𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐒. klaus mikaelson

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

┏━━━━⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪━━━━┓

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

CHARLOTTE WAS STANDING ON THE PORCH, WHOLLY ALONE, AND WITH HER BELONGINGS SCATTERED ON THE GROUND AROUND HER. 

She was staring at the space that Klaus had just occupied, the man disappearing within the blink of an eye. His words played on a vicious loop in her head.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that just yet, sweetheart."

The sound of tires rolling up the driveway made her shake out of her stupor, her mother's car greeting her. Charlotte bent down, scrambling to get her things before the vehicle lulled to a stop in its normal space next to her own car.

Charlotte slid her damaged phone into her back pocket, knowing her mother would absolutely have a fit over it if she knew. Once matriarch of the family stepped out, she plastered a grin on her face to mask the hammering of her heart. Joshua exited from the passenger side with a bag slung over his shoulder, trailing behind their mother as they approached.

"What's the matter, honey?" Samantha Henry questioned, perplexed as to why her daughter was just standing outside with a pale face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Charlotte let out a nervous chuckle. "No, no ghosts here," she dismissed, merely holding up the pile of things in her hand. "Just a little spill, that's all."

Samantha huffed out a laugh, shaking her head as she stepped forward with her own set of keys. "Was there no package from the post office?" She asked, pushing the door open and ushering her children inside.

"Nope, just these," she answered, holding out the small pile of envelopes in her hand towards the woman.

Samantha took them, a frown on her face as she flipped through them haphazardly. "Thank you for running to get these," she sighed in Charlotte's direction. "I'll start dinner after I make a phone call to your father."

Their mother went deeper into the house, and the clacking of her heels indicative that she was headed for the kitchen. Though, the youngest Henry was still standing in the foyer alongside Charlotte, a flat look on his face. "You're a terrible liar."

Fitting how he opted to avoid bringing up their father, not that Charlotte would've wanted to engage in that sort of conversation anyway— especially with what had happened before they came home.

"Am not," she fired back. "Mom believed me."

"Mom believes anything." He rolled his eyes, starting toward the staircase. He stilled on the first step, head craned back to look at her. "Are you really okay?"

The brunette noticed the worried tinge to his tone and instantly shook her head. "Nothing you need to worry about, Joshie," she reassured him gently, and in saying so, she technically wasn't lying.

He looked at her before nodding, continuing up the stairs and heading toward his bedroom. Charlotte found herself alone once more, nerves still frayed at the edges.

Inhaling through her nose, a million questions on her mind, the start of a plan for answers began to form in her mind.

A plan that started with her mother's computer.

⋆౨ৎ˚

In the late hours of the night, when her mother had gone to bed and Joshua locked himself away in his room with his video game console, Charlotte made her way toward the study.