She heard the front door close as she was turning off the water. Even though she knew that her parents would expect her to have finished in the bathroom and be ready to go any minute, she didn't rush herself. Instead, she dried herself off then put on her robe before sitting on the closed toilet lid and picked up her hair dryer from the bathroom counter and began using it to dry her hair. It took a while, but Charlie wasn't worried. Her parents knew how long she normally took and if they weren't happy with the time she left the bathroom, she knew it was more likely they'd come down on her sister than on her. Cherie was prone for taking much longer than Charlie could fathom when showering. Even if all she did was the same things Charlie did, Cherie clearly knew how to drag things out, but Charlie knew that Cherie didn't like to use the hair dryer on her honey-blond hair. As always when Charlie wondered about what her sister did, she just finally gave up after her mind ran in circles for a while thinking about it.
Finally, when her hair was dry enough, Charlie put her hair dryer down and left the bathroom. She wasn't surprised to see her mother outside the bathroom when she left, but was a little surprised to see her mother distracted enough that she didn't seem to notice Charlie. She almost seemed altogether in another world. It felt a little eerie to Charlie. For one, even though Charlie was standing in front of her, she didn't seem to notice her. Another point was that she was just standing there, which was odd enough as she tended to always be in motion in one way or another.
However, Charlie knew she didn't have time to figure out what was occupying her mom's attention at the moment. So, she made her way to her room and closed the door. Once it was secured, she removed her robe and opened her underwear drawer and pulled out what she needed from it. She then began dressing, unable to stop thinking about how her mom was acting. In the end, she determined that it was probably something about the dinner or that it had to do with her work as a doctor and that she didn't realize she'd stopped moving.
Sighing, Charlie began putting on her dress. The colors weren't a problem for Charlie, the bodice was her favorite color – emerald green, the skirt was black with gold colored stars on it, and the sleeves were an amethyst purple. The problem she had with the dress was largely the material it was made out of. The bodice was fine, it was velvet, but the tulle fabric that made the skirt poof out a little made her legs itch and the taffeta fabric for the skirt was uncomfortable when she sat down and created a wrinkle in the skirt, which happened more often than not, and the sleeves were also taffeta, which also itched her arms. Cherie seemed to love those fabrics, but Charlie wished she could get a dress that was made from other fabrics, even if it didn't look as formal or fancy. All she really wanted was to be comfortable.
As the dress came down over her head, she realized something that made her worry. The dress had been in her closet for almost two years and now it was feeling tight on her. She rarely wore this dress, so it wasn't a surprise to her that she was just learning this, but it was the only dress that she knew her parents would accept her in, that she had, for this dinner. She knew her breasts had started to grow, and thought that might be the case, as she was able to slowly inch it down and finally have it on completely. After which, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure what her parent's reaction would be if the dress was too small and she couldn't get it on.
When she was done ruminating on what could have been, she quickly put on some white pantyhose under her skirt before putting on the flat black buckle shoes her mother had selected for her, with a little input from Charlie, at the start of the school year. Shoes were one of the few things her mother seemed to consider Charlie's thoughts on. After which, she ran her brush through her hair, just to release any tangles that sometimes happened while she dried her hair.
She quickly looked herself over before leaving her room and heading downstairs. She reached the top of the stairs when she heard the front door open and her father entered. Charlie was happy to be fully ready by this time, given she didn't want any extra attention paid to her with what her parents wanted her to do during dinner. She didn't need any other problems to think about tonight.
"Hi, Charlie!" Her father greeted her.
"Hi, dad," she replied, as she made her way down the stairs.
"Where's your sister?" he asked, as he closed the door.
"I'm not sure," she replied honestly. "Last I saw her was when I was going in the bathroom as she was coming out."
"I'll see if your mother is with her. Maybe she'll be ready on time tonight."
Charlie smiled at that. It was a rare occurrence that Cherie was ready when she was supposed to be. Charlie was sure she didn't want to know why. The reasons would likely include stuff that really didn't interest her or at least what she suspected was the reason.
Charlie made her way to the kitchen to see if she could find a small snack to eat before they left. A few of the dinners that she'd had to go to didn't start right away, and a few of them had portions so small that the courses were snacks themselves, which always left Charlie rather hungry afterwards. She'd once tried smuggling the snack with her with as much luck as her sister had with wearing make-up or jewelry.
