Did Allegra even want to be here?

Not really but she wanted to see her friend, Rayna. After that debacle at the beach yesterday when they had gotten into that fight, Allegra felt she needed to make it up to her friend and spend time with her. Rayna would be flying back to California tomorrow morning but instead of some quality friendship time, Allegra was being forced to spend another day with Kristii Jansen and her mindless followers.

Allegra was already hating it. She and the rest of the group were all wearing daisy dukes and tight red tank tops that said ‘Sexy Girlz.’ This is because model and actress wannabe Kristii was booked to participate in some reality show/modeling competition ingeniously named Sexy Girlz and she was doing everything she could to promote it. This included making all her friends dress in outfits that made Hooters waitresses seem classy. Allegra suggested perhaps changing the shirts to say ‘Skanks R Us’ but the joke was lost on Kristii.

At least they got into the first annual Mechanical Zombie Electronica Festival for free. It wasn’t exactly Coachella but it was pretty rocking. There were some good bands booked and already the place was packed with fun seekers. The girls were handed glowing Mardi Gras beaded necklaces and tiny plastic whistles shaped like robots as they walked through the rainbow arch entrance way. Krstii was all ready to plan what they’d be doing next.

“Where are my Sexy Girz!” Kristii shouted. “”First stop, Daiquiri Tent! Let’s get wayyyy-sted!”

Her friends cheered loudly in approval. Allegra desperately wished she was somewhere else.

“What’s wrong, A?” Rayna asked. “You’ve been in the crapper ever since yesterday,”

“I was just hoping we could spend some time together,” Allegra said. “I haven’t even gotten a chance to really talk to you and I can barely even hear you over Kristii.”

“You know I don’t like her either but she did fly me over here and got us all VIP passes for this fest, so I can’t exactly blow her off.”

“Like you did with me yesterday?” Allegra demanded.

“That’s because you were making nice with that scary spiked head chick,” Rayna answered. “Look, I’m sorry. Why couldn’t you have just stayed with us? What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that everyone was being really mean to her and if you all wouldn’t have made fun of her I wouldn’t have had to go over and talk to her.”

“I wasn’t making fun of her,” Rayna defended herself.

“You weren’t helping,” Allegra answered. That was far more diplomatic than calling Rayna out for being just as mean as the others.

“HEY SEXY GIRZ! WHAT TIME IS IT? IT’S JELLO SHOT TIME!!!” Kristii shrieked.

“I’m out of here!” Allegra shouted and stomped away. Why did she come out here? She wished she was back home at the mansion sunning with Derek or decorating DJ Roomba with Abby. Hell, even debating the ethics of eating people with Amber was better than this.

Allegra just wandered aimlessly lost in her anger. But eventually she started getting in tune with the festival and slowly started to enjoy herself. She started dancing along to the electronic beats. She spun around taking in everything around her. There was a guy in stilts dressed red, white and blue as Uncle Sam. A girl passed by with a plume of peacock feathers on her back like wings. A group of guys were running in circles shaking maracas shaped like skulls. People were letting their freak flags fly but in a fun, cool way.

Normally Allegra would feel self conscious being alone at a festival like this but she was kind of appreciating the alone time. It gave her a chance to notice things that would have ignored if she was here giggling with Kristii and the rest of the sheep. Allegra was just letting herself live in the moment and enjoy the sights, the sounds and....the guy that just slapped her ass??

“Hey, sexy girl! That's what is says on your shirt. Is that your real name?” some frat guy shouted along with a few unsavory comments about what was going through his head. All it earned him was a hard backhand slap across that head. Allegra pushed her way through the crowd to get away.

Okay. First order of business buy a shirt at the first vendor she could find. She didn't care what the shirt said as long as it fit over what she was wearing now.

Allegra was on a mission, but the problem with being on a mission in very crowded situations is that you don't always look where you're going. Allegra slammed right into a fellow Mechanical Zombie reveler.

"I'm so sorry," Allegra apologized.

Mechanical Zombie Electronica Festival? Charlie was so there.

