AN: Well, I'm back and a I know I'm a bad author but doesn't it count that I'm back? Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews that you guys left us. I can't tell you how much the positive feedback means to me. Special thanks and credits to Janelle Howard for her character, Audrey Claremont, gleerox for Jordan and Lucas Jones and MayaRay for Carter Fell. So after much delay and without further ado, I present to you chapter 2. Please do read, review and follow. And before I forget, you guys can still send me characters if you want to. You just have to fill in the form in the first chapter and either leave a comment or PM me.
"Callie, are you ready yet?" Callie heard her aunt call out from outside her room. She quickly stuffed a few notebooks into her bag and slipped on her shoes. She took one last look at herself in the mirror and then wrenched the door open. "I'm ready", she said stepping out.
"Richard's going to drop you off today and you can catch a ride back with Tyler. You'll either have to take the bus or ride with Tyler from tomorrow onwards", Carol told her.
"I think I'd rather take the bus", said Callie. "Most of the others from my grade would probably be doing the same."
"Okay", said Carol nodding as she led her niece down the stairs. "You should go into the office as soon as you get there. I've already talked to the school; they should have everything ready for you. Now go ahead, Richard's waiting for you in the car."
"Got it", said Callie. "I'll see you later, Aunt Carol."
"Have a good day at school", Carol said to her with smile.
Callie soon found herself at school. She thanked Richard for the ride and turned back to face the school. It wasn't all that different from the school she had attended at Florida. The popular kids hung out in the parking lot, leaning against their cars, taking and laughing. A few others were hastily making their way towards the main building. Callie took a deep breath and joined them. A few wrong turns later, she made it to the office and a polite woman handed her, her time table and a booklet. She stepped out of the office and took a better look at her timetable and groaned when she realised she had History in the first hour. She grudgingly trudged up the stairs and soon found her History class room. She cursed when she realised that she was late. She slowly pushed the door open but froze when every pair of eyes in the class snapped on to her. The teacher stopped what he was saying and turned to face her as well. "You must be Callie Lockwood", he said.
"I am", answered Callie, feeling self-conscious for the first time in her life.
"Alright, take a seat but make sure you're in time for class from now on", he said.
"Yes sir", she answered and took the empty seat at the end of the first row. She checked her timetable again and saw that her teacher's name was Alaric Saltzman. She then pulled her notebook out and tried to figure out exactly what he was talking about when she felt someone kick her chair. She whipped around to glare at the person sitting behind her. She simply shook her head when she saw the two boys sitting right behind her snickering like a couple of children. The rest of the class went by without incident or distraction. When the bell rang, indicating the end of the class, she got to her feet and swiftly stepped onto the path of the guy who had been sitting behind her, stopping him dead in his track. "The next time you kick my chair, I swear I will cut you to pieces and string you up. Trust me, I have claws!" She fixed him with her most menacing frown and was satisfied to see him slack jawed.
It was then that she heard roaring laughter next to her. She turned around and asked, "Do you think this is funny?"
"A little", said the boy as he continued to laugh. "I've never seen a girl who could put my brother in his place or at the very least, shut him up. I'm Lucas Jones, by the way and the guy you just threatened to cut to pieces is Jordan."
"Well, it wasn't a pleasure meeting you", said Callie evenly.
"I can imagine", said Lucas with a smirk. "Not a lot of people say it but most of them do think it."
"Heard you're a Lockwood", said Jordan, speaking up for the first time. "It makes sense actually. I guess the temper runs in the family." Jordan let out a short "ouch" when Lucas hit him on the head.
"Just ignore him", Lucas said to Callie. "He was born without a filter." Jordan just glared at him. "What class do you have next?"
"AP English", answered Callie.
"With Ms White?" asked Lucas.
"The great white whale", quipped Jordan from behind him.
She consulted her time table once more and answered, "Yeah, looks like it."
"You're going to hate her", said Jordan.
"We have her class as well", said Lucas, cutting him off.
"We should get moving, unless you want her to bite your head off", Jordan to Lucas, walking towards the door. "You're welcome to join us", he said turning around at the door.
"Yeah", said Callie without missing a beat. She did need someone's help getting around. She grabbed her things and walked out with the brothers. "I still can't believe you two are related", she said as they entered the crowded hallway.
"You know what? I'm still working on believing that", said Lucas. "But my brother isn't too bad once you get past all the ego, there's a nice guy in there."
"I somehow doubt that", muttered Callie as they walked into the class room. The bell rang loud signalling the start of class.
