Charlotte still remembered the day it all happened. The day was Parent's Day at her school. She had woken up, a bright smile spread across her face as usual. She glanced over at her pastel blue alarm clock that was ringing softly. Once she pressed the button to end its wailing, she began her way over to the crystal clear mirror that stood in front of her. Her sapphire hair ran down her shoulders, messy curls from the light slumber. The happy girl then ran over to her orange hamster's cage, tapping the thin metal bars lightly. "Good Morning, Buttons!" She said loudly. The hamster, resting in the soft hay in the cage, suddenly jerked upwards, startled by the sudden loud noise. It scuttled into a small house, hiding from the sudden predator outside. Charlotte giggled at this, her eyes glowing with amusement. She then returned to her mirror and picked up a blue brush. She began running it through her sapphire hair, each stroke unraveling the tangled mess from the night before. Soon enough, her signature curls of blue hair were in place. She placed a blue bow on top, completing her daily routine. Once she had gotten out of her pajamas and put on a matching blue dress, she happily skipped to the kitchen. She stuck up her nose and sniffed in delight, the scent of eggs and bacon tickling her nostrils. "Good morning, Grandma Charlene!" she cheered, taking a seat at their large, blue wooden table. "Good morning, Deary." The older woman returned softly, scooping the now finished meal onto a plate and setting it in front of Charlotte. The small girl immediately dug into the eggs, licking her lips before shoving them into her mouth. Her grandmother sat across from her, locking her hands together tightly, looking at the girl with worried, yet happy eyes. "Charlotte, sweetie," She began, a clear tone of anxiety in her tone. "Today is Parent's Day at your school.." She said softly, a hopeful smile plastered on her face. Charlotte suddenly stopped eating, her bright smile immediately dropping down into laced lips, staring blankly at the greasy bacon on her plate. The now silent girl set down her fork, slugging her arms down to her sides. She remembered everything that happened. How their entire life took a sharp turn after a few days.
Charlotte sat in the back of her parent's car, giggling happily as they sang "100 Bottles of Milk on the Wall". Charlotte, her mother and father, and her grandfather had been riding for a few hours to a vacation cabin in northern Vermont. Charlotte was 4 years old. "Charlotte, sweetie, you are such a beautiful singer!" her mom said, turning back and looking at the young girl. Charlotte always thought her mother was gorgeous. She had the matching hair, curly and soft, yet a lighter tint than Charlotte's. She was tall and fair, a matching light blue bow on top of her head. Her father, a confident, handsome man turned back as well, still keeping his thick hands on the steering wheel. "You should become a singer! Maybe a pop star!" He said, chuckling softly. Charlette smiled widely, soaking up the attention like a sponge. Her grandfather, a bigger, older man, sat beside Charlotte, his attention towards a book he had been reading. He never said much, yet Charlotte still appreciated him and shared some time with him, time she would hold gracefully. The girl looked outside. The thick rows of trees passed by quickly, blending together like a motion video. The sun shone down upon them, highlighting the thick pine trees. It was absolutely gorgeous. Charlotte had always played in the trees back at home. Her father had crafted her a balanced tree house. She would bring toys up there and books to read, only coming down when it was snack time or when she had to use the bathroom. Though she was young, her parents trusted her to climb up the short ladder into the small wooden structure.
Charlotte glanced outside once again, admiring the trees once more. Suddenly, the sound of soft ringing interrupted the peaceful silence. It was her father's cellphone. He picked it up and flicked it open and began talking to the other person on the line.
It all happened so quickly.
One moment she was watching her father talk to someone on his silver cellphone, the next, the car's front was smashed brutally, glass from the front window spilling over the front seats. Charlotte still remembered the frantic yell from her mother. "Eyes on the road!" Her mother frantically screamed, startling both Charlotte and her grandfather. The loud boom that erupted when the two cars collided on the road was deafening, causing Charlotte to ram her hands over her head, protecting herself from the glass that rained upon them from the front windshield.
It had all went black.
