Look to the Stars

Glomtales

(Despite the title of this chapter, this will have nothing to do with Glomgold until towards the end of the chapter.)

"Charlotte?"

Charlotte gasped as she was suddenly face to face with her parents. "Where have you been!?" Charlotte's mother shouted. Charlotte looked around for an escape as she slowly backed away for her parents. Charlotte's mother slapped Charlotte's face. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Charlotte's mother said. Charlotte started to shake. "I-I'm s-sorry. I-."

A punch made contact with Charlotte's cheek, sending her to the ground. "Who said you could talk!?" Charlotte's father yelled. Charlotte whimpered as he grasped her wrist tightly and lifted her off the ground. "Oh, I get it! You think you get to do whatever you want just because you ran away! Is that it!?" Charlotte shook her head as she tried to free herself. I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I promise! "Well, it looks like we need to teach you a lesson." His fist quickly aimed towards Charlotte's eye and...

~•~

Charlotte gasped as she quickly sat up, her breathing getting faster. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she started to shake. Before she could get worse, Scrooge quickly embraced her. "It's okay, lass. I'm right here. You're safe." Scrooge said. Charlotte clung onto Scrooge for comfort. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." She whispered as her tears continued to fall. Scrooge held her closer as he pet her head. "It's okay. It's not your fault. No need to apologize." Scrooge said. A couple of minutes passed before Charlotte completely calmed down, her shaking coming to a stop.

Charlotte slowly pulled away as she wiped her tears away. "You okay now, lass?" Scrooge asked. Charlotte slightly nodded. His eyes shifted to her black eye and bruised cheek. "Does it still hurt?" He asked. She hesitated before nodding. "B-But... I-I'm used to i-it." She answered. Scrooge gave a worried expression. She shouldn't be used to pain. Especially at this age. Scrooge stared out the window before getting an idea. "Lass, how would you like to go on a relaxing adventure? No sword fighting, no traps, no mystery. Of course, you can say no and stay here." Scrooge offered. Charlotte took a few minutes to think over her answer. "I-I'll go." She answered. Scrooge smiled softly. "Okay, lass. Get ready while I change out of these Egyptian clothes. My own clothes look better on me, don't you think?" He asked. Charlotte smiled before nodding. Scrooge's smile widened before leaving her room.

As Scrooge made it to his room, Della quickly ran down the hall to him. "Uncle Scrooge!" Della called before stopping in front of him. Scrooge took note of Della's worried expression and grew concerned. "What's wrong, Della?" He asked. "Uncle Scrooge, that address you gave me. Are you sure it was right?" Scrooge's concern worsened. "Yes. Why?" He asked. "Uncle Scrooge, there was no one there. The whole place looked like it was abandoned for a couple of months now. I searched the whole place from top to bottom, but no one was home. I didn't even find any personal belongings that they might have left behind, or clues that could lead us to them." Della explained. "So that means they're still out there." Scrooge said. "That means either they were smart enough to move, or someone helped them move. If that's the case, then who would help them?" Della asked. "I don't know... It worries me that they're out there, but as long as Charlotte is here with us, she'll be safe." Scrooge said.

"How is she?" Della asked. "She's better than she was last night, but I'm still worried about her. That's why I thought about taking her on a relaxing adventure to help her keep her mind off of what happened. With her permission, of course." Scrooge answered. "Are you gonna tell the rest of the family what happened?" Della asked. "I would, but only if Charlotte is okay with it. She might not want me to tell everyone what happened. She hasn't even told me any details about what happened. Either she lets me know, or she tells everyone what happened herself. At the end of the day, it's not my decision to make." Scrooge explained. Della nodded. "I'm gonna check on her while you change and tell the family about our next adventure." Della said. Scrooge nodded before entering his room.