Music had evolved astronomically in the time that she’d been alive, and Charlie loved all of it. Back when she was living her first life, music could only be made with instruments and heard live, so there just wasn’t very much of it. Most of the 1900s were blank for her in that life, but she assumed that there was some sort of industrial revolution that resulted in people being able to listen to music whenever, wherever. Whatever had happened, Charlie didn’t really care; she just enjoyed being able to hear it all.

She’d been turned onto the electronica festival by a one-night fling and decided to turn it into two nights. She’d lost the woman after just the second act, though, and she didn’t try hard to find her again. It would be more fun to just experience it without someone hanging off of her arm the whole time.

So, experience it she did. There was a guy giving out tattoos in the back of a truck for a stupidly low price, so Charlie got an elaborate dreamcatcher on her forearm. It took a few hours, but it was a three-day festival. She was fine to waste a little while for a cool experience.

With her throbbing forearm and a floral romper that didn’t cover a whole lot, Charlie reentered the crowds. There was a band playing on the main stage, but they weren’t excellent, so she stayed near a drink line. The area was filled with drunk a**holes, but she knew how to handle herself. Any hand that reached out to touch her received a quick slap away.

Suddenly, there was a weight pressed against her that was not a hand. Charlie turned around to see that she’d been bumped into by a young girl. She was pretty, blonde, and wearing a skimpy outfit. Maybe if she was a few years older…

She wasn’t, though. She also looked a little lost, like a small dog without an owner. Charlie didn’t usually get involved in other people’s business, but she looked so sad and alone. Plus, there was a group of men trying to take advantage of her.

”You okay, kiddo?” she shouted over the music. Quickly, she leaned forward and slapped away a few hands that were trying to wander their way back to the young girl. ”You’ll keep your hands to yourself if you know what’s good for you,” she warned.

Allegra turned back to hear the now familiar cat calls and comments. Thankfully she had someone standing up for her. The herd of jerks didn't seem quite ready to let it go yet.

“Hey, with an outfit like that, she’s asking for it,” one of the guys shouted back. “You both are.”

Allegra was infuriated. She was so tired of putting up with this crap so she turned to give this guy a piece of her mind. But as she stared at him, she remembered the last time she fought back. It was when her ‘date’ attacked her and her mutant power kicked in. She had turned her date into a literal monster.

A look of fear now crossed her face. It wasn’t that she was terribly afraid of these childish drunks. She was too angry for that. It was the fear of her power going out of control again.

Allegra’s frightened expression just made them laugh more. “Don't worry, babe. We'll be gentle. Honest.” one shouted as the group walked away while making more comments and lewd gestures.

Allegra just stood there feeling completely humiliated. People were always afraid of mutants because of their powers. Mutants were almost godlike. They could do anything.  Allegra’s powers just made her feel weaker. She couldn’t fight back for fear of her powers kicking in accidentally. She could seriously hurt someone and she could be exposed for what she was. So she just stood there doing absolutely nothing while those jerks shambled off laughing.

“Thank you,” Allegra said to the woman. “I really appreciate you sticking up for me. I don’t normally dress like this. It’s just…..” Allegra’s voice trailed off. The only thing more embarrassing than dressing like this was admitting how she got roped into dressing like this. She did whatever her friends did whether she approved of it or not. That wasn't something she wanted to admit. “There are fashion mistakes and fashion disasters. This is a fashion apocalypse. Let's just leave it at that."

While Allegra was whirling with insecurities ready to do whatever anyone told her to do, this woman seemed completely comfortable with herself. She wasn't ashamed of what she was wearing like Allegra was. She was reveling in it. Allegra was searching for excuses for everything she did wrong. This woman didn’t feel she had to justify or apologize about anything. Allegra wished she could have that confidence.This woman seemed so ancient and young at the same time. Like she had a million experiences and each one just made her glow even more. It must be so wonderful to feel that way.

"Did I tell you sorry for bumping into you and thank you for telling those jocks off. Well, sorry and thank you. Hey, can I get you something? I’m going to buy one of those overpriced ugly shirts over there but after that, I’m going to grab something to eat and drink. Do you want anything?”

