a sky full of stars - louis partridge

reunited

CHARLOTTE
MONDAY, NOV 20th 2020

She hadn't told anyone she was coming home.
Charlotte walked inside to investigate, and found Riv and Eli sat upstairs on the floor of her bedroom, eating from a giant bowl of Pringles and laughing at Charlotte's old school photos, which they must have somehow dug up while she was gone.  She groaned and stepped back, rubbing her hands over her face. "What are you doing?"  "These are hilarious," River said, through a mouthful of food. "Your hair was insane."  "It's not like I grew my fringe out for a reason" Charlotte pointed out, but neither of them seemed to hear her.  "Oh my God, look at her teeth," Elliot said, pointing at a spot on Charlotte's 2009 class photo.  Charlotte found it hard not to laugh at herself, for her own reasons, when she spotted a patch of purple dye stained on Eli's neck. They must not have seen it when they washed the dye from his hair and scalp. River wasn't entirely out of line about her hair though, 2009 was an atrocious year for Charlotte, appearance-wise. That year, in 2nd grade, she managed to cut herself a fringe. The split ends made her regret it later, though, and she hadn't even considered getting a fringe since. "I missed you guys. She said pulling them both in for a hug. "Why are you guys in my room?" she asked, changing the topic. She didn't feel like commenting on her own bad decisions.  "We felt like it," said Eli.  "And we were also waiting for you to get back," said River. 
"We tried to sleep but neither of us could, so..."  "...we gave up and stayed up playing Monopoly and waiting for you instead..."  "...and eventually we found your old school photos in your desk drawer..."  "...and now you're here!"  "Right." Charlotte looked around at the walls. She was still tired, ridiculously so, but their energy was contagious, and she no longer felt as though she was on the brink of collapse.
"So you know how i talked to the policewoman at the hospital and she said the only way i can't adopt you guys is if Margaret agrees." "So i'm meeting mum today to ask her about it." "You what." River said. "No you can't she was the reason you're in hospital. She'll hurt you again you can't." "It's the only way Riv." Charlotte said. "Where are you going to meet her i wanna know." "You don't need to worry about it okay. Start cooking dinner, I'll be home before it ready." Charlotte said before grabbing her coat and walking out. She wasn't too sure where her mother was. She's figured she would be at her dealers house considering Morgan didn't have many other 'friends'. "Charlotte had only been there once before, she was twelve. Margaret had dragged her there instead of taking her to school on time, therefore making her late and leaving her to deal with the trouble from the principal. But none of it even surprised her. Margaret was selfish. The worst type of selfish you could get. Getting her to agree to this was not going to be easy. At all.

When Charlotte arrived the house was quiet. She walked down the hall and turned into what looked like the kitchen. And there she was. Face down with her head on the table. Her hair was messy, and her skin looked pale. "Margaret." Charlotte said. Keeping her distance. She'd never admit it but her mother scared her. More than anyone else ever could. She repeated her name a couple of times, still getting no response. She walked closer, picking her head up, Margaret's eyes were closed so Charlotte grabbed her wrist checking for a pulse. "Margaret..." charlotte said, her voice shaking. "Margaret" she screamed. "Mum.." "Mum." "Mum you can't be dead." "Mum it's me, your eldest Charlotte." "Mum please." She said holding her had. "Mummmm" she whined. Although she was upset she couldn't help it but feel a sign of relief. Her mother had ruined everything for her. She was never really good at being a mother but at the end of the day, she was blood. She pulled out her phone, and dialled an ambulance, a tear falling as she typed in the numbers. Suddenly another figure walked in the room. "Yo what are you doing." The guy said. "Wait Charlotte..." he continued. The guy was Morgan's dealer, he only knew of charlotte because he had met her once but that was along time ago. "She's dead." Charlotte shouted. "Oh shit what, I swear- I swear she was fine a couple hours ago i was talking to her this morning I swear." "She's dead" "She's been sitting here rotting all day, in your house and you didn't even know." She screamed. "You're the reason, she never gave a shit about us, and you knew it and you kept feeding her addiction." "I hate you." "Yo you better not have called the cops, I got shit in here, they can't see." He said as the faint sound of sirens began to appear. "You little shit" he screamed. Charlotte just stood there frozen. Before the paramedics and police began to run inside.