Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The limo ride was quiet. Victor Beauregarde sat anxiously across from his parents, Sam and Scarlett. Sam Beauregarde, “dad-ager”, was dressed in his track suit, had been studying his son’s nervous demeanor. Scarlett Beauregarde, dressed in a business suit, was too busy looking at her phone texting about her next political campaign or car deal - whatever it was, the current situation didn’t matter to her.

Victor, meanwhile, wished he was back home in his bedroom, distracting himself with countless schoolwork or working out. He was told that they were going to go to their beach house in north Montana. He wasn’t in the mood for a vacation. He was hardly invited to them at all. His parents mostly used his champion prize money on themselves rather than their child. He just wanted to stay home and celebrate the fact that his skin color has returned back to normal a few days ago.

He didn’t feel comfortable with the outfit his parents requested him to wear. Yes his parents normally picked out his clothes for special occasions like his mother’s campaign address or a competition, but for a vacation? The outfit was the exact outfit he wore to the factory, the day his life changed forever and not in a good way. The blue sweater vest over his white polo shirt, the blue pants and the red belt - he swore he never wear such a combination again. But they made him.

Over the outfit was a dark blue jacket and he wore his visor and red gloves. He tried to bury himself into it to make the drive more comfortable.

Victor doesn’t remember the drive taking this long. Then again, he hasn’t been to the beach house since he was a little kid. He also wasn’t used to having a chauffeur. His father usually drove. He knew they weren’t rich like that Salt brat. They were upper middle class more than anything, but since when could they afford a chauffeur?

Victor felt the driver slow down. This isn’t the beach house, he thought. Although, this place was vaguely familiar to him. But then he saw it. His heart started racing. Sam nudged Scarlett and gave her a look that said, “get ready.”

There it was. Wonka’s factory towering before The Beauregarde family in the distance.

“What is this?” He asked, an edge of fear creeping into his voice. “Why are we here?”

Sam sighed. “Ms. Wonka invited us back to the factory to stay there for a while. You are to live there while she tries to find a cure.”

“What?! No! I’m fine! My skin color returned back to normal earlier this week!” Victor protested.

He felt the driver stop. The limo was just a few yards away from the entrance.

“No! I’m not coming out! I’m staying here until we go back to Miles City!”

“Victor, think of it like a check up.” Scarlett tried to say calmly. “Who knows if you’re completely back to normal?”

“I’m not going back in there!”

Mr. and Mrs. Beauregarde looked at each other and sighed. The driver knocked on the window and requested them to come out. They got out of the car and Victor immediately locked the door.

“Victor Marion Beauregarde unlock this door now!” His father yelled.

Victor began to panic as his father yelled.

Sam gestured to Scarlett to help with the situation as he dealt with his stubborn son.

“Victor, get out of the car!” She commanded.

“No!”

“Will you go ahead and take our bags to the front? I’m also going to need the car keys. ” Sam sighed to the driver. The driver nodded and began to grab their bags then handed him the keys. He turned to Scarlett. “I’m going to unlock the doors. When you get the chance, grab him. He won’t fight you.”

She nodded in return. Click! The doors unlocked and Victor immediately reached over to lock the doors. But Scarlett opened the other side and grabbed her son’s legs.

“NOOO!!” He yelled as she pulled him. “YOU CAN’T MAKE ME GO BACK IN THERE!”

Scarlett Beauregarde is stronger than she looks. She hoisted him over her shoulders as he tried to push her off, screaming all the while.

Across from the Beauregarde chaos stood the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners waiting on the front steps of the factory. The three kids and their parents watched the last arrival fight back their journey to the steps.

“Well looks who’s here,” Michelle Teevee sneered. “This should be fun.”

Agnes Gloop stood there simply watching the fight and Vernon Salt smirked as he watched Victor try to pull away from his mother.

Sam waited for his wife and son at the stairs and looked at the screaming pair make their way. He turned back to the rest of the families and smiled awkwardly. “Hi.”

Scarlett finally dropped Victor to the ground. He tried to run back but he saw the limo pull off. “No!!”

Panic began to settle in. He anxiously turned back around and jumped slightly at the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners. They were also all wearing the same coats and outfits when they first arrived to the factory. His eyes widened. Last time he saw them he was a giant…well, you know. He doesn’t want to talk about it.

He hid behind his mom.

“Nice to see you again, BLUEregarde,” Vernon laughed.

“Yes, we’re BERRY happy to see you!” Michelle chimed in.

His parents sighed and rolled their eyes. Victor shut his eyes as he continued to cower away. He thought, this is the worst day ever.

* * * * * * *

“This is the best day ever!” Charlie exclaimed. She was happily celebrating in the living room with Ms. Wonka herself. She gave her a hug. “Thank you thank you thank you for letting them stay here!!”

Ever since Charlie won the factory - the WHOLE factory, life has been lonely. She didn’t have kids her age to hang with. She has become homeschooled and her parents and grandparents didn’t want to move in claiming “the space to be too vast”. Wonka allowed her family to live in a new house not too far from the factory. In fact, it was actually what could be considered the factory’s backyard, like a guest house almost.

But Charlie decided to live in the factory. It wasn’t an easy choice for the 15 year old but she was happy working and shadowing Wonka. But she would also be happy to know that more kids will be living with her.

“Well, I’m just happy you’re happy,” Ms. Wonka forced herself to say. She was happy that Charlie is happy, but she wasn’t too ecstatic to see the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners - especially their parents. They didn’t exactly leave on good terms. “I guess it’ll be nice to give them a second chance.” She said looking out the window at the children. She looked up and saw Victor thrashing his way up their stairs over his mom’s shoulder. “This should be interesting.”

Chapter Text

The four Golden Ticket Winners stood on the steps, anxious to get in. They thought about the last time they had to do that which was a little over a month ago except all of them were ecstatic not dreading the visitation.

Victor weighed his options. He could go in and be miserable for who knows how long or he could stay out here and find a way back to Miles City, Montana. Either way, he refused to stay in the factory.

The doors burst open and there she stood, Ms. Wilma Wonka herself in all her whimsical chocolate-y glory. Her arms spread open. “Welcome back! I’m so happy you’re here.” Charlie appeared next to her, giddy as ever. “In fact, we both are.”

Charlie, a girl who went rags to riches, was wearing finer clothes than she was the day she first arrived at the factory. She wore a nicer shirt and pants and she seemed a lot happier.

The four kids and their parents grimaced. Wonka nodded, messaged received.

“It’ll be nice to have you back into my home. Charlie has been looking forward to having some friends her age in the factory.”

“Friends?” Vernon repeated, almost offended at the thought that someone like Charlie Bucket could be his friend. The rich spoiled brat wore his fur mink coat and hat and looked on in disgust.

“That can’t be the reason you asked us back!” Michelle said in disbelief. She was wearing an oversized black hoodie and covered her head. She was still a little bit taller and thinner than usual thanks to her incident. “You expect us to uproot our lives because goody-two-shoes is lonely?!”

“Well, it’s also because…we wanted to help you.” Charlie said slowly. “I felt bad about all of your situations since the tour and I wanted to make things right.”

“We don’t need your charity work!” Vernon yelled. “I want to go back to England!” He stomped. He was given a stern glare from his mother.

“I’m afraid your parents have all made the decision that you’ll be living here.” Wonka smiled much to the kids’ dismay. “We can discuss more once we get inside. In order to get inside, all you must do is shake my hand.”

Michelle rolled her eyes as Vernon huffed. Agnes, wearing a nice pink shirt, which used to be tight but now a little loose, was nervous yet optimistic, about the situation. She was hoping this could be a chance to redeem herself. Victor was still hiding behind his mom, hoping the Chocolatier didn’t see him.

“I want to go in first!” Vernon said in his whiny British accent.

“Nope! Now we’re going in last!” His father said.

Vernon pouted in response.

Michelle lazily shook Wonka’s hand. “Maybe we can get back on the right foot?” Wilma winked.

Michelle snarled. “Maybe.” She mocked. She entered the factory.

Her parents awkwardly shook Wonka’s hand. “Lovely to be back,” her mother said sheepishly.

Agnes walked up to the steps semi-cheerful. She smiled at Wonka and gladly shook her hand.

“Nice to have you back, Miss Gloop!”

Agnes said nothing. She was a child of little words but her expression was warm nonetheless.

Agnes’ mother was the only parent present for her. She forcibly took Wonka’s hand and shook it while staring directly in her eyes. Clearly still not okay with Agnes’ demise.

“I’ll be hoping that you treat my daughter with better respect this time around, Ms. Wonka?” She glared.

“Well this time around, my dear Frau Gloop, I hope your daughter’s gluttony doesn’t get the best of her.” Wonka smiled back.

Mrs. Gloop gave a small “hmph” and walked inside.

Ms. Wonka looked at both the Beauregarde’s and the Salt’s.

“Where’s Victor Beauregarde?” She asked.

Victor slowly peaked around his mom. He locked eyes with Wonka. Wonka gave a little wave. Victor gasped and hid back behind.

Come on, Vic, you’re 16 and you’re being such a coward. He couldn’t help but think.

“Oh Victor! Don’t be shy! I won’t bite!”

“Son, get out here right now!” Sam ordered.

All Victor could do is shake his head.

Vernon stomped his feet again. “He’s clearly not budging! Let me go in!”

Mr. and Mrs. Salt sighed. Mr. Salt looked at Sam and gave an exasperated look.

“You can go in,” Sam said.

“YES!” Vernon ran up the steps and shook Wonka’s hand fervently.

“Looks like we still have a lot of work to do,” she said glancing back and forth at the parents and their spoiled child.

“I promise I’m going to do better!” He said too sweetly.

Wonka just nodded and gave a fake smile.

The Salt’s went in. All that’s left was Victor.

“You’re going to have to come in sooner or later.” Wonka smiled, genuinely this time.

“Victor, come inside.” His mom said exhausted. “It is getting late and a storm is about to come through. You are going to get sick.”

Victor tensed up at the word “sick”. He rarely ever gets sick. It’s almost as if it’s impossible for him. But alas. “No! I won’t!” He shook his head violently.

“If I’m allowed to make a suggestion,” Wilma Wonka raised a finger up, garnering the attention of the fighting Beauregarde’s. “How about you two come in and we can give Victor all the time he needs until he’s ready to enter.”

Sam signed. “Fine by me.” Him and Scarlett entered leaving Victor standing on the steps. They both shook Wonka’s hand. “This ought to be good.”

Wonka looked at the young, teenaged boy, but he avoided her eyes. He put on a determined look and sat down on the steps, crossing his arms.

“I’ll see you soon.” She said.

“Tch, yeah right.”

Wonka entered her factory and Victor Beauregarde was left on the steps. A thunder clap sounded and he jumped. He shivered and reached for his phone.

But right as he was about to make a phone call, inside the factory Wilma Wonka snapped her fingers and gave a tiny smirk. And just like that, the phone signal was down.

“What?! No!” Victor tried and tried again to call his friend but it was no use. “Dang it!” He held tightly on his phone, hoping if he waited for a few minutes it’ll work.

* * * * * *

Sam Beauregarde stood out the window watching his son shiver outside on the steps of the factory. He heard the thunder and winds howling from the outside. “He needs to come inside.”

“Give him time,” Wonka reassured. “I understand it might not be easy to come back to a place like this. Especially with Victor going through something so…unusual.” Wonka chose her words carefully. It took her a while to realize that the rest of her guests are still not used to such a whimsical lifestyle.

The rest of the Golden Ticket Winners and their families explored the living room area. They’ve never visited this part of the factory. Was it still the factory? The same place that changed their lives a month ago?

They admired the abstract artwork Wilma Wonka hung up in her home. Unfinished paintings, weirdly shaped vases, it wasn’t something you’d find in a normal home.

“Oh thank God!” Michelle said as she sat down on the couch and reached for the TV remote.

“Not so fast,” Wonka stood in front of the tech-savvy child and took the remote. “I will explain more in detail once Mr. Beauregarde joins us, but there will be a few house rules. This being one of them.”

Michelle grumbled on the couch and folded her arms. “Fantastic.”

“Don’t worry about the TV!” Charlie beamed. “There’s plenty of things to do here!”

“Like nearly dying in one of the rooms?” Michelle remarked. “Can’t wait to do that again.”

Charlie awkwardly laughed. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

“When do we get to see our rooms?” Vernon asked Ms. Wonka. “I want to see what my room looks like!”

“Once Victor come joins us -”

“Why do we have to wait on him?!” He whined. “Clearly he doesn’t want to enter! Let’s see our rooms!”

“Vernon!” His father cried. “This is the behavior that we discussed. I will not have it!”

“Patience, my dear Vernon! I will give the tour in a bit.” Wonka reassured.

However at the mentioning of the word “tour” the atmosphere turned sour.

Another thunder rolled in and rain started to fall. Scarlett was getting anxious. “He’s going to make himself sick.”

Charlie looked out the window and watched Victor shiver then sneeze from the weather. “Maybe I should go talk to him…?”

“No, I got it.” Wonka made her way to the front door. Charlie was going to stop her thinking it might not be a good idea, but she held back, feeling as if it’s not her place.

Wonka opened the door and approached Victor on the steps.

Victor, thinking it was one of his parents, huffed and said, “I’m not coming in! Once my phone works again I’m going to call a cab and -“ He gasped. His eyes widened when he saw who stood before him. Wonka simply smiled. He immediately looked down at his hands.

Wonka sat next to him on the steps and Victor tensed up.

“It’s storming, you know?”

He said nothing at first. “I don’t care. I’ll sit out here all night if I have to. I’m not going in.”

“Oh you’ve made that very clear,” she laughed.

Victor did his best to seem confident.

“Still stubborn as ever I can see.”

He was deflated at her comment, his back arched a little.

“You must come inside before you get yourself sick.”

“No! I won’t! I’m not going back in there!”

CRACK!! Rain fell harder and the steps began to get a little wet. Victor stood up in frustration and faced The Chocolatier.

“Why would I go back in there?!” He yelled. “I don’t care how long it takes, I’m staying out here until someone can take me back home!”

He began his descent down the stairs.

“Victor-“

He slipped on the wet stairs and scraped his knee. “GAH!” He went down and clutched it.

Wonka rushed down the steps. “Are you okay?!”

Victor lifted up his pant leg. He was bleeding. “Stupid step scratched me.”

“You’re bleeding. Come inside so I can help you.” Wonka stretched out her hand with a gentle smile.

Victor grumbled in frustration. He reluctantly grabbed her hand and got off the ground. “Fine! But after I get cleaned up, I am going back out!”

Chapter Text

Victor entered the factory anxiously and his heart pounding out of his chest.

“Victor!” Scarlett shouted. “You’re inside! What happened to your knee?”

“He slipped and fell on the steps.” Wonka answered for him. She rubbed his back and Victor jumped at the touch, not used to the feel of physical comfort. “There are bandaids in the bathroom upstairs.”

Victor heard what she said but he was taken aback from the inside of the factory. The living room was very cozy. Lovely red couches, a nice patterned rug, top of the line TV - it was comfortable, almost like a family could live here.

The dining room was adjacent. It was long and wide, could fit a large feast!

Victor climbed the grand, golden staircase, still in awe of Wonka’s whimsical yet charming decor. Once he reached the top, he found the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror. He was finally normal, but he was back at the factory. Victor sighed and searched for the first aid kit.

* * * * * * * * *

Victor left the bathroom and climbed down the stairs.

"How's your knee?" Ms. Wonka smiled.

"It's fine," he answered plainly as he got to the bottom. "But I'm heading back out! I'm not staying in here."

His mom grabbed his shoulders. "You're not going back out there! It's storming!"

He brushed her off. "I'm not staying in this hellhole of a factory! I'm going back out!" Victor made his way to the front door, but as he reached for the door knob he stopped. "Huh?" He looked at the door. "Where's the door knob?!"

Victor turned to face Wonka in panic but she simply smiled at him. He turned back around and tried to push on it. "No no no no no! This can't be happening!"

"Victor," Wonka eased. "Calm down!"

"NO! I'm not staying in here! I gotta get out!" He began to frantically search the windows to see if there's a latch. "There has to be a way out of here!"

"Are you trapping us inside?" Michelle suspected.

"I'm not trapping you guys inside of here," Wonka replied, "I'm trying to get Victor to stay."

Victor marched up to Wonka. "I never shook your hand! Why aren’t you letting me go?!"

"I’m sorry to say this, my dear boy, but I believe you did shake my hand.” Wonka winked.

"What?" Victor thought back to the moment before he got inside. His eyes widened. "NO! That's not fair! I fell! You helped me up!"

"You did grab my hand, Mr. Beauregarde, and you entered my factory."

Victor stomped in frustration and continued his search for an escape.

"It's no use, Victor! How about you just relax, take your coat off, and try to warm yourself back up from the cold." Wonka then clapped her hands twice.

A bunch of white gloved, mechanical hands descended from the ceiling and reached towards Victor. He gave out a yelp at the sight of them. They unbuttoned his blue coat and took it away. He tried to grab it back but next, they took away his visor and red gloves. Victor stood in his iconic blue outfit before them and felt exposed.

Wonka beamed and released a theatrical sigh of relief. "Ahh! There he is! Isn't that much better?"

"Nice to know your red belt is still in tact," Vernon mocked. The rest of the Golden Ticket Winners, minus Charlie, joined in and laughed. Charlie looked at Victor sympathetically.

Victor couldn't help but blush and looked at Wonka in mixed anger and shame.

"Well, now that we're all here," Wonka announced, "I would like to show you to the bedrooms before we eat dinner."

Victor sighed. The group followed Wonka up the stairs.

"All of the bedrooms are on the second floor," Wonka explained. "Guest bedrooms" -she gestured to the parents- "are on the third floor." Wonka led them to the end of the hall.

"There are three floors?!" Vernon shouted in disbelief.

"More than three!" Wonka winked at him.

"Well, how many floors are there?" Mrs. Teevee asked.

"Can't give away too many exciting secrets, can we?" Wonka chuckled, having fun already.

"I don't miss any of this," Mr. Salt shook his head.

"First bedroom..." Wonka paused for dramatic effect, "is Miss Charlie Bucket's."

Wonka swung open the door. The room was a bright, golden yellow. Pretty big for a bedroom. Everything was nice and new, something Charlie still can't get used to. It was new but it was simple, and Charlie liked simple.

"Every bedroom comes with a bed, desk, a dresser and a TV." Wonka said. "Except yours, Miss Teevee." Michelle rolled her eyes at the news. "Baby steps, of course!"

"New bedroom?" Vernon asked. "Were you not already living here?"

Charlie shrunk back, still not used to the fact she won the whole factory, let alone having brand new things to enjoy. "Well my family moved out of our original home and moved into Wonka’s guest house. I have been staying in the factory guest bedrooms for a bit until now."

"Onto the next room!" Wonka interjected. "Miss Agnes Gloop!" Wonka led them forward to the room next to Charlie's. The door swung open. Agnes' mother, Mrs. Gloop, gasped in horror. The room was a rich, chocolatey brown color. In fact, everything was. It wasn't a nice wooden brown color but chocolate.

"What are you thinking, Ms. Wonka?!" Mrs. Gloop scolded. "Are you trying to torture my daughter? Haven't you already done enough?!”

"Frau Gloop, I'm just trying to do what's best for her!"

"And that's to make her room look like chocolate?!"

"Because that's what she needs is another chocolate room," Michelle sneered.

"You still haven't learned to speak up, haven't you dear?" Wonka turned to Michelle. Michelle fumed silently in response.

“I should be fine,” Agnes spoke plainly in her thick German accent.

“The room looks smaller than Charlie’s room!” Mrs. Gloop remarked.

Charlie shifted awkwardly. Agnes gulped nervously as she studied the room. It did look smaller. She hasn’t been fully comfortable with small spaces since the factory incident.

“It-it should be fine…” Agnes said quietly.

“Next up,” Wonka moving along quickly, “Mr. Victor Beauregarde.”

Víctor swallowed nervously. A feeling of dread sat within him. If that was Agnes’ room, he could only imagine what his was.

Wonka swung open the door and Victor looked on in despair at the sight of his bedroom. He heard Michelle and Vernon giggle behind him.

“It’s blue!” Sam Beauregarde cried.

It’s blue, Victor thought sadly.

“Well, I wouldn’t know what other color to give him!” Wonka shrugged.

Everything was a shade and a tint of blue.

Victor did his best to look around. He remembered Charlie’s room was grand yet simplistic and Agnes’, despite the chocolatey brown color, still had an ode to her German heritage. His room already had some of his trophies presented on a bookshelf, his book bag was by the desk, and his luggage on top of his blue bed.

Victor was in disbelief from the whole situation. He couldn’t speak. He let his parents, as usual, express their anger and grievance to Wonka instead.

“I see where you’re going with this, Wonka!” Scarlett ramped up. “Like that Gloop kid, you’re just gonna let my son not live his mistake down?!”

“With all due respect, Mrs. Beauregarde, the children are here to better themselves.”

“And a blue room is going to fix that?!” She snapped in response.

“I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see!” Wonka then looked at Victor and winked at him who could only look nervous in response. “Onto the next room!”

Victor took one last look at his room before catching up with the group.

"Mr. Vernon Salt!" Wonka announced as she opened his door.

Vernon's expression went from excited to bitter disappoinment in less than a second. His room, unlike the others were plain and boring - almost like an undecorated college dorm room. It was the bare minimum. White walls, plain wooden dresser and desk, and the TV wasn't as grandiose. It was a simple cubed TV.

"What is this?!" He whined.

"Dear lord, here we go," Mr. Salt pat down his sweat with a handkerchief as his wife tried to ease her son.

"How come my room isn't as decorated as the others?!" Vernon glared.

"I think a little humbleness does the soul a little good, huh?" Wonka said to the young rich child.

Vernon's anger slowly rose. "This isn't fair!"

"You have what you need and that's enough," Wonka said with a sense of finality. "Onto the last room for today. Miss Michelle Teevee!"

"This ought to be exciting," she grumbled.

Wonka stopped at the door that was at the beginning of the hallway. She pushed the door open and everyone saw that it was green. However, almost every technological device was old or looking obsolete. Instead of a TV, there was a very old radio. Not a boombox or a CD player but a simple radio. Michelle had more bookshelves than the others and it was stacked with books instead of pictures or knick-knacks or awards. Not like Michelle did any of those things.

"While you are staying here, Miss Teevee, I expect you to read every single book on these shelves." Wonka cocked an eyebrow.

"What?!" Michelle exclaimed. "That's ridiculous!"

"I think a little imagination wouldn't hurt you," she winked at her. Ms. Wonka faced the rest of the group. "I hope you all are satisfied with your rooms!"

The Golden Ticket Winners stood there dejectedly.

"Dinner should be ready in a few," Wonka said. "I have something wonderful prepared. If we could just head downstairs and make our way to the dining room that would be excellent!"

Everyone went downstairs and waited to be called to dinner. Victor stood anxiously and tried to keep his mind positive. He still couldn't grapple with the fact that his room was the color that he has grown to despise.

"Hi, Victor," a soft voice snapped him out of his head. He looked up. It was Charlie.

"Hi," he replied, trying a little too hard to sound happy.

"I'm glad you're here and out of the rain."

The rain. If it wasn't for the rain, he would still be out there with another plan to escape. "Yeah..."

"Things are going to get better, Victor. I'm sure of it!" She touched his shoulder gently. He didn't know what to make of it.

“Dinner is ready!” Wonka announced.

Victor jumped at the sight of the Oompa-Loompas. His last experience with them weren’t so pleasant.

“Ugh, these guys.” Mrs. Teevee muttered as Wonka’s eccentric workers brought out the food.

“Please, my dear friends, take your seats.” Wonka said as she sat at the head of the table.

The families sat next to each other as the Oompa-Loompas continued to bring out food.

Giant bowls of salads were placed on the table.

Victor stared uneasily at the food before him. The last time he ate something at the factory it didn’t go well for him.

His mom placed some salad into his bowl and he began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. Everyone around him began eating and all he could do was stare.

“Victor, honey, eat.” His mom ordered.

He picked at his salad.

“Is something wrong?” Wonka’s voice caused him to perk up.

“No I-“ Victor felt all eyes on him and he got nervous. “It’s just…I’m not sure…what’s in it.”

Wonka chuckled. “I can assure you, Mr. Beauregarde, there aren’t any blueberries in it.”

Victor cringed at the mention of the fruit.

“I am very well aware of how the dinner preparation is made and none of the meals have any fruit in it.”

“Did you hear that, Victor?” Michelle snickered. “There will be more courses to look forward to.”

Sam and Scarlett sighed in annoyance.

“Son, just eat your food. There is nothing in it to be worried about.” Sam said to him.

“It just doesn’t feel right,” Victor muttered. “I don’t feel good about it.”

“So,” Vernon started, “you feel funny about it?”

“Enough!” Sam Beauregarde exclaimed. “Victor! You haven’t ate anything all day. Eat the food! I haven’t tasted any blueberries or tomatoes or any beef in it. It’s safe to eat!”

Victor stared at the salad once more. He slowly picked up his fork and stabbed a piece of lettuce in it. He hesitantly put it in his mouth and began to chew.

“Thank you,” Sam sighed.

Victor hated to admit it but the salad was fine. He’s just grateful it’s one of the things he’s allowed to eat since his father put him on such a strict diet. He slowly ate the salad, still distrustful of anything that Wonka makes.

Once the appetizer was done, the main meal was brought out. It was roasted chicken with Alfredo pasta and spinach. Other sides were brought out like bread rolls, asparagus - food after food. Victor was being driven insane. He finally got over eating the salad, he wasn’t ready for the main course.

All of the day’s events has rendered him nervous making him not want to eat. Luckily he still had some salad left that he could pick at. He didn’t want to make his father angry but he was doing his best.

He tried cutting his pasta to make it seem like he was eating but Michelle was onto him.

“Are you actually going to eat your pasta or are you just going to keep slicing it into tinier and tinier bits?”

Victor looked up at her with mixture of anger and embarrassment at being caught.

“We’ve been over this before -“

“I can’t do it!” Victor cried, finally breaking.

“There’s nothing in it!” Sam yelled back.

“You don’t know that!” Victor protested. “She could’ve put something in this one! I feel like she’s going to trick me!”

“You’re being paranoid-“

“No I’m not!” He cut off his mom. “I-I can’t eat it! I ate the salad! Why can’t that be enough?!”

“You barely touched it!” She tried to reason with him.

“Fine!” Victor stabbed a piece of pasta and shoved some in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed. “You happy?! I ate some! And that’s all I’m eating! You can’t force me to eat anything that woman made! I want to go home!”

But instead of a continuing argument, all his parents did was stare at him. All anyone did was stare at him.

“What?” He asked in a confused but nervous manner.

But he figured out why they were staring at him because he caught his reflection on his silverware.

His nose has started turning blue.

“Oh no…”

Chapter Text

It felt like his heart stopped. Victor watched the blue slowly crawl from his nose to his cheeks then to the rest of his face.

He got up from his chair in a panic and shook his head furiously, almost on the verge of tears. “No no no no no no!”

He couldn’t believe this was happening to him -again!

“I knew it!” Victor yelled at Wonka. “You tricked me! You were going to do this to me all along!”

“Victor, I wasn’t planning on doing that. There wasn’t anything in the food-“

“Why should I listen to you?! I’m about to blow back up!” Hurt drowned his voice as he watched his arms turn blue.

“The best thing to do is to remain calm,” Wonka said steadily.

“Remain calm?! I haven’t blown up in nearly a week!” Victor left the table in a hurry and headed for the living room. The rest of the group followed him. “I have to get out of here!”

He stopped in his tracks when he hunched over and clutched at his stomach. “No…”

Victor turned around and was scared as he saw that the rest of the group watching him. His worst nightmare was playing before him.

A loud GURGLE emanated from his stomach. He felt his stomach press out against his hands. He whimpered in fear.

“Make it…stop,” he said quietly.

“What’s happening to him?!” Agnes asked in concern.

“Ahh yes! Miss Gloop, since you were preoccupied with your own situation in the Chocolate Room, Mr. Beauregarde has met his own downfall in the Inventing Room to my three course meal gum.”

Ms. Wonka approached Victor and he looked at her with nervous eyes. She poked his beer-gut-sized stomach with the tip of her cane and continued, “he’s turning into a blueberry.”

“What?!” This time Mrs. Gloop exclaimed. “That’s impossible!”

Victor looked down at his belt. He tried to reach for it, trying to be one step ahead but he was again, too late.

Oh God, I hate this feeling!

He couldn’t reach it. He mentally kicked at himself. Of course he couldn’t. He couldn’t reach it the first time.

His breathing staggered. He managed to say, “Someone…help!” but his belt was still tightened around his expanding waist.

“That belt’s about to go,” Michelle commented.

Victor groaned as the belt got tighter and tighter. POP!

He let out a breath of relief as the belt flung to the ground but it was only for a split second. The juice surged with a vengeance trying to fill every nook and cranny inside his stomach. He whimpered at the sight of himself. His arms forced up as his stomach blimped to insane proportions.

Then he felt it. A little poke in his stomach. He looked up and saw Michelle poking his stomach…again.

“He-hey! Quit it!” He yelled.

But Michelle ignored him. What was he going to do anyways?

“Ooh! I wanna poke his stomach too!” Vernon squealed. “I didn’t get to see what it was like last time.”

“Stop! Don’t!”

But Vernon did it anyway and it nearly knocked the poor boy back. He seemed to be getting joy out of the athlete’s misery. “He’s like a giant pillow!”

Agnes hesitantly poked him while looking him straight in the eye.

“He’s getting bigger than my Agnes!” Mrs. Gloop examined him. She rubbed Victor’s stomach. He recoiled at her touch.

Mr. Salt laughed at Mrs. Gloop comment then prodded the kid’s belly. “He certainly looks like he eats more than Agnes!”

Victor’s cheeks burned in shame. He still wasn’t used to this type of attention when all eyes were on him.

Everyone kept poking and rubbing his stomach and the comments have become too much! Thankfully Sam Beauregarde shouted, “Enough! Step away from my son! Wonka! Do something about this! Take him to the Juicing Room! Didn’t you say he might pop?!”

Everyone cleared away from the ballooning boy and Victor felt slightly at ease. Wonka approached him once more and studied him. “Well he’s almost done rounding out,” now it was Wonka’s turn to poke and prod him. He frowned. Victor thought he would never get over such an unusual feeling. “But I’m not sure if the Juicing Room is open today.”

“What?!” Victor shouted. “But-but it has to be! I don’t want to explode!”

Wonka chuckled to herself as if she was the only one in on a joke. “Sweetie pie, I only said that so we could move on with the tour. We can’t all just stop and wait for a blimping blueberry! Now we might have had some close calls and you are the first and only human blueberry to ever exist but I’m almost 100% sure - 75% most - that it’s not possible for you to burst.”

“But I…I don’t want to be stuck like this! I want to be back to normal!”

“I’ll go down and check, but for now,” Wonka pinched his now chubby cheek and he winced, “you finish swelling up and I’ll come back to let you know.”

“W-wait!”

“You’ll be fine, Mr. Beauregarde!” Wonka left him with the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners and waved her hand.

Victor whimpered softly in fear. He slowly felt his arms get sucked into his orb of a body. He moved his hands frantically as he started to round out.

Charlie looked on at Victor sympathetically. She watched as the poor boy rounded out and flapped his hands nervously. She didn’t know what to do.

Victor meanwhile kept repeating in his head that the Juicing Room has to be open. He glanced over to where his parents were. They were standing away from the group arguing about what to do in this situation. Between them arguing and the group continuing to watch him, he tried to drown them out.

He wondered just how far the Juicing Room from wherever this part of the factory was. He couldn’t get over all the stares and judgmental looks from the rest of the group. It was just like last time. They were all looking at him like some sort of spectacle.

The Golden Ticket Winners approached him and Victor was unable to look at them in the eye. He felt the juice inside him slow down.

“What’s it feel like?” He heard Agnes ask.

He looked up. “Uh…um…” Victor didn’t know how to answer the question. He was still flustered and his mind was running rampant.

“Can you feel any of this?” Vernon asked then proceeded to annoyingly drum on Victor’s stomach.

Victor winced. “Q-quit it!”

“I think he can feel it, dummy!” Michelle snarled. “I think the real question is: how much does he weigh?”

“Yeah,” Vernon grinned mischievously. “Just how big is he?”

“Quit talking, you twits!” Victor shouted and angrily flapped his hands. He was frustrated and trying to fight back tears. He didn’t want to seem weak. He wasn’t even allowed to cry because of his father’s rules. “Leave me alone!”

Michelle snorted at the sight of him. “Sorry it’s just the way you flapped your hands.” Victor’s eyes widened. His cheeks blushed a dark blue. Vernon and Agnes joined in snickering.

“Guys,” Charlie eased in, “lay off him! He just swelled up again! He doesn’t need any bullying.”

“We’re not bullying him!” Vernon said in a sickly sweet voice. “We’re keeping him company!” He patted Victor’s stomach who shifted uncomfortably.

Charlie tried to get Victor to focus on her. “How are you doing?”

He wanted to snap at her and yell, “how do you think I feel?! I’m a blueberry again!” But he couldn’t. His mind was in a thousand places at once. So he muttered a simple, “…I don’t know.”

Victor couldn’t admit he was scared, that meant he would admit he’s weak and a loser. He could never say that in front of everyone.

“I just hope the Juicing Room is open,” he said quietly.

“I’m sure it is!” Charlie reassured.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do if it isn’t.”

“Wonka could always put you in her garden,” Vernon joked.

Victor glared at him but became slightly worried at the possibility. Wonka is kinda crazy. Who knows what maddening, whimsical ideas are brewing in her head.

“Don’t listen to them,” Charlie said, lightly rubbing his stomach. He grimaced again at the touch. With comforting intentions or not, he would prefer not to be touched.

Mr. and Mrs. Beauregarde pushed past the other children a little too aggressively to get to their son. Victor looked nervously at them.

Sam sighed as he observed his blueberry child. “How can you let this happen?”

Victor stammered over his words at such an accusation. “I don’t know how it happened! I can’t control it!”

“You were doing so good! You haven’t blown up in a week!” Scarlett said in her shrill voice.

“I didn’t mean to do it,” Victor muttered.

“You better hope the Juicing Room is open because I don’t want to see this happen again!” Sam waggled his finger at him.

Victor didn’t say anything. He was frustrated that his parents were blaming this situation on him.

“Do I make myself clear?” Sam said.

Victor looked away angrily.

“Victor Beauregarde, do I make myself clear?!” He jabbed a finger into his son stomach.

His son let out an “oof!” from the harsh jab and finally said, “yes, father.”

“Good!” Sam straightened himself out. “We’re going to need to talk to Wonka about your schedule soon. So be on your best behavior.”

“I’m back!” Wonka declared happily. She looked over to the blueberry boy. “Ah! You rounded out nicely!”

Victor didn’t know whether to say thank you or be insulted.

“Well, Wonka! Tell us the news!” Sam Beauregarde barked impatiently.

“Oh yeah!” She said as if she forgot. “It’s closed. It’ll be open tomorrow.”

Wonka answered so bluntly it threw off the Beauregarde family.

“What?! No!” Victor yelled. “Why can’t you just open it now?!”

Wonka scoffed at the notion. “Electricity bills of course!” She waved her hand. “I have many machines and contraptions, Mr. Beauregarde. Takes a lot of power. Gotta rotate them throughout the week!”

“But I need to be juiced! I want this out of me!”

“Well you can wait until tomorrow.”

“What am I supposed to do until then?” He asked frantically. “How am I supposed to do anything?!”

“You’ll have help of course!” Then Ms. Wonka pulled out the last thing Victor wanted to see. Her little flute.

His panic kicked up once again. He started shaking his head as she played the short tune that summoned her Oompa-Loompas.

Victor waddled back a bit as they started to appear. “No…no! Can’t anyone else help me?”

Ms. Wonka looked at him as if the answer was obvious. “Silly boy! No one else here is trained to take care of blueberries!”

“I’m not a blueberry!” Victor yelled. “I’m a champion! I don’t need help from the oompa-loompas!” Never in a million years Victor thought he’d ever say such a ridiculous sentence.

“That’s fine,” Wonka smiled simply. “I guess you could waddle yourself everywhere. Might be a slow process I suppose.”

Victor sat there quietly and looked at her workers who were already surrounding him. He looked on nervously. He felt his heart rate quicken. He started breathing hard. Oh no. I think I’m about to have a panic attack!

He shut his eyes and tried to calm himself down but it was no use.

“Victor,” Wonka said steadily, “what’s wrong?”

His eyes were still closed. “I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong. I’m okay. I’m fine.”

“If you’re fine then my oompa-loompas can help-“

“NO!”

“Why not?”

“Because I-“ he stopped himself and looked at everyone. Then he looked at the oompa-loompas surrounded him and flinched.

Michelle laughed. “Don’t tell me. You’re afraid of the oompa-loompas!”

Victor blushed as the rest of the kids snickered.

“I can assure you, sweetie pie, that it will be all right. They will take care of you.”

“They’re not going to…sing again are they?” He asked nervously. It took Victor weeks to get rid of the mean song they sang about him out of his head. The lyrics would haunt his dreams.

“Would you like them to?” Wonka grinned.

“No!” He said quickly.

Wonka chuckled at her own joke. “I wouldn’t make them sing again, Victor. Bedsides, I think you’ve had enough for one day, hm? How about we just take you to your room and you can get settled for the night.”

Victor didn’t respond back. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice. Then he felt it. Dozens of tiny gloved hands began to touch him from his back to his stomach. He gasped and jumped at their touch. The oompa-loompas tiny hands made him feel much bigger than he already was! Not only bigger but more of spectacle too!

Victor flapped his hands anxiously as he tried to shoo them away. He hated that he was back in this situation. Why did he have to be back in the factory?!

The oompa-loompas tipped him over and he was now immobile. He looked wildly and horrified at the sight of them. There wasn’t much he could do. He felt a great shove in his side and he found himself rolling. Another strange feeling he doesn’t think he’ll get used to. Humans can’t roll - well they can but not like this!

His vision was blurred and he couldn’t tell where he was going and where he was at. He remembered the first time he was rolled he would close his eyes every now and then.

Victor found himself stopped in an elevator. He squirmed a bit as the oompa-loompa’s hands never left his side. He was faced towards the back wall of the elevator and he noticed how wide it was. It was larger than any normal elevator. He began to think if Wonka predicted he would blow back up. The feeling didn’t sit well in his juice-filled stomach.

The elevator dinged! and the doors opened. Victor was rolled out as they headed toward the end of the hallway. He hoped to God he would fit through the door. He couldn’t remember if it was big enough. The last thing he’d need is to be stuck. This day was already humiliating enough.

But he rolled in with ease. He breathed a sigh of relief. He made a mental note to see how wide the door was once he got back to normal.

The oompa-loompas rolled him into his new bedroom and left him lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. They quickly left and Victor was alone.

He was instantly reminded of the blue room. He blushed at the thought of how ridiculous he must looked. Just a human blueberry lying in the middle of a blue room.

Victor sighed as he stared at the blue ceiling. This is going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

Victor laid there on his back staring at the blue ceiling. He didn’t know what time it was or how long he’s been there. He sighed and tried not to panic.

He listened to the soft gurgling and bubbling of his stomach. That was all he really could do. His mind raced as he wondered how this would all turn out. He’s never been blown up this long before. It was uncomfortable. He shifted uneasily and wiggled his hands and feet just to make sure they were still there.

Victor tried to get another look at his room but his stomach was in the way. It was also dark. The oompa-loompas never bothered to turn on the light for him. He whimpered quietly as he tried to find some type of grounding.

The door creaked loudly causing Victor to jump. “He-hello? Who’s there?”

But no one answered. The lights turned on and he did his best to look over his stomach but he couldn’t see.

POKE! He felt something jab his stomach. He saw a figure out of the corner of his eye. He looked.

“Why, hello there!” Wonka greeted.

Victor gulped softly. He’s still not comfortable around her.

“How are you feeling?”

Full. Scared. Nervous. He thought. He didn’t know what to say. So he said nothing.

“Understood.” Wonka nodded. She sat on his bed.

“What time is it?” He quietly asked. He couldn’t see a clock anywhere.

“Eight o’clock.” She answered.

Victor sighed. This was going to be a long night.

Wonka simply chuckled at the sight of him as he precariously laid on the floor.

"Do you know what time I'll be juiced?" He
asked.

"I do not," she replied.

"Can it be in the morning?" He asked anxiously.

"Oh, my dear boy, I'm not sure," she said clutching onto her cane. "So much to do tomorrow, not sure when you'll be juiced."

Victor didn't like the sound of that answer. He wanted to get rid of this full feeling quickly.

“But…but when will I be juiced?” Panic rose in his voice.

Wonka shrugged. “Sometime tomorrow.”

He whimpered quietly in his little divot. Victor didn’t like the suspense and not knowing.

“Hmm,” she said, studying him.

“What’s wrong now?” Victor couldn’t take anymore bad news.

“I just noticed you’re not chewing gum,” she said.

Victor blushed. “I-I haven’t chewed any since…the incident.”

Wonka simply chuckled. What Victor didn’t tell her however is that he has been craving it. Although he never truly liked gum, it did calm his nerves.

His father was the one who saw it as another competition opportunity. So of course he made his young champion of a son go for the world record. It would be more publicity for Scarlett and more money for Sam.

But finally Victor asked, “so why are you even here? Are you here to punish me again?”

She chuckled once more. “Victor, sweetie pie, no! I’m here to check on you. See how the juices in your stomach are doing!” With that she lightly tapped his side with her foot.

Victor grunted at the touch. “I want to be juiced. That’s how I’m feeling.”

“As you’ve clearly stated many times during this conversation,” Wonka sighed. “You’re just going to have to be patient.”

“Be patient?! I don’t think I can be like this any longer!”

“May I remind you, Mr. Beauregarde, that this was your own fault for taking the gum?”

Victor said nothing, still ashamed over his past choice. He wanted to argue back, it was an accident! I only did it because of my parents!

But yet, he stole it. And he regrets it everyday.

“Wh-where are my parents? Are they still here?” Last time he blew up, his mom left him alone at the factory for hours. He knew that she could very well do it again.

Wonka tried hard to not roll her eyes at the thought of Victor’s parents. They’ve been annoying her ever since he inflated again. “Yes they are still here.”

Victor was relieved but also nervous at the fact they were still here. He tried to brace himself for what tomorrow brings. He honestly just wanted to be juiced and pretend this situation never happened.

“Your parents are in their guest room upstairs,” Wonka continued, “loudly arguing.”

Of course they were, he grumbled.

“I’m sure your parents will check in on you to make sure you’re okay for the night,” and with that Wonka got up from his bed and began to make her way to the door.

“Wait!”

She stopped in her tracks and patiently smiled at him. “Yes, Mr. Beauregarde?”

“I…I will get juiced tomorrow…right?”

She said nothing for a bit which made him nervous but then, “yes. You will get juiced tomorrow.”

* * * * * * * * *
“What’s so great about it?” He asked.

“This gum is a three course meal. Tomato soup. Roast beef. And blueberry pie. ” She replied with a glimmer in her eye.

Wonka held out the gum inches from his face, almost as if she was egging him on, like she wanted him to take it.

Victor could feel himself doing his best to toss and turn in his sleeping state. He twisted this way and that.

“I feel funny!”

Pop!

“What’s happening?!”

“You’re blowing up like a balloon!” Scarlett cried.

He continued to whimper quietly in his sleep.

“I guess I’ll get it right in the end.”

“Help! Help!”

“Would you please roll the young man down to the juicing room?”

“I can’t believe I have a blueberry for a son.”

“Victor!”

Victor screamed awake. He tried to sit up but he remembered he wasn’t back to normal.

He looked around anxiously to see who woke him. He looked up. It was of course -

“Ms. Wonka?”

“Good morning, Mr. Beauregarde!” She chirped. “Didn’t sleep well?”

He whimpered quietly in his divot. His parents never checked on him like Wonka said. He was alone in the dark room the entire night dreaming about the horrible incident from the factory.

“How about some breakfast? Everyone is down in the dining room and I’m sure you’d want to have some company. ”

“B-breakfast?!” He sputtered. “I’m not even sure if I can eat anything when I’m like this!”

“You have to eat something,” she said. “When you were back home, didn’t you blow back up at all? Surely you ate while you were a blueberry.”

Victor grimaced. He still wasn’t used to being called a fruit. “I…I did. But I never got this big! This is my second time being fully round! All of the other times, I would stop a little halfway through. But majority of the time I wasn’t hungry. I only ate on rare occasions.”

“Hmm,” Wonka took out a notepad and began to jot things down.

“What are you doing?” He asked nervously.

“Nothing to worry about, just making some notes.”

He frowned. He didn’t know what to make of that.

Wonka clapped her hands. “All right! Time to get you down there!”

Wonka played her flute again which agitated Victor’s ears. He braced himself for impact as the oompa-loompa’s surrounded him. He flinched at their touch and they began rolling him forward.

Victor didn’t know what to expect once he got down there. She wasn’t really going to make him eat, right?

The oompa-loompa’s rolled him out of the elevator and headed towards the dining room. Victor’s heart began to pound. He wasn’t ready to face anyone again.

“Well look who rolled in for breakfast!” Vernon snickered.

Off to a great start, Victor thought.

The oompa-loompas righted him up and Victor saw he was placed at the table in between his parents. His stomach accidentally bumped into the table causing his parents’ silverware and cups to wobble and fall. The oompa-loompas adjusted him.

Scarlett and Sam Beauregarde fixed their silverware and drinks in annoyance from their son’s bump.

Victor felt the cold shoulder his parents were giving him. He anxiously awaited for the announcement for when he’ll be juiced so he could get out of this current predicament.

The breakfast was brought out. Everyone had the choice of pancakes, waffles, or French toast. There were eggs, bacon, sausage, yogurt, and fruit - a giant breakfast buffet.

“Would you like me to pass you the fruit, Blueregarde?” Michelle teased.

“Honestly I didn’t think he would be hungry with how big his stomach is,” Vernon added.

“All right, Wonka,” Sam Beauregarde slammed his utensils down grabbing everyone’s attention. “Tell me my son is heading straight to the Juicing Room after this.”

Victor anxiously awaited The Chocolatier’s answer.

“Like I told your son,” she started calmly, “I’ll have to wait and see what my schedule is like.”

Victor looked down at the table defeated already knowing her answer.

“Victor, eat your food,” Scarlett ordered, ignoring her husband’s yelling fits.

He looked at her incredulously. How was he supposed to that?! He couldn’t do anything! He figured she must be trying to pretend that he was okay again.

His plate was covered with eggs and some fruit - the non blueberry variety. Again, luckily, it was food he was able to eat. That is if he could reach it.

The first night back home Victor was in immense pain and he couldn’t eat anything yet Scarlett forced him.

“What do you mean you have to wait and see what your schedule is like?” Sam yelled. “What’s more important than getting Victor back to normal?”

“I have a whole factory to tend to, Mr. Beauregarde. More important matters to attend to than fixing Victor’s mistake.”

A wave of guilt washed over him. His mistake. Why couldn’t the juice inside him settle for just being blue yesterday?

“I want you to schedule in a time to get him back to normal,” Sam said through gritted teeth.

Wonka let out an aggravated sigh, fed up with Sam’s bickering. “If I scheduled him for 12 would that make you happy?”

“Yes!” Both Scarlett and Sam exclaimed.

“Well then congratulations, Victor Beauregarde, you will be juiced at noon today in the Juicing Room.”

He couldn’t believe it. Part of him felt like he wasn’t gonna get juiced again but this was one of those rare moments Victor was thankful for his pushy parents. “Th-thank you, Ms. Wonka!”

“Of course, Victor,” Ms. Wonka smiled.

Victor looked for a clock. It was nine-thirty. He hoped this next two and half hours would go quickly.

“Well that’s settled,” Scarlett sighed. She then nudged Victor’s side. “Victor. Eat.”

Victor tried to wiggle his hands as a reminder to his mom. This is going to be a long two and half ours than he thought.

* * * * * * * * * *
The travel to the Juicing Room was long and anxious. Victor couldn’t wait to be back to normal again.

He couldn’t help but think of the first time he was rolled there before being sent a personal juicer to his home. The Oompa-Loompas still humming their taunting song, the dreaded feeling of what it was going to feel like, the worrying feeling of whether he would get back to normal at all.

He felt himself slowing down and coming to a halt and heard the doors creak open. The Oompa-Loompas gave him a hard shove and rolled him in and Victor’s ears were instantly drowned out to the sounds of hydraulics and liquid flowing everywhere.

They rolled him into a stall to give him privacy so they could carefully remove his clothing. The first time they did this he protested and one of them tried to explain to him it was so nothing would get caught in the juicing process. Either way, he didn’t enjoy being this vulnerable. It was already hard being a human blueberry.

The juicing process was slow and arduous. The first time he nearly blacked out from all the pressure. But the more and more he got juiced since he left the factory, the less uncomfortable it got. Victor honestly hoped it wasn’t going to be a recurring thing.

The juicing process was over. He was back at his original size and he lied at the bottom of the tank in a puddle and covered in sticky juice. His body ached for a bit as he lied there in the dark. Eventually a door swung open and light poured in. An oompa-loompa came in to help him up and handed him a robe and his (non stretched) clothes.

They escorted him to a shower and closed the door. Victor looked at himself. His skin was a very light tint of blue. Almost as if you couldn’t tell if he was discolored or not. He sighed and hopped in the shower. This will have to do.

When he was done, the oompa-loompas led him back to the living room of the factory, although the entire walk there he kept a good distance between them. He still wasn’t comfortable being alone with the people who mocked him from hours on end.

Victor entered the living room and saw the rest of the golden ticket winners and their parents. He searched for his own parents and they spotted him. They sighed in relief and approached him.

“Oh thank goodness you’re back to normal!” Scarlett exclaimed. But her expression changed causing Victor to tense up. She then gripped his shoulders and looked at him closely, grabbing his face and turning it left and right. “You’re still blue!”

“A very light blue!” His father added, staring at him as well.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Wonka chimed in. Victor swore that woman never failed to startle him. She made her way over to him and bent down slightly to study him. “Hmm…” Victor wanted to back away but he didn’t want to risk escaping again. “He looks fine to me! A little blue won’t hurt him.” She smirked which cause Victor to frown.

Scarlett let Wonka’s comment slide. “No matter. Some makeup could do the trick.”

Victor gave a sheepish smile. He knew his mom couldn’t afford to have something like his condition come into the public light. Especially with her new campaign coming around the corner.

“Victor!” Wonka called for his attention. “I have some news to tell you.”

Victor anxious looked at her. “What is it?”

“We took a sample of your juices after your session in the juicing room.” She explained. Victor couldn’t wrap his mind around how such a sentence pertained to him. “It turns out that you might be here longer than planned.”

Oh no. This can’t be good. Victor sadly wished he was chewing some gum to calm his nerves as his heart began to race.

“Your juice is stable but I’m afraid if you truly wish to be permanently back to normal and get all the juice out of your system, you will have to be here for a year.”

The news hit him like a ton of bricks, and in that moment there, Victor’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed onto the floor.

The last thing he heard was his father shouting his name. “Victor!”

Chapter Text

All Victor could remember before fainting was hearing that he was gonna be stuck at the factory for a year.

His parents and Wonka crowded around him as he slowly eased up, rubbing the back of his head. He really hoped what Wonka said was a dream or maybe even a joke.

So he had to ask, “what happened?”

“You fainted!” His mom cried.

“Yes it appears that my news might have shocked you,” Wonka nodded in agreement.

Victor looked at her grimly. “So it is true. I’m gonna be stuck here for a year?!”

“That is if you want the juice to be permanently out of your system, and I’m sure you do.” Wonka answered

Victor quietly whimpered to himself. He couldn’t imagine being stuck in here for a whole year. What about his life? What about school? What about the competitions? He had a championship to uphold.

“Now I’m sure the three of you have a lot of questions and we can all answer them shortly, but I want to finish the report on the juice that’s inside Victor’s system.”

“There’s more?!” Scarlett exclaimed.

“What more could you possibly tell us?” Sam added.

For once, Victor agreed with his parents but he said nothing and simply sat there not wanting to faint again.

“It turns out,” the whimsical Chocolatier started, “that the juice inside you has made quite a home in your stomach.”

“Meaning…what?” Victor looked at her puzzledly.

“It means,” Wonka said, “you have quite a knack for being a blueberry!”

The other golden ticket winners laughed at that causing Victor’s cheeks to blush.

“Oh how adorable! Your cheeks blush blue!” Wonka observed and began to scribble down notes.

Victor tried covering his cheeks as he grew frustrated and uncomfortable.

“I-I don’t understand! What do you mean I have a knack for being a blu-“ he stopped himself. He still refused to acknowledge his weird condition. “…freak…” Yeah that seems like the right word, he thought, a freak.

Wonka laughed a bit. “You can’t burst!”

“I can’t…burst?” Victor repeated.

“Nope!” She giggled. “It’s really quite amazing! You can get bigger and bigger and you won’t ever explode!” She explained as if he was a new candy she invented.

Victor shook his head ferociously. “But I don’t want that! I don’t want to get any bigger! None of this is making any sense!”

“But isn’t it reassuring that you can’t possibly burst?” She tried to cheer him up.

“I…guess?” Victor glanced down at the floor. “I’m not sure if that’s what I want though…”

“Well, look at it this way!” She said, causing him to look up at her. “You could just say this is another good thing you’re good at!”

Victor couldn’t take it anymore. Between the laughter and the disturbing news, he got off the floor and took for his room, fighting back tears. Now that he was (mostly) back to normal, no one could see him cry. He wouldn’t let anyone see him cry.

Champions don’t cry.

“Victor!” His father called. “We’re going to discuss his schedule though, right? That must be established immediately. Human blueberry or not, I need to keep him on his routine.”

“Of course, Mr. Beauregarde,” Wonka reassured the Dad-manager. “Victor’s schedule will be in place immediately once we go over what’s best for him moving forward.”

“Good! Because I have his schedule for the rest of the year, and everything he needs to know and eat to make sure he can still compete.”

Victor hugged his knees as he cried on top of his bed. He couldn’t believe he was in this mess all because he made a choice for himself and not his father’s. All his life since he was at least 5, Sam Beauregarde pushed his son to be the very best and Victor dutifully obeyed. He molded his son to believing he was a champion and he was! The boy had 263 trophies, how could he not be prideful in that fact?

It wasn’t until he turned 16 that he started arguing back with his father - especially during his golden ticket interview - another thing his father pushed him to pursue. He knew that his father was going to use the interview as an excuse to talk about his own achievements and his mom would use it to push her political campaign, so Victor figured it was his turn to take back the narrative. They were interviewing him, not them! It’s a little annoying sometimes being used as a tool for his parents’ vanity.

His father always seemed to push him too far, constantly berating him for not eating the right things or not working out long enough or not even being the right size. Victor loathed the constant measurement and weigh-ins.

But the moment Wonka waved the gum in his face, he wanted to make his own choice that wasn’t his father’s demand. If he took the gum, he would make him proud. He would even make Wonka proud! And it would be because of him. Maybe even help push his mom’s political career! He would use the world record his father forced on him and make it his own! Then maybe, just maybe, they would allow him to ease off the championship stuff.

But it didn’t. It blew up in his face in more ways than one. He’s been wrestling with his “punishment” for weeks and he’s still in denial about it. Well, who could wrap their head around a human blueberry? And now apparently he has a “knack” for it!

“I just had to be good at it,” he muttered to himself and wiped away a tear. He couldn’t believe there’s a chance of losing everything he’s ever did at 16.

He hugged his knees tighter and buried his head. He tried his best to make it all seem like one bad dream. But it wasn’t. Somehow Wilma Wonka herself made this reality Victor’s worst nightmare.

“I hope Victor is okay,” Charlie said to herself quietly. The rest of the golden ticket winners sat in the living room as their parents talked amongst themselves in the dining room. “I can’t imagine what he’s going through.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Michelle waved it off. “So what if he’s some weird human fruit?”

“How can you say that?! Victor’s the only one who’s experiencing something so unusual!”

“You know why I can say that, Bucket?” Michelle leaned forward. “Because I’m not some dumb jock who stole an experimental piece of gum in a chocolate factory!”

“True, but from what I heard you did jump in front of an experimental machine so you and Blueregarde are not so different,” Vernon sneered.

“You wanna talk, Garbage Boy?!” Michelle yelled.

“Guys!” Charlie said calmly over their shouts. “We all made mistakes here a month ago. Can’t we all just get along and help each other through it?”

The rest of the winners looked at each other in silence for a bit.

“No,” Michelle and Vernon finally said. Agnes simply gave a shrug.

“At least with me, I don’t blow up with juice,” Michelle scoffed. “I’ve noticed my height fluctuating every now and then. I just hope Wonka doesn’t do something drastic about it. Have you noticed her taking notes on all four of us?”

“All four of you?” Charlie repeated, blinking a few times.

“Hate to break it to you, Bucket, but this doesn’t concern you. You’re Wonka’s golden child!” Michelle snarled. “You’re Miss Goody Two Shoes and Can Do No Wrong!”

Charlie bit her lip in annoyance. “Believe it or not I actually stole something too.”

Vernon laughed. “Like what?”

“The Fizzy Lifting Drinks!” She cried.

“Yeah but you ended up winning anyway,”Michelle scoffed. “Besides. I’ve noticed Wonka taking a few notes ever since Victor blew back up. Also the way she was looking at him. It looked like she was studying him. It just makes you wonder what she has planned for us.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Charlie said. “I think Ms. Wonka wants the best for us!”

The rest of the three just glared at her. “You’re not allowed to talk!” Vernon spat. “Even if you did stole Fizzy Lifting Drinks, all you got was a slap on the wrist while the rest of us were humiliated!”

Charlie sighed, defeated. She didn’t know where to turn from here. “Fine. But just, please know that I care about you guys?”

Michelle and Vernon scoffed while Agnes gave a gentle smile. Charlie smiled back at her. Even though Agnes was a girl of a few words, Charlie was glad she at least had her.

“Whatever Goody Two Shoes!” Michelle rolled her eyes. “Just know that you’ll never stop being Wonka’s golden child.”

With that, Charlie looked down at her lap and shrunk back into the couch.

* * * * * * *
Knock! Knock! Knock!

Victor gasped and immediately went under the covers to pretend he was asleep.

“Victor?” His mom called. The door opened and Victor held his breath and shut his eyes tight. He heard many footsteps enter his room causing his heart to pound. “Victor, baby, it’s been over an hour. We need to talk.”

Victor continued to “sleep”.

“Oh for Pete’s sake, Victor! I’m your mother! I know you’re a very light sleeper. Stop pretending!”

He winced but refused to get up.

“We’re going to have to discuss this sooner or later,” Wonka said. “Why don’t you come out from the covers?”

He shut his eyes tighter. Wonka simply sighed then snapped her fingers causing his comforter to poof! vanish.

Victor, along with his parents, gasped and opened his eyes. “Hey! How did you that?!”

“A great chocolatier never reveals her secret!” She winked with a twinkle in her eye.

Victor huffed and did his best not to roll his eyes. He swore he felt like he was trapped in some messed up, whimsical horror movie.

“Now that you’re conveniently out of bed,” Wonka said, “I would love for you to join us downstairs. I have much to discuss with all of you.”

Victor pouted. He didn’t want to join them - especially the rest of the golden ticket winners. He didn’t feel like getting mocked by Vernon and Michelle at the moment, nor hear the snide comments from the other parents.

He was trapped. He can’t escape his room, that would be stupid. Plus his parents were blocking him and his father was giving him the stink eye. Wonka meanwhile had a seemingly innocent smile. “Fine, I’ll go,” he said defeated.

“It will be over before you know it,” Wonka patted his shoulder. He couldn’t help but flinch at her touch.

They reached the stairs and head down to the living room. Victor saw where the golden ticket winners were sitting and he let out a sigh of relief when he saw there was a spot next to Charlie. He sat next to her but he sat up straight and tense.

“Holy crap!” Michelle leaned over to look at Victor. “You ARE still blue!”

Victor tensed up even more as Wonka cleared her throat.

She stood in front the children and their families with a smile on her face. All the children, minus Charlie, grimaced.

“I hope everyone had a great first night back at the factory!” The families said nothing in response. Michelle rolled her eyes and Vernon huffed.

“My Agnes told me she could barely sleep in that wretched room!” Mrs. Gloop glared. “She had a nightmare!”

“And I wasn’t comfortable sleeping on that stupid mattress!” Vernon whined.

“Love how you think a middle class mattress equates to sleeping in a traumatic room,” Michelle quipped. Vernon glared at her in return.

“If I can have all complaints in writing AFTER today’s meeting, that will be perfect!” Wonka smiled. The Golden Ticket families grumbled. “My dear guests, I apologize if your first night didn’t go as planned, but the purpose of your stay is so we can learn from this.”

“Enough of the pleasantries, Wonka! Cut to the chase!” Scarlett Beauregarde barked.

Wonka patiently grinned back at him. “Patience, dear Mrs. Beauregarde! We mustn’t lose our heads!”

Sam held back his wife.

“It has occurred to me after the results of young Victor Beauregarde’s juicing, that it might be beneficial for all of you to be here for a year as well.”

“WHAT?!” Michelle and Vernon shouted. Agnes simply shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“What does Berry Boy have to do with us?!” Michelle asked. Victor shrunk back into the couch.

“I don’t want to be here for a year!” Vernon cried. “I thought it was going to be at least a month!”

Wonka couldn’t help but snort. “You? A month here? Oh Vernon, honey, you’re the one who needs the most work.”

Vernon folded his arms and huffed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“As I was saying,” Wonka continued, “it would benefit all of you to stay at the factory for a year to help deal with the problems you have.”

“What a load of bullsh-“

“Please stop mumbling,” Wonka cut off Michelle who began to fume. “Victor Beauregarde,” she grabbed the young champion’s attention.

He looked at her with worried eyes. Dear God, what is she going to tell me now? He thought.

“The reason for your year long stay is that you have a 95% chance of returning back to normal.” She explained.

“Only…95?” He blinked at her. He didn’t want to imagine what would happen if he wound up with the 5%. It would be just his luck.

“But that’s good!” Charlie chipped in. “You would have your life back!”

He didn’t say anything. Even if he did get back to normal and the juice was all of out of his system, he knew life wouldn’t be the same. He wasn’t sure if he was looking forward to it.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, “it is good.”

“The decision to have everyone else stay for a year is not only to keep Victor and Charlie company but to also shape the rest of you to be better children of society.”

“What about his schedule?!” Mr. Beauregarde interjected.

“I was just getting to that,” Wonka patiently sighed. “All of the children’s schedules will cohere with lessons for their improvement.”

“Lessons for their improvement?” Michelle repeated. “What does that mean?”

“It means what it means,” Wonka replied.

“Ugh, she’s not gonna tell us anything.” Michelle groaned.

“But I wouldn’t worry about that!” Wonka brushed it off with the wave of her hand. The children weren’t happy about her nonchalance.

“And what about school?” Mrs. Teevee asked adjusting her glasses.

“Mom!!” Michelle protested.

“You’re not skipping it!”

“An excellent question, Mrs. Teevee!” Wonka exclaimed. “You guys will be able to still go to your school!”

“How?!” Michelle asked. “That’s not even possible! Half of us live in a different time zone! Vernon is from the freaking UK and Agnes is from Germany!”

“Oh, dear Michelle,” Wonka sighed, “when will your mind be open to the endless possibilities?”

Michelle angrily turned to her mom. “I told you I didn’t want to be back here!”

Victor couldn’t agree more. He had the courage to speak up. “You expect us…to still go to school?”

Wonka snorted. “Of course! Education is important to a child’s development. Besides, I want you guys to still live a normal life. Not be a shut in!”

“What’s so normal about living in a madhouse factory?” Victor muttered.

Wonka paused for a moment when she heard what Victor said, but no one really noticed. They were all still confused on how they could still go to their same schools.

“What are you getting at here, Wonka?! Victor’s school is hours away!” Scarlett shrieked.

“And Michelle’s is in a whole other state!” Mrs. Teevee cried.

“No need to lose your heads about this, my friends!” Wonka raised her hands. “It will all work out, I promise. We will figure out the time and schedule but I can assure you the kids will arrive and leave school on time.”

“She’s still absolutely bonkers,” Vernon rolled his eyes.

“But trust me, the moment they step out the door, they will arrive back at their hometown at the correct time! I will make sure they come back to the factory of course. Can’t have any risks of the kids running off or disappearing,” Wonka explained.

“Wait a second,” Vernon put his hand up. “If i just step out the door, I would be back in England?”

“Correct!” Wonka smiled. “However it wouldn’t be 11PM when you arrive, but six o’clock!”

“Are you saying if I leave at 7AM here for school, it will be 7AM over there?!” Vernon asked incredulously. “That doesn’t make any sense! Will my days be extra longer? Am I going to feel the effects?! Is this time travel?!How is that even possible?!”

“Well how are my square candies that are round possible?” Wonka giggled. “How is my three course meal possible? Or Victor’s condition!”

Victor truly wished he wasn’t a part of Wonka’s “Impossible But True” List.

“I’m telling you she’s insane!” Michelle added. “If the woman has built a teleporter, who knows what else she is capable of!”

Wonka simply winked. “Thanks for such a high compliment, Miss Teevee!” Which made the young technology lover burn in anger more. “I hope this answers all of your questions.”

The families didn’t respond. They were left more confused than before.

“Perfect!” Wonka tapped her cane against the floor. “Parents, this is your last hour with your child, so please make sure everything he squared away before you leave.”

Victor was anxious. He didn’t want to be left alone here with this woman and the other annoying ticket winners. He anxiously tapped at his phone in his pocket. He wanted to reach out to his best friend, Cameron. He knew just what to say. But Victor is afraid the signal was still down. He couldn’t call him earlier, why should he be able to text him now?

Sam Beauregarde gripped his son’s shoulders causing Victor to jump. “Now you listen to me, son. You have your planner. You have your workout schedule. And you have your new diet menu. You stick to it and you make it to your competitions and I will meet you there. Tell Wonka you can’t miss any of them! Understood?”

Victor stammered. “B-but, father! What if I can’t make it? Will she even let me go to any of my competitions?”

“You WILL make it,” he gripped his son tighter. “No excuses. She knows you’re a champion. You have a reputation to uphold! You’re a Beauregarde! Your mom needs you to win - I need you to win!” He shouted. “You will win! Understood?”

“But-!”

“Understood?”

Victor sighed, knowing that their need for him to win was more important than him. “Yes, father.”

Sam Beauregarde smiled wildly. “Good. We will let you know when we head back to Miles City. Make me proud, son.”

With that, Sam and Scarlett headed back to the guest rooms as Victor sat on the couch. He hate to admit but he really wished he had gum right now to help his nerves.

He opened his phone and began to type his best friend. He pressed send and hoped to God Cam got it.

“Bring me gum when you get the chance.”

Chapter Text

Victor was thankful that evening after his parents left because it was a lot more calm. Sure he kept getting more teasing comments about how blue he was and how he was some weird half blueberry hybrid, but he felt his mind slightly at ease without the overbearing presence of his parents.

He shouldn’t think that should he? Surely kids want to be with their parents? He loved his parents, right?

He shoved the thoughts in the back of his head as he looked at his planner at his desk in his very blue room. Ahh, the planner. Up until he turned 16, his father had dictated what competitions to go to, what sports to play, and how much training he should do. But he was finally awarded some freedom. SOME freedom. He wasn’t allowed to quit a sport completely, just to taper off a bit. He was allowed which sports/competitions he could prioritize. Meaning, goodbye all father’s favorite sports he shoved down Victor’s throat!

That was until the factory incident and now his father had full control again. He looked at the planner. His entire week was packed. How was he going to do this AND be at the factory at the same time?! Wonka said she’ll take care of it, but what exactly did that even mean?

Victor sighed, closed his planner, and got into his bed. He was just grateful it was the weekend and his father cancelled the rest of his practices. He wasn’t used to doing nothing but he was kind of grateful for it.

Victor checked his phone to see if his best friend Cameron replied.

Ugh. He hasn’t read it yet. He put up his phone and got deep under his covers, and did his best to go to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Every morning, since the incident, the first thing Victor does is immediately check in the mirror to see if he was blue or swollen. He was sort of grateful that there was a full body mirror in his room, but he also knew he’s going to not want to see himself whenever he fully blew up.

“Whenever”. Not “if”. “Whenever”. He can’t get over the fact he’ll be here for a year with a 95% chance of getting back to normal. Charlie was right. The odds are in his favor, but he also wasn’t asking for a whole life altering experience.

Victor checked in the mirror and sighed. Still very light blue, luckily no swelling, but his mom was right. Nothing makeup can’t fix.

He proceeded to put the makeup on. He never really told anyone this aside from Cameron
that he uses makeup. It was mostly to cover up the bags in his eyes or to keep from showing dark circles. Cam caught Victor one time when he thought he had something on his face. He scolded his friend from not getting enough sleep. “You can’t run on two hours of sleep forever, Vic!” He would tell him. But Victor would always wave it off and say it was fine. Cam knew it wasn’t. It never failed to amaze him how Victor maintained such a packed schedule.

However his parents knew he used makeup but they think he just started because of the incident. Can’t do public appearances with a blue child, right? Cam knows it’s from both the incident and running on less than five hours of sleep.

Victor slouched when he was done with the final touches. He just wanted to hang out with his friend and pretend none of this was happening. He looked at himself one last time and thought the makeup was enough to get away with.

He teared up a little at the sight of himself. He looked…normal. Not like some freak. He carefully wiped away his tears and scolded at himself for crying.

“Champions don’t cry,” he sat a little taller. Victor put on a confident face and headed downstairs. He braved himself for whatever snide comment or weird news from the others and Wonka would throw at him.

The minute he arrived in the living room he instantly regretted it.

“No way!” The annoying spoiled brat exclaimed. “You’re back to normal!”

Victor was really trying not to draw attention to himself. He glared at Vernon.

“Back to normal, hm?” The presence of Wilma Wonka caused Victor to shudder. She approached him and bent down to look him over. “How is this so?”

“M-maybe I just got l-lucky?” He stammered.

Wonka immediately stood back up and snapped her fingers in realization. “I got it!” She tapped her cane twice and smiled. “You were wearing makeup! Don’t worry, I fixed it for you!”

“Fixed it for me?” Victor repeated. He looked down at himself and saw the light tint blue return. He angrily shouted at her. “I didn’t want it gone!”

“Oh Victor,” she chided him, “everyone knows about your condition. Why try and hide it?”

Maybe I just wanted to feel normal again, he thought to himself. So he angrily muttered a simple, “I don’t know.”

Wonka gave a small chuckle. “One day you’ll wear your blueness as a badge of pride!”

Victor blushed. That’s the day I’ll finally lose it, he thought.

Wonka ushered Victor to join the rest of them for breakfast. He looked at the spread today. Something was different. He looked at the plates of the other golden ticket winners.

Michelle had some type of microwaved burrito. Agnes had some avocado toast with egg whites. Vernon was frustrated and picking at some plain toast, while Charlie had a colorful breakfast plate.

Victor was nervous about what his plate would look like. It seemed that this was another one of Wonka’s weird punishment for them, minus Charlie of course. He could only imagine what it could possibly be.

An oompa-loompa appeared out of the kitchen with a plate. They approached Victor and he tensed up as they set it down before him. Victor looked at it. It was a stack of blueberry pancakes drenched in blueberry syrup.

He was repulsed at the sight of it. “I can’t eat this!” He exclaimed. “I would blow back up!”

“We actually don’t know if you eat any blueberries that you would blow back up,” Wonka corrected him.

“So you want me to eat them, just to find out?” Victor asked. “Like I would ever do that!”

“For starters, this is breakfast and you can’t miss breakfast,” Wonka countered. “And this is the only thing you’re getting. I’m not making anything else.”

“Even if I did eat it I can’t eat pancakes! It’s not part of my diet. I’m not allowed to have it!” Victor grumbled.

“Not allowed to eat pancakes?!” Agnes shouted in surprise. This was the most anyone has ever heard from her. Which now that they all thought about it, she would speak up about food.

“Father says foods like pancakes or waffles or French toast aren’t what make up a champion,” Victor explained. “So I don’t eat them.”

“So, you’ve never had pancakes?” Vernon asked curiously.

“Not never!” Victor said. “I just haven’t had them in…a while.”

“Yeah and how long exactly is a while?” Michelle asked, interested to hear his answer.

“I don’t know!” Victor shouted, tired of their pestering. “A little over ten years ago?!”

The dining room went quiet.

“That’s an awfully long time,” Vernon finally said.

“So what? It’s just food,” Victor folded his arms. “I don’t eat this stuff in the morning.”

“What do you eat for breakfast then?” Charlie finally spoke up.

Victor dropped his arms. “I actually don’t really get to eat anything. I mostly just drink a smoothie or a protein drink that my father makes.”

They all stare at him again.

“What?”

“So you don’t…eat?” Agnes asked again.

“Like…ever?” Michelle added.

Victor grew frustrated. “I eat! I just don’t get to eat all the time! I have a diet I have to follow if I want to continue my championship!”

Michelle scoffed. “You must live such a fun life.”

“Anyway, I’m not eating this!” Victor looked at Wonka, finally happy that their constant questioning ended. “I thought my father spoke to you about my diet?”

Wonka huffed and did her best not to roll her eyes. “Oh he did! But this is more important.”

Victor couldn’t believe the words she was saying. “How is this more important than my regular diet? I thought we were all going to continue our regular lives here?!”

“Oh you are,” Wonka said. “But it’s not how you children want it to go. You’re here to better yourselves!”

“And a stack of blueberry pancakes is going to help better me?”

“At least you got real food,” Michelle muttered, picking at her undercooked burrito. “I got some lousy microwave meal.”

“And you didn’t get just some bland toast,” Vernon pouted at his plate. “I should be eating the finest foods this place has to offer and you’re feeding me some piece of bread!”

Agnes simply kept picking at her own healthy breakfast. Victor was jealous at her meal. On the days he was allowed to eat food, he would eat something like that.

“Victor, it’s supposed to help you understand your condition better,” Wonka answered, ignoring the rest of the children.

“Ugh!” He groaned. “I don’t want to understand my condition better! I just want my life back!”

“In due time, sweetie pie, in due time,” Wonka smiled, which only angered Victor more. “Now why don’t you try and eat your food?”

He stared at it and thought to himself. He was getting hungry but there was no way he could do this to himself. Victor could play the long game and just not eat.

Ding dong! Everyone at the table looked toward the door then back at Wonka. The children didn’t even know Wonka received visitors!

“I wonder who that could be,” Wonka mused out loud to herself. She got up and walked to the door.

“So you were wearing makeup?” Michelle teased.

“Can it!” Victor snapped.

Wonka opened the door and before her appeared a young teenaged boy. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Why, hello there!” She greeted.

“Uh, hi!” The boy tried not to be starstruck in front of the famous chocolatier. He couldn’t believe she was standing right there in front of him. The boy shook his head. He stood up taller and refocused himself. “Is Victor here?”

Victor’s ears perked up. He looked towards the door. “Cameron?!”

“Victor!” Cameron smiled. He looked at Wonka. “May I come in?”

Wonka was so shocked at his politeness and at the thought that a person could visit one of the kids that she blinked a few times. She gestured for him to come inside.

“I got your text!” Cameron said.

Michelle groaned in annoyance about how everyone was able to text except her. “Lucky,” she muttered. If she wanted to contact anyone, Wonka said she would have to write a letter.

“I would’ve been here yesterday but my parents said no.”

Victor was relieved at the sight of Cameron here. He could really use his best friend right now. His eyes lit up with an idea. He immediately grabbed Cam’s hand and headed upstairs.

“Victor!” Wonka called. “Your breakfast!”

The dining room went quiet.

“So is breakfast over?” Vernon asked.

“No! Eat your food!”
* * * * * * * * * * *
“I’m so glad you’re here, Cameron!” Victor said relieved. They were in his bedroom. Victor was pacing madly across the floor as his friend explored the room. “It feels like I’m going insane here!”

Cameron watched his friend pace. He was upset for his friend feeling like this, trapped in the last place he wanted to be. If he was able to, he would of course take Victor far from the factory as possible. But he couldn’t. Then he remembered. Cameron reached fro his pocket and pulled out the pack of gum Victor requested.

Victor’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Oh thank God!” He grabbed the pack of gum and unwrapped one and proceeded to chew. But then Victor looked ashamed of himself.

“What’s wrong?” Cam asked.

“I swore I never chew gum ever again,” Victor said as he sat on his bed. “But I’ve been so stressed and I’ve been craving it and it’s the only way I can calm down! But I shouldn’t be craving this! It’s almost like I didn’t learned my lesson.” Victor hugged his knees.

“Oh come on, that’s not true, Vic!” Cam sat across from him on the bed. “Your father forced you to chew the gum every day. It’s not your fault you got used to it.”

“But-“

“And Vic,” he put his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “no one deserves to be turned into a giant fruit.”

Victor just looked down at himself. “I just can’t help but feel the opposite right now.”

“That’s okay,” Cam said. “I just hope one day you realize it’s not true.”

“Hmm,” Victor squeezed his knees tighter. He wasn’t sure if he would ever feel that to be true. He can’t ever describe the humiliation and other feelings he felt that day but he knew for sure he felt that he deserved it. Something happened to him that was so wild that it felt like it came out of a children’s book. It was almost like the punishment was made for him.

Victor was grateful to be friends with Cameron. They’ve been friends since they were 3. Friends long before the whole championship fiasco his father forced upon him. Cameron was there when Victor started training at 5. He didn’t understand why his friend couldn’t eat any of his birthday cake or why he got in trouble for eating it in the first place.

He was also there when Victor won his first trophy. He was happy for him! Then Victor won his 10th. Than his 50th. Then eventually he hit 250 and beyond.

Cam was sure Victor was gonna burn out before 25. He looked at his friend hugging his knees and sniffling softly. He patted his back causing him to jump a little.

“Sorry!”

“It’s fine,” Victor said quietly. He paused for a moment. “Cam,” he said barely above a whisper, “why are you still friends with me?”

Cam was taken aback. He couldn’t help but laugh. “What do you mean?”

“I just thought,” Victor shifted awkwardly on his bed, “you would leave me because I’m a blu…freak now.”

“Dude!” Cam exclaimed. “We’ve been friends since we were little kids! I wouldn’t ever leave you! Victor, I’m friends with you because I care about you. Not your popularity!”

It was true. Victor was quite popular at school. Girls wanted to date him and guys just wanted to be friends with him just to get an ounce of popularity.

“I’m nothing like Cornelius if that’s what you’re afraid of,” Cameron laughed.

Victor couldn’t help but chuckle too. “How is he doing?”

“He thinks you’re up to something. That you’re not really sick at all. That you’re training for some really wild event.”

Cornelius Prinzmetal has been Victor’s frenemy for as long as they both could remember. Anything Cornelius did, Victor always did it better - especially the world record for chewing gum.

“I wish it was that,” Victor grumbled. “Much prefer some type of training than whatever Wonka has planned for me.”

“Victor, I promise I’m not going to leave you. We’ve been friends for too long you’re practically stuck with me!”

Victor laughed at his comment.

“You’ll get through this. And I’m right here with you,” he clutched his shoulder. “Permission to hug?” He spread his arms open wide.

Victor rolled his eyes and smiled. “Permission granted.”

Cameron hugged him and everything felt all right for just a moment.

Victor remembered the first time Cameron saw him in his new peculiar condition. Of course, he was in embarrassed! Who wants their best friend see themselves transform into a giant fruit?

That day, Victor wasn’t expecting anyone to come over, let alone his friend. But he didn’t blame him. He hasn’t seen or heard from Victor in weeks! He had to stop by.

So when he walked into his room, he wasn’t expecting his best friend to be blue and sporting a giant belly blowing up on top of his bed.

“Victor?!” He shouted.

Victor froze and looked over the curve of his stomach. “Ca-Cameron…?” His voice trembled. “Oh no…”

“What happened to you?!” He frantically entered the room. He placed his hands on Victor’s stomach. “Are you okay?! Do we need to call a doctor?!”

“It’s fine -”

“It’s not fine, Vic! You’re having some sort of allergic reaction and your parents aren’t doing anything about it?!”

“It’s normal!”

Cameron stopped. “What are you talking about?” He felt the juice shift underneath his hands. “And what are you filling up with?” He gently poked his friend’s stomach.

“Juice…” Victor answered quietly.

It was then that Victor explained to him what happened and Cameron came to the realization that’s why no one has heard from him in weeks. Victor and Charlie were the only ones who avoided the public after the factory. Neither of them were nowhere to be seen. But he understood.

“If any of this got out, my entire athletic career would be over,” Victor said sadly. “I’d forever be known as the gum chewing loser who turned himself into a fruit.”

But Cameron reassured him that it wouldn’t happen. Not on his watch. He swore he would stick by his side through thick and thin.

So when Cameron got the news that he would be back in the factory, he promised he’d be there for him. And he was.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Knock! Knock! Knock!

Victor jumped at the sound of the door.

“Victor, I believe you didn’t eat breakfast today.”

It was Wonka. He was upset he still had to eat his food. He scolded himself for thinking that Wonka would let him go for this long. Of course she was determined to have him eat the stack of pancakes. She was curious to see what would happen if he did. Curse her scientific mind!

Victor looked at Cameron dreadfully. He didn’t want to blimp up in front of his friend again. Once was embarrassing enough. It was then Victor realized that there was no avoiding it. This was gonna be his life for a year, and Cameron did promise him he wasn’t ever gonna let this cause his friendship to waver.

Cameron gently touched his shoulder and smiled. Victor silently nodded and got up and opened the door.

Wonka smiled her seemingly innocent smile and tilted her head, “still hungry?”

All Victor did was glare in response.

Wonka cocked an eyebrow at him. “Are you chewing gum?”

Victor paused his ceaseless chewing and blushed a darker shade of blue. “I-it helps with my nerves…”

Wonka mused to herself. “Hmm, interesting.” Victor pulled out the gum and stuck it behind his ear.

Wonka led the boys down the stairs and back to the dining room.

Victor uneasily sat down in his chair and stared at the stack of pancakes before him. He anxiously looked at Wonka who only smiled in response.

“It will be over before you know it!” She encouraged.

“Easy for you to say!” Victor said. “You’re not the one who is going to swell up with juice!”

“No I am not!” She smiled again which frustrated Victor even more.

Victor glanced at Cameron then back at his food. Cam gave a gentle smile. Again, he could feel the stares from the rest of the ticket winners.

He picked up fork and cut a tiny piece of the pancake. He hesitantly took a bite. Victor’s eyes widened. This was the best pancakes he ever had! He hated Wonka for making such great food.

He looked up at Wonka who simply folded her hands around her cane and rested her head against it. She gave a knowing smile as if she knew Victor would enjoy the stack of pancakes she gave him.

“Well?” She patiently said.

Everyone leaned forward waiting for Victor’s response.

“These are best pancakes I’ve ever had,” he admitted glumly.

“Oh, whatever!” Michelle exclaimed. “How would you even know because apparently the last time you ate some was a billion years ago!”

“Wait, does that mean you haven’t had pie in forever too?” Vernon thought out loud, laughing a bit.

Victor glared at the both of them.

“Aha!” Wonka shouted causing everyone to jump. “It is true!” She pulled out a notepad and began jotting down wildly. “Every time you ingest blueberries it triggers a reaction.”

“Huh?” Victor said nervously. He picked up a utensil and stared back at his reflection. He saw himself turn a darker shade of blue and he whimpered quietly.

“So in a way,” Wonka began, “you’re allergic to blueberries.”

“I can’t eat them?” He asked.

“Nope!”

“Can I be around them?” He asked once more.

“Well, you were around them this morning and you didn’t turn blue then!” Wonka pointed out.

Victor heard his stomach gurgle and he instinctively put his hands on it. He felt his stomach bloat. “I guess that’s true…”

“Ah! Mr. Cameron!” Wonka said grabbing his friend’s attention. “Would you like some breakfast?”

Cameron shifted awkwardly. “I’m good, thank you. I ate before I drove over here.”

“Now, I was thinking -“

“I hate it when you think,” Michelle grumbled, cutting off the Chocolatier .

“- that you kids could help me come up with new ideas for the factory!”

Vernon scoffed. “You want us to work for you?”

“WITH me,” Wonka’s eyes twinkled.

Victor’s stomach gurgled again in protest. He let out a grunt. “Why in the world would we want to do that?!” He asked angrily, stomach still growing.

“You children have a lot of imagination and creativity - well maybe not Michelle here but you do!”

“Excuse me?!” She yelled.

“What do you expect us to do?” Victor asked uncomfortably. His arms were now out by his side. Cameron helped him out of the chair and Victor let out an uneasy “thank you” as he got up.

Vernon poked his giant stomach and laughed. “It’s so squishy!”

“Quit it!” Victor tried to swat him away. Add that to the list of things I don’t want to be called, he thought.

“Charlie has already come up with wonderful ideas for new candies and marketing ideas. I already have her sitting in a few meetings.” Wonka said proudly.

“It’s been kinda busy…” Charlie said quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I figured if Charlie is taking a liking to it, so will the rest of you!”

“And do what? Also come up with candies?” Michelle snarled.

“Whatever you guys want to do!” Wonka spread out her arms in a grand welcoming gesture. “Michelle, I’m sure with your technology expertise you could help with something.” The Teevee child rolled her eyes. “Agnes, you could help with chocolate production and taste!” Agnes perked up at the sound of that. “And Vernon, my dear sweet child, I’m sure you can help with the business side of things with your mother being in the nut industry.”

Vernon smiled excitedly. “Yes! Then I can prove to her I can take over!”

“However!” Wonka raised up a finger to stop them. “We of course are going to have to check in with all of your conditions and manners. If you want to work with me here, you of course got to better yourself.”

With that the four of the golden tickets huffed as Charlie looked on with concern. She loved her mentor’s ideas but she wondered if Wonka ever thought about the effects of it all.

“Wait,” Victor spoke up nervously as he rounded out. “What about me? Y-you never mentioned my name.”

Wonka went up to the bloating blueberry causing him to waddle back a little. “Oh Victor, sweetie pie, you have a lot to offer too while you’re here!”

“L-like…w-what?”

“I’m sure you could bring something from the athletic department! Maybe propose something there?” Victor sighed in relief.

“Tch,” Michelle scoffed. “As if you would promote anything healthy!”

“My mind is open to anything you guys would want to do,” Wonka countered.

“Well, we’ll believe it when we see it,” Michelle said.

“I could possibly think of something,” Victor said quietly.

“Of course,” Wonka continued, garnering Victor’s attention and patting his stomach, “we would have to continue doing tests so we can learn more about your condition.”

Victor sighed. “And that is what I was expecting you to say.”

Chapter Text

Two weeks have passed since the Golden Ticket Winners moved into the factory. They all adjusted fairly well to the mad chocolatier’s rules - everyone except Victor that is who constantly butted heads against her.

If Victor wanted to train, she would say no. If Victor wanted to make a smoothie for breakfast, she would shove a blueberry pastry in front of him, and of course this would leave him either fully round or with a giant belly, forcing his arms out to balance when he toddled.

He rarely got to go to any of his competitions either. Majority of the time he was allowed to leave the factory was school. The lie that was told to his coaches, his classmates and his teachers was that he had contracted a very rare illness so he might not be able to show up.

The only people who seemed somewhat happy about Victor being gone were his teammates. Victor didn’t know but his teammates were very jealous that he was the star champion of everything he did. But he didn’t know that. He still thought they were his good friends, people he could trust.

But at the factory, Victor was constantly poked, prodded, patted, and rubbed by everyone - especially by Wonka who was always curious by his condition. He felt like another one of her attractions. So when Victor blew up he frequently asked:

“When will I get back to normal?”

And of course she would always respond with the vague:

“Soon.”

To which Victor would groan and find annoying because she kept pushing it off. He was often forced to go to The Testing Room. Victor loathed The Testing Room. The room was sterile white and had Oompa Loompas running various tasks. Wonka had a few helping her here and there when it came to checking Victor’s vitals. His first time in there was humiliating enough. He was fully round that day so everything was a struggle.

Wonka would ask him to do a series of tasks which always left Victor exhausted no matter what size he was.

She would ask him to waddle across the long room which left him gasping for air. He wasn’t used to being this huge or carrying gallons upon gallons of juice in his stomach. He shouldn’t get tired so quickly! He was a star track runner and track was his favorite sport. Victor would argue and yell with her but she was used to his behavior by now. She would just tell him to use this time to catch his breath rather than behaving brashly, much to his annoyance.

Then came the measurements. Wonka pulled out a tape measure and wrapped it around his body.

“What are you doing?” He asked nervously, the first time in the room.

“Measuring,” she answered simply.

Victor’s cheeks flushed. “You can’t do that!”

Wonka chuckled. “And why can’t I?”

“Uh…” Victor’s eyes searched wildly for an answer as he stammered. “Y-you just can’t!”

“I’ll tell you what, Victor,” Wonka said patiently, “how about I’ll never tell you how wide you are.”

Victor thought it over. “I guess that’s fine…”

“Have you never been measured before?” She asked. “Surely you have with all the sports and competitions you do!”

“But that’s different!” Victor protested. “I’m not a freak of nature when I’m measured!”

“You’ll be all right, Mr. Beauregarde.”

Victor grumbled as Wonka wrapped the tape measure around his stomach. She paused for a second.

“Huh. I’m gonna need some help.” She pulled out her little flute and played.

“I can’t be that huge,” Victor said quietly as he watched one of the Oompa Loompas help her.

“Oh Victor don’t worry about it! You’re just a little too big for me to do it on my own.” Wonka and the Oompa Loompa measured his stomach. He couldn’t even imagine what the number was.

“All done!”

“We’re done with testing?” He asked hopefully.

Wonka laughed. “Oh, Victor, baby, no!” She leaned down and spoke to the Oompa Loompa but it was too quiet for Victor to hear. He tried to waddle forward but he still couldn’t hear anything.

“Time to be weighed!” She clapped.

This sent Victor over the edge. “What?! No! You can’t weigh me! That’s worse!”

“Sweetie pie-“

“You’re not weighing me!”

“Victor, the quicker you cooperate with me, the quicker this will be over.”

Victor whimpered. “B-but…” He flinched at the sight of an Oompa Loompa approaching him. “Fine.”

“Excellent! Please waddle forward.”

“I don’t waddle!” He yelled as he waddled forward. “I walk! OOF!” He had the air knocked out of him when he felt two hands shoved into his stomach, stopping his movement. He stood on the scale.

Wonka and the Oompa Loompa waited then began jotting down notes.

“You’re not going to tell me the number, right?”

“I won’t tell you the number,” she smiled.

Victor sighed in relief. “Are we done now?”

“Nope!”

“What else could you possibly test me for?!” Victor asked angrily.

“Temper, temper, Victor!” She said which angered him more. “Just a few more tests, and you’re finished.”

Victor groaned and rolled his eyes. “This is ridiculous.”

“Well you did steal the gum, Mr. Beauregarde,” she smiled at him which caused Victor to frown in shame. “And speaking of gum!” She pulled out a tiny stick. “I’m going to need you to chew this for a minute.”

Victor froze. “Gum?” He looked at the stick. “What type of gum is it?”

“It’s just a regular stick of gum,” she said. “There aren’t any three courses or blueberry pie.”

“I don’t think I can do it,” he said nervously.

“Victor, I can reassure you it’s normal! Besides, didn’t I see you chewing a piece of gum the other day?”

“Th-that’s different!” He stammered. “Cameron gave it to me! It helps me with my nerves! And it wasn’t one of your cursed gums that ruins people’s lives!”

“It’s only for a minute, sweetie pie. I just need to measure that jaw of yours! Then you can spit it out.” She waved the gum in his face. “Or, you can keep chewing! Up to you!”

Sweat beaded on top of his forehead. Well, if it’s only for a minute, he thought. But he didn’t trust her.

“It’s sugarless~!” She sang.

Victor groaned in frustration then sighed. “Fine! And you said I could spit it out?”

Wonka simply nodded. And with that, Victor slowly opened his mouth and Wonka popped the stick of gum in. She pulled out a timer and told him to start chewing.

Victor tried to calm down but he couldn’t help it. He was chewing rapidly as his mind ran rampant on what all this testing was. He hoped this was the last thing Wonka asked him to do. Maybe she’ll take him to the Juicing Room and he can finally train or catch up on homework. Maybe he’ll finally get some peace and quiet to himself.

“Time!” Wonka called, snapping Victor out of his thoughts. She stopped her timer. “Very interesting indeed. A little bit above average, but it’s you we’re talking about so it’s no surprise here!” She laughed. She touched the bottom of his chin. “Still charming as ever.”

Victor looked glumly at the floor.

Wonka held out her gloved hand in front of Victor’s face. “Are you going to spit it out?”

“I’ll keep chewing…” He said sadly. He figured it would help him keep calm.

Wonka giggled to herself. “So grateful to have a gum chewing champion like yourself, my dear boy.” She patted his chin one last time.

Victor grimaced. He still wasn’t proud of that title. He looked at how round he was. He definitely wasn’t proud of it now. The stupid gum he took was the reason for this mess.

“Are we done now?” Victor asked quietly.

“No not yet!” Wonka said. She then leaned over one more time to the Oompa Loompas. Victor didn’t bother trying to listen. He was just trying to get what Wonka said out of his head.

He then felt a dozen tiny hands touch him causing him to let out a yelp.

“N-no!” He cried as they lowered him. He grunted as he laid on the floor, struggling to look over his stomach.

He felt a great shove in his side as he rolled across the floor, juice sloshing madly within him. His brown hair blinding him the entire time. He felt pairs of hands catch him only for them to shove him back the other way. He then realized they were passing him back and forth like a ball!

“Make it stop!” He yelled as he rolled. “No more!”

Wonka raised her hand. “I guess I’ll stop it. I’ve seen enough.”

“What was the point of that?!” He yelled, lying on his back, heart racing.

Wonka rolled her eyes, a little tired from Victor’s yelling. “Just to see how well you roll. Nothing more.”

He panted. “That’s it! I can’t take it anymore! I want to go to my room! I’m sick of your stupid testing!”

“Ah ah ah!” Wonka tutted at him with a finger. “One final test, and I promise you’re all done!”

He braced himself. “What is it?”

She pulled out a small device but Victor couldn’t make it out. “Gotta check the quality of your juice!”

“Huh?” Victor couldn’t wrap his mind around it. It was the nail in the coffin that his condition was real for him.

“Just a tiny pinch and it’ll drain a few milliliters of your juice and we’ll get a read of it. Think of it as…drawing blood!”

He felt lightheaded as Wonka rolled up a bit of his shirt. He felt a quick pinch in his side causing him to yelp in pain. He felt some juice leave him, easing up the pressure from within his stomach. Wonka gave him a reassuring pat to his side as her scanner beeped. She raised up the device and Victor saw the juice swirl inside the container. It was so surreal! That was…inside of him? He thought he was going to be sick.

“Ta-da!” Wonka waved around the device. “And you’re healed back up already!” She said looking at the spot where she pinched him. “Amazing! Your juice quality is superb! Looks like you’re a champion in this as well, hm?”

“Great,” he muttered.

“And my dear Victor Beauregarde,” he looked up at her, “you’re all done!”

“So, can I get back to normal now?” He asked hopefully.

Wonka thought about it. “Soon.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. He woke up to a pretty large stomach towering over him. His pajamas stretched over his belly. The pajamas were a gift from Wonka. All the Golden Ticket Winners got a pajama set with the Wonka logo (the fancy golden “W”) embroidered on the left breast. Each of them with their assigned colors - Charlie’s gold, Agnes’ brown, Victor’s blue, Vernon’s red, and Michelle’s green. She gave them new clothes and she also insisted they stick to their color coordination or at least the clothes they wore to the factory, almost as if that’s the only way Wonka would remember them as.

So for all of them, their entire wardrobe was their assigned color, meaning Victor’s wardrobe was sadly blue.

But the difference between his clothes and their clothes was that his were able to stretch with him no matter how big he got, courtesy of Wonka’s magic (which Victor still couldn’t make sense of.) However, Victor isn’t willing to test how far it could stretch. Doesn’t plan to anytime soon.

But this has never happened before. Usually he is barely swollen or just simply blue. Victor never thought he could swell in his sleep. He tried his best to swing his legs over his bed but it took him a couple of tries. Once he finally made it he tried to sit up. He huffed. This was frustrating! This shouldn’t be hard for a champion like himself.

He grunted as he struggled then suddenly heard a voice say: “do you need help?”

It was Michelle. She was standing in his doorway and he tried to see her over the curve of his stomach.

“No! I can do it! I don’t need help!”

Michelle snorted. “You sure about that?”

“Yes! I am!” Victor said as he tried to get up once more.

“Victor, I heard you struggling from down the hall, I can help you up. I really don’t care-“

“Teevee! I said I got it! Now leave me alone!”

Michelle smiled mischievously and folded her arms. “Fine. I’ll go.”

But she stood in the doorway and watched him struggle for another minute or two. Victor gasped for breath as his arms collapsed onto the bed.

“Dang it,” he gasped.

“Changed your mind?”

Victor screamed. “You’re still here?!”

“Never left. I wanted to watch the show,” she smirked. She walked into his view and peered over his stomach. “So. Need help?”

He sighed one last time.

Michelle helped him off his bed and into the elevator (because Victor protested using the stairs), but she kept pinching his stomach the entire time.

“Quit it, Teevee!”

“That’s a weird way of saying thank you,” she pinched one last time. All Victor did was glare in return.

Victor toddled to the kitchen. He noticed Wonka wasn’t there yet so maybe he could grab something before she told him what he could eat.

