A/N Own nothing that doesn't belong to me. I love Mary and Jessai'e, two of my loyalest reviewers, glad to see your are reading this story too and I love anyone else who reads this. Thanks to all of you and to my beta. This chapter is kind of short.. sorry about that.
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Chapter 3: The Buckets
In the middle of the colorful room there was a little shack. I couldn't figure out how it was still standing. Mr. Wonka and Charlie began walking towards it so I followed. Halfway there Mr. Wonka turned to me. "Have a blade of my grass." I looked down at the grass and looked back up confused.
"What?"
"Eat a blade of grass. It's so delicious."
"Do I look like a damn rabbit?"
His eyes narrowed at me and he frowned. "Everything in this room is eatable, except for the house. Try the grass." I knelt down and pulled out a blade and stuck it between my teeth. I wasn't planning on actually eating it until I tasted it. It was strange. It was sweet. It was actually edible. "Do you like it?" He looked hopeful. I didn't want to bring him down, but one thing I am not is a liar.
"No."
He frowned again and looked disappointed. "Why not?"
"It's too sweet." I guess I have a very limited sense of taste. That blade of grass was the first piece of candy I ever had. My normal meals when I can get them are cheap and filling which usually means pasta. So nothing with any real tastes to it.
"Don't you like candy?"
I shrugged. "That was the first I ever had." He looked shocked and nodded. He and Charlie went into the little shack so I followed.
Inside the little shack was a bunch of people in too small of a space. I saw four older people sitting on a bed and two more middle aged in the kitchen. The kitchen was only a few feet away from the bed. I looked up and saw a small rickety ladder that led to a bedroom that probably wasn't originally designed to be there. It was just a convenient hole in the ceiling. Couldn't these people live somewhere else in the factory?
Everyone greeted Charlie and Mr. Wonka and I soon learned all their names as well. I never met people who were so nice. Mrs. Bucket almost cornered me into a seat at the table where I waited for dinner. Charlie and Mr. Wonka sat on the other side of the table and watched me. I probably would have done the same if I had a home to protect, but nonetheless it pissed me off.
"What are you staring at Mr. Wonka?"
"You. And you can call me Willy." He kept looking at me, inspecting everything. It was really getting on my nerves.
"Well can you stop?"
"No." He voice was far away and he seemed to be staring through me for a moment. He laughed and continued to stare at me.
"Why not."
"Because you look likeā¦" I looked at him waiting for him to tell me who I supposedly looked like, but he never finished. Mrs. Bucket began to put food on the table and the grandparents were sitting down to eat. I ate enough for three of me at least. There was enough food so I wasn't worried about that. However, all of them were staring at me once again. They were amazed with how much I could eat.
Mrs. Bucket smiled at me in amazement. "How can you eat that much and stay so thin? It's incredible." Willy glared at me in almost a warning. I didn't know him so I wasn't really sure what he was trying to say to me. Charlie looked straight at his plate pretending he didn't hear the question.
"I normally don't eat this much, but your cooking is very good." I didn't lie to her at all. I don't normally have access to this much food. The few times I do have access to food I do try to eat every last bit of it, however those are few and far between. She was a pretty good cook as well. She blushed at my answer, Willy and Charlie both looked grateful that I didn't mention the real reason I was thin.