All Charlie could find for a snack was a banana. Could be worse, Charlie thought to herself as she pulled one off the bunch. Then as she started peeling it before she began eating it, she listened for any sounds indicating that it was time to leave. She knew that with both of her parents home, that time wouldn't be long. Even with her sister taking her time with getting ready, once their parents were home, it was a sign that you better be ready or you're going to get an earful later about it. Neither Charlie or Cherie cared to get that afterwards. They'd already had it happen to them, and both would rather sleep outside in a blizzard than have to go through that again.
As her parents came downstairs with Cherie miraculously ready, Charlie's mother noticed Charlie's dress. "I guess we'll need to look at getting you a new dress," She remarked as she tugged at parts of it, which Charlie endured, knowing full well any resistance would make the process worse.
"Do you think we have enough money to spare for that?" Charlie's father asked.
"Dear, take a look at Charlie's dress. It's too tight. It's either get her a new one or let her wear whatever she wants to occasions where she needs to be in formalwear."
Charlie's father merely nodded. "We'll have to see what we can do about that then."
After that, Cherie and Charlie were quickly ushered into the car. Charlie briefly wondered if Beth would notice them leaving or not, but didn't care enough to actually look in the direction she knew Beth would be in. Instead, she settled herself in the car, fastening her seatbelt and trying to relax as best as she could.
As they left, Charlie briefly saw Petals, Beth, and some of the others where the entrance to Petal's forest was as she gazed out the window, not trying to look for them. After that, Charlie put that problem out of her mind and focused on the problems pertinent to this night.
Overall, the drive was uneventful, Charlie kept to herself, which didn't surprise any of her family, while Cherie chatted with their mother most of the trip while their father drove.
Charlie wasn't sure how long the drive took, part of it was due to traffic, but as they arrived, Charlie could see that her father seemed more tense than he had at any other business dinner he'd taken them to before. She wasn't sure what the problem might be or if she merely just didn't notice it before, but she didn't plan on mentioning it. Part of the reason is she was sure her father wouldn't be honest with her, given how clear it was that he was trying to put on a front that he wasn't worried at all. She filed it away, not sure what she could, or should, do with that information. Though, she considered talking with her mother about it at another time. She might get an answer about it but couldn't be sure that she would.
When they pulled up in front of their destination, Charlie wasn't surprised that it was a mansion, or at least what she would consider a mansion. There had been a few in the past that hosted Charlie's family for dinner, and one of those had been for her mother's job. This house was at least three stories tall, was at least fifty feet long, and the driveway started on the other side of the hill the building was on. They approached the front door as a group and her father knocked. A man who introduced himself as Heathcliff Roberts answered. He was older, but not old-age old. Maybe in his fifties, Charlie reasoned. He stood around six feet seven, looked like he was greeting his children and grandchildren, despite him having no relation to Charlie, let alone this being their first time meeting. His hair was turning white from black, but that mostly emphasized his deep chocolate face.
As introductions were made, Charlie looked around the property. It was in an expansive valley, but it was clear to her that there was limited space, so it didn't extend as far as Charlie would have expected. Though, she did see a swimming pool just around a corner of the mansion in the distance. She didn't let herself fall behind everyone else, and kept up with them while taking in the scenery. Mostly she was hoping to see a hedge maze or expansive gardens.
As Heathcliff showed them to the dining room, Charlie let her plan fall into motion. Her plan to do what her parents asked, but in a way that wouldn't cause her to end up actually doing an internship, but not have it appear to her parents that she was sabotaging it.
"Excuse me, Mr. Roberts?" Charlie ventured.
Heathcliff turned to her. "Please, call me Heathcliff."
"Um, yeah, Heathcliff," Charlie said, unsure of how to handle this request, but a glance to her parents seemed encouraging for her to comply with that request. "I was wondering what kind of business you do. I mean, my dad runs a security company, but I'm not sure what kind of business you would do that would need my dad's company."
Heathcliff regarded Charlie for a minute, seeming to search for any motive other than an honest inquiry. Then after what seemed to Charlie as an hour, he released her from his scrutinizing gaze. "I dig for gold."