Allegra reached into her purse and saw it had been opened. “No!” she cried. It looked like her ass wasn’t the only thing people had been grabbing. Someone had stolen her wallet and everything in it.

“Just great!” Allegra sighed. “Can this day suck any more?”

For the most part, Charlie did her best not to involve herself in other people's business. Far too messy. Every once and a while, though, she helped someone out, and it felt good. Like, really good. It made her want to do something crazy. Again.

>>“I really appreciate you sticking up for me. I don’t normally dress like this. It’s just…..”

With a furrowed brow, Charlie surveyed the girl. She didn't look all that horrible to her. Okay, it wasn't awesome, but she was pulling it off. A little more confidence and the girl would really be able to make it work. Really, there were few things that a young body couldn't do.

She stepped around the girl to get a better picture of what she looked like in the outfit, pushing aside a few people in order to do so. "Yeah, okay. It's not awesome," she admitted. She definitely didn't look bad, but she didn't look comfortable, which was the most important thing. She needed to change, that was for sure.

>>"Did I tell you sorry for bumping into you and thank you for telling those jocks off. Well, sorry and thank you. Hey, can I get you something? I’m going to buy one of those overpriced ugly shirts over there but after that, I’m going to grab something to eat and drink. Do you want anything?”

"You said it, kiddo. Don't worry. You're welcome, anyhow," Charlie chuckled and clapped the girl on the back. She was actually really adorable. It just made her want to help the girl and make her feel comfortable again. It was a strange feeling; she didn't usually want to spend longer with anyone than she had to.

With a shrug, she agreed, "sure, I could use another beer. I'm Charlie, by the way. Do you have a name, or should I just call you 'Sexy Girl'?" She pointed to the girl's t-shirt for reference. The more she looked at it, the more she realised how bad it really was. It was just a shame that most of the shirts they were selling at the festival looked like bags.

Sexy Girl opened her purse to discover that her wallet had been stolen. "Well that's a f***ing bummer," Charlie pointed out as she scrounged up a cigarette from her own bag and lit it with a floral lighter. "What was inside? Anything important? If it was just cash, I'll pay for your t-shirt or something."

“Yeah, my outfit is really not awesome,” Allegra agreed. “It’s the finest in skankwear courtesy of the biggest skank I know. She's gonna be appearing in some new reality show called ‘Sexy Girlz.’ Please don’t watch it. I'm hoping if I send enough negative energy, I can get it cancelled.”

Allegra admired Charlie’s outfit but mostly she admired the woman’s confidence while wearing it. Allegra was so jealous of that.

“Nice tattoo,” Allegra said looking at the dreamcatcher. “It’s pretty. It’s called…um…a dreamsnatcher, right?” she asked hoping to sound knowledgeable. “I always thought about getting a tattoo but I'm afraid of needles," Charlie, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be afraid of anything.

Still, the older woman was making Allegra feel comfortable and more like herself. “I’ve just had an awful day so far,” Allegra explained. “I came with my friends and we got into a fight. Actually, it was a fight that spilled over from yesterday. But we all got free VIP tickets so that’s why I’m here and kind of why I’m wearing this ridiculous outfit. How about you? Do you live here in New York or are you out of town for the fest?”

“I don’t have a wrist band so I can’t get you a beer but I can get you a soda or something,” Allegra offered. It was then that she discovered her wallet had been lifted.

“All my credit cards. Gone,” Allegra said sadly. “And $30 in cash which I kept just in case my wallet was stolen.” It just hit her now how keeping emergency cash in the stolen wallet might not have been a great idea.

“Yes, please could you?” Allegra said when Charlie offered to buy her a shirt. “I can text my friends to pay you back. Oh, and here.” Allegra grabbed the lanyard hanging from her shorts and pulled out a black card with a picture of a malfunctioning robot on it. “Kristii gave me two VIP passes for some reason and I only need one, so here ya go. It’s good for the whole weekend. It’ll get us backstage to some shows, admission to the VIP tent with better food and, most important, bathrooms with shorter lines.” Allegra smiled hoping that she could do something to pay Charlie back for being so helpful.

