Charlie wasn't sure what she could do about getting out of this directly so, she set her controller down and walked out of Amelia's room, no one appearing to notice her leave. Charlie walked down the hallway and up the stairs to the main floor. Right by where the top of the stairs were, was the kitchen.
"Are you doing okay, hon?" a voice asked her as she entered the kitchen.
Charlie jumped, but calmed down as she saw Amelia's mother sitting at the dining room table, which adjoined the kitchen.
"Yeah, just needed some air," Charlie replied, pausing for a moment before realizing she could use some water. "Could I get a glass of water, Mrs. Adams?"
"Sure, hon," she said, setting her newspaper down as she got up and walked over to a cupboard and pulled out a glass.
"Thanks," Charlie said as she was handed the glass.
Then as she filled the glass and drank it three times, Amelia's mother walked back to where she was sitting when Charlie entered the kitchen.
"If there's anything else, feel free to ask. Though, I'll be leaving around three to get some things for the party tonight," Amelia's mother commented, not looking at Charlie.
When Charlie had enough water, she felt another need. "Where's the bathroom?" she asked, setting the glass down next to the sink.
"The closest is downstairs, first door to the left," Amelia's mother said, again not looking at Charlie as she spoke.
Charlie thanked her as she returned downstairs and turned away from the direction that Amelia's room was and entered the bathroom.
When Charlie was done in the bathroom, she found herself not having any desire to leave the bathroom at the moment. She washed her hands, dried them, then sat back on the toilet, this time with the lid down, and just sat there.
While she wasn't used to being around others, she hadn't expected this when she agreed to go to Amelia's birthday party. For one, she expected that she'd only need to show up towards the end of the day, rather than right after getting dressed after breakfast. All that she had originally planned on doing in for the day was now going to have to be dealt with another time.
Then when she was playing video games, while she appreciated the others going out of their way to include her, it still didn't feel like she was a part of their group for some reason. It wasn't anything that she could just put her finger on why, but it felt like she was just intruding on their group and they were just accepting of her presence. She wasn't sure if they really thought of her as one of them, but she certainly didn't feel like it herself.
She wondered if she would get any insight with her worries by using her magic to look at their thoughts. While she hadn't gotten full control of that ability, she had a few ideas of what might direct that ability. She also pushed down her reservations of doing that to those whom she felt she had their trust. She hadn't decided on if it was something that would be okay or not, but she wasn't sure if she really should be doing that to those who could her friends or not.
She focused on each person in Amelia's room at a time, and while she couldn't hear their thoughts as clearly as when it occurred without her trying, she could at least get a thin idea of what their thoughts were. Each one was still focused on Minecraft, which Charlie actually found a little depressing, until she looked at Amelia's thoughts, she caught the tail end of a thought wondering how long Charlie would be gone.
At that, Charlie felt a little better, more that someone noticed that she wasn't there. Knowing that, Charlie stood up and opened the door, ready to head back to the group, even if she still felt like someone who didn't belong being included for the day.
Charlie just wondered if things would change or if her fears would prove to be true and she was merely a trespasser being allowed in the group until it was time for her to move on.
Shaking the thought off, she went back in and continued to try and figure out what she was supposed to do to get what the others had already accomplished. She didn't expect to figure it out on her first time playing but, at the same time, wasn't sure if she'd ever play this game again anyway.
She tried not to think of those thoughts the rest of the time playing Minecraft. Though, her interest in the game didn't increase through her time playing.
_
Lunch didn't seem on anyone's mind when they stopped playing video games, though Amelia's mother brought them down something to eat, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Charlie didn't mind grape jelly, but it wasn't her favorite by far. At the very least, it was filling.
–What next?– Charlie asked, still not sure about her place in the group. –I mean, you guys are done with the video games, right?–
Everyone had seemed to be getting restless to Charlie and it had looked like interest in the gaming was waning.
–Yeah, we're done with that.– Amelia replied. –It's movie time.–
–What movie did you have in mind?– Tim asked.
"Princess Bride," Amelia said out loud.
Ralph groaned. –We watch that almost every time you get to pick the movie.– Ralph's tone sounded more weary than upset to Charlie.
–Should we do a double or triple feature?– Beth asked, putting her arm over Amelia's shoulders.
–Let's hold off on that until the end of the movies. We can decide after each movie.– Hannah chimed in. –I mean, we don't know what Amelia's mom has in mind for the party, dinner, or even what we'll do after all that.–
Charlie realized something that she hadn't thought of before, though she knew she really should have. –Amelia?– Charlie asked, tugging on Amelia's sleeve.
"Yeah?" Amelia asked, moving away from Beth.
–I just realized I didn't bring you a present. I mean, it is your birthday party and all.– Charlie had to look away from Amelia as she started talking to her with her magic, nor could she bring herself to look at Amelia as she waited for her response.
–I consider you unsealing my magic, or whatever you did, as my present.– Amelia replied, her mental tone laughing in Charlie's mind. Then, before Charlie could do anything, Amelia pulls Charlie into a hug. –Though I'm still getting used to using magic to talk to everyone.–
"I'm still getting used to it too," Charlie replied, not sure how to handle the sudden physical contact, but grateful when Amelia let go of her.