Charlie wasn't sure how to react to that statement. She wasn't the only one confused, as evidenced by Cherie voicing a question. "Isn't digging for gold a 'get rich quick' scheme?
Heathcliff laughed. A deep throated laugh that made Charlie feel at ease and decide that she liked him. "For many people, it would be a get rich quick job. However, I approach it in a way that ensures my company is able to dig up what it needs for the dig to be worthwhile, but also it needs to last long enough that my workers can earn a living. To me, it's a way to keep my primary business going."
"How much gold have you dug so far?" Cherie asked, her interest more present than in previous business dinners Cherie had shown interest in.
Heathcliff thought for a moment, as he continued to walk. Then, as they arrived at the dining room, he answered. "I think probably enough gold to make a replica of this mansion as well as a statue of you and your family and myself, with some left over too."
"Wow," Cherie breathed, her eyes as big as saucers.
Charlie realized that her plan had been derailed, and the window for it had passed by. Which meant she'd need to start to broach the subject another time. Although, it at least did accomplish part of what her parents had wanted her to do, which was to show interest in his business or at least Charlie hoped that it had. If not, she was sure she'd have another chance at some point in the night.
Heathcliff directed them to take a seat when they reached the dining room, a dining table set in the middle of the room, fully encumbered with a casserole, chef salad, and a fruit salad. Heathcliff took a seat at the head of the table, while Charlie's parent's took a seat on either side of him. Cherie took a seat next to their mother and Charlie sat next to Cherie. Her father arched an eyebrow at Charlie, as she usually sat next to him, but he didn't say anything or indicate to Charlie that he was upset with her.
Most of the dinner was ignored by Charlie. As the food was passed around, Charlie took some of each, but took more salad than anything else. She noted the casserole was a tuna casserole, which didn't thrill her. She'd eat it, but it wasn't on her favorite foods list. She didn't look to see what everyone else got, she just focused solely on what was on her plate, though she did notice that her mother filled her glass with water, not that she minded.
She contemplated the best time to bring up what her parents wanted her to do while she ate, when suddenly the need to go to the bathroom hit her. Seriously? She asked herself. She looked up from her plate and started to pay attention to the conversation so she'd be able to ask where the bathroom was.
"…that's why I don't have any office space costs like most businesses and how I'm able to keep up this entire house," Heathcliff was saying. "Then there's also the part that I don't have to travel much to get to the office here."
"Doesn't it get lonely?" Cherie asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.
"Sometimes it does. But only at night. During the day there's a lot of people here, some students from the School of Mines, some employees of mine, and some applicants looking for a job."
"Um, excuse me," Charlie ventured, hoping this wouldn't create more problems for her tonight. However, she was aware that Cherie was glaring at her, which Charlie acted like she didn't notice. "Would it be okay if I went to the bathroom?"
Heathcliff nodded. "It's down the hall to the right, fifth door on your left. Please try not to enter in any of the other rooms, some contain information about my business and some of my workers really don't like their work messed with."
Charlie nodded, she didn't plan on entering any room except the bathroom at the moment. "I'll keep that in mind," she said as she got up from the table and quickly made her way out of the room.
Charlie easily found the bathroom, though was a little surprised at how much she had to walk before she reached the fifth door, but was happy to relieve herself. Afterwards, she was washing her hands when a strange feeling came over her. She almost felt like she was being called somewhere. As she dried her hands, she felt the need to go find whatever was calling her.
Without thinking, she left the bathroom, failing to close the door and continued down the hallway, the same direction she'd been heading when she'd gone towards the bathroom. When she reached a set of stairs, she started climbing them without even looking around. It felt like someone else was controlling her body and Charlie was merely along for the ride.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she opened the door right across from the top of the stairs. Then as she stepped into the room, she suddenly came to her senses and was well aware she had agreed to not enter any of the other rooms. Not only that, but there were two men in the room, who were looking at her in surprise. On a table between them was what looked like a silvery crystal or something, that had been lit up when she entered but now was going out. One of the men was tall with black hair and brown eyes, and Charlie would estimate his height around 6' 4". The other had brown hair, full beard, and eyes the green of healthy growing plants.
"Can we help you?" The tall man asked.
Charlie wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't sure why she had come over this way, despite having full knowledge of doing so, but knew that she needed to say something. Anything at the moment would be better than just staying silent. So, she came up with a story of why she was there which really wasn't far from the truth.