He looked above at the shelves and saw a granola bar. This will have to do for now. It wasn’t the healthiest thing in the world but it was better than eating a sugary cereal or another blueberry based breakfast. He tried to reach up and grab it but realized he can’t. Once again, he was too heavy to get to it. The granola bar was too high up! Victor thought for a moment. If he got on his tiptoes, he could lose his balance. He sighed and looked longingly at the granola bar.

Vernon waltzed in the room, eyeing Victor in his peculiar situation. He gave a tiny smirk.

“Gosh!” Vernon said dramatically, catching Victor’s attention. “I sure am hungry!”

He sauntered over to where Victor was and eyed the granola bar. He reached up and grabbed the food and unwrapped it then proceeded to slowly eat it in front of him.

“Thanks for pointing out where the food was, tubs,” he patted his stomach. With that, the spoiled brat walked away.

Victor glared at him as he left. He was honestly mad at himself for thinking Vernon would actually help him. The one time Victor was truly hungry is when he’s partially blown up and he can’t do anything about it. He grumbled to himself and decided to just face his fate in the dining room.

He saw that the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners were at the table and eating their breakfast. He carefully did his best to sit down in the chair.

He knew the others were watching him struggle, but he ignored him. Victor was an athlete. He was used to people watch him struggle or prevail.

Agnes piped up. “Do you need help-“

“No! I got it!”

Agnes was taken aback and lowered herself in her seat.

“Just like how you got up this morning?” Michelle grinned.

“I can do it myself!” Victor huffed. Once he said that, he finally sat in the chair and gasped for air. He did his best to adjust to his seat as it tightened around him. He looked at the group as they stared at him. “What?!”

“Victor,” Charlie said slowly, “you do realize we can help you if you need it, right?”

Victor groaned. “I don’t need your help! Quit asking if I do! I’m fine!”

“There’s no shame in asking for help!” Charlie insisted.

“But there is!” He yelled. “I shouldn’t have to ask for help! Champions aren’t supposed to do that! It’s pathetic!”

“Just like how pathetic it was watching you struggle this morning,” Michelle hid her laugh behind her drink.

“Can it!” He shut his eyes agitated. “Just stop asking all right?! I got it!”

Charlie sighed. She really cared about Victor. She didn’t want him to hurt himself and see him frustrated any longer. The more she thought about it, she felt as if she was starting to like Victor Beauregarde. She shook her head at the thought. There was no way he would like her back! Not after she won the factory! If the other kids didn’t care for Charlie, what makes Victor the exception?

She watched him close his eyes and trying to catch his breath. He looked like he was bracing himself for something, maybe for Wonka’s morning appearance.

“Good morning!” Wonka chirped. Her greeting caused Victor to frown and the others to groan. Charlie, meanwhile, smiled.

Ever since she started working with Wonka things have been different. She thought it would be just creating and exploring different candies, and it has, but there has been more mundane stuff than anything. She had to sit in meetings, she had to file paperwork or write reports to Wonka, and so on. She just wished it didn’t take up so much of her time and that it wasn’t so stressful. She was hoping it wasn’t meaningless paperwork from her mentor.

“Victor,” Wonka said, eyeing the poor blue boy, “I can’t help but notice that you’re not eating. Would you like me to make you something?”

“No, I’m not hungry,” Victor said. He hoped his lie wasn’t obvious.

GROWL!!!

Victor’s eyes widened as his stomach growled. He felt everyone look at him as he blushed profusely.

Wonka smirked. “I think your stomach says otherwise.”

“I’m…starting to swell again?” He poorly lied.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Wonka grinned.

“I am hungry,” he admitted quietly. “It’s really rare that I am when I’m in this state.”

“I can make you something,” Wonka said.

“No! I don’t want any blueberry flavored breakfast!” He protested.

“He could eat some of my breakfast!” Charlie suggested, a little too happily.

The dining room table went quiet, a little surprised at Charlie’s enthusiastic suggestion.

Charlie blushed and shrunk back in her seat. “…if you want it, you can have it…”

“I can? Really?”

“I don’t think so,” Wonka interrupted. “You’re not eating that.”

“But I’m already big enough as it is!”

“Not really,” she laughed. “You could get bigger!”

“But I don’t want to!” He protested again.

“Victor, sweetie pie, we could go back and forth all day. But this is your new diet.”

Victor gave up. There was no use in trying to argue with her.

“Ms. Wonka,” Charlie said gently, “Victor could use a break. He has been eating a lot of blueberries lately.”

Wonka pursed her lips as she stared at Charlie. The whole table on the edge of their seat, wondering what Wonka will respond back with.

“Oh, I guess it’s fine,” Wonka relented. Victor sighed in relief. “But don’t think I’ll allow this to happen again.”

“Thank you, Ms. Wonka,” he said quietly. Charlie passed her plate to him.

Victor proceeded to reach his fork and realized he could barely bend his arms. Oh no, he thought. He tried again, doing his best to angle his arm this way and that, but he couldn’t grab it. Wonka couldn’t help but grin.

“Having trouble, Mr. Beauregarde?” She mused. “Need some help?”

Victor fought back tears and tried to redirect it into anger. He’s never been more frustrated. He just wanted to eat and not hear that stupid question again! He has never asked for help in his life! Whenever he struggled with something, his parents never helped him. In fact, his father yelled at him for asking for help. This was a new low for him.

“Come on, sweetie pie,” the Chocolatier goaded him, “don’t let your pride get the best of you.”

He heard his stomach growl again and grimaced. “Yes. I need help.”

“Ah ah ah,” she tutted again, with her annoying finger. “Whats the magic word?”

“Magic…word?” Victor asked puzzled.

“Oh, sweetie pie, you don’t know what the magic word is?”

“Uh…” He genuinely didn’t. He just wanted to eat and didn’t feel like being made fun of any further.

Wonka looked at the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners. “Do any of you know what it is?”

They didn’t say anything.

Michelle picked at her food in boredom. “It’s ‘please’.” She said plainly.

Wonka clapped her hands in approval. “Yes! It is! Excellent job, Miss Teevee!”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes.

“Point is, Victor, well, all of you, is that if you’re going to live here, you’re going to need manners.” Wonka folded her hands and placed them on the table. “And from what I saw from the tour, you don’t have any.”

Victor looked ashamed as the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners said nothing. Michelle couldn’t care less and Vernon huffed while crossing his arms. Clearly the boy has never said “please” in his life. Agnes simply ate her food.

“Your stupid rules are pointless,” Vernon grumbled.

“And I think I know someone who’s going to have a hard time,” Wonka eyed the rich brat carefully. She turned her attention to Victor. “So,” she condescendingly smiled. “How do we ask, Victor?”

Something about her question hurt Victor. He wasn’t used to being belittled. It hurt his pride to be treated in such a way.

“Um…” he began uneasily. “Please help me?”

Wonka couldn’t help but laugh at how the young boy asked. “Close enough, Mr. Beauregarde.”

His stomach growled one last time, upset that it’s taking so long to eat. He felt like Agnes. He was mad at himself for thinking like that.

Wonka looked one last time at the Golden Ticket Winners and smiled to herself. “We have a lot of work to do.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Later that day, Victor was on the couch with Vernon annoying him. The spoiled brat was seeing how many things he could balance on the poor boy’s stomach.

“Quit it, Vernon!” He tried to swat him away with his pillowy arms.

Vernon placed another remote on top of his belly. “Aw come on, Blueregarde, we’re just becoming better friends!”

Victor dropped his arms in defeat. “Like I would ever be friends with you,” he grumbled. He noticed Vernon’s dressy attire. A fancy red dress shirt with a frilly collar. He knew Vernon was rich and always wore “the finest clothes from England” but this outfit was pretty fancy. “Why are you dressed up anyway?”

Vernon smiled smugly. “Thanks for noticing!”

Victor rolled his eyes. He wished Vernon would just leave him alone.

He gestured to himself proudly. “Wonka is taking us to a party!”

“A party?” Victor repeated. “We’re going to a party?”

Vernon nodded fervently. “Wonka said it’s a party to celebrate the Golden Ticket Winners!”

Victor’s eyes lit up. He was excited at the idea of finally getting out of the factory. All he ever went to was school and the occasional after school practices that Wonka allowed him to attend.

“Oh, I can’t wait to go!” Vernon gushed over the thought. “I could network while I’m there! Then I can to prove to my mum I’m capable of being business material. Ever since the stupid incident with the squirrels, mum thinks I can’t handle taking over the family business. But I can!”

“Huh?” Victor blinked a few times. He was still lost in thought about getting away from this madhouse.

Vernon pouted. “You’re not even listening to me!”

“I’ve been listening to you bother me for the last hour!”

“I thought we were becoming better friends. But you just don’t like me.” Vernon began to fake cry.

Victor rolled his eyes. “Just what do you want, Vernon?”

“I want you to listen to me!” He stomped his foot.

Michelle walked in the room wearing a simple green dress but she didn’t look happy about it. “Can’t believe Wonka is making me go to this stupid party.”

“You don’t like going to parties?” Vernon laughed.

“I do not and I especially don’t like going to parties that supports a woman who didn’t care about five kids getting into accidents at her own factory.”

“Don’t worry, Michelle, I will help you understand how to navigate through a party!” Vernon smiled condescendingly.

“I don’t need your help!” She snarled. “I’ve been to plenty of parties before.”

“I bet you were the life of them all.”

Charlie and Agnes appeared around the corner also wearing dresses, gold and brown respectively. Victor couldn’t help but notice how pretty Charlie looked in her golden dress. Her dirty blonde hair was pinned back and her makeup was shimmering. Drastically different than the girl who showed up in raggedy clothes over a month ago.

He looked away, scolding himself for even considering Charlie as a crush, and continued to hear Michelle and Vernon argue. There’s no way Charlie would want to be seen with him. Who wants to be associated with some weird blueberry boy hybrid?!

“Will you help me up so I could also get ready?” Victor slowly asked the rest of the four.

Michelle snorted. “So how do you plan on getting a shirt over your large stomach?” She slapped his belly.

Victor winced at the juice shaking within him. “I’m not sure. I guess I’ll just figure it out somehow.”

Vernon eagerly raised his hand. “I can help you!”

“Yeah I think I’ll pass,” Victor glared at him. He didn’t need Vernon teasing him as he tried to change into his clothes.

The four ticket winners helped Victor off the couch and steady him. He tried to pretend he wasn’t out of breath.

“Thanks,” he said quietly, still not believing how out of shape he is.

“You okay there?” Michelle smirked, watching him huff.

“I’m…fine!” He replied roughly.

“Sure you are,” she laughed.

“You know I could easily take all of you!”

“Then do it!” She knocked him back a little causing him to flail his arms wildly.

He blushed sheepishly. “I-I can’t do it now! But if i was back to normal I could!”

Wonka entered the living room wearing a fine purple and gold coat and top hat. In a way, she matched Charlie to show off her new heir.

“All right is everyone ready?” Wonka asked, checking her watch.

The four of them let out a yes but Victor took a tiny step forward.

“Ms. Wonka, I’m not ready yet! I just need to go to my room and-“

“Oh, sweetie pie, you’re not going!”

Wonka’s statement hit Victor hard. “What? What do you mean? I thought it was a party celebrating the Golden Ticket Winners?”

“Oh it is, you’re just not going.”

“Why not?”

With that, Wonka poked Victor in the stomach with her cane. Victor looked at her glumly.

“But…but couldn’t I just go to the Juicing Room?”

“You’re not on the schedule to go to the Juicing Room today,” she simply explained.

“W-what about your magic!” Victor scrambled. He had to get out of this factory one way or another. “You can’t change me back yourself?”

Wilma Wonka tutted and shook her head and approached him as Victor nervous held onto his large stomach. “Victor, I’m not just going to change you back just because you asked. That’s not something I’m going to waste my magic on.”

Waste? Victor thought.

“I have you on a tight schedule so I know when you’re supposed to go back to normal and when you’re supposed to stay a blueberry. If I juice you too frequently, the juice is only going to come back stronger. And I’m sure you don’t want to be here longer than a year, do you?”

Victor shook his head rapidly.

“Exactly,” she smiled. “Plus I’m not the one hosting the party, a dear friend of mine wanted to celebrate you all. I can’t have you eating something and then suddenly blowing up! You and your parents insisted that the public mustn’t know about your condition, correct?”

“Well, yes, but I barely leave the factory and-“

“Lastly,” she held her hand up to silence him, “if you do want to go back to normal, you’ll have to earn it. And frankly, you, nor any of the others have earned a little day off.”

Victor soaked in what she had to say as he looked at the ground - or tried to look at the ground.

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” He asked her.

“Just do what blueberries do!” Wonka suggested.

Victor looked confused and paused. “But…they don’t do anything.”

“Exactly!” She winked. She gave a gentle pat to his stomach which caused him to blush. “You’ll be fine, Mr. Beauregarde.”

“W-wait!” He waddled forward a bit then he stopped. He hated the juice always sloshing around in him every time he moved. “If all of you are going to the party, who is going to watch…me?”

Victor felt like it was a stupid thing to ask. He was 16, he could take care of himself! But he was half swollen and could barely move his arms and legs. What if he got stuck? What if he fell?!

“Watch you?” Wonka repeated. Victor nodded sheepishly in return. “Well, there’s no one here who really could watch you. I guess I could get the Oompa Loompas to do it.”

Victor’s eyes widened in fear. “W-what?! No! There has to be someone else!”

“Sweetie pie, the only person I know who could is Ms. Wilkinson and she’s coming with us to the party. You remember her, right?”

Of course, Victor remembered her. The lady who posed as Slugworth only to be revealed that she wasn’t really Wonka’s number one rival but her partner. Then she was the one who told Victor the news that his mom left him at the factory after he got juiced. Mostly, Victor didn’t know what to make about Ms. Wilkinson but she did frighten him.

“Yes, I remember her,” he muttered.

“I’m sure she could watch you next time, but at this point, the Oompa Loompas are all you got!” Wonka shrugged. “If it reassures you, Mr. Beauregarde, they are trained to handle blueberries like yourself.”

Victor’s anger flared up again. “But I’m not blueberry!” He protested.

“Of course, you aren’t,” Wonka chuckled. “Now how about you just relax, watch some TV, and we’ll be back home before you know it.”

“Just watch TV?” He repeated in confusion. The concept of doing nothing was foreign to Victor. He had to do something. If his father found out he was simply “lounging about”, he’d throw a fit.

“Yes, Victor, the remote is over there. Move along, now! Before we’re late to the party!”

“But, Ms. Wonka-!”

“Goodbye, Mr. Beauregarde!” And with that, Ms. Wonka and the children left Victor in the middle of the room. Vernon gave one last smug look, sticking his tongue out before skipping away.

Victor toddled back to the couch and did his best to sit down, grateful that none of the Golden Ticket Winners, and Charlie for that matter, saw him struggle.

He turned on the TV and tried to relax. He was uncomfortable with this idea. Just watch TV? He’s living Michelle’s dream right now! He rest his hands on his stomach and tried to fix his focus on the screen.

But then he heard footsteps approach him. He tried to look around but couldn’t see anything. Then he saw tufts of green hair peer over his belly. Victor whimpered quietly.

The Oompa Loompas were here to do their berry sitting service.

Chapter Text

Victor sunk in his chair as three Oompa Loompas surrounded him. He was frozen in fear. No one was in the factory. It was just him and Wonka’s menacing workers. He felt like he was back in the Juicing Room for the first time. The taunting song. The mean lyrics. His mom far, far away from him. He couldn’t escape.

He nervously swallowed as his eyes bounced between the three of them. His thoughts ran wild. Why couldn’t he just join the others at the party?!

The Oompa Loompas then grabbed him and lifted him off the couch.

“No!” He cried as he flailed his arms. This was his worst nightmare.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“I think you could be nicer to Victor,” Charlie said quietly to Wonka in the limo. “He’s going through a lot. He could’ve joined us.”

Wilma Wonka sighed. “Victor is fine and that’s final. Like I told him, I am not hosting the party. I can’t monitor everything he does to make sure he doesn’t blow back up. I have no idea what the catering situation is. It’s too much of a risk!”

“I’m sure there could’ve been some type of accommodation,” Charlie said to herself.

Wonka was a little taken aback at Charlie’s attitude. She’s never seen the quiet girl speak so strongly before. She began to wonder if Charlie was always like this. What happened to the well behaved young girl from the tour? She thought.

Charlie hoped Victor was okay. She knew he had a strong fear of the Oompa Loompas. Her anger flared again. “And you had to let them watch him!”

Her outburst drew the attention of the other winners.

“He’s afraid of them!”

“Which is kind of hilarious if you think about it,” Michelle snickered.

“How is it hilarious?” Charlie asked incredulously. “It makes sense! Victor was the only one of you guys that interacted with the Oompa Loompas and he couldn’t do anything about it! He was completely helpless!”

“That’s right, Victor was the only one who they interacted with, wasn’t he?” Vernon pondered out loud.

Everyone minus Michelle murmured in agreement.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a second!” She protested. “Victor wasn’t the only one who got tormented by the Oompa Loompas! I was too!”

Vernon laughed. “Since when?!”

“When they tormented me inside the channels, you idiot!” Michelle growled. “As they were singing, they kept trying to kill me!”

“Oh, the Oompa Loompas don’t torment or mock,” Wonka admonished, “they help!”

“Tell that to my therapist who I see twice a month!” Michelle folded her arms. She could understand what Victor is going through. However, she doesn’t have a fear of them. They were the only two who heard the songs about them and the only two who couldn’t get it out of their heads. “I still think you planned the whole thing.”

Wonka gave a vague smiled. “I didn’t plan anything.”

Michelle rolled her eyes and said nothing in response. For a split second, she agreed with Charlie and hoped Victor was okay. Maybe her and Victor were a bit more similar than she thought.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor huffed tiredly as the Oompa Loompas placed him in a chair at a dining table. He was scared silent as he watched what they were trying to do. Two of them disappeared into the kitchen as the third one prepared his plate and utensils.

He kept eyeing the third one carefully and whimpered quietly. There was nowhere to escape. Every plan he came up with wouldn’t have worked out.

He snapped to his senses when the two Oompa Loompas entered again. One of them held a plate and the other a cup of juice.

They placed it in front of him. Victor did his best to look over his stomach. He grimaced. A giant piece of fried chicken, with baked potato and gravy. He looked at the drink. Blueberry juice.

Where were the vegetables or the lean, grilled meat? He couldn’t eat any of this! This was completely unhealthy, off his diet, and frankly, a weird drink to go with his meal.

He nervously looked at the three of them. “I…I can’t eat any of this…I’m not even hungry!” Victor looked pleadingly. “I’m still full!”

One of the Oompa Loompas pushed the plate further and Victor whimpered. He couldn’t help but think, there’s no way out of this.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The party was dazzling and grand outside underneath the stars. String lights hung in the air as people mingled beneath them. The three Golden Ticket Winners stood bored as they watched Charlie and Wilma Wonka connect with the crowd.

Vernon sighed dramatically. “This is absolutely dreadful.”

“I told you parties suck,” Michelle said with her arms folded. “We’re just standing around like a bunch of idiots while Wonka parades Charlie around like she’s the next best thing since sliced bread!”

Agnes watched Charlie shake hands with another guest. “That could’ve been any one of us…” Charlie smiled and laughed at one of the guest’s jokes. “Who do you think could’ve won if it wasn’t for Charlie?”

“Obviously me,” Vernon touched his chest proudly.

Michelle snorted. “No.”

“What?!” Vernon’s anger burned. “You think it would be you?!”

“No,” she laughed. “Wonka hates me! But I highly doubt you would be her next choice.”

Vernon pouted and stomped his foot causing Agnes to brace herself for the spoiled brat’s tantrum. “I’ll show you! I’ll prove that I am worthy of being Wonka’s heir!”

Michelle snickered. “By doing what?”

Vernon thought for a moment then got a mischievous smile on his face. “I’m going to talk to five people and get their contact information.”

“Like anyone would give their phone number to a 12 year old,” she rolled her eyes.

Vernon fumed so hard his face practically turned red. “I’m fifteen!”

“Sure you are, squirt,” Michelle pat his head.

Vernon stormed off and began his quest to prove himself.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” Agnes asked quietly.

“He’ll be fine,” Michelle plainly said and took a sip of her drink. “I’m just happy this party became a lot more interesting.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor groaned from the meal. He hoped his parents never find out about this. He hasn’t ate anything unhealthy in a very long time.

The poor boy blew up to fully round as he stood near the table. He tried to back away from them but he realized he couldn’t move.

“What-?”

He tried moving his feet again but they just dangled and lightly grazed the floor.

“No! I-I just want to go to my r-room,” he told them nervously. He didn’t realize how large he’s gotten. “Ugh…I don’t think I’ve ever been this big before…”

They said nothing in response. Victor was suddenly tilted back and he flapped his hands in protest.

“No! What are you doing?! Stop! Stop!”

They placed him on his back and he sighed. He was exhausted but he has to keep fighting back. He continued to flap and kick at them but that’s when they pushed him. He began to roll. They rolled him out of the dining room to who knows where.

“Where are you taking me?!” He cried out. But, again, they said nothing. Victor whimpered as they continued their journey into the mysterious depths of the factory.

This was not how he was picturing this night to go. He was hoping he would just get time to himself away from the other Golden Ticket Winners who constantly mocked him. But no, the Oompa Loompas had other plans.

Victor thought about the other winners at the party. He would do anything to be at the party right now, even though he didn’t particularly enjoy them.

The parties he would attend were forced appearances by his parents. He had to talk to every representative, every business owner, every politician about his competitions, his studies, and how his mom was doing with her business and politics.

The questions were endless and all of them he had to pretend to be interested in. Sometimes they flooded him all at once and he’d do his best to answer them all.

“How did you feel about your last win?”

“What did you think of your fellow competitors?”

“How close are you and Cornelius Prinzmetal?”

“Is it really true that you chew gum every day and stick it behind your ear?”

Victor would be drowned in a sea of questions but answered them as his father told him. Just smile and know you are a winner.

Victor would wave it off and give his signature, cocky smile. “I knew I was going to win the moment before the competition started. My fellow competitors gave it their best. Especially my dear friend Cornelius. I think he’s finally becoming a worthy competitor. And yes, I have been chewing the same piece of gum for a solid month now. I’m going to win the world record!”

Putting on the performance would drain him, but he was happy he was making his parents happy. At least he thought he was happy.

He went back to his parents and grumbled, “can I leave now? I’m tired of talking to these people.”

“No, you have to stay!” His coach/father insisted, planting his hands on his son’s shoulders. “You being here is bringing a lot of press for your golf tournament tomorrow and I need you out there talking with them. We could always use another sponsorship.”

“This is stupid. I still don’t see why I couldn’t bring Cameron. It’s boring!” He folded his arms.

“Is Cameron a champion?” Sam cocked an eyebrow.

“No,” Victor sighed, tired of that dumb question his father always asked.

“Exactly,“ he winked. “But you are one! Don’t forget that!”

“Oh, Victor, baby, I need you talking to that girl Maddie from your school tonight. She’s over there!” Scarlett pointed to a girl who drank her drink in boredom at a table. “Her parents are one of the richest people in Miles City and getting them on our side would be crucial for my next run. So get her to like you so we can get her mother talking to me.”

“This isn’t one of your arranged dates again is it? Is that what this is about?”

“Enough talking, more chewing, and go talk to Maddie Montgomery!” His father ordered.

“But my jaw hurts! Can’t I take a break?”

“Now, Victor!”

Victor flinched at his father’s orders. There was no use arguing with them. Victor sighed and rolled his eyes and made his way to Maddie.

Looking back, he wished the conversation with Maddie Montgomery went differently. He was never too close with Maddie at school but he always thought she was pretty. She was always hanging out with Lexi Reynolds.

Lexi Reynolds. He’s known her since the sixth grade. Victor couldn’t ever stop thinking about Lex’s long brown hair that was pushed back with the black headband, her bright smile that showed off her freckles on her cheeks…

Whatever, she wasn’t important, Victor shoved the thought of her aside and shook it off. His parents wanted him to talk to Maddie and that was the most important.

Victor stood taller and smiled as he got to her to her table. He put on his confident persona. “Maddie,” he said with his signature cocky smile. “Pleasure seeing you here.”

Maddie’s eyes widened with shock. “Victor! I didn’t think you’d be here. I thought you had some game tonight.”

“Oh, I had a game tonight,” Victor rolled his eyes. “Then I got shoved off to here at this stupid party for who knows how long.”

“Ah, I see,” Maddie nodded. “Yeah this party is pretty boring.”

“And now you have the honor to talk to me,” he smiled.

“I have the honor?” She repeated.

“Of course! How often do you ge the chance to talk to a renowned champion like myself?” He sipped his drink.

Maddie scoffed at Victor’s conceit. “Sorry, what?”

“Please, Maddie, I’m the champion of Miles City. I’m constantly busy winning trophies and awards and it’s rare I get any down time, so consider it a gift that I’m able to talk to you.”

“I’m considering it something,” Maddie bit her tongue.

“Now my mom would love it if your mom talked to her,” he said straight and to the point. “I don’t usually like doing my parents’ bidding-“

“Yet you do it anyways,” she sneered.

It was now Victor’s turn to bite his tongue. He blew a bubble and popped it in annoyance. He tried to cool his temper at the mentioning of his relationship to his parents. Victor forced a smile as he gave her a look. “But it would mean a lot to her if the two of them could talk.”

Maddie slowly nodded as she gave him the stink eye. “I’ll think about it.”

Victor took one last sip and gave one last grin. He grabbed her hand gently and kissed it. “Pleasure meeting you.”

“Yeah, same.”

With that, he walked away.

As Victor rolled down the corridors, he suddenly realized what an egotistical jerk he was to her. He was his parents’ pawn and following their bad advice ended up ruining a potential friendship.

I bet she would love to see me like this, he thought. I deserve it.

He wished he could redo that encounter or at least apologize profusely and start over. He wished he would be a normal teenager. Now he feared he’ll never get that opportunity because of Wilma Wonka.

The sloshing of the juice continued to flood his eardrums as he felt his body slowing down.

Once he came to a halt, Victor opened his eyes and did his best to look over his chest. He gasped.

This couldn’t get any worse, he thought.

It was the Oompa Loompa break room and all of them shifted their attention to Victor. He cowered in his divot and gulped nervously as they descent upon him.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“HA!” Vernon waltzed up to Michelle. “I got one phone number! You can suck it, Teevee!”

Michelle sneered. “That’s one person. Good luck trying to convince four more people by using the old puppy dog eyes and pout look.”

“I don’t do that!” Vernon shouted. He looked toward Agnes who pretended she saw something and looked away. He scoffed at the both of them. “I don’t need to listen to the two of you anyway. I’m doing perfectly fine on my own!”

The British child sauntered off and went back into the battle zone for phone numbers.

“You think he is going to get five numbers?” Agnes asked.

“Nope,” Michelle sipped her drink. “This party blows. I’m tired of hearing the same questions about the factory and what it was like.” Michelle slapped down index cards on the table. Wonka handed it to the three of them before entering the party. “And we have to answer with these! ‘The factory was breathtaking! I want to go back!’” She said in a fake high pitched voice. “Yeah right! We’re not supposed to mention any of the incidents?! I just have to pretend that I didn’t get shrunk down and painfully stretched out on a taffy puller and then pretend I’m not suffering from any side effects?! You know how many times I accidentally banged my head because my height keeps changing every other minute?! It’s like the stretching wears off!”

Agnes stood there quietly listening to Michelle’s famous rants. Agnes isn’t one to complain. She understood why the others might be angry but she kept to herself. Sure, she’s suffering from some type of post traumatic stress but if she mentioned any of that to her mother she would only get worked up over Wonka and not her daughter’s emotional needs. Sweet Agnes’ relationship with chocolate has gone sour. She did miss the taste but it will never be the same. She couldn’t be in small places because of the pipe and she forced herself to eat healthy to an absurd degree, but she failed every time. She relented herself to the chocolate even though its taste has grown bitter.

She feared her relationship with Ms. Wilma Wonka was past the point of no return but she was determined to make it right. She didn’t want to be one of the people who say “don’t meet your heroes” but she wanted a second chance. If the others refused to give Wonka another chance, then that’s them. She wanted to get better.

“And Victor!” Michelle continued, snapping Agnes back into focus. “I have to answer about where Victor is! ‘He’s very busy at another one of his competitions!’ Yeah right.”

“I bet he would be great at parties,” Agnes said quietly.

“What do you mean?” Teevee asked, doing her best to not sound frustrated.

“Victor is always in the spotlight,” Agnes stated which caused Michelle to roll her eyes. “It would make sense for him to go to parties because of how popular he is. I feel like he could show us a thing or two on how to navigate them.”

“Because we need another boy to tell us how to survive a party,” Michelle scowled. “Whatever. So many people want to meet the cHaMpIoN oF mILeS cItY but I’m not having it. I want this party to be over.”

Agnes stood there quietly as they both waited for the party to be over, awaiting for the next partygoer to ask them a billion questions about their trip to the factory.

Meanwhile Vernon was growing impatient. He was listening to a guest ramble on and on about their own business in…what was it? Vernon didn’t care. He wanted to talk about himself not whatever this man was going on about.

He’s talked to nearly everyone and he’s only scored one lousy phone number. He was starting to doubt his networking skills.

“Anyways, Vernon,” the man said piping down his laugh, “where’s that Victor Beauregarde? I have spoken to everyone and Ms. Wonka except for him!”

Vernon steamed. He couldn’t take it anymore. “Victor?! VICTOR?! Why do you want to know about him when you haven’t even asked me a single question about myself! I am the heir to the Salt Estate! I am the richest person here! I am going to take over my mother’s business and you want to ask me about Victor freakin Beauregarde?!”

The man blinked a few times in shock from the Golden Ticket Winner’s outburst. “I’ve never met such a spoiled, rotten, self-centered brat! If you really are the child of the Salt family then I will not be doing business with you! Hmph!”

The man stormed off as his words hit Vernon hard. Vernon’s eyes began to water. Maybe his mother was right. Maybe Wonka was right. He was instantly reminded of falling. Falling…falling…falling…

The fall down the garbage chute felt like eternity. He faintly heard singing from above and just knew that terrible song was about him. He was grateful he wasn’t there to witness it. As he squirmed to look up, he saw other things being thrown into the chute and he screamed. Was that a large painting? And it was hurdling fast towards him!

Vernon tried to see how much left of the fall there was but he couldn’t tell. He swore he heard his mother scream and coming down after him.

He felt an intense heat and Vernon screamed harder. Vernon’s skin began to blister as he got closer. He covered his eyes with his arms as he approached and then suddenly…THUD!

Vernon landed hard onto a massive pile of garbage. That was gonna leave a mark. The smell hit him instantly. His eyes watered as his face scrunched up from the stench. He looked around him as more garbage fell from above. He ducked for cover. It was then he realized the heat was gone and he was alone with the smell of garbage. Vernon broke out into a sob as he sat there.

Vernon snapped out of it at the party. He lifted up his white glove and saw the blisters that never seemed to heal from the fall. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and looked back.

It was Michelle. She rolled her eyes and huffed. “You don’t have to do the stupid bet, you know?”

Behind her, Agnes gave a gentle smile.

Vernon quickly wiped a tear. “I will do better. I meant that.” He said quietly. “I know I don’t have it as bad as you and Victor but I still can’t get the awful smell out from any of my clothes. It won’t leave. It somehow affected my whole wardrobe. And then there’s the scars…”

Michelle and Agnes looked down at his arms and hands. It was then Michelle realized that she’s never seen Vernon wear short sleeves or has seen his bare hands before.

“The furnace…was on?” Michelle said quietly.

“For just a second.” He answered.

Michelle searched for the right words to say. She never really had friends that opened up like this. Or friends in general. “I’m…so sorry, Vernon.”

“Thanks,” he said as he wiped one last tear away.

Then it was Agnes, sweet quiet Agnes, who said the words that the two “so-called-rotten-kids” needed to hear. “It’ll be okay, as long as we have each other.”

And even if Michelle denied it, she knew it was true if they wanted to survive their year at the factory.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Oompa Loompa break room was large. It could easily be the size of a ballroom and it has two floors. There were at least over a hundred of them in there much to Victor’s dismay. He simply hoped that Wonka’s party was over and they were on their way back. He couldn’t see the time. He was much too large and much too helpless.

Victor didn’t enjoy the fact that he could barely move. Well, he could barely move before but he didn’t like that his feet can’t touch the ground.

But the worst part was the singing. Just when he finally got the old song out of his head, the little gremlins had to sing a new one. This one was more jazzier, this one even more demeaning. They even mentioned his name!

“Chewing chewing all day long” is what he heard. One of them even got up to his face and mocked him by pretending to chomp on gum. He whimpered in shame. Victor didn’t want to be known for his world record. It was just some dumb thing his father made him pursue. But with how large he’s gotten, no one would believe that statement for a second.

He felt a great shove from behind and he rolled forward - but he wasn’t being rolled from his side like usual - he was being rolled head first. This was new. Victor let out a yelp and braced himself. Luckily he barely hit his head, but he felt a bunch of the Oompa Loompas jump onto his back.

Victor was in shock. He couldn’t be that big! Not big enough for a bunch of them to be jumping on him like a trampoline and singing at the same time. The sensation was weird having a bunch of people on him. He never considered it a possibility. Well he never considered being a blueberry a possibility.

They continued to sing and roll him and jump on his stomach. Victor winced. It didn’t hurt per se but it was certainly uncomfortable. The juice within him responded in protest. He wondered if their feet were going to leave a mark. Oh great, he thought, I’m actually going to be a bruised fruit.

Victor looked up and saw them making a pyramid. He felt like one of those giant balls at a circus where the clowns would balance. He was grateful none of the Golden Ticket Winners were here. He didn’t need to give more artillery to Salt and Teevee.

Victor cried in his divot. His fear of the Oompa Loompas has grown exponentially. He felt them slow down their music and playing. He ended up on his back and moved his hands and feet uncomfortably.

He looked around. Maybe they got bored? He thought. He heard them shuffle and mill about. He was getting nervous. What were they up to next?

He felt another great shove and rolled on his side but what was different was the fact he was immediately stopped. The Oompa Loompas on his right tried to push him back but the group on his left met with the same resistance. He was being shoved at the same time on both sides.

Victor was confused. What were they doing?! They’re playing in teams! He then felt the right side push harder causing the left side to break apart and he kept rolling. No one stopped him! He gave out a shout for help but then…something stopped him. He felt a net stop his movement. He whimpered silently as he tried to feel what was entrapping him.

Oh my God, he thought as his eyes widened. This is a giant soccer goal. They’re using me as a ball! Now Salt and Teevee really won’t let me live this down.

He felt some of the Oompa Loompas free him and they pushed him out for another game of twisted soccer.

This is not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to play sports, he thought.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Charlie grew exhausted as the night went on from the constant mingling but she put on a brave face. She couldn't help but wonder if Victor is okay. She needed to see him again and talk to him. She is however excited that she is working with Wonka and what the future holds. The party was fine but the constant questions drained her.

“How do you feel about winning the factory?”

“What’s it like working with the amazing Wilma Wonka?”

“Have you made any new candies with Wilma Wonka?"

Charlie laughed politely and was more than happy to answer them. "It was overwhelming sure, but it was a lovely surprise. It was more than I ever wanted. Ms. Wonka is wonderful to work with. I am proud to be her apprentice. As far as new candies? I am not allowed to say."

The crowd had more questions but she excused herself. She went to find Wonka and saw her talking to a crowd. She gently tapped the Chocolatier's shoulder. "May I please speak with you?" She asked politely.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," Wonka bowed.

Wonka and Charlie headed inside away from the noise.

“What’s going on, Charlie?” She asked with concern.

"This is a lovely party, Ms. Wonka, but I wish to go back to the factory," Charlie said patiently.

"And why is that?" Wonka asked, blinking a few times. "We're celebrating your achievement!”

“I know, but…” Charlie looked out the door pane and saw her three peers looking glumly at a nearby table. “I don’t think the others are having a good time.”

“The others didn’t win,” Wonka stated, confused at Charlie’s concern of the others. “You did!”

Charlie sighed, fearing that Wonka wasn’t getting it. “I think that’s the problem. And Victor, we left him alone.”

Wonka rolled her eyes. “Oh, Charlie, not this again!”

“We should call it a night, Ms. Wonka,” she took the Chocolatier’s hand. “Please.”

Wilma Wonka looked at Charlie patiently. She studied the bright eyed girl in consideration and relented. She just wasn’t unable to say to no her. “All right, Charlie. We can go home.”

Charlie gave a smile. “Thank you, Ms. Wonka. I’ll go let the others know.”

Wonka watched Charlie head back outside and tell the others the news of their departure. She saw the three children give a subtle look of relief.

The limo ride back to the Chocolate Factory was quiet. It was ten PM and the children and Wonka were lost in their own thoughts.

Michelle looked out the window as Vernon rested his head on her shoulder. Agnes and Charlie sat quietly next to each other.

Wilma Wonka, however couldn’t stop thinking about Charlie’s behavior this whole night. Is this how kids actually are? She thought. Is there even such thing as good and bad children?

She watched Charlie tap her fingers anxiously against her thigh.

No. She made the right choice picking Charlie. Charlie was everything she hoped for in an heir. She was sweet, imaginative, and followed the rules. A perfect child. Everything you wanted a kid to be. She wasn’t like the others who were simply gluttonous, prideful, spoiled, and lazy.

Wonka sat taller and smiled to herself. Yes, Charlie is the exception and she knew it. We just got to work on her behavior a little bit, she thought. I know just the way to curve it.

As they walked up the steps to the factory, Charlie tugged on Wonka’s arm. “You have to check on Victor!” She insisted. “I want to make sure he’s okay.”

Wonka relented. “Fine, if you insist.”

They walked in and headed in the living room only to find a nearly eight foot blueberry fast asleep and covered in footprints.

Chapter Text

Victor has always been a light sleeper. It was engrained into him at an early age around 5 when the training started. His father would wake him up very early to do his daily exercises or he would wake him up in the middle of the night to test his skills to make sure he was competition ready. His father wanted his skills to be second nature.

Wilma Wonka recalled Scarlett Beauregarde saying he was a light sleeper, so it was quite a shock to her to find Victor still fast asleep in this situation. The boy just wouldn’t wake up.

Last night, they found him blown up to approximately eight feet in height covered in footprints and…garbage? Wonka and the Golden Ticket Winners picked out napkins, what looked like bits of pizza, straws, and other trash here and there.

But Victor was knocked out, exhausted. Charlie insisted to let him rest. She didn’t want to disturb him. If he was so tired he couldn’t be woken up, might as well let the kid sleep.

The next day rolled around and Wonka and the others decided it was time to figure out what happened last night. They attempted to wake him up.

“Victor?” Charlie tapped him gently. “Victor?”

Victor squirmed uncomfortably in his sleep and groaned. He moved his hands slightly.

“He’s still fast asleep,” Charlie sighed.

“I can help with that,” Michelle volunteered. She approached Victor and pinched his side.

Victor’s eyes shot open and he yelped in pain.

“Mmph?!” His cheeks were slightly swollen as he looked around then flinched at the sight of Wonka and the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners.

“Fascinating!” Wonka exclaimed as she approached Victor. He looked nervously at her.

She’s getting that mad scientist look again, he thought.

“You’re eight feet tall and carrying gallons upon gallons of juice!” She continued.

Victor’s head spun at the number. He could barely understand how big he was the first time he blew up. What did she mean eight feet?!

Charlie gently touched Wonka’s shoulder. “I think we should be asking him about what happened last night.”

Victor mumbled. “I don’t want to talk about it…”

“Well, sweetie pie, we’re going to need to know because when we left you, you weren’t even round!”

He whimpered quietly. “It was the Oompa Loompas.”

Wonka snorted. “You children and the Oompa Loompas! They don’t do anything but help!”

“They sang another song,” he said glumly.

“And I missed it?!” Wonka pouted to herself. “I’m so upset.”

“And the footprints?” Michelle raised an eyebrow.

Victor buried his head in his divot.

“We’re going to have to find out sooner or later,” Wonka said. She then rubbed his stomach to goad him. “Come on, Victor, tell us.”

Victor wriggled uncomfortably from the rub. “No! I don’t want to be touched!” He yelled.

Wonka grinned with a mischievous thought. “Then how about this, Mr. Beauregarde,” she began. Victor swallowed nervously. “I won’t stop poking you until you tell me what happened last night.”

“You can’t do that!” He panicked.

Wonka poked his stomach once and he winced. “I can’t?” She steadily tapped his stomach now. “I have two hands and plenty of Oompa Loompas~!” She sang.

Victor shook his head and moved his hands. “No! Stop! I don’t like how it feels! It makes me feel bigger than I actually am!”

“Well, you are eight feet tall, sweetie pie,” she laughed as she increased the speed of her jabbing.

“FINE! Just stop poking me!” He yelled and panted.

Wonka ceased her poking.

“They jumped all over me like a trampoline,” he cried. “They also walked on me while I rolled. All while singing.”

“They’re so talented,” Wonka said wistfully.

“Okay that explains the footprints, but what about the garbage?” Charlie asked.

He squirmed uncomfortably once more. “They…used me as a table…”

Charlie looked at him sympathetically. She picked one last straw out of his hair. “I’m sorry, Victor.”

“They accidentally spilled soda on me,” he said quietly.

Charlie looked at Wilma Wonka firmly. “You have to send him to the Juicing Room today.”

Victor winced uncomfortably. “Charlie-“

“No, Victor,” she said cutting him off, “you could use a break.”

Victor didn’t want to get his hopes up. He knew how strict she was about his juicing schedule.

Wonka put her hands on hips and sighed at Charlie. She glanced back at the whimpering blueberry who lowered his head. She then poofed out a piece of paper in midair and looked at it.

“Hmm,” she hummed quietly. “Lucky for you, Mr. Beauregarde, you are on schedule to be juiced today.”

“I-I am?” He sputtered. He could never find a consistent pattern to how often he was juiced. Sometimes it would be 2 days he would go without juicing, sometimes it would be 3. Sometimes it would be the very next day he would be juiced. There was no telling how long he would be stuck as a blueberry. Which is not fun for Victor, but more fun for the rest of the winners.

Even if he was juiced, he would hardly ever be completely back to normal. He knew this when Wonka sent him a personal juicer to his home, (which Sam and Scarlett still find hard to grasp about having a blueberry for a son.) Victor would either be blue and slightly swollen, just blue, or very swollen and could barely move. Wonka says it’s because the juice inside his system thinks juice loss is a bad thing. Sometimes it just doesn’t want to budge.

“Yes, sir,” she replied with a smile, although Victor couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not. He had a feeling she wanted to see how he was able to blow up to eight feet.

That’s when Vernon spoke up. “So how did you blow up to eight feet?” He asked while jabbing his finger info Victor’s side.

Victor cringed. “I don’t know,” he said through grunts from Vernon’s prodding. “I did notice I was bigger after I ate dinner. But I wasn’t this huge.” He swallowed nervously. “I probably swelled up in my sleep again or maybe sometime last night.”

Wonka pulled out a notepad and jot down notes. “Absolutely fascinating.”

Charlie cleared her throat. “Ms. Wonka!”

“Oh! Right!” She laughed as she had all the time in the world. “I’ll have the Oompa Loompas roll you in a few minutes.”

Victor whimpered to himself at the mentioning of them. He didn’t want to see them again for a very long time.

“Ms. Wonka,” Victor said slowly, “what time is it?”

“Noon,” she answered.

“I slept all day?!” He shouted. He began to hyperventilate. “No! That can’t be right! I don’t ever sleep in this late! Why didn’t anyone wake me up?!”

“We tried, you dingus!” Michelle shoved him slightly causing him to grunt. “We tried several times this morning! You wouldn’t wake up!”

“We figured it was best to let you sleep,” Charlie spoke up. “You looked exhausted.”

Victor couldn’t wrap his mind around it. “But I always wake up at 6AM!”

“Ew! 6AM!” Michelle gagged. “Why so early?!”

“I do my daily exercises in the morning…” he answered quietly.

“Well clearly the exercising isn’t working out,” Vernon laughed.

Victor was too in shock to insult Vernon back. How could he wake up so late?! He didn’t mind the occasional 7AM wake up but noon?! His father would riot!

“How did I not wake up? I’m a light sleeper,” he questioned out loud.

“You had a very eventful night, Victor,” Charlie said comfortingly. “It would exhaust anyone!”

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” he muttered.

“If I could interject here,” Wilma Wonka raised a finger, “it might be because of how big you are. The juice in your system makes you feel full and heavy leaving you lethargic, yes? It slows you down which makes you feel sleepy. Think of it like a food coma!”

Victor groaned in frustration. He did remember the first time he chewed the gum and how he felt extremely full from the endless pies he somehow ate. But the idea of being lazy and sleeping all day didn’t sit right with him, it just made him feel horrible, like he wasn’t doing enough.

“There’s nothing wrong with resting, Mr. Beauregarde.” And as she said that, Wonka walked away leaving him alone with the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners. He sighed and shut his eyes for a moment.

A small, gentle voice startled him. “Hey.”

He opened his eyes. It was Charlie. Victor blushed. He still hasn’t forgotten how she looked in her dress last night. “Hi. Thanks for doing that. Ms. Wonka doesn’t really let me change back to normal a lot.”

“It’s no problem!” She smiled at him which caused him to look the other way.

“Yeah whatever,” Michelle rolled her eyes interrupting their moment. “Congrats on being the Oompa Loompas’ new toy.”

Victor frowned at that and sulked. The Golden Ticket Winners walked away minus Charlie.

“Victor,” she said, grabbing his attention. “Sometime today…after you get juiced…do you wanna, I don’t know, hang out?”

Victor’s heart skipped a beat. His blinked a few times in disbelief. “Um…yeah! Sure!”

“Great! Goodbye, Victor,” she smiled as she left. Charlie’s smile was nice and soft.

Victor sat there waiting for the menacing Oompa Loompas to take him to the Juicing Room. As he waited, he hoped he would turn completely back to normal. He wanted a full break from being blue and swollen, but his mind kept coming back to Charlie’s smile.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Victor was lucky that his wish was granted. He showered after he was juiced and was pleased to see that even his skin color returned back to normal. He should enjoy this while it last. He felt like any time he got back to normal, he’d blow back up within the next second.

Victor kept his guard up. He was avoiding blueberries like the plague. However he did chew a stick of gum to help his nerves. Wonka said to come find her when he’s done. That statement was very anxiety inducing for the young athlete.

She called for a big business meeting with the kids in the afternoon. She wanted to discuss how she could work with each of them while they’re here.

“Consider it like a rehabilitation of sorts!” She chirped with a smile.

Victor and Michelle rolled their eyes as Vernon looked at her with disbelief. Agnes simply had to whisper to Charlie to ask what “rehabilitation” meant.

“While you are here learning manners, being polite, and just being good natured all around, we shall work on projects that will not only get you inspired, but will help the factory!” Wonka gave a cheerful laugh that caused Victor’s ears to cringe.

“So you care more about the factory than you do about us?” Michelle challenged.

“I never said that!” Wonka tutted at Michelle. “I think working with each of you will be a good thing.”

“Yeah, right,” Victor muttered to himself, folding his arms.

“Victor Beauregarde,” Wonka smiled at him. He looked at her uneasily. “It’s nice to see you’re back to normal again.”

“Why do you say that?” He asked. He nervously sat up in his chair. “Are you gonna blow me back up?”

“No, no, my dear boy, you got your juicing today. You’re going to be fine!”

Victor didn’t believe that for a second but he slouched back in his chair.

“Now! Let me tell you what project each of you will be working on,” the Chocolatier clapped her hands together. “Miss Teevee!”

“This oughta be good,” Michelle sneered.

“I want you to work on building up the factory’s technology department again,” she smiled. “Starting with I.T.”

“You just expect me to know how to do all of this?” Michelle snarled. “Why?! Because I spend all my time watching TV and being on the Internet?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, my dear girl. Do you not know how to do any of this?” Wonka asked.

Michelle sucked on her teeth. “I actually do know how to do all of this.”

“Well then perfect because I was just gonna tell you to go to the library and look it up.”

“Of course you were.” She rolled her eyes.

“Miss Gloop,” Wonka said her name with a twinkle in her eye. “I would love you to focus on experimenting with new chocolate recipes.”

Agnes sat up taller in excitement. This was her chance to make things right.

“BUT!” She raised a finger, snapping Agnes out of her thoughts. “It can only be done twice a month. We still want you on a healthy schedule.”

Healthy schedule, Victor thought. He did his best to not say anything.

“That sounds good,” Agnes nodded slowly. This is doable. One step at a time.

“Excellent!” Ms. Wonka beamed. “Young Vernon Salt,” she grabbed the rich brat’s attention.

Vernon grinned wildly, bearing his teeth, as he anxiously awaited for what he would be doing with Wilma Wonka.

“For one day out of the week, you are to be taught how to properly run a business.”

Vernon clapped his hands excitedly causing Michelle and Victor to wince. “YEEESSS!” He squealed. “This was meant for me! I’m going to be the best business owner ever!”

“Not unless you lose all of your clients with how annoying you are,” Michelle quipped, rubbing her ear from Vernon’s loud squeal.

Vernon scoffed as the rest of the table braced themselves for his whining. “I am not annoying!” He protested. “I am an angel!! And I am going to be the greatest business owner! You know why?! Because my mummy said I’m a miracle!”

“Yeah because it’s a miracle no one has strangled you yet,” Victor rolled his eyes. Michelle snorted at his comment.

Vernon pouted. “You looked better as a blueberry,” he snarled.

Victor’s eyes widened and he blushed in shock. He then glared at him but didn’t say anything back, knowing it’s not worth it to argue with the brat.

“Interesting,” Wonka said, calling the attention back to her. “Even though you’re completely normal, you still blush blue.”

“Can we please talk about something else?” He sunk in his chair.

“Yes! Let’s talk about what you’re doing with me, Mr. Beauregarde!”

“Not what I had in mind,” he grumbled.

“Victor,” the chocolatier began, “you are a young man of many talents-“

“A blueberry being one of them,” Vernon snickered.

Victor angrily blew a bubble and popped it.

“I would love for you to start brainstorming product ideas for healthy alternatives for the factory, including coming up with some marketing ideas,” she concluded.

“Really? That’s it?” He blinked a few times. He was preparing for the worst. Wonka is a bit unpredictable. “N-nothing else?”

“Nope!”

“O-okay,” he said quietly. He couldn’t help but feel as if Wonka was lying to him. She most likely was, but Victor didn’t want to push it. If he’s just working on healthy foods and marketing then that was that.

“Now that we’ve discussed your assigned projects,” Wilma Wonka said, “I would like to mention that since you’re working for me, you will now have ‘days off’.”

“Days off?” Vernon repeated.

“Yeah it’s when a person actually works and they get to take a break,” Michelle explained. “Unlike you, where everything was handed on a silver platter.”

Vernon glared at her.

“As I was saying,” Wonka sighed, her patience thinning from the children’s bickering, “you will have to earn these. You will be working on your projects throughout the week, but if you’d like a break, you should come see me and I’ll see if I can give you one.”

Victor’s eyes widened as he chewed his gum faster at the possibility of leaving the factory a little more often. He could request days off for his competitions or even hang out with Cameron! He could definitely use a break!

Wonka watched the children’s eyes light up and she raised her finger once more to pause their restlessness. “But like I said, you must earn them! You are dismissed.”

The Golden Ticket Winners began to leave but Victor sat there and thought for a moment. He had to speak to Wonka.

“Ms. Wonka!” He stood up and walked over to her. She was collecting her papers. “I would like to ask ahead for a day off. I have a tournament coming up. My father needs me there.”

“Victor,” she patiently smiled, “what makes you think you can go ahead and ask for a day off?”

Victor was taken aback. He always considered himself to be strong and never wavering but he swore the chocolatier always knocked him down a few pegs. “W-well I-I thought-”

“How about this, sweetie pie,” she began, “you do your task for next week and we’ll see if I can get your day off.”

Victor frowned. “When will I ever leave this factory?! I just want to have at least some of my life back!”

“Victor, when you compete, you work hard to get your award right?”

“Well yes and I see where you’re going with this but-”

“It will be just like this. Now if you could excuse me, my dear boy,” she began to head to the door, “but I have so much time and not a lot to do!” She paused then laughed. “Ha! Scratch that, reverse it!”

With that, she left and Victor sighed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor didn’t know what to do with himself when he was back in his room. He was too frustrated to focus on what needed to be done. He tried to catch up on his homework but he kept stopping halfway through. He tried to make up for his morning exercises which helped a little but Wonka’s response kept bothering him.

He has to earn the days off? Victor felt like he earned five already with what Wonka put him through. But it’s whatever. He’ll find a way to get them one way or another.

He was in the middle of doing sit ups and he fell back exasperated. Not from the workout, obviously, Victor barely broke a sweat, but from the thought that this mad chocolatier might be keeping him here longer than he wanted.

Victor reached for his phone and began to text Cameron.

Victor: hey

Cameron: hey!! How’s it going??

Victor: apparently I work for Ms. Wonka now

Cameron: ??? what does that even mean?

Victor: I’m not entirely sure? She wants me to help out with some marketing and healthy food products. I’m kinda nervous. I can’t help but feel like she might be up to something.

Cameron: I don’t blame you dude. Any person capable of turning someone into a blueberry…kind of a force to be reckon with. But hey, maybe it won’t be so bad! Maybe you’ll actually get to work on some healthy candy products.

Victor: speaking of…my condition, I blew up to eight feet last night

Cameron: holy crap! Are you okay? How are you feeling?!

Victor: I guess I feel fine. I got to go to the juicing room and I’m back to normal. I’m not even blue. Charlie actually helped me. She convinced Ms. Wonka to turn me back to normal.

Cameron: whoa that’s cool tho! I was wondering how you were texting me haha

Victor: ….

Cameron: oops sorry

Cameron: so what are you going to do now that you’re normal today?

Victor: Charlie asked me to hang out with her

Cameron: oh? That should be fun! What are you guys planning to do?

Victor: I’m not sure. I think I have a crush on her

Cameron: oh really! What about Lexi Reynolds?

Victor: I still like her too but face it if Lexi found about my condition she’ll never want to date me

Cameron: you may never know!

Victor: I guess? But I highly doubt it. She’ll make fun of me for sure

Victor: oh remember how I work for Wonka now? I get to have days off

Cameron: holy crap!! Really?! That’s amazing! You can finally take breaks! We can hang out again!

Victor: yeah and I can finally go to more competitions

Cameron: dude your days off should be a break! Take time off to relax. And hey if things ever work out with Charlie you could always hang out with her too. Don’t worry about the competitions

Victor: I know but my father is already pissed I missed so many. I can’t afford to miss anymore!

Cameron: okay fine Vic just take it easy okay?

Victor: of course and we will hang out. I just need to catch up.

Knock! Knock! Knock! He looked up toward his door.

Victor: Someone’s knocking. I’ll talk to you later Cam

Cameron: see ya Vic

Victor opened the door and saw Charlie smiling and standing at the door.

“Hey!” He said with a grin.

“Hey,” she replied back, “are you still down to hang out?”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Charlie grabbed Victor’s hand and led him down unexplored parts of the factory. Victor could hardly keep up. He kept glancing around and stumbling as Charlie pulled him along. Not like he would remember it. He doesn’t even know how to get to the Testing Room because he’s been constantly rolled there.

“Um…where are we going?” Victor asked.

"Ms. Wonka always says the best type of prize is a 'sur-prise’!" Charlie grinned.

Victor couldn't help but grimace at the mentioning of Wonka, but he didn't want to ruin their hangout. He just smiled - albeit nervously. He knew Charlie looked up to Wonka. In a weird way, he kind of did too. He just hasn’t figured out how yet.

Charlie took one last turn and then stopped at two grand double doors. The doors looked ornate and fancy. She looked at him giddily.

She raised her eyebrows. “Are you ready?”

Victor was nervous and his heart fluttered. He wanted to love the factory as much as Charlie did, but since the incident he couldn’t bring himself to it. But this was Charlie. He didn’t want to ruin this moment with her. He instead gave a simple nod and fought back all fears.

“All right then,” she smiled. She gave a gentle push on the doors and opened them.

Victor gave a tiny gasp. It was like the Chocolate Room but softer. It was elegant! It was astonishing! It’s - !

“It’s the Garden Room,” she answered.

“The Garden Room…” he repeated breathlessly.

It was the most beautiful scenery he’s ever seen - a quiet beauty. The Chocolate Room was fantastic and whimsical but this was majestic. Greenery everywhere. Flowers blooming far as the eye can see. A sparkling water fountain. Butterflies flittered and the birds’ chirping filled the air.

“Isn’t it great?!” She smiled at him.

Victor was still speechless. He was lost in the magnificence of the room.

“I didn’t think Ms. Wonka was capable of doing something not so…whimsical.”

“Yeah,” Charlie sighed. “Which is why this is one of my favorite rooms. I mean, yes the Chocolate Room is…unbelievable! But I think it’s great to find beauty in the simple things, right?”

“Right,” he said staring at a flower blooming in the sun. It was then Victor pouted when a sour thought came.

“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked concerned.

“Nothing, I just remembered a stupid comment Vernon said,” he frowned.

Charlie thought for a moment then it hit her. “Oh. About how she could put you in her garden?”

Victor blushed awkwardly. “I didn’t think she’d actually have one,” he said quietly. “But who knows what she has at this point.”

“Hey, don’t worry about Vernon,” she stuck her hand out and he grabbed it. “Let’s go sit.”

Victor gave a gentle smile back and followed her to a table near the fountain. He was still awestruck by the room by the time he sat down.

“Do you want anything?” She asked politely. She grabbed a tiny ceramic cup and poured tea.

He was caught off guard. He blinked a few times. “What do you mean?”

She laughed a little. “Like something to drink or eat?”

Victor shook his head. “I’m still not comfortable eating anything from her yet.”

“Oh!” She said. “I’m sorry. I understand.”

“No it’s fine! I didn’t mean to bring down the mood,” he slouched.

“You didn’t bring down the mood,” she touched his hand gently. “Trust me.”

All Victor could do was give a tiny smile.

They sat there in quietness for a bit, listening to the atmospheric sounds of the Garden Room.

“May I ask you a question, Victor?”

Victor looked up at her. “Yeah! Sure!”

She looked down at her cup then paused. “I don’t want to sound rude but,” she twiddled her thumbs, “I don’t know how else to say it. What is it like blowing up with juice?”

Victor involuntarily blushed blue and shifted awkwardly in his seat. He’s been asked this question many times but never really answered. He didn’t even know how to explain it to Cameron when he asked. “Uh…I um…”

“Oh God! I’m sorry! You don’t have to answer that!”

"No! No! It's fine! I've always avoided this question. I think I should finally talk about it," he continued to fidget.

"Okay," Charlie nodded.

"I just feel…really…full,” he said slowly, almost as if he was trying to figure it out himself. “Like I overate. But it feels even worse because I…I hardly ever eat.”

Charlie could only look at him sympathetically.

“I’ve swollen up quite often now and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,” he said quietly. “It feels weird. And you can feel the juice sloshing every time you move! It’s irritating. It’s worse being rolled. I’ve never felt so helpless before.”

The last sentence hung in the air. It was then Victor looked up and saw Charlie staring at him. He then panicked.

“Sorry! I’ve never really talked about this and I…I’m not used to talking about how I feel about it.”

“Victor, it’s fine,” Charlie reassured him. “It just sounds like you don’t have a lot of people to talk about it with.”

“I’ve spoken with Cameron. But I hardly get to see him,” he looked away. “Plus I’ve always avoided it. I just thought not talking about it…would make the problem go away.”

“I get it.” Charlie thought back to all the times she avoided talking to her parents about their financial situation since she was a kid and how her bedridden grandparents lived with her majority of her life. She wasn’t like the other children in her school. She figured talking to her parents about silly materialistic things wasn’t important. No, the financial problem can be avoided if she just didn’t talk about it too much.

“Plus I don’t think Ms. Wonka will understand. I’m just another attraction to her.” Once he said that he immediately regretted. He covered his mouth in shock realizing he was talking to Charlie - Wonka’s golden child . “I-I didn’t mean that! Don’t tell her I said that!”

“I won’t say anything,” she said firmly. “I promise.”

“Thanks,” he slouched a bit in his chair.

Another quietness passed.

“Is it all right if I asked you something?” Victor said.

“Of course!” Charlie perked up.

“What is it like working with Ms. Wonka?”

This time Charlie froze up. She was so used to saying how great and wonderful it was - and it is! But Victor just opened up to her about how he felt about his condition.

“It’s great!” She started saying. “Working with Ms. Wonka is the greatest thing ever!” Charlie’s face fell. “But…I’m afraid she’s just giving me busy work. Plus it’s really tiring. I’ve been sitting through meetings and doing countless paperwork - which is fine! but I’m afraid she’s lost the magic of making candy.”

“Oh,” was all Victor could say. “Well…at least you’re still doing what you love?”

“Yeah,” she replied quietly.

“How was the party?” Victor asked.

“It was fun! I don’t think the others had a good time though,” she answered.

“Why was that?” He blinked confused.

“Well, they had to constantly talk about their factory experience. And we all know how the experience went…”

Victor looked down at his hands. It wasn’t like they could forget it and move on. They had to live there now. And sadly for Michelle and Victor, their bodies were a constant reminder of the embarrassment they endured.

“They actually asked about you!” Charlie said.

“Really?” He asked surprised. “Why?”

“You were the only Golden Ticket Winner that wasn’t there.”

“Oh.”

“We had to say you were at another competition.”

Victor rolled his eyes. “I wish.”

“Hey. Let’s not talk about that,” Charlie said. “Tell me. What’s your favorite sport?”

Victor blinked and stared at her dumbfounded. Man, is there a question he could readily answer? He has done nearly every sport known to man and he didn’t know how to respond. It was then Victor realized his parents don’t know what he likes to do. Granted, Victor himself wasn’t even 100% sure what his likes and dislikes are.

“You’re going to think I’m lying but I really don’t know.”

“You don’t?” Charlie titled her head. “There’s not even one you remotely look forward to?”

“I guess track is great,” he shrugged. “I think I enjoy running. Gymnastics is fun too.” He thought about it some more. “There’s also fencing and all the martial arts I do.”

Charlie shook her head in disbelief and laughed. “When do you have time to do all of this?”

He smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know. My parents control my schedule.”

“How many trophies do you have?”

Usually Victor answers this with pride, but for some reason, he didn’t feel that way. He felt embarrassed. “263.”

Charlie choked on her tea.

“It’s a lot,” he said awkwardly. Again, usually said with pride.

“It’s impressive,” Charlie said.

“Well um…what do you like to do?” He asked, trying to shift the subject off of him. He didn’t know why he was feeling this way. He usually liked talking about himself and his achievements to other people.

God, did he annoy Cameron when he did this?

He tried to sit up taller in his seat to ignore his bad feelings.

It was now Charlie who blushed awkwardly. “This is going to sound super nerdy, but I actually do like to make scale models of things. But it’s more of a hobby than anything. Other than that I love to read.”

“That’s really cool,” he said. “I don’t ever have time to read or have hobbies. Do you still make scale models?”

“Not lately,” she shook her head. “The last one I made was the factory actually. I made them out of toothpaste caps from my mother’s work.”

“That’s amazing! I would like to see it sometime.”

Charlie smiled. She never had anyone over to show off her room or family or hobbies. She was secretly ashamed of where she lived even though she insisted she wasn’t. She tried to be grateful just to have a roof over her head. But to finally have a friend over, but not just anyone, Victor Beauregarde, was another thing.

“Can I tell you one last thing, Charlie?” He asked quietly.

Charlie sat up eagerly. “Of course!”

“Err…” he steadied himself and looked down at the table. “Please don’t tell Ms. Wonka this but…I know I have a 95% chance of being completely back to normal but…I’m afraid my life won’t be the same because of her.”

“I’m sure it’ll get better!” Charlie reassured. “It might be different but it’ll be for the better.”

Victor sighed. “Charlie-”

“And I can always help you like I did last time!”

Victor sighed. “Charlie, you’re Ms. Wonka’s golden child.” She frowned when she heard that nickname again. “And there are some things even her golden child can’t do to convince her. It’s not going to work out for me every time.”

Charlie sat back in her seat.

“I just don’t know,” he shook his head. “She’s always so hard on me. What if she’s right and I didn’t learn my lesson? What if she thinks I’m still one of the ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ kids?!”

It was then Charlie got a mischievous idea.

Victor sniffled and then quickly wiped a tear. “Dang it, I’m crying like a loser.” He muttered to himself. “Wait. Don’t tell anyone I’m crying!” He then looked up and realized she’s staring at him. “What’s wrong? Oh God am I turning blue again?!”

“No! No! Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you panic,” she said as he breathed a sigh of relief. “Victor, when was the last time you did anything fun?”

Victor blinked a few times. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“When was the last time you did things for yourself?”

It took every bit of him not to say, “well the last time I did that I turned into a giant fruit”. So he shrugged awkwardly.

She leaned forward and gripped the table. “Let’s prank Ms. Wonka.”

Victor’s eyes widened. He was shocked Charlie of all people would suggest such a thing. “What?! I-I can’t do that! I’d get in trouble! She would probably make me swell back up to eight feet or something!”

“You wouldn’t! I would get in trouble! It was my idea anyway.”

“But why would you even want to do that?”

“It would be a harmless prank,” she said calmly. “We’re not going to hurt her or anything.”

“I don’t know, Charlie…” Victor glanced downward.

“Come on, Victor!” She beamed at him. “Sometimes you have to be a bit naughty.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Victor gulped nervously.

“It’s going to work,” she reassured him.

They hid around a corner and waited for Wonka to head back to her weird, half decorated everything office. Charlie peaked a little bit.

“She’s coming!” Charlie whispered. They hid back around.

Wonka walked back into her office with a huff. “That meeting ran way too long,” she muttered to herself.

Wonka sat down at her desk and took a moment to collect herself. She then turned on her computer and waited for it to boot up.

As the computer chimed she immediately noticed something wrong with the machine. The picture was upside down!

“Now how did that happen?” She asked herself. She turned her monitor on and off and nothing worked.

She reached for her mouse but then realize that wasn’t working either! The cursor wasn’t moving.

“What on God’s green earth is happening?!”

Charlie and Victor stifled a laugh.

“I swear if Michelle did this, I’m gonna increase her workload for the IT department.” She rubbed her temple.

“Teevee is going to kill us!” Victor whispered.

“It’s going to be fine!”

Wonka sighed one last time. “I don’t have time for this. I need a drink.”

“It’s happening! Shhhh!!” Charlie excitedly tapped Victor’s shoulder.

Wonka reached for her hot chocolate and took a sip but realized nothing came out. She tried to drink it again.

Her drink was frozen solid!

“Am I missing something here?” She asked herself. She tapped the side of her mug.

Charlie and Victor hunched over with silent laughter.

“Wait for it…” Charlie whispered.

KABOOM!

A bunch of confetti rained down in Wonka’s office. The Chocolatier simply sat there and sighed. “I’m going to have a long talk with Miss Teevee.”

Charlie and Victor laughed silently some more until she pulled him away from her office.

“Wasn’t that amazing?!” She said.

“It was! I can’t believe we did that!” He said as his heart raced.

They heard Michelle’s voice from down the hall. “I didn’t do this! Why the hell would I do this?!”

“Language, Miss Teevee-”

“It could be Vernon for all I care! I didn’t do this!”

Charlie and Victor laughed again. They then steadied themselves and looked at each other.

“I had a great time hanging out with you, Victor.”

He smiled. “Me too.”

“We should do this again sometime.”

Victor’s smile fell a little. He didn’t know when he would be able to hang out with Charlie again. “Yeah. Sometime.”

Then Charlie did one last thing that surprised him. She kissed him.

“I’m here for you, Victor. I’m always here for you.”

Chapter Text

Dating Charlie Bucket had started off strong. The other Golden Ticket Winners were happy for them - well, Agnes was. Michelle and Vernon let out all of their snide comments whenever Charlie and Victor were seen together.

Wilma Wonka, however, didn’t say a thing. She simply smiled and told Charlie she was happy for her. The chocolatier withheld her comments about her protege dating the gum chewing brat. A simple smile will do for now.

Whenever Victor has gotten the chance when he was normal (which wasn’t a lot), he would hang out with her. Although Charlie, and Cameron when they texted each other, usually had to force him to take a break from training and doing homework. He would work himself to death whenever he was normal or just simply blue. She would take him to unexplored rooms in the factory and he would teach her different sports or different skills he’s learned from his competitions.

However their hangouts would be cut short due to the amount of paperwork Wonka would give to her apprentice. She would often apologize to him and leave abruptly.

Victor, himself, would also end it early if he ever started to blow back up, insisting that he doesn’t want Charlie to take care of him. Not only that, but he was also doing intense research on whatever healthy sweets and candies were out there for Wonka to experiment with. He tried to notate ideas that would work with her personality. However, when Victor would bring his findings to her, she would tell him to head to the Testing Room. Victor would unfortunately blow back up and would be left there for hours. She didn’t care too much about his findings, but simply told him to hold onto them.

He was starting to feel like the marketing and research was just a ruse. Being a blueberry…couldn’t be his real job right? Wonka said she would help him!

However, no matter how often Victor told himself that, the little voice in the back of his head was doubting the situation.

Victor laid there on his stomach in the Testing Room. The testing was done hours ago. The Oompa Loompas just left him here. He sighed anxiously. He didn’t like being alone when he was a giant fruit. He was too helpless and couldn’t defend himself. As always, the hard part was not knowing what time it was. Luckily he wasn’t round, just very puffy all over from his arms to his stomach. He tried pushing himself up but his arms were useless. He hated how being a blueberry sacked away his athletic prowess. He felt pathetic.

Victor heard footsteps approach him and he braced himself for whoever it was. He hoped to God it wasn’t another Oompa Loompa.

Two shoes appeared in his vision and he struggled to look up.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Beauregarde,” he heard a woman’s voice say.

This wasn’t Wonka. No. It’s been a while since he heard this voice. It was Ms. Wilkinson - Wonka’s right hand man.

He simply grunted in response from laying on his stomach for so long. Victor tried to look up but he couldn’t. It hurt when he strained his neck. He just wanted to leave this stupid room.

Ms. Wilkinson tapped her foot at where his shoulder was supposed to be. “Excuse me, but I said good afternoon. Don’t be rude. When someone talks to you, you respond.”

Victor grunted uncomfortably. It took a lot of him just to speak in this position. “Good afternoon…Ms. Wilkinson.”

“Much better,” she said approvingly. “We need to work on your manners, Mr. Beauregarde.”

Victor groaned in response. Manners were clearly not on his mind at the moment.

“How long have you been in here?” Ms. Wilkinson asked. “Ms. Wonka told me to come fetch you.”

Victor frowned. “I’m not sure…I can’t see the clock.” He again struggled to look up at her. “Are you here to change me back to normal?”

Ms. Wilkinson gave a small grin. “Well, I’m not sure about that, but you are leaving the Testing Room.”

Ms. Wilkinson clapped her hands two times and an Oompa Loompa appeared. She lowered herself and said, “please help the blueberry up to his feet.”

Victor’s anger burned. “I’m not a blueberry!” He grumbled.

“Whatever you say,” she chuckled.

Victor was tired of the snide remarks.

“How are you feeling?” She asked as Victor was raised to his feet by the Oompa Loompas.

“Tired,” he said. “I accidentally fell asleep.” He tried to shrug off the Oompa Loompas that lingered around him after they helped him up, flapping his arms all the while. He didn’t like how they were examining and rubbing his stomach. “I don’t ever take naps. It feels wrong.” He admitted to her.

All Ms. Wilkinson did was stare at him, as if she was analyzing a test product. Her neutral expression made him nervous making him step back a little.

“No matter,” she finally said. “Let’s go, Mr. Beauregarde. We’re heading to her office.”

“W-where is her office?” Victor asked.

“Haven’t you been to her office before?”

“Only once, but I don’t remember.” He replied, holding onto his swollen stomach. His hands rested on it but he couldn’t reach his middle. “Is it far from here?”

“Not really,” Wilkinson smirked a little. “Why? You don’t think you can make it?”

Victor blushed and looked down at how big he was. “I’m not sure,” he said awkwardly. “I guess I can make it.”

He begin to waddle to the door as Wilkinson fought back a smile from watching him shift clumsily. It’s been five seconds and he hasn’t even reached the exit yet.

“All right, you can stop waddling,” Wilkinson finally suppressed her smile and went back to her neutral expression.

Victor stopped and huffed, trying to pretend he was still the normal renowned athlete he was. “I don’t waddle,” he pouted, furrowing his brows.

“I will let Wonka know that you’re too big to make it to her,” she said causing him to burn in shame. “She can meet us here.”

“Okay,” he said quietly, eyeing Wonka’s workers hesitantly.

Wilkinson pinged Wonka’s phone and in the less than a second, Wonka poofed! appeared before them. Her sudden appearance startled Victor causing him to falter back a bit.

“Victor Beauregarde!” The Chocolatier beamed at him. Victor swallowed nervously. “Ahh, I see!” She studied the blueberry closely and poked his stomach. “You are quite big. Now I know why Ms. Wilkinson called.”

Victor looked down at himself once more. He couldn’t be that huge, right?

“Ms. Wonka,” Victor said uneasily, “can I ask for a day off now? I can’t miss any more competitions. My father is going to be upset with me.”

“Sweetie pie, you haven’t earned any yet,” she laughed as if she was telling a joke. “You can’t get a day off!”

Victor groaned in frustration. “I’ve done everything you asked me to! I ate every stupid unhealthy blueberry breakfast! I did all of your dumb tests! What more do you want from me?!”

“Have you ever thought, Mr. Beauregarde, that the reason you’re not back to normal yet is because of your attitude?” Wilkinson raised an eyebrow.

“Huh?” Victor was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“You constantly complain, for starters,” Wonka said.

“Well I-”

“Your temper is a problem,” Wilkinson added on. “You’re constantly trying to fight us or the Oompa Loompas and you yell when we’re trying to help you.”

“They bully me when you’re gone!”

“Manners is an issue,” Wilkinson continued to list off.

He started to whimper from all their criticism. “B-but-”

“And you insist that the Oompa Loompas are making fun of you!” Wonka concluded. “So there, Victor, this is why you’re not back to normal. I cannot grant you any days off. You’ll just have to do better.”

Victor frowned. “But I…I’ve missed so much. I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m stuck here. I can’t do anything!”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Wilkinson said.

Victor glanced between the two women and did his best not to cry. This was unfair! The others don’t have to deal with this! They get to leave the factory more often!

Wonka and Wilkinson began to leave with Victor slowly but surely trailing behind them. Suddenly, Wonka stopped, nearly causing the poor boy to topple over.

“Just remembered!” She announced with her finger raised. “Your parents will be visiting sometime today, Mr. Beauregarde, just so you are aware.”

His eyes nearly budged out of his head. “What?! WHAT?! My parents?! Why?!”

“I’m sure they miss you,” Wonka suggested.

“Yeah, right,” Victor rolled his eyes. He’s been dreading this visit. He knew the real reason why they wanted to see him. He wasn’t attending any competitions, meaning…

…no money was being made.

“But you have to stop them! I don’t want them here!”

“So ungrateful,” Wonka shook her head. “Don’t you want to see your parents?”

Victor hesitated to answer. He knew Wonka wasn’t going to understand. He avoided her question. “I’m still stuck like this!” He blurted. “Won’t you change me back just this once? If they still see me as a blu…freak,” he corrected himself, “I’d be in trouble!”

“I’m sure you would be!” Wonka said firmly. “You haven’t made much improvement personality wise since they left you almost a month and a half ago. I think it’s time we made a meeting.”

All Victor could do was stare in disbelief.

“I’ll let you know when they arrive, my dear boy.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor sat uncomfortably on his bed. He was still sporting a giant belly. He didn’t feel like heading out to the living room, that’s where the others were. He also didn’t want to bother Charlie with this situation. Charlie was far too swamped with all the work Wonka kept pouring onto her. Even though they were dating, he didn’t want to intrude on her. All he could do was watch the TV in his room.

Whenever Victor watched TV, he would always catch either the first or second half of a movie. Because by the time he was halfway through, his stomach blocked the screen. This was kinda frustrating since Victor barely got to watch any type of entertainment before his life was impacted by the factory. The one time he got to relax, it was foiled.

It didn’t matter. He was camping out in his room to distract himself from his parents’ imminent arrival. Victor tried not to think about it but he knew he was in trouble. What was he going to say? What were THEY going to say? Maybe he could distract his mom about how the car dealership was doing or how her campaign race was going? He was a Beauregarde, they do like to hear praises every now and then.

No matter how often he tried to focus on the movie, his mind kept coming back to Sam and Scarlett Beauregarde.

He remembered finally leaving the factory and heading back home. He left the madhouse that evening around six, the other Golden Ticket Winners long gone. Victor was simply blue and there wasn’t any sign of swelling. His champion winning body was back. He nearly sobbed at the sight of his mom coming back for him into the infirmary wing. It’s been almost a whole day and he was alone with his tormentors! He was worried that she abandoned him for good since he was ruined.

Apparently, one of the reasons why his mom left him at the factory was because she bought him a hoodie and makeup to hide from the press. She powdered makeup hard onto Victor’s face causing him to sneeze, grumbling to herself the entire time. She was angry that Victor kept sneezing and flinching. Sadly the makeup wasn’t enough. He was much too blue and the makeup looked weird on his face, but she left it on there. How would either of them know that blue was such a strong pigment?

“Just in case,” she told him as her son looked at her nervously. She ordered him to wear the hoodie to shield his face making sure no blue could be seen.

Victor’s heart raced in the deathly silent ride back home. He shrunk himself into the baggy hoodie, still replaying the Inventing Room’s humiliating event. His mom fumed quietly as she drove.

How could something so strange and bizarre happen to him?! And it was all his fault. He only had himself to blame. But turning into a giant blueberry wasn’t the scary thing. No. The thing Victor feared the most was what his father had to say.

The walk up to the front door was long and heavy for him. By the time he made it home, the makeup was coming off his face from all the silent crying. Might as well wipe it all off, he thought. His father was in utter shock and disbelief as he saw his champion of a son head to toe in blue enter the room.

After Scarlett caught her husband up to speed of their “magical” trip to the factory, Sam exploded into white hot rage. Victor uncomfortably sat on the couch watching his father pace madly back and forth and his mom glaring at him in the corner. It dawned on his parents that their huge source of income might be soiled! They can’t show off their blue son to the world! They would be laughing stocks!

“You just had to take the gum from her! You just had to chew it and disobey her orders! You just HAD to get too arrogant and take it! This is why we make the decisions for you, Victor! So you don’t make any mistakes!”

Victor sat there quietly, soaking in his father’s wrath. He didn’t want to mention that his mom encouraged him to keep chewing, encouraged him to brag about the magic gum’s courses and how delicious it was.

“That’s it! You weren’t ready for it so I’m taking it away! I’m taking back full control over your schedule!”

Victor panicked and he sat up on the couch. This was the most freedom he ever had and it was being taken away! “What?! No! Father, I’m sorry! I-I can handle decisions! I can handle my schedule!”

“Clearly you can’t! Apparently when you make a decision you end up turning into a giant fruit!” His father shouted as his son flinched. “You will get it back once I think you’re ready.”

Victor looked wracked with grief. He hadn’t been yelled like this since his first game he lost at 6 years old. From that point forward, he made sure he never failed anything. But this was too much. Tears welled up in his eyes and he tried his best to force them to stop. He remembered he still wasn’t allowed to cry in the house.

“Oh son,” his father called. He looked up at him. “Don’t be so blue about it.”

And with that, Sam and Scarlett left as Victor sulked quietly in the living room.

DING DONG! Victor snapped back to reality. It felt like Victor’s heart stopped beating. He let out a gasp as he heard voices from downstairs.

Victor looked around the room. He had to do something! He couldn’t let them see him like this!

Victor cursed under his breath. Even if he did do something, he was much too slow. It would take him minutes just to get his large body off his bed.

But it was too late. His door swung open quickly and there stood before him were his parents. He nervously swallowed as they walked in.

Sam glared at him with folded arms as his wife sat down in a nearby chair. Best to not bring up the campaign or car dealership, Victor thought. His father cleared his throat.

“So,” his father began, “would you like to explain why you haven’t been showing up to your competitions?”

Victor had to answer carefully. Unfortunately, he was at a loss for words.

“We’re waiting,” Scarlett glared.

Why couldn’t he say anything? What was happening?! All he could do was look pitifully at them. But finally, “I…couldn’t earn…a day off…”

“What in the world do you mean by that?!” Sam yelled.

Victor winced. “I have to earn my days off in order to go to a competition,” he said quietly.

His parents paused for a bit as they looked at him, trying to process what their son was saying.

“So why haven’t you earned them?!” His father asked.

“I…I don’t know!” He wasn’t lying. He knew what Wonka and Wilkinson told him earlier in the afternoon but it didn’t sit right with him. “I’m doing my best!”

“Well try harder!” His father barked at him. “Clearly you aren’t doing something right!”

Victor choked back on his words. “Ms. Wonka and Ms. Wilkinson said…I just need to work on my temper…and my manners.” This had to be the scariest conversation of his life.

His dad-ager huffed angrily, staring daggers at his son. “You’re telling me the reason why you haven’t been showing up is because you’re throwing a temper tantrum?!”

All Victor could do was sit there and take it.

“And these days off is when Wonka can turn you back to normal, right?” Scarlett asked.

Victor nodded in response. “I think so…?”

“Then get over yourself, Victor!” Sam shouted. “You cannot afford to miss another competition! Do you want Cornelius to take your place?! Hmm?! Do you?!”

Part of Victor was exasperated and wanted to say yes! He can have it! But the prideful part of Victor said no. The title of being champion of Miles City was his! So he shook his head rapidly.

“Good!” Sam paused and then looked at his son closely. “Wait,” he said. Victor looked nervously at his father. “Why aren’t you chewing gum?”

It was then Victor realized he didn’t have a stick of gum in his mouth at all. Fear took a strong hold in Victor, causing him to sputter out the word he never thought he’d say in his life. “I…father, p-please-”

“You’re always supposed to be chewing gum, Victor! What happened to you upholding the record?!”

“I-I haven’t kept up w-with it…b-because of the in-incident-”

“Blueberry or not, you’re supposed to be chewing gum! Victor Marion Beauregarde you are slacking! My son isn’t a slacker!”

Victor looked back to his mom. She was barely paying attention. She was back on her phone conducting whatever business that needed to be done.

Sam Beauregarde calmed down and straightened himself out. “Enough of this childish behavior. For some reason you’re stuck in a loser’s mindset. And you’re not a loser. You’re a winner. Understood?! A winner!”

Victor looked down in shame. "Sorry, father."

“Say it, Victor.”

Victor didn’t want to. He certainly didn’t feel like one. He took a deep breath and said, “I’m a winner.”

“That’s better,” Sam said with his hands on his hips. “Now we’re going to talk to Wonka so we can get this situation straightened out.” He gestured to his wife to head out the door.

Victor’s parents left with a door slam as their son cried silently to himself on his bed, wondering how he could be better.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Victor was forced out of his room and down into the living room by Wonka, insisting that it’s not good to be a shut in.

He thought it was a waste of time seeing that he was just watching TV in his room and that he was most likely going to be the same thing downstairs. That’s all he ever does nowadays.

Wilma Wonka told him that she will be a having a long conversation with his parents, however by the expression on her face, it didn’t seem like she was going to enjoy it. The Beauregarde’s always drained her with the constantly yelling and bickering.

Victor sighed. He was now chewing a piece of gum, not wanting to be berated again. He tried to close his eyes and remind himself that they aren’t staying the night, they will be leaving very soon. Then he could at least calm down in the meantime.

What Victor didn’t see, was Michelle and Vernon towering over him. He opened his eyes and was startled by their appearance.

Victor looked angrily at them. “And what do you two want?”

Vernon looked mischievously at the poor blue boy. “Why would we want anything from you? We can’t hang out with you?”

They both sat down on either side of him harshly, causing the juice within Victor to shake. He instantly put his hands on stomach to quell the sloshing.

“Don’t you know that you’re our best friend, Blueregarde?” Michelle grinned.

“Listen, I’m not in the mood to be bothered by you two today, so just leave me alone!”

Michelle poked his side making him squirm. “Tell me, Berry Boy,” she jabbed, “you’re good at competitions right?”

“Yeah,” he said uneasily, “so what?”

Michelle and Vernon grinned at each other. “Are you up for a challenge?” Vernon asked.

“Challenge?” His interest was piqued, but he had to hide it. They were clearly up to something. “What kind of challenge?”

“I heard you were looking for more days off,” Vernon smirked.

Victor paused for a second. “And what if I am?”

“We could help you out…” Vernon said slyly.

“That is if you’re down for a challenge…” Michelle finished.

Victor thought about it. He didn’t want to seem desperate, but he was willing to do anything to make his parents proud of him again. “You’re on.”

Michelle and Vernon shared a wicked look with each other that started to make Victor regret his decision.

“If you win,” Michelle said, “you can have both of our days off.”

“Okay…”

“But if we win, we get to take yours,” Vernon tapped his fingers together.

“So what’s the challenge?” He asked.

“Oh, I think you’re going to love it,” Michelle said. She then pulled out something from behind her back. Victor gasped. “I believe this is yours?”

“M-my trophy?!”

It was his first track trophy he ever won. That was a great day. He was twelve and his father had never been more proud of him.

“What were you two doing in my room?!”

“Just admiring it really,” Michelle said, twisting the award this way and that.

“Give it back, Teevee!” Victor tried to snatch it away from her.

Michelle yanked it back. “Oh but this is where the fun begins!”

“You have to get it back from us by grabbing it!” Vernon teased. “But you’re gonna have to get your tubby self off the couch!”

Victor blushed angrily. “Forget that! I’m not chasing you both down for something I’ve already won!”

“But you accepted the challenge!” Vernon grinned. “And I’m sure you want your trophy back!”

Michelle waved it around in front of him. Victor watched her dangle it tantalizingly. “Besides, I think an athlete won this trophy, not some giant blueberry.”

“Yeah! Whoever heard of a blueberry competing before?” Vernon snickered.

Victor fumed. “I didn’t think the challenge would be this physical,” Victor muttered.

“Wow, did all the juice get into your brain?” She laughed and tussled Victor’s brown hair. “Did you forget you’re a half swollen fruit?”

Victor tried to blow his hair out of his face then glared at her.

“Come on, Victor! I think you could use the exercise!” Vernon slapped his belly and the poor boy tried to stop the wobbling.

“Quit it!” Victor began to push himself off the couch to the best of his ability. “Give it back!”

“Looks like he’s doing the challenge!” Michelle skipped off away from him with Vernon heading the other direction, both of them giggling all the while.

After a few long seconds, Victor got up in a wobbly start. He tried to catch his breath, stuck his arms out for balance, and looked around.

“Hey Blueregarde!” Vernon called. “Have you heard of the game Blueberry in the Middle?”

Victor had to be quick. He had to get his trophy back before they did something with it. When he finally turned around, his heart dropped. They were throwing it back and forth.

“NO! Stop it, you twits!” He tried to reach up when the trophy flew over his head. He saw Michelle catch it and breathed a sigh of relief but he needed it back in his own hands.

Michelle tossed it back to Vernon. Victor pouted in frustration as he tried to swing his pillowy arms up but they couldn’t even stretch all the way!

“Just! Give it back!” He cried out as they tossed it once more.

“Oh come on, Berry Boy!” Vernon giggled. “I thought you were the champion of Miles City?”

That was the final straw. He was tired of being mocked, and today was the most frustrating day imaginable. He was yelled at by his parents, Wonka and Wilkinson were giving him a hard time, and he was left alone for hours resting on his stomach. It’s time he defended himself.

Victor glared and immediately stomped towards to tackle Vernon. If he couldn’t move his arms to catch the trophy, he could at least use his ridiculous bulk to destroy him.

Vernon panicked at the giant blue boy coming after him. Then Vernon got a sinister idea. He smiled wickedly and shoved Victor hard in the stomach.

Terror flooded Victor as he flailed his arms to find his footing as he stumbled back. Michelle shoved him from behind and he fell forward, landing hard on his belly. He cried out with an “OOF!” as the air escaped his lungs.

“No!” He tried to push himself up but his strength was zapped. A loud gurgle emanated from his stomach and he swelled up a little. He couldn’t lose this challenge!

“Vernon, catch!” Michelle launched the trophy.

“Stop! Don’t!”

But Vernon missed the trophy by mere inches.

CRASH!

The trophy broke into pieces right in front of Victor’s face.

Victor whimpered at the sight of it. He couldn’t even reach out to touch the shattered parts.

“Whoops!” Vernon giggled.

Michelle looked at Victor crying at the sight of his trophy. For a split second she felt bad for destroying it.

“Looks like we get his days off!” Vernon smiled.

“FINE! Whatever! You can have it! I don’t care anymore!” He shouted. That was far from his mind. He looked back at his trophy and choked back tears. “This…this was all I had left…”

“What do you mean it ‘was all you had left’?” Michelle asked.

Victor’s face hardened in a mix of anger and pain. “It was my first track trophy. The one where my father was actually proud of me. It was the only thing left to remind me that I’m a winner.” He tried to stop his lips from quivering. “And now it’s broken!”

He buried his head into the wooden floor and sobbed.

Vernon shrugged and went to go sit on the couch. Michelle stood there debating whether to say something or not, until she heard footsteps enter the room.

“What’s going on here?” Wonka asked.

Victor didn’t lift his head up.

Michelle opened her mouth to say something but Vernon beat her to it.

“He’s mad because his silly little trophy broke,” Vernon waved it off as if it was nothing.

“His trophy?” Wonka raised her eyebrow. She looked back down at the crying boy on the floor. “Why is he on the ground?”

“He fell,” Vernon said simply.

“Well this is easily fixable,” the chocolatier said. Wonka crouched down and picked up the trophy pieces. She waved her hand over the award and it magically repaired itself. “See, my dear boy!”

Victor strained to look up and sniffled.

“Just like new!” She smiled. She placed the trophy in front of him.

“Th-thank y-you…” he said sadly. He was happy it was fixed but he still felt empty inside. It didn’t matter if the trophy was fixed, it broke. It easily broke. It was taken away just like that.

“What are you doing on the ground?!” He heard his father yell as he entered the room.

Just what I needed, Victor thought.

“I fell-”

“Get up, Victor!” He barked.

“I can’t,” he said. “My arms can’t bend! I’m too big!”

He heard his mom sigh and he felt his father ramping up for another yell. Victor braced himself until -

“Michelle, Vernon, since you were here bullying Mr. Beauregarde, please help him up.” Wonka ordered.

“Ugh!” Vernon groaned. “I don’t want to help him up! He’s too heavy!”

“Come on, Vernon,” Michelle rolled her eyes.

They lifted Victor up on his feet, with Vernon jiggling his side the entire time. Victor was too tired to fight back. He felt defeated. This day was long and draining.

His parents looked at their son and Victor did his best to avoid their eyes.

“Son,” Sam started. “The next time I see you, you should be at another competition. Understood?”

“Yes, father.”

“Quit crying. I told you. Champions don’t cry.”

Sam left the factory as Scarlett gave one last stern look to her child then followed her husband. Victor stood there dejectedly. He had to make his parents proud of him again.

“I think I’m going to head to my room…” he said quietly to Wonka.

Wonka was going to say something but she stopped herself. She let the blue boy head to the elevator.

She turned back to Vernon and Michelle who smiled and rolled their eyes respectively.

“I was hoping talking to Victor’s parents was going to be the only long conversation I was going to have today, but I guess I was wrong.”

“So where are we on getting days off now, Ms. Wonka?” Vernon asked in a sickly sweet tone.

Wonka rubbed her temples, “lord send me strength.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Victor sat on his bed exasperated from Michelle and Vernon’s whole ordeal. He was just happy that Charlie was in the room with him to keep him company. He made a mental note to catch up Cameron whenever he gets remotely back to normal.

However, Charlie’s presence wasn’t going to be for long. She was knee deep in work. In fact, while Victor was telling her what happened, she was on her laptop working.

“I’m sorry, Victor,” she said while typing rapidly. “At least Ms. Wonka fixed your trophy!”

Victor looked toward his bookshelf and saw his first track trophy. “Yeah. But I have to do better. I just can’t believe I fell for something stupid.”

“You’re just not used to being stuck this way,” Charlie reassured. “Things will get better.” She then rubbed his large stomach to soothe him but Victor tried to not squirm from the touch. He wasn’t sure if he liked it. He still felt massive whenever someone did touch him.

Still not wanting to disappoint her, he forced a smile. “Thanks, Charlie.”

He continued to watch her madly work on the computer. At first when he was talking to her, he wasn’t sure if she was listening. Between him blowing up and her constantly working, it felt like they hardly saw each other. They rarely get to do things together, and when they were together, it just felt like Charlie taking care of Victor.

“Charlie,” he said. “Would you like to do something this weekend?”

Charlie stopped typing causing Victor to worry he said something wrong. “I would love to! I’m just not sure if I’ll have time. Ms. Wonka hasn’t let me take a breather from this in a while. But I could try! What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I just feel like it’s been a while since we’ve done anything since we started dating.”

“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” she smiled at him.

“Okay!” He smiled back.

“Hey,” she thought for a moment. “You’ve done a lot of sports and competitions but did you ever have to take dance lessons?”

Victor blinked a few times. “I mean, I had to take some here and there. I’ve only done a few competitions.”

“Then maybe this weekend you can teach me how to dance?” She grinned.

Victor blushed. “That is if I’m normal at all!”

Charlie leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I guess we’ll see. Try not to worry, okay?”

Then Charlie left. Victor sat there hoping and praying for a chance to be back to normal that weekend.

Chapter Text

Victor enjoyed the 8 hours away from the factory at school. His first day back, post factory incident, he needed a little more convincing. Wonka promised him that he wouldn’t have an episode whenever he was away from the factory and kept telling him that no matter how many times he asked. But once he got over that initial day, Victor cherished going to school. He tried to savor each last minute of being normal before he was forced to go back into the hands of Wonka.

However, Victor was exhausted. He feared the years of lack of sleep was catching up to him. He stared tiredly into his locker, zoned out, and lost in his thoughts, trying to remember what was on the schedule for today.

“Victor!”

He jumped at the sound of his name. He turned around and saw his best friend Cameron smiling at him. He gave a tired smile back.

“You okay?” Cameron asked. “You seem really out of it.”

Victor tried to smile to reassure him. “I’m fine.”

“You’re a terrible liar,” Cameron said immediately. “You didn’t blend in your eyeshadow too well on your right eye.”

Victor gasped and his hand flew up to his eye and he hurriedly turned to look at his locker’s mirror.

“I’m assuming things aren’t going great at the factory?” Cam asked.

Victor’s shoulders became tense. “I had a bad day yesterday. I’m just happy to be at school.”

“What happened, Vic? You look exhausted whether you’re wearing makeup or not.”

Victor immediately frowned at the thought of yesterday’s events. “Vernon and Teevee broke my trophy.”

“Oh geez. Which one was it?”

“My first track trophy.”

Cameron winced. “I’m so sorry, Vic. I know how much that one means to you.”

“Ms. Wonka fixed it. But it gets worse.” Story of my life, he thought. “My parents came to visit me.”

Cameron grimaced once again. He wasn’t the biggest fan of Sam and Scarlett Beauregarde. He often wondered how Victor survived their household all his life with their constant berating and their high expectations for him to achieve everything they throw at him. So whenever Victor’s parents left for vacation, Cameron jumped at the opportunity for his best friend to sleep over and have his own vacation - an escape from his parents.

“They weren’t happy that I wasn’t competing,” Victor explained. “And they don’t understand that it’s hard for me to get a day off when I ask Ms. Wonka for one! And her!” Victor rolled his eyes and banged his head back against the locker. “I’m at the end of my rope! I don’t know what else I can do to show that I have earned a day off! I hardly do anything at the factory but get tested on!”

“And what’s Charlie doing throughout all of this?” Cameron asked.

“Charlie?” Victor repeated. Cameron nodded. Victor rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s been super busy. Ms. Wonka is giving her non-stop work. I hardly ever see her, and when I do see her, well I…” Victor blushed and awkwardly glanced around the hallways. “I…I’m a freak.”

Cameron studied him and inched closer.

“What?” Victor asked nervously.

“Whoa,” Cameron said in a whisper. “Did you know you blush blue when you’re normal?”

“Cameron!” Victor hissed. “Yes! I do! I just haven’t come up with a reason to tell people why yet. Did you even hear anything I just said?”

“I did!” Cameron said, backing away from him. “I’m sorry to hear about your parents and Charlie not being there. When was the last time you two hung out?”

Victor thought for a moment. He thought for a while. “Well, I’m not really sure? We’ve been dating for nearly a month now and I don’t remember the last time I was completely normal and she wasn’t drowning in paper work.”

“Hopefully things ease up,” Cameron said. “Oh!” Cameron reached into his backpack. “Do you still do that thing where you sneak dark chocolate into your diet? Because I got you some!”

Victor blinked a few times. “I haven’t done that in months.” He stared at the bite-sized candy in Cameron’s hand and backed away from it.

Dark chocolate was the only sweet that Victor ate, but he never ate a whole bar. No, if he did that, then his father would be on to him through measurements and weigh-ins. Victor only ate fun-sized, mini bars of it and he only ate them once a month. It didn’t affect his regimen at all. It was the only dessert he allowed himself to eat.

“Come on, dude. Take it,” Cameron gave it to him. “You deserve it.”

“It’s not her chocolate, is it?” He reluctantly grabbed it from his hand.

