Unexpected Attraction

Charlie woke up groggily. At first he didn't know what was going on. It was bright; the room before him gleamed and it appeared to be mostly white. Everything was pretty blurry. Charlie blinked to clear his eyes. And then he remembered what happened last night. He jerked up and felt a sharp pain shoot up his side.

"Charlie," Amy called softly.

He coughed weakly and squinted at the sun coming through the window. His mother was behind him. Charlie reasoned that he must have fallen asleep on her lap. But he didn't remember getting here. Then he saw Vivienne. She was sleeping in the hospital bed. There was an oxygen tube in her nose and an IV stuck to her arm. Her hair was messy and surrounding her head. "Charlie," Amy said again.

As Charlie lifted his legs from the couch he looked at his mom. Her face was white. And she was tired. Her hair, half heartedly slung up in a pony tail.

"Charlie she's fine. Her arm is broken and there's some tissue tearing, but nothing more."

"I didn't do it mom," Charlie said flatly. His eyes never left Vivienne's body.

He got up and walked to the bed. Charlie laid his hands on the rail and still gazed at his sister.

"Where's Dad and Billy," he asked.

"They went to get lunch right when you woke up."

Suddenly, Vivienne twisted her head to face Charlie and licked her lips. She rolled her eyes under her eye lids and paused. Then she opened her bright blue eyes and looked at her brother. They did that for a while. Neither knew what to say. "Hi" seemed a little strange.

"That huwrt Charwee," Vivienne said gloomily.

"Yeah it didn't look pleasant," he joked. Amy came up beside her son.

"Awen't you going to say sowwy?" Vivienne was very tired and her voice croaked a lot.

"For what?" Charlie kept his voice down. He knew hospital rules. Amy looked accusingly at him.

"For saying dat I'm a cwy baby." Charlie's smile lit up his face. He looked at his mother who nodded.

Then, through the door came Billy and Lyell rolling a cart of food.

"Hey is someone awake?" Billy asked.

"Yes Billy," Vivienne chimed.

"Charlie," Lyell stated, no comfort in his voice.

"He didn't push her down the stairs Lyell," Amy said softly. Billy and Lyell were now on the other side of the bed, putting food on the table.

"Yeah, like Uncle Paton didn't blow up the light bulb yesterday." Amy shot him a look.

"Why don't you ask the girl in the hospital bed?" she snapped back. Lyell turned his head to his daughter as the other three exchanged glances.

"Vivienne, did Charlie push you down the stairs? Don't lie."

"No daddy. My foot wasn't on the stair the whole way so when I fell backward, my foot wasn't wight."

"And why did you fall backward?"

"Don't lie," Charlie glowered. Vivienne paused as she looked at her brother. Then she looked straight ahead, sighed and,

"I was going to punch him in da face." There was a long pause.

"Oh," was all Lyell said.

Minutes later, when the plastic containers of hospital food were passed around, and forks gotten, and drinks vended, Vivienne reached for her macaroni and cheese. With her right arm. She pulled it up and saw the awful thing that was now in it's place. Instantly she froze and assessed the situation. Charlie had called her a cry baby, and she defiantly was not one of those. She kept her emotions in check. But everyone was ready for the water works.

"Vivienne, it's just a cast sweaty. It's going to make you feel better." Amy said frantically.

"We got you pink because we thought it was your favorite color." Billy put in. Every one held their breath.

"It's bootiful," she cooed. The cast ran up her whole arm and it was the brightest highlighter pink the doctors could find. Charlie exhaled.

"You know, you can even have people sign on it if you want."

"Weally?"

Vivienne was stoked. She touched the cast and felt it. Then she found out that she could still see her fingers, and better yet, use them even though limitedly. By the end of lunch, the family was good. Charlie and Amy sat on Vivienne's bed while Billy and Lyell found chairs. They waited about and hour for the doctor to come discharge her. And then it was off to school.

Charlie got back in the middle of band practice. Dr. Saltweather had handed out the music book to Beauty and the Beast. Everyone was in the middle of practicing the interlude, when Charlie handed his excuse slip to his director. And as Dr. Saltweather was signing his slip, Charlie noticed a new girl in the clarinet section. It was Matilda. The clarinets were in front of the trumpets and Charlie sat in the first row of trumpets so this was the perfect bonding time. When his teacher nodded him off, Charlie dashed to his place and opened up his book to the page everyone was on.

