Rising Dawn (Willy Wonka X OC)

Leap of Faith

Just a heads up, Will gets a little heated and swears at Mr. Salt.

"Well, what are you going to do, Mr. Wonka?" Mr. Salt asks, still in a panic. I struggle to focus on the people around me and breaking through the surface. One deep breath, that's all I need. More chanting song around me. Will strokes my hair. "Mr. Won-"

"Does it look like I give a damn about you or your little brat?!" He turns his back to the man, arms still around me protectively. One breath. I turn my head into Will's chest, burrowing further into safety. "Dawn, please look at me." I shake my head mutely, refusing to look up and break the momentary hold I have on my tears.

"Well, I'm not going to stand here all day. Get me my little girl!" Mr. Salt exclaims.

Will exhales irritatedly, nods, and turns back to me, speaking into my hair, "Dawn..." I shake my head again and he sighs. He backs up and lets go of me, I nearly whimper at the loss of his warmth. He drops to one knee, lowering himself so I have to look at him, and grasps my forearms gently. "Just..." He winces. "Give me a moment."

Will stands and paces closer to the rail. He gives one sharp whistle and a squirrel runs over and up onto the rail. Will holds out his hand and the squirrel readily jumps onto it. He's so cute. Will comes over to me and I stand, numb to the world. He reaches down and takes my wrist gingerly, he lifts it and turns it palm up for me, allowing the squirrel to climb off of him and onto me. The soft fur tickles my palm as it sniffs me and crawls up my arm. It makes a soft clicking sound with its tongue and curls up at the nape of my neck. I reach up and my fingers make contact with fuzz. A small smile sneaks its way onto my face.

Will smiles gently at me, it's a sad smile, one that says more than any words could ever. He reluctantly turns and wearily tells Mr. Salt that his girl may be stuck just inside the chute. Will reaches into his pocket and picks out the right key, unlocking the gate for Mr. Salt who runs down immediately. I walk up behind Charlie and stand beside him. He takes my hand wordlessly, somehow understanding that it's getting worse and ready to help me face it. I wrap my arms around him, careful not to disrupt the comforting squirrel on my shoulder. He holds my arms and leans into me.

This is the way things should be. I take care of him, I don't need him. I can take care of my self, I always have and always will. I force myself through the mental sludge blocking my clarity and break the surface with a deep breath. I take care of myself. I don't need anyone. I especially don't need Will.

But I want him.

Charlie starts upright and I look down at what just happened. Mr. Salt is no where to be found. My eyes find Will's face. He looks down distastefully and spins on his heel the next second. I let go of Charlie and stick my hands in my coat pockets, nearly stumbling when I feel the two little pieces of paper that weren't there before. The Oompa Loompa! I take them out curiously and see that one has the letter P on it and the other has the letter M. They're trying to tell me something! My eyes widen and I look to Will.

When he sees me better, a genuine smile rises to his face and his eyes light up. He closes the distance between us and looks like he wants to hug me again, but restrains himself. An Oompa Loompa comes up to us, bows to me, and motions for a confused Will to bend down. The Oompa Loompa whispers something to him, then leaves. Will straightens with a semi-relieved smile. "Don't worry everyone, I've just been informed that the incinerator is broken and there should be about three weeks of rotten garbage to break their fall." I wrinkle my nose playfully, squint my eyes, and shake my head. Will sidles up to me and leans over, not letting his eyes leave the pit that had swallowed two people minutes before. "A good thing too, that would have been a lot of paper work."

I giggle and look up at him, happy for the distraction of his odd humor. He takes out a pocket watch and is surprised to see that it has already been two and a half hours. "We need to move on. I'm sorry, Dawn, but Mr. Squirrel has to stay here."

I nod solemnly and carefully pick up the little guy to sleepy protests before kissing his head as he blinks his nap away. Will holds out both hands cupped together and I set the squirrel in them. The squirrel chitters sadly, trying to climb out of Will's hands and back to me. I tilt my head to the right and pet his head with two fingers. He coos and closes his eyes until I stop and step back. Will sets him on the rail and pats him on the back, a signal to go back to his station.

Will promptly exits the room the way we came after closing and locking the gate and ushers everyone after him. The four remaining guests follow and Will locks the door behind us. His gaze falls on the boat and he sighs, not wanting to take the slow form of transportation again. I see his gaze sweep the chocolate canal and his options to the left and right. His eyes settle on a door across the river labeled, 'Elevator.'

"I don't know why I didn't think of this before!" Will pulls a magenta tablet out of his coat and does something on it. I'm not entirely sure what he did, but a loud whirring sound comes from beneath our feet and planks of metal protrude from the platform we are standing on. They link up and keep extending until they hit the other side and lock in place.

There's a moment of silence after Will puts the tablet away and we wait to see who has the guts to cross first. Mike gives the bridge a skeptical look and I can tell he's about to make some rude remark. "Don't even start," I warn. He glares at me and Mr. Teevee looks apologetic. I glance at Charlie and even he seems hesitant to step on the bridge. I finally look at Will. He is watching me with careful eyes, curious and expectant. His eyes wander to the others as he surveys us carefully. He definitely isn't going to lead this time, but I trust him. I take a few steps toward where the edge of the platform and the bridge meet. He doesn't want to put kids in danger, I remind myself.

"It's a metal bridge, not ice. And Will built it, for Heaven's sake." As soon as the words leave my mouth, I know I've made a mistake. Everyone is slightly confused and their interest piqued in the fact that I so loosely called him by his first name. It isn't like he told me to keep it a secret, but I feel as if I've overstepped some boundary and showed my hand. I take another step. "Mr. Wonka, I mean. Mr. Wonka built it." I nod, talking now more for my benefit than anyone elses. "It's safe."

I inhale deeply one more time and give a little hop onto the metal. I go a few steps out, flash a smile to everyone else, and jump again, showing everyone that it's completely safe. Now, I know I'm extremely light, but if this thing were going to collapse, it would have by now. Charlie follows me and skips over the bridge, soon followed by Mike and his father. My eyes find Will's in a genuine search for approval. He doesn't disappoint, smiling warmly back at me with a glowing demeanor. He is pleased with me. I did what he wanted me to do. I obeyed his unspoken order. I submitted to his will.

My heart drops straight into my empty stomach, and my throat constricts. Since when was breathing so hard? There are no remnants of the happiness I felt just moments before. My face falls and my eyes dim. My mind swirls me in dizzying spirals, nothing to grab on to in order to fight it.

And suddenly, Will is at my side. He places gentle hands on my left shoulder and on my right cheek. "Let's not do that again, Starshine," he murmurs in a low, comforting voice. "It's alright, no more tears." I turn into his chest and fight tears stinging the edges of my eyes. "You know I won't let anything happen to you, right?"

I sniffle and in a voice so soft, I don't know if he heard, whisper, "Why?"

Thanks for reading my dudes! I almost exploded at how much cuteness came out of my brain, I hope you did too. Vote and follow me on Wattpad! Comment your favorite part and let me know if my time marks are inconsistent. 😂I don't know any more. Anyway, thanks again for reading and sticking with my crazy uploading schedule!
xoxo, Tilly