“Nope! Good ol’ American chocolate!” Cameron chuckled.

“Thanks, Cam,” Victor sighed. He put the mini bar of dark chocolate in his bag then pulled out a pack of gum from his pocket. He began to chew anxiously.

SLAM!

Victor’s locker slammed close causing both him and Cameron to jump. They looked toward their left to see Cornelius Prinzmetal grinning condescendingly.

“Well, look who decided to show up!” Cornelius sneered. “Victor freakin Beauregarde! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you at school. So what excuse do you have for skipping out on competitions today?”

Victor snarled. “I’m not skipping them on purpose, Cornelius! And I’m going to show up today!”

Cornelius scoffed at him.

“Besides, my…condition got worse,” Victor rubbed his arm nervously. “I had to stay home for a while.” Cornelius is the last person Victor needed to know the truth about his incident at the factory. He would never let it go. He preferred to deal with Michelle and Vernon’s bullying over him any day.

“Hmm. Interesting,” Cornelius nodded sarcastically. “Totally believable. So I’ll actually see you in gym today?”

“I’m going to try,” Victor said through gritted teeth, trying hard to not say a sarcastic comment. “Listen, Cornelius, as much as I love reminding you that you’ll always be second place to me, I think it’s time to let things go, don’t you think? Let’s just compete on friendly terms.”

Cornelius nodded some more, thinking to himself. “Mmhmm, you say this but I know what you’re trying to do.” He got up close to Victor’s face. “You’re trying to throw me off my game! Well I’ll tell you what, Beauregarde…it ain’t happening!” He walked away and smirked. “See ya in gym!”

Victor rolled his eyes one last time. “This is never going to end, is it?”

“What? This weird frenemy thing with Cornelius?” Cameron laughed.

“Well not just that,” Victor sighed. “This whole…competition-training thing.”

Cameron looked at his friend sympathetically. “Things will lighten up, Vic. Hopefully your parents will allow you to take a step back once this all blows over!”

“Tch,” Victor scoffed. “I doubt it. At this point, I just wish to hang out with Charlie more.”

Suddenly, Lexi “Lex” Reynolds walked around the corner with Maddie Montgomery by her side. Victor gave a tiny smile as he watched her walk down the hallway.

Lex caught his wandering eye and Victor tensed up, blushing. Lex told Maddie to hold on for a moment as she made her way to Victor. However Victor noticed Maddie’s expression and when she saw her best friend making her way towards him she stared daggers at him.

Maddie still hates me, he thought. But oh God, Lex is heading this way!

“Hey!” Lex smiled at him. Victor and Cameron tried to act cool as possible. “I haven’t seen you in forever! Are you doing okay?”

Victor tried to stop himself from blushing too much. He still hasn’t come up with that explanation just yet.

“I’m…okay!” He managed to blurt out. “Just a little tired!”

Lex laughed. “Only a little? Do you still have that wild schedule? How are you not exhausted?”

Victor tried to smile. “I don’t know,” he shrugged.

“I hope you get some type of break,” she said. “Especially with your condition and all.“

He sighed. “Thanks.”

“Is that why you blush blue?” She pointed at her own cheeks.

Victor stammered and glanced back at Cameron. “Um! Y-yes…I uh! Low blood sugar condition. It’s all a part of it!“

“Oh that sucks. I hope you feel better soon.” she shook her head. “Well I’m glad to see you today, Vic,” she smiled. She gave a tiny wavy to Cameron who politely waved back. Lex began to walk away. “Don’t be too much of a stranger, Victor Beauregarde!”

Victor watched her head back to Maddie.

Maddie and Lex continued their walk to class. Maddie scoffed. “How do you still talk to him?! I swear, Victor Beauregarde has the most bloated ego on the planet! What did he say? Did he go on and on about his achievement for going into Wilma Wonka’s factory?”

Lex smiled to herself once more. “Actually no. Something about him seems different. Good different. You should give him another chance.”

“Pfft, yeah right.”

Cameron nudged Victor. “See! Things are turning up! Lex talked to you!”

“Yeah, but this is her not knowing the truth,” Victor said. “If she ever finds out, it’s over. It’s never going to happen. Plus what’s going on with me and Charlie is…good. I feel great. Just great.”

“Nice save, by the way,” he chuckled. “With the whole, you know, blushing thing.”

Victor rolled his eyes. “Shut up. I’m just glad she bought the whole low blood pressure bit. Did it even make sense?”

Cameron side glanced. “Yeah! Sure!”

Victor began his walk to class. “I hate you.”

“Noooo, you love me!”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Charlie politely knocked on Wonka’s door and peered her head into her office. “You wanted to see me, Ms. Wonka?”

“Yes! Charlie!” Wonka beamed at her protege. “Come on in!”

Charlie sat down across from the chocolatier. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, everything is fine. I just wanted to do a little check in report if that’s all right with you? It’s about that time,” Wonka explained.

“Oh!” Charlie sat back in her chair. “All right, Ms. Wonka.”

Wilma Wonka straightened her files and sighed happily. “Charlie Bucket!” She said.
“You have been doing an excellent job these last three months since winning the factory. I’m impressed with your work so far! Your childlike wonder reminds me of when I first started out.”

Charlie simply smiled at Wonka’s compliments. “Thank you, Ms. Wonka.”

“I wanted to reward you with more responsibilities!” She clapped.

Charlie couldn’t help but slouch a little.

Wonka’s smile fell. “What’s the matter?”

“I just…” Charlie stopped herself. She didn’t want to hurt her mentor’s feelings. How could she go about this? Wonka knows what’s best for her, right? She was an adult after all. How could a poor, simple fifteen year old compare to an experienced chocolatier like Wilma Wonka. She sighed. Let’s just rip the bandaid off. “I feel like I’m doing too much paperwork.”

Wonka blinked a few times. “Too much paperwork?” She repeated.

“Yes!” Charlie said exasperated. “I haven’t made a singular candy since my first week here! You’ve given me so much paperwork and I’ve sat in countless meetings with you - which is fine and all, but I’m not sure if I’m learning anything. It’s starting to feel like you’re giving me busy work, Ms. Wonka.”

Wonka sighed. “I’m just trying to show you all the facets that comes with running a factory, my dear girl. It’s not always discovering new candies. It’s legalities, meeting new people, and being a public figure!”

Charlie slouched further in her chair. She was starting to feel like this conversation wasn’t going to make much progress. “I understand Ms. Wonka.”

“So, do you think you can handle more responsibilities?” Wonka grinned with an eyebrow raised.

“Yes ma’am,” Charlie half heartedly smiled.

“You’re so polite, Charlie,” Wonka shook her head wistfully. “I’m so glad you’re my apprentice. I’m not sure if the others could do what you do.”

Charlie frowned at that. She didn’t like it when Wonka compared her to the others. “Why don’t you ever give them a chance?”

Wonka blinked a few times. “Pardon?”

“Why don’t you ever give them opportunities? They deserve to have fun too! They deserve to learn from you as well!”

Wonka sighed. “Charlie, we’ve been over this. The other four didn’t win. You did!”

“You can’t really think they’re still rotten do you?”

“Charlie-”

“They need to have time to have fun and be themselves.”

“Fun?!” Wonka exclaimed.

“Like the other day, Victor and I decided to prank you in your office! I swear, that was the first time I’ve ever seen Victor open up like that! I feel like if you just took the time to get to know them-”

“Wait! That was you?!”

“Yes! So am I one of the rotten children now, Ms. Wonka?”

“Far from it!” Wonka smiled happily.

Charlie did a double take. “Huh?”

“I’m so happy you’re finding time to relax and be a child!”

Charlie became quiet for a moment. It was true. She didn’t really get to enjoy the things most children did with her upbringing and home situation. But then again, she thought…

…neither did Victor Beauregarde.

“But what did you think about Victor being a part of it? Are you happy for him? It was my idea yes, but what about him? Heck, what if Michelle did it?! Or the others?! We overheard you! You got mad at Michelle because you thought she did it!”

Wonka sighed. “Charlie, the others are still learning their lessons. If I found out Michelle or Victor planned this sort of thing, then I’ve taught them nothing!”

“I think they already did learn their lesson!” Charlie protested. She stood up fiercely. “I think what all of the Golden Ticket Winners need is some type of break! We should get to know each other and get along!” She paused for a second then put on a more determined face. “I’m going to plan an event for all of us!”

“I’m not going to stop you, my dear child. All of you are free to do whatever you want. That’s how each of you made your decisions when you first came here. However if you want to throw an event for the five of you, that’s fine.”

Charlie felt knocked back a little but stood up taller. “Then I will!”

She left the office with a huff as Wonka rubbed her temples. “This is not how I envisioned all of this to go.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor did his best to stay awake in his classes. He turned in his homework - even homework that wasn’t due for weeks, and tried to act like everything was normal. He tried hard to politely avoid topics about the factory no matter how hard he wanted to snap at them to stop asking. How many times did he have to tell them he didn’t win a lifetime supply of chocolate? (Even if he did win it, he wouldn’t even be allowed to eat any of it.) He thought about Charlie for inspiration. Charlie wouldn’t snap at them. Charlie is patient.

In the locker room, Victor began to change into his gym uniform. He tried not to think too much about how lucky he was to be at school and to be normal. He kept eyeing himself in the mirror at his perfect athletic body but his mind couldn’t help but flood back to the distorted mockery the gum made it into.

Victor snapped back to reality. He couldn’t imagine blowing up in such a small area. He looked at the single door and swallowed nervously. If he did, he probably wouldn’t be able to fit through.

Never mind that. Victor shook his head and tried to keep focus and chewed his gum. He’s back in gym. He’s in his element. He can finally move around again for at least an hour. Let’s not waste this moment.

As he began to head out of the locker room, a boy draped his arm around Victor’s neck. “Victor!” The boy exclaimed. “Nice to have you back!”

“Thanks, Scott,” Victor said uncomfortably. Victor wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. He tried to keep the conversations short and sweet. He just needed to release all this energy he stored up from doing nothing at the factory.

“So uh, how long are you back for?” Another boy named Tim asked.

“I’m not sure,” Victor answered quietly.

“So are you going to be at practice after school?” Adam asked.

Victor wished their questions would just stop. For the first time, he didn’t want to be the center of attention. “I actually don’t know.”

His teammates gave each other looks that Victor didn’t seem to see. They made their way out into the gym space as Victor sighed.

“If it’s all right by you guys, I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to practice.”

Everyone murmured in agreement, until Cornelius’ loud voice cut through the noise

“Yeah right!“ Cornelius sneered. “I’m sure Victor is going to just show off and brag again the entire time.”

“That’s not true,” Victor grumbled. “Look, can we just drop it?!”

“Victor Beauregarde!” Coach Ford called. Victor was almost beginning to regret coming to school. “Nice to have you back, kid!”

“Thanks,” he said sheepishly. Cornelius eyed Victor suspiciously. He’s been Victor’s frenemy since they were 5. There was no way Victor would be embarrassed from getting a shout out by coach like that. He would be bragging about it later. Victor’s different. Something was up, he thought.

“All right, boys, you know your assignments. Try hitting each of your goals by the end of class today.” He blew his whistle and each of them head to various weights and machines. Some of them went to the pull up bar or started doing body weight workouts.

As Victor began to walk to a station, his Coach called him over.

“Yes, sir?” Victor asked, chewing his gum.

“Look, Victor, I don’t want you to push it today, so take it easy,” Coach Ford said with his hands on his hips.

Victor frowned. “But I don’t have to take it easy! I’m fine! I can do my regular goals today.”

“Kid, I’m not sure if you can. I’m not even 100% sure of what your condition is, but I’m going to be safe here and treat it like you’re injured. If you start to feel as if something is wrong, pull back, all right?”

Victor couldn’t believe it. He’s never been in this position before. None of his coaches ever told him this.

“Nothing’s wrong! I feel more than capable to workout today!”

His coach paused and raised an eyebrow at him in concern. “You okay, kid? Something going on?”

The young athlete became startled at such a question that he wasn’t used to being asked. Victor took a moment to collect himself. “Nothing’s wrong. I just…I just want to go train.”

Coach Ford sighed sensing Victor’s stubborn determination. “Don’t push yourself too hard, Victor.”

Victor nodded then walked off to go train. He started off with some push-ups then did some curl ups. Victor was fueled with energy. For nearly two months he has been trapped in the factory as an immobile blueberry. For one hour, he gets to move, jump, run, flip - whatever he wanted and he wasn’t going to waste it. This was his chance to shine. Who knows when he’ll get this opportunity again!

He headed to the pull up bar, jumped up to reach them, and began his reps.

He channeled his frustrations. The stupid gum. Michelle and Vernon’s mean comments. The Oompa Loompas. Wonka’s restrictions. Not getting to hang out with his own girlfriend. He never thought he’d have to deal with any of these things. Why him?!

Suddenly, Victor felt his stomach drop. Oh no. He felt funny. He gasped and stopped moving, letting himself hang on the bars.

“Something wrong, Beauregarde?” Cornelius snickered. “Finally hurt yourself?”

Victor dropped from the bars and blushed nervously. “No, I…” he gained the stares from his teammates. “I need to run to the bathroom.”

Victor hurried off to the bathroom and locked the door. He was starting to hyperventilate. He checked the mirror but was shocked. He looked…fine? Victor looked down at himself and even lifted his shirt up to see if there was any ounce of blue on him. But there wasn’t.

He panicked. Why was he feeling this way? Then he saw it on his face. It wasn’t a strong blue but it was starting to show. Not a dot but his skin all over was becoming a very light pinkish-blue.

Victor faltered. He needed to call Wonka and quick. He grabbed his phone and dialed her number.

In an instant, Wonka appeared in front of him like a genie coming out of a lamp. Victor yelped at the sight of her.

“Why didn’t you just answer the phone?!” He asked frustratedly.

“And where would the joy in that be?” Wilma Wonka chuckled.

“Ugh, whatever!” He groaned. “Something’s wrong. I’m slowly turning blue.”

Wonka bent down and looked at him closer, causing Victor’s shoulders to tense up. “Hmm, you are. I don’t know why. I specifically charmed you so you wouldn’t have an episode at school.”

Victor’s anger burned. “You charmed me so I wouldn’t have an episode at school but I’m not allowed to go anywhere else like practice or one of your parties?!”

“School takes priority, my dear boy, and time is of the essence. I don’t think you want to be arguing right now since you’re turning blue.”

Victor fumed quietly. “Fine! Please just take me back to the factory.” Not a sentence Victor ever thought he’d say in his life.

Wonka beamed. “Nice to hear you’re using your manners, Mr. Beauregarde.”

Victor glared at her but his shoulders slouched.

“I shall sign you out at the front office. You just meet me there.”

Victor scrunched up his face in confusion. “I thought you were still avoiding the public?”

Wonka winked at him with a twinkle in her eye. “I have my ways. Don’t worry about it.”

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes as the chocolatier’s chaotic whimsy. With that, Wonka vanished and left Victor sighing alone in the locker room.

He looked at himself one last time. It should be fine, he thought. The blue hasn’t darkened and he still looked mostly normal. If he rushed out of here quickly, no one would question him. He’ll just touch base with Coach Ford and call it a day.

Victor scooped up his bag and left the locker room in a huff. He rushed to his coach and talked in a fast manner. “Coach, I need to head home. I don’t feel good. I already have someone on their way picking me up.”

It took a moment for Coach Ford to process what the young boy said. “Oh! Okay! I guess you’re good to go-”

But Victor was already out the door. “Thanks, coach! Goodbye!”

Coach Ford shook his head and just hoped Victor was okay.

Meanwhile Cornelius watched Victor leave and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Wonka watched Victor look out the window in the limo ride back to the factory.

“Would you stop studying me?” Victor grumbled. “You’ve been watching me ever since I got in the car.”

“Just trying to see how light the blue is on your skin,” she smiled.

Victor studied his hands and huffed. “I was fine all day. It wasn’t until gym that this happened. Now I’m leaving school early just to blow back up again.”

“But Victor,” she stated. “You aren’t swelling at all.”

“I guess you’re right,” he muttered. “I just want to go back to school.”

“There will be a next time,” she reassured him.

Yeah, but when? He thought.

Victor thought back to his day at school. He tried to count the small wins of seeing Cameron and Lex again, finally getting some time to himself while being normal and at least squeezing some type of training in. But something triggered him to feeling funny again. Was it something he did or did the juice in his system think it would be a great time to swell up for his teammates to see?

Victor frowned and thought, I bet Ms. Wonka can’t wait to test those theories out.

They pulled up to the factory and both of them got out of the car.

Victor rubbed his arm nervously. “Thanks for picking me up early.” He said quietly.

Wonka was slightly taken aback but yet she grinned at him. “You are most certainly welcome, Mr. Beauregarde.”

Víctor hurried off to his room before she requested him to do anything too embarrassing.

For only a split second, she began to think that Charlie might be correct about him and the others, but she still doubted it. She wasn’t going to entertain that idea for a second. Wilma Wonka knew children. Her whole market was catered to them!

But the other four children needing fun? What a silly idea.

Chapter Text

Victor didn’t know how long he was stuck in the door frame. He was being led out of the Testing Room by a group of Oompa Loompas to who knows where, and next thing you know, he was firmly wedged in an entrance. He didn’t think he was that huge. Victor wasn’t fully round and his stomach wasn’t even the size of a yoga ball - maybe a basketball if anything. He still had his red belt snuggly wrapped around him. He just felt a bit bloated and he wasn’t even waddling that badly. Yet, here he was.

He tried pushing and pulling himself but no luck. He called out for help dozens of times but the Oompa Loompas seemed to have given up and left.

“Hello?! Is anyone there?!” He whimpered. Why did they even try to push him through here if they knew he wasn’t going to fit?! Why did they leave him?! This was cruel!

He pushed harder but quickly stopped. He was exhausted.

“Someone help!”

Suddenly, Victor felt a gurgle emanate from his stomach.

“Oh no…”

He puffed up a little and thanked God the swelling was short and quick. He didn’t enjoy the fact, however, that this meant he was going to be further wedged in the frame.

After what felt like minutes or maybe an hour, Victor gave up calling for help. Surely someone will come find him. Wonka never let Victor go this long without some sort of examination or meal. She told him there’s always something new to explore with his condition.

He continued to puff up every now and then, hoping and waiting for someone to show up. Then his ears perked as he heard a clanking and cluttering noise and someone muttering under their breath.

“Stupid broom breaking apart,” he heard the voice say around the corner.

Victor’s eyes lit up. It was Vernon Salt and he was carrying a broom along with a rag and a spray bottle. Vernon was the last person he wanted to appear around the corner. He would rather deal with Michelle’s aggression or Agnes’ nonstop talking about food recipes than the rich brat. But he had no choice. He was firmly wedged in the frame and he wanted out.

Vernon noticed the wedged blueberry boy and chuckled to himself. Victor rolled his eyes in preparation for his teasing.

“Well isn’t this hilarious!” Vernon snickered. “And how long have you been stuck here, Blueregarde?”

Victor sighed. “I don’t know. Can you just get me out?”

“Hmmm I don’t know…” Vernon rocked on his heels and fake pondered to himself. “I am quite busy and Ms. Wonka is requiring me to clean this whole floor, so…don’t know if I’ll have time to help you out!” He poked his stomach teasingly.

“What do you want, Vernon?” Victor asked agitatedly.

“I want your next day off,” Vernon said simply.

Victor looked at him incredulously. “You already took my last one! I’m not giving you another!”

“Then I guess you don’t want to get out of there badly enough.” Vernon smiled. “I enjoyed your day off by the way. Very relaxing.”

Victor huffed. “But I have a baseball game this week. I can’t miss it!”

“Well I’m off to go clean some more,” Vernon straightened himself out and began to walk.

Victor groaned. “Wait!”

Vernon gave a sly smile. “Yes?”

He sighed. “You can have my day off.”

“Excellent!”

“But please don’t take this one! You can have the one after that! I can’t miss this! I promise you can have it!”

Vernon hummed to himself. “Fine.”

Victor sighed with relief. “Thanks,” he glanced around awkwardly. “So uh, can you get me out? I need to go to the living room.”

“Victor Beauregarde!” Vernon feigned a gasp. “Is that how we ask politely?”

Victor was growing impatient much to the British child’s delight. He said through gritted teeth, “will you please get me out?”

Vernon giggled mischievously. “Of course, tubby!” He patted his stomach as Victor shifted uncomfortably.

Vernon grabbed hold of Victor’s arms and pulled on him. They both grunted as he tried to yank the poor boy out.

“At least try to push yourself out too, Victor!”

“I’m…trying…!”

Vernon pulled harder and eventually POP! Victor fell out of the door frame nearly crushing Vernon in the process.

Vernon grunted and shoved Victor off of him. “Oof! You smell like blueberries!”

Victor blushed wildly in embarrassment. “Gee, I wonder why?!” He said sarcastically, lying on the floor exasperated. Vernon helped him up to his feet. They began to walk down the hallway. “So you were cleaning this whole floor?”

Vernon rolled his eyes. “Ms. Wonka hasn’t let me work on any business stuff. She has me doing janitorial crap for weeks! I’m starting to feel like she’s lying to me. How am I supposed to show my mum I’m ready at this rate?!”

Victor was shocked. He didn’t realize Wonka was lying to him too. “I get that. She hasn’t let me work on any of my projects.”

“I wonder why she won’t let us do what she promised us?” Vernon wondered out loud.

A loud gurgle sounded from Victor. He blushed profusely and put his hand on his stomach, stopping their walk.

“Stupid! Belt!” He grunted while tugging on it.

“Why do you still wear it?” Vernon laughed.

Victor swelled a little and swallowed nervously. “It’s not my choice,” he said bitterly. “It’s hers!”

It finally popped off him then landed on the floor. Victor sighed roughly as the juice settled within him. Vernon picked his belt off the ground then slung it over his shoulder.

“Hey!” Victor protested. He tried to reach for it. “Give it back!”

“HA! Why would you want this?” Vernon grinned. “It’s not even going to fit on your fat belly anyway!” He held it against the blue boy’s stomach.

Victor fell quiet for a moment. “I…”

He grabbed Victor’s belly and jiggled it, snickering all the while. “You’re better off without it. Besides, blueberries don’t need belts.”

Victor rolled his eyes at being called a blueberry again. He huffed. “At least squirrels won’t mistake me for garbage.”

Vernon stopped walking and gasped. He then harshly pinched Victor’s side.

“Ow! What the crap was that for?!”

“You’re mean!” He pinched him again.

“OW! I’m mean?! You’re the one that pinched me, you twit!”

“You’re hurtful! You don’t know what I’m going through!”

Victor didn’t want to be alone with Vernon when he started his infamous tantrums. Not like he could go anywhere. He was swelling up in short spurts and had to rely on Vernon to walk down the hall and to lead him to the living room.

He winced. “Vernon-”

Vernon began to angrily stomp his foot and thrash his body. “You take it back! Take back what you said!” He jabbed his finger into his stomach aggressively.

“OW! Fine! I take it back! Just quit it!”

Vernon straightened himself out. He wiped his tears, sniffled, and smiled, almost like he didn’t have a tantrum at all. “That’s better.”

Victor was appalled at what transpired. Even after so many months, he couldn’t believe Vernon was 15 years old, a year younger than him, and acting this way.

They continued their walk. Victor rubbed his stomach uneasily, still feeling the soreness from the jabs from Vernon. He saw Vernon tug down on his white gloves and his long sleeves, but what caught Victor’s attention were the blisters he saw on Vernon’s arms. He decided not to say anything. He didn’t want to get the rich brat riled up again.

Victor remembered the other ticket winners telling him about Vernon’s demise in the Nut Room and how the furnace was on, but he barely had the time to talk to him about it. Not like he willingly wanted to talk to Vernon, but Victor rarely had the time to get to know the other children. With Wonka constantly testing him and leaving him stranded as a giant blueberry, he barely knew about their personal lives.

Victor began to breathe hard. He wondered how far away the living room was. “Are…are we almost there?”

“We’re almost to the stairs!”

“No! Not the stairs! I won’t be able to make it down!” He protested. “How far away are we from the elevator?”

“Not far.” Vernon said looking toward the end of the hallway. He then got a mischievous look on his face as he watched the poor boy gasp for air. “Why don’t you like the stairs?

“It’s hard for me to take a step down. I can’t see anything below my stomach!”

The boys heard a groan from around the corner. Michelle appeared with her hands in her hoodie pocket and slouched over.

“Dumb woman knowing nothing about freaking technology,” Michelle muttered under her breath.

Great, Victor thought and rolled his eyes. Teevee’s here.

Michelle locked eyes with the both of them. “What are you doing with Berry Boy?”

Victor glared at Michelle then quickly blushed as Vernon patted his stomach proudly. “I saved him from the door frame.”

“The door frame?” She repeated. She broke into a laugh. “Wait. Are you saying he got stuck? And I missed it?!”

Victor glared at her once more.

“You think we can put him back in?” She snickered.

Victor’s eyes widened in fear. “What?! No don’t! I’m still swelling!”

“We shouldn’t do that!” Vernon said. “Because he wants to go down the stairs.”

“Oh he does?” Michelle raised an eyebrow at him.

Michelle and Vernon grabbed either side of him. Victor tensed up and flailed his arms. “No! I can’t walk down the stairs! It’ll irritate the juice and I’ll swell up!”

“Oh please! You’ll be fine, Victor!” Michelle waved her hand.

“Yeah, and besides, taking the stairs is a good form of exercise!” Vernon poked him again.

“No! The railing! It’s too narrow for me!” Victor tugged his arms. “Just stop! I’ll do anything!”

Michelle froze, satisfied with pushing him to the edge. “Anything?”

Victor instantly regretted what he said. “What do you want?”

Michelle grinned. “So I’ve noticed you barely get to use your days off…”

Victor’s eyes widened again. “No! You can’t have them! I already gave one to Vernon a few minutes ago!”

“It’s the only way, Blueregarde,” she said.

“Ms. Wonka barely gives me any in the first place! I was lucky enough to finally get three this month!“

“You only got three total?” Vernon raised an eyebrow. “We get way more than that! Each of us get 2-3 days off per week.”

“Then why do you need more?!” Victor yelled at him.

“Never mind that,” Michelle put the focus back on her. She tightened her grip around his arm. “If you won’t give me your other day off, have fun reaching the living room by stairs, Vicky!”

“Wait! Stop!” Victor shouted and luckily, they eased up. He sighed nervously. “You can have it. But not this next one! You can have my last one from this month.”

Michelle thought about it. “Bold of you to be negotiating the terms, even though you’re in no position to be doing so. But alright. I’ll take it.”

“So,” Victor said uneasily, “we’re heading to the elevator…right?”

“Yep!” Michelle patted his stomach. “You earned it.”

Victor huffed from her saying that he earned it. Earned it through what? Surviving their bullying?

The three of them reached the elevator but with Victor breathing ragged. The doors dinged open and Michelle and Vernon walked in. Victor slowly began to enter but Michelle stopped him.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Oh, you’re not coming on the elevator with us,” she said simply.

“What do you mean?”

“We got you to the elevator,” Vernon added. “That was the deal.”

“Besides,” Michelle continued. “You’re too big to be joining us anyway.”

Victor couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “This is ridiculous! I’ve shared an elevator with you before!”

“Yeah but that was just me and you.” Michelle corrected. “There’s two of us in here and we’re not taking any chances.”

Victor relented. “But what if the elevator doors open to a place on the first floor I won’t recognize? How would I get to the living room if you guys aren’t there to help me?”

Vernon laughed. “You still don’t know your way around?”

Victor slowly shook his head no.

“You don’t trust us to be waiting for you when you get there?” Michelle raised an eyebrow.

“Not…really.”

“Good answer,” she said. “Bye, tubs!” And with that, she pressed the elevator button and the doors closed.

Victor groaned. I swear whenever I get back to normal, I’ll kill them both, he thought. He did his best to reach the elevator button and pressed it. He rested his hands on his stomach and waited for the doors to open. He used this time to catch his breath.

The doors dinged open and two Oompa Loompas stood before him. Victor tensed up, but before he could do anything, one of them pressed “doors closed”.

“No! Wait! I need to-”

But it was too late. He did his best to reach for the button again and let the cycle continue.

“Where is Victor Beauregarde?” Wilma Wonka asked, down in the living room. “He was supposed to be here an hour ago.”

Vernon and Michelle rested on the couch.

“No clue,” Michelle said.

“Who is Victor?” Vernon asked.

Wonka sighed. “Of course you two won’t say anything. And Vernon, didn’t I tell you to clean the fifth floor?”

Vernon‘s eyes darted around. “I vaguely recall you mentioning something like that.“

Wonka rubbed her temples. “I’m going to have to deal with you later,” she muttered. Wonka noticed Charlie enter the room. “Oh good, you might know something. Charlie,” The chocolatier said grabbing her protégé’s attention. “Do you know where Mr. Beauregarde is?”

“Victor?” She perked up. She got sad over the mentioning of her boyfriend, still barely getting to see him. “I haven’t seen him all day. I was in the office.”

Wonka sighed frustratedly and turned to Agnes who was sitting at the table picking at her salad. The girl looked a little bit lighter than she has in the previous weeks thanks to Wonka’s regimen. “Have you seen him?”

Agnes simply shook her head.

“Great,” she continued to rub her head.

The elevators dinged opened and Victor slowly waddled off, still trying to catch his breath.

“Victor!” Wonka shouted. “Where have you been?! You are over an hour late!”

Victor blushed in embarrassment. “I…I got stuck in the door.”

Wonka snorted. “You got stuck?” Victor looked down in shame as she laughed. “Oh that’s too adorable! Why didn’t you call for help?”

“I did!” He said. “No one came!”

“I saved him!” Vernon raised his hand eagerly.

“That was like an hour later,” Victor muttered.

“Well I’m happy you got out, my dear boy, but you were supposed to check in with me after you were in the Testing Room with Ms. Wilkinson.”

“The Oompa Loompas left me in the door! No one came to help me!”

Wonka cocked an eyebrow, giving him a stern look.

Victor slouched defeated, knowing Wonka won’t give his excuses the time of day. “Sorry, Ms. Wonka.”

“What did Ms. Wilkinson say?” She asked.

“Everything’s stable,” Victor said glumly, holding onto his stomach.

“Perfect!” She clapped her hands. “You’re all done for today,” she pinched his cheek causing him to frown.

“Then can I go to the Juicing Room?”

“Nope!” She said happily.

“I…understand,” he said quietly.

“Now! We have a meeting, children! Please meet me upstairs so I can check in on your progress,” she ordered.

The Golden Ticket Winners began to leave the living room.

“I’m going to need a moment,” Victor huffed.

“Oh, take all the time you need, sweetie pie,” she waved him off. “But you’re not going to the meeting.”

Victor was caught off guard. “I’m not?”

“No, sir!” She patted his stomach. “You did all the work you needed to do today. Congrats!”

Victor looked down at his stomach and felt the juice burble against his hands. “But when will you need my reports on healthy products? I have all of this research and ideas to give to you!”

“Soon,” she said. She then left him and head up the stairs.

Before Victor slowly turned to make his way to the couch, Charlie touched his shoulder causing him to jump.

“Victor?” She said gently. “You all right? I heard you got stuck.”

“I’m fine,” he said a little too aggressively. He was tired of spreading the news he get stuck in a door frame. “I think I might be bruised a little.”

“I’ll see if Ms. Wonka can let you go to the Juicing Room today.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll just try and recover here,” he forced a smile. “Plus, I have this Friday off for the game. It’ll be all right. We can hang out then.”

“Okay,” she smiled. She hugged him, which was nice but really awkward for Victor. Not because he rarely received hugs but well, it was hard for him to process how huge he was. He didn’t think he could get used to the feeling of someone’s arms barely wrapping around him.

She then kissed him on the check and Victor was officially alone in the factory’s living room.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It was the day of the game and Victor was dressed in his baseball uniform. Baseball was not his favorite sport. He hated it with every inch of his being. It was more so of his father’s thing. In fact, T ball was the first thing his father put him in. It was also the first sport he failed at. But here he was today, standing in front of the mirror grateful to play the game if it meant getting out of the factory for a bit.

He looked himself over one last time then sat on his bed waiting for his father to pick him up. Victor pulled out his phone and began to message Cameron.

Victor: hey! Are you still coming today?

Cameron: of course dude! It’s your first big game since the factory! Wouldn’t miss it!

Victor: kinda nervous

Cameron: why? You got this! You always got this!

Victor: I’m afraid I’m going to screw it up

Cameron: oh come on Vic you’re not going to screw it up

Victor: no like

Victor: what if you know

Victor: my condition ruins everything?

Cameron: it won’t happen! You have today off! I’ll be there cheering you on! No need to worry Vic

Victor: I guess you’re right

Cameron: of course! I’m always right ;) I’ll see you soon

Victor sighed as he tossed his phone onto his bed.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Come in!” Victor called. Charlie peaked her head through then entered. “You know, my door is always open. It’s the only one that doesn’t have a lock. Ms. Wonka said it’s too dangerous for me to have one.”

“Too dangerous?” Charlie repeated as she sat down next to him on the bed.

“I could swell up and nobody would be able to reach me if I locked my door.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” she said looking back at it.

“Are you coming?” Victor asked expectantly.

“No,” she said sadly. “Ms. Wonka has me staying here. She’s going to a business convention. I wanted to go with her but she told me to stay here. She said the only way I could’ve gone was if I had the day off and I don’t.”

“I’m sorry, Charlie,” he said. “Well, it’s not like there won’t be more opportunities! You’re her apprentice. I bet the next opportunity will be better than this one.”

“That’s true,” she nodded quietly. “Hey, Victor…”

“Yeah?” He asked, looking into her eyes.

“I’m so glad we’re dating. Being with you has been great. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. I never thought I would ever be in a relationship in my life. But I’m glad I’m with you.”

“I’m glad to be with you too,” he smiled.

They slowly inched forward, both of them bracing for a kiss, but-

“Mmph?!”

Victor’s mouth was instantly flooded with blueberries. His eyes flared open as he saw Charlie shove them in his mouth.

Charlie’s eyes watched Victor’s face turn blue but also riddled with betrayal.

He forced himself to swallow the fruit, coughing in the process. “Wh-what are you doing?!”

“I’m so sorry, Victor, but I can’t miss this convention!” Charlie sputtered. “If I go to this convention and prove myself, maybe Ms. Wonka will go easy on me! She’ll let me catch a break!”

“Why didn’t you just ask me to give you my day off?” Victor asked.

“I knew you would’ve said no,” she lowered her head.

Victor’s stomach gurgled and it began to press out against his uniform. “I would’ve done anything for you, Charlie.”

Charlie’s eyes began to water and her heart flooded with guilt. “I’m so sorry!” And she quickly left his room and headed into hers.

“Oh God,” she banged her head against the wall. “What have I done?! I just betrayed my boyfriend!”

Victor felt his stomach swell up in disbelief. He was too much in shock to move. He never thought Charlie would do this. He tried to make sense of it. Maybe she’s just stressed? Wonka is pushing her too hard. Yeah that must be it. She would never act this way. This isn’t her!

He heard his door open and it was father laughing happily. “Victor! Are you ready to get back into- what are you doing?!”

He forgot his father was taking him to the game. “I…um-”

“I thought you had the day off?!”

“I do…”

“What are you doing just sitting around?! Get out of your uniform before you ruin it!”

Victor wobbled to his feet. “S-sorry, father.”

“Stop sputtering and get out of there!” His father helped him change into his regular clothes. Victor whimpered silently to himself. “I swear, son, what has gotten into you? Can’t you do one thing right?!”

Charlie hopped into the limo with Wonka who was shocked to see her come in. The girl quickly wiped her tears so her mentor wouldn’t see.

“Charlie!” The chocolatier exclaimed. “Surprised you’re here! You switched your day off with someone?”

“Yeah, Victor switched with me,” she said quietly.

“Oh,” Wonka blinked a few times. “Well how kind of him.”

“Yeah…”
* * * * * * * * * * *
“Charlie, it’s fine!” Victor reassured her, resting on his bed. They were in his bedroom the next day. His father went back home to Montana, venting to his wife about how Victor ruined things again with his condition. He tried to look at her over his large stomach. “You apologized like a million times. I’m okay. I promise.”

“But it wasn’t! I acted like a total jerk. I shouldn’t have done that to you.” She rested her hand on his stomach comfortingly and Victor did his best not to flinch. Her hand felt so small against him. He said nothing for a bit. “Hey! Join me for a movie night? We said we were going to do something soon. Why not tonight?”

Victor felt his stomach burble beneath his hands. “I’m not sure, Charlie…”

“Oh come on, Vic!”

He shifted awkwardly in his bed, trying to gain the energy for walking to the living room. He didn’t want to disappoint her. “Okay…”

“Yes!” She threw her arms around him. “Let’s go! I’ll help you.”

When they reached downstairs, Victor tensed up at the sight of the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners.

“Finally we can start!” Michelle groaned at the sight of Victor and Charlie.

“Wait, I thought it was just the two of us?” Victor said to Charlie, looking at the rest of them. Agnes gave them both a simple wave.

“I wanted to do a movie night with everyone. I’ve been telling Ms. Wonka that we should all have a break from work in the factory. So, she allowed me to do a movie night.”

“Oh, okay,” Victor muttered and cringing at the mention of Wonka. “But this is not what I meant when I said we should hang out this weekend, Charlie.”

“It’ll be fun!” She reassured him. She grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the couch. He yelped a bit as he followed Charlie, the juice sloshing within him.

Charlie sat down on the couch but Victor hesitated.

“What are you waiting for?” Michelle sneered, sat in a nearby recliner. All that was left was Vernon on the other side of the couch and Agnes in the other recliner.

“I…I don’t think I can sit on the couch,” Victor said nervously. “Maybe I should stand in the back.”

“Don’t be silly, Vic! It’s fine! You can sit next to me,” Charlie patted the space next to her.

There was no fighting it. Victor did his best to sit down, albeit it was awkward.

“Fantastic!” Vernon clapped. “Now I can put my popcorn on his stomach!” He plopped the bowl on Victor’s belly.

“No! Vernon, everyone gets to watch the movie!” Charlie said, moving the bowl off her boyfriend’s stomach.

“Charlie, it’s fine,” Victor sighed. “I’m much too big to see anything anyways.”

“Well, you don’t deserve to have a giant bowl sitting on top of you!” She protested.

Victor said nothing at first. He was kind of glad he was included because of all the things he was denied access to by Wonka. He didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“It’s fine! If he wants to put it there, then he can put it there,” Victor said.

Charlie looked at him in shock. Who is this person? She thought. Victor would usually fight back but he’s doing nothing? Charlie watched him sink lower in his seat. He looked exhausted as he tried to look at the screen. Vernon clapped happily and plopped his bowl back onto his stomach.

The rest of the night didn’t go as planned for Charlie. Well what did I expect? She thought to herself. I’m trying to force the four so called rotten kids to get along!

Michelle rambled on throughout the movie. She kept spouting on how ignorant the theme was and what they should’ve done which only ignited an argument with Vernon. But when Vernon wasn’t arguing with Michelle, he tortured Victor by spilling popcorn on him or poking and pinching his sides. Victor didn’t bother to fight back. He was just glad he sort of got to spend time with Charlie.

Agnes said nothing majority of the night. However the one time she did say something it was to ask how Victor was doing but the poor boy was so frustrated from all that he’s been through that he accidentally yelled at Agnes about when she will take his days off. He immediately apologized and felt guilty. Both of them were quiet the rest of the evening.

Charlie sighed as the movie finished and the rest of them went to their rooms. She helped clean off Victor and helped him off the couch.

“Well, thanks for inviting me down,” he said awkwardly.

“No wait! Hold on, Victor,” she touched his arm, desperate to make it up to him. “Maybe we can try dinner tomorrow? Just the two of us. I’ll ask Ms. Wonka if we can just set aside time all right?”

For the fist time this entire evening, he actually smiled. “I would like that.”
* * * * * * * * * *
After much begging and convincing, Charlie got Wonka to turn Victor back to normal for their date. Charlie managed to get some Oompa Loompas to serve the food, however it took more convincing Victor that it was fine and she oversaw the cooking process.

She studied her date. He looked absolutely tired and he hasn’t said much so far. He wore a blue buttoned down, short sleeved shirt with the red belt that he couldn’t seem to escape. At this point, it was hard to imagine the boy in any other color aside from blue.

Victor slowly picked at his food. He ate every now and then but not much. Charlie cleared her throat, grabbing Victor’s attention. “How is everything?”

Victor gave a tiny smile. “It tastes great,” he said. “Thanks.” His smile fell a little. “Sorry for ruining movie night yesterday.”

“Victor, you didn’t ruin anything! The movie night went fine.”

“It just seemed like it meant a lot to you and I was honestly just happy to be included.” Victor said embarrassed. “I don’t get a lot of chances to spend time with you guys.”

Charlie looked down. She thought of the times Wonka kept telling Victor he couldn’t along to the parties and the meetings. “I get that.”

“Um how are things going with-”

Charlie’s phone pinged. She blushed. “So sorry! Ms. Wonka has been messaging me all day! I’ll put it on silent.” She placed her phone back down on the table. “You were saying?”

“I was just going to ask you how you were doing,” he said.

“Oh! I’m fine!” She said smiling, although Victor could sense her smile was tense.

He debated whether to ask her about it. He continued to pick at his food.

“How are you?” Charlie asked. Oh no, she thought, this small talk isn’t going anywhere.

Victor glanced around awkwardly. “It’s okay…thanks for letting me get back to normal today.”

“It’s no problem! It’s the least I could do since I-”

Charlie’s phone vibrated loudly causing the both of them to jump at the sound.

“Dang it,” Charlie huffed.

Victor began to feel bad. “Maybe this was a bad idea. You seem really stressed and busy-”

“No, Victor! We barely get any alone time and I-” Charlie froze again and stared at him. “Oh no…”

“What?”

She watched Victor’s nose slowly turn blue. She sighed. “I’m so sorry, Vic.”

Victor caught his reflection in his silverware. He frowned. The blue spread quickly and his stomach let out a gurgle.

Victor scrambled for solutions. “We can still fix this! Well I…I could just-“

Charlie’s phone buzzed again cutting him off. She let out an aggravated groan. “I can’t do this anymore, Victor!”

Victor slowly swelled up. He looked uncomfortable. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t think I’m ready to be in a relationship and juggle what Ms. Wonka is throwing at me,” her eyes began to water.

“Oh,” Victor said quietly. “You’re…breaking up with me?”

“I just feel like I’m constantly taking care of you while I’m drowning in a sea of paperwork!”

“I didn’t want you to take care of me! I could’ve handled it just fine!”

“But you can’t, Victor!” She yelled. “You’re not the same anymore! You need help! And that’s okay! You’re going through a lot and…maybe I’m not the right person for you to go through it with.”

Victor went quiet, his stomach slowly eclipsing his vision. He was conflicted. He didn’t know what to feel. “This…wasn’t a good idea…”

Charlie’s heart melted. “No, don’t say that! I’m glad we dated. The timing wasn’t right. We just realized…we’re not ready yet.”

“I understand,” Victor forced a smile, not wanting to seem heartbroken over what was happening.

“Here, let me help you,” Charlie got up and helped out Victor.

Victor began to protest, waving his arms. “No! It’s fine! I can handle it!”

Charlie helped him up anyways and sighed. “You gotta allow people to help you, Vic.” She said, getting him out of his chair. She then kissed him on his cheek. “Things are going to be okay. We’re still friends, right?”

Victor hesitated for a moment. Not out of anger, or hurt, but out of shock that Charlie thought they would no longer be friends. “Of course! I don’t ever want to stop being friends with you.”

She smiled and hugged him, which caught him off guard, her arms barely wrapping around him again. “I love you, Victor.”

Victor sighed quietly. “I love you too.”
* * * * * * * * * *
“She broke up with you?” Cameron asked at school. They were at the lockers.

“She broke up with me.” Victor repeated.

“Why?”

“She’s really stressed. And I think between my condition and Ms. Wonka’s endless work, it was too much for her.”

Cameron looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Vic. It’s not your fault. You do know that, right?”

Victor said nothing. He felt like he ruined another thing. First his athletic career, then his recent competition, and now he ruined his relationship with Charlie.

“Victor, it’s not your fault,” he said again. “Your condition is unpredictable and Wonka rarely lets you have a day off. You two tried to make it work. That’s the good thing. You guys weren’t ready yet and you both need to grow. Things will get better.”

“Yeah,” Victor looked down at the floor. Cameron comfortingly patted him on the back.

When Victor looked up, he saw Lex walk down the hall talking to Maddie and the rest of their friends. He gave a tiny smile as she passed him. “Maybe things will get better.”

Chapter Text

Wilma Wonka was becoming frustrated with the gum chewing brat ever since his breakup with her protege. Victor Beauregarde has become increasingly difficult in the Testing Room and during mealtime. The amount of times he has tried to escape has made the job harder for both Wonka and Wilkinson. Before dating Charlie, he hasn’t tried to escape before, but now he has. Wonka now has to negotiate more with the child or simply has to block him from his attempts.

Although she is relieved that Charlie and him are no longer dating, her not understanding what she was seeing in the egotistical boy, she didn’t want to deal with Victor’s behavior.

The last time Victor tried to escape, the chocolatier had to magically stick him to the floor so he wouldn’t move.

Today was no better.

“Let go of me!” Victor shouted, tugging on his arms. His stomach was large, the size of a yoga ball and his pillowy arms stuck out. He was panicking as Wonka had her Oompa Loompas clutching onto him. “Let me go!”

“Mr. Beauregarde, please cooperate with us,” Wonka sighed. “I have told you many times before, the quicker you work with us, the quicker you can leave.”

Victor huffed. “I’m tired of being tested on! I just want to be left alone.”

“We’re almost done, I just need to test more of your juices and you’re good.”

Victor looked down at his stomach then back at Wonka. “But what are you going to do?”

“Well,” Wilma Wonka cocked her head, studying the young boy. “You are stuck at this size and I was expecting you to round out today based off of the previous data. I would like for you to chew this stick of gum.” She pulled out a piece from mid air.

Victor shuddered at the sight of it. “Is…that…?”

“The three course meal gum?” She answered for him. “Yes it is.”

He shook his head in panic and tried to back up but the Oompa Loompas were still holding fast. His eyes locked on the stick of gum in Wonka’s gloved hand. Victor was at a loss of words. “But I…I don’t want to…I can’t…I’ll swell up! I’m already huge!”

“You’re just behind according to my analytics, Victor,” she calmly explained to him. “I still need to track your jaw movement as well. And besides, lunchtime is coming up so why not kill two birds with one stone?”

“You’re insane!”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“I’m not chewing that stupid piece of gum ever again!”

Wilkinson walked in the room and Wonka beamed. “Ahh, Ms. Wilkinson! Right on time! I can tell I’m going to need some help with Mr. Beauregarde.”

Victor looked at Wilkinson with pleading eyes. “She wants me to chew the gum again! I-I c-can’t…”

Wilkinson looked him over. “He is kinda small today, isn’t he?”

“Why do you two keep saying that?!” Victor cried incredulously. “I can barely move!”

Wilkinson picked up a clipboard and flipped through the papers. “He is behind.”

Victor shifted awkwardly. “But I don’t want to get any bigger!”

Wonka touched his shoulder. “It’ll be over before you know it, my dear boy.”

“You can’t say that!” He yelled. “No one can ever say that! You don’t know what it’s like to swell up with juice!”

“Well it was your decision to steal the gum, sweetie pie,” Wonka painfully reminded him. “However, I will need you to chew it this time to catch you up on your schedule.”

Victor continued staring at the gum. His heart beat fast, he took shallow breaths. He was frozen still. The Inventing Room’s incident replayed in his head. He was so sure the gum would be fine, so sure he was going to win, and yet he couldn’t describe the humiliation he went through in front of complete strangers. The singing, the mocking, the helplessness, Teevee poking his giant gut, and the dumb Oompa Loompas examining him and scratching their heads at him like he was some sort of oddity. It was all surreal.

“Victor,” Wonka called to him. “I’m going to need you to chew.”

Victor whimpered. He glanced between Wonka and Wilkinson. There was nowhere for him to go. No matter how Victor weighed his options, it didn’t end well. He tried to look at the bright side. At least the steady chewing will calm his nerves somewhat. This fact however didn’t make him feel better.

He looked down defeated and hesitantly opened his mouth. Wonka immediately shoved the gum in causing Victor choke back a little. He started chewing.

“There we go!” Wonka smiled, sighing in relief. “That wasn’t so hard, huh?”

Victor said nothing. The wave of tomato soup flooded his mouth. He was conflicted. He forgot how great the gum tasted and how magical it was. The food was more potent for him than anything. He was enjoying a piece of gum with meals he never got to eat. He was transformed back to the first time he chewed it.

Wonka and Wilkinson studied the gum chewing champion as the Oompa Loompas let go of him. “Are you happy to be chewing gum, Victor?” The chocolatier smirked.

“He has to be,” Wilkinson added. “He’s in his happy place for sure.”

This snapped Victor out of his anxious stupor. He blushed as he chewed. This isn’t what he loved to do. Definitely not. He hated how the media made him known as the gum chewing golden ticket winner. He’s still trying to figure out what he loved to do among the many things his father shoved down his throat.

Victor tasted the gum change to the second course. Roast beef and baked potato. He was already getting full from the soup. He groaned. He didn’t like that he was already so full of juice and now he’s chewing the meal gum on top of that. He knew what was after this. He wanted to sob.

Wonka lowered herself to an Oompa Loompa. “Please get the tape measure ready along with everything else.” The Oompa Loompa nodded and hurried off. “Ms. Wilkinson, have you been tracking his jaw?”

Wilkinson was scribbling down notes on her own clipboard. “I have.”

“Excellent!” Wonka approached Victor. “See? Everything is fine!“ She touched the bottom of his chin. “Just keep chewing!”

Wonka’s words echoed what Scarlett told him the day of the incident. Her encouragement led to his downfall. Victor had no choice but to keep chewing. He was doing his best not to cry. He couldn’t believe he was chewing the horrendous gum again!

Then, Victor’s eyes widened. He tasted it.

Blueberry pie and cream.

He felt funny again as his stomach gave out a loud gurgle and began to swell. Everyone’s attention snapped to the Berry Boy as he blushed profusely.

“He reached the third course!” Wonka exclaimed. “Let’s start measuring inches per second, people!”

The Oompa Loompas sprung upon Victor with the measuring tape. He nervously chewed faster swallowing slices upon slices of pie as Wonka’s workers surrounded him. Victor was in a daze. Between eating the blueberry pie once more, steadily swelling, and everyone inspecting him, the poor child began to dissociate.

A little poke to his stomach snapped him out of it. Then he felt another. And another. And another. Many Oompa Loompas were prodding him.

“No!” Victor flapped his hands. “Stop it!”

Wonka approached him once more. She began to slowly rub his swelling stomach which caused him to grimace. He still hated the feeling. It still made him feel bigger than he actually was. “You’re doing a great job, Victor. Let’s not ruin it.”

He pouted in response as he chewed. Victor rounded out much to everyone’s delight. He felt his feet leave the ground and he flapped his hands to balance himself. Wonka steadied him by placing her hands on his chest. “Can’t have you falling now, huh?”

He frowned at her. “H-how big…am I gonna get?”

“I don’t know!” She smiled. “It’ll be a surprise for everyone I’m sure!”

Eventually the juice began to settle within him. Victor tried to calm himself.

“Excellently done, my dear child!” She patted his side. “You rounded out! You could say you did…swell!” She chuckled at her joke.

Victor was still in a daze. He groaned as he continued to chew the gum.

“He has such a knack for producing juice,” Wonka commented to Wilkinson.

“I believe it’s because of his metabolism,” Wilkinson concluded. “It’s so high that he is able to swell up with a lot more juice than normal.”

“That is true…” Wonka mused to herself. “Then again, he is our first human subject. We don’t have a lot to compare him to. But he is such a perfect specimen.”

Victor began to freak out. He didn’t like how he was being talked about when he was right there. He wasn’t a science experiment! He started to breathe hard. “What are you talking about?”

The two of them turned their attention to the boy.

“What about my metabolism? Why do you keep saying I have a knack for being a blueberry?! I’m not a blueberry!” Tears began to well up in his eyes. “Stop saying that I am! I’m…I’m a champion! I’m an athlete! I’m not a fruit!”

Wonka sighed, having enough of the boy’s temper today. “Victor-”

“I want to go back to normal!” He shouted. “Change me back!” He flailed his hands and kicked his feet. “I can’t take it anymore!”

Wonka rolled her eyes. “I didn’t want to do this but oh well!”

Wonka approached the boy who trembled at the sight of her. Victor flapped and kicked harder as she got closer. She then slowly rubbed his stomach. Victor squirmed at the feeling of her gloved hand. “Stop! What are you doing?! Quit it!”

But the chocolatier said nothing. She kept rubbing his stomach as he flailed about. Victor became more nervous.

“Stop touching me! I hate it! I hate this feeling! Change me back! Change me…” he then felt his movements slow and his eyes began to flutter. “No...no…!” He was getting drowsy as she kept rubbing his belly in slow circles. “I’m not…tired!”

He fought back sleep as Wonka kept rubbing, still kicking and flapping all the while.

“No!…stop…”

But soon, Victor’s eyes shut and his head drooped. He whimpered and groaned exhausted as he fell into a deep sleep.

Wonka hunched over, tired herself. “I rather have him asleep as we finish testing than trying to fight a rowdy blueberry for the rest of the day.”

Wilkinson watched the poor boy snoring. He looked sad and defeated as he slept. “Ms. Wonka, should we grab the gum from the blueberry’s mouth?”

“Ahh! Yes! Thanks for reminding me!”

Wilkinson put on a glove and reached inside Victor’s mouth. She dropped it into the baggy Wonka held out for her. The gum was a rich blue coated in purple saliva.

“It’s always interesting to see how the gum start off as pink and it turns blue at the end of the meal,” Wonka mused to herself, twisting the bag to inspect it.

She then patted Victor’s head who groaned in response.
* * * * * * * * * *
Victor slowly and groggily woke up. He felt like he was asleep for hours. He moved and wiggled his hands and feet. He was brutally reminded he was still swollen. Wonka never told him how large he was.

He tried to look around at his surroundings. Luckily he was on his stomach but he was tilted at an angle. He slowly realized he was in the living room. Victor sighed. He just wanted to be in his room alone.

Ever since the breakup, Victor’s mood has been even lower than usual. He hasn’t been able to speak to Charlie anymore. Next to Cameron, Charlie was the second person Victor could confide in, and now he can longer speak to her without feeling like he was overwhelming her. So he kept to himself and hid in his room until he was forcibly removed by Wonka for testing.

The news of the two teens breaking up spread throughout the factory fast. Agnes felt bad for them. She’s been talking to Charlie about the situation more than to Victor - her still afraid to make Victor upset. Out of the Golden Ticket Winners aside from her now ex-boyfriend, Agnes was the only one Charlie could really talk to. She appreciated Agnes’ gentleness. In the end, she wishes Wonka would get to know her better than just sticking a diet and exercise in front of her and calling it a day.

Michelle wasn’t the same case. She heard the news but didn’t bother talking to either Victor or Charlie. She wasn’t the sentimental type. She’ll never admit it but she did feel bad for Victor when she overheard Charlie talking to Agnes. She’s caught him crying a few times but never made fun of him for it. She figured it was best kept a secret.

Lastly, Vernon couldn’t care less. It didn’t involve him so why should he care? He could use it against Victor. The possibilities were endless for the British child.

Victor buried his head in his divot. He sniffled softly to himself. He was becoming hopeless. It wouldn’t matter anyway whether he was alone or not. The others were bound to enter the living room soon and he hated to admit it, but he’s a currently a huge ball with no way to defend himself.

He tried to force himself back to sleep. Not like there was much for him to do anyways. He could barely move and he felt exhausted.

Meanwhile, Charlie was confiding into Agnes who munched on a granola bar.

“I haven’t spoken to him in days,” Charlie sighed on her bed. “Every time he sees me, he always tries to avoid me. Ms. Wonka has been telling me he’s gotten difficult during testing. I think it’s because of our breakup.”

Agnes nodded sympathetically as she continued chewing.

“I just want him to know that we’re still friends,” she hugged her knees. “You think he knows that right?”

“I think he knows,” Agnes said. “But you two did just break up. It’s still fresh for him. Give him time.”

“I told him we could still be friends the day we broke up. He agreed! I just hope he didn’t change his mind…”

“I’m sure he didn’t,” Agnes said.

“But it feels like Victor doesn’t trust me anymore,” she said quietly. “I betrayed him by taking his day off! The more I think about it, the more I realized we were never going to work out. We’ve changed so much since we all came back! He became more quiet and reserved and not as outgoing and I…became more…stressed and impulsive. That’s not us. It can’t be! We were both too busy. We were both too distracted by the factory. And I’m not sure if I like this change in the both of us. I don’t want him to be pushed over all the time and I don’t want to be this manic, workaholic. It’s scary! Maybe it was for the best we broke up.”

Agnes couldn’t think of something to say. She just looked at her friend with patience. “Do you want me to grab you something to eat?” She finally blurted. Agnes personally hated how her solution was food. It was the thing that made her feel better. But food is universal! It makes everyone happy, right?

Charlie let out a small laugh. “Sure. I can go down with you to the kitchen.”

The two walked downstairs only to see Wilma Wonka talking to Victor, who looked like he swelled up to about 6 and a half feet. He looked miserable as he listened to what Wonka said.

“High…stress?” Victor repeated.

Wonka nodded. “Anytime you’re highly stressed it can cause a trigger for you to blow back up.” And explained. “Which is why it is possible it overpowered the charm I did on you to not blow up at school.”

Victor couldn’t wrap his mind around it. “But I’m stressed all the time here! How am I not swelling up frequently?!”

“Oh you are, you just haven’t noticed,” Wonka chuckled which sent a shiver down his spine. “But the upside is that your juice has become strong and rich. So congratulations, Mr. Beauregarde!”

Víctor pouted. “But that’s not what I want. When can I get back to normal?! Can it be today?! I just want to-” Victor stopped himself when he saw Charlie. He blushed and looked away.

Wonka noticed and chuckled. “Ah I see,” she hummed to herself. “I’ll just give you two some space.”

“Wait! No!” He stopped her.

Charlie sunk at the fact Victor still didn’t want to talk to her. All she wanted to do was check up on him but it’s clear that he was avoiding her.

“Will you please change me back? It’s been days and I’ve barely moved,” he begged. Wonka playfully thought about it. She tapped her foot a bit. Victor lowered his head once more. “Never mind.” He sulked.

“How about this,” Wonka inched forward to Victor’s face. “I’ll change you back-”

Victor immediately perked up.

“But it wouldn’t be back to your regular size.”

His smile fell. “Why not?”

“You did give Ms. Wilkinson and I a hard time today, sweetie pie.”

“I…I’m sorry…”

She pinched his cheek and he grimaced. Victor wanted the patronizing to be over so he can escape to his room. “It’s all right, Mr. Beauregarde.” She tussled his hair which now blinded him. “You just need to be less brash, hmm?”

He simply looked down.

Then suddenly Wonka snapped her fingers and Victor instantly changed to a smaller size. He fell six feet from the air screaming but Wonka caught him. Victor found his arms wrapped around Wonka’s neck and he blushed.

“P-put me down!” He yelled flustered.

“Gladly,” she placed him on the floor.

Victor took a look at himself. The swelling wasn’t too bad. If anything, it looked like he had a beer gut or was nine months pregnant. He slouched a little, still trying to look at the bright side of things. He still couldn’t see his feet but at least he has majority of his mobility back.

Wonka touched the bottom of his chin. “See! Not bad, right?”

Victor snapped out of his thoughts. “Uh…yeah, it’s not bad. Thank you, Ms. Wonka.” This size will due for now. He could at least partially defend himself at this rate. How Victor missed working out or at least expel any pent up energy from doing absolutely nothing for days.

“Whoa! I’ve never seen Victor at this size before!” Vernon said giddily with Michelle by his side. They entered the living room. He bound up to Victor and Victor stepped back. He then proceeded to rub the boy’s stomach.

Victor grimaced. He was tired of all the belly rubs today. “What are you doing? Stop!” He swatted at Vernon.

Vernon stopped rubbing the poor boy’s stomach and laughed. “Oh come on, Blueregarde! I was just rubbing your giant belly for good luck! I have a test tomorrow. I can’t fail that.” He reached out for his stomach again.

Victor’s eyes widened and heat rushed to his cheeks. “Quit it, you twit!” Victor hit Vernon’s hand.

Michelle laughed. “Dang, I can’t get a turn? I have a huge midterm coming up.”

Victor’s anger burned and he backed further away. “No! Stay away from me!”

DING DONG! The doorbell rang and Wonka sighed as she got to it. Anything to get away from the children for a few seconds.

Wonka opened the door to find Cameron standing on her doorstep. “Mr. Cameron!” She exclaimed. “Always a pleasure to have you over!”

Cameron smiled. “Thanks. Is Victor here? May I come in?”

“He is!” Wonka let him in. She thought to herself how a polite child like Cameron befriended Victor Beauregarde. Then again, she thought, her own apprentice dated the boy. There’s something about that kid.

Cameron walked in on his best friend fighting back Michelle and Vernon. Of course he is, Cameron thought. “Victor!” He called.

Victor looked up and smiled only to have Michelle throw in one last jab at his stomach. “Quit it!” He shouted.

“Come on, dude,” Cameron laughed as he grabbed Victor’s hand. “You could use a break. Is that all right, Ms. Wonka?”

“That is fine by me,” the chocolatier smiled.

“Let’s go, Vic!” Cameron tugged on his hand, nearly causing Victor to lose his balance. Cameron hurriedly led him up to his room before Michelle and Vernon could tease the poor boy further.

Charlie watched her ex-boyfriend leave the room. She heard the door close. She needed to talk to him soon.

“Why are you sulking?” Michelle asked her. “Usually you’re all rainbows and sunshine and so gung-ho about chocolate.”

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Wow, you really know me!”

“Whoa! Sarcasm from Charlie Bucket!” Michelle laughed. “Wasn’t expecting that from you!”

Charlie was taken aback. She’s just been full of surprises lately.

“I like this side of Charlie,” Vernon grinned mischievously. “Better than the Charlie from a few months ago.”

Charlie said nothing in response. She definitely didn’t like this side of her that was developing. She quickly left the room with Michelle and Vernon cracking up and Agnes looking back in concern. Wonka studied her protege hurrying off before she could even call after her.

Victor laid down on his bed with a huff as Cameron sat in his friend’s desk chair.

“I’m exhausted,” he sighed.

“Then rest up!” Cameron said. “We don’t have to do anything today. I’m just here to keep you company.” He smiled. “And to get you away from Michelle and Vernon for a while.”

“Thanks,” he said quietly. “But I already fell asleep for who knows how long today. I just woke up a few moments ago! I can’t fall asleep again.”

“Vic-”

“Plus, I can finally move a bit more on my own right now. I can at least catch up on homework-”

“Victor!” Cameron shouted. “Relax!” Victor fell back against his headboard and frowned. “I know it’s not something you like to hear but look at yourself! You gotta take a moment to breathe.”

“But I already do nothing all day!” He protested. “I need to take this opportunity to get some work done! Who knows when I’ll be back to normal again!”

Cameron sighed. “I understand that, Vic, but I think your teachers and coaches know that you’re technically sick right now. Rest. Recover. It’ll be okay! Don’t work on anything.”

Victor looked away frustrated. “I just feel useless. And I could really use a distraction. I haven’t been well since the breakup. I didn’t think it would affect me this much.”

“Oh, dude!” Cameron sat closer to Victor. “I’m sorry!”

“I haven’t really spoken to her since then. It doesn’t just feel awkward, it feels like I’m burdening her if I approach her. I just can’t believe I made her feel that way.”

“Vic, I told you! You can’t blame yourself for the breakup. Both you and Charlie are going through changes while staying at the factory.”

“But-”

“I will fight your brain, Beauregarde!” Cameron pointed a finger at him. “I don’t care what you think! You are not responsible for the entire thing!”

Victor sunk into his bed. He couldn’t help but feel the opposite. He knew the root of the problem was both of them were busy with the factory. They both visited the factory. And at the factory, he took the gum which caused this weird condition he now has to live with! And this weird condition is why Charlie felt the need to constantly take care of him on top of all the work Wonka threw on her.

“I can see you thinking, Vic,” Cameron said.

“It’s not that easy! She kept trying to take care of me, and she was already so busy!”

“Well there’s nothing wrong with needing help, but also didn’t she betray your trust and fed you the very thing you’re allergic to?”

Victor became quiet. “Well, yes…”

“That was her fault! Charlie’s an amazing person, of course, but she’s not perfect. She makes mistakes too. And she clearly had a devious side,” Cameron chuckled. “I wonder where that side came from.”

“Probably her grandmother,” Victor grumbled.

Cameron laughed. “Her grandmother?” He repeated.

“Yeah. Her grandmother hates me. Last time I saw her was a few weeks ago and she told me I deserved what happened to me.”

Cameron winced.

“Charlie told me right after they left the Inventing Room, they went to the Fizzy Lifting Room where Ms. Wonka made this soda that makes you float.”

“Of course she did. Very normal thing to do, yes.”

“But right after everyone left the room. They both stayed and her grandmother convinced her to steal a drink and the drink worked. But they nearly died from it because they got too close to the fan.”

Cameron blinked a few times. “You know, from the stories I’ve heard from the tour, you’d think after your incident, people wouldn’t touch anything this woman made.”

Victor shifted uncomfortably in his bed, still hating the fact that his incident at the factory was the most humiliating punishment out of the five of them. “And yet she won.” And I lost, he thought. I lost hard.

“But do you really think Ms. Wonka has the right to judge the five of you? She barely knows you. The only thing she had to take away from was the tour itself and your interview.”

“That’s all she needed then to make me like this,” Victor frowned. “Maybe it’s for the best. Charlie and I would have never worked out. She was so focused on the factory and making candy and she always brought up Ms. Wonka. It wouldn’t even have to be about work. It would just be her and what she tells her and I…I just don’t have that with Ms. Wonka.”

Cameron looked at Victor sympathetically. He thought about the difference between Victor before the tour versus now. He hasn’t seen Victor this desperate and tired before in a long time. The last time he’s seen him like this was when they were at least 6 or 7 right when the competitions began to pick up. Victor was being pressured by his father to win even more games and competitions since he noticed his son has a natural talent for competing.

“Not everything is going to be perfect. And that’s okay. That’s what makes you human.”

Victor sank even lower. “I guess you’re right…”

“Of course I’m right!” Cameron laughed. “Because I’m awesome.”

Victor couldn’t help but laugh a little too. “Thanks for coming over, Cameron.”

Cameron paused for a moment and thought to himself. He didn’t realize how much Victor really needed a friend right now. Well, he knew, but he could sense that Victor was really going through it.

“You wanna watch something? Like a movie?”

Victor gave a tiny smile. “I’d like that.”

Before the factory, Victor would’ve originally act offended if someone broke up with him romantically or even sponsorship wise. It was his pride’s fault. Who could ever deny an opportunity with the Champion of Miles City? But this with Charlie was different. In fact, it was his first real relationship where he felt something.

Victor eventually fell asleep. They were only ten minutes into the movie and he was knocked out. Cameron watched him rest peacefully from the desk chair. He noticed that whenever Victor slept over at his house, he looked truly asleep, like he couldn’t be easily woken up like usual.

Right now, Cameron wasn’t sure if Victor was knocked out because of his condition or just from sheer exhaustion. Charlie told him that no matter what size Victor was, he was a heavy sleeper.

But was it wrong for Cameron to think that Victor’s finally getting rest despite his condition? He knew if he told Victor the bright sides of being a blueberry, Victor wouldn’t take it well. Yes, it was humiliating to blow up into an oddity, but his friend was finally resting.

In the end it didn’t matter. Cameron was just happy to know that Victor felt safe around him. Safe enough to fall into a deep, relaxing sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor anxiously chewed his gum as he sat and waited for Cameron outside on the school steps.

He looked at the time. “Come on, Cam!” He chewed faster. Wonka allowed him one hour after school on certain days to do whatever he wanted before he got picked up. Which isn’t a lot when you consider the fact he hardly goes to school because of his condition.

Victor buried his head into his hands. What’s keeping Cameron up? Did he have a club meeting and forgot to tell him? He nervously blew a bubble.

“Victor?” He heard a voice call.

He looked up. It wasn’t Cameron. It was -

“Lex!”

“What are you doing out here?” She sat next to him on the steps.

Don’t get tongued tied now, Vic. He scolded himself. “I’m actually waiting for Cameron.”

“Oh!” She said. “Well,” she tapped her feet on the steps, “maybe I can keep you company until he comes?”

Victor blinked a few times. He stammered. “I! I w-would love that.” Oh my God, keep it cool.

“So what have you been up to?” She asked.

Victor side glanced. “Um…nothing really…”

She snorted.

“What?” He said nervously.

“It’s hard to imagine you not doing anything,” she admitted. “Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve always been doing…something. What happened to that?”

Victor blushed. “My…condition,” he said sheepishly. “I can’t really do much of anything with it around.”

Lex became quiet. “Oh,” she looked down. “Sorry. I forgot.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine.”

“Victor, you can’t blame your body for something it can’t control.”

“Thanks, but you don’t understand. This time it was my fault. The reason why I have my condition is because of a dumb choice I made. It’s all because of me.”

Lex became quiet as she soaked in what he had to say. “Well, we all make dumb choices, Victor. No one is perfect.”

He scoffed. “But I have to be. Everyone wants me to be.”

“But that’s the cool thing. When we all make dumb choices we get to learn from them. And to be honest,” she leaned forward a little, “it makes us more relatable and open. Which isn’t a bad thing.”

Victor gave a tiny smile. He was a little tired from hearing Cameron saying exactly the same thing, but he knew Cam was right. Both him and Lex were right. But why was it so hard to believe? He spent all his life being perfect and now it’s being all undone because of a stick of gum.

“Thanks,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, it’s just…what you’re saying is just so hard to process for some reason.”

“It’s not going to come immediately,” she touched his hand. Victor’s eyes widened from her gesture and heat rushed to his cheeks. “It’s going to be a journey. And I’ll be more than happy to join you on that journey, Victor.”

Victor smiled.

“Hey!” Cameron called, rushing down the steps. Lex and Victor turned their heads toward him. “Sorry I’m late! I know you’re on a tight schedule, Vic! English Honor Society ran late.”

“It’s all right,” Victor said, standing up. “Lex here kept me company.”

The two waved at each other. “Hey!” She said.

Cameron looked at both of them and smiled. Victor’s eyes glared at him which screamed, “please don’t embarrass me in front of her.”

“Great! Cool!” Cameron replied. Victor sighed with relief.

“I should get going,” Lex said. “Here,” she handed her phone to Victor. “Give me your number. I have a feeling that I should check up on you just so you’re not too hard on yourself.”

“Oh!” Victor said. “Uh! Okay!” He typed in his phone number then handed it back to Lex.

Lex smiled then texted and when she was done, Victor’s phone went off. He looked down at his phone

Lex: hey it’s Lex! :)

“It was great seeing you, Victor.” She smiled then walked off.

Victor watched her leave and then looked back at the text message. His heart melted.

Cameron gave Victor a high five. “DUDE!” He exclaimed. “You did it! Took you five years but you did it! I guess it was a good thing the meeting ran late today, huh?”

Victor’s smile fell a little. Who knew it took him opening up to Lex Reynolds for her to give him his number. “Yeah I did it,” he sighed. “I just hope I don’t screw it up.”

Chapter Text

Lex Reynolds has become a light in a dark place for Victor. They texted everyday, that was whenever Victor could respond because of his condition. It would be the highlight of his day in between the teasing and the testing. Lex Reynolds was truly becoming a good friend to him.

However a nagging feeling hung over Victor. He has been debating whether to tell Lex what his condition actually was. He didn’t know how she was going to respond. Would she make fun of him? Would she spread the reveal to the whole school? Or worse…would she stop hanging out with him?

These weren’t questions Victor liked to think about but he couldn’t help but worry about it. In a way, he kinda lost Charlie. He still hasn’t spoken to her. What was there to talk about? Awkward small talk? How’s work going with the woman who turned him into a blueberry?

Victor continued to text Lex and Cameron in his room. The three of them had their own group chat. Lex proposed to Victor to get out of the house for a while today and to meet up with her later on. Victor looked up from his phone anxiously. There was no way Wonka would just let him leave at this moment. He was expecting to at least blow up and be stuck somewhere. It was unfortunately his new normal. There was simply no guarantee he would be normal for long today.

This was the same problem he ran in with Charlie. He began to panic. He didn’t want to ruin this friendship with Lex. What was he supposed to say?

Knock! Knock! Knock! Victor looked toward the door.

“Victor?” Wonka’s voice called. “It’s time to come out of your room, sweetie pie.”

Victor sighed as he looked back down at himself. He looked at his hands. No signs of blue whatsoever and thank God, no swelling. Might as well enjoy these last few moments of being normal, he thought to himself.

He looked at Lex’s text one more time.

Lex: you wanna hang out somewhere?

He frowned and began to type.

Victor: sorry Lex. I’m not really feeling well today. Maybe next time.

His phone pinged and he looked at the message.

Lex: it’s okay Vic. Don’t be too hard on yourself today. Take it easy :)

He smiled. The door swung open and Wonka appeared in his room. He swallowed nervously.

“It’s time to go, Victor.”

Victor huffed then got off the bed.

The walk down the hall and to the living room was anxious. He had a question for the whimsical chocolatier but he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

“Ms…Ms. Wonka?” He asked timidly.

“Yes, my dear boy?” She said without turning to face him.

Victor cursed himself for not bringing some gum with him. “May I ask…for a day off?”

Wonka sighed. “Victor-”

“Please! It’s been a while since I’ve been out and there’s this girl-”

Wonka stopped in her tracks and gave a cheeky smile. “Girl?” She repeated with her eyebrows raised.

Victor blushed blue. “Yes, there’s a girl. But we’re just friends.”

“Oh?”

Victor furrowed his brows. “I don’t see it going any further. Not with you blowing me up every day.”

“Aww, sweetie pie,” Wonka rubbed his shoulder and he flinched. “Well it’s nice to know you’re making friends, Victor, but you’re not getting a day off.”

Victor slouched. Why even bother asking at this point?

“Plus, I finally got you on a good rhythm with your juicing schedule and I don’t need any interruptions with that now.” Wonka continued her walk down the hallway.

“Yes, Ms. Wonka,” Victor muttered.

“You are doing an excellent job producing juice however!” She turned and beamed at him.

Victor frowned and touched his stomach. “Wow, thanks.” He wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable swelling. Wonka never tells him how big he is going to get. Even if he asked she usually told him it’s a surprise much to his dismay.

Once they got to the living room, Wonka pinched his cheek and smiled at him. “Keep up the amazing work, my dear boy!”

Victor rubbed his cheek. She always pinched too hard.

“One last thing, Mr. Beauregarde,” she said with a finger raised. “I have noticed you barely interact with the other Golden Ticket Winners.”

Victor scoffed. “I think I’ve had enough of them, pto be honest.”

“You being here is not just to help fix your condition, but also to shape your character!”

“And what makes you think interacting with people who tease me is gonna fix that?!”

“A little socializing isn’t going to hurt you!”

“But I don’t want to hang out with them!” He said. “If you want me to socialize, then let me do that with Cam and Lex!”

“Branch out!” She waved her hands. “Victor, you are going to be with the other children for a year. Might as well get used to them.”

“This is stupid,” he grumbled.

“How about this,” she crossed her arms. Oh God, he thought, she’s thinking again. “Every day this week, I will have you spend a day with one of the Golden Ticket Winners.”

“What?! No!” Victor shouted. “That’s ridiculous! I don’t want to spend my day with them. They’ll just make fun of me!”

“I can assure you that they won’t,” she smiled.

Victor rolled his eyes.

“In fact!” She turned her attention to the young German girl at the dining table. “Ms. Agnes Gloop will be the first to spend time with you.”

Victor tensed when he locked eyes with Agnes. Agnes was in the middle of eating another healthy lunch that Victor wish he would’ve had. Neither child said a thing. The two of them hardly spoke to each other and it was always polite acknowledgements. Plus, the last time they spoke was Victor accidentally yelling at the young girl and he’s avoided her since out of guilt.

“And how long do you expect us to hang our with each other?” Victor asked her nervously.

“Just until we get back,” she answered.

“Until you get back?” He repeated. “Where are you going?”

“Just to another gathering,” she waved it off like if was nothing. “I’m sure you and Agnes will be fine!”

Victor grew angry. “Wait a second! You didn’t want me to spend time with them. You just wanted someone to watch me!”

“Victor Beauregarde!” Wonka feigned shock, which aggravated him more. “I would do no such thing. And it’s definitely not because Ms. Wilkinson isn’t available right now.”

Victor didn’t say anything. He was just grateful the mad lady wasn’t sticking him with the Oompa Loompas again.

“Why isn’t Agnes going with you guys?”

“None of her projects have anything to do with this gathering,” Wonka replied simply. “I’m sure you two will get along. Now, I must go. The other children are waiting for me in the car.”

“Ms. Wonka,” Victor took a slight step forward. She sighed and turned around. “When will I be able to join you guys?”

Wonka paused for a bit which made Victor instantly regret his question. He had a feeling he knew the answer.

“Soon.”

He hunched over. I knew it, he thought.

“Goodbye, Mr. Beauregarde. We will be home soon.”

With that, the great chocolatier left. Victor and Agnes stared at each other awkwardly. The two were hardly alone with each other and Victor knew Agnes was a girl of little words.

“So how are you?”

“What have you been up to?”

-they both asked each other at the same time. Victor grimaced. This day is going to lead to nowhere.

“I think I’m going to just watch TV-”

“Victor, wait!” Agnes called, stopping the boy in his tracks. “I actually wanted to ask you something.”

Oh God, what could it be? He thought to himself. What’s it like to blow up with juice? What is it like being rolled or poked or prodded?

“Will you please help me out with my diet?”

“Huh?” Victor blinked a few times. He completely forgot about his regimen, although he would never admit that to his father. With how much Wonka shoved his new diet and schedule down his throat, it was easy to forget.

“You’re a champion athlete!” Agnes said. “You know how to eat healthy and build a schedule. Tell me how you do it!”

“Well, I never really get to decide what to do,” he answered awkwardly. “My father made most of those decisions.”

“But you still listened to him!” She said. “What do you remember?”

“I…” he didn’t know how to answer this question genuinely.

It’s been a while since he’s been asked a “what’s a day in the life of Victor Beauregarde” question. When he does answer this question, usually to an interviewer, he would pridefully say his typical schedule is workouts and protein shakes all day.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” he finally answered. “I would have to look at my planner.”

“Then let’s go look at it!” Agnes hopped up from her chair and sprang up the steps.

“Wait!” Victor shouted after her. He took off for the stairs as well.

They reached the top of the stairs and entered his room.

“I forgot your room was blue,” she said aloud.

Victor blushed angrily. “Tch, and I forgot your room was just another Chocolate Room.” He immediately covered his mouth in shock. “I-I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have said that!”

“It’s okay,” Agnes said simply. “I know you didn’t mean it. I know we both don’t like the colors Ms. Wonka gave us.”

Victor looked down and sighed. “Let me show you my planner.”

He headed to his desk and looked at his planner. He frowned at the light dust that coated the cover. He handed it to Agnes. “Here.”

She began to thumb through. “Oh my goodness!” Agnes softly gasped to herself. “Victor,” she pointed at a page. “This is just one day! You do all of this?!”

Victor was tired and a little exhausted from the shock people would get from looking at his schedule. “So what?! It’s just a schedule! It’s completely normal!”

Agnes looked back down at Victor’s planner. “You don’t have any off days? No time to just reset? This is a lot.”

“Well, it’s complicated now,” Victor grumbled. “But if you want to have a healthy lifestyle then this is it!”

Agnes placed the planner back down at this desk. “This can’t be it. Surely there must be an easier way to go about this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you ever want to shrink down your schedule?”

Victor dropped his arms. “Well of course I do, but if I do that, then I lose everything.”

“Not everything,” Agnes chuckled, but she quickly stopped when she noticed Victor’s face was still crestfallen.

“You don’t get it! No one ever will!” Victor shook his head. “Especially Ms. Wonka! I have to stick to the schedule! And if I stray off just a bit, it’s over! I’m no longer a champion! I have to commit to this! But she keeps taking it away! Everything! Everything I eat and do! It’s going away! And I! I can’t take it anymore!” Victor gasped for breath. He shrunk back a little. He wasn’t expecting all of that to spill out of him. He couldn’t believe he admitted that. He couldn’t believe he admitted it to Agnes of all people.

“I think I understand,” Agnes said quietly. “Maybe not in the competition sense but I understand change is scary. And I can definitely understand the diet thing.”

Victor looked at her confused. “How could you understand the whole diet thing?”

Agnes sat down on Victor’s bed. “My mother,” she began slowly, “her opinions on healthy eating is…flawed. But she thinks eating like the way I did, there was no problem. She thought it was healthy for me to indulge like that. That I was just a healthy growing child. But then the factory…”

Victor simply looked at her. He didn’t know what to say.

“It was embarrassing,” she said quietly. “I…I didn’t think I would fall in like that. It all happened so quickly. One moment I was thirsty and then next thing I’m drowning in chocolate. It was so thick and it was clogging my throat and vision. I could barely swim already and now I’m struggling against heavy waves of chocolate and I’m just wondering…why is no one helping me?”

Victor’s eyes widened. He had the exact same thoughts when he experienced his downfall. No one did anything. They just watched. Like he was some type of spectacle.

“The pipe was the worst part. I thought I was gonna get stuck there forever. And because of the pipe…I can’t handle being in cramped small spaces ever again. I’ll never get over the feeling that I’m too big. Ms. Wonka told me that the reason I fell in was because of my gluttony.”

“I’m…so sorry, Agnes,” he said quietly. “I had no idea.”

“It’s okay,” she wiped a tear from her face. “I think what helps is knowing I’m not alone. The others have expressed the same way. The tour was painful for all of us, Victor. We all came out different. But we can get through this.” She then gave a smile and Victor couldn’t help but give a tiny one back.

“I…I want to help you build a better schedule,” he said.

“I want to help you too. But Victor,” she said, grabbing his attention. “Even though we’re both pretty different, I think we’re both similar when it comes to our parents and how we feel about how we look. I know you don’t care for me that much but…maybe we can change that?”

Victor’s face softened. “I would like that.”

The two children found solace in each other. They talked for hours getting to know each other better. They both discussed not only the factory but how embarrassing and wild it was to be the first two eliminated from the tour. They also discussed the chocolatier herself and what her plans were for the children. Agnes told him that everyone knew about Victor in the Testing Room because of how often he is missing from the group. He confided in her how much he hates being excluded. Victor couldn’t help but admit but he loved talking to Agnes. She was a great listener.

“Every time I’m not with you guys, it just makes me feel like I’m not one of the Golden Ticket Winners.”

“But you are one of the Golden Ticket Winners!” She reaffirmed. “Victor, you don’t really see it because of how often you’re away from us but, Ms. Wonka also tests us.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It’s not as intense as yours, but Michelle told us once that she often would ask Michelle about the Wonkavision experience, constantly measure her height and flexibility, and Michelle hates it. She still lets Michelle help with the technology side of things like strengthening the firewall. For me, she’s been really strict with my diet and it’s a little intense, but once a week she allows me to work with her on testing the chocolate and give opinions.”

The news hit Victor hard. “All of you guys…are getting to work on the projects she assigned us?”

Agnes nodded.

“Wait! What about Vernon?”

“Vernon just started his projects with Ms. Wonka not too long ago. He still has to clean the factory though.”

Victor huffed and looked at the floor in disbelief. “It’s not fair! I’ve done all of this research and I keep trying to tell her about it but she doesn’t want it! She keeps blowing me up and sending me to the Testing Room!”

“I’m sorry, Victor,” she said. “Maybe one day she will hear your ideas?”

Victor scoffed. “Yeah right,” he rolled his eyes. “Look, thanks for listening, Agnes, but there’s just no stopping her. If she doesn’t want any of my ideas, then fine!”

Agnes sat there unsure of what to do. Victor noticed and slouched a little.

He looked at her deeply this time, “I mean it. I’m glad we hung out today.”

Suddenly Agnes hugged him, startling the boy. It took Victor a minute to hug her back and welcome the gesture.

Eventually the two came out of Victor’s room as the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners came home.

Michelle angrily walked into the living room grumbling with Wonka behind her.

“You’re mumbling again,” Wonka said. “Are you saying some binary code or new computer slang?”

Michelle fumed so hard she walked away. Wilma Wonka turned her attention to the two children she left behind for the day.

“Why Mr. Beauregarde and Ms. Gloop!” She smiled. “And how was your day?”

Victor thought about his conversation with Agnes. They grew closer today and he was happy about that. He looked at her and gave a tiny smile then back at Wonka. He decided to keep the details to themselves. However his smile quickly fell when he thought about not getting to see Agnes much again. When was the next time he’ll get to have that? Was this conversation even real? Or was this just another Charlie situation and she’ll end up too busy as well?

Agnes noticed the change in his expression. But before she could say something, Victor quickly said, “it was fine,” and went back to his room.

Wonka studied the boy leaving the living room and mused quietly to herself. “I guess I’ll let him have a little break now before I fetch him for dinner. Anyways, Ms. Agnes? I’ll need to see you in five minutes for your daily check in, yes?”

The chocolatier walked away leaving the German girl by herself. The young girl knew she had to reassure Victor that he was not alone.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Victor stretched awake in the morning. He was happy he didn’t swell up yesterday with his afternoon with Agnes. He was also happy that he got to sleep in just a little bit - although his definition of sleeping in was 7AM.

But when he opened his eyes, he saw Michelle Teevee standing before him. He screamed.

“Teevee!” He sat up in his bed. “What are you doing in my room?”

“I’m watching you today,” she said bitterly, arms folded.

Victor scoffed. “Watching me? We’re practically the same age!”

“Agnes watched you yesterday,” she shrugged. “But that’s funny, you think I want to spend time with you today? I would much rather be asleep right now. Besides, I knew you’d would wake up around this time. Do you ever sleep pass 7AM?”

Victor looked at her angrily. “Not…really…”

“Well are you gonna get out of bed or what, Blueregarde?”

Víctor huffed. “Give me a moment.”

Michelle waited outside the athlete’s room as he changed from his blue pajamas into a different blue outfit.

Victor opened the door and sighed. “So what is your plan here?”

Michelle snickered. “Watch you slowly turn blue that’s for sure.”

“What?” He looked down at his hands. He watched the blue crawl down his arms. His stomach gurgled and he hunched over. “I didn’t think I’d swell up so soon.”

“Well come on,” Michelle grabbed his hand and tugged. “Let’s go eat some breakfast.”

“I…I don’t think I can eat right now, Teevee,” he said, other hand still clutching his stomach. He felt it bloat slowly.

“Dude!” Michelle stopped in her tracks. “Wonka isn’t here right now. Everyone else left for some dumb panel. It’s just me and you!”

“Oh God…” Victor rolled his eyes. “I’m left alone with you.” Michelle glared at him and pinched him. “OW! You and Vernon need to quit doing that!”

“Anyways, I’m going to eat breakfast and you can make whatever protein shake or smoothie what have you since crazy lady isn’t here.”

Victor groaned in frustration as they walked down the stairs, thankful he wasn’t that big to do so.

Soon they both sat down at the table with their breakfast in front of them. Michelle ate cereal. She was just glad it wasn’t some microwave meal. She knew it was some cruel joke Wonka pulled on her for making her eat TV dinners every night. Meanwhile, Victor stared at the smoothie he made. He didn’t bother reaching it because he was too anxious. He heard his stomach burble again and tried to calm himself down.

“So what do you normally do around the factory?” She asked.

“I usually workout before I eat breakfast but that’s out the window.”

Michelle snorted as he continued to swell. He had a small pot belly growing in his lap.

“But I don’t really do anything around here,” he said. “All I do is watch TV and get tested and then get left alone in some room for hours. I’m not used to doing nothing.”

She snickered a little bit as she took one last bite of her cereal. “Not used to doing anything!” She repeated. “Looks like you need some training.”

Victor scoffed. “The only training I need is for my competitions. I don’t need training from someone who lazes about all day.”

“Wow,” she gasped.

“What?” He said nervously.

“I forgot how full of yourself you really are!” She exclaimed. Victor looked at her angrily. “You know what, I’ll help you, Blueregarde.”

“Help me with what exactly?” He snarled.

“Removing that stick from your ass,” she grinned.

Victor glared at her and blushed profusely.

“Come on, dude. I think it’s time to play some video games.”

Michelle and Victor sat down on the couch, the latter struggling in the process. She found two controllers and tossed Victor one. He tried to see where it landed as his stomach grew larger.

“So,” she said. “You have any favorite games?”

“I’m not allowed to play any video games,” he said simply. “My father said it was a waste of time and a distraction from my competitions. Plus Cameron wasn’t too into them growing up. So I never played any.”

Michelle gave a disgusted look. “Gross. Well all of that is about to change.”

Victor huffed. “This is stupid! I wouldn’t even know what to do! I’m not you!”

“Do you whine this much every time you start a new sport?”

Victor said nothing, furrowing his eyebrows in anger. He wished he had some gum to chew to let all his frustrations out.

“Quit complaining and pick up the controller, tubs!” She ordered. “And if I recall correctly, I believe I’m watching you? So you gotta do what I say.”

“Tch, whatever,” he tried patting down the couch to find the controller.

“Here,” Michelle picked it up and placed it on his large belly.

“Great, thanks,” he muttered and held the controller awkwardly on his stomach. “What game is this anyways?”

“This!” She held up the case for him to see. “We’re playing a classic! This game is an old RPG where you’re in a dungeon and fight monsters with a sword and magic! It has some combat, a killer soundtrack and it’s great. It can be played as a two player game but you watch me first so I can show you how to watch your HP and level up.”

Victor blinked a few times. “Teevee, I’m not even sure half of the words you said are real.”

Michelle rolled her eyes and groaned. “Just watch me play first, all right?! It’s all going to make sense!”

Victor looked down at his controller in bewilderment. “I’m not sure about this. I don’t think I’m going to be good.”

Michelle laughed much to Victor’s confusion. “Dude! You don’t have to be good at it! It’s just supposed to be relaxing! Take a load off! You do know the meaning of the word ‘relax’ right?”

“Yes! Of course I do!” He said defensively. “I just don’t have…time for it.”

“Then shut up and let’s play!” Michelle said with a smile and pressed start on the TV.

Victor watched her play the first round and none of it made any sense. It all seemed so fast and complex but whenever he looked back at Michelle, it seemed like a breeze for her. Her fingers rapidly pressed the buttons as her player fought on screen. She was in the zone, eyes glued to the TV.

“All right!” She went back to the home screen and switched the controls to him. “Your turn.”

Victor glanced nervously at Michelle then back at the screen. “Um…what am I supposed to do?” He looked at the controller in confusion.

Michelle couldn’t help but laugh. The poor boy was out of his element and swelling up on top of that. “Look, right arrow to move right, left arrow to move left. You press A to slash your sword. B to jump. X to cast a spell and Y to defend yourself. Got it?”

All Victor did in response was shake his head.

“You got this, tubs!” She pressed start on her controller.

Victor slowly moved his character in the game.

“See! You’re doing well so far! Now attack this guy that’s coming up!”

“Wait, which button was that?”

“It’s A!” She said. “Press A!”

He looked down at the controller and pressed A but the monster beat him to it and attacked him.

Victor gasped and Michelle laughed. “Oh my God, it’s like I’m introducing electricity to you for the first time.”

“Can it! I’m trying to memorize the buttons!” He kept glancing between the letters and the TV.

“Look, Vic, it’s going to take some time. No one is going to master a game in-”

Michelle stopped as Victor’s character did a combo move - a very expertise combo move.

“Whoa, wait! How did you do that?!”

“Do what?” He asked. “Did I break the game?”

“No, you idiot! You just did a combo move that took me months to master!”

“I…did…?”

“You’re not lying to me when you said you’ve never played video games, right?”

“Teevee, I never had time for this!” He yelled. “I was constantly going from one practice to another!”

Michelle watched him keep playing. He was already at the end in seconds flat. “How in the world are you so good at this when you just learned what a controller was today?!”

Victor shrugged as the end music played. Michelle gasped at the score.

“That’s a lot better than my score!” She pointed at the screen. “What the hell, Victor?! How are you a natural at this?!”

“I don’t know,” he said awkwardly.

“Well!” Michelle stammered over her words. “Stop! Being so good…at everything?! Video games are my thing, okay?! So! Stop it!”

“So you want me to stop playing?” He asked. Part of Victor hoped she said yes because he still didn’t know what he was doing and it was getting to him. The prideful part of him wanted her to say no because he didn’t want to be beaten by a dumb machine.

Michelle thought about it. “No…” she finally answered. She studied him closely causing him to shrink into the couch. “Because I want to know what you’re doing here, Blueregarde. Are you just button mashing or are you some weird genius? That or are all the juice in your brain is finally doing some good for you.”

Victor rolled his eyes then paused. “Wait, what’s button mashing?”

“It’s where you press the buttons like crazy until you figure it out.”

“That. I was doing that.”

Michelle couldn’t help but laugh. “You down for another round then?”

Victor sighed as he looked at his stomach. It was huge but it didn’t eclipse his view of the screen and he did stop swelling. “Sure. Why not?”

“Yes!” Michelle went ahead and pressed start on her controller. “This time…we’re doing two players.”

They played a few more rounds and Michelle got increasingly frustrated that Victor kept beating her score, but it was all in good fun.

“Admit it, Blueregarde, you had a good time today!” She snickered.

Victor smiled a little. “I guess it was nice to finally play video games.”

“Ugh!” Michelle groaned.

“What?” He asked.

“It’s not just about the video games, dude!” She turned to face him. “You gotta find things that make you happy and relax! And video games could be one of them!”

“But I’m not allowed to play them!” He protested. “And I don’t even have time to do things to relax! I wouldn’t even know what that could be!”

“Victor-”

“And it’s not like I have any time to do it now! Ms. Wonka doesn’t allow me to do anything and I’m too big to do anything! There’s no point!”

Michelle sighed. “Look, I get that, but from the few months I’ve known you, it doesn’t seem like you have time for yourself to do whatever.”

Victor looked down at his stomach. “I…didn’t think it was really that important.”

“You’re just distracted from whatever your dad says!” Michelle waved it off.

“Hey! My father knows what’s best for me all right?! He could be really…pushy but that doesn’t mean he‘s awful!”

Michelle bit her tongue. There was no changing his mind at this time. “When was the last time you smiled or laughed?”

Victor snarled at her. “Are you serious? Are you really asking me this question?”

She grinned mischievously. “I bet you’re ticklish aren’t you?”

Victor gave her a smug smile. “Actually, I’m not! So don’t you even try-”

Michelle then leaned over and tickled his sides and to Victor’s surprise, he busted out laughing.

“Quit it! Stop!” He cried out in between laughs.

Michelle relented after a few more seconds. “Oh my God,” she laughed herself. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh before! That was great!”

Victor sat frozen in fear at what transpired. “I…I can’t believe that just happened.”

“Oh come on, Berry Boy, it’s not that bad.”

“You don’t get it! I’m not ticklish! I was never ticklish!”

“And? So what if you are?”

Victor said nothing but he looked nervously at himself. “But…why now?”

“Pffft,” she cackled. “Are you suggesting you’re ticklish when you’re a blueberry?”

Victor blushed and he looked at her angrily. “I’m not ticklish! And I’m not a blueberry!”

Michelle reached over and tickled him again, this time going for his large belly. He cried out in laughter.

“Stop! No!”

She stopped.

“Quit it, Teevee!”

“You being ticklish proves you have a funny bone in your body,” she grinned. “Victor, you are the most tightly wound, self-centered guy I’ve ever met. I’m just glad you’re able to laugh.”

Victor grew frustrated. “Great, with me being ticklish when I’m stuck like this, I’m even more helpless.”

“Oh come on, you’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

Victor looked up at her in panic. “Please don’t tell Ms. Wonka or Ms. Wilkinson that I’m ticklish when I’m like this! I don’t need them to test anything new!”

Michelle rolled her eyes.

“And Vernon! Especially not Vernon! You can’t tell him about this either!”

Michelle laughed. “He would have a riot.”

“Teevee, please!” He begged.

“Fine!” She relented. “On one condition…” she leaned forward.

“Ugh, what do you want? One of my days off again?”

Michelle paused. “I actually wasn’t going to say that but I’ll take it if you’re offering.” Victor frowned at her. “I want you to admit you had a good time today and that you’ll find more things that make you relax. Hell, I’ll help you if I have to! Second,” she sighed and blushed a little. “I want you to stop calling me by my last name. Just…call me ‘Michelle’.”

Victor blinked a few times.

“It just…when you call me ‘Teevee’, I don’t know, I feel isolated and it brings back bad memories growing up of me getting in trouble or harassed by adults. It doesn’t feel personal or close.”

Victor slowly nodded. “Oh, um…okay. I can do that,…Michelle.”

“Thanks,” she looked down at her hands. “Look, I know Wonka gives you a hard time, but she gives me hell too. You’re not the only one who gets stuck in the Testing Room too, you know? It might not be as bad but it’s still scary being stretched beyond your limits or being a few inches tall. I think she likes to make me feel small sometimes. She kinda told me the reason for my so called ‘punishment’. It was…I have no room for imagination and that too much TV and the Internet is shrinking my brain.”

