In the same city where Moxxie lived, there was a local wildlife sanctuary called Animal Haven, that had been built on an abandoned plantation. The men and women there had spent years, traveling all over the world, rescuing injured or ill animals and bring them to the sanctuary to nurse them back to health. Once the animal had recovered it was returned to it's rightful home. Today's rescue was a snow leopard from the Himalayans. Poor creature had barely escaped being captured by poachers, suffering only a gun shot to the leg.
Watching the creature being carefully escorted into the sanctuary was it's newest member. A beautiful and spirited young zoologist, Charlotte "Charlie" Morningstar, who had just graduated from the university. From an early age, she had possessed an incredible amount of compassion and empathy for all of God's creatures and as she grew up she desired nothing more than to help them all. She applied to work at Animal Haven as soon as she could, she enjoyed seeing so many different animals from different places and aiding them the best way she could. But she yearned to be able to travel to these different places and expand her aid. To have a little adventure and discovery with her good deeds.
"He's gorgeous." She awed at the snow leopard. "Almost regal like."
"Most wild cats are." Said Robert Banks, the head of the operation. "They said it's most likely a fracture but we'll run more tests just to be on the safe side."
"Where will you release him?"
"On a wildlife reserve located on the other side of the mountain. He should be safe from poachers there."
"I wish I could have been there when it happened." She said. "I would have made sure that those awful people would never harm another animal again."
"Charlie those people would eat someone like you for breakfast." He chuckled at the idea. "You have no idea what you would be up against."
"I could learn if you'd let me go on the release trip."
"Charlie we've been through this before, you're still a rookie. You not ready."
"But Robert I want to see what it's really like out there for them. To see these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat and to maybe prevent the injury or the disease before it strikes. I wanna do more."
"Your enthusiasm for wildlife and it's wellbeing is admirable Charlie. In fact that's why I hired you, but you're still inexperienced. You must be patient."
"I've been patient. I've been here for a half a year and I've learned everything there is to know about an animal's health and behavior. What more is there for me to know?"
"Much more. Charlie being here isn't just about knowing about the animals. You have to know how to make it in their habitats and how to deal with the people we rescue these animals are from. Poachers are brutal Charlie. They are driven purely by greed, living creatures are either a product for them to sell or an obstacle to remove. And I know what kind of person you are Charlie and I know exactly what would happen if you encountered a poacher on one of those trips. You would blindly rush in to save the animal and a poacher would shoot you dead without hesitation. Now as I said, I admire your devoution and you will be able to join the others on their rescue missions but it will take time."
Charlie sighed. She couldn't deny that Robert's words were neither wrong or unreasonable. She was just so ready to help the world. So ready to leave San Franscico. So ready for a new change of pace. So ready to get away from her parents.
Charlie Morningstar was the daughter and only child of Lucifer Morningstar the president of Morningstar Finance one of the most successful banks in the state and Lilith Morningstar the greatest fashion designer there ever was. Her entire family was rich and elite, and stifling. Now Charlie loved her mother and father, and they loved her, but they never supported her passion for wildlife. They were always grooming her to either run the bank or get into fashion design.
Her father always said that becoming the bank presdient would be far more finacially successful than spending all day watching beasts and creatures. Her mother would say that with a career in fashion, she would have better luck in the social deparment.
"You can't talk to animals all your life dear." She would say.
But Charlie did to talk to people. She was very close with her college roomate Vagatha "Vaggie" RamÃrez and her mathematics classmate Anthony "Angel" Gianelli. They were her very best friends but the person she told everything to, the person who had always supported her hopes and dreams since she was a girl, was a woman called Miss Baring.
Miss Baring was a woman from Louisana, who Lilith met on a ladies trip to New Orleans. She worked as a waitress but she had a degree in childcare and was having money problems. At the time Charlie had been let out of school for the Summer and Lucifer and Lilith were both working, trying to find someone to look after her. And despite being rich, they didn't want to hire just anyone to watch their daughter. They ran careful background checks on Miss Baring, had her babysit Charlie for a few days, and when things came out well, they decided that Charlie would spend every Summer in Lousiana with her.
Charlie loved spending the Summer with Miss Baring. She was kind and warm, she would take Charlie to see the wildlife of Lousiana and feed her the most delicious homemade meals. She'd take her dancing and sing to her. She was like a second mother to Charlie.