"You're kidding," Charlie groaned at the idea of yet another terrible reality television show. All the rest were already so horrible. The last thing that the world needed was more of them with even more terrible names. "They get worse all the time. I still remember the first one they ever made. Candid Camera or something stupid. It's all gone downhill from there." She shook her head and sighed.

Her eyes turned to the tattoo on her forearm. Despite the fact that it was still throbbing, she'd almost forgotten that it was there. Parts of it looked a little... infected. There was a reason why people didn't usually get tattoos in the back of sketchy vans.

"Thanks," she shrugged, "it's a dreamcatcher. This one kinda sucks, though. I've had better ones before. There was one a few years ago that was a full back picture of a sloth. That was cool." She shrugged. The tattoo wouldn't last that long. If nothing killed her in the next while, then the infection sure would. It would only get worse.

Ah, the drama of the young. The thought of it made Charlie grin, despite what Allegra was saying about what happened to her. It had been a long time since Charlie had let herself get wrapped up in something like that. "Sorry 'bout that. At least now you've ditched them so you can have more fun." She winked, despite knowing that the girl might have felt differently. To Charlie, there was nothing better than getting rid of the people that were bringing you down.

>>"How about you? Do you live here in New York or are you out of town for the fest?”

"I'm a local... sort of, anyway." Technically, she was from England, but she hadn't been back there in years. Her home base was New York, and there was no changing that, no matter how much she wanted to change that.

Charlie snorted and looked at the girl. "You're what, sixteen? Seventeen? What are you doing with credit cards?" Kids grew up so fast in the modern world. It still surprised her sometimes. Then again, she was married at just a few years older than her, so really, she couldn't judge all that much.

The blonde extended a hand and took the card that the girl extended to her. VIP pass? She was in. "Awesome, thanks," she grinned and nodded at it. Sure, it might not have been exactly safe, but she had nothing to lose. Plus, really, the girl was the one who needed to worry. "Alright, let's get you changed and then we'll get some food, yeah? Can I get a name, first, though?"

Allegra never heard of Candid Camera. “I think the first reality show was Real World. It’s been around for 25 years or something.” Charlie looked to be early 20’s so she most certainly wasn’t able to catch Real World when it started so that meant that camera show she was talking about had to come after it.

“All the reality shows aren’t bad,” Allegra said. “I love Project Runway. I want to be a fashion designer. And all the Bachelor shows are awesome. And even though it’s not as good as when it started, the Kardashians are still a lot of fun. I guess most of the reality shows are pretty good, huh?”

“Dreamcatcher, yeah,” Allegra said feeling embarrassed. She wasn’t sure why anyone would want to catch a dream so she elected not to comment much more on the subject so she wouldn't make a fool out of herself. “Well, it still looks really cool.”

Charlie mentioned she had a tattoo that was the full back picture of a sloth. “A sloth’s like a gorilla that sleeps all the time, right?” Allegra asked. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you decide on that? Other than you’re probably the only person in the world who has a sleeping gorilla tattoo.”

<<"At least now you've ditched them so you can have more fun." >>

“Yeah, I guess that’s one way of looking at it,” Allegra said. “I really hate Kristii and I hate most of her friends because they just do what she tells them to, so it’s like a bunch of little Kristiis running around. Plus, she’s really mean. We got into a fight yesterday because Kristii was making fun of this girl on the beach and I told her to stop. Oh and if you want more proof she sucks; she made me wear this. So not a lot of good things to say about her. But…..” Allegra stared down at the ground. “I was really looking forward to seeing my friend Rayna. And now they’re all gonna say mean things about me, so I think everyone back home is gonna hate me now.”

Charlie mentioned she was from England. “Oooh. I always wanted to go there. I stayed up all night to watch the royal wedding. I just love Kate! Do you ever go back home like to visit family and friends and stuff? What brought you to New York?”

Allegra just stared at her when she asked what she was doing with credit cards. “Everyone I know has credit cards. How would you buy stuff without them?”

“Yes, I need to get changed and then some food. I’m starving. Um… if you don’t mind.” Allegra didn’t want to be a mooch. “I’ll take any shirt. How about that one right there with the sheep flying out of the crying volcano. I have no idea what that’s about. I think people that do a lot of drugs should make less shirts. But it’ll cover my hideous outfit up.”