Victor said nothing for a moment. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. Agnes told me a little about-”

“Whoa, wait, Agnes told you?!” Michelle grunted in frustration catching Victor off guard. “This is why I can’t tell her anything!” She stopped herself and calmed down. “But, you know what I mean! Listen, I’m not good at this ‘ooey-gooey, be kind’ stuff but…I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t take yourself too seriously, all right?”

He nodded with a slight smile. “I had a good time, Michelle. I’ll try and relax.”

“And if you don’t,” she got up from the couch, “I know how to make you smile now.”

Victor’s face fell in fear as she slapped his large stomach and walked away.

“Let me know whenever you want to play video games again, Blueregarde!”
* * * * * * * * *
Wonka led Victor down the hall the next day. He had no idea where he was at. He’s never been this side of the factory before. Well, that he knows of. He’s been rolled around a lot since it’s unfortunately his main mode of transportation in the factory. He was still swollen from yesterday so walking was a chore. His arms rested on his large stomach as he tried to pace his breathing.

“Where exactly are you taking me?” He asked her, trying to pretend he wasn’t scared. Victor was in no mood for surprises.

“Patience is a precious thing, my dear boy,” she responded. “I think you should learn it.”

Victor sighed. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t let me hang out with Cameron or Lex again today. I’m doing all that you’ve asked me.”

“And may I remind you, Mr. Beauregarde, that you still need to earn a day off?” Victor grumbled to himself. “And you’re still spending time with each of the Golden Ticket Winners today.”

“Spending time?” He repeated annoyed. “You’re just using them so they can watch me this week!”

“And it’s been going well I heard?” She smiled at him. “It’s nice to know you’re getting along with the others like I said.”

They stopped at an office door and Wonka lightly knocked on it.

“Come in!” The voice called.

Wonka opened the door and Victor’s eyes widened in embarrassment…and so did Charlie’s.

“Miss Bucket will be spending time with you today, Victor.” Wonka smiled.

Victor began to stammer. “I-I uh! C-couldn’t someone…someone else-”

“Goodbye, sweetie pie,” she gave a pat to his stomach which caused him to grimace then left.

Victor stood there awkwardly before Charlie. He’s been avoiding her for a good week now. Charlie, meanwhile, has been waiting for this moment to talk to her ex-boyfriend. Sure, she has been busy but she wanted to make things right.

“Victor!” She said happily. “Come in and sit!”

Victor nervously looked at the chairs. At the moment, they currently looked too small for him. “I…think I’ll just stand.”

Charlie looked at her chairs and sighed in realization. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” he said weakly.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” she said straight to the point.

Victor said nothing. He was very much aware Charlie wanted to speak to him. However the lingering feelings of guilt of him overwhelming Charlie was strong.

“I just wanted to remind you that things are cool between us…right?”

“I guess…”

Charlie sighed and then continued to do her work at her computer. Victor was instantly reminded of whenever they tried to hang out or have a date together. It was always this. He was swollen and helpless and she was constantly working and brainstorming ideas for Wonka.

Charlie stopped typing in an abrupt manner, causing Victor to jump. “I just don’t get what you mean when you say ‘I guess’! Victor, I thought we’d agreed on staying friends!”

“We are friends!”

“Then why won’t you talk to me?!”

“Because you’re always so busy and I don’t want to overwhelm you!”

Charlie became quiet.

He sighed. “It was always like this and you know it. You even told me the night we broke up that you felt stressed when we hung out because of my…condition. I felt like even talking to you now would just set you off. I didn’t want that for you.”

“But you didn’t have to avoid me!”

“I thought it was better that way,” he muttered. “I didn’t want to be a burden to you. Clearly my condition isn’t going away any time soon, and you’re always working with Ms. Wonka. What were we supposed to talk about?”

“We could talk about…your life! My life! I just want to know what’s up with you, Victor!”

Victor shrunk back. “There’s nothing special going on. I blow up into a blue freak everyday and get stranded for hours.”

Charlie slouched in her chair.

“And you’re just working for her! Charlie, you’re practically working right now in front of me.”

Charlie realized she was typing and she stopped. Her eyes became watery and she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Victor.”

Victor looked down.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel like a burden. I didn’t mean to drive you away at all! I just wanted to remain friends with you and I guess…I share the blame of being too obsessed with work during our relationship. Will you forgive me?”

Victor looked up at her then nodded. “Yeah. I forgive you.”

Charlie smiled then ran up to Victor and hugged him. Victor tried to find his balance as he was knocked back a little from her hug. Charlie took a step back and straightened herself out.

“We’re going to smooth things out okay? But really, anything new with you?” She leans against her desk. “What have you been up to? How’s Cameron?”

“Cameron? He’s fine. We’ve been hanging out a lot with Lex. I was actually trying to convince Ms. Wonka today to let me out of the factory so I can hang out with them. But every time I ask she says no.”

“Lex? I don’t think I’ve met him.”

“Oh uh, she’s just a friend,” Victor said. Charlie’s face fell at mentioning that Lex was a girl. “I’ve known her since the sixth grade. She’s been helping me out lately outside the factory.”

Charlie studied Victor’s expression. It was the way he talked about her. She knew how he really felt about this girl. Charlie swallowed nervously and nodded. “That’s good! Uh, tell Cameron I said hi.”

“I will,” he said.

Quietness passed between them as they both searched for things to say. Was it always this hard talking to Charlie? He wondered. He thought back to their first time alone in the Garden Room and how she showed him the fountain and how beautiful the scenery was. He also thought back to the other rooms she showed him and him showing her different dance styles or whatever sport he was practicing that week. Lastly, he thought about them reuniting again at the factory. She always made sure he was okay even before they dated. She made sure he was comfortable and safe.

He never thought it would come to this, struggling to find words to talk to Charlie Bucket.

“Have you made anything new…with Ms. Wonka that is?” He finally asked.

“I haven’t made any candy since my first full week here.”

“What about your scale models?”

Charlie blinked a few times. “You still remembered I make a scale models?”

Victor nodded. “Of course.”

She smiled softly then shook her head again. “Haven’t had time to do that either.”

“Well,” he shifted awkwardly, “maybe you can make time for it? I still want to see one some day.”

Charlie nodded. “Yeah, maybe I can.”

The two didn’t say much for the rest of the morning. Victor simply watched her work or rested on a couch that Charlie brought in. She gave him some gum to preoccupy his mind. It did take him some convincing to chew it however. Charlie insisted because she knew he was stressed and when they dated she always bought him packs of gum from the store and never from the chocolatier herself.

She saw that he eventually fell asleep, although it didn’t look peaceful. He looked uncomfortable when he was sleeping. He looked like he could easily be woken up.

Charlie thought back to their conversation. Who exactly was Lex? And why does Victor have a crush on her? No, Charlie couldn’t be jealous. She broke up with him. She feared she drove him away and she knew it was true. She tried not to think about it too much. For crying out loud, she was fifteen. Victor just wasn’t the one and it wasn’t the right time. She was still very young and needed to focus on her work and school.

And Charlie knew very well that Victor needed to focus on himself too. She was still grateful she got to know him better.
* * * * * * * * * *
When Victor woke up this morning, a feeling of dread sat in his overinflated stomach. He knew there was one person left Wonka wanted him to “spend time” with. He was hoping that maybe she forgot.

But there was no denying it. He was unfortunately going to spend the final day with the rich spoiled brat himself, Vernon Salt.

“Ughh…” he lied on his bed and groaned. He would try and leave but he was bed bound by his weight. He hated to admit it but he needed help. He struggled to turn his head to the clock. It was 7AM on the dot. He huffed and hoped someone would help him soon. He just wanted to get this day over with.

Vernon Salt wasn’t the most tolerable out of the five of them, everyone besides Vernon knew that. It was like walking on eggshells with the fifteen year old child. No one liked his tantrums and no one wanted to be around his tantrums.

Eventually some Oompa Loompas startled Victor by opening his door and grabbing onto him. Victor yelped at their touches as they helped him off the bed. He was grateful he was already awake because who would want to wake up to Wonka’s mischievous henchmen?

Great, he thought, what an awesome way to start off the day.

“Ahh! There he is!” Wonka opened her arms up to greet him as Victor stepped off the elevator with two Oompa Loompas by his side.

Victor slowly approached Wonka in the living room breathing heavy all the while. He was frustrated that he’s been stuck at this size for two days.

“How are you this morning?” Wonka asked with a smile.

All Victor did was look at her. “Do I have to spend time with him today?” He asked, cutting to the chase. “I’m fine. I don’t need to spend time with anyone else.”

Wonka chuckled much to his dismay. “Oh, sweetie pie. You’re going to spend time with Mr. Salt today. There isn’t any way around it.”

“I don’t want to spend time with him! He is the most annoying person on the planet!”

“I’m quite aware of your feelings of him. If I recall correctly,” Wonka began, “you two have been fighting the moment you met each other.”

Victor thought back to how the two of them shoved each other when they arrived in the Chocolate Room. He insists Vernon is the one that started it because Victor wasn’t just going to allow Vernon to walk all over him. He wasn’t going to let Vernon have his way just because he wanted to go in first. Victor was also annoyed at his constant whining. He repeatedly told Vernon to shut it throughout the tour. Yes, Victor wasn’t sure if he was going to survive this day at all.

“I think this will be a perfect opportunity for both of you to get along and make up.”

He grumbled and rolled his eyes. “I highly doubt that.”

All of a sudden the two of them heard a squeal. They turned their attention to the elevator. Charlie, Michelle, Vernon, and Agnes hopped off but Vernon ran towards Victor and tackled him with a hug.

Victor grunted in pain as he landed on the floor with the rich brat on top of him.

“I’m so happy I get to spend my day with Victor Beauregarde!” Vernon cried.

“Get off of me!” Victor shouted, flailing his arms.

Vernon nuzzled against him as Victor squirmed. “This is going to be the best day ever!”

Then Victor’s stomach gurgled. He began to swell up and it showed no signs of stopping. Great, this is just great, he thought. He looked up towards Wonka for help but she merely smiled in return while the three girls gave him a look of pity.

“Vernon! Get off! You’re irritating the juice!”

However Vernon didn’t listen. He stayed right on top of him, smiling all the while.

Wonka waved goodbye to the both of them. “I hope you two have a lovely day!”

Victor sadly watched the group leave. He eventually felt the juice slow down and tried to get a good look at himself with Vernon on top of him. He was slowly rounding out, barely able to move his arms.

He gasped for air. “Ugh…”

“Awww you stopped swelling,” Vernon frowned.

Victor glared at him. “You wanted me to keep swelling?!”

Vernon smiled. “You’re a lot more fun this way!”

Victor blushed angrily. “Can I get up now?!”

Vernon snickered at him. “I don’t know…can you?”

Victor wanted to scream out in frustration but he gritted his teeth. “Will you PLEASE help me get up?”

Vernon drummed his stomach causing Victor to grimace. “Of course, Berry Boy!”

Vernon tugged on his arms and helped Victor up to his feet, Victor’s stomach jiggling all the while. He began to swell up again and whimpered. He was losing his arms and his hands began to stick out. He frowned at how helpless he was going to be for the rest of the day. Why couldn’t he end this week on a good note on his day with Charlie?! Why did he have to spend this day with Vernon?!

Victor began to waddle away but Vernon quickly jumped in front of him. “Hey! Where are you going?!” Vernon yelled, stomping his feet.

“I’m trying to get away from you!”

“But Ms. Wonka said you have to spend time with me! I have a whole day planned!”

Victor looked at him frightened. “Like…what?”

Vernon then rested his arms on Victor’s chest and smiled. “Where’s the fun in spoiling it? Don’t you like surprises?”

Victor hated how Vernon was using him to prop his arms. He glared at Vernon. Usually when Victor did this, the look would cause the person on the receiving end to be drowned in fear. However this time, he wasn’t expecting Vernon to cackle out loud. Victor looked at him in shock.

“Oh, man! This is too perfect! It’s hilarious how angry you get when you’re a huge blueberry!” He patted the poor boy’s stomach. “Now I know what we’re going to do first!”

Victor swallowed nervously. This was going to be a long day for sure.

Victor Beauregarde hated being one of Vernon Salt’s “toys”. It was the way he treated him after Victor rounded out. Downright humiliating. He also learned the hard way real quick when Vernon refused to take no for an answer. Every single attempt Victor made to defy Vernon didn’t end well for the poor boy so he reluctantly remained obedient for the rest of the day.

It’s been two hours and Victor was ready for Wonka and the rest of the group to come back to the factory.

“You’re cheating!” Victor yelled from the board game they were both playing. Vernon laid him on his stomach so he could see the game. “We’ve been playing for the last half hour and I still haven’t won a single round!”

Victor wasn’t much for board games. He was more fond of the physical games rather than moving silly game pieces across a board. But of course when he did play board games with someone, he was determined to win because he was a winner no matter what he was playing.

“Victor Beauregarde!” Vernon feigned a gasp. “I would do no such thing!”

Victor grumbled at him in his divot. “This game is stupid.”

“I didn’t realize how much of a sore loser you were when you lose at something,” Vernon laughed. Victor didn’t say anything. He was just embarrassed and upset at being called a loser.

“Can’t we do something else?” Victor asked quietly. “I don’t really play a lot of board games.”

“Hmm,” Vernon tapped his chin in a playful manner. Victor swallowed nervously. He really wished he would just be left alone. “I want to watch TV!”

Victor let out a breath of relief. “Oh. Okay.” There’s no harm in watching TV and no way Vernon could torture Victor with that! This should be fine!

The rich brat pivoted the blueberry toward the TV. Vernon plopped on the couch, turned on the screen, and kicked his feet like a giddy child. Victor meanwhile tried to calm himself down. He wished he saw a clock somewhere so he could see how much longer he had to endure.

“So…what are we watching?” Victor asked.

“Oh! Just some classics!” Vernon giggled mischievously. He pressed play and he heard the blueberry boy gasp.

“No! Why did you-?! How did you-?”

It was a clip of Victor’s sophomore track and field competition. The video showed him winning the 400m dash, competing in the relays - all events Victor couldn’t stand to watch anymore. He watched himself holding up one of the many trophies he’s won over the years. He was grinning happily, his father applauding in the background, Cornelius looking bitter and sarcastically clapping. All of this was now a distant memory.

Victor squirmed uncomfortably throughout the countless clips Vernon forced him to watch. He watched himself pridefully show off his trophies in countless interviews, smugly smiling for the camera and his father clapping him on the shoulder. Tears were welling up in his eyes as the clips kept going. But the cherry on top was when his golden ticket interview came on.

“NO! NO MORE! TURN IT OFF!” Victor yelled, shutting his eyes.

Vernon pouted. “You’re no fun. I was starting to enjoy getting to know the famed Champion of Miles City.” Victor blushed. He was slowly losing that title. “Whatever! It’s lunch time anyways!” He shrugged.

“Lunch…time?” Victor repeated. “I-I’m not that hungry. I’m really huge, Vernon, and I don’t think I can eat anything.”

Vernon began to thrash and squeal in annoyance and Victor panicked. “But I was planning something amazing for you to eat!” He whined.

Victor stammered as he tried to calm him down. He silently swore in his head about how Wonka left him alone with the whiny brat. “Fine! Vernon! I’ll eat what you made!”

Vernon immediately stopped his tantrum and jumped up and down in joy as Victor looked horrified at him. “YAY! You’re going to enjoy it, Victor!”

Vernon then ran behind Victor and began to roll him. Victor let out a tiny yelp as he rolled forward and his head went under. Why couldn’t he roll him on his side?!

Vernon grunted as he pushed the large blueberry. “OOF! Why are you so hard to roll, Victor?!” Victor cried to himself as Vernon pushed him to the dining table. “The Oompa Loompas made this look so easy!”

Vernon finally pushed Victor upright at the table. Victor sat there nervously. He didn’t want to say a thing. He didn’t know what diabolical ideas were brewing in the British child’s brain.

Then two Oompa Loompas came out with dishes in their hands and placed it in front of Victor. Vernon clapped happily as he sat down next to Victor. “It’s here!”

Victor looked over his stomach the best he could and he screamed in revulsion. “You can’t be serious! I’m not eating that!”

Before him was tomato soup and roast beef and baked potato. Vernon was really toying with him now.

“But it’s your favorite meal!” Vernon said sadly. “And I specifically requested them to make this for you!”

Victor looked at him in disgust. This wasn’t his favorite meal. Sure, the gum made it taste amazing because he was never allowed to eat any of those things. “I’m not eating this!” He shouted.

Vernon glared at Victor and the two entered a stare off. “You sure talk back a lot for someone who is in no position to do so!”

Victor’s face fell. Unfortunately the child was right. There was no way out of it.

Vernon watched Victor’s facial expression change and smiled. “Good!” Vernon rubbed Victor’s large stomach and patted it three times. He shoved a spoonful of the soup into the boy’s mouth.

“Mmph!”

“You’re going to enjoy every last bit! Then I’m sure you’re going enjoy the dessert!”

“D-Dessert?!” Victor swallowed the soup. “You’re not really going to-”

“Didn’t you say it was the most amazing, fabulous, sensational pie in the whole world?”

Victor was starting to lose it. He was really getting sick of Vernon’s mocking. He angrily flapped his hands. “Can it, you twit! I’ll eat the stupid food if you just shut up the entire time!”

Vernon thought about it. “Okay! Deal!”

Victor sighed. “Thanks.” As Victor was fed another spoonful of the soup, he felt a pat and a rub to his stomach. “Mmph?! What are you doing?”

“You didn’t mention anything about touching your stomach!”

Victor cursed to himself. Wonka and the others couldn’t get here fast enough.

The rest of the evening was Victor lying immobile on his back as Vernon laid on top of him chatting his ear off. The poor boy had to be a little under 6.5 feet. Victor heard the child ramble on about his school, the list of “horrible” things Wonka forced on him (it was mostly just him cleaning), and him eventually taking over the family business.

Victor first tried to tune him out but he got pinched for not paying attention. He was exhausted and at the end of his rope with the kid. Right now, Vernon was tying with the Oompa Loompas to see who could make the poor boy crack first.

“Victor!” Vernon shouted, sitting on top of his stomach. “Are you even listening to me?!”

Victor sighed. “You said you didn’t like how you nearly lost to your best friend when you were doing your equestrian studies yesterday.”

Vernon smiled and patted his stomach. “You are listening!”

“Not like I have much of a choice,” Victor muttered.

“What’s going on with you, Blueregarde?” He began to jump up and down on his stomach.

Victor grunted. “Like I would tell you anything.”

“Hmm,” Vernon playfully thought. “I heard that you liked this girl named Lex?”

Victor‘s eyes widened at her name. “Who-who told you that?!”

“No one! I like to eavesdrop!” He continued bouncing. “I think it’s adorable that the fat blueberry has a crush on someone. I just think you’re brave for having a crush on someone who isn’t like Charlie and would think they would love a freak like you!”

Victor didn’t say anything. He hated how Vernon voiced his fears out loud.

“But no matter! Good luck with that!”

Victor frowned. He didn’t say it out loud because he didn’t want to be mocked any further, but he hoped if things ever gone further with Lex, she would accept his condition. He instead decided to barely say anything for the rest of the night and let Vernon have his fun until the group comes back.

Vernon continued to jump up and down on Victor’s stomach. “You know I tried to convince my mum to take you home after you blew up for the first time! Oh I think you’d adore England, Victor! I could show you off to my friends, give you all the finest blueberry pastries, and all the nicest blue clothes! It would’ve been great!”

Victor couldn’t wrap his mind about being trapped with Vernon forever. He would rather stay with Wonka than be tortured by the British child. At least the chocolatier gave Victor some freedom even if it wasn’t a lot. No if Victor was the be in England it would be for his athletic career only…not a blueberry play toy to a spoiled brat.

Suddenly he heard voices and Victor sighed in relief. Saved! They were finally home.

Vernon stopped jumping and talking and frowned. “Oh boo,” he muttered. He bounced off the boy who yelped from the force and rolled him upright.

“Oh wow!” Wonka looked upon Victor. She jabbed his stomach with her cane. “You certainly got big, didn’t you?”

Michelle snickered. “What did he do to you?”

“I’m just glad you’re back because I can’t take it anymore with this brat!” Victor said.

Vernon scoffed. “Me?! You didn’t enjoy your time with me?!”

Now that the rest of the winners and Wonka were back, Victor could finally let Vernon have it. He was no longer under his control. He let out a frustrated yell. “Enjoyed?!” He yelled. “You tortured me all freakin day! How was that enjoyable?!”

The Chocolatier rolled her eyes. “Oh lord, here we go. They’re both arguing again.”

“You’re the most spoiled rotten brat ever!” Victor continued. “I put up with all of your annoying, incessant whining and tantrums all day! It’s no wonder you got garbage dumped all over you!”

Michelle and Agnes’ eyes widened as Charlie covered her mouth. Wonka however raised an eyebrow with a sly grin, thinking Victor’s comeback was amusing. She might not 100% agree with the boy, but his remarks were funny.

Vernon steamed in anger to the point that his body trembled. “How dare you speak to me that way?!” He shouted. “You’re one to talk! I think you deserved being turned into a blueberry!”

Victor scoffed. “What makes you think that?! Out of all the punishments, I think you should’ve gotten this!”

“Me?!”

“Yeah!”

“I think it is perfectly fitting for the most egotistical, gum chewing brat to get this!” Vernon slowly approached Victor, pointing his finger all the while. “I think you are perfect for becoming a blueberry! I think Ms. Wonka was right when you chewed the gum and you swelled up to match your giant ego!”

Victor’s expression fell and he tried to back away from Vernon, but he was much too big to move. He never considered that to be the reason for his punishment. It all made sense to him now.

“And the only way to get you to learn you lesson was to stuff you with humble pie, and you really did get your just desserts! You know why, Victor?! It’s because you’re full of yourself!”

Vernon was now jabbing his finger into Victor’s stomach. Victor winced and his lips trembled. He shook his head “no”, trying to ignore Vernon’s words.

“Vernon, maybe you should ease off him,”Michelle said.

“You deserve it!” Vernon continued, ignoring Michelle’s suggestion. “And of course your parents are upset with you because there’s no way you’re able to compete and be a champion again because you’re absolutely useless!”

Victor gasped and the rest of the room went quiet.

“Oh dear…” Wonka said quietly.

Then the proud look on Vernon’s face quickly left when he saw Victor beginning to cry. But this wasn’t like the usual times he overheard or seen him cry. This was different. He was devastated. Victor looked completely broken.

Wonka knew Victor needed some space. She quickly snapped her fingers and changed Victor back to normal as he choked back a sob. The moment he realized he could move again, he took off for his room.

Vernon watched him leave. “Victor…?”

The group heard his door slam.

Michelle hit Vernon on the back of the head. “Why the hell did you say that, Vernon?! You annihilated him!”

“That wasn’t a nice thing to say,” Agnes added.

“Yeah, Victor didn’t deserve that!” Charlie said.

“Fine! I’ll go talk to him!” Vernon shouted. “Just stop hounding me!”

Before he left, Wonka gave the rich child a stern look and he felt guilty. He knew he had to make this right.

Vernon lightly knocked on the athlete’s door. “Victor?” He said gently. “May I come in?”

“No! Leave me alone!” He heard Victor sobbing from the other side. “I’ve had enough of you bullying me!”

“But I want to apologize!”

Vernon didn’t hear a response so he entered the room. He found Victor sobbing on the top of his bed, hugging his knees. He buried his face.

Vernon sat next to Victor on the bed. “I…I’m sorry, Victor. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You’re not sorry!” Victor said, still hiding his face. “You’re happy you won! So just go away!”

“Wait! Just hear me out!” Vernon insisted. Victor said nothing and continued to sniffle and cry into his knees. “I know this doesn’t excuse the awful things I said to you or done to you but…I am sorry. I mean it. I should’ve stopped. I should’ve not done it at all.”

Victor said nothing and he slowly lifted his head up. His cheeks were blue among his normal skin. He wiped the tears off his face. “You don’t get it. No one does. I’m ruined. I’m not supposed to make mistakes or else my father would be upset with me. But you’re right. I’ve become useless.”

“You’re not useless!” Vernon said. “I shouldn’t have said that. I guess I’m not used to spending time with others in a normal way. You don’t have to forgive me, Victor, but I do want to be good friends with you.“

“It would be nice if you stopped treating me so harshly.”

“I’ll do my best,” Vernon grinned. Victor glared at him. “I’ll at least tone down the teasing!”

“It’s going to take me some time to forgive you,” Victor said. “But maybe we could…try to stop fighting so much.”

“It’s a deal!” Vernon said happily and hugged Victor. Victor nearly tried to shove Vernon off him out of habit but he stopped himself. He decided to hug him back. “You know, our parents visit us, too. It doesn’t go well for us either. They also expect high things from us. So you’re not alone.”

Not alone. Victor’s been hearing that phrase all week from the other Golden Ticket Winners. He was staring to grow sick of it but he knew deep down they were right. The factory brought the five children together whether they liked it or not, and for the time being, they were stuck with each other.

It was going to take awhile for Victor to accept this truth. He definitely wasn’t used to accepting people’s aid - not even Cameron’s. But if it was going to take having a humiliating condition for him to accept this fact and believe it, then so be it.

However he knew he was going to have to endure this journey because of her. He just has to get passed her.

Chapter Text

“Ms. Wonka,” Charlie began, “I think you should have a talk with Victor.”

Ms. Wonka stopped drinking her coffee. They were both in her office in the morning. “What makes you say that?” She asked, blinking a few times.

“Well,” she twisted her hair, “I’ve talked to him and…your name did pop up many times.”

Wonka rolled her eyes. “Mr. Beauregarde is free to talk about whatever he wants, and if my name comes up, then so be it.”

Charlie sighed. “I just think you should be a little bit kinder to him.”

“Charlie-”

“You don’t…hate him do you? Do you hate the others?”

Wonka scoffed at the idea. “Hate the others? Why would I hate them?”

“Well, you often leave Victor alone by himself and I heard you gave him the three course meal gum again, you always shove diets in front of Agnes then leave, like Victor, Michelle is often in pain after she’s done and Vernon is constantly taking baths. But out of all them, you’re a little bit harsh with him. Maybe you should give him a reward or something? Give him a break. He has been really down lately.”

Wonka leaned back in her chair and huffed.

“You’re hooked on this whole punishment thing with the other four! I think it’s time to ease off that pedal, Ms. Wonka. We’re just kids! They’re not bad! Any one of them could’ve won the factory!”

Wonka at first didn’t say anything at the mention of the hidden competition from the tour. “The reason why I’m harsh with Victor is because not only am I trying to help better his character but also because I need him to restrain himself to maintain his condition. The boy generates gallons upon gallons of juice everyday! I’m taking care of his well-being. Same goes for Ms. Teevee. All of them I’m trying to better. And if we have to pull a few teeth and give tough love then so be it!”

“I just don’t want you to get so distracted by your morals and your work, Ms. Wonka,” Charlie said. “Surely you believe that children - people even - are not simply good and bad, right? There’s more to us. I think you, yourself, need to spend a day with Victor Beauregarde.”

Wonka said nothing. She simply sighed. “I guess you’re right about being a little too harsh with the others. I have also been distracted by my work. But fine, Charlie I’ll relent. I’ll have a talk with Mr. Beauregarde.”

“Yes! Thank you, Ms. Wonka!”

“Although…”

Oh no, Charlie thought. I hope I didn’t give her an inspiration for something bad.

“I could come up with something else to encourage the others to do better,” she drummed her chin.

“Ms. Wonka…” Charlie sighed.

“Ah! No matter!” She waved it off as it was a passing thought. Charlie knew it wasn’t. “Tell Victor that I shall speak with him soon!”

“Yes, Ms. Wonka,” Charlie got up and left to find Victor. She tried not to dwell on what her mentor’s new idea was. It can’t be bad, right?Well, this was Ms. Wilma Wonka she was talking about. The woman was capable of creating things people couldn’t even imagine. From chocolate rivers to sorting squirrels to three course meal gums, the woman was up to something.

No matter, Charlie shook the thought away. Time to find Victor.

“You did what?!” Victor shouted. He anxiously chewed his gum. “I don’t wanna talk to her!”

Charlie was in his room. Victor was finally normal but this time his nose and the top of his cheeks were blue.

“What does she even want to talk about?! Making me stay a blueberry for a week?! No way!”

“Victor, listen to me,” she said. “I did it so you could both have an understanding. She’s been really harsh on you and I told her to ease up. You don’t deserve any of that.”

Victor frowned then looked away angrily. “Well yeah, it’s really hard to believe she agreed to do that for you when she so confidently stuck another stick of that stupid gum down my throat.”

“That’s the point!” She exclaimed. “You shouldn’t have to experience that. Even if you were…wait, why did she do that?”

He slouched and blew a bubble. “Apparently I wasn’t at the right size that day.”

“Victor,” she sighed, “trust me on this. She said she’ll listen to you. This could be your chance to set things right with Ms. Wonka.”

Victor looked at her in the eyes. “And what if it doesn’t go right?”

“Then we’ll try again,” she said firmly. “I know all of you are more than what she thinks of you. So please, just do this for me and hear her out.”

Victor slowed down his anxious chewing and sighed. “Fine. I’ll talk to her.”

Charlie hugged him which caught him off guard. He finally hugged her back and hoped that Charlie was right about this.

The walk to her office was stressful and it didn’t help he was led there by Charlie because he didn’t remember where it was at.

“You got this,” she smiled at him. She knocked on the door and Victor anxiously chewed faster.

“Come in!” They heard Wonka call.

Charlie opened the door. “Here he is.”

Ms. Wonka smiled causing Victor’s heart to drop. “Yes! Mr. Beauregarde, have a seat. Thank you, Charlie.”

Victor watched her leave, sadly wishing she stayed during this meeting. He reluctantly took his seat and huffed.

“Well isn’t that adorable! Only your nose is blue!” She remarked. Victor blushed awkwardly. He was very much aware of his situation. He was just glad he wasn’t swelling. “So glad we could talk, my dear boy,” she beamed.

Victor said nothing. He silently chewed his gum to keep himself calm.

Wonka laughed uneasily. “Still charming as ever.”

“Charlie said you wanted to talk with me.” He said, wanting to speed the conversation along. He didn’t want to be in here longer than necessary. He was afraid this was just going to be him ending up stuck in the chair or something more humiliating.

“Yes, yes she did,” Wonka said quietly, building up the strength to converse with the boy. “It has come to my attention that I’m a little bit…harsh with you.”

Victor scoffed and folded his arms. “It’s because you hate me.”

Wonka dropped her hands. “No, Victor, I don’t.”

“So if you don’t hate me, why do you leave me stranded all the time?! Why do you leave me alone with the Oompa Loompas?! You also made me chew that stupid gum again!”

Wilma Wonka simply huffed as she gathered her thoughts. She folded her hands together patiently.

“The first time you left me alone in the Testing Room was awful,” he looked down at his lap. “I thought you were going to leave me there forever.”

The Chocolatier’s eyes widened. She nearly forgot that whole ordeal she spent with him. She remembered what he said to her.

He was stranded on his stomach and fully round. She heard him silently sobbing. He stopped crying when he heard her footsteps approach him. He strained to look up at her.

Victor looked up. “Y-You came back!”

Wonka chuckled to herself. “Of course I came back! Why wouldn’t I come back?”

Victor said nothing at first. He couldn’t admit to her that he was afraid it was just going to be like his mom leaving him at the factory after his incident. The fear that his own mom left him alone because he was of no use anymore. Surely Wilma Wonka wouldn’t do that to him either. “It’s been hours and I thought you forgot about me. I thought you left me.”

Wonka waved the notion off. “Oh sweetie pie I wouldnt leave you.” Victor forced a smile until she poked his side with her cane. “All that juice is too important to forget!”

“Oh…you’re right…”

Wonka found herself back in her office in her current meeting with Victor. “I apologize for leaving you alone for so long, my dear boy. I assure you it wasn’t intentional. I usually get so caught up with work that I might be late to come fetch you from the Testing Room.”

Victor continued to chew in annoyance. That can’t be her only answer, he thought.

“Okay.” He said quietly. “Is this all you wanted to clear up? That you don’t hate me, you just occasionally forget I’m stuck somewhere? How convenient.”

“If you could please spare me the attitude, Mr. Beauregarde that would be great.”

Victor blew a bubble and sunk down in his seat.

“I believe we started off on the wrong foot since your return at the factory. I will do my best to be…” she took a deep breath and sighed, “…less harsh on you. How does that sound?”

Victor didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think Wonka would ever ease up on him. “I guess it’s fine,” he muttered. “It’s just really hard to believe.”

“I understand, my dear boy.”

Victor looked fiercely at her. “I don’t think you do!” He yelled. “How can I trust you when you gave me the gum a second time?!”

Wonka smiled. “Well it was to keep you on a steady rhythm of your juice production. But the first time, I never gave you the gum, Victor, you stole it from me.”

Victor pouted, mostly mad at himself that he was reminded of his past actions that got him into this mess.

“It was your choice, sweetie pie.”

“I know it was my choice! You don’t have to keep reminding me about it!”

“As long as you’re aware of the choice you made out of your own pride.”

Victor groaned and rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t just that. It was-” he stopped himself and looked at her who waited patiently for his explanation. “Never mind.”

He didn’t think she would understand his reasonings anyway of why he took the gum from her. Wonka will believe what she wants to believe, and if she thinks he took the gum so he could be renowned then fine. She didn’t deserve the truth anyways.

“Very well,” she said. “I wanted to talk about your days off.”

“What? You’re gonna take more away?” He snarled.

“Let me finish,” she raised a finger up. “I’m aware that you requested a day off this Friday because of a game you have.”

“Yes! My track meet!”

“Hold on, Mr. Beauregarde,” she held her hand up. “I have been on the fence on whether I should give you this day off.”

Victor sat up and chewed his gum faster. “But I can’t miss this! I never miss a track meet! This means so much to me, you gotta let me go!”

Wonka said nothing and she nearly smiled. Victor’s heart dropped and he slouched forward. He felt like he knew the answer.

“I’ll let you have the day off.”

His eyes lit up. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re…you’re letting me go?” He said. “Why? What did I do?” If Victor did something correct, he had to know what it was so he could get more!

“It wasn’t anything that you did this time. It was more of what you said.”

Victor looked at her puzzledly.

“You didn’t mention your father at all this time when you requested this day off,” she explained. “It was something you wanted to do. Not him.”

Victor sat there dumbfounded. He never realized what he said. He also never realized how much he mentioned his father when it came to his competitions.

“Oh…” he said slowly.

“I can tell this particular sport means a lot to you, so I’ll let you go.”

“Wait a second. How am I supposed to know that I will keep this day off? You’re not going to trick me are you? Or let the others steal it?”

“You have my word, Mr. Beauregarde,” she smiled. “This day off is yours. No one else can take it.”

Victor was unsure about her promise, but if he got his day off then he got it. He thought about seeing Lex again and Cameron. It’s been a while since he’s been at school and got to talk to them in person. He thought about how he can finally win another trophy for his parents and keep up the family name.

“Thank you,” he said, trying to contain his excitement. “Is that all? May I go now?”

“Of course,” she nodded. Victor made his way out there but then Wonka called him. “Oh! Just one last thing, Victor.”

He stopped in his tracks. His heart dropped. I knew it, there’s a catch, he thought.

“Hopefully we’ll be back on the right foot, yes?”

Victor paused. He wasn’t ready to fully trust her just yet. Wilma Wonka was always hard to read, but she did however grant him a day off. “Hopefully.”
* * * * * * * *
Victor stretched on the track at the school. He was buzzing with energy, happy he was back in his element. He looked toward the stands. Cameron and Lex were sitting next to each other and they waved. He waved back and gave a smile.

He was in disbelief that he was competing again after three months. The school year was almost out and his junior year was coming to an end. He couldn’t believe he missed majority of it because of…

Wait. Stop it, Vic. Let’s focus on the dash. He continued stretching.

“Thanks for joining me in supporting, Vic today,” Cameron said to Lex. “It means a lot to him that you showed up. It’s his first meet in a while.”

“Of course!” Lex said. “I’m sure he needs all the support he can get. I tried inviting Maddie but she refused. I think her and Victor had some sort of spat not too long ago.”

Cameron laughed. “Victor can rub people the wrong way. Yeah he can be a little arrogant, but I promise he’s a really great guy. I’ve known him before his parents started pushing him to compete.”

They both watch Victor warm up.

“His parents push him to compete?” Lex repeated. “This wasn’t all him?”

Cameron scoffed. “Oh God no! Well, I mean there are some stuff Vic picked up that he liked like swimming or gymnastics or…I think fencing? But all of the other hobbies and events? All Sam and Scarlett Beauregarde.”

They overheard the track coach call his team over. The team, including Victor, huddled up.

“I didn’t know that,” Lex said, looking back at Victor. “And this has been going on for how long?”

Cameron thought for a moment. “Since we were five.”

Lex said nothing. “Gosh,” she said quietly. “Well no wonder he’s so hard on himself lately. This is practically ingrained in him!”

Cameron thought for a moment. “He’s been doing okay lately. He’s definitely not used to relaxing or doing nothing. But he’s doing better! And I think having you along is helping a lot too.”

Lex smiled. She watched their school’s team break and head back on the track.

“That’s good. I’m glad I can help,” she said.

“Hey,” he said, grabbing her attention. “Don’t tell him I asked you this but…do you like…Victor at all?”

She blinked a few times. “Like…LIKE like him?”

Cameron nodded.

She smiled and blushed a bit. “Well, I guess you could say I do. I’ve kinda liked him since middle school, but didn’t think anything would happen between us. Plus, he was always super busy, but…now I know why.”

“Well I will say, he likes you too. He’s liked you since middle school as well.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he said. “But again, please don’t tell him I said that. You know how he gets. He’s too proud to admit anything.”

Lex smiled softly. “Don’t worry. I promise.”

“Vic’s race is starting!” Cam clapped. They turned their attention to their friend.

Victor got into position for the dash. He chewed his gum steadily, focusing in on the race before him. If only Wonka and the others were here to watch him. Then they could see how much this mattered to him.

BLAM! The gun shot fired and he took off. He channeled the last three months through his legs. Three months it took him to get back here. He pushed pass the other school’s track team and began to make his way to first. The wind flowed through his long, shaggy brown hair as he heard his friends cheer for him. Cameron and Lex stood up and shouted.

He managed to make his way to first, the gap between him and the other competitors too big to close. Victor soon crossed the finish line and won. Cameron and Lex cheered then hugged each other as Victor was awarded a medal. He then ran toward the stands to meet up with his friends.

Cameron high-fived him. “Congrats, dude!”

“Thanks!”

Lex threw her arms around him, knocking him back a little. “You did great! Congrats!”

Victor blushed, a little bit in disbelief at the fact that Lex Reynolds was hugging him. “Um! Th-Thank you!”

She released him. “How do you feel?”

“I feel great! I haven’t raced in so long. I’m just really happy to-”

Suddenly, he was tugged backwards. He cried out and then realized who pulled him.

“Son!” Sam Beauregarde cried out in joy.

“Fa-Father?” Victor stammered. He looked over his father’s shoulder and saw Scarlett in the back, shouting on the phone. How did he forget that his parents were going to be here?

Sam clasped his shoulders. “You’re back competing again! Fantastic! I knew Wonka would come around! I knew you could get those days off!”

Victor didn’t know what to say. He just wanted to use his day off as much as he could with his friends, not his parents.

“Let me see that medal, boy!” Sam lifted off the medal from around Victor’s neck. Victor stood there frozen. He felt like he was back to where he was before the factory. Sam eyed the medal and smiled. “This is perfect! Can’t wait to put this on display at home!

“Father,” Victor nervously began, “I was hoping I could keep that one. I want to put it in my room at the factory.”

“The factory? Why do you want it over there when it belongs here at the house?! Whatever. You can have it. I gotta start getting you scheduled for some interviews to announce your return!”

“My return?!” He nearly shouted. “Shouldn’t we wait? I’ve only managed to get this day off! Ms. Wonka didn’t schedule me for anymore. She still wants to make sure I’m on schedule for my condition.”

Suddenly Sam stopped smiling and Victor tensed. “Schedule? SCHEDULE?! The only SCHEDULE you need to worry about is the one I’m giving you. You don’t need to be worried about what Wonka is doing, Victor! I need you focused on winning and making money again. I don’t need you having Wonka’s ideas ruining your brain. You understand me?!”

Victor looked down defeated. He knew his father wasn’t going to listen to him. “Yes, father.”

“Now I want to see you at the next game, all right?” He raised his eyebrow at him.

“Yes, father.”

Sam laughed one last time and slapped his back in approval. “Atta boy!”

Victor looked towards his mom who simply waved back. He watched his parents leave the field.

“Hey!” Cameron called. “You all right?”

Victor fought back tears and forced his cocky smile on his face. He turned around. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Cameron looked at him in concern. “You just saw your father. He looked like he was shouting at you.”

Victor let out a shaky breath. “It’s no matter. I’m fine.”

Lex and Cameron looked at each other in concern. Maybe it’s best not to confront him about it at this time.

“Okay well, how about we go grab something to eat?” Lex suggested. “Do you have time in your busy schedule to do that, Victor Beauregarde?”

Victor smiled. “I think I have some time.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They hung out for a bit at a diner. Victor didn’t order much, not seeing too many things on the menu he could eat. He simply got a water while the other two got burgers and fries.

At one point, Victor excused himself and went to the bathroom.

Lex leaned over the table and whispered. “Hey. Does Victor not eat?”

“He does,” Cameron answered. “He just forces himself to stick to his diet.”

“His diet?” She repeated.

“Yeah, since he’s been competing, his father stuck him on this strict diet and he’s not allowed to eat certain things. I tried to have him break from it but he refuses. His father measures and weighs him once a week. He can’t be over a certain number. Sometimes he skips meals so he’ll drink a smoothie or a protein drink in replacement. Or sometimes he just skips it completely.”

Lex didn’t know what to say. She was shocked. Victor came back and sat down with a smile. “Hey! Did I miss anything?”

Lex shook her head and smiled. “Nope! We’re just talking about what we should do when we hang out next time.”

Victor’s face fell. “Next time…?”

Lex nodded.

“I don’t know,” Victor rubbed the back of his neck. “That might be a while. I don’t know when I’ll be able to go out again.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Cameron reassured him. “They’ll be plenty of times. I know it. It’ll come.”

“Okay,” Victor said quietly.

Lex paused then gently touched Victor’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go pay then get out for fresh air.”

They left the diner and hung out by their cars. Nonetheless, he had a good time. He was happy he was out of the factory. He tried to shove down the fear of not having another one for a long time.

Eventually the group parted ways. Cameron drove Victor back to the factory as Lex went on home. Victor sighed in the passenger seat as they slowly pull in front of the building.

“You good?” Cameron asked, putting the car in park.

“I’m afraid I’m going to ruin this friendship with Lex.”

“Oh, dude!” Cameron turned to face him. “You’re not going to ruin it! What makes you think that?”

“Well, it’s just…we’ve gotten closer which is great but…I don’t want to keep lying to her all the time on why I can’t hang out.” He slouched in the chair. “She doesn’t deserved to be lied to. But also, if I tell her the truth, how is she going to react? I’d risk everything! What if she spreads it to the whole school? Then that spreads to the whole town, then I’m ruined! Then I can’t compete again! I-”

“Vic! Slow down!” Cameron said. “You don’t need to panic and you don’t need to rush into telling her the truth. Besides, you have less than a year now of dealing with your current condition. Maybe one day, you’ll be able to tell her! Even if it does slip out, I don’t think Lex is the type of person to just spread rumors like that. Whatever your decision is, I support you.”

Victor gave a tiny smile. “Thanks, Cam.”

“And hey,” he said grabbing his attention. “I didn’t leave you when you told me. I’m sure she wouldn’t either.”

Victor slowly nodded and tried to rest in Cameron’s advice. They soon both got out of the car and into the factory.

“How was your track meet, Mr. Beauregarde?” Wonka asked as the boys entered.

“It was good.” Victor said.

Wonka raised an eyebrow. “Just good?” She asked. “I give you the day off to compete and you barely tell me anything about it.”

Victor looked down at the medal around his neck. He picked it up. “I won the 400M dash.”

“Well congratulations, sweetie pie,” she said with a slight bow. “I’m sure you’ll be happy to add it to your collection.”

“Yeah…” he said quietly. The joy of winning became sour in his mouth. “I’m going to head up my room, Cam. Just give me a second, all right?”

“Sure thing, Vic.”

Victor left and headed upstairs. Cameron turned to the chocolatier. “Ms. Wonka, may I ask you something?”

“Why, of course!” She said leaning on her cane.

“You can absolutely say no to this and I will understand, but…may I sleep over since it’s the weekend? I just think he needs some company right now. He saw his parents again at the meet and his father gave him a hard time.”

Wonka pondered for a moment. “I understand his parents are difficult to work with,” she muttered under her breath. “And Charlie does want me to be more patient with him…hmm…”

Cameron waited with bated breath.

“Oh I guess! Why not!”

“Really?! Thank you, Ms. Wonka!”

“Of course!” She leaned in close to the boy. “To be honest, you are a lot more tolerable than the friends the other children bring home. Do not get me started on Vernon.”

Victor came down the stairs and Cameron ran up to him. “Victor! Guess what?! I’m sleeping over tonight!”

Victor’s eyes widened. “You are? How did you manage that?”

“Ms. Wonka allowed me to! I figured you could use the company this weekend!” He said happily.

Victor couldn’t wrap his mind around it. “Oh um! That’s great!”

Cameron laughed. “You seem caught off guard there.”

Victor blushed blue a little. “I didn’t expect this to happen. I was kinda preparing myself to either be alone or made fun of the rest of the day.”

“Well, now you can toss those plans in the trash!” Cameron turned to Wonka once more. “Thank you again, Ms. Wonka.”

Ms. Wonka bowed her head with a smile. The two boys left and went up to Victor’s room.

Cameron tried to calm Victor down for the rest of the evening as he was expecting to swell up any minute now that he was back at the factory. The two talked and watched movies and Cameron relented and allowed Victor to do his homework - even though it wasn’t due for another three weeks.

The boys usually did sleepovers differently. Victor would always be at Cameron’s house because his parents went on vacation using his championship money. Cameron was hardly allowed over at The Beauregarde home, with Sam Beauregarde thinking friendships as a distraction from winning. At Cameron’s, the two would go outside and explore the neighborhood or to a nearby park and play some sports. They were never much for indoors. But now with Victor’s condition, things were different and more intense.

Eventually the two fell asleep. Cameron slept on an air mattress while Victor slept in his bed. Victor fell sound asleep but lately he has been having nightmares about his condition. He hasn’t really told anyone about them, not even Cameron out of fear that they could come true.

He tossed and turned all night, whimpering all the while. But soon, the morning came.

“Vic!” Cameron called. Victor gasped awake. “Hey! You all right?”

Victor sat up in cold sweat and caught his breath. “Yeah…I’m fine. Just a bad dream.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

Victor looked up at him and just shook his head. “I said I’ll be fine.” He insisted.

Cameron put his hands up. “All right.” Cam took a deep breath. “You wanna grab some breakfast?”

Victor shifted awkwardly. “I’m not really hungry but I’ll join you downstairs.”

“Vic, you didn’t eat dinner last night. You gotta put something in your stomach.”

Victor looked up at him hastily. “I’m just trying to prepare myself to swell up again today! I’m most likely going to be feeling full pretty soon!”

Cameron wasn’t afraid to butt heads with his best friend. They’ve known each other for too long. “I get that but come on! You ate nothing last night. At least drink one of your smoothies or something.”

“I don’t really get a choice of what I get to eat here either, Cameron!”

Cameron huffed. “I hear you, Vic. I’m just…a little concerned about your eating habits lately. And I know it doesn’t help you’re here.”

Victor sat quietly on his bed and looked down. “I’m sorry, Cam. I know you’re just trying to look out for me. Sorry for being so difficult.”

Cameron’s eye widened. Victor’s never apologized to him before over something like this. “Dude it’s okay! You have two conflicting rules in your head right now. I just don’t want to see you hurting yourself.”

Victor nodded without saying another word.

“Let’s go down stairs.”

Victor wanted to protest but he reluctantly got up. He changed out of his pajamas and into some clothes. He then followed his friend down the stairs.

“I guess I’ll go make myself a smoothie.” Victor said quietly. Victor went into the kitchen and Cameron followed behind.

Ding Dong! Wonka straightened her purple coat and fixed her top hat. She answered the door and there before her stood Lex Reynolds standing in awe.

“You’re…you’re Ms. Wilma Wonka!”

Wonka smiled in pride. “Yes I am! And may I ask why you are here?”

“Oh! I’m sorry,” Lex said. “I’m here to see Victor Beauregarde.”

This time Wonka was caught off guard. Another child to see Victor? What is the deal?

“Um…I shall call him for you.”

But it was then that Victor and Cameron walked into the dining room.

“Ah! He’s right there! Victor, sweetie pie! A girl is here for you!” Wonka called as she left the room.

Victor’s eyes widened at the sight of Lex. He blushed profusely and stood frozen.

“Vic, what’s wrong?” Cameron asked.

“Lex!” Victor exclaimed. “What are you doing here?!” Cameron froze at the sight of Lex as well. Wonka let Lex in and she approached Victor. He tensed up.

“Well I went to your house but your parents said you weren’t there and that you were here. I figured you were working hard on a partnership or something and I wanted to try and catch you before you leave again.”

Victor was at a loss for words. He was panicking.

“Look, Victor, you seemed upset yesterday and you’re always saying you can’t go out because of your condition so I decided to come visit you!” She gently smiled. “And, Cameron’s here too! I don’t want you to be be alone.”

Victor struggled to find words. His brain was running fast and he kept trying to calm down.

“Well…?” She said, waiting for him to respond.

Victor looked to Cam. He also didn’t know what to say and Wonka was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t ready to explain the truth yet. What was he supposed to do?

“Is everything all right?” She asked.

Say something! Victor’s brain shouted. “I’m glad you’re here, Lex,” he slowly began to say. “But now’s not a good time! I…uh…just got here!”

“Then what’s Cameron doing here?”

The two boys looked at each other nervously. “Um…Cam…wanted to…go for a ride?”

Lex’s face scrunched up in confusion. “A ride? But he has a car and you don’t.”

“I…”

“What’s going on, Victor?” She stepped forward.

Victor finally managed to take a deep breath. “I can’t really explain right now, Lex. I wasn’t expecting you to be here.” He looked down nervously. “I’m sorry I can’t give you an answer.”

Lex paused. “Oh…um. Okay. Just please take care of yourself all right?”

Victor felt relieved. He got to hide his secret for another day. Lex didn’t need to know just yet. He wasn’t ready. He gave her smile. “I will.”

“Hey, you got something on your face,” she said reaching for him. She rubbed at his nose.

Victor’s heart dropped. “Huh?”

“Oh, I missed it.” She rubbed again.

Victor trembled. He tried backing up. “Lex-”

Her eyes widened. “That’s weird, it’s spreading around. You feeling okay?”

Cameron wasn’t sure how to help out. He stammered. “He’s feeling fine! Right, Vic?”

This is a nightmare, Victor thought. He heard the words he never wanted to hear from his crush.

“Victor…you’re turning blue.”

He couldn’t move. His eyes widened as the blue spread around on his face and eventually down to his arms.

“What’s happening?!” Lex panicked. “Are you having an allergic reaction?! Is this a part of your condition?! Can you breathe?!” She felt his head and felt his pulse. “Victor! Say something!”

“I…I…” he looked down at his hands and cursed his luck. GURGLE! He hunched over and whimpered. He looked up a little. “I…gotta go…” he began to leave.

“Victor! Wait!” Lex called. “We need to call a doctor!”

“We don’t need to call a doctor,” Cameron reassured.

“Why not?” Lex said in disbelief. “Cameron! What’s going on? Do you know something about this?”

“Well…” Cameron rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Victor began to head upstairs to find Wonka but Michelle and Vernon were in his way. He jumped at the sight of them.

“Sup, Blueregarde,” Michelle said.

“No! I need to find Ms. Wonka! Get out of my way!” Victor shouted.

“You’re sure in a hurry, tubby!” Vernon poked his swelling stomach.

Victor grunted in anger. “Now is not the time! I need to go!”

“Why do you say that?” Michelle asked with an eyebrow raised.

Victor felt someone touch his shoulder. He gasped as he turned around.

“Victor, talk to me!” Lex said. She gasped at the sight of him. “Whoa! You’re swelling up!”

“Who is this?” Michelle asked.

Lex turned her attention to the other two. “You’re the other Golden Ticket Winners!”

Michelle studied Victor’s nervous demeanor and then back to the girl. She smiled mischievously. “And you must be Lex.”

“How did you know that?” She asked.

Michelle and Vernon looked over to the swelling boy who blushed awkwardly.

Vernon grinned. “No particular reason.”

Victor didn’t like this. He didn’t like any of this one bit. He didn’t like how his two worlds were colliding. He shoved past them. “Get out of my way!”

“Victor, hold on!” Cameron shouted. “You’re going to hate this, but at this rate, it’s probably best to go to the living room until Ms. Wonka gets here. You know you’ll have more room.”

Victor hated to admit he was right. He looked down at his stomach then back at Lex who looked at him helplessly. Victor groaned in frustration then turned back around to the living room. Everyone followed him as he struggled to walk.

“Victor!” Lex called from behind. “Just tell me what’s going on! How can I help?!”

Victor stopped in the living room and tears began to well up in his eyes.

“Ooh this is going to be good,” Michelle sat down on the couch and Vernon joined her.

“I should’ve grabbed snacks,” Vernon said, making himself comfortable.

“I don’t know how to tell you this!” He said as his arms slowly raised to the air by his stomach. “It’s the reason I’m not at school a lot or why I haven’t been competing lately,” then he looked down at his swelling stomach, “or why we can’t go and hang out…”

Lex looked at him sympathetically.

Victor shut his eyes and heat rushed to his cheeks. “I…I’m turning into a blueberry.”

Lex looked at him dumbfounded. That’s totally not the explanation she was expecting. “What?”

Victor opened his eyes and frowned. He didn’t want to say it again. “There’s a reason why I didn’t win the tour.”

“Win the tour?” Lex looked confused. “There was a competition?”

Cameron shrugged his shoulders. “I still don’t get it, to be honest.” Cameron leaned towards Victor. “I’m going to try and find Ms. Wonka, okay?” He ran off.

“I lost because…I stole gum on the tour.” He continued to feel his stomach bloat and frowned. He was beginning to round out. “I’m one of the four rotten kids.”

“Well first, you’re not rotten. You just made a bad choice,” Lex said calmly. “Second, what does stealing gum have to do with you turning into a blueberry? This shouldn’t be possible!”

“I chewed it,” he said. “The gum had three courses and well the last course, it was blueberry pie. And there was something wrong with it! There were so many slices! I didn’t listen to her and now I’m-I…this is my condition. I didn’t know whether to tell you or not. I’m sorry.”

Lex looked Victor over. She didn’t know what to say at first. She continued to watch the boy swell up, unable to keep her eyes off the spectacle that was Victor Beauregarde.

Victor looked expectantly at her for an answer, not only filled with juice but anxiety. He finished swelling and moved his hands for a bit. “Are you…going to stop hanging out with me?” He asked nervously.

Lex laughed causing Victor’s heart to sink. “Why would I stop hanging out with you?”

The tears in Victor’s eyes stopped.

Lex walked up to him as much as she could. “This seems really intense for stealing gum.”

“But…I deserve it,” he said quietly.

“You deserve to be mutated into a giant fruit because you stole gum?” She raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t permanent is it?”

“I’m actually not sure,” Victor said. “She said I have a 95% chance of getting back to normal.”

“But that’s good!” Lex said.

“But that doesn’t erase the 5%!” Victor protested. “What if that happens?! What if I don’t get back to normal?! What if I threw my whole life away over a dumb mistake?! I’m useless! I! I! I can’t! I won’t be able to-”

“Hey,” Lex touched his stomach and he flinched. “Oh! Do you not like being touched there?”

Victor was caught off guard. No one ever considered how Victor felt when they inspected him. He slowly shook his head. “It…makes me feel bigger than I actually am.“

“Hmm…” Lex looked around him. “How about this?” She held his hand. “Is that better?”

Victor’s eyes widened. For the first time, Victor didn’t flinch or reject the physical touch. Her hand felt personal and intimate. Safe. He immediately nodded.

“So what are you filling up with?”

Victor frowned again. “Juice.”

“How do you feel?” Lex asked.

Victor searched for an answer. “I honestly don’t know. I never thought you would be standing here before me while I’m like this.”

Lex couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit. “I don’t think either of us expected you to be standing before me like this.

Victor smiled sheepishly. “Well I never expected to be like this at all.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “She did tell you not to chew it, you dumb idiot.”

Suddenly, Wonka appeared along with Cameron, looking nervous for his friend. “Ahh yes, Mr. Beauregarde! It is true. I see that you rounded out.”

Victor looked down at himself.

“And Ms. Reynolds,” Wonka turned to the teen girl. “I’m sure this isn’t what you were expecting when you came to see Victor today.”

“No it wasn’t,” Lex sighed. She held his hand once more. “But I think we’ll both be okay.” The two of them shared a smile.

“BOOORRING!” The annoying spoiled brat yelled, ruining the moment. He got up and approached Victor. “Well this certainly wasn’t how I expected it to go so…” He jabbed Victor’s stomach a few times then proceeded to leave. “Congrats on not losing a friend today, Berry Boy!”

Michelle groaned and got up to follow him. “We really gotta work on your people skills, dude.”

“So,” Lex said awkwardly, “how do you get back go normal?”

“The Juicing Room,” Victor said. He did his best to face Wonka. “Um…will I be able to go today?”

Wonka thought about it for a moment. “Well, today was a surprise. Wasn’t expecting you to swell up today at all - probably due to your high stress of Ms. Reynolds’ sudden appearance.” Wonka rubbed her chin as he anxiously awaited her answer. “Oh, why not I guess you can. You have two guests over after all.”

Victor looked at her in disbelief. “Really?! I can go?!”

Wonka nodded.

“Thank you, Ms. Wonka!”

“Of course, sweetie pie,” she said. “However, I do believe we have much to discuss about this current situation, Victor. About your…condition and your peers and who is allowed to see you and who isn’t.”

Victor looked grim. “Yes, Ms. Wonka.”

“Very well then,” the chocolatier said. “I shall have you rolled there in fifteen.” She then left the blue boy alone with his friends.

“Hey,” Cameron said to his friend. “You okay?”

Victor glanced. “I guess…I’m really not sure. But I’ll be fine.”

Cameron gave a comfortingly smile. “I’ll go make sure your room is set for afterwards, all right?”

Victor gave a nod and Cameron left. He looked shyly at Lex. He still was in disbelief that Lex Reynolds was with him in the factory at this time.

“You know, Victor, I came here to ask you if you’d like to come over for dinner with my parents because it seemed like you needed a change of pace,” Lex said.

Victor swallowed nervously. “And…?”

“Obviously this threw me off,” she gestured to his new form, making him wiggle his hands awkwardly. “But the offer still stands. Would you like to come over?”

Victor gave a tiny smile. “I would like that.”

“Cool,” she said smiling back. “I mean it, Victor. Things will be okay.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“You seem nervous,” Lex said to Victor in her car. “Relax. It’s going to go great.”

Victor shakily sighed and nodded. He fixed his appearance many times before he got into the car with Lex. Wonka assured him that he was going to be okay and wasn’t going to have any episodes.

“Come on,” she smiled at him. “Let’s go inside.”

Victor took another deep breath and got out of the car. They walked up to the front door and Lex turned the key as Victor’s heart raced.

Victor was immediately greeted by both of Lex’s parents.

Her mother smiled. “This must be Victor Beauregarde!” She took him in for a hug and Victor blinked a few times in surprise. Mrs. Reynolds let him go. “She has talked so much about you!”

Lex blushed. “Mom!”

Victor was still nervous. Usually his prideful self would respond with “of course she did! Thank you for honoring me tonight!” But instead he croaked out a shaky “thank you for having me.”

“Dinner is almost done!” Mrs. Reynolds said. “Why don’t you have a seat in the living room, Victor? Lex, will you please help me in the kitchen and set the table?”

“Yes, mom.” Lex quickly mouthed to Victor, “breathe!”

Victor sat on the couch. He took in his surroundings. He couldn’t believe he was in Lex Reynolds’ home. The home was vastly differently than his own. Well, so was Cameron’s. The Beauregarde household wasn’t necessarily “homey” and welcoming. It was flashy and not covered in family photos or memories. No, the house was filled with a variety of achievements for each family member. Newspaper clippings, awards, trophies and medals. Sam and Scarlett’s house had no wedding photos, Victor’s childhood, or any important lifetime moments.

He always felt like a foreigner in a strange land in Cameron’s house. Lex Reynolds’ house was no different. It felt like an actual home and not a display case.

Victor was distracted by the decor, artwork, and photos that he didn’t see Mr. Reynolds sit on the other couch.

“Victor!” Mr. Reynolds called to him, accidentally startling the boy. “Didn’t mean to frighten you! So! I heard you’re quite a sportsman! I’ve seen your name around town. What do you have going on?”

Victor swallowed hard. He wished Lex was here with him to steer the conversation. “I…play sports…”

Victor gave himself a mental face palm. Duh! He knows that! Everyone in Miles City knows that!

Luckily Mr. Reynolds chuckled. “I don’t mean to make you nervous, Victor. Just trying to make small talk. How was that track meet the other day? Lex said she went and saw you.”

“It was good.” Victor looked down. Talking about himself was getting increasingly difficult lately.

Mr. Reynolds could tell something was up. He just didn’t know what yet. His eyes wandered as he searched for something to say. He
snapped his fingers as he got an idea. “You won a tour to Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! You put Miles City on the map!”

Victor tensed. He was at a loss for words - not like he was doing much talking anyways.

“Oh come on,” Mr. Reynolds chuckled. “No fun stories to tell? No wonders and new candies you don’t want to talk about?”

As Victor hesitantly opened his mouth, Lex entered and save the day.

“Dad!” Lex said. “I don’t think he’s allowed to talk about the factory,” she laughed.

Victor sighed in relief and gave a nervous smile. “Yeah…I’m not allowed to say anything.”

“Alright! Alright!” Her father laughed. “I won’t pry!”

“Anyways,” Lex said. “Dinner is ready. Mom and I prepped the table.”

Mr. Reynolds and Victor followed Lex into the dining room. Mrs. Reynolds finished setting up the round table and spread. Victor sat next to Lex eyeing the food. He studied everything carefully.

Okay there’s salad, grilled chicken, and bread it looks like, he thought. If anything I could just eat the salad and call it a night.

He felt Lex touch his hand and he grounded himself. He looked at her and relaxed.

She leaned over to him and whispered. “I tried to accommodate you as best I could. There aren’t any blueberries in any of it. I promise. Just…try to eat something. I don’t know what you ate today. But please. It doesn’t have to be a lot.”

Victor nodded. His body was shaking.

“Victor,” Mrs. Reynolds said, mixing the greens. “Would you like some salad? I’m not sure what you’re hungry for?”

I’m not sure either, he thought to himself. He looked at the display. It was overwhelming. He did his best to fix his demeanor. “Um, yes please.”

“He’s so polite,” Mrs. Reynolds said to her husband. Victor thought that Wonka would say the opposite about himself. “Here you go, honey.” She handed the bowl to him.

“Thank you.” He said. Victor stared at the food before him as he grabbed his fork. He felt Lex study him. He stabbed at the food and brought it to his mouth. This is fine. He thought. This is doable.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. Victor felt more calm and collected with Lex by his side. He felt safe and welcomed in the Reynolds household. He slowly opened up more and more. Victor cherished moments like this without his parents hovering over him, always correcting him on what to say or what to do. But this? He could get used to this.

“All right,” Mrs. Reynolds clapped her hands together. “How about some dessert, you two, to finish the night off?”

“Dessert?” Lex said in confusion. “When did you make dessert?”

Victor waved his hands. “Oh, I don’t really eat any sweets.”

“Don’t be silly, Victor,” Mrs. Reynolds laughed as she got up and head to the kitchen. “Surely you indulge every now and then when you’re not competing.”

Victor began to get nervous. He looked to Lex. “Really! It’s fine! I don’t need any.”

“Ah come on, Vic!” Mr. Reynolds said. “One piece won’t hurt ya!”

It was then Mrs. Reynolds came out with a stand and a dessert on top. She placed it on the center of the table and Victor’s heart began to race. On that stand was a pie, but not just any pie - blueberry pie.

Victor began to hyperventilate.

“Gotta go with a classic, right?” Mrs. Reynolds said.

“Mom, I don’t think that’s a good idea-”

“No no no no no no!” Victor slowly got out of his seat. He lost all control of his composure and manners.

Mr. Reynolds stood up in concern. “Victor, what’s wrong?”

“What’s going on?”

Victor started screaming and backing away from the table. Tears were streaming down his face. “No! I can’t! Not now! No!”

“Mom, we gotta get this away from him!”

“What?!” She shouted in disbelief. “The pie?!”

Victor trembled and stood frozen in fear. Physically he was frozen in the Reynolds’ dining room, but mentally he was trapped in Wonka’s Inventing Room with the Golden Ticket Winners’ eyes staring at him. “I-I…I don’t want to ruin…I’m going to ruin…everything.”

“Ugh! I’ll do it!” Lex went ahead and grabbed it and rushed out of the dining room. She immediately head back out and approached Victor. “Victor! It’s okay! It’s okay!”

Victor couldn’t hear her. The only sounds he heard were the Oompa Loompa’s song and the Great Gum Machine coming to life.

Lex then made a move that quelled all the noise. She grabbed his hand.

Victor gasped and his eyes widened. He looked down at Lex holding his hand. He choked back tears. “I’m…I’m so sorry…” Victor rushed out of the dining room. The Reynolds family heard the door open and slam.

Lex looked longingly out the dining room entrance. “I have to go talk to him.”

“Wait, Lex, hold on!” Her mom shouted. “What happened?! Is he okay?”

“Yeah, why did he freak out over a pie?” Her father added.

Lex sighed. “I can’t really say. But…let’s just say…he’s allergic.” Her parents said nothing, still processing what just transpired. “I need to go check on him.”

Victor continued to tremble as quiet tears fell down his face. He sat on the steps of the front porch. He stared blankly out onto the lawn, reliving the incident. He didn’t see nor hear Lex sit next to him.

“You okay?” She asked. Her voice startled him from his thousand yard stare.

He didn’t look at her. “I’m…so…sorry…”

She sighed. “Victor-”

“I ruined your dinner.” He said sadly.

“You didn’t ruin anything,” she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I messed up. I failed.” He slowly shook his head.

“Hey,” she said touching his hand once more. “Look at me.”

Victor finally looked at her. His face was flushed blue from the sobbing, but he was still normal.

“You’re fine,” she said. “You’re doing great. The dinner is going amazing. It’s okay that you weren’t expecting her to bring that out. Even I didn’t know. You just got accidentally triggered.”

Victor angrily looked away, still frustrated at himself. “But I had a tantrum. That’s one of the problems Ms. Wonka said I have. I should’ve known better.”

“That’s not a tantrum,” she said. “You had a panic attack.”

Victor said nothing. He didn’t know how to handle that. He knew he had panic attacks but he never took it seriously. He just equated it to nerves he got every now and then before a game.

“And I have a feeling you’ve had them before and didn’t know what it was,” she said quietly. “Victor, you went through something traumatic, something horrifying and just…impossible. You have every right to freak out. But please don’t think you’re causing a problem, because you aren’t.”

Victor said nothing. He simply soaked in what she had to say.

“You ready to come back inside?” She asked. “If not, I can wait with you out here if you’d like.”

He took a moment, let out a shaky breath, and nodded.

She smiled gently at him. “Okay.” She stretched out her hand and helped him up. She felt him tremor as they walked back in the house.

“Victor!” Mrs. Reynolds cried. “I didn’t know! I’m so sorry! I should’ve just put it away and listened to you!”

“We didn’t mean to put you in danger,” Mr. Reynolds said.

Victor wasn’t used to such kindness. He really did feel like a stranger tonight. “It’s okay. It wasn’t intentional. I’m sorry for causing such a scene.”

“Oh sweetheart, you didn’t cause a scene!” Mrs. Reynolds said. “Here. Drink this. I got you a water.”

Victor looked down at the glass and took a tiny sip. “Thank you.”

“Come on, let’s go sit and relax for the rest of the evening. I think we could all use it,” Lex’s mom smiled.

The rest of the night went smoothly. Victor finally relaxed, even though the incident still lingered in the back of his mind.

“I’m so happy you came over,” Mrs. Reynolds said, hugging the boy. “Please, come over again soon!”

“Yes, it was great having you stop by!” Mr. Reynolds smiled.

It took every ounce of him not to stare in confusion at them. He then smiled back, and it was genuine. “Thanks for having me.” And this time, Victor felt he meant that. It wasn’t snobbish or out of conceit. He felt grateful to be in their home. He wanted to come back.

“I’m gonna drive him back,” Lex said. “I’ll be back in a few.”

The car ride back to the factory was sad for Victor. He didn’t want to leave. He always felt this way after a sleepover at Cameron’s house. A change of pace from his usual life was always welcome and missed.

Lex parked in front of the factory. She turned to face him. “How are you feeling?”

He didn’t say it out loud, but he was getting tired of that question. But this was Lex. “I’m not sure,” he shrugged.

She gave a warm smile. “And that’s okay.” She then pulled him into a hug and Victor didn’t hesitate to hug back.

He did his best not to cry.

“Can I ask you something?” She said. “Do you want to go to prom?”

Victor’s eyes widened. “I don’t…what if I can’t…why would you ask me that?! What if I can’t go?! Ms. Wonka would never let me go!”

“Do you want to go?” Lex asked.

Victor was caught off guard. “Huh?”

“What do you want to do, Victor?”

Victor looked down at his lap. He never really got to make decisions for himself. “I…I want to go prom with you.”

“Then you’re going to prom,” she smiled.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Come in!” Wonka said, without looking up. She was busy filling in reports and paperwork.

The door creaked open and Charlie Bucket walked in.

“Charlie!” The chocolatier smiled. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I just wanted to say thank you for being kind to Victor this week,” she said, standing at the door. “He didn’t tell me much but he looked a little happier.”

“Well I’m glad to hear,” Wonka said and she continued to scribble onto the paper.

Charlie thought for a moment. “You’re going to…keep doing this right? Give him more chances?”

Wonka paused. “When the opportunity arises, for not just Mr. Beauregarde, but for all of them, I will grant them more chances for a day off. It was simply Victor’s turn to have one.”

Charlie nodded but not in defeat, but in confirmation. She knew Victor was hardheaded, but her mentor was just as stubborn. “Understood, Ms. Wonka. Thank you.”

“Of course, Charlie.” Wonka said, continuing her work.

She began to head out her office. Charlie had a lot of work to do.

Chapter Text

The rows upon rows of tuxedos overwhelmed Victor. He anxiously followed Cameron in the store as the two searched for suits for prom.

Victor nervously looked at the suits around him. He wrung his hands as he rapidly chewed his gum.

“What color is her dress?” Cameron asked. “Do you know?”

“Uh…I think it’s pink?” Victor said. “Wait no! Peach! Orange? I’m not sure…”

Cameron chuckled. “Why don’t you just ask her?”

Victor sheepishly smiled. “Right…” He pulled out his phone and texted Lex, asking what color her dress for the night would be.

Lex: it’s a peachy color!

“It’s peach,” Victor said.

“Ooh maybe we can find a nice tie or corsage to match her dress!” Cameron said.

Victor looked around the store. “I’m still not sure about this, Cam.”

“Vic!” Cameron laughed. “It’s going to be fine! Ms. Wonka is going to say yes, you’re going to have an amazing time, you’ll have me, and you and Lex are going to remember this moment forever! Let’s get you that suit!”

All Victor did was take a shaky breath and nod. The boys tried on numerous suits and ties and critiqued each other.

“I’m telling you, Vic! You should go with the nice black one from earlier! It looked nice on you!”

Victor stared at himself in the mirror. He tried on numerous suits within the last hour. It only took Cameron three times to go with the one he wanted. But Victor, he was still on the fence with the tuxedo. He’s been feeling out of his body for nearly two and a half months now. This wasn’t how he was expecting the end of his junior year to go. If anything, he was predicting his parents already buying the tux and him forcing to ask Maddie Montgomery to be his date just for the sake of public appearances. Never did he think it took a wild trip to a chocolate factory and one horrifying incident for him to ask his long time crush to get to this point.

He continued to look at himself. Tears began to well up in his eyes but he forced them down. “It…doesn’t feel right…” Victor turned to face Cameron. “I’m sorry. I’m just wasting your time.”

“You’re not. I promise.” Cameron turned to the pile of tuxes on the chair. He began to separate them.

“What are you doing?” Victor asked.

“Sorting.” His friend said simply, moving the tuxes around. “I remembered the ones you liked and remembered the ones you absolutely didn’t like.” He then held up the black tux and a peach-colored tie and handed it to him. “This one you actually smiled when you wore it before you said no. You didn’t do that with the others. Go with this one, Vic.”

Victor hesitantly grabbed it.

Cameron sighed with relief. “I think you should go with the things that make you happy.”

Victor gave a small smile at Cameron and then looked back at the suit. He tried to think of good things that will happen at prom and not fill his mind with worries. He thought of Lex in her dress, dancing with her, and finally spending time with both of his friends. Just a night of him being a normal teenager and not a teen stuck between a whimsical chocolatier and his overbearing parents.

“I’ll go with this one.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Victor sat anxiously on the couch. He was trying to motivate himself. The next time he sees Wonka, he’s going to ask - no beg her to let him go on his prom date with Lex Reynolds. There’s no way he could miss this opportunity.

He nervously blew a bubble of his gum and bounced his leg. Victor wouldn’t know what to do if Wilma Wonka said no. How could one miss prom?!

He shut his eyes and let out a breath. This shouldn’t be hard, he thought to himself.

“I understand that, Miss Teevee, but there was no need to use such harsh language,” Victor overheard Wonka instructed. His eyes widened. Now’s his chance!

He heard Michelle grumble and march up the stairs. “You are the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met!” She yelled.

Wonka rubbed her temples as she entered the living room. Her eyes lit up. “Mr. Beauregarde! What a pleasant surprise! And what are you up to today?”

Victor continued to anxiously chew his gum. Thank God he remembered to grab some before this conversation. “I…I wanted to ask you something.”

Wonka chuckled to herself. “And I believe I know what you’re going to ask.”

“Please, just this once, and it’s not even for a competition! I want to have a night to go to prom with Lex.”

“Pffft!” Wonka couldn’t help but snort. “Prom?! Who ever went to prom?!”

Victor stared at her in a confused manner.

“Never was into the silly school pleasantries!” She waved her hand. “I always found them so trivial.”

“But!” Victor scrambled, searching for something to say. He wasn’t expecting Wonka to react in such a way. Then again, she tended to react to things in an unusual way.

“While I do believe education is important, I don’t think silly things like prom is vital for you, Victor. You have everything you need right here! All the social activities you could have all in one convenient space.” She began to walk away.

“No! No, please!” Victor got up off the couch and chased after her. “I hardly ever get out of the factory to do something fun! You always exclude me out of parties. Just let me have this!”

“Victor,” she turned to face him, giving him a patient smile, “why do you even want to go? I’ve never been to my prom and I’m fine!” She then paused. “Well then again, I did leave home and stopped attending school and did my own education but that’s besides the point!”

Victor sighed. He felt defeated. “I just…I just want to spend time with Lex. I’m getting to know her and I was hoping to just have one normal night out with my friends. I…I actually feel comfortable around her.”

“Why not wait until next year?” She asked. “Your condition is only going to last a bit longer, Victor. Remember you have a 95% chance!”

“But what if it doesn’t happen?!” He said. “What if this is my only chance to hang out with her?! What if this is the only prom I’ll ever have?! I don’t want to risk that!”

Wonka paused and studied the boy which caused him to tense up. She began to hum to herself, considering the outcomes of her decision. “And when is your prom thingy?”

“Next Saturday,” he said.

“Hmm…” she tapped her cane. “I’ll have to see how well you behave until that day. So I suggest you be on your best behavior til then?”

Victor’s eyes lit up with hope. “Yes, Ms. Wonka! Thank you!” He ran off to his room to text Cameron the good news.

Wonka let out a sigh. “I should’ve thought about this more clearly when inviting teenagers into my home.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
“Come on, dude! Let us see the suit!” Michelle said.

“I’m starting to regret inviting all of you guys into my room,” Victor grumbled. The other four Golden Ticket Winners were in Victor’s blue bedroom.

Vernon picked up one of Victor’s trophies. “What is this?” He accidentally dropped causing Victor to grimace. “Whoops!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have Ms. Wonka fix it if he breaks anything,” Charlie gave a sheepish smile.

Victor went to his closet and pulled out the black tuxedo with the peach colored tie and laid it on his bed. The Golden Ticket Winners gathered around him and looked at it.

“This is nice!” Charlie smiled.

“The colors are great,” Agnes added.

Michelle scoffed. “It’s nice or whatever. Just a suit.”

“You’re really great at this friendship thing, aren’t you?” Victor rolled his eyes.

“Hmm…” Vernon studied the suit. “I could’ve gotten something better from England! This tuxedo was cheaply made. Why didn’t you just do a special customization of your suit?”

“Because clearly I’m not able to do that!” Victor said irritably.

“I think the suit is perfect!” Charlie smiled at him. “You’re going to have a great time!” Charlie hoped what she said to Victor didn’t sound forced. She genuinely did wish Victor the best for next Saturday night, but she couldn’t help but wonder if they were still together, would that be her dancing with him on the gym floor?

“That is if she’ll even let me go,” Victor slumped on his bed. “I don’t even know what to tell Lex.”

“Well she hasn’t made a decision yet,” Michelle said. “So just keep acting like you’re going. I mean, you already got the suit.”

“Which I still think you could’ve gotten a better deal if you went with me and not that guy who always hovers around you.” Vernon swiveled in Victor’s desk chair.

Victor scrunched up his face in confusion. “Are you talking about Cameron?”

“That’s the one!” Vernon spun around again.

“Are you jealous of Cameron?” Michelle teased.

Vernon stopped spinning in the chair and locked eyes with the rest of the room. He started to slowly swivel again. “I just think Victor’s suit could be better…”

“Wait!” Charlie’s eyes lit up. “How about this? What if you asked Ms. Wonka to charm you suit? So it doesn’t tear!”

Victor blushed uncomfortably. “Are you saying that I might swell up at school?”

“Well no,” Charlie shrugged. “But it’s better safe than sorry! It’s a really nice suit and you don’t want to rip it. If you show it to Ms. Wonka then she’ll see that you’re serious about it, you know?

Victor stared at the suit and then thought about his condition. He hated how all of his wardrobe has been charmed and that this was his new normal. He hoped that he did get the 95% chance of getting back to normal because he couldn’t imagine buying clothes and having to magic them all the time.

“I guess…it wouldn’t hurt to ask…” He picked up the suit. That still doesn’t excuse the fact it’s such a humiliating question to ask, he thought. He doesn’t want to think about blowing up at prom and embarrass not only himself but Lex!

“Hey, we’ll be right there with you!” Michelle clasped his shoulder causing him to jump a little.

“Thanks…” He looked at the suit one more time.

“And if she says no, we’ll just gang up on her!” Michelle gave a wicked smile.

“Thanks…?” Victor left his room with the others following behind him. He saw Wonka walking down the hall and called for her. “Ms. Wonka!”

The chocolatier turned around and her eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Beauregarde! And I see that you’re with the rest of the ticket winners!”

“I wanted to ask you something,” he said uneasily, heat flushing his cheeks. Wonka raised an eyebrow in suspicion as she leaned on her cane. Victor awkwardly raised up his prom suit. “Will you please um…charm my prom suit for me?” He could hardly look the woman in the eye.

Wonka snorted as she lifted his suit and studied it. “Lovely suit,” she said.

“Could be better,” Vernon said.

Michelle nudged him. “Shut it!”

“You want me to charm it because…?”

Victor blushed harder. “Please don’t make me say it!”

“I think you’d look absolutely charming as a blueberry in your suit!” Wonka touched underneath his chin.

Victor shifted uncomfortably. “I just wanted to ask because I have the suit and I wanted to show you that I’m committed to going to prom.”

“As much as I admire your ceaseless determination and stubbornness, Victor, I still haven’t made up my mind about allowing you to go or not.”

“Ms. Wonka,” Charlie stepped forward. She looked back at Victor then sighed. “I think it’s a good idea to let Victor go next weekend.”

Wonka gave an amused grin. “And why is that Miss Charlie?”

“Victor has had a rough start of this year. I mean, all of us had, of course! But I think if anyone deserves to go on a nice get away with the people who care about them…it’s Victor.”

Victor stood there in awe. There was the girl who broke up with him not too long ago because of the upkeep of his condition, defending him. It was then Victor realized that if Charlie couldn’t be his girlfriend, at least he had a good friend looking out for him.

Wonka looked at Charlie then at the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners. She cracked a smile but mostly out of intrigue. She honestly never expected the children to do it but they finally befriended one another - and they were defending Victor Beauregarde of all children!

She looked at the gum chewing brat. He still looked nervous. Wonka has never seen the child so unconfident before.

“Oh alright,” Wonka said exasperated. Victor’s eyes lit up. “You can go. Please hand over the suit.” She opened up her gloved hand.

Victor hesitantly handed it over, still embarrassed at the fact he had to get his whole wardrobe accommodated to his condition. “Thanks for letting me go, Ms. Wonka.”

Wonka gave a smile. “Of course, sweetie pie. Can’t have you working too hard on making juice!”

Victor subconsciously touched his stomach. “Right…”

“But!” Wonka quickly raised a finger startling the children. “I’m not going to just give away your day off! I feel like you didn’t 100% earn it. And because you didn’t 100% earn it, I will have you swelled up for a week.”

Victor’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “A week?! I won’t be able to do anything! I’ll miss days of school! I can’t do that!”

“Then bye bye prom!” Ms. Wonka smiled.

Victor tried to calm himself down. This could be just as bad as spending time with each of the Golden Ticket Winners. But no. This is for Lex, he thought to himself. A whole night with Lex Reynolds. You can do this! Maybe the week won’t be too bad? “When…when is this going to start?”

Wonka approached him and playfully touched his nose. “Now.”

Victor looked at the blue dot forming on his nose and whimpered. His shoulders slouched.

This was going to be a long week indeed.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Victor awkwardly toddled down the hall. His hands rested on his large, yoga ball stomach. He struggled to catch his breath as he made his way to the living room.

Victor saw the others following Wonka and he did his best to pick up speed. “Wait! Wait for me, please!”

Wonka laughed and it caused a shiver down his spine. He stopped in his tracks. “Oh sweetie pie, I’m afraid this is for Golden Ticket Winners only!”

Victor was startled by her answer. He stepped back a little. “What…what do you mean? I am a Golden Ticket Winner! I was the third one!”

The Chocolatier approached him and poked his stomach a few times causing him to blush. “Oh I don’t think that’s correct! Last I checked, the third Golden Ticket Winner is Victor Beauregarde and you are a blueberry.”

Victor was dumbfounded. He looked over to the other children and they were snickering behind her. Tears welled up in his eyes. “But I’m not a blueberry!” He protested. “I’m! I’m a winner! I’m an athlete! A champion!”

Somehow Michelle Teevee appeared next to him, starting him. “Um, actually, Blueregarde!” She jabbed his side for emphasis. “You are a fat blueberry! Whoever heard of a giant blue ball competing?!”

Victor trembled at her words. “Mi-Michelle?”

Vernon wrapped his arms around his large stomach and squeezed him causing him to wobble backwards. He fell hard on his back. “If anything, I would just absolutely LOVE to take you home to England! I haven’t owned a human blueberry yet.”

Victor struggled. “No! Get off!” He felt his stomach gurgle and he began to swell.

“He’s getting bigger than me,” Agnes chuckled.

This pushed him over the edge. “STOP! ENOUGH! Stop bullying me! I can’t take it!”

He then felt one last harsh jab in his stomach. He craned his neck and looked up and saw Wonka towering above him, poking him with her cane. He cowered at her.

Wonka bent down slightly. “I see that you’re finish swelling up, my dear blueberry.”

Victor sobbed. “I’m not…a blueberry.”

“Ah ah ah!” She tutted at him. “No crying! Blueberries don’t cry, now don’t they?”

He pouted in response.

“Besides, I can’t have you wasting that precious juice, hmm?” She poked him twice for good measure. “Now, I’m going to leave you here with my Oompa Loompas so they’ll take care of you.”

Victor shook his head rapidly.

“Oh don’t fret! They take good care of blueberries! You’re in good hands. They’re simply the best. And I think they want to treat you to a song!”

Victor tried to call out but he couldn’t. He found his cheeks were too swollen to speak! “Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!!”

Wonka sighed. “Thank goodness, he stopped talking. Let’s go, children.”

The Oompa Loompas closed in around him as Wilma Wonka walked away.

“Farewell, Mr. Beauregarde.”

Victor screamed awake and he flailed a bit as he was on his back fully round. He had to sleep on the floor in a makeshift beanbag pile that Charlie thoughtfully made for him. He had to admit, it was a lot more comfortable than his very first night back at the factory where he just slept on the floor.

That nightmare was the worst one this week. He whimpered quietly to himself from the dream that just happened. He’s been having bad dreams lately but he hasn’t talked to anyone about it. Victor strongly felt like no one would understand and the dreams would be so vivid too.

It was day four of his long week to prom. The only thing keeping the poor boy going was the thought of hanging out with Lex all night.

In fact, Cameron and Lex have came over after school to keep him company. He also felt incredibly happy when they came over because that meant the other Golden Ticket Winners could leave him alone. Yes the boy was still trying to be friends with them but small steps are important. He could only handle so much of them in a day. Especially Vernon, who talked his ear off when he laid on his stomach again talking about how his day went.

Victor was placed on the lower half of his stomach, not quite upright but also not fully on his belly either. He was almost at 7 feet and felt quite full. He was a little tired but he tried to listen into what his two best friends were saying about school in the living room. As much as they helped him, he wanted to be just as involved in their lives. Every time Cameron or Lex cracked a joke and laughed, Victor would just weakly laugh.

“Hey dude,” Cameron said gently. “If you need to sleep, go to sleep.”

Victor moved his hands awkwardly and groaned frustratedly. “But…both of you guys are here. I don’t want to be rude and fall asleep. I want to spend time with you guys.”

Lex approached him. “Victor, I think it’s very sweet and thoughtful that you’re taking a risk and being stuck like this for a whole week for this Saturday. You didn’t have to do that. I would’ve been more than happy to spend it here if Ms. Wonka wouldn’t budge. I’m sorry if I pressured you when I asked you out. That wasn’t my intention. But you need rest.”

Victor was still unsure. “But-”

Cameron chuckled. “Dude! I saw you doze off like twice! It’s okay.” Cameron paused then turned to Lex. “Honestly, Lex, it’s fine. Victor will protest and then crash later.”

The blue boy became flustered and flapped his hands angrily. “Hey! I will not!”

Cameron raised his hands in playful surrender. “Sure you won’t.”

Lex checked her watch. “I actually have to go. It’s a bit of a drive back home and I need to be back by dinner. I wish I could stay with you tonight, Victor, but I can’t.”

“It’s okay,” Victor said softly.

“Plus, I gotta figure out my makeup for this Saturday,” she slung her book bag over her shoulder. “It’s stressful because I know nothing about makeup. I just got this concealer from the drug store near my house and I want to try it out.”

“Oh you don’t want to use those,” Victor said. “Their products are always cheaply made and they never last. You want to go this one beauty store that’s off of Clearview and Hollis Street. Their products are made better and are vegan friendly.”

Lex paused then smiled slyly. “Why do you know that?”

Victor’s eyes widened when he realized what he just said. Cameron stifled a laugh. “I! Um! I help my mom…by picking up…her makeup…for her interviews?”

Lex laughed and began to leave. “Right. Bye, Victor! Bye, Cameron!”

Cameron waved goodbye as Lex walked out the front door. He turned back to his best friend as he dropped his head in exhaustion.

“I don’t know if I can do this. I want to go back to normal,” Victor said sadly. “This is the longest I’ve ever been blown up. I hate how I have to rely on everyone!”

Cameron looked at him sympathetically. “As much as I want to encourage you to not give up, I completely understand. Plus, Lex said herself she didn’t mean to pressure you. She just wants to make sure you have a break of some sort.”

Victor looked down. “That is true…”

“And if you don’t get Saturday off, we’ll just come here!” Cameron smiled.

Victor gave a tiny smile but it faded too quickly. He couldn’t help but think that he would need to convince Wonka for that to happen as well. Either way, he needs a strong argument.

“All right,” Cameron grabbed his own bag and car keys. “I’m going to head out too, Vic. Don’t be too hard on yourself, all right? And that’s a threat!”

Victor nodded - or sort of, to the best of his ability. “All right. Bye, Cam.”

Cameron waved and Victor sighed.

“So you gave her makeup advice?” Michelle said, startling the boy.

Victor jumped out of his skin. “How much did you hear?”

Michelle made an “eh” face. “A good chunk. But it’s no big deal.” She picked up an apple from the basket on the table. She took a bite. “So, you really thinking about giving up?”

Victor didn’t say anything. He was conflicted.

“I agree with Cameron, dude,” she said. “It’s not easy. But you are almost halfway through the week.”

“Yeah I know, but I…” He did his best to look at himself. “It’s hard to explain.”

Michelle studied him and the way his head and hands dropped. “I think you should finish this week.”

Victor lifted his head up. “Huh?”

Michelle huffed and folded her arms. “I’m not saying this because it means Vernon and I can still make fun of you but…I think it would be nice for you to have an actual day off where you let loose.”

Victor looked at her stunned. “I didn’t think…you actually cared about me.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Well yeah, you’re like an annoying brother that I never asked for. But you did tell me not too long ago that you wouldn’t take yourself so seriously! Why is it so hard for you to believe that you deserve a night to yourself?”

Victor became quiet. “I don’t know…” And it was true. Well, sort of. Victor felt like he knew the answer, but he wasn’t quite sure. He wasn’t sure if it was denial or not.

“Well keep your head up, Blueregarde,” she roughed up his shaggy hair. Victor agitatedly tried to blow the long strands out of his face. “You gotta use your stubbornness for something.” She then left him alone in the living room.

Three more days, he thought to himself. He sighed. I can do this.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Wonka mercifully let some of the juice out of Victor on the sixth day. His stomach was slightly pot bellied but he was grateful he had his mobility back.

The Chocolatier called him down to the living room for a surprise.

“Yes, Ms. Wonka?” He said, chewing some gum. He had to chew himself a piece just to keep some sanity this week. He called it close to quitting when he could barely reach anything in his room. Despite being a human blueberry for about three months now, he still wanted to do everything himself and quickly got frustrated when he couldn’t.

“Victor Beauregarde!” Wonka smiled. “I have good news for you!”

Victor hoped that this week long punishment was ending early. He waited with bated breath.

“Here’s your suit!” She handed him the suit in a bag.

Victor glanced back between the suit and Wonka and a smile grew on his face. He quickly unzipped it and his heart dropped. He looked back at her. “This…this isn’t my suit.”

Wonka raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? It’s yours, my dear boy!”

Victor felt the tears well up again. He pulled the suit out of the bag. “This isn’t my suit! My suit is black with a peach colored tie! This is blue!”

The suit was in fact blue. Blue coat, white dress shirt, blue vest, blue pants and a red tie and a red belt. Very reminiscent to his tour outfit.

“You did this on purpose!” He yelled.

“I just think this suit fits you better than the other one.”

“But this isn’t your suit! It’s mine!” He looked at the blue suit. “I’m never going to escape this color...” Victor looked back at her harshly. “FINE! If you want me to wear this on Saturday then I will! I’m not going to skip prom over a blue suit! But just know this isn’t going to stop me from my date with Lex!”

Victor stormed off as Wonka stopped to think. She wasn’t expecting Victor to react like that. The boy hasn’t stopped surprising her. All of the children really. When she heard what Vernon told Victor after he yelled at him she was shocked. He apologized to him.

It seemed the lessons are working on the four rotten kids. But Wonka has to make the decision if she needs to push them even further. Where was the limit? She needs to make sure it’s actually ingrained in them.

Victor, meanwhile, cried frustratedly in his room. He hated how much he was crying lately. He was grateful his father wasn’t here or he would scold him.

He looked at the blue suit. He tired not to think about the factory incident and the eerie coincidence he was wearing blue that day. Victor vowed to himself that once this year is up he’ll never wear the color ever again.

He screamed out in frustration. This suit doesn’t even go with Lex’s dress. Oh no. He repeated the thought in his head. The suit doesn’t go with Lex’s dress. He began to hyperventilate.

“I’m gonna…I’m gonna ruin prom night!” He paced furiously across the floor and his body trembled. “Oh no no no no no…”

Charlie was on her room until she stopped by Victor’s. “Victor…?”

But Victor didn’t hear her. He was still pacing madly. “Lex…Lex is gonna…Lex is gonna hate me!”

Charlie entered the room. “Hey! Victor! Snap out of it!”

His mind continued to run rampant. He was stuck in a loop. “I always ruin things! I ruin everything!”

“Victor!” Charlie shouted as she touched his shoulder.

Victor screamed and she jumped back. He finally caught his breath and immediately wiped the tears off his face. He tried to act like nothing was wrong. “Yes?”

Charlie stared at him in disbelief. Her mouth was agape. “No! No! Victor! Don’t pull this on me!”

Victor looked at her confused. “Pull what on you?”

“You can’t just act like you didn’t have a panic attack and play it cool! What’s wrong?”

He grunted in frustration. “Nothing’s wrong! I don’t have panic attacks! I’m fine!”

“Victor,” she said gently this time, “what’s going on? Tell me.”

Victor opened his mouth to speak but he stopped. Charlie could see the frustration in his eyes. He sighed and relaxed his shoulders. “My suit…is ruined.”

Charlie scrunched her face up in confusion. “Your suit? How?”

Victor picked the tuxedo off his bed. Charlie gasped.

“But this isn’t your suit!”

“I know it isn’t!” He yelled back. “But I can’t cancel my date with Lex over it. I’ve already made it through majority of the week. If I have to humiliate myself wearing this ugly suit then fine. Lex deserves a good night.”

Charlie looked at him. She never thought Victor would say something so selfless before. Even when they were dating, occasionally Victor still retained some of his selfish tendencies. She still loved him nonetheless.

“Let me talk to Ms. Wonka,” Charlie said. “She has to change it back.”

“Charlie, no-”

“Trust me, Victor. Okay?”

Victor said nothing. He pouted a bit. “You know you can be stubborn too.”

Charlie gave him a big smile. “Only when I have to be!”

She left and Victor stood there nervously. Hopefully this doesn’t go wrong, he thought.

Charlie marched down the stairs and approached Wonka who was talking to an Oompa Loompa.

“No, I understand that,” The Chocolatier said bent over to hear them. “But it’s not your fault the machine broke down. Please, be gentle on yourself.”

“Ms. Wonka!” Charlie yelled, approaching her mentor.

“We’ll talk again soon,” she said dismissing her worker. “Yes, my dear?”

“How could you do that to Victor?!”

Wonka sighed. “He complained to you?”

“He didn’t complain!” Charlie shouted. “He had a panic attack!”

Wonka looked at her in confusion. “Panic attack? I didn’t know the boy had panic attacks.”

“Well now you do and this time you caused it!” Charlie Bucket pointed her finger at her. “Why did you change the color of his suit?! How could you do such a thing?!”

“The suit coincides with his wardrobe,” Wonka simply replied. “It fitted him much better.”

Charlie pressed forward. “But the color, Ms. Wonka! That’s not the suit he wanted. He didn’t deserve that. I thought you were going to be easier on him. You’ve been doing so well with the others!”

“We don’t always get what we want, Ms. Bucket. You, especially should know this. Victor should also know that his wardrobe is blue now while he lives here. The rules haven’t changed.”

Charlie sighed and shook her head. “It’s starting to feel like you haven’t changed.” She then left Ms. Wonka and head back upstairs to check on Victor.

Ms. Wonka stood there, processing what Charlie said to her. She held tight on her cane and made her way back to the office.

Charlie knocked on Victor’s door. “Victor?” She walked in and saw the other Golden Ticket Winners looking at the blue suit and Victor sitting on his bed.

“That’s just about the ugliest effing suit I’ve ever seen,” Michelle said with a disgusted look on her face.

“Is this the same suit?” Vernon said looking closely at it.

“I think so?” Victor answered softly.

“Are you going to wear it tomorrow?” Agnes asked.

“I have to!” Victor shouted. “I can’t cancel on Lex over this! I’ve made it this far!” Victor looked at the blue suit. “I don’t want to let her down…”

“Then don’t cancel,” Charlie said causing everyone to look at her. “I spoke with Ms. Wonka.”

Víctor looked expectantly at her. “What did she say?”

Charlie sighed. “I’m sorry, Vic, she didn’t back down. But I did tell her that she should change it back.” Victor lowered his head. “But you should still go! Either way, she’s still giving you the night out!”

“That’s true…” Victor said quietly. “I could make the most of it.”

“Plus who knows! Maybe she’ll change it back!” Charlie said. “It isn’t prom just yet.”

Victor silently agreed with her. She’s right. He still has time. Blue suit or no, he’s determined to have the best time with Lex Reynolds.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Tonight was the night. Victor slept restlessly. Luckily he had no nightmares whenever he did drift off to sleep.

He got out of bed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was normal. He let out of a small sigh of relief. He then turned to the suit hanging in his closet. Still unfortunately blue.

