Sorry, I tried to keep this chapter short but it didn't work.
Review responses!
JOHNHAMMOND1993-Hold that thought about the song, and you will find out what the extra chapter is for right now!
Softkitty55-I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, it took me a while to figure out Violet's backstory. I hope you like this chapter too!
Dragonserpent18- Thank you so much for the compliments, and thanks for the sympathy as some of the fanart gave me nightmares, yuck! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!
XXCandyLoverXX- Hello there, I was just telling Dragonserpent about me having nightmares about them myself!
MattTheWriter072- I'm glad you enjoyed every bit of the previous chapter, oh and I didn't know Candy lover came up with it first, kudos to him or her! Read the chapter to find out!
SonnyApril-Sorry about the grammar errors and the character issue, I've fixed them since your comment. I do hope you like what's in store for this chapter :)
At first, the seemingly simple question was met with total utter silence, which seemed so intense you could hear a pin drop. It was only after a few minutes of silence when one of the guests spoke up.
"Mr. Bucket" Mandy began, calmly walking towards the chocolatier. "I'm going to decline the offer to be your heir, I feel the opportunity will be best in the hands of someone who will benefit from it more."
"I appreciate your honesty Mandy," Charlie responded, turning to the others to see if they had anything to say.
"I'm also going to withdraw from the competition" Steven stated before adding in more a grumbled tone, " I need work on dealing with my personal issues right now."
Charlie nodded in understanding. Fernando was the next one to follow.
"I cannot be your, heir, either, I don't deserve to be," Fernando said, giving Charlie a guilty look as if he'd betrayed him.
"So that only leaves you two," Charlie then said in an audible whisper to Eleanor's and Samantha's direction, who glanced at each other in surprise.
"But I can't. I caused chaos for everyone!" Samantha exclaimed with an awkward stammer, having found herself unable to give the chocolatier eye contact.
"And I stole your chewing gum," Eleanor added, also avoiding any eye contact with Charlie.
"But you did it to help," Charlie responded with a sweet smile, Eleanor gulped at the impact of Charlie's words.
Eleanor then silently turned to look at the others, her eyes focused on Samantha as a look of shock filled her facial features. "So were you. I mean, if you hadn't have done what you did then no one would have learned anything today."
The others all silently nodded their heads in agreement, Samantha remained baffled at their responses.
But before anyone else could say a word, an Oompa Loompa tugged at Charlie's trouser leg, whispering something into his ear. Charlie then turned towards the Oompa Loompa with a simple nod just before turning back to address the guests.
"Since there are only the two girls still up for the prize my trusty Oompa Loompa here shall take you to one last room of your choice," Charlie said to the three families who had earlier declined the opportunity to win.
Watching as the Oompa Loompa lead the Perkins, Cruz and the Fox family's out the room, Charlie let out a small sigh when the door closed behind them. This left him with an exceedingly difficult choice to make.
"So, it's now down to you two," Charlie began, only to be cut off straight afterward.
"Why don't we cut the suspense and just get round to saying Eleanors the winner. She'll make a much better heir than me," was the admission from Samantha.
Eleanor shook her head. "Why don't we decide in a fairer way."
"How?"
But before Eleanor was able to answer her question, a sudden beat of a drum put an end to their discussion. When the lights went off a few seconds afterward, both the girls stood in a mixture of suspicion and wonder at what was about to happen.
As the beats of the multiplying drums became louder the two girls suddenly became victims to a surprise when a pair of Oompa Loompas jumped out from behind them, causing them both to jump at their unexpected appearance. Just when they had gotten over their uninvited surprise, they were in for another as they began to feel themselves being picked up by the same pair of Oompa Loompas who had given them a shock.
Then as if by magic they were thrown into the air, the two girls screamed until a raspberry kite caught them in mid-air. Their screams soon turned into waves of laughter when they realized they were being flown around on them. Looking down both girls waved at their respective guardians, who resembled the appearance of fleas due to how high they were.
Once the girls had been strapped on by the bottom strings of the kites the Oompa Loompas began to sing a jazz style song, while the girls continued to be swung around. Their excitement echoing throughout the entire room, making the chocolatiers lips twitch until they formed a huge smile.
But unlike all the other songs, this one was to be portioned out between the two of them. A bright golden spotlight shining on Samantha first, then moving onto Eleanor. Their spotlight conveying what the lyrics had to say about them.
