As Charles finished the preparations for the tofu skewers, he heard Avery's footsteps approaching his door, the sound bringing a smile to his face. He called out to her, guiding her to the kitchen with his voice.
"Over here, Avery! Just follow my voice to the kitchen!" he called out, his tone warm and inviting.
Avery's voice floated back to him as she approached, her words filled with genuine admiration. "Wow, you have a really nice house here, Mr. Newgate."
Charles chuckled softly in response. "Thank you, but sadly, this house was my uncle's, so I can't claim credit for its design."
With a smile, Charles gestured to the various stations set up in the kitchen. "So, which station do you want to cover? We've got the tofu station, the pineapple station, or the seasoning station."
Avery's eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she considered her options. "I'll take the seasoning station," she declared with a grin.
"Very well, to your battle stations," Charles replied, attempting to mimic a ship captain and earning a laugh from Avery.
As Avery moved over to the seasoning station, Charles joined her, ready to work side by side. Amidst the tasks of measuring and mixing, they found moments to chat and get to know each other better.
Charles was struck by Avery's resilience as she shared stories of her past, revealing the challenges she had faced while taking care of her sister and mother. Determined to lift her spirits, Charles offered comforting words and injected humor into their conversation whenever he sensed her mood starting to dip.
Together, they worked in harmony, the warmth of their camaraderie filling the kitchen as they prepared the tofu skewers. In that shared space, Charles and Avery discovered not only the joy of cooking together but also the strength that comes from supporting
one another through both the highs and lows of life. As they laughed and bonded over their shared experiences, Charles couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to connect with Avery in such a meaningful way.
As Charles and Avery finished grilling the skewers, the sounds of a truck pulling up to Charlie's house caught their attention. Simultaneously, Charles felt a tingling sensation ripple across his body, a subtle warning that something was amiss.
Smiling at Avery, who held the skewers in her hands, Charles suggested, "Why don't you go ahead and take those over? I just need to grab a few things, and I'll join you shortly."
Avery nodded in understanding and headed out towards her house with the skewers in tow. As Charles began to close the door behind her, his gaze met Billy Black's, who sat in a wheelchair by the truck outside Charlie's house.
In that moment of eye contact, Charles was struck by a sudden and unsettling vision—a massive black wolf with silver eyes, staring at him from over Billy's shoulder. The image flashed into his mind with startling clarity before fading just as quickly as it had appeared.
Feeling a shiver run down his spine, Charles pushed the vision aside, attributing it to an overactive imagination. Yet, the sense of unease lingered, leaving him with an unsettling feeling as he prepared to join the gathering at Charlie's house.
As Charles approached Charlie's house, brisket in one hand and two twelve packs of beer in the other, he couldn't shake the nagging thought that he should have asked Charlie about his drink preferences. Shrugging off the minor concern, he pressed on, his anticipation building for the evening's festivities.
However, his anticipation was momentarily interrupted as Jacob Black stepped out of the house, looking startled at the sight of Charles. Charles greeted him with a friendly smile, introducing himself and explaining his purpose at the party.
"Hello, my name is Charles Newgate. I'm Charlie's neighbor. He invited me to tonight's party, and I brought brisket and beer. I would shake your hand, but mine are kind of full," Charles said sheepishly.
Jacob's expression softened into a grin as he extended a welcoming hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Charles. My name is Jacob Black. And here, let me give you a hand with that."
With a grateful nod, Charles passed over the container of brisket to Jacob. "Thanks a lot, Jacob. Let's head inside," Charles said, feeling a sense of camaraderie growing between them as they stepped into the warmth of Charlie's house, ready to join the festivities.