"How's it going?" Daddy asked me on the phone. "What did you do today?"
"I read lots of X-Men," I said, and he laughed. "Uncle Sam said he was gonna look for the cartoons online so I could watch some."
"That's nice of him," Daddy replied. "What else did you do?"
"Uncle Bobby found a stool in the kitchen, so I have to stand on it and wash my dishes," I said sourly. Uncle Bobby was insistent that everyone clean up after themselves, even though there was his clutter all over everywhere!
Daddy laughed again. "Well, you have to do what Uncle Bobby says, it's his house."
"I know, Daddy, " I said.
"I hope you're not giving him attitude," he said sternly.
"I'm not!" I paused. "When are you coming back?"
"I'm...not sure. We still have some traveling to do yet."
"But Dad, I miss you!"
"I miss you too, Charlie. Let me talk to Uncle Sam now."
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you too, sweetheart," he told me. I walked over and handed the phone to Uncle Sam. He talked for another couple of minutes and then ended the call.
"Listen, before you go up to bed, you need to clean those Legos up," Uncle Bobby said.
"But I have them arranged a certain way," I told him.
"They're all over the floor, kid, and someone's gonna step on them. Get 'em up."
"That's not fair!" I complained. "You have stuff all over the place, and you're complaining about a couple of Legos?"
"Charlotte Anne!" Uncle Sam said angrily. "That was very rude!" He got up and came over to me. "Come on," he beckoned me.
I looked up at him. "What?" I didn't want to get up- what if he was going to swat me?
"You're going to sit in time out."
"I don't want to!" I whined.
"Well you should have thought of that before you decided to smart mouth your Uncle." Uncle Sam snapped his fingers at me. "Come on, move."
I stood up, and he led me through the kitchen, over to the stairs and pointed.
"Sit on the step. I'll come get you when you're done, and then you can apologize."
"But-"
He leaned down and looked at me. "Do not argue with me any more." he said tightly.
I dropped my eyes; I couldn't look at his intense gaze any longer.
"Yes, Uncle Sam," I said.
I sat down on the step and he walked away. This was dumb, and not fair! I felt angry that I had to sit here. I crossed my arms and huffed.
After what seemed like hours, Uncle Sam came to get me. He squatted down in front of me. "You need to listen to Bobby and do what he says," he told me. "We're in his house, and you have to follow his rules."
"I know." I said with annoyance.
Uncle Sam took my chin in his hand and made me look at him. "All right, I don't know what's gotten into you, but it stops now. No more sass out of you, or there's going to be another consequence, and you'll like it even less than time out. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Uncle Sam." I said, and he let go of my chin.
"Come on, come and apologize."
I followed him into the library over to Uncle Bobby.
"Sorry I was sassy before," I said, staring at the carpet. "I'll clean my stuff up."
"If ya want to build somethin' and keep it out, you can do it on the dining room table." he said. "Lemme just clear a spot for ya."
"After you clean up, it's time to get ready for bed." Uncle Sam told me.
"I can't stay up?" I complained.
"No, you still need to stay on a schedule, and you get cranky if you don't get enough sleep."
"I do not!" I protested angrily.
"Charlie." Uncle Sam leaned down and looked at me. "What did I say before?"
"I wasn't sassing you!" I protested again.
Uncle Sam raised his eyebrows. "I was going to let you watch one episode of the X-Men, before bed, but I think you need to go straight to bed tonight."
"Not fair!"
"Clean up the Legos and then get ready for bed." he told me. I stomped over to the bin and threw everything in with a loud clatter, then stomped out of the room.
"She's a spunky lil' thing, ain't she?" I heard Uncle Bobby say as I started up the stairs.
"That's one word for it," Uncle Sam replied.
Uncle Sam sat on my bed, facing me.
"I don't know what's going on with you, young lady, but it's going to stop," Uncle Sam said. "Just because your dad's not here, doesn't mean that you don't have to behave. The attitude and the sass need to go."
He reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear. "What's going on? You aren't usually like this."
"I dunno," I said grumpily.
"Well, if something's bothering you, I want you to talk to me instead of acting out. All right?"
"Okay Uncle Sam." I said.
"I don't want to spank you, but if things keep going to way they are, that's where it's going to end up. And I don't think you want that either, do you?"
"No." I said, looking down at the quilt.
"Tomorrow is a new day, with new chances. Let's make it a good day, okay?"
