𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 | 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝔂'𝓼 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻

𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘯-𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺

THE GIRL NARROWS HER EYES at the stack of pancakes before her, then violently stabs her fork into them. Lydia looks up from her own breakfast and frowns at her sister's sudden outburst. "Woah, what did the pancakes do to you?"

"Nothing," Charlotte answers with disappointment. "But I need to stab something, and this is the best and only option right now."

The strawberry blonde's eyes fill with concern and she sets down her glass. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asks softly.

With a sigh, Charlotte's fork clatters onto the plate and she leans her chin into her palm. "Have you seen Peter recently?"

Lydia raises her eyebrows in surprise. "Wow, right to it." She chews on her lip for a few seconds before adding, "Uh, yeah."

"What did he say?" she presses. "Did you see Peter, Peter? Did you find out that dude we were seeing was completely fake and that everything over the last few months has been a complete and utter lie?"

Gently smiling, Lydia slides the maple syrup down the table to her twin. "Yes, yes, and yes. The first one, nothing too important. Just the usual stuff, like how I'm not going crazy and that everything's happening for a reason."

"You're awfully calm right now," Charlotte slowly points out, her eyes narrowing a fraction as she studies the girl.

"I'm getting used to it."

Charlotte frowns, her eyes remaining on the girl who resumes cutting her pancake. "Did he tell you that one of us is meant to do something for him?"

Lydia's arm freezes mid-air, then she continues on as if nothing had happened. She smiles at the blonde and bites into a strawberry. "Nope," she answers nonchalantly. "I wouldn't worry about it though, it's probably nothing."

Her brows pinch together and she nods. "Yeah, he never got to finish telling me anyways..." Dazing off, Charlotte thinks back to her conversations with Peter Hale. She's learnt multiple things about both herself and her sister. If he is telling the truth, both of them are indeed immune to the bite, just as they had suspected. Secondly, Peter knew that their bodies would reject the bite, however, they wouldn't die. He knew they wouldn't become werewolves. Somehow, whatever way, he knew. Maybe it's something to do with DNA. Genes?

Watching her sister go about her morning as if nothing is wrong makes Charlotte suspect that Lydia knows a little more than she's letting on. When you get pretty good at reading body language, you notice the small things. And she didn't need to hear her sister's heartbeat to know a wave of anxiety crashed over her the second Charlotte brought up that Peter said they were meant to do something for him. Peter never told her that it was to be either or. In fact, Lydia wasn't even brought up in their conversation. Maybe he had told her what he didn't get to tell Charlotte. Maybe Lydia Martin knows everything that Charlotte is meant to.

However, her sister doesn't seem to want to talk any time soon. Although this is the first time in a little while that Charlotte had brought Peter up in a conversation, when talking about him previously both girls had shared the same fear. The more her mind repeats the events from the last twenty-four hours, the more Alan Deaton sounds right. Peter Hale wants something, and it scares Charlotte shitless that she doesn't know what that something is.

»»———-　　———-««

"Come in!"

The door to her bedroom creaks open and Scott's pokes his head inside, a large smile adorning his face. "Happy non-birthday!" he exclaims happily.

Rolling her eyes, Charlotte grins and sits up, crossing her legs. For the last few years, Scott and Stiles had to deal with her not wanting to make her birthday a big deal; they knew why she hated it. When your father announces he's leaving on the day you're meant to celebrate, the twins have every right to despise the day. "You managed to get past Lydia?"

"She's not here," the boy replies with a shrug.

Charlotte's eyes squint. "How the fuck did you get in then?"

Scott sheepishly smiles and pulls out a key from his pocket. "Stiles let me borrow it," he confesses.

"Of course he did." Sitting down beside her, he brings the hand hidden behind his back into sight and she sighs at the small box. "Scotty, you know the rules-"

"I know, no presents." He holds a hand up. "But I made it, so technically it's not a present... J-just open it."

She quietly laughs and unties the lilac ribbon. Her eyes widen in shock when she looks inside. She picks up the delicate item laying on velvet, and the blue tinted glass instantly reflects the sunlight streaming in from her window. "It's a sun catcher," she whispers in awe. A glass butterfly hangs at the bottom of the copper wire with three quartz lilies above it. She looks up to her best friend and says, "It's beautiful."

Slightly shocked by the hug he is tightly pulled into, Scott beams and squeezes her back. "I know you love butterflies."

Charlotte glances back down to the gift then up to the boy in disbelief. "You made this?"

