A/N: All of my reviewers rock! I, however…do not. / I can't believe I've left you hanging for MONTHS! I would be so mad at me right now if I were you guys. I'm kinda mad at me anyway to be honest. I hope you will forgive me for my complete lack of inspiration and continue to humor me as I sputter through this little tale. I do intend to finish it. Sorry again everyone!
Chapter Three: Silent Vigil
The better part of the next day was spent preparing equipment. At least, the better part of what was left after Neiko woke up at noon. It didn't matter. She hadn't planned to be at the factory before sunset. Fewer people to ask questions that she didn't feel like answering that way.
As the daylight dwindled away, Neiko locked up her apartment and headed toward the street. A tired old Honda street bike waited for her in the tiny driveway. It had been a graduation gift from her dad and she had fought hard to keep it in good condition. In spite of careful upkeep, however, there was no denying the poor thing was on its last leg. Neiko grabbed her helmet and prepared to fight another errand out of the dying motorcycle.
'It's a good thing I don't commute,' she thought wryly.
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Neiko approached the immense, glorious factory as the setting sun painted its massive outer walls and windows in shades of red and orange. She looked up at it for a long moment before grabbing her equipment and crossing the last few yards from the curb to the front gate. That was her first shot. She opened her lens wide and snapped a shot looking up through the gates to where the smokestacks met the sky.
She scanned around looking for a way to get a better vantage point. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the high wall to the right of the gate. For the first time she noticed its structure. There was a low ledge cut into the face of the wall and industrial lamps hanging midway up. Neiko decided that these probably wouldn't be too hard to scale if she was careful. She lifted her foot high enough to reach the ledge and found that the carving actually was deep enough to serve as a foothold. From there, she pulled herself up until she was standing and reached for the lamp, hoping it would hold her weight. She tested it first and then pulled herself up onto the top of it, balancing precariously for a moment before continuing on. Slowly but surely, she levered herself up to the top of the wall and surveyed her surroundings. She was now very high up and staring down into the main yard.
Neiko wasn't as tempted to drop down into the yard as one might have expected. She didn't want to upset Willy Wonka. In the back of her mind, she worried that her actions may have already offended the chocolatier. She wasn't particularly worried about being caught. She knew enough about him to know that he wasn't all that threatening. She simply respected his privacy. The man had a right to guard his secrets, however frustrating that was for everyone else.
She took pictures of the structure until the natural light became too dim. At the last moment, before she could climb down from the wall, she noticed movement in one of the factory's third story windows. Neiko jumped, startled, and raised the camera lens once more. She used the zoom like a telescope to get a better look and slowly, a figure resolved inside the viewfinder.
Neiko had to strain to see in the fading light but she could just make out a tall, lean figure watching her from the window. On closer inspection, the build suggested a male. The distance and the poor light muffled his features but she could tell that his clothing was dark and vaguely Victorian. His skin, what she could see of it, was very pale. Willy Wonka. She didn't need confirmation. It had to be him. She wondered how long he had been watching.
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Willy Wonka had been wandering around his private rooms when a movement outside caught his eye. He went to the window and looked out, expecting to see someone rushing by on the street. He was rather baffled when, at first, he saw nothing.
It took him a moment to notice the young woman crawling around on his factory wall. When he finally saw her, he froze and his body went rigid with fear, anger, and suspicion. He didn't know why she was there but he was sure she couldn't be trusted.
Wonka alerted his Oompa Loompa guards and told them to be ready to stop her if she tried to climb down into the courtyard. He continued to watch her from his window and was surprised when she pulled out a camera and started taking pictures. 'There's nothing out there worth stealing,' he thought and for the first time he considered that perhaps she wasn't there to spy on him. But then what was she doing?
He watched her for a long time without moving. She didn't look mean. She had a kind face from what he could see and the kinky curls in her hair gave her a spunky look. She looked younger than him but not by much.
He continued to watch her for about half an hour until she began to pack her camera away in a satchel. In that whole stretch of time she didn't do anything very suspicious and Willy relaxed slightly but still remained motionless. When she finally moved to leave, it startled him out of the near trance-like daze he'd fallen into and he jumped slightly to one side.
He saw her freeze in her tracks and spin around, looking up at him with sudden, startling acuity. He realized with a jolt that he had been discovered. He wanted desperately to run away but instead stood his ground as she raised the camera lens and zeroed in on him. For a long moment, they stared at each other. Then he could see a wide grin beginning to spread across her face. She waved at him enthusiastically and then climbed backward out of sight. 'Awfully bold little thing isn't she?' he thought in mild amusement.
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Over the next week Neiko visited the factory several times. Each time, she looked to the upper windows of the factory hoping to catch a glimpse of the candyman and each time she found him watching her intently. She never acknowledged him beyond a smile and he never acknowledged her at all. It was an unspoken agreement between them to pretend that what was happening was unimportant. After all, Neiko was finishing her project. That was all. Willy still didn't quite trust her had managed to convince himself that he was merely keeping an eye on her. If, occasionally, he wondered her name, it was only vague curiosity brought on by suspicion. The truth was, however, that if these reasons had not been available to them, they would have found others. The growing ritual between them had, in fact, come to mean quite a lot.
One evening when Neiko looked to "Willy's window" she was startled to find him missing. Yet somehow she still felt the not completely undesirable tingling sensation of his eyes on her. She used her trusty zoom lens to scan the rows of windows that towered above her and finally caught sight of him, two stories and seven windows away from his usual spot. She grinned up at him and set to work with her camera, paying him no further attention.
At the end of the session, she put her camera away, pulled out a sheet of heavy paper and sat down to write. She could almost feel Wonka's interest growing as he watched her from his "hiding" spot. When she finished, she held the page up to Willy as if to say, "You want this?" Then she folded it up into a paper airplane and sent it winging for the factory's front door. She then dared to break their Golden Rule for the second time that day and waved at him before climbing down to the street and heading home.
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Willy Wonka watched the woman ride away on an old motorcycle before sending an Oompa Loompa to retrieve the unknown message. In his excitement though, he couldn't leave the tiny man to do his job alone and nearly beat him to the door. He did, however, decide to wait inside for the note to be brought in from the steps. When the Oompa Loompa handed him the little airplane, Willy just stared at it for a moment, wondering what could be inside. His hands shook as he carefully unfolded the plane and his brow furrowed in concentration as he read what she had written.
Mr. Wonka,
Thought you could hide did you? I thought you might be curious what I'm doing here. Don't worry, I'm not here to spy on you or violate your privacy. I don't have any ulterior motives and I have no intention of ever entering the factory yard. I'm just taking pictures because I love you factory and I needed a new photography project to pass the time. I hope that I haven't done anything to offend you. At any rate, tomorrow is my last day so I'll be out of your hair soon enough.
Love,
Neiko DuClare
P.S. – Out of respect for your privacy I have photographed nothing that can't be seen from the street. When I used the zoom to find you I didn't take any pictures.
P.P.S.- The FudgeMallow Delight is perfect just like all your other candies!
Willy couldn't help but smile at that last bit. She was a fan huh? Could be. She didn't seem to be trying to steal anything from him after all. In fact, hadn't she said she wasn't coming back at all after next time? Suddenly he tensed in shock as he realized what that meant. After tomorrow she would be finished and he would not see her again. And he would definitely…miss her…? Was that it? He wasn't sure why but he knew that he would. But what could he do about it? It took him only a few moments to reach his decision.
A/N: Dun, Dun, Dun! Cliffhangers are fun don't ya think?
Willy and Neiko will meet in chapter 4 and Willy will have his first lines. I feel more comfortable writing him now because this chapter kind of showed me what I was working with.