I give all three of them a puzzled look and then turn to speak with Mr. Wonka. "Elevator? I didn't know you had an elevator here." He nods.

"Ah well, I do. So if you would follow me." He begins walking toward the left side of the room and all three of us follow him. I turn to the woman beside me.

"So you're Charlie's mom, Mrs. Bucket?" she smiles at me.

"Yes I am. And I'm very happy to be. Living here is incredible." I nod.

"So, where were you living before you lived here?"She smiles to herself.

"Well, you see, my husband, Charlie, all four of our parents, and I used to live in a two bedroom home. My husband worked for a toothpaste company, but even with that job, we barely had enough to make ends meet. And then my husband lost his job. Things were very hard for us for a while. Then Charlie found the golden ticket and everything pretty much changed overnight for us." She looks down for a little bit then looks straight into my eyes. "I know you probably think he's pretty peculiar," she says in a quiet voice and I look over to Mr. Wonka, seeing his talking animatedly to Charlie. "But he really is a very nice man. He's strange, that's for sure. But he helped us. He treats us well and takes care of us. Now we can give Charlie the things he needs and even the things he just wants."I let my eyes trail back to Mr. Wonka and allow them to linger for a moment. Who is this man? What is his story? It is then he smacks into something and falls backward. I gasp and rush forward, wobbling to his side.

"Mr. Wonka, are you okay?" I lean down beside him and push his hair back from his face, my fingers trailing over the smooth skin. His skin is so white it's almost translucent and I've never seen anything like it. My eyes wander over his face, from his hairline, to his perfectly straight nose, to his full lips and square jawline. I lean closer to him and his violet eyes open quickly. He flinches underneath my touch and I pull my hand back. "What happened?" He sits up and I stand beside him, reaching for his hand. He tilts his head slightly and I reach further. He nervously puts his hand in mine and I pull him to his feet.

"T-thank you." He gives me a blank look and then smiles brightly. "I have to remember where I park this thing." I look closer and notice that in front of us is a big, clear box.

"What is this? Is this it?" He nods and pats the box gently.

"This is my flying glass elevator."

"Hmm. Well, that's interesting." I give him a disbelieving look and then glance at Mrs. Bucket who doesn't act like anything's amiss. Before us, the glass doors open with a ding and everyone but me steps aboard. Mr. Wonka gives me an annoyed look.

"Are you coming?" I look around the box nervously and try to figure out if this thing is safe.

"Is this thing safe?" I say, echoing my thoughts.

"Of course it's safe. Like I would let anyone get on it if it wasn't safe." My brain wanders back to the kids I saw coming out of his factory when the tour was done. A few were covered with various things but the others were worse. That Violet girl had actually come out…violet. That other boy…well…nevermind. Okay, no I'll be fine. I'll be just fine. Breatheeee…innnnn and ouuuttt…. I step onto the elevator and move toward Mr. Wonka who is still giving me an impatient look. I feel my stomach twisting as the elevator roars to life and we jerk forward. "Okay, back to the Chocolate Room."

"Is that where you live?" Both Charlie and his mother nod at me.

"Isn't that amazing?" Charlie says to me, his eyes full of light.

"It is amazing," I breathe and Mr. Wonka looks at me then leans close to me and presses a button right beside my arm.

"And we're off!" The elevator jerks to the side and I slam into the glass, my arm throbbing from the contact. I grab onto it and bite my bottom lip. What the… The elevator jerks backwards next and I fall right into Mr. Wonka, feeling him fall backward toward the glass. I feel his hands grab my arms and push me away from him gently. He holds me in place and stays close to me but I can feel his nervousness and agitation coming off of him in waves. I know he's disgusted to touch me so I shift forward out of his hands and press myself closer to the wall in front of me. He seems surprised at my actions but I notice he doesn't object.

"Willy," I hear Mrs. Bucket say in a hushed, almost disciplinary tone. From the corner of my eye I see him look at her and she mouths something to him. He gives her a distressed look and clenches his hands. I look away, letting them have their silent argument in peace. Finally the elevator drops to the ground and I let out a huge breath.

"Well, I've never been on an elevator like that before." Charlie and Mrs. Bucket smile at me and I roll my eyes, my stomach feeling queasy. "Does that go to every room in the factory?" Mr. Wonka nods at me. "That's incredible. How did you invent something like this? You're a genius," I state and I notice his eyes light up at this remark. I know this man is probably an egomaniac so stroking his ego a little bit seems to be to my benefit.

"You think so?"

"Yes, I do. No one but a genius could create the things in this factory. I'm blown away Mr. Wonka." Mrs. Bucket walks by us and gives him a look. I begin to walk behind her and Mr. Wonka stays beside me.

"I'm happy you like it here. Not many people will ever get to see this place."

