"Something's on your mind," said Mrs. Carmen. Rachel looked up from the load of dishes she was working on and made a face.
"What"
"You've been acting... guilty. Like you're hiding something." Reya shrugged.
"Sorry, don't really know what you're talking about, mom"
"You can't keep secrets from me, Rachel," said her mother. "I have eyes in the back of my head"
"You know, you're the only one who calls me Rachel? Why can't you call me Reya like everyone else"
"Because it says Rachel on your birth certificate, and Rachel is the name we gave you. Not Reya." Reya rolled her eyes and smiled. She had heard this one half a million times.
"Maybe I should start calling you Charlette since that's what's on your birth certificate," she said smiling. Her mother lightly hit her on the head with a magazine and Reya laughed, sticking her tongue out as her mother walked away. What have I got to hide, she wondered.
-
"And done!" shouted Mrs. Sitreg. "Beautiful you two. Absolutely beautiful. Reya, is your ankle doing better?" Reya and Jared stood up from the floor, stretching and smiling. They were practicing again since it was the day before the talent show, and Reya had managed to land on her ankle funny when she had fallen over, trying to get her costume out of the closet.
"It's fine," she said. It had gone down to a dull throb, so she knew she hadn't twisted it.
"Wonderful. Tomorrow night you'll definitely take home first"
"Free Wendy's!" cheered Jared, high-fiving Reya.
"Woohoo!" she cheered, laughing.
"Well, I think we're as ready as we'll ever be. Remember to be here at five thirty for makeup and getting changed"
They nodded and smiled, walking over to their bags to change back into their normal clothes. "Do you think they'll like it?" asked Jared.
"I hope so," she answered. "Yeah," he said, heading to the boys bathroom to change.
She flipped her bag over her shoulder and waved. "See you tomorrow." He waved over his shoulder and she walked off deciding to pay Wonka a visit.
-
Reya rolled over to the great door to the chocolate factory, and stepped on the back of the skateboard, jumping up and catching the board in midair. Wonka must've seen her coming because the gates had slowly opened before she was in front of them.
When she opened the door and stepped in, he wasn't there to greet her, but she knew where to find him. She left her board by the coat rack with the gold hands that would grab your stuff and hold them. She held out her board horizontally and two hands grabbed on to it, holding it and she smiled, walking off to the Wonka-vator. She had used it enough times now to know which button led to which room, so she pressed the one that led to the inventing room and was taken away in the blink of an eye. When the crazy ride was over she stepped out, slightly dizzy and walked towards him a little crookedly. He chuckled when he saw her and shook his head.
"Still haven't quite adjusted to the Wonka-vator have we?" he asked, smiling.
"I'm working on it!" she protested, giggling a little. He smiled and went back to what he was working on. She looked around and walked over to him, looking over his shoulder. "Whatcha doing"
"Trying to get this blasted gum to work," he said, placing a few drops of a liquid in a beaker with a white liquid. "They all turn into blueberries..." he muttered. "I need to find out why before I can stop it. You simply can't go about solving a problem if you don't know what the problem is"
"Wouldn't the fact that they turn the chewer into blueberries be the problem"
"Yes, but it's the problem of the problem. I need to find the original problem that causes that problem to happen." She was getting confused and nodded, patting him on the shoulder.
"Good luck with that," she muttered, smirking. He chuckled and shook his head.
"Goodness, Reya, it's not even saturday and already your brain is shutting down?" She smiled.
"Yeah. Oh, before I forget, did I leave my cell phone here the other day?" He thought for a minute.
"Ah! Yes, now I remember. It's still in the chocolate room where you left it"
"Okay. I'm going to go get it before I forget it again." He nodded and she went back to the Wonka-vator. After several sharp turns and twists, she arrived, stumbling out from being even more dizzy, and walked it off in the chocolate room while attempting to find her cell phone. Just when her vision was starting to go strait again, there came the sounds of music. This time it was "The Immigrant Song," by Led Zeppelin. She ran over to the area she could hear it, and found her phone laying on a candy rock. She picked it up and pushed the 'on' button.
"Hello?" she asked, thinking it was ironic that someone would call at that time.
