ＯＵＴ ＯＦ ＬＵＸ discussion

Charlotte's Log





Ideas

- Meeting Matthew
- Confrontation with parents
- Cogworks graduation/the day she was disowned
- Wedding
- Secret Meeting with Evelyn
- Becoming a teacher

Meeting Matthew
Cogworks
Age 13

Charlotte walked down the hallway to her next class, books clutched tightly in her hands against her chest. She had admittedly been running late, walking as fast as she could before the first bell rang. She didn’t want her parents to know that she was late for class. That was the last thing Charlotte wanted to think about now.

The hallways were quiet with not many students, leading Charlotte to believe that most of them were already in class. She quickened her pace as if she was racing the bell against time. Don’t want to be late, don’t want to be late. Hurry up, Charlotte, hurry up.

Her footsteps grew louder as she rushed to the classroom. She noticed some of the students she walked by staring at her, but she pushed their looks aside and ignored them. She just wanted to get to class as fast as possible so she could avoid a potential scolding from her parents for being late. She couldn’t care less what the other students were thinking right now.

She glanced over at the clock. Five minutes until class started. Oh no. Not caring anymore, Charlotte sprinted down the hallway, not paying attention to anyone else. And honestly, maybe she should have.

Suddenly, Charlotte felt a thud against her body, the force causing her to fall to the ground. Her books had fallen on the floor and a wave of panic came across her. She saw someone else help her pick up her books, noticing that it was a boy probably around her age. “I’m so sorry!” Charlotte exclaimed. “I was in such a rush that I guess I didn’t see you.”

The boy smiled at her. “It’s all good. Are you okay, though?” he asked. He extended his hand, offering to help and lifted her up.

Charlotte grabbed his hand, getting back up on her feet and smiled back. “Thank you. And yeah, I’m all right.” She smoothed out her dress, relieved that it didn’t get dirty. “I would love to talk more, but I really need to get going.”

The boy nodded his head. “Me too. What’s your next class?”

“English. What about you?”

“Really? Same here! Do you want to walk to class together?”

Charlotte flashed another grin. “Sure!” She looked at the clock again and started to make her way towards the classroom again. Fortunately, it wasn’t that far away now.
The boy caught up to Charlotte and walked beside her. “By the way, what’s your name?”

Charlotte laughed. “Oh yeah, I forgot to say my name. It’s Charlotte.” She paused for a moment. “What’s your name?”

“Matthew. But you can call me Matt if you want.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Matthew.”

“Nice to meet you too, Charlotte.”


She paused for a moment, considering how to continue the conversation. “What’s your Homeroom? Just curious.”

Matthew smiled. “My Homeroom? It’s Ruby. What’s your Homeroom?”

“Mine is Homeroom Pearl” Charlotte replied. So far, the conversation was going smoothly. Matthew seemed nice, which was good. She already lived in a house where her parents were incredibly strict. And while she did love Mother and Father, she didn’t need to be around other people like them. Cogworks was sometimes a nice escape because of this.

When they reached the classroom, Charlotte was relieved that they arrived just in time. She turned to face Matt, giving him a smile. “Thank you for helping me in the hallway, Matthew. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. I’m glad I could help.”

Charlotte took a seat at the front of the room, placing her things neatly on the desk. She made eye contact with the teacher and waved at her. The teacher saw her and smiled at Charlotte. She stood up from her chair, ready to start the lesson.