"Okay." I agreed. I was going to try, really try, to behave and not be sassy.
Uncle Sam leaned over and hugged me, then he kissed the top of my head. "Get some rest, honey."
I laid down and he pulled the covers up. He closed the door part way when he left the room.
I could hear growling. It sounded like it was coming from outside the tent, but it was coming from inside...it was coming from me!
Mommy turned toward me, and then said, "Lottie!" in a shocked voice. I jumped on her and began to bite her, chewing and ripping at her body, feeling the skin and flesh between my teeth and seeing the red blood spurt everywhere...the tent flap opened and Daddy came in.
"Sam, I found her!" he called over his shoulder, and then I jumped on him too, and began to bite and tear at him. Then there was screaming...
...and I woke up with the screaming coming out of my own mouth.
"Charlie! Wake up!" Someone called urgently. "Charlie!"
I opened my eyes, and Uncle Sam was leaning over me. He reached out to me and I batted his hands away and tried to crawl under the covers.
"Nooo!" I howled. "I—I became a wolf creature and I—I chewed up and ate Mommy, and then, and then, I ate Daddy too!"
"You were dreaming, Charlie." Uncle Sam said.
I felt the bed give, and then a hand on my shoulder. "You were having a nightmare."
"But it's gonna come true, I just know it!" I wailed.
"No, it's not," he said. "Take a deep breath, so you can get calm, come on."
I felt him rubbing my back, and I tried to breathe slower, and I did stop crying. I started to doze feeling Uncle Sam's hand on my back.
I woke up early, and went downstairs into the library. Of course, I couldn't help myself. I stood before the shelves, my head tilted, reading the titles on the spines of the books.
I wasn't looking for anything in particular, although in the back of my mind was that word from my dream, the special witch's book called a 'grimmer'.
Japanese Ghosts from the Edo Period... The Beast of Gevaudan... Beyond the Banshee: Mythological Creatures in Irish Folklore... Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft ...
"What are you doin', kid?" Uncle Bobby's voice was rough.
I turned, flinching a little. He was standing in the doorway, and he advanced into the room quickly and came over to me.
"You better not be lookin' at any 'o these." he gestured to the shelves.
I looked down at the rug. "I was just looking at the titles! I like to look at books!" I said defensively.
"That's ain't gonna cut it, kid." he said in a harsh voice. " 'Cause next thing you know you're gonna decide to pull one off the shelf and start pagin' through it, and then you'll have nightmares. And I ain't gonna have it," he leaned down to me. "I catch you lookin' again, and you're gonna be doing some chores for me. Ya like sweepin' and moppin' floors?"
"No." I said stubbornly.
He straightened up. "Well, then, you best do what I tell ya."
"What's up?" Uncle Sam stood in the doorway.
"This one's lookin' at books after she's been told not to." Uncle Bobby said to him.
Uncle Sam came into the room, sighing, and gave me a look. "Really, Charlie? You're going to start the day with this?"
"I wasn't doing anything!" I burst out. "I was just looking, gosh!"
"Well see to it that that's all ya do, kid," Uncle Bobby said, and he left the room in a huff.
Uncle Sam came over and sat down in a chair.
"Come here," he said sternly. I walked cautiously over to him, and he took my arm and pulled me so I was right in front of him. "Today is a new day, right?" he asked gently. "Remember what I said last night? I want you to make good choices today, Charlie, and not get yourself in trouble."
"I won't," I grumped. He sat back and crossed his arms, giving me another look.
"I mean, I won't, Uncle Sam," I made my voice sound more reasonable.
He put his hand up and cupped my cheek. "I hope not, honey. Let's get some breakfast, all right?"
I sat quietly at the breakfast table. Uncle Bobby looked tired, and Uncle Sam seemed distracted.
I finished my cereal, and slid off of my chair. "Can I go outside to the tire swing?" I asked.
"Take your dishes to the sink and rinse 'em off like you're supposed to," Uncle Bobby said.
"I was gonna!" I snapped, frowning. I grabbed my bowl and spoon and stalked over to the sink, and climbed up on the stool.
All of sudden there was someone right behind me. I looked up, tilting my head back, and Uncle Sam was looking down at me with an angry look on his face.
"No more, little girl," he said sternly. "One more time with the attitude, and there will be a consequence. Is that clear?"
He put his hands on either side of me, on the edge of the sink. "Or should I just give you a spanking now to get it over with? Will that correct your attitude?"
