In Charlotte's Eyes

A Problem

Two more years passed. Charlotte’s life turned to normal. Better than before, even. The addition of Rebecca brought a wild, unhinged dimension to her life. She introduced Rebecca to Carlos and Aaron, and, as she expected, Aaron got along really well with her. Kylee and Leon were good buddies. She wasn't super close with them, but having extra hands during spelunking trips definitely made things more enjoyable. Charlotte got another raise at her job, thanks to Suzuki’s positive, glowing reviews of her. And, of course, Parker became a highlight of her life.

Due to his promise of making more time with just the two of them, she got even closer to him. And she felt comfortable with her life. Absolutely comfortable and happy. Her family wasn't there to get in her way.

Her family wasn't there to get in her way.

Carlos was spending the day with Aaron at an amusement park. It opened in the past year, and they had been meaning to check it out. So, here they were.

Carlos waited at a table. Aaron was using the restroom. The sun was sweltering today. He lazily looked around to entertain himself a little. It was too bright out to use his phone comfortably.

A person caught his eyes. It was a woman. The reason this woman caught his eyes was because he recognized her. He didn't know from where, though. She was a bread bun. The sunlight reflected off of her buttery tinted skin. He hummed deeply. The fact that this woman’s identity was on the tip of his tongue annoyed him.

He started thinking about what it could be that he recognized. She had her phone in hand, photographing a ride nearby. She was a piece of bread.. similar to Charlotte.

His eyes widened. That's where he remembered her from! That was Charlotte’s sister, wasn't it? He long forgot her name. Carlos looked to each of his sides. Aaron hadn't returned yet. Cautiously curious, he stood up from his seat and strolled over to the woman. “Uh, excuse me?” He asked as he got closer. The woman looked at him, brows raised. “Pardon me, but, by chance, are you Charlotte’s sister..?”

Immediately, her face soured. She looked away. “..Yeah. Who are you?” She asked bitterly.

“The name’s Carlos.” He held out his hand, smiling despite her demeanor. “I'm one of her friends.”

“..And how do you know about me?” She glared at him with suspicion.

“You asked for our help, back when Charlotte was in jail.”

Audrey could faintly remember his face, now. “She should've stayed there.” She muttered.

“Hm?”

She looked towards the ride she had been photographing earlier. “So, are you still friends with her? I assume it must be difficult, now that she lives in wherever the hell she moved.”

Carlos paused, not understanding that at all. He blinked a few times, then shook his head. “..Huh?”

Audrey side eyed him. “You know. She moved out of state.”

“Uhh,” Maybe he had found another person that had a sister named Charlotte that went to jail before. “Charlotte’s not.. She still lives here.”

Audrey faced him fully now. “What..?” Her brows were furrowed, but she sounded dumbfounded. “But..” She grimaced. “Carlos, may we exchange contact info?”

Weird switch up. “Why?”

“My son is here with his friends– I need to watch over them. But, I want to talk to you about Charlotte later.”

“Hm..” Carlos looked past her. Things were not making a whole lot of sense. “Sure, then.”

The two pulled out their phones and exchanged info.

As Carlos stuffed his phone away in his backpack, Audrey asked him, “Just to be clear, the Charlotte you're talking about is Charlotte Stern, right?”

He nodded. So, it wasn't another person with a sister named Charlotte. “Yep.”

“Okay.” She took a big breath. “I'll call you later this evening. Please pick up, there are some things I need to ask you about.” Then, her brows furrowed. Her expression became stern and serious. “And I need to warn you about her.”

Warn him about Charlotte? His eyes slimmed. “Understood.” Is all he said.

She sighed. “Thank you.” She turned, starting to walk away. “Talk to you later, Carlos.”

“..Yeah.”

He stared at her as she began disappearing into the crowd. What a busy body. His phone began ringing. He picked it up. It was Aaron.

“Yo, where the fuck are you, man?”

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