Victor didn’t want to go downstairs for breakfast. He wasn’t even hungry and normally he isn’t. He figured it was best to head downstairs anyways before Wonka’s annoying knock on the door arrived.

Victor arrived at the dining room with the other Golden Ticket Winners pouring in. His energy was low as he sat in his chair. He didn’t even bother trying to see what food he could claim for himself before Wonka made him breakfast.

“You’re normal today!” Charlie exclaimed with a smile. “Are you excited about tonight?”

Victor looked down and shrunk in his chair as the others waited for his answer. “Yeah…”

Truly, Victor was excited. But the numerous thoughts and scenarios about how tonight will go have been cooking in his head all night.

From being made fun of in his blue suit to making Lex angry because it doesn’t match her dress to somehow blowing up in the school gym even though Wonka promised it’s not going to happen - all of it didn’t sit well with Victor.

The other children didn’t know what to say to cheer Victor up, so the five kids sat quietly waiting for breakfast.

“Good morning, dear children!” Wonka said happily, entering the dining room. She sat at the head of the table and noticed none of the children, not even her own protege, didn’t respond back. “What has got you children in such low spirits?”

“Did you make a decision about the suit?” Charlie asked immediately.

Victor didn’t stop his ex girlfriend from the question. He was also awaiting the answer from the Chocolatier.

Wonka sighed. “Yes, I have made a decision.” She couldn’t believe she was going to say this, not wanting Charlie to be upset with her. “I will change the suit back to the original design.”

Victor sat up taller in his seat. “Really?!” The rest of the children smiled and cheered with him. “Wait a second,” Victor paused. “Is the suit still charmed? Not saying I want to swell up at school, but…will it grow with me?”

“Yes, I still charmed it.” She nodded.

Victor beamed with excitement. “Thank you, Ms. Wonka!” He quickly left the dining room and headed up to his room.

Wonka opened her mouth to call him back for breakfast but she stopped herself. She let the boy go.

Charlie looked at her mentor and smiled. She was proud of Ms. Wonka in this moment. She knew it was going to take more than this instance to be merciful to the others but every step counts.

Victor called Cameron immediately that his suit was fixed and that he was ready to go for tonight. In that instant, all the fears he had from last night disappeared. The thought of escaping the factory and having a normal night for once excited him.

When the time came, Victor got ready for the dance. This wasn’t one of the forced party appearances his parents made him attend. This was something he wanted to go to. He wasn’t attending it with someone who also didn’t want to be there but with the people who supported him the most. Victor hasn’t felt this happy in a very long time.

Cameron was right. Victor did like this suit and he was grateful it was the original color again. He looked at himself one last time in the mirror and a genuine smile came on his face.

Victor headed downstairs and waited for Lex to pick him up. He promised himself whenever he got a car, he would pick her up instead. He hated how limited his freedom was. His father said he didn’t trust Victor fully enough with a vehicle fearing he would make the wrong choices or end up at the wrong competition - or heck, skipping a competition all together.

But this wasn’t the time to think about competitions, he thought. This is the time to think about how perfect this night will go.

“He didn’t leave just yet!” Vernon shouted at the top of the stairs.

Victor watched the other Golden Ticket Winners run downstairs to meet him in the living room. Victor got up quickly and raised his hands. “What’s happening?” He asked nervously.

“We wanted to make sure you look ready before Lex picks you up!” Michelle said.

“I already did that, so there’s no need -”

Michelle immediately dusted off his shoulders and straightened his tie as Victor flinched at the touch. She grinned. “Better!”

“Hmm, I don’t now about the hair though,”
Vernon said.

Victor fumed. “My hair is fine! I don’t need anymore help!”

Michelle pinched his arm.

“OW!”

“That’s a weird way of saying ‘thank you’,” she cheesed.

“You look great,” Agnes said with a smile. The others murmur in agreement.

Victor sighed out of nervousness, shaking his hands to release the jitters. “Thanks.”

“Hey,” Charlie said grabbing his attention. “It’s going to be a great night. Don’t worry.”

Victor gave a gentle smile as Wilma Wonka entered the room.

“Why, Victor Beauregarde, you cleaned up nicely!” The Chocolatier exclaimed.

Victor blushed and stammered. “Um…thank you, Ms. Wonka.”

“Now, I do want to put you on a curfew, Victor,” she raised a finger at him. “I want you to be home by 10, understood?”

“And what if he doesn’t?” Michelle asked. “Does the fairy godmother’s magic wear off and he’s going to turn into a blueberry?”

Victor blushed as Vernon and Michelle snickered. Agnes elbowed them both to pipe down.

Wonka smiled. “Not exactly. Just know that if you’re not home by then, your next opportunity for a day off is going to be much harder to get.”

Victor looked at her anxiously. Something much harder than being stuck as a blueberry for a whole week?! He couldn’t even fathom it.

Wonka then snapped her fingers causing Victor to jump at the sudden motion. “There!” She said. “You are good for the rest of the night and shouldn’t have any episodes at the school.”

Ding dong! The front door chimed and Victor’s heart skipped a beat. He looked one last time at the group and began to make his way to the front.

“Victor,” Wonka called him. The young boy turned around and she smiled at him. It actually looked genuine. “Have a good night.”

Victor nodded. “Thank you.”

He opened the door and blushed at the sight of Lex Reynolds in her prom dress. She had a peach ball gown dress and her hair was pulled back save for two strands that dangled to her shoulders. Her earrings were crystal white and her makeup was clean and simple.

“You look…beautiful,” he said breathlessly. But deep in his heart he knew beautiful wasn’t even the word to describe it. He went ahead and put on her corsage. Lex looked down and admired it.

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” she smiled. She reached out her hand. “You ready?”

He smiled back and grabbed it. “Ready.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
The gym was decked out in silver and gold. Streamers dangled from the ceiling, a disco ball spun slowly to the music, and juniors and seniors flooded the dance floor.

Victor realized this was the first party he’s been to in three months. He saw Cameron on the dance floor dancing with his boyfriend. Cameron caught his friend’s eye and waved. Victor gave a small wave back, still forcing himself to relax. On the other side, he saw Maddie Montgomery with her own date but she glared at Victor for spending the night with her best friend. Victor realized her date was Cornelius and he quick adverted his eyes. He didn’t need the drama tonight.

Lex gave a quick wave to Maddie then excitedly turned to him. “Looks like Cam and Maddie are here too. You wanna go dancing?”

Victor was caught off guard. He then nodded. “Um! Yes!”

“Come on,” she said, nodding her head to the dance floor. “Let’s see if all of those dance lessons and competitions actually worked.”

Lex tugged him onto the dance floor. She grabbed both of his hands and began to dance with him. Victor was still tense but he followed her lead. He spun her every now and then.

Shen then got close to him. “This can’t be all that your parents paid for in dance lessons,” she said flirtatiously.

Victor gave a sheepish smile.

“Come on, Vic!” She said. “You made it out of the factory! You’re here with me. Let’s make it a night to remember.”

She then let go of his hands and cut loose on the floor. Victor watched her dance and couldn’t help but think how stunning she looked. Her dress effortlessly flowing and following her movements. He could get lost in watching her all day.

Victor then cried out as he felt someone nudge him closer to her. He turned around and saw Cameron, dancing with his date, pretending he didn’t push him towards his crush. Victor glared at him and then went towards Lex.

“So,” she said holding onto him again, “you going to loosen up for the rest of the night? Or am I going to have to force you to?”

“I’m sorry if this isn’t going as you hoped,” Victor said awkwardly, “this is my first time going somewhere fun after like…three months…it feels weird to me.”

Lex thought for a moment. “Hmm…” she mused to herself. “Maybe I can help with that.” The song changed and Lex’s eyes lit up with an idea. She whispered into his ear. “Follow my lead.”

Lex gripped his hands and began to dance with him. Victor caught on to her moves, his background in dance helping him to quickly to learn the rhythm.

She laughed. “Get out of your head, Beauregarde. Not everything has to be perfect. Let the dance be a little messy.”

Her words were foreign to him. Victor couldn’t help but be a little frustrated. Be messy? Be flawed? That’s not in his operating system! He did however spin her then tucked her back into his arms.

“Better,” she commented.

He dipped her.

“Closer,” she smiled. He lifted her back up and he couldn’t help but laugh at her critique. Victor felt his shoulders slowly relax. Lex draped her arms around him. “Finally,” she sighed playfully. “You ready to enjoy the rest of the evening?”

Victor gave a playful grin back. “I think so.”

“About time.” She pulled him deeper into the dance floor and the two danced the night away.

In those moments, Victor felt normal, felt like a normal teenager. No competitions to worry about, no public appearances, no parents to please, nothing. He didn’t have to think about the factory, blowing up and being tormented by the Oompa Loompas, and not having to deal with Wonka’s constant testing.

This night was about friends, about simply enjoying the night, and Victor was going to enjoy every second of it until 10PM chimes.

Cornelius Prinzmetal bitterly clutched his drink as he watched Victor dance with Lex. Maddie Montgomery was not on the top of his list to go to prom with. He merely went to boost his popularity. Maddie went with him as an opportunity to get to know him better but she is beginning to regret her kind decision.

Maddie stood next to him and pouted. “When are we going to dance again?” She asked. “Lex is out there and I want to join her!”

“Victor Beauregarde is here,” he clenched his teeth. “I didn’t think he was going to show up tonight.

Maddie rolled her eyes. “Maybe he should’ve been your prom date,” she muttered.

Cornelius’ eyes flared. “Excuse me?!”

“You’ve been talking about him all night!” She shouted. “We barely talked about anything else all evening! This night hasn’t been romantic at all.”

“Tch, just be glad I brought you here!”

Maddie fumed and jabbed a finger into his chest. “Just be glad I said yes to your promposal! I didn’t have to come with you tonight! I would’ve been more than happy to join Lex and Victor over there! And you know what, have fun obsessing over Victor! You know you two are perfect each other. You’re just alike! Both of you so full of yourselves.”

Cornelius gasped in shock. “You take that back! We’re nothing alike!”

Maddie sighed. “You know, Cornelius, everyone told me not to go to prom with you because of how shallow you are, but I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. It turns out they’re right. At least with Victor, Lex seems happy with him. And to be honest, he’s a lot more likable than you. This date is over.”

Maddie walked away and ran over to Lex on the dance floor. Lex greeted her with a smile as her prom date avoided her eyes. And to think he was just finally loosening up.

Cornelius huffed and left the dance. “I am nothing like Victor Beauregarde!” He grumbled.

The rest of the dance went smoothly. Cameron hugged Victor and high-fived him. He congratulated Victor on getting a night out and having his suit back. Victor told him thanks and then introduced himself to Cameron’s date since he went to another school.

“Hey, we should go grab some dinner!” Cameron suggested. “Double date?”

Victor looked at his watch. “I have some time. I have to be back by ten or else…you know…”

Cameron chuckled. “Understood. We won’t keep you long. Noah and I are going to head to the car and meet you and Lex at the diner. Sounds good?”

Victor nodded and soon his best friend and his date left. Victor found his way back to Lex. “Hey, Cameron suggested we go on a double date and grab dinner. Is that good with you?”

“Of course!” She said. “Is it all right if Maddie comes as well?”

Maddie and Victor awkwardly locked eyes with each other.

“Um…!”

“Cool it, Victor, I can set aside my pride for one night if you can too,” she rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he said shifting awkwardly.

It was then that Maddie actually gave him a smile and Victor’s eyes widened in surprise. He gave an awkward smile back.

“Besides,” Maddie straightened herself up. “I think it’s clear you actually make Lex happy.”

Lex held Victor’s hand and beamed.

Then Lex’s best friend got close to his face causing him to tense. “Because if you didn’t I would make your life a living hell, Beauregarde.”

Victor swallowed nervously as Maddie backed away. It took every ounce of him to not remark, “well you’re going to have to wait in line because I have a few people who want to do that as well.”

Maddie turned to Lex. “So I’ll wait outside?”

“Yeah we’ll be out in a second,” Lex said. Maddie left and she returned her attention to Victor and draped her arms around his neck. “One quick slow dance. I think Maddie will understand.”

“Oh! Okay,” he said placing his hands on her hips.

“I really hope you had a great time tonight.”

Victor nodded. “I did.”

She gave a soft smile. “I’m happy you did.” She then slowly reached up and kissed him. Victor’s eyes widened and he slowly kissed back, pulling her in tighter. Her kiss was gentle, safe, and sweet. Charlie’s was lovely too but it always felt like it was fleeting and apologetic. Charlie’s kiss screamed, “I love you and I’m so sorry.” It yelled, “there is something more important at hand and it’s just not you.” But Lex’s kiss was inviting, it was a sanctuary, a shelter.

Victor felt her let go and opened his eyes. They paused for a moment and looked at each other. She immediately embraced him and rested her head on his chest and he felt safe. He wanted to hang onto her and this feeling forever.

He didn’t want to let go.

Chapter Text

Cornelius Prinzmetal loathed Victor Beauregarde since they first met at 5 years old. The two boys first met at a small gymnastics show, a competition Victor grew to enjoy. It started off friendly with wishful sayings of “good luck!” but it slowly morphed into “don’t fall off the beam, Victor.”

When Cornelius first saw him win, he grew envious. Then the next win happened, and the next, and the next…

It wasn’t just a matter of Victor constantly winning, it was the fact that Cornelius could never beat him. He was always second place. He could never overthrow him. No matter what sport the boys did, Victor was the champion and Cornelius was always in his shadow. Victor was always one step ahead.

Cornelius was insulted that Victor proposed to bury the hatchet. It had to be a trap. He knew Victor for about a decade now! If anything, he was up to something - something big.

I bet his father signed him up for something new, Cornelius thought.

Cornelius did notice Victor hasn’t been himself lately. He’s been quiet, missing school, and not his usual prideful self. Victor claimed he’s suffering from a condition for about three months now. But was Cornelius really going to believe that? He wasn’t going to fall for it like everyone else in Miles City. What was Victor Beauregarde really up to?

Nevertheless, he decided to throw a small party amongst him and his teammates from school. It was an end of the year party since finals were next week. Cornelius wanted to do an end of the year bash. The boy is going to be a senior next year and he wanted to celebrate. He wanted his friends to be there - meaning, he figured he should invite his number one frenemy…Victor Beauregarde.

He guessed he liked Victor, but nothing would bring him more joy than to see him lose. At least just once. He wants to know what winning tastes like, what it was like to be in the spotlight and do countless interviews and attend parties.

Cornelius will just have to wait.

“When’s your party?” One guy asked at school.

Cornelius gave a smug smile and he touched his chest proudly. “This Friday! And feel free to spend the night. It’s going to be one last hurrah before senior year!”

Cornelius’ friends cheered at that. High-fiving each other and talking about how next year will be. Cornelius then sauntered over to Victor and Cameron’s locker.

“Can’t forget to invite my good friend, Victor Beauregarde to the party!” Cornelius grinned.

Victor and Cameron looked at each other in confusion and then back at Cornelius. “What’s going on?” Victor asked. He’s chewing that annoying gum of his, Cornelius thought.

Cornelius forced a smile on his face. “I am throwing an end of the year party this Friday night and you’re invited. The whole team will be there. You’re also allowed to stay the night.” He handed him the invite card.

Victor took it and looked down at it. “I’ll have to see if I’m allowed to go.”

Cornelius rolled his eyes. “Pfft! What? Got another competition to attend to?” He sneered. “What is it this time? Fencing? Tae kwan do? Salsa dancing?!”

Victor looked up at him. “I just need to make sure about my condition,” he said awkwardly.

Cornelius rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

“Lay off, dude!” Cameron said, frustrated. “It’s been a rough year for him.”

“Always defending his pride I see,” Cornelius said. “No matter! I do hope to see you Friday night, Victor.” With that, Cornelius left and the two boys could finally take a breath.

“You going?” Cameron asked him. “I honestly think you could spend your time better elsewhere.”

Victor looked at the card again. “I think I will. It’s been a while since I hung out with any of my teammates.”

Cameron huffed. “Vic-”

“I know you don’t like them,” Victor said, “but some of them aren’t half bad. Adam is cool!”

Cameron laughed. “That’s because Adam isn’t a douche like the rest of them! He might be the only exception.”

“Look, if my father is right about one thing, it’s that he said to build good camaraderie with your teammates.”

It took every bit of Cameron to not make a snide remark about Victor’s father. He swore one day it was going to accidentally slip out, but he knew Victor was still blinded by his parents’ leadership.

“Fine, fine,” Cameron relented. “As long as you text me all the dumb stuff that they’re doing this weekend. I need some entertainment.”

Victor laughed as he closed his locker and they began to head to first period. “Again, I’m not sure if I’m even going. Ms. Wonka is only giving me one day off this month since last month I practically had like three. And apparently that was too many.”

“Psshh, you only did one thing last month!” Cameron waved If off.

“Well no,” Victor said. He began to count on his fingers. “I had my track meet, then I had dinner with Lex’s parents, and then there was prom.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Victor sighed. “Don’t expect to see me normal this month. I only have one day off. I have to use it wisely.”

“And you want to blow it off on some party with the guy you hate?” Cameron raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t hate Cornelius,” Victor said. “He’s a little annoying.”

“You guys have been rivals for years. And if I remember the definition of rival correctly, there is an implication of hate there!”

Victor playfully shoved Cameron. “Don’t pull your dumb English crap on me! Besides, he’s the one that started it. I wanted nothing to do with it.”

“Sure!” Cameron rolled his eyes.

“It’s true! You remember I tried ending things a few months ago!”

“Yeah I do,” Cameron said. “But why continue to fight with him anyways?”

Victor said nothing. He felt like he knew the truth, but was he ready to admit out loud? Was he ready to admit that to his best friend? He grew a cocky smirk on his face. “Maybe I just like to see him try to beat me.”
* * * * * * * * *
“I don’t see the point of this party,” Wonka said crossed legged at her desk.

Victor sighed. “It’s just an end of the year celebration. We’re all going to be seniors next year.”

“Again with the frivolous school activities,” Wonka waved her hand. “And you want to go?” Wonka asked with a sly smile.

Victor sat there and thought for a moment. “I’m actually not sure. I think I want to go. It’s my friend Cornelius’ party. Well, not really friend. Kinda hard to explain.”

“Frenemy?” Wonka suggested.

“Yes.”

“I understand that. Slugworth and I have been at it for decades now,” Wonka sighed.

“Slugworth is a real person?” Victor asked. The Chocolatier nodded. “I thought you and Ms. Wilkinson made her up?”

“Wilkinson merely pretended to be her,” she explained. “I knew none of you children have seen Slugworth’s face. I’ve tried to bury the hatchet for years but she still tries to outdo me.” Wonka chuckled to herself. “And she never has.”

Victor said nothing. He just couldn’t imagine being someone’s rival for years. When does it end? He thought.

Wonka studied the boy’s expression. “How about this,” she folded her hands. “I’ll let you go. You seem like you want to make things right with Cornelius.”

Victor couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not sure about that-”

“I’ll let you go.”

Victor blinked a few times. “What? Why? I’m not sure if I even want to go! What if I want to use my day off on something else like a competition?”

“Victor, I think this could be a good opportunity to make things right with him. Besides, think of it as a gift for finishing up your junior year. Be grateful. I hardly give our presents!” She wagged her finger.

Victor rolled his eyes. “I’ve already tried to make amends with him. It’s not going to work!”

“Well why not try again?” She smiled.

Victor huffed. He bit his tongue. He knew he said to Cameron that he would go but now he was having second thoughts. It was starting to dawn on him that he only has one day off this month. He was conflicted and wasn’t sure if either decision was the right choice. He could be spending his time wisely getting more awards or doing more interviews for his father. But spending time with Cornelius Prinzmetal? That’s the last thing Victor wanted to do. He would take his chances with Vernon Salt any day.

“I guess…I could try…” Victor said, trying to convince himself.

Wonka smiled at him. “Every day is an opportunity to better yourself!”

Victor looked at her in confusion. How in the world would spending time with Cornelius better me? “Thanks, Ms. Wonka.”
* * * * * * * * *
Victor packed his things for the night, still in disbelief that Wonka was gifting his chance for a night away. He was also in disbelief that he was choosing Cornelius over a competition or even hanging out with Lex and Cameron.

He tried to calm himself saying it was only for a night. Cameron and Lex visit many times despite his condition. Plus, Lex was his girlfriend now since two weeks ago. Just thinking about dating Lex Reynolds put him at ease and a small smile formed on his face. He could survive the night. It will be okay.

He texted in their group chat how Wonka was letting him go for the weekend.

Cameron: ah so you are going

Victor: Ms. Wonka made it sound like I didn’t have much of a choice. She said it was a gift that she was letting me go

Cameron: hey you got a day off tho! And you can tell me what’s going on at the party too :P

Victor: fine you weirdo

Cameron: :)

Lex: have fun tonight Vic! Please be safe!

Lex: try not to strangle Cornelius

Victor: I’ll do my best

Lex: love you :)

Victor: I love you too

Cameron: gross

Cameron: I’m gonna text my boyfriend now

Victor popped in a stick of gum and then headed downstairs with his duffel bag to meet Wonka. She greeted with him a smile.

“Mr. Beauregarde!” She opened her arms wide. “Got everything you need?”

Victor looked nervously at her. “I think so…” He gripped the duffel bag’s strap tighter. “And I’ll be okay until I come back, right? No episodes? Anything?”

“Absolutely!” She nodded. “The only thing that would trigger you is if you ingested blueberries themselves.”

Victor let out a shaky breath then nodded. “Okay…”

“Remember, Victor,” she stepped closer, “call me if anything happens and if the charm gets overpowered. I also want you to check in with me at least once tonight.”

“Yes, Ms. Wonka.” Victor nodded and then followed her to the limo.

The limo ride was anxious for Victor. He wanted to be excited. Wonka was allowing the boy to do more normal teenager things. But how long will this last? Victor thought. He knew it wasn’t going to last long, so why waste it on Cornelius Prinzmetal?

Victor at least wanted Cameron to be here with him tonight. He knew Cornelius wanted nothing to do with him. Cornelius often ridiculed Cameron a lot growing up and always excluded him from things. Called Cameron weak and didn’t understand what Victor saw in him, trying to get Victor to join him instead. But Victor didn’t take his offer. He defended Cameron. Just one of the many reasons why the two boys didn’t care for Cornelius in the first place.

Victor also wanted to spend time with Lex more. He wanted to treat her to a date. She’s been taking time to visit him after school at the factory or even texting him gentle reminders every now and then. Victor wanted to return the favor. He was a little upset that he was spending the day off elsewhere.

Victor felt the limo ride slow down. He chewed anxiously and looked back at Wonka who simply smiled at him. “Have a good evening, Victor Beauregarde.”

“Thank you again, Ms. Wonka.”

And with that, Victor got out of the car and he headed up to the front door.
* * * * * * * * *
Victor rang the door bell, his heart pounding out his chest.

Cornelius opened the door and a smug smile grew on his face. “Victor Beauregarde!” He exclaimed. Victor did his best to not give him a look. “You actually made it! No excuses for me today?”

Victor blew a bubble and popped it in annoyance causing Cornelius to cringe. “May I come inside?” He asked, ignoring Cornelius’ snide remark.

“Welcome in, Beauregarde,” Cornelius opened the door for him.

“Hey, Victor!”

“Sup, Vic!”

“Long time no see!”

Victor smiled at being greeted by his teammates. Cornelius silently fumed behind him.

“Hey!” Cornelius called to them. “Let’s head down to the basement!”

The gang paused at Cornelius’ sudden shout then began to head downstairs.

Cornelius turned on the music as the group began to settle.

“So, Victor!” Tim called. “What have you been up to?”

“Yeah, dude, we haven’t seen you in forever since you won that golden ticket!” Scott said.

Victor tried to play it cool. “I’ve been okay.”

“Just okay?” Another guy named Bryan asked. “Dude, you gotta tell us what the factory was like!”

“Yeah, we figured you’d brag about it but you haven’t said a thing!” Adam laughed.

Victor silently panicked. There was no one here to rescue him from this question. No Cameron. No Lex. “Um…” Victor scrambled and his eyes darted around as he looked for an out. Think, think, think, Vic! His mind screamed.

Cornelius folded his arms, raised an eyebrow and eyed his frenemy carefully. Something’s up, he thought.

Victor calmed himself down and put on his best cocky persona. “I’m not allowed to talk about it actually. I’m afraid you just had to be there to experience it.” Thank God they weren’t there to experience it, Victor thought to himself.

The boys laughed and shrugged it off. Victor let out a quiet sigh of relief. Safe for now. Meanwhile Cornelius rolled his eyes. He’s always the center of attention!

No matter! Cornelius had this under control. He brushed it off and made sure the attention was back on him.

“I just ordered some pizza so that should be on the way soon,” Cornelius announced.

Everyone cheered minus Victor. He was glad he packed some healthy snacks in case this would happen.

“Victor,” Cornelius called. Victor looked at him. “I remembered your strict diet. So, I have a spread for you upstairs.”

“Oh, okay,” Victor said. That was weirdly kind of him. He was planning on not eating too much the whole night. “What’s up there?”

“I’m so glad you asked, Victor!” Cornelius said, obnoxiously loud for the whole room to hear. Victor rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I have some more food upstairs! Mostly to accommodate our friend Victor and his rigorous diet.” Cornelius slapped Victor’s back, a little too hard causing Victor to wince.

They climbed up the stairs and entered the kitchen. On the counter were vegetable and fruit spreads, hummus, salad…it went on. Victor hated to admit it but he was impressed. His eyes widened at the choices.

“Oh, wow! Thanks Cornelius,” Victor said, looking at his options. The food was overwhelming and he did barley eat today, but at least he had more choices than the lousy snack bag of almonds in his duffel bag.

“Impressed?” Cornelius gave a sly smile. “My parents went shopping before they left for vacation. We have the whole house to ourselves for the weekend.”

The guys high fived each other and celebrated. Victor, meanwhile, couldn’t figure out what game Cornelius was playing at. He chewed anxiously as he thought if the guy was just trying to one up him the entire night or was just trying to impress him. Either way, Victor had a bad feeling this was going to be a long night.

The group headed back down stairs and the party continued. The loud music played and they all caught up and talked about what they were looking forward to next year.

Victor hardly spoke the entire time, mostly just glad to be out of the factory but also a little tired from the whole ordeal. A party at Cornelius’ and then spending the night here, his junior year coming to the end, and finally the idea he had more months ahead with his stupid condition. He didn’t want to spend the summer and his first semester as a blueberry!

He tried to shove the thoughts in the back of his mind. Victor went back upstairs to grab some food. He was a little hungry and decided to maybe grab some fruits and veggies. He entered the kitchen and grabbed a plate.

“Victor!” Adam said with a smile. He was also grabbing some food. “So glad you’re here!”

For the first time all evening, Victor gave a genuine smile back. He finished putting two celery sticks and some fruit onto his plate. “It feels good to be back.”

“Dude, we gotta catch up!” Adam said finishing up his plate as well. “I feel like it’s going to be kinda hard to do that with whatever Cornelius is trying to do tonight.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Victor said making his way back to the basement with Adam behind him. “I’ll make sure we catch up soon.”

“Hey, Vic,” Adam said, causing both of them to stop for a bit. “You seem different lately. Good different. Um…whatever you’re going through, I’m here with you.”

Victor blinked a few times. Adam’s always been like this and Victor was aware of it. Even back in elementary school, Adam always found a way to sense that something would be up with someone and cared for them. “Thanks, Adam.”

They make their way back down to the basement and Victor sat on the floor continuing to watch his friends and the chaos unfold. He stuck his gum behind his ear - another habit he couldn’t seem to break out of fear, and ate his snack plate silently to himself. It wasn’t a lot on there but he was grateful for the variety Cornelius had to offer.

Victor continued to eat quietly in the corner. He was glad no one was paying attention to him. He paused for a moment as he tasted something weird on his tongue. It tasted sweet and familiar. His eyes widened and he looked down at his plate. He swore he didn’t grab any blueberries. It must’ve cross-contaminated somehow! Did some of the juice get on the other fruit?

Oh no. I need to grab my phone. He looked around and couldn’t find it. Victor had to act quickly before someone sees him.

“Vic, you okay?” Adam asked.

Victor jumped and he scrambled to find an answer. “Uh! I’m fine!”

Adam inched closer. “Whoa! You look flushed, dude. You sure you’re okay?”

Victor continued to look for his phone. He tried to not be aggressive with the one nice person at the party. “I’m fine! I’m looking for my phone.” He tried to shove him away.

Adam stopped him. “You have something on your face.”

Victor’s shoulders tensed and his heart pounded. This is not good. If he sees it, then eventually everyone will!

“I REALLY need to find my phone!” Victor pleaded. “I’m okay! Honest!”

“Do you need help?” Adam asked.

Victor huffed. “No! I got it covered!”

“Is everything okay here?”

“What’s going on?”

Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. Victor’s eyes bounced wildly to the rest of his teammates as they gathered closer. We’re drawing too much attention! Dang it, Adam!

“Victor! You’re turning blue!” Adam shouted as the rest of them gasped.

Ugh. Story of my life, Victor thought to himself. Victor groaned frustratedly as his face turned blue. “Get out of my way!” He pushed passed them. “I need to find my-”

Victor stopped as Cornelius dangled his phone in front of him with a smile.

“Looking for this?” Cornelius grinned. Victor froze as the blue spread down to his arms. “Well, well, well! I knew something was up with you! For months, you’ve been acting weird! Acting strange! Not yourself! And you were hiding this!”

Victor tried to reach for his phone and Cornelius yanked it back.

“How are you doing that?” Cornelius asked in disturbed wonder. He inched closer and Victor backed away. “Why are you doing that?! So this is what you’ve been hiding?! That you just turn blue?!” He laughed.

“I…I can explain!” Victor panicked. “I just need my phone back-”

A loud gurgle interrupted Victor. He hunched over and whimpered. Cornelius looked at his frenemy nervously. Victor felt his stomach bloat.

“What are you doing…?” Cornelius poked his stomach.

“Dude, you’re swelling up!”

“What’s going on?!”

“You feeling okay?”

Victor looked uneasily at them. “Please! Just give me my phone!”

Cornelius thought for a moment. He got a wicked grin on his face. At long last, he got Victor Beauregarde at his mercy, somehow blimping up and blue. He pulled back his phone once more. “Why do you need your phone so badly?” He asked. “Why don’t you tell us what’s happening to you first?”

Victor blushed a darker shade of blue and looked nervously at his teammates. “I…I don’t know how to explain!”

“Victor, you’re blue and swelling up, we’ll believe anything at this point!” Tim shouted.

“And I’m sure you want your phone back,” Cornelius teased.

Victor sighed in frustration. It was never easy to explain his condition. Every time he did explain, he felt humiliated and awkward. He didn’t want to say the words out loud that he was turning into a freak. He didn’t want to admit that it was his fault and that he stole a piece of gum. He didn’t want to relive the process at all. The looks on Cameron’s face, Lex’s, and worse, his father’s. He didn’t like their reactions.

Victor looked one last time as he stomach swelled bigger. The looks on everyone’s faces. The intrigue and the awe as they couldn’t turn away. Victor shut his eyes and forced himself to say the humiliating sentence he hated to admit.

“I’m turning into a blueberry.”

The group of boys broke into laughter much to Victor’s dismay.

“No seriously!”

“There’s no way!”

“This has to be a trick!”

“I’m serious!” Victor said uncomfortably as his belt tightened around his waist. Stupid belt! His mind screamed. It finally popped off into the crowd. “Why would I do this as a trick in front of you guys?!” He said angrily, more-so angry at himself for being so careless with what he ate.

Cornelius snorted as he approached Victor. He jabbed the bloating boy’s stomach. Victor’s arms slowly rose up. “But how did this happen? You’re not one to just fatten yourself up, Beauregarde.” Cornelius poked him again, this time studying the feeling against his finger. “And what are you filling up with?”

Victor tried to summon up the strength for the next explanation. If that was the group’s reaction to what he was turning into, then he had a bad feeling about what was gonna happen next.

“I’m filling up with juice. It was Ms. Wonka’s factory. Three months ago,” he said slowly. “I…ate something and um…” Victor realized how much harder this was admitting to his teammates than it was to Cameron and Lex.

“Yeah but what did you eat that caused you to blow up like this?” Scott asked.

This is painful, Victor thought. “Gum.”

His teammates burst out laughing again causing him to wince. Even Adam couldn’t help but chuckle. Victor looked away in shame.

“GUM did this to you?!” Tim laughed. He prodded Victor’s stomach. “But how?!”

Victor cringed from the touch. “The gum had three courses. And the last course was dessert and it was…blueberry pie.”

“OH MAN THAT’S HILARIOUS!” One guy roared with laughter.

“The gum turned you into a giant fruit?!”

“Of course he took the gum!”

The comments were endless and all Victor could do was take them.

“You chewed gum at Wonka’s factory, and she turned you into this?” Cornelius sneered. “That’s perfect!”

Victor shifted awkwardly as he continued to swell. “Can I have my phone back now?” He asked. “I just need to call Ms. Wonka so I can go back to normal.”

Cornelius laughed. “Of course not!”

Victor’s heart sank and his eyes widened with fear. “W-What? But! I need to turn back to normal! This is my day off!”

“Day off?” Someone asked.

Victor mentally kicked himself for saying too much. “I…swell up pretty often and I don’t get to be normal every day.”

“Is that why you’re not at school?” Adam asked with concern. “Or at any of our games?”

“Yes,” Victor said sadly.

“I KNEW IT!” Cornelius shouted, startling Victor. “Something was up! And it was all because of Wonka! This is absolutely delicious!”

The boys crowded around Victor and Victor nervously stepped back as they poked and prodded him. He still had a lot of room to go as his stomach swelled larger.

“How does it feel?”

“How big are you going to get?”

“Look how blue he is!”

Victor tried to steady his heartbeat. His anxiety was at an all time high. “Come on! Give me my phone! I just need to call her so I can get this stuff out of me!”

Cornelius slowly approached Victor. “I don’t think you understand, Berry Boy. I’m not giving you your phone back.”

Victor felt the juice surge in stomach and he winced slightly. “What…what do you mean?”

“Oh come on!” Cornelius threw his head back with a laugh. “Right now in front of us, we have the Champion of Miles City turning into a blueberry all thanks to Wilma Wonka herself!” He patted Victor’s stomach then rubbed it. “You know how long I’ve waited for you to fall?”

Victor’s anger burned. He tried to swat away Cornelius’ hands. “Well I’m sorry you felt that way! But it’s not my fault you kept getting second place! And I’ve tried moving pass this several times but you won’t let it go! Why won’t you move on?!”

Cornelius fumed silently and glared at Victor. He got close to Victor’s face as much as he could. “I don’t think you realize, Beauregarde, how much everyone actually agrees with me right now. They’re tired of seeing you win. They’re tired of constantly seeing your face on the front page. So this?” Cornelius shoved him slightly. Victor waved his arms to steady himself. “This is what we’ve been waiting for.”

Victor trembled at Cornelius. He then looked at the rest of his teammates who rubbed the back of their heads or looked away awkwardly. It was true. They were enjoying his downfall.

Victor looked down in shock and betrayal. “I didn’t know all of you guys felt this way…”

“It is nice…winning once in a while with you gone…” Scott said awkwardly.

“Yeah, my parents are proud of me for once,” Tim added.

Cornelius gave a smug grin as he watched his rival continue to swell.

“I’m…sorry…So, what are you going to do?” Victor asked nervously. “I just want my phone back! I don’t want to be like this all night! I just wanted to hang out with you guys!”

Cornelius thought wildly. He had to play his cards right. This party couldn’t have gone more perfectly! He was happy he decided to invite Victor Beauregarde. And he was happy the blue boy decided to show up.

It was then that Cornelius felt a touch on his shoulder before he could say anything. He turned around. It was Adam. Cornelius huffed in annoyance. “What?”

Adam looked back to Victor in concern. The boy was slowly rounding out and their teammates poking and patting his stomach. He watched as Victor tried to futilely shoo them away. “I think we should be easy on him. He said he just wanted to spend time with us. I mean, he’s barely at school because of this. Maybe we should just give him his phone back.”

Cornelius’ eyes widened at such a suggestion. “Just give him his phone back?!”

Adam nodded.

“There’s no way I would let that happen!” Cornelius shouted.

“Cornelius, I know you and Vic have this long feud going on, but come on! He deserves to go back to normal!” Adam said.

“I don’t know,” Scott said looking back at Victor and the other two. “I kinda agree with Cornelius.”

Victor’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe what they were saying! He didn’t like having no say in this situation. I can’t believe…they’re all saying this, he thought. They rather see me like this than be back to normal?!

“Cornelius kinda has a good point,” Scott continued. “We should enjoy this while it lasts. I mean, how long until Vic comes back and starts winning everything again.”

“Exactly!” Cornelius said.

“But he doesn’t-” Adam was cut off but murmurs of agreement amongst the party. He looked at Victor apologetically.

“I’m afraid you’re outnumbered, Adam,” Cornelius smiled.

“Fine! But thirty minutes!” Adam said. “And then you have to let him have his phone back!”

Cornelius thought for a bit. He looked at the others. “Deal.” He turned to face Victor again. “I have half the mind to tell the whole school and the rest of the town about this.”

Victor’s eyes flooded with panic. He flailed his arms wildly. “No! No don’t! Please!” He shook his head rapidly and began to hyperventilate. This was all his fault! If only he was more careful with what he put on his plate! “My father would kill me! My whole life would be over!”

“Whoa, Cornelius, that might be taking it too far,” Scott said. “We don’t want to ruin his life.”

“Yeah, like Adam said. Just thirty minutes,” someone added.

Adam thought for a bit then stepped forward. “If Victor can’t use his phone, then neither can we. We can lock all of our phones up and make sure no one gets to it.”

Everyone murmured in agreement minus Cornelius. He huffed. “Fine!” He poked the boy’s stomach one last time then grinned wickedly. “And just in time. It looks like you finally stopped swelling. Your thirty minutes…begins now.”
* * * * * * * * *
It was much longer than thirty minutes. Victor could tell. There was finally a clock he could see. Every time he thought they were done, there was more. The phones were placed in a box with a combination lock on it. Victor didn’t know where they put it because he was bombarded with pokes, prods, and pats.

Victor immediately complied with everything they did. It was no different than being forced to cooperate with Michelle and Vernon or Wonka. He did everything they asked him to do, albeit reluctantly. He knew if he asked they would increase the duration of his immobility.

The things they asked him to do were reminiscent of his dreadful times in the Testing Room. They asked him to walk just to see him waddle. Made him flap his hands just because it made him look ridiculous. The comments were starting to get to him. He tried to let it go through one ear and out the other but their betrayal was still ringing loud.

“Can’t believe this guy is the fastest runner on our team!”

“This is hilarious!”

“Hey, Victor! Maybe you can add pie eating contests to your achievements!”

At one point, someone tripped the poor boy and he landed hard on his stomach with a grunt. He bounced a bit against the ground with the juice sloshing hard in his stomach. He sighed frustratedly and tiredly. Victor dropped his head and just waited for the torture to be over.

“Wait,” he heard someone said. “Can he roll?”

“I mean, he looks big enough to.”

“And he is practically a ball…”

Victor whimpered quietly to himself and he shut his eyes.

“Well what is it, Berry Boy?” Cornelius asked, towering over him. “Can you roll?”

Victor hesitated to answer. He figured he might as well tell them the truth just so he can get to his phone quicker. He just hated the feeling of rolling. He hated how the juice sloshed within him. “Yes…”

Cornelius smiled then looked up at the rest of the team. “Well have at it, boys!”

Victor felt a great shove in his side as he braced himself. He couldn’t tell if there was someone on the other side. He began to panic. He didn’t want to crash into something! No one was stopping him!

“Wait!” He cried out. “Someone has to stop me before I-”

His stomach rammed hard into the wall as he snickering and ooh’s behind him. Victor groaned. His stomach hurt from the hard smack. That was gonna leave a mark. He felt the strong need to protest now. This was getting out of hand.

“Are…are you guys done now? Can I have my phone?”

“I’m sorry, what was that, blueberry?” One of his teammates laughed.

“Yeah blueberries don’t have phones!” Another chimed in.

Victor whimpered as he winced in pain.

The boys then heard a faint door chime and Cornelius clapped his hands together. “I think that’s the pizza!” Cornelius turned towards Victor. “Don’t go anywhere!” Victor rolled his eyes.

He heard everyone head upstairs as he lied on his back, staring at the ceiling.

“Victor?”

Victor did his best to look around, then suddenly Adam came into view. Victor frowned and looked away bitterly.

“How are you feeling?” Adam pulled up a chair and sat next to him.

Victor said nothing.

Adam sighed. “Vic, I’m sorry this happened to you. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I mean, you’ve kept this hidden for three months! I can see why! But I’m sorry about the others.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know all of you guys felt that way,” Victor mumbled. “Thanks for at least trying to defend me.”

“I don’t feel that way - that is about you winning constantly. I mean, everyone has something they’re good and bad at. And for you, that’s sports. I don’t think Cornelius has a grip on that yet.”

Victor said nothing, merely thinking over what he said. “Why aren’t you with the others?” He asked. “Don’t you want to be with them?”

“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. I’ll be fine.” He gave a gentle smile. “So how did this happen? Like, what caused you to blow up again?”

Victor blushed. “I think one of the fruits or vegetables I got had traces of blueberry juice on it. And I ate it and…here we are.”

“Sorry,” Adam said. “I’ll try and see if I can your phone back to you.”

“I don’t even want to stay anymore, I just want to leave,” Victor said quietly.

“I get that.”

Then suddenly they both heard the basement door open again. Victor shuddered as he cowered in his divot. He saw the others come down with their food as Adam stood up.

“Cornelius, how much longer are you going to be doing this?” Adam asked. “I think he’s had enough.”

Cornelius looked back at Victor who craned his neck just to see the conversation.

“Why you say that? I think we were just getting started!” Cornelius smirked. He sauntered to Victor and harshly patted his belly then began to rub. Victor shifted uncomfortably from the touch. He still hated the feeling of his stomach being rubbed. “You looked like you hurt your belly there earlier! Up for another round?”

Victor said nothing but just looked in fear.

“I thought you could handle anything?” Cornelius teased.

“Dude, it’s been way longer than 30 minutes!” Adam said. “Let’s give him his phone back!”

“God, Adam, stop being such a buzzkill!” Cornelius rolled his eyes. “We’re not hurting him and he’s been like this for three months! He’s totally used to this!”

Victor grimaced. That wasn’t true. Every time he blew up, it took some getting used to. The bloated feeling was familiar but it was always uncomfortable. He could also never get used to the teasing. The Golden Ticket Winners and Wonka/the Oompa Loompas always found new ways for him to hate himself.

“Then can we ease up on him?” Adam asked.

“Adam! For the love of God! Shut up!” Cornelius screamed. “You’re ruining everything! Just leave!”

The room went quiet. Adam stood there angrily. He turned to Victor. “I’m sorry, Vic.” He faced the others. “See you at school.”

Victor panicked. The one person on his side was dismissed. He was now going to have to survive the rest of the evening without Adam.

Cornelius took a breath and turned towards the blue boy. “Now…where were we?”

The rest of the evening was tiresome. Victor lied in the dark in the basement. The rest of them deciding to sleep upstairs for the evening. He hated being alone. He was defenseless and the lingering fear of being forgotten never left his mind.

This is awful, he thought. Sleep didn’t come easy. He was paranoid that someone was going to unlock the box and blackmail him further by taking pictures.

After Adam left, Victor was left with his teammates - his so-called friends. They decided to roll him around again then used his stomach as a table. They played beer pong on his stomach, however it was mostly to see who could agitate him more. Later on, they merely used him as a footrest.

Victor wished the morning would come. He wanted Wonka to come take him back to the factory so he could put this all behind him.

The thought weighed on him immensely. He never had any friends. They never cared about him. They were simply waiting for their shot at winning. Victor sunk his head lower. Was that it then? Were they also just using him for popularity? They were no better than his parents!

Victor cried himself to sleep. He prayed the morning came soon.
* * * * * * * * *
Wilma Wonka sat in the limo on her way to pick Victor Beauregarde up the next morning. The Chocolatier wasn’t happy. Victor never checked in with her.

“You give the boy a day off and he forgets the one rule you told him!” She grumbled.

Wonka looked out the window and saw that she had arrived at Cornelius Prinzmetal’s house. Very well then, she thought to herself. I’ll just remind him when he gets into the car. Wonka strode up to the front door. She lightly knocked on the door.

A young boy answered. His eyes widened. “You’re Wilma Wonka!”

Wonka smiled pridefully. Never gets old! “Ah yes I am! And you must be Cornelius Prinzmetal.”

Cornelius smiled wide. “Yes! Yes I am!”

Wonka grinned cheekily. She could see why Victor would butt heads with such a child. “I am here to pick up Victor Beauregarde. Will you please go fetch him?”

Cornelius’ smile dropped. “Victor?”

“Yes sir! Please let him know I am here.”

“Um! Yes! One moment!” Cornelius closed the door causing Wonka’s eyes to widen in surprise.

Cornelius turned towards his friends who were waking up and walking into the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” Scott asked.

“Wilma Wonka is here!” Cornelius said through gritted teeth. “She’s here to pick up Victor!”

The group of boys began to panic.

“You mean like the one with the factory?” Tim stupidly asked.

Cornelius rolled his eyes. “Yes, you idiot!”

“How are we gonna roll fat ass up the stairs?” One boy shouted.

“Well, she did this to him, right?” Cornelius scrambled. “Maybe she would expect him to be like this?”

“Dude, no!” Tim said. “Remember what Vic said! Tonight was his day off! I don’t think she would be expecting him to be like this!”

Cornelius grunted in frustration. “Then what are we supposed to do?!”

Scott came back up from the basement and shut the door. “He’s still asleep!”

Wonka knocked once more “Yoo-hoo! I would love to take the boy back today!”

“Drat!” Cornelius cursed to himself. He headed back out to the living room only to find the Chocolatier standing before him. He gasped. “What are you doing?”

“I’m starting to worry about the boy who is currently in my care,” she said. She stepped closer to him. “Now I’m going to ask again, where is Victor Beauregarde?”

Cornelius looked at her nervously. He didn’t know what to do.

Wonka gave one last thin smile. “Very well, then.” She moved passed him and began to search his house. Every now and then, she stopped and paused as if detecting something.

Wonka made her way into the kitchen and the rest of the boys gasped at her appearance. She gave a quick read. “Don’t mind me, boys, just trying to find Victor Beauregarde.” The boys didn’t say anything in response as she stopped at the basement door. “Hmm…” She opened the door and walked down the stairs.

Cornelius trailed into the kitchen. “This isn’t good! This isn’t good at all! I can’t believe Wilma Wonka is in my home and she already distrusts me!”

“It was your idea to leave him like this the whole night!” Scott shouted.

Cornelius nervously stammered. “You guys went along with me!!”

They broke out into an argument, pointing fingers at each other.

Meanwhile Wonka walked slowly down the stairs. She made her way to the bottom and saw the large blue ball sleeping soundly on the floor. She walked up to him and tapped his stomach a few times.

Victor screamed awake. Another nightmare. He didn’t realize he fell asleep. He searched frantically for who nudged him then immediately frowned at the sight of Wonka. He was in trouble. Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Good morning, Mr. Beauregarde!” She cocked her head playfully. “Sleep well?”

Tears streamed down his face. “P-please take me back to the factory.”

She bent forward a little. “Would you like to be turned back to normal first?”

He rapidly nodded.

“Then I shall change you back.”

Wonka snapped her fingers and Victor fell hard against the ground. He sat up and looked at his hands. He was back to normal. Then Victor did something neither himself nor Wonka was expecting to do.

Victor ran up to her and hugged her. Wonka was caught off guard from the crying boy hugging him. Out of all the children next to Michelle Teevee, this is the last thing she would expect him to do.

She reluctantly hugged back - well patted his back and let him hold onto her as long as he needed. Victor then took a step back and wiped his face. “Can we go back now?”

Wonka lifted his chin and he winced at her touch. “Of course, my dear boy.”

Victor grabbed his bag. He and Wonka climbed back up the stairs and into the kitchen where his teammates stopped arguing and stared at the odd pair.

Victor turned his head away and ran outside to the limo.

Wonka then faced the rest of the boys. She gave a menacing grin. “Now,” she said gripping her cane, “it has come to my attention that young Mr. Beauregarde’s condition acted up and none of you boys did a thing. Correct?”

They stared at dumbfounded.

“We were going to-!”

Wonka laughed and waved her hand dismissively. “You weren’t going to do anything!”

Cornelius and the others looked at her nervously. “Are…are we in trouble?”

Wonka pondered for a bit. “You could say that!” She leaned forward and whispered. “Now, because I can’t have Victor’s condition going out into the public, I’m going to have to wipe your memory. Understood?”

They all looked at her in nervous confusion.

“When I snap my fingers, none of you will remember a thing. Any photos or videos you have taken will disappear. 1…2…3!”

Wonka snapped her fingers and disappeared in front of them. The boys scratched their heads and looked at each other in bewilderment.

“What just happened?”

“Did the party start?”

“How did we get here?”

Cornelius stared at his teammates in confusion. He swore he was talking to someone…but who? He didn’t remember letting anyone into his home nor taking out all of the food that was on the table.

What happened? He thought.

Victor hugged his knees in the car and then jumped at Wonka’s sudden appearance. His face was flushed from all the crying. He didn’t say anything. He was just grateful to be away from the party.

“Victor,” she called to him. “What happened last night?”

Victor avoided her eyes. He looked away shamefully. “I…accidentally ate a blueberry…”

“How?!”

“I don’t know!” He yelled back. “I swore I didn’t put any of them on my plate! It must’ve cross contaminated somehow! It wasn’t intentional! I promise!”

Wonka rubbed her temples. “To be so reckless! I hate to say it, my boy, but I’m going to be a lot stricter on you if you want to have another day off. You can’t be relaxed about this, Victor. Do you really want your condition being exposed to the public?”

He shook his head.

“Exactly! I can’t just keep wiping memories from everyone!”

“You…wiped their memories?”

Wonka nodded. “Of course!”

He looked down. “Thank you…”

“Now explain to me why you couldn’t contact me? Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“I tried!” He yelled. “They took my phone!” Victor’s eyes widened. “My phone! I left it at Cornelius’ house!”

Wonka sighed. “Do I have to do everything for you?” She snapped her fingers and Victor’s phone appeared in her hands. She then handed it to him.

He immediately checked his phone. It was nothing but texts from Cameron and Lex.

Cameron: hey how’s the party?

Cameron: Vic you okay?

Cameron: you’re starting to worry me dude

Cameron: and I’m not just saying that because I want to know the tea that’s going on

Lex: just checking in to make sure you’re safe <3

Lex: hope you’re doing alright. You’re really quiet! Please text back soon

Victor turned off his phone and slouched. He didn’t feel like catching them up to speed.

“Why did they leave you stranded like that, Victor?” Wonka asked. “Aren’t they your friends?”

Victor looked at her bitterly. “They aren’t my friends! None of them are!” He did his best to fight back tears. “You know a lot of people would love to see me like this,” he said looking down. “Some of my father’s friends, maybe Maddie Montgomery, and Cornelius Prinzmetal. But I would’ve never thought any of those guys wanted to see me struggle too.”

Wonka sighed. Somewhere deep within her, she did feel a twinge of sympathy for the boy crying before her. She didn’t bother reminding of his choice the day of the factory tour. She decided to not scold him any further. “I’m sorry that happened to you, sweetie pie.” They both felt the limo ride slow down as they pulled up to the factory. “Why don’t you just head inside and rest?”

Victor didn’t say anything. He just nodded. Wonka simply leaned back in her seat and sighed.
* * * * * * * * *
Victor avoided Cornelius and the rest of his teammates at school the following Monday. The last Monday of the school year. Cornelius confronted him about not showing up to the party.

“Just another one or your latest excuses, Beauregarde? Couldn’t spare to spend time with your best friend?”

Victor scoffed and shoved him away. Like I would ever consider Cornelius a friend since Friday night.

His teammates didn’t understand why he didn’t talk to them and why they were given the cold shoulder.

The only people he wanted to talk to was he girlfriend and best friend. He caught Cameron and Lex up at his locker. He was emotionally drained. Both of his friends were concerned as they didn’t hear anything from him all weekend.

Lex immediately hugged him. “I’m so sorry, Vic!”

“It’s fine,” he muttered. “I just feel so stupid. I can’t believe I thought they were my friends.”

“Vic, you’re not stupid,” Cameron said. “They betrayed you! You have every right to be upset!”

“Plus you said Ms. Wonka wiped their memories! They don’t remember anything!” Lex added.

Victor didn’t say anything. He was still in disbelief from Friday night’s events. “Thanks for the encouragement but I…” He searched for something to say. “I think I’m just gonna go back to the factory. I’m going to call Ms. Wonka.”

“Take care of yourself, Vic!” Cameron said, giving him a hug. Victor tried to hug him back but he couldn’t. He didn’t have the emotional strength to do so.

“Rest. Please. Okay?” Lex said to him. “Remember. You have us! You don’t need a bunch of people to call friends. You have us. And sometimes, that’s enough.” She then gave him a quick kiss and held his hand. “Text us when you get back?”

Victor forced a smile then nodded. He waved goodbye and began to make his way up front. He couldn’t help but feel like he didn’t deserve their advice. Just rest? Remember you have us as friends? How could he put that into practice when his own teammates left him stuck in the basement all night?! They willingly let him stay a blueberry at a party that he wanted to relax at!

Victor tried to shake the thoughts out of his head. Let’s just go to the factory and hide for the rest of the day, he thought.

CRASH!! Victor ran into someone and heard their books fall. He immediately picked it up and tried to hand it to them. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t see-” He froze and blushed at the sight of Maddie Montgomery. Oh great, he thought. Just what I needed.

Maddie rolled her eyes as she took her books from him. “Calm down, Victor! It’s fine!” She began to leave but stopped herself. “Oh and thanks for the help or whatever. No need to shout it to the rooftops that you helped someone today!”

Victor grimaced. He sighed. “Wait!” He said stopping her once more. “I...I want to apologize to you for how I treated you earlier this year. I shouldn’t have acted that way. I didn’t realize what a jerk I was do you. I just hope we can move on and start over.”

Maddie stared at him. She never expected Victor to say this to her. Was this real? Was this really coming from the conceited Victor Beauregarde? A smile soon broke out from her face. “Apology accepted.” She stuck out her hand.

Victor looked down in surprise and then shook it.

“You’ve changed, you know?” She said.

“So I’ve heard,” he muttered sadly.

“Hey,” she said causing him to look at her. “It’s a good thing.” They both shared a smile although Victor’s faded quickly. “You do make Lex really happy. She did tell me to give you another chance. I think she’s onto something. I’m looking forward to being friends with you, Victor.”

With that, she walked away. Victor stood there in the middle of the hall for a bit before continuing his walk up to the front office. He looked at the bright side of things.

If he couldn’t make amends with Cornelius Prinzmetal, at least he made amends with Maddie Montgomery.

Victor got off the phone with Wonka and then waited in one of the chairs at the office. He sighed and closed his eyes.

“Victor?” He heard a voice call.

Ugh, why can’t anyone leave me alone?! He thought to himself.

He opened his eyes and there stood Adam before him. He gasped. “Adam?”

“You okay?” He asked. He sat next to him. “I haven’t seen you since Friday!”

Victor scrunched his face up in confusion then immediate panic flooded into him. “Wait! How do you remember Friday night?” He asked quietly. “Ms. Wonka wiped everyone’s memories! You shouldn’t be able to remember that night at all!”

Adam rubbed the back of his neck. “That explains why no one remembers you being there - or even me being there. They said you never showed up.”

Victor thought to himself them remembered that Adam left the party early. “Oh…” Then anger filled Victor again. “But how am I to trust you?! How am I supposed to believe that you’re actually here for me?! Why don’t you just join the others and just keep using me for your popularity and then later stab me in the back the day I finally lose!”

Adam sighed. “You have every right to be angry. And I don’t know how I could prove to you that I wouldn’t do that.” Adam’s eyes lit up. “Here! Take my phone! Go through the pictures and look everywhere! I didn’t take any pictures of you Friday night!”

Victor grabbed Adam’s phone and began to look through it. He scrolled through every photo and into his recently deleted and didn’t find anything. “I guess you’re right…” Victor said cautiously. Then Victor’s fingers stopped scrolling at a photo. “…you still have that photo of us when we were kids?”

Adam smiled. “Yeah man! Of course! We won a game that day and that was the first time we actually hung out!”

Victor stared at the photo. He had to be no more than ten. He was side hugging Adam in his soccer uniform and he actually looked happy. The smile wasn’t forced and posed, it looked genuine.

“I…” Victor looked up at Adam. He handed his phone back. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I just…I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

“I get that,” Adam nodded. “Take all the time you need. I know it’s going to take more than a picture to trust me, but, I’m here for you. And I know you are here for me too.” The first bell chimed and Adam got up from his seat. “See you around!”

Victor watched Adam leave as he sat there quietly, waiting for Wonka to pick him up. He didn’t know what to feel. He lost a bunch of people he thought were his friends but suddenly gained two new ones.

It was emotional whiplash for sure, but could this feeling that was building up within him be hope? Is this what change looks like?

Chapter Text

Victor Beauregarde hasn’t left his room much since the last day of school. He finished all his finals and felt great about it. He was planning ahead for his summer competitions and hoping he could go to some. However, he couldn’t get last weekend’s party out of his head.

Even though he had Lex and Cameron in his life, he felt so alone. He couldn’t believe his friends were using him just like his parents. Did he really treat them so harshly that they would rather see him as a blueberry than normal? He didn’t remember treating them that bad. Victor thought to himself. Maybe I did hog the spotlight too often…maybe I am the one at fault here…

He wanted to go back to that feeling of being normal again. Not his old life of normal. He wanted regular teenager normal. Hanging out with his girlfriend and his best friend. Doing the occasional competition. Making memories that aren’t shown in a newspaper article but rather through photos and candid, funny shots of his friends. He craved it. He desired it.

But Wonka was being stricter with him going out. It was becoming much harder for him to have a day off and be normal. She told the boy she wanted him back on track with his juicing schedule.

Now Wilma Wonka was getting upset with the gum chewing brat’s yo-yo of emotions. One moment he’s happy, the next he’s fighting with her in the Testing Room. She had enough of it.

The boy was fully round and he was being difficult. He’s been arguing with Wonka for the last fifteen minutes.

He let out a frustrated yell in the living room. “I’m sick of this!” He flapped his hands angrily. “You’ve had me stuck like this for hours! I want to go back to normal!”

Wonka rolled her eyes and huffed. If Victor was anything like his parents, the boy surely had their arguments and yelling down pat, she thought. “I am fully aware of that, Mr. Beauregarde. You don’t need to yell.”

Michelle turned back around on the couch and watched the TV and rolled her own eyes. Vernon, Agnes, and Charlie were with her. “I want them both to shut up. Why did they have to come out here?!”

“I think she was finished with his testing and she brought him out,” Charlie explained.

“They could’ve done this anywhere else!” Michelle grumbled. “I have a headache.”

“I know one thing that’ll cheer you up,” Vernon grinned devilishly.

Michelle raised an eyebrow. “And that is…?”

Vernon turned around and watched Victor and Wonka bicker back and forth. “Tell me what you like about making fun of Victor.”

Charlie shut her eyes, shook her head, and sighed.

Michelle snorted and turned back around. “It is funny when he angrily flaps his hands when he can barely move.”

Vernon laughed and Agnes couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. Charlie didn’t find it funny at all. But she did, however, thought it was cute when he did that. She blushed slightly to herself. Not in a mocking, pitying way of course! But in a Victor was cute when he did that! She wasn’t helping her case.

“It is funny when he gets angry when he swells up,” Vernon laughed. “Remember that time during our first month here, Victor tried to attack me but he couldn’t move his arms? The scared realization on his face!”

“That was hilarious!” Michelle said.

Charlie turned to Agnes only to find her giggling. “Agnes!”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I don’t mean to make fun of Victor, but when he is stuck as a blueberry, it is funny.”

“Victor, I am getting a little tired of your complaining,” Wonka rubbed her temples. “I am just trying to get you back on track with your schedule and you are not cooperating with me. I didn’t want to do this, but until you learn your lesson, I am revoking your waddling and juicing privileges.”

Victor scoffed. “I don’t waddle - wait what?! NO!” He shook his head violently. “Y-You can’t do that! It’s the summer! I need to start training for the new season competitions! Plus Lex wanted to do something for our one month anniversary!”

“Then I guess you should’ve been listening instead of bickering,” Wonka said.

Victor looked nervously at her. “And how long is this going to be?”

Wonka stepped closer to him. “Until I think you’ve learned your lesson.”

Victor panicked. “But that could be forever! And I won’t be able to do anything!” Victor spiraled. “My parents…! Lex…!”

“Shhh! Calm down!” Wonka raised her hand. “Now I’m gonna have the Oompa Loompas come lower you in a bit, and if you really want to have your privileges back, then I suggest you let them do their job.”

All Victor did was pout in response.

“And if you want to go somewhere, you’ll have to ask. I’m sure with your pride, you’ll have no problem with that.” Wonka gave the boy a sly look and walked away.

Victor sighed. This was the worst! Not being able to move or go back to normal for who knows how long?! All he wanted was to just be left alone and hide in his room and now he ruined it. He lost not only his alone time but also his movement. He wouldn’t have any privacy out in the factory. His blue belly was big for all to see! Now he has to ask just to go to his room. Like any of the Golden Ticket Winners or Oompa Loompas would do that for him. He better enjoy the last few minutes of mobility now before Wonka’s henchmen come in.

Speaking of the Golden Ticket Winners, Vernon sauntered up to the blue boy with the others behind him. He rubbed and patted Victor’s stomach with a grin. Victor squirmed from his touch. “Well, don’t you look like you won a blue ribbon in a county fair?” He joked.

“That could be his new competition,” Michelle grinned.

Vernon laughed. “Putting him in a county fair!”

Victor blushed and looked away bitterly. “I’m not in the mood for any of you guys’ teasing.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Vernon said. “We heard what Wonka said about how you lost your juicing and waddling privileges.”

Victor’s anger burned again. “For the last time, I don’t waddle! You’re all so annoying! Leave me alone!” Victor tried to walk away but they easily followed him.

Charlie stopped him by cutting him off. “Victor, wait!”

He let out another frustrated yell. “This is ridiculous! I could easily outpace all of you if it wasn’t for this stupid condition!”

Charlie tried to calm him down. “Look, I don’t know what fully happened last weekend and I get you’re angry right now, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to try to leave while Ms. Wonka is sending the Oompa Loompas to come get you. I think it’s best to stay here.”

Victor’s eyes started to get watery. He hated when other people were right. “Fine! Whatever! I don’t care anymore! Not like I have a say in anything…”

Charlie didn’t respond. She simply looked at him sympathetically. The Oompa Loompas then suddenly appeared and approached him. Victor swallowed nervously. They touched his stomach, sides, and back. Victor flapped his hands again. I hate this feeling! He thought. There’s so many of them and their stupid white gloves! He knew when regular humans touched him their hands felt small against his large stomach. But the Oompa Loompas were worse with their hands being much smaller.

“Victor, calm down!” Charlie said gently.

“Why should I-?!” He then stopped himself and sighed, remembering what Wonka said. He huffed and grumbled. He let them lower him although he was flinching and whimpering all the while.

They placed him on his back and left. He sighed. What was he going to do to occupy his time like this?! Victor then panicked when he realized he wouldn’t be able to contact Cameron or Lex. The one thing keeping him sane in this place and he lost access to it!

“Hey!” Michelle called to him, snapping him out of his dread. “You do realize you can ask us to take you somewhere, right? I’m sure none of us will have a problem with that - well maybe Vernon might give you a hard time but still!”

Vernon gasped dramatically. “I would not!”

“We know you hate asking for help but we’re here for you!” Charlie said. “We can find ways to make you feel included!”

“I don’t want help!” Victor yelled. He then sunk his head into his divot. “I just want to be left alone…”

Charlie refused to back down, but she didn’t want to get mad at him. It was the last thing he needed. She took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. “Then at least let us put something on the TV for you?”

Victor looked unsure and uneasy. “I…guess that’s fine.” He braced himself as they moved him closer to the TV and repositioned him. This is humiliating, he thought. It took all four of them to move him.

Michelle turned on the TV and put it on a channel he thought he'd like. The others began to leave but Charlie lingered before she left. Better respect his wishes, she thought. She looked at him. He looked defeated as he half paid attention to the screen. “Let us know if you need anything, Vic.”

Victor barely opened his mouth. “Okay.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor’s heart pounded as he got into runner’s position on the track. The gun shot sounded and he broke into a sprint. He felt free. He felt the adrenaline pump in his veins. The crowd was cheering loudly and he let it fuel him. Victor smiled knowing that they were rooting for him.

But then the cheering ceased and turned into sounds of chatter. The audience started to murmur and question the scene before them.

Victor was confused. What’s going on? He looked around and noticed that even the runners around him were slowing down and looking at him. Victor slowed down as well and stopped only to find the runners approach him. He backed up nervously.

“Are you feeling okay?” His coach, Coach Ford asked.

“What do you mean? I feel fine!” He insisted.

“Victor, your nose has gone blue!”

Victor’s heart stopped. “What?! What are you talking about?!” More people inched closer and he began to breathe hard as the blue spread around. “No! Stay back! Stay away from me!” Victor looked down at his arms. The blue was crawling down to his hands. “What’s happening?! Not now! No!!!”

He began to swell. He looked around anxiously. He had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. The people were crowding around him and it felt like he was being suffocated from their morbid curiosity. He was swelling so quickly. It’s never been this fast before! Before he knew it, he was round and immobile on the track for all to see. He tried to call out for help but his cries fell on deaf ears.

Victor woke with a start. He groaned groggily. He squinted from the bright lights and moved his hands and feet slightly. Still fully round unfortunately. He rested on the lower half of his stomach. It’s been two days and his revoked privileges situation hasn’t gotten any easier, and it didn’t help that his nightmares were becoming more frequent.

“Howdy there, sweetie pie!” Wonka greeted as she approached him. “How are you feeling?”

Victor grumbled. “Like you’d actually care.” He tried to look around to the best of his ability. “Where am I?”

“Just the Testing Room! Ms. Wilkinson and I are just about done!” Wonka clapped her hands.

Thank God! Victor thought. He didn’t want to experience any more curious pokes and prods from anyone. He looked over and saw Wilkinson diligently scribbling notes onto her clipboard. I wonder what’s on there…

“We just have one last thing to do,” Wonka said, grabbing a tiny device. “Juice quality control!”

Victor pouted. Next to the measuring and weighing, this was his least favorite thing on the list. Well, none of them were his favorite. All of them were humiliating and uncomfortable.

Wonka rolled up the side of his shirt and attached the device. It gave a quick pinch and Victor winced as he felt some juice leave him. He sighed when it was over.

The machine beeped and Wonka analyzed it. She smiled at the boy. “Perfect as always!”

Victor sunk his head in his divot. He hated how Wonka praised him for his “achievements” as a blueberry. She gently patted him on the side.

The door suddenly opened and there entered Vernon Salt. “Oh, Ms. Wonka~!” Vernon sang.

Victor was used to Vernon’s antics by now and was doing his best to get along. He considered him a friend - sort of - but with all that’s happened to him recently, the sound of Vernon’s voice made him cringe.

“Yes, Mr. Salt?” Wonka said to him.

“I have done all my chores on the fourth floor!” He said too sweetly, bouncing on his tippy toes.

“Did you now?” Wonka said impressed.

“I sure did!” Vernon smiled wide. “And I believe I earned a gold star for my work?” He raised his eyebrows cheekily.

“Of course, Mr. Salt!” Wonka poofed out a chart and a gold sticker appeared on her index finger. She stuck it in Vernon’s row. Victor’s eyes widened. “There you go! You’re one step closer to earning that day off!”

Vernon jumped giddily and squealed. “Thank you!” He shouted as he left.

Victor was in shock. “What was that?!”

“What was what, my dear boy?” Wonka asked, vanishing the chart away.

“The gold stars!” Victor shouted. “I saw everyone’s names on there but mine!”

“Oh your name’s on there,” she said. She brought the chart back to let him see. Charlie had the most, then it was Agnes followed by Vernon. Next was Michelle who had about five. Victor frowned as he saw his name on the bottom with only one star. “We’ve been doing this for about three months!”

“Then how come I’m only knowing about it now?!” He asked angrily.

“Oh, we’ve been so busy with studying your condition I forgot to mention it!” Wonka smiled and waved the situation off.

Victor glared at her. Yeah, right, he thought. “How come I only have one star on there?” He asked. “Everyone else has like twenty!”

“All of you children have a focus and goal while you’re here and for you, your main goal wasn’t your behavior, it was your juice production!”

Victor blushed angrily and awkwardly. “I want in!” He said. “I want to start earning gold stars too!”

Wonka gave a sly smile. “You do?”

“Yes! I think I deserve to start earning some!”Victor said firmly.

Wonka thought for a moment causing Victor to become nervous. “All right, sweetie pie, I’ll let you have a try. But you know I’m not going to just give them willy nilly. That would defeat the purpose of getting a gold star.”

Victor waited eagerly for what she had to say. He knew that there were rules and conditions! He’s practically a professional competitor! Just spit out, Ms. Wonka! He thought.

“If you don’t complain or argue and do everything Ms. Wilkinson, the Oompa Loompas, and I say, you shall earn a gold star,” she explained.

Victor took in Wonka’s rules. Do everything they say - including what the mischievous Oompa Loompas tell him to do - and not complain or argue? “That sounds…easy enough.” He didn’t want to seem weak and unsure in the moment.

Wonka smiled knowingly. His pride still gets the best of him, she thought. “Very well then, Victor. I shall keep a lookout for your best behavior, yes?”

“Yes, Ms. Wonka,” he said. Victor looked down. He had to do this. He CAN do this. He thought of Cameron and Lex and then his summer break. He needed it back! He can’t be like this any longer. This was going to be challenging but he was Victor Beauregarde. He could take on any challenge.

Wilkinson approached Wonka and gestured to her to step away for a bit. She looked back at the young boy thinking to himself. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” She asked the Chocolatier.

Wonka simply smiled. “If this is what the boy wants, then he shall have it. Plus, who knows? Maybe it’ll make testing time a little easier?”

Wilkinson didn’t say anything in return. She merely studied Victor bracing himself for the challenge before him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor pushed himself hard trying to earn some gold stars. He was extra obedient and extra attentive to detail. His natural competitive instincts kicked into overdrive. He tried to keep Cameron and Lex on his mind. But not only them, but his parents as well. These gold stars could earn him more competition days. This summer was NOT to be wasted doing nothing!

It’s been a few days and Wonka eased Victor off of lost privileges. She was impressed with Victor’s determination, never really seeing it in action before like this.

The boy truly did everything she told him to do. He ate all the food she put in front of him without picking a fight. He didn’t complain or argue during testing nor with the Oompa Loompas. His manners were through the roof.

Victor meanwhile was exhausted both physically and emotionally. It took every ounce of him to not fight back and protest against the Chocolatier. He swore sometimes she was pushing his limits to see how far he’d go for a gold star. Victor was desperate. He was willing to do anything, so he spent his time in the Testing Room being obedient than trying to fight them.

Wonka tested his patience many times with an incident where he just got back to normal.

“Oh I know! And you worked so hard for it!” Wonka told him in the Testing Room. “Now I know you blowing back up will undo all of that but I do need you and that jaw of yours to test something out.”

Victor whimpered quietly to himself. “I haven’t…seen my feet…in so long…I can finally move.”

Wonka placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched.

Victor hesitated to answer. He still wanted the gold star on his row. “Can’t I get…another hour?”

“How about five minutes?”

Victor’s jaw dropped. “Five minutes?!”

“Time is of the essence, my dear boy.”

And Victor dutifully obeyed. From fighting back tears to being left alone once again in the Testing Room to eating every blueberry dish known to man at the dining table, Victor did it.

Victor was asleep in the living room with the Golden Ticket Winners surrounding him. His arms were puffy and his stomach was pretty large. He slept uneasily but he was worn out.

“I hope he’s not pushing himself too hard,” Charlie said quietly. “He looks exhausted!”

“He looks no worse or better to me,” Michelle said folding her arms.

Charlie rolled her eyes. “That’s because you two have been torturing him during all of this!”

“That wasn’t me! That was Vernon!” Michelle protested.

Vernon tried to stifle his snickering. “When you have Victor Beauregarde saying yes to everything you can’t throw away the opportunity!”

Vernon forced Victor to do whatever he said yesterday. It wasn’t as awful as the day they were forced to spend a day with each other. Vernon simply passed all of his chores to the half swollen blue boy. Victor knew what the rich brat was up to, but he was too afraid to say no. He felt like if he did, Vernon would immediately tell Wonka!

“I thought you were being nicer to him!” Charlie glared at him.

“I am!” Vernon fiercely folded his arms. “We’ve been getting along just fine!”

Michelle leaned and whispered to Agnes. “How much you wanna bet this is just him lying on top of Victor’s giant stomach and ranting to him about his day?”

Vernon stomped his foot. “Victor and I do other things too!”

“Name one,” Michelle grinned deviously.

Vernon drummed his chin as he thought. “Ooh! He helps me with my fencing lessons!”

“Wouldn’t that just be him helping you? That’s not something fun you two are doing.” Agnes said.

“Yeah I heard you made him quite frustrated,” Michelle snickered.

Vernon folded his arms and pouted. “Oh be quiet! You three just don’t understand our friendship!”

“At least Victor and I try to play video games once a week,” Michelle said to Agnes and Charlie.

“I said quiet!” Vernon shouted.

Ding dong! The door chimed.

“I got it,” Charlie said. She walked up to the front door and answered. Cameron stood before her anxious.

“Hey!” He said. “May I come in?”

“Of course!” Charlie ushered him in quickly, sending his nervousness.

“Where is he?” He asked urgently.

“He’s on the couch asleep,” she said.

Cameron looked around and saw his best friend sleeping uneasily. “Aww, Vic,” he groaned exasperated.

Victor slowly stirred awake. He blinked a few times then blushed at the sight of everyone crowding around him. “What’s going on…?”

“Victor!” Cameron said, walking up to him. “Are you okay?! You haven’t answered your phone in days! I figured you were stuck but it’s been so long! Lex and I have been so worried about you! She would’ve came but she’s busy with a community project.”

Victor looked ashamed and shifted awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I lost juicing privileges and…walking privileges.”

Cameron looked at him sympathetically. He couldn’t stay mad at his best friend.

“But get this!” Victor immediately looked up. “I can earn gold stars to get days off! Then we can hang out more and I can go to more of my competitions!”

“Gold…stars?” Cameron looked unsure at him. “I don’t know about this, Vic.”

Victor looked at him confused. “What do you mean? This could be my chance to finally prove I can get more off days!”

“It just seems…off,” Cameron rubbed his neck nervously. “Look, I don’t want you getting into super-determined-mode on something that Ms. Wonka might trick you into doing.”

“But I can’t just not do it!” Victor protested. “I need to do this! Cameron, I want to be back to normal!”

Cameron sighed. There was no use in fighting Victor’s stubbornness. He put his hands up in surrender. “All right, Vic. I hear you. Just…be careful.”

Victor nodded. “I will. Um, could you please help me up? I think I need to check in with Ms. Wonka.”

Cameron and Charlie helped him up and Victor did his best to not look flustered and out of breath.

“Thanks…” he said uneasily. “I’ll be right back, Cameron.”

“All right, Vic.”

Cameron and the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners watched him leave. Cameron sighed and turned to Charlie. “Please make sure he doesn’t hurt himself? Once Victor sets his sights on something he doesn’t really stop. He gets blinded really easily.”

Charlie nodded. “Of course! I also can’t help but feel it’s a trap.”

“Well I can’t blame him,” Cameron said. “He rarely gets to do anything around here. Last month was the most I’ve seen him. And then the party happened…he just seems so down.”

“He hasn’t said no to anything that Wonka asks him to do,” Michelle said. “He’s really serious about this. Hasn’t slowed down since he asked her about it. I personally don’t care about the stupid gold star system.”

“Well you also really don’t care about Ms. Wonka,” Charlie laughed.

“And that is correct!” Michelle smiled. “If I get a day off, I get a day off. I’m not afraid to fight Wonka.”

“We already know that!” Vernon rolled his eyes.

“I hate to say it, but if this goes any further, we’re going to have to find a way to show Victor that she’s using him.” Cameron said.

Michelle rubbed her hands together. “Ooh! A plan against Wonka? I’m in!”

“We have to first see if he’s actually getting any stars in the first place,” Charlie said. “And if he isn’t, then we’ll have to show him.”

“I have access to Ms. Wonka’s office,” Charlie volunteered. “I’m sure she hides it there somewhere.”

“Then it sounds like a plan,” Cameron smiled.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Charlie walked down the hall to Wonka’s office the next day. She was lucky that she was busy with her appointments with the other ticket winners.

She entered her office and immediately went to work. This wasn’t going to be an easy task. Charlie was somewhat used to her mentor’s half decorated, whimsical office. But where would the gold star chart be? Wonka has organized chaos in this room! Charlie looked around frantically but meticulously. She had to be quick about it.

Suddenly, something vanished next to her and she let out a yelp. She covered her mouth from making further noise. She waited a second then let out a sigh.

POOF!! Charlie jumped again only to stop and see that the gold star chart appeared on Wonka’s desk. She gasped and learned over, studying the graph.

“Oh no…” she said quietly, “this isn’t good at all.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“I’m on my way,” Cameron said on the phone to Charlie in his car. He sighed nervously and shook his head. It was time to set the plan in motion.

Victor awkwardly followed Wonka down the hallway. It felt like he was walking for hours as he tried to find balance with his large gut extended before him. He was trying hard not to take ragged breaths.

“Are…are we going to the Testing Room again?” He asked.

“The best prize is a sur-prise!” She laughed. Victor grimaced. “But yes! We are heading towards there right now.”

“But didn’t I go earlier today? Why do I have to go again?”

“Ah ah ah!” She wagged her finger at him. “Enough talking! More chewing!” She patted his chin.

Victor tried to steady his breathing and tried not to look defeated or frustrated. “Yes, Ms. Wonka.”

“You’re doing such a great job, Victor. Haven’t had any complaints from you in days. Keep up the good work!”

Victor gave a tiny smile at that. He relished in her praise, but he was still struggling to walk down the hall. “May I at least take a break?”

“Hmm…no.”

He continued to walk awkwardly. “Is it far?”

“No.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Well for me it isn’t.” She chuckled as he winced. “Oh come on, Mr. Beauregarde. You’re an athlete. You don’t need a break!”

His father often told him that when he was much younger when he trained. Sam never let Victor take breaks either.

“I am an athlete.” He said quietly to himself, beginning to pant.

“There you go, sweetie pie! Now! We are almost there-”

CRASH!

Victor toppled to the floor and landed on his stomach. He panted hard as he lied there. Wonka stared at him pitifully.

Wonka rolled him over so he was on his back. She was about to help him up when Vernon Salt came skipping down the hallway.

“Oh, Ms. Wonka~!” Vernon sang. “I finished my chores and I believe I earned another gold star!”

“You sure do!” Wonka nodded. Wonka snapped her fingers and the chart appeared before her. She stuck a sticker on Vernon’s row. “There you go!”

Victor craned his neck to see where he was. His eyes widened at the results. I…didn’t get anything…?

“Thank you, Ms. Wonka!” Vernon said saccharinely. He gave Victor a smug look then left as Wonka vanished the chart.

“I…didn’t get any new…stars?” Victor said quietly.

“Hmm?”

“I didn’t get any new stars!” He said louder, tears building in his eyes. “I did everything you asked me to! I ate every stupid blueberry dish you gave me! I didn’t complain or argue to you once for a whole week! Why didn’t I get any new stars?!”

Wonka blinked a few times at the crying boy on the floor. She didn’t realize she hasn’t kept up with her end of the deal. “Oh! Um…I’m sorry my dear boy. I was so focused on your juice production.”

Victor shook his head. He couldn’t believe it.

“Well, have you thought that you were earning them for the wrong reason? Maybe you should’ve been doing it because it’s the right thing to do!”

Victor shut his eyes. “You lied to me! I wasn’t going to get them, wasn’t I?! I did all of that for nothing!”

“Well you did make it easier on Ms. Wilkinson and I in the Testing Room,” Wonka said.

Tears were streaming down his face. “I want to go to my room! Take me to my room!”

“Victor-”

“No! I don’t want to hear it! Don’t tell me I’m being rude or-or brash or whatever! I want to be left alone!”

Wonka sighed and helped the boy up to his feet.

“Victor!” Cameron called, as he rounded the corner. Victor looked up but he didn’t smile at his appearance.

“Could you…please help me to my room?” He asked softly.

Cameron nodded. “Of course!” He wrapped his arm around his and helped steady him as they made their way to his room.

Wonka sighed as she watched the two leave and then pinched the bridge of her nose.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor cried silent tears on top of his bed as Cameron closed his bedroom door.

“I’m such an idiot,” Victor said quietly to himself. “I should’ve just listened to you. I’m sorry.”

Cameron sat on his bed. “Dude, you’re not an idiot! It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.”

Victor buried his face in his hands. “I just thought…I could finally get a day off. I just wanted to spend my summer with you guys.”

“And you will!”

“But it turns out nothing I do matters anymore.”

Cameron didn’t know what to say. He just wanted his friend to stop pushing himself so hard. He didn’t know how to cheer him up. He felt slightly guilty. If he let Victor go any further, he could’ve hurt himself.

Victor felt his stomach burble beneath his hands.

Finally, Cameron sighed. “Victor, what you do matters. I appreciate you trying to make it work and get more days off - I’m sure Lex would appreciate it too! But Victor, it’s not worth it if you’re not happy.”

This time Victor didn’t say anything. God, why does Cameron give him foreign advice all the time? It doesn’t make sense.

Victor sunk lower into his bed. “Thanks for being here, Cam, but I think…I think need to be alone for a bit.”

Cameron hesitated as he studied his friend’s face. “Yeah…of course.” He slowly got up and made his way to the door. “Please don’t be hard on yourself.”

Victor didn’t say anything. He just continued to stare absently in his room.

Cameron left and shut the door quietly. I…I did this to him. But I had to do it. It was the right thing to do….right?

He shook it off and began to make his way to the door.

“Cameron!” Charlie called. Cameron turned around and saw the other Golden Ticket Winners. “How did it go? Where’s Victor?”

Cameron hesitated to speak. “He needs space. He’s not taking it well.”

Charlie looked down and glanced at the others. “I see…” She looked at Cameron again. “I’ll check in on him later.”

He gave a tiny smile. “Thanks. I’ll see you guys soon.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Wilkinson gently knocked on Wonka’s office door. “Ms. Wonka? May I come in?”

“Of course!” She smiled. “Is there something wrong?”

Wilkinson stepped inside. “Not necessarily wrong, Ms. Wonka, more of a concern.”

Wonka folded her hands. “I see…”

“It’s about Victor Beauregarde.”

Wonka shut her eyes in annoyance at the mentioning of the boy’s name. “You too?”

Wilkinson cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“First Charlie and now you,” she sighed. “It seems every other week she has a concern about him. I’m doing my best to go easier on him.”

“Well, it’s not just that that needs to be addressed, but it was his reaction to the gold stars,” Wilkinson said.

“His reaction?” Wonka repeated.

“There seems to be something more than him getting upset about it.”

“What makes you say that?”

Wilkinson sighed. “I don’t know. It just seems deeply rooted. I think we should tread lightly with his testing and how we treat him going forward. I hope you understand.”

Wonka slowly nodded. She didn’t know what to say.

Wilkinson sensed the Chocolatier’s inner conflict and also nodded. “Have a good evening, Ms. Wonka.”

Wonka leaned back in her chair. “You as well, Ms. Wilkinson.”

Chapter Text

Victor had to do something. He couldn’t just sit around doing nothing. Even if he was still upset about the gold stars and the party, it wasn’t an excuse to be lazy! But he also couldn’t just ignore the fact that he had absolutely no say when it came to Wonka. What was the point in fighting it anymore?

For the first time in his life, Victor Beauregarde was defeated.

So he came up with a plan. He can’t just stop training. He didn’t need his parents coming up to the factory and scold him again. He didn’t need anymore yelling. No. Victor set his alarm to 3AM. Victor realized that it wasn’t until the late night and early morning hours that he had time for himself. Any other time he would be at the mercy of the whimsical Chocolatier. It was insane, he knew that, but this wouldn’t be the first time he had to adhere to a crazy schedule. Sam Beauregarde already made him wake up to random hours of the night just to make him train. So what would an earlier wake up time do to hurt him? It was no different, right?

The moment his alarm beeped, Victor groggily got out of bed and got to work. He did his warm up and stretches and started working on his training. Victor loved to do CrossFit or high intense workouts. He tried to be silent as possible, not wanting anyone to know he was up this early. The last thing he needed was someone telling him to go to bed and get rest. Victor mocked the voices in his head. Get rest, he thought. There is no time for rest.

He took about an hour to an hour and a half to train. The rest of the time until six, or if he started swelling up, to catch up on studying for his senior classes. If he played his cards right, he could be ahead next year and just focus on making money for his parents.

Victor sighed at his desk. He looked at the time. 5:45. He got up and stretched and then lied down on his bed. He felt his body collapse. He could do this. This new schedule isn’t too bad. Just say yes to everything - no complaining, no protesting. There’s no use fighting it anymore. Play the role of the rotten kid, he thought to himself. Then you can play the role of the athlete later.

His alarm beeped again and Victor shut it off. 6AM. He sighed one last time and laid on his back.

“I’m…still a champion.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Victor tiredly got his makeup put on as he got ready for his interview in the trailer. It’s been three months since he’s done one. The interview wasn’t mostly about him, but for his mom.

He was slowly drifting off in the chair until the makeup artist gripped his jaw and made him sit up straight. Victor flinched at their touch. “Keep still!” The artist ordered. “No slouching!”

“Victor, stop being so difficult,” Scarlett Beauregarde said, sitting across from him getting her own makeup done. “This is very important and I need you on your best behavior.”

“Yes, mom.”

“You have bags under your eyes,” the makeup artist told him. “Not good. Going to have to cover it up.”

Victor sighed and did his best not to roll his eyes at the makeup artist. They were the one doing his makeup and he would like to look good on TV. His makeup artist finished up the final touches on him then left.

“So, honey,” Scarlett said, getting blush put on her face, “what is this about you dating Lex Reynolds?”

Victor froze. He completely forgot about his parents wanting him to be with Maddie Montgomery. “I…well…”

“You know I wanted you to be with Maddie, correct? Her mother is paying a great deal for my campaign and I cannot have my son not dating her daughter like I promised.”

Victor didn’t know what to say. If he wasn’t awake then, he sure was awake now. “Mom,” he said slowly, “it just didn’t work out between me and her! We just now started becoming friends!”

Scarlett said nothing. She stared her son down. Victor sat nervously in his chair.

“You’re not…going to make me breakup with Lex, are you?” That would be the last thing Victor needed. Lex was one of the few things that made him happy. He didn’t want to lose her!

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him and tapped her fingers on the armrests. “Hmm,” she hummed to herself. “I’ll allow you to date the Reynolds girl. We could somehow make this work for the campaign.”

Victor let out a sigh of relief.

“However!” She raised a finger at him. “I will now have to talk to Maddie’s parents and re-discuss the whole plan.” Scarlett waved off her makeup artist and the artist left the trailer. She got up and approached her son. He looked up nervously at her. “Don’t think that I’ll forget about this, young man! I don’t need you to nearly cost me this campaign. Now what I need you to do is nail this interview, understood?”

Victor nodded. “Yes, mom.”

Sam Beauregarde came into the trailer excitedly. He laughed and clapped his hands. “We are back!” He shouted. He hugged his wife and kissed her cheek. “You’re going to be great, baby! The Beauregarde’s are back and stronger than ever! That three month hiatus will be nothing once we do this interview! People won’t even remember it!”

Victor slouched in his chair and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked normal. Well, of course he was normal. His parents had a long argument with Wonka last night demanding him for the weekend now that Scarlett’s campaign was coming into full gear. Victor’s presence was “absolutely needed” according to the both of them. Wonka, not wanting to deal with anymore yelling and bickering, gave in and agreed to them taking back their son for a few days.

What Victor was afraid of most was him coming back to the factory and Wonka going harder on him just to maintain his juicing schedule.

“Son!” Sam called him. Victor turned around and faced him. “Do you not have any clothing that isn’t so…blue?”

Victor blushed awkwardly. “This is all I have! My entire closet is blue.” He said sadly.

Sam looked frustrated at him and Victor winced. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “No matter! We can get through this.” He gripped his son’s shoulders. “Remember to smile and don’t acknowledge anything about Wonka and her factory. You are a champion, Victor. You are here to promote your mother! You are here to announce your return back into competing! Understood?”

Victor understood but he wasn’t sure. He still felt like all of this was too early. As much as he wanted to compete, he didn’t want to be in the limelight. There was too much of a risk even with Wonka’s magic.

“Victor?” Sam looked at him sternly.

“Yes, father.”

Scarlett looked disgusted at her child. “Why is the blue on your cheeks showing through the makeup?”

The question only made the poor boy blush more. “I…I’m sorry.”

“Victor, you need to control your condition!” Scarlett scolded him. “I can only cover up so much of your face!”

Victor said nothing. He just wanted to get this interview over with.

“I’ll get the makeup people back in here before we go out,” Scarlett huffed and left the trailer.

Sam handed his son notecards. “Study these so you’ll know what to say.”

Victor looked down at the cards in his hands. There had to be about thirty of these in the pack. He didn’t miss any of this.

“Oh, and Victor,” Sam said, reaching into his pocket. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.” His father handed him a stick of gum. “I expect you to be chewing when we get out there.” He said as he left.

Victor was left alone in the trailer, sitting in the chair exhausted and staring at the stick of gum in his hand. He sighed one last time, unwrapped the stick, popped it in his mouth, and began to chew.

Some return, he thought. I guess I’ll never escape the title of the gum chewing brat.
* * * * * * * * * * *
“And that’s why I’m happy to be announcing my return as your champion, Miles City.”

“Could we turn that off?” Victor asked quietly. He didn’t want to watch nor hear himself anymore - especially when he was currently a half swollen blueberry sitting on the couch. His hands rested on his large stomach as he watched his normal self on the screen. The way he smiled condescendingly and waved at the crowd, promoting his mom’s political run. He had to unearth those skills that were buried within him for three months. It felt wrong. It felt foreign.

“Fine, whatever,” Vernon shrugged and turned off the TV.

“How do you even find the energy to do that?” Michelle asked. “Did it hurt when they shoved that stick back up your ass?”

Victor didn’t say anything. He was tired. He didn’t even want to be in the living room with the two of them.

Michelle instantly regretted what she said after seeing his reaction. Still very new to this friend thing, she thought. “Look, I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t fun being out with your parents again, but at least you’re away from them now.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Victor sad quietly. But I’m back here.

“You want to play some video games?” She asked. “Take your mind off things?”

“Yeah sure…”

However Michelle could tell he wasn’t too excited about it. He just looks like he’s drifting by, she thought.

Wilkinson hopped off the elevator and approached the children. “Mr. Beauregarde, you are needed in the Testing Room.”

Victor sighed and looked at himself. “Yes, Ms. Wilkinson.” He tried pushing himself off the couch but he couldn’t build momentum. He kept falling back.

“Here, let me help you,” Michelle sighed. She gestured to Vernon to help her.

Victor didn’t protest against their aid which also surprised Michelle. They got the boy up and he caught his breath from the exertion. He followed Wilkinson back to the elevator and left Michelle and Vernon on the couch.

“Did you notice that?” Michelle asked Vernon.

“Notice what?” Vernon said, lying on his back, playing on his phone.

“Victor’s been very quiet lately,” she said, thinking about what transpired.

“He has?” Vernon said, turning to face her.

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Of course you don’t notice! You’re busy worrying about yourself! If Charlie or Agnes were here, they would’ve noticed it too!”

Vernon sat up and pouted. “I care about Victor!”

“If you do, then pay attention to how he’s acting!” Michelle said. “He just seems really…out of it.”

Meanwhile Victor did everything the Chocolatier and her assistant wanted. The boy barely said a word the entire session, he merely winced and cringed or whimpered at the pokes and prods and measurements. A little over three months and he was still not used to the experimental sensations. The only things he said were “yes, Ms. Wonka” and “yes, Ms. Wilkinson.”

Wonka sensed something was up with the blue boy. She finished up her loggings for the day and looked at him. He’s dissociating, she thought. The last time Victor was this obedient and compliant was the gold star situation, but this was different. This was something else entirely.

“Mr. Beauregarde?” She said, calling to him.

However Victor didn’t seem to answer. He was still out of it.

“Victor?”

Still nothing. Thousand yard stare.

“Victor!”

Victor jumped. “I’m sorry! I’m paying attention. What do I have to do? I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”

Wonka was shocked at the boy’s answer. She looked back at Wilkinson who gave her a look and then continued to scribble on her clipboard.

“No, my dear boy,” she finally said, finding her words. “You did fine. You are good to go.”

Victor looked down at his large stomach and shifted awkwardly, preparing himself for the long journey to his bedroom. “Um, thank you, Ms. Wonka.”

Wonka looked uneasily at Wilkinson at what happened. She immediately began to think on how to go about this situation.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The Golden Ticket Winners ate their breakfast quietly and awkwardly as they watched Victor, who was back to normal, sleep face down on the table. He laid his head on the side next to his barely eaten food and snored softly.

Charlie ate her yogurt in concern. “So I take it that he hasn’t been sleeping well?”

Vernon rolled his eyes. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I keep hearing him wake up screaming and it drives me insane!”

“Nightmares,” Michelle said simply.

Victor winced in his sleep and softly shook his head “no”.

“He’s been doing this for a few days now,” Michelle said.

“What? Passing out at the dining table?” Vernon asked.

“No,” Michelle snarled. “Just being super exhausted. He has to be doing something new for him to be falling asleep like this.”

“I think I hear him moving around early in the morning,” Agnes said. “But I don’t know what.”

Charlie’s face fell. She had a suspicion, but she didn’t want to voice it just yet.

Wonka entered the dining room cheerfully. “Good morning, star shine!” She chirped. “The earth says hello!”

Michelle rolled her eyes, not wanting to deal with the Chocolatier’s antics.

“Um, Ms. Wonka,” said Charlie softly and gently. She then gestured at Victor Beauregarde sleeping soundly at the table.

Wonka’s shoulders slouched. “Oh dear,” she said. She approached the sleeping boy.

“Now, Ms. Wonka,” Charlie said, “please don’t do anything drastic!”

“Do not worry, Charlie!” She said with a smile. “I’m not going to do anything dramatic!”

The rest of the Golden Ticket Winners looked uneasily at each other. Yeah right, they all thought. We’re talking about a woman who built a whole Chocolate Room.

“Victor,” Wonka gently called to him. “Victor!”

However he was in a deep sleep. He stirred slightly. No one has ever seen Victor this asleep before when he was normal.

Wonka began to nudge him. It was starting to do the trick. She continued to call his name.

Victor slowly stirred awake. He then sat up quickly with a start and blushed at the sight of the Golden Ticket Winners and Wonka.

“Good morning, sweetie pie,” she said with a smile.

“Um, good morning, Ms. Wonka,” he said uncomfortably.

The young boy’s hair was messed up and he did his best to straighten it. He noticed the buttoned down blue shirt he was wearing was buttoned unevenly.

Wonka walked to the head of the table and sat down. She folded her hands and smiled as Victor sunk in his chair. “Victor, I think it’s time we had a little talk.”

The poor boy swallowed nervously.

“I can’t help but notice your new sleeping habits,” she chuckled.

“It’s nothing,” Victor said assuredly. “Just my condition that’s all. I guess the juice is just making me extra tired lately. Nothing more.”

The table became quiet and Victor panicked. He needed to prove everything was fine. He looked down at his plate. As much as he didn’t want to eat anything on there, he also didn’t want to disobey Wonka. He began to cut a piece of the blueberry pancakes in front of him.

“See?! It’s fine! I’m fine!” But before he took the bite Wonka stopped him.

“Victor!” Wonka said, holding up her hand. “I think it’s best if you just head up to your room and rest for the time being.”

Victor paused. He would’ve never expected Wonka to stop him from eating anything blueberry based. He looked down at his plate then around the table. “Oh…yes, Ms. Wonka…” He got up from the table slowly and then headed up to his room.

Wonka sighed and rubbed her temples. “It’s always something new with that boy,” she muttered to herself.

Ding dong! The door chimed.

“Wonder who that could be?” She said sarcastically getting up from the table. She answered the door and saw Cameron standing before her. He looked nervous. “Mr. Cameron! And how are you today?”

Cameron wrung his hands nervously. “I’m fine. And um, you?”

Wonka smiled at his politeness. “Very well! You may come in!”

Cameron stepped in and saw the Golden Ticket Winners sitting at the table. The children all looked at him in concern. “Where’s Vic?”

“He’s upstairs in his room,” Charlie said simply.

Cameron read the room and sensed something was up. He nodded then headed upstairs to see his friend.

He softly knocked on the door. “Victor…?”

“You can come in,” he responded softly.

Cameron opened the door and saw Victor slouched at his desk. His hands combed through his hair. Cameron sat down on the bed and studied Victor.

“You okay?” Cameron asked. “Lex and I have barely heard from you.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “Sorry for not texting.”

Cameron sighed. “What’s going on, Vic?”

Victor huffed and turned around to face him. He frowned. “I…I don’t know.”