–Well, let's settle down in Amelia's family room and start the movie. We've seen it enough we probably could re-enact the entire movie but let's get it started.– Ralph commented.
–I'll get it set up.– Beth said, already moving towards the family room.
Charlie let everyone move ahead of her, not sure what exactly to do. Once she was at the end of the group, she started following, still trying to figure out what place she had there, or if she really didn't belong like she currently felt.
–Should we get popcorn or something?– Wes asked, laying on the ground in front of the TV, his head on a pillow from a couch nearby.
–We just had something to eat. Maybe we should if we do a triple feature, but otherwise, lets just watch this.– Tim replied, stretched across an armchair, his head resting against one armrest and his legs hanging over the other.
"Charlie over here!" Beth called, out, clearly having saved Charlie a place. Charlie didn't say anything, but did walk over to sit next to Beth, unsure what else to do.
Beth immediately put her arm around Charlie's shoulders companionably, though Charlie wasn't sure what she could do about it.
"What's your favorite part, Charlie?" Beth asked, her attention focused on Amelia getting the movie going on her family's blue-ray player.
"Umm…" Charlie couldn't think of what to say. She'd never seen the movie but once saw the book at the library.
Beth turned to Charlie, pulling her arm back. "Wait. You've seen this movie, right?" Beth asked.
"Umm…" Charlie wasn't sure if saying she had or not would be the better answer, so she went with her option not to say anything.
Beth laughed, loud. Drawing the attention of everyone. –What's so funny?– Tim asked.
"Charlie hasn't seen the movie before," Beth crowed.
Amelia stopped what she was doing and turned to face Charlie. "You haven't?" she asked, her expression looking like she was hurt by the thought.
"Umm…" Charlie felt like it might be better if she suddenly developed a medical problem. An upset stomach would certainly help right now, but sadly nothing was happening that she could use.
Amelia walked over to Charlie, leaving the movie at the main menu, and pulled her into a tight hug. Charlie could only think to pat Amelia's arm, given how surprised she was at Amelia's reaction.
Then, as she pulled away from Charlie, she walked back to the TV, picked up the remote and walked to sit on the other side of Beth. "Now, before I start the movie, since Charlie hasn't seen it, no commentary, no saying what parts will happen before they do, not MSTing, and especially no comparing the part showing to another part. We need Charlie to see the movie without anything spoiled. That way she can form her own opinion of the movie and not what we think of it at any part of it. I will stop the movie the first time it happens," Amelia declared firmly. Then she turned to Ralph. "This includes you Ralph. If I have to stop the movie, most of what I want to do today will be taken off the table."
Charlie wasn't sure how to take Amelia's declaration. She was at least touched at Amelia's concern that she get to enjoy the movie, but at the same time, she was worried at being singled out. It wasn't a strong worry, but she still wasn't sure of her place in the group. Then there was how she couldn't help but think that this could be the start of a pattern, which she wasn't sure would be a good pattern to have happen. Especially if it caused others in the group to either resent Charlie or get upset about preferential treatment for her.
In the end, however, she didn't have much to worry about. The worst that happened was Ralph mocking scenes as they popped up. Amelia tried shushing him more than once, but it appeared to Charlie that Ralph didn't cross the line that Amelia had set for all of them.
As the credits rolled, Amelia leaned forward to see Charlie around Beth. –What'd you think? Great movie, huh?–
Charlie couldn't help but chuckle. It was clear the move was at least one of Amelia's favorite movies. "It was a good movie," Charlie replied, wondering what movie would be picked next.
–What was your favorite part?– Amelia immediately inquired.
"Well, I'd say my favorite part was the battle of wits," Charlie replied, not sure if there would be more questions.
–My favorite part was the miracle worker scene.– Amelia commented.
"I did like the 'I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!' line," Charlie couldn't help but laugh as she continued the conversation.
"Yeah, that one was classic," Hannah said. –Especially how the miracle worker tried getting out of making a miracle for them.–
Charlie didn't say much more as others said what their favorite parts of the movie were, but merely remained where she was. Part of her was starting to get tired while part of her was wondering what was going to happen next.
While waiting for the others to calm down so they'd be able to find out what the next movie would be, Charlie closed her eyes. She didn't expect it to take too long and knew that they should get to it soon. She didn't plan on taking a nap but didn't count on just how tired she felt.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the credits for another movie rolling. The next thing she noticed was that her head had slid so it was using Beth's shoulder as a pillow. Beth looked at Charlie as Charlie sat up straight, a smirk telling Charlie that Beth was aware of Charlie's embarrassment at waking up in that position.
"So, how was that movie, Charlie?" Amelia asked.
"Um…" Charlie wasn't sure how to say she didn't even know what movie she'd just slept through.
–She looked so cute as she slept through it.– Beth commented, offhandedly, a picture of Charlie sleeping on Beth's shoulder from Beth's perspective entering Charlie's mind. –I'm pretty sure she was asleep before you even said what the second movie was going to be.– Charlie could feel her face going completely red.
