The Orphanage (Candle Cove )

Chapter 8: A Story of Two hearts

"Charlie.... Charlie wake up." Percy was poking her cheek and Charlotte woke up and saw he was next to her bed. "What?" She said as she rubbed her eyes and he showed her a paper. "The Orphanage is doing a talent show to raise money. We only have a  two months to do costumes and practice for the show. "Wait... That means I can finally show off my ballet moves!" Charlotte says and he just looked at her weird. "Well, I was kinda hoping we could... You know, maybe do a magic act or something more impressive?" She blinked a few times. "What are you trying to tell me?" She asked. He deeply inhaled. "Charlotte, ballet sucks." He said. She inhaled and got out of bed and refused to look at him. She went and got her clothes and walked past him. He felt like he had struck a nerve, and indeed, he did.

Percy sat in the dining room and kept trying to talk to Charlotte, but she ignored him and started to talk to some girls and other boys who were excited for the talent show. Percy could see she clearly didn't want to talk to him.  He swallowed the knot in his throat and continued to eat his food. When everyone finished, Charlotte was washing dishes and Percy walked into the kitchen and saw she was putting clean dishes away. He hesitated to walk towards her. "Lottie?...." He asked quietly and she put down a bowl. She went to pick up another pile of bowls. "Are... You mad at me?" He rubbed his arm and Charlotte just continued to clean. "Charlie?...." He whimpered. She finished cleaning and walked right past him. He teared up. Percy knew she was mad, and all because of what he had said to her. He sniffled and then started to sob. "Stupid STUPID STUPID!" He yelled over and over while he hit his head with his fist. He fell to his knees and sat there as he cried softly, he felt a breeze and saw a few petals and leaves fly in through the window from the little tree outside. He looked at it and then his eyes widen as he then had an idea. 

The next few days, Percy was on a mission. A mission that required fabric, scissors, a bit of needle injuries, and dye.... and maybe some glue... And time. Charlotte was perfecting her ballet skills for her performance. Percy had a bag and walked to her as she was in the play room. "Lottie!" He smiled. She glared at him. If looks could kill, it definitely would've killed him on the spot. He frowned and gulped. He took a deep breath and walked up to her. "Look... About what I said two weeks ago... " He said and reached into the bag and pulled out the biggest bouquet of pink roses she'd ever seen in her life. "I'm really sorry, Lottie.... I'm really, really, REALLY, sorry. I shouldn't have said ballet was stupid. It was an awful thing to say and I made you something." He pulled out a ballerina costume from the bag. The tutu was filled with green and blue and it had blue flowers. He even pulled out ballet slippers. "These are for you." He said with a small smile. Charlotte was in awe. "Go try it on." He gestured to the costume. She went to her room and came back. "How do I look?" She asked and Percy blushed but gave a smile. "You look beautiful." She blushed and laughed a bit. "Thank you. " 

She hugged him and then she asked, "Wait, but aren't you gonna participate too?" He pulled another costume out of the bag and he smiled showing his pirate costume, well... It was more royal than pirate-y.  "I'm gonna perform with you." He said and she tilted her head. "Do you even know how to dance?" She asked and he pats her head. "You worry about yourself." He took his stuff and left. She smiled a bit and took the roses and smelled them.

 When the day of the talent show. Charlotte and Percy walked with the other kids to the theater in town. "So what exactly are you gonna do on stage with me?" Charlotte asked. "I'm gonna dance with you. Plus, you remembered some of the spells from the sorcerer you have to trust me. Ok?" She nodded. The two sat back stage and they could see the audience in their seats. One in particular was a masked woman. Percy gulped and looked around. Charlotte was talking to someone. "Thank you for letting the orphanage perform here. We deeply appreciate it." The mistress said to the masked woman who sat in the front row with her. "I better be amazed by their performances." The masked woman said and watched as the children performed.

 The masked woman wasn't pleased with many, a few had pleased her, but the mistress had seen the masked lady not too thrilled by the performances. Finally when it came down to Percy and Charlotte, the curtains re-open and Percy was pretending to row a boat with the fake wood boat and was on a giant blue fabric for the ocean. He looked up and saw a green fabric for land and Charlotte was on her knees as the fabric was pulled and Percy pulled out a fake telescope and peered through it as if to have spot her. He pulled his coat open a tiny bit and a plastic heart on a coil sprung out and he pretended to faint in the boat. The audience laughed and so did the mistress and the masked woman. Percy then got up and stepped out of the fake boat and approached Charlotte with a bow. She stood and curtsied and flowers bloom in her fancy bun, and on the green fabric.

He took her hand and danced with her and then he pulled out the plastic heart and as they danced. He spun her around but when he pulled her close and handed her the heart, she pushed away and his heart fell to the ground and she walked around  before spinning away and everyone could see he now had wolf ears and a tail, his nails were sharp and he had sharp teeth and so he howled and when Charlotte spun close, he grabbed her wrists and danced with her before they spun again she was wrapped in chains and he became normal again. He put her in the boat and supposedly rowed away with her, but everyone could see the tears in her eyes, fake tears. He wiped them and offered her a jewel but she turned her head, then he offered a huge bouquet of red roses but she turned away and when he offered her his heart, she turned away. So he unchained her and brought her back to the land and everyone watched as the two dance far away from each other and when they slowly began to get closer, she pulled out a heart and gave it to him and they danced and he waltzed with her and spun her before dipping her and giving her a soft kiss but it was a press to the lips. They stood and looked to the audience and bowed.

The masked woman stood and applauded. The rest of the audience did so. "Who is the girl with the boy?" The masked woman asked the mistress. "Her name is Charlotte." The mistress said and the masked lady nodded. "When I donate the money, I want to adopt her. I will take her off your hands." The masked lady said. The mistress smiled and said, "Very well then. She's yours to claim." The mistress replied and Charlotte and Percy held hands as they bowed for the audience.