convinced that he was one of the contestant's escorts. There were two girls there as well, one of whom was clearly a contestant and the other, Callie had seen her walking around. She took a few steps forward with the intention of eavesdropping but froze when one of the men threw the other with ease and the man crumpled to the ground but got back to his feet in less than a second. There was no way he should have been able to get up unharmed. She heard one of the girls cry out, "Stefan, stop it." Within seconds, the attacker, whose name apparently was Stefan, sank to his knees clutching his head. They all turned to glance at the shorter of the two girls, who looked as calm and as in control as can be. The man then walked closer to his attacker saying, "It's okay. Stefan." The soothing words only made the attacker run away.
It was then that Callie noticed the girl lying limp on the forest floor. She gasped and the man's head snapped in her direction and she immediately ducked behind the tree. She wasn't sure if she had been caught but the man stared straight at her for a few more seconds before turning back to the girls and telling the girls that he was going to call the sheriff. Callie held her breath and prayed that none of them would come her way and for once, things went her way. The sheriff soon arrived and from what she could make out of the conversation, it seemed as if the three of them were covering for the attacker. She just couldn't understand why. The girls both said that they didn't see anything suspicious while it was clear to Callie that they knew the man who had attacked the girl.
Once the girls had walked away, she head the sheriff ask the man, "They didn't see the bite mark?"
"No I got here before they got too close", answered the man. "There was too much blood, they couldn't see clearly."
Callie's head was starting to spin. She just couldn't make sense of what was going on. The police were all over the place and the man soon left sparing only a backward glance to where she stood hidden. As soon as she was sure that he was out of sight, she walked out of the woods and found herself among the thinning crowds. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the same man fixing her with a curious look and just like that, she knew he had seen her in the woods. Her guts told her that she needed to stay far away from the man. To her, he spelled trouble and that was exactly what she was trying to avoid.
She darted up the stairs and found one of the rooms and sitting down, she called Louis. Louis was an old friend of the Lockwoods. He had grown up in Mystic Falls but had later moved to Florida. He had reconnected with Emily after she moved to Florida. Over the years, Louis had become a friend and confidante. She knew she could tell him anything or in this case, ask him anything. When he picked up the call, she asked, "Louis, is there something I need to know about Mystic Falls?"
"Not particularly", she heard him answer. "Is something wrong?" She could hear the concern in his voice.
"This girl was attacked", she told him. "I didn't see what happened but I heard the sheriff ask if anyone else had seen the bite marks. Are there more werewolves here?"
"The only werewolves in Mystic Falls are the Lockwoods and none of them has triggered the curse yet", he said. "Actually, there's Mason. But that's recent development."
"Uncle Mason triggered the curse?" asked Callie in shock.
"He did", answered Louis. "He got into a fight with this guy and ended up killing him which is exactly why you need to keep your nose clean."
"Then how did the guy attack the girl?" asked Callie again.
"Vampires", said Louis.
"Haha", Callie mock laughed. "That's not funny, Louis."
"I'm not trying to be funny", said Louis with a sigh. "There's history of vampires in Mystic Falls but the last time I was there, the place was clean. But what you're describing right now sounds a lot like it."
Callie took a deep breath. "Couldn't you have given me an inkling before I left?" she asked as she started pacing the room.
"Whatever happens, Callie, just stay away from them", he said to her. "You're not a werewolf. You just have the gene in you. A vampire could still hurt you."
"I don't intend to go anywhere near him", she said. She heard a beep and looked at the screen and noticed an incoming call from Richard Lockwood. "Hey, I should get going. Uncle Richard's calling me."
"Alright", said Louis. "I'll talk to you later."
Callie hung up and opened the door. She gasped when she ran right into a blue eyed stranger. "New in town are we?" he asked her.
"Yes", she stammered.
The man smiled at her although it didn't seem genuine at all. "Welcome to Mystic Falls then", he said and laid his hand on her shoulder and forcing her to look into his eyes. "Now I want you to tell me the truth. Were you at the woods just a little while back? Actually on second thought, don't answer, just nod if you were there."
Callie felt as if she wasn't in control of her own actions as she nodded once.
"What did you see?" he asked again.
"There was a girl, she was hurt. You were there and so were two other girls. You knew the man who attacked her but you told the sheriff that you didn't", she said. She had no idea why she was telling him all this. Wasn't her plan to stay far away from him? "I heard the sheriff ask if the girls saw the bite marks."
"Teenagers these days", he said rolling his eyes. "Alright, now here's the thing. I'm having a really bad day and I would like nothing more than to kill you right now. Besides, I'd be rid of one of my problems. But I can't do that right now. For a bunch of people who've never dealt with vampires before, the council here is pretty decent. So you're going to forget what you saw at the woods." Callie tried to turn away, but she couldn't. "You were taking a walk and you saw a girl was hurt and there were people trying to help her. You got scared and you ran back here and hid out in your room. You were just leaving when I stopped to ask you about the night." Callie nodded feeling dazed.
She snapped out of it when she heard Carol say, "There you are, Callie. Richard and I have been looking for you. It's time to go home now." She then turned to Damon and said, "Damon, I thought you might have already left."
"I was about to but there was a minor incident at the woods and Callie happened to be there", he said. "I just saw her and wanted to ask her if she saw anything."
"Well, did you, honey?" Carol asked her.
"There was girl who was hurt and there were people all around", Callie repeated Damon's words. "I got scared and ran back."
"Alright then", said Carol. "Before I forget, Damon, this is Callie. She's my niece and she'll be staying with us for a while." She then said to Callie, "Why don't you wait for me in the car? Your uncle's already there. I just want to talk to Damon about something and I'll be right with you."
Callie nodded and Damon said to her, "It was nice meeting you, Callie. And welcome to Mystic Falls."
"It was nice meeting you too, Damon", she answered and walked to the car. There was something unsettling about Damon. She didn't know exactly what it was but she just had a bad feeling about this. She sighed and got into Richard's car.
"How was your first day at Mystic Falls?" asked Richard.
"Exhausting and very confusing", answered Callie.
"I'm sure the travel must have you worn out", said Richard. Callie tried to focus on what he was saying but she was just way too preoccupied with her own thoughts. Soon, they were joined by Carol and after a relatively quiet ride home, she excused herself and changed into more comfortable clothes and replayed the events of the night back in her head. She felt as if she was forgetting something; as if there was a thin veil between her and something she was supposed to remember. It was so close, all she had to do was reach out and she would be able to touch it. But it was as if her hands were bound; she just couldn't do it. As she wondered what she was missing, she fell into a deep and peaceful slumber. Her last coherent thought was that her stay at Mystic Falls was going to be a crazy time in her life. What she didn't know was whether it was going to be the good kind of crazy or the bad kind but she had a strange feeling that it was going to be the latter.