“Victor, Lex told me that you’ve been passing out at her place. And every time we hang out it’s like you’re hardly there. Come on. Talk to me, dude!”

Victor felt bad. He didn’t want to waste their time. He has been falling asleep a lot when he hung out with his girlfriend. But the training was important. He couldn’t just stop that! He was already behind. Plus, he needed to move on from last weekend.

Victor finally looked up at him, fighting back tears. “You don’t get it, Cameron! They all laughed at me for taking the gum! They all said they’re not surprised that I took it!”

Cameron was caught off guard. “You’re talking about the party?”

“Yes I’m talking about the party!” Victor cried. “And then the stupid gold stars! I can’t believe I fell for that! Why did I do that?!” He started to hyperventilate. “Why did I steal the stupid gum?! Nothing I do even matters!”

Cameron got up immediately the moment he saw his friend go into a panic attack and his face started to flush blue. “Vic! Breathe!”

“But! I lost! I’m losing everything! I’m going to - I’m going to lose you and Lex!”

“Victor, please-”

“I can’t believe I’m so stupid! I ruined everything! I’m gonna be stuck here forever! I can’t do this for another nine months!”

Cameron gripped Victor’s shoulders tight and shook him. “Vic! Snap out of it!”

Victor came to a still and breathed hard. “S-Sorry…”

“No! No more apologizing!” He looked at Victor and Victor avoided his eyes. “Vic, you’re not stupid. You just need to accept you made a mistake. Stop blaming yourself!”

Victor shook his head. “I don’t think I can! You, Lex, and Charlie keep telling me it’s okay to make mistakes but I…you guys never told me about how to deal with mistakes that permanently change your life.”

Cameron was stumped. He didn’t know how to help his best friend. So he just hugged him. Victor didn’t fight back his gesture. He tried to calm himself still as he his heart pounded out his chest.

“I’ll be right back, Vic. I’m not leaving yet. Just try and lie down, okay? Get some rest.”

“But I need to-”

Cameron looked at him firmly. “The studying can wait. Just lie down. It’s not going to hurt you.”

Victor slumped in his seat and got up and sat on his bed. Before he lied down, he paused. “Wait! Cameron!”

“Yeah, Vic?” He said, stopping at the door.

Victor glanced towards the floor and blushed. “You are…coming back, right?”

Cameron gave a soft smile. He was a little hurt that Victor doubted him but he understood why. Too many people have left him. He was scared. “Of course, dude. I’m coming back.”

“Okay.” Victor proceeded to lie down and buried himself in the blue blankets.

Cameron then softly shut the door. He walked down the stairs and saw the Golden Ticket Winners eagerly waiting for him.

“How is he?” Agnes asked expectantly.

“He’s fighting sleep,” Cameron said. “He’s pushing himself too hard. Way more than usual.”

“He’s punishing himself,” Michelle said quietly. She grew sad. She could relate. She wanted to do the same thing when she got home from the factory.

Vernon frowned at that and so did Agnes.

“But why?” Charlie said, shaking her head.

“You wouldn’t get it!” Vernon said, a little too angrily. “After the factory, everything took a little getting used to. You walked away with the factory, we…we walked away with pain.”

Charlie realized how lucky she had it. She’s been nothing but lucky since she got the golden ticket, but she did leave unscathed during the entire tour. She could’ve easily been killed! All of them could! She started to think about what Michelle said three months ago. Was all of this really planned? Did her mentor really plan all of their demises?

Charlie shrunk back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep my boundaries. You’re right. I don’t get it. I’m doing my best to do so.”

“Cool it, Goody Two Shoes,” Michelle rolled her eyes with a slight smile. “We know you didn’t mean it, but what we’re trying to say is that Wonka really did ruin our lives. This is hard for all of us. We have to live with the choice we made at the factory.”

“And that’s the thing!” Cameron said. “Victor doesn’t know how to say no because all his life he never had a choice! His parents forced him to do everything they told him to do. That’s why they’re being so hard on him. That’s why he’s beating himself up so much. Because he decided to steal the gum and it failed.”

The rest of them didn’t say anything.

“Well, what else can we do?” Vernon asked. “I feel like there’s only so much we could say aside from ‘you’re not alone’.”

Cameron shrugged. “I’m afraid…that’s all we can do for now.”

The children looked sad at each other. They let Cameron get back up to Victor. He softly knocked on Victor’s door again. He didn’t hear anything so he slowly opened it.

Victor startled awake. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Vic.” Cameron said.

“Oh…” Victor relaxed. “Thanks for coming over.”

“Of course,” Cameron said. “Always here for you.” Cameron sat down in a chair next to his bed. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Victor nodded and eventually drifted off to sleep. Cameron watched him for a bit. He saw his friend relax and looked at peace. He didn’t seem stress or tense. Cameron sighed and leaned back in the chair and thought back to what Victor said.
* * * * * * * * * * *
“Thanks for coming in on such short notice,” Wonka said to Grandma Josephine. “Wilkinson and the children will be joining me on this trip and I had no one else to watch him. You’re the only other person who is familiar with the boy and he does have a strong fear of the Oompa Loompas.”

Grandma Josephine waved it off. “Oh it’s fine! No need to worry! Anything for my granddaughter’s mentor!”

Wonka smiled. “Please keep in mind when watching him to put him on his back or stomach because he likes to escape. He hasn’t done it lately but you can’t be too careful!”

Grandma Josephine nodded. “Understood.”

“Of course, again, you’re allowed to do whatever among the living quarters of the factory. You know where everything is. All I ask is for you to watch him and make sure he eats. Oh! And please make sure to roll him every so often - it encourages circulation since he can barely move.”

Grandma Josephine nodded again. “All good! I think I got the blueberry boy covered.”

Wonka smiled. “Perfect! I’ll show you where he’s at.”

Wonka led her down the hall and into the Testing Room. Victor lied down on his stomach, letting his head, hands, and feet droop.

“Victor?” Wonka called. “Ms. Josephine will be taking care of you while we’re out.”

Victor did his best to lift up his head. He mustered up the strength to speak from resting on his stomach for too long. “Yes…Ms. Wonka…” he grunted. Great, he thought. Stuck with the lady who hates me. Victor would much rather deal with Wilkinson’s monotone, logical personality than with Charlie’s grandmother any day.

“Excellent!” Wilma Wonka clapped her hands together. “We’ll be back soon, sweetie pie. Be on your best behavior.”

He strained again. “Yes, Ms. Wonka.”

Wonka left and Victor sighed.

“Why if it isn’t Mr. Victor Beauregarde!” Grandma Josephine smirked. “The little nitwit who stole Wonka’s three course meal gum! And how is life treating you today?”

Victor did his best to look up and acknowledge, not wanting to be rude. “I’m…fine,” he croaked out uncomfortably. “How are…you…?”

Grandma Josephine eyed the boy oddly. She wasn’t expecting this kind of response from him. She was expecting a snide remark or a fight. “I’m good,” she said slowly.

Victor sighed. He didn’t want to be left alone with her. He remembered her scolding him and telling him he deserved this.

Grandma Josephine sat in a nearby chair and pulled out a book. She continued to eye the boy. “I don’t know what Charlie saw in you,” she muttered, remembering them being together.

Me neither, Victor glumly thought.

“How long have you been in that position?” She asked.

“I’m not sure,” Victor said awkwardly. “I can never see a clock.”

Grandma Josephine smirked. “Well in that case, I’m going to get the Oompa Loompas and have them roll you for a bit.”

Victor winced. He didn’t want to be moved. He wanted to just stay there. He definitely didn’t want to be bothered by the Oompa Loompas. I want Lex, he thought sadly. He was upset he wasted all of their time falling asleep at her house. Their one month anniversary was just him passing out to a movie. He felt bad! It was supposed to be romantic!

Victor gasped at the gloved hands touching his side. They gave him a good shove and he spun for a bit until the other group caught him.

“I’ll have them roll you around for two minutes,” she said, turning a page in her book. “Ms. Wonka said it helped you with your circulation.”

Victor didn’t say anything. He stifled his complaints from being touched and rolled. Two minutes…Victor thought.

When the two minutes passed, Victor’s heart was racing. He was breathing hard from all the spinning. He tried to shut his eyes to calm himself down. Just think of Lex! It’s going to be okay! Breathe! He tried to think of holding her hand and how it felt but nothing was working. He accidentally choked out a sob and scolded himself for crying.

Grandma Josephine closed her book and looked at the boy carefully. “Is something wrong?”

“No! No ma’am!” He said too quickly. “I’m fine! Nothing’s wrong!”

She got up and approached him. He was lying on his back this time. She leaned forward and poked his stomach. He winced from the touch. It still hurt from last weekend. “Clearly something is up. You’re lying.”

Victor debated on what to say. He certainly wasn’t going to open up to her. He instead said nothing.

She poked him again and he whimpered from the pain. “What? You don’t like the poking?”

“Well no…but there’s also…a bruise there,” he said quietly.

“A bruise?” The grandmother stifled a laugh. “You’re a bruised fruit?”

Victor blushed and sunk his head.

Grandma Josephine paused, sensing his discomfort. “Why didn’t you say something when I was poking you?”

Victor glanced awkwardly. “I…I didn’t think you’d actually believe me.”

She snorted. “Does know one take you seriously around here, Mr. Blueberry?”

Victor frowned at the silly nickname. He didn’t like that. “Me? No one ever takes me seriously anymore.”

Grandma Josephine looked dumbfounded at his answer. A twinge of her felt bad for poking him. She cleared her throat. “How did the bruise happen?”

Victor moved his hands uncomfortably. “I…got rolled into the wall…on purpose.”

“Oh dear!” She said. Now she was really starting to feel bad. “Well then, how about this…” she began to think to herself. “I’ll start taking you seriously if no one else has.”

Victor looked up at her and then she gave him a wink and a soft smile. “I…I would like that. Thank you, Ms. Josephine.”

“Of course, Mr. Beauregarde.”

The rest of the evening went fine. Victor ended up falling asleep, still exhausted from his new tiring schedule.

Wilma Wonka came back finding Grandma Josephine reading her book and the boy asleep on his stomach.

“Ah! Ms. Wonka!” The grandmother closed her book and stood up.

“Is everything all right?” The chocolatier asked, glancing back between Grandma Josephine and the boy.

“Everything was fine!” The elderly lady waved it off.

“Did he say anything?” Wonka asked.

Grandma Josephine shook her head. “The boy hardly spoke!”

“I see…” Wonka rubbed her chin.

“However,” Grandma Josephine took a step closer. “This might not be my place, but I suggest you going a little easy on the poor boy. We didn’t talk much but he seems to be hurting. Quite literally! He has a giant bruise on his stomach.”

Wonka looked at her confused. “He does?!”

“Oh yes! Said someone ram him into a wall.”

Was this at the party? Wonka asked herself. Why didn’t he say anything? “Oh…” Wonka didn’t know what to say. She was stunned silent. “Well, um…thank you again for watching the boy,” she stammered.

“Of course, Ms. Wonka!” She patted the Chocolatier’s shoulder. “You have a good evening.”

Grandma Josephine left and Wilma Wonka turned to face the sleeping boy, thinking to herself.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Wonka paced madly in her office. Her office was a wreck, if one could even tell with how wild in decor it was. Her coat was thrown on the ground and her top hat wasn’t on its usual location which was the half bust of her face. It somehow managed to be on one of the ceiling fan’s blades.

Victor Beauregarde’s demeanor has been bothering her. She couldn’t believe she was admitting that. She was still conflicted with her moral ideas being tampered with by Charlie, Wilkinson, and now her former employee of all people!

The boy has barely said anything in a week and he’s been falling asleep in random places. His friends are even reaching out to him but he won’t budge.

“Ms. Wonka?” Charlie politely knocked on the door, poking her head in. “Is everything all right?”

Wonka slumped into her chair and sighed. “Oh it’s nothing, my dear girl, I’m just trying to see how to get Victor Beauregarde to talk. He hasn’t been saying much to me. All I’m getting is ‘yes, Ms. Wonka’ and nothing else. Just blindly obeying to whatever I say.”

Charlie shrugged. “At least he’s using his manners like you wanted.”

Wonka gave her protege a look. “As much as I love your charming humor, Charlie, I can’t have the boy be miserable in the factory.”

“So you actually care about him?” Charlie smirked.

She gave her another look. “I care about his well-being because of the constant juice production in his system.”

Charlie rolled her eyes and sighed.

“I need him to talk to me.”

“To be honest, Ms. Wonka,” Charlie began, “you’re not Victor’s go-to when it comes to confessions. It took him a long time for him to open up to me. How are you going to get him to open up to you?”

Wonka huffed frustratedly then paused. She got an idea. “I know just the thing!”

Charlie was nervous. This could be anything. “Please be easy on him!” Charlie begged.

“Oh of course, Ms. Bucket!” Wonka reached for her top hat off the fan and grabbed her coat off the floor. “When have I not?”

Charlie held her tongue as Wonka rushed passed her and down the hall. She sighed and decided to follow her mentor. “Here we go.”

Victor sat on the couch zoned out with the TV watching him. His hands rested on his large stomach and he felt the juice burble beneath his touch.

“Mr. Beauregarde!” Wonka called, entering the living room and snapping him out of his stupor.

Victor turned his attention to the Chocolatier. He couldn’t help but look nervously at her. “Yes, Ms. Wonka?” He asked tentatively.

“I was thinking,” she said, playfully drumming her chin, “of making a new invention for the Inventing Room!”

Victor swallowed nervously. “Oh…okay…” That was the last place Victor had on his mind. He didn’t know what he would do if he had to go back there. Would he faint again? Throw up? Have another panic attack?

“But I am thinking of making it out of something different than the normal metal I use,” Wonka said. “I’m thinking of using…gold.”

“Gold?” Victor repeated.

“And believe it or not, I don’t have a lot of access to it.”

Victor was trying to figure out what Wonka was getting at. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

“But I think you do,” she said with a smile. “You’re a champion, right Victor?”

Victor looked uneasily. “I…um…”

“You have a bunch of first place trophies, correct?”

Victor’s heart began to pound. “Well yes but-”

“And the trophies are made of gold correct?” Wonka grinned. Victor said nothing. “And you haven’t been really competing lately…so I’m going to take some of your trophies and melt them down for my new machine.”

Victor gasped. “No!”

“No?” Wonka raised an eyebrow.

Victor caught himself. He hasn’t said the word in a while. He’s been complying with Wonka and her orders all week. “I-I mean…um…is there another way?”

“I’m afraid my Oompa Loompas searched high and low and your trophies are the only source of gold we found.”

Victor tried his best to say the next few words. “Yes…Ms. Wonka…”

Wonka smiled to herself. He’s struggling, she thought. “However, I don’t think the ones in your room will be enough. So I went ahead and contacted your parents to discuss giving me your trophies in exchange for money. They are on their way as we speak.”

Victor’s eyes widened and his heart pounded out of his chest. “What?! No! You can’t!”

“I can’t?”

Victor stopped. He was conflicted. He didn’t want to argue back. Did he really need those trophies? “I…I…”

“Well, it sounds like you’re on the fence, but I guess we’ll discuss it more when your parents get here.”

“No!! Don’t!” Victor caved in. “You can’t take my trophies! They’re mine! They’re all I have left! Don’t bring my parents here!”

“Ahh, so the boy breaks!” Wonka said happily. Victor was confused. “What’s been going on, Victor? As much as I love you being obedient, I’ve been noticing your behavior has changed drastically over the last few days.”

Victor didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to open up to Wonka. She wouldn’t understand. “I was just…trying to behave. It was easier to.”

“But this doesn’t explain your sleeping habits? Countless people have told me you’ve been constantly falling asleep. Explain that to me!”

Victor frowned. “I’ve been waking up at 3AM every day and training and starting my senior studies.”

“My dear boy, why?!” Wonka said incredulously.

“Well I realized when I wake up at 6, I don’t have time to do anything!” He explained. “I’m stuck like this or I’m fully round the whole day! So I have to get up at 3! It’s the only time I have for myself!”

Wonka blinked a few times. This time she was too stunned to speak. “Victor, there’s no need to push yourself to such limits-”

Victor scoffed. “I knew you wouldn’t understand. You never do! I can’t miss any training! I’m still a champion! I have a gymnastics competition coming up and I can’t miss it! I never miss it! I have to go!”

Wonka sighed. “Still stubborn and determined as always.”

“You aren’t going to let me go, aren’t you?” Victor said sadly. He buried his face in his hands. “I knew it! I’m losing everything! I won’t be doing gymnastics this year!”

Wonka took a deep breath and calmed herself down. “I appreciate your hard work in being compliant this week, Victor, but you don’t have to push yourself. I can tell that like track, this sport means a lot to you. I’ll let you go.”

Victor looked up. “Really?! I can go?! Thank you! I’ve been training all week!” Victor paused. “Wait, you’re still not…giving away all of my trophies are you? Are my parents still coming?”

Wonka gave a gentle smile. “They’re not coming, Victor. You’re fine.”

Victor sighed in relief.

“You know, Victor,” she said, “I actually do have a room that I think you’d partially enjoy.”

Victor frowned again and his heart dropped. All of the worst case scenarios popped in his head. Another Testing Room? Another Inventing Room? What crazy room did Wonka have in store for him now? “What do you mean?”

“How about I just show you, my dear boy?”

Victor didn’t like that answer. She guided him and the other Golden Ticket Winners alongside Wilkinson. It was already embarrassing him having to stop and catch his breath every once in a while. Charlie tried to reassure him that it was okay, but he didn’t feel okay.

Wonka turned to him with a giddy smile. He recognized this smile. It was the same smile she gave him when she introduced to him the Great Gum Machine. He’s also seen this look from Charlie. She really was becoming more and more like her each day, he thought.

“Are you ready?” Wonka asked him.

He didn’t say anything. He just looked nervous.

Wonka then pushed on the large doors and they slowly opened. Victor’s jaw dropped. What was before the group was a giant track field, and on the track field was gym equipment.

“Ta-da!” Wonka said with jazz fingers.

“Since when do you workout?” Michelle snarled.

Wonka put her hands on her hips. “I’ll have you know that I like to power walk every now and then on the track, Miss Teevee!”

Michelle rolled your eyes.

“So, Mr. Beauregarde,” Wonka said, “what do you think?”

“I love it!” He said, still studying the room. “But you had a track and field this entire time?!”

Wonka shrugged. “Like I said, I do care about my physical health. You children just don’t get the chance to see it!”

“She’s still crazy,” Vernon said under his breath.

“You’re allowed to use this room whenever you get the chance,” Wonka said. “I imagine you utilizing it for your event coming up?”

Victor nodded. He still couldn’t believe she was holding this back from him. He didn’t want to bring it up. She’ll probably just use some excuse about how she wanted me focusing on my juice production, he thought.

Then it was Charlie’s turn to have an idea. She looked at Wilma Wonka. “Ms. Wonka,” she said slowly, “I think we should go to Victor’s gymnastics competition.”

Both Wonka and Victor looked at Charlie incredulously. Even the Golden Ticket Winners looked at her in surprise.

“We’re still getting to know each other,” Charlie said. “Why not support Victor in his competition?”

“Charlie, I don’t think-”

“We’ll go,” Wonka interrupted the boy. “I think it’s time I started supporting you children’s interests.” She faced the blue boy. “Starting with Mr. Beauregarde.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Victor’s heart pounded but it wasn’t out of excitement. It was out of nervousness. Normally he let the adrenaline fuel him during his favorite sports like gymnastics, but this…Wonka, Wilkinson, and the Golden Ticket Winners were here.

Of course Cameron and Lex were here as well. They wouldn’t miss it for the world. But his two worlds were colliding and it was a new feeling entirely.

He knew he was going to do perfectly. His scores in gymnastics have always been top tier. It was just the fact that Wonka was watching him. He turned back anxiously toward the stands. The Golden Ticket Winners were talking amongst themselves. Charlie did give a small smile to him and he gave a tiny, yet nervous, smile back.

He tried to calm himself down while he was on the mat stretching. His eyes wandered to his best friend and girlfriend who proudly waved back to him. He again gave a tiny wave. Victor tried to remind himself of the joy gymnastics brought. It was the first competition he fell in love with before track and martial arts and all the sports he had to do.

Victor turned his eyes back to the bars and beams before him. Same routine you’ve been practicing, he thought to himself. He took deep steady breaths.

“When does Victor start?” Vernon asked. “It’s taking so long!”

Michelle and Agnes rolled their eyes. “Today we’re going to practice patience!” Michelle said.

Cameron laughed at their banter. “How you enjoying spending time with the Golden Ticket Winners?” He asked Lex.

Lex smiled. “You know as many times we’ve been over at the factory, they’re not bad. None of them are. Well except maybe Vernon. But I’m joking!”

Cameron chuckled. “No they’re all pretty cool.“

“However, I’m not sure why Ms. Wonka did that to them…” Lex said looking back at Victor stretching. “What was the point?”

Cameron sighed. “That I cannot tell you. But Victor is doing better. He seems wide awake.”

“Yeah,” Lex nodded. “I just wish that he isn’t so hard on himself.”

Victor anxiously chewed his gum. He instantly felt his father’s hands on his shoulders. “Son! Focus!”

Victor let out a sigh. “Yes, father.”

Scarlett walked over and fixed his appearance. “Stand up taller, Victor. There are cameras.”

“Yes, mom.”

“All right, your turn is coming up next,” Sam said. “Don’t get in your head. You’re a champion!”

Victor nodded and headed towards the mat. He chewed faster. Ms. Wonka is watching, he kept thinking. He tried to steady his breathing. He’s done this routine many times. He approached the pommel horse and took a deep breath. He climbed on and did his routine.

It was a breeze and felt second nature. He got lost in the moment. He completely forgot about Wonka and the Golden Ticket Winners and his parents. He was doing what he loved.

Wonka sat stunned at the boy’s athleticism. She was impressed.

Wilkinson gave a small smile. “He’s quite good, isn’t he?”

The Chocolatier didn’t respond, she simply watched his routine.

Victor finished with a flourish and the crowd cheered wildly. He missed this. He wanted to do gymnastics forever.

He went back to the sidelines and his father smiled wildly. “That’s my son! You did fantastic!”

Victor basked in his father’s praise. He loved it when his parents were proud of him.

His mom fixed his hair and straightened his uniform. “For the interview, honey.”

Victor frowned at that. He didn’t want to do the interview. He wanted to go talk to his friends. He anxiously turned to them. Cameron and Lex tried to tell him not to worry about it.

Scarlett Beauregarde tugged on his arm and dragged him to his interview. He reluctantly followed his mother. Once it was done, he left to find Cameron and Lex.

“Vic!” Lex called. Victor smiled and ran to her. She kissed and hugged him. “Congrats! You did amazing!”

“Thanks.”

Cameron high fived him. “Did great, man!”

The other Golden Ticket Winners including Wonka and Wilkinson approached him. The four of them also sent their congrats as well.

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but you did amazing,” Michelle said then messed up his hair.

Victor couldn’t help but laugh and then fixed his hair. “Thank you.”

“Yeah! You were great!” Vernon said and Victor was surprised at his compliment. “You were very flexible. Almost like a piece of gum.”

Victor immediately blushed as Agnes elbowed him. “Congrats, Victor.” She said. Victor gave a sheepish smile as he tried to get what Vernon said out of his head.

“Mr. Beauregarde,” Wonka said, grabbing his attention. Victor chewed nervously. “You did well, my boy. Great job.”

He couldn’t believe it. He looked at Wilkinson who gave a genuine smile and thumbs up. “Thank you, Ms. Wonka.”

“Did you win anything?” Wonka asked.

“I’m not sure,” Victor said. “I hope so, or else um…” He looked at his parents who were giving their own interview. “But never mind. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course, my dear boy.”

“Victor!” His father called. “Come here!” Victor sighed and walked up to his father. He handed him his trophy.

Victor looked at him confused. “I won? But why didn’t they call me?”

“Oh they did! We went ahead and grabbed it for you!” Scarlett said with a smile.

Victor was upset. He wanted to be the one to grab it not them.

“We’ll be taking it home with us,” Sam said, admiring the trophy proudly.

“But, father-”

“Victor, don’t forget, you have another competition next week,” his father interrupted. “You were a little sloppy on the routine. Tighten up.”

Victor grimaced. “Yes, father.”

Scarlett kissed him on the top of his head and his parents left without saying another word. Victor watched them leave with his trophy in his father’s hands. He wanted to take that one back to the factory too. It gave him a little bit of hope seeing the new trophies on his shelf. It was a sign of the future that he would get out of this factory somehow.

“You okay, Victor?” Charlie asked.

“I’m fine,” he answered quietly. “I’m just ready to go back to the factory.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Victor was back to his half swollen state on the couch asleep later that evening. He was watching a movie with Cameron and Lex, but with the first competition of the summer being over, it left him exhausted.

Lex stroked his hair and watched him peacefully sleep. She smiled. “I’ve never seen him so at peace.”

Cameron watched his friend sleep too. “It depends where he’s at. Because sometimes when I come over and he’s asleep, he looks uncomfortable.”

She looked at him. “Well I’m glad he has us.”

Cameron smiled. “Same here.”

Lex gently touched his hand and then rested her head on his shoulder. This is going to be a good summer, she thought.

Chapter Text

Victor Beauregarde was doing better but his emotions were a hit and miss. He still felt numb. He still felt the need to just comply with everyone. Sure Wonka and the others came and supported him but what was next? How long was this feeling going to be? What did the future hold for him? He hardly trusted her. The woman was an enigma.

He looked at his calendar and his eyes widened. Oh no, he thought. How could he completely forget about the most important date coming up?! He couldn’t let anyone in the factory know about it! Not even Wonka!

He swallowed nervously. He was going to have to do his best to not let the news come to light.

And knowing how his life goes, it was going to be difficult.
* * * * * * * * * *
Back in May, Vernon Salt celebrated his sixteenth birthday. In June, sweet Agnes celebrated her 14th. Charlie’s wouldn’t come until December and Michelle’s wasn’t until October. But the next birthday that was quickly approaching was Victor Beauregarde’s 17th birthday. And he didn’t want anyone to know.

It was July and Cameron texted in the group chat.

Cameron: so Vic!! What you gonna do for your birthday?

Victor: nothing

Cameron: lol nothing?

Lex: you gotta do something!

Victor: with the other four ticket winners and Ms. Wonka here? No way. You should’ve seen how Vernon’s and Agnes’ birthday went.

Vernon’s sweet sixteen was only sweet for him. For the others, it was a painful endurance. Vernon was still learning to have enough with so little given to him. His birthday being the first out of the Golden Ticket Winners was a trial run for sure.

Vernon wore his paper birthday crown and sat excitedly at the dining table. Victor and Michelle folded their arms in annoyance. Agnes and Charlie merely sat there patiently and happily. Wonka sat at the head of the table and said nothing, still trying to figure out how she allowed Vernon Salt to celebrate his sixteenth birthday.

Am I really warming up to the children? She thought.

After much tired and ceaseless begging, Wonka allowed him to have a birthday cake. It was just a one tier dessert. Vernon, of course, wasn’t used to non-grand things. He wasn’t used to not receiving a lot of presents. Vernon fought back many tantrums throughout the evening. This was his first birthday without a huge party and many events celebrating him.

“Happy birthday,” Michelle said planting a gift in front of him. “It’s from all of us - minus Wonka and Wilkinson.”

Vernon looked giddily at the present.

“We also got you a card,” Agnes said. “We all signed it.”

Vernon hungrily opened it, tissue and wrapping paper everywhere. The other Golden Ticket Winners flinching from the debris. His shoulders slouched at the gift. He pouted. A mixture of humiliation and anger.

It was a gift basket - a bath gift basket.

“Vernon,” Charlie was the first from speak up. “We don’t mean this out of teasing. We did this because we know you’ve been taking baths a lot and well, you’ve been saying that you wished you had more options and-”

“Thank you.” Vernon cut her off. The anger melted away and tears welled up in his eyes.

Everyone’s eyes widened. This wasn’t the response they were expecting.

“It’s been so hard lately going to school,” he said softly. “Every time I go I hope no one can smell the garbage chute on me.”

“Well, um, we’re glad you like it…” Michelle said. Michelle and Victor hated to admit it but sometimes they do care for the rich spoiled brat.

Victor continued to text Cameron and Lex about Vernon’s 16th birthday party.

Victor: everything was fine until his parents came and gave him a present. They gave him new gloves which he loved until he had a panic attack about his scars and blisters.

Cameron: oh that sux

Lex: yeah that’s awful

Victor: yeah and they insulted the rest of us and got into a fight with Ms. Wonka.

Victor: you know typical things at the factory.

Victor remembered the words Mrs. Salt said to him. “Of course it’s the arrogant, bloody American boy who went and got himself blown up into a giant fruit.”

He didn’t want to mention it to his friends.

Lex: what about Agnes’ birthday? You said something went wrong there too?

Victor: her mom got upset with Ms. Wonka on how her room hasn’t changed and how she is “forcing her new diet on her daughter” when really Agnes actually requested to eat healthier

Cameron: did she have a cake?

Victor: well she had a tiny cupcake

Lex: I guess that’s still pretty good!

The Golden Ticket Winners gave her a card and a cookbook. Agnes couldn’t say it then because her mom was too busy yelling at Wonka, but she said it later saying how much she appreciated it.

It was then the children knew that the real celebration was with each other and not with Wonka and their parents.

Cameron: Vic the parties don’t even sound that bad! Maybe yours will be okay!

Victor: I don’t want to do anything. I’m already having a birthday at Wilma Wonka’s factory where everyone makes fun of me.

Victor: the last thing I want is to blow up on my birthday which will most likely happen. I rather treat it like a normal day

Cameron slumped in his bed as he reread his friend’s text over and over. He knew where Victor was coming from, but he still wanted to celebrate it somehow. He then opened his phone back up and texted Lex.

Cameron: so we’re totally doing something for Vic’s birthday right?

Lex: I was thinking the same freaking thing. But we have to to do it subtlety somehow. Everything he is worried about, we have to prevent.

Lex: you’ve been friends with him forever, what does he like to do on his birthday?

Cameron stopped and thought for a bit. That was hard. What did they do for his birthday? He didn’t remember celebrating Victor’s birthday after 5 years old. They threw parties for his 4th and 5th but after that…it was nothing.

Cameron: he usually ends up going to dinner with his parents and that’s it. Well, that is if they remember or decide to do dinner. It’s mostly competitions nonstop.

Cameron: what I usually do is just try and treat him out somewhere like going to a roller rink or the park to get away for a bit.

Lex: let me guess…

Lex: no cake?

Cameron: he CANNOT have cake

Cameron went on to explain how for his own sixth birthday they had cake at his party. Cameron’s mom offered Victor some only for him to be scolded by his parents for eating such a thing.

Cameron: that was when the constant measuring and weighing started.

Cameron: he hasn’t had a birthday cake in 12 years.

Lex: we can figure out something to replace it :)

Cameron smiled. He then thought to himself, how to make this the best birthday for him without any humiliation? It was a challenge for sure, but luckily like his best friend, Cameron wasn’t afraid of a challenge.
* * * * * * * * * *
Victor gradually got out of his room the next morning, still trying not to think about how he will inevitably turn 17. It wasn’t the fact it was his birthday coming up, it was more so the fact he will most likely be humiliated on his seventeenth birthday.

Before the factory, his parents hardly did anything for his birthday. The boy doesn’t get cakes or ice cream. Nothing special to signify that he is getting older. His parents do give him gifts but they are not something he would like. All of them are something his parents would like or a new competition to try.

One time he was gifted baseball tickets but he wasn’t a fan of baseball. Another he was taken to a golf game but again it was more of his mom’s wishes. And for his sixteenth birthday he was forced to enroll in badminton. Something he completely forgot was a sport.

So, no, Victor didn’t want to do anything for his seventeenth birthday. Let it just be a normal day.

He walked down the stairs and made his way to the dining room, mentally prepping himself for another blueberry meal. He swore he’s gotten numb to the taste. He sat down at the table and waited.

The other Golden Ticket Winners were there already. Vernon was, as usual, in chipper spirits. He was kicking his legs like a child waiting for his food. Agnes was busy reading a book at the table and Michelle sat there bored, already in a grumpy mood. Victor thought to himself if living here will ever make Michelle happier but he didn’t blame her. He, too, wanted this one year at the factory to be over with.

Victor huffed at the table and slouched, folding his arms. This is going to be a long month.

“What’s got you all worked up?” Michelle asked.

“Nothing.” Victor said.

“Then it’s something,” Vernon smiled cheekily.

“Maybe it’s the fact I have to eat another blueberry based meal. Have you ever thought of that?” He snarled.

“What do you mean?” Vernon asked playfully. “You don’t feel like swelling up today?”

Victor said nothing and touched his normal stomach subconsciously and frowned. He couldn’t wait for the day he no longer had to deal with this.

“Good morning, children!” The Chocolatier greeted as she entered with Charlie following behind her.

“Good morning…” they all grumbled.

“Another day spent in hell,” Michelle muttered.

Wonka ignored Michelle’s remark and smiled. “I just wanted to say congrats on spending nearly five months here at the factory.”

“Five months?!” Vernon shouted incredulously. “It feels like I’ve been here forever!”

“Gee, can’t wait to spend another seven with all of you!” Michelle said sarcastically.

“As much as I love to hear you children’s remarks, can we tone down the sarcasm as breakfast is getting ready?”

“No promises,” Michelle said immediately. Wonka gave her a look but Michelle returned a smile.

“Anyways,” Wonka said. “I just wanted to say it has been nice so far to see how much you’ve children grown since your return.”

“Victor in more ways than one,” Vernon snickered.

Victor blushed and glared at Vernon.

“Mr. Beauregarde,” Wonka called. “Your parents wanted me to deliver a message to you.”

Victor’s heart sank. That could be anything.

“They said they wanted you to know that they will be checking in two weeks with you because of -”

“Um, their anniversary!” Victor interrupted. Everyone looked at him strangely. “Yes. It’s their um anniversary. Nothing else. They might be leaving to go somewhere as usual.”

“It actually says here because of your competition coming up,” Wonka pointed at the paper.

Victor blushed awkwardly. Did they…forget? He thought. He wouldn’t be surprised if they forgot their own son’s birthday. It’s happened a couple of times before. “Oh, um…okay.”

“Something going on, Blueregarde?” Michelle raised an eyebrow at him.

“Nothing!” He protested. “Like I would tell you guys anything!” He folded his arms.

“Then why’s your nose turning blue?” Vernon teased.

“Huh?” Victor picked up a spoon and watched his face turn blue. He groaned frustratedly. “Nothing’s going on! Leave me alone!” He got up hastily and left the table.

“Victor, your breakfast!” Wonka called.

“I’m not hungry!” He yelled back, already up the stairs.

The table went quiet as they processed what happened.

“Well he’s clearly lying,” Michelle said finally.

“Yes, but about what,” Vernon drummer his fingers on the table.

Agnes spoke up timidly. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to pry about his personal business though, right?”

“Goody two shoes,” Michelle called Charlie who rolled her eyes at the nickname. “What say you? You’re the closest to him out of all of us. Do you know what’s going on?”

“No, I don’t,” Charlie said. “Even when we were dating it took awhile for him to tell me anything.”

“What could Victor possibly be hiding about that has to do with a day?” Michelle mused out loud.

“I think you children can respect Mr. Beauregarde’s wishes and not invade his personal life,” Wonka said. “I don’t want you to pursue this matter any further. Understood?”

“Yes, Ms. Wonka,” they all said in varying tones.

“Good.” And in that moment the Oompa Loompas arrived with their breakfast and placed it on the table. “Ahh! Just in time! Save Mr. Beauregarde’s plate, he’ll eat it later.” She said to one worker.

Meanwhile, Vernon and Michelle eyed each other, knowing what they planned to do after breakfast.

“All right, you dweebs!” Michelle shouted with a whiteboard marker in her hand. “What could be plaguing Blueregarde’s brain?”

“I still think this is a terrible idea,” Charlie muttered.

Michelle smiled mischievously. “Then why did you join us?”

Charlie blushed then turned away.

“He was hiding a day,” Vernon said, thinking to himself. “But who would be embarrassed by a day?”

“It can’t be the day of factory incident because that was only five months ago,” Agnes said.

Michelle wrote down “not the factory incident”. She huffed. “That is a good guess…”

“Ooh! Ooh! What about a competition he lost and it was some type of anniversary?” Vernon suggested.

“I don’t think he lost any competitions,” Charlie said. “Like I said, he doesn’t tell me anything.”

“The only important date I can think of would be his birthday,” Michelle said. “But why would he lie about his birthday? Victor is pretty prideful. Wouldn’t he brag about it?l

Charlie’s eyes lit up in realization. “I think I know why.”

They all turn to her.

“He doesn’t want to be embarrassed because of his condition,” she said.

“Wait wait wait wait!” Michelle waved her hands. “Let’s confirm first with him that his birthday is coming up.”

Knock! Knock! Knock! Michelle rapped on Victor’s door.

Victor opened it and he was startled by the appearance of the four of them at his door. Luckily his nose was only blue and he was still able to move. “What’s going on?”

“Question for you, Blueregarde,” Michelle said as he rolled his eyes. He hated that nickname but he knew Michelle and Vernon weren’t going to let him live it down. “Is your birthday coming up?”

Victor’s eyes widened. “What?! No! It already passed! I’m 17!”

Michelle narrowed her eyes. “Interesting…”

Victor blushed then angrily glared at her. “Is that it? Can I close my door now?”

She gave a smile. “Yeah sure.”

Victor then closed his door hastily. He turned around and softly banged his head back against the door. I think they’re on to me, he thought nervously.

The Golden Ticket Winners walked away. “Yeah his birthday is definitely coming up.” Michelle said.

“Yeah but when is it?” Vernon asked.

“That’s the question of the day isn’t it,” she said.

Charlie looked up from her phone. “I texted Cameron. His birthday is two weeks from today.”

Michelle rubbed her hands together. “Ooh this just got interesting.”

“This is exactly why he didn’t want to tell us!” Charlie said sternly. “He doesn’t want to be embarrassed on his birthday! Not with you two making fun of him all the time! I thought you guys were going to ease off him?”

“I mean, I have. I don’t know about Vernon here,” Michelle said.

“I try my best,” Vernon said with a sly smile.

“Anyways, Cameron and Lex are planning a surprise party. I think we should help them - and not humiliate Victor.”

“I’m in!” Agnes said happily.

“Oh what the hell why not?” Michelle rolled her eyes.

The girls looked at Vernon.

“Vernon,” Charlie said, slowly, “if you’re in, that means you can’t torture Victor. It’s going to be his birthday. Remember how he was here for you for yours.”

“Yeah it was actually his and Charlie’s idea to give you the gift basket anyways,” Michelle added.

Vernon frowned. “I wouldn’t torture him!”

The girls gave him a look.

“Well not on his birthday!” Vernon corrected himself. “I told you I’m going to be better! I know when to stop!”

Charlie sighed, a bit out of relief and a bit of trusting Vernon and taking his word. “Then it’s settled. We’re throwing Victor a surprise party.”
* * * * * * * * * *
It was a warm sunny day. A large crowd gathered toward a stage, wondering what attraction the county fair has brought them this year.

An eight foot tall blue ball sat on the stage with
Scarlett and Sam Beauregarde standing proudly in front of it.

Sam patted the blue ball’s side. “This is our eight foot tall blueberry!”

The crowd “ooh’d” and “aah’d” at the sight of it. They snapped pictures and took videos.

“We grew it ourselves,” Scarlett smiled brightly.

After a few more minutes of photos and the judges poking and prodding the blueberry, they awarded the couple a blue ribbon and a check for $500.

They tipped the blueberry back and began to put it in the truck. Sam got close to the blueberry’s head and whispered. “Excellent job, my boy! Now we gotta get you ready for tomorrow’s pie eating contest!”

Victor woke and sat up gasping for air in his bed. He then groaned and flopped back down, covering his head with his pillow, fighting back tears. That one was the most humiliating one yet. He cursed in his head from letting Vernon say that to him a few months ago. Happy freakin birthday to me, he thought. Let’s start the day with a nightmare - a realistic nightmare.

He didn’t want to get out of bed. If it was up to him, he would spend his entire birthday up here and not with the others. But he knew he had to get out. Victor slowly got out and looked in the mirror. What’s the damage today? He thought.

He was a light shade of blue from head to toe. This isn’t good. If his whole body was blue, that means he had a higher chance of swelling up. Victor slumped his shoulders. Either way, he could tell this was going to be a long day.

“Is he coming down yet?” Michelle asked
Charlie who peaked around the corner.

“Not yet,” Charlie said. “You remember the plan?”

“I do,” Michelle said. “Not sure about the others over here.”

Vernon pouted and Agnes gave a patient smile. “We remember the plan,” Agnes said.

“All right! Let’s throw a birthday party!” Charlie said with a smile.

The Golden Ticket Winners scampered off to different room at the factory. Victor climbed down the stairs and was on his way to the dining room.

“Victor!” Vernon shouted. “I need your help!” He gripped Victor’s hand and tugged him along. “I have an important fencing tournament coming up and I need to practice.”

Victor lurched forward and stumbled from Vernon’s pull. “Wait! Hold on! Shouldn’t we wait for Ms. Wonka for breakfast?”

“You’re actually hungry?” Vernon asked, a little nervous. He stopped pulling on him. He couldn’t have Victor near the kitchen. That’s where they were making all of the preparations for the lunch.

“Well no,” Victor replied. “I just don’t want to be in trouble.”

“Well you’re not going to be I can assure you that!” Vernon continued to pull him.

Victor reluctantly followed. “And why is that?”

“Um!” Vernon froze. “She’s at…a meeting! We’re on our own for breakfast! No worries! Now help me practice, Berry Boy!”

Victor huffed. He needed a distraction from this day anyway, and with Wonka out of the way for breakfast, might as well entertain Vernon’s antics.

Vernon smiled as Victor followed him. He texted Charlie and let her now that he had Victor with him.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Okay perfect!” Charlie said in the kitchen with Agnes. “Vernon has Victor and Lex and Cameron are on the way with decorations.”

“Charlie,” Agnes said gently, “are you okay with Lex coming over?”

“Yeah! Why wouldn’t I be?” Charlie asked a little bit nervously.

“Well, every time she is mentioned, I’ve seen the way you look. You just look…sad.”

Charlie swallowed hard as she collected the items needed from Agnes’ cookbook. They were planning on using healthy recipes so Victor could eat at the party as well.

“Um…I might’ve been a little upset here and there but it’s fine! No problem at all!” She said quickly. “Anyways, Cameron said he’ll be helping you with the food when he gets here!”

Charlie hurried off to a different part of the kitchen as Agnes looked down at her cookbook nervously.
* * * * * * * * * *
Victor let out a frustrated groan as he took off his fencing helmet. “It’s like you’re trying to lose on purpose!” He yelled. “You were actually doing better last week! You told me you won your last competition! What gives, Vernon?! Are you frustrating me on purpose?!”

Vernon was losing and frustrating him on purpose. He gave a dramatic gasp. “And why would I do such a thing, Blueregarde? Would I really lose on purpose so I can get you to stay longer?”

Yes. Yes he would.

Victor got out of the fencing suit and began to leave. “Screw this! I’m going back to my room!”

“Wait!” Vernon panicked. “Maybe you could teach me that one move again!”

“Forget it, Vernon!” He said making his way to the door. “I need a break!”

Vernon frantically texted Michelle.

Vernon: code red! He’s heading back to his room!

Michelle’s eyes widened as she sat on the couch. She heard Victor walk by angrily muttering to himself.

“Dumb rich brat!” He combed his hair irritably.

“Victor!” Michelle called cheerfully. “Come on! Join me for video games!”

Victor sighed. “I don’t know, Michelle, I’m really tired and frustrated and I kinda just want to be left alone-”

“All I’m hearing are reasons to let out your anger!”

A loud gurgle escaped from Victor’s stomach. He let out an annoyed groan.

“And I see another reason,” she smiled.

Victor frowned and then joined her on the couch. “Fine! But only two rounds and I’m done!”

Michelle smiled. We’ll see about that, she thought.
* * * * * * * * * *
Charlie set up the decorations in the ballroom. She was up on the ladder hanging streamers. She made sure the color scheme for Victor’s birthday party had no ounce of blues or purples in it.

She decided to go with greens and yellows and reds with some silver and gold thrown in there. It reminded her of when she used what was around her small house to throw mini parties for her family. They didn’t have much but they made memories either way.

“Hey!” Lex called with a smile. “I brought more decorations! I’m here to help!”

Charlie’s eyes widened. She’s never been left alone with Victor’s new girlfriend. “Oh! Okay! Good! W-Where’s Cameron?”

“Helping Agnes with cooking,” she said. “I was never much of a cook. Also, you really shouldn’t be alone on the ladder. You’re pretty high up. Let me help steady you.”

“Thanks…” Charlie said quietly. She continued to hang the decorations.

“I’m really liking what you did so far!” Lex said holding the ladder and looking around.

“Oh! Thanks!” Charlie hasn’t felt this awkward in ages. What do I say to her? How do I act around her?

She didn’t hate her, no! Charlie never considered herself having the capacity to hate someone. She felt…jealous. She felt regretful. She lost that opportunity to be with Victor. She still regretted about the person she became while she was dating Victor. She betrayed him! That incident kept her up at night, how she forcibly shoved the thing he was allergic to down his throat. And for what? To spend time with Wonka? She had endless opportunities to do that and Victor rarely had a chance to leave the factory at all. She became obsessive and blinded by her work. Her eyes widened at her thoughts.

She became Wilma Wonka.

No! She thought. As much as she admired her mentor, she wanted to be better. She will not be so blinded by her dream that she isolates herself! Candy brings people together! Candy makes memories! She remembered the time when she was in elementary school and how Grandma Josephine shared a piece of Wonka’s chocolate with her. It tasted nostalgic. It tasted sweet. It tasted like magic.

Charlie knew deep in her heart that none of the Golden Ticket Winners were bad. Just misguided. Just taken on the wrong paths. Children can be messy. Well, so is chocolate.

“Charlie?”

Charlie gasped. She was truly lost in thought. “Yes? I’m sorry! I must’ve zoned out.”

Lex laughed. “It’s okay. I was actually about to ask if you were feeling all right.”

Charlie smiled. “I am.”

“Here, let me help decorate some.” Lex said. Charlie climbed down the ladder. Lex took a deep breath and shut her eyes. “Charlie, I’m sorry if I made you feel…awkward.”

Charlie blinked a few times. “No! No it’s okay!”

“Look, I know you both dated. He’s mentioned you before, but he doesn’t say anything bad or anything romantically.”

Charlie paused. “Oh?”

“He sees you as one of his good friends.”

“He doesn’t…hate me?” Charlie said quietly.

Lex laughed. “No! Why would he hate you?”

Charlie looked down at the floor. “While we were dating, I…betrayed him. I caused his…condition to act up again…on purpose. I’ve apologized a million times and he says it’s okay but it’s not! I can’t believe I did that to him.”

“Wow,” Lex said, “all five of you really do have a hard time accepting mistakes.”

Charlie looked at her confused. “I’m sorry, what?”

“We’re not perfect. And I think it’s ridiculous that Ms. Wonka pressures you to be. It seems you have a lot on your plate, Charlie. And for you to be led to the decision to betray your then boyfriend just to go out with her, you might need to take a step back. Take a break.”

Charlie was confused.

“I mean,” Lex shrugged, “we tell Victor that all the time, don’t we? Why not listen to your own advice?”

Charlie stood there dumbfounded. She thought for a moment.

“If Victor forgave you for the betrayal it’s because he cares about you, maybe it’s time to forgive yourself.”

Charlie then looked at Lex then hugged her. “Thank you for saying that,” she said.

Lex hugged back. “Yeah. Of course.”

Charlie let go and straightened herself out. She felt better. She felt at peace with Lex and her dating Victor. She knew Victor was happy with her and that she was the right person to be with him on his journey.

“Okay,” Lex smiled at her, “let’s finish some decorating!”
* * * * * * * * * *
“Michelle,” Victor said awkwardly. “Could we stop?” His stomach eclipsed his view of the TV. “I can’t see the screen anymore and it’s getting really hard to hold the controllers.”

Michelle’s eyes bounced around nervously, trying to think of another plan. She didn’t know what else to do to distract him and keep him occupied. “Um! How about we watch a movie?”

Victor slowly tried to get up. “I think I just need to move around for a bit. I might head up to my room and text Cameron and Lex. I just need a moment.”

“Wait!” Michelle immediately got up and pushed him on his stomach causing him to fall back down on the couch. She winced. “Sorry! Just! Um! Stay here for a bit!”

“Why?” He asked.

“Um! I’ll get you some water!”

“But I don’t need-”

But Michelle was already off. Victor huffed on the couch.

Michelle walked into the kitchen. “Bad news, guys! Wait, where’s Cameron?”

“Bathroom,” Agnes said. “What’s going on?”

“Victor keeps trying to leave. How much time left on the food?” Michelle asked.

“They’re all being carried up right now by the Oompa Loompas.” Agnes answered.

“Okay good. We just need a little bit more time!”

Victor finally got up off the couch breathing hard. He tried to steady himself and began his trek up to his room. But right when he was about to turn he collided with someone. He stuck his arms out for balance. “I! I’m so sorry!” He paused and scrunched his face up in confusion. “Cameron? What are you doing here?”

“Oh! I was um just helping out Charlie with a report for Ms. Wonka,” he said. “You know because um…AP Lang and whatever.”

“Then why didn’t you let me know you were stopping by?” Victor asked.

“Um…well…” Cameron’s phone dinged! He looked down.

Charlie: everything’s ready! You can bring him up!

Victor studied his friend. What’s going on with him? He thought. He didn’t…forget…did he?

“I got lost in the moment, Vic. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine…” Victor looked down. “I’m actually heading up to my room. I don’t know what your plans are, but I think I’m just going to stay there for the rest of the day.”

“Wait!” Cameron stopped him before he could go any further. “Um! Charlie actually wants to see you! Let’s go!” He grabbed Victor’s hand and forced him to follow him.

Victor took off with an awkward start. “But where are we going?”

“Her office!” He answered.

Victor blushed embarrassed. “You know where her office is?”

Cameron nodded. “Of course!”

Victor was embarrassed by the fact that Cameron seems to know his way around the factory and he didn’t. He said nothing and tried to steady his breath.

Victor looked around nervously. He swore every time he walked around the factory, there was something new.

“Are we almost there?” Victor asked. “Cameron, I really just want to go to my room. I’m already exhausted. Couldn’t Charlie just meet us there?”

“Trust me, Victor! It’s going to be okay!”

“But Cameron-”

Suddenly, Cameron pressed on a door and it swung open. Victor stumbled through and was instantly bombarded with a loud, “Surprise!”

“What?” He said quietly. He looked down and he found himself back to normal. His heart began to pound as he looked nervously at the group of people before him. “What is this? What’s going on?”

He saw the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners and Wonka and Wilkinson there.

“It’s a surprise party, Victor,” Cameron laughed. “For your birthday!”

Victor couldn’t process it. He began to breathe hard. “I don’t understand. Is this a prank?”

Cameron tried to calm him down. “No, Vic! It’s not! We’re just here to celebrate your birthday!”

“My birthday?” He said quietly.

Lex then walked up and grabbed his hand. He instantly slowed his breathing. “We didn’t mean to scare you. We just wanted to celebrate your birthday because well, you deserve to have at least one birthday party in your life.”

Victor looked at the group before him nervously. He was still on edge. He tried to remind himself that Lex and Cameron did this for him. He squeezed her hand a little tighter. “Thank you,” he said shakily.

“Come on, let me show you around,” she said gently. She guided him to the table as he still anxiously looked around at everyone.

Cameron walked over to Charlie and the other Golden Ticket Winners. “Okay, I feel kinda bad,” he whispered. “He nearly had a panic attack!”

“Your heart was in the right place,” Charlie said “I’m sure he appreciates it.”

Cameron watched his best friend eye the food on the table cautiously as his girlfriend explained it to him. “He said he didn’t want anything. Maybe I should’ve did something smaller.”

“Hey,” Charlie said, “even if he is a little upset with you at the gesture, he’s not going to want to stop being friends with you.”

Cameron smiled a little. “Yeah. You’re right.”

The party went on fine but Victor Beauregarde was still hesitant. He was so nervous that he blindly followed his girlfriend the entire time, staying close by her side.

“Hey!” Cameron said to him. “You wanna open up some of your gifts?”

“Gifts?” Victor repeated confused.

“Yeah, man! We all got you something.”

“Oh,” Victor said. “Okay.”

“Here, I’ll go first,” Cameron handed him an envelope. “Open it.”

Victor hesitantly grabbed it and opened it. He read the card silently to himself and began to tear up. He forced them down and once he was done reading, quickly shut the card and said a quiet “thank you.”

Cameron gave a small laugh then hugged him and Victor hugged him back.

“What did you write?” Michelle asked quietly.

“Oh you know,” Cameron waved his hand. “Sentimental crap, encouragement, you’re like a brother to me. Whatever.” He gave a cheeky smile. “Oh! Also!” He handed Victor a tiny, mini dark chocolate bar. Victor gave him a tiny smile and Cameron felt whole again.

Lex have Victor a quick peck on the cheek and handed him a box. “I believe it’s my turn next?”

Victor looked at her and then back down at the box. He slowly unwrapped it. He pulled out a photo album and his eyes widened in shock. He flipped through it and there were already pictures of him and Lex together and him and Cameron together and all three of them.

“I noticed you don’t have a lot or photos of yourself growing up, so I figured let’s start now,” Lex said.

Victor continued to flip through the book. “I love it! Thank you.” His voice was still quiet, still processing the fact he’s in the middle of his birthday party. Lex squeezed his hand one last time.

“Does that mean it’s our turn now?” Michelle asked.

“I want to give it to him!” Vernon squealed.

Victor couldn’t help but slouch. Whatever it was, he didn’t think he would be ready.

“Open it!” Vernon said, plopping the box on Victor’s lap.

Victor looked at the small box uneasily. This could be anything! He thought. What would the other Golden Ticket Winners give him? A bunch of gum? A gag gift like a container of blueberries? Or worse, blueberry pie itself?

However what Victor wasn’t expecting to be in the box was -

“A medal?” Victor lifted the medal up and then back at them. He read the medal. It said “Best Athlete”.

“It was my idea!” Vernon said proudly.

“It actually was,” Michelle said.

“But we all wanted to be a part of it!” Agnes added.

“And we also got you this,” Charlie handed him a card.

Victor looked at them and then opened the card. He read it. The four of them wrote short messages for him.

“Thanks for being born or whatever” - Michelle

“You are the sweetest friend I could have! Happy birthday!” - Agnes

“Happy birthday, Victor! Still wish I could’ve taken you home to England!” - Vernon

“Thanks for being the first person to treat me kindly. I’m grateful to call you a friend. Have an amazing birthday, Victor” - Charlie

Victor read the card many times over and glanced back at the medal.

“Well?” Michelle said with an eyebrow raised. She gave a sly smile as Victor pushed down his emotions.

“Um thanks.” He said quickly.

“Do you like the medal?” Vernon asked hopefully.

“It’s okay I guess.” Victor sunk into his chair and folded his arms.

“He likes it,” Vernon whispered happily to Michelle.

Lex sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “How are you feeling?” She asked.

The dreaded question, Victor thought. “I’m…fine,” he said, as if he’s figuring it out himself.

Lex raised up her head. “You know Cameron was worried if this was too much. We really didn’t mean to give you a panic attack.”

“I don’t have panic attacks,” he muttered. “It’s not too much,” he looked at her. “I…I’m really not used to celebrating my birthday. I haven’t done that in so long. Usually I’m competing.”

Lex turned to face him as he continued to talk.

“I mean, there were a few times where my parents took me out to eat, but it didn’t feel like a celebration. It just felt like a coincidence that we went out.”

Lex looked at him sympathetically. “I see.”

“And with my condition being a problem this year, I didn’t really see a point in asking for a day off.” He shrugged his shoulders. “How did you guys even manage to convince her to do this? It’s so rare when she does anything for us! I swear she doesn’t like me.”

“Well, it was mostly Charlie,” Lex explained. Victor nodded in understanding. Wonka could never say no to her. “And then the others wanted to help too.” Victor still couldn’t wrap his mind about the other Golden Ticket Winners. Even though it’s been five months and he was slowly getting along with them, he still needed time to adjust to the fact they care about him - and that he might care about them. “But the real mastermind was Cameron.”

Victor gave a soft smile at that. Cameron knew he didn’t celebrate his birthday too often. He’s always done something whether in big or small gestures every year.

“And me, well I just love you.” Lex grinned. “So maybe, Beauregarde, you should just accept the fact that people love you.”

Victor’s smile slowly fade away at that. “I’ll try,” he said.

Suddenly everyone’s attention shifted to the doors of the ballroom as it opened. Victor’s heart dropped as he saw his parents enter.

He stood up straight from his chair and approached them. “What are you doing here?”

His mom dusted off his shoulders and fixed his appearance. “You think we missed our baby’s seventeenth birthday?”

“How did you get in?” He asked.

“One of those oomps-somethings let us in,” his father waved it off. “Wonka’s weird little workers.”

“Did you invite them?” Lex asked Cameron.

“God no!” Cameron said. “Last thing I want to see aside from Victor being upset is seeing Sam and Scarlett Beauregarde’s faces. Them being here is a coincidence. They must want something from him.”

“We have good news!” Scarlett said excitedly. “That interview of yours went splendid! We’re already having offers of more sponsorships for the campaign.”

“We’ll need you again soon,” Sam said. “So we decided to get you a little present.”

“A present?” Victor repeated.

Sam handed him the wrapped gift. Victor eyed it carefully and hesitantly grabbed it. He unwrapped it.

It was a planner for next year. He opened it and his jaw slowly dropped. Everything was already filled out.

“Well?” His father said expectantly.

“This goes all the way to next July!” Victor exclaimed. “But my condition-”

“Shouldn’t be a problem!” Sam interrupted him. “I expect you to start getting more days off, understood?”

Their son didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to argue back. Not in front of his friends and definitely not in front of Wonka or Wilkinson. Wonka might see this as him having bratty behavior. He didn’t need a scene right now and he definitely didn’t feel like to cause one.

“Yes, father,” Victor lowered his head. “Are…are you staying for the party?”

“Oh goodness no!” Scarlett shook her head in laughter. “Far too busy! Too much planning! We have to hit the road!” She kissed the top of her son’s head. “Happy birthday again, honey.”

Sam patted his back way too hard. “Proud of you, son!”

Victor held onto that sentence as he watched them both leave. He looked back down at the planner and thumbed through it. His heart began to pound.

“And I’ll be taking that!” Cameron snatched it from his hands. “Let’s not worry about next year. Let’s focus on today. Happy birthday again, Vic.”

Victor’s shoulders finally relaxed and he smiled, genuinely this time. “Thanks, Cam.”

“Well then!” Wonka said as she and Wilkinson sauntered up to the young athlete. “I believe someone is 17?”

Victor instantly straightened up again. “Um, yes. Thanks for the birthday party, Ms. Wonka.”

Wilkinson eyed the young boy carefully, studying him.

“It’s no problem, sweetie pie,” Wonka smiled. “I think we can set aside our differences for today, hm? Do enjoy your birthday, Mr. Beauregarde.”

Cameron then gestured with his head to Victor to head back to the rest of the gang.

Wonka and Wilkinson watched the boys leave to join the others. The Chocolatier sighed. “Was I being easier on him?” She asked.

“Hmm,” Wilkinson mused. “Could be better. But I really want you to start paying attention to how him and the others react to things. Not just Charlie.” Wilkinson turned to face her. “I know you care about Ms. Bucket, but right now you have an opportunity with the others to really get to know them.”

“And why should I do that?” Wonka tested her.

Wilkinson paused to think. “If you want to truly be a great chocolatier, I think you should expand your heart.” Her assistant turned to leave. “I’ll be turning in, Ms. Wonka. Have a good evening.”

Wonka let her go. She got lost in thought as she watched the children continue to enjoy themselves at the party.

Chapter Text

Victor sneezed for the thousandth time that morning. He felt cold. He hid under his covers for a bit before forcing himself out of bed. He felt weak, but he kept denying it. He chalked it up to not sleeping well last night. He usually doesn’t sleep well at the factory but maybe it’s just catching up to him.

He checked the mirror. He was blue but it was very pale. He’s never seen himself in this tint before. Maybe it’s just another thing I have to get used to? He thought.

He shook it off, then he literally shook. Still cold. He sneezed and coughed once more and then began to head downstairs. He joined the other Golden Ticket Winners at the table, coughing all the while.

“Ew,” Michelle said. “You look gross.”

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically as he slumped in his chair.

“Victor,” Charlie said, “are you feeling all right?”

“I feel fine,” he said simply, slightly congested.

“You don’t look fine,” Agnes said.

“Yeah and I heard you sneezing and coughing all morning,” Vernon added twiddling his silverware.

“Plus, you’re blue,” Michelle said.

“Yeah? What’s new about that?” Victor rolled his eyes, mostly at his condition rather than at Michelle.

“It’s different,” Michelle continued. “Something’s off.”

The four children murmured in agreement.

Victor grew annoyed. “What’s the big deal if I’m blue? You guys never had a problem with it before!” He folded his arms.

“Yeah, but it’s like…a pale blue,” Charlie said. “Victor, I think you’re sick.”

Victor flared his eyes. He sat up straight. “I’m not sick! I never get sick! I’m completely fine!” He then broke into a cough. He froze for a moment then ran to the nearest bathroom.

Everyone at the table paused as they heard retching.

“Hey, guys, I think he’s sick,” Michelle joked. Charlie sighed.

“Good morning, children!” Wilma Wonka greeted.

“Victor’s sick,” Vernon said before anyone could greet the Chocolatier.

“He’s sick?” Wonka repeated. “And where is he now?”

“Throwing up in the bathroom,” Michelle answered this time.

Wonka blinked a few times. Well this isn’t good, she thought.

Victor sluggishly came back and sat down at the table.

“My goodness, dear boy!” Wonka exclaimed. “You look absolutely awful!”

“Everyone is so nice today,” he said sarcastically. “I’m fine!”

“Were you throwing up just now?” She asked.

Victor hesitated. “…no…”

Wonka sighed and closed her eyes. “Victor-”

“I’m not sick! I don’t ever get sick!” He yelled before breaking into a coughing fit again.

Wonka approached him and looked at him firmly. “Denying that you’re sick isn’t going to help the problem, my dear boy. I’m going to need you to come with me so we can do a checkup.”

Victor flinched away from her. “I’m not going anywhere with you! I don’t need a checkup! Because I’m not sick!”

“You aren’t?” Wonka raised an eyebrow. Victor shrunk back a little but tried to stay determined. She’s clearly up to something, he thought. “Then if you can go thirty seconds without coughing, I won’t make you do a checkup.”

“Easy!” He said back proudly.

Wonka smiled at him as he glared back. The table watched intensely. Victor held his stubborn gaze until he felt nauseous. He quivered and then upchucked onto the floor in between him and the Chocolatier.

Wonka smirked as he vomited. “So I take it that we’re going to have a checkup?”
* * * * * * * * * *
Victor sat nervously on top of the exam bed. The room looked like any normal doctor’s office. He didn’t like it one bit. Victor hardly goes to the doctor! But when he does feel under the weather, he tries to hide any signs of it before anyone sees.

He caught his reflection in the mirror to his left. Wow, he thought, I do look pretty pale. That is a pale-ish, dull blue.

Victor panicked. What did this all mean? Why was he suddenly throwing up? He’s never been sick at this level! Victor’s parents would scold him if he ever felt ill. How can a sick child compete?

The door swung open causing Victor to slightly jump. In walked Wonka and her right hand man Wilkinson. The boy immediately tensed up.

“All right, Mr. Beauregarde!” The Chocolatier said, holding a clipboard. “We’ve noticed your vomit is blue. Although, it doesn’t just appear like any normal vomit.”

Victor made a grossed out look but was confused at the same time. “What the heck does that mean?”

Wilkinson took a tiny step forward and looked at him calmly - which was something Victor was not used to seeing from her. “What you’re throwing up isn’t just simply vomit. It is vomit and also old juice pulp.”

Victor was startled from the news. “W-What?!” He shook his head in disbelief, glancing between the two of them. “I don’t understand-but why am I doing that?!”

“It seems that there is old juice just sitting in your system, and since it’s been there for a good time now, your body is rejecting it.” Wonka explained. “And the only way to reject the foreign substance is to, well…throw up. Think of it like a cat throwing up a hairball.”

Victor grimaced at the comparison.

“Of course, like any other illness, your body is going to fight it by kicking your immune system into overdrive,” Wilkinson added in. “Your temperature might increase, you might have flu-like systems, it’s the reason why you’re not feeling well.”

“I’m not sick!” Victor protested immediately. However he paused and slouched his shoulders. “But…how long will this take? To get the old juice out that is?”

“That’s the thing, we don’t know!” Wonka said, causing Victor to worry. “But I’m sure you’ll be fine. You’ll just need sleep, medicine, and some soup. Maybe we can give you some tomato soup to help!” She joked.

Victor shifted uncomfortably. He certainly didn’t want to do that.

Wilkinson held her hand up to calm him down. “But like any other stomach virus, Victor, you’ll have to ride this out.”

Victor shook his head anxiously. “But! I can’t do this! I have to train! I have to study! I can’t afford to get behind!”

“Your body needs rest,” Wilkinson insisted. “This isn’t an illness where physical activities will help heal you. You need to sleep.”

“No! I won’t do it!”

“Fine, sweetie pie,” Wonka shrugged her shoulders. “But I do think this will be interesting to study about how your body is rejecting old juice.”

Victor’s eyes flared in panic.

Wilkinson sighed. She glanced between her boss and the boy. “What I think Victor ALSO needs is no disturbance.” She turned to face Wilma Wonka. “I am going to make the executive decision on isolating Victor Beauregarde away from the factory.”

Victor’s heart dropped. What does that mean?! He thought.

It was now Wonka’s eyes to widen in disbelief. “Excuse me?!”

“What the boy needs is rest so he can recover,” her right hand man said plainly. “Victor doesn’t need to be poked and prodded like a lab experiment. The boy is ill. He is in your care and he needs to get better as quickly as posible. I feel if we kept him in the factory, he won’t get better.”

Wonka took in the words slowly. Wilkinson hardly disagreed with her, and when she did it was always a hard pill to swallow. “I see…” said Wonka. “I’ll see it to that the boy is somewhere he can rest easy.”

Wilkinson simply smiled in return.

Victor, meanwhile, still couldn’t process what was happening. “Wait! Where are you taking me?!”

Wilkinson approached him one last time. She gave a slight, gentle bow. “Somewhere where people will actually see that you’ll get better.”

Victor didn’t like that answer. He hoped it was someone he already new. He didn’t want to meet new people.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Bucket’s new house was Wonka’s guest house. It was, of course, much larger than their original one which was just a shabby shack. But this one was a simple one story house with plenty of room for Charlie’s whole family. Each grandparent had their own room with their respective spouse. Her parents had their own room and there was a guest bedroom in case Charlie wanted to come back to visit.

Like all the other houses in Victor’s life, the home felt like a home. He again felt like a foreigner in a strange land. He shivered as Wilkinson rang the doorbell and sneezed one more time. Wilkinson eyed him as he looked around the front yard. His face was still a pale, sickly blue as he huddled up in his blue jacket.

“Hmm…” Wilkinson mused to herself.

The door finally swung open and there stood Mrs. Bucket. She smiled as she saw Wilkinson and did a double take as she looked at the young blue boy before him. Victor blushed and looked away, still not used to people looking at him in a strange way because of his condition.

“Good afternoon!” Charlie’s mom greeted.

Wilkinson nodded. “Same to you, Mrs. Bucket,” she replied. “I’m not sure if the two of you met but this is Victor Beauregarde. He was the third Golden Ticket Winner and the second to be eliminated from the tour.”

Victor quietly huffed to himself at the introduction. Out of all the things to describe him, he didn’t want any affiliation with Wonka and her factory. He couldn’t believe he was thinking this, but he just wanted to lie down.

“Yes, Charlie has told me about him,” Mrs. Bucket said with a smile. “Please, come in. It looks like he’s freezing.”

Victor continued to say nothing as he followed Wilkinson inside the Bucket’s abode. He looked around and saw the family photos and the decor. Everything was so simple and neat. He continued to tremble as he stood in the living room.

“Please, have a seat,” Mrs. Bucket said to the both of them, however Victor felt she was mostly talking to him.

Victor felt his body collapse as he sat down on the couch.

“The reason why I brought Mr. Beauregarde here is because he is sick,” Wilkinson explained. Victor cringed at that word.

“Oh dear,” Mrs. Bucket said touching her chest.

“And we need to keep the boy away from the factory until he is better,” Wilkinson continued. “I feel if we kept him at the factory there might be too many disturbances and he won’t get any rest.”

“I see,” Mrs. Bucket responded. “Well Victor is welcome here anytime. I’ll make sure he gets plenty of rest.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Bucket,” Wilkinson nodded. The Assistant stood up and bowed her head once more. “I’ll check in on him in a few days. Victor,” she called to him. Victor shakily looked up at her. “Please behave, and get better.”

Victor shrunk into the couch and simply nodded his head. He watched Ms. Wilkinson leave the house.

“All right, Victor,” Mrs. Bucket smiled at him. “Let me show you to the guest bedroom.”

The room was normal. That statement hit him hard. He’s been stuck in the factory for nearly half a year and he was starting to get used to Wonka’s whimsical culture. But the thing was, it wasn’t like his bedroom back at home either.

“Here, lie down,” Charlie’s mom said. Victor simply looked at her and she gestured at him again to lie down on the bed.

Victor hesitated and climbed on, but he didn’t lie down.

“I’m going to grab a thermometer,” she said.

But before she could turn to leave, he stopped her. “Wait! There’s been a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding?” She repeated. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not sick,” he said. “You don’t need to get the thermometer. I’m fine.”

“Victor, you’re shivering,” she said. “And it looks like you’re having cold sweats as well. I’m going to have to take your temperature then grab some medicine from the closet.”

“But I’m not sick!” He said again.

Mrs. Bucket sighed but she was patient. She was very well aware of Victor’s stubborn behavior. This was her first time meeting the boy, but when Charlie was dating him she has heard the stories of how determined he was. However she didn’t remember Charlie telling her about why the boy was blue from head to toe. She’ll have to pocket that question for later.

“Victor,” she said slowly and calmly, “no one likes getting sick, but I can assure you that we will take care of you here. It’ll only be a few moments. Why don’t you try closing your eyes for a bit?”

Victor looked like he was going to protest but he was too shocked from Mrs. Bucket’s kind behavior. He relented and continued to sit on the bed, still refusing to lie down.

Mrs. Bucket left the guest room and headed to the medicine cabinet. Her husband, Mr. Bucket, entered the room.

“Knock, knock!” He said playfully. “I just got back from work. Who were you talking to?”

“Victor Beauregarde,” she answered. “He was one of the Golden Ticket Winners from the tour. He’ll be staying with us for a bit because he’s sick.”

Mr. Bucket cocked an eyebrow. “And not at the factory?”

“Apparently the boy gets too many disturbances over there so in order for him to get better, he shall recover here,” she explained.

“I see…” he said nodding slowly. “Isn’t this the boy Charlie dated?”

“Yes,” she said. She paused for a moment and looked at him. “Did you know that the boy is blue?”

“What?” Mr. Bucket laughed. “Like he’s sad?”

“No!” She said. “He’s literally blue from head to toe!”

“I didn’t know that. I know nothing,” Mr. Bucket said. “I guess Charlie forgot to mention that.”

“Just warning you, he can be really stubborn,” she said with her hands up.

“Really?” He said with his arms folded.

“He insists he’s not sick,” she said. “But I don’t know why.“

“Interesting,” he said. “Well, I’m sure everything will be fine. We’ll make sure he gets better quickly.” He then kissed her and hugged her close.

She quickly pulled away. “Love you, darling, but I should probably take his temperature.”

“All right, all right,” he put his hands up flirtatiously. “Sneak one.” He quickly pecked her on the cheek then left. She smiled then head back to the bedroom.

She opened the guest bedroom. “Victor? Let’s take your temperature!” But the moment she walked into the room she didn’t see him on the bed, but trying to open the window to escape. “Victor! What are you doing?!

Victor jumped. “Um!”

“Sweetie, you shouldn’t be up! You should be resting! Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

“But I’m not sick!” But right after he said that, he went into a coughing fit.

“Okay, okay, okay, let’s get you into bed,” she then carefully grabbed him and he immediately flinched from her touch. “Oh!” She stopped her movement. “You okay?”

Victor’s heart pounded. He didn’t know why he flinched and he certainly wasn’t expecting her to ask that. “I’m…sorry…”

Mrs. Bucket’s heart ached at that. She didn’t know what was up with the boy, and it certainly wasn’t her business to pry, but that wouldn’t mean she wasn’t going to care for him.

“No, Victor, don’t apologize!” She said. “Let’s just get you to lie down, okay?”

Victor didn’t fight back. Stupid window not opening, he thought to himself. He lay down with a huff. Mrs. Bucket stuck a thermometer in his mouth. He couldn’t remember the last time he had to get his temp checked.

Mrs. Bucket pulled out the thermometer. She shook her head and sighed. “That’s what I thought. You really need to get some sleep after we get some medicine in you.”

“No!” Victor shook his head. “I promise you I’m fine!”

“Victor, no one likes being sick. You’ll get better.”

Victor cried softly to himself. “You…wouldn’t understand…” He just hoped they wouldn’t find out that he was throwing up and running a fever.

Mrs. Bucket stopped for a second. His words sunk deep within her. What did he mean by that? Why did he try to escape earlier? “I’m going to pour you some medicine. In the meantime, I need you getting as much as sleep as you can.”

Victor rolled his eyes at that. He didn’t want to sleep. He didn’t need sleep. He needs to be training and studying for his classes to get ahead of the game.

“All right, Victor,” she handed him a tiny cup. “Drink this for me.”

Victor reluctantly grabbed it and drank it.

“We’ll talk later,” Mrs. Bucket said. “Get some rest.” She gave him one last look and Victor didn’t say anything back.

He had to get out of here quickly.
* * * * * * * * * *
Cameron nearly sped down the highway to Wonka’s factory once Charlie told him that his best friend was sick. He knew what he had to do to help cover Victor’s tracks.

Every time Victor got sick, his parents gave him absolute hell. They would berate him for not being up to performance standard. They would yell at him for not being able to compete or train. All of these things riddled the boy with guilt. His parents weren’t making money from him laying down in his bed. Victor tried his best to get better quickly. Every day he had to recover was a day wasted. It felt strange to just sit around or sleep.

So Cameron pulled up to the front of the factory and ran up to the door and rang the bell.

“Is he in his room?” He asked immediately when Charlie answered the door.

“No, actually he’s at my parents’ house.”

“Your parents’ house?” Cameron repeated. “Why?”

“So he wouldn’t be bothered by Ms. Wonka’s curiosity.” She said. “He’s throwing up old juice that’s just sitting in his stomach. It’s making him sick.”

“Oh no,” Cameron said. “Can I check on him?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Charlie led Cameron to the guest house. She unlocked the door and walked in with Cameron behind him.

“Mom! Dad!” Charlie called. “Cameron’s here!”

Her parents rounded the corner looking a little disheveled but still smiling no less.

“Nice to meet you!” Mrs. Bucket smiled, extending her hand. “You must be Victor’s best friend!”

“Nice to meet you, son,” Mr. Bucket greeted.

Cameron shook both their hands. “Pleasure.” He said. “How is he doing?”

Charlie’s parents looked at each other nervously. “He’s asleep. He’s finally getting rest like we wanted,” Mrs. Bucket said. “He’s been fighting it since yesterday.”

“But he’s still throwing up,” Mr. Bucket added. “We found him in the bathroom this morning.”

Mr. Bucket went on to explain how he didn’t find the young athlete in the guest bedroom. He began to panic.

“Victor?!” He called. He frantically looked around the house. He paused near the bathroom when he heard a groan. Mr. Bucket softly pressed on the door. “Victor…?”

He found the boy half asleep near the toilet.

“Honey!” Mr. Bucket called for his wife.

Mrs. Bucket rushed into the bathroom and softly gasped at the sight of him. The bathroom smelled putrid. “Oh dear…”

“I’m…sorry…father,” Victor said weakly. “…sorry…Ms. Wonka…”

The Buckets froze at his words and realized they might have a deeper problem than they thought.

Mr. Bucket gave a deep sigh and helped the boy up. “All right, Victor, back to bed.”

“Nooooo,” he groaned. “Have to keep going…”

“You need rest, sweetheart,” Mrs. Bucket said, guiding him back to bed.

“But he kept getting out of bed,” Mr. Bucket explained to Cameron and Charlie. “Half of it was him trying to escape and the other half was him trying to workout or study. So we literally tucked him into bed to make sure he didn’t leave.”

“He didn’t like it one bit,” Mrs. Bucket commented. “We have to take turns watching him so he doesn’t choke on his throw up.”

“When he woke up a few hours ago, we had to calm him down,” Mr. Bucket explained.

Victor woke up with a struggle. He tried moving his arms but he found he couldn’t. He began to panic. Why couldn’t he move? He didn’t feel swollen or full! So why couldn’t he do anything?! He did his best to look around and saw that he was tucked into bed.

Victor squirmed. He tried his best to move but it was no use. He didn’t like having his strength sapped one bit.

The Buckets knocked on the door and entered. “Victor, sweetheart?” Mrs. Bucket said gently.

Victor frowned at the both of them. “Why did you do this?! Let me go!”

“You needed your rest,” Mrs. Bucket calmly explained. “Your body is exhausted, Victor, it doesn’t need more movement.”

Victor huffed. “This is stupid.”

“Look, we brought you some soup,” Mr. Bucket said placing the bowl on the night stand. “We’ll untuck you so you can eat, but you have to work with us.”

Victor hesitantly looked at the bowl on the nightstand, straining his neck. “What…type of soup is it?”

“Chicken noodle, homemade,” Mrs. Bucket said with a smile.

A part of Victor was relieved. He still couldn’t get Wonka’s joke out of his head.

“Here, let us help you,” Mr. Bucket reached toward Victor but the boy flinched. Charlie’s father hesitated. “Are you all right?”

Victor didn’t realize what he did. “I’m fine,” he said quietly.

Mr. Bucket looked at his wife and then continued to untuck the boy.

“We got him to eat a little, which was a fight in itself. He was afraid to eat anything.” Mrs. Bucket said the two kids. “His appetite is still low. He throws up everything.”

Cameron thought for a moment. He was happy he heard his friend was eating something. This could’ve been worse because of his already strict diet of barley eating anything. At least Vic was smart enough to put something in his stomach, he thought.

“Well I’m here to help,” Cameron said. “I know he can be difficult but he’s really not used to being comforted while sick. And he doesn’t even get sick often.”

“It’s no worries, Cameron,” Mrs. Bucket said with a smile. “There’s nothing we can’t handle.”

“But we do have to ask,” Mr. Bucket said slowly, “why is the boy blue?”

Cameron and Charlie looked at each other.

“Victor didn’t tell you?” Charlie asked.

“Tell us what?” Her mother asked. “You never told us anything either while you were dating him!”

“This is our first time meeting him!” Her father added.

Charlie sighed deeply. “There’s a reason why Victor is sick right now and it’s not just some common cold. As you know, I won the tour and the others lost. Every room we entered was a test for each one of us. Ms. Wonka won’t admit it, but we all know it. There was a room where Victor failed. He chewed some gum and well…” Charlie trailed off.

She never realized how hard it was to explain it to someone. She thought back to all the times Victor had to explain his condition to people. It must’ve been so humiliating.

Cameron sensed Charlie’s hesitancy and finished her sentence. He braced himself as well. “Ms. Wonka’s gum turned him into a blueberry.” That’s not an easy sentence to say, Cameron thought. He sounded ridiculous!

Mr. Bucket did a double take. “Excuse me, what?” He said.

“That isn’t possible!” Mrs. Bucket exclaimed.

“But it’s the reason why he’s blue and throwing up!” Charlie said.

“Well, it doesn’t explain all of it,” her father said.

“He’s throwing up old juice,” Charlie further explained. “When Victor first chewed the gum he swelled up with juice, but all of that old juice is just sitting in his stomach and it’s causing him to be sick! His body is rejecting it.”

“Oh the poor thing,” Charlie’s mom touched her chest.

“And that’s why I’m here,” Cameron chimed in. “Victor’s parents CANNOT know that he’s sick! They’ll be upset!”

“Why would they be upset?” Mrs. Bucket asked.

Cameron wasn’t sure if Charlie’s parents would understand. So he simply said, “they don’t like it when he’s not well. That’s all I can say for now. I’m sorry.”

The parents looked at each other. “We understand,” Mrs. Bucket said patiently. “We’ll show you where he’s at.”

They led the two of them to the guest room where Victor stayed. They overheard him coughing. The door swung open and Victor was sat up in bed but still tucked in.

Victor was zoned out and he breathed ragged.

“Victor,” Mrs. Bucket said. “You have some visitors.”

Victor looked toward the door. He smiled weakly at his friends.

“How are you feeling?” Cameron asked him as he entered the room.

“I feel like a freak,” Victor said sadly. “My stupid condition is causing this.”

“Vic, it’s okay,” Cameron said sitting on the bed. “I already covered you for your parents by the way.”

Victor tensed at the mention of his parents. “What did you tell them?”

“When they noticed you weren’t at your competition I said you were um…swollen up.”

Victor blushed at the lie. He still couldn’t wrap his mind that this was his life now. “Thanks for covering me, Cameron.”

“Of course, man!”

“Where’s…Lex?” He asked quietly. He desperately wanted to see her. He hasn’t been able to use his phone in days.

“Lex is going to stop by soon. Don’t know when,” Cameron said. “She knows you aren’t really able to use your phone but she does want you to feel better.”

Victor sighed. He held onto that notion that Lex was thinking about him. He shut his eyes and whimpered quietly in pain.

“Victor,” Charlie said, approaching him. “I know you hate being sick, but if you need anything, let us know.”

Victor sunk into the bed. He was feeling conflicted from all of the kindness and attention. He just wished all of it would stop - the sickness, the comfort, everything.

“Thanks…” Victor said weakly.

“All right, everyone,” Mrs. Bucket clapped her hands together. “I think it’s time for some medicine. If you could give us a moment please.”

“Sure thing,” Cameron said. He and the others left the room as Mrs. Bucket poured some medicine.
* * * * * * * * * *
A stage shone a single spotlight and Victor Beauregarde posed perfectly wearing a golden crown atop his head. Applause rang out and he took a gracious bow. Marionette strings tied tightly around his hands and feet.

Victor danced a ballet routine, a routine he knew inside and out, a routine he perfected over the years.

Until suddenly, he stumbled. Victor gasped along with the crowd. He felt a tug on one of the strings and he looked up. His father and mom looked heated. Victor panicked.

“No no no!” Victor cried out. “No! Wait! I can fix it!”

Scarlett looked disgusted at her child as Sam cut off the puppet strings.

“You ruin everything, Victor!” His father yelled.

Victor reached up trying to save the strings.

“Absolutely useless!” His mom interjected.

“Please! No!” He watched his parents leave. “Come back!” He trembled as he saw the strings fall around him.

Then Victor froze. He saw the gold crown on his head turn blue. He gasped quietly.

“No! What’s happening?!”

He watched the blue run down his face and crawl up his hands. He heard the crowd murmur and was reminded they were still there.

“Someone help!”

Victor felt new bounds wrap around his wrists and feet. He looked up one last time, and there was Wilma Wonka controlling his strings. She made him move with a smile.

Victor gasped at the new sensation and felt his stomach swell.

“No! Make it stop!”

Wonka twisted the controller causing Victor to swell up faster. His cheeks puffed as he rounded out. The crowd went wild as they took photos and recorded videos of the spectacle before them.

“Victor!” He heard a voice call.

Victor shook his head. He didn’t want anyone. He just simply wanted this nightmare to stop.

“Victor!” The voice called again.

Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop! He shouted in his head.

Charlie gently shook Victor, trying to get the boy to wake up. “Come on Victor wake up! You can’t quit on me now!”

Victor was still half asleep. “…not allowed to quit…have to keep going…”

Charlie stopped and looked at Victor sadly. She turned to her parents. “I need help.”

Mr. Bucket looked at his wife and daughter nervously. He looked back at Victor squirming uncomfortably in the bed, mumbling in his sleep. He then gripped Victor’s shoulders a little tighter. “Victor! Victor! Wake up!”

Victor screamed awake and tried to free himself from the bed. He caught his breath as he looked around the room. “S-Sorry.”

Mr. Bucket simply gave him a patient smile. “Bad dream, huh?”

Victor looked at him confused. He then nodded.

“Well, glad it’s over right?”

Victor didn’t say anything, didn’t nod or shake his head. He just lied there.

“How about we sit up, catch our breath and I can go make you some tea?” Mrs. Bucket offered.

“I guess…that sounds nice,” he said slowly.

“Charlie, help me in the kitchen please.” Mrs. Bucket said.

“Yes, mom,” Charlie nodded, leaving the room.

“Could you check his forehead for me?” Mrs. Bucket asked her husband on her way out the room.

“Sure thing.” Mr. Bucket reached toward Victor but Victor flinched again. He froze and debated to ask Victor what was wrong. Why was he afraid of people’s touch so much? The man was too nervous to ask. “Just checking your temperature, Victor. Didn’t mean to frighten you. I apologize.”

“It’s okay,” Victor said quietly.

“It feels like your fever has gone down a little bit,” he said out loud. “And you are throwing up less which is a good thing.”

Victor tried to move his arms and legs again then sighed. He shut his eyes tight. “May I tell you something?”

Mr. Bucket’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly fixed his face to a more gentle demeanor. “Of course, Victor.”

“Thank you for taking care of me,” he said softly. “I’m sorry for being difficult. I just…” Victor paused. He carefully worded what he was about to say. “I don’t like being sick.”

“I understand,” Mr. Bucket said. “I don’t like being sick either.” He smiled.
* * * * * * * * * *
Victor stayed with the Buckets for another three days until the old juice was finally out of his system. He didn’t look forward to the next time he had to go through all of that. Hopefully there won’t be a next time and he was cured from his strange condition once and for all.

Since it was his first time at the Bucket’s house, Charlie introduced him to the rest of her grandparents and Victor did his best to seem presentable and on his best behavior. The need to please everyone was still deeply rooted in him.

Charlie also finally showed him her scale model of the factory made out of toothpaste caps. Victor was impressed and told her that she needs to make another one of some sort. Charlie knew she wanted to make another one, but of what exactly? She told him she’ll brainstorm some ideas soon.

But the second to last day, Victor was loopy off of cold medicine, and Cameron and Lex were there to keep him company - even if he wasn’t one hundred percent there.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard him laugh this long before,” Lex said as Victor giggled in his bed watching the TV.

“I’m just happy he’s no longer fighting back,” Cameron sighed, watching the TV also. “I don’t even know what’s so funny. We’re watching a horror movie.”

“Which isn’t the best movie to put on while you’re sick,” Lex gave Cameron a look and changed the channel.

“I like this one!” Cameron laughed.

“Hey, Cam!” Victor called to him, in a half-drunken state.

“Yeah, dude?” Cameron said.

“I just wanted to say,” Victor said, slurring his words, “that I love you. I love you so…so so much. You don’t understand.”

Cameron laughed again. “I love you too, Vic.”

“I love you too, Lex,” Victor said, slowly drifting to sleep.

Lex grabbed his hand. “I love you, Victor.” She kissed his cheek. “I think it’s time for us to go. Please get some rest.”

“Mmkay,” Victor said hugging a pillow.

Cameron shut the door and began to make their way out of the guest house.

“He fell asleep,” Cameron told Charlie’s parents. “Whatever you gave him, it’s strong.”

Mrs. Bucket smiled at that. “Ah yes. It does help keep the fighting down.”

“It’s amazing how strong he is even when he’s sick,” Mr. Bucket chuckled.

“Thanks for letting us stop by,” Lex said. “I’m glad he’s doing better.

“Of course! You’re welcome anytime!” Charlie’s mom said. “I know he’s been asking for you a lot.”

Lex smiled at that. “Have a good evening.”

The two children left and Mr. and Mrs. Bucket slowly opened the door to the guest bedroom. They watched Victor sleep heavily in the bed.

“He sleeps so peacefully,” Mrs. Bucket whispered to her husband. “Charlie says he never gets any rest over at the factory.”

Mr. Bucket frowned a little at that. “That’s odd. Cameron and Lex told me the opposite. I guess it depends on where he’s at or who he’s with.”

Mrs. Bucket gently touched her husband’s shoulder as her eyes widened with an idea. “Didn’t Charlie say it was his birthday not too long ago?”

“Yeah, why?” Mr. Bucket asked.

“We should give him something!” Mrs. Bucket said with wide smile. “Something to remember us by!”

Her husband smiled back. “What do you have in mind?”
* * * * * * * * * *
As usual, Victor was sad to leave someone else’s house as he made his way back to the factory. He was happy he was feeling better but the moment he sat down on his own bed, it left. He was instantly reminded that he was stuck here for the time being, that he still needed countless testing done to him, that he still needed to be fixed.

In his hands was a pretty large box but it was light. It was a present. Charlie’s mom said it was a birthday present from the both of them. He was nervous. He just met them and now they were giving him a present? It didn’t make any sense to him at all. Why did they do that when they took care of him for nearly a week! He was being difficult the entire time! He didn’t deserve this! He felt like he owed them the world but here sat the gift on his lap.

Victor slowly opened the lid and removed the tissue paper. Their folded was a black, white and gray knitted sweater and a matching blanket on the bottom. Victor held it up and felt how warm and soft it was. It smelled like their house. He found a card and opened it.

“Happy belated birthday, Victor! Here’s something that will always keep you warm! Love Mr. and Mrs. Bucket”

Victor instantly wrapped himself in the blanket and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

The nightmares have been getting worse for Victor Beauregarde. He has woken up screaming nearly every day that week.

That night once more, Victor tossed and turned in his sleep. He cried quietly at the dream that unfolded before him.

Victor’s large stomach extended before him as he tried to find balance as he walked. He knew he was late but late for what?

“Victor!” Someone shouted.

Victor looked up and saw his best friend standing before him.

“Cameron?”

“Where were you?!” He shouted. “You were late for my reading bowl competition!”

“I’m sorry,” Victor said nervously. “I tried to make it! But I swelled up again and I-”

“I don’t want to hear it, Vic!” Cameron held his hands up. “You know I’m always here for you and your freaking competitions or when your condition acts up, but when are you even here for me?!”

Victor froze at his words. “But…but, Cameron! I’m doing my best! I want to be there to support you!”

“Forget it, Victor,” Cameron began to leave. “We’re done. Have fun being a blueberry for the rest of your life.”

“Cameron, no! Wait!”

Victor was then grabbed backwards by someone. He cried out from the harsh grasp.

“Seems like I’m not the only one who got stood up by you!” Lex yelled.

Victor’s heart broke. “L-Lex…?”

“You missed my awards ceremony, you missed our date, and now you’re swollen up again and missed my recital!”

“Lex, no! It’s not intentional! I’m doing my best to get the days off!”

“Forget it, Victor. It’s over.”

“No!” He tried to reach out to her, but she was gone too quickly. A bunch of Oompa Loompas grabbed onto him and pulled him back. He tried hard to shake them off.

Meanwhile, Victor was fighting in his sleep as Wilma Wonka and the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners try to hold him down. It was the middle of the night.

“God! Why is he so strong?!” Michelle said bitterly, trying to pin him down. Victor still struggled and fought against them.

“Victor, wake up!” Charlie shouted.

Victor gasped awake and broke free from their grasps. However his arm swung and he accidentally slapped Vernon.

Everyone gasped as Victor sat up in bed. He was fully awake as he saw the others and Wonka surround the British child.

“Are you okay?”

“Let me see how bad it is!”

Victor was still in a slight daze. He found himself crying from the nightmare and quickly rubbed his eyes before anyone saw. “What happened?” He asked slowly.

Vernon stood up straight and held his cheek. He, too, was crying.

“What’s going on?” Victor asked again, nervously.

“Victor,” Charlie said slowly, “you slapped Vernon in your sleep.”

Victor was shocked. “I!” He looked around the room in panic. “I didn’t mean to-!” His heart pounded. “It was an accident! Vernon, I’m sorry!”

“Victor, it’s okay-”

“What made you slap him?” Wonka interrupted Vernon’s apology.

“It was an accident!” Victor trembled. “I had a nightmare! It wasn’t intentional at all!”

“Ms. Wonka,” Charlie touched her mentor’s shoulder. “Hear him out! He wasn’t even awake!”

“Yeah, Victor’s been having night terrors for months now!” Michelle added. “Vernon said he hears him nearly every night!”

Victor blushed at that. He didn’t think anyone heard him. He didn’t realize the nightmares have gotten this bad. Not enough to be called night terrors!

“Ms. Wonka,” Agnes said quietly, “we all have nightmares but Victor’s are worse.”

“What were you dreaming about?” Charlie asked.

Victor froze. He never told anyone his dreams. Not even Cameron or Lex. They couldn’t know about this!

He decided to only tell them part of the nightmare that happened. “Well…the Oompa Loompas…they surrounded me…”

Wonka glanced back at the boy and at the other winners. She studied Vernon holding his cheek.

“I think I know what to do,” Wonka said slowly.

Victor looked on nervously.
* * * * * * * * * * *
“NOOOOOO!”

Víctor yelled as he was being pushed and pulled onto the boat by Wonka and a few Oompa Loompas. His stomach was overinflated and large, and his arms were puffy.

“It was a mistake! I can control it! I-I can go to sleep at a different time!” Victor protested. “I’ll change my schedule!”

“Victor,” Wonka said, pulling him to the smaller boat attached to the Wonkatania, “it’s no use in fighting it. It’s only for a week!”

“No I can’t do it! I can’t do it!” Victor shouted, still flailing about. “You can’t make me go in there! Please!”

Wonka pushed him on his stomach and he finally got into the boat. He stumbled in and tried to catch his balance.

“Ms. Wonka, please! Please don’t make me do this!” Victor screamed as he was forcibly laid down. He squirmed. The boat he was in didn’t have much room for him at this size. Not like there was any room for him on the Wonkatania.

“Victor, we’ll be in the main boat. We’ll let you back out once we get there.” Wonka said firmly.

“No! No! Come back! Please!”

But Wonka closed the cover and walked away. She hopped onto the boat where the rest of the children sat. The Golden Ticket Winners sat on the Wonkatania bitterly.

“I think you’re overreacting!” Charlie said immediately to her mentor. “This is traumatizing!”

The other children said nothing at that - only remembering their own forcible traumatic experiences by Wonka. All of their experiences took them weeks to talk about and tell the others.

Vernon remembered how horrifying it was to be forced to clean the garbage chute. He’s begged many times in his life before for things he wanted, but this was a new low for him. He tried desperately to convince Wonka to let him clean anything else that moment, but the Chocolatier wouldn’t budge. Vernon swore he could still feel the heat and the scratches from the squirrels on his body when he went back for the first time.

Michelle thought back to how she once woke up to a much larger room than she was initially in. She was scarred at how large the Oompa Loompas were and how powerless she was. Michelle considered herself to be a strong willed and intelligent young woman, so when she was easily outnumbered and outsmarted by Wonka’s henchmen once again, she sobbed. She didn’t tell any one this except Agnes. Michelle still didn’t understand the purpose of why her height had to be shrunken again. Wonka claimed it was to see how long the duration was before her height relapsed, but Michelle refused to accept it. She didn’t admire Wonka’s curious mind.

And poor, sweet Agnes was forced to clean the factory vents one time when Vernon was too sick to do so. She still can’t handle the tight spaces and her body dysmorphia still needs some treatment. She could still hear the Oompa Loompas’ teasing song.

But now Victor Beauregarde, who suffers mostly everyday, is now facing his worst nightmare: a week in the Oompa Loompa living area of the factory.

Honestly, the four children suffered many traumatizing things, but they could each point out one that stood out of all the rest.

Victor trembled as he lied down in the boat away from the others. He didn’t want to be there for a week. He probably couldn’t last one minute with them! It took Victor weeks to get their songs out of his head. He’s heard two now.

Victor let out a yelp as he felt the boat begin to move. He shut his eyes in panic. Why couldn’t he stop them?! If he was back to normal he could’ve easily avoided the boat! His martial arts skills could’ve prevented this entire spectacle!

Stupid juice, he screamed in his head.

Victor eventually calmed his breathing somewhat. Tears welled up in his eyes. Why did I have that stupid nightmare? Victor’s thoughts began to spiral. What if…what if I’m supposed to be a blueberry and nothing else?

What if I deserved this?

Maybe Vernon was right and this punishment was perfect for me. He cried softly as the boat ride continued. He felt awful. He didn’t mean to hurt Vernon. He didn’t even know he DID hurt Vernon. Victor looked at the top of his large stomach and sighed.

“There has to be a different way to go about this,” Charlie continued. “You know he’s extremely afraid of them. That’s why he had a nightmare in the first place.”

“A little exposure therapy is not going to hurt anyone,” Wonka smiled.

“Yeah uh I don’t think that’s 100% true,” Michelle muttered.

“Mr. Beauregarde will be fine,” Wilma Wonka said firmly. “You’ll see him next week.”

The children didn’t say anything else after that, knowing the argument wasn’t worth it. At least they’ll get to see him before he goes.

Victor didn’t like the boat ride. Well, he didn’t like the first one either. But this was a new reason to hate the Wonkatania. All the children can agree that the first ride was horrifying for many reasons, but he wasn’t a giant blue ball with juice sloshing around in his system. Rolling was already his least favorite mode of transportation, and so was walking. But riding in a boat on unsteady chocolate waters, it irritated his stomach for sure. He whimpered quietly to himself.

