A Little Note:Bleezie- Thank you so much for reviewing my first two chapters, hope you like the third!

Chapter 3:

Trancey P.O.V.

"Boys lay her down on the couch over there, gently boys, gently! The poor thing looks hurt enough as it is!" Directed Aunt Louise to the four boys, Charlie once put on the couch laid there limply. I stood right next to her, ready to help in anyway I could. Poor Charlie! She looks so helpless in her sleep.

Vern taking the boys into the other room to get something to drink since they look so parched (under Auntie's direction of course). I glance at Riley and Madison, Riley attention has already moved on, she's now playing with our new boy, puppy boxer named Patty. Madison on the other hand is siting in a chair off to the side watching solemnly, I think a brick wall is louder.

"Trancey?" Auntie asks me.

"What?" I ask my eyes looking back at the sleeping Charlie.

"Who is the poor dear? Do you know what happened to her?" She's asks, worry clouding her soft brown eyes.

"She's Charlie Channings, I've talked about her before. She's my best friend from were I used to live. As to what happen to her I'm not positive, but for her to come all the way from Larks Town on the other side of the state it must have been big. Charlie's family life is really rough; her Step-Dad is very abusive, mostly to her. She often run and stay at Grand-Mom's with me." I explain quickly, barely getting a chance to breathe.

"Alright, I think she should stay here, until we can figure out what to do alright?"(I nod my head in agreement), "We'll get her to a Dr. Welsh after she's rested, fed, and cleaned up." Auntie decided quickly.

"Swell! That's just great!" I reply joyfully, but quietly so I won't wake Charlie.

"Good, you kids go outside and do whatever you kids do. And I'll get you as soon as Charlie wakes up, alright?" asks Auntie, I nod my head quickly. She then goes back in the kitchen to continue cooking and sends the boys back in.

"Come on guys, let's go on the porch. We can play poker!" Suggests Vern, we begin to walk out Riley in the lead practically skipping out. We sit down and get settled. Riley begs to shuffle the cards, we exchange wary looks. But finally agree.

Five seconds the cards fall all over the porch. Gordie, Chris and I just shake our heads; Riley hits her head with her hand; Vern just stares at Riley like he always does (he has a huge crush on her); and Teddy let's loose his wild laugh.

"Oops!" Exclaims Riley; she starts to pick them up. She looks up suddenly and notices that no one is helping her. "Hey come on! Someone has to help me pick these up! Oh come on please?!"

"You dropped them," snide Gordie, "So you can pick them up." Riley then slaps his arm and says 'Bad cousin! Bad cousin!'

"Wait, I'll help you." Says Vern blushing, and Riley who's also blushing says thanks him. And they finish picking up the cards together.

We then finally start to play poker. This goes on for quite a while until 11:38AM when we eat lunch. Then we come back out and start playing again. Gordie and Riley had to leave to go home around 3 PM and Madison left to walk to her house on The View with them. Chris, who has his own car now since he's a year older, didn't have to leave for a while yet.

Around 4:45pm Aunt Louise called me, "Trancey dear Charlie's awake now!"

I walked in quickly and give her the low down. Charlie thanks me and agrees and then thanks me again.

"Come on, I'll show you where the bathroom is so you can get a shower and change into some clean clothes of mine." I say as I lead her up stairs to grab clean clothes from my room. I then take her to the bathroom give her a towel, the clothes, shampoo, conditioner, soap, a razor, and a tooth brush. "I'll be back in an hour, ok? Good."

Charlie's P.O.V.

I take off my old dirty clothes and put them to the side. They really need to be thrown out. I then brush the knots out of my hair and hop in the shower. The warm water washes the layers of dirt off my skin. Ahhhh, warm water, this feels so good.

I work the shampoo into my hair and wash it out; I do this again to be safe. Then comes the conditioner, I leave it in there as I rub the soap all over to get the dirt out. I rub myself again with the soap just to be safe, and then shave my legs and armpits.

After that I wash the conditioner out and wash myself with the soap again. I don't want to get out, but I have to. I turn off the water, open the shower curtain, and wrap the towel around myself.

Drying off quickly, I dig the blow dryer out of the cabin below the sink and dry my hair completely. Then I get dresses in my borrowed clothes and brush my hair again. After I finish that I brush and floss my teeth.

I look in the mirror, now that's much better, hair is a few shades lighter now and it's wavy at the very bottom. I glance down at the clothes I have on gray jeans that were unevenly cut off at the knees to make shorts, but since I'm 5'3 where Trancey's 5'7 ½ there a little longer on me and reach 3 inches past my knees. I've a dark purple T-shirt and gray all-stars sneakers on, with pale purple socks.

I look at my face in the mirror my pale foggy aquamarine eyes stare straight back at me. I've light freckles all over my straight French nose and some other light freckles here and there. I've an annoying but cute little mole right on the bottom left corner of my neck. Pale full pink lips press together as I look at my pale complexion and rosy cheeks. My face is round almost heart shaped face, with secretive bright eyes.

