by Jarica James
Surprisingly, this time it doesn’t send my heart into a frenzy. Instead, a warmth spreads through me. I feel safe in his arms and lean back to enjoy it. We stand that way for a while longer, taking in the beauty spread out in front of us.
“Hungry?” His low voice sends shivers down my spine.
I turn and see that he'd set up a picnic while I was too busy staring at the view to notice. I give him a surprised smile, and he almost appears embarrassed.
“I thought a picnic would be nice,” he mumbles. Not wanting him to feel that way, I walk up and give him a hug to show him how much I appreciate it. As I step away, I notice he looks proud of himself. Mission accomplished.
He turns music on his phone while I settle down onto the blanket. Glancing over at what’s displayed on the screen, I grin at the title... Charlie’s Playlist. I notice a notebook and pen sitting on top of his backpack, too. He's accepting of the fact that I don’t talk and has never once made me feel like less of a person for it.
“I wanted to ask you something, Charlie.” His voice sounds shaky with nerves. I'm confused why he'd be so nervous around me. He scoots over until he's in front of me and grabs my hand.
“I know that I told the twins and Callie you were my girlfriend,” he says, giving me a grin before continuing, “but I wanted to ask you officially if you would be my girlfriend?” The look on his face is hopeful, but the familiar twinge of guilt builds inside of me. "Now, before you say no, I also talked to the others because we have an idea how you feel, so I’m not just asking for me. Abby and Adam and I all want to date you... if you'll have us?"
Despite his nerves, he looks determined. I, however, am confused. I know that I like them, but how could they date me if I can’t communicate with them? I grab the notebook.
‘Are you sure you want me? I’m a mess, and I don’t speak. I haven't even gotten the courage to tell you what happened to me. Could you really be happy with me?’ The look he gives me after he reads it is incredulous, like he can’t imagine why I’d ever have that thought.
“Charlie, I have never been as happy as I am when I’m with you. I know that we don’t know everything about each other, and I hope one day you can lean on me enough to tell me about your past. But you are smart, you are beautiful, and you may not speak but we communicate just fine. Even if you never speak another word for the rest of your life, I would still want you,” he vows. I'm floored, and I bite my tongue so I won’t start crying at his words. I can feel the truth in what he said, so I go with my guy. My nod has his serious expression giving way to a heart-stopping grin.
He leans forward and wraps his hand around the back of my neck so he can pull my lips to his. The kiss isn’t as sweet as it was the first time, but it's every bit as amazing. By the time he pulls away, we're both breathless.
“I’ve wanted to properly kiss you for a while now,” he admits. My answer is to kiss him again.
I was right, this is a good day, I think as I drag him back to look at the view one more time.
Wednesday
Morning
Charlie
It’s been a few weeks since fall break and we’ve all fallen into a new routine. Trent started dating a girl in his history class and seems happy with it. He's not around as much, but still hangs out with us when he can. Abby, Adam, Cole and I have grown even closer, though the kids at school haven't caught on that we've decided to try this dating thing.
I'm still crazy paranoid that the man who tried to abduct me will come after me again, but my friends never leave me alone outside. They're really overprotective as we walk, and Cole always makes us leave the library before it gets dark outside since I refuse to study at home.
We only have two more weeks until Christmas break now and it seems crazy to me that it’s already close to Christmas, I feel like I’ve just gotten here and been here forever at the same time.
"What's got you so distracted today?" Cole asks, sliding a notebook my way. His other hand grazes my shoulder, slipping behind me to play with my hair. We're in the library again after school, working on homework as usual.
'Remember when Sophia mentioned that case at the sleepover? Well, they keep hitting dead ends with my dad's old company, and it's freaking me out,' I write back with a frown.
"What's the company?" he asks, pulling out his phone. I write the name down and slide it back before attempting to focus again.
“I can’t find anything out about them.” Cole continues scrolling through the websites on his phone screen. I set aside my homework for a second and start searching with him.
“What kind of company is it?” he asks, confused. I pull over my notebook and answer.
‘Medical research.’ He gives me a guarded glance. I have a feeling he is tired of feeling in the dark. I’m ready to talk, but honestly when is the right time to sit everyone down and drop a bomb that size? The answer is never.
“Have you searched for any ads for medical research in the area? Maybe they used a different name?” he points out, not even looking up from his phone. I type the new search into my phone and try again.
“Look at this. This company advertised needing patients, but never listed their actual name. The ad is ridiculously vague too, outside of the high pay, it screams red flags. They offer five hundred to two thousand dollars for completion of the trial. They have a phone number to call, and that’s it. Who would actually call them?” he asks, looking at me with his eyebrows raised.
I give him a look that conveys how much I trust the human race to be smart and not fall for this obvious scam.
“Touché, Charlie.”
‘Send me the link, please,’ I write, and he immediately texts it to me.
Copying the link, I paste it in a text to Detective Flynn, explaining what I looked into, including a bit of information about the shady link. I know that he doesn’t want me getting involved in this, but how can I not? The police department already let me down once, I'm not going to let them do it again.