He felt the boat ride slow down and his heart began to pick up speed again. There has to be a way out of this, he thought.

He heard the cover hiss as it opened and Wonka stood before him. Victor frowned as Wonka smiled at him. He shook his head no.

“Please! There has to be another way!” He begged. “I’ll do anything!”

“Victor, you have to calm down! It’s going to be all right!” She began to lift him up with the help of two Oompa Loompas.

“No!”

Victor stood up to standing and had to find his balance as the juice sloshed within him. He cringed from the feeling. He did his best to fight back them tugging on his arms but his strength was nowhere to be found.

Wonka put a hand on his stomach to steady him. He flailed his arms to get her to remove her hand from his stomach. “Stop touching me!” He yelled. “Let me go!”

The Oompa Loompas led him out of the boat and Victor caught the eyes of the Golden Ticket Winners. He looked pleadingly at them.

Wonka poked a finger into his stomach. “You stay here. I gotta go grab someone.”

“But, Ms. Wonka-!”

However the Chocolatier walked off. Victor looked around nervously. He tried to figure out an escape plan.

“Victor, wait!” Charlie stopped him by getting in front of him. “We can work this out! I tried talking to her on the ride here.”

Victor appreciated her efforts but he couldn’t help but feel angry. “Then why are we still here?! I don’t want to be here! I don’t think I can survive a week with those freaks!”

Charlie sighed. “Vic-”

“Hold on, Blueregarde,” Michelle held her hands up, “I know you’re afraid, but we tried our best! We know you don’t want to be here! We don’t you want you here either. But we’re going to try our best to get you out of this!”

Victor shifted uncomfortably. His heart was still pounding.

Michelle gestured her head to the others to go talk to Wonka. “Come on!” She turned back to Victor. “We’re going to figure it out, okay?”

The rest of them walked to the Chocolatier while Victor stood there trying to figure out a plan.

“Is there a way where we can shorten his time here?” Charlie asked.

“This isn’t a negotiation, Ms. Bucket,” Wonka said. “This is for him to get over his fear of the Oompa Loompas.”

“Ms. Wonka, I don’t think this is a good way to go about it!” Charlie protested.

“He will be fine! The Oompa Loompas are nothing but kind and gentle. They care about you children!” Wonka said.

Michelle, Vernon, and Agnes shared a look.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get Mr. Beauregarde - wait, where did he go?” Wonka searched for the boy but he was nowhere in sight.

“Where did he go?” Agnes asked.

Then Charlie spotted him. “Victor!” She ran after the boy who (slowly) took off down the hall.

Victor panicked. He had to do whatever it took to get away from the entrance that led to the Oompa Loompa section of the factory.

“Holy crap, he made it pretty far!” Michelle said, slightly impressed.

Charlie and Wonka stopped him and he let out a frustrated yell. “No!” He flailed his arms as they took him back. “I can’t go in there!” He began to gasp for air from the long walk.

“I don’t know why you tried to escape, Victor. You knew you weren’t going to have the energy for it.” Wonka said as she led him back to the door.

Victor blushed in embarrassment. At least he made it pretty far. He nearly thought he got away without anyone noticing.

Wonka finally stopped them both at the large door as Victor breathed ragged. He froze in fear. There’s no turning back now.

“Victor,” Wonka smiled. “I’d like to introduce you to your caretaker for the week. His name is Ozzy.”

Victor gasped as he felt someone, someone much smaller than him, hug him. He breathed hard and waved his arms as the Oompa Loompa’s arms squished Victor’s stomach.

“Um, Ozzy!” Wonka raised her finger. “The boy is deathly afraid of you and the others. It’s going to take some time for him to adjust.”

The Oompa Loompa nodded and released Victor. Victor’s heart rate slightly slowed.

“Well, all right Victor, I will see you in a week-”

“No!” He shouted, with tears welling up in his eyes. “Please stay! At least for thirty minutes! I can’t do this by myself! I don’t want to be alone!”

“Victor-”

Charlie cleared her throat loudly interrupting the Chocolatier and Wonka sighed.

“I will stay with you for thirty minutes and thirty minutes only.” She said firmly. Victor let out a shaky sigh of relief. Wonka turned to the other children. “You four may go back to the living quarters of the factory while I escort Mr. Beauregarde to the Oompa Loompa guest rooms.”

The rest of the Golden Ticket Winners gave one last look to Wonka before they boarded the boat. Each of them hoping and wishing that Victor will be okay.

Wonka guided Victor to the large door that led to the Oompa Loompa section of the factory.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Victor was immediately mute the moment he stepped inside. He wasn’t close with Wilma Wonka but he did stay by her side as Ozzy led them both down the hall.

The Oompa Loompa section of the factory made Victor wonder how big the factory is. This looked like a whole hotel lobby! How was this possible?! This woman is mad!

“We are going to get you checked into a room,” Wonka explained to him. “The guest rooms are on the other side.”

Victor began to breathe hard. He didn’t know if he had the stamina to walk for who knows how long to the guest rooms. He kept starting and stopping and took longer breaks each time. It’s not easy having a yoga ball size stomach and carrying over hundred gallons of juice.

Ozzy then scampered off and came back with a wheelchair - a very wide wheelchair. Victor blushed at how wide it was and reluctantly sat on it.

They wheeled him to the front desk where Ozzy got the key to the room. Victor’s cheeked flushed as he looked around at all the Oompa Loompas staring at him. He was constantly afraid that they were going to breakout into song any second now. The stares were just like any other stares whenever Victor had an episode. They looked at him with odd curiosity. He didn’t like it one bit.

Once Ozzy got the keys they boarded a train. Victor closed his eyes tight as the juice gently sloshed inside him during the bumpy ride. Wonka, meanwhile, studied the boy sitting tensely in the wheelchair. She kept her reserve and stared straight ahead. She knew this would help Victor somehow. This could prove to Wilkinson that she is caring for him, right? She’s helping him get over his fear!

The train stopped and Victor gasped at how much the juice shifted inside him. He put both hands on his stomach to quell the sloshing.

They wheeled him off the train and down one of the long hallways. Victor tried to look straight ahead and ignore the points and stares from Wonka’s henchmen. What? He thought sarcastically. They’ve never seen a human blueberry before?

They finally stopped at some double doors and Ozzy unlocked it. He wheeled Victor inside and Victor took the space in. A large window that took up majority of the wall. A nice simple couch and table was in front of the window. There was a large bariatric bed and heat rushed to Victor’s cheeks as he studied how wide it was. Across the bed was a tiny kitchenette and a mounted TV, along with the door to the bathroom. Victor was shocked at how nice the room was. Nicer than his own room - and this room wasn’t blue!

“All right, Victor. I think it’s time for me to leave-”

“No!” Victor panicked. “That wasn’t thirty minutes! You have to stay!”

Wonka blinked a few times. She’s never seen the boy so desperate before. It was then that Ozzy gestured to his boss that he would like to speak with her outside for a moment. Wonka sighed one more time. “I’ll be right back, Victor,” she said. She then lifted him up out of the wheelchair. “How about you check out your room for the time being?”

Before Victor could answer, Wonka and Ozzy already left. He walked to the large window and looked at the view.

It was a nice view of a park. Oompa Loompas and their families played on the field or took a leisurely stroll. There was a food court where some stood waiting in line. It looked nice.

Victor only questioned for a few seconds, again, the size of the factory and how any of this was possible, but he also remembered when he was four when his parents took him the park. They actually felt like a family back then.

Victor vaguely remembered that feeling of having no worries from competing or doing interviews or worrying about public appearances. He was just a little kid. He never thought he’d be here today in a situation like this.

A small Oompa Loompa child spotted Victor and pointed at him, capturing the attention of the child’s parents. Victor gasped softly and did his best to back away from the window. This is going to be a long week.

He heard the door open again and he struggled to turn around to see that Wonka and Ozzy entered the room again.

“We have made the decision that I will be leaving so you could adjust quicker to your new environment for the week,” Wonka explained.

Victor shook his head. “No!”

“I’m just ripping the bandaid off, Victor,” she said.

Victor didn’t know what to say. He was already here. He didn’t want to pout but he did.

“Here, I can help you get on the bed so you can rest for a moment,” Wonka said.

Victor didn’t fight back at the gesture. He felt numb. He felt trapped. He didn’t know what to do.

Victor laid back on the overly wide bed and huffed from exhaustion.

“Ozzy will let me know if any emergencies pop up. I will check in on you in a few days.” Wonka said to him. Victor didn’t say anything. He just wanted her to go ahead and leave. “I will see you soon, Mr. Beauregarde.”

With that, Wilma Wonka left. Some summer this is, Victor thought glumly.

“Ahem!”

Victor jumped. He looked toward his left and saw Ozzy the Oompa Loompa standing there. He completely forgot about him and immediately tensed up with fear.

“Hi there!” The Oompa Loompa said.

Victor shrunk into the bed.

“You didn’t think I could talk, huh?” He cheekily smiled.

Victor hesitantly shook his head no.

Ozzy laughed. “You didn’t think we just sing songs all day?”

The boy blushed. Who could blame Victor for thinking that? But that didn’t matter. He just wanted the worker to go away.

“Not all of us sing. I certainly don’t,” Ozzy touched his chest. “It depends on our job!” He smiled. “My job is to help recover any unfortunate victims that have tested Ms. Wonka’s products. I have seen my fair share of side effects over the years and taken care of numerous people - well, my people of course.”

Victor simply looked at him. He was still too afraid to talk.

“But no worries, Victor! I have taken care of some of the previous twenty Oompa Loompas who tried the three course meal gum, so you’re in good hands!” He patted Victor’s stomach. Victor instantly grimaced and squirmed. Ozzy frowned at that. “Do you not like having your stomach touched?”

Victor paused at the question. Lex asked him that when she accidentally touched him for the first time. He shook his head no.

“My apologies, Victor! I understand that your skin is very sensitive at the moment and how you’re feeling about being in this state. I’ll make sure I won’t touch or poke your stomach at all! This is a safe place and I’ll be respectful of your boundaries!”

Ozzy gave a big smile to reassure the boy, but Victor didn’t look relieved at all. He was still confused at the mentioning of twenty Oompa Loompas who tested the gum.

The Oompa Loompa sighed. Baby steps, Ozzy thought. “It’s come to my understanding, Victor, that you have an intense fear of us. I’ll do my best to alleviate any fears you have!” He said. “I’m going to give you a few more minutes of rest, but I do want to give you a quick tour of our section of the factory.”

Victor frowned at the word “tour”. Again, he didn’t respond. He was still processing the fact he was going to be stuck here for a whole week.

Ozzy sighed one last time and began to leave. “I’ll come get you in a few.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
The four Golden Ticket Winners sat in the living room quietly. Each of them thought about how Wonka handled the situation with Victor’s recurring night terrors.

“You ever wonder why Wonka is so incredibly dense?” Michelle asked.

Charlie gasped. “Michelle!”

“No she has a point,” Vernon said. “She always does this. She makes us go through something so horrifying and expect us to be fine later.”

“Well, she has been by herself for an awful long time,” Agnes said. “I don’t think she interacted with a lot of people.”

“That is true,” Charlie said quietly. “I always try to ask her about how she started but she always makes it this grand story. I just want her to tell me things straight.”

“Sounds like anyone else we know?” Michelle said cheekily with an eyebrow raised.

Charlie thought for a moment and then frowned. “I just wish both of them could get along.”

“Well we can’t worry about that right now!” Vernon said.

“Yeah we need to get him out of there or else he’s going to come back not saying anything!” Michelle added.

Charlie looked down at that. She didn’t want Victor to shut himself out again. He’s made so much progress - all five of them did. She couldn’t let her mentor undo it all whether Wonka was doing it intentionally or not.

“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Charlie said nodding. “We’ll make sure he gets out of there before the week ends.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Ozzy gently knocked on the door and Victor grimaced. He enjoyed the fifteen minutes of peace to himself and nearly forgot he was stuck in the last place he wanted to be.

“Victor,” Ozzy said with a quiet smile. “It’s time to go.”

Again, Victor didn’t say anything. He was too afraid to speak.

Ozzy sighed but he remained patient. He knew why Victor was afraid. He was just a kid, and his coworkers scolded and humiliated him. However his situation from the three course meal gum was a lot more severe than the twenty other test subject Oompa Loompas.

Those Oompa Loompas knew what they were getting into when it came to taste testing Wonka’s whimsical candies. Anything could happen when you beta taste for Wilma Wonka. She was a very creative and magic person. But Victor, he didn’t know that! He didn’t know anything about Ms. Wonka or what would happen if he chewed the gum that day.

Ozzy carefully helped Victor out of the bed and into the wheelchair. Victor reluctantly obliged. He didn’t really have a choice.

Ozzy wheeled him out of the room, Victor being stiff all the while. He felt like he was paraded around by the small Oompa Loompa. Victor scoffed silently to himself. I bet Vernon would make some type of mean joke about how I’m the size of a parade float.

“All right, Victor!” Ozzy said, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. “It is time to show you around my section of the factory. Right now you are in the guest rooms. No one really uses it unless Ms. Wonka or Ms. Wilkinson is stopping by.”

Ozzy went back down to the train and Victor frowned. He didn’t want to go back on the bumpy ride. As they waited for the next stop, Victor continued to get stares from everyone.

Once the train arrived, Ozzy wheeled him on. “We’re actually going somewhere else that I think you’ll love, but if you look outside the window, Victor, you’ll see the houses pass by. Some Oompa Loompas choose to live in traditional houses which are in the trees. It makes them feel as if they’re back home in Loompaland. Others choose to live in what you would call normal houses or apartments.”

Victor was awed but what was he supposed to do with this information? He continued to watch everything around him. He was still overwhelmed and a little overstimulated just from being in the train with Ozzy.

They got off and Ozzy showed him different stores and plazas. From movie theaters to restaurants, to doctors offices to dentistries, it was their own little town within Wonka’s factory.

Just how big is this place? Victor thought. He could get lost here - which he definitely didn’t want to happen. Anywhere else in this madhouse factory he wouldn’t mind, but here was a giant no.

Finally, they arrived at a park. The same park he could see from his window. It was nice and sunny and a gentle breeze blew. A fountain right in the center. Ozzy wheeled Victor to a tree and then sat underneath the shade. He let out a happy sigh and smiled. Victor has yet to return one.

“So!” Ozzy said. “How are you feeling?”

All Victor could do was look at him nervously. He didn’t trust the Oompa Loompa. However he felt slightly at ease being outside. He hardly ever got to feel the sunshine anymore. He tried to shift his attention to everyone else enjoying the park.

Ozzy followed Victor’s gaze. “It sure is nice out, huh?”

Victor nodded slowly.

“I knew you’d like the park!” Ozzy said cheerfully. “I can bring you here everyday if you’d like! I can incorporate it in your routine.”

“Routine?” Victor asked. It was the first thing he said to him this entire time.

Ozzy nodded. “I’m here to help you recover while you stay with me! It is my job, you know.” He chuckled.

Victor looked down at the grass. He didn’t believe him even if he was telling the truth.

Ozzy studied the boy. He collected his thoughts. “Victor, I understand what you went through.”

Victor looked at him bitterly.

“I know! I know!” Ozzy held up his hands. “But I do! I really do. I saw twenty of the taste testers go through exactly what you did, but I helped them all! They’re now back to normal because I aided their recovery. I can do the same for you. But you have to trust me.”

“How can I trust you?” Victor said, hurt. “Every single time I’m with the Oompa Loompas, I’m used as a toy! I’m humiliated! And the songs! The last group jumped on me like a trampoline!” Victor choked back tears. “I don’t want to be here!”

Ozzy sighed. “I understand. There are…a few of us who are really mischievous. But there are some of us who actually care about you and the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners.”

Victor scoffed. “That’s hard to believe when Michelle told me that you guys tried to chop her in half with a knife.”

Ozzy’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know that! I don’t know a lot of the details of what happened in the factory! Only a small group of us do!”

Victor was caught off guard.

“For those like me who don’t necessarily work the hard labor in the factory, but rather in recovery units, or staying here with the rest of my people to take care of the young and so on…we’ve heard the stories of what happened five months ago,” he explained. “There are some who are extremely loyal to Ms. Wonka, and those who don’t wholeheartedly agree with her decisions. What I’m trying to say, Victor, is that we have our own personalities and opinions like you! In fact, you should hear the haircut stories from the hair dresser who does Ms. Wonka’s hair! The drama!”

Victor soaked in what Ozzy had to say. He felt slightly at ease knowing that Ozzy might be on his side, but he was still weary. “These twenty taste testers,” he said slowly, “you said they are all…back to normal?”

Ozzy nodded. “Yep!”

“How long did it take them?”

Ozzy thought for a moment. “Well, each time was a little different because the gum was at different stages. Some were simply blue and a little swollen, others were fully round. Different reactions but they all eventually got back to normal. It took about an average of a month to half a year.”

Victor looked defeated. He began to worry.

“However,” Ozzy said raising a finger, “it really depended on their juice production. Some of them only needed a couple of juicing sessions while others were a bit more frequent. But I will say, Victor, that there was only one person who needed half a year to recover. Everyone else was about 3 months or less.” He smiled.

“When I came back, Ms. Wonka said I’d have to be here for a year,” Victor said sadly. “I have seven months left.”

“A year…” Ozzy repeated. He began to think it over. “Well, I didn’t know that! It could be because you are human.”

Victor looked at him sadly. This wasn’t news he wanted to hear.

“But I can look into it! I’ll do my best to help you recover in whatever way I can!” Ozzy smiled. Victor didn’t think he could get used to his positive energy. He still couldn’t believe he was talking to an Oompa Loompa. “Hey!” Ozzy stood up quickly. “Would you like anything? This park has food, drinks - what are you in the mood for?”

Victor didn’t say anything for a moment, still nervous. He didn’t think he could bring himself to eat or drink anything here. He shook his head.

“I’ll just get you a water,” Ozzy said. “Here,” Ozzy pushed him out of the shade and into the sun. “You should enjoy the sun for a bit. I’ll be right back!”

Ozzy scampered off as Victor sat in the sun. He squinted at the sky. It was truly nice out. He did enjoy the feeling of the sun on his skin. After being trapped inside for so long, he had to admit the heat was nice. Victor was never much of an indoors kid. He watched Ozzy buy two bottles of water. Maybe he actually has his best interest at heart. Maybe he does want to see Victor get better.

Maybe this week might not be that bad.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The next day, the children sat at the table depressed. Michelle looked at the seat where Victor usually sat. She sighed. They haven’t come up with any idea on how to get Victor out of the Oompa Loompa section.

“I miss Victor,” Vernon said sadly.

“You just miss frustrating him,” Michelle said.

Vernon pouted. “Do not!” He folded his arms. He genuinely did miss Victor. He was the only other boy in the group. He actually considered him a good friend and looked up to him in a way.

“I’m just upset we haven’t come up with a plan yet,” Michelle tapped her fingers against the table. “You don’t have any ideas, Goody-Two-Shoes?”

Charlie gave Michelle a look, still disliking with that nickname. “No. I haven’t. I actually haven’t gone over to the Oompa Loompa section of the factory. It’s been five months and Ms. Wonka hasn’t really given me a tour over there or introduced me to the other Oompa Loompas. I know nothing.”

Michelle rolled her eyes and groan. “I don’t like being helpless! There has to be a way!”

“Couldn’t you ask Ms. Wonka to let you tour the Oompa Loompa section?” Agnes asked Charlie. “And then maybe we could visit him?”

“Yeah but how on the nose would that be?!” Michelle snarled. “She would know something was up.”

“Plus I’m not sure if Charlie is exactly inconspicuous,” Vernon teased.

Charlie glared at him. “Spell inconspicuous.”

Vernon opened his mouth to speak then stopped.

Michelle and Agnes laughed. “You’re growing on me, kid.” Michelle smiled at Charlie.

“I mean I can try to ask her now,” Charlie shrugged as she got up from the table. “But there’s no guarantee she’ll say yes. I just hope Victor is okay.”

Charlie walked to Ms. Wonka’s office unsteadily. She tried to not imagine the torture Victor might be going through. She remembered the things he told her when he was left alone with the Oompa Loompas. He said they jumped on him and sang a new song. They used him as a ball in their break room. He was mocked for hours every time Wonka would leave him alone for chewing gum every day. No wonder the boy had an immense fear of them.

Charlie softly knocked on her mentor’s door. “Ms. Wonka?”

“Come in, Charlie,” Wonka said at her desk, filling out paperwork.

“Is there a way…” Charlie trailed off, “for me to see the Oompa Loompa section of the factory?”

Wonka looked up with a patient smile. “Why the sudden interest, dear girl?”

Charlie wrung her hands together. Oh no. Was Vernon right? Am I not inconspicuous? “Well, I just noticed that ever since I won the factory, I’ve never really fully introduced myself to the Oompa Loompas.”

Wonka folded her hands. “I will take note that you want to do that, Charlie.” She went back to her work.

“Well! Wait!” Charlie said holding her hands up. “Could we do it today? I want to learn more about their culture! You never really went into detail about it on the tour.”

Wonka sighed. “Not today, Charlie. Far too busy. Next week, perhaps? Besides, I know I have sent you some paperwork as well for you to do.”

Charlie tried to hide her frustrated sigh. “Fine!” She shouted. “We just want to visit Victor! We’re concerned about him.”

“The boy is fine! Ozzy is one of the best recovery workers I have. But if all of you want to visit him so be it. I can have you visit him in the next few days.”

“Why not today?” Charlie pressed.

Wonka hunched over in annoyance. “He’s still getting acclimated, Charlie. Let him adjust.”

Charlie relented. She didn’t want to fight back too much. “Okay. I understand, Ms. Wonka. Thank you.”

Wonka finally gave a small smile. “You’re welcome.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
The next few days with Ozzy got increasingly better. Victor was still strongly afraid of the Oompa Loompas, but Ozzy was the only one he trusted. It felt like the Recovery Worker genuinely had Victor’s best interests at heart.

Ozzy’s methods were vastly different Wilma Wonka’s. In fact, Victor was allowed to eat regular food. He was back to eating his healthy diet, although he still didn’t each much thanks to his parents’ restrictions.

The only thing that Victor was unsure of was when Ozzy had him meet the twenty Oompa Loompas who tasted the gum before him. Victor was nervous. Ozzy was the only one he was comfortable with. He didn’t want it to go any further than that.

But it went fine. They were all nice. They were all…normal. None of them were blue! That was hopeful! Victor didn’t say much but perhaps a question or two, but it was nice to finally hear from others who tried the gum before and hear their stories.

They described the sensation so accurately. It was all that Victor felt every single time he swelled up. A weird, funny feeling, and extreme fullness. For Victor, personally he never felt his skin stretch beyond belief. His father had him on such a strict regimen the boy never felt so large before.

What he wasn’t expecting was the taste testing Oompa Loompas to also shed kindness on him like Ozzy. Like the Recovery Worker, they weren’t much for singing either. Good to know that Ozzy was right and not every single Oompa Loompa breaks out into song.

They told Victor to reach out to them whenever he wanted to. He said thank you and he felt even more at ease, but Victor didn’t think he was ready just yet to confide into even more Oompa Loompas.

Ozzy also allowed him to be juiced whenever Victor had an episode - that is if his body allowed the juice to leave his system. Either way, Victor was happy to be back to normal more often.

“How come I’m allowed to be juiced more often?” Victor asked one day at the park. He was enjoying the sunshine again. “Ms. Wonka never lets me go to the Juicing Room this frequently. She said if I get juiced too often, the juice will come back stronger.”

Ozzy looked at him odd. “Well that’s certainly not true! With any of the twenty, that wasn’t the case. And so far, I haven’t seen anything like that with you in my reports.”

Victor frowned at that. “That’s weird…”

“And at this rate, you could be fully back to normal within a month!” Ozzy smiled.

“A month?!” Victor perked up. “Really?! Then why am I here for a year?! I could have my life back next month! I could start competing again and my senior year won’t be ruined!”

Ozzy was puzzled again. “I still can’t believe she told you a year. Hmm, I wonder where she got that information from,” the Oompa Loompa tapped his chin. “Maybe the recovery worker she was with told her something wrong. But yes! There is a strong chance you could be fully back to normal in a month.”

Victor smiled at that. He thought of hanging out with Lex and Cameron more, and getting his life back on track. He couldn’t wait to leave this place.

“Victor,” Ozzy said, catching the boy’s attention. “You’ve been through a lot in five months. How about we celebrate for how far you’ve come?”

Victor’s eyes widened. He didn’t know how to respond to that. “Celebrate? Celebrate me?”

Whenever he heard his parents say they wanted to celebrate him, it always somehow wound up about them instead. It may seem like Victor had the spotlight but his parents always found a way to turn it around. None of his friends could be invited, not even Cameron. The only people there were his parents and their circle of people.

“I…um…” Victor’s eyes darted around. “Could I invite my friends? And the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners?”

Ozzy smiled. “Of course! It’s good to have people around you. We can celebrate tomorrow since you’re halfway through the week.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Ozzy decided to throw a small pool party for the boy. It was the summer and Victor did tell him he hasn’t been swimming yet - that is non-competitive. Ozzy made food Victor enjoyed and Victor was fine with it since he was the only Oompa Loompa he trusted.

Cameron and Lex came and were happy to see Victor again. They haven’t spoken to him all week since he didn’t have access to his phone. Lex immediately kissed and hugged him as Cameron smiled.

“I was so worried about you!” She exclaimed holding him. “Charlie said you were stuck here because…you slapped Vernon?”

Victor blushed blue. “It was an accident!” He said. “I had a nightmare.”

“Vic, you’ve been having nightmares more frequently,” Cameron said in concern. “Why haven’t you said anything about them?”

Victor frowned. “I didn’t think they were a big deal. I don’t need you guys constantly worrying about me.”

“But, Victor, if they’re getting more frequent it is a big deal!” Lex said. “You can talk to us.”

Victor hesitated as he looked at the both of them. “The nightmares have gotten worse. I…I don’t like to talk about them because I’m afraid they might come true.” Cameron and Lex looked at him sympathetically. “I had a dream…that both of you guys left me.”

“Victor-”

“You guys said I never supported you!” Victor cried cutting Cameron off. “You’re always here for me and always worrying about me! I feel like I’m not doing enough for you. I just…I feel like a bad friend.”

“Vic, you’re not a bad friend!” Cameron said. “You’ve always supported me. You especially supported me when I came out.”

“We know you’re dealing with something life changing,” Lex said and grabbed his hand. “We know you support us. We’re never going to leave you.”

Victor gave a soft smile at that.

“Plus you told me you loved me so there’s that,” Cameron said cheekily.

Victor’s eyes widened. “When did I say that?”

“Not too long ago, when you were sick,” Lex added with a smile.

Victor blushed again. “I don’t remember that.”

“It’s okay because we knew you were telling the truth,” Cameron said laughing. “But that’s not important. We should be celebrating you!”

They hung out by the pool and welcomed the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners when they arrived.

They were all surprised to see Victor so happy, back to normal, and well, having a celebration no less.

“Good to see you, Blueregarde,” Michelle said. “You’re having a party?”

Victor smiled at seeing the others. “I’m actually happy to see you.”

“You are?” Charlie’s eyes lit up.

“I am,” Victor nodded.

“He missed me the most!” Vernon bragged.

“Anyways,” Victor said, trying not to roll his eyes, “I’m glad you came.”

Charlie smiled at him. “We’re glad we came, too, Victor.”

The children had fun at the pool party. They played pool games and they all collectively decided to trick Vernon who has never played them before.

In between, Charlie introduced herself to Ozzy who was more than happy to finally meet Wonka’s heir. The two talked and Ozzy gave her a brief explanation of the Oompa Loompa section of the factory. He told her he would be happy to show her around. Charlie was ecstatic. She felt like she was finally making progress in these last five months - and paperwork wasn’t even necessary!

Cameron has never seen Victor act so free in a very long time. He was happy to see him let loose. This is what he should feel like, to feel like a regular kid. Not held down by competitions, greedy parents, or even whimsical chocolatiers and a magical piece of gum.

Victor climbed out of the pool and dried off. Charlie walked over to him. “How are you feeling?” She asked.

Victor tried not roll his eyes at the question. He knew people genuinely cared about him, but he swore he gets asked this phrase once a week. “I actually feel…glad.”

Charlie smiled at that. “Yeah?”

He nodded. “I never thought I could ever be relaxed at the factory. Ozzy actually cares about me and my recovery.”

“So you’ve gotten over your fear of Oompa Loompas?”

Victor shrunk back. “Well no…” he looked away as he blushed. “Ozzy might be the only one I feel comfortable around.”

“That’s a good start,” she said.

“Hey, did you know I could get back to normal within a month?” Victor said in hushed excitement.

Charlie looked at him surprised. “Huh?”

“Yeah! Ozzy has been researching my progress and it turns out, I don’t need to stay here for a year! Isn’t that awesome?!” He asked happily.

Charlie was happy for him but she did wonder why the drastic difference in time. “It is! That’s great news, Victor.”

“I can’t wait to have my life back,” he said. “I’m going to tell Lex and Cam tonight before they go. How are you doing? What’s been happening since I’ve been gone?”

Charlie paused. She still had Victor’s news playing through her mind. She then waved the question off and shook her head. “Nothing much. We just missed you that’s all,” she smiled.

Victor smiled back. “I missed you guys, too.” He then turned and left and went back to the pool where Cameron and Lex sat.

Charlie thought for a moment. This is a huge risk, she thought. She didn’t want Victor to be upset. But she had to ask Wonka…what did he mean by a month?

Wonka sat at a table away from the pool, slightly monitoring the children at the party. Charlie approached her nervously.

“Ms. Wonka?” She said timidly. “May I speak with you?”

Her mentor smiled. “Of course, Charlie! What’s going on?”

Charlie rocked on her heels. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I spoke with Victor just now. He seems to be doing well.”

“See, I told you he would be fine. You children had nothing to worry about!”

“But that’s not the thing I wanted to talk about,” she said. “Victor told me that he could be back to normal in a month. Did you know that?” She gave a long look at the Chocolatier.

Wonka blinked a few times. “Pardon?”

“He told me, just now. He said if he continues his recovery with Ozzy, he could leave the factory within a month,” Charlie said.

Wonka paused for a moment as she saw the hurt on Charlie’s face. “Excuse me, Ms. Bucket.”

Charlie panicked. Oh no. Victor! She watched Ms. Wonka head over the Victor and speak with him. She watched the happiness drain from his face and the fear return.

“What?! No!”

In an instant the party was over. Michelle was filled with rage as Agnes and Vernon grew concerned. Cameron and Lex tried to calm Victor down as Wonka snapped her fingers and Victor’s outfit changed from swim trunks to his regular factory outfit.

“We are going back to the living quarters of the factory. Your time in the Oompa Loompa section is done,” Wonka instructed. She then looked at the crowd. “Come with me, we have to board the boat.”

“No!” Victor cried out. Wonka grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the party. Victor looked around helplessly. “Ozzy! Please!”

Ozzy looked back in hurt. He was really looking forward to the rest of the week with Victor and helping him. He was sad to see the boy taken away.

The boat ride was quiet. The Golden Ticket Winners, Cameron, and Lex sat quietly along with Wilma Wonka. Victor dissociated, looking down at the floor. Wonka eyed him carefully.

“Why did I have to go?” Victor asked her. “I thought you wanted me there.”

“I did want you there, but it was to get over your fear,” Wonka explained.

“And I did! So why bring me back?!” Victor shouted.

“Because of your condition, Victor. You are here for a year.”

Victor’s face turned to anger. “You’re lying! Why did Ozzy say I could return to normal in a month?!”

Michelle and Vernon’s eyes widened at the information. The others in the boat silently watched and waited for what Wonka had to say.

Wonka sighed. “If I kept you here for a year, it would’ve given me enough time to study your condition. Well not just you, but for the others as well.” Michelle grimaced at that. She wondered if she would’ve also been normal after a month.

A range of emotions flooded Victor. “I…I could’ve been back to normal, earlier this year?!” His heart pounded. “You could’ve fixed me way long time ago?! You lied to me! You didn’t let me go to the Juicing Room at all! You left me stuck alone in the Testing Room for hours! What else have you lied to me about?! Your magic?!”

Wonka took in his anger. “I can’t instantly fix you with my magic. I have my limitations. But it is true about how often you could’ve visited the Juicing Room. It wouldn’t have effected your progress at all.”

Victor didn’t know what to feel. He was conflicted. “I wouldn’t have left here. I would’ve been stuck here forever.”

“You wouldn’t be stuck here forever,” Wonka reassured. “My calculations are still correct. If I keep you at a steady pace with the research I’ve been doing, you would be set to be completely back to normal in seven months.”

The boat soon arrived at the dock. Victor felt sick to his stomach from the news. “How…how am I supposed to trust you?” He asked quietly. He got up and left the boat.

Cameron and Lex looked at each other and went after him. Michelle looked at Wonka in anger and left as well followed by Vernon and Agnes.

Lastly Charlie sat there, tears down her face. “Why, Ms. Wonka?” She asked quietly. “We’re just kids.” She quickly left before her mentor could say anything.

Wonka sat on the boat and tried to collect her thoughts. She clutched tightly onto her cane.

“Victor, wait up, please!” Cameron shouted as his best friend paced madly down the hall.

“No!” Victor turned around and faced him and the others. “I…I just want to be alone! No amount of encouragement or pep talks can fix this. She never cared about me! I was just another attraction to her.”

“But Victor, we missed you!” Charlie said. “Let’s talk this out. Ms. Wonka said she made the others stay here for a year as well. You’re not alone!”

Victor looked at her bitterly. “You guys didn’t miss me. You just missed someone to bully.”

“That’s not true,” Michelle said. “All week we’ve been trying to find ways to get you out of there.”

“We thought you were being tortured,” Vernon said.

Victor looked away. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “Vernon, again, I’m sorry for slapping you. I really didn’t mean it.”

“I know you didn’t mean it,” Vernon said. “It’s okay.”

Victor felt slightly relieved at that. He knew his and Vernon’s relationship was slowly getting better, but he still felt guilty about the incident. “This is just…a lot. I just don’t know what to do anymore.” He looked at all of them but mostly at his best friend and girlfriend. Lex quickly grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back. “Please. I just need some space.”

He then finished the walk up to his room and the group heard his door open and close.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Wilkinson knocked on her boss’ door. “Ms. Wonka?” She said. “May I come in?”

Wonka’s head slowly lifted up from her desk and she forced a smile. She looked disheveled. “Yes, of course.”

“What is this I hear about you forcing the children to stay here for a year?”

Wonka sighed. “Charlie told you.”

“Of course she told me!” She shouted. “She comes to me for advice as much as she comes to you. Why didn’t you tell me any of this? What were you thinking?”

Even the great chocolatier was at a loss for words. “I must’ve gotten carried away with my curiosity.”

“You think?!”

She looked at her assistant. The Chocolatier was wrought with guilt. Did she go too far? “But I truly thought I was helping them. Their incidents during their tour were supposed to reflect their mistakes. And well, when the opportunity arose when they came back, I had to study what was going on with them and their conditions. A year would’ve been long enough for both discoveries and for them to better themselves.”

“But did bettering themselves through intense testing seem the right way to go?” Wilkinson raised an eyebrow.

Wonka said nothing.

Wilkinson sighed. “Ms. Wonka, I’ve known you for quite some time. I’ve seen your highs and your lows and your setbacks and your wins. I am here to assist you always. But at this time, I need to step down for a week or two. I will return of course, but I need my own time to reflect. I need time to reflect on your decisions on how you treated the Golden Ticket Winners and how we both should move forward. Deep down, I know you care about the children and I do too, but this isn’t it. I think you’ve spent far too long away from the public eye and in isolation that you need to better your own self. I care about you, Ms. Wonka. Please take care.”

Wonka said nothing. She simply nodded and gave a sad smile.

Wilma nodded in return and gave a sad grin back. “Good day.”

Chapter Text

Once again, Wilma Wonka’s office was in shambles. She’s never had Wilkinson take leave before. Wilkinson was her right hand man, her ride or die. She needed someone to keep her grounded. Without her, her mind ran rampant.

How was she supposed to carry on like this? She needed guidance! Well I guess I could schedule that therapy appointment again with one of my Oompa Loompas, she thought.

But she has to turn this around. Wilkinson wants me to be nicer to the four Golden Ticket Winners, she thought, I guess I’ll have to try harder.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor found himself awoken in an all white room. He was on the floor and he stood up immediately. He panicked.

"Hello?" He called out. He look around and there in front of him was a window. He tried to look through it but there was nothing. The room outside of this one seemed dark. The lights weren't on. He searched for a door. Where is it? He thought. He felt the walls. He couldn't feel a doorknob.

"Please!" He cried. "Somebody help!"

He then saw that the blue was crawling down his arm. He gasped. Oh no! He thought. I'm going to be really stuck soon if no one comes find me. A loud gurgle came from his stomach. Victor whimpered quietly. This isn't good. He felt his stomach bloat and began banging on the walls. "Let me out! Please!"

He heard voices from the outside. He looked out the window and saw Ms. Wonka leading a group of people. What's going on?

"And here we have our latest addition to the factory," he heard Wilma Wonka say. "Our very own Berry Boy!"

Victor gasped. He tried to back away from the window as he grew larger. It was getting much harder to move. Is this a new tour? He thought.

Except this tour group had even more people than the original. They were allowed cameras.

“No,” Victor trembled. “Make it stop! I need help!” Victor banged on the glass. “Please!”

Except his pleas fell on deaf ears. He then heard a whirring noise as two mechanical, white gloves arms came out of the ceiling. They latched onto his puffy arms and pulled him back. Victor whimpered as he stumbled backwards.

The tour’s eyes were so curious and the flashing of their cameras overwhelmed Victor. The arms eventually let go as he rounded out and he could only move his hands.

Victor tried to waddle forward but the floor dipped and trapped him, preventing him from moving. He flapped his hands and tried calling out but he couldn’t because of his puffed up cheeks.

“Mmph! Mmph!” His eyes began to water. “Mish…Womfa!”

Victor lurched awake as he found himself in the Testing Room. He was fully round and could barely move. He didn’t know how large he was.

The nightmares kept getting worse and worse. He didn’t expect to dream about being in an actual display case for Wonka. It was probably because of the lingering thought of being a factory attraction constantly plagued his mind. He felt like a trophy to his parents for years. He didn’t need to feel like a freak show for Wonka as well.

Victor groaned quietly. He didn’t know what else to do ever since he found out that Wonka was keeping him for a year because of her whimsical curiosity.

He missed Ozzy. He missed how optimistic Ozzy was with his condition. Even though Victor made a life changing mistake, Ozzy was patient with him and understanding with him. He wanted to talk to him again. But he knew he couldn’t. He hasn’t seen him in days.

So Victor just sat there going through the motions. He felt numb. He didn’t didn’t want to do anything - not even compete or talk to his friends. He just wanted to turn off the world.

He accepted his fate. It’s been nearly six months now. He had another six months to go.

Victor vaguely remembered what happened before he cried himself to sleep in the Testing Room. The Oompa Loompas sang a new song and this one was even meaner and nastier than the first two.

Wonka’s cruel henchmen used the boy as a disco ball. He never felt so inhuman before. The lyrics were insulting and he was really starting to believe everything they sang. It was as if every time the Oompa Loompas sang a new song, the lyrics got harsher and harsher.

They would dance and get up in his face and mock him with their words or pretend to chew gum. It stung into Victor’s mind.

They said he didn’t have any talent or could do anything at all. The cruel statement that he couldn’t wear normal size clothing anymore and that he’ll need a tent. They practically called him dumb by saying his brain was in mint condition and never been used. They sang that his parents just used him for fame and that the only reason why people loved him was because of his fame.

This isn’t true! He shouted in his head. They’re wrong!

But what was scary was that Victor feared they were right. That same awful thought again that he was meant to be like this. That he deserved this. That he couldn’t do anything before at all. The Oompa Loompas sing songs about their lesson and punishment, right? So what if their singing had to be correct!

It didn’t make Victor feel any better. If the workers’ song was true, then…did nobody really want him for who he is? Did people really just see him because of his awards?

He couldn’t take it anymore, so he cried himself to sleep once the song was over and finally stopped playing in his head. But now he’s awake.

Eventually, Victor was rolled out of there and juiced back to normal. The boy was unfortunately blue head to toe but he had his mobility back and there was no sign of swelling.

Victor was called to a meeting with Wonka in her office so one of the Oompa Loompas walked him down the hall. He again wished it was Ozzy so he could have someone to talk to and encourage him. If he made conversation with this Oompa Loompa, he swore they would just be rude to him. Better to keep quiet.

The Oompa Loompa knocked on Wilma Wonka’s door and the Chocolatier looked up. Victor stood there dejectedly.

“Come in, Mr. Beauregarde,” she beckoned him.

Victor walked inside and sat in her chair.

Wonka studied the boy. She tried to channel Wilkinson’s advice of going easier on him. Victor didn’t look at her at all. He looked exhausted and stared at the floor.

“Victor,” Wonka called him, snapping him out of his thoughts. “There’s a reason why I called you here today.”

Victor quietly panicked. He didn’t know what she had planned but anything Wonka thought was scary to him.

“Since you’ve been here for almost six months now, I want you to start thinking of Plan B’s in case the 5% of you not returning back to normal happens,” she said.

“Plan…B’s…?” He repeated slowly. He knew that he would most likely be back to normal so he tried to shove the fear of the 5% ever happening - even if it did creep up every now and then.

Wonka sighed. “Yes, a Plan B of what you want to do if we can’t get the juice permanently out of you.”

Victor’s mind ran wild. He still needed to process how he would feel of the odds of not getting back to normal. His mind instantly went to his friends and school and competing. What was he supposed to do? His life would be over! His parents would pitch a fit that he could no longer compete!

Then Victor’s breathing became ragged. He thought again about the Oompa Loompas’ song from earlier.

Wonka tried to be patient with him as she saw the boy panic. “Victor? I need you to respond, sweetie pie.”

Victor looked up at her. “What do you want me to say?! I don’t know what my Plan B would be! My life would be over! I…I don’t know what to do! This is all because of your stupid freaking gum!”

Wonka bit back her tongue to say it was the boy’s fault for taking it. She knew her and Victor could go back and forth all day with their remarks, but that’s not what Wilkinson would want her to do.

“Victor,” she said patiently, folding her hands, “I need you to think deeply about this. It’s very important for you to come up with an idea that you’re comfortable with if you aren’t fully back to normal.”

“But that’s the point! What if I’ll never get back to normal?! I’ll forever be known as the gum chewing brat who turned into a blueberry! I don’t think I can handle that!”

Wonka huffed. She didn’t know what else to say as the boy had tears well up in his eyes. She didn’t think she could be patient with him much longer. “Then you should’ve thought about that when you stole the gum!”

Victor’s eyes widened and he quickly left the room.

Wonka shut her eyes and cursed to herself. “Oh, dang it.” She’s going to have to try harder.

Victor, meanwhile, hurried to his room to give himself space. He tried to calm himself down and think of some Plan B’s but they were all coming to horrifying “what if” scenarios.

He could only imagine what it would be like to be stuck in the factory forever if he couldn’t be permanently fixed. The constant juicing, the constant poking and prodding. What did the 5% even entail? That he would be here longer than a year? That he could never ever be fixed?

If he did choose to stay at the factory, he was sure Wilma Wonka would be stricter with her rules. What if he never saw Cameron or Lex again? What would this mean about college and his career?

His mind spun from the ceaseless thoughts. He had to sit down on his bed to calm down. Well that was one Plan B, but he wasn’t sure if he was comfortable with it.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The children have barely heard from Victor since he arrived back from the Oompa Loompa section of the factory. He barely said a thing and hardly interacted with the others.

Charlie has been texting both Cameron and Lex and she was starting to get concerned.

Cameron: no he hasn’t messaged me lately. I tried texting him and he just leaves me on read

Lex: no I haven’t heard from him :( Cameron and I talked about it and we don’t think it’s a good idea to visit at the moment. We’re trying to respect his space.

Charlie sighed as she walked by Victor’s room. She debated whether to knock on his dorm but she stopped herself. If Cameron and Lex were giving him a break then so should she.

“Whatcha doing?”

Charlie jumped and she turned around and saw Michelle sipping on a Caprisun. Charlie pulled her away from Victor’s door and dragged her into her own bedroom.

“I was gonna check on Victor but I stopped myself,” Charlie explained. “He hasn’t said anything to anyone in days! Even Cameron and Lex said he’s leaving them on read.”

Michelle nodded slowly. “To be honest, Charlie, I hate to say it but I don’t know what to do anymore. I want to remind him he’s not alone, but it’s starting to feel like he needs more than that.”

“I just want to do something. I FEEL like I need to do something,” Charlie said.

“I mean we could try, but I don’t know how much help it would create,” Michelle shrugged.

“Then let’s do something!” Charlie said with a smile. “I’ll try and come up with something in a bit and let you guys know!”

Charlie excused Michelle from her room and shut the door. Michelle stood out in the hallway. She sipped on her Caprisun and sighed. Hopefully Charlie doesn’t get too carried away, she thought.

Charlie paced her bedroom in deep thought. She tried to think of things Victor would like to do but also what everyone liked to do. She knew they needed another group hangout, something to remind Victor that they have each other. She stopped pacing for a moment. Wait, what DID Victor like to do? What does he like that isn’t competing and sports? He didn’t have any hobbies because of his parents.

Then Charlie’s eyes lit up with an idea.

“A slumber party?” Michelle snarled. “What are you, twelve?”

Vernon chuckled at that. “Why a slumber party to cheer up Victor? It is kind of childish.”

Charlie rolled her eyes at their criticism. “Look, a sleepover was one of the only thing that I could think of where everyone could be happy.”

“I guess it’s pretty neutral,” Agnes thought out loud.

“Plus something happened in May with that party he went to,” Charlie said. “Maybe we can make it up to him?”

Michelle huffed and folded her arms. “Fine, you win, Goody-Two-Shoes.”

Charlie later knocked on Victor’s door in her golden pajama set that Wonka gave her. She stood there giddily.

Victor groggily opened the door and was taken aback at Charlie’s attire. It was 5PM. Why was she already in her pajamas? “Charlie? What’s going on?”

She gave him a big smile. “You are invited to hang out with us at a sleepover!”

Victor blushed blue. “S-Sleepover?” He shook his head in disbelief, immediately thinking of the last one he went to. “I…I don’t think I want to. And then there was the incident with Vernon-”

Charlie touched his shoulder. “It’ll be nothing like whatever happened last time, Victor. I promise!”

Victor glanced around awkwardly. He was really enjoying the solitude he had going in his room. “I don’t know, Charlie…”

Charlie’s eyes softened. “Victor, we haven’t seen or heard from you in days! We really want to hang out with you. Just this once! Then tomorrow we’ll leave you alone.”

Victor slouched. He was normal and he hasn’t dealt with any swelling or blueness all day. But also, he couldn’t say no to Charlie. Something about Charlie was convincing. He sighed. “Fine. I’ll do it. But I don’t think I’ll be up for anything you have planned.”

Charlie grinned. “That’s fine! Go on! Put on your pajamas. We’re all downstairs!”

Victor blushed again and looked nervously at her. “My…pajamas?”

Charlie nodded. “We’ll see you downstairs!”

Victor stood in his doorway uneasily. He went ahead and closed the door and proceeded to put on the pajamas. He looked at himself in the mirror. He felt empty. Before he left his room, he grabbed a stick of gum. He knew he was going to need it.

The five Golden Ticket Winners all sat on the floor in silence. Michelle scoffed as she looked at everyone in their pajamas Wonka gifted them. “We look like a bunch of dorks on Christmas Day.”

Agnes chuckled. Victor sighed and chewed his gum. This is going to be a long night.

“How did you even get Wonka to do this for us?” Vernon asked curiously, sitting in his red pajamas.

Charlie thought back to how she noticed Wonka struggling in her office and debating whether to say yes to Charlie’s idea. She saw how she struggled to allow the party. Something was bothering her for sure.

Charlie shook it off. “She simply said yes! No matter! I think she’s starting to care about us,” she smiled.

The rest of them groaned and rolled their eyes at Charlie’s comment. “Sure she does,” Michelle said. Michelle turned her attention to Victor who zoned out as he chewed his gum. He was hugging his knees and looked exhausted. “How are you, Blueregarde?”

Victor snapped back into focus. He looked around him as he saw the attention back him him. “I’m…fine…”

“Good,” Michelle said.

“I think I’m going to go. I’m sorry, Charlie, I can’t do it. I don’t feel comfortable with this at all,” Victor shook his head as he stood up. “I don’t want a repeat of the last sleepover I was at and you guys know my night terrors have been bad! It wouldn’t be a fun night and I don’t want to ruin anything anymore. I’m going back to my room.”

“Victor, wait!” Charlie said as she stood up. “You’re not going to ruin anything. We’re here for you!”

Victor frowned. He was tired of hearing that phrase as much as they genuinely meant it.

“Victor, we know the hit was an accident,” Charlie said. “You were asleep! Even if it were to happen again, we would still be here to help.”

The other Golden Ticket Winners chimed in agreement.

“Stay for another thirty minutes at least!” Charlie begged.

Victor huffed. He sat back down. “Okay.”

The children played board games, much to Victor’s annoyance. He, again, wasn’t too into them. However because he was Victor Beauregarde, he won every round.

Michelle sighed frustratedly. “You know what?! Let’s play a different game! A game where it doesn’t take strategy to win!” She eyed Victor carefully. Victor leaned against the couch in awkwardness. She grew a mischievous smile on her face. “Let’s play truth or dare.”

Victor and Charlie tensed up at that. Maybe pre-factory, this wouldn’t be a problem, but Michelle was a wild card to him.

Michelle did dares the entire time from doing handstands to prank calls. However no matter how hard she tried to get the others to also pick dare, she gave them hard things to admit for truth.

Charlie and Agnes only did one dare which were pretty tame. Charlie was to steal something from Wonka’s office and Agnes had to close her eyes and eat a surprise food of Michelle’s choosing. It was sour candy, and boy, did Agnes’ lips pucker.

Vernon has never done truth or dare so of course he was excited. He always had a hard time choosing between the two. Michelle often ended up picking for him and gave the kid slightly harder truths or dares, like how exactly rich is Vernon? (Way too rich to even fathom.) And “I dare you to each give us $20.” And he did, not like it put a huge dent in his wallet.

Then there was Victor. Victor has kept quiet this entire time until Michelle set her eyes upon him.

“So, Blueregarde,” she said, “truth…or dare?”

Victor chewed his gum a tad faster. “Uh…um…”

“Come on, Victor, we all did one!” Michelle said. “You only have to do one!”

Victor thought hard. He didn’t want to bring down the mood of the party but he also didn’t feel like participating. “Um…truth?” It felt like a safe choice with Michelle Teevee.

Michelle grinned and Victor regretted coming out of his room. “Why do you chew gum so much?”

Victor slowed down his chewing and blushed. “I…um…dare! I pick dare!”

Vernon and Michelle looked at each other with an eyebrow raised.

Michelle shrugged. “Then I dare you to tell us the truth.”

Victor tensed. “Because I have to,” he said. “I have a world record to uphold.”

“Yeah, but you already won it,” Vernon said. “And you haven’t been chewing it everyday since the tour.“

“Look, it keeps me focused! There’s your answer!”

“Yeah but why did you steal the gum?” Michelle asked.

“I already answered the question! I don’t have to answer anything else!” Victor spat. “Are you happy you got to learn more about the gum chewing brat?! So leave me alone!”

Victor turned to get up to leave but Agnes stopped him. He turned to look at her angrily but when he saw it was her, his face softened.

“Victor,” Agnes said softly, “we don’t see you as a brat. We don’t see each other as brats.”

“Well, maybe except for Vernon,” Michelle teased. Vernon stuck his tongue out at her.

Victor’s face hardened again with anger. “How can any of you relate because I’m forever known as the dumb kid who got turned into a blueberry!”

“Victor, when we left the factory, we were immediately humiliated,” Michelle said. “You’re lucky you got to leave a little later. The TV reporters wouldn’t leave me alone for days. I didn’t go back to school until a week later when my height was somewhat normal again. I’m going to forever be known as the girl who got shrunk by television and got stretched super tall.”

“The boy who got thrown into a garbage chute by squirrels,” Vernon added quietly.

“The girl who fell in the chocolate river and got stuck up the pipe,” Agnes said. “I still have to deal with the bullying at school.”

“People treat me differently at school too,” Vernon said.

“But dude, only we know what truly happened in the tour,” Michelle concluded. She sighed. “I didn’t mean to harass you with the question. I shouldn’t have asked it in the first place.”

Victor paused and looked down at his lap. “No, it’s fine, I…I’m not ready to answer it at all just yet.”

“You know, at the end of the tour, I asked if all of you guys were going to be okay and Ms. Wonka never gave me a straight answer,” Charlie said. “All she said was that you guys would return to your ‘rotten terrible selves’. But I don’t think any of you guys are terrible. Not at all.”

The four of them said nothing but they all soon smiled at that. Victor’s smile faded too quickly. Rotten terrible selves? He thought. Is that all that Wonka sees him and the others? Is that how other people perceived him back home?

Victor shoved the thought down quickly and tried to focus on the sleepover. The group started playing Never Have I Ever and Vernon has never played it before, which surprised everyone. No matter how many times Michelle explained it, Vernon did it wrong.

Eventually the rich child got it only for him to state non-relatable experiences such as “never have I ever got three horses for Christmas one year” or “never have I ever been to Paris in the winter time.” He was trying his best.

Victor, meanwhile, continued to think of Plan B’s. He wondered if he could stay with the other Golden Ticket Winners since they also knew of his condition. However he couldn’t imagine being stuck with Vernon forever - not even his parents. They might complain how a human blueberry might ruin their home!

Michelle’s parents were indifferent towards him. Her father and mother never saw him as anything else but a blueberry boy so he couldn’t imagine visiting them.

Agnes’ mother seemed just as intense as his own parents when it came to dieting and that was the last thing he wanted.

That only left the Buckets, but Victor felt as if he didn’t deserve their love and kindness. He didn’t want to burden them again. They were too generous for him and Victor couldn’t handle that.

So, it was back to the drawing board for Plan B.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The children eventually fell asleep in the living room after playing a few more games and watching a movie. Charlie woke up to the sound of a doorbell.

She groggily answered the door and found Sam and Scarlett Beauregarde standing before her. She tensed up at the sight of them.

Sam scoffed at the young girl. “Charlie Bucket,” he gave a sly grin. “The girl who won the factory instead of my son. Where is Victor?”

Charlie blushed awkwardly. She looked behind her and Sam followed her gaze. He pushed passed her before she could even speak. Charlie stumbled back from the push as Victor’s parents entered.

The other four children were still asleep. Sam crouched next to Victor and nudged him. Victor stretched awake. He opened his eyes and lurched back when he saw his father before him.

“W-What are you doing here?” He asked them.

“We are taking you with us to a little vacation!” Sam said happily.

Victor couldn’t believe it. He was never invited to a vacation. And the last time he was told he was going on a vacation, he was tricked to going back to Wonka’s factory. “But…why?”

“We can’t spend time with our son?” Scarlett asked too sweetly.

“Come on!” Sam said, pulling his son up. “Go and get ready!”

“Wait!” Victor said as he got on his feet. “I need to talk to Ms. Wonka!”

Sam huffed frustratedly. “Why?!”

Victor swallowed nervously. “So my condition doesn’t act up in public.”

Sam rolled his eyes causing Victor to frown. “You and this condition, boy! I don’t understand why you can’t control it.”

Victor looked down. “I’m sorry, father.” Victor began to make his way to Ms. Wonka. Charlie followed him.

“What’s going on?” She asked as they walked down the hall.

“They want to take me somewhere,” Victor said quietly. “But I don’t know where. It’s not that simple. I’m pretty sure it all has to do with my mom’s campaign. They wouldn’t just take me on a vacation.”

Charlie didn’t say anything. She didn’t know how to respond to that. Her family didn’t go on vacations, but that was because they couldn’t afford to.

Charlie knocked on Wonka’s office once they arrived as Victor wrung his hands nervously.

“Come in,” they heard. Charlie and Victor entered. Wonka gave a smug smile as she leaned back in the chair. “Ahh of course it’s you two!” She said. “What seems to be the problem now? Whenever you two are together, there’s always a problem!”

Victor looked away in guilt. “My parents are here,” he said quietly. “They want to take me somewhere. I wanted to ask if I’m allowed to go.”

Wonka drummed her fingers in thought. Well this is a relief, she thought. With the boy away for a bit, I could rethink my circumstances. This could also show Wilkinson how much more patient I am with him. Wonka also didn’t feel like getting into an argument with the boy’s parents. It was too early in the morning to deal with Sam and Scarlett Beauregarde.

“You can go,” she said. She then snapped her fingers. “There. You shouldn’t have any accidents for the rest of the day.”

Victor’s shoulders slouched. She was hoping Wonka would say no, but he figured The Chocolatier didn’t want to argue with them. He didn’t blame her. He didn’t want to spend time with his parents.

“Um, thank you, Ms. Wonka,” he said looking down at his feet. He then left the room quickly.

Charlie gave her mentor a look and also left.

Victor changed out of his pajamas and into different clothes. He came back into the living room with the Michelle and the others leaving. Michelle was fuming. “Lovely parents, Blueregarde,” she said storming off.

Victor blushed and cringed at Michelle and the others getting upset with his parents. He looked at them.

“You’re ready, then?” Sam asked.

Victor nodded. “Yes, father.”

Victor climbed in the backseat of the car and sighed nervously. “Where are we going?”

“Oh just one of your favorite places, honey!” Scarlett turned around and smiled at him.

Victor didn’t react. He knew they didn’t know his favorite place to go to. He wasn’t even sure where he’d love to go. He’s never been on vacation before.

“What did you say to Michelle and the others?” He asked.

“Oh them?” Sam rolled his eyes as he drove. “I just said that you could do better than them. You don’t need to be hanging out with those losers, son.”

Victor sunk into his seat. He pulled out his phone and began to text Michelle.

“Ah ah ah! No! Today is a phone free day! You can have it back when we drop you off. Scarlett, take his phone.”

Victor grew nervous. “But-!”

“Now, Victor!” Sam yelled.

Victor sighed and handed his phone to his mom. This was going to be a long day. He just wanted to apologize to Michelle and finally touch base with Cameron and Lex.

The ride was long. Victor was anxious to see where they were going and what their intentions were. Eventually they pulled up to a stadium. Victor grumbled quietly to himself. A baseball game. He didn’t want to be here.

Sam clasped his son’s shoulder as they took their seats. “Isn’t this exciting?”

“What are we doing here?” Victor asked finally. “What’s really going on?”

“Never mind that, honey. Why don’t you sit riiiight here,” Scarlett pushed her son down in a seat and dusted off his shoulders. She straightened his hair and made sure he was angled correctly for the cameras that were sitting in the next section over.

Victor looked towards them and became furious. “I knew it! You only needed me for some publicity stunt! This wasn’t a vacation at all! I didn’t want to be out today!”

Sam got close to Victor’s face and wagged his finger. “You ungrateful little brat! We got you out of that damn factory and we’re here helping you get back in the public eye! So you’re going to sit here and enjoy the game so you can get back your title! Understood?”

Victor controlled his anger and folded his arms. “Yes, father.”

Sam straightened himself out and handed him a strip of gum. “Good. Now let’s watch the game.” Victor took it and reluctantly began to chew.

“Smile, honey,” Scarlett touched his chin.

Victor did his best to seen happy, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the Golden Ticket Winners and last night. The game was long. Eventually he saw that the cameras left and he slouched in his chair. His head rested in his hand and he huffed.

After what felt like eternity, the game was over. They walked back to the car.

“May I have my phone back now?” Victor asked.

“Nope!” Sam said, starting the engine. “We have one last place go go.

Victor softly banged the back of his head on the headrest. He was tired. He couldn’t believe he was thinking that he wanted to be back at the factory. Victor saw that they were pulling into a restaurant parking lot. End me now, Victor thought. Probably another publicity stunt.

The family walked in and saw the Montgomery family sitting at a table. Victor gasped. Scarlett talked to the host. “We’re with them.”

The Beauregarde’s walked over to the Montgomery’s. Victor nervously locked eyes with Maddie. She gave him a wave. He knew this was another ploy by his parents. He sat next to his classmate.

“Victor!” Maddie said with a smile. “How are you? Lex said she hasn’t heard from you in days. Are you all right?”

Victor’s hands trembled. “I’m fine,” he said. “I hope you’re well too.”

Maddie eyed him suspiciously. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” he insisted. “I’ve been busy. Just another lame competition.”

“It’s so great to see the children together,” Scarlett said to Mrs. Montgomery, holding a menu. “Surely this can benefit the both of us.”

Victor’s heart pounded. He wanted to message Lex immediately. He didn’t like this situation one bit.

Maddie opened her menu and watched Victor look around the restaurant nervously. He saw a few cameras lurking around.

Maddie leaned over and whispered. “How about looking at the menu? Maybe you can focus on something else aside from…you know? Whatever our parents are planning?” Maddie tried making a joke to ease his nerves. It didn’t seem to be doing the trick.

“Oh, I’m not allowed to look at the menu,” Victor said.

Maddie looked at him confused. “What?” She laughed awkwardly. “You’re seventeen, I think you’re old enough to look at a menu.”

“My father orders for me,” he said.

Maddie didn’t know how to respond. Did Lex knew about this? Or even Cameron? “Oh, um, okay.”

The server came to the table and everyone ordered. Sam ordered a simple Caesar chicken salad and a water for his son and nothing else. The dinner was eventful for the adults. Victor was too nervous to talk to Maddie. He couldn’t stop thinking about the paparazzi and not wanting to ruin his new friendship with her.

Victor couldn’t imagine competing forever and helping his parents his Plan B. He might not have a choice if he didn’t want to stay at the factory.

He felt his breathing become shallow. He tried to take a sip of his water as Maddie looked at him. Maddie looked down at his bowl. He barely touched it. She then remembered that he barely ate the entire evening. He was just cutting the salad over and over. Did he even eat?

Maddie looked between Victor and his parents. Both of the parents laughed and enjoyed the dinner. Does Victor have…? She dismissed the thought quickly. She knew she had to text Lex later on.

“Victor?” She said quietly. “Are you okay?”

“I told you I’m fine,” he said. Victor felt his cheeks flush. Maddie eyed him weird. Did his cheeks always look blue when he blushed? Victor shut his eyes and tried to ground himself.

“That was an amazing dinner, Martha!” Scarlett laughed an obnoxious laugh. “We simply must do this again some time!”

Martha looked at the two children with a smile. “We must! I think the Montgomery’s and the Beauregarde’s will be a good partnership. We can make this work. We’ll discuss what we can do about the whole dating situation later.”

Both families got up from the table. Victor turned to Maddie. “I’m sorry for not being much for conversation, Maddie. I just…I’m going through a lot right now.”

Maddie looked at him sympathetically. “Victor, it’s fine! We can always hang out next time.”

Victor looked pained at that. He shook his head. “I’m not sure there’s going to be a next time.”

Maddie gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“I gotta go. I’m sorry.” Victor turned to his father. “I need to head to the car.”

Sam stared at him for a bit. “Why?”

Victor wasn’t much for lying but he couldn’t be in this situation any longer. Between the cameras and feeling used by his parents, he wanted to be alone. “I…I don’t feel good.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “For Pete’s sake, son!” He grabbed the keys and tossed it to him. “Go!”

Victor hurried to the car as Maddie watched him leave. She just hoped he was okay.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor said nothing the rest of the car ride. His parents were upset with him.

The Beauregarde’s entered the factory yelling at their son. The Golden Ticket Winners and Wonka turned their attention towards them.

“You just had to leave the dinner early!” Sam scolded him. “You couldn’t do one thing right and stay with us! You nearly ruined our deal with them! So ungrateful!”

“We let you out of the factory, Victor!” Scarlett added. “You couldn’t even make one conversation with Maddie or her parents! Are you trying to ruin our image?”

Victor flinched at their berating. Then they saw their son’s face turn blue.

“Oh great!” Sam rolled his eyes. “And then you do that!”

“Do what?” Victor asked confused.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Victor! You’re turning blue!” Sam yelled.

Victor’s eyes widened as he looked down at his now blue hands. He must’ve been holding in all that stress until he arrived back at the factory. His stomach gave a loud gurgle before he started swelling.

“I’m sorry-”

“Enough apologizing, Victor!” Sam yelled. “Your mom and I have had enough of your behavior! Acting out during the game and during dinner. We’re going to have to be a lot stricter with you when you come back home.”

Victor shook his head no in fear as his arms rose up from his swelling stomach.

“This isn’t champion behavior, son!” Sam yelled. “I didn’t raise a failure!”

Victor’s heart raced. He didn’t want to be scolded in front of the other Golden Ticket Winners. He couldn’t take it anymore.

Victor flailed his arms. “I can’t take it anymore! I can’t take anymore of your stupid yelling! I’m doing my best!”

“Then try harder!” Sam yelled back.

“I am! But you aren’t noticing! I! I quit! I quit being a champion!”

A deathly silence filled the air. Sam and Scarlett’s eyes widened at their son. They froze at what he said. Even the other children and Wonka looked toward the swelling boy.

Victor paused at the words that came out of his mouth. He studied his parents’ reactions. He’s never seen them so nervous before.

“What…did you just say?” Sam asked slowly.

Victor tried to find the strength and anger he had just seconds ago. “…I quit. I no longer want to compete.”

Sam and Scarlett approached their child carefully. “Victor, honey, think about this carefully,“ Scarlett said. “If you quit, then your father and I can’t take care of you! And you want us to take care of you, yes?”

Victor was conflicted. He tried to back away from them. “I just can’t take the yelling anymore!”

Wonka studied the situation carefully. Something felt oddly familiar to her about it watching Victor shrink back from his parents. She just couldn’t place her finger on it.

Sam placed his hands on Victor’s shoulders. “It’s to make you stronger, Victor, you know this!”

Victor shook his head and he backed away carefully. “I need a moment.”

Sam and Scarlett let him go. “We’ll check back soon, Victor.” Sam said. “Understood?”

“Yes, father.” Everyone watched Victor head to his room.

After a moment, Sam’s anger rose again. Him and his wife marched up to The Chocolatier. “You!” He yelled at the un-phased Wonka. “You’re the reason my prized champion is wanting to quit!”

Wonka smiled. “I didn’t do anything. As usual, your son made his own choice.”

The Golden Ticket Winners watched the conversation in silence.

Sam huffed in frustration. He grabbed his wife’s hand. “We will come back, Wonka. And when we do, Victor better be back on his feet and ready to compete.”

Sam and Scarlett left the factory and Wonka and the children all looked at each other.

“Maybe I should go talk to him,” Charlie suggested, getting up from the couch.

“No, I’ll talk to him,” Wonka said holding up her hand.

Charlie was unsure about her mentor’s decision. “Are you sure? I don’t know if you’re what Victor needs at the moment.”

Wonka sighed impatient. “May I remind you Charlie, and the others for that matter, that I am the adult in this factory. While your parents are away, I am in charge and I’m the one who makes the decisions. Are we clear?”

Charlie shrunk back. “Yes, Ms. Wonka.”

“Very well.” Wonka walked up the stairs and headed to the athlete’s room. She knocked on the door and waited for Victor to respond. She didn’t hear anything. “Victor?” Nothing. “Victor, I’m coming in.”

She saw Victor resting on his bed with his hands on his large stomach. He looked nervously at her. Great, because I need her in here, he thought.

“How are you feeling?”

His favorite question. “I’m fine.”

“Are you really?” She smiled. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Victor’s face scrunched up in anger. “And why would I go to you about this?! All you’ve ever done is punish me and make me bigger! If I tell you anything, you might make me swell up!”

Wonka shut her eyes and tried to be patient. “Victor-”

“I’m not going to tell you anything! You’re no better than my parents.”

“Well then your parents and I must be correct, because you can’t seem to listen to us.”

Victor’s heart sank at that. “I do listen to you! You don’t listen to me! I’ve done everything you said since the beginning! I just can’t take it anymore! And I can’t take you and your stupid rules! I hate this place and I hate you!”

Wonka looked at the frustratedly. The anger took over her. She didn’t know how else to reach the boy. She didn’t know what Wilkinson would do. “Well then the feeling’s mutual, Victor! You haven’t made this entire journey easy for me either. I think your parents made the right decision tonight in scolding you for your behavior since you’re deciding to continue to be a difficult brat!”

Victor froze at her words. He tensed up. Wonka’s eyes widened as she saw how upset Victor was. She knew that feeling he expressed. She remembered feeling that feeling a long time ago. She quickly got up as guilt flooded her stomach. “Um, excuse me, Mr. Beauregarde. I’m…I’m sorry for my behavior.”

Wonka left the room as Victor softly cried in his bed. He didn’t understand Wonka’s reaction and he didn’t care to. He just kept hearing her harsh words in his head.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Victor was still swollen as he sat numb and defeated in his bedroom. Cameron and Lex stopped by. His best friend paced the floor angrily.

“Ugh!” He yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. “I can’t stand Sam and Scarlett! How dare they yell at you like that?!”

Lex sat in Victor’s desk chair and folded her arms. “You should tell him what they told us.”

Cameron stopped pacing and faced Victor. “Holy mother of God!” He exclaimed as Victor sat quietly in his bed. “Your parents had the AUDACITY to threaten us!”

Victor looked at him confused. “They threatened you guys? Why?”

“Well, they said we were a distraction to your athletic career,” Lex explained.

“Yeah, they said I’ve always been unnecessary to you since we were kids,” Cameron added.

“They wanted us to break up,” Lex said sadly.

Victor frowned at that. Cameron and Lex were the few people that made him happy and now his parents were threatening them to go away.

“But oh, I gave them a piece of my mind!” Cameron continued to pace.

“Which I disagreed with because I thought it was going to make the situation worse,” Lex said.

“I told them that they could shove it and that they don’t deserve to be parents and they aren’t fit to be parents!” Cameron yelled. Victor let his best friend continue his tirade. Cameron stopped once he noticed Victor dissociating. “What’s wrong?”

Victor snapped out of it. “I…said I quit being a champion to my parents last night.”

Cameron froze and both he and Lex looked at Victor. “Whoa, are you serious?!” Cameron exclaimed.

“Why did you do that?” Lex asked.

“I couldn’t take any more of the yelling,” Victor said. “Between my parents and Ms. Wonka, it’s becoming too much!”

Cameron looked at him in concern. “Well, are you really sure you want to quit?”

Victor thought for a moment. “I’m not sure,” he replied. “I…I don’t know what I want to do anymore. The future is really scary at the moment.”

“You still have time to figure it out,” Cameron said.

“Yeah, Victor, you don’t have to make a decision today,” Lex added.

“I never realized how often I’m talked about, well…how I feel about it that is. I’ve noticed how everyone sometimes talk about me as if I’m not here. I just realized they used to do that to me before the factory when they were talking about my achievements. But this is different. Now I just feel like some type of freak show.” Victor sunk into his bed. “Then Ms. Wonka got upset with me, too, last night. She said it’s my fault my parents are mad at me.”

“But it’s not!” Cameron protested. “Your parents are mad because you’re protecting yourself.”

“It doesn’t feel like I’m protecting myself,” Victor said. “I feel like I’m constantly messing up.” He looked at his girlfriend. “In fact, I think my parents might be right. It might be best if we split up.”

Cameron’s eyes widened.

Lexi shook her head in confusion. “Wait. You want to break up? But why?!”

“I’m just getting in the way!” Victor shouted. “It happened with me and Charlie and I feel like it’s going to happen with me and you!! I keep messing things up! I keep ruining our dates and it feels like I’m the problem! It’s all my fault! I just think it’s better if we break up.

“Victor, you’re not ruining things!” Lex said. “You’re going through something really traumatic right now. It’s like you have a sports injury. You just need to heal through it. Besides, I’m not dating you because of your fame or awards. I’m dating you because I love you. You’re a great guy, Vic. You’re not your championship.”

Victor became quiet for a moment. “It just doesn’t make sense to me,” he shook his head. “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around it. Either you’re dating me because you’re planning to trick me or you feel bad for me.”

Lexi gave him a soft smile. “Well I can assure you it’s neither. I love you, Victor.” She kissed him. “And I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for you and I’m staying with you. You’re going to have to try harder than that to get rid of me.”

Victor smiled back but it went away too quickly. Eventually his friends left and he was alone in his room. He was still on the fence whether to continue his championship. However, deep in Victor’s heart he felt like he knew what the answer was.

Tomorrow, he planned on talking to Wilma Wonka herself.

Chapter Text

Victor barely slept last night, and it wasn’t because of a night terror. It was because he had a huge decision to make and he needed to talk to Wilma Wonka. He needed to talk to her to finally get some questions answered. Maybe that’ll help him aid his decision.

The boy was still unfortunately swollen. His arms were puffy and his yoga ball sized stomach was still a hindrance. When his alarm finally went off, he did his best to swing his legs off so he could get up. It took him several minutes to do so, including to stop to catch his breath.

He finally got up, months of practice of him getting off his bed without any help since he hated asking for help, and began his trek to Wonka’s office.

It was a miracle that he knew how to get there. He often forgot since he was constantly rolled or too focused on controlling his breathing when he toddled. He knocked on the door as he breathed ragged.

He heard Wonka sigh before she answered. “Come in.”

Victor gradually walked in and stood before her. Wonka’s eyes widened at the sight of him. She wasn’t expecting to see him at all, not since she revealed she’s been keeping him and others for a year because of her insatiable curiosity.

“Victor!” She said surprised. “Have a seat!”

Victor did want to sit down but he eyed the chairs nervously. They did look rather small…

“Oh, here, sweetie pie,” she snapped her fingers and the chairs became wider.

Victor blushed and did his best to sit down. “Thank you,” he said awkwardly.

“Victor, I want to apologize for being so harsh on you last night,” Wonka said folding her hands. “I wish to start over with you and the others.”

Victor didn’t respond. He couldn’t process or accept her apology at the moment. “It’s fine,” he said looking down at the floor. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the Plan B situation and well, I just need to ask you a few questions before I make a decision and let you know.”

Wonka was taken aback. She wasn’t expecting this at all from the young boy. “Oh. Well go ahead, Mr. Beauregarde.”

Víctor thought and formed his words carefully. “Charlie mentioned something you told her and her grandmother at the end of the tour,” he started slowly. “Is it actually true you said the four of us would return to our ‘rotten, terrible selves’?”

Wonka paused for a moment and thought back to the end if the tour. She did say that to Charlie. She looked at Victor who seemed nervous and frowning. “Yes. I did.”

Victor swallowed nervously. “Oh. Okay.” He looked around. Maybe I am really rotten…

Wonka thought for a moment. “Well, Victor, I can tell you the order of who I wanted to be my next heir after Charlie.”

Victor looked up in anticipation.

“Technically,” Wilma Wonka began, “you got second place. You were my next choice after Charlie.”

“Second…place…?” The words were foreign to him. He hasn’t lost anything since he was six years old.

“Yes, sir! If I had to pick it would be Charlie, you, Agnes, Vernon, then Michelle.” She nodded along.

And I wasn’t good enough, he thought. “I think I know what my Plan B is, Ms. Wonka,” he said. “And I want to start it now.”

“Oh?” She said with an eyebrow raised.

“I can’t see my future getting any better whether I stay a blueberry forever or not,” he shook his head. “Either way, I feel trapped. So,” Victor took a deep breath and looked Wilma Wonka straight in the eye, “I’ve decided to work for you full time. I give up trying to be a champion.”

Wonka’s eyes lit up. She thought for a moment as she looked at the blue boy. Here I have Victor Beauregarde turning himself in to me, she thought. If I get him to work for me full time, this could show Wilkinson that I’m reaching out to him in some way.

The Chocolatier smiled at the boy but he didn’t return one. He was still depressed. “Alright, sweetie pie!” She clapped her hands together. “I look forward to working with you! We should start filling out paperwork immediately!”

Victor sat nervously in the chair as he watched Wonka spring to life. She grabbed some papers from a filing cabinet and a manilla folder. She plopped back at her desk. Victor anxiously held onto his stomach.

“Victor,” she said, “remember the contract you and the other ticket winners signed before the tour began?”

Victor thought for a moment and then nodded. His mom didn’t want him to sign the contract but he did it anyways. She really wanted their lawyer present.

“The contract states if anything were to happen to one of you, let’s say, you transform or whatever, that you are carrying Wonka property.”

Victor’s eyes widened as his hands held onto his stomach tighter. “You mean…?”

Wonka nodded. “The juice you’re carrying is part of the factory - technically.”

“Oh…” He said quietly. “So what does that mean for me?”

“I was never going to mention it since you and your parents clearly insisted that you get back to normal. Plus, what we do with your juice is to study it or discard it.” Victor tried to soak in everything she had to say. His mind was still reeling. “However” - Wonka raised her finger-“since you are deciding to work for me, it’s no big deal!”

Victor nodded slowly. “Okay…”

“Let’s quickly discuss your pay,” she said. She pushed a sheet of paper towards him. Victor did his best to look over his stomach.

His jaw dropped. “This is real?!” He nearly exclaimed. “I would get…all of this money?!”
There was a lot of zeroes - a LOT. Victor never received this amount of money whenever he won a competition. If he received this weekly, he would be right underneath the Salt Family who was ridiculously rich.

Wonka nodded. “Yes, sir!”

Victor stopped and thought for a second. He bit the inside of his cheek. “I…I don’t want it going to me,” he said. “I want it…going to my parents.”

Wonka blinked a few times. “Your parents?” She repeated. Victor nodded. “Why?”

“Well, they always receive the money for whatever I do,” he explained. “And I…I guess I just want them to be proud of me if I gave this to them as well.”

Wonka wasn’t expecting Victor to say that. She didn’t even know that his parents were taking all of his prize money from him. “Oh,” she said, “very well then.” She straightened up.
Wonka clapped her hands one more time. “Oh, I’m so happy you decided to officially work for the factory, sweetie pie!”

Victor gave a sheepish smile. He was so tired of the emotional whiplash all these months so hopefully this will put an end to that.

“One last thing!” She picked up a sticker and stuck it on his cheek. The sticker was reminiscent to the ones a person would find at a grocery store. It had the Wonka logo on there. She then quickly snapped a photo and looked at it. “Oh look how cute your little cheeks are!”

Victor blushed at that.

Wonka printed a slip of paper and put it on top of the manilla folder.

“Um, what’s that?” Victor asked.

Wonka smiled and held it up for him to see. “It’s your new name plate!” She said.

Victor read the words on the paper. It didn’t read “Victor Beauregarde” at all. It said “Product 21”.

“Welcome to the factory, my dear boy.”
* * * * * * *
Victor was getting adjusted to his first week as a full-time blueberry at the factory. He felt like he was making the right choice. But why was there a small lingering feeling inside him that wanted to turn back?

After Wonka took his new company ID and stuck the sticker on his face, she led him down the hall to the section he would be staying at.

The hallway was sterile white. Victor steadied his breath as he followed Wonka to his new supposed room. Wonka soon stopped as they came across an Oompa Loompa. The Chocolatier handed the worker the folder and the name plate. Victor looked at the Oompa Loompa nervously.

Wonka smiled. “This is your new supervisor, sweetie pie. Her name is Giggles.”

Giggles approached him and lifted up Victor’s stomach. Victor gasped from the sensation and blushed as the Oompa Loompa proceeded to jiggle his belly. The juice inside him protested from the sensation of being toyed with. “Wow!” The small worker exclaimed. “You weren’t kidding when you said he was pretty huge!”

Victor tried to step away from her curious hands as she continued to inspect him. He couldn’t believe she jiggled his stomach like that. At least Ozzy hugged him when he introduced himself. Victor frowned. He missed the one Oompa Loompa he trusted. He wondered why he wasn’t here with him.

“Where’s Ozzy?” He asked a little desperately. “Why wouldn’t he be taking care of me?”

Before Wonka could answer, the Oompa Loompa laughed sending a chill down Victor’s spine. “Silly boy! Ozzy runs the recovery unit with the taste testing Oompa Loompas. You however,” she patted his stomach causing him to grimace, “you chose to work for the factory! That isn’t recovery!”

Victor looked down in sadness. “Oh…”

“I think I can take it over from here, Ms. Wonka!” Giggles said with an affirmative nod.

Ms. Wonka nodded back. “Sounds good. Good luck.” She said to Victor.

Victor didn’t want to be left alone with Giggles. She seemed to be pretty mischievous and he had his fill of mischievous Oompa Loompas. He missed Ozzy’s gentle nature.

She continued to walk down the hallway. “I’m going to show you to your room. It’ll be where you are staying AND where you’re working.”

Victor looked at her nervously. “What do you mean?”

Giggles turned to him. “You’ll be spending majority of your time in there!”

Victor was unsure about that. At least I might be left alone, he thought.

They stopped at his new room and Giggles put in his nameplate. “There we go!” She smiled with her hands on her hips.

Victor read his nameplate. “Why ‘Product 21’?” He turned to her. “What does that mean?”

“It means you’re the twenty-first person to taste the gum, duh!” Giggles chuckled.

Victor blushed at that. “Oh.”

Giggles thumbed through the folder and skimmed it.

Victor tried to look at it but he couldn’t really see. He caught an old photo of himself. It looked like a picture from when he was on the news for winning the Golden Ticket. There was another picture. His new company ID. The differences between both photos were jarring.

Giggles noticed him struggling to look and laughed. “Don’t worry, my little blueberry! It’s just your file!”

Victor didn’t like that nickname, but he was confused at what she said. “My file?” He repeated.

Giggles nodded. “All the Golden Ticket Winners have a file!”

Victor’s eyes widened at that. Why do we have files?

She continued to read the papers. “Wow! 263 trophies and counting! You could say your personality is as big as a blueberry, huh?”

Victor blushed at that. He wondered what else the files say on there if it mentioned his championship background.

“Not only skilled in sports but other things as well like different dances and activities…” she read aloud. “Archery, martial arts, fencing…you’re pretty WELL ROUNDED, am I right?” Giggles elbowed his stomach.

He really tried to back away from Giggles as much as he could. He didn’t like how she kept using his stomach as a prop.

“‘Third ticket winner’, blah blah blah yes I remember you winning, ‘second person to be eliminated’, duh, that’s why you’re like this!” She continued to flip through the paper. She suddenly stopped and smiled at the boy. “Well I think it’s time to get started!”

Victor looked at her nervously. A small part of him was starting to regret making this decision.

“Well, Product 21, you didn’t win a lifetime supply of chocolate but you did win a lifetime supply of juice!” She rubbed then patted his belly.

Victor whimpered uncomfortably. He really wanted her to stop playing with his stomach. “May I…see my room now?”

Giggles poked his stomach for emphasis as he cringed. “Of course!”

Giggles entered a code in the keypad and Victor wondered if he needed to know it. The Oompa Loompa didn’t say anything so he kept his mouth shut.

“This is your room!” She said with arms wide open.

Victor looked around. The room was vastly different than his room in the living parts of the factory. The room was also sterile white. There was a small desk, a small bed against the wall, and a box TV in the corner of the ceiling. It felt like a prison.

However one thing he noticed was how huge the room was.

“This is where you’ll be living and working!” She said proudly. “If you look up, that’s where you’ll see the juicing machine is! It’ll come down once you need to be juiced.”

Victor looked nervously at the machine. He tried to mentally prepare himself to be a full-time blueberry for the factory.

“Don’t you worry! You’ll get used to your new routine. From what I’ve read on your file, it’s going to be just like the Testing Room, but you’ll obviously stay as a blueberry for a little longer.”

“Will there be chances of me going back to normal for a bit?”

“Good question, my little blueberry! You will be working Monday through Friday swelling up and making as much juice as you can in that big belly of yours, then we shall juice you each day to test and study it. At the end of the work day, Friday, is when you have your big juicing session! And we will try to squeeze as much juice out of you as we can. But you’re stuck with whatever size after that until Monday.”

It took Victor a while to process what she said. “I work Monday through Friday?” He repeated. She nodded. “Then what do I do on the weekends?”

“Another good question! Follow me!”

Giggles led him down the hallway once more. She opened up a room that looked like a small cafeteria. “Whenever we aren’t bringing food to you, you could come here and eat.”

Victor looked at all the Oompa Loompas milling about the food hall. He hoped they had options he could eat or at least try to eat.

They left the cafeteria and Giggles led him to a small gym. A few Oompa Loompas walked a treadmill or lifted weights.

“I figured you’d like this room,” Giggles said. “It’s not much but I thought you’d appreciate it.” She patted his stomach. Victor did his best to ignore the humiliating feeling of the Oompa Loompa touching his belly.

She led him outside to a park. Not as grand as the one in the Oompa Loompa section of the factory, but there was still plenty of opportunity to get some sun.

“And this is the park if you ever want to go outside!” Giggles said with a grand gesture.

Victor took a look around. This could do for now. They turned back around and down the hall. Giggles stopped and gestured to a door. They didn’t go in.

“This room is where we will bring you to be measured and weighed,” she said proudly.

Victor tried his best to look through the double doors. The room also looked white and very spacious.

“You’ll go there every day so we can collect data,” she explained. “All right! Tour is over! Back to your room!”

She led him back to his new room and he did his best for follow. He didn’t like how Wonka and her workers just threw the word “tour” around as if it didn’t have any meaning to the Golden Ticket Winners.

Giggles punched the code in the keypad once more and opened the door for him. Victor walked in and stood in the center and took in his surroundings once more. While he did that, Giggles grabbed something from her pocket. Once she pulled it out, she showed it to him. Victor swallowed nervously. It was a handful of blueberries.

“So, Product 21,” she rocked on her heels with a grim smile, “you ready to work?”

It was right then and there Victor knew that there was no going back. But he thought of his friends, his championship, and his parents. A huge part of him thought this was the only way. It was clear to him that people would much rather see him as a giant freak than back to normal. As he stared at the blueberries in the Oompa Loompa’s hand, he felt lost and vulnerable, like a little kid with nowhere to turn to. He missed Ozzy. He missed Cameron and Lex.

He missed having a regular life.

He took the blueberries from Giggles and ate them. A loud gurgle flooded the room.
* * * * * * *
Within the week and a half Victor was there, he won employee of the month for the amount of juice he produced. He tried to look at the bright side of things as this was just him being an achiever once again. But he faced the facts. It was humiliating.

Every now and then Wonka checked on him, by monitoring his growth. She was happy to be partnering up with the boy, still completely blinded by the fact he, himself wasn’t happy. But Victor didn’t know that. He thought he was happy. He thought he was doing the right thing.

Victor’s routine was growing mundane. He would wake up from the uncomfortable bed. Majority of the time he was somewhat normal - blue or luckily his skin color retuned. The bed felt stiff. He could already barley get any sleep at the factory, but at least his bed in the living quarters was somewhat comfortable.

He would then be awakened to food sitting at his desk. On his work days, he would, of course, eat something blueberry based. Luckily during the weekends, he had a choice of eating something he would like so he went to the cafeteria.

Victor spent majority of his time fully round, swelling up for hours and watching TV. After three hours or so, Wonka would measure and weigh him, do his testing routine and then he would be juiced but never fully back to normal. He was still swollen and luckily somewhat able to move.

It was his twelfth day and he didn’t know how large he was. At one point, Giggles told him he reached ten feet. She said that might be his max. He mindlessly sat there in boredom as the TV played. He had the juicing machine hooked up to him. He felt like a bed bound patient but he was trapped within his own body.

He saw Giggles walk in and she put her hands on her hips. She give a pitiful, yet mocking smile. “Awww someone’s not happy! What’s wrong, my little blueberry?”

Victor groaned uncomfortably. “I’m fine…” Victor learned immediately how a little cruel Giggles can be. She often told him that “blueberries don’t complain” or “blueberries don’t cry.” Harmfully reminding him that he got rid of his past life nearly two weeks ago. The mean phrases sound painfully reminiscent of his championship life.

For the first time in six months, Victor finally admitted to himself he was a blueberry. He tried to deny it as long as he could but there was no going back.

“Do you need a break?” She asked patting his stomach. Victor sometimes wasn’t sure if Giggles was talking to him or to his stomach.

“May I…please?” He asked.

She rubbed his belly with a smile. “Of course! Where would you like to go?”

“The park,” he said muffled.

“Ahh, you want to feel the sun. I get it.”

“Mmph…” he was so tired.

Giggles drummed her chin. “I wonder if it’s because you’ve been inside all day or you’re practically part plant and it’s you photosensitizing?”

Victor blushed at that and bit back a sob.

Giggles noticed and continued to rub his stomach. “Oh don’t cry! You’ve been doing such excellent work lately! Remember when you won employee of the month? It’s because you did such a stellar job!”

He sniffled quietly. “I’m just happy I can be useful to Ms. Wonka.”

“And you are being useful!” She smiled. Her smile felt fake to him. “Let’s get you outside.”

Victor couldn’t wait for his thirty minutes in the sun and to be left alone.
* * * * * * *
“Where’s Victor?!” Cameron yelled the moment Charlie opened the door. Him and Lex walked in nervously and full of anger. “He’s not picking up his phone! No one is telling us anything! It’s been two weeks!”

Charlie looked at him sadly.

Cameron cooled down when Lex touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said catching his breath. “But we’ve been kept out of the loop! Why haven’t you said anything, Charlie?”

Charlie frowned. “I’m sorry, it’s been really rough lately. Everyone’s been fighting Ms. Wonka since Victor decided to work for her full time.”

“What?!” Cameron shouted.

Lex’s heart broke. “What does that even mean?! Can we even see him?!”

“No,” Charlie shook her head. “It’s really hard to see him. He’s only allowed visitors once a month and someone already beat us to it. Apparently they are going to visit him sometime this week.”

Charlie went on to explain how the rest of the Golden Ticket Winners reacted to Victor’s sudden decision of being a full-time blueberry. Michelle was broken at the news. She’s been fighting Wonka and have been increasingly defiant to her orders. Charlie decided to distract herself with the countless paperwork and not speaking with her mentor. She was sad that Ms. Wilkinson hasn’t returned yet. She felt lost. Vernon began reverting back to his whiny ways and throwing tantrums. He would throw his body against the floor and bang his fists and feet. And poor, sweet Agnes started stress eating.

It was as if they started back at the beginning, like the last six months didn’t happen.

“Ozzy reached out to me yesterday,” Charlie said sadly. “He’s been also wanting to see Victor.”

Ozzy looked desperately at Wonka’s heir. “I haven’t seen him since Ms. Wonka took him away. He looked so scared. I can only imagine what drove him to working full-time.”

Charlie gave the kind Oompa Loompa a hug. “We’ll get through this. It’s going to be okay.”

Cameron and Lex sighed. “I can’t even see my best friend…” he whispered softly. He took a deep breath as a quiet rage washed over him. “Where’s Ms. Wonka?”

Charlie shook her head. “I don’t know. But, Cameron, I don’t think Victor, or us for that matter, needs more arguing. You’re mad. I’m mad. I get it. But there has to be another way to get Victor to change his mind. If not us, someone will. I know it.”

Cameron fought back tears and Lex squeezed his hand to send him strength. “I just-”

Lex hugged him and shed quiet tears herself. “I know. You just want to make sure he’s okay. So do I. We’ll get him out of there.”

The next day, Victor laid groggily on his stomach. He was a little smaller than usual but still quite large. He, once again, listened to the TV in the background and had the juicing machine hooked up to him. He sighed in slight pain. He was still adjusting trying to get used to staying blown up for long periods of time and then juiced for hours on end. The procedure often left him sore.

He heard a knock on the door and then the keypad beeping from the other side. The door opened and Giggles walked inside.

“Product 21!” She said cheerfully. “You have your first visitor!”

Victor perked up at that. He really hoped it was Lex. He wanted see her face and have her tell him that everything was okay. He wanted to hold her hand or rest upon her shoulder and embrace her warmth. He missed when they shared a kiss every now and then.

Even if it wasn’t her, he wanted to see Cameron and hear his support. He wanted to hear his witty remarks and how things will get better. He missed the Golden Ticket Winners. He missed Ozzy. He was starting to regret taking those moments with them for granted.

But Victor didn’t get any of those people as visitors. He got Sam and Scarlett Beauregarde.

His parents walked in with an unreadable expression. He sunk his head into his divot nervously.

Sam began to shake his head. “Victor, Victor, Victor…” His son gave a hard swallow as Sam expected him. Sam broke out into a laugh and clapped his hands. “You did it!” He exclaimed.

Victor was confused. He did what?

“This has to be the best decision you’ve ever made!” Sam said with a grin. “When that first paycheck hit we were ecstatic! Why didn’t you make this decision sooner?”

“We went on a vacation immediately!” Scarlett added with a smile. “Finally got to go to the Bahamas! All thanks to you, baby!” She patted her son’s stomach.

Victor felt conflicted. He didn’t know what to say. He let them continue talking.

Sam gave a joyous sigh and stepped closer to him. “I’m very proud of you, son. You did a great job! Keep up the great work!”

“We gotta go, honey!” Scarlett said. “We just booked a flight to Las Vegas!”

The Beauregarde couple left the room and Victor sobbed. He didn’t know why he cried but he felt heartbroken. He never got to say anything. They were barely here. He just achieved what he always wanted, his father being proud of him.

So why did he still feel empty inside?

Giggles walked back into the room. “Hope you enjoyed your first visitors,” she said. She then sucked in her teeth and folded her arms. “Back to business, Product 21! I have some news to tell you. Your juice production is slowing down which isn’t good. You haven’t been swelling up to full capacity and have been on the small side lately. And for some reason, when we juice you, you’re barely giving anything. It’s like you’re running dry. We gotta find ways to kick it back into notch and have you making more juice again.”

Victor was confused. “I’m not making enough juice?” He frowned. Giggles shook her head. “So what’s going to happen to me?”

Giggles patted his side. “Don’t worry about it, my little blueberry! We just gotta find ways to make you happy and healthy again!” She then left the room.

Victor thought about that phrase, “happy and healthy”. He was starting to feel like he never achieved neither.
* * * * * * *
Wilkinson retuned to the factory only to be bombarded by Charlie Bucket. Wonka’s protege caught her up to speed from Victor’s decision to the other Golden Ticket Winners protesting against Wonka.

Wilkinson’ eyes widened. She immediately went to Wonka’s office.

Wonka’s eyes lit up at the sight of her. “You’re back!” She smiled. She was relieved to finally see her assistant.

“Victor Beauregarde is working for you full-time?!” Wilkinson cried incredulously. “How did you let this happen?! I come back and the kid decided to turn himself in?! What did he say to you?!”

Wonka’s smile disappeared. “He was concerned about his Plan B and his future. That’s why he decided to work full-time for me. He also seemed very concerned about what I told Charlie at the end of the tour.”

Wilkinson looked at her in intrigue. “What did you tell Charlie at the end of the tour?”

“Charlie was worried about the other Golden Ticket Winners and I simply told her that they’ll return to the rotten, terrible selves. And Victor, well, he said nothing about that.”

Wilkinson shut her eyes woefully.

“But he seemed to have felt better when I told him he won second place!” She said grinning.

Wilkinson huffed. “You’re not listening!”

Wonka frowned again. “What are you talking about?”

“You have to truly listen to the boy! To the others! Victor is hurting. He is hooked on this idea of trying to constantly please people. The boy was practically built for competing, and we made the decision to throw a wrench into his life! Making Victor work for you full-time wasn’t the right decision.”

Wonka was dumbfounded. “I thought I was listening,” she said quietly. “I thought this was an opportunity to give him what he wanted - to work with him. I see him everyday and I didn’t even realize he was hurting.”

Wilkinson shook her head. “This isn’t how you reach him - or the others. You can’t always connect to them through your interests. You have to reach halfway.”

Wonka was hurt. Her eyes began to tear up. “All this time, I thought I was doing something good…but I wasn’t. I created more harm than anything.”

Wilkinson finally gave a soft smile. “We’ll get there. We’ll make it right.”

Wonka looked at her with watery eyes and smiled.

“Now, where is he?”

Wilkinson punched in the code onto the keypad and walked into Victor’s room. The boy was asleep on his bed and had his body back but he was head to toe in blue. She walked up to him and gently nudged him.

“Victor?” She said.

Victor’s eyes opened and he winced in pain as he sat up. He hadn’t heard his real name in a long time. He frowned at the sight of Wonka’s assistant. It instantly reminded him of when she woke him up at the end of the tour, telling him his mom left him. “Ms. Wilkinson? What are you doing here?”

“I’m just here to ask you a few questions,” she said sitting down on his bed. “What made you want to work for Ms. Wonka?”

Victor did his best to not cry. “I…I just thought it was the best decision for me, for everyone. I would be out of the way. I wouldn’t ruin anything anymore. Everyone would just be happy if I stayed here.”

Wilkinson nodded slowly. “I see…”

“My parents came the other day. I’ve never seen them so happy before. I was giving them the money I earned from Ms. Wonka. My father said he was proud of me.”

Wilkinson leaned close to Victor. “But Victor,” she said patiently, “are you…happy?”

He looked at her and paused. He began to sob. Something in him broke. He never expected to be so vulnerable before, not in front of Wilkinson of all people. She didn’t treat him like a rotten brat anymore. She reached out to him halfway.

“Victor,” she called him again, “would you like to quit? Would you like to leave the factory for a bit?”

Victor trembled. He looked around the room. “But what about-?” He stopped himself as Wilkinson gave him a look that read “think about it. Think for yourself.” He then nodded.

Wilkinson gave a warm smile. “Come with me.”

