CHARLOTTEIt felt as though everyone sucked in a breath at the same time. All eyes were now firmly fixed on Caeson and me. But even with the intensity of the crowd’s collective gaze, and Caeson’s intense stare locked on my every move, I didn’t falter. And I wouldn’t. The silence brok
CHARLOTTEEmbarrassed was a mild word to describe what I was feeling. I wanted to throw up, I wanted to run, I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, but most of all, I wanted to wipe that self-satisfied smile off Taide Soloh’s face. People were staring, and unlike when that first dare had been pa
CHARLOTTEFor a moment, I was in an alternate version of the world I lived in. In that world, my mother didn’t die, my father wasn’t abusive, I didn’t have to attend Lupin prep on a scholarship, and the triplets didn’t hate me. No.They didn’t exist.For that moment, I was in that world, and every
On the inside, the place wasn’t as basic and mysterious, and carried a much greater note of hope and comfort. The faint smell of antiseptic clung to the air, but the beautiful plants and flowers meticulously placed all over the waiting area took away from the assault on my senses.Some elderly resi
CHARLOTTEShocked as Vance was when I ran over and hugged him, I appreciated the fact that he just let me enjoy the moment, seemingly sinking into it himself. He didn’t pull away. He ran a gentle hand over my hair and hugged me tightly; it felt nice to be held so closely and so gently. It felt nice
CHARLOTTE“That can’t be what I think it is.”Vance’s voice was what snapped me out of my shocked haze. I quickly slipped away from him and returned to the passenger seat, adjusting my clothes as I went.My heart was in my throat and shame coloured my cheeks pink.How could I have forgotten?? I inte
CHARLOTTEAfter a few attempts at getting me to talk, Madeline carefully bundled up my sobbing form and gently led me inside.Thankfully, we didn’t run into anyone as she took me up to her room. She lowered me onto the bed, shut the door and slowly tried to calm me down so she could understand what
CHARLOTTETaide cursed, immediately letting go of me.I stumbled back a little, a bit stunned by the force of my head slamming against his nose. Taide’s grip on me was gone, his hands now on his nose that was rapidly gushing out blood.I watched with intense satisfaction as crimson trailed from his
CHARLOTTE I pulled my curls into a bun as I walked down the stairs, my feet moving slowly against the wooden steps. The house was quiet, too quiet, but that was normal these days. My thoughts were scattered until a flicker of movement caught my eye. A flash of black streaked across the foyer. I st
CHARLOTTE Taide was growing out his hair. I sat on the edge of my bed, watching him lean over the mirror on my dresser. His hands combed through his dark hair, smoothing it back and letting it fall forward again. It was longer than I’d ever seen it, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it yet. S
A childish part of me felt like defending that Emma had started it, but why did it matter? It shouldn’t matter and I tried to make myself believe that. Taide’s attention shifted away from the menu to me, and I cleared my throat before turning my gaze from Caeson and down to the menu like I had
CHARLOTTE After a short drive, Taide pulled up in the parking lot of the small restaurant that was a hotspot amongst students in the area. The main area was rowdy and full of students eating and talking loudly, but Taide led me past there and into a quieter, more ambient area. It was still c
CHARLOTTE Taide held the door open and shot me a knowing look. But I didn’t move, I remained in one spot, crossed my arms and pouted. “But Taide—” “I don’t want to hear it,” he cut me off, his expression deep and serious. My lips snapped shut, I sensed that there was no point in arguing. So, wi
I pulled them both back into the house and then to the kitchen. With a small exhale, I let go of their hands, immediately missing the comfort and warmth their touches gave me. “I need to find Madeline,” I told them. “Do you know if she’s back?” Just like Taide, she’d been gone almost all day. Rei
CHARLOTTE Caeson walked further outside, his hands buried deep in his pockets as he eyed the three of us with distaste. He drew closer and said with a slight bite to his tone, “Don’t let my interruption stop you,” then lowered himself onto the bench and met my eyes. “But then, you didn’t seem to
CHARLOTTE I thought about how a whole day had passed since the big sibling swap, and I still hadn’t fully processed it. As I sat in the living room, lost in thought when I heard a noise coming from the backyard. Curious to see if it was who I’d been waiting for all day, I got up and walked thro
CHARLOTTE My life… might have been in danger. It echoed in my head, but like a muted siren. Maybe it was because I’d been overloaded with more information than I knew what to do with. Maybe I was just having the world’s slowest reaction to the scariest possible news a person could ever hear.