"What are you talking about?" Charlie asked, starting to lose her temper and trying to extricate her arm from Beth's embrace, without much luck. Aside from that, Beth still was in essence holding Charlie's hand, and she couldn't get even her hand out of Beth's grip. Even, more aggravating was the fact that Beth didn't even seem to notice Charlie's efforts.
"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," Beth replied, releasing Charlie's arm as she then put her right arm over Charlie's shoulders, which Charlie was able to shrug off her much more easily.
–It must be nice to have others you enjoy being around.– Petals commented, the smile in her mental voice clear to Charlie.
I don't enjoy being around others, Charlie replied, not caring to listen to the conversation that was continuing around her.
–Why? I've been by myself for as long as I can remember because I didn't know that there were others at all and seeing all of you makes me want to stay, even though I know I might not be able to,– Petals answered.
I've just never been comfortable in social situations. When I was younger I always felt out of place when I was around others, then eventually everyone else started to leave me alone and I was fine with that. It never bothered me to be left by myself. It also felt easier to deal with others with things that way.
–I see,– Petals replied, sounding a little sad to Charlie. –I just wish that I at least had a friend in my forest now. Before my forest was hurt, I was by myself and I didn't know that there was another being out there. I didn't mind, but that's because I didn't know what it was like to be around another creature.–
What if you allowed some animals, like birds or squirrels in? Charlie asked.
–What are those?–
They're small animals that I see from time to time.
–I'll think about it,– Petals replied after a moment of silence.
"Come on, Charlie!" Ralph cried out, startling her. "You're missing the fun!"
Charlie looked to behind Petals to see Ralph, Tim, Wes, Amelia, and Beth throwing around a nerf football. Hannah stayed off to the side, clearly not interested in the 'fun.'
"Hannah doesn't seem to be interested in your 'fun.'" Charlie replied. Hannah stood at about five foot two, had black hair and blue eyes that almost seemed to Charlie to be full of electricity.
"That's because last year my fingers got stubbed. Then because of that my piano teacher went ballistic. She went on about how that I was lucky my fingers weren't permanently damaged. So, I stay out of it so I don't have to get another earful," Hannah answered.
"Well, I'll pass, all the same. I'm not that interested," Charlie said, turning away from them and facing the direction they were heading in.
–You might regret that later,– Petals commented to Charlie.
Maybe, but I'm fine with that, Charlie thought at Petals.
_
Charlie was dumbfounded. Not only were they by her house, but it was almost on the property line between her family's property and Tim's property and Petals informed them that this was the place she could enter her forest. Looking at the others Charlie could tell they were as confused as she was at the location the forest was supposed to be in.
Now, there was considerable growth in the area, bushes kept most from being able to look in on this place from the outside, but that hardly counted as a forest. Charlie could even see where the garden she kept was, which made her wonder if there was something else that connected her to Petals, given she hadn't had everything explained about the horse to her, and aside from being able to communicate with Petals, there wasn't much else she'd been able to determine for certain.
"You're sure it's around here?" Charlie both asked aloud and thought at Petals.
–Yes, it's around here, but now I can't tell where it is. It's like it closed, or the passage to it closed.– Petals took a deep breath, and Charlie could tell that Petals was getting close to being in a panic over the situation. –When I left I could feel it there, even when I'd been gone for a little. Though the farther I got, the fainter the sense became. So, I don't understand why I can't feel it now.–
"Well, maybe you can't feel it because whoever attacked your forest left," Ralph replied, exploring the area with an almost childlike enthusiasm.
"If it's here, maybe we should make a grid to-" Beth started to say when she suddenly backed up while meandering around, as if she had bumped into something, despite nothing but air in front of her. Her hand went to her nose, as if it had taken the brunt of the blow, despite no clear indication of anything having happened to her nose. "I think I found something."
Petals moved over to where Beth was quickly. –Yes, I think this is it!– Petals was clearly excited, and after a moment of looking at Ralph, who showed no signs of passing along anything Petals said, Charlie relayed Petal's excitement about the discovery. Petals tried to step forward herself, but stopped mid-step. –I don't understand. I can feel the passage to my forest, but I can't enter.–
Charlie walked over to Petals and started walking through the area that both Beth and Petals indicated, learning that only through the direction that both Beth and Petals used would there be some sort of soft wall that kept her from continuing forward. However, even an inch to either side would allow Charlie to pass by it without any indication that it was there.
"Is there anything you can think of that would cause this to happen?" Charlie asked and thought at Petals.
–No, I wasn't even aware of this world or the passage to this world until my forest was attacked.– Petals lowered her head. –I've never been here before so I can't say whether this should be expected or not.–
Charlie relayed what Petals said again, as Ralph continued to show no signs of doing so himself.
