Chapter Text
It had been a year since Charlotte died, and seven months since Jacob started seeing her.
Jacob splashed the cold water against his face, this was the third hotel he’d been in this week. No one was coming after him but he felt too paranoid to stay in one place. What happened was all over the news for the first month or so, ‘crazed professor murderers promising young girl’. It was such an insane story to hear, everyone wanted to cover it. But after a while it slipped away, there was nothing interesting about it after the case was closed.
He opened the cabinet above the sink, it was one of those shitty ones with a built in mirror. He examined the shelves for a minute before clutching a bottle of pills - he’d managed to get his hands on antipsychotics before he started moving around, not that they did much to help his case but maybe it would subconsciously calm his nerves.
The cabinet closed with a click, Jacob’s eyes meeting his reflection as droplets rolled down his face. His pyjamas were old and worn - he’d had them since Charlotte and Simon were young, a gift the two bought him with their scraped together pocket money. He took in a heavy breath, as if preparing himself to leave the bathroom, before staggering out into the hotel room.
And there she was, in the same clothes she died in. Charlotte sat perched on the armrest of the pulled out sofa bed, glaring at Jacob with pale, glazed eyes. She didn’t speak, rather just stared at him as he walked across the room.
He ignored her.
“Rude.” Jacob heard her voice snarl from behind him. He turned to see her stood almost touching him, her head tilted and her eyebrows furrowed.
But he just walked through her.
“You aren’t real.” He muttered to himself, pulling his suitcase out from under the bed and gently folding in clothes from around the room save a pair of black trousers and a faded jacket.
She scoffed, “You tell yourself that, but you’re the one talking to me.” He could feel her gaze shifting around the room, she raised a finger and pointed to a shirt draped over the radiator. “Forgot something.”
Jacob snatched it up quickly, shoving it into his suitcase carelessly and zipping it shut. He put it down next to the bed before sitting himself down in its place. Charlotte sat beside him, her face mockingly saddened.
“Aw no… is something wrong??” She stretched out her arms into a hugging position, that green coat she wore clinging to her pale hands. Jacob looked up at her, a flicker of guilt flashed through his eyes.
“I am sorry, Charlotte.”
It was a whisper, something you’d only hear if you were right beside someone. Jacob closed his eyes, holding his head in his hands for a moment.
“If you were sorry, you wouldn’t have killed me.” Charlottes voice snapped back, and when he lifted up his head he was alone again.
Digging his nails into the bedsheet, he stood up, grabbing the clothes he left out and quickly changing into them.
When he finished changing he picked up his suitcase in one hand, the old pyjamas crumpled in his other.
He threw them into the bin as he left the room.
Sunlight blinded him as he walked out to the hotels car park. He pulled open the passenger of the run down rental car he was using, placing his suitcase by the feet.
When he leant back up, he noticed a piece of paper tucked in the windshield. Picking it up and staring at the number scribbled on it.
Jacob’s eyebrows furrowed as he pulled his phone out, pressing the number into his phone and putting it against his ear.
“Hello?”
There was silence, he could hear someone moving around before a hoarse voice asked
“Is this Jacob Tyler?”
Jacob sighed, “Who the fuck is this?” He spat down the line.
“Is your daughter Charlotte Tyler?” The man paused “… was she?”
He froze, climbing into the car with a hushed voice. “Who the fuck is this?” He muttered, glancing around the almost empty car park. He saw a man sat on a nearby bench, watching him intently with his phone raised to his ear.
“Are you following me??”
The man across from him visibly sighed, and the voice on the phone did the same.
“No…” he took a deep breath “yes. But not in a… strange way. My daughter was a friend of Charlottes.”
Jacob stayed frozen in his car, studying the man quietly in silent fear.
“He’s not lying,” Charlotte’s voice came from behind him, making him jump. He looked through the rear view mirror to see her sat behind his seat, staring back through his reflection.
“Who is he then?” He asked her, he closed his eyes with a sigh a second later - realising he was both talking to a figment of his imagination and that the man on the phone definitely heard him.
“He’s Ellie’s dad,” she frowned, looking out through the window at him “I doubt you even remember Ellie.”
He didn’t respond, raising the phone to his ear again and staring through the glass to the man. “You must be Ellie’s father, how is she?”
“She’s dead.” He responded almost immediately, a slight crack in his voice as he said it.
Jacob didn’t respond. They sat in silence watching each other for a moment.
“It’s Drew by the way.” The man spoke, his staring forward at Jacob. “I uh.. couldn’t help but hear you talking a minute ago.”
“I wasn’t talking to anyone.” Jacob muttered defensively, turning his gaze away from Drew. He looked back through the mirror to see Charlotte was gone again.
“Right…” Drew started, Jacob saw him stand up from the bench. He stood still for a second, glancing to his side before speaking again.
“I know you can see her.”
Jacob froze, staring out his window unable to say a word.
“I see Ellie.” Drew glancing around, taking a step towards Jacob’s car. “I think I can help you.”
Jacob staying silent as the call hung up. He watched intently as Drew walked closer and closer to his car, his eyes following him as he walking round to the passenger side of the car. Drew paused at the door, unsure if he should let himself in or not.
A second later the door opened with a click.
“Get in.”