Written by CBMokedi

The sun changed its angle, shooting Allison's eyes directly. She squinted and adjusted her sunglasses. Before coming here, she had gone to the grocery store to get some supplies, snacks, and bottled water. She knew Charlotte likely had run out of everything again.

Allison let out a heavy sigh. Stephen had asked her again today about Charlotte. Honestly, she didn't know much more than he did despite the trips she had made to the cabin. Charlotte had not opened the door or picked up the phone for more than a week until one day Allison had caught her outside the cabin. Thanks to her relentlessness, Allison had been given a spare key. Only for emergencies.

Food and water should be considered emergencies.

Every other day Allison came with some knick-knacks. She didn't have the heart to abandon Charlotte. That much she knew. From what Stephen said today, their boss- Mr. Hicks-was running out of patience with Charlotte's absence. Allison's made-up excuses weren't very good in the first place, but no excuse in this world would be enough to explain such an unfortunate situation.

Allison turned into the familiar dirt road that she had driven on countless times in the past year. Somehow, the city girl with messy hair had created a huge spot in her heart and become a friend Allison never thought she could have. It was a corny thing, but Allison could say it with her chest puffed out. Contradicted to what some believed, she didn't really fit in anywhere, with anyone.

Allison knew what Charlotte had gone through-to an extent. Losing a life partner was always hard, but it was harder when you were all alone. Even when being alone was Charlotte's decision. Allison remembered when her mom passed away, how difficult it had been for her dad. She and Rose had made sure that he was never alone, ever, no matter what. They knew what grief could do, so it was only natural that Allison did the same for Charlotte right now.

Allison opened the trunk and took out two big bags full of stuff. She carried them to the door first before going back for two cases of water. The sun burned hot on the exposed nape of her neck, making sweat drip from her hairline to her chin.

"Charlotte!" Allison banged twice on the screen door as a courtesy before opening it and juggling everything inside.

A funky smell hit her face, making Allison scrunch her nose. She had just been here only two days ago. How come it was already this bad? The first thing she saw in front of the TV was papers. Many sticky notes, printed pages, and photos are strewn across the area rug. On the coffee table, half-eaten pizza and some empty soda cans painted a sad picture. This must be where the smell came from, but when Allison walked into the kitchen, she realized she had been wrong.

A small mountain of dirty cups and plates with different levels of crustiness completely filled the counter and sink. More empty pizza boxes and HotPocket wraps were thrown carelessly all over the stovetop. The trash can was filled to the brim and Allison could see some fruit flies. If the door and windows weren't closed, this cabin would be filled with insects by now.

Allison gagged a little before finding a roll of new trash bags in one of the drawers. She threw away everything she could before opening one grocery bag to pull out a new bottle of dish soap. She sighed. She didn't come here to do dishes but here she was.

Before starting, Allison lifted the window all the way up to let some fresh air in. She grabbed the Raid bottle on top of the fridge and sprayed the whole kitchen. May whatever flew, crawled, and bred here die.

"Charlotte! Come out!" She leaned back and screamed in the direction of the bedroom.

Receiving no response, Allison opened the fridge and held her breath. Luckily, it was bare, just like the last time. Allison let out a sigh and stocked up. She shook her head at the amount of damage as she walked around. A long mental list of what needed to be done appeared in her head.

Allison decided that it was time. She would be here for a while, might as well get some company. As she walked closer to Charlotte's bedroom, Allison could hear movements. Someone was pacing back and forth while mumbling nonstop.

"Charlotte, it's me." Allison knocked. "Can I come in?"

The door was yanked open, and Charlotte poked her head out with a wide grin. "They came last night! Again! Just like I thought! They even brought gifts this time!"

She opened her hands to show a bunch of small stones in slightly different shapes and colors.

"Who... What are you talking about?" Allison frowned in utter confusion.

"The fairies! I told you they would come again! They wouldn't leave me without a goodbye like that! I knew it!"

"Fairies." Allison was not very surprised.

"Yes, the fairies came here! I made a fire in the backyard, and it turned blue! I read in Exploring Appalachian Mysteries that the fire only turns blue when the fairies are around. They must know where I live! Silly me. They must have brought me home before. That's how I came back...Wow. They can be shy, you know, but they know your heart. They must've known I didn't mean them any harm...."

Allison eyed Charlotte from head to toe without saying anything. She didn't know how to respond. Her friend looked terrible. Like a talking, walking zombie, Charlotte had lost a lot of weight. Her eyes were sunken, and she was rambling with that crazy smile that Allison had never seen before. God, standing this close, the smell coming from Charlotte was hard to bear. Her outfit looked extremely dirty. There were mud and grass stains, but was that dry blood on her knees?

"Charlotte, honey," Allison used the calmest tone she could muster. "Listen, fairies are cool, but why don't you go wash up and change, and then we can grab some dinner?"

