In Charlotte's Eyes

ONE: [P] A Faint Face

Five days passed. While Parker could never fully get Charlotte’s disappearance off his mind, he had a sliver of hope, still. With confirmation that her disappearance was being looked into, it gave him a reason to hold out a stubborn hope. That, somehow, she'd come back, and it'd be okay.

He’d frequently drive by her house, just to see if anything would change. A few days ago the police were at her house. He didn't stop by, of course—he didn't want to get in their way—but it made him feel more hopeful about the situation.

He just had to keep faith. It's all he had.

He drove by her house again. There was another car there. Parker felt unsettled by it, so he stopped by.

As unrealistic as the thought was, Parker imagined Charlotte would be back. Despite it not being her car—despite everything that he had dealt with since her disappearance—she'd be there. And everything would go back to normal. The thought made his skin stand.

He knocked on the front door, then twisted the knob. It was unlocked. He peeked his head inside.

A circular frame met his eyes. It was dimly lit, only natural light filling the living room. Inside was Audrey. Parker’s mouth fell ajar. He opened the door all the way, still standing outside.

She stared at him. He returned it.

“...”

She was holding a lavender rag. She was in Charlotte’s kitchen, the hand with the rag hovering over the counter. Parker took a step inside. “Hi,” He closed the door behind him. “Sorry for.. barging-”

“..Parker..?”

“Oh. I'm- surprised you remember me.”

She looked down at the counter. “It's been a while, yeah.” She acknowledged. “But.. I remember you.”

She sounded reserved. There was a moment of awkward silence. Audrey began scrubbing the counter again, albeit unenthusiastically.

“So..” Parker finally spoke up, looking away. “I assume you already know about Charlotte..?” He asked, feeling guilty. This must be even harder for her.

She sighed, melancholically. “Yes.” She sounded heartbroken. The grip on the rag loosened. “I got the news yesterday. The police asked me to take care of the house while she’s gone.”

He looked down. “Mm. I see.”

“It’s not fair.” She continued, scowling with dark eyes. “Charlotte's done nothing but be an absolute pain in the ass for me. I tried to be nice to her, but she always pushes me away.” Both of her hands balled into fists, pushing against the counter. “When you went out of your way to allow me to talk to her in jail, she used that opportunity to personally attack me.”

Parker’s eyes widened a little. “Really..?” He muttered. “When I asked, she told me things went fine.”

Audrey pounded her fist on the counter. “Of course she did.” She growled. “All she does is lie. She lies to you, she lies to me..! She told me she was moving out of state to avoid me. It was only by chance I ever even found out she lied to me. All she does is lie and run away from her problems..!” She whimpered, leaning forward and putting a hand over her eyes. “Now I have to clean up her goddamn mess.” Her voice was reduced to a mutter. “She's just a problem child.”

Parker didn't know how to respond. His eyes darted around, looking for the right words.

“But even so,” Her voice broke into a soft sob. “I love her. And I hate that I still love her.” She sobbed once, covering her face again. “But she's still my sister..”