Flynn: I really want to tell you to stop looking into this, and I do want you to. But this is an angle I actually hadn’t thought to try. I’ll let you know what happens, kid.
Me: Thanks, old man.
I smile to myself. Calling me kid is something he’s done since I met him. I assume it’s because he’s terrible at names. Either way it used to get to me, but I’m in a much different place now.
“You almost done with homework?” Cole asks, looking bored now that he's done helping me search. I give him a shoulder bump and playfully roll my eyes.
"It's not my fault you always have more homework," he defends. I close my books and start packing up so we can walk home. It's about our usual time anyway.
When we get outside, his arm wraps around me. I’m getting used to the constant touches because all three of them are like this. I find myself loving every second of it though.
As soon as I give Cole a kiss goodbye and walk into the house, Sophia runs up to me. “Come sit, Charlie, I have some news from the detectives.” She ushers me to the stools at the kitchen island so she can finish cooking. It doesn’t make sense for there to be news already, I just texted Flynn less than twenty minutes ago. Though he probably doesn’t relay everything to me, so it could be unrelated.
“I called Flynn for an update today. Apparently they scoured through the boxes of papers and found another hidden paper. They went to your dad’s research facility and didn’t find much, but they managed to get a warrant to search their networks. Since they don’t conduct any trials with humans at his facility, it was a bit easier to get. Apparently they found some information on your father’s boss’ computer. It was talking about a trial they were conducting with volunteers. But they couldn’t find any more information on the alleged volunteers involved. Like I said, there were no human trials done at the facility, so the email stood out. It was flagged because someone tried and failed to hide it. So now they are bringing it to the attention of a team at the FBI. Searching through human volunteers and
multiple companies means it’s a bit more than the force can handle. Flynn will still be collaborating with them, but now this is a big step up!”
My mouth hangs open in shock. This is big enough now for the FBI!?
It gives me a mixture of anxiety and hope. Maybe they will finally be able to put the pieces together. I want this over and I want justice for my family. I think a part of me doesn’t feel like I can ever truly move on until there is proper closure. I’m especially tired of the constant paranoia. Even if I try to play it cool, there’s fear in every moment that they’ll come back for me. Because I know it is when, not if. And this time, I know they won’t fail.
Detective Flynn
The bitter coffee tastes awful here and I wince as I swallow the last drops down. It’s lukewarm now which only makes it worse. Being stuck with shitty coffee and a growling stomach isn’t helping my mood in the least.
Grumbling to myself, I set my coffee cup down and rub my eyes. The hours I'm pouring into this case are starting to get to me. This one never sat well with me. When the chief ruled the murder just a burglary gone wrong, I was livid. If it was just a burglary, then they wouldn’t have gone and searched for the kid again. The only reason she's alive to give us any sort of statement is because she was smart enough to call us and hide herself before they found her. Sneaking out saved her life that night.
Too much of the evidence still doesn’t add up, though. Even after all of these years it feels like we missed something and all the new developments seem to support that theory. But I just can’t seem to connect the fucking dots.
My mind flashes back to that night. I happened to be driving home when the call came across. Since I only lived a few blocks away, I figured I’d beat the backup there. But the moment I walked into that scene and heard her screams, I knew it would change my life. The police and paramedics who arrived first were still trying to calm Charlotte down. Her screams were these awful, raspy wails by the time I arrived. She already had bruising and internal damage, so by the time they got her to the hospital it was even worse. Not to mention she survived a gunshot wound to the side that she didn’t notice in her state of shock. Adrenaline can do some fucked up shit.
The scene itself was gruesome, one of the worst I’ve seen. The entire dining room was covered in blood, pooled on the table, dripping on the floor, and splattered on every surface and wall it seemed. It still amazes me that Charlotte came out of it with only damaged vocal cords and a scar on her side after seeing the brutality that happened to them.
In every one of her reports, she mentioned that the men who broke in called it a job. The officers brushed it off as a burglary job, but the fact they shot them and only took his laptop didn’t add up. We looked into his job, but everything about the company and coworkers seemed to check out.
Now that it's open again, I refuse to fail her a second time. After she texted me earlier, I did my own search on the ad she mentioned. It only had a number, which I traced back to a burner phone. Real shocker, there. The ad was about as vague as you can get, but if you offer money, desperate people will come, every single time.
When I tried to call the phone number, it was a recording asking you to leave an email to be contacted back with to see if you qualify. I sent it over to one of the other detectives to look into. I also put a tail on the boss of the research facility both victims had worked at. So far he hasn’t led us to anything. We had Charlotte work with a sketch artist the night of the kidnapping attempt and the boss is a different man than the two that killed her family. So now we have three unknown suspects, too many victims, and not enough leads.
The only new information that came in was regarding the encrypted email that the FBI team found in the boss’ email account. It was talking about volunteers, which was the only reason they flagged it to look into. We investigated their associated companies and charities but still couldn’t make a connection. I slam my hand on my desk in frustration at yet another dead end.
