This is War

4 - Half Truths

The Prabile conjured up another antique door and beckoned Charlie in. 

"Another one?!" Charlie groaned, exasperated at the thought of going through another portal, "Is this the only way?"

"Unless you want to fall through the clouds to your death again, yes." the Prabile said, growing increasingly annoyed at Charlie's whining. Charlie shut up. She hated her death-defying experience as much as the Prabile hated having to dive after her.

"Wait," Charlie said, holding a hand up, "If I am to trust you, I need to know your name."

"It's Harry. Harry Prabile." Harry said, anticipating what would come next. He was correct. The shrieking came. 

"The Harry Prabile? The one that murdered my biological father? You're a monster!!" Charlie shrieked and screamed and lunged at him. She missed and fell through the doorway. She landed on the rough stone floor of the Prabiles' cave, face first. "Ouch, " she groaned. There goes being Homecoming Queen at the prom. If she ever got back, that is. 

On the other side of the doorway, Harry looked at the door Charlie had just fallen through in shock. "Murdered her biological father, that's one way of putting it." he muttered sadly to himself. Perhaps tonight was not the time to tell her. He would wait one more day. He stepped through the doorway to find Charlie sprawled on the ground in front of him, groaning in pain. He had forgotten that Charlie didn't have a high pain tolerance, being mortal and all.  "Come on, "he heaved, hauling her up. Charlie gave him a dirty look as she staggered around in agony. "Thanks," she muttered sarcastically. Harry responded with a humourless laugh.

Harry led her to a large 2 room 'suite' with a comfy-looking king-sized bed, a lamp embedded into that section of the cave walls, a bathroom, a closet and a small kitchen. "How do you guys have plumbing and electricity?" Charlie asked, curious about the commodities. 

Ignoring Charlie's question, Harry turned to her and said, "Make yourself comfortable. You'll be staying here for a while. I'll have someone bring your stuff tomorrow. There's some clothes your size in the closet for you to change into. I'll see you in 2 hours to discuss with the council about your stay." With that, he left before Charlie could bombard him with questions. 

Charlie stared at the door Harry just exited and blinked twice. "I must be dreaming, though you'd think that I would've woken up by now." she muttered to herself. She pinched her arm, as  if to check whether she was dreaming or not. Her nerves responded with a yelp. Nope, definitely not dreaming. She sighed. It was going to be a long stay. 

Charlie quickly got undressed and hopped into the shower, letting the warmth of the water calm her nerves. After she was finished showering and drying herself, she opened the cupboard to reveal a beautiful dress. It was a full-length shoulderless silky figure-hugging midnight-blue dress covered in sequins and lace. Below the dress were 4-inch silver heels with intricate designs carved into the cool leather. Charlie was speechless. The dress was sexier than anything she had ever worn. The shoes looked so delicate that Charlie thought that they would break. Her parents were always adamant that she dressed like a nun. If only they saw her now. Entranced by the dress' beauty, she reached out and tried it on. The best part was, it fit to a tee. Slipping the heels on, she was surprised at how sturdy they were. She looked at the mirror and was stunned at what she saw. "Beautiful," a voice said from behind her.