-xx-
Callie sighed loudly as she sat down opposite Lucas and Jordan at the lunch table with her tray of food. "This is exhausting", she said.
"Are you talking about school?" asked Lucas and Callie nodded as she opened her juice pack. "It's not too bad. You'll get used to it."
"How many class do you have after this?" asked Jordan.
"Just one", answered Callie.
"Perfect", he said. "Carter Fell is throwing a party and you're coming."
"I can't just skip class on my first day of school", said Callie seriously.
"She's right", said Lucas, agreeing with her. "Besides, the real fun doesn't start until sun down."
"Fine", said Jordan sighing dramatically. "Just join us after class and don't you dare try to skip out of it. Carter Fell's parties are not something you miss."
"I'll program the address into your GPS after lunch", offered Lucas. "That way, you won't have to worry about getting lost."
"There's just one problem", said Callie. "I'm still fifteen. I can't drive."
"How did you get here then?" asked Jordan. "Don't tell me you took the bus!" His face contorted to express his disgust at the idea.
"I didn't", answered Callie. "Uncle Richard dropped me off but I'll be taking the bus from tomorrow onwards."
"That's a bad idea", said Lucas. "It's crowded and loud and believe me, you'll have a head ache long before you get to school in the morning. Jordan and I can take you to the party and we'll drop you off after that. The Lockwood mansion is on our way home. We could even give you a ride school."
"Are you sure?" asked Callie. "I really don't want to bother you."
"You won't be", Lucas assured her. "It's right on the way."
"And besides, we all know you can't pass up the opportunity to spend more time with me", said Jordan with a huge grin on his face.
"Actually, that's one of the reasons I'm considering turning your brother down", said Callie.
"Just ignore him", Lucas found himself saying again. "I'll be driving so you don't have to worry about this guy", he said pointing at his brother, "crashing into some tree in the middle of nowhere. I promise it will be a lot better than the bus."
"Okay", said Callie. "I would like that."
"It's settled then", said Jordan clapping his hands together.
Callie called Tyler and told him that she didn't need a ride and then called Carol and told her that she would be late. She assured her aunt that she would be home by 11 and hung up. "We're good to go", she said to the boys.
The rest of the day went well enough for Callie and by 3 pm, she was in the Jones' car and on her way to Carter's party. "We're going to take a minor detour but we'll make it to the party by 5. We just have to make a pit stop at home so we can make sure our brothers don't trash our home before the babysitter arrives", said Lucas.
"How old are they?" asked Callie.
"Eight and ten and a whole lot of trouble", answered Jordan.
"Believe it or not, they're both a whole lot worse than Jordan", said Lucas.
Soon they stopped in front of a large old fashioned house at the very edge of the town. The three stepped out of the car and Jordan led them to the house and as he opened the door he said, "Welcome to the house of insanity."
"That doesn't sound very pleasant", said Callie as she hesitated at the threshold.
"He's just joking", said Lucas, trying to put her at ease. "Things do get a little crazy here with the four of us living under one roof but it's not something you have to worry about."
Callie still hadn't stepped inside. Jordan turned around and said to her, "What's the matter? Are you a vampire or something? I'm inviting you in."
Lucas just rolled his eyes. "If she were a vampire, you'd be dead by now."
Callie finally stepped inside and said, "Vampires don't exist."
"Of course they don't", said Jordan with a wink. "We may not be founding family but we do know a thing or two about the supernatural."
"What are you talking about?" asked Callie, confused.
"You really didn't know, did you?" asked Lucas, turning to face her. "You'll probably hear about it once you're a little older. Until then, you should probably pretend like you don't know anything."
"I still have no idea what you're talking about so I guess I wouldn't have to pretend", said Callie.
Jordan rummaged through the fridge and came back with three cans of soda and handed one to Callie and another to his brother. "Mystic Falls was founded by the Lockwoods, the Gilberts, the Salvatores, the Forbes and the Fells ages ago. Back in the 1800s the town had a little vampire problem and so the founding families got together and came up with a plan to kill them. They rounded up all the vampires and put them in a church and let them burn. As far as anyone else knows, the people who died in the church were enemy soldiers."
"That just sounds like a conspiracy theory to me", said Callie still not believing a word of what Jordan had just told her. She turned to Lucas who just looked uncomfortable. "Don't tell me you believe in all that too." She just hoped that she was a good actress. Sure, Louis had told her a little about vampires but she didn't belong to Mystic Falls, she wasn't supposed to know about them.
"I've seen proof", said Lucas softly. "I'm pretty sure that the Salvatores are vampires. There's also Anna. There's something off about her too. I have a feeling that almost everyone in Mystic Falls is at least part supernatural."