I gulped. "No, Uncle Sam, I won't sass any more." I said quickly.
He stayed that way, looking down at me for a long moment.
"See to it that you don't," he said in that same stern voice. Then he walked away.
I finished cleaning my dishes and walked over to Uncle Bobby. "Sorry for the attitude and sass," I muttered.
"Go on outside, you need some fresh air and sunshine." he said.
I walked over to the tire swing and sat on it, swinging for a long time. The creaking of the ropes and the warm sun made me feel a little tired. I closed my eyes and pushed the swing slowly with my foot.
My aunt was there with my mommy, but I wasn't scared of her.
"You don't belong with them," Mommy told me, "They're too busy with their own lives to deal with you. You're a burden."
"Why did you leave me, Mommy?" I asked her. "Why?"
She wouldn't answer me, just turned and started to walk away. I followed her, trying to catch up, but I couldn't, and I just got hotter and hotter.
"Charlie!" I heard Uncle Sam calling.
I opened my eyes. I was laying back in the tire swing, with my butt drooping down through the middle, and it was in the sunlight. My face felt hot. My whole body felt hot.
Uncle Sam came walked over to me.
"Did you fall asleep in the swing?" he asked. "Oh geez, you must have been in the sun, you got a little sun-burnt. Come on inside and I'll get the aloe."
I stood in the kitchen while Uncle Sam spread the aloe lotion on my face and arms. I wasn't too red, it only hurt a little bit.
"No more sun for you today, Charlie," he told me. "If you want to go out again you should wait until the sun is lower."
"Okay," I said. "Can I watch more X-Men?" I asked.
"All right," he agreed. "For a while. I've got to do some work on my lap top later though."
"Uncle Sam, what's a burden?" I asked.
"A heavy load, or an obligation." he said.
"What's a obligation?" I asked.
"Something that someone has to do. Why?"
I shrugged. "It was in one of the comics," I lied.
I wondered if I really was a burden to my Dad and Uncle Sam.
Uncle Sam set me up in the living room with his laptop. He set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
"Uncle Bobby and I are going to be in the library, doing some research," he told me.
"Okay," I said.
"We'll have lunch soon."
Each episode of the X-Men show was about 25 minutes long. I waited to see if Uncle Sam would come out to me and start the next one, but he didn't. I walked to the door of the library- they were both leaning over the desk, looking at a couple of big old heavy books and talking in low voices.
"When's lunch?" I asked.
"Oh- in a little while," Uncle Sam said distractedly.
A little while came and went. I figured out that if I clicked on the enter button, I could get to the next episode. I watched two more episodes, and then it was the end of the season. A different screen popped up- it said, "Click here for the next exciting season of The Uncanny X-Men," and then there was another square that said, "Click here to play some awesome games!"
I sat forward, excited. I had never played an X-Men game. I clicked on the square and it took me to a different screen, with different games for Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, and Cyclops.
I was playing a game where you could use Storm's weather powers to fight against the bad guys and do things like blow bombs out of the sky, when all of a sudden, the laptop closed, and I was looking up at a Very Angry Uncle Sam.
"Go to your room," he ground out. "NOW."
A muscle twitched in his jaw.
I got up quickly, and I ran.
The bedroom door opened after a quick knock, and Uncle Sam came into the room.
He walked over and leaned on the dresser, crossing his arms. He just stood there and looked at me.
Finally I couldn't stand it any more. "What?" I asked.
"I just can't figure you out," he said. "You keep pushing and pushing, and I've kept giving you chances, but it seems like this is where you want it to end up, so I guess this is what it'll have to be."
"What?" I asked again. "What do you mean?"
"With you getting a spanking."
"Noooo!" I whined, even though I knew I was in trouble. I don't know what was wrong with me, I couldn't seem to stop sassing or misbehaving.
"What are the rules for my laptop?" he asked in a hard voice.
"Uh- I can't get on your laptop. And I have to ask you if I can play on it-"
"And did you ask?" he interrupted.
I flushed. "No."
"What's the next rule?"
"You'd check the website I wanted to be on."
"And did you ask me to do that?" he asked.
"No, but- it was a link from the X-Men site!" I protested.
"That doesn't matter," he said. "What's the last rule?"
"Uh-" I frowned. "I thought that was it?"
"If you mess with my laptop you get a spanking from both me and your Dad." Uncle Sam said.
