Charms for life

Chapter 3: Turning Point

Tanner and I realized we had a lot in common as the minutes passed. Besides looking for our charmer for what seemed like forever, we both were in band at the high school, our favorite colors were blue and green, we both loved Les Miserables, and I introduced him to Doctor Who.

"So have you checked online to see your schedule yet?" Tanner asked.

Summer had started a couple weeks ago, but it felt like it hadn't started until I met Tanner.

"No, not yet. I'll look it up on the Vision when I get home though." I said with a smile.

"You'll probably need my iddy so we could get together some time." he said as he returned the smile.

"Oh yeah, that'd be nice." I replied and found that I couldn't stop smiling.

Iddy was short for identification number, everyone was given one along with Vision systems. Vision systems are touch screens that aremounted on the wall like a TV screen in the old days, but they run through the entire house. They're always on and control things from the fridge temperature to room speakers. They're really handy.

We exchanged iddy numbers and took a walk around the park. The sun was still out and it felt good, it always feels good to walk outside on a sunny day. There were children running around, a few with kites smiling proudly at their parents nearby. I looked at the couple on the bench and smiled. They looked so cute together... I shook my head and looked at Tanner with a smile.

He had brought his camera with him, so we took lots of pictures. Some posing by the fountain, others posing in trees, others feeding the birds, and many more all around the park. I could be as silly as I wanted around him.

That's another thing I liked about him. I could be myself.

We finally went under the oak tree and just sat there, looking up at blue sky through the green branches of the tree. The sun seemed to be no comparison to our charms, shining bright.

"Hey, so should we see if my key fits?" Tanner asked as he turned towards me.

"Oh! Yeah! I guess we should." I said with a smile.

He took his key out of his pocket and I took off my necklace. I handed him the locket carefully, as if the light would go out at the slightest movement. Tanner took the locket in his hands and smiled at me before he turned his attention back to the locket and key.

I held my breath, anxious to see if it would open. Hoping it would open...

Tanner took a deep breath and turned the key. I could see that he was as nervous as I was, which calmed my nerves a little.

There was silence. Neither of us hesitated, only the sound of nearby chirping crickets, and happy children filled the void in which we yearned to hear the click of the lock.

I closed my eyes and wished and wished for the key to work. I then opened my eyes and looked at Tanner. He was concentrating intensely...

He was staring at the key. He turned his head to the side a little and twisted the key one more time.

Silence was all that followed...

Then...

Click.

I opened my eyes and looked at my locket, paralyzed with utter shock. I began to smile, but my joy slowly faded as I remembered one last step.

Tanner's eyes widened as he gave me the now open lock. I took it very carefully from his hands...

The key was still in the lock, so I carefully took out the key and looked at the picture inside the locket. I picked up the piece of paper with my destiny on it. The keys in the picture looked the same, but the important step was to check the number inside my locket.

I held up my locket and looked on the inside of the heart-shaped piece of metal. I found the glowing number and memorized it. I then held up the key, reading the numbers on the handle.

I gasped as I compared the two charm's numbers....

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