"I'm sorry, I went to the bathroom and when I got out, I thought I heard someone calling me. So I came this direction because I thought my family had gone this direction after finishing in the dining room," Charlie said after a moment of thought. "Then I reached the door here and thought I heard voices, so I came in, because I thought my family and Heathcliff were the only ones here."
"Well, we'll escort you back," the bearded man said, standing up, the tall man following suit. "And we'll just say you got lost and we found you, okay?"
Charlie just smiled gratefully in response as they started walking towards her, still standing at the door. It was a large house and getting lost was at least plausible, and Charlie would rather her parents think that's what happened rather than her snooping around. However as they were ushering her out of the room, she couldn't help but glance back at the crystal. It felt like there was a link between her and it, though she'd never seen it before in her life and couldn't understand why she felt she should run over and take it, despite the two men being present to witness her stealing it.
As she stepped outside the room, however, she stopped cold. It felt like she'd just walked through a sheet of ice cold water, yet as she looked at herself she was dry and there was clearly nothing that she could have walked through. Am I really losing my mind? Charlie wondered, her mind starting to worry about what just happened as well as why she'd gone up here in the first place. Imagining walking through water where there isn't any isn't something normal people imagine, especially after following a strange feeling like that, she told herself.
"Are you okay?" The tall man asked, concern clear in his eyes.
"I'm okay," Charlie said after a moment. "I think it's just been a long day for me and I'm more tired than I thought."
"I can imagine, some days are like that," the bearded man replied, his hand gently pushing the back of her right shoulder, clearly prompting her to start walking down the stairs in front of them.
The trip back to her family was uneventful, although she was dreading her parents' reaction. Even with the excuse that she got lost, she wasn't sure how well they'd take her being escorted back. Though she wondered if her excuse she'd made of being tired wasn't too far off. She was starting to feel a little unsteady on her feet, as well as not feeling as worried as she knew she should be, especially about her father's reaction. Cherie had on more than one occasion cost him a potential client through just this sort of thing and she wasn't sure how he'd react to her costing him this client, especially since she had the feeling that he was worried about getting this client.
As they entered the dining room, Charlie saw everyone look up, surprise evident in their faces when they saw that she wasn't alone.
"Is everything alright?" her father asked, starting to rise from his seat.
"Nothing's the matter," The tall man replied. "She just got lost and looked like she might fall asleep at any moment, so we thought it might be best to make sure she got back here safely."
"Why are you still here, Carl? I thought you and Ronald left hours ago," Heathcliff asked, still sitting as Charlie's father made his way over to her.
"We were finishing up a few things that were taking a lot longer than we thought they would. In fact, we were actually on our way out when we ran into this young woman," Carl replied.
"Well, then have a good night and we'll talk about it in the morning," Heathcliff replied, Charlie suddenly getting the sense that Heathcliff wasn't happy that they were there. She wasn't sure if it was that they were there in general or if that Charlie and her family knew that they were there.
Charlie's father put his hands on her shoulders and caught her eyes with his, the worry in his eyes catching Charlie off guard. Then, without saying anything to her, as Charlie heard Carl and Ronald leave, her father turned back to address Heathcliff. "Is there anything else that we need to discuss?"
Heathcliff shook his head. "Not really. We covered all the important matters. All that was left was really more small matters that are really more of a formality than anything else. If you need to take your daughter home now, we can discuss the rest over the phone in the morning."
Her father nodded. "I think that might be best. I don't think Charlie would be able to leave under her own power if we stayed much longer."
Charlie was surprised to notice her mother and Cherie were already over by her. She hadn't even noticed when they stood up. How am I already this tired, she wondered, never having felt this tired this quickly before. She had a feeling that if her father didn't have his hands on her shoulders, she'd be in danger of falling asleep right then and there, not that she could explain why that would be.
"I'll call you in the morning then," her father assured Heathcliff, as he started to escort her out the mansion and to their car, which was right where they left it.
"Charlie, are you okay?" Cherie whispered to her as they buckled up in the back seat of the car.
Charlie was merely aware that she mumbled something in response, but didn't know what that was. Only that sweet sleep engulfed her partway through her mumbling.