But poor Miss Baring had been through so much. Her parents died when she was young, she spent her whole childhood in foster care and they just threw her out when she turned eighteen. She moved in with a boyfriend, a marine and she had been studying to become nurse for the children's hospital but then her beau died in Iraq and left her pregnant. Then as if fate couldn't be anymore cruel, she lost her son and was in a car accident that left her unable to use her legs again. How she was able to keep on living was a mystery to Charlie.
As the years went by, her money problems kept getting worse despite being paid by the welathy Morningstars and when she could no longer pay her medical bills, Charlie had her moved to San Franscio and in a nice house where she would be cared for. And each day, on her way back from the sanctuary, she would stop by to pay her a visit and tell her all about the animals.
"Miss Baring?" Charlie knocked on the door to the house. "It's Charlie."
The door was opened by a live in nurse who escorted Charlie into the living room. The woman in the wheel chair smiled warmly at her.
"Hello Darlin." She said. "So wonderful to see you, I swear you look more beautiful everyday."
"So do you."
"Now don't you start telling fibs, everyday it's another grey hair and another wrinkle. By the time the lord is ready for me, I'll look like the voodoo hag of the bayou."
Charlie chuckled.
"So how was work?" She asked.
"We resuced a snow leopard. Here's a picture." She handed Miss Baring the photo.
"What a pretty kitty. I like the spots."
"So did a skinner I'm sure. Probably wanted to make a nice fur coat out of him."
"Well lucky thing those nice folks down there got to him in time."
"Yeah." She sighed.
"Something bothering you?"
"No. Everything's fine, I just...I just really wish I could go on one of the rescue missions. Don't me wrong, I love working at the sanctuary but it's the same setting everyday. I wanna go out and see different places."
"Well honey going to different places doesn't always workout. Everyone I ever loved went to different places and they never came back."
"I know but you travled to a different place, you came here and that worked out."
"Yes I do love seeing my favorite girl everyday." She gently rubbed Charlie's cheek. "I hated it when Summer ended and you had go to home and I wouldn't see you again til next June."
"I hated it too."
"But I do miss my old home. There were a lot of sad memories there but also plenty of happy memories."
"Well you know you could always move back there. I'm sure I could find some place-"
"No. You've already done more than enough for me. I could never ask anything of you. Besides things aren't the same back there anymore."
Charlie knew that she was talking about all the people she loved and lost. Her parents, the man she loved, her child. They had lived with her in that place once and now they were all gone. If she went back then she would be all alone with only haunting memories.
"So tell me, have your parents finally accepted that you're not going to be the next bank president or the next fashion designer?"
"No. They still think the career in zoology is just a phase."
"Well try not to be too frustrasted with them. They love you and so they'll come around. Just wait and see."
"More waiting. More waiting and more patience. Just what I need."
"I'm sorry honey but life is full of waiting and patience. It's annoying but not without good reason."
"I guess."
"Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"No thank you. I have to finish filing out a few reports. Maybe next time."
"Alright then. Give my regards to your parents and Vaggie and Angel. And tell that boy that he needs to stop flashing his chest around so much. It's undignified."
Charlie laughed.
"I'll tell him but he won't listen."
Charlie hugged Miss Barring goodbye, she in turn kissed her cheek, and Charlie headed on home to her apartment. She fixed herself a sandwhich for dinner and while she ate she filled out today's report. She had just finished up when she received a very interesting phone call.
"Hello?" She answered. "Yes this Charlotte Morningstar, how can I help you?...Yes I'm familiar with Dr. Edward Hamiliton's work. I've met him a couple times...Yes I also know of his trip to that island on the equator but may I ask, what this is about?...My involvement? Why would you need my involvement?...I guess I could by tomorrow. What time?...Okay I'll be there."
She hung up and went into the bathroom to take a shower. As she was washing her hair, she wondered about what had been said on the phone call. He was a former colleague of Dr. Hamiliton and he had invited her for a meeting at his old laboratory. Apparently they were planning some kind of project and wanted her involved. But why, they didn't say. Only that they would explain everything at the meeting.
When her shower was done, she changed into her sleepwear, a short pink night gown and light-weight, cream colored robe. She dried her hair, brushed it out, and climbed into bed. She fell alseep looking at her ring finger which was adorned by a vintage, gold, band studded with white diamonds. An heirloom from Miss Barring's family and something Charlie would never part with.