Chapter 16: Small Friends

Charlie's dad gave her two options. Either she could spend three days in a (admittedly, extremely nice) psych ward, or she could spend three days at her apartment 'decompressing'. Obviously, she chose to stay in her apartment.

It wasn't that she had anything against going to a mental hospital, it as more so that she just felt like no one else understood the situation, and any time she would try to explain herself they would just give her a look of pity.

It was like being grounded, except she was twenty five year old woman and everyone was treating her like she may have a nervous breakdown at any moment. Her father even had all of her computers, phones, and televisions removed before she even left the hospital. He said he didn't want her getting upset or preoccupied by what the media was saying about her.

She thought not knowing was almost  just as likely to drive her crazy.

With nothing to do, it was hard to pass the time without worrying. Mostly, she worried about Beatrice. She didn't know if the authorities were hurting her. She didn't know what lengths they'd go to her information from her. Most worryingly of all, she didn't know what her mental state was like right now.

And the other prisoners? There were some big names being held there, and Charlie worried that they might already be targeting Beatrice.

All she could think about was Beatrice, cold and alone in a jail cell, feeling like she was once again with no friends, or family, or anyone who cared what happened to her.

To everyone else, she would just be another person who slipped through the cracks. Somebody who society forget to look out for. A lost cause.

Charlie grimaced as she paced, looking out at the wall length window that offered one of the best views of New Atlanta that money could buy you.

She hated this.

She hated being stuck here, not able to do anything.

What would Beatrice do if she were here, Charlie wondered?

She'd probably roll her eyes at me, Charlie thought. Then She'd say; "Oh look at me! I have to be stuck in this million dollar penthouse apartment for three days! How awful! " Then she'd go angstily sulk in the corner and try to give the toaster sentience or something.

Charlie smiled wryly to herself, pressing her palm against the window. There were so many cars going by. From this high up they looked like ants. Charlie felt that small right now in the grand scheme of things.

The intercom rang around the room, letting her know that she had a guest in the elevator. Her father was screening who could visit her via the front desk, but out of those it was up to her to decide who to let in. This would be her first visitor.

She put her code into the command center screen on the wall.

"This is Charlie." She said.

"Uh, Hey. This is Linton. Can I come in?"

Charlie straightened up a bit. Copper Knight? What did he need? Was it about Beatrice? She cleared her throat.

"Oh. Yeah. Sure."

She pushed the 'open door' button and flicked the screen away.

The front door chimed as it slid open, and Linton made his way inside, carrying three... cages?

"Uh, hi." Charlie said.

"Hey." Linton  said. "I know it's kind of last minute, but would you mind watching Beatrice's salamanders for me for a day or two?"

Charlie blinked at him. Was this really just about the salamanders. She hoped he had more to tell her.

"Oh, sure." Charlie said. "I mean, I'm basically on house arrest, so it's not like I have much else to do."

"Thank you so much." He said. "Beatrice would kill me if I let any of her salamanders die."

Charlie frowned. "Well hopefully I can keep them alive."

Linton held up a piece of notebook paper. "Don't worry. She left instructions."

Charlie took the paper and looked over it. Beatrice's handwriting was small, and impossibly neat. The cursive curves of each letter seemed to be crafted with such attention and care. It made her a little sad to see it.

Linton cleared his throat. "Anyway—"

"Wait, are you going to be out of town or something?" Charlie asked.

"Yes—"

"Why?" Charlie pressed.

"I have things to attend to." He said.

"What kind of things?"

He heaved a sigh and rubbed his temples. "Charlie, I can't just tell you things that aren't good for your you to know."

"Good for me to know? What does that mean?"

"It's just a personal matter." He said. "I'll only be gone for two days."

"Okay, sure." Charlie said. "But listen. Can't you at least tell me how you know Beatrice?"

"Listen, Charlie—"

"Linton, please!" Charlie said, leaning in and grabbing his arm. "I care about Beatrice too. I want to make sure she's okay. Please, Linton..."

"Charlie."

"This is my fault! If it wasn't for me, and my stupidity, Beatrice wouldn't be in jail! She doesn't deserve to be in jail! I just, I need to know that someone else cares about her as much as I do."

Charlie's eyes began to sting, and her face burned with embarrassment at the uncouth honesty of her words. It really was stupid for her to be unloading all of this on Linton, a man that she barely knew.

Her idol.

This was the person she had looked up to since she was a child, and so she could manage to do was make an absolute fool of herself in front of him.

Linton's face softened, and he gave her an apprehensive look.

"Listen, Charlie. I do care about Beatrice." He said quietly. "I promise I'll talk to you when I get back. I'll tell you everything I know. It'll only be a couple of days, okay?"

Charlie swallowed and tried to blink away her tears.

"Okay."

Charlie spent the next two days crying in the shower and learning how to care for salamanders.

Luckily, it was a lot of work to take care of them, so she consistently had something to take her mind off of everything. Not that she fully wanted to take her mind off of it.

She wanted her brain to come up with some sort of magic solution that would get Beatrice out of trouble. She wanted Linton to show up at her apartment with Beatrice in tow, and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

But she knew that wouldn't happen. She couldn't just sit around hope that everything would turn out okay. She was actually going to have to do something.

On the last day, the day that Linton was supposed to be back in town, her father met her in her apartment for breakfast. Charlie was pretty sure he was just checking on her, trying to see if she was really ready to go out in the world or not.

She kept that in mind as they sat in the dining room eating omelettes. He needed to think she was okay. Or at least stable.

"You've been doing anything interesting lately?" He asked her casually from across the table.

Charlie half-heartedly cut her omelette into ruby squares with her fork.

"Not really." She said. "It's not like there's much to do, being stuck here for three days."

She didn't want to tell him about the salamanders she jeopardize any chance she had at freedom.

Her father cleared his throat.

"Yes, of course. I understand that."

"I could really use a haircut." She added. "My hair looks awful."

"I think it looks fine." He said.

She made a face at him to let him know she didn't agree.

"Okay, Okay." He said with a sigh. "I understand. You want to get out of your apartment."

"You're not going to try and commit me if I leave to go do something tomorrow, are you?" She asked warily.

"What did you have in mind?" He asked.

"I just wanted to go get my haircut. Maybe go to a coffee shop or something. Look at another real person for once." She said.

"What about the media? What about security?" He asked.

"I'll wear a disguise." She offered. "And I'll make sure to bring my security detail with me. I'm not stupid."

"Don't you think it's a little soon, Charlie?"

"I'll be fine." She said. "Plus, I'm far from being a kid anymore. I'm five years away from being thirty! I can handle my own problems."

"Maybe, but you'll always be my kid, and it's my job to take care of you, no matter how old you get." He said.

There was a look of sincerity on his face that scared Charlie. It was a look that said he was scared to lose her. It made a lump grow in her throat, and her eyes burn with new tears.

Why's he gotta get so sentimental all of a sudden? Can't he just be stand-offish and awkward towards me like he always is?  Charlie grumbled in her mind.

"I'll be okay, dad." She tried to reassure him. "I'll go straight home if anything happens, I swear."

He heaved a sigh and pushed his chair back. "I guess I can't really stop you, can I? Just try to be careful, at least for my sake."

"Don't worry, I will." She said with a smile.

She felt bad for lying to him. She wasn't going to be careful.

Now that her dad wouldn't be standing in her way, her next step was to hope Linwood would come back to see her. Then, it would simply be a matter of convincing him to come with her.

She was going to do what she had been dying to do for the past three days.

She was going to see Beatrice, no matter what it took.