Charlie's Hero

 

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    Nine months since they both started showing signs and five months since they both had what they thought was alcohol poisoning, and It has been three months since her twin died. Three months since her other half died while she survived. Three months since Charlie even left her room... As she looked in the mirror at her strawberry blonde hair, she realized that she wanted a change. She was tired of seeing her dead twin every time she looked in the mirror, tired of wanting to go back to bed and curl up every time she caught her reflection. She took the scissors to her hair and started cutting it till it reached her chin. There was no going back now, and she didn't want to.
    Charlotte’s twin was her best friend, the one who helped her through her toughest times. The pain of losing someone who was literally your other half is one that no one should have to experience, but she did.
    With struggles of self worth and depression, Charlotte has a hard time accepting her life as it now is. Who will save her from herself?

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Prologue

    Charlotte sat there unmoving, tears falling down her cheeks. She could not do anything as she watched her sisters casket go down into the ground. She did not look to her older brothers for comfort, she did not look to her parents. She just sat there and mournfully watched her sister and best friend, her twin, as she got buried in the ground. Her heart felt like there was an empty void in it, a missing-or rather-a dead piece.
​    Even after throwing a handful of dirt in the grave and placing a flower on top, she still could not believe what happened. She couldn't believe that they had both fell sick, that they both had gone to the hospital, and that only she survived. She couldn't believe that her twin, who had the same exact thing as she did, died. Why couldn't they both have survived Why were they to suffer a fate so cruel as to be separated? Both united in the after life would be better than to be left alone. They always did everything together, so why not this?
​​    After everyone was leaving, Austin, her older brother came up to her and held her in his arm. That was when it all truly hit her, when she saw her eldest brother crying. She held onto him like he was her life line, she held onto him like he was the only thing keeping her on this earth. Pretty soon Blare, her second eldest brother came over and joined the hug, wrapping them both in his embrace. Then came Darren and Dylan, and soon came Carson. The Baker brothers all stood there in one big hug around Charlotte, crying with her for their lost sister.
 ​   The sky opened up on top of them, though non of them cared, they welcomed the rain and what it brought. For Charlotte, it meant new life. A life without her twin. Charlotte's never done anything without her sister before, but now she's going to have to.

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Chapter 1

   "Charlie, it's the last week of summer, you've gotta come out of your room sometime." Charlotte's brother Carson called through her door. 
    Charlie made no noise but took the covers from her head and glanced at the white door on the other side of her room. She hadn't been out of her room all summer, why would she come out now? Charlie thought to herself. She waited for her brother to say something else, though nothing else was said. She hadn't heard any retreating footsteps so she knew he was still on the other side.
    Charlie made no effort to get out of bed, just turned her head and glanced back up at her black ceiling. Nine moths since they both started showing signs and five moths since they both had what they thought was alcohol poisoning, and It has been three months since her twin died. Three months since her other half died while she survived. Three months since Charlie's left her room.
    After hearing her brother shift outside her room, she decided to sit up. She faced her teal blue walls, then slowly turned and faced her white door. She could practically see Carson sitting with his back slumped against the door, just hoping that his sister would finally come out.
    She finally got out of bed for the day, though she didn't go to her bedroom door to let her brother in, she went and stood in front of the mirror. Dark circles were under her eyes, as they have been for the past three months, and her eyes seemed more black than grey these days. 
    As she looked in the mirror at her strawberry blonde hair, she realized that she wanted a change. She was tired of seeing her dead twin every time she looked in the mirror, tired of wanting to go back to bed and curl up every time she caught her reflection. She got under her sink and reached in the very back for something she had stored from a while ago, something she and her sister were going to use to prank one of their brothers.
    She finally found it and pulled it out, looked in the mirror one last time, then proceeded with the change. There was no going back now, and she didn't want to.

 

    Carson sighed from the other side of his sister's door and rested his head against it. He wished he could do something for her, anything at all. This wasn't the sister he grew up with, this was a completely different girl. His sister used to be so full of life, used to smile all the time, used to play pranks on him and his brothers. Not this girl. This girl just locks herself in her room all day, every day. She barely eats and almost never speaks a word to anyone anymore. He just wanted his sister back.
    With his hands in his pocket, he slid down the door till he was sitting with his feet out in front of him and just stared at the photos on the wall in front of him.
    Charity and Charlotte were the ones with the most photos up there, they were the center of everyone's attention, they were everyone's favorites. Carson saw one where Charity and Charlotte were being tossed around by the older twins, Darren and Dylan. They were all laughing and giggling, Carson could easily remember that day as if it were yesterday.
    He looked around some more and spotted the picture of the twin girls from when they decided to play dress up. They were both five years old at the time and had gotten into their mother's make-up and wardrobe. They looked so cute, clumping around in big shoes and long dresses with their hair up in messy ponytails and makeup all over their face, that mom didn't have the heart to ground them. She did make sure to take pictures though and frame them.
    Carson sighed as he sat there, wondering why his sisters had to go. Why one had to die and the other one basically disappear. He missed them terribly, as did his older brothers.
    Carson heard his sister's shower kick on after a few more minutes and sighed. At least she was out of bed, he thought to himself. He started to get up and head down the hall to his room when he heard the doorbell ring. Knowing who it would be, Carson turned around and started towards the door, though before he could reach the stairs, one of his brothers got it.

