When Reya woke up, she didn't know where she was for about five terrifying seconds. Then she suddenly remembered the night before, and a wave of depression hit as she remembered what Willy Wonka had seen, and what she had told him. She groaned and shook her head. Her and her big mouth!
"Ah! And she lives!" said a voice. She looked up and saw Willy was walking into the room, swinging his cane with him.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"Precisely sevent fourty-five. I am a bit of an early bird though, so I'm not used to having someone who sleeps in so late"
"You call this sleeping in?" she asked, sitting up and stretching. "I usually wake up around nine thirty on a weekend"
"I could never sleep that long," he said, shaking his head. "Well now, would you like to have breakfast, or shower first"
"It's too early to eat, man," she chuckled. "I'll take the shower." He smiled and signalled her to follow him. He took her into the same bathroom he had cleaned her cuts in, and gestured to the shower, a large one at that. She watched as he pulled out a white fluffy towel from the cupboard beneath the sink.
"I'm pretty sure you know how to work a shower," he said, smiling.
"I think so," she muttered, smirking. She pulled the curtain back and her eyes widened. Instead of a wall, it was a giant window! "Oh no," she muttered. "There's no way I'm showering here for the world to see," she said, half laughing. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. It's merely a trick window. You can see everything out there, but to anyone passing by outside, it simply looks like part of the wall"
"So I can see them, but they can't see me?" she asked, glancing at it unsure.
"No one is out there anyway," he said, shaking his head. "But if there was, they can't see you. One of my more brilliant ideas. There's nothing like waking up to see the sunrise. Of course, for those who sleep in too late, you miss it. But it's still a lovely veiw"
"Wow," she said, looking out the window. She could see the trees surrounding the property, a few birds flying by, and the sun shining off the snow on the ground. Normally, she didn't care to look at the sunny, but it was beautiful, and she couldn't help it.
"I'll leave you to it then," he said softly, and left her alone. She locked the door behind him, and then stripped down and climbed into the shower, her cuts not hurting under the spray of water for once. She enjoyed the veiw, and adjusted to the strange feeling quickly, reminding herself that no one could see her.
Through the wall, she heard the distinct sound of music, and when she listened closely, she laughed, realizing it was the Beatles. Not only that, but Willy was singing along with them, slightly off key, but not unbareable. She chuckled and shrugged, knowing he was the type to sing along.
"Love, Love me do," she sang along with the music. "You know I love you/ I'll always be true/ So pleeeaaase/ love me do/ oooh love me do." She washed her hair with shampoo that smelled like chocolate, much to her amusement, and peppermint conditioner. Only Wonka, she thought to herself. "Someone to hold/ Somebody new/ Someone to love/ Someone like you..." She smiled, knowing this was the one place where she could sing in the shower and not have to worry about being made fun of. She liked it. "Love, Love me do/ You know I love you/ I'll always be true/ Just pleeeeeaaase/ Love me do/ Oooh, love me do"
The water in the shower felt like a back massage, and she began to wonder how she was going to muster the strength to leave it. Beatles music was playing, the shampoo and conditioner smelled like candy, and there was an awesome veiw. It was not going to be easy to leave. Willy Wonka definitely had a very creative mind, and she knew no one, not even himself as he once said, would be able to understand it.
When she stepped out, three Beatles songs later, she dried off and looked on the counter to see her clothes were neatly folded on top, dried and everything. Her blood froze, and she wondered if he had been in there while she was showering. That was soon answered when she noticed a little door in the wall, about 5' x 6'. She pulled it open and saw it opened to the other room, which looked like a laundry room. "Ah," she muttered, and closed it before someone saw her. -
"I wish I was an only child most of the time," she said as she took a mouthful of French toast. "My little sister, Alice, is so annoying and is always trying to get me into trouble"
"By telling your parents what you're doing behind their backs by any chance?" he asked, making her grin.
"Sometimes," she admitted. "That's why I don't tell her anything now-a-days." He smiled and sat back in his chair.
"I was an only child," he said softly. "It was terribly lonely, of course, but I got used to it. Otherwise I wouldn't stay so isolated in here wouldn't I"
"No," she muttered. "But if you still want a sibling"
"Why would I ever steal that blessing away from you? You may not realize it yet, but your sister means more to you than you know"
"Heard this lecture before," she muttered, taking another bite. "And following this one is usually the 'You-have-to-set-an-example' lecture." She snickered and shook her head. "My parents have got to realize someday that I am not a good influence. I'm a trouble maker, and Heaven forbid, I'm proud of it." He shook his head.
"That's not entirely something to be proud of, young lady. You have so much potential. You write, you draw, and I heard you earlier, singing to the Beatles. You could be a music artist"
"Oh yeah," she said making a face. "That's definitely what I want. Next tone deaf sad person since William Hung (not trying to diss him)." She suddenly jumped, nearly knocking her plate over and looked down at her cell phone, which was vibrating wildly. "Sorry," she laughed. "I have it set on vibrate. It's probably Mom." She flipped open her phone, and then stepped out of the room, and leaned against the wall, beside the doorway.
"Hey-lo," she said.
"Reya, where are you?" asked a familiar nagging voice.
"I'm at Mary's, Mom. Why?" There was the sound of sobbing and she groaned, knowing her mother was probably about to launch into a speech on how she, Reya, had been too dark and gloomy and she needed to come strait home. "Mom!" she repeated. The sobbing softened a little, and Reya began to wonder if something truly was wrong. "Mom, what is it"
"It's your father," she said softly. Reya felt her stomach drop.
"Dad? What about him?" There was a delay. "Mom"
"There's been an accident..." her mother's voice either drifted off, or Reya was unable to hear her beyond those words. She felt sick, like she was going to vomit right there. Her mother was still talking, but she couldn't hear her. An accident? What sort of accident? It was bad, she could tell through her mother's sobbing. Was he alive? Was he dead? Was he suffering? An image of her dad laying on the ground, bleeding and gasping in pain came to her mind, and she sank down to the floor, hand pressed on her forehead.
She realized her mother was still talking and shook herself out of thought. "Stop!" she said, a little too loudly. She was shaking, vomit was threatening to shoot out, and she was in too much shock for tears to form. "Tell me that again. There was an accident"
"He's in the intensive care right now"
"WHAT HAPPENED!" she shouted, shaking profusely.
"He was hit by a drunk driver while he was crossing the street to go Mary's house and get you"
Reya's eyes widened, and her world came crashing down. This was her fault. If she hadn't lied... He would be sitting at home reading the paper, or watching the news, or talking to her... Not in a filthy, wretched hospital.
"Which hospital, Mom"
"Honey, it's best if you just stay where you are"
"WHICH GODDAMN HOSPITAL, MOM!" she half screamed.
"St. Joshua"
"I'm on my way," she said, standing up.
"Honey"
"HE'S MY DAD! I HAVE TO SEE HIM! AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STOP ME!" She pressed the off button and threw her cell phone down the hall, giving out a shout of anger and pain.
"What's happened?" asked Willy from behind. He had moved to the doorway when he first heard her yell. She stood up, clearly flustered and looking ready to go into hysterics.
"It's all my fault..." she muttered, shaking and hugging herself. She tried standing still, but found herself pacing around wildly, trying to calm down. "Oh, God! It's all my fault"
"What is?" he asked. "What happened"
"My dad just got rushed into intensive care!" she spat angrily. "He got hit by a drunk driver, trying to bring me home from Mary's house." Wonka placed a hand over his mouth in shock, and she felt herself gagging. "I'm gonna puke!" she cried, and ran to the bathroom as fast as she could, losing her breakfast twice in the toilet.
(A/N: R&R)
