Crumbling Worlds (A Charlotte Cracker x OC story)

Chapter 12: Not really an Angel

The next morning Michelle woke up to an otherwise empty bed. She was still a bit drowsy from sleep and rolled around in the sheets for a bit before opening her eyes and blinking around the room. At first she was confused and didn't recognize her surroundings, but then the memories of what happened and where she was came back to her. This is... Cracker's bedroom! Her cheeks turned bright pink as she sat up, now holding the sheets close to her body as if to shield it. But talking of which- where was her tall boyfriend?

"Cracker...?" with a small frown Michelle patted the empty space next to her. Maybe he's in the bathroom? "Cracker? Hello? Are you here?" she was a bit louder this time, but again, there was no response. She was all alone. In his bedroom. He must have left early to attend his Minister duties or something...

„For such a big guy he sure is sneaky," she muttered and stretched a little before hopping out of bed.

The first thing Michelle did was look for a clue that might tell her where he could be. She checked the closet, nightstand, coffee table, couch... but found nothing. There was no letter, no note telling her where Cracker went or what she should do while he was gone. He really just left her all by herself. Her body tensed up a bit, a slight feeling of worry boiled up within her. She was all alone in a place she barely knew.... what was she supposed to do? The young woman swallowed hard but then shook her head. No. There's no need to panic. It's fine, I'm fine. She took a deep breath. For the time being this was her new home- she just needed to get used to it.

And since Cracker didn't leave her any instructions on what she should and shouldn't do, she decided to simply push her anxiety aside and go about her day like she normally would- which usually started with a trip to the bathroom.

After a nice, cold shower Michelle put on a fresh pair of clothes and felt rejuvenated and ready to start the day with newfound motivation. The next thing on her list was getting some breakfast, so without further ado she left the bedroom to find the kitchen.

Since Michelle didn't really know her way around the mansion yet she decided to try and retrace her steps from yesterday. While she was roaming through the large hallways she ran into a Chess Soldier and briefly asked him about Cracker's whereabouts. Apparently her boyfriend left first thing in the morning to take care of some 'important business'. The soldier didn't share any details with her but at least made sure to let her know that Cracker was hoping she could get acquainted with her new "home" while he was gone.

That honestly didn't sound like such a bad idea. The sooner she got used to living here, the better.

The soldier also gave Michelle instructions on where to find the kitchen, and after wandering through the mansion for a bit longer, she was finally back in the familiar hallway.

For once things seemed to be going well for her; but unfortunately that quickly changed when she opened the door to the kitchen and came face to face with her boss, Giuseppe. He was busy cleaning some dishes, probably the leftover of Cracker's breakfast, and didn't immediately notice her. With everything that had happened during the past 24 hours Michelle somehow forgot that he worked in this mansion as well, and once the mink saw her standing in the door, his expression turned sour and he lowered the plate he was cleaning into the sink.

"Well well, look who's here! Did ya sleep well? Ha, bet ya did." he huffed, his voice laced with venom.

The young woman just stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. This was a confrontation she was not at all prepared for.

"I warned you, I told you this would happen! You young girls are really all the same! Naive, oblivious, easy to prey on little things..."

Michelle didn't even get a chance to reply as Giuseppe began to rant like there was no tomorrow.