Samantha Beauregarde, always staying on her guard,
with false innocence and knowing when to play hard.
But little did she know her life would be shown
before the others, spilling secrets that were unknown.
As Claudia Smith, she cared for her mother
because Violet Beauregarde was just like no other,
but filled with sadness these mortals are
with hidden rage flowing like a shooting star
However, she's not as bad as she may seem
As you can see, she knows more than carrying out a scheme
She can see right through you and find your fatal flaws
but alleviating pain is her only one true cause.
Eleanor Mai, from gray clouds to a clear sky
her smile brings brightness, and no one knows why.
When she shares her feelings, happiness will double
But her curiosity keeps bringing her into trouble
On the other hand, she never gives in,
Determined to bring the good side a win
And that is why she always does what's right
Persevering, never giving up a fight.
The choice was between the two of them alone.
But alas, the winner has been now been shown
Eleanor's the winner, for her loving, kind heart
And now, her destiny is ready to start.
Once the song had finished and the girls had been safely lowered back onto the ground, everyone except Eleanor wore a smile on their face. Her lack of one soon got noticed by the chocolatier, his own smile instantly transformed into a frown.
"Eleanor?" he questioned, "I see you look unhappy, why's that?"
The suddenly quiet girl remained silent for what seemed like a decade, she then diverted her eyes onto the floor as she spoke in a barely audible whisper.
"I don't wish to be your heir."
Gasps of shock escaped from the others mouths, including the chocolatiers himself.
"But- but why?" Charlie asked again, his tone of voice having stayed the same as before.
"I know what the prize will require and I'm not prepared to leave my community behind."
Charlie gulped, clearly astounded at what he was hearing.
"When I said about my community being one big family I meant every word. I can't just leave them, especially not after all the good deeds they have done for us. I'm sorry Mr. Bucket."
And that was when it hit him. Throughout Eleanor's explanation, it suddenly made him think of his own family, who before winning the factory were lucky if they were able to eat. Like Eleanor, he had also declined the offer to be Mr. Wonkas heir when learning he would have had to leave his family behind in order to work with him. And now it was as if he was in the exact same situation all over again, but this time on the receiving end. As hard it was to say it, he truly understood why she said what she said. And despite the hint of sadness lingering in the pit of his stomach, he was going to accept her wish.
"I get where you're coming from Eleanor, I felt the same way about my family. So I cannot bare the thought of me getting my wish and you not."
"Thank you," Eleanor responded in a gentle tone as she took Charlie's hand as a token of her appreciation.
"However, this means my question of who will be my heir remains unanswered," Charlie said with a heavy stutter to his voice.
It was at that moment when Eleanor's previous stern expression transformed into a soft smile, which was soon shared with Samantha as the same idea popped into both their heads.
"We have an idea!" They declared just before getting the chocolatier to kneel down so they could whisper it to him.
Meanwhile, those who had been told to go with the Oompa Loompa to choose a room they would like to spend the remainder of their time in the factory in were walking past endless amounts of rooms since they left. But on the bright side, this did give them an opportunity to speak to one another for what could be the final time.
"So." Judy began, turning to face Bryant who happened to be walking right next to her. "What do you plan to do when this is all over?"
Letting out a heavy sigh, Bryant brought up a hand to rub at his forehead before turning to look at the concerned older women. "Well, I plan to do something I should have done years ago."
All Judy had to do was give Bryant a questioning look in order for him to expand on what he was saying.
"To leave Christina and start afresh with Fernando. It's the least I can do for putting him through so much misery for god knows how long." Judy was unable to contain the slight scrunch in her face as she watched him turn to look at his son, who was happily chatting to Mandy and Steven.
"Well, good luck," was all Judy found herself able to say just before softly patting Bryant's shoulder to show she meant it.
However, it was only a few moments later when Judy suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. After a few seconds of the others wondering what she was doing, Judy let out a sentimental sigh, one that Mandy seemed to know well.
"Mother?" she questioned in a soft tone, before realizing what she had seen that triggered her reaction.
The room Judy had been so keen on looking into was a large room containing the trail of the chocolate river they had seen back in the chocolate room, which seemed to end at the room she had set her eyes upon. But as Mandy took a closer look she could then see a smaller version of the pink boat the others had ridden on floating on top of the river, the only thing occupying it was an Oompa Loompa checking to see if everything was still intact.
