A Gallagher Girls & The Listen Series Promptober

Ouija Board:

Haven't read Gallagher Girls or The Listen Series? Please do not continue if you wish to avoid MEGA spoilers.

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Charlotte Woods POV / Timeline: Sometime during Charlotte and Ellie's first year at Gallagher

Oct. 26th | Ouija Board:

This was her favorite weather, able to still lay out by the lake as the leaves changed. Warm in the sun, but chilly if the wind picked up or the clouds rolled in.

She was flipping through her notecards as Ellie sprawled out next to her, taking a quiz on what kind of lipgloss best matched her skin tone in a magazine.

They were fast friends, her and Ellie. Ellie had almost punched a girl who made a comment about her burns on the first day of orientation, they had been joined at the hip ever since.

Charlotte liked that Ellie never asked her about the burns or scars. She never pushed Charlotte to open up more. She was just there for her, when nobody else really was.

She held the magazine up to her face, "Mm. You should wear red lipstick, totally hot."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, gesturing to her burns, "Yeah, the red lips with the scars screams total babe, El."

Ellie rolled her eyes, rolling onto her back, "Your scars are badass. Anyone would be so lucky."

She dropped the subject, both continuing with their silent studies (though, Charlotte was actually studying).

Ellie dropped the magazine to her chest and squinted up at the sun, "Have you ever tried to talk to the dead?"

Charlotte's notecards sprung out of her hand, "What?"

Ellie had closed her eyes now, soaking up the sun, "You heard me. There was this movie on and they all used this thing called a Ouija board to talk to the dead. It looked pretty fake, but I was just curious if it's actually possible to talk to the dead. And like, do they have to be human? What if animals can talk when they're dead and wouldn't it be cool if..."

Charlotte lost track of Ellie's ramble, her heart rate climbing, her palms sweating. She still hated talking about death. She still had flashes of pain, of the crash, the fire, her brother. She squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers gripping the blanket they were laying on. She was fine. She was here. She was alive.

A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped, her eyes shooting open and Ellie was in front of her face, eyes worried and her voice soft, "Hey. You're okay."

Charlotte felt tears starting to prick at the back of her eyes, her hands trembling.

Ellie pushed her palms against her cheeks, "Let it out Char. I can tell you want to. You're going to feel better."

The dam broke, tears furiously falling, her breath short and causing her to hiccup, Ellie pulling her into a hug and holding her.

She doesn't know how long she cried for, but it was hard and long enough she fell asleep. When she woke, the sun was beginning to set, the air was cooler, her head was in Ellie's lap as a hand brushed through her hair.

Ellie whispered, "All you had to say was you didn't want to use a Ouija board Char."

Charlotte laughed, harshly from her sore throat and wiped her palms over her eyes. She sat up, "I'm sorry El."

Ellie shrugged, a small smile on her lips, "What for? Best friends' laps are excellent for comforting and napping."

Charlotte took a deep breath and looked over at the walls of the school she called home now. The walls that protected her and held her as prisoner at the same time.

She closed her eyes and took a breath, "I need to tell you how I got these scars."

Ellie shook her head, "You don't have to."

Charlotte nodded, "I do," she turned her head back to Ellie, "And as my best friend, you should know, my last name isn't technically Woods."

Ellie's eyebrows bunched together.

Charlotte took a deep breath, extending her hand out to shake Ellie's.

"Hi, I'm Charlotte Dubois. My mother was one of the remaining lines to an ancient terror organization and they killed her and my brother but I survived. But, according to the paperwork, I'm dead too."

Ellie stared at her hand and shook it, a small smile forming on her lips, "So, guess I didn't need a Ouija board to talk to the dead after all?"