"Oh yeah?" asked Callie. "Then what are you?"
"Very observant", answered Lucas shooting his brother a firm look.
"It doesn't matter if you don't believe us. I'm just going to ask you to be very careful around the people here", said Jordan.
Callie could feel the hair at the back of her neck stand up. Something about this whole conversation just didn't feel right. She wondered how far she would be able to get if she tried to run out of the house but she figured it wouldn't be too far. She looked back at the brothers who were looking expectantly at her. Luckily, she was saved by the bell from having to say something.
"We're not the enemies, Callie", said Lucas. "We're just the ones with the big mouths. You don't have to be afraid of us", he said and then went to get the door. She heard shuffling feet and then someone running up the stairs.
"Sounds like the boys are home", Jordan said to her. He walked to the fridge and took out a carton of orange juice and filled two glassed with it. Soon, the door to the kitchen swung open and two young boys walked in, pushing and shoving each other.
"Would the two of you behave", she heard Lucas' voice sternly reprimanding them.
"Whatever you say", said one of the boys as the two sat down on the counter next to Callie.
"Boys, I want you to say hi to Callie", Jordan said to them. "She's new to Mystic Falls. Callie, these are our brothers, Liam and Ben."
"Hi, Callie", the two boys murmured as they emptied their drinks.
Jordan took the empty glasses from them and Lucas said, "Go on to your rooms and change out of your clothes and get started on your homework. We're going out once Audrey gets here."
The boys didn't complain but made their way up the stairs. Soon, the baby sitter arrived and Lucas introduced her to Callie. "This is Audrey Claremont. She's a year above us and she really is as scary as she looks. She's the only one who can keep Ben and Liam in line."
"Nice to meet you, Callie", said Audrey. "So I take it you're going to the Fell party with these two bone heads."
"I am not a bone head", protested Jordan.
"I beg to differ", Audrey shot back at him and turned her attention back on to Callie.
She really could be intimidating if she wanted to be, thought Callie. "I am", she said. "Aren't you going to be there?"
"Parties aren't really my thing", said Audrey with a shrug. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not a loner or anything but I'm not like these two", she said pointing at the Jones twins. "I know my life wouldn't end if I missed the occasional party."
Lucas cleared his throat and then said, "Now that we've all gotten to know each other, we should get moving. I'll see you back at around midnight, Audrey."
The trio said their good byes to Audrey and they were back on the road. At exactly 5pm, they were at the Fell residence as promised. The house seemed pretty quiet to Callie and she wondered if the boys were right about the party. "Don't let appearances fool you", Lucas had told her. The three of them stepped onto the front porch together and Jordan rang the doorbell. A tall dark haired boy opened the door and Callie could hear the faint sounds of music from the inside.
"Hey, Carter", said Jordan. "This is Callie Lockwood, she's new in town."
Carter stepped to the side, letting them in. "Tyler's cousin. He told me you would be coming over. Great to meet you", he said extending his arm.
Callie awkwardly shook his outstretched arm. "It's nice to meet you too", she said. "Are you and Tyler friends?"
"Tyler is the big brother I never had", said Carter cracking a smile. "Our parents are pretty good friends too. Anyway, come on in. The party's way out back and it's just getting started."
The three of them walked in and Carter led them back out through the back door. "This is my parent's vacation home, as they like to call it. My aunt Meredith stayed here for a while but then she found an apartment within the town. So now, this place is all mine whenever I need to throw a party."
"Impressive", said Callie under her breath as she stared at the luscious lawns and the beautiful lights.
"I know", answered Carter with a sly smile as he left the three and went on to greet his other guests.
"Well, we're at a party, let's mingle!" said Jordan, smiling appreciatively at a blonde a few feet away from them. "I see someone I should go talk to, so if you'll excuse me…"
Callie just smiled and turned to Lucas, "Isn't there someone you want to talk to?"
"Actually I should go say hi to the guys from the football team", he said to her. "They invited me."
"Go ahead", said Callie. "I can survive; you don't have to worry about me."
"Are you sure?" he asked again.
"Positive", she told him.
"I'll be back within the hour", he said and then walked towards the group of football players. She knew for certain that they were football players because they were all wearing their team jackets and Tyler was among them. She caught his eye and he smiled at her before walking towards her. "Are you sure you don't need a ride back home?" he asked her.
"I'm sure", she answered. "Lucas said he'd drop me off."
