Charlie Rose

Fifth Chap

The sixth started out with fog and rain. Charlie slept as good as she could, dreaming only of darkness. She wanted to sleep all day, sleep through the week, sleep until she died of malnutrition. She didn't hear it when Marsha got up. She didn't wake up when the older woman shook her gently and softly said her name. She didn't notice it when she was tucked into the sheets. She was too deep in the dream's thick embrace. The heavy blanket of darkness severed her from reality and was hard to take off.  

She woke when the first rays of sun shone through the curtains and kissed her face. It was just then when she could finally escape. But was it much of an escape? Her eyelids weighed tons and it took some time for her to actually get them opened. She hoped that the world around her would greet her with open arms, but when she had taken in her surroundings, she knew reality had just hit her like a blow to the head. 

"Good morning, Missy" Marsha said when she saw the girl had awakened. 

"Morning" Charlie mumbled and yawned. Marsha, who was sitting on the bed, reached to her nightstand and handed the younger girl the apple she had bought yesterday. "No thanks," She said and shook her head as Marsha offered her the red fruit. 

"Eat it," Marsha said. "Before it goes bad." They shared an eye contact that was them mentally arguing before Charlie finally gave in and took the apple. "Besides, you're the only one who likes apples."

After all those years knowing Marsha, this was one thing she didn't know about the older woman. "You don't like apples?" She asked with her mouth full. The apple's juice ran down her mouth like tears, but tasted much better. 

"No," Marsha answered and smiled. "Never have, never will." They both chuckled and then silence swept over. Comfortable silence that they learned to love and enjoy. When Charlie finished the apple, Marsha noticed the girl looking dreamily out the window. 

"You missed it," She told the young girl. She looked at her and raised a brow, as if asking what did I miss?  "The first shoot-out."

Charlie furrowed her brows and stood up. "How long have I been asleep?" She asked and glanced out the window as she made her way to the small trashcan that stood right beside the door, like some kind of a miniature guard. She threw the core of the apple in it, not used to eat it all out of starvation. She hoped that some poor person in a similar situation as she had been in, would make the best of it. 

"I think it's some time in the afternoon right now" Marsha answered. "It rained all morning and there was a thick fog at the first shoot-out so I'm surprised they could have hit anything." 

Charlie stood by the window as she listened. She nodded along and her eyes scanned the outside as Marsha talked. People were getting out of their covers to embrace the sunshine. The grey clouds were all disappearing, one right after the other, as the sun took the lead and shone brighter and brighter by the minute. As she stared down at the people, she backed away from reality and started day-dreaming. She wondered with longing in mind how it was with the fog. She had been on the road for so long, only getting fog at the worst of times and making her fear it as she rode on her horse in blindness, and now all she wanted to do was do what she did when she was a child when a fog swept over the environment; run outside and play hide and seek with her brother until it got normal again. When she was younger, she used to love the fog. She hoped when she'd be done with all of this she'd start to love it again. Return to her old self and live out the rest of her life like that. 

But then a cloud went over her eyes and she backed away from her window. She realized with despair that she had been like this for so long that there was no chance to return to her old self. My old self was a naive child and I have grown up. She clamped her eyes shut and deeply exhaled. She knew she was right and it made her more sad than it made her angry. She couldn't be angry with herself because this is not her fault for turning out like this. It's Carlton White's. I will become a better person when he's dead in the ground. That I vow.