    "Ms. Jansen, good to see you again." Carson heard his older brother, Austin, greet the person at the door. "Please come in, Charlie is upstairs..."
    "Isn't she always?" Evelyn Laughed, then sighed sadly. "Maybe this week I can get a word out of her.
    "If anyone can, I'm sure it's you." Austin said with a grim smile and walked with Evelyn, Charlie's psychiatrist, up the stair's to Charlie's room. When they got to the top of the stairs, Austin saw his youngest brother, Carson leaning against the wall outside of Charlie's room.     "Anything?" He asked his voice lacking hope.
    "She's taking a shower, I can hear the water running." Carson said with a shrug, then looked over to Evelyn and nodded his head in greetings.
    "I'll just go in and wait for her to come out then, thank you boys." Evelyn nodded at them and then entered Charlie's room.

    Carson and Austin shared a look before both heading downstairs, their hands shoved in their pockets. Two months again, when Charlie still hadn't gotten the slightest bit out of her depression, their mom and dad thought it was best to get her a therapist. They knew she probably wouldn't respond to her, but they went ahead with it anyway, hoping that maybe it would help her in some way. Two months later and none of the brothers have seen any improvement in their sister, in fact, they've barely seen her at all.
    They all try to go up to her room, to try to talk to her, even if she won't talk back, but she just turns them away, wanting her space. Not that any of them blamed her. Dylan or Darren said they would probably be in the same place as Charlie if one of them ever lost the other, though they both know that even they aren't half as close as Charity and Charlie were.
    Charity and Charlie were the closest of sisters anyone would ever find. They hardly ever fought, they shared everything, even when they got sick. Sometimes it was like they could even think with one brain the way they would finish each others sentences, or do something for one another.


    Charlie got out of the shower and dried off, then grabbed the scissors from the drawer. She looked at her long wet hair that used to be a strawberry blond and is now a dark, glowing, blue-black color. Gone was the color the she and her twin sister had shared, and now gone is the same shoulder length cut. She took the scissors to her hair and started cutting it till it reached her chin.
    Charlie and her sister used to cut each others hair all the time, now, she has to cut her own. She quickly finished up, making sure to leave her bangs so they would grow out, then finished drying her hair and got dressed.
    Walking back into her room, Charlie spotted Evelyn Jansen sitting in the corner chair, her usual spot. She had forgotten that today was her weekly appointment. She walked over to where she was sitting and took the chair across from her like she normally did. Evelyn looked up as Charlie sat down, her eyebrows rose to meet her hairline.
    She didn't say anything to Charlie about her new look, but just sat there quietly with her hands folded in her lap. Evelyn's face changed from shocked to pleased as she sat there with Charlie, she was glad that charlie seemed to be making progress. At least, in Evelyn's book, it was progress.
    Charlie sat there for a full thirty minutes, not really paying attention to anything, even her own thoughts. She did look over Evelyn's outfit today, it was a little different from her normal suit and heels look. Instead, Evelyn had worn a ruffly blouse, a skirt and flats, and her brunette hair was in a ponytail instead of her usual up-do. Although this surprised Charlie, she didn't comment, she just went back to doing nothing.
    After another thirty minutes went by, Charlie and Evenly both stood up and walked towards the door, though Charlie stopped halfway and just waited for Evelyn to leave.
"Goodbye Charlie, I'm glad we made progress today." She said sweetly before leaving Charlie, once again, alone in her room.
    Charlie didn't know what she had meant by progress. If she was talking about her hair, wouldn't that have been the opposite of progress? Charlie had questioned herself. After a minute she let the thought go and went to sit on her bed once again with book. She didn't pay attention to what book she grabbed, though she knew she would read all the way through it anyway.

 

    Carson stood up as Evelyn Jansen came down the stairs, her hand gliding across the rail and a small smile on her face. Hope built up in Carson's chest at the thought of his sister maybe having talked about something.
    "Well?" Austin asked, beating Carson to the punch. Evelyn looked over to them with the same smile, her hands folded in front of her.
    "She's making progress..." She started, making the hope start to vanish and dread to once again fill Carson's chest.
    "I'm sensing a 'but'," Austin said wearily, sighing as he leaned against the kitchen counter.
    "She didn't say anything." Evenyln nodded.
    "How can that be progress then?" Carson asked in confusion, looking towards his older brother for answers, Austin just shrugged his shoulders though.
    "You'll see, just give her a little bit more time... I know I say that , but there's really not much time left to wait now." Evelyn said, though It didn't clear anything up for either of the brothers. They both sighed as she left and hung their heads in grief. Although they said nothing to each other, they shared the same thoughts. They were both very worried for their sister, even after what the psychiatrist had told them.

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