The Great Unknown *ON HOLD*

Chapter 4

Charlotte stepped into the room once again. The lights were dim, which seemed to add to the chill of the air. It still smelt slightly floral, mixed with the smell of musty old bricks. She walked with one hand stretched out and brushed her fingers on the smooth wood to her right. This place had once been her sanctuary, where she could find peace in the quietness. She found no safety in the silence anymore; it had changed into something eerie and haunted her with distant memories.

“Blood will wash away the blood,” a voice whispered in her ear. She could feel his hot breath slide down her neck, but when she turned to look at him, he turned into a shadow. His dark form danced on the ground, stalking her, and waiting for her to fall into the trap. They both knew about the fate that was now only a few steps away. Charlotte pulled the white fabric of her dress away from her damp skin nervously, and continued to glide forward. She wanted to turn around and leave the wretched place, but an irrevocable force drew her forward. She was in a trance, unable to do anything outside herself but touch and walk.

 Finally, Charlotte reached the far side of the room. First, she looked up at the shelf above her head; it seemed to stretch higher and higher as the seconds passed by. Charlotte swallowed, and then forced her head to tilt downwards, in order to see the floor. She knew it was there; the metallic stench had found her nostrils several steps back. It was a smell she knew more than she should- the smell of blood. She focused on the dark puddle as the fingers of a shadow clasped down on her shoulders.

“It’s time to die.” The voice hummed. It sounded as if it were singing, instead of shrieking. Suddenly, the whole room began to quiver. Charlotte felt a violent tremor, and she fell to her knees. She looked up at the shelf, the glass bottles rattled into each other before toppling over and shattering on the ground. Charlotte soundlessly watched the glass rain around her, feeling neither fear nor sorrow, nor any other emotion. She was just empty, void of either life or death. She was nothing.

                She looked down at the ground, where the trim of her dress had turned scarlet. A dark liquid flooded the floor and began to rise up higher and higher, until everything was washed away.

                Charlotte awoke with a start. She jerked upright, but the abrupt movement prompted a wave of nausea. She threw the sheets away from her clammy skin and curled her knees to her chest. It had been months since she had the nightmare, and she couldn’t understand what had brought it to surface again. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. What had the therapist said to do, so long ago? Take deep, calming breaths. Count to ten. Talk to someone you trust.

                Charlotte slowed her shallow gasps to deep inhalations and slow exhalations. She felt the need to talk to someone, anything to fight the nerves. Could she tell her parents? No, they would only make it worse. Would Meredith listen? Of course not, Meredith’s loyalty was solely to Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood. Could she talk to Aunt Darla? Charlotte hated herself just for considering that option.

                Charlotte glanced at the phone. Could she call Lucas? The clock read 3:43; Lucas was probably asleep, just like every other normal person in town. He didn’t seem like the type to stay up too late. Still, Charlotte harbored an intense desire to hear someone else’s voice. It wouldn’t hurt just to call and see if anyone would pick up. Charlotte picked up the phone. She checked the caller id for his number and dialed it.

                It began to ring. Charlotte reached out for her bedside lamp. Light flooded her corner of the room. Even after the fourth ring, no one answered. Charlotte swallowed her disappointment and lay back down, even though sleep was now a lost cause. She stared at the ceiling, feeling nothing but loneliness eat away at her stomach.

                The phone rang. Charlotte jumped and picked up the phone. The screen lit up with Lucas’s number. Charlotte hesitated before pressing her thumb against the smooth keypad.

“Lucas?”

“Charlotte! What’s wrong, are you okay? I’m so sorry I didn’t answer before; I didn’t make it to the phone in time.”

“Lucas you sound out of breath.”

“I know… I had to run to pick it up, but I was too late...” Lucas huffed. Charlotte feel a small smile tug at her lips.

“Oh,” she whispered.

“Yeah, are you alright though?

Charlotte wasn’t sure how to answer. She wasn’t alright, but she knew she couldn’t tell him everything, no matter how badly she wanted to come clean. However that was why she had called, wasn’t it? She just wanted to come clean about everything.

“Charlotte?”

“Yeah, I’m still here. I’ll be okay, but I think I just need a distraction.”

“…Oh… okay.”

There was a brief silence.

“You want to hear some jokes? I have a couple I could share.”

Charlotte blinked in surprise to Lucas’s offer

“You’re kidding me.” She said.

“No, not yet at least, I haven’t begun telling my jokes… Wanna hear?”

“Sure.” Charlotte felt her shoulders drop slightly. She leaded against the headboard

“Okay so there is this doctor and this lawyer and they are talking at a party.”

“Really? Another Lawyer joke?”

“No, no… wait… this one’s not a pun… The lawyer and the doctor’s conversation was constantly being interrupted by people describing how sick they were and asking the doctor for free medical advice. This went on for a while until the exasperated doctor finally asked the lawyer, ‘what do you do to stop people from asking you for legal advice when you're out of the office?’ ‘I give it to them,’ replied the lawyer, ‘and then I send them a bill.’ The doctor was shocked, but agreed to give it a try, so the next day the doctor prepared the bills, feeling slightly guilty about it. When he went to place them in his mailbox, he found a bill from the lawyer.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes, “Where do you get these jokes from?”

“That’s for me to know and you to never find out... Ready for the next one?”

Charlotte shook her head and looked over into the mirror. She hadn’t even realised that she had been smiling until she saw herself doing it. She touched her cheek softly. She thought she looked weird wearing the smile.

“Ready...” She said, and turned away from the mirror.

The conversation carried on for another two hours and. By the end, Charlotte was reduced to tears from laughing so hard. Lucas sat on the floor, clutching his stomach with one hand and holding the phone in the other.

“Thank you, Luke, I really needed that.” Charlotte whispered, after the majority of the laughter had subsided.

“We all need to laugh at some point, because sometimes it’s a choice of either laughing or crying.” Lucas blurted. He realized how fortune cookie-esque that sounded, but somehow it felt like the right thing to say.

“You’re right.” Charlotte said. Without another word she hung up and clutched the phone to her chest. She stared up at the ceiling before turning to her side and nestling deeper into her fluffy pillows. She effortlessly drifted into a dreamless sleep.