He scoffs in offense. "Yes! I can be creative!" he exclaims defensively.

"Huh. I've known you since we were three and wasn't aware of this artistic flare you have."

Grinning, Scott stands up and goes over to her window, peering outside to the backyard that in a few hours will be transformed into the party of the year. "So, tonight..." He raises a brow at his friend. "Excited?"

"No," she instantly answers.

Scott gives her a sympathetic smile. "It'll be fine. Stiles and I are coming, so's Allison." She watches him walk around the room and pause to stare at something on her desk. "What's this?" he questions.

Jumping up in alarm, Charlotte runs over and snatches the piece of paper out of his hands. Scott casts another look at the sketch of the lizard and flinches at the glare on her face as she brings it behind her back. But when he raises his brows and looks at her pointedly, she sighs and turns to retrieve the folder out of her cupboard. "You might want to sit down," she warns him quietly. "But whatever I tell you, please don't think I'm crazy."

Once he flips to the last page of artwork, Scott shuts the book and lifts his head to look at his friend. "How long has it been happening for?"

She drags a hand down the side of her face with a sigh. "A month," she says timidly.

"A month?" he repeats incredulously. A flicker of hurt flashes over his face momentarily. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Charlotte throws her hands up in the air. "Because I knew you'd give me a look like I'd gone insane. Exactly like you are right now! Scott, I saw how all of you stared at Lydia and I when we said we saw Peter at the ice rink."

He takes a seat on her bed next to her and squeezes her hand. "Lottie, you're not crazy. Not any more than the rest of us are." She stifles a small laugh and he smiles. "I think you're right though, the lizards definitely have something to do with the Kanima. Maybe you're psychic."

"Maybe."

Scott's concerned eyes flick across her face before he asks, "Is there anything else you wanna tell me? You know I won't judge you."

Charlotte looks down, trying to avoid eye contact as she tries to decide whether to tell him about Peter. Well, she's come this far. "I've been seeing Peter," she mutters. But as quiet as her voice is, she knows it sounds crystal clear to Scott. "The ice rink wasn't the last time."

His lips part in shock as he stares at her. "What?"

"It wasn't too concerning at first, it just kinda made me think I was losing my mind seeing a dead guy. But Scott, yesterday..." Goosebumps erupt across her arms at the very thought of the memory. "And this morning, he actually talked to me. Before, it was maybe just calling my name. But we had a conversation, like, he replied to me."

"As if he was alive?" the werewolf questions in alarm.

"Yeah, exactly," she confirms. "It was like he was right here with me. I could feel him." It's as if fingers ghost over her cheek where the man had gently touched it. "He made physical contact with me."

Scott shakes his head as he wraps his thoughts around the newfound information. "What did he want?"

Charlotte sighs softly. "He said he wants me to do something, but he didn't get to finish. Stiles interrupted me last night and Lydia came in this morning. She's still seeing him too. But when I brought it up at breakfast..." She frowns. "She seemed so calm."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know... I think she knows something. I feel like maybe Peter's goal all along has been to somehow drive us to the brink of insanity, where we would do anything to make him go away." She gnaws on her bottom lip, peeling away layers of the skin. "Scott, I think he bit both of us so he had a backup plan for a backup plan."

The boy's eyes widen as he begins to understand. "Like if one of you refused him, he could somehow manipulate the other?"

Nodding, Charlotte stands up to pace around her room. "But I don't get how he's here, you know, interacting with me and whatever. I'm meant to talk to Deaton tomorrow."

Scott's eyebrows furrow. "Charles, I don't know," he speaks up slowly. "I think now sounds like a better idea."

She stops the pacing to give him a pointed look. "Lydia would cut out my eyes and smother me in my sleep with my pillow if I missed tonight."

"I'll cover for you," he counters. At her hesitant expression, he adds, "A lot can happen in one night. I'll just say you went to go restock some snacks or something. But stay for a few hours first."

A few moments pass before she finally gives in with a hesitant nod. "Yeah, okay. Yeah, I like that plan," she agrees.

"You're not crazy," Scott repeats seriously. "Neither of you are. We're gonna figure this out. I'm gonna figure it out."

With fresh tears in her eyes, Charlotte gratefully smiles at the boy. She doesn't know what she'd do without him. "Thanks, Scotty."

»»———-　　———-««

"All right!" Lydia clears her throat as she walks into their friend's room with numerous bags clutched in her hands. "Clear your schedule! This is gonna take a while."

