Let the World Know We're Alive
One
Charlotte flicked her golden blonde locks out of her slightly sweaty face; she gave the woman in front of her a displeasing look and a sulky sigh. Even in the grandeur setting underneath the beautiful weather and gleaming sun her mother and her were still at loggerheads.
“I didn’t come half way around the world just to fight with you, we do that enough at home,” Charlotte whined making sure she kept the last part of the sentence soft and inaudible. Knowing if her mother ever did hear any remarks around the sort she would scold her daughter automatically despite the public setting.
“Well if you listened to me for just this once Charlotte. I cannot believe what a spoilt brat I raised, I should have brought Matthew on this holiday instead. Here you are on the Grand Canyon and you’re complaining you selfish little cow!” Charlotte didn’t have the heart to be bothered by her own mother’s words. It was nothing she hadn’t heard before, the fifteen year old was well conditioned to the harsh words of her mother. What hurt her more than being called selfish was being told her mother wished she took her boyfriend of three months on holiday instead, the boyfriend only four years older than Charlotte herself.
“I asked for a bottle of water how is that being selfish?” Charlotte sighed as she almost tugged on her waist length locks, she couldn’t feel the pain, not anymore.
“If you wanted water you should have brought it yourself, I am not carrying all your shit for you.”
“I asked to go to the shop but you wouldn’t give me any money!” Charlotte complained coughing a little party because of the heat and partly because she was angry.
“Well let me tell you something you ungrateful little runt if you think you’re so big let’s see how you hope without me because that would make your life so much better wouldn’t it?” Charlotte’s mother more commonly known as Anastasia snarled at her daughter who she never wanted and frequently told her that. Anastasia was a nineteen year old girl when she gave birth to Charlotte, the identity of the father wasn’t known, Anastasia was a very wild young woman. That was until Charlotte came along. Anastasia looked down towards her daughter and without giving it a second thought walked away from the teenager.
“Mom where are you going? Mom? Mom come back!” Charlotte ignored the stares and gestures from passers-by who had heard the exchange and tried as fast as her little legs would allow her, to try and catch up with her mother.
“You heard me, if you think you’re so clever you’re on your own.” Those were the last words Charlotte heard. She looked everywhere for the tall blonde haired woman, she walked so far her feet were starting to bleed and the lack of water and blistering heat was getting to the young teenager.
Charlotte woke up not remembering she ever went to sleep and was more confused by the four faces staring down at her; none of them belonged to her mother.
“Okay you can give her the water now John she’s waking up,” a woman said softly, she looked five to ten years older than Charlotte’s mother. Charlotte then looked to her left to see a very skinny and young looking boy almost shoving a bottle of water in her face. Although the proximity scared her a little she graciously took the beverage and drank half of it relishing the moment when it went down her throat.
“Thank you, I need to find my mum do you know where she is?” Charlotte asked sitting up slightly. She looked at the two other people who were with her, a boy with dark hair covering most of his face making it impossible for Charlotte to tell how old his was, and an older man she could only assuming was his dad.
“What’s her name sweetie? We can ask some of the rangers; do you know where you’re staying?” The woman smiled down at Charlotte and helped her stand up. Charlotte instantly envied the two boys who obviously had not only a caring mother but they also had a dad.
“Her name is Anastasia Hopkins my name is Charlotte we’re here on holiday and we’re staying at the Hotel Valley Ho we’re due to leave to go to San Francisco tomorrow.
“That’s in Scottsdale, James find the number of the hotel and call it asking for this poor girl’s mother, Stephen and John go and tell whatever rangers you can find what’s happened. Anastasia and Charlotte Hopkins.”
“Mom we’re not kids,” the younger boy crossed his arms over his skinny frame, Charlotte guessed his age at ten or eleven not knowing he was fourteen.
“Why does John have to come with me?” Stephen whined stalking off to find a ranger, his younger brother hurrying after him.
“Did you lose your mom sweetie? We’ll sort everything don’t worry. My name is Angela Gomez, my husband is James and our two sons are Stephen and John do you need anything?” Charlotte looked at the woman and wished how her mother had the same duty of care, warm eyes and big smile as the stranger in front of her.
“We had an argument over water and she walked off,” Charlotte pathetically whispered, she was always skeptical about telling people about her relationship with her mother as few people believed her. She could tell this Gomez woman was a little bit skeptical at first but when the family found out Charlotte’s mother had checked out of the hotel only leaving Charlotte a note reading “good riddance” it was hard to deny Charlotte’s story.
At the risk of being deported and put into care the Gomez family, after a long deliberation decided to take the fifteen year old in. She went to high school with John and Stephen, John being a year younger and Stephen being a year older the three got on famously well. After a while Charlotte completed her American citizenship and apart from the accent was a full blown American. As soon as she graduated she joined her brothers as she sometimes affectionately called them on tour with their band The Summer Set as their tour manager, she could never see herself apart from them for that
long.
