𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇- spencer reid ✔️

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘

𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐈𝐓 that something was bothering her. Every time she heard the sound of her cell phone ringing, she couldn't help but flinch. Reporters had been calling non-stop, still trying to get a comment from her. She thought that the media's interest would have faded by now, but they were as persistent as ever, even months later. The people wanted to know what really happened at the Clairmont house that night, and neither Celia or any of her family members were speaking publicly about it. There were people whom she had never even met before that felt the need to try and profit off of her pain and suffering, and that simply didn't sit right with her.

She was sitting on the couch in her New York apartment when her phone rang. Unknown Caller. She rolled her eyes and set the phone back on her coffee table. She wanted nothing more than to tell the reporters and conspiracy theorists to fuck right off, but surprisingly managed to refrain herself. When her phone rang again and Celia saw the same caller ID, she hesitated as she was about to press the button to decline it. How likely was it that the same unknown caller was calling back twice in a row?

She brought the phone up to her ear as she pressed the button to accept the call. "Hello?" Celia answered. She heard nothing except for the sound of heavy breathing on the other line, and she sighed, shaking her head. She was fully prepared to hang up the phone when an automated voice finally spoke up and said something. "Celia Clairmont," it said monotonously. "Can I ask you a question?"

"No comment," she hissed. "Lose this number." She hung up the phone and set it back on the table. This entire situation was getting incredibly out of hand, and didn't seem to be dying down even after four months post-fire. The general public wanted answers that only the Clairmont's and law enforcement could give them, but neither were budging, so instead of moving on, they started speculating on the internet instead. At first, Celia tried to avoid those gossip sites, but she found herself gravitating toward them regardless. People had speculated that her and Seb had lit the fire themselves in order to implicate their aunt and uncle to obtain the family dynasty. They'd even gone as far as accusing her and her brother for staging the failed attempt at their cousin's life. On one particular website, she saw comments and threads of people saying that it was a shame they missed their shot at the gala, and it made Celia sick to her stomach every time.

There were people out there who knew nothing about her, yet they were wishing her dead on the internet. There was a part of Celia that had died inside of that house, and a part of her felt like she never really left at all. Sometimes, she'd wake up in the middle of the night, grasping her throat and struggling to breathe, like she could still feel the smoke making its way into her lungs while she couldn't do a thing about it. Unlike Nathan, Celia was fortunate enough to have survived without any physical reminders of her trauma, but the emotional damage was enough to make her wish she did.

She would have rather had countless bruises and scars if it meant she wouldn't feel like this anymore. The pain she lived with every day was somehow worse than any injuries she could have gotten, because at least the cuts and bruises would fade. It seemed like the pain she felt knowing that she survived was worse than any other thing that happened to her. On a particularly bad day, Celia found herself wishing that she'd been left in that house so she wouldn't have to live like this anymore.

When the phone rang a second time, Celia saw the same Unknown Caller display on her screen and rolled her eyes. Normally these people only needed to be told off once to get the message, but this person was more persistent than the rest. If she wasn't the one being bothered, she would have respected their dedication, but she didn't enjoy being on the receiving end of things. This time, she let it ring just as she reached forward and downed the glass of wine in one gulp. She could practically hear the sound of her doctor's voice in her head warning her against drinking with the medication she was taking, but Celia was desperate enough that she didn't care.