Charlie Rose

Fourth Chap

Charlie awoke on the fifth feeling terrified, confused and her stomach all twisted in knots. She had dreamed of her parents and her brother Tommy. At first she couldn't see them because they stood so far away from her. But then, suddenly, they appeared right in front of her and she could see their pale, dead faces with blood smeared all about them, looking worse than they did the last time she saw them, right before she was taken away with her neighbors. "Don't do it" Her mother had said, her voice echoed the second the words escaped her lips, even though they were inside of their old house - which was now a mill factory, Charlie had once heard. She had asked her mother what she meant but got no answer. Her father and brother both growled when her mother repeated herself. And then she woke up. 

For a long time, Charlie just lay there in bed, motionless. Marsha lay beside her, still fast asleep as it was early morning. Very early. Sometimes, when Charlie wasn't lost in her own thoughts, she watched on keeping her breathing as steady as Marsha's, following her rhythm for a while, while her mind stayed blank. But, when she closed her eyes and let her mind wander, she got so lost that she couldn't keep track of anything except her silence - which she felt like she had mastered. At first, she thought of her plan to kill Carlton White and she went through it for the thousandth time. She was going to get Jeremiah's attention drawn to something in the other room while she and Carlton were in his office. Then, she figured she had fifteen minutes, at the most, so she planned on only taking five, if she would use the prolonged version of her 'bringing him to justice speech'. She hoped it would take less than that so she would have more time to sneak out of there and get out of town as fast as she can.

She also thought of Jeremiah and let herself be a normal young lady, as Marsha always called the girls her age who giggled and chased after boys; looking for their soon-to-be-husband. She knew she could never be anything like those girls, but she felt like she had something - a some kind of connection - with him. The way he had taken her and then glanced at her afterwards when they were back in the population. At least he didn't pretend I didn't exist, which I would have expected him to, she thought to herself and shrugged. Charlie wasn't sure if she liked that or not - let alone like him or not - because there were so many things bad about him knowing who she was, but she had never gotten any attention from a guy, ever in her life. Thinking about all of that really made Charlie wonder how her future was going to be; after killing Carlton and getting rid of her demons, then what would happen?

Maybe it was a good thing that Jeremiah and I had sex when we did, she thought to herself and pursed her lips. But, then again, a woman that has had intercourse before getting married is considered a tramp. Well, I'm- Marsha flinched and snapped awake, snapping her out of her thoughts and back to reality. She turned around and met Charlie's eyes. "How long ya been awake?" She asked in a whisper.

"I don't know" Charlie answered shortly in a soft voice.

"When do you think you'll be needed?"

"Why do you ask?" She asked and furrowed her brows, her voice unintentionally sharp.

"Just curious" Marsha answered in a gentle tone. "Reckoned why ya ain't sleepin' for longer since it's still so early and you prolly have lots to do today." It still warmed Charlie to know that Marsha cared for her, and she knew Marsha saw her as the daughter she never had. But she didn't need any help.

"I'm awake and I'm not going to change that" Charlie told her, her voice unnecessarily cold. Marsha had long stopped caring what tone the white girl used when she advised her, she knew the girl cared and only acted like that because she had spent so long thinking she can take care of herself and didn't need anyone's help. Marsha knew she wasn't like this because of the white's prejudices.