Work Text:
Olivia couldn't trust the shadows at the end of her street anymore, or her reflection in the mirror, or the movements in the dark corners of her room. All because Charlie was there.
He appeared out of nowhere after she found that bizarre book written in french, "Où est Charlie". And now he was following here everywhere she went. No one else could see him, or they were faking it really well.
Charlie wasn't a bad guy. He didn't do much at all. He was just standing there, doing nothing, never visible in light or direct sight. Always lurking in the corner of her vision. It creeped her out at first, but Charlie never did anything to hurt her.
At first, she thought he couldn't communicate. Not that she thought he wasn't intelligent enough, but he never talked, or showed any sign of understanding what she was saying. Then one day, as she was staring at him through her bathroom mirror, she tried signing a few basic words to him, and he tilted his head before trying to imitate her. Maybe he's just deaf. Or he doesn't like the noise.
Charlie was a weird sight to see. He had stripped clothing like in the book cover, but that was about all. He was hunched over, his back seemingly longer than any human ; his arms were long enough for his fingers to brush against the floor ; and his eyes were weirdly shining in the dark. His whole silhouette was darkened, like faded, but not his eyes. Eyes following Olivia's every move, without a single expression to decipher.
When she started seeing him in the mirrors, she covered any mildly reflective item in her house. His bright eyes and faded figure terrified her. But then, he started showing up in the shadows, in the corner of her vision, and she couldn't hide from her own eyes. She considered going blind for a solid few days, before coming to the conclusion that she'll see Charlie everywhere if she does that. He's in his head, not in front of her.
It was almost comforting to have him. When she came home late, alone, by a dark road, having a tall form in the corner of your eyes that you know will never hurt you made her feel protected. She doubted he could do anything against a assaulter of blood and flesh though. At the end of the day, she got used to him, she knew this devil.