Hearing the siblings enter, Allison looks up from her desk and instantly smiles at the sight of them. However, one looks considerably brighter than the other. With a grim expression, Charlotte sighs and collapses onto the bed. "Welcome to hell," she mutters.

The brunette laughs at the sight of the nine Macy's bags Lydia drops onto the rug. "How many outfits do you both plan on wearing tonight?" she questions.

Lydia grins and holds a striped dress in various hues of grey against her body. "It's our birthday party! I'm thinking host dress, evening dress, after hours casual..."

Charlotte sighs once more and meets Allison's gaze. She rolls her eyes at her friend's amused smile. "This happens every year," she says. "Seriously, every year. The actual outfit choosing takes longer than all the party planning put together."

The Argent looks off for a few seconds, chewing on her lip as she hesitantly interrupts the siblings sorting through the bags of clothes. "I, um, I noticed you guys didn't send out any invites," she points out tentatively.

Charlotte drops the dress and collapses face first onto Allison's bed. "I don't get a say in any of this," she mumbles.

"It's the biggest party of the year, Allison! Everyone knows," Lydia replies shortly. As much as she tries to hide it, her sister notices how her body has tensed considerably as soon the words left their friend's mouth.

"I was wondering if maybe this year things, you know..." Allison subtly winces at the glare burning the side of her head from the blonde-haired girl. "Maybe they might be different?"

Laying a silver necklace on the bed, Lydia grits her teeth. "Why would anything be different?"

"Just 'cause things have been off lately-"

"Allison, everyone's coming tonight," Lydia interrupts, a bite to her tone. Then she forces a smile to the girl. "Everyone's coming," she repeats.

When her sister turns to empty another bag, Charlotte leans into the brunette and mutters, "Do not say anything. This is the one thing she's been looking forward to all year."

Allison quickly nods, understanding the warning, and takes a seat on her armchair as she changes the topic. "So I've been meaning to ask, why are you guys sharing a party?"

The siblings simultaneously retort, "Are you kidding?"

Charlotte chuckles. "Maybe 'cause we share a birthday?"

Her eyes flicking between the girls in shock, Allison stutters out her reply. "W-wait. What? Wait, what? You're twins?"

Lydia rolls her eyes. "Fraternal, obviously. How did you not know this?"

"I guess I never thought about it..."

"You didn't know when our birthdays were?" Charlotte questions with a laugh.

Allison grimaces apologetically. "I just assumed because you say you're older than Lydia..."

The blonde proudly smiles. "Exactly one minute, thirty seconds, and seventeen milliseconds." She arches a brow at her best friend in amusement. "Why did you think we were in the same year? We would've had to be around ten months older than each other, which definitely isn't the case."

Lydia chuckles and shoves a dark red minidress into Charlotte's hands. "Moving on from this catastrophic disaster, Lottie, you're wearing this. It's American Rag. I know you only want one."

She sighs in relief. "Now this is the one thing I can sort of control."

"This one's Material Girl," Lydia says, holding out a brightly coloured floral dress to Allison. She smiles. "It's for you." Allison takes the item, however, before she can thank the girl, someone knocks at the door. Lydia spins around with a polite smile. "Mrs Argent! What do you think of this one?"

Victoria smiles at the blue dress in Lydia's hands and nods. "Oh, it's lovely."

"Nice to see you, Mrs Argent," Charlotte greets.

The woman smiles at both the siblings then turns to her daughter. "Allison, uh, can I grab you for a moment to talk? Just the two of us?"

"Um, can we do it later?" Allison replies softly, her eyes flicking to her two friends then back to her mother.

"Actually, uh, to be honest sooner would be-would be better," Victoria says, rubbing her shoulder. Charlotte's eyes squint slightly as she takes notice of the sheen of sweat on the woman's forehead. Something's not quite right.

"Party's at ten," Lydia states.

"Oh, will you be around before then?" Victoria asks.

Allison looks to her mother briefly. "I think so."

"You think so?"

"Mom, I don't know."

Charlotte watches the woman's face drop and she frowns. "Alli, go, it's okay," she tells the girl. But Allison only raises her brows at her mother and subtly nudges her head to the side. Victoria smiles at Charlotte before pursing her lips and walking out the room. Despite Scott constantly telling them that he's utterly terrified of the older Argent, Charlotte had always had a decent experience with her, aside from the wanting to kill her sister. She assumes the politeness is forced, but at least Victoria hadn't actually tried to kill her yet. "Allison, go," she says more firmly. "Seriously, it's fine."

