SUMMER CHILD, emily prentiss

010

"𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞"
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ᴛʀɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs: 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵
－
𝐚/𝐧: ʜɪ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ! ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪᴛ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ sɪɴᴄᴇ ᴍʏ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ... ɪ ᴅᴇꜰɪɴɪᴛᴇʟʏ ʜᴀᴅ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀ's ʙʟᴏᴄᴋ. ʜᴏᴘᴇꜰᴜʟʟʏ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ sᴛᴀʀᴛ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴇɢᴜʟᴀʀ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇs!

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ <3

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Charlotte quietly sat through dinner with Emily, JJ, and Penelope, picking at the Mexican food on the plate in front of her. All three women knew undoubtedly that something was going on with Charlotte, but they didn't press her.

Since they had driven to the restaurant in one car from Emily's house, they all drove back together. By the time they arrived back it was nearly 8pm, and Charlotte walked up the stairs to her bedroom without saying a word.

Emily took out a bottle of wine, pouring three glasses.

"Other than the problems at school has she mentioned anything else bothering her?" JJ asks Emily, taking the glass in her hand and sitting at the dining room table.

"No, she slept all afternoon and when I woke her up for dinner she wouldn't talk, she just seemed really sad." Emily trailed off at the end of her sentence, taking another sip of her wine that was quickly disappearing.

"I wish there was something I could do to cheer her up." Penelope sighed, talking to herself more than anyone else.

Meanwhile, Charlotte had sunken back into her bed, bringing the covers up around her face.

Her thoughts were making her crazy. She was so mentally exhausted that she just wanted to sleep. But she was so anxious that it was also taking everything in her to refrain from texting Riley.

She thought she had been so selfish, not even texting Riley all 5 days she was gone, until today. And it was to tell her she wasn't coming back to school, that she wasn't coming back to her.

Tears flowed from her eyes once again and she just closed them. She begged herself to fall asleep, that maybe then she would feel better when she woke up.

But she couldn't fall asleep because she could still hear the murmuring voices of the women downstairs. It was a reminder that she wasn't alone, something that would normally comfort her but was no longer doing such.

She wished she could just "turn off" her ears, something that she used to wish for in her childhood as well. When her parents were fighting or anything bad was happening, she wished she could just turn it all off.

Everything was just so damn loud.

She was enthralled when noise-cancelling headphones became a thing. But at the moment her earbuds weren't going to be of much help. It was a weird feeling that Charlotte could never explain, but she just couldn't put the earbuds in her ears.

Even though she desperately wanted everything to be quiet, not hearing anything was also going to make her go crazy. And not to mention the icky feeling of her Airpods in her ears when she just wanted to rip off her own skin.

Instead, she decided to get herself out of bed and take a nice steaming shower. Under the hot water, if she bent her head forward just at the right angle, the water would hit the nape of her neck and instantly calm her senses.

-

Downstairs, Emily hears the shower turn on and takes a small breath of relief.

"Well, if anything I'm glad she's taking a shower."

JJ agrees with a nod of her head. "Yeah, she'll be okay Em."

Emily smiles, walking into the kitchen behind her to refill her wine glass.

"Hmm, I am really not looking forward to driving to Philadelphia and back." Emily sinks into the couch after walking back to the group with a full glass.

"Maybe that's why your mini up there is in such a crappy mood." Penelope laughs, somewhat joking.

"No, actually I think you're right," JJ starts. "Even though she was struggling being away from home, I'm sure she still has friends up there who she is leaving."

"Yeah, I never thought of that." Emily mumbles.

-

After about an hour of chatting downstairs while Charlotte remained upstairs alone, JJ and Penelope left Emily to check on her daughter.

A thin beam of light stretches across the floor from the bottom of Charlotte's bedroom door, signaling to Emily that her daughter is still awake.

Emily knocks lightly, opening the door a crack.

"Char?" She's met with her daughter laying on the ground in front of her, facing the wall, headphones on.

She doesn't hear Emily, so Emily walks over to her side, kneeling down on the ground.

"Oh hey, sorry." Charlotte takes off her headphones as she looks up at Emily.

"Hey sweetie. How are you doing?" Emily brushes the hair off of Charlotte's forehead.

"I'm okay." Charlotte forces a slight smile.

"It's getting late, so I think I'm going to go to bed. Don't stay up too late, okay?"

Charlotte nods as Emily begins to get off the floor. She wishes she had the energy to stop her from leaving. But she just accepts the kiss on the top of her head and lays back down on the floor.

After hearing Emily walk into her room down the hall, Charlotte gets off the floor and begins to take down the blankets on her bed.

As she crawls into bed she realizes she doesn't want to be alone.

Instead, she gets out of bed and turns her bedroom light off, walking down the hallway towards Emily's room.

Her door is open a crack, light from her bedside lamp shining dimly. Charlotte opens it.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Emily asks, putting down the book she was starting to read.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Charlotte mumbles.

Emily nods, her face softening as she pulls the blankets away on her right side.

Charlotte crawls into the bed, sliding up next to her mom and places her head on her shoulder.

"What are you reading?" Charlotte asks quietly as Emily pulls her closer.

"Surprisingly, not Kurt Vonnegut or anything science fiction." Emily jokes, making Charlotte giggle.

"It's called The Age of Light."

"Is it good?" Charlotte whispers.

"Yeah, so far." Emily leans her head on Charlotte's and runs her fingers through her hair.

"Can you read to me?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Emily sighs lightly. "Are you comfy?"

"Yeahhhh...." Charlotte drags out as she curls up and brings the blankets up over her.

Emily begins reading, her voice slowly soothing Charlotte to sleep.

After a chapter of reading aloud, Emily shuts her book and places it on the nightstand, turning off the lamp.

She slides down on the bed, careful not to wake Charlotte as she places her down on the other pillow.

But as soon as Charlotte's head is set down she rolls over closer to her mom, causing a light sigh from Emily.

"Goodnight baby girl."