The Candy Man (Wilford Warfstache AU)

Ch. 1

"So... you're saying I could leave this all behind and come own the factory?" I asked the man standing in the glass elevator.

"Yes. All with one cost." He said, his face wore a smirk.

"What is it?"

"You can't bring your family." He said.

I glanced back at the beaten down old home, before looking at him again.

Days before this, I was in the same usual rut. My parents neglecting me, not feeding me. My grandparents dead because of an illness. My clothes were the same. Torn, fingerless gloves that I kept on in hopes to preserve some heat to my hands. The dark brown vest over my black long sleeve. My paper boy hat I wore on top of my low ponytail. My knee ripped jeans, and some tattered boots.

"That won't be a problem." I said. "I want to leave this place."

I had come into this situation by pure mistake. The candy shop owner had given me a chocolate bar out of pitty. And it was to my luck that there happened to be a bronze ticket inside. It was one of five. One of the lucky five children who went got a special prize. I was this luck "child."

The man smiled at me. "Great! Then if you would just come a long..." He stepped to the side and motioned me to climb into the elevator.

I did.

"Are you ready, Charlotte?" He asked.

I nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be, Mr. Warfstache." I said.

The smirk lingered on his face as he clicked the button, causing the elevator to roar to life.

I couldn't help but stare at the shack I used to call a home. I grew up there. My best childhood memories laid there. But so did my worst. And now... I was saying goodbye.

The man in the pink and white pinstriped suit behind me, set a hand on my shoulder as the house grew smaller and smaller from the height difference. "You'll enjoy this new life." He said.

I didn't doubt it. I've always loved candy, and I've always wanted a way out of that life. I sighed and leaned into his grasp, laying my head on his shoulder.

He tensed, but I didn't move. I just needed some comfort at the moment.

Everything was happening so quickly, and I didn't know how to comprehend a lot of it.

"I'm thinking of changing the name now that you're here." Wilford tried to strike a conversation.

"Oh?" I asked.

"We'll call it, 'Wilford and Charlie!'" He said.

I giggled and looked up at him.

He was smiling down at me.

"No... 'The Candy Man.' I like that name. It's been the same name for years!" I said.

"But-..."

"Why do we need to change it?" I asked.

"Because we're business partners now!" He said.

I shrugged, "So?"

His smile only grew as he looked down.

Nothing could compare to this moment, right now. Nothing, in my seventeen years of life, could compare to the beautiful sight that laid out in front of me. The factory...

I couldn't help the smile on my face as the elevator landed, and the door opened. I raced out and looked around, as if I hadn't been there just hours previously.

This time, however, was different. And I couldn't help but stare at the candy factory in awe as Wilford took the lead to guide me inside.

"You'll, of course, need an office. A place to stay. Clothes to wear. Food on the table..." He listed the things he knew a human would need.

"And where are we going to get all of that?" I asked.

He glanced at me from over his shoulder. The signature smile on his face. "We'll have to see..." He said. "But, as far as clothes go, for right now, you can borrow some of mine." He said.

I followed him through the halls. Door after door we passed, and then, finally, we turned down a rather business-y looking hall. He opened one door with a key, and let me in first.

"Here we are, Charlotte." He said. "This will be your office." He said.

I looked around. It wasn't anything special. Just a desk in a corner with a chair behind it.

"Of course... you can decorate it, of you wish. It won't always be this empty. I promise." He said. "There's a lot of paperwork to be filled out. You'd be surprised."

I looked at him. "I wasn't expecting that! I thought this was just about making candy and stuff!" I said.

"Yeah. The 'and stuff' is where we fill out paperwork." He said. "Now, come on. Keep up, because this can get rather confusing." He turned and walked out of the room, waiting for me to follow. I slowly walked out, and let him close and lock the office door before walking down the long hall.

This next hall didn't look business-y, or even like the actual factory part, for that matter. It had a couple doors.

Wilford unlocked one, and again, let me in first.

When I was in, I noticed a kind sized bed in the middle of the room. It had pink and white pinstriped sheets on it. The pillows had pink mustaches on them. There was a nightstand set up on one side of the bed. The other side had a book shelf.

I couldn't help the awed look that took over my face once more.

There was a closet, with a lot of pinstriped suits in it. A set of drawers set up under a window, and another door.

I walked over to that door and opened it, revealing a bathroom. I've never thought I'd say that a bathroom was beautiful... but boy was this one! It was marble, and tile, and glass. It was pristine! That was about the only word I could think of. Both the room, and the bathroom were magnificent.

"Wow...!" I breathed.

Wilford chuckled behind me. "You like it?" He asked.

I nodded.

"This is my room. Your room will be right next door... but it's not done being set up, yet. So you could sleep in here, if you want. I'll have a matress brought in here, and you can sleep near the window..." He said.

I looked at him with a smile. "Okay."

He smiled back. "You're something else... you know that?" He asked.