A Horrific Fantasy

Chapter 30

The next morning, Charlie decided to wake up with a completely new attitude. One that was more appreciative and understanding to her adoptive family. She got out of bed with a smile on her face and greeted Stolas and Octavia happily.

"Good morning Stolas." She said entering the kitchen. "Good morning Octavia."

"Good morning Charlie." They each replied to her.

"Feeling better today Via?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, I don't feel yucky anymore." She said. "But I liked missing school."

"I know what you mean." Charlie chuckled. "I wish I could miss a few days of school. But since you're feeling better, I have an idea. Why don't we play a game when we get home later today?"

"Really?" Octavia said getting excited.

"Uh-huh."

"Oh boy! What are we going to play?"

"You choose."

"Well we could play tea party or checkers or puzzles or star-gazing."

"We'll play whatever you like and after dinner I have a very special surprise for you."

"A surprise? What is it?! What is it?!" She cried eagerly.

"Well if I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?"

For breakfast Stolas once again served that bland and flavorless oatmeal that he'd always make and she ate every last spoonful of it without one complaint. Much to Stolas's surprise.

"Thank you for breakfast Stolas." She said gratefully. "It was very good."

"You're...You're welcome." He said.

"So how is everything with Stella and the issue with the alimony?"

"It's still a mystery to what happened to all the money. We'll get to the bottom of it eventually but that might take some time and a lot of late hours. I hate to do this to you Charlie, really I do, but I'm afraid you may have to babysit Octavia every night this week and possibly next week."

"It's okay Stolas." She said. "I understand."

Stolas gave her a puzzled look. He wasn't expecting her to have that reaction at all.

"Charlie is everything is alright?" He asked her.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well recently you've been very angry and upset, particularly with me, but now all of sudden you're happy and cheerful, and you like my cooking apparently. Now it's not that I don't like this new attitude of yours mind you but I find kind of strange that it just appeared like this. Has something changed around here that I don't know about?"

"Well...Yes. I did a lot of thinking last night and I realized that I have been acting a little bratty lately. I mean it's not your fault that Stella is being unreasonable and you are doing the best you can. And maybe I need to stop whining so much and try to help you out more. After all you have done a lot for me."

Stolas didn't know what to say. He never expected Charlie to come to this realization. At least not while she was still sixteen, and at first it pleased him very much that she had matured in the circumstances they were given. But something about this bothered him. As much as he wanted Charlie to be more mature and understanding about his job and his divorce and looking after Octavia, he didn't expect it to happen so fast. Especially when there hasn't been any change to the situation. Or rather there hasn't been any changes that he knows about.

"Charlie why don't you go upstairs and get your jacket? It's supposed to be very windy outside today."

"Alright. Do you want me to get Via's too while I'm up there?"