Ghost of Me.

0. Unspoken Promises.

C H A R L I E ' S / P O V

The dull drone of the classroom echoed in my ears as I traced the lines of the textbook, trying to focus on the words in front of me. The clock above the smartboard seemed to tick in slow motion, each second elongated into an eternity. I felt a strange unease in the air, an unspoken tension that hinted at something beyond the mundane routine of high school life.

The door creaked open, and my head snapped up, eyes meeting the solemn gaze of two military police officers standing in the doorway. Their presence, rigid and formal, sent a shiver down my spine. The weight of their stare locked onto mine, and I knew, in that instant, that something was horribly wrong.

"Charlotte Reeves?" one of them called, his voice cutting through the ambient noise of the classroom.

I blinked, the world around me narrowing down to these two figures clad in uniforms that seemed too official for my ordinary, quiet life. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.

"I'm Charlie," I stammered, rising from my desk, my gaze flickering between the officers. The room had fallen silent, my classmates staring with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Can we speak with you outside, Ms. Reeves?" the other officer asked, his words measured and devoid of emotion.

The walk from my desk to the door felt like an eternity. The eyes of my classmates burned into my back, their silent questions lingering in the air. The officers led me into the empty hallway, closing the door behind us.

"What's going on?" I demanded, my voice shaky, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

The officers exchanged a somber glance before one of them spoke. "Ms. Reeves, I regret to inform you that your father, Major Charles Reeves, took his own life early this morning."

The words hung in the air, a cruel echo that shattered the fragile reality I had known. My father, my anchor, is gone. The hallway seemed to warp and twist, the fluorescent lights overhead flickering like distant stars.

"No," I whispered, the denial escaping my lips before I could fully comprehend the weight of the news. He's meant to be home tonight, for my birthday and for winter break.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," the officer said, his voice a mere murmur against the roaring storm in my mind.

I stumbled back, my back hitting the cold lockers. The world swirled, and for a moment, I was weightless, suspended between disbelief and crushing grief. My father, who had always been there, the only constant figure in my life, was gone.

Questions, unspoken and unanswered, hung in the air. How? Why? But the officers remained stoic, offering no solace in the face of my shattered world.

"Is there someone we can call for you, Ms. Reeves?" the other officer asked, his voice gentle.

My mind raced, searching for a lifeline, someone who could make sense of this senseless loss. The realization hit me like a tidal wave – I was now adrift, without the steady guidance of the man who had shaped my world.

"I... I don't know," I mumbled, my gaze fixed on the linoleum floor beneath my feet.

They handed me a piece of paper with condolences, their formal expressions a stark contrast to the storm of emotions inside me. As I numbly pocketed the paper, the reality of the situation sank in. The world outside the classroom had shifted, and I was left grappling with the harsh truth – my father, the unwavering figure in my life, was gone.

The door creaked open again, and I returned to the classroom, a ghost of myself who had walked out only moments ago. The eyes of my classmates, filled with sympathy and confusion, met mine. But I couldn't face their stares. I took my seat, the mundane ticking of the clock a cruel reminder that life, for everyone else, continued as if the world hadn't just shattered around them, what I knew was gone. What they knew was only just beginning.

The weight of the news hung heavy around me as I sat in that classroom, surrounded by faces that seemed distant and unfamiliar. The drone of the teacher's voice became a distant hum, lost in the turmoil of my thoughts.

I wanted to run, to escape the suffocating atmosphere, but my body felt tethered to the chair. The paper with the officers' condolences burned a hole in my pocket, a tangible reminder of the irreversible change that had just occurred.

The minutes crawled by until the bell finally rang, releasing me from the claustrophobic confines of the room. The sympathetic glances from classmates followed me as I made my way to the exit. The hallway, once a mundane passageway, now felt like a corridor of sorrow.

As I stepped out into the open air, the realization hit me with renewed force. My father, who had been my anchor, my guiding light, was gone. The sun overhead seemed harsh, casting an unforgiving light on the world that had been altered in an instant.

The military police officers had disappeared, leaving me to navigate the sea of sympathetic stares on my own. I needed answers, a lifeline in this storm of grief. The paper with the officers' condolences crinkled in my hand as I pulled it out, staring at the numbers scrawled at the bottom.

I dialed the number, my fingers trembling. The line rang, each tone a reminder of the void that now echoed in my life. A familiar voice answered, but the words seemed to drift into the distance, muffled by the weight of my grief.

"Auntie," I finally managed to choke out, the single word carrying a universe of pain.

Her voice cracked on the other end, a mirror to the shattered pieces of our world. I couldn't find the strength to ask the questions that swirled in my mind. How did it happen? Why him?

I clutched the phone, a lifeline to the one person who might understand the depth of my loss. In that moment, we were bound by a shared sorrow, two souls grappling with the sudden absence of the man who had been our pillar.

The hours that followed were a blur of condolences, arrangements, and hollow gestures of sympathy. Friends and family gathered, their presence offering a semblance of support that did little to fill the void. The house, once filled with the warmth of my father's laughter, now echoed with a haunting silence.

As the day unfolded, the reality of the situation sunk in. Funeral arrangements were discussed in hushed tones, decisions made with a detached numbness. The house, once a sanctuary, became a space haunted by memories of a man who would never return.

As the evening descended, I found myself standing in my father's study, surrounded by the artifacts of his life. His military commendations adorned the walls, each a testament to a career cut short. The weight of his absence pressed against my chest, and I longed for the steadying hand that would never again ruffle my hair.

With a heavy heart, I sank into his worn leather chair, a relic from a time when his presence filled every corner of this room.

Everwood, the town I would once call a sanctuary, now felt entirely like hell. Poisoning me from inside out. 

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There is one more chapter in the prologue before we move 8 years into the future!
I hope you enjoyed reading this, 
Much love, Ash <3