"I'm honored to be here…and so surprised that you choose me." I look down and then at the "grassy" hill in front of me. "Mr. Wonka, why did you choose me?" He seems put off by my question and I bite my lip, kinda wanting to take it back. He lets out a sigh.

"You were different…than the rest of them." He looks down. "The way you reacted to the pressure…" he giggles quietly "by singing and dancing." I feel the blood drain from my face and run all the way to my toes. My stomach flies into my throat and I gasp.

"What?" I whisper, barely able to speak through the embarrassment. "Y-you saw that?" I think back to that room earlier today. There were cameras! I should have known there would be! How could I have done something like that!? What was I thinking?!

"Of course I did. Your reaction was great. I could see that there was something about you…something different than most. I figured you could handle the job." He smiles at me and I bury my face in my hands. "Don't feel bad about it. It's why you're here now." He looks at me and I glance back at him. I really don't understand him. His eyes linger on my face and I see that he's analyzing me. I force myself to let him. I have to get used to things like this if I'm going to be around him like this. Finally, I see him return to reality and I jump when he speaks. "Ms. Morrison, I'm pleased to have you here, visiting the factory, even if it seems like I'm not. I'm just…not used to having people around me." He looks over my shoulder at the Buckets. "Sometimes even they…weird me out." He shivers. I give him a smile.

"Don't worry about it. I think I can understand somewhat. I'm not a people person either." I reach over to a tree beside me and pull of a very shiny red apple. I give it a look over and bite into it, it's sweet, bright flavor flooding my mouth. "Mmm." I take another loud bite and watch the Oompa Loompas work by the chocolate river. They move in perfect rhythm. Strange.

"Clarity!" Charlie yells my name and both Willy and I look at him. "Come on! I want you to meet my family." I swallow my bite of apple.

"I'm coming!" I speed up and Willy does too but he's soon ahead of me, his long strides beating my much shorter ones. I notice a little shack and tilt my head. Charlie laughs at my expression.

"Nice, huh?" He jokes and I nod.

"Lovely." He walks inside and his mother grabs my arm.

"He just moved our old house right in here! I could hardly believe it."

"Me either." I look over at him. "But if anybody could find a way to do it, it'd be him." She and I both laugh and she leads me into the house. Inside, a large bed sits in the very center of the room. To the left there's a small kitchen and there seems to be a loft upstairs. I look at the bed again, noticing that there are people laying in it. One woman is on the left side. She gives me a kind, peaceful smile. On the other side, two people lay there, looking at me. The man has a stern look while the woman beside him is smiling from ear to ear, a dreaming look on her face.

"Who is this?" The grumpy looking man says and Mrs. Bucket speaks up.

"This is Clarity. Willy's new assistant." I give them a half smile and wave awkwardly. They all stare. Great first impression, I must say. I shift from one foot to the other, wondering if I should say something or just let others speak for me. The two women seem to welcome me while the man keeps the unhappy look on his face. The woman on the right sticks out a frail hand.

"Lovely to meet you Clarity." I stick my hand out and shake hers gently.

"Nice to meet you as well." The other woman still stares with a dreamy smile. Then she opens her mouth.

"You're really going to like it here. You're just made for a place like this." She nods at me and I smile.

"Oh, well, wonderful." We stand in awkward silence for a few moments until Mrs. Bucket clears her throat.

"We've had a pot roast on all day Clarity. It should be ready in about ten minutes." She looks over at her son. "Charlie, help me set the table please." The boy nods and walks into the kitchen, leaving me here with the elderly people and Mr. Wonka. Yay. I decide to say something.

"So, uh, how do you all like living here?" Mr. Wonka jumps at the sound of my voice, probably as surprised as I am that I'm speaking.

"Oh it's lovely dear. Things are wonderful now," the leftside woman says. "Willy has been so kind to us." Willy looks nervous and I get the feeling he's not often referred to in such a good way. I look at him from the corner of my eye and then look back down at my hands. Both women exchange a glance, silently speaking and I get the feeling they're "speaking" about me. I get off the stool I'm sitting on and walk over to the kitchen.

"Do you need any help in there?" Say yes…say yes!

"No. We're fine! Just relax, you're our guest." I bite my bottom lip and walk back to my seat. Mr. Wonka leans over to me.

"Try to stay calm," he murmurs to me and I look at his violet eyes. "Believe me, it's more uncomfortable for me than it is for you." I let a laugh out at his expression and sigh.

"I'll try." He straightens up as an old man walks in the front door, humming a tune.

"Hey, when's supper? I'm star…well hello." He gives me a friendly smile and I smile back."Who are you, young lady?"

"I'm Clarity Morrison…Mr. Wonka's new assistant. I'll be helping him with the daily running of the factory. It's nice to meet you." I reach out my hand and he gives it a firm shake.

"Well, I'm Grandpa Joe." My eyes widen in recognition.

"Oh! I know who you are. You're the man who brought Charlie to the factory. I've seen your picture in the paper."

"Supper's ready!"