"No, it's okay. It's your birthday. My mom can wait."

Slowly nodding at her, Charlotte picks up her given dress. "Okay, do we think jacket or no jacket?" she asks.

"No jacket. Definitely without," Lydia replies without hesitation.

But there's still a thick layer of tension in the air, from the interaction between the two Argents and from the conversation about the party earlier. Charlotte grimaces as she thinks of a way to try and lift their moods. And she only knows of one way to do that. At least, one way that would definitely affect Lydia. "Erica kissed me after the rave," she blurts out suddenly.

Both girls snap their heads over to her. Lydia's eyes widen and she immediately breaks into a grin. "Wait, what the fuck?" she shrieks. "Are you serious? My sister had her first kiss? Finally! How was it?" She quickly takes a seat beside Charlotte as a revelation dawns upon her. "Oh, my God, do you like her?"

Charlotte huffs a laugh and can't hide the smile stretching on her lips. "Yes, yes, amazing, and... yes." Lydia squeals and collides into her as she tightly embraces her. The blonde-haired girl grimaces as she struggles to breath momentarily. "Okay, if I knew you would do this, I wouldn't have said anything."

Lydia giggles, but her happiness fades away as she looks to Allison standing in the corner of her room with a frown. "Aren't you excited for her?" she asks the girl in confusion.

The brunette clears her throat and nods, the corners of her lips lifting. "Yeah, that's amazing."

Charlotte's eyebrows draw together at her best friend's behaviour and her smile slips away. "Hey, are you okay?" she questions softly.

"Yeah, I'm all good," Allison dismisses. She clears her throat. "Just a bit surprised."

Lydia's eyes narrow as her features turn cold. "What, because she kissed a girl?" she snaps protectively. "Or because it was Erica?"

"No! No, absolutely not. It's nothing to do- I don't care about that." Allison's eyes flick to Charlotte. "I just didn't realise you liked her."

The girl in question slides down onto the carpet as she twists the hair tie around her wrist. "Neither did I," she admits. "I mean, I've had a crush but I thought it was just silly, you know? Like, she looked hot, all that sort of stuff. But then Danny was talking to me and he just said go for it. And I don't know!" A blush tints her cheeks as her smile returns. "I think I really like her."

Lydia beams as she jumps up and down. "Best. Birthday. Ever!"

Allison smiles at the both of them but as she turns around where their eyes can't find her face, her lips drop into a frown.

»»———-　　———-««

Straightening the maroon dress clinging to her body, Charlotte finishes applying a coat of mascara to her lashes. She stares at her reflection and wonders exactly who the girl in the mirror is. She's a stranger. It's her but it's not her. It's a version of herself, fabricated to be what the people around her want to see. The girl in the designer dress and coated in makeup is the person Lydia wants to see tonight. The real Charlotte is panicking. She's almost paralysed with anxiety of the idea being surrounded by crowds tonight and with what's been happening in the shadows. She wants nothing more than to cry her eyes out with a tub of ice-cream and watch Friends. But tonight, just for tonight, she'd become the girl in the mirror for her sister.

She had called Deaton earlier and informed him she would be dropping by the clinic later. Aside from Scott and the veterinarian, no one else knows about the drawings, nor how often she had been seeing Peter Hale. Well, Stiles had walked in on one of the episodes... But for right now, the less who know the better.

The girl reaches up to run a hand through her curls, but her arm freezes once she feels something slimly crawl onto her bare foot. Her eyes screw shut, refusing to look at what she knows is there. But that's exactly it, whatever is there isn't really there. It's all a hallucination. And the voice that speaks up only confirms it. "Open your eyes, Charlotte."

Peter's murmur rings through her head over and over again. She clutches onto the edge of her dresser to the point where her knuckles turn a shade of ghostly white. "No-no. Leave me alone!" she cries out desperately. She jumps when his breathing sounds much closer than before. Feeling the ghost of his breath against her ear, Charlotte shudders. A few tears drop out of her closed eyes and trail down her cheek as an inky black.

"Open your eyes," he whispers.

"Just leave me alone!" Driven by fear, she refuses to look down at the dozens of worms crawling over her toes.

Peter smiles and the back of his hand brushes under her eyes as he wipes away the tears. "That can be arranged," he answers softly. "All I need you to do is open your eyes."

"Go away!"