When she woke up, her eyes immediately widened. There were loud sirens blaring outside, the flashing of red and blue lights hitting her violently. Her head ached. Her legs hurt. A second later, she looked beside her. A large man wearing a blue police uniform was unstrapping her from her pink car seat, picking her up gently and setting her on the ground. Charlotte's heart dropped in her chest when she looked at the sight infront of her. There, laying on the road, was two cars. The front to middle sections were completely totaled, the white airbags still inflated.
There was blood.
So much blood.
The seats were layered with crimson blood and glass pieces were lying everywhere, on the road and in the crushed car. Where were mommy and daddy and grandpa? Charlotte's mouth dropped open to scream, but nothing came out. Her tiny body trembled violently, warm, moist tears now forming in her shocked eyes. She was soon broken out of her frozen state as a familiar voice began shouting her name. She looked behind, and there, sprinting towards her with her arms opened wide, was her grandmother. Charlotte began running towards her, immediately being wrapped up in a tight embrace. Charlotte could hear her grandmother sob gently, still having her thin arms laced around Charlotte's small body. "Oh baby," she said between tears and hiccups, "I'm so sorry, Baby. I'm so, so sorry." Charlotte looked over her grandmother's shoulder, and there it was, confirming her suspicions. Three large stretchers were holding three bodies. Bright, white sheets were draped over the motionless shapes, small spots of blood being seen on them. Charlotte could feel the tears coming, now uncontrollably spilling down her soft cheeks. Her expression was nothing but shock and sadness. She watched closely as the blue men loaded the small beds on wheels into a large, white vehicle with a red cross on it. Other blue men were writing things down on small notepads.
Charlotte tightened the embrace around her grandmother, shoving her face into her shoulder and began weeping loudly, her chest shaking harshly with each fresh wave of grief crashing into her.
They were gone.
Charlotte remembered the funeral. Her mother and father had been buried together, settled on top of a hill. She placed a small flower she had picked out. It was a bright yellow daffodil, her mother's favorite flower. Once she had done this, she began walked downwards to her grandmother, who was silently waiting in her car. When Charlotte entered, her grandmother did not say anything. Large, dark grey clouds covered the usual baby blue sky. Rain began pelting against the windows. As they pulled out of the parking lot of the small cemetery, Charlotte looked back once more towards the entrance, sighing softly. She wanted to cry, to curl in on herself, yet she couldn't. She had been working with her grandmother the last few days, packing her things up. They were moving. Leaving Vermont entirely. Charlotte thought it was selfish at first, to just pack up and leave so suddenly, yet she knew that the deal had been planned. Her grandmother explained that they were moving to a small town named by Clamburg. Charlotte spent an entire hour arguing with the older woman, crying and screaming, pleading that they wouldn't leave her home. Yet, after then, she had been forced to accept the truth.
The drive home was quiet. The only sound could be an occasional cough or sniffle. Other than that, the large rain drops continuously pelted against Charlotte's window. A small pine tree air freshener swung softly by the mirror, filling the car with the scent of butterscotch candy. Charlotte's favorite candy was butterscotch. Her father would often bring them home from the store, giving them to her and her mother to share while watching the sunset from their wooden porch.
Once they had arrived home, Charlotte entered the small house that belonged to her grandmother and sat down on a blue couch. She stared blankly at the ground, too tired to cry, yet too grief stricken to lay down and nap. The nights weren't any easier. The week that had passed since the original death of her parents was full with tension and sadness in the day, yet silence and insomnia in the night. Charlotte was so exhausted that she didn't bother playing with any of the children that lived on her grandmother's street. Many stopped by their house and gave blessings, flowers, dishes, anything that could be counted as an apology. Yet, none of this made Charlotte feel better. Green Bean Casserole, chocolates, and roses weren't going to make her beloved parents return to Earth.