“Now, for food I think we should go to the VIP tent. They’ve got more gourmet type stuff there and it won’t be any more expensive with our passes.”

Her brain was going a mile a minute trying to think of anything she forgot to mention.

“Oh, Allegra,” she said embarrassed she hadn’t even introduced herself properly.

Charlie clicked her tongue and held up a finger. If there was one thing she knew, it was history… sometimes, anyway. ”Actually, that wasn’t even close to the first one. Candid Camera was a stupid show where they followed people around and pulled pranks. Not exactly The Kardashians, but it was the fifties.” That had been the first ‘reality television show’. It sounded right in her head, anyway.

Oh, young, naive girl. Charlie just wanted to pick her up and keep her on a pedestal forever and ever. It almost seemed as if she’d been living in a bubble, and Charlie never wanted it to pop. It gave her a little bit of a hope.

”A sloth is its own animal entirely. Slow and sleepy, and they hang from trees. They’ve got really sad eyes, too. Adorable things. I think I held one in Australia once, maybe? I dunno.” She shrugged. It was vaguely there, but it was a bit of a blur. Maybe it had been a koala? How had she even gotten to Australia, anyway? Maybe she would remember the next time around.

>>“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you decide on that? Other than you’re probably the only person in the world who has a sleeping gorilla tattoo.”

Again, she clicked her tongue. ”Had, sweetheart. It’s gone now. It was a spur of the moment thing, I think. It was a long time ago.” Had… Cher been there? Nah, she was probably remembering it wrong.

Charlie nodded as the girl went on about her friends. They sounded absolutely horrible. It was no wonder that the girl had found herself wandering the festival by herself. If Charlie had been in her position, she would have done the same thing. ”Trust me, you won’t even remember this moment in a few years. Or those ‘friends’. Just live your life the way you want to, and you’ll get where you want to go. You’ll see.”

>>“Oooh. I always wanted to go there. I stayed up all night to watch the royal wedding. I just love Kate! Do you ever go back home like to visit family and friends and stuff? What brought you to New York?”

The blonde shook her head. ”I don’t travel all that often. I never seem to get very far.” She then rolled her neck and shrugged her shoulders as shoved someone away who had gotten too close. ”Uh… death in the family. Wound up staying.”

A volcano shirt? Aw hell no. She was far too pretty for that. ”Sweetheart, no. We’re getting you something cool, and we’ll pay for it in cash. Like the olden times, before all this newfangled online ****.”

She trotted forward through the crowds, expecting the teen to follow her. The crowds were thick and sweaty, but she was trudging forward, not paying much attention to who she might be trudging over.

”Okay, Allegra. Let’s get you clothed and fed.” A nice shirt at an Electronica music festival. Couldn’t be too hard to find, right?

"Oh, I guess that's why I never heard of the Camera show," Allegra said. "It's really, really, really old." Hadn't Charlie said that she remembered the show when it first aired? No, that was impossible. Allegra must have heard her wrong.

Charlie explained about the sloths that were maybe in Australia. The way her speech was drifting off, Allegra was wondering if Charlie was on some kind of drugs. Perhaps she was coming down from an Ecstasy buzz. It made sense. Some of the things Charlie was talking about were pretty loopy but that made Allegra appreciate her more. She was far more interesting to talk to than Kristii and her sheep.

"So you had the tattoo removed?" Allegra asked. "I hear that's even more painful than getting a tattoo in the first place. More reason for me never to get one."

Wait, that sounded so lame and boring. Charlie seemed so adventurous and, as always with new people she met, Allegra wanted to impress them. Allegra didn't want Charlie to think she was boring and lame. "Though, maybe today I'll get totally wild and get one," Allegra said. "YOLO, right? I should just go for it."

Charlie told Allegra that she wouldn't even remember her 'friends' in a few years. "A few years is an eternity," Allegra said. "I'll still be in high school."

