SUMMER CHILD, emily prentiss

011

a/n: my lovely readers! i am back!

i missed you all so much and i hope that you enjoy where this story continues to go from here. i have been in recovery for a while and have finally regained the motivation i needed to start writing again.

i will be going back through the story and making some small changes and edits, more or less proofreading. i will also be releasing chapters (hopefully) more regularly, but the former template i was using for my chapters has been long lost after getting a new phone and computer, so i will also be changing the design of the story slightly. please bear with me during the transition phase :)

all my love, and i hope you enjoy <3

011. the road-trip

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Monday arrived, Emily and Charlotte packing into the car for the drive to Philadelphia. They merged onto the highway at 6am, Charlotte sleeping deeply as the sun fully rose above the horizon. Emily let her thoughts wander to the case that her and her team have been working on for weeks.

The pandemic brought with it so many unimaginable struggles, but a network of serial killers communicating on the dark web was not one she ever imagined would land at her feet. And as her daughter sits next to her, peacefully sleeping as the morning light brushes her hair, she takes a deep breath to remind herself of the one truly good thing this life has brought her. Charlotte.

They arrived on campus just after 10:30 am, and as they pulled into the parking lot of the residence hall, Charlotte could feel her chest tighten. She pulled out her phone to check for texts from Riley, but there weren't any. So she took a deep breath and sent one herself.

c: Hey Ri, I just got back to campus. Call me?

Emily was unpacking plastic totes from the trunk, putting bags into bags and stacking totes within one another. "Are you ready, kid?"

Charlotte closed the car door behind her and tightened her grip around the straps of her backpack until her knuckles turned white. "Yeah, let's just get this over with."

-

Opening the door to her dorm room, Charlotte felt her breath quicken. Emily set down the totes and placed her hand on her daughter's back. "It's alright sweetie, we'll make this quick as possible, okay?" Planting a kiss on Charlotte's forehead, she walked to the bed to unmake it.

The pair moved around the small room diligently, music playing lightly from the Bluetooth speaker on the desk. Almost as a sign from the universe, Light my Love by Greta van Fleet began to play, and Charlotte's eyes began to water at the thought of Riley.

Not more than a minute later, Charlotte's phone dinged.

r: hey, i just got out of class. are you in your dorm?

Charlotte thought for a moment, typing and then erasing. Riley waited at the other end anxiously as the text bubble showed up on her screen then disappeared over and over.

c: yea, my mom and i are packing up my things. can you come over? we need to talk and i miss you.

Riley agreed, and Charlotte put her phone down, wringing her hands together nervously.

"Hey mom?" Charlotte's voice wavered but she swallowed it down.

"What's up?" Emily continued folding clothes and putting them neatly into a suitcase, only briefly looking up from the dresser.

"My friend Riley, is um, coming over to say goodbye. Would you be okay here if we went and talked somewhere? I haven't told her anything yet, and she's really mad at me I think and I..."

The beginning of Charlotte's anxious ramble was stopped by Emily's hands in hers. "Hey, it's okay. Do whatever you need to do. I'll be right here working on your room, it's alright baby." She planted a kiss on the top of her daughter's head and went back to folding clothes.

Charlotte was endlessly grateful for Emily's ability to soothe her, knowing just what to do and what to say.

It was then that a knock sounded at the door, and Charlotte walked towards it slowly while fixing her hair and clothes. Here goes nothing.

cliffhanger!!!
so sorry for the short chapter but i just wanted to release something for y'all and I'm impatient 🫶🏼