"It's just me," came Wonka's voice. "Making sure you found your phone. Obviously you have"
"Oh, thanks," she said smiling. "It would've taken longer if you hadn't called. Thanks"
"Glad to be of service. Bye." He hung up and she hung up, smiling and shaking her head. She turned to the gummy bear tree and pulled down a red one, hoping it'd be hot cinnamon, and took a bite, small to be safe. A rush of spicy-ness filled her mouth and she smiled, carrying the bear back to the Wonka-vator with her. She was almost there, when out of the bushes something lept out and pounced on her shoelace, which was untied.
"Whoa!" she cried, falling over on her back, catching a glimpse of something furry run past her head and for her shoe. "Oh, please don't be a mouse!" she muttered, sitting up. The little furball jumped up on her lap and crouched down as if ready to pounce on her. It had all black fur, save for a white patch under its chin. It had large blue eyes, whiskers, and two ears that poked up on top of its head. Reya gasped, despite herself, and gave out a loud, "Aw!" as she reached over to pat it. It was a little kitten.
"Hello, there," she said in a goo-goo voice. "Where did you come from?" It started purring almost as soon as she touched it, and closed its eyes, rubbing its tiny face against her palm and finger tips. "Oh, you're so cute! How'd you get in here?" The kitten gave a small meow in response and she laughed, scooping it up and carrying it with her. When she reached the door to the inventing room, she stepped in, stroking the kitten softly. "Knock knock," she said as she looked up at Wonka. He was mixing some more things together and didn't look at her.
"Who's there?" he asked.
"Iva," she answered.
"Iva who"
"Iva just found a kitty," she said, scratching the kitten behind the ears.
"What?" he said, his attention now caught. He looked over at her, sliding off his goggles (he must've put them on when she had gone down. She always said they looked like a pair of fish eyes because they were so big). She smiled, gently taking one of the kitten's paws and used it to wave at him. "Where did he come from?" he asked, picking the kitten up from her arms. He held it up for a minute, looking it over, and then cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry... where did she come from"
"I found her in the chocolate room," said Reya, reaching it over and scratching the kitten behind the ears again.
"She must've found a way in. I'll have the oompa-loompas get right on it and make sure she doesn't get back in again"
"What are you going to do with her?" asked Reya, taking the kitten back from him.
"Well, seeing as to how there's already a female attatched to it, I can't very well send it to the pound without getting hassled, no offense. I suppose I shall have to just let it go outside then"
"By itself? Let it fend for itself?" she asked nervously. He looked at her funny. It wasn't like her to get that sensitive towards... well, anything. Except for when her father was mentioned, but that was for good reason. The loss of him was still so fresh and raw to her that he dare not mention it, and if it came up he made sure it was only briefly or when she looked ready to tear up.
"It seems to have done fine so far," he said, reaching over and petting it unconciously.
"I know," said Reya, looking down at it and sighing. "It's just... she's so small"
"Well, I can't keep it here. You know that"
"I know," she said again, shaking her head. "And I can't take her home. My sister's allergic to cats... damn her"
"Do mind your language please," he said, sounding a little like her father. He sighed. Either it was the kitten's big blue eyes, Reya's sad eyes, or the fact that both were staring him down at that moment, but he couldn't bring himself to just dump the kitten out on the streets now. "Very well, have it your own way," he muttered. She looked up at him and a large smile broke out on her face.
"Thankyou!" she squealed, setting the kitten down so she could hug him. He felt like a parent who had just been manipulated by a teen, but smiled none the least, patting her back.
"Well, don't dwadle, my dear. Go bring a saucer of milk. The little thing must be half starved. Go on. We haven't all day." Reya nodded and hurried off, not really thinking of asking why the oompa-loompas couldn't do it. Wonka rested a hand on his hip and smiled, shaking his head and glancing down. "I'm not going soft," he said to the kitten, not really caring that she couldn't understand him. He sighed and looked up, folding his arms over his chest. "I just hate to see her sad. She's been through enough." The kitten started purring and rubbing against his leg. He chuckled and knelt down, scooping it up and cradleing it like a baby. "And you're sort of cute," he added, smiling.
"I heard that," said Reya, peeking in and he chuckled.
-