“I didn’t come half way around the world just to fight with you, we do that enough at home,” Charlotte whined making sure she kept the last part of the sentence soft and inaudible. Knowing if her mother ever did hear any remarks around the sort she would scold her daughter automatically despite the public setting.
“Well if you listened to me for just this once Charlotte. I cannot believe what a spoilt brat I raised, I should have brought Matthew on this holiday instead. Here you are on the Grand Canyon and you’re complaining you selfish little cow!” Charlotte didn’t have the heart to be bothered by her own mother’s words. It was nothing she hadn’t heard before, the fifteen year old was well conditioned to the harsh words of her mother. What hurt her more than being called selfish was being told her mother wished she took her boyfriend of three months on holiday instead, the boyfriend only four years older than Charlotte herself.
“I asked for a bottle of water how is that being selfish?” Charlotte sighed as she almost tugged on her waist length locks, she couldn’t feel the pain, not anymore.
“If you wanted water you should have brought it yourself, I am not carrying all your shit for you.”
“I asked to go to the shop but you wouldn’t give me any money!” Charlotte complained coughing a little party because of the heat and partly because she was angry.
“Well let me tell you something you ungrateful little runt if you think you’re so big let’s see how you hope without me because that would make your life so much better wouldn’t it?” Charlotte’s mother more commonly known as Anastasia snarled at her daughter who she never wanted and frequently told her that. Anastasia was a nineteen year old girl when she gave birth to Charlotte, the identity of the father wasn’t known, Anastasia was a very wild young woman. That was until Charlotte came along. Anastasia looked down towards her daughter and without giving it a second thought walked away from the teenager.
“Mom where are you going? Mom? Mom come back!” Charlotte ignored the stares and gestures from passers-by who had heard the exchange and tried as fast as her little legs would allow her, to try and catch up with her mother.
“You heard me, if you think you’re so clever you’re on your own.” Those were the last words Charlotte heard. She looked everywhere for the tall blonde haired woman, she walked so far her feet were starting to bleed and the lack of water and blistering heat was getting to the young teenager.
Charlotte woke up not remembering she ever went to sleep and was more confused by the four faces staring down at her; none of them belonged to her mother.
“Okay you can give her the water now John she’s waking up,” a woman said softly, she looked five to ten years older than Charlotte’s mother. Charlotte then looked to her left to see a very skinny and young looking boy almost shoving a bottle of water in her face. Although the proximity scared her a little she graciously took the beverage and drank half of it relishing the moment when it went down her throat.
“Thank you, I need to find my mum do you know where she is?” Charlotte asked sitting up slightly. She looked at the two other people who were with her, a boy with dark hair covering most of his face making it impossible for Charlotte to tell how old his was, and an older man she could only assuming was his dad.
“What’s her name sweetie? We can ask some of the rangers; do you know where you’re staying?” The woman smiled down at Charlotte and helped her stand up. Charlotte instantly envied the two boys who obviously had not only a caring mother but they also had a dad.
“Her name is Anastasia Hopkins my name is Charlotte we’re here on holiday and we’re staying at the Hotel Valley Ho we’re due to leave to go to San Francisco tomorrow.
“That’s in Scottsdale, James find the number of the hotel and call it asking for this poor girl’s mother, Stephen and John go and tell whatever rangers you can find what’s happened. Anastasia and Charlotte Hopkins.”
“Mom we’re not kids,” the younger boy crossed his arms over his skinny frame, Charlotte guessed his age at ten or eleven not knowing he was fourteen.
“Why does John have to come with me?” Stephen whined stalking off to find a ranger, his younger brother hurrying after him.
“Did you lose your mom sweetie? We’ll sort everything don’t worry. My name is Angela Gomez, my husband is James and our two sons are Stephen and John do you need anything?” Charlotte looked at the woman and wished how her mother had the same duty of care, warm eyes and big smile as the stranger in front of her.
“We had an argument over water and she walked off,” Charlotte pathetically whispered, she was always skeptical about telling people about her relationship with her mother as few people believed her. She could tell this Gomez woman was a little bit skeptical at first but when the family found out Charlotte’s mother had checked out of the hotel only leaving Charlotte a note reading “good riddance” it was hard to deny Charlotte’s story.
At the risk of being deported and put into care the Gomez family, after a long deliberation decided to take the fifteen year old in. She went to high school with John and Stephen, John being a year younger and Stephen being a year older the three got on famously well. After a while Charlotte completed her American citizenship and apart from the accent was a full blown American. As soon as she graduated she joined her brothers as she sometimes affectionately called them on tour with their band The Summer Set as their tour manager, she could never see herself apart from them for that
long.
♠ ♠ ♠
Lets see how this goes.