Amelia looked disappointed for a moment but perked up in the next breath. "Well, we can just watch the movie again," she stated cheerfully.
Wes, Tim, Ralph, and Hannah groaned. "Let's watch another movie instead, okay?" Wes pleaded. "Charlie can see 'A Walk to Remember' another time."
Charlie was surprised that she recognized the title. "Actually, I think I saw it a while ago. My sister put it on and my parents made me watch it with them," Charlie ventured.
"What was the movie you remember watching about?" Amelia asked, her tone indicating she was suspicious of what Charlie was saying.
Charlie described the basic plot of the movie she remembered. Amelia sighed. "I guess you did see it," she mumbled, sounding like Charlie just ruined her mood.
"What was the next movie you had in mind, Amelia?" Tim asked.
Again Amelia seemed to perk right up at the question. "Don't worry, Ralph, it's not a romantic comedy," she said laughing.
Does Amelia watch mostly romantic comedies? Charlie wondered.
"The movie will be Twilight," Amelia announced.
Ralph groaned. "Come on!" He complained. "That's another romantic movie."
"No, it's a horror movie. There's vampires in it," Hannah chimed in.
Charlie shook her head. She had to agree with Ralph. While there were vampires in it, it was still a love story, but at the same time, she had to agree with Amelia that it wasn't a comedy. Though, it was clear to at least Charlie, and probably the others too, that whether it was a comedy or not wasn't what Ralph was unhappy about.
"Doesn't matter," Amelia declared. "We're watching it. If you're done you can leave now, but then no birthday cake or dinner here."
Charlie watched Ralph settle back down, but it didn't seem like he was completely upset about it, so Charlie wondered if the complaining was part of the group dynamic or something.
–So, what about the popcorn?– Wes asked. –You said earlier that if we did a triple feature, we could have popcorn.–
–I guess we can.– Amelia replied, sounding like she'd just rather start the movie without the popcorn.
"I'll get it," Charlie said, jumping up from where she sat. "You can start the movie while I'm gone. The Twilight series is a favorite of my mom's and sister's."
–Thanks.– Charlie heard Wes in her mind say as she left the family room and went back up to the kitchen.
Charlie wasn't sure where the popcorn was but wasn't too worried. She figured it would at the very least give her an excuse as to why she took so long.
As Charlie reached the top of the stairs, it suddenly felt like she could breathe regularly again. Almost like the presence of her new friends was creating a force that kept her from being able to breathe regularly. A presence that she only was able to notice from its absence as she left it.
Charlie wasn't surprised to see that Amelia's mother wasn't around, given the clock read 3:30. Though, Charlie did wonder what to expect in regards to what the party would look like.
Charlie was about to begin searching the cupboards when she heard Amelia's voice in her mind.
–Forgot to tell you. The popcorn will be in the cupboard next to the fridge. If you pop three bags that should be enough. Normally we only get two, but with you we'll need more than what's been enough for us.– Amelia told her.
The strangest part of the effect was how Amelia seemed to be right next to Charlie when she spoke. With Petals, it didn't matter with how that was the only way Charlie could communicate with Petals, but with Amelia, she was used to talking with her using her voice rather than magic. It certainly was more than a little disconcerting to Charlie at that moment.
By the time Charlie had returned with the popcorn, she wasn't surprised to see Bella already meeting with Jacob. Getting the popcorn hadn't really taken as much time as Charlie would have liked, but Charlie had taken as much time as she could without making it obvious she was.
Charlie passed a couple bags of popcorn out as she moved to her spot next to Beth. Then, as Charlie sat down, she realized that she had thought of everyone in the room as her friends.
When did this happen? Charlie asked herself, not sure if she truly wanted to know the answer or not. All she could determine was that somewhere along the way, she did consider all of them friends, even Ralph.
Charlie noticed Amelia's mother's thoughts as she watched them just outside the family room during the baseball game in the movie but didn't think she would disturb the movie based on the thoughts Charlie heard from her, so Charlie let her attention return to the movie.
After the movie, Charlie was surprised to find that all the popcorn had been eaten and she knew that she'd had a good amount herself.
"Well, it's good that you're done with your movies. If you don't have anything else planned, it's time to go to dinner," Amelia's mother called out as the credits started to roll.
Amelia yawned. "Are we taking the car, mom?" she asked.
"Do you really think all of you will be able to fit in that thing?" Amelia's mother replied. "We were barely able to fit all of your friends without Hannah earlier today and that was with a shorter drive than we have with where we're going. Not to mention we'll have Theresa and Derek with us."
Amelia's eyes lit up. "You mean we're going to Café on the Ridge?" Amelia asked, her voice full of anticipation.
Amelia's mother smiled warmly. "Yes. Your father should be getting here with the SUV soon and he'll have your brother and sister with him."
Amelia suddenly seemed hesitant. "Will Kristy be here?" Amelia asked, her voice much softer than when asking about the dinner destination.
Amelia's mother shook her head. "Sorry, Kristin's not going to be able to make it. She still has college classes that will keep her from being here. Though, I'm sure she'll make it up to you when she can," Amelia's mother replied.
"Okay," Amelia muttered, clearly disappointed.