IT FINALLY WORKS! Okay, here's the story kids: over 2 weeks, one day I came home to find that my laptop didn't want to turn on. 2 weeks later, awesome guy discovers that it isn't the motherboard (there is a God) but instead the IC (integrated circuit). It didn't cost as much as I thought, so yay. Anyway, I'm so sorry I haven't been able to update since then. I even tried updating earlier today when I finished this chapter, but the document manager was screwing up. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter though! Please R&R!
As Sawyer started towards the hatch to find out the combination to the door, Charlie sat next to the shoreline, his eyes widening from the birth of an idea which would help him do what he wanted to do.
The seashell's splashing and disturbing of the ocean's peaceful sleep reminded him of a certain person's garden. The ocean water flickered and shined under the fading moonlight, causing Charlie to grimace with pain from the irony of it all. Although the night appeared beautiful, peaceful and almost innocent, it wasn't for Charlie. Everything from the way the seashell plopped down to the sand to the way the sky's stars glimmered with magnificence offset the nature of his plan. His plan tainted everything in his mind, but all else remained unscathed.
Sighing, he cupped his face in his hands, the stubble on his face contrasting greatly with his past clean-shaven look. On the island he had never been clean-shaven, but before- before all the mess happened with Claire, he had shaved his face. Now the stubble had begun to grow back full force, like a bad habit come clean. He had never dreamed that he would be deceiving a person who cared about again, but he was going to. All for revenge.
Glancing about, still paranoid that someone would come upon him, Charlie made sure no one would interrupt his scheming time. In his mind, he pictured the person's garden, beautiful and untouched by the hands of sinners. He recalled all the times he had come across it while coming back from the jungle, admiring its purity and fresh aura around it. If he came across the garden, he felt his spirits raise and touch the sky, peeking beyond the heavens itself. Something about it, something about the way in which life could still start afresh from a place which caused so much pain... struck Charlie as wonderful. And yet, he had to destroy its beauty by hurting the very person who created it.
With his hands still on his face, he closed his eyes, picturing the person who owned the garden. Her sweet smile, her caring voice, both of these qualities about him struck him first. Thinking back, he remembered when she labored over Boone's dying body with Jack, facing a fear of another's death with a bright, strong courage. She stood with Jack, for God knows how long, through the hours of the night, helping with whatever she possibly could. Besides Boone, she had done countless other selfless things, such as fetch out plants in which she knew would help other's minor illnesses. She was a brave woman, braver than Charlie could ever dream to be.
This, these characteristics- he had grown to admire in her. Seeing her from day to day, he picked up little things about her that he only wished he had. But alas, he had to strike it down. Now, under these dire circumstances created in his distraught mind, he needed to use her as a sacrifice. He needed to hurt her, to pick her away like a fly from a piece of meat that he wanted to sink his teeth into. The meat of revenge was Charlie's highest priority right now, to taste its sweetness. Revenge, in all it's ways, had a tendency to surge through the person it possessed, causing them to think in ways which normally they dared not to. It tempted him to do things in which he hated to, yet he would. All for that one, deliciously sweet taste.
After the memories of her came and went, Charlie stood up, still drawing out a rough sketch of the plan for tomorrow morning in his mind. If he was going to go through with it, he needed tools. But what? Walking a few feet away from his previous spot, he suddenly heard a sound. Turning around quickly, he saw a person in the distance coming towards him, giving him a wave to signal him to stop.
Shit.
Instead of stopping, he started to run in the opposite direction as fast as he could, knowing who it was. It was her. She wanted to talk to him for God knows only reason, and he wouldn't have it. Not with knowing what he was going to do to her in the back of his mind. How could he face her, with his mind filled with deception and greed for revenge? How he could, when he just sat there thinking about how well he thought of her character, how he wished he could be half the person she was. Pulling his hoody up over his head, he hoped the darkness would conceal his blond hair in the disappearing light. He picked up his speed, heading for a rock he noticed in the distance.
The rock stood only inches away from the ocean, at least fifteen feet tall and thirty feet in diameter. It was more like a mountain than a rock, except that it was rocky all over and had no greenery whatsoever. Biting his lip, he headed towards it, hoping to hide behind one of it's many nooks and crannies. If he could just hide like that, maybe she would give up and leave him be. He did a quick one-eighty before even attempting to climb it, hoping that no one followed him still. Letting out a relieved sigh, he saw no one on the horizon coming towards him anymore, and decided to go up on the rock anyway.
Pulling down his hoodie, he rubbed his hands together before trying to climb, pumping himself up for it. It wasn't that he had a fear of heights to say, but he wasn't a very good rock climber. In the past, he had once tried rock climbing and nearly died- thankfully saved by the safety rope. He pushed aside his hesitations and grabbed a wedge of rock that stuck out, giving it a test pull to see if it would truly hold him. It didn't budge, to his relief, and he moved his foot up to prop himself up against the rock. Finding a small indentation, he fit his foot into it, seeing that he indeed wasn't going to fall from that position. He pulled his other foot up to another gap in the rock, peering up to see how far he had to go.