She smiled. "Don't take offense but you sound just like my best friend's Emma's mom. That woman is so cool. She's way older than you of course. I think she's almost like 40 but she always says stuff like that and she really means it. So different than my mom. She says I need to be more like Kristii and stop being a total loser like...well....me."

"That's interesting you came for a funeral but just fell in love with NYC?" Allegra asked. "They say most people from here weren't born here. They came to New York to themselves. It looks like you really did. You seem so confident and happy here. Maybe it'll be the same with me."

Allegra felt so lost and alone here. "How did you start your new life? Was it hard? Was it lonely? It just seems so hard to meet people. Even at my own school, the kids are just so different. It's hard to relate to most of them."

A couple frat boys made more catcalls at Allegra. "I have to get out of this outfit!" she said. She followed Charlie through the crowd. "Look over there. There's some hippy girl selling homemade outfits. They're kinda boho cute, huh?"

Old was a relative term in Charlie's vocabulary. Something that seemed old to the fifteen-year-old Allegra seemed short in comparison to other things in Charlie's life. She still remembered some of the crazy things that she'd done in the 50s. It was just a shame that anyone who would remember it had gotten lame.

"No, no, sweetheart. It's gone. I didn't get it removed," she almost laughed at the thought. Tattoo removal sounded awful. It was no wonder that most regular people didn't get them without some thought first.

Charlie did understand that Allegra wouldn't understand what she was getting at. For her, that was part of the fun. Seeing how many hints she could drop before the girl finally caught on. She was hardly hiding the fact that she was a mutant, but it was so boring when she just told people outright. It was her privilege to live differently than regular humans. They didn't need to know the details unless they inquired about them.

"Yeah, YOLO," Charlie repeated back to her. Ironic. "Make sure you put some thought into it, though. These things don't come off easily if you're planning on using usual methods." She paused. "Rule of thumb: do as I say, not as I do."

Ah, there it was. Again with the age and time talk. An eternity in high school. Oh God, Charlie would have killed herself. Again and again and again. "This too shall pass, or whatever, right? It'll end before you know it." She shrugged and took another drag of her cigarette. They weren't as good as in her last lifetime.

"Well Emma's mom gives horrible advice," she said bluntly. What were they teaching children these days? That sounded horrible. It was no wonder that her friends all sounded terrible as well. "You shouldn't have to change who you are just to... do whatever it is that you're trying to do. Just do what makes you happy. That's all that matters." That was something that Charlie truely believed.

How had she started her new life? Man, that was forever ago. She didn't remem- oh. Right. She'd had a husband. He'd certainly put a damper on things. "You make do at first, and then you start to find a rhythm. It'll come, trust me." Time was something that Charlie used like she had an endless supply of. Sometimes she forgot that other people didn't get the same luxury. Or curse, depending on how you viewed it.

The little popup that Allegra had pointed to really was quite cute. Everything was handmade boho chic, and nothing was anywhere near as bad as a robot t-shirt. They were going to make her look good.

"What about this?" Charlie suggested, holding up an indigo dress. She almost wanted to steal it herself. Maybe if Allegra didn't want it.

“The tattoos gone?” Allegra asked. “Oh, a temporary tattoo,” she deduced. "Maybe I should start with one of those but it doesn't quite have that 'seize the day' feel."

"Do as I say, not as I do’ ‘This too shall pass.’ “You know, you sound like an old person,” Allegra laughed.

“No, it’s my mom, not Emma’s that says I should be more like Kristii,” Allegra said. "Emma's mom and Emma both hate Kristii. I kind of do too."

Charlie seemed like a whirlwind of contradictions. She seemed so young and free but she seemed to have such an old soul. That’s probably what happens when you’re not afraid to experience life. You see so much that it keeps you young and fresh but you experience more than people twice your age.

“My mom thinks Kristii is incredible because she’s so fearless and confident and beautiful. Unlike me,” Allegra sighed. “I can’t stand Kristii but I guess I wish I could be more like her. Just not so mean. I want to do what makes me happy but what if no one likes me? Or if they are mean to me?” Allegra had been bullied before and it made her want to curl up and die.