"I remember going on boat trips with my mother," Judy said, gazing at the boat as if lost in her labyrinth of wonderful memories it brought back.
"Hey, could we could go for a ride on the boat" Mandy blurted out, causing her mother to do a double take in absolute surprise.
The Oompa Loompa who had been stood in front of them gave her a silent nod. Mandy then looked up at her mother who was still trying to process what was happening.
"I er… If you're sure Mandy, I- "
Judy was soon cut off from ending her sentence as her daughter replied in a confident yet kind tone, "yes mum."
Trying hard to fight back tears the Perkins were soon lead over towards the boat, Mandy jumping up and down when seeing her mother let out a wide smile of heartwarming joy.
As soon as the Perkins were settled, it didn't take long for Steven to figure out his choice of room.
"Hey!" He yelled out as something nudged his arm that caused him to crash into his brother's side.
Annoyed at the sudden interference Steven abruptly turned around to give whatever had been responsible for the unwanted occurrence, to find the Jelly Jaguar they had seen back at the jungle room standing in front of him. Purring slightly as if to gain a response out of him, which it did, even if at first it wasn't a particularly friendly one.
"What was that for?!" Steven snapped, glaring at the Jaguar which didn't seem fazed or even remotely scared. All it did in response was nudge him again, but nose to nose.
Slightly flabbergasted at what had just happened Steven was about to shout at the Jaguar once more until his brother firmly placed a hand on his shoulder.
"He's not trying to hurt you, bro, he wants to hang out with you." As soon as the older Fox brother finished his sentence, the bully blob from earlier also made an appearance from its left-hand side.
Stevens rage quickly turned into deep remorse, ashamed at how he acted. "I guess I should say sorry, I'm just not used to anyone or anything being so nice."
The Jaguar purred again but louder while the blob wibbled, causing the blue haired boy to let a small smile escape his lips. A few seconds later the Jaguar lowered itself until it was more or less at Stevens height, letting out its own version of a contented sigh as it waited for Steven to acknowledge its request.
Although it had taken the blue haired boy a couple of minutes to think it through, he ended up accepting the Jaguar's request. Once the jelly Jaguar had lifted itself to its full height, the Fox brothers last words were "we're heading to the Jungle room," and with that, the Jaguar along with Steven holding onto its back and the blob on his head lept away. This left Joesph running to catch up with the speedy pair.
Watching as they raced to their chosen destination the Oompa Loompa let loose a soft chuckle, before turning around to see that only Fernando and Bryant were left.
"What room do you wish to spend your small amount of time you have left here in?" The Oompa Loompas asked, watching as they decided where they wanted to go.
"Could we go back to the inventing room? Bryant requested before adding, "I feel that Fernando missed out on a lot due to my stupidity." Fernando gave his father a sympathetic look in response to his flat out honest admission.
"Very well, is that what you want Fernando?"
"Yes," Fernando replied with a confident nod. A sense of serenity filing his heart with joy when seeing his father's beam of acceptance.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Charlie asked as he, along with the two girls walked across the same corridor the others had five or so minutes ago.
"It's the only way," Eleanor replied, giving the chocolatier a smile as an act of reassurance.
"Besides, I'm sure one of them needs this opportunity more than we do," Samantha added.
"Very well," was all Charlie had to say before taking a peek inside the chocolate room, where the Oompa Loompa had guided him towards.
Then from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Judy and Mandy taking a relaxing ride on the candy boat, sitting right next to each other as they talked, laughed and shared smiles.
Taking a closer look at how differently Mandy was interacting with her mother than she was at the beginning of the tour, he almost couldn't believe it was the same girl who had once been possessed by greed, with absolutely no regard for how she affected others. Especially her mother who had until now, always received the worst of her fractious temper.
Spending just a couple more seconds watching the Perkins continue to enjoy quality time together by pointing at various candies they came across in the distance, Charlie gave the Oompa Loompa steering the boat a small thankful nod before quietly leaving the room.
"She has certainly changed for the better," Charlie whispered as he, Samantha and Eleanor made their way to the jungle room.