He hadn't really begun his journey upward, but he still wanted to look up. The top of the rock seemed to be leering down at him from his spot, sizing him up every second he stood flat against it. Taking a deep breath, he started climbing slowly upwards, trying hard not to think if he fell. Ah well, it was only... fifteen feet up, if he even made it to the top- that wouldn't kill him, right? He shook his head, trying to dismiss the anxiety he had about falling, and concentrated on the climb up.
One foot up, another foot up. One hand up, another hand up. Like this, it took him a good fifteen minutes to make his way even close to the top, now about six feet away. He mentally pushed himself on, telling himself how great it would be once he finally reached his destination. This pattern of going up continued for about three more minutes until he nearly reached the top, his hand touching the top of the rock. Now, to somehow pull himself up onto the-
"Charlie," a small voice called out from below, calling out to him in tone of voice that sounded both concerned and confused all at the same time.
As soon as he heard his name, Charlie gasped, badly surprised from the voice, and let go of his strong hold. The hand which lay flat on the top of the rock swung out wildly, and the other hand nearly lost it's grip as well. Gasping, he thought he would fall for sure, hanging onto the rock with only one hand- his feet scraping to keep still.
"Do you need help," the voice asked again, as if it was willing to go up and help him.
"No.. no... I'm fine, just fine," he called back, not wanting to seem like a complete idiot. He mentally chastised himself for being such a fool in front of someone else, not wanting to look like a big idiot. No, he would get himself out of this one by himself with no help. Recognizing the voice, he glanced down, a tingle of guilt starting to surge from his heart all over his body. He narrowed his eyes in sadness, trying hard not to think about it. It's just a job, it's just a job.
"Are you sure," she called back, one hand on her hip as she watched him struggle with staying on.
"Yeah! I'm just-," he started to call back, before his foot started to falter as well. Scrambling for a foothold again, he blindly hit the rock's surface with his foot, trying to find it again. Not finding it, he wondered if he would indeed make it to the top or not. But, before he tried to find the foot hold again, he peered down at her once more- giving himself a hard dose of self punishment again.
Seeing her eyes look up at him with such care, he was struck with a sense of loss all at once, as if tomorrow morning was happening right then. The shock of staring right into her eyes caused him to loose grasp of the rock completely, falling from the rock to the sand.
The fall was not a long one, since it was only fifteen feet, but it felt even shorter since he knew what waited for him at the bottom. Landing on the sand with a padded thud sound, he winced, hitting the usually comfortable surface backside down. Sun rushed over to him, leaning down to see if he was alright.
"Are you okay Charlie," she asked, giving one a once look over to see if any harm had been done.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine, just fine," he half mumbled back, shame rushing over him like fast, hard hitting ocean waves in a storm at sea. He started to stand back up when she put a hand on him, telling him not to stand just yet.
"Do you need any help getting up," she asked kindly, a sheepish look on her face. She had no idea why he tried to get on the rock in the first place, but at least it appeared as though no bones were broken.
"No, I'm fine- really," he insisted, wanting her to go away as soon as possible. The sooner she left, the sooner he could just forget this little run into had ever happened. He stood up, even though she shook her head for him not to, and brushed himself off. Sand covered his entire backside, and started to wipe it off with one hand, getting sand all over his hoodie. He could care less though, just wanting to flee the situation.
"What were you doing up there," she asked with a sheepish half smile, wanting to know. Could it be he just wanted to meditate by himself?
"Oh, no real reason- just wanted to sit up there and.… look at the stars," he lied, forcing a goofy grin on his face. It hurt to grin at her so, making him think of the pain she would have to endure for his own selfish revenge. But he had no choice, no choice.
"Oh, right. Well, I'm going back to sleep. Good night Charlie," Sun said with a smile, giving him a wave before heading off in the opposite direction. Charlie let out a sigh of relief as she made her way back, giving the rock one last look. His eyes rested on the top of the rock, trying to figure out why he couldn't make it up. Any other day he would have been able to climb it... but today, he just failed. As he stared at the rock, it seemed to grow in size, like it wanted to tell Charlie that it was too big of a challenge for him. Shaking his head, he turned back around, pulling his hoodie off.
He threw it to the ground, disgusted with both himself and the world. How could things end up this way? He had to hurt an innocent for his own revenge, because of one stupid man? Growling quietly, he pictured Locke in his mind, pushing away the regretful, sad thoughts he had when thinking of Sun. Hurting Locke was the only thing that mattered, making him pay for the crimes he committed that horrid night. Once that was done, Charlie would feel free of this guilt- or hoped he would. Of course right, how could he not? Once he had his payback, things would go back to normal.
Thinking now of only causing Locke pain, Charlie smiled devilishly, keeping the picture of an embarrassed, stupefied Locke in his mind. Only a bit longer until sweet, sweet revenge. Slumping down, he decided to just sleep out in the open for the night, knowing that his biological clock would awaken him in time. Normally, pre-Island, he really didn't have a biological clock- but under these circumstances, he was forced to have one. Leaving his hoodie laying in the sand, he curled up in a ball, like an animal out in the wild. It was time to sleep, to cleanse the mind- if only for a few hours.