HYGTG ! by KissLeclerc
July 5, 2004 # "And This Is Charles."

MONACO WAS NOTHING LIKE THE PHILIPPINES. The air smelled different, cleaner, sharper, missing the scent of warm pavement after the rain that Solana was used to. The skies were a brighter blue, and the sun hit the marble floors of the Rinaldi villa in a way that made everything feel too grand, too pristine, too unfamiliar.

She didn't belong here.

At least, that's what it felt like most days. She missed her home, the noisy streets, the way her father used to lift her up and call her his sunlight. He would have known how to make her feel at home.

Her mother was happy, though. Sol could see it in the way Soledad smiled more, in the way she hummed softly while making breakfast. Her new step father, Leonardo, was a kind man, gentle with the woman and patient with Solana.

He wasn't cruel or mean, but he just wasn't her father.

He never could be.

She just missed her dad. Even at six years old, she understood that loss was something permanent.

She m wanted to go home.

And maybe home was more of a person, than a place at this rate.

Then there was step-sister. Chiara was older, brattier, and made it very clear that she didn't like sharing this life with Solana. She often chose to make that clear, whether it be sparking arguments over toys, space, or the attention from Leonardo that Solana didn't really want.

So, when Soledad announced that a friend was coming over, someone with a son around her age, Sol wasn't excited.

She didn't need another person who wouldn't like her.

And when the door bell rang, Solana instinctively clung to her mother's hand.

"Anak." Her mother crouched down to her level, brushing a stray hair from her face. "It's okay. You can let go."

The six year old swallowed, hesitating, before loosening her grip on the soft fabric of her mother's dress. She felt exposed without it, standing stiffly beside.

Soledad opened the door and a woman stood there, bright and warm, quickly greeting Solana's mother with a kiss on each cheek before stepping aside to reveal a small boy with wide green eyes.

He peeked out from behind his mother's leg, curious.

The unfamiliar lady smiled wide, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she admired Solana, as though she were the most precious thing on the planet.

To someone else, it might have been endearing, but for Solana, it only intensified the feeling of being a stranger in a foreign world. The woman's gaze was warm, almost overwhelming, and as she bent forward slightly, Solana quickly took a small step back, her heart beating a little faster.

"Don't be shy, ma chérie," The woman said softly, her voice like a melody Solana couldn't quite follow. Her French accent was thick, its rhythm unfamiliar, as if the words were slipping from her tongue in a dance Solana wasn't ready to join.

Soledad, sensing her daughter's discomfort, crouched down to her level. "Mahal, this is Pascale," She said gently, her voice a grounding presence in the sea of foreign sounds. "Kaibigan ko." She slipped into Tagalog, a language that felt like home, like comfort. 'My friend.'

Solana looked at her mother, then back at the woman, Pascale, who was smiling even wider now, though her eyes carried a tenderness that was somehow both foreign and familiar.

Pascale's lips parted, and she spoke again, her voice lilting and sweet, though her accent made it sound distant. "Your mother has told me a lot about you."

The words didn't make sense to Sol. She caught fragments, the sentence almost like a puzzle she couldn't solve. A language barrier she wasn't used to.

Back home, everything was simpler, words flowed naturally. But here, in this strange house, with strange people, Solana felt as if she were grasping at nothing, her understanding slipping through her fingers.

Her mother must've noticed her confusion because she placed a reassuring hand on Solana's shoulder, the weight of it grounding her. "And this is .. Charles." Soledad gestured toward the little boy beside the woman. He stood with his head tilted shyly, his green eyes glancing up at Solana before dropping back down.

He was clutching a red toy car, his tiny fingers wrapped tightly around it, gripping it like a shield against the unfamiliar. He didn't look at her, just at his toy, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Solana understood that. She recognized the way he clutched it, how his hands curled around it in an almost desperate hold, as if it were the only thing keeping him from feeling lost.

She, too, held onto things that gave her comfort, like the way her father's old gifts made her feel close to him, even though he wasn't there anymore. The thought made her heart ache. She glanced down at the floor, trying to ignore the knot in her throat.

Solana stayed quiet, shrinking back a little, her gaze flickering between him and the floor. He was quiet too, shifting from foot to foot, his free hand clutching his mother's dress just as she had done with her own moments before.

"He is also shy," Pascale admitted with a smile, running a hand through her son's tousled hair. "But I think he'll warm up soon enough."

Soledad glanced down at her daughter, her expression gentle before she crouched once more to whisper, "Why don't you take Charles to play while I get my hair done?"

Solana hesitated, her fingers twitching by her side. She didn't want to play. She wanted to sit by her mother and pretend this day wasn't happening.

But then she felt Pascale's gaze on her, soft but expectant, and saw Charles looking at her just as nervously.

She swallowed and gave the smallest nod.

Charles still didn't move at first, so his mother nudged him forward lightly. He took slow steps toward her, his toy car still held tightly in his arms.

Silence still surrounded the two, but as Solana took a breath, she did what her mother always told her to do when meeting someone new.

She offered her hand.

It was small, delicate, a quiet invitation between strangers.

Charles blinked at it, hesitant, before his eyes, those sweet, green eyes, slowly lifted to meet hers.

Solana felt something strange stir inside her.

She had never really thought about eyes before. People had them, and they were brown, or blue, or black like her mother's. But Charles' were green. Bright, alive, curious in a way that made her chest feel warm.

It was the first time she realized that someone's eyes could make her feel lost, like she could fall into them and never quite find her way back.

She didn't understand the feeling.

Didn't have words for it.

But as Charles hesitated, he slowly... so slowly.. reached out and placed his hand into hers.

She smile softly.

Without a word, Solana turned and led him toward the living room.

It was quiet between them, the only sound the soft padding of their small feet on the tile. When they reached her dollhouse, Solana immediately dropped to the floor, folding her legs beneath her.

The six year old Charles stood there for a moment, eyes scanning the setup, the miniature furniture, the tiny figures sitting perfectly in place.

Then, as if deciding something, he plopped down beside her and, without hesitation, grabbed one of her Barbies.

Solana's eyes widened slightly.

Before she could say anything, he placed the doll in the driver's seat of his red toy car. He gave it a push, making a soft "vroom" sound under his breath.

Solana just stared.

Charles glanced at her, waiting for a reaction.

She didn't know what to do. She had never put her dolls in anything but the house. They were supposed to sit in their little plastic chairs, not...drive cars...?

But then he pushed the car again, the Barbie jolting forward, and something about it was funny.

Her lips twitched.

And he noticed.

Charles grinned and did it again, this time making the car swerve dramatically, as if Barbie were a reckless driver.

A small giggle bubbled up in her throat before she could stop it.

And his little smile only grew.

Encouraged, he pointed at another doll, the one with dark hair, the one Solana always thought looked a little like her. He tapped the passenger seat of his car, then looked at her expectantly.

She hesitated only for a second before carefully picking up the doll and placing it next to the blonde one.

Charles beamed.

With another push, the toy car rolled across the floor, carrying both Barbies on an adventure.

The language barrier was there-thick, noticeable-but it didn't seem to matter.

Not when they had this.

Not when, for the first time since she'd arrived in Monaco, Solana felt a little less alone.

And little did she know, he would feel like home.

vera's voice!!! 💌
hiiiiii FLASHBACKS. doing three of these so.
Hi. 1/3 DONE. two more to go. Did this eat. Lmk.

HIIII ENYA HIII BEA
BYEEE says vera.