After the bell rang, everyone slapped their music books shut and flew to the door. On a normal day, Charlie would have done the same, but today was not normal. This Matilda girl was not rushing to get out the door. She took her time taking her instrument apart and putting it in its case. All Charlie had to do was take his mouth piece out. The two exchanged awkward glances, until Charlie spoke up.

"I'm sorry; I'm not trying to be rude or anything of the sort, I just… I mean you look very familiar." Charlie slung his bag over his shoulder and stared at the girl.

"I live in northern Africa," she stated with a quizzical look. And she shoved a book in her bag.

"No, I mean…do you know that I'm endowed?" Charlie was having a hard time breaking the ice, but he refused to stop chipping.

"Nooo, do you know that I'm endowed?"

"I kind of guessed. Isn't everyone from the heath endowed?" Charlie said with a chuckle and he waved his arm, beckoning her to walk with him. She agreed.

"Oh, right, I'm sorry that was a stupid question."

"I like those kinds," Charlie joked, "I always get them right." The girl must have smiled because she turned away a giggled behind her hand.

"Well I suppose I'm glad that I could raise your self esteem." Charlie watched her give a fantastic smile. "…any way, back to the endowment."

Ice has been broken, Charlie thought happily to himself. "Right, I can travel to different times and worlds through paintings and pictures."

"That's cool," said the girl with a sarcastic grin.

"Hey! No hatin'! It is cool, I would take you if I could but I can't sooo…"

"It's cool, I was just kidding." Suddenly the bell rang.

"Where are you headed?" Charlie asked.

"Chemistry."

"Oh," Charlie sighed, "I have to go to reading. See ya." The girl tossed her hair behind her shoulder and waved. As she was walking away, Charlie remembered something.

"Wait! What's your name?" he called. She turned and smiled.

"Milly."

After reading was study time and dinner. Charlie did his homework as he was told so by his father. For some reason Lyell saw it fit that Charlie and his friends should be split up and were thus separated into different study rooms. Something about having more room for the umpteen new kids. The only thing that made this slightly ok with Charlie was the fact that he was in the same room as Fidelio and Billy. Miss Hap was the classroom head.

Five thirty came and went and before Charlie really got tired of his math assignment, it was dinner time. Billy asked Fido if he wanted to come to dinner, but he declined saying it felt too formal. Frankly Charlie agreed. But, nonetheless he walked against the currant of students headed to the cafeterias with Billy behind him.

When Charlie did finally get down to the dining room, he was very surprised to see Jezebel and his uncle talking. Julia sat by herself so Charlie decided to sit by the lonesome woman.

"Emma not coming today?" he asked. Julia was startled when he said something, but beamed at Charlie.

"Oh, I don't think so. She still likes the green cafeteria. Even if it isn't Maisie's cooking." There was a pause. "But it seems Jezebel and Paton had fun today."

"Uncle P helped her?" Charlie questioned.

"Oh yes, we were just dropping by to see how things were going and if she needed anything at first. But then she showed us this rock with gold dust on it and…well I suppose you can imagine what happened then." Charlie nodded.

"Julia dear, I don't think that you are understanding what this means for the castle and anyone who is close to it. If the treasury of the Red King's Castle is real than who knows what sort of documents we may find. He may have hundreds of Claerwens just sitting around!"

"And not to mention the currency!" added Jezebel

"But why does gold dust make you think there is a treasury." Charlie asked dumbly.

"Because, it means that there was gold, somewhere very near. The place we excavated today was richly ornamented." Explained Paton

"It's a castle for crying out loud!" Julia put in. "Ahh, never mind. I can't think at such a high level as these two do apparently." Julia rolled her eyes.

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Jezebel. "You know at least six more languages than I do."

"Come, come Julia." Paton said, "You are my wife and I shall not have you saying such ludicrous things."

Julia blushed. It wasn't every day you got a complement from Paton Yewbeam, unless you were his nephew's mother in law.