Footsteps thunder up the stairs and the bedroom door flies open, Lydia running inside in a panic. Her eyes widen in alarm once she sees her sister in the corner of her room, curled up into a ball as if being in such a position would shield her away from the world. Crouching beside to her, she gently touches her elbow. Charlotte immediately flinches at the contact. "Hey, it's just me," Lydia reassures her gently.

The blonde-haired girl looks up, her eyes red and irritated. "Why are you here?" she asks, her voice hoarse.

"You screamed," Lydia says, slightly confused as to why the girl is asking. "I heard it from outside." But as she watches her twin search around her room in something that resembles paranoia, she sighs. "You saw him again," she realises.

"I heard him again," Charlotte corrects. She slowly sits up when Lydia doesn't look her way, staring at something on the dresser. "What?"

"Your mirror," her sister whispers. Large cracks run down the glass, fractured images of the two teenage girls reflecting in it. Charlotte's eyes widen. Then Lydia gasps. "Charlotte, all the glass in here..."

She shakes her head in disbelief. "It's shattered," she whispers. It's not only the mirror that's broken. The window looking out to the backyard has a fracture down the middle. The cup of water on her bedside table has smashed. Pieces of glass continue to drop off the picture frames nailed to her wall. And when she reaches her desk, her heart breaks, just like the glass. Scott's sun catcher has splintered into hundreds of tiny, coloured fragments. The girl drops down into the desk chair and stares into space. "What's wrong with me?"

Lydia's eyes soften in concern as she grabs onto her hand. "Nothing's wrong with you, Lottie. We just have to figure out what's going on."

After reassuring her sister that she would be alright, Charlotte uses a facial wipe to remove the ruined eye makeup then reapplies it. Her phone buzzes in her pocket and at the contact name, a small smile appears upon her lips.

Keeks
Sorry I can't be there tonight, Derek's chaining us up for the full moon. Precautions and all..
Happy birthday gorgeous :) <3

Her smile's widened considerably. After replying back that she completely understands and bids the girl good luck, Charlotte ties the straps of her heels and prepares herself to walk downstairs. She takes a deep breath as her eyes find the multiple piles of crushed glass spread across her carpet and she decides to deal with it later. Just as she opens her door, she pauses and her brows furrow.

Water.

Quickly rushing into her ensuite, she double checks that every faucet is turned off and tightens them further. She stands back and her frown deepens as her eyes scan across the room. She can still hear water running. "What the fuck?" she says aloud in confusion. Walking down to the lower level of the house, Charlotte groans as she looks out the windows. There is at maximum, ten people. The doorbell rings and she redirects her path over to it to be greeted with a very large box covered in pink and yellow wrapping paper. "Uh, hello?" she calls out.

The box moves down slightly and reveals Stiles' wide grin. "Happy non-birthday!"

"Hey, dude, that's a big fucking box," she greets with a laugh.

"Hell yeah it is!" he exclaims. "This is Lydia's, you know, 'cause you didn't want-"

Charlotte looks over her shoulder and yells, "Lydia! You'll want to come see this!"

Stiles shakes his head as his eyes widen in alarm. "N-no, no. Not yet. Let me come in." He takes a step forward but is stopped when the box gets stuck in the doorway, refusing to budge an inch further. Lydia appears with her tray of drinks in hand and quietly laughs. "Oh, woah... Can't... Okay, you know, you don't- can one of you just grab that side maybe?"

To his disappointment, both girls stay still, enjoying the scene play out in front of them. Finally having enough, Lydia rolls her eyes. "Don't forget to try the punch," she calls back.

After watching him for another minute, Charlotte sighs. "All right, you've suffered long enough," she concludes. Grabbing hold of the side of the box closest to her, she looks over the top to Stiles and they both curtly nod. She harshly tugs and yelps in horror as both Stiles and the heavy box fall on top of her. "Oh, my God!"

He sheepishly smiles. "Happy birthday...?"

»»———-　　———-««

With a heavy sigh, Lydia collapses onto a chair beside her sulking twin. "No one's here yet," she states. Her voice raises as she says, "Why is no one here?"

Charlotte glances to her and shrugs. "I'm not sure, Dee. Maybe it's just early?" Eyeing the tray of glasses filled to the brim with a coral tinted liquid, she grimaces. "God, what is that?"

"Punch," Lydia answers with a roll of her eyes at her sister's face of disgust. "Want some?"

"As wonderful as it looks, I'm drinking tonight." Charlotte holds up her silver flask. "And I mean drinking." She takes a long sip of the vodka and smiles as she leans back into the chair.

