Not a person in sight, Charlotte stuffed her hands in her pockets and let an odd sensation of guilt spread over her. She couldn't help but feel like she was trespassing and something felt terribly wrong.
Dismissing the thought with a roll of her shoulders, her foot steps slowed as she saw a women bent over the lawn of an old house. Her gloved hands worked with rhythm as they yanked out weeds and imperfections. Charlotte wanted it to be that easy when it came to life's imperfections, too.
The women glanced up, dark brown hair bobbing around her thin face. "O-Oh hello..." She sounded bewildered, and over all surprised as her pin-up eyebrows furrowed in interest. Charlotte held out her hand as the women atood up, "Charlotte, you can call me lottie. I'm here doing some work on a project on miniature towns." She greeted.
Face softening, she excepted and shook Charlotte's hand as her overly red lips broke into a smile, "Oh! How nice. I'm Margot, Margot Peterson. The women had a heavy Boston accent that made Charlotte smile. She hoped her and Margot would get along.
She thought it was odd at how many houses there were, for a village with only 12 people. Most of them looked vacant, some nicer then others.
" Let me introduce ya' to the gang!" Margot chirped, tossing her gloves onto the lawn and brushing her vintage sundress off. She took Charlotte's hand and strolled toward a small, crackled basketball court across the street and against a crumbling brick building.
"Opal?" Margot called gently.
A girl with thick, untamed dark hair stepped out from under the bleachers. She wore a torn purple T-shirt under her overalls, and bare feet. "Who the hell are you?" Opal mumbled in Charlotte's direction. The firebrand was around 15.
Taken a back, Charlotte gaped as Margot cut in, "Opal! Watch the language, do I need to shoot your father a call? Again?"
The teen shook her head and glowered as Charlotte collected herself and said flatly, "I'm Charlotte, hear for temporary." Opal pinched her thin shoulders in a shrug and sashayed away, leaving the two women shaking their heads.
"As you can see, there isn't any schools here so Opal gets weekly lessons from Professor Cooper." She sighed, "She's a very lonely kid ever since her mother passed. She still has had father but..." She made a sucking sound against her teeth, "a mother is irreplaceable."
The two followed a side walk towards a large, flat and square building. A single grey door lay ahead, and Margot knocked on it. Only moments later, a man no older then 45 opened the door and stepped outside, rather then letting them in. His face seemed weary and slightly agitated, as if he'd been through this many times before.
Margot smiled at him, "Charlotte this is Miles, or Professor Cooper . He's a scientist!" She stared at him with adoration.
Giving a thin chuckle, the man straighted his collar with a nod. "Yes, I'm working on a ground breaking medicine. I figured such a small town would provide enough peace to get things done around here..." He glanced down at Margot with hidden uncertainty. "I can't let srangers into my lab. Top secret government supplies."
Nodding the two stepped back as he turned and closed the door behind him. Charlotte couldn't shake the feeling that Margot had been driving Miles bonkers- and maybe the woman had even developed a crush on him. She could see the light in her eyes from a mile away.
The town was so little, Margot and Charlotte could easily walk everywhere they needed to go. Next was a small, neat house with a plate on the sidewalk entrance that read, 'Greens' Office'. Carefully navigating around it, Margot's thin finger extended our to push the silvery doorbell with a very expensive looking trim. Who cares so much about a doorbell?
Alarmingly fast - almost immediately - the decorated door swung open swiftly and revealed a tall lady. She was pretty and dressed sharply, a sensible pair of glasses resting atop had angular nose. "Yes?" She said expectantly, aggressive eyes flashing over them.
Clearing her throat, Margot cheeks took on a smile as she rested a hand on Charlotte's shoulder . "Ms. Greens, meet Charlotte. She is here doing work for a project."
"Call me Joslin." She said gruffly, while shaking Charlotte's hand. She wasted no time in explaining how busy she was, and that she could no longer speak and "had serious matter of utmost urgency to tend to". The stern woman nodded in departure, and closed the door slowly. Everybody was so unfriendly, and Charlotte was growing frustrated.
This walk was longer then the others, according to Margot.
"Kade doesn't like company, so he is on the edge of our town and against the woods. Everyone else are either old or complete hermits, even more so then old Kade." She told Charlotte, playing with her shirt anxiously.
The house was large, the largest one she'd seen so far. It sat atop a gentle slope, looking wicked and chilling against a cloudy sky. Eying them as they neared the crooked porch steps and giving a creaking groan when stepped upon. The knock on the door lit Charlotte's ears, making her alert and keen as slow and heavy footsteps lumbered from below.
The door opened a crack only, "What is it?" An elderly voice snapped.
"W-We have a guest." Margot seemed just as spooked as Charlotte, as the door opened and the two scrambled in.
He was indeed old. Tall, rugged, and riddled with unkept facial hair. A wicked scar ran down from his ear lobe to the bottom of his chin. Charlotte couldn't help but staring at it, eyes following its jagged frame.
"So what exactly ARE you doing here, Charlotte?" He croaked skeptically, bringing her eyes away from the scar,
"How did you know my na-"
"Word travels fast around here. Real fast." His meaty fingers squeezed his walking stick when he said this.
Clearing her throat uncomfortabley, Margot stepped in, "I saw Opal, Kade. She was reading her books." She said reassuringly.
Kade's face wrinkled in the smallest grin. " Atta' girl.."
It was quickly swept away however, as the brute struggled to his booted feet and placed a large hand on the door knob, "Well, I've got more things to repair. Off you go now."
As they descended the crumbling stairs, Charlotte commented dryly, "No one around here likes to talk much I suppose..."
Giving a nervous laugh, Margot didn't reply, making the air strain with tension. The night seemed to close in even faster on the small town, like wolf hunting rabbit.