"I'm going to assume that this isn't what you should have expected, Petals," Beth replied.
"Yeah," Hannah chimed in. "Until we know for sure, we should treat it like something was done here that keeps Petals from returning to her forest."
–None of you want to join me in my forest?– Petals asked, and it sounded like she was rather alarmed at the thought.
"It's not like that," Wes assured Petals. "We aren't sure if there's anything special we would need, but you should be able to return without a problem. As none of us have heard anything like this before, so it might be that we would have needed to do something special to enter."
Petals thought about that for a moment, but before she could finish, Tim brought up a matter Charlie had completely forgotten about. "We'll think about that and meet up here later. Right now each of us should probably start heading home. It's already later than we usually spend together after school."
Charlie looked at the sun, startled. It was already getting close to the horizon. She didn't realize that it was so late. She'd usually return home by this time, even on the rare occurrences when she'd get detention. Though the route Petals took to get them here was a little meandering, Charlie thought to herself, noting that a chunk of that time probably came from that point.
"Should we meet back up tomorrow or Saturday to continue looking into this?" Beth asked.
Charlie would rather just consider the matter settled, that there wasn't anything they could do about it, but couldn't think of how to make that argument. "I'll let you guys know if I can make it tomorrow, if I show up here. If not, then I'll be here Saturday." She couldn't think of a reason she'd be able to give of why she wouldn't show up, but determined it would be easier to get away with not showing up if she didn't actually have to come up with a reason.
"Well, I'll be here tomorrow," Ralph declared. "I'll see if there's anything that can be done, as I'm sure something was done to whatever it is that connects Petal's forest with our world. There just has to be some way that Petals can get home."
"Well, I'm in," Amelia stated, moving over to stand next to Ralph. As if that's supposed to mean anything, Charlie thought but didn't say.
"I can help on Saturday, but not tomorrow. I have piano lessons then," Hannah said.
"I guess I can help," Tim said,
"I'm in too," Wes said, grinning like he'd done something impressive.
"I'll see if I can get out here tomorrow, but there's a meeting at the student newspaper. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll try to get here," Beth said, starting to walk away, which seemed to prompt everyone else to start walking away, each in the fastest direction to where they lived.
Charlie waited until everyone was gone before she walked back to Petals, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Even if I don't show up, I won't forget you and your problem," Charlie said to Petals softly, still thinking at the horse at the same time.
–Thank you. That makes me feel better, but do you know where I could stay until then? I don't want the Animal Control to take me away.–
"You should be fine here. No one in my family comes over here and I'm sure no one will be able to see you in here. I just hope you'll be comfortable here."
–I'm sure I will be as comfortable as I can be here.–
Charlie looked at Petals, worried about her, but unable to think of anything else to say or do. Eventually she had to look away and start walking towards her home.
If she thought that her troubles would be over for the day, that notion was dispelled when she entered the house and her younger sister, Cherie, saw her from the living room. Cherie had honey-blonde hair, bluish-green eyes, and was the same height as Charlie, which neither could understand, given Charlie was an inch or two shorter when she was that age.
"Would you tell your friends to stop asking me about you?" she demanded while pausing the show or video she was watching, leaving Charlie confused as to what she was talking about. "I know you're not as smart as I am and not that interesting, but I don't like getting bothered with my friends having others coming up to ask questions about you."
"I really don't know what you're talking about," Charlie replied, not sure what else to say and starting to feel like a broken record, she really didn't know what Cherie was talking about.
"Who else would want to know what I think about you? I almost got in trouble with Mrs. Willows when a note was passed to me. I almost had that note read to the entire class and I really don't want that headache again!" Cherie's voice was rising in volume the more she said, until she was yelling at Charlie. "It was bad enough when others would regularly ask me questions about you while I was at my locker during passing periods."
Good thing mom and dad aren't here, she thought to herself. "I really don't know what you're talking about," Charlie replied, not sure what else to say. "Though, maybe Alex might be behind it," she added, suddenly remembering what Beth said earlier.
"Who's Alex?" Cherie retorted, clearly not accepting her answer.
"Not sure. Just someone Beth mentioned to me, hinting that they might be interested in me."
Cherie laughed. "Now that would make you interesting. I've had more boyfriends than you've had friends, period." Cherie paused a moment before continuing. "Who's Beth?"
"Tim's friend."
"Oh. Yeah. Her."