"What's got you in such a mood?"

"Everything. Today. Life. The world." Lydia gives her a look. "Okay, aside from that, I've got a killer headache." Charlotte frowns as she focuses back onto the incessant trickling water. "I keep hearing water."

The strawberry blonde gives her a small smile and points to the pool beside them. "I wonder why."

As she walks away, Charlotte mutters, "But I heard it inside." Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Scott and Stiles walk out the patio doors and she rubs her temple. "Hey, guys," she calls out.

"There's the birthday girl!" Stiles purses his lips at the look she gives him. "Right, sorry. Where is everyone?" he questions.

Scott looks around. "It's only nine-forty-five," he points out.

"Or maybe nobody's coming because Lydia's turned into the town whack job," he retorts. "You know after her midnight stroll." Charlotte shakily exhales and takes another swing from her flask whilst she walks away from them. Stiles' eyes widen and he spins around to Scott. "What! What did I say?"

The werewolf shakes his head. "You know she's been seeing Peter," he says pointedly. "She told me about it this morning."

Stiles' eyes widen even further. "Shit." Scott sighs as the boy runs off after her. "Charlie! Charlie, wait!"

She slowly turns around and raises her eyebrows at him. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I- sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay," she dismisses. "Actually no, it's not okay." She looks down to her flask longingly. "But I haven't had enough alcohol yet to talk about it."

Squinting his eyes, Stiles snatches the object out of her hand. Shaking it up and down, he looks up to her when he doesn't hear any liquid splashing about inside. "How long did it take you to drink this?"

"That? Maybe ten minutes or so."

Motioning for Scott to join them, Stiles whispers to the boy, "We need to distract her."

He nods, having heard the last of their conversation. Scott clears his throat. "Hey, Charles, how would it sound if we said we knew some people who could come liven this place up?"

Charlotte's eyes narrow sceptically. "Who?"

Stiles grins as he pulls out his phone. "Let's just say that they know how to party."

It's approximately fifteen minutes later when she hears loud chatter and heels against floorboards, and Charlotte's attention goes to the doors now opening to the backyard. When they see her grin widely, Stiles and Scott high five each other. "Oh, my God!" she squeals. "It's the girls from Jungle!" Giggling in excitement, she runs over and the two drag queens smile at her. "Hi! We met the other night?"

"We remember you. Birthday girl?"

"You remember me? Oh, yeah, I'm one of them. Could you paint my nails? Because I loved yours from the other day. I've got stuff upstairs, well my sister does-"

They both chuckle at the intoxicated teenage girl in front of them. "We absolutely can. Let's get this party started!"

»»———-　　———-««

Gawking at her neon orange nails, Charlotte quietly shrieks. "Holy fuck! I love them so much!" Skipping away, as best as one can in high heels, she joins her best friends once again and wraps an arm around each of their shoulders. "Hi! I love you both so much right now."

Stiles snorts. "Take it you're happy?"

"Happy? This night is so much better than I thought it would be!"

Scott frowns. "You would never say that. No one let her drink anymore."

"Like you could stop me," she retorts. "Gossip time! Scott, have you apologised to your girlfy?"

He looks at her with confusion and turns to Stiles who only raises his brows in agreement with her. "What? Why should I apologise?"

Charlotte slaps a hand onto her face. "Oh, Jesus..."

"Because you're the guy!" Stiles exclaims. "It's what we do."

"But I didn't do anything wrong..."

"Well, then you should definitely apologise."

"Scott!" He winces at her firm tone and hesitantly meets her blue eyes. "I heard you yell at her the other day. At the rave? You were a major dick. Like, a major fucking asshole. If I was her, I'd have gone all stabby stabby by now. You need to apologise."

"You're a real bitch when you're drunk," Scott deadpans.

She giggles. "Yeah I am!"

Stiles rolls his eyes. "Okay, I didn't know about that, but yes. She's right. You see, any time a guy thinks he hasn't done anything wrong, it means he's definitely done something wrong."

However, Scott shrugs and stubbornly replies, "I'm not apologising."

"Is that the full moon talking, buddy?" Stiles asks pointedly.

"Probably. Why do you guys care anyways?"

Charlotte scoffs and points to Allison standing on her own on the other side of the pool. "Because that girl is one of my other best friends. So when one of my best friends hurts my other best friend, I'm most likely going to side with the best friend who got hurt by my other best friend."

Scott blinks at her. "What?"