"No, I can't go!" Charlotte shook her head. "I'm doing something! I have to sort the fairy crosses into the right containers with the date and locations where I found them, or I will get them all mixed up later."

Allison looked beyond Charlotte's shoulder to see dozens of plastic containers stacked on top of each other. They were all full of pebbles, just like the ones still in Charlotte's hands. All over the walls and floor, satellite images created a full picture of the mountains around their town.

"Like you see, I'm busy." Charlotte's face reappeared.

"Charlotte," Allison sighed and put both hands on her friend's shoulders. "I would really love for you to take a shower now, and after that, you can tell me all about it, and teach me how to sort the stones. I can help you-"

"No, you can't." Charlotte shook her head. "Please, just go now. I'm busy. Sorry"

"Charlotte, please...Wait!"

Her friend pushed her out and shut the door.

Allison stood with her mouth gaped open for a long time before some sense finally came back. "I'll put the food in front of the door then," she said. "By the way, Mr. Hicks said if you don't show up this Monday coming up, they will have to let you go."

Incoherent mumbling from inside the room answered her. Allison rolled her eyes and left for the kitchen.

The sun had gone down. The house was swallowed in darkness. Outside, the heavy blanket of summer haze and the endless song of cicadas made Allison feel out of breath. She was lost in her thoughts looking out at the evening's deep blue and waving trees.

Rose had prepared some sandwiches and a casserole for her to bring over, so all Allison had to do was put a small portion of everything on a plate, pour a cup of some liquid, and call it a day. She turned on the light and did everything in that order before checking her phone in her jeans pocket.

7:30.

She could stay a little longer, but after nine, Allison would have to head back to the bar. The bedroom door was suddenly yanked open again, startling her.

"Charlotte?"

She looked up to see a shadow rush toward the front door, and then out of it.

"Wait! Charlotte! Ugh..." Allison groaned and dropped everything on the table to chase after it. "Where the hell is she going?"

Turning around the cabin's backside, Allison saw Charlotte dragging a can of gasoline out from under the porch and pouring its contents into the rusty barrel she used for burning trash. Charlotte then pulled a long lighter from her pocket and lit it.

She stood there, watching the fire come to life with her vacant eyes. Her arm still stretched into the barrel. Charlotte looked as though she wasn't in this world anymore, or maybe she just wasn't aware of that. Her mouth pressed and unpressed, over and over again. She scratched her forearm and shifted on her feet occasionally. Suddenly, Charlotte jumped back and screamed as fire licked her sleeve.

"Gosh, Charlotte, are you ok?" Allison shouted and ran over to aid her friend. She didn't know why tears fell down her cheeks when she pushed Charlotte away from the fire, but fear must be part of it. Allison was terrified. Legitimately. Something fragile broke within her when she saw Charlotte in this state.

"Let's get you inside." Allison tried to keep her voice even while rolling Charlotte's sleeve up to check her burn. "You need to pour water on this right away."

"Allison," Charlotte whispered. "They will come soon, you know. They will."

"Who?" Allison frowned.

"The fairies! Didn't you hear a thing that I said?" Charlotte gasped, pulling her arm back. "You don't believe me, do you? I know it! No one does. Even my parents. That's why I stopped talking to them. No one understands... I'm tired of everyone treating me like I'm crazy. If Grey was here, he would understand. He would believe me! He always does!"

"He always did. Charlotte, Greyson is not here, not anymore. Only you and me standing in this yard. And you're hurt... This cannot continue. All of this. Please, just listen to me. You need help, Charlotte. Like now."

"No, I don't. I'm fine."

"No, you're not! You haven't shown up for work in weeks! You haven't eaten, and I bet, slept properly. You pump yourself with soda and coffee. Your house is disgusting. You haven't taken a shower for God knows how long! How can you live like that?"

"You have no right to judge me..."

"I'm not judging you, Charlotte, but this is not normal. It's not healthy." Allison pulled out her phone. "This stops now."

"What are you doing?"

"What I should've done a long time ago. I'm calling Sherriff Whittle to get you some help. He could get you admitted to a psych ward tonight. They will give you some evaluation. You need this. Trust me. You can't be by yourself. This isn't safe. It breaks my heart, man, to see you like this, but I'd be damned to enable your illusion. At first, I thought, what the hell, she was going through some tough time, and no one could put a timeframe on grief, so just let it be. But it got worse and worse. There couldn't be anything worse than these fairies you've hallucinated. Your family should be here with you..."

"Allison, please, listen to me." Charlotte grabbed her friend's hands. "Don't do this! Please! I mean, not yet! I'll do whatever you want, see whoever you want me to see as long as you give it a chance. Only tonight. Come with me and see for yourself that I'm not lying. I'm not! The fairies..."

"Oh, God help me..."

"...Is real. Please, just see!"

Charlotte's tears put the last nail in the coffin, and Allison chewed her lip. "Sure, what the hell..." She knew Sheriff Whittle was only a phone call away.