Everyone began to unbuckle their belts and stand up, fussing to find their bags and get off the plane. The two girls next to Cordy woke up not long before they landed and didn't hesitate to push others out of the way so that they could get off the plane.

Cordy waited. She waited until most of the plane had emptied out before she reached above the seats and grabbed her black rucksack. Then, she headed down the aisle to the stairs at the front of the plane, bolting down them two steps at a time until she hit the concreate of the runway beneath her feet. The sun thrashed down onto her pale skin and hit her with a wave of heat, which was- in a way- a nice change to the British weather.

It didn't long for her to catch up with the rather large group of passengers, but she didn't mind. There was enough room for her to overtake the others and get out of the airport as quick as she could.

With haste, Cordy made her way through airport security, shuffling through scanners and passport checks. It took some time, but by eleven o'clock she stood outside the airport searching for a ride to Beacon Hills.

She slid the door open and jumped into the backseat of the nearest taxi. Quickly, she buckled up her seatbelt and planted her bag on her lap.

"Where are you going to?" The old, pudgy man asked, his American accent seeming quite foreign to the British accent Cordy had grown so used to and adapted to her very own accent.

"Beacon Hills, it's near Modesto. You know it?" She asked, hoping the man would take her. It was a long shot, but she had to hope. The journey was a good few hours, and she didn't know if the man was up for the journey.

"Sorry, that's a bit far outta my area." The wrinkled man scratched his head.  "But I'll tell you what, I know another friend that'll take you, he's headed for Beacon Hills in-" He looked down at his watch. "About five minutes. You'll wanna hurry. I'll point him out to you now."

Cordy thanked the man as she climbed out of the seat. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment, but she was just glad the man was nice about it. Strangely, Cordy hadn't felt that embarrassed for a long time. Maybe it was just because she stood in America, a long way from the place she had called her home, and maybe it was because she was out of her comfort zone.

The man turned to her and smiled kindly, then pointed behind her. She turned around and followed where his nimble, outstretched finger laid upon a younger man who looked to be in his mid-forties. He was holding a large suitcase of luggage as a woman opened the passenger door. For a minute it looked odd to Cordy- she thought she was the driver- but then she remembered the driving difference from the UK. She really had been in England for a long time.

"Peter!" The older man shouted over to the driver, who peeked around the back of the car. He hobbled over to the car and Cordy closely followed behind him.

"Henry."  Peter smiled as he turned his focus back to the car and threw down the open boot. Just after, her walked around the side of his car and shook hands with Henry. "What can I do you for?"

"This young girl needs a ride to Beacon Hills." Henry gestured to Cordy, who smiled back awkwardly. She wasn't quite sure what to do, so she just stood still and let the man do the talking. "Are you still heading up there? I'd take her myself but it's out of my area and I've gotta get home for Sara's birthday."

"You're lucky. I can take her, yeah." He nodded after a short pause, then turned to Cordy. "Luckily I'm taking my sister there to visit our mom for a few days. It's about five hours, but it's gonna cost you."

"I have one hundred dollars, but that's it." She said, pulling the money from the front pocket of her bag. It was the last of the money she had saved for the trip, other than a spare twenty dollars which she needed to keep in case of an emergency. "Is that enough money?"

Peter looked at the money Cordy held out to him, then sighed. "It'll do." He said, snatching the money from her hands.

She wanted to say something back, to point out how rude he was, but she needed to get to Beacon Hills and he seemed like the only option. So she held her tongue and turned to the other driver, muttering her thanks.

As Henry limped back towards his own car, Cordy turned and opened the back door to Peter's taxi. Once again, she ducked down and clambered into the passenger seat, dropping her bag onto the middle seat. She turned back and shut the door after her, then just sat and waited.

A woman in her late twenties sat next to the driver's seat texting, not acknowledging Cordy as if she didn't even know she was there. Peter got into the car a few seconds after and slammed the door behind him, then without a word he started the car and pulled away from the airport.

