33Disclaimer: I don't own anything for your info...
Anastasia Valance was walking down the snowy street to the theatre. She liked her job there and was part of the cast. They made her feel welcome. Down the street, she spotted a young child sitting on the ground as other children surrounded him. She strode swiftly, and with unlady like movements, had shove the other children out of the way. A little charming looking boy was sitting there, hugging his knees close to his body.
"Stop hitting me! Please don't hit me anymore…" He cried miserably. She squatted down. The little boy had tears flowing down his face as he sniffed. "Don't cry now, it'll be alright, nobody's going to hit you while I'm here." He whimpered and shivered. Smiling softly, Anastasia wrapped her scarf around him. She passed him the remains of her last bar of Wonka chocolate. Working as an actress meant that there was not much money to be earned, since hers was a small company. She earned just enough to pay for a flat, groceries and the water cum electricity bill. The rest was saved and sometimes, sometimes, she would buy some chocolate.
Chocolate was her greatest weakness. It had always been so since she was a child, but the occasions when she would buy chocolate was far and few. She looked sadly as the last of her chocolate was eaten by some poor boy she didn't know. She really did stupid things at times, guess this was one of that times then. He gave her a watery smile and ran off home. Well, at least he had given her a hug as thanks...
"Mum, Dad, I'm home! I met this really nice lady today! I was getting beaten up as usual, aww mum, it's only a few bruises… Anyway, she was the only one who helped me!" he exclaimed. "Really Charlie, that's nice of her. You should invite her home for dinner someday. How does she look like?" "Dark as night black hair and amethyst eyes. She's very nice mum. Look, she even passed me her scarf since I was shivering!" "Don't forget to return it dear, now, where's Mr Wonka? He's supposed to be in for dinner." "He's going to turn up later mum, I think." He added.
Anastasia walked back to her sparse apartment, she had little furniture and would huddle under blankets in the winter, which was both her favourite yet hated time of the year. With just enough luck, she might be hired by a bigger company and earn a larger salary… She smiled drowsily, falling into a peaceful slumber.
The next day, she met the little boy again. When he heard that she was going to the theatre and that she worked there, he followed and watched them perform. At the end of the day, they would walk back together, before parting at the street. This had gone on for quite some time, though they didn't know each other's name.
"What's your name? I haven't been calling you anything and sometimes it feels like I'm talking to thin air!" she chuckled, her voice sounding like a waterfall, carefree, happy and contented. "My name's Charlie Bucket." He told her shyly, she didn't have the usual shocked expression that others had when they heard who he was, they were normally shocked, but she just smiled at him. He had the distinct impression that she didn't know that he was a good friend of Willy Wonka's. "Mine's Anastasia Valance, you can call me Andy. It's shorter and easier to call and sounds better." Actually, she was lying about this part though. She liked to be called Anastasia…except that the person that to call her that, she would prefer him to be her husband, boyfriend or lover. Take your pick.
"Andy," Charlie looked up at her. "Andy, now that you've told me that I took your last bit of chocolate, I insist that you come for dinner, I really feel bad…" Charlie was looking at her with those pleading eyes and she felt herself give in. "If I'm not intruding." She gave him a big grin.
The moment she stepped into the dilapated shack, she could feel the warmth of everyone there. This warmness was starting from her toes to the rest of her body. Everyone was smiling and looking at her with curious eyes. "I'm Anastasia Valance, you can call me Andy. I'm 24 years old. Thank you for inviting me Mrs Bucket." She said as she hung her jacket up. It wasn't meant for winter, but she was poor… So she had to deal with it. Smiling at her hostess, she helped lay the table. "No trouble at all. You like chicken? I've got chicken chop with gravy for tonight's dinner. Now where's Mr Wonka? Charlie, where's he?" "He's bound to come soon mum." Charlie said, while scooping some gravy and eating it.