"But- but- I thought it was just that one time!" I protested.
"It's a tool that we both use," Uncle Sam said. "I'll have to ask him what he wants to do about that."
He came over and sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at me. "Come here," he said.
I squirmed, not able to move.
"Charlotte Anne. Right here," he pointed to the floor next to him. I scooted over to him and got off the bed, and then he lifted me up and put me over his lap.
The first swat fell, and I yelped and burst into tears. "Uncle Sam, I'm sorry!" I wailed.
"You've been saying that since yesterday, and I don't think it's true," he said, as his hand began to fall over and over. "You need to change your attitude, and stop with the sassy mouth, so that you don't have to keep saying you're sorry!"
He shifted me forward, and I wrapped my arm around his leg.
The next set of spanks came down on the lower part of my butt and I knew I'd be feeling it when I sat down later. I wailed and kicked my feet.
"I thought I could trust you with my laptop but I guess not," he said as his hand continued to fall. "You still think the rules don't apply to you. And I think you need a reminder of what happens when you break the rules."
"I'm s-sorryyyyy!" I wailed again. "Pleeeease!"
"You cannot just do what you want on my laptop. It is not a toy for you to play with."
"I wuh- won't!" I sobbed.
He stopped spanking, and rested his hand on my lower back. "You're going to write the rules for the laptop down for me," he told me. "Ten times each."
"Okay," I agreed. "I mean yes, Uncle Sam," I'd agree to anything to get off of his lap!
"And when your dad calls tonight, you're going to tell him about this, and we'll see what he says."
"Noooo," I whined. "Do I have to? You already spanked me, can't that be enough?"
I cried out as he swatted me a couple more times. "No, it can't," he said in a hard voice. "I will not lie to your dad or with-hold things from him and you'd better not either. I should give you another spanking for thinking of not telling him."
"Nooooo I'm sorrryyyyyy!" I howled. "Owww," I whined as he spanked me again.
"No more sassing, and no more attitude," he said firmly.
"No more, Uncle Sam," I agreed, sniffling.
"All right." he said. He sat me up on his lap and I curled into his chest and sobbed.
"I'm sorry," I said again. "I don't know why my mouth won't stop being naughty."
He chuckled. "You need to tell your mouth to stop, so that your butt doesn't get into any more trouble."
I slid my arms around him and he hugged me back. He sat and snuggled me on his lap for a while, rubbing my back and stroking my hair. "After we eat lunch, I want you to work on your lines," he said.
"Lines?" I looked up at him.
"Yes, writing the rules for the laptop," he told me. "That's what lines are."
"Oh." I said. It didn't sound very fun.
An hour later, Uncle Sam stood next to me at the table. Lunch had been eaten and cleaned up and there was a paper and pencil in front of me.
"This is dumb." I said stubbornly.
"Well, this is what you have to do, dumb or not." Uncle Sam said.
There was a piece of paper in front of me, divided into three sections. The first section had the sentence, 'I will not get on Uncle Sam's laptop at all.' and spaces for 10 sentences to be written out. The next section said, 'I have to ask Uncle Sam if I can use his laptop.' and space for another 10 sentences. The third section said 'Uncle Sam will have to check any website that I want to use.' with space for 10 more sentences.
"Go on, get started," he said.
I sighed and picked up the pencil. Then I looked up at him.
"This isn't faaaaaaaiirrrrr," I whined.
"It's plenty fair," he tapped the paper. "Enough stalling."
I sighed, and frowned at the paper.
He squatted next to me. "Charlotte Anne," he said seriously. "You are going to write these lines. Not doing it is not an option. Your choices are, you do it, or you tell me no, and you do it anyway, with a sore butt. Which is it going to be?"
"Fine, I'll do it!" I snapped.
"Charlotte," he warned. "What did I say about sass?"
I gulped. "Sorry," I said quickly.
"That's the last time I let it go. Get your lines done, and no more sassing," he stood up. "I'll be in to check on you in a few minutes."
I started to write the first sentence.
I will not get on Uncle Sam's laptop at all.
I will not get on Uncle Sam's laptop at all.
I will not get on-
This was stupid! And annoying! And just not fair! Uncle Sam had already spanked me, why did I have to do this too? And I was gonna have to tell Daddy what I did and then possibly have a spanking from him hanging over my head too!