Stiles sighs and samples his glass of punch. "Man, this is good," he comments happily. Then his smile drops. "Scott, something has to go right here! I mean, we are getting our asses royally kicked, if you haven't noticed. People are dying."

Charlotte drags a finger across her throat. "Lots of people are dying," she whispers.

"I got my dad fired. You're gonna be held back in school."

"Oh, burn," she exclaims. Scott scowls.

"Charlie's going crazy. I'm in love with a nut job, and if on top of that we have to watch you lose Allison to a stalker like Matt, I'm gonna stab myself in the fucking face!"

With the grin returned to her face, Charlotte points to a guest walking into the party. "Can we stab him instead?" she suggests. Then she nods her head. "Yeah, I'm gonna go stab him."

Scott's eyes widen in alarm and Stiles frantically gestures to the girl who stands up and heads towards Jackson. "No! No, no, Charles. No." Scott jumps up and grabs onto her waist, dragging her back a few steps.

Jackson looks around and Charlotte smiles dreamily as Lydia approaches him and hands him a glass of punch. "God, they're so perfect for each other," she mumbles.

The boys turn to stare at her. "Well this is a rollercoaster," Stiles observes. Scott glares at him and harshly elbows his side, causing him to topple out of his chair.

Jackson locks eyes with the three and scowls at them as he brings his glass to his lips. Charlotte waves at him excitedly. "Hey, Jacky! There he is! There you are!"

»»———-　　———-««

Crashing into Lydia, Charlotte giggles. She's laughed a lot more than she thought she would tonight. "You look so pretty!"

The other Martin twin sighs. "How much did you drink?"

She waves a hand and puffs out a breath of air. "Me? Nothing!"

Lydia pats her back and plants a kiss to her forehead. "Find Allison, she'll look after you."

"Okie dokie! Have fun!"

Whistling to herself, Charlotte makes her way down the hallway past the stairs and enters the kitchen. She groans out in pain as the trickling water morphs into crashing waves. Clutching her head, she opens one of the drawers and takes a silver key out. Unlocking their mother's alcohol cabinet, she looks at each bottle and smiles as she locks eyes onto the bottle of whiskey. Opening the cap, she brings it up to her lips and goes to drink before it is snatched out of her grasp.

Allison raises her eyebrows, clearly unimpressed, screws the lid back on and locks the cupboard. "No way," she states firmly.

Charlotte pouts in disappointment. "Alli! Come on! Have a bit of fun-"

The brunette chuckles and places her hands on her friend's shoulders as she steers her back outside. "You need to sober up." She passes her a bottle of water. "Drink," she orders.

The girl folds her arms. "No."

"Charles, come on."

"No!"

With a sigh, Allison pushes the bottle up to her lips, forcing her to drink the water. Charlotte rolls her eyes in defeat and grabs it to gulp down the liquid. When she holds the empty plastic bottle up, Allison gives her a small smile. "Feel better?"

"No."

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Really?"

"Yep. I'm fine!"

Allison's eyes shine with concern as she asks, "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine!" Charlotte says. "Totally fine."

"Really? Because you seem a little..."

"Fine? 'Cause I am. Aren't you, Allison?" She points to a group of people. "See? Who else is fine?" Charlotte calls out.

Allison plasters on a smile when the group turn towards them and she waves them off. She grabs onto the girl's hand. "Hey, I know I've been a bit distant lately but I'm here to talk if you need to, you know that, right?"

"No, I can't talk to you. You know why?" Charlotte swallows the lump in her throat. "Because out of every single person in the whole world, you're the person I'm most worried about judging me. I care so much about what you think of me, of how you think of me- I definitely cannot talk to you."

With a worried frown, Allison squeezes her hands. "Hey, I would never judge you," she says, firmly but softly. "Ever. You will never understand how much I love you. You're my best friend."

Charlotte takes her hand back and stands up. "Yeah. That's the problem." Not looking back, she leaves an extremely confused Allison and bumps into Matt on the way out. Already on edge, she glowers at him. "What the fuck are you doing here?" she snaps.

He smiles. "Happy birthday."

Her eyes narrow. "I don't like you." As she walks away, she feels his fingers graze her wrist as he tries to stop her and she grits her teeth. Spinning around, Charlotte brings her knee up in between his legs.

He groans and collapses onto the floor, glaring up at her. "What the hell?"

