In Charlotte's Eyes

ONE: Only ONE More Time, Charlotte

Charlotte took a nap. When she woke up, she was informed by Subway Seat that Airy still hadn't returned. She was back to sitting on the grass with the other three—Tray and Whippy Creamy still in their inanimate forms. Nothing was happening.

“Hello?” A familiar voice suddenly spoke from above, similarly to Airy. Difference was, though, it definitely wasn't Airy. The voice was deadpan, but it was out of boredom and exhaustion. The person sighed softly, defeated. “Of course not..” They muttered to themself.

“LIAM?!” Soda Bottle shot up.

“B-Backpack?!” Scenty shouted as loud as her soft voice could, disbelief on her face.

Charlotte noticed Whippy Creamy and Tray’s eyes pop up from their inert states, looking up at the sky.

There was a pause as everyone stared up at the sky, wide eyed with shock and expectancy. “..You guys can hear me..?!” Charlotte could hear Backpack behind the voice, now that Scenty had reminded her.

“Yes! Yes, we can, Liam!” Soda Bottle smiled so wide, it was jarring to see the usual grumpy Soda Bottle look like that. “Y-You found Airy’s universe finally?”

“Yeah, I did. Speaking of, Airy is dead.”

“Seriously?!” Charlotte blurted, both appalled and happy.

“What?! How?!” Subway Seat put his hand on his head.

“I'm not sure..” He spoke quietly, bitterly. “When I woke up this morning, I found a part of his body on the shore.”

Shore?

“Either way, good riddance.” He muttered venomously. “He deserved to die.”

“Does that mean you're going to send us home?” Tray spoke up, now in her animated form.

“I.. hope so. Airy has been controlling ONE through a computer..” He quietly groaned in disgust. “None of it makes sense to me. It’ll take some time for me to figure out how to send you guys back.” He sighed. “It'll be especially tough, since I broke my leg again.”

Scenty gasped sharply, covering her mouth with both her hands. Soda Bottle’s face scrunched. “Jesus, man..” He murmured.

“That's awful, Backpack..”

“I'm gonna try to learn how this thing works. Just.. hang in there with me. I'm not gonna stop until I send all of you guys home.”

“Yes! Thank you, Bac- uh.. Liam.” Amelia, for the first time in a while, smiled lightly. “I like your name.”

“Thank you, Scenty.” She could hear the smile behind his voice.

Amelia and Liam began talking to each other, back and forth, with Soda Bottle joining in here and there. Charlotte did her best to ignore it, as the conversation turned to a more personal shift; something not meant for her.

“I guess doing the challenge ended up not mattering, huh?” Subway Seat’s voice was suddenly next to her.

Brows raised, she turned herself to the man. She chuckled lightheartedly. “I guess not.”

“I don't blame you for trying, though. If I were you, I'd want that prize, too.”

Right, the wish for anything she wanted. “Well, that's not really what I was going for.” She smiled awkwardly.

“Yeah, but you need the prize more than any of us do. If I were to choose someone to win, I'd probably choose you.”

It wasn't really something anyone could attain at this point, but she still found his sentiment endearing. “Thanks, Subway Seat.” She looked up at the sky, Backpack’s soft words to Amelia being phased out of her mind. “You know, you remind me of a friend of mine back home.”

“Ooh, do I?” He tilted his face, intrigued.

Looking at his face, his genuine curiosity resembled a child. It was pretty cute. She snickered lightly to herself. “Yeah. His name is Aaron. He’s pretty chill like you are, and kinda just lets life happen to him without complaining.”

“Oh, wow.”

Charlotte put her back against his side, leaning on him. He didn't react to the action. “He was super easy to talk to.” She continued, reminiscing. “Reliable, trustworthy, honest.. No matter how many punches he took, he took it on the chin with no complaints.”

“Is he one of the friends you went cave exploring with?”

She laughed. “No. His energy was too short-term to last a whole adventure. He was a different friend.”

“What about your other friends?”

Charlotte began talking Subway’s ear off about her friends and who they were to her. It was nice to reminisce. Often, she'd look over at Amelia and Soda Bottle talking amongst each other with Backpack, and it'd remind her how much she missed her friends; her home.

Oh, well. She’d be back home eventually—she believed in Liam. For now, she'd have to make due with the lovely people around her right now. Her time with Subway Seat made her feel at ease that things would be okay in the end.

-

Things on The Plane became more lighthearted ever since the information that Airy was gone and Liam was working on saving them came. Tray and Whippy Creamy were back, and there was a sense of social community that came back, though this time it was more hopeful. Soda Bottle explained to everyone the journey that he and Liam had taken to get to this point. It seemed kind of impossible, but.. she believed him. Everybody did.

Charlotte was by herself, sitting and thinking about it, drawing connections between Soda Bottle’s stories and her experience when she died.

“Hey.” Coincidentally, Soda Bottle was the one approaching her on the grass.

She looked up at him, watching as he sat next to her. “Hey, Soda Bottle.”

He grimaced, though he wasn't offended. “Don't call me that, please.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

They made eye contact, and he hummed, amused. He looked away, a fond smile still on his face. “I’m Bryce.”

She nodded. “Charlotte.” She returned the info. Wow, was that the first time she told anybody here her name?

“Anyways,” Bryce started. “You're, like, the only other person here I kinda have a connection with, so I wanted to check in with you.” Charlotte stayed silent, watching and waiting for him to say something else. “I heard Airy disappeared suddenly for seven months. You been doing alright during that time?”

She sighed. “No, not really.” She looked away. “The mold infection I have got way worse, and I basically shut myself away from everyone during that time.”

“Oh.” He sounded surprised.

“I wish I would have been better. I feel like I made everybody uncomfortable.”

He hummed, and their interaction took a pause as he pondered his next words. “Well.. I think you're pretty cool.” He commented, smiling awkwardly. She looked him in the eyes, returning the small smile. “I still respect you that time in the pool when you tried to save Liam from drowning.”

Well, that wasn't Charlotte’s intention at the time, but.. what the hell, why ruin a feel-good moment? She chuckled awkwardly. “Well.. yeah-, thanks. I tried.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Sorry I didn't end up saving him in time, though.”

“The main thing is that you tried. You're.. a good person in my eyes.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened slightly, and her skin crawled with a gentle bliss.

Huh..

“That's.. comforting. Thanks, Bryce.” She flushed, the positive feeling flustering her.

He smiled back. “Yeah.” He stood up, grunting. “But, anyways, I'm gonna go talk to everyone else. See you around.” He pointed at her briefly.

She waved. “See you, Bryce.”