Cordy wasn't sure what to do. Should she make conversation or stay quiet? What would she even say? She decided it was best not to speak, but then the blonde woman sitting in the front swivelled around in her seat, directing herself towards Cordy. Her indigo eyes were hard and fierce, uncomfortably peering straight through her.

"So, what's so special about Beacon Hills?" The woman asked, tilting her head to one side as she spoke. She had a strong New York accent, just like the driver.

"My family's there." Not that it was any of her business.

"What, you a college student or something?" She scrunched up her face, looking down to the clothes Cordy was wearing, which contrasted to the woman's look. Cordy wore denim skinny jeans matching her converse shoes and an old Nirvana top, covered with a black zip up jacket. The woman, on the other hand, wore a big coat covering a black dress, which poked out at the bottom of her coat, and large, round sunglasses sat on the top of her head. She looked completely out of place, especially sitting in a taxi.

"Sure." Cordy lied, it was better than telling her the truth. She was just glad that the woman gave her a lie; collage.

"And you're studying... what?"

"Uh," Her eyes widened in horror. What was she supposed to say? Quickly, Cordy looked around the car, trying to find something she could use but it was pretty much useless; the car was practically empty. She sighed. "I'm majoring in... French."

"Really?" The woman looked sceptical at first, but then relaxed back into her seat. "French has always seemed pretty pointless to me, I mean, other than cute guys what's France important for? B ut you're a girl, doesn't really have the same affect?"

"Ferme ta putain de gueule, pute. Vous sentez comme le boeuf et le fromage." Cordy smiled, silently thanking her old pack member Eddie for studying French in university while he was in London.

"What did you say?" She asked, turning back again to face Cordy.

"Google it."

"If you're in collage why are you visiting family when school's just starting back?" The driver spoke up, looking through the mirror and straight at Cordy. He looked shady and sceptical, like he didn't believe a word she said.

"Is it really any of your business?" She snapped back. Cordy wasn't in the mood to talk about her personal life, and certainly not to people she barely knew.

"Sounds like you're lying. I don't like liars." The man lowered his voice and slowed his pace. He also narrowed his eyes, which Cordy could see through the mirror.

"And I don't like rude and nosey taxi drivers. I guess we both have our dislikes."

"I'm not driving with her in the car." Peter spat, talking down as if Cordy was vermin. He pulled over, stopping the car completely on an empty street. He turned his body to face Cordy. "Get the hell outta my car."

Cordy narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, grabbing the ends of their seats with each of her hands. She wasn't leaving, and although she didn't want to threaten him, she had to get to Beacon Hills.  Everything important in her life was in Beacon Hills, and she was willing to do absolutely anything to get there.

"I don't think so."

The man laughed sinisterly. "Oh really? And why's that? Because you're just a little girl, and I'm a lot stronger than you."

This time it was Cordy's turn to laugh. He really didn't have a clue what he was up against. "It's sad that you think that."

She did what was natural to her; she flipped her switch. It didn't even feel different anymore, every time she changed it felt the same. There was a sharp sting in her fingernails and teeth as the transition occurred, but she had grown so used to it that she hardly felt it anymore. Still, that wasn't the worst pain her transition brought. All she wanted to do was scare him, and that didn't mean she had to turn fully. She still hadn't gotten over the excruciating pain of a full moon transition, it was the worst thing she had ever felt.

By the look of both the driver and his sister's obvious fear, she knew she had changed. Her eyes were glowing a vibrant blue, her fangs hung over her bottom lip and her claws were holding Peter's chin up, tilting his head upwards to look her in the eye. She smiled devilishly, then an overwhelming cackle took over her body.

"Either you behave and take me to Beacon Hills, or I'll claw out your vocal chords and let your sister watch you die. Then I'll kill her. Have you made your decision yet?" The man nodded over and over, not stopping until Cordy forced him to. "Good. I'm glad we're on the same page."

Cordy smiled broadly and allowed her features to fade as she pushed the man away from her. She sat back into her seat, once again in her normal, teenage form. "Now drive."

And he did just that, pulling back onto the road and driving at a slightly faster pace than he had before.