Making sure not to make too much of a sound when opening the door, Charlie and the two girls were astonished at what they saw. Steven who had once been snappy, inconsiderate and just an unpleasant person, in general, was currently displaying high levels of compassion for the Jelly jaguar.
This was shown while he and Joseph, who was riding on the banoffee bird were having a play fight between each other. They had just been preparing to chase each other when suddenly the Jelly Jaguar took a tumble, which ended up in Steven falling off its back and landing on his side.
Joseph winced throughout the whole fiasco, while the blob shuffled over to Steven to make sure he was alright.
"No!" Steven cried out as he watched the Jaguar split in half, which then disintegrated into pieces soon afterward. However, as the blue haired boy walked towards what was left of the Jaguar, he was greeted to a shock when the Jaguar reformed itself with no traces of injury in sight.
Wiping away the slight teardrop that had rolled its way onto his cheek, Steven and Joseph both laughed, along with a happy squeak from the blob as the younger Fox brother said, "clever trick pal, you had me worried there."
The Jaguar happily purred in response to Steven's words of concern, before resuming where they had left off with their little game.
Having to swallow down a lump that had formed inside the chocolatiers throat, all Charlie had to do was give the two girls a meaningful look to show words weren't needed at this moment in time. Though if he was to say anything, it would have been something along the lines of how proud he was to witness just how far Steven had come along since his introduction.
With his throat still, a little tight from the lump that was slowly disappearing, Charlie and the two girls left the jungle room in order to catch a glimpse of the final pair.
Being careful when walking through the entrance to the inventing room, it didn't take long to spot Fernando and Bryant trying out the singing sherbets. The purple colored sherbet powder Bryant had consumed soon made him blurt out a verse to the Macarena, while Fernando's orange colored one had him singing the chorus to What does the fox say. This had them both in laughing fits at how silly they both sounded.
Just as he'd done for the others, Charlie continued to observe Fernando and Bryant as they moved on to trying other candies. Out of all of them, the chocolatier felt that they had benefitted the most out of their hard grafted lesson, as before Bryant wouldn't ever have let his son even mention the word candy. But now all had changed, not just for Fernando's benefit, but also for their bond as a whole.
On the other hand, unlike the others, their newfound father-son bond was at risk of being undone. Something that pained the chocolatier to think about, just as it would for them.
Turning to look at the girls, he could sense they were thinking the exact same thing. Sighing to himself, Charlie lead the two girls out of the room and along the corridor to the infamous nut-sorting room where Fiona, Violet, and an Oompa Loompa were waiting for them.
"Did you come to a decision?"
Charlie didn't respond, looking as if he was trapped in his own thoughts.
It wasn't until almost ten minutes later when Charlie said, "I want everyone to be taken from their respective rooms and gathered round here, I have an announcement to make," in a low tone of voice. One that put a feeling of unease in both the girl's stomachs.
Once the Oompa Loompa received his instructions it didn't take long for the others to make an appearance, questioning what was going to happen as they arranged themselves in an orderly line.
Clearing his throat Charlie thought to himself, it's now or never, before taking a deep breath and letting out what he was to say.
"Now as you all know the time has come to reveal the heir to the factory," Charlie began, gesturing the two girls to come stand next to him before adding, " However, one small change has been made."
"What's that?" Judy asked. Her along with many of the others confused at what Charlie was getting at.
"Well as you may recall it was either Eleanor and Samantha who was to claim the prize after it was kindly declined by the rest of you. Unfortunately, neither of them felt right about accepting the prize. So I have come to the conclusion that I must choose one of you to be my heir respectively."
The entire room then fell into a long silence that was mostly due to high levels of shock. No one could speak or even utter a sound as they waited for the excruciatingly intense revelation.
Charlie took this opportunity as his cue to reveal the lucky winner for all of them to hear.
"I have now come to the decision on who shall be awarded the title of being my heir." Charlie had to force yet another pesky lump in his throat down in order to finish his sentence.
"Therefore, I declare the winner of the entire factory to be..."
Ha! I bet you thought you would find out who the heir was in this chapter? Sorry peeps but you will do in the next one!
Again, credits for the song go to the one and only, Dragonserpent18!
I can't believe I only have two more chapters to write for this :(
However, putting the mean cliffhanger aside, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned to find out who's won :)
(Oh and be prepared for a couple of surprises!)