I threw the pencil down and crossed my arms, huffing at the paper. My breath made the pencil roll away from me. I uncrossed my arms and sat forward, leaning my head down and blowing on the pencil and making it roll away from me I started doing it with the paper too, and making the paper drift across the table.
"Charlotte. Anne. Winchester." Uncle Sam's voice was like stone. I turned my head- he was standing in the doorway, glaring at me. I had no idea how long he'd been watching, but judging by how mad he looked, he must have seen me goofing off. I ducked my head and my face felt hot as I blushed. I reached out to grab the pencil, and he came over to the table quickly.
He took my arm and pulled me to a standing position, and then spanked my butt three times. Then he put me back on the chair and pointed at the table. "Lines. Now." he said in that same stony voice.
"Ow," I whispered, as my butt started to sting again.
"You have no one to blame but yourself, young lady," he said. He left the room, and then he was back in a few moments, carrying his laptop. He set it on the table and sat down two seats away from me. Great, now he was going to be here watching me.
I glanced up at him. He was watching me!
I pulled the paper over and picked up the pencil. I sighed heavily and continued to write...
Uncle Sam will have to check any website that I want to use.
Uncle Sam will have to check any-
I put the pencil down and looked up at Uncle Sam.
"Can I be done?" I whined. "My hand hurts."
He leaned over and picked up the paper.
"You've only just started on the third set," he said. "Get it done."
"But that's a long sentence!" I complained.
"That's one of the rules," he set the paper down and turned it so that it was in front of me. "Get it done," he repeated.
"But-"
He leaned forward. "I don't want to hear anything from you about this," he said in a hard voice. "This is part of the consequence of your actions. Now deal with it."
I huffed, and he said, "Charlotte, I'm warning you-"
I looked at him. "I hafta go to the bathroom."
"Fine," he sat back and looked at me. "I'll give you five minutes."
I dawdled in the bathroom, taking a long time to wash my hands and then looking around at stuff. A knock on the door startled me.
"It's been five minutes," Uncle Sam said. "Let's go, young lady."
I opened the door and walked out, not looking at him. Then I sat down again and picked up the pencil, sighing. I opened my mouth to talk-
"Don't." Uncle Sam said. "I don't want to hear it. Just write your lines."
I scowled at the paper, and started to write the next sentence, gritting my teeth. Fine, he wanted me to write? I pressed down hard on the pencil, making the words dark and heavy, and then the point broke. The wooden tip ripped the paper a little bit.
Uncle Sam moved his laptop to the side and looked at me.
"You do something like that again, and I'll make you start over. After I give you another spanking," he said. He got up and left the room, then came back after a moment with a small pencil sharpener. He took the pencil from me and sharpened it, then he placed it on the table in front of me again.
"Get to it," he said.
I picked it up again and looked at him.
He said nothing, just raised his eyebrows.
I sighed heavily and started to write again. My eyes filled with angry tears, and I wiped them away so they wouldn't fall on the paper.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, I was done. I thought about throwing the pencil, but I didn't. I put it down on the table and said, "I'm done."
He leaned over and picked up the paper, and glanced over it, then looked at me.
"Good job," he said. "You can go play now, or read."
I got off of the chair and started to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I want to be alone!" I said, and I ran upstairs to my room. I closed the door and threw myself on the bed, where I cried for a couple of minutes.
Then I sat up and dug the little spellbook out from between the mattresses. It was written in 1936, and it said it was "Written for the Young Lady Who Wishes to Catch Her Man". I skimmed through it, and it was mostly little love potions and charms to make to "get a husband". I wasn't interested in that, so I shoved the book back into its hiding place.
Someone was shaking my shoulder.
"Charlie, it's time to eat dinner," Uncle Sam said quietly.
I opened my eyes and sat up, then I looked at him and burst into tears.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down on the bed.
"I'm sorry I was bad!" I wailed, crawling onto his lap.
"Hey, shh, it's been dealt with already," he said quietly. He put his arms around me and hugged me. "It's okay, honey."
He held me until I had calmed down. "Go wash your face and hands and come downstairs for dinner, all right?" he told me after I had stopped crying.
I nodded and got off of his lap.
Uncle Bobby had made hamburgers, and that made me miss Daddy.
We were finishing up eating when Uncle Sam's phone rang, and after he talked for a couple of minutes, he handed me the phone.
"Hi sweetheart," Daddy said.
"Hi Daddy," I said. "I miss you."
"I miss you too," he said. "How did your day go?"
