Charms

Chapter Two

Feeling too nervous to occupy myself by playing games on my phone, I continued to stare at the ticking hands of the clock that was attached to the white waiting room wall of the Charm City hospital. I looked over at Rose. I could tell that she was nervous as well as she twirled her dirty-blonde hair and as her light green eyes glanced all over the room. I looked over at Tom. Even though his brown hair is not quite as long as Rose's, he was twirling his as well. All of the sudden, a tall woman with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes who was wheeling a man in a wheelchair who had brown hair and green eyes came bursting through the grey double doors. Annabelle and Dad. They both scanned the room with their eyes, looking for us.

"Annabelle, Dad, we're over here!" Rose shouted out as she began to waved towards them.

Annabelle quickly pushed Dad over towards us.

"Tom, Rose, Patty, what happened?" Dad asked with worry, "Is Mom alright?"

"We don't know," Rose began, "We were on the beach when she passed out all of the sudden. So Tom dialed 911 and called you guys while Patty did this weird thing called, 'CPR' on Mom."

"And then an ambulance came and brought us all here," Tom appended.

"So, where's Amy?" Annabelle queried, referring to my mother.

"They took her in the emergency room," I explained.

"Well, I'm sorry that Patrick and I couldn't get here any sooner. I was caught up in another babysitting job all the way in Tuckenville when you called."

Then all of the sudden, a doctor came rushing into the room. He quickly told us that it was now safe for us to see my mom. We immediately followed him back into the emergency room. There she was, attached to bags of fluids by a bunch of white tubes, life support by a bunch of red wires, and a cardiograph by a bunch of blue wires. She was now wearing a white hospital gown and laying down on a white hospital bed.

"What's wrong with her, doc?" Dad asked.

"She seems to have slipped into a coma," the doctor answered, "She isn't responding, but is still alive, which can only mean one thing."

"And what is that?"

"Somebody other than her parents must have confiscated her charm from her box. I am sorry to say this, but if the charm is not returned within thirty days, your mother and her forming baby will, um, you know- pass."

We all gasped.

You see, in my universe, we are all born with these things attached to our armpits. We call them charms. Each person is born with one charm of a unique shape. The shape of your charm reflects upon your personality. For example, one of the most common shapes is a dog. According to the Big Book of Charms that my family keeps in our living room, if your charm is shaped like a dog, then that means that you are a people-person who is loyal, fun-loving, forgiving, and kind. My charm is shaped like a dolphin, which is not a common shape. Neither is it an atypical one. It's somewhere in between. This means that I love to go swimming and beaches, my favorite season is Summer, and that I am a highly intelligent person, which is all true.

When a baby is born, the doctor immediately hands them over to its mother or father so they can remove their charm and lock it up in the box that they have bought for them before their birth, which is to be later hidden in a secret place. Nobody except for you and your parents are allowed to know the shape of your charm and the location of the box that it is in. Also, your charm box must stay within your parents' house. But if they are deceased, then it must stay within yours. If you are to tell anyone else where your charm is or what shape it is, then you will be forever cursed with bad luck. Also, if you ask anybody about the shape or location of their or your children's charms, then you will also be cursed. To avoid bad luck, all countries have made doing these things illegal. However, if you accidentally stumble upon someone's charm, then you will not be cursed with bad luck, unless you tell someone else about it.

Also, if your charm is removed from it's box by someone other than you or your parents, you will go into a coma. This is a terrible thing because if the charm is not returned within thirty days, then you will die. We like to call criminals who do this "charm removers". For some odd reason, charm removers do not experience bad luck. However, it is illegal to take another person's, other than your children, charm out of it's box. All of the "charm removers" who have been caught have all been sent to prison for the rest of their lives.

"Who did this?" I roared, "Who would ever do such a dastardly deed?"

"I don't know, but I suggest that you find that charm remover and return your mother's charm to it's box as soon as you can!" The doctor told me, "With your mother not being able to produce and nutrients of its own, your baby sibling's health is at risk. So is it's charm might not come out correctly."

"What do you mean by that?" Rose asked, tilting her head at the doctor.

"I mean that it might not form properly. It might end up being a mouse when it's really supposed to be a cat or something like that. This would cause him or her to be condemned with bad luck for his or her whole entire life. Or, it might not form at all. This would cause his or her personality to constantly change. Also, if the charm is not returned within thirty days and if she passes, so will the baby."

"Oh my!" Dad, Annabelle, Rose, Tom, and I all gasped.

"So, you better find her charm and return it!"

"But, doctor, none of us know what shape her charm is, where it usually is, or who has it!" Tom complained.

The doctor paused for a moment. "All I can say is good luck. Seems like to me that you're in quite of a pickle here."

"Oh, really?" Annabelle asked sarcastically, "I didn't even notice."