‘Oh?’ he muttered, to himself. He then texted back: “I’m glad to hear it, let’s hope we can find a better job”. Not long later, he got a text back from her saying: “That I’m not looking forward to! I know what the job market’s like nowadays!”. Charlie texted back: “Yeah, that’ll be a pain”.

‘Dinner’s ready, Charlie!’ his mother exclaimed. He rushed back downstairs and went over to the dinner table. His mother had served him a type of chilli con carne dish, of which he proceeded to eat.

‘So, when is dad coming back?’

‘At about seven o’clock, my dear’ she sat down with her own serving of the dish.

‘Is he going to get any of this? It’s going to be cold by the time he gets back’

‘Oh yes he will! I’ll just reheat it for him’

‘OK, good. It probably won’t taste as nice, though’

‘No, it’ll be fine! He’s happy that I serve him anything nowadays!’ While they were eating his mother started texting on an old flip-phone. Charlie gazed at it, looking bemused.

‘Are you ever going to get a new phone?’

‘No. I can’t stand this whole newfangled technology. I tried using one of those phones once and I had no clue how to use it. These phones try so hard to be clever, you know’

‘I would be kind of inclined to agree with that’ his mother put her phone down and they continued eating their dinner. Later on her phone made a beeping noise and she picked it back up.

‘Well Charlie, your father is glad to know that you’ve left your job and he says he’ll look into ways of getting you another one or to help you to start up a business. He says the choice is yours’

‘To be honest, mom’ he began ‘I want to do a job where I feel I’m giving something to society. Something where I feel I’m doing something right’

‘Can’t you have a business like that too?’

‘I suppose so’

‘Maybe you could run a charity?’

‘Charities are all cons, mom’

‘Well, I guess that’s debatable’ Charlie had finished his dinner.

‘That’s something I’m going to need to think about’

‘Oh don’t worry, we’ll come up with something’

‘OK mom, I’ll see you later’

‘Bye, my sweetie’ Charlie went back upstairs to his bedroom, Acalea was still up there.

‘Have you been up here this whole time?’ he asked, looking shocked.

‘Nah, I did a few other things’ she sat on his bed ‘A day in my world is like a week in yours’

‘I see’

‘Yep’ she then stood up, she had a heart-shaped amulet in her hands. Unlike the one she gave to Angelica, the jewel was red.

‘What’s this?’

‘It’s an amulet of mine. If you ever want to see me press it up to your chest’

‘OK, that’s… nice of you’

‘Just don’t show it to anyone else, OK?’

‘OK’

‘And don’t talk about it, either?’ Charlie just nodded ‘Also I don’t think you’ll do this, but I don’t want you to wear it’

‘I won’t’ Acalea chuckled.

‘Some girls I speak to get really disappointed when I tell them that! A lot of them think the amulet is beautiful!’

‘I would be too, to be honest. If I were a girl, anyway’

‘It’s something I can understand wholeheartedly. Girls always want to look pretty and everything’

‘Yeah, I know’ Acalea stepped away from him.

‘Anyway, I’ll be off now. Let me know if you need me, OK?’

‘OK’ Acalea disappeared. Charlie put the amulet away and spent the rest of the evening on his computer.