"Good", said Tyler. "I'm glad you're making friends. Lucas is a nice guy. Jordan too, even though I'm sure you find that hard to believe."
"Why would you say that?" asked Callie.
Tyler laughed. "I'm sure you've already gotten an idea of what Jordan's like. He likes to flirt and he also likes to piss off people. Which one did he try on you?"
"He pissed me off within the first 10 minutes of the first class", said Callie.
"I wouldn't have expected any less", he said. "Despite all that, he really is loyal. If he's your friend, he's going to be squarely on team you."
"That's sweet", said Callie as she watched Jordan shamelessly flirting with the blonde they had seen when they had walked out. "Although it is a little hard to believe."
Tyler just laughed again. "If you need anything, just let me know", he said to her. "I'll be here until mid-night so I can even give you a ride if Lucas can't."
"I'll keep that in mind", said Callie as Tyler walked away.
She wandered the open space for a while, listening in on a conversation here and contributing to a conversation there. She was soon tired of the idle socializing and she checked her watch and was surprised to see that not an hour had passed. She leaned against one of the tables with a cup of beer in her hands. "Tired already?" she heard a voice ask her.
She turned around and saw Carter standing right behind her. "Something like that", she answered. "I guess I'm just bored because I don't know anyone here other than Lucas, Jordan and Tyler."
"You know me", said Carter with a smile. "This party is a who's who of Mystic Falls." He pointed at a group of girls who were talking animatedly and said, "Those are the cheer leaders and the blonde in the middle of all that chaos is Caroline Forbes. She's the head cheerleader and Miss Mystic Falls this year."
"I knew she looked familiar", said Callie recognizing her.
"The guy next to Tyler is Matt Donovan, quarterback and he's also Caroline's boyfriend." He scanned the crowd and then continued, "The rest of the interesting ones in her year are missing. Anyway, there's Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett and Stefan Salvatore. He's on the football team too and he just started this year. He moved in with his brother earlier this year."
"Salvatore?" asked Callie. "I think Jordan said something about them."
"He might have", said Carter giving her a knowing look. "Those two are quite the mystery. The older brother seems to be getting along well with the rest of the town's adults so I don't think they're a threat of any kind."
"Please tell me that you don't believe in vampires too", said Callie trying and failing at resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
"Of course they told you, the loud mouths that they are", said Carter, shaking his head. "The two of them are named after the Salvatore brothers who lived during the civil war but Lucas and Jordan are convinced that they are the same people."
Callie just stared at him in disbelief. "You're joking."
"I'm actually not", said Carter. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter. Lucas and Jordan both seem to like you. If there are any vampires running around town, you're safest with them."
"Why would you say that?" asked Callie.
"Let's just say that they have a gift", answered Carter.
"And what about you?" she asked him.
"What I have is more of a curse", he said, his face twisting into a rueful smile.
Before Callie could ask him to elaborate, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and saw "Louis" flashing on the screen. "I really have to take this", she said to Carter. She apologized and stepped away before answering the call.
"How's life in Mystic Falls?" she heard Louis asking her.
"It depends on how you look at it", said Callie, still a little lost in thought. "I made a couple of friends. They seem pretty open to the supernatural world but the crazy thing is, they believe in vampires."
"Of course", said Louis. "I told you the other day. Mystic Falls has a history of vampires. It makes sense that some of the kids know the story."
"I got the distinct sense that they're supernatural too", said Callie.
"May be they are", said Louis calmly. "You didn't think you were alone, did you? How is vampire bite girl doing?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Callie, confused. "I don't know a vampire bite girl."
"I'm talking about the girl who got attacked the other night while you were at that party", Louis elaborated.
"That wasn't a vampire bite", said Callie. "At least I don't think it was. The girl was bleeding and people were trying to help her."
"You told me that you heard the sheriff ask her if anyone else had seen the bite marks", said Louis. She could hear him pacing on the other end of the line.
"I did", said Callie, thinking back to the conversation. "I was a little freaked out. I probably just made a mistake."
"Are you sure?" he asked her, concern evident in his voice.
"I am", said Callie firmly. "I'm sure."
"Alright, kiddo", said Louis. "I just wanted to check up on you. I'll talk to you later. You should go enjoy that party and do other regular teenage things. And remember, keep your nose clean."
"I will", Callie promised him and hung up. She wondered why she would have told Louis that she heard the sheriff asking if anyone else had seen the bite. Both memories were clear in her mind's eye and she couldn't come up with an explanation. All that thinking in circles was only giving her a migraine. So, instead she decided to shove all that to the back of her mind and enjoy the part and enjoy, she did.