Her grandmother entered a few minutes later, hanging her dark blue coat up on a wooden coat hanger that sat by the door. She glanced at the small girl on the couch, a sharp pang of sorrow bolting into her chest. The elderly woman began her way over to the small couch and sat down next to Charlotte. Charlotte didn't bother to even recognize her existence. Her head was buzzing with thoughts and feelings, so quickly that her emotions were practically turned off, causing her to be an apathetic robot. Charlene placed a soft hand on Charlotte's back, rubbing it slowly in a rhythm. "G-Grandma.." Charlotte began, not looking up from the blue rug below her. "W-Where did they go?" She asked, her eyes beginning to appear glassy. Charlene looked shocked at the girl, then saddened. She had to think of something, and quick. She thought of something. It was terrible and selfish, yet she couldn't stop herself from saying it to try and make the small girl feel slightly better.
"They're in space now, Charlotte!" She said, pretending to sound cheery and happy. "They're in space, exploring the planets and the bright stars!" Charlotte looked up at her grandmother, her glassy eyes fading slowly, being replaced with a young sense of wonder. "Space?" Charlotte asked. "Y-Yes! They'll be coming back soon." Her grandmother spoke, the fake happiness still appearing in her voice. "I promise." The older woman finished, taking one of Charlotte's hands and squeezing it softly. "Until then, you must prove that you want them back. They want to see you happy and full of life, not sad and droopy!" Charlene said loudly, a wide smile taking place on her face. Charlotte began giggling, her sudden sad expression vanishing into thin air. "Yay! Mommy and Daddy will come home soon!" she cheered, jumping off the couch and dancing quickly. "I hope they'll like our new house in Clamberg!" the young girl finished, smiling brightly at the old woman. 'Yes, that's it, baby girl.' Her grandmother thought to herself. 'They'll return soon..'
Charlotte rushed to the door and picked up her bright pink backpack, swinging it older her shoulder as a light jingle sounded from the bunny keychain she had hooked onto it. She glanced back at her grandmother, a smile returning on her face. "Grandma, are you sure you want to come to Parent's Day?" Charlotte asked, looking behind at her grandmother. "You really don't have to if you don't want to." Charlene smiled gently at Charlotte, her eyes softening. "I would come, even if I didn't want to, Charlotte." She said quietly, slipping on a pair of light blue shoes. Charlotte smiled at this, her original grin widening.
"Were they mauled by bears!?" Vendetta said eagerly, clenching her fists into tight balls, waiting for the bright blue girl to continue. Charlotte internally cringed at this, her eyes suddenly saddening. She quickly reminded herself not to break down the act she had been displaying for so many years. 'Always happy,' she reminded herself daily, reminding herself every single minute, 'Never sad. You're fine. Stop crying.'
"No silly!" She said cheerfully towards the bright green girl. Vendetta's face immediately dropped back into an annoyed expression, looking back down at Charlotte. "They're on a space station!" she exclaimed loudly, praising herself for not stuttering or shaking during the sentence. Charlotte had realized that her parents would never return many years ago. They weren't in space.
She stopped her thoughts as her grandmother stepped beside her. "Right!" Charlene said louder than expected, a blinding grin glued onto her face. "T-They're on a space station!" Charlotte copied the fake grin, shining it directly at Vendetta. "They're astronauts! Im sure they'll be back from their mission very soon with lots of stories to tell!" She finished with that, turning back around before Vendetta spoke something that chilled her violently. "Yes," The corrupted green girl spoke, an evil smile splitting onto her face. "I think they will be back very, very soon.." She finished, still smiling at Charlotte. Charlotte's smile broke into a small frown, her eyes turning into slits. The azure blue girl began her way back to her seat, sitting down and rubbing her forehead with her hand, trying to cleanse the sadness that had suddenly rushed into her. Vendetta looked over at the girl curiously. What had caused her to become so upset? Did Charlotte ever even GET upset? The green girl's eyebrows split together as she shrugged, handing her tiny parents a small piece of beef jerky she had saved from lunch. Vendetta had to find out sooner or later. Yet, this was blocked out equally by the thought of creating fiends to destroy the overly joyful blue girl.
Yes. They would be returning.