In Charlotte's Eyes

ONE: [P] A Glimmer For His Hope

A week passed. Parker tried to remain calm about everything. That was really difficult. He would frequently think about what happened. Millions of scenarios and reasons played in his mind. None of them seemed plausible. He called the police station a few times to check on the status of the missing person's report he submitted. Of course, each time he was met with the same answer: that they would look into it at a later date.

He had trouble sleeping. He didn't talk with any of his friends. He told a few people at work about his situation. Now even they were cautious of him. Nobody was on his side. The only people he had talked to in a friendly manner were Rebecca and Peni. He would drink with Rebecca whenever they met up. It helped him cope a little.

He texted Peni a lot at night, when his darkest thoughts would run rampant in his mind. She was always there to listen to him. He was glad to have two people who would take him seriously, at least.

Parker was at home, eating dinner, when his phone received a crucial call. The phone was laying face down a few feet away from Parker’s plate. He didn't receive many calls ever since Charlotte disappeared, so this intrigued him. The name displayed made him audibly gasp. He excitedly answered the call from the “Brunswick Police.”

“H-Hello?” He anxiously greeted.

“Hello, my name is Michael Fitzgerald, I’m calling from the Glynn County Police Department. Is this Parker Robins?”

“Yes.” He was talking more desperately than he should've probably been. He couldn't help it. He was desperate. “Do you need something?”

“Yes: we would like to have you come in for a quick interview.”

An interview. His skin crawled with goosebumps. “Absolutely- but, but, what is it for?” He asked excitedly, but nervously.

“Sorry, sir, I can't classify that information to you.”

That was disappointing. “Ah. I-.. Right. I see. Well-, yes I'd-.. I can come in for questioning.”

“Okay, great. We’d like to interview you as soon as possible; would sometime this week work for you?”

“Tomorrow. I can be in by tomorrow.” He wanted—needed—to get this done as soon as possible. If it was about Charlotte, he needed some comfort that they were going to look into it.

“Alright, give me one sec..” There was a pause. “Okay, that sounds great. Does noon sound good to you?”

Preferably later, as he wanted to avoid having to call in for work. “Can I come in sometime past five P.M.?”

“No, the station will be closed to the public by then.”

“Alright, I can come in at noon, then.” Charlotte was more important than his job. His own sanity was more important. He could miss another day.

“Okay, sounds good, sir. We will be waiting for you tomorrow, then.”

“Yes. I'll be there. Thank you.” He said quickly.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah.”

He hung up. His heart rate was buzzing. Conflicting emotions, both negative and positive swirled inside of him. This was about Charlotte. It had to be about Charlotte. What else would it be if it wasn't about Charlotte? Charlotte was the only reason they had to contact him.

..But what if it wasn't?

No. It had to be Charlotte. They were going to find Charlotte. But he couldn't even find Charlotte. And he watched Charlotte disappear right in front of him. But he had to have faith. Charlotte couldn't be gone forever. Charlotte couldn't have been taken out of the blue by some evil spirit, or by some void. Charlotte had to still be alive.

He didn't notice he was hyperventilating until he felt faint. He shook his head, trying to remove the lightheaded feeling. He took slow, lumbering breaths. He needed to calm down. He put a fist on his table, setting his phone down. He looked at his food again. His appetite had vanished.

His face contorted into a grimace. It was going to be about her.

“It has to be about you, Charlotte.”