"You make do at first, and then you start to find a rhythm. It'll come, trust me." ----

“It’s been so hard to find my rhythm at my new school,” Allegra said. “It’s just so…..different. There’s some really nice people there but so many of them are just freaks. I know that came out the wrong way but they’re like some of the goths and burnouts at my old school. They just live for being different and if you don’t want to spend all your energy being all freaky too, then they just make fun of you. Some of them are honestly really scary.”

It was love at first sight for Allegra and the dress. “Oh my god! I love it! I love it!” She smiled at Charlie. “Are you sure I can have it?”

“I think that’s the perfect look for your girlfriend,” the shop owner said to Charlie, mistaking them for a couple. The woman looked to be early 40s with beaded dreadlocked hair wearing a dress very similar to the one Allegra was admiring. “I design and make these all myself. I’m glad you like it.” She held her tongue in commenting about Allegra’s current outfit and instead turned to the older man working the register. “What do you think, dad?”

The woman’s father who looked like a Jerry Garcia clone looked up at Allegra but his eyes fixed on Charlie instead.

“Charlie??” he asked then shook his head. “Sorry. That’s impossible. Forgive me. You just remind me of a girl I knew a long time ago.”

Charlie just shook her head. Sometimes youth was just too much.

Allegra seemed to be able to talk at a mile a minute on a thousand different topics. Usually, Charlie had no difficulty keeping up with people or blending in, but the girl was making it difficult. She had a hundred different questions about a hundred different things, and it was making Charlie's head spin. Sometimes, she wished that she could be that young and naive again. It wasn’t really something that you could get back, though. Once you lost it, you lost it.

That was why Charlie wanted Allegra to stay safe and away from all the **** that the world had to offer. If she could give her even one day of fun and interest while she was like that, then Charlie’s mission would be somewhat complete. She would have an uncorrupted memory of that weird stranger that took her through a music festival.

Perhaps that was why she just dropped her hinting. ”Just an old soul, kid. My parents were old when they had me and yada yada.” Okay, so maybe she wasn’t trying all that hard. Still, she was giving it a shot.

The girl was still fixated on fitting in and being popular. While Charlie didn’t really understand, she did her best to empathize. That was all Allegra really had, so it was important to her. She knew that it wouldn’t be in a few years, but for the moment, Charlie needed to indulge her.

Charlie shrugged at her and shook her head. ”That’s part of growing up, love. You learn things. They aren’t always good, in fact a lot of the time they’re ****** up, but you get through it. I believe in you, if that’s any consolation.” Man, she really did sound like an old fart. She had to get on Chirpr more and see what the kids were saying. ”For now, though, just be yourself and all that ****, and tell them that you had more fun than them at the fair. It’s okay to be petty.”

She looked the dress up and down, resigning herself to the fact that she had clearly picked too well, and the fashionable Allegra liked it too. Ah well, there were always other dresses. Carefully, she looked at the pricetag, trying not to visibly wince. Yeah, that was going to be a chunk out of her last paycheck. She really should have listened to those guys in the eighties and invested, or whatever.

”Yeah, you can have it. I said you could, didn’t I?” Eh, screw money. There would always be more of it.

>>“I think that’s the perfect look for your girlfriend,”

Oh hell no. Charlie leaned forward and stuck her finger out at the shop owner. ”Listen, lady. I’ve dated some weird people, sure, but I’m sure as hell not going to date a preteen, alri-”

>>“Charlie?? Sorry. That’s impossible. Forgive me. You just remind me of a girl I knew a long time ago.”

Charlie stopped, distracted from her crusade. There was a man that looked all too familiar. She had definitely known a younger version of him, but her memories were having trouble placing him. Allen, or something, maybe? He was… OH! Oh, ****. Yeah, they had definitely had a thing for a few months.

The blonde cleared her throat and wiped any form of recognition from her face before shaking her head. ”I probably look like someone. Recognizable features and all that. Can we have the dress, then?”

"I'd much rather have old parents. Mine are really immature," Allegra said. "Honestly, I'm more grown up than they are." That wasn't too far from the truth.

