chapter eleven:
moments later

It was dark, Charlie couldn't grasp where she was when she opened her eyes in a heavy manner. She felt stuck as she twitched her fingers slightly.

The dirt beneath her was soft and slightly wet, it mended into the cracks of her skin as she sat upwards. She pressed her fingers atop her forehead hissing in discomfort when she felt the wound.

She let out a shaky breath as she forced herself to walk down the pathway. Her body was freezing cold as she approached the entrance of the camp grounds. She kept walking until she spotted Hanna's car, she forced the door open and slipped inside, she turned the engine on and drove off.

She felt lightheaded but she ignored it as she drove towards the hospital. She blinked her eyes struggling to stay awake as she let out heaps of air.

She rubbed at her eyes harshly as she looked at the clock on the car radio. She turned down the road going towards her house instead.

She ignored the pain as she got out of the car and ran inside of her house. She could hear the chatter of her mom and brother in the living room.

She slipped up the stairs quietly going into her bedroom and pushing the door shut. She neared her desk opening the drawer and grabbing the first aid kit she kept for emergencies.

She grabbed spare clothes and walked into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, she paused at the sight, she didn't recognize herself.

The girl that was staring back at her wasn't Charlie. This was a stranger, someone broken. She sighed as she opened the cabinet not wanting to see her face.

She grabbed the pain medicine she had and took a bunch of them out. They felt so cold on her palm as she turned the sink water on.

She pushed the cabinet shut with a bang as she put the pills into her mouth. She felt them slowly melting as she let the water slip into the palm of her hand. She drank the water and swallowed, it burned at first then it felt cold.

She let out a heavy breath as she opened the first aid kit and grabbed the needle and thread. She wanted to scream when it jabbed into her skin.

She remained silent as she leaned into the sink for support. It ached like thousands of knifes were jabbing into her flesh over and over.

She knew that feeling so well, sixteen years old and she knew the agony of death slipping into her flesh. She ignore the tears that slipped down her cheeks as she pushed the needle in further.

Her phone buzzed loudly in her back pocket. She ignored it as she pulled the thread through one last time before tying it away.

A wave of calmness overcame her being as she took her clothes off and changed. She pushed her hair over the wound making sure it was noticeable.

She looked at the bottle of pills that rested in the cabinet. Just one more, one more and you'll be free of all this pain and suffering.

One more and A won't even scare you anymore. She grabbed the bottle ignoring the shaking of her hands as she pulled the lid off.

They came crashing down into her palm, leaving behind a dull sting as she turned the sink on. She looked at them for a long time.

She jumped when she heard the knock on the door "Charlie sweetie is that you? I just got a call from Hannas mother, she's been in an accident".

Just like that the pills slipped out of her palm falling into the drain. The water swallowed them whole as Charlie turned the sink off and neared the door.

She opened it looking at her mother "h...hanna?" her throat ached as she let out a wheezing noise. Her mother smiled slightly "your voice is coming back that's good sweetheart".

Her mother moved back slightly "apparently Hanna got hit by a car. Luckily she's okay just a few injuries, nothing to major or tragic. She was asking for you when she woke up".

Charlie blinked her vision fuzzy as she pushed the bathroom door shut. "T-Tired" she winced slightly as she rubbed at her throat.

"Okay you get some rest, I'll drive you to the hospital first thing in the morning". Charlie nodded and smiled at her mother as she walked into her room. When she heard her mother walk away she grabbed her phone out of her pocket.

I told you to come alone—A

Charlie threw her phone into the wall letting out a heavy breath as she laid down and held onto herself. She wish the water didn't swallow the pills.

—

Hanna felt overwhelmed, the girls visited and they came and went. But she wanted to see Charlie, she needed to make sure she was okay.

The scream was taunting, she remembered it. The loudness of it slamming into her ears. Then it faded away when the car hit her and the pain overtook.

The door opened slightly and she felt relief hit her when she saw Charlie walk inside. The girl held onto a teddy bear, it's little hands holding onto heart. The bold letters on it said get better.

Charlie smiled slightly as she patted the teddy bear with her hands. "F-For... You" she set it onto the table beside another bear.

"You can talk again, at least one good thing happened today. My mom kept hovering all day and everyone was coming and going. The medicine has me feeling all loopy and out of it".

Charlie sat down beside Hanna sighing slightly Hanna rubbed at her face. "I was worried about you Charlie, I heard you scream last night".

Charlie shrugged her shoulders "I'm...Okay" Hanna moved forward slightly pushing Charlie's hair away from her face. She lightly hovered her fingers over the stitches Charlie did.

"Was it A?" Charlie nodded as she pushed her hair back over the wound. Hanna let out a huff "whoever they are, honestly they're getting on my nerves, I don't understand why they're going after you, I mean they went after me last night... but why go after you again?".

Charlie thought about the message, maybe going alone would've meant Hanna wouldn't be here. Then again she doesn't know if that's even true.

She knew if she lied to Hanna it wouldn't matter, she grabbed her phone out of her pocket showing Hanna the message from before.

Before she could respond the door opened and Mona appeared. Charlie put her phone back into her pocket and stood up. She smiled at Hanna as she neared the doorway "thanks for coming Charlie".

Mona walked past Charlie nearing Hanna. For a moment Charlie could've sworn she saw a bandage wrapped around her hand. She ignored her thoughts as she walked out of the room.