Heartless || •OG• ✔️

Chapter 5 - Charlotte

Charlotte's eyes scanned over the walls of the greenhouse, her hands resting on the same bridge she came to every week. It was like clockwork, and she didn't ever miss a day. It was her reflection time. Jimin visited here and there, mostly just to ask how she was doing. She found it ironic how Jimin would do everything in his power to make her happy, but as soon as he had to take care of himself, he looked the other way. The same applied to other people. He didn't seem like much, but he was known as the best fighter in the Underworld. Jimin wasn't cuddly to the rest of the world, only her and Ivan. Occasionally Kayden too.

There was a creak on the bridge, but she didn't take her gaze off the plants just outside her reach. She scratched at the wood of the railing, her nails chipping from the force, but she didn't care. Dust settled on the pads of her fingers, creating a tiny cloud before her eyes.

The creak came again, only closer this time. She recognized the sound as footsteps a moment later. The footsteps continued until a figure halted next to her, glancing out at the scenery with her. It felt like poetry. Parallelism. It was the same as last time. The same person, too. 

"What was your relationship to Kayden Armani?" she asked, and Jericho tilted his head at that.

"We were friends. You have quite the nerve to ask me something personal like that, Miss Evermore."

Charlotte didn't reply for a long moment. She shifted most of her weight to the balls of her feet, and her irises turned to observe the way Jericho was standing. His shoulders were set like his jaw, his skin glistening from the light.

"Maybe I do, but when my right hand tells me he wanted to put a bullet in your head, it makes a girl curious, y'know?"

What appeared to be a never-ending game of cat and mouse swiveled on its head and got stomped on the ground. Jericho came closer, Charlotte stepping back only for him to ignore her attempts to gain some distance. Her blood froze up, her flesh swelling with moisture that dripped down her arms.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, almost grabbing her elbow. "How is someone as young as you in charge?"

There was a quiver in his tone. A crack. She drank it in and forced it to repeat in her mind over and over until it could never leave. Charlotte pressed her tippy toes upwards, giving her another inch of height she didn't know she needed. Jericho remained still, but his breathing picked up in an almost unnoticeable manner.

"I told you my father still held me captive. He was the leader of Hakai for over two decades, even before I was born. When he got assassinated, I took over. See how easy that was? It's called talking, Mr. Novak. It's not that hard to do."

There was a few beats of quiet. Charlotte and Jericho's eyes met. She wasn't sure if she should continue to take risks like these. Regardless, it was too late to back down now. And what the hell. What else did she have to lose at that point?

"Kayden and I grew up together," he said, bringing his gaze to the scenery and letting his irises glisten with memories. "We were closer than friends. We were brothers. Up until we had a disagreement. Long story short, we didn't see eye to eye on something important. That's what led him to running to you instead of staying by me. So much for 'through thick and thin, we're brothers'."

"Believe it or not, I know what you mean." She said the sentence before her teeth could bite her tongue to stop it. But she found herself proud of the words, not mortified.

"I doubt you do."

It was her turn to find the memories she thought she locked away. The confusion at 3 a.m., followed by the screams of clarity. The sprinting on bare feet until they bled from the sticks and stones poking and prodding at the marred flesh making up what was left of her body. The last thing she saw in her mind was the glimpse of his face. The face she hadn't seen in years.