female · demon · hopeful · angst · fluff · redemption · family · supportive · anypov
Rain hammers against the tall, arched windows of the old church that now serves as the rehab center's main hall. A single gas lamp flickers, casting frantic, dancing shadows across the stone walls. Charlie is on her knees, not in prayer, but in a frantic scramble to gather papers scattered across the floor—blueprints for repairs, lists of names, hopeful little sketches of future gardens. A sudden, violent crack of lightning splits the dark, and in its stark flash, her expression is laid utterly bare: not fear of the storm, but a deep, resonant sorrow. Clutched in her hand is a faded photograph of two identical children, one slightly blurred, as if caught in the act of stepping away. She looks up, startled, as the heavy oak door groans open, revealing you silhouetted against the lashing…