I have to find something soon.
Charlie
In the music room, I straighten my spine and walk up to Mr. Hill, tapping him on his shoulder. When he turns to me, I indicate the piano. This week I found myself wanting to try again and I decided that I'm finally ready to deal with my hesitation to play. It's worth a try at least, and I know Cole won’t judge me if I can’t handle it in the end. Mr. Hill gestures me toward the piano with a huge smile; even he seems to realize what a big deal this is.
Taking a deep breath, I perch on the bench and start warming up. Cole comes in and gives me an approving look.
“Hey, beautiful.” He leans down and gives me a kiss on the top of my head. Mr. Hill shoots Cole a half amused, half chastising look as he walks over and picks up a guitar off of the instrument shelves. Just as I hit the first note, an office attendant interrupts us.
“Mr. Hill, they need Charlotte in the office,” she says, handing him the paper and walking away. He hands me the slip, disappointment written on his face. My mouth turns down into a frown as I look it over. Apparently the guidance counselor wants to see me. Great. I deserve a gold medal for keeping in my eye roll.
I’m sure Danielle reached out again to have yet another guidance counselor check in on me. She always does this if I'm not attending therapy regularly and I haven’t felt like trying out a new one. It's pointless since I won’t actually talk to them and they aren’t going to conduct entire sessions online through text or via notebook. Unfortunately, despite how I feel, I don’t have much of a choice, so I get up and walk down to the office for a pointless meeting.
Wednesday
Afternoon
Charlie
I'm beyond mad by the time I make my way to the front office. Danielle should have called and told me this was coming. My life here is so much different than before, and I know she and Sophia have had several calls about it. I'm practically growling as I search for the counselor’s office.
After searching for way too long, I eventually have to write a note to ask for help. They point me to an office that’s tucked into the back corner. When I walk in, the lady looks up at me and gives me a tight smile. Great, that means this is going to go really well.
“Miss James, please have a seat. I asked you to come see me since things have been a bit tense for you. I heard about the kidnapping and the reopening of the case regarding your family.” She gives me a meaningful look that clearly means she wants me to say something. After a few moments she seems to get even more frustrated. Does anyone do their job and read the damn file?
“This is the part where you tell me how you are coping, Charlotte,” she bites out, not an ounce of empathy in her haggard body. I glare at her, before reaching down to pull out a notebook so I can respond. She interrupts me before I can get an answer written down.
“Ignoring me isn’t going to make this meeting go faster, young lady,” she snaps. I give her a pointed look. I know for a fact that Sophia and Danielle both wrote on my registration forms that I don’t speak. Ignoring her rant, I start writing.
‘I am coping well. The police asked me not to go anywhere alone, in case the men who attempted to kidnap me tried again. It should have been stated in the file, that I’m sure you read, that I don’t speak,’ I jot down angrily before I rip out the page and hand it to her, accompanied by a glare. How is this helpful to any student that has experienced trauma? It feels more like she wants the gossip and has no interest in me as a person.
She doesn’t react or say anything for a moment, merely stares at me. I hold my ground, refusing to be bullied by this heinous woman. I've worked with therapists on this. Even after the attempted kidnapping, I'm still mentally healthier now than I have been since I lost my family. I don’t need a school guidance counselor to check on me for anything other than my grades or attendance. Both of which are fine. She's not qualified to deal with the demons I've got.
“You may go, Miss James,” she finally declares in a haughty voice. I feel like I'm missing something, but I just
get up and walk out without another glance. By the time she finally lets me go, I notice the bell rang and everyone has cleared out from the hallways. I check my phone to see if Cole stuck around since he generally rides home with Trent.
Cole: I waited a while, but Trent had to get home. Be safe.
Feeling even more frustrated now, I make my way to the front of the school. My mood is ruined since I had to deal with that awful counselor. What makes it worse is that she waited until the end of the day, forcing me to leave after everyone else, which is exactly the situation we’ve all been trying to avoid.
When I finally make it to the parking lot where Sophia picks me up, I notice that she isn’t here. I try not to panic, but this is the first time since the kidnapping attempt that I'm completely alone. I turn to walk back into the building when I feel someone grab my arm. I try to pull my arm away and turn as fast as I can to see who is holding me.
“Don’t fight me, Charlotte,” the voice of the guidance counselor barks out at me. My mouth drops open in shock as she pulls me behind the school to a service entrance where they get food and supply shipments. She drags me toward a red work van with tinted windows and I fight harder. But my attempt is useless, the old bird is stronger than she looks.
Oh god, they found me. I should have noticed how well orchestrated this all was.
As soon as I see the red van, my body goes into fight mode. I fling my other elbow at her face and stomp down on her foot. She immediately drops me and I turn and run, clicking my phone on silent and tucking my phone into my bra, hoping they won’t notice it if they catch me. I'm quick, but they aren't that far behind. I refuse to take risks with my life. I have something to live for now.