Chapter One

She would lay in bed at night, thought after thought running through her mind. It was too much; they refused to die down and be forgotten. Thus, she kept tossing and turning in the bed, groaning quietly before she finally pushed herself to sit up. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced over at the clock. 4:30AM was displayed in bright red digital numbers/letters.

Great. Just what she needed.

With a quiet sigh, she climbed out of her bed. She ran a hand through her messy brown hair once before leaving it alone, heading into the bathroom. She closed the door and locked it, placing her hands against the sink and staring at her reflection in the mirror.

God, she looked awful, not like she paid too much attention to her appearance. Her brown eyes had visible dark circles underneath them, staring tiredly at her reflection and she was paler than usual. She definitely felt like she needed some strong coffee, and soon.

She turned on the faucet, letting the cold water pour into her hands before she leaned forward, splashing it onto her face. She repeated this a few more times, wiping her face with the small towel placed at the edge of the sink before she turned off the faucet, sending the bathroom into silence once more as she looked up at her reflection.

She trailed a hand across her face, brushing over her freckles cheeks, her nose, her lips… She was examining her features carefully, as if she didn't recognize herself. Truth to be told, she didn't recognize herself either. She always had this nagging feeling… that she should be somewhere else right now.

Crazy thoughts, huh?

Shaking her head, she turned to exit the bathroom, resting her .

"...Charlie…."

She paused, lifting her head slightly. What was that? She listened closely, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. It wasn't a voice she recognized, but for some reason, she felt like she knew who was speaking to her.

She turned away from the door, glancing around the small bathroom. She was listening for the voice again, to prove she wasn't imagining things. She couldn't be imagining things.

"...Charlie…" The voice murmured once more, making the girl jolt slightly and whirl around, as it felt like the person speaking had whispered her name directly into her ear.

But no one was there.

She took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out. Facing the mirror once again, she stared at her reflection, hands gripping the edge of the sink.

"Who are you…?" She whispered quietly. "And why are you calling me?"

Nobody answered. Not the mysterious voice, not her reflection. It was just her, speaking to herself.

She felt a small twitch of annoyance. What was she doing? She wasn't going crazy, right? She shook her head, lightly smacking her face a few times before staring at the mirror again.

"Charlie..." This time, the voice was clearer. It sounded… desperate. Full of longing, the need to be with her. She was stunned at the wave of anguish washing over her, but above all that, she found herself wanting- no, needing to be closer to the mysterious voice as well.

"Charlie… Charlie…."

"Where are you? Who are you?!" The girl cried out, pressing her hands over her ears. The voice just kept repeating her name over and over, the feeling of despair settling deep within her and making her tremble, thoughts slowly being consumed by vulnerableness.

"Charlie…"

Everything suddenly went silent, Charlie slowly releasing her hands from her ears. She rubbed her arms, now aware of how cold it actually was and that she should probably get out. With that thought in mind, she started towards the door.

Only to be interrupted by a loud cry:

"HELP ME...!"

Charlie let out a scream as electricity surged through her, pressing herself against a cool surface as her body convulsed. It was so unexpected, she couldn't do anything but scream out in pain. Never before had she ever been shocked or electrocuted or whatever you would call it. It felt like every nerve in her body was locking her muscles in place and god, it hurt a lot.

She didn't know how long it went on. It felt like an eternity, even when it stopped and allowed her to breathe. She didn't even notice it was over. She was slumped against the table, eyes half-lidded and her vision blurring. She could hear someone calling her name, but she just wanted to rest. Even as her vision went dark, the cries echoed in her ears.

"Charlie… Where are you…? Charlie... Charlie….!"

"CHARLIE!"

Her eyes snapped open, finding herself back in the bathroom, pressed against the wall and breathing heavily. She quickly looked around, eyes wide. Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly, counting in her head. 1...2...3...

There was a furious knocking on the door, which had probably been going on before she snapped out of whatever trance was she in. She stumbled towards the door, nearly tripping over her own feet as she unlocked and pulled it open.

Jessica was standing on the other side, hands resting on her hips and staring down at the other girl.

"How long have you been in there?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "You were making a lot of noise and muttering to yourself." Upon noticing the state Charlie was in, her expression shifted to worry. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost…"

Charlie shook her head, managing to grin over at the girl and rubbing her face.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about-" She said, quickly brushing past her towards her side of the room. She glanced at the clock before she gave a double take, seeing it was nearly 6:30AM. Had she really been in the bathroom for almost two hours? She glanced out the window, scanning the sky. It was a pale blue color, with the sun beginning to rise. With a sigh, she grabbed some clothes out of her drawer, quickly changing and then tackling her messy hair.

Jessica was already changed and sitting on her bed, brushing her hair and watching the other girl.

"You want to stop by a cafe and get breakfast?" She asked, putting the brush down. "I'll pay.." She added, giving Charlie a look when she was about to protest. And Charlie wisely chose to remain silent, though that didn't mean she had to like the idea of someone else paying for her.

"Well, I could use a coffee…" She shrugged, sitting down on her bed and pulling on her shoes. The other girl grinned, jumping up and grabbing her purse. She fished around in it for the car keys, tugging them out and turning back towards the girl.

"Ready?" She asked, noticing that Charlie was up and staring into the bathroom. She had her eyebrows furrowed in thought, a frown on her lips. When she poke, she looked up, blinking for a minute, as if she was comprehending the fact that she was speaking to her before she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She said, turning the bathroom light off and walking over to Jessica. "Let's go."