"You know, you talk like a grandma," Allegra laughed. "But the most awesome grandma ever." She elbowed Charlie playfully. "I like your philosophy. When they're being petty, be more petty. We're gonna take endless selfies of us having way more fun than them so I can rub it in their faces. Ha!"

Allegra had to be sure it was okay for her to get the dress and she squealed with delight when Charlie said she could. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Allegra hugged Charlie then went to try on her new outfit.

"I'm sorry," the shop owner said. "I thought you two were around the same age."

"I'm not a PRE-teen!" Allegra shouted from the dressing room. She had been an official teenager for a couple years now. She was downright ancient.

Allen was mesmerized by Charlie. Memories were swirling though his brain. His first love. A fire that burnt brightly but briefly. She had disappeared leaving him heartbroken. There was a rumor she had died but he never found out for sure what had happened.

"Dad, please don't stare at the customers," the shop keeper said.

"Sorry, miss," he apologized. His face was full of longing and sadness. He compared every day of his life to the few months he shared with her and every day since came short.

"So, can I interest you in anything," the shop keeper asked Charlie. "I'll give you a great discount for all your troubles." She glared at her father again.

Allegra came out of the dressing room and spun around in her new outfit. "Ta-daa! How do I look?"

Oh, come on. Now she was giving people flashbacks? As if the day hadn’t already been weird enough. Charlie sighed and looked to the side as she allowed the man to stare at her. If she wasn’t going to give him any indication that he was on the right track, then she at least owed him a good stare or two.

His daughter had other ideas about what was acceptable, and Charlie didn’t argue, not wanting to make a scene. She just felt bad for Allen. He’d been cool back in the day, though it looked like he hadn’t done all that much since then. She seriously hoped that she hadn’t done anything to steer him in the wrong direction. As much as doing stuff like that was fun in the moment, she hated to stumble upon former acquaintances and find them in worse shape than she’d left them.

”Uh, sure. I’ll take this,” Charlie said, taking the first hat from a stack and putting it on the little counter that they’d cleared off to sell merchandise. She hadn’t really looked at it, but it seemed like it would do. She wasn’t going to turn down the offer for cool clothes, or for a discount.

Allegra came out of the dressing room, and Charlie grabbed her arm gently, steering her away from the back of the tent. ”You look great. We’re gonna head out,” she said the second sentence a little louder and gave the two people in the tent a tight smile. Quickly, she handed them a bill and waited for her change.

“We appreciate your business,” the man said wearily, unable to peel his eyes away from Charlie as he gave her the change. Man, she had really done a number on him.

Charlie nodded awkwardly, ”sure, anytime.” With the exchange done, she stepped out of the tent and hoped that Allegra would follow quickly.

“Oooh! I love that hat! “ Allegra exclaimed. She followed her approval by clicking multiple photos of Charlie and her new acquisition. She then rushed next to her new friend to take a couple selfies. “Gotta send these to Kristii to show her how fabulous we look.”

Charlie seemed ready to leave.  If Allegra had her credit cards, she’d be tempted to pick up a few more outfits. Maybe Charlie was afraid of being tempted as well. Or maybe it was that strange old guy. He seemed obsessed with Charlie. Yeah, probably a good idea to get out of there. Allegra accepted the shop owner’s business card and the two skipped away.

“Maybe he knew your grandma or something,” Allegra suggested to Charlie as they walked out. “Do you know if she ever visited the U.S. when she was younger? Or, more likely he was just a creep, huh?”

There were a few more clothing booths set up. Most were selling tacky stuff and generic tie dyes, though a few had some cute things. Allegra liked buying unusual accessories to compliment her designer clothing just to give her style its own individual flair. But Allegra refrained from saying anything. Charlie was kind enough to buy her the dress. Allegra didn’t want the poor woman going bankrupt.

“So what next?” Allegra asked. “Food or should we check out one of the acts?”

Allegra looked over at one of the stages. There was a man in his mid-20s just sitting motionless on the stage. Weren't they supposed to have performers and DJs up there? This guy had the most boring stage presence ever. Down below, the crowd was dancing like crazy even though there was no music whatsoever.

“That looks odd,” Allegra said. “Should we check it out?”