Smiling, she leaves the boy to wallow in his pain and walks back inside to go up to her room. Another wave of pain hits her head and she grimaces, stumbling into the side of the wall. With her eyes closed, she takes a few more steps forward only to bump into someone. Charlotte places a hand onto her best friend's shoulder. "Scooter? You okay?"

Sweat drips down his forehead and he slowly shakes his head. "We need to find Lydia," he says.

"Huh, why?"

"Something's wrong with the punch."

"I knew it looked disgusting," she mutters.

»»———-　　———-««

"Stiles!"

"Stiles?"

"Stiles, look at me!"

"Mieczyslaw Stilinski!"

The boy's eyes snap over to Charlotte and he nods, still in a daze. "Y-yeah, bro, what's up?"

She refrains her smile. "Something's happening and we need you to sober up right now," she tells him firmly.

Stiles shakes his head. "Nah, I don't wanna." With a sigh, Charlotte motions for one of the girls nearby to come over.

"Charlie, hey what's up?"

She greets her friend with a small smile and gestures to the teenager on the ground. "Danielle, we need you to get Stiles here sober."

Scott's eyebrows raise. "What's she gonna d-"

Danielle grabs Stiles' arm and dunks his head under the ice cold water of the pool. He gasps for air and shakes his head, water droplets spraying onto the pair beside him. "Whoo!"

"How do you feel?"

"Like I might have to revisit my policy on hitting a girl."

Danielle nods as she glances to Scott and Charlotte. "He's sober."

»»———-　　———-««

Sighing, Charlotte leans her head against the window and closes her eyes for a few seconds. Scott looks to the side in concern. "Are you okay?" he asks gently.

"I feel like I'm standing next to a waterfall," she whispers.

"Wait what?" His eyebrows draw together. "Have you had anything else to drink?"

"Nope. I'm actually feeling surprisingly sober right now. You can't find Lydia anywhere?" When both boys nod, she scoffs. "Bitch! She forced me to come to this yet she leaves it?" Charlotte holds a hand up. "Sorry, forgot we were being serious for a second. Okay, so both of you had hallucinations."

"Yeah," the werewolf confirms with a nod. "And it felt so real. Almost like they were based on what we're afraid of."

"Mine was, too," Stiles confirms. "Anyone who drank that crap, they're freaking out."

The three look around the backyard of the Martin house. If Charlotte could use a word to describe it, it would be a zoo. Teenagers jump into the pool, some make out with one another, or some chug alcohol. One is sniffing the vines on the trellis. She drags a hand down the side of her face and groans in frustration. "Mom's gonna kill us... " Opening her phone, Charlotte's eyes widen at the time. "I've gotta go to Deaton. I'm late."

"What?" Stiles questions.

"Scott will fill you in. Let me know if you find Lydia."

Breaking away from the pair, she heads down to the side of the house, finally able to escape the evening. Heeling clicking on the bricks of driveway, she freezes when a loud splash comes back in the party, quickly followed by panicked yells. "Hey, I can't swim! N-no guys, I can't swim! Stop!"

Charlotte races back through the gate and her eyes widen in horror when she sees Matt flailing about in the pool, unable to swim. Seeing no one move to help him and obviously not wanting to deal with the aftermath of a dead body at her party, she weaves through the forming crowd and tries to help the drowning boy. But just as she reaches the edge, someone roughly pushes past her.

Standing back with Scott and Stiles, they watch Matt weakly grab Jackson's outstretched hand and get lifted out of the pool. Looking around him, the boy breathes heavily as water floods off his clothing and onto the paving. "What are you looking at?" he snaps at the crowd. Matt stops at the trio and directs the daggers in his eyes directly at Scott, and the glare softens slightly when he turns to Charlotte. "You tried to help me."

Opening her mouth to reply, her head snaps out to the road in front of her house when sirens ring through the air. "Cops are here!" someone yells.

Charlotte turns behind her and loudly calls out, "Everyone get the fuck out of here before my mom gets back!" The entire party frantically scrambles out of the yard and she sighs at the destruction that's been left behind. "Great."

"Where did Matt go?" Scott asks in alarm.

"That way," Stiles points out the gate.

When he turns to Charlotte, gesturing her to follow, she holds a finger up as her phone vibrates. "Yeah, give me a minute." He nods and breaks into a run, following the direction Scott had disappeared to. She frowns at the message from an unknown number. Hesitating for a second, she clicks on the screen.

UNKNOWN NUMBER
Charlotte, it's Chris Argent. Something happened to Victoria. Allison's going to need you.

𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 (𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦) 🥺
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