Charlie wasn't sure if that meant Cherie didn't care for Beth or if she was just put out by whatever happened to her at school that day, though her tone said that it might be more about Beth. Or maybe it was that she was Tim's friend, whom neither of them were happy that he was a distant cousin of theirs, especially with how he was also their neighbor.
Charlie was about to go upstairs, not caring to try and see if there was anything else that Cherie wanted to talk about, but stopped when Cherie called out to her again.
"If you don't put a stop to it, I'll tell mom and dad."
"I really have nothing to do with what's happening to you. I don't know anything about that." Charlie started to continue on her way upstairs when she thought of something else to say. "If it was me who was behind it, why would the questions be about what you know about me? You should know that I'm not self-absorbed," she added, leaning over the banister.
She waited a moment waiting to see if Cherie had anything else to say, but when there wasn't anything else and could hear the TV resuming whatever show Cherie was watching, she finished making her way upstairs and headed straight to her room.
Once in there, she dropped her backpack next to her bed and hopped on her bed, laying face down on the bed, imagining the stress that occurred through the day to just seep out of her, the dark of her pillow letting it seem like there was nothing aside from her. Where there wasn't a horse with a phantom horn waiting in the bushes near her garden. Where she hadn't agreed to meet up with Beth and her friends on one of her most personal days of the week: Saturday.
When Charlie realized what she'd thought, she lifted her head from her pillow. When did she start thinking of the other's as 'Beth's friends' instead of 'Tim's friends?' As far as she could remember she'd always thought about them in regards to their relationship to Tim, not Beth.
Charlie dropped back on her bed, rolling so she was on her back, staring at the ceiling. Was that significant? She wondered, as she let the white ceiling pull her upwards towards it, the same way she had allowed the darkness to envelop her a moment ago, continuing to let the stress continue to seep from her in her mind.
Normally she'd be able to let her mind go blank and take a short nap, but today, thoughts just kept crowding in her mind, each demanding her attention over the others.
Finally, Charlie got up from her bed and walked over to the window in her room, which not only provided a clear view of the family garden, which was close to hers, but not fully, but also the bushes Petals was being hidden in.
Can you hear me? Charlie thought at Petals, not sure why she was doing this.
–Yes, did you think of something that can help me get home?– Petals asked, her anxiety coming through just as clear.
Sorry, I haven't thought of anything yet. I was just wondering if there was anything you might need right now.
–No, there's only one thing I really need right now and you know what that is.–
I understand, Charlie thought and was about to turn away from her window when another thought came to her mind. Is there really a horn on your head?
–Of course,– the thought came, sounding as if it should be obvious to her. –It's always been there, why wouldn't it be?–
It's just… Charlie's thought trailed off, not sure how to put this. It's just that we don't have anything like you around. We have horses and ponies, but they don't have a horn anywhere on their heads. Of course, they can't communicate like this with us, but I wasn't sure what to make of the horn.
–No one else said anything about it,– Petals replied. –Everyone didn't even take a second look at it.–
Yeah, I'm not sure anyone else saw it. I only saw it flicker into existence and out while I looked at it. I wasn't sure what to make of it.
–Don't all unicorns have a horn like mine?–
There're other unicorns? Charlie thought, her eyes widening with surprise.
When she was a little girl, she'd always play as if there were unicorns just out of sight in the foothills around her home, but of course, that was the imagination of a child, not reality. So, having a unicorn in the flesh around her was another kind of exhilarating, which she couldn't help get a little giddy at the idea.
–Of course there is. If there's more of your kind, why wouldn't there be more unicorns somewhere?–
Of course, Charlie thought dryly to herself. Why wouldn't there be? To Petals she thought, In this world unicorns are considered a fantasy, something that was believed long ago, but not real. It's accepted that they were magical creatures, but even magic is either considered not real or a trick of the eye; something that can be explained logically and doesn't defy the laws of physics.
–How would you explain my existence or my home?– Petals thought, a little too smugly for Charlie's liking.
I'm not sure I can, but I know that wouldn't stop a lot of the adults I know. Some have a hard time believing what doesn't fit what they've already decided the truth is.
–I'm not sure I understand,– Petals replied after thinking about what Charlie said for a minute.
I'm not sure I do, either, Charlie thought back. That's just how it seems to me, with the experiences I've had with adults.
–I'll think about this, but I'll need to think about it by myself. If you can think of something I can try to get home, then would you let me know right away, but otherwise let me have time to think.–
Alright, Charlie thought to Petals. I understand needing time by yourself. I'll be here if you need someone to talk to.
Charlie waited a minute for a reply, but when Petals didn't say anything she turned away from her window and walked over to her backpack and pulled out her homework. Afterwards she walked to her desk and settled down to try and mull her way through her math homework first.
