Some Pretty Tough Flowers
Chapter 24 - Some Pretty Tough Flowers
Charlie and Blitzo were looking at Verosika’s door in the distance, the young girl of the two still feeling hesitant about it. After hearing how everyone in the family was cracking from all their issues, she tried imagining her oldest sister having issues of her own.
However, the blue bow blonde couldn’t do it. Not when she had flashed back to all the times when the flower creator would be showered in the praises and adoration by everyone in town, from Abuela Vaggie especially, and for being exactly what the Madrigal matriarch wants.
Of course, Verosika would be smug about it to Charlie the whole time, what with the haughty gazes, the sudden hair flips that 'coincidentally' Charlie’s face, the occasional ‘requests’ to not make a sound or be noticed. And naturally, it’d be too subtle for the latter to really call the former out on, or they’d be when no adult is looking, so she’d have to let it slide every time. Just thinking about it was igniting Charlie's anger like a fire.
“Hey… Tio Blitzo? Are you sure I gotta go to Vera and hug her? Because I still don’t think this can work out. I still don’t think it’s even gonna happen.”
The future seer reached out through the plants, and laid a hand on his niece’s shoulder. “I think you’re missing the whole point of this, Cha-Cha. The fate of the family, it isn’t up to Vera. It’s up to you. But I promise you. You’re exactly what this family needs. You just have to see it.”
Charlie smiled, feeling more encouraged by her uncle’s words.
Then Blitzo swiftly added, “By yourself. After I leave.”
The blue bow blonde was shocked as she watched the future seer drag the potted plant with him as he stepped backwards, towards the painting tunnel nearby. “What? You’re not coming?”
Blitzo waved his hand through the plant, going, “It was your vision, Charlie. Not mine.”
Charlie quickly realized what the problem was, inquiring, “You’re afraid Abuela Vaggie will see you?”
“No! I mean… maybe. It’s just… I have dealt with so much emotional shit from Penny and Angel and I didn’t even see them today. So as fuck don’t want the kind of emotional shit my alive-mom will deliver.”
Blitzo got up and opened the painting door. Before stepping in through it, he turned back around to his niece. “Hey, after you save the miracle, come visit.”
“After I save the miracle, I’m bringing you home.”
The future-seer smiled, clearly flattered. But then he coughed and went to knocking, voicing, “knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. Knock on wood.”
Finally, he sat on the bottom of the tunnel and fall backwards, all the while crossing fingers on both hands and holding his breath.
The blue bow blonde watched until her uncle disappeared. Then she got up and looked around. She saw the candle and the glow of the doors flickering; it had served as another reminder of what was at stake.
Charlie looked on at Verosika’s door and took a breath and let it out, trying to mentally prepare herself. “You got this… just gotta save the miracle…” Then in a groan, “with a hug…”
Still, the blue bow blonde had finally walked over to her sister’s door, knocked on it as she entered, and called out to the sister in question. “Vera? Hey!”
Charlie was nervous of what was to happen but she kept going, both in footsteps and in words. “I know we’ve had our issues but I’m… ready to be a better sister… to you…”
Verosika’s room was flowers galore, all in pinks and reds and purples. Bushes, trees, in pots, even the floor itself was covered in flowers; it felt a little unsettling to the visiting girl to be stepping on them. You couldn’t make a single turn in this place without seeing beautiful flowers in one of three colors. Up ahead were a set of stairs leading up to a space draped with floral curtains.
“So we should just… hug! Hug it out!”
Flowery vines from above, in the draped space, began to move. Then Verosika’s voice rang out, “hug it out, huh?”
Charlie turned to see Verosika on her bed, which was being held by the flowery vines and turning around in slow circles. The flower-producing woman continued on with her tranquil furious calling-out as she picked a flower next to her.
“Ozzie can’t lift an empanada. Moxxie’s nose looks like a squashed papaya.” Then, while crushing the flower in her hand, she turned to her sister and yelled, “have you lost your fucking mind!?”
The blue bow blonde smacked her lips, knowing how this must come off to her. Still, she had to get that hug. “Vera… I feel like you’re upset and you know what cures being upset?”
Charlie approached Verosika and held her arms up and wide. “A warm embrace.”
The would-be hugger was stopped when two flowery vines sprang up in front of her in a X-formation. The one who made that X got up from the bed but only to establish unyielding angry firmness as she said, “get out.”
The blue bow blonde had a flower blasted on her face via the vines. Although the flower-producing woman continued to rant, clearly wanting to let the anger out.
“Everything was perfect! Abuela Vaggiewas happy, the family was happy, even my would-be in-laws were happy. You really wanna be a better sister? Well, you can start by apologizing for ruining my life!”
Charlie was pissed off herself when Verosika had come up to her with these words. It didn’t get any better when the latter put on this smug air as she added, “go on. Apologize.”
The blue bow blondewas not amused as she tried mustering up the will to go along with what her sister wanted. “I… am… sorry…”
The flower-producing woman seemingly got even more smug than she was just a second ago, which soon became the last straw.
“That your life is so great! ”
Verosika did a simple head turn and flick of the hand as she said, “out.”
Then Charlie was wrapped in the vines, on a wrist and ankle, to be precise, and currently being dragged out. She grabbed some thoroughly flower-covered furniture closest to her to prolong it while she pleaded.
“Wait, fine! ‘I apologize’!”
Then the blue bow blonde smacked into a potted plant and tried holding onto that. “I wasn’t trying to ruin your life!”
However, the flower-producing woman just kept walking away. She apparently doesn’t intend to listen anymore.
Charlie had a moment of managing to break free from the vines and even getting up and approaching her sister. “Some of us have bigger problems.” However, the blue bow blonde had gotten ensured by more flowery vines again and so had to claw at the floor to keep from being dragged out. “You selfish! Entitled princess!”
Now that had gotten Verosika’s attention, who had turned back and dished out another outwardly furious rant. “SELFISH!? I’ve been stuck being perfect my whole entire life and literally the only thing you have ever done for me is mess things up!”
Starting at ‘literally’, Charlie had been hit in the face by roses just springing up from the floor as she’s still being dragged out of the room.
“Nothing is messed up!” The blue bow blonde insisted. “You can still marry the cute, little dum-dum!”
“He may be cute but I still never wanted to marry him! I was only doing it for the family!”
Right at that moment, something had popped out of the floor. It was shocking for it to be there. So much so that Charlie wasn’t being pulled anymore and Verosika had stood where she was, stunned and still.
The blue bow blonde was stunned, too, and not just because a plant she'd never thought she'd see from Verosika's powers was currently sticking out from the floral floor.