The door suddenly opened and a pale faced man dressed in purple garments with a top cane and a hat stood there. "Charlie! You haven't been factorying me in the help recently. Wait! Scratch that and reverse it please. Who has been taking up all you time?" Charlie pointed ashamedly across the table to Andy. Willy Wonka strode to her and waggled a finger in her face. " Ah ha! You the-" Willy Wonka suddenly cut off, his eyes staring deep at her. "He's having a flashback, don't mind him." Charlie said through a mouthful of chicken.
And indeed, Will Wonka was having a flashback.
The whole class sat in pairs and it was rule to have a 'partner'. He had started the year by sitting next to a girl who cried herself silly at the arrangement, so another girl actually willingly changed places with her. She had long silky raven black hair that went past her shoulders. She was slightly plump and had amethyst coloured eyes. She wasn't afraid of him, and since it was hard for the weird boy to talk with braces, they passed notes to each other.
He was shocked the first time she had slid a note to him. 'Hello! My name's Anastasia Valance. You can call me Andy. If anyone tries to bully you, tell me! I'll make sure that person will pay for hurting my friend…' That was the first time young Willy was referred to anybody as a friend. Once, she asked him what candy he liked the best, he couldn't answer. With a shaky hand, he wrote back, ' I can't eat candy…' She scribbled back, 'oh. Don't worry, you'll be able to eat some someday. Mine's chocolate you know. But I'm not allowed to eat them, they all say that I'm too plump.'
She didn't despise him like other children. In fact, she spent much time playing with him. Something her parents heartily disapproved of. But one day, she fell terribly ill and had to go abroad to cure it. "I'll miss you purple taffy," that was her nickname for him, since it represented rebellion against his braces and his father. "Take this. Remember me, don't forget me will you?" And the pale shadow that was his former friend was taken into a cab and driven off by her parents, who were staring at him disapprovingly after the cab and waved continuously, until she was gone.
He felt an Anastasia-sized hole in his life. He ran and hid in an alley, and opened his palm. There lay a heart shaped foil. He opened it and saw a pink heart-shaped chocolate. Putting in his mouth and closing his eyes, he savoured it…
And here she was. She had the same black hair, except that it was cut short and framed her heart shaped face cutely. Her amethyst eyes still looked the same, but she had become slimmer, since her illness and she had an almost elfish look to her. Suddenly, something was placed in his mouth. He was about to spit it out when he heard the familiar voice say "Chew." He knew then that it really was her.
No one had her amethyst eyes and no one was as bossy as her. He opened his eyes and chewed slowly, seeing the face of Anastasia Valance. She was smiling at him and had even fed him! Nobody fed him other then his personal Doctor Ooompa, that was also only when he was sick. Did that mean she still liked him? That she remembered him? He gave her a smile, but she wasn't listening or looking at him. She was speaking into a cellphone. "Hello? Yes speaking. What? Yes! I'll be down in a sec!" the phone was slammed shut and a very frantic Anastasia ran hysterically out of the Buckets' house. Charlie followed after her.
They ran down the streets, Charlie having a hard time catching up with her. Suddenly she stopped, causing the young boy behind to crash into her. She gazed out into a blazing fire. "It's gone Charlie, I have no home…"
Andy had ran as fast as she could , but she could see that it was too late, all ope was lost. The block that contained her apartment was burning, it was a raging blaze of fire. She fell onto the floor, she had no place to go, she told the puzzled young boy who was trying to comfort her.
"Andy, Andy listen! You could live in the factory. There's so much space!" "Charlie, promises are meant to be kept not eaten. How could you allow Miss Valance to live in the factory? Yes I admit she's in a poor sorry state right now, but-" before he could get any further, a crying Anastasia was in his arms. He shuddered before faintly saying "Okay I guess.."
That was how a dazed Anastasia ended up in the famous Chocolate Factory...
The next chapter will be up in a week ithink... giggles insanely...
Glomps Willy Wonka!