In Charlotte's Eyes

ONE: Charlotte Meets The New Faces

It took a while for Backpack to become conscious. Everyone was huddled around him, looking in horror at his grotesquely shaped leg. Charlotte remained farther away from the scene than everyone else. “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Ow..”

The backpack’s voice turned her head. “Is the cast done yet?” Scenty’s voice asked loudly; as loudly as her soft voice could.

“Yeah, just need to attach the wooden plank.” Airy responded.

Wooden plank? “What kind of cast are you making?” She blurted out of curiosity.

“Hold on, before I give Backpack the cast,  I'm gonna have to straighten out his leg.”

This information immediately sparked a negative reaction from Backpack, and he began resisting the idea. “Wait, what? No, no, you don't have to do this. It can heal on its own!”

“Stand still.”

Backpack started panicking, pleading Airy to not go through with the action. Charlotte grimaced, expecting for the worst to happen. Backpack’s cries were cut short, a loud snap replacing the noise. His leg straightened out, although it was clearly still very broken, and a shoddy cast made of wood and vines was forced onto his leg.

Charlotte was impressed Backpack hadn't screamed in pain. That process didn't look pretty. It looked quite horrific, even. He was also given two wooden crutches. “Use these to help you walk.” Airy said.

One of the crutches snapped immediately, leaving only one, to which Backpack hugged over the top with his right arm. Soda Bottle walked over and offered him some help.

After helping Backpack stand up, Scenty asked, “Are you gonna be okay wearing that cast? It looks..” She looked up at him apologetically. “Uncomfortable.”

“Don't worry, I'll get used to it.” He said that, but it was easy to tell how deflated he was. “Besides, I'm just glad I'm not dead at this point.”

“I can't even imagine dying in a place like this.” Soda Bottle commented, looking down at the plain green floor.

“Tell that to the baby,” Charlotte replied sarcastically. A smirk came to her face. “He’s had quite a bit of experience.”

“Yeah..” His voice trailed. “Speaking of which, where even is he?”

There was a moment of awkwardness, a few people darting their eyes around for a sign of the small child.

“..Where did the baby go..?” Magazine asked what everyone was thinking.

“Airy..” Soda Bottle mumbled loudly, angrily. He glared up at the sky aggressively, waiting for an answer.

“Yeah?” Airy’s boring voice asked.

“Where did Tomato go?!”

“Oh. Right. He was eliminated. Between him and Backpack, Tomato got the most votes, so I sent him back.” He explained.

“How many voters even are there?” Charlotte blurted, slightly annoyed from hearing Airy’s voice.

“I dunno. I didn't bother to count.” Charlotte scoffed at this response. Didn't bother to count?! “Anyways,” He quickly changed the subject. “Moving away from the.. elimination. It's time to meet the new contestants..!”

What?! “New contestants?!”

“You're bringing more?!” Scenty asked, mortified.

“How many?!” Magazine shouted.

“You can't be serious!” Soda Bottle, too, joined in.

There was an outrage, with each of them shouting over the other with their own grievances. Charlotte was upset that this competition would go on longer because of these additions. It wasn't fair that they got to join after the competition had already started. She was going to win that prize, get the money she needed, and prove Parker wrong. She didn't want to be here longer than she needed to.