She'd barely finished her math work, most of it she was certain was wrong, when she heard the front door open and close. Which meant her father or mother had returned from work. She looked back at her homework in front of her. Main reason she didn't think she'd done very well on it was because she just wasn't able to bring her usual amount of concentration on it. At least with everything that had happened that day.
Sighing she put her math homework back in her backpack and got up to head downstairs. If she hadn't done very well, she'd find out soon enough after she got it back from Mr. Samuels.
"What I need from both of you is to come straight home after school tomorrow. We're going to a dinner with a potential client and I need both of you to look your best."
Charlie stared at her father, her fork stopped just above spearing a tomato in her salad. She hadn't heard anything about this before and a quick glance at Cherie said she hadn't either. Their father ran a security firm and while it wasn't a large one that could attract anything like military contracts, it wasn't a small one either.
"What do you mean 'look you best,' dad?" Cherie asked, her eyes lightening up, which opened up a hole for Charlie's stomach to drop into. While both were sisters only a couple years apart, they could hardly be more different. Cherie was social, constant honor roll student, popular, active in a few school clubs, and favored of her teachers from what Charlie could tell from listening to her parents. While Charlie tended to be more of a loner, apart from all her classmates when possible, and in trouble much more often than Cherie. Plus, Cherie loved fancy dresses, and while Charlie didn't mind dresses, she preferred softer fabric than Cherie or their mother preferred, and their mother tended to have the ultimate say on whether or not to get them any particular dress or other piece of clothing.
"You'll need to wear your best dresses and have cleaned off any dirt or sweat before your mother or I get home," he continued. "Do not take up so much time Charlie can't get her shower done before we get home." Their father looked pointedly at Cherie.
"Why are you singling me out?" she protested, clearly offended by being singled out.
"It's because we know that you tend to take your time and sometimes you'll take an hour or more in the bathroom," their mother said gently.
Cherie still wasn't happy about it, but couldn't come up with a response to their mother's gentle remark.
"Now, this will take the entire evening and we'll need both of you on your best behavior. This dinner will take place at Heathcliff Roberts' home where he and I will discuss the possibility of my firm being contracted with the security of a new digging site his firm is looking into." Charlie was liking this less and less. Whenever they did these dinners she tended to be left to her own devices, conversation-wise, and she usually got bored. She once tried brining her homework with her, so she'd at least have something to do, but the idea was shot down before she'd even gotten out the door, let alone in the car.
"And Charlie," her mother said, causing Charlie's head to jerk up as she realized she'd stopped listening to them and the conversation had continued and she didn't know where it was at the moment, "while we usually leave you alone and don't include you, your father and I think it would be helpful to your father if you would express an interest in learning about what his business does. Not only do we think it would help your father's chances, but we think if you got a summer internship there, that might help your academic pursuits after you're done with high school."
It took Charlie a moment to come up with a response, while her parents waited expectantly and her sister looked at her, a entertained gleam in her eyes. "Would me getting an internship be legal at this time? I mean, I'm just barely in high school, I thought internships were for people in college and stuff."
"If calling it an internship is a problem for it, consider calling it volunteering. After all, only until recently most internships were unpaid, which made them essentially volunteers. In turn that can be what you can phrase it as, as most things in the business world and any job you might try to get when you get older comes down to how you phrase things. A single word can sometimes change the entire meaning of a sentence," her father advised, not making Charlie any happier with the whole situation.
"I'll try to come up with a phrasing to say," Charlie replied defensively, wondering what way she should phrase it so it sounds to her parents that she really tried but still didn't get Heathcliff to say 'yes' to the proposal of her 'volunteering' at his business during the summer.
"That's all we can ask," her father said, letting everyone know he was done with that topic. "Also, the surveyor's office called and said that they finished what they needed to verify on our property, but there still is a small possibility that they'll be back again if something doesn't want to work in their systems."
"Wish they could get it fixed and let us in peace," Charlie's mother replied in between bites of the salad.
"Mom, don't you have to work at the hospital, tomorrow evening?" Charlie suddenly asked, remembering her mother's shift schedule. Her mother worked in the hospital and typically couldn't shift her schedule around very easily once it was given.
She merely gave Charlie a knowing smile, which Charlie took to mean she knew what Charlie was attempting. "I already got one of the other doctors to cover my shift. I'll be working a double shift next week, so don't worry dear," she said. "We'll be able to make the dinner tomorrow."
Charlie didn't say anything else for the rest of dinner, after that. She also couldn't find in herself to enjoy the grilled chicken in the salad or the ranch dressing, which had always been her favorite parts of this salad in the past.