A Horrific Fantasy

Chapter 6

Helsa had chosen to skip school today so Charlie was pretty much ignored by her peers save for Vaggie and Angel. The three of them had lunch together and walked home together that day, not unusual for Charlie and Angel since they lived in the same building. He ended up becoming friends with Vaggie and Charlie because like them he was a bit of an outcast. People called him the weird kid because not only did he have a fortune teller for a grandmother and a circus performer for a cousin, but he had quirky hobbies which included collecting bugs, cross-dressing on several occasions, and trying to mimic stunts and performances that his grandmother and cousin had done. Charlie liked him because he was interesting, Vaggie liked him too though she found him annoying sometimes. 

"Angel why did you choose to wear a skirt today?" Vaggie asked him as they were walking down the street from school. 

"Because it looks great on me, that's why." He said stopping to pose. "You got a problem with men in dresses?"

"No but it's forty degrees out here and windy, how are your legs not freezing?"

"Oh..." Angel looked down and his knees which were indeed getting very red from the cold. "Okay maybe a skirt wasn't the best fashion choice for today."

"Ya think? Next time, at least wear leggings."

"So do you ladies wanna go catch a movie or something?" Angel asked. 

"Can't, I'm babysitting again." Charlie said.

"And Mom has me on non-stop study hall again." Vaggie said.

"How about tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow we're both staying after school for tutoring." Charlie said. "I'm having trouble in algebra and she's having trouble in English lit."

"You guys aren't just saying that to avoid hanging out with me, right?" He teased. 

"Of course not!" Charlie said.

"I'm joking." Angel laughed. "I know you both got a lot of shit to deal with. Let me know when you guys are free, okay?"

Later on, Vaggie once again left the group to go to her apartment and the remaining two continued on toward the house. Upon arrival, they spotted Mrs. De Luca coming back from the grocery store and she had her hands full of bagged groceries. Naturally Angel helped her carry them inside and Charlie did the same. 

"How nice to see you Charlotte." The old woman said. "And thank you so much for assisting me with my bags. Would you like to come in for some tea as a reward?"

Charlie wasn't much of a tea drinker but she didn't want to be rude.

"Sure, I'd love to." 

"Wonderful." She turned to her grandson. "Anthony, be a dear and put the kettle on."

Gina wasn't very fond of nicknames and always referred to a person by their full name. She always thought nicknames were silly because what was the point of giving somebody one name but calling them by a different one?

Anyway, after Charlie helped them put away all the groceries in the kitchen, Gina led her into led a dusty little room called the parlor, which smelled of furniture polish. One side of the walls were decorated with paintings styled off the Italian Renaissance while the other side displayed black and white photographs. At the center of the parlor there was a sofa, two chairs, tea table, an old record player, and a shelf full of records. Opera records to be exact.

"Would you like me to put on some music Charlotte?" Gina asked. "Are you a Bocelli fan? Or one of Callas perhaps?"

"For the last time Grandma, no one my age likes opera." Angel called from the kitchen.  "It's basically just people howling and screaming for hours."