All of a sudden I heard a knock and my hand flies to my heart.

"Yes?" I answer caustionly.

"Charlie come on your worse then Vern when he thinks he's starting grown a beard or mustache! And if you want any dinner you better get your ass out here now!" Shouts Trancey through the door playfully, pale creamy brown twinkling when I open the door.

"Yes My Lady! Of course My Lady! Anything for My Lady!" I say with an accent mockingly, curtsying deeply at the end. She then promptly shoves me and I laugh.

"Give me those rags you were wearing earlier so I can throw them out." She orders I run back in the bathroom and grab them. As I hand them to her with a deep curtsy. We both laugh as when run down the steps, first to meet Trancey's Uncle Frank. Who agreed with Mrs. Tessio and was happy to meet me. Then we ran out to the porch to eat.

I looked at the table and saw that four places are set two of which are already taken. One by Vern who I had met before when he visited Trancey back in Larks Town, and the other look vaguely familiar. I think he was the one who caught me when I fainted at the tree house. He's cute, his grayish blue eyes and short cut dirty blonde hair.

"Charlie you remember Vern from when he visited me before right?" asks Trancey (I nod my head at her, then I shake Vern's hand and smile at him politely), "Poor girl. Moving on, I'd like you to meet your little knight in shining armor. He's the one that caught you when you fainted and carried you down the ladder. Charlie meet Chris Chambers, Chris meet Charlie!"

I elbow Trancey in the stomach then I say, "Hey nice to meet you, thank you so much Chris for helping me…. uh…yeah, well thank you." I meet his eyes and felt myself shiver in side, the good kind of shiver.

"Yeah you too," he replied gently. Then when I shook his hand I noticed scatter bruises, loads of scars, and a large cigar burn on the under side of his arm. When I frowned with worry seeing it, Chris then yanked his arm back. He face first turns red then turned pale. He then mumbles, "It' nothing important."

Hmmm, wonder who did that, I don't think he'd do it to himself. Maybe it's one of his parents; in that case I know how he feels.

"I'm going to go dig for my pennies, anyone want to come and help?" asked Vern hopefully, the only replies he got was a confused look from me, and laughter from Chris and Trancey. Vern then huffed off and disappeared under the porch.

"He buried them when we were like 12, lost his 'treasure map', and hasn't been able to remembered where he's buried them." Explained Chris who was still snickering.

"And he hasn't been able to find them since?" I asked when they both nodded; I let out a bark like HA-ha. So then we all start laughing and we were finished by the time Trancey's Aunt walk out with a tray of food. She had this whole caring motherly air to her one that my mother had never had.

"Charlie, honey you look so much better now. By the way call me Auntie. I don't think we need to take you to Dr. Welsh anymore, do you?", she asks.

"No, I'm ok, nothing broken, I think." I answer grinning.

"That's great honey, I'm going to call my mother later to see what's going on or what has happen." Auntie confirms.

"Oh yeah, that's great..." I answer in a near whisper.

"Swell! Hmm (she looks around) where has Vern gotten off to now?" Auntie said pondering.

"He's digging for the pennies, again." Answered Trancey with a laugh in her voice.

Auntie just sighs and stamps her foot on the porch. "Vern if you want any supper you better get up here right now!" She snaps.

"Yes Mom", Vern answers and comes up the steps and sits down. Auntie then leaves and we begin to eat dinner. It consisted of broccoli, chicken, and sweet potatoes. Me going back for thirds, though Chris beat me by one, and Vern beating him by two. After diner Chris thanked Auntie, said his good-byes and left. Vern when up in his room and read comic books till he had to go to bed.

Trancey and I went up to the room where I would be staying. It had a pale yellow carpet and a big, circular, bronze-yellow rug mat in the middle of the room with lighting yellow roses on it. The walls and the ceiling are painted a golden yellow. My bed that was off to the side had red wood bed posts, a matching little bed table next to it with a alarm clock and a white porcelain lamp on it. The bed sheets, skirt, blankets, quilt, and pillows range from a light yellow to a dark gold. There was a closet right next to the door, and a red wood wardrobe chest across the room from the bed with a smaller cabin chores right next to it. There were different shades of yellow beanbag chairs throughout the room. One big bean bag chair was placed right in front of the only but quiet large with across from the closet.

"Good thing I like yellow." I remarked as I jumped on a beanbag and Trancey just laughed at me. We talked into the night, catching up with each other.

Chris P.O.V. (as he's driving home)

Charlie's just so beautiful; I really want to get to know her. We could be such good friends, maybe more. She seems like she knew where my scars came from.

Damn!

I can't stop thinking about her, I heard her and Trance' up stairs. Charlie has a great sense of humor too.

Stop it Chambers! Charlie can do much better then you why even waste her time. But maybe I do have a chance with her.