"It was, uh, well...I, uh, got in trouble." I told him, feeling my face get hot.
"What happened?" he asked evenly.
"Well, Uncle Sam let me watch X-Men on his laptop, but he was busy, and after the episode I waited for him to start another one, but he didn't come in, so I figured out how to make the next one start. And I was waiting for lunch, but they were busy! And then I watched a couple more episodes and a thing popped up about playing games, and I- I clicked on it to play a game." I traced part of the pattern in the oriental rug with the toe of my shoe. "Uncle Sam spanked me," I said quietly. "Are you gonna- I mean, am I in trouble with you too?"
"Yes, Charlie." Daddy said. His voice was that deeper tone he used when he was serious. "What's the rule?"
"If I mess with the laptop, you both spank me." I said, feeling embarrassed. "But- Uncle Sam spanked me already and I had to write line too! I hadda write the rules for the laptop 10 times each and it made my hand hurt!"
"The rule is the rule," he said. "When I get back, you can expect a spanking from me. The laptop is not a toy for you to play on whenever you want to."
"Daddyyyyyy," I whined.
"Charlie, I don't want to hear it," he said, and his voice was starting to sound angry now. "Uncle Sam told me you've been very mouthy too. If he has to spank you again for that, then you'll get another spanking from me as well. Just because I'm not there doesn't mean you can run around being sassy."
"I know, Daddy."
"You need to behave yourself."
"Yes Daddy." I said.
"I love you. Be good. Let me talk to Uncle Sam again."
"I love you too, Daddy." I told him.
I walked into the library and handed the phone to Uncle Sam again. He got up and left the room. I was sitting on the floor reading some of the X-Men comics again.
In a few minutes, Uncle Sam came back into the room and sat down next to me.
"Hey, Charlie," he said, "I'm sorry I didn't come and turn on the next episodes of the show for you, and I'm sorry about letting lunch go. I got knee-deep in research and...I kinda forgot that there was a little person depending on me for things."
I looked at him. He gave me a shame-faced smile. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "You come to me and bug me if that happens again, all right? And you bug me until I pay attention."
"Okay, Uncle Sam," I said.
One of Uncle Bobby's many phones rang, and he shooed us out of the library so he could talk privately.
When I came into the library again to let them know I was ready for bed, they were talking. Uncle Bobby had a gun out and was taking it apart.
"I'll leave early tomorrow," he was saying. "You gonna hold down the fort here?"
"Yeah," Uncle Sam said. "Tell him I'm sorry I can't help, but someone's got to be here with Charlie. Maybe next time. I might try to take her out somewhere tomorrow."
I stepped into the room. "You don't have to stay here with me!" I exclaimed. "I was by myself when my mom was sleeping for hours an' hours an' I took care of myself just fine! I'm not a little baby that needs to be watched all the time!"
I turned and ran, and I found myself in the kitchen, fumbling with the doorknob. I yanked the door open and ran out into the yard, tears spilling down my face.
And then, of course, I felt Uncle Sam's big arms circling me and picking me up. He turned me and swung me up onto his hip.
He looked down at me and said, "Don't you ever run out of the house like that again, you hear me?" he gave me a little shake and I burst into tears.
"What's this about, Charlie?" he asked in a gentler voice. He walked over to the steps of the front porch and sat down with me on his lap.
"You an' Daddy can't do what you're used to 'cause of me, you think you have to watch me, an' now Daddy can't do his regular hunting because he has to make sure his daughter isn't a freak who's gonna eat him!"
"Hey, whoa," Uncle Sam said. "Why are you calling yourself a freak? You are not a freak or anything like that."
"Why couldn't I have a cool power like Rogue or Wolverine?" I asked. "Then I could help you hunt!"
"That's where this is coming from," he said. He sighed. "Charlie, I think you need to take a break from the X-Men for now."
"Noo!" I whined.
"Yes, I don't think it's good for you to be reading about them right now, with the way you're feeling."
"But- but-"
"No, Charlie." he said, and his stern voice was back. "Come on, let's go in, and you need to go to bed."
We walked inside, and Uncle Sam started to pick up the comics and put them back in the box.
"Put these away for now, Bobby," Uncle Sam told him.
Uncle Bobby looked at him for a moment. "All right," he said, and he leaned down and picked up the box. I watched him walk out of the room with them, and then I turned and ran to my room, tears pouring down my face, and I slammed my door shut and locked it.