Connection

Chapter Thirty-Four: Charlotte

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Chapter Thirty-Four: Charlotte

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The cheering of the people was deafening. In some part of her mind, Charlotte told herself she understood it, but she really had no comprehension as to why they were so excited.

To her, everything that had happened was a terrible nightmare; something she'd like to forget as quickly as possible. She knew they hadn't lived it, so they couldn't feel the same, but what made them so excited to hear such a dark and twisted story? What made them excited to see a girl who had been broken so many times in the past few months she wasn't sure she'd ever heal.

She hadn't gone out of the house since she'd gotten home, though she was having an agent come by to help her with a house. She didn't have that much money, so her choices were fairly limited, but after what she went through she wasn't planning on being treated badly from anyone.

Charlotte's father had protested relentlessly, but she blew it off each and every time. He hadn't become more stable; in fact, he'd gotten worse than when she left. He was now drinking heavily and spent the days grumbling under his breath and breaking down every two minutes.

It would have been heartbreaking had Charlotte not been through what she had, but at this point she knew it wasn't her job to keep him together.

"You're almost done," Charlotte's stylist said. Charlotte nodded, though she didn't feel particularly grateful. The last thing she wanted was a stylist, but the mayor insisted that she should be looking her best.

The bags under her eyes were growing larger and larger each day, but not one of them could criticize her for them. Anyone in her position would be living the terrible things that happened over and over each time they closed their eyes.

Her worst one was of the water. She knew that Cliff had no way of knowing what had happened to her, but the water he'd let her go into had pushed her over again. She was seeing a therapist daily to help her try to ease these things, but she wasn't sure they'd ever go away.

As her stylist applied makeup heavily around her eyes, Cliff walked behind the stage and she stood up. Her stylist groaned in complaint, but Charlotte ignored her, throwing her arms around Cliff. He started as he felt her before returning the gesture.

They hadn't seen each other since they were rescued and in the car they were all a mess of emotion. His hair had been cut and was now carefully combed.

"Thank you," she said breathlessly as she pulled away, "for everything." 

His eyes twinkled as he flashed a smile at her.

"No problem," he answered awkwardly. "I'm glad you're . . . alive."

She smiled and nodded. "I'm so glad you didn't say that I was okay."

"I know I'm not and I've been through half of what you have, so I just figured you weren't," Cliff said and she nodded again.

"I just never thought I'd get out of there, and it's still hard to believe I did. And it's all thanks to you." He smiled again and Charlotte felt heat creeping into her cheeks. She wasn't sure what would become of them, but he was the reason she was free and for that, she would be eternally grateful.

Behind Cliff, a bobbing red head appeared. Jean had a large smile spread across her face and Charlotte smiled at her. She pulled her into a small hug too.

"Thank you for everything you did as well. You risked your life to save me," Charlotte remarked. "It means a lot."

Jean hesitated before smiling and embracing her.

"Of course. No one deserves to live that way."

Charlotte wasn't sure how to take that, so she smiled. She opened her mouth to say something, but the mayor came over and pulled them toward the stage. Jean stayed behind, speaking to the boy called Tony--the one they'd rescued-- but Cliff came with her.

They were dragged into the middle of the stage and the moment they were visible the sound from the audience tripled.

Isaris introduced them to the crowd and then handed the floor to them. With a deep breath and a shaking hand, Charlotte told her story. She wasn't very happy about having to relive her horrors in front of her entire community, but she knew that with some of the things that she'd heard happened they'd want to hear it.

Once she was done, the crowd cheered once more and Cliff began telling his story. Charlotte listened with rapt attention, for she hadn't heard in detail what had happened to him. She had left out certain details, like their connection which was only briefly explained to her, and fortunately, he aligned his story accordingly.

By the time they were done, it was near midday and the crowd had been so loud that Charlotte's ears were ringing. Before they could leave, they had to stand next to the Mayor as spoke himself. 

"As you all know, this wasn't a quick or easy process, but the story of these young students who persevered in helping one another prove that even when things seem darkest, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel."

And with that, the group of them turned and walked off the stage, all bearing scars in one form or another, but still very much alive.

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Thank you all so much for reading. I cannot believe I have finished this novel after a year with these characters and this world, whether it being my primary project or not. From the moment of conception to this moment, I have enjoyed writing this book and interacting with these characters.

While this may not have been my best novel, this was pivotal for me. It taught me perseverance and how important writing really is to me while it also carried me through one of the hardest times of my life.

It helped improve my craft and revealed to me the path I now know I'd like to take.

I'd like to once again thank each and every one of you who read once more. It is ultimately you guys who get me going on this thing and being part of such a strong community of writers and readers, all sharing a passion for words has been absolutely fantastic.

I have many other projects in mind, though the next one I plan on tackling won't be anything like this story. I am so excited to share these with you all and embark on another epic adventure with you at my side.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

- A.R. Wilmer