Victor tried to move but he winced in pain again. “I don’t know if I can walk. Everything hurts!”

Wilkinson paused for a moment and quickly got up. “I’ll be right back.” But as she got up, she saw the worried expression on his face. She realized that the boy was scared that she would abandon him. “How about you lean on my shoulder until I find you a wheelchair? Does that sound good?” Victor nodded. “Good.”

Wilkinson got Victor out of his room and led him down the hall. He hobbled as he leaned on her until they found a wheelchair. Victor uneasily sat down. She looked at him and then removed the sticker from his cheek and tossed it in the trash. She began to wheel him out of the testing section of the factory.

Wonka’s assistant looked down at the boy. He seemed a little less tense. He was still nervous. She then gave a silent gasp as she saw how his hair started turning blue at the roots, but the rest of his hair was still brown. What in the world did they do to him in there? She thought.

“Ms. Wilkinson,” Victor said quietly. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe,” she said. “I promise.”

Chapter Text

If you would have offered Victor Beauregarde a piece of gum when he was younger, he would’ve declined. Victor didn’t like gum. However his father always forced him to chew it so he could focus on his competitions.

Here he was completely silent, sitting across from Mr. and Mrs. Bucket in his wheelchair at 9AM. He still looked exhausted and blue head to toe.

Ms. Wilkinson knocked on the Bucket’s house late the night before. Victor was nervous to see them again, still stuck in the belief he didn’t deserve them. Ms. Wilkinson said she’ll come back later that afternoon the next day to check in. She was going to relay information to Wilma Wonka and the other Golden Ticket Winners.

Victor said nothing that evening. He simply obeyed what Mr. and Mrs. Bucket said. They wheeled him back to the guest bedroom and helped him on top of the bed. He was instantly asleep, forgetting the last two weeks he endured.

That was until he woke up and they wheeled him out into the living room to catch up. Mrs. Bucket made him a tea and gave him a blanket to rest on his legs.

Mr. Bucket studied the boy for a second. He noticed how long and shaggy Victor’s hair has gotten since the last he saw him.

“Would you like a haircut?” Charlie’s father asked. Victor didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded just to keep things moving. Mr. Bucket smiled. “I’ll go get my tools then.”

The moment Mr. Bucket came back and looked at the top of Victor’s hair, he saw how the roots were starting to become blue. He remembered what Charlie and Cameron told him and his wife. He couldn’t even fathom someone turning into a blueberry, not even a child! How was that even possible?

Mr. Bucket began to trim his hair as Victor dissociated. He didn’t know what Victor just came back from. The poor kid was giving a thousand yard stare. Mr. Bucket finished up the final touches and gave him a white, plastic headband to push his hair back.

“I’d figure you’d like to keep your hair out of your eyes,” he said with a wink.

Victor looked at the headband and put it on.

“Here,” Mr. Bucket gave him a hand mirror.

Victor frowned as he saw himself in the mirror. Not only was he pretty blue but so was his hair. He touched the top of his head and trembled. He didn’t know what to think aside from how much of a freak he was now. He couldn’t process it. Victor put the mirror back down. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

“Victor,” Mr. Bucket said gently, “how are you feeling?”

Victor said nothing at first. As much as he was sick of that question, it didn’t feel as bad when Mr. Bucket asked. “I…I don’t know,” he said. “I feel really…lost…”

Mrs. Bucket looked at him sympathetically. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Victor looked uncomfortable. “What would I even talk about?” Where would I even start? He thought.

Mr. Bucket looked at his wife. “You know sometimes, Victor, it’s good to talk about things that’s on your mind. It lets us know how we can help you and guide you.”

Mr. Bucket went to reach out to gently touch his shoulder but Victor flinched and winced from the sudden movement.

The man paused. He took a shaky breath and shut his eyes. He opened them and finally asked, “Victor…does your father…hit you?”

Victor avoided his eyes. He didn’t say anything.

Mr. and Mrs. Bucket looked at each other and the poor woman’s heart ached.

Mr. Bucket tried to give the boy a patient smile. “Victor, I’m not going to do that. I promise. You’re safe here. This is your sanctuary, okay? I hope you can trust the both of us.”

Victor looked down at his lap. He studied the intricacies of the knitted blanket. He thought of the knitted blanket and sweater back in his room. He wished he brought it with him. They took the time to make them for him. Would they take the time to listen to him? Victor couldn’t understand why they cared about him so much, but maybe that was okay.

“If you need some space, we can leave-”

“No,” Victor said, interrupting Mrs. Bucket. He still avoided their eyes. “I think I want to talk. I want to tell you everything.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
The Beauregarde family has no family photos or wedding photos in their home as we all know. Their house was a giant trophy display case. In fact, the only picture of Victor Beauregarde was his photo when he was on a local magazine cover at 16. Even though the young boy was smiling, Cameron claims Victor doesn’t look happy in it. It wasn’t always like this though. There was a time when Sam and Scarlett didn’t care about publicity or fame or money.

The first four years of Victor’s life were simple. Scarlett was happy enjoying new motherhood. Sam was happily in love with his wife and his new son. Their new house had photos of their wedding and of their child. The couple was truly excited to start a family.

They often took the boy to the park. He was full of boundless energy and loved to run through the grass. Victor loved to feel the sun on his skin to recharge. If they weren’t at the park, they would always do some physical activity as a family, whether it was bowling, swimming, frisbee, and so on. Whatever it was, they enjoyed their time together.

Victor remembered whenever he played too hard on the playground or fell when he ran, his mom was always there in an instant comforting him as he cried and ready with a bandage. They showered the little boy with hugs and kisses.

It was at three years old that Victor met his best friend, Cameron, at daycare. The two boys took an instant liking to each other bonding over playing pretend as Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles. They were often seen playing outside and having sleepovers. They were inseparable. Cameron befriending him because he liked Victor’s ceaseless determination when they played, and Victor befriending him because he liked Cameron’s sass and how he was never afraid to speak his mind.

Sam and Scarlett celebrated each year he grow older. They threw small birthday parties and invited Cameron and his parents over each year. There was a photo of his first birthday with a smash cake that is now hidden somewhere in the attic.

Five year old Victor was coloring the kids’ menu at a restaurant for lunch. He was excited because they were going to the park later. There was a whole jungle gym with his name on it.

Scarlett was slightly stress because of her new car business was finally taking off, but she was happy she was getting to spend time with her husband and son later.

“I’m sure things will turn out okay,” Sam said to his wife.

“I know, it’s just we’re getting low on money and then people are encouraging me to run for local office,” she sighed. “It’s a lot, Sam. I’m not sure if we’ll have time to watch Victor either.”

“If anything we can always set up another play date with Cameron and his family,” Sam said touching her hands.

Victor looked up excitedly. “Am I going to go play with Cameron?!”

Scarlett laughed. “Not today, honey. Remember we’re going to the park after this!”

Victor kicked his legs in excitement.

Sam turned to his son with a smile. “All right, son, what are you getting off the menu today?”

“Chicken nuggies!” He exclaimed happily.

They soon went to the park and the boy took off to the jungle gym. He began to climb and swing upside down on the bars.

Sam watched his son play as his wife made some phone calls in the car. He was amazed at his son’s agility and boundless energy. He thought back to how his wife said they were getting low on money. It would be nice to start affording things…Sam thought.

He continued to watch his son do flips and cartwheels in the grass and then run onto the dome to climb the bars. Sam rubbed his chin. He remembered seeing athletes win up to thousands upon thousands of dollars for winning competitions. Not only that but things like chess, dancing, activity after activity they could score money!

Sam suddenly heard a thud and his son crying. He looked up and saw Victor clutching his bleeding knee. He quickly tended to his son and gave him a bandage.

I think we just solved our money problem, Sam thought.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Five year old Victor wore his helmet and clutched onto the bat tightly. Sam had signed the boy up for tee ball. The boy has spent countless nights watching baseball games with his father but he was never into it. No matter how hard he tried, he just didn’t get why his father liked it.

Victor looked over to the stands and his father and mom were smiling hard and giving him a thumbs up. He hit the ball and took off for the first base as his parents cheered loudly.

Scarlett leaned over and whispered to her husband. “Are you sure about this plan?”

“Oh I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life!” Sam cheesed. “Victor is perfect for this, baby! Have you seen the way he plays on the playground? His coach has been talking to me and he keeps saying he’s a natural at this. Let this be a trial run. If his team wins this practice round, we’ll take this further. If they don’t, we try something else.”

Scarlett gave a shaky breath. “Okay…”

“Trust me on this.”

Sam and Scarlett continued to watch the practice game in anticipation. They watched their son run the bases in rapid speed. His parents stood up the stands and cheered, amazed by their son’s athleticism. The practice game ended with Victor’s team winning.

The young Victor ran up to them jumping and smiling. “Did you see me?! Did you see me?!”

Sam picked him up, with Victor laughing joyfully. “Of course we did! You were amazing! I’m so proud of you!”

Victor smiled at that. Sam looked to his wife with a knowing look that they might be onto something good here.

At his very first party for his mom’s political career, five year old Victor talked to the other adults saying he won his first tee ball game. He wore a little suit and his hair was combed neatly by his mom. He smiled big and wide as the adults listened to him.

“It was amazing! I ran super fast and we won the game!” The small boy smiled. “My coach said I’m one of his fastest runners!”

“That son of yours is a real charmer,” a partygoer said to Sam.

Sam looked back at Victor who pleased the crowd. “Yeah he sure is, isn’t he?”

Later on that week, the Beauregarde’s went to their favorite restaurant.

“Can I get the chicken nuggies again?” Victor asked looking at the kids’ menu.

“Nope!” Sam snatched away his menu. Victor looked at him confused and a little hurt. “Starting tonight, I’ll be ordering for you from now on. There’s going to be a few changes around here, Victor.”

The small child looked puzzled. “Changes?”

“Victor, did you like winning your practice game earlier this week?” Sam asked. Victor nodded. “Would you like to keep winning and make your mom and father proud?”

Victor smiled big and nodded faster.

“Then in order to do so, we’re going to have to make some changes. Starting with your eating habits,” Sam explained.

Victor frowned. “So no more chicken nuggies?”

Sam shook his head. Victor looked to his mom for help.

“It’s so we can take care of you, baby!” Scarlett said. “The more you win, the more we’ll be able to do that. And you want us to take care of you, right?”

Victor nodded slowly.

“Good!” Sam smiled.

Their server came with their notepad ready. “Are you ready to order?”

“Yes,” Sam said. “All three of us are having the chicken Caesar salad and water.”

Victor pouted. This whole winning thing better be worth it.

The Beauregarde couple decided to sign up their child for gymnastics - a sport he grew to love. The boy was talking to another kid his age named, Cornelius Prinzmetal. They seemed to be getting along fine, however Cornelius seemed to be watching Victor closely. Victor’s parents wanted his coach to push him to learn advanced level skills. However he was hesitant.

“Listen, he’s just a five year old,” the coach said as Victor practiced his tumbling. “He’s talented, don’t get me wrong! Kid has a knack for gymnastics. I just don’t think we should be pushing him this hard.”

“And you’re not listening to me,” Sam said getting close to the coach. “Our son is a winner, a champion, and we know what is best for him. And I say push him to learn advanced level skills.”

The coach could see that there was no swaying the Beauregarde couple. He put his hands up in surrender. “All right, I hear you.”

“Good,” Sam folded his arms and walked to his son.

“God bless that child,” the coach patted down his head with a hanky.

Victor smiled when he saw his parents approach him. “Father! Mommy! This is Cornelius Prinzmetal!”

His father watched Cornelius finish his tumbling with a flourish. He was impressed. “Excellent work, Cornelius! I bet your father is real proud of you!”

Victor looked at his father slightly hurt as he watched Cornelius beam with pride. “Thank you, sir!” Cornelius said with a big smile before continuing his moves.

Sam put his hands on his knees as he spoke to Victor. “I talked to the coach and we’re going to start putting you in advanced courses. Meaning you’re going to hang with the big kids!”

Victor’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Really?!” He worried a little bit. “But what if I can’t handle it?”

Sam clasped Victor’s shoulders and looked at him straight in the eyes. “Hey. My son is a winner, and he’s going to become a champion. You can handle it! Understood?”

Victor looked uncertain but he put on a brave face. “Yes, father.”

Victor Beauregarde was picking up steam in gymnastics and baseball. Not only that, but his parents signed him up for other things as well like beginner’s dance, archery, and chess.

He was starting to bring home trophies, medals, and monetary awards and his parents praised him for it. But little Victor was starting to miss the simple days of just going to the park and playing with his parents or hanging out with Cameron. Cameron didn’t understand why he had to do all of those things, but he still thought his best friend was cool.

The Beauregarde’s went to another party for Scarlett to network. Victor didn’t want to be there. He thought the parties were boring. He much rather spent his time somewhere else.

Sam pulled his son back before he went off to explore. “Victor!” He said. “Things are going to be a little different this time around, okay?”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

Sam handed his son some cards. “I want you to say these things.”

Victor looked at them. “But I only know half of what these words say!”

“It’s going to be all right!” His father reassured. “What it says is you talking about your latest win again. The crowd loves you! You talking about how you won your first gymnastics medal is bringing mommy more attention!”

Victor looked nervous. “So…all I have to do is just talk about me winning?”

Sam nodded. “And bring that charming personality!” He patted his son’s head.

“Father, I am getting a little hungry. Is it okay if I eat something before I do this?”

Sam thought about it. “No. I’ll need to see what you’re putting on your plate. We have to start eating healthier, remember? But this is more important than food!”

“But-”

“Now, Victor!”

Victor flinched at his father shouting at him. He’s never done that before. He started tearing up and rubbed at his eyes.

Sam softened his face a bit. “Oh, son, don’t cry!” Victor wiped his face. “Winners don’t cry. And you’re a winner, right?” Victor hesitated but he nodded his head. “Yes, you are! Now quit your crying and go make your parents proud!”

Victor tried to smile, but he was scared. He worked his way to the crowd and began to brag about his latest win. The crowd ate it up with delight, and Sam smiled at his son from afar.

Sam and Scarlett Beauregarde received their first few checks from their child’s competitions. Scarlett shrieked with joy and jumped up and down.

“With this money we could cover bills, the campaign, AND go on vacation!” She shouted.

Sam gripped onto his wife tight. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Sam grinned wildly.

“Hawaii?” She smiled back.

Sam kissed his wife passionately until he saw Victor walk around the corner. “Victor!” He said happily. “We’re going on a vacation!”

Victor smiled wide. “We are?!”

Sam and Scarlett looked at each other. They realized they hardly had any alone time together since Victor was born. “Well…” Scarlett hesitated. “It’ll just be your father and I.”

Victor’s face fell. “Oh…”

“But you can go on a little vacation too!” She smiled. “How would you like to sleepover at Cameron’s house?”

“I guess that’ll be fun…” he said quietly. “How long will you be gone?”

Sam and Scarlett looked at each other. “A few days!” Sam said. “But while we’re gone, we need you to keep practicing, okay?”

Victor slouched. All of this practicing was starting to wear him out but he didn’t want to make his father upset. “Yes, father.”

While his parents were away on vacation, Victor spent his time at Cameron’s house. It was also Cameron’s sixth birthday! Before his parents left, they took him shopping to get Cameron a present. He saw a new video game on display in the window and wanted to get his best friend that. But Sam Beauregarde said no.

“Those things rot the brain, Victor, and they are a waste of time and a distraction. You have better things to do.”

He ended up giving Cameron a new book since his friend loved reading. But the real incident was Cameron’s mother giving Victor a slice of cake. Victor was excited since he hasn’t had any dessert in an awfully long time. Those occasional trips to get ice cream or cupcakes were gone.

Sam and Scarlett got into a heated argument with Cameron’s parents after Victor told them how his friend’s birthday party went. Victor felt bad and secretly cried to Cameron’s mom. She assured him that it was okay and told the boy that he was still welcome anytime at the house.

But ever since that occurrence, the weekly weigh ins and measurements started. Sam became even stricter with Victor’s training. So they often scolded him for any pound or inch he gained on his waistline. He insisted that a new regimen must take place if Victor were to keep on winning, and they wanted Victor to keep on winning. It seems as if everything they threw at the boy he instantly had a knack for it.

However the only time Victor failed was when he was six years old and he lost a baseball game.

WHACK! Sam slapped Victor hard across the cheek the moment the family got home.

“You are a WINNER, Victor! You hear me? This will NOT happen again! Understood?!” Sam yelled.

Victor bit back tears. Sam has issued a no crying rule in the house. He nodded fervently.

“Speak, Victor!”

“Y-Yes, father.”

Sam huffed and left the room. Scarlett judged and eyed her child in disgust. That moment there, Victor vowed to never lose again.

He had no choice but to. Sam grew harsher in his restrictions, constantly yelling and berating Victor to be tighter in his form when he competed. He hardly saw his mom and when he did, he was at a party or on television with her, bragging about his wins and now, his mom’s campaign. Apparently, people love children who win.

It took awhile for Victor to adjust to this sudden life change, both physically and mentally. He once got sick and Sam yelled at him for it. “A day laying in bed is a day wasted,” he often told him. Eventually, Victor’s body would adjust to his taxing schedule.

Whenever Victor tried a new sport or competition, he would struggle and ask his coach/father for help, but Sam refused to give him aid. He told his son that he shouldn’t ask for help. He was smart enough to figure it out on his own, but that was the scary part.

Would Victor figure it out on his own? Because if he didn’t, it was just another screaming match and slap waiting for him.

Victor wondered how and why his life got to this point. It was no longer like old times where they were all happy and spending time together. How did his life become this? It seemed to be making his parents happy, and that’s all he wanted. He just wants to make them happy again, and maybe things will get back to normal.
* * * * * * * * * * *
By the age of 13, Victor has won over a 180 awards. His mom’s political career has taken off and so has her car dealership. His father is his full time manager, and both of his parents go on the occasional vacation together. Victor still hasn’t been to a single one.

His appearances on TV and radio became more frequent with his father pushing him to memorize what to say and answer when people asked questions. His answers came off arrogant and cocky, but Victor never seemed to realize it. He was charming Miles City and they loved it.

“Oh, winning comes naturally to me,” he says nonchalantly. “At this point it’s a bit of a chore, you know, adding another trophy to my shelf.”

There were times when Victor grew tired of wearing the prideful mask his parents forced him to wear, but part of him began to believe the things his parents told him.

He is a winner. He is a champion. He is the best. He must keep competing.

However, Cameron grew concerned for Victor’s increasingly busy schedule.

“Victor,” Cameron said, as they walked outside. “I’m not saying that winning all of these awards is a bad thing. They’re really cool and I’m happy for you, but is being a champion something you want to do though?””

Victor paused then turned to face his friend. “What else would it be? I’ve been training for it my whole life!” He said defensively.

Cameron sighed and put his hands up. “Okay, okay. I get it. I’m just worried because for your birthday your parents forgot again and they ended up signing you up for jujitsu.”

Victor rolled his eyes. He was a little hurt that his parents forgot his birthday again, but he couldn’t let them down. “It’s fine, Cameron. There’s no need to worry about it.”

“Are you still sleeping over next weekend?”

Victor nodded. “My parents are going to their trip to Mexico.”

“Wow,” Cameron said. “Well, I guess it’s fine. You’re on your own vacation anyways!” He smiled. Victor smiled back.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Victor Beauregarde!” Cornelius said smugly. “And his loser friend Cameron!”

“Screw off, Cornelius,” Cameron said trying to push pass him. “We don’t have time for you today.”

Cornelius snorted at Cameron. “Victor, whenever are you going to start hanging out with me and finally ditch this so-called friend of yours?”

“I’m not ditching my best friend,” Victor huffed. “Besides, I wouldn’t befriend someone who is always second place to me.”

Cameron high-fived him and the two boys walked passed Cornelius. Cornelius fumed and continued his walk back home. “UGH! He’s so stupidly arrogant!”

After his soccer game that he won next weekend, Victor’s parents dropped him off at Cameron’s house. Victor looked at the photo he took with his new friend Adam. The new kid just moved to town and he met Victor at practice.

“Victor!” Cameron’s mom hugged him. “So good to see you again! How was the game? Sorry we couldn’t make it.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “My team won.”

“Where’s your mom?” She asked.

Victor looked down. “Both of my parents left the moment I got out of the car.”

His friend’s mom was shocked. “Oh! Well no worries about that! You know you’re always welcome here, sweetheart. Cameron is up in his room.”

“Thanks.” He placed his bag and shoes by the front door and took off to the stairs

Cameron’s mom sighed. She hasn’t spoken to Scarlett in a long time. They kept growing further and further apart each day. She was just glad to see Victor still doing just fine, however every time she saw the boy on the news doing another interview, she couldn’t help but notice the two polarizing personalities that Victor showed. It was concerning!

On TV the boy is prideful and arrogant as can be, but the moment he talked to her by himself he just seemed like a normal child.

She didn’t want to press the issue. She didn’t want to face another argument with Scarlett
Beauregarde. She wondered if her son, Cameron noticed anything. Has anyone else seemed to see the difference between Victor with his parents versus when he’s alone?Cameron’s mom tried to shove the issue to the back of her head. Maybe it’ll all be okay and she was just reading into things. Victor is a good kid and he has Cameron as well.

Upstairs in Cameron’s room, the boys were getting ready to head outside.

“Hey, you still have a crush on Lexi Reynolds, right?” Cameron asked changing into a different shirt.

Victor blushed. “Yeah, why?”

“She’s in my third period this year,” he said. “Should I mention you?” He smirked teasingly.

“No! Shut up!” Victor laughed. “I mean…it doesn’t matter anyways. I don’t think my parents will approve. They keep setting me up with someone. Last week, they made me grab dinner with this girl named Miranda Piker because of how rich her family is. She didn’t like me.”

“Oh, that’s awful. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t really like her either,” Victor said. Cameron laughed at that. “She kept complaining about everything.”

“Well, maybe you’ll end up with Lex one day!”

Victor paused. He thought about finally hanging out with Lex and getting to know her. “Maybe…”

The next morning, Cameron woke up and stretched in his bed. He sat up and expected to see his friend laying on the air mattress but he wasn’t there.

“Victor?” He called. But no reply. He looked at the clock. 10AM.

Cameron walked down the stairs and saw his best friend talking to his mom in the kitchen.

“Good morning, honey!” Cameron’s mom said to him. Victor gave a simple wave.

“How long have you been awake?” Cameron asked Victor.

“Only a few hours,” he shrugged.

“And how long is a few?” Cameron asked.

Victor shrunk back. “…since six…”

“I thought I heard someone moving around this morning. I got up around seven,” his mom explained. “I found Victor cleaning the living room and kitchen and he made breakfast already! Even my coffee!”

“I saved a plate for you,” Victor said to his friend. “But you might have to reheat it.”

“Did you eat already?” Cameron asked.

Victor hesitated to answer then waved it off. “Yeah, I did.” But his friend eyed him suspiciously.

“I tried to tell him he didn’t have to do any of that,” she said. “He could’ve gone back to sleep.”

“I’m always up around that time,” Victor said. “I workout, clean the house, and then make breakfast. It’s no big deal.”

Cameron looked at him strange. “Do you not sleep in at all?”

Victor side glanced. “Like wake up around 6:30 or 7?”

Cameron sighed but his mom stopped him from saying anything further. “Cameron, it’s fine.” She turned to face the other child. “Victor, thank you for doing that. That was very kind of you. But how about for the rest of your stay here, you relax, okay?”

Victor didn’t know how to answer that. What else was he supposed to do in the mornings then? He forced a smile and nodded. “Okay.”

Cameron’s mom returned a smile and left the two boys in the kitchen. Cameron studied his friend one last time. He looked tired. He saw that he had some bags under his slightly red eyes but he still seemed energetic. How could he not be concerned over his best friend? Did he even sleep last night? He swore he heard him snoring - even though Victor doesn’t like to admit he does. He tried to change the subject.

“So what did you make?” Cameron asked.

“Just some toast, eggs, and I saw that you had sausage so I cooked them,” Victor said as if it was no big deal. Cameron said thanks and he ate his breakfast at the table while Victor joined him.

Victor enjoyed his few days at Cameron’s house. It truly was his own version of a vacation, but Victor couldn’t relax too often. He still had to train. Cornelius Prinzmetal was always right behind him. There were a few close calls between the boys and Victor didn’t want to hear his father compare the two again.
He’s been doing that a lot lately. He was the Champion of Miles City, not Cornelius, and HE was going to make his father happy.

It was also freeing to rest a bit more in Cameron’s home. Sam Beauregarde took naps off the table. Victor was not allowed to sleep during the day. In fact the one time he did, his father scared him awake.

Yes, these times when Sam and Scarlett were away were his own times to reset and refresh, even if it seemed to go by too fast.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Sam Beauregarde paced the living room floor as his wife handled phone call after phone call in her office. The family seemed to be getting tight on money again, and Sam needed a new thing for his sixteen year old son.

Victor came home from school and noticed how his father seemed to be worked up over something.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“How are you on your competitions? Do you have any coming up?” He asked.

Victor shook his head. “I’m caught up for now. I think I have another one in a few weeks. It’s just going to practice really-”

Sam held up his hand to silence his son. Victor immediately stopped talking but he rolled his eyes. He was getting a little frustrated with his parents lately, being constantly shown off to the public.

“There has to be something new…” Sam muttered.

Victor took a step forward. “Maybe this could be a break?” He asked. “I have been doing a lot lately-”

But Sam ignored him. “Wait!” His father exclaimed. “Didn’t I see something about your friend Cornelius the other day? On the news?”

Victor’s anger burned at the mentioning of Cornelius. He bit back his tongue about how his father called him his friend. He took a deep breath before answering. “Yeah, he was on the news. Something about breaking a world record for chewing gum for a month.”

Sam stopped his pacing. His eyes lit up. He looked at his son.

“What?” He said dumbfounded. Then he saw the idea flood his father’s brain. He immediately protested. “No! I won’t do it! I hate gum! It’s gross!”

Sam gripped his son’s shoulders causing him to flinch. Victor looked at him in fear. “Victor!” His father began. “You listen to me! You need to do this! I’m going to need you start training on this immediately!”

“But I can’t do that! I can’t chew gum for a solid month!”

Sam laughed. “Oh you’re not chewing it for a month. You have to beat his record.” Victor swallowed nervously. He looked unsure. “Come on, son! Don’t you want to make your parents proud?”

Victor felt stuck. He definitely didn’t want to chew gum for however long his father made him, but he also didn’t want to say no. He looked down in defeat. “I’ll do it…”

Sam laughed happily. “Aha! Atta boy, son! I’m going to run to the store and get you a pack of gum immediately! That’s my winner!”

Sam left and Victor stood dejectedly in the living room. Hopefully he won’t have to chew this gum for long…

“Victor! Keep chewing!” His father barked at him outside during his workout. It’s been a month and a half and Victor was getting ready to call it quits.

“But my jaw hurts!” He said. “Can’t I take a break?”

“No! Now put the gum back in your mouth and practice your swing! You need to tighten that form before your golf tournament, understood?”

Victor rolled his eyes. “Yes, father.” He got the gum from behind his ear and stuck it back in his mouth. He hated how he had to get used to the wet gum behind his ear. He also hated people’s reactions to him doing that. He wanted to tell them how none of this was his idea.

“And stop rolling your eyes!” Sam yelled.

During this month and a half, Victor’s prideful persona was like second nature to him. Between the countless interviews and now 262 awards, why wouldn’t the boy be cocky about it?

What Victor was truly afraid of was when he didn’t know when to turn that side of him off. Where did his pride start and end? He already made an enemy out of Cornelius and Maddie Montgomery! He swore his conscience was just his father’s voice now.

You’re a winner. A champion. They’re all losers, Victor. Nothing can stop you. Eyes on the prize.

One thing was certain amidst his fears, he was tired of his parents pushing him aside during those interviews and inserting their own achievements in there. The boy did all the work and now they wanted to brag about their own achievements? It was maddening! When will this all be over?!

“Are you sure you can’t make it this weekend?” Victor asked Cameron as they waited for the elevator.

“No, I’m sorry, dude,” Cameron said with a frown. “I have practice for reading bowl.”

Victor huffed. “Then I guess it’s just me and my father at the stupid tournament. All of his dumb rich friends are going to be there. I’m just there to make him look good.”

“Have you ever asked him about dropping some stuff?”

Victor gave him a look. “I don’t crave a death wish, Cameron.”

“Is he still making you find the Golden Ticket?”

Victor’s eyes widened. “Thanks for reminding me! I have to go buy some. Is it cool if we stop by the store?”

“Yeah, man, of course!” The elevator doors dinged and they hopped on. “What do you guys even do with all of the chocolate? I know you’re not allowed to eat them.”

Victor rolled his eyes and lean against the door. “They throw it away.”

Cameron looked at him in disgust. “So wasteful.”

“Yeah, I know. They make me buy at least ten packs of them and unwrap them until I find it. My father has been going crazy ever since that rich brat found the second one. I can’t wait for all of this to blow over. It’s just another publicity stunt!”

The doors opened and the two saw Cornelius coming down the hall.

“I know one thing that’ll make you feel better.”

Victor raised an eyebrow at his friend. “And what’s that?”

“Quick, give me some gum!”

Cornelius finally arrived at the elevator and huffed at the both of them. “Are you two going to get off or what?” He asked rudely.

“It’s all yours!” Cameron said as him and Victor left. The two hid behind a corner and waited.

Cornelius climbed on and then touched one of the buttons, only to instantly recoil in disgust. His finger was coated in chewing gum. He grumbled in anger as the doors closed. “THOSE TWO LITTLE-”

Cameron and Victor laughed and high-fived each other. “See! I told you it would make you feel better.”

“It did! Thank you!”

THWACK!! Victor gave another perfect swing at the golf course as Sam Beauregarde laughed in approval. Sam’s colleague grew frustrated. He couldn’t believe he was losing to a 16 year old child. He was a professional!

“That’s my son!” Sam clapped.

They watched the ball land a few yards away from the hole. Victor blew a bubble in boredom and began walking to where his golf ball was. Victor swore he heard his father’s friend call him a “dumb gum chewing brat” under his breath. It took every ounce of him not to yell at him. He knew if he did, his father would scold him then possibly strike him when they get home.

Victor hated his title as the “gum chewing champion” for his town. Not too long ago he broke Cornelius’ world record by chewing the same piece of gum for three months solid. But what Victor hated even more was that he couldn’t seem to kick the habit. He found himself chewing the same gum all the time. It helped him keep focus and whenever he was anxious around his parents. Part of him wanted to stop, but the other part of him said to hold on and keep chewing.

The mundane of his life was starting to get to him. Victor prayed for a way out. There has to be a way out, right?

The moment Victor got home, he laid on his bed with a sigh and felt his body collapse a little. He eventually got up and placed the golf trophy on his desk. Easy win, waste of time, he thought. Golf was definitely not his thing.

He remembered the pack of Wonka bars sitting on his desk. Should probably unwrap these before I forget. He unwrapped the first one. Nothing. The second one. Nothing. He groaned in frustration. He wished all five tickets could be found already so he could stop this madness. But then he unwrapped the third one…

Victor gasped. The gold shined in his face. He took off the rest of the wrapper and stood as he held it up.

Victor found the third golden ticket.

Chapter Text

Scarlett Beauregarde quickly fixed Victor’s appearance. The boy wore a nice red shirt and Scarlett frantically pawed at it. Victor was getting annoyed but anxious as they were about to start his Golden Ticket Interview. Mostly annoyed because his mom insisted they did it at her car dealership. Free press to the whole world? Yes, please!

“Remember to smile, baby. You’re representing us, me, my career-”

“Scarlett,” Sam held up his hands to calm his wife down. He gripped Victor’s shoulders and looked his son in the eye. Victor tensed and chewed his gum faster. “Out of all the things you should remember, is that you’re a winner. Understood? Remember the things you need to say.” Sam handed him the notecards.

Victor huffed and flipped through them. All of it was praising his mom’s career and him rattling on about the car dealership. He didn’t want to say any of this! This was his interview not theirs! Lately, both of his parents have been literally shoving him to the side to talk about their own wins and careers. He was tired of being used as their puppet.

“Come on, honey! We’re starting!” Scarlett gestured him to follow her.

Victor decided to do something different. He shoved the notecards in his pocket and followed his parents in front of the camera. I am a winner, he thought, but I refuse to be walked all over.

The cameraman counted down and for once, Victor was nervous. This was his first big decision in years. In just a few moments, the whole world will know who he is and not just Montana. This is a defining moment.

They’re live. Victor smiled his perfected condescending smile as he listened to the reporter’s introduction of “how it can happen right here in America. Where even in the smallest town, the happiest dreams can come true.”

This wasn’t a dream come true for Victor. If anything, maybe his parents. Victor felt the notecards in his pocket. Maybe he shouldn’t. He’ll just recite the cards. He heard the reporter mention his parents, and right as the reporter gestured the microphone to Victor, his mom snatched it from the reporter’s hand and gave her own spiel before he could say anything.

“Hi, everyone! Scarlett Beauregarde here! We have all of today’s great bargains! The finest deals in the entire country!”

Victor was shocked. He grew angry at his mom’s ego and how she rambled on. Something in Victor snapped.

“Come on, mom! Let go of the microphone!”

Scarlett snapped her head toward her child but quickly plastered on a smile and stepped back.

“Thank you, ma’am,” the reporter said. “Victor, would care to say a few words to the nation?”

Victor hesitated for a moment, but his prideful persona washed over him after seeing his mom try to steal his interview. After years of his parents walking over him, he could change the narrative in an instant.

He wore his signature cocky smile and showed off the Golden Ticket in his hand. “Sure I will. Here’s the third Golden Ticket and it’s all mine.” He touched his chest smugly.

“Tell us how it happened, Victor.”

Victor thought again. Maybe he could embarrass his folks with this interview. It would affect them more than him. “So I’m a gum-chewer, normally, but when I heard of Ms. Wonka’s contest, I laid off the gum and switched to Wonka bars instead. Now, of course, I’m right back on gum. I chew it all day except at meal times when I stick it behind my ear.”

Sam blushed at Victor’s blunt honesty. He tried to tug Victor back. He laughed nervously. “Victor-”

“Cool it, father!”

Sam let his anger subside. He would have to talk to Victor later. He tried to remind himself that this was free press for the family.

“Now this piece of gum here is one I’ve been chewing for three months solid, and that’s a world record. Which was previously held by my dear friend Cornelius Prinzmetal. He tried his best, but I’m sure he did an excellent job. You should give him a hand for trying. He isn’t that much of a champion like me.”

Victor’s friends and classmates watched his interview. Cornelius fumed at his TV and turned it off. Maddie rolled her eyes. Cameron laughed and Lex blushed but smiled anyways.

Scarlett quickly snatched the microphone back so she could do some damage control, catching Victor off guard. “Let me just say if anyone of you needs a deal I can surely help!”

The reporter wrestled with her over the mic. “Mrs. Beauregarde, please!”

Suddenly Victor felt someone tap his shoulder and he looked up to see a strange woman with a derby hat lean in and whisper in his ear. He could barely make out the words but all he heard was “…Slugworth…Everlasting Gobstopper…very rich…comfort for the rest of your lives…”

But before Victor could ask any questions, the woman was gone.

Once the interview was over Sam and Scarlett pulled Victor inside the car dealership building.

“Victor, honey,” Scarlett said, controlling her anger. “What were you thinking?”

“I was just sticking to the cards!” He protested.

Sam slapped his son and Victor held his cheek, fighting back tears at the sudden pain. “No, you weren’t! Don’t ever do that again! You’re lucky the interview went mostly successful and we got free publicity for your mother and for your championship! Remember, son, we know what’s best for you! This is why we make the decisions. Don’t make us take back control of your schedule, understood?”

For a split second, Victor’s eyes widened in fear. He just wanted to not be controlled by his parents any further. He looked away. “Yes, father.”

“Now, chin up. We got a competition to go to.”
* * * * * * * *
Little did Victor know, his mom was picking the outfit that would seal his fate forever that morning. The nice blue sweater vest over the white polo shirt, blue pants, and brown dress shoes.

“Here, baby, wear this, I just got it for you! I think it’ll pull your outfit together! Paid a lot of money for this to make you look good.” Scarlett handed him a red belt.

Victor looked at it in disgust. “I’ll look so tacky!” Scarlett gave him a stern look. “Fine.” He took the belt and put it on.

Sam gave him one last pep talk, reminding him that he was above the other children, and that he wasn’t a loser like them. He said to make him proud. That’s all I ever wanted to do, Victor thought.

The drive to Wonka’s factory was long. Victor was nervous for some reason. He still couldn’t believe he won. He wore his blue coat, white visor, and red gloves. It was cold on the first of February. He was glad his mom was with him instead of his father. His mom was a little bit more understanding and not as pushy. But the main reason why Scarlett was going instead of Sam was for her to talk from one businesswoman to another. It was of course, her chance to shine as well.

There was a band playing amongst the crowd at Wonka’s factory gates. He saw the other Golden Ticket Winners giving their interviews once again. They were all there. Agnes Gloop, Michelle Teevee, Vernon Salt, and Charlie Bucket.

He didn’t think much of the other Golden Ticket Winners. He couldn’t help but notice they were all kids around the same age as him. What were the odds? Agnes was munching on her own Wonka bar as her mom tried to get her to stop eating. It looked like her mom was babying the 13 year old girl by wiping her face. Michelle didn’t want to be here. She wore her hoodie and rolled her eyes. Victor remembered her interview. She won a few weeks after he did. She looked like she couldn’t care less. Vernon was annoying and cloyingly sweet. His mother seemed to be at the end of her rope with Vernon bossing everyone around.

But Charlie Bucket. He couldn’t help but stare at her. She was quiet and just simply looked happy to be here as if this was all she wanted in the world. She looked to her grandmother with joy as they waited outside the gates.

The atmosphere was overwhelming yet exciting. Various reporters from around the world were there just to catch a glimpse of the legendary chocolatier magician Wilma Wonka.

A reporter came up to both Victor and Scarlett, startling the boy. He was used to reporters but they seemed to be relentless today. He didn’t hear what the reporter said beforehand but all he heard was Scarlett rambling on about her car dealership once again.

Victor tried not to roll his eyes at his mom’s vanity. When the reporter pointed to him, he simply smiled and pulled on his gum for the camera causing Scarlett to glare at him.

Once the reporter left, Scarlett leaned into her son. “Victor, I need you to ask Wonka what gum she has here for the opportunities and sponsorships. Lord knows we need them.”

“I don’t want to do that!”

“Quit your complaining! If you don’t do this, I am telling your father!”

Victor quietly panicked and looked away. “Yes, mom.”

Wilma Wonka limped slowly and awkwardly down the red carpet outside her factory. The crowd was hushed silent as they all saw her hobble. She stopped, then lean forward and did a somersault. The crowd cheered. Victor was amazed. He smiled at Wonka’s entrance.

Wilma Wonka bowed slightly and smiled. “Thank you! Thank you! Would my dear friends please come forward?”

The Golden Ticket Winners and their parents walked down the center, but with Vernon Salt shoving all the while. He led the line and introduced himself to Wilma Wonka. Oh great, I gotta deal with him all tour. Victor quietly rolled his eyes.

As Victor walked down he saw Slugworth and remembered the offer she gave to him. Victor was still torn on the deal. He didn’t even tell his parents. He knew what they wanted him to do. He didn’t need more pressure.

Victor was right behind Agnes. He felt Scarlett touch his shoulder reminding him to ask the question. Victor sighed.

Victor stuck out his hand and Ms. Wonka shook it. He smiled, not cocky or arrogant, but genuine. “Victor Beauregarde.”

“Darling, child! Welcome to Wonka’s!” Wilma Wonka beamed at him.

The Chocolatier’s smile felt warm to him. He smiled back and then he remembered the question his mom wanted to ask her. He didn’t want to, but the question escaped his lips. “What kind of gum you got here?” It pained him to ask that.

Yet Wonka smiled anyways. She touched the young boy’s chin. “Charming. Charming!”

Victor started to smile back until his mom shoved him aside. Victor looked back at his mom frustratedly. He rubbed his shoulder.

“Scarlett Beauregarde, here, Ms. Wonka,” she shook her hand.

“My dear madam, what a pleasure.”

“Here’s my card, Wonka. With Scarlett B, it’s a guarantee.”

Wonka took her card and nodded as she looked at it. Scarlett smiled one last time before she joined the others. Scarlett squeezed her son’s shoulders proudly. “Great job, baby! Let’s go win this.”

Victor huffed. He still wasn’t sure about this big prize at the end. What would an athletic champion do with a lifetime supply of chocolate? Or something bigger than chocolate?

Wilma Wonka clapped her hands. “Overjoyed, enraptured, entranced. Are we ready? Yes! Good! In we go!”

The crowd cheered as the tour group entered. None of the children knew that in just a few moments, things will never be the same.
* * * * * * * *
“Now hats, coats, galoshes, over here,” Wonka instructed. “But hurry please, we have so much time and so little to see. Wait a minute! Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.”

Victor felt a little ridiculous in his blue outfit as he took off his coat, hat, and gloves. He tried to channel his pride nonetheless.

“These are weird ass coat hangers,” Michelle muttered as she hung up her coat.

“Michelle!” Her father exclaimed in embarrassment.

Victor hung up his coat but gasped and leapt back as the hands grabbed them. The rest of the tour were startled as well, some people letting out screams.

“Little surprises around every corner but nothing dangerous. Don't be alarmed!” Wonka waggled her finger. “But now, will the children kindly step up here?” Wonka pulled a curtain and on the wall was a contract.

Both Mrs. Beauregarde and Mrs. Salt muttered reading the contract in disbelief.

“Floods, fire, frost, or frippery?!” Mrs. Salt shouted.

Michelle glared in suspicion. “Accidents?! The hell you mean by accidents?! And why can’t we see what’s at the bottom?!”

“We have to sign something for the tour?” Mr. Teevee asked incredulously.

“Labor unions?!” Scarlett exclaimed.

Wonka held out a feather pin with a vague smile. “Victor, you first.”

Victor’s eyes widened. Why was he first? He went up to grab the pen but his mom pulled him back and Victor found himself in between Wonka and his mom.

“Hold it! Victor, baby, don’t sign anything! Don’t tell me about contracts, Wonka. I have used them many times myself. They’re strictly for suckers.” Victor chewed his gum in embarrassment at his mom.

“Oh, but Mrs. Beauregarde! You wouldn’t begrudge me a little protection?”

“Well I’m not signing anything without my lawyer present!” Scarlett replied. Victor rolled his eyes at that. He was the one signing not her.

“My Vernon isn’t going to sign anything either!” Mrs. Salt chimed in.

“Then he won’t go in!” Wonka said sweetly with a smile.

The rich British child stomped his foot angrily. “I want to go in! And you’re not going to stop me!”

Worry instantly washed over Mrs. Salt. “Vernon, I’m just trying to help you!” Vernon shoved his mother aside. “Give me that pen!” He snatched it from Victor who was in disbelief from what’s happening. He couldn’t imagine speaking to his parents in such a way. Vernon signed the contract with a huff. “You’re always making things difficult.”

Wonka grew a smile on her face as if she wanted that reaction from Vernon Salt. “Nicely handled, Vernon!” Wonka touched the bottom of Victor’s chin again. “Victor?”

Victor looked at the pen and back at the contract. His mom didn’t want him to sign it, but then again, his mom didn’t want him to do a lot of things. He looked at Ms. Wonka. Something about her seemed so trusting and inviting. With renewed passion, Victor signed the contract and his mom gasped. He got off the platform.

“Victor?! Victor!” Scarlett went after him. She pulled him aside. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” She said in a hushed whisper.

“I’m just trying to get us one step closer to a sponsorship from Ms. Wonka.” He said cheekily.

Scarlett Beauregarde fumed at her son and only a small percent of regret flooded Victor. “Listen here, young man, let me handle the business. You just need to behave yourself!” She fixed his appearance one last time. “Understood?”

Victor folded his arms. “Yes, mom.”

Once everyone was signed, Wonka led them through a door only for the hallway to be small. Everyone pushed and screamed, begging for Wonka to let them out. Vernon Salt threatened Wonka to let him go. Sweet Agnes did her best to not get crushed and squeezed in the process. All of the families weren’t having it.

Eventually Wonka let them out - the same door mind you, and they were in a different hall altogether.

“What is this, Wonka? Some kind of fun house?” Mrs. Salt asked out of breath.

“Why, having fun?” She said giddily. She turned to face them fully as they stood before a small door.

“You’re not squeezing me and my Agnes through that tiny door!” Mrs. Gloop shouted.

“Yeah, Wonka, no one can get through there!” Mrs. Salt shouted.

However Wilma Wonka ignored them. She spoke in a hushed excited whisper that enticed everyone. “My dear friends, you are now about to enter the nerve center of the entire Wonka Factory. Inside this room, all of my dreams become realities. And some of my realities become dreams.”

Victor chewed his gum in wonder at that. He’s heard the stories of how Wonka did everything on her own during her time of isolation, without guidance, without anyone breathing down her neck telling her what to do. He would give anything to have that.

“And almost everything you will see is eatible. Edible. I mean, you can eat almost everything.”

Agnes squirmed uncomfortably. “Let me in, I'm starving!” Vernon and Michelle snickered at the young German girl.

“Now, don't get overexcited! Don't lose your head, Agnes! We wouldn't want anyone to lose that! Yet.” She winked at the children. Wonka turned back at the door. “Now, the combination. This is a musical lock.”
Wonka played Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro” on the tiny piano.

Mr. Teevee adjusted his glasses snootily. “Rachmaninoff.” Victor chewed his gum in annoyance. Michelle’s father was wrong. His parents didn’t push him to study music for nothing.

Wonka leaned in forward once more. “Ladies and gentlemen ... boys and girls…your life’s about to change now! So don’t get left behind.”

She pushed on the door and before them was-

“…The Chocolate Room.”

It was nothing like the tour group has ever seen. Even Michelle Teevee couldn’t believe her eyes. Victor couldn’t believe that Wilma Wonka made all of this.

“Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three. Come with me in pure imagination.”

Everyone was itching to get down there to explore, to taste, to experience. Wonka was toying with them now by stopping and starting down the steps. Vernon shoved and pushed at Victor to let him go first, but Victor wouldn’t let him have it. Eventually, Wonka released them with a simple bow. They all ran off.

Victor, however, was a little uneasy. He couldn’t eat any of this! I guess I could just…look? He thought.

Victor explored the Chocolate Room and stopped under a tree that dangled candy beads. He looked up. Wonka passed by and poked the tree with her cane and down came a giant orange gummy bear. Victor caught it. He looked at it curiously, not planning to eat it. His parents would berate him if he would take a bite. He often thought about how humiliating that it was that his father ordered for him at restaurants. That one date with Miranda Piker took a lot out of him.

“What are you doing?!” Scarlett shouted in her shrill voice. Victor’s head snapped up at her. “You know you can’t eat that!” She harshly slapped his hands causing him to drop the gummy bear.

“But, mom, I wasn’t-”

“If you want to eat anything I found this candy apple.” She handed it to him. “But you can only take one bite!”

Victor sighed and grabbed it. “Thanks.” He hesitantly took a bite. It tasted fantastic. He wanted to have more! He hasn’t had sweets in a long time! But Scarlett snatched it back.

“You’re welcome.”

“What a disgusting dirty river!” Mrs. Gloop said, snacking on her candy, watching the brown river flow.

“Industrial waste!” Mrs. Salt chimed in, staring at it as well. “Your water is polluted, Wonka!”

“It’s chocolate!” Wonka sang.

“That’s chocolate?!” Vernon said incredulously.

Victor was amazed. “A chocolate river!”

Wonka raised her eyebrows in surprise at Victor’s astonishment. She beamed quietly to herself.

“That’s the most fantastic thing I’ve ever seen!” Grandma Josephine said happily.

“Ten thousand gallons an hour,” Wonka said. “And look at my waterfall. That's the most important thing. It's mixing my chocolate. It's actually churning my chocolate. You know, no other factory in the world mixes its chocolate by waterfall.” Wonka beamed with pride.

Charlie gasped at the sight of short orange men with green hair tending to the Chocolate Room grass. “Grandma, look over there!”

“I never saw anybody with an orange face before. Funny-looking people, aren't they, Wonka?” Mrs. Salt laughed.

Charlie and Victor grimaced at Mrs. Salt’s laughter.

Mr. Teevee scrunched up his face in confusion. “What are they doing there?”

Wonka smiled happily. “It must be creaming and sugaring time.” She said eating her own creations.

Victor tried to wrap his mind around it. “Well they can't be real people.”

Wonka chuckled at the boy. “Well, of course they're real people.”

Mrs. Salt waved it off. “Stuff and nonsense.”

Wonka pointed at her. “No, Oompa Loompas.”

“Oompa Loompas?!” The whole tour group shouted.

“From Loompaland!” Wonka added.

“Loompaland? There's no such place!” Mr. Teevee put his hands on his hips.

“Excuse me, dear sir-”

“Ms. Wonka, I am a teacher of geography…”

The two of them prattled on back and forth about the history of Oompa Loompas. Victor didn’t understand a lick of it. Wonka seemed to mention Snozzwangers? Vermicious Knids?

“What kind of rubbish is that?!” Mrs. Salt said with Vernon nodding in agreement.

“I'm sorry, but all questions must be submitted in writing,” Wonka raised a finger, frustrating Lady Salt further. “And so, in the greatest of secrecy I transported the entire population of Oompa Loompas to my factory here.”

Vernon beamed at that. “Hey, mummy, I want an Oompa Loompa. I want you to get me an Oompa Loompa right away!”

Victor rolled his eyes. He couldn’t take Vernon’s whiny voice anymore.

Mrs. Salt looked lovingly at her son. “All right, Vernon, all right. I'll get you one before the day is out.”

Vernon’s face turned red with anger, matching his red outfit he came with. “No!” He thrashed. “I want an Oompa Loompa now!!”

Victor turned to face him. “Can it, you nit!”

The two boys entered a stare off

“Wait!” Mrs. Gloop said in panic. “Where’s my daughter?!”

Charlie was the first one to spot the German girl. “She’s over there!”

Small Agnes drank from the chocolate river in bliss.

“Don’t worry, Charlie, I don’t think she can drink it all!” Grandma Josephine said.

“She can sure try,” Michelle said under her breath.

“Agnes! Save some room for later, sweetheart!” Mrs. Gloop went after her.

Wonka panicked. She tried to push through the tour group. “Oh, uh, Agnes, please, don't do that. My chocolate must never be touched by human hands! You're contaminating my entire river. Please, I beg you, Miss Agnes!”

But the moment Wonka went towards her - Agnes Gloop splashed in.

Michelle laughed. “Man overboard!”

Agnes splashed in the chocolate river begging for help. “Help! Help!”

Wonka’s hands flew to her head in horror. “My chocolate! My beautiful chocolate!”

Victor looked at Agnes helplessly. He looked back at Wonka. There’s a kid drowning and she’s worried about her river?!

Charlie found a large lollipop and stuck it out to the drowning child. “Agnes! Grab onto this!”

Agnes tried to reach but she immediately got sucked down to the bottom.

Mrs. Gloop gasped. “Where is she?! Where did she go?!” Wonka looked at the river in anticipation. Mrs. Gloop grew frustrated at the Chocolatier. “Don’t just stand there! Do something! She can’t swim!”

“Help. Police. Murder.” Wonka replied back in sarcasm. “But no worries, Mrs. Gloop! The suctions got her!”

Mrs. Gloop looked horrified and confused. “The suction?!”

“Watch the pipe!” Wonka pointed her cane towards a large tube that stuck in the chocolate river.

Everyone’s attention turned towards it. Agnes, coated in chocolate, screamed for help in the pipe. Victor watched and chewed his gum anxiously. Why wasn’t anyone doing something?!

“Call a plumber!” Mrs. Beauregarde cried.

“She’s stuck in the pipe there, isn't she, Wonka? It's her stomach that's done that.” Mrs. Salt nudged Mr. Teevee with a laugh.

Agnes sobbed in the pipe embarrassed. “Help! Help!”

Victor looked on anxiously. “She’s blocking all the chocolate.”

Grandma Josephine looked to The Chocolatier in worry. “Well, what happens now?”

Wonka continued to snack on her sweets. “Oh, the pressure'll get her out.”

Everyone looked at Agnes with curiosity and awe. “I wonder how long it's gonna take her to push through,” Mr. Teevee said aloud.

“The suspense is terrible,” Wonka said quietly. A small smile broke through. “I hope it'll last.”

Charlie panicked. “What if she never gets out?!”

“Oh she will!” Grandma Josephine held onto Charlie. “Watch!”

Agnes squirmed uncomfortably and then suddenly. WHOOSH! Agnes shot up the pipe and everyone gasped.

Mrs. Gloop cried. “She’s gone! She’ll be made into marshmallows in five seconds!”

Wonka waved her hand with a short. “Impossible, my dear lady, that's absurd! Unthinkable!”

Mrs. Gloop sobbed into her sleeve. “Why?”

“Because that pipe doesn't go to the Marshmallow Room, it goes to the Fudge Room.” Wonka said simply as if it was obvious.

Mrs. Gloop glared and shook her head at Wilma Wonka. “You terrible woman.”

All of a sudden the tour group heard a flute that was played. A small Oompa Loompa reported to Wonka.

“What was that?!” Mrs. Salt cried out.

Wonka bent down to talk to her worker. “Take Mrs. Gloop straight to the Fudge Room, but look sharp! Or her little girl is liable to get poured into the boiler.”

Mrs. Gloop gasped. “You've boiled her up, I know it!” She was being tugged away by the worker.

Wonka waved her off with a handkerchief. “Across the desert lies the promised land. Goodbye, Mrs. Gloop. Adieu! Auf wiedersehen! Gesundheit. Farewell.”

Music began to play in the Chocolate Room. The group wondered where it came from. They noticed the Oompa Loompas singing - singing about Agnes and mocking her gluttony!

The children eyed each other uncomfortably. They all wondered if they were improvising this or was it rehearsed beforehand. The Oompa Loompas left the room and the group stood there dumbfounded. Victor chewed his gum nervously. He just hoped Agnes was okay.

“What kind of place are you running here?!” Scarlett Beauregarde broke the silence.

“Uh…mesdames et messieurs, maintenant nous allons faire grand petit voyage par bateau.” Wonka said in fluent French.

Mrs. Salt leaned to Mrs. Beauregarde. “What is she talking about?”

“Voulez-vous entrer le Wonkatania?” The eccentric Chocolatier gestured to a boat that floated down the river.

Charlie smiled wide. “What a beautiful boat!”

“Quite beautiful!” Grandma Josephine added.

“All I ask is a tall ship and a star to sail her by,” Wonka beamed. She raised her cane. “All aboard, everybody!”

Mrs. Salt shoved her son to the front. Vernon cheesed hard with pride. “My little gentleman first.”

“If he’s a gentleman, I'm a Vermicious Knid,” Grandma Josephine grumbled. Charlie laughed silently.

Everyone boarded the boat.

“She's tres joli, but is she seaworthy?” Mr. Teevee said uneasily.

Wonka waved her hand. “Nothing to worry about, my dear sir. I take good care of my guests.”

Mrs. Beauregarde sneered. “Yeah, you took real good care of that Agatha kid over there, that's for sure.” Victor didn’t bother to correct his mom that the poor girl’s name was Agnes.

“Everybody aboard? You're going to love this. Just love it.” Wonka faced her tour group with a vague smile.

The boat began to sail down the river. Vernon looked around in wonder. “Hey, mummy, I want a boat like this. A beautiful paddle boat, that's what I want!”

Grandma Josephine huffed. “What he wants is a good kick in the pants.”

Mrs. Beauregarde leaned over to Mrs. Salt. “What business you in, Mrs. Salt?

Mrs. Salt cheesed proudly. “Nuts.”

Mrs. Beauregarde nodded awkwardly.

The boat began to head into a tunnel and it looked pretty dark.

Mrs. Salt looked uneasily at the tunnel. “Hang on, where are we going?”

Mrs. Beauregarde glanced between her son and the Chocolatier. “I don't know, but I don't like the looks of that tunnel up there. Hey, Wonka, I want off!”

Wonka held onto her cane and smiled ominously. “Round the world and home again, that's the sailor's way!”

Horrifying images flashed on the wall causing the tour group to cry out. Vernon held tightly onto his mother. “I don't like this ride, mummy!”

Wonka grinned maliciously. “Faster!” She ordered. “Faster!”

Mr. Teevee panicked. “We're going too fast!”

Yet Wonka continued to command, “faster! Faster!”

Even Michelle, the hardcore teen, was scared. “What's happening?!”

“Faster!”

Victor looked at his mom in fear. “What is this, a freak-out?”

“You can't possibly see where you're going, Wonka!” Mrs. Beauregarde said.

“You're right. I can't,” Wonka said eerily.

Mrs. Salt reached for her purse hurriedly. “How much to get off the boat?!”

Then to everyone’s discomfort, the Mad Chocolatier began to sing. “There’s no earthly way of knowing…”

Mrs. Salt began to have a nervous breakdown. She laughed uneasily as she held tight to her son. “She's singing!”

Wonka looked dead ahead. “Which direction we are going. There’s know knowing where we’re rowing!”

Mrs. Salt laughed madly some more. “Rowing!”

“Or which way the river’s flowing!” Wonka continued to hauntingly sing. “Is it raining? Is it snowing? Is a hurricane a-blowing?”

Suddenly Wonka tensed. Everyone’s on the edge of their seat.

“Not a speck of light is showing…so the danger must be growing!” The woman seemed to be monologuing! “Are the fires of hell a glowing? Is the grisly reaper mowing? Yes! The danger must be growing! For the rowers keep on rowing! And they're certainly not showing Any signs that they are slowing!” Wonka let out a bloodcurdling scream causing the others to scream as well. What type of tour did they win anyway?! Certainly not a horror one!

Vernon covered his ears and shook his head.“Oh, make her stop, mummy!”

“Wonka,” Lady Salt huffed. “This has gone far enough!

Wonka cracked a smile. “Quite right, madam! Stop the boat!”
* * * * * * * *
Everyone’s heart pounded out of their chest as they stopped outside a room. They departed the boat and caught their breaths.

Mrs. Salt patted down her forehead. “I can't take much more of this.”

“I don’t want a boat like this at all!” Vernon said.

“Nice to know the brat has a freaking limit,” Michelle muttered.

Wonka stopped the group and looked at all of them seriously. “This room is much different than the Chocolate Room!” She said. “Ladies and gentlemen,“ Wonka pushed a door open, “the Inventing Room!”

The room was filled with machines and flooded with strange mechanical sounds. The complete opposite of the whimsy of the Chocolate Room.

“Now remember, no messing about. No touching, no tasting, no telling,” Wonka ordered. “Old Slugworth would give her thinning hair to get inside for just five minutes, so don't touch a thing!”

Victor was overwhelmed yet curious at the sights before him.

Vernon looked around the room. “She’s absolutely bonkers!” He cried as he watched Wonka throw in a watch into a pot then stir.

Charlie smiled as she watched Wonka’s brain at work. “And that's not bad!”

Michelle had her hands in her pockets and looked around in boredom. “What’s this?” She said looking at a tiny candy on a counter.

“Exploding candy for your enemies!” Wonka beamed proudly.

Michelle raised an eyebrow. “That might be the first thing I’ve liked from you all day.”

Wonka twirled away and grabbed a pair of sneakers. She plopped the shoes into a nearby pot.

Mrs. Salt’s eyes widened. “What's that for?”

Wonka winked at her. “Gives it a little kick.” She tasted a little bit of her creation. She cried out and dropped the ladle aside.

Victor looked at her in confusion. “What's the matter? Too hot, Ms. Wonka?”

Wonka grabbed a bunch of coats. “Too cold. Far too cold!”

Victor studied her curiously. He’s never seen anything like this. He admired Wonka’s innovation and childlike wonder. He hasn’t felt this way in a long time with all of his competitions and sports suppressing him.

BZZZZ!! Everyone snapped their heads towards a machine. Victor blushed in embarrassment to see his mom quickly backing away.

“So sorry! Please forgive me, but no one must look under there,” Wonka hurried over to Mrs. Beauregarde. “This is the most secret machine in my entire factory. This is the one that's really going to sizzle old Slugworth!”

“What is it, Ms. Wonka?” Charlie asked.

Wonka beamed excitedly. “Oh, all right! I’ll show you!” She pressed a button and the machine whirred to life. Tiny geometrical pieces began to roll out on the conveyor belt. Wonka stopped the machine. She held up a piece of the candy. “Everlasting Gobstoppers!”

Vernon’s eyes lit up. “Everlasting Gobstoppers?!” He repeated. The rest of the children also seemed to perk up at that.

Wonka nodded. “That's right. For children with very little pocket money. You can suck 'em forever!”

“I want one!” Vernon cried.

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Of course you do!”

“I will each give you one but only if you solemnly swear to keep them for yourselves and never show them to another living soul as long as you all shall live. Agreed?“

“Agreed!” The children said, but with Vernon crossing his fingers behind his back.

Wonka handed each child a Gobstopper.

Victor looked at the candy in wonder. He was torn on whether to tell Slugworth later. He wanted his parents to live comfortably. If he told her, he might be able to stop competing full time!

Vernon looked at everyone’s hands then studied Victor’s. He began to pout. “Hey!” He cried pointing at Victor. “He’s got two. I want another one!”

Victor rolled his eyes. “Would you cool it, you twit?!”

Even Wonka rolled her eyes. “Everybody’s got one, and one is enough for everybody!” The Chocolatier began to shift gears. She led the group to a different, yet grand machine. “Now over here, if you'll follow me, I have something rather special to show you.”

Michelle was slightly impressed at the machine. “This is actually pretty neat.” She muttered.

Wonka stood proudly next to it. “Isn't she scrumptious? She's my revolutionary, non- pollutionary mechanical wonder. Now, button, button, who's got the button?”

Charlie pointed ecstatically. “It's over there!”

Wonka pressed the button and the machine came to life. Everyone took a step back and watched it do its work. Two boxing gloves seemed to pound plates of flour. Tiny tubes dripped colorful liquid onto a tray. Everything clattered and clang as a tiny piece of candy fell into a slot.

Wonka grabbed the piece and held it up in the air. “Finito!” She presented to the group.

“That’s all?!” Vernon whined.

“That’s all!” Wonka mocked. “Don’t you know what this is?!”

Victor knew. It was the same type of candy his father made him chew for a silly world record. His jaw dropped. “It’s gum!” He said amazed. He felt Michelle roll her eyes behind him.

“Wrong!” She said with a smile, a little bit too happy to correct the boy. Victor frowned. “It’s the amazing, fabulous, sensational gum in the whole world!”

The young athlete’s interest was piqued. “What’s so great about it?” He asked.

“This gum is a three course meal. Tomato soup. Roast beef. And blueberry pie. ” She replied with a glimmer in her eye. Wonka held out the gum inches from his face, almost as if she was egging him on, like she wanted him to take it.

Victor eyed the gum hungrily. If he couldn’t make up his mind about the Gobstopper, he could at least make up his mind about this. That gum could boost his fame not just for him - but for his parents! Even for Wilma Wonka herself if he was the first to try it! His father would be proud of him for sure!

Mrs. Salt rolled her eyes. “Bull!”

“Did you not hear me? I said roast beef. But I haven’t got it quite right yet!”

In an instant, Victor snatched the gum from Wonka’s hands. He didn’t know what came over him, but he was super determined to try the gum, the plan in his mind already taken course. “I don’t care!” He said eyeing the gum and immediately unwrapping it.

“Oh!” Wonka raised a finger. “I wouldn’t do that! I really wouldnt!”

Victor took out the world record gum in his mouth and stuck it behind his ear. “So long as it’s gum and that’s for me.” All he needed to do was chew it and then the competitions would be over!

Scarlett laughed nervously at her son’s behavior. She gripped his shoulders causing him to halt. “Victor, baby, don’t do anything stupid.”

Victor brushed her off and stuck the gum in his mouth and walked away. He began to chew.

Vernon looked angrily at Victor chewing the piece of gum. He was upset that Victor beat him to it. Michelle rolled her eyes for the thousandth time that day at the egotistical boy. But Charlie was intrigued. “What’s it taste like?” The girl asked.

Victor worked at the gum until his eyes lit up in astonishment. It was insane! It was - “Madness! It IS tomato soup! It’s actually hot and I can feel it running down my throat!”

Wonka leaned on the machine in boredom. “Stop. Don’t.” She said nonchalantly, checking her nails.

Victor wondered why she didn’t stop him. Maybe the gum actually wasn’t that bad? So why did she worry about him then? He continued to chew and proudly talk about the gum. All those years of practicing talking about himself before reporters and his parents’ circle came in handy.

Victor gasped quietly in excitement. “The second course is coming up! It’s roast beef and baked potato!”

He still couldn’t believe he was eating food he wasn’t allowed to eat. It’s been too long since he had anything like these meals. And he was going to get dessert too? This might be the best day ever!

Scarlett laughed happily at her son’s selfish choice. “With sour cream? What’s for dessert, baby?” Vernon huffed in annoyance at that.

Then it happened. Victor’s nose turned blue. The blue began to spread on his face. But he smiled with pride as he continued to chew the gum. “Blueberry pie and cream! It’s the most marvelous, and sensational pie I’ve ever tasted!”

But when he told everyone the last course, their faces went from awe to horror. Victor wondered why they looked like that, but he kept chewing.

“Holy Toledo! What’s happening to your face?!” Scarlett cried out.

Victor couldn’t believe she was trying to put the attention back on her. He rolled his eyes. “Would you cool it, mom and let me finish?”

“No, but your face is turning blue!” She exclaimed. His eyes widened in panic. He looked at the crowd. They all had the same worried reactions she did. His heart skipped a beat as he chewed the gum faster. “Victor! You’re turning violet!”

Victor looked back in fear. “What are you talking about?!”

Scarlett marched up to Wonka. Victor overheard the Chocolatier saying something that she never got it quite right yet. He finally looked down at his hands and gasped. He was blue! They weren’t lying! But as he continued to look up and down his arms, Victor felt full…really full. He’s never felt this full in his life. He wondered if the slices of pie would ever stop. They seemed never-ending!

Then it happened. Victor heard a loud gurgle come from…him? That can’t be right! Oh no…he thought as he hunched over a little. He felt his stomach bloat. He whimpered in fear.

“Victor?!” Scarlett yelled, watching her son blow up.

Victor’s thoughts ran rampant as he watched his stomach grow around his belt and his arms beginning to swell. He looked around frantically. This isn’t happening! This isn’t happening!

“What are you doing now?! You’re blowing up!”

Say something! Anything! “I…I feel funny!”

His belt snapped off and he watched it fly off around him. The other Golden Ticket Winners flinched from the debris. He winced in embarrassment. He was getting so big his belt popped off?! He felt whatever was filling him up come stronger with a vengeance. His arms betrayed him as they were raised by his stomach. His perfect athletic body was gone within seconds.

“I’m not surprised,” Grandma Josephine said dryly. The boy internally winced at that. Half of him was angry from such a sarcastic answer and the other half felt hurt from the mocking.

“What’s happening?!” Victor shouted, practically begging for answers. How was a single piece of gum doing this to him?!

“You’re blowing up like a balloon!” Scarlett cried.

“Like a blueberry,” Wonka said, almost to no one.

Scarlett moved around the Inventing Room sporadically. “Somebody do something! Call a doctor!”

Michelle grew a wicked smile on her face and poked the poor boy right in the middle of his inflating belly. Victor looked at her helplessly. He was too overwhelmed to stop her.

“Stick him with a pin!” Mr. Teevee suggested.

“No! He’ll pop!” Charlie protested.

Pop?! Victor panicked. What have I done?! He screamed at himself. He didn’t want that to happen! All he wanted was his parents to be happy! All he wanted was to make even Wilma Wonka proud! To make his own choice! He didn’t want to die this way!

“It happens every time!” Wonka complained to herself, not worried too much about the blimping boy. “They all become blueberries!”

What?! Victor screamed in his head. He looked down at himself. I’m…turning into a blueberry?!

Scarlett got up into Wilma Wonka’s face. “Oh, you better change him back or I swear, I’ll break you for this!”

Victor’s eyes began to water. He did his best not cry. He still couldn’t believe he was still chewing the gum. Those months of constantly chewing became second nature. “Help! Help!!”

“We need to get the air out of him quick!” Scarlett shouted to Wonka.

“There’s no air in there,” Wonka corrected. “It’s juice.”

Scarlett’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “Juice?!”

Then the worst happened. Wonka played her tiny flute once more. An Oompa Loompa appeared before her. “Would you roll the young man down to the Juicing Room at once please?”

Victor tried to hear what was happening. The Juicing Room? They were going to ROLL him there?! Oh no…is that music playing?!

His mom seemed to repeat the question. “What for?!”

“For squeezing,” Wonka said quite simply. “We have to squeeze him immediately before he explodes.”

Scarlett nearly fainted. “Explodes?!”

“My dear Mrs. Beauregarde, it’s a very simple operation!”

The Oompa Loompas surrounded him. He was trapped! He didn’t like the way Wonka’s workers looked at him with odd curiosity, the way they scratched their heads at him as if he was some freak show attraction.

Victor didn’t know what to do. Everyone stared at him with weird intrigue. He couldn’t believe he humiliated himself in front of a bunch of strangers. He tried to walk but found it very difficult to move. He was teetering! His breathing ran ragged. He had to stop. He’s never been so out of breath before.

Then the worst happened. They closed in on him and began to touch his stomach and sides. He began to panic. He tried to shoo them away but he only managed to flap his hands. Victor wanted to sob. He’s never felt so powerless and helpless. They lowered him to the ground and the sensation was odd as they steadied the boy. Victor squirmed uncomfortably as the juice sloshed within him.

The lyrics were mean and taunting. If Agnes Gloop’s song was about her gluttony, then Victor’s song was about his pride and gum chewing habits. He couldn’t believe they were rolling him back and forth - practically playing with him! Didn’t Wonka say he was going to explode?!

Victor didn’t like being rolled. He didn’t like not having control. He didn’t like how it took so many of Wonka’s workers to move him. He felt so full, so heavy.

Eventually their mean song ended and they pushed the new blueberry boy through the double doors. That hallway looked awfully long and dark.

He heard his mom shouting at Wonka. “I’ll get you for this Wonka, if this is the last thing I’ll ever do! I can’t believe I have a blueberry for a son.”
* * * * * * * *
The next few moments was all a blur to Victor. He couldn’t remember much but his mom yelling at the Oompa Loompas. He felt trapped in a never-ending whimsical nightmare. His mind ran rampant.

What’s going to happen to me? What is the Juicing Room? What’s it going to feel like? Am I going to explode?! Am I going to die?! Is this permanent? How am I supposed to do anything?! What is Cameron going to think? What about my father!!! I’ll never compete again! My life is ruined! I ruined everything!

Victor cried out as he was stopped suddenly. He craned his neck to see where he was at. He couldn’t help but whimper. He was rolled into what he assumed was the Juicing Room. The sound of hydraulics flood his ears. He heard the Oompa Loompas scurry away from him. He felt different sensations touch his skin. He didn’t know what they were doing! He just wanted to get this juicing process over with!

Then he felt another great shove into his side. He was rolled into a dark chamber. Victor was frightened. He couldn’t see anything! Then he heard a loud whir and suddenly a violent pressure hit his stomach.

He blacked out.

Victor gasped awake. He felt sore - super sore. He’s never felt such pain in his life. He looked around and whimpered softly to himself. Is this…a hospital? Where am I? What just happened?

He hoped it was all just a dream. One horrifying, twisted dream. But once he tried to sit up, he knew that was all real. His arms were blue. Victor cried. Where was his mom? He noticed he was in a hospital gown. Where were his clothes?

“Ahem!”

He jumped. He did his best to look up. Everything still hurt. A figure walked into view. Victor gasped. It was Slugworth! Victor shook his head and cried harder. “I…I don’t have it! I don’t know where it’s at! I probably ruined it! But I don’t want to do anything anymore!“

“Mr. Beauregarde, my real name is Ms. Wilkinson,” she touched her chest. “I am Wilma Wonka’s assistant.”

Victor didn’t understand why she was here. “You’re not…Slugworth?” Wilkinson shook her head.

“I pretended to be her. The Everlasting Gobstopper was merely a test to see if you children can be trusted, and well, since you stole the three course meal gum, you’ve automatically failed either way.”

The word “failed” echoed hard into his head. He didn’t want to hear that. I’m not a failure! He thought. I can’t be a failure! But Victor knew there were more pressing matters at hand.

“I’m…still at the factory?” He asked softly. Ms. Wilkinson nodded. “Where’s…where’s my mom? What’s going to happen to me?!” Victor began to spiral. “Am I ever going to get back to normal-”

Wilkinson held her hand up and the boy stopped. “I am not sure where your mother went,” she said simply. Victor’s eyes widened. His mom left him? Oh God. She abandoned me! “She told me she would be right back but that was an hour ago. She was angrily screaming into a phone.” Victor could only assume it was his father. “As far as your situation, you should be back to normal soon. However you are the first person to try the gum, so we’re not sure when your skin color will return.”

Victor looked at his hands once more. I’m such an idiot.

“I hope you’ve learned your lesson, Mr. Beauregarde,” Wilkinson said coldly. Wonka’s assistant left the poor boy alone in the room.

Panic settled in as time passed. Victor wondered where his mom was. He worried she left him. Why would anyone want a blueberry for a son?

No. He fought back in his head. I’m not a blueberry. I’m still a champion!

I have to be.
* * * * * * * *
That night after he came home from the factory and earned loud yelling from both of his parents, Victor took a long bath. He furiously tried to scrubbed the blue off his arm. But it was no use. He began to breathe hard.

“No no no no no!” He muttered to himself, tears in his eyes. “Oh, come on!” His heart began to pound as his skin turned into a heated, irritated purple from all the rubbing.

Victor threw his wash cloth into the water in exasperation. He cried into his hands. His heart pounded in his chest and he began to hyperventilate. It won’t come off.

Sam Beauregarde gave him an earful a few minutes prior. They shouted at him that they canceled all of their vacation plans for the rest of the year because of his “dumb mistake”.

“Why didn’t you know that would happen to you, Victor?!” His father yelled.

“She never said I would swell up!”

Sam angrily walked away. “Oh, you dumb gum-chewing brat! How can I call you a champion?!”

Everything in his life all seemed to crash and burn. It was one disaster after another. He was mad at himself. Victor couldn’t stop dissociating for days. The same questions plagued his mind. Why didn’t he stop chewing? Why didn’t he just spit it out? Why did he make that stupid, stupid choice?! Was his father right and he couldn’t handle making decisions?

Victor went to bed that night and hid under the covers. He was trying to hide from his blue skin. He cried himself to sleep, still hoping this was just one bad, terrible dream
* * * * * * * *
Wilkinson stopped by a few days later to bring the Beauregarde’s a personal juicer. It wasn’t as large as the factory’s but still did its job.

Victor’s parents angrily called Wonka to state that Victor blew back up and that they wanted him back to normal immediately. Luckily he was not fully round, but large enough to disrupt dinner and his normal routine. Victor didn’t like that. The first time swelling up was horrifying. Why was he blowing back up?

Sam angrily yelled at him during dinner that night. “How can you still be hungry when you’re at this size?!”

Victor decided not to eat anything for the next few days no matter how hungry he was. He barely ate and he was torn when his father scolded him and his mom tried to make him eat. His eating habits now pushed to the extreme.

Unfortunately to get the juicer to their house, this meant the return of the Oompa Loompas. Victor didn’t want to see them ever again. He didn’t like how they mocked him and laughed at him because of his current state.

Wilkinson explained that the juicer has been placed in the laundry room. Sam and Scarlett Beauregarde hated it. They tried to protest against the notion as Victor finished his juicing session.

“Don’t you want your clothes to smell like freshly picked blueberries?” Wilkinson smirked as Victor walked out of the the laundry room.

The poor boy blushed blue as his parents fumed in anger.

The only highlight was Cameron checking in on him later on in the month. He hadn’t seen his best friend in so long since he shut himself away from the world. Cameron reassured him that he would be here no matter what.

But why did Victor feel like he would leave him anyways? What if Cameron was just another friendship he would ruin?
* * * * * * * *
Victor sat on his bed doing his homework. Cameron has been bringing him his schoolwork whenever he got the chance. Victor’s skin color finally came back but he still felt out of his body. It’s been one month since his trip to Wonka’s factory, and every day he tried to pretend it never happened. But it was hard to do that when one can’t look into the mirror and not see a blue version of yourself staring back.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

His parents entered the room and Victor tensed up. Sam and Scarlett looked at each other and then back at their son. His mom took a deep breath.

“Victor, baby, pack your things,” she forced a smile, “we are going on a vacation.”
* * * * * * * *
Mr. and Mrs. Bucket soaked in what Victor just disclosed to him. They heard everything from his childhood to the disastrous factory trip itself. His experience vastly different than their daughter’s. Charlie won everything and well, Victor lost everything. Was this the same child who refused help from them not too long ago? They didn’t expect to him to open up and be so vulnerable.

Victor slouched in his wheelchair as tears silently rolled down his face. Victor gasped as he felt someone touch his hand. He looked up and it was Mrs. Bucket. She gave the warmest smile.

“Victor,” she said slowly, “thank you for being brave and sharing that with us. You are doing the bravest thing right now which is taking the first step to recovery. You’re speaking to someone - you’re speaking to us! We’re happy for you and we’re going to do our best to take care of you.”

Victor’s eyes watered more as he looked at the both of them. He shook his head.

“But I…I don’t understand,” he said quietly. “I did something wrong! I deserved it! Why are you being kind to me?! It doesn’t make any sense!”

Mr. Bucket chuckled. “Victor, you didn’t deserve that happening to you. And from what it sounds like, Ms. Wonka didn’t seem to care and she wanted you to take the gum. But you’re still a child. You’re still learning.”

“You’re not…going to tell Ms. Wonka?” Victor asked nervously. “I wasn’t sure because of…Charlie-”

“We won’t tell Ms. Wonka,” Mrs. Bucket smiled.

“Victor, we don’t always agree with what Ms. Wonka says,” Mr. Bucket said.

“But also, Victor, you are human,” Mrs. Bucket added. “Everyone makes mistakes - even when they have their best interests or intentions at heart. The real question is…will you allow yourself to make mistakes?”

Victor looked down. “I don’t know if I can…”

“That’s okay,” Mrs. Bucket said. “We’ll help you.”

Victor finally gave a tiny smile through his tears. Mr. and Mrs. Bucket gave him a warm hug.

Later on, Wilkinson and Ozzy checked on him. The two telling Victor that they intended on starting a recovery plan since he left his job as a full-time blueberry. Ozzy was so happy to see the boy and that he was doing better.

Wilkinson told Victor that the other Golden Ticket Winners have been dying to see him. She didn’t want him to be overwhelmed with visitors, but she did hand the boy a homemade get well card that the children made. Victor smiled at it and read the card a dozen times.

However Victor did get two visitors that he was grateful to see. Cameron and Lex. He immediately cried on the spot at the sight of them.

Lex kissed him a dozen times and held onto him tight. Cameron also cried and didn’t want to let him go.

“Victor, I’m so mad at you! But I’m also so glad you’re okay!” Cameron laughed. “I missed you so much! Don’t ever leave me again or else I swear I will tackle you!”

Victor laughed, albeit weakly. “I missed you guys too. You two were the only people I thought about the entire time.”

Lex kissed him one last time. She held onto him for dear life. “Victor! You said you wanted to break up and then you left! I haven’t seen or heard from you in weeks, I was so worried. I’m so happy that you’re okay.” She hugged him again. “I’m so happy you’re okay,” she said quietly.

“We just felt like we didn’t do enough to protect you,” Cameron said.

“But you don’t have to protect me!” Victor protested.

“Victor, that’s what friends do!” Cameron argued back. “Can’t you get it through your thick skull?” He laughed.

“I thought I was protecting you guys by leaving,” Victor said quietly.

“No one wanted you to leave,” Lex said. “I promise.”

The two helped Victor get settled for the evening. They also caught him up from what happened while he was gone from the others rebelling against Wonka to now. He didn’t expect the Golden Ticket Winners to be in an uproar because he left. He expected them to be happy not upset.

Meanwhile, Wilkinson knocked on Wonka’s office door.

“Victor is now settled with The Bucket’s,” Wilkinson reported.

“Good,” the Chocolatier nodded with a sigh. “Fantastic news.”

“How are you feeling?”

Wonka leaned back and thought for a moment. “Like I want to start over.”

Chapter Text

A quiet breeze whipped through outside. Victor sat in his wheelchair out in the back porch of the Bucket’s house. A blanket covered his legs and he wished he had the one the Bucket’s knitted him for his birthday. He tried to focus on the sun reheating his finally normal skin and the wind flowing through his hair. He still had the white headband pushing his hair back. He grew to like the new look, but was still getting used to seeing his roots blue.

However he wasn’t alone. Ms. Wilkinson, Wonka’s right hand man, was sitting across from him. Victor didn’t want to be here even though he finally felt comfortable around Ms. Wilkinson. Wonka’s assistant showed him more kindness and patience to him in days more than Wonka did in 6 months.

Ms. Wilkinson had a clipboard in her lap and tapped her pen against it. She looked up at the boy who avoided her eyes and looked uncomfortably at his lap. She gave a gentle smile.

“Victor,” Wilkinson called. Victor looked up. “I know you’re not one to open up to people. You haven’t been given many opportunities in life to do so, haven’t you?”

Victor glanced around awkwardly. He didn’t say anything. Today was his first therapy session with Wilkinson. Both her and Ozzy said he needed to undergo both therapy for his mental health and physical therapy since he isn’t able to move at the moment. But Ozzy wants to discuss his new plan for recovery as well to fix his condition. The Oompa Loompa said he needs to figure out how long he has been setback since he was a blueberry for two weeks. Is that one month fix out of reach now?

“I understand if you’re nervous about this, but please know that therapy is all about you. Whatever you’re uncomfortable with, I can adjust to meet you at your needs,” Wilkinson reassured.

Victor thought about it. There was so much to get through. Where would he start? He wrung his hands anxiously. “What would we talk about?”

“Anything you want to discuss, Victor,” she smiled. “Anything you need help with guidance on.” Victor looked down again. “Mr. and Mrs. Bucket told me you shared your story with them. That was very brave of you.”

“They told me that,” Victor said quietly.

“Because it was,” Wilkinson nodded. “I’m really proud of you for opening up.” Wilkinson took a deep breath as Victor looked away once more. “Victor, I must sincerely apologize for my treatment of you since you arrived at the factory. You didn’t deserve any of that.”

Victor said nothing. He was expressionless but yet simply amazed from Wilkinson’s apology. Her apology felt genuine. Well, she also rescued him from the Testing Unit and Giggles - and he did NOT want to go back to her at all. He couldn’t stand being constantly teased by her and her relentless prodding.

“If I would’ve known sooner about your upbringing, Victor, I would’ve put a stop to this chaos earlier,” she said. Wilkinson adjusted her glasses and thought for a bit. “Then again, I don’t think anyone, whether good or bad, deserves to be mutated at all. I’m truly sorry, Victor. Thank you for allowing me to help you on your recovery journey.”

Victor gave a soft smile as he looked down. He felt…hopeful. He actually wanted to be here with Ms. Wilkinson.

“Now, Victor, let’s get into it. Is there anything you want to start with?”

Victor looked around nervously. He shook his head. “It’s been really hard lately to talk about myself. It makes me feel…embarrassed. I don’t know why. I’ve been feeling this way ever since…the incident.”

Wilkinson nodded slowly. “I understand. You went from being trained to always being the center of attention to having too much attention. You’re not used to the negative side, huh?”

Victor shook his head.

“Never been bullied?”

Victor shook his head again.

“So the constant teasing and harassment from everyone and the Oompa Loompas must’ve been hard?”

Victor nodded this time.

“Again, sorry you went through that,” Wilkinson said as she scribbled on her clipboard. “But, Victor, when you go through those moments of bullying, it’s important to remind yourself how you perceive yourself. Your identity must be rooted in truth and positivity.”

Victor looked at her confused. “What do you mean?”

“Victor. How do you see yourself? What type of affirmations and identities are you using?”

Victor thought about it for a moment. He knew Pre-factory Victor would’ve said:

“I’m an athlete.”

“A pro sportsman.”

“A winner.”

“The Champion of Miles City.”

However, Post-factory Victor would’ve said:

“I’m a freak.”

“A loser.”

“A dumb blueberry.”

But current Victor didn’t even know what to say. He didn’t know how to respond to such a question. Then suddenly, he knew the answer. He couldn’t stop them as tears welled up in his eyes and the only answer that came out of his mouth was, “I’m…a failure…”

Wilkinson sighed in sympathy. “Victor-”

“I’m completely useless! I couldn’t make my father proud by winning and now I can’t even make juice for Ms. Wonka!” His eyes were riddled with fear. “W-What is she going to do to me?! I can’t do anything! What’s going to happen to me?!”

It was in that moment that Wilkinson didn’t see a seventeen year old, prideful athletic champion. She saw a small child who was simply afraid and wanted nothing but his parents’ approval - and now her boss’ approval.

“Nothing is going to happen to you, Victor! I can assure you that!” Wilkinson said to calm him down. “You’re not going back to the Testing Unit!”

Victor sniffled as he sat in his wheelchair. “It’s just hard to imagine me not going back. I feel like such a failure.”

“This can be one of the things we can work on,” she suggested. “Your strong need to win is deeply rooted in you because of your parents. Mr. and Mrs. Bucket have mentioned that to me. We have to eliminate that voice of your parents inside your head.”

Victor looked nervously at her. That didn’t feel correct. It felt wrong. He wrung his hands nervously.

Wilkinson gave a patient smile. “I know you’re thinking the opposite right now, and that this might feel like you’re betraying them, but Victor,” she called to him, “they betrayed you by making you forfeit your childhood and constantly compete.”

Victor looked down. He knew she was correct, but for some reason he couldn’t accept the truth. “That’s…going to take me a while to believe.”

Wilkinson nodded. “I understand. But we’ll get there. I’ll make sure we do some exercises to help you. ” She quickly scribbled something down. Victor frowned because he wished it was physical exercises and not the ones that made him confront his demons. Wilkinson then looked back up. “Victor, let’s talk about the factory.”

The boy tensed up and his cheeks flushed blue. His hands tightened around the blanket.

“But we’ll do it in small increments!” She said with a finger raised. “Don’t want to overwhelm you.”

Victor tried to take deep breaths.

“First thing,” she said, “let’s talk about the Everlasting Gobstopper.”

Victor looked at her confused. “What do you mean?” He asked. “I told you before. It got ruined. I think I squished it.” He blushed.

“Do you still have it?” She asked.

Victor nodded. “It’s on my desk at home back in Montana. I kinda thought you would come back looking for it or tracked me down. I didn’t want to throw it away. It would’ve felt wrong if I did. Even though I…lost…I couldn’t just throw her candy away.” Victor shifted awkwardly when he said the word “lost”. “My parents made me throw away all of those Wonka bars during the contest. I wasn’t allowed to eat a single one of them. They maybe kept a few for themselves but all of them were thrown away. I lied when I said I switched to them.” Victor looked up at her. “I lie a lot.”

“You lie a lot for your parents,” Wilkinson corrected.

Victor said nothing. He just looked upset. “It doesn’t make me feel good.” He twisted his blanket. “I thought if I took the Everlasting Gobstopper and brought it back to you, my parents would be set for life. They would be proud of me.” Tears welled up in his eyes again. “I truly am awful,” he sniffled. “I can’t believe I was willing to sell Ms. Wonka’s secrets just for my parents.”

“Victor, from what Mr. and Mrs. Bucket told me, you were providing for your parents when they should’ve been providing for you,” Wilkinson explained. “Your job - and your only job - was to be their child. They constantly pressured you.”

Victor began to breathe ragged. He shook his head. “This conversation is starting to be too much! I don’t know if I can do this!”

Wilkinson patiently smiled. “Do me a favor and take a deep breath.”

But Victor shook his head. “I…no-”

“Just try it one time. See if it works. I’ll do it with you.” Wilkinson took a deep breath and Victor followed her. “Now hold it for four beats, okay?” He held his breath. “Then release it slowly.” Victor slowly breathed out. He felt his heart rate calm down as well. Wilkinson looked expectantly at him. “Feel better?”

Victor nodded. He avoided her eyes. “Yes. Thank you.”

“How often do you have panic attacks, Victor?”

Victor shook his head. “I don’t have panic attacks.”

“Denying it isn’t going to help you get better, you know?”

Victor pouted. He remembered the times Cameron, Charlie, and Lex told him he had panic attacks. He dismissed them every time. “I didn’t think they were a big deal.” He shrugged. “I always got them before a big game. I thought it was normal.”

“But do you get them when you’re not playing a game?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

Victor looked nervous. He didn’t respond. He knew the answer and he figured she also knew the truth too.

“Frequent panic attacks aren’t normal and not a good thing,” she told him. “It seems like you’re bottling up a lot of emotions there.”

“I’m not…supposed to complain,” he said awkwardly. “I’m also…not allowed to…well um,”he thought for a bit. “It’s hard to explain. I’m just not allowed to do a lot of things.”

“It sounds to me as if you’re not allowed to express how you feel,” she said. “Is that true?”

Victor hesitated. “But they’re my parents! I didn’t want to disobey them! If I did, I-“ Victor stopped himself as his eyes went wide. He almost admitted that he would’ve been hit by his father. He looked away and shrunk in his chair.

Wilkinson looked at him sympathetically. “I’m aware of your situation. I’m sorry your father does that to you.”

Victor wiped his face. “I have to do what they say,” he said quietly. “The last time I went against them was…the factory. I wanted to make my own choice. And it blew up in my face in more ways than one.”

“All of those choices you made that day were yours?” Wilkinson asked.

Victor nodded slowly. “Well, even my golden ticket interview,” he said. “They didn’t want me saying those things. They wanted me to talk about my mom’s car dealership and campaign. I wanted to embarrass them.”

Wilkinson looked at the boy. “So you talking about yourself like that on national television…?”

Victor blushed awkwardly. “Well…” he trailed off, “I’ve always had to talk like that. They hand me cards. I have to memorize like thirty of them before an event. Most of them is me talking about myself and my wins. The other half is me talking about them. I have to do this at every party and every interview.” Victor thought for a second. “I think there was a time where I enjoyed talking about myself. I really believed everything I said. But now, I can’t help but feel the opposite.” Victor looked up at her as a tear ran down his cheek. “I just wanted them to be humiliated. I got tired of being their trophy.”

Wilkinson said nothing. She wanted him to keep going. She never heard Victor talk so much before or be so open and vulnerable.

“That’s why I signed the contract too,” he continued quietly. “My mom didn’t want me to sign it. But I did it anyways. I wanted to irritate her.”

Wilkinson nodded. “Is this the same reason why you took the gum?”

Victor looked at her sheepishly. He then nodded. “I thought I would make them proud. I thought I would even make Ms. Wonka proud.” Victor wiped at his face again, still not used to crying or being allowed to cry. “I can’t believe I did that. I…I am a rotten kid. The Oompa Loompas were right in their songs!” He looked up at her. “I deserved this! I deserved all of this! I know Vernon apologized but he said Wonka’s punishment for me was perfect. I blew up to match my ego.”

“But Victor, didn’t you just tell me a second ago that your parents practically mold you into this mindset?”

Victor glanced around awkwardly. “But…but I really believed them! And I stole the gum just so I could win and brag about it!”

Wilkinson leaned forward and gave him a patient smile. “Your identity is not rooted in your wins, Victor. I want you to know that.”

Victor didn’t say anything. He tried to take deep breaths like Wilkinson suggested.

“Remember. You’re just a child! Although stealing and not listeing to her instructions were wrong, and I'm proud of you for knowing that, but Ms. Wonka never told you what would happen to you if you chewed it. You didn’t deserve to be humiliated like that. No one does! Don’t worry. We’ll work on this. It all takes time.”

“I just wish…I could go back and change everything.”

“That’s understandable,” she nodded. “But do you think if your parents weren’t on the tour with you that you would still take it?”

Victor paused as he thought about her question. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m sure I would’ve done anything to make my parents happy.”

“Victor, let’s do our first exercise, and you can try and do this on your own as well,” she said. “You’re not a failure, Victor, but start saying ‘I’m allowed to make mistakes’. ‘I’m doing the best I can and that’s enough.’”

Victor slowly allowed those phrases to seep into his mind. They felt foreign but they felt…reassuring. But a worry plagued Victor. “But what if the 5% happens?” He asked. “I’m afraid I’ll be forever known as the gum chewing brat who got turned into a blueberry. Nothing I do will change that! No one else will remember me aside from that!”

Wilkinson touched his hand gently and Victor didn’t flinch. He relished the warm gesture. “The first thing to know is that this is a journey. One day at a time. The second thing to know is whether the 95% happens or the 5%, don’t base your identity in what other people think of you. People will want to trap you into the mistakes you make, but only you know who you are.”

Victor gave a soft smile at that but it went away too quickly. Before he could respond, the two heard a knock on the door. The door opened and Victor immediately tensed. Wilma Wonka has joined them outside.

Wilkinson studied Victor’s behavior as the Chocolatier sat down next to her. The boy’s eyes widened and his hands gripped the sides of the wheelchair.

Wonka gave the boy a smile. “How are you, sweetie pie?”

But Victor trembled in his seat. He tried to wheel back but was too nervous to do so. “Ms. Wonka,” he said with a tremor, “I’ll…I’ll go back if I have to!”

“What are you talking about?” Wonka said bewildered.

“I’m…I’m sorry! I’m sorry for leaving!” Victor cried. “I didn’t mean to leave work. I’ll go back to the Testing Unit! I’ll do better!”

Wonka raised her hand. “Victor-”

“I’m sorry I didn’t make enough juice!”

“Victor!” Wonka shouted. Victor flinched. “Please! You’re not going back!”

“But…” Victor glanced back and forth between the two of them.

“Ms. Wilkinson and the Bucket’s have been telling me about your situation,” she said calmly.

Victor’s eyes widened in panic. “My…situation?” He looked to Wilkinson. “What did you say?”

Wilkinson for the first time looked uneasy. She adjusted her glasses. “I must apologize again that was an error on my part for rushing into this process. You didn’t want Ms. Wonka to know. But Victor, I had to tell her about your situation with your parents so she knew why we had to remove you from the Testing Unit. I told her about your rough upbringing.”

Victor shifted uneasily. “I guess…it’s okay…” He looked down at his hands. “I just feel bad. I thought everyone would rather have me as a blueberry than back to normal. It seemed everyone was happier when I was. My parents, my old teammates…even you, Ms. Wonka.”

The Chocolatier’s eyes widened at that. Wilkinson gave her a quick look. Wonka sighed. “Victor, it was my mistake for judging you children so quickly and harshly. After watching everyone’s interviews and researching you five, well, I quickly gathered your files and set up the tests. I was blinded by the chance of finding an heir!”

Victor blinked a few times. “The files?“ he repeated. “You’ve mentioned that before. What are those? Why do you have files of us?”

Wonka and Wilkinson shared a glance as Victor waited for an answer.

“Well,” Wilma Wonka said slowly, “the files have your background information, your personality traits and…ideas to how to test each of you.”

Victor’s heart began to race. “So Michelle was right,” he said, hurt drowning his voice. “You did have a test for each of us. So I was always meant to take the gum!”

Wonka shut her eyes painfully. “Now, Victor-”

Victor began to breathed hard as he cried. “You wanted me to take it! All of this was planned! No matter what, I would’ve ended up as a blueberry!”

Wonka said nothing. She looked down in shame.

“Did Charlie even have a test or were you just quick to punish us?!” He shouted. Tears fell down his cheeks. “I wish I never found that stupid golden ticket and I wish I never went into your stupid Inventing Room! Were you happy that I wore blue that day?!” Victor grabbed onto the wheels and tried to wheel away, but his arms still ached. He winced in pain as he tried to turn towards the door. ”I hate you!”

Wilkinson quickly stopped Victor from making any further movements. She grabbed onto the sides of the wheelchair. Victor glared at her.

“Victor, wait!” Wilkinson huffed. “It was a mistake, I know! You don’t have to forgive us for it, that’s understandable.”

“You wearing blue that day was completely coincidental!” Wonka awkwardly smiled.

Wilkinson gave her a look that said “now’s not the time!” She turned her attention back to the boy.

“What would’ve happen if I actually could burst from the gum. Would I still deserve it?”

Wonka frowned. She never considered the chances of Victor actually exploding from the juice. She always assumed he would be fine.

“Of course not!” Wilkinson said. “We have come to learn that all five of you children have goodness inside of you. None of you are rotten! And none of you deserved that trauma!” Wilkinson said.

Victor looked away bitterly. “I actually kinda looked up you, Ms. Wonka, but now…now I don’t know anymore.” He looked at Wilkinson. “May I please go back inside? I want to end our session early.”

Wilkinson looked at Wonka and back at the boy. “Yes, of course, Victor.”
* * * * * * * *
“When can we see Victor?” Vernon whined as both Wonka and Wilkinson walked back into the factory.

Wilma Wonka sat down on the couch with a huff. The children have never seen her so exhausted before. Charlie has seen her disheveled or frustrated but never desperate.

“You will see Victor Beauregarde when we feel he is ready for visitors,” Wonka said, hand covering her face. “Right now, we don’t want to overwhelm him.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “I just can’t believe he did that to himself. I haven’t seen him in forever.”

“You miss him?” Vernon said cheekily.

Michelle glares at him. “No!” She folded her arms. “It’s just…SHUT UP!”

Charlie smiled. “I’m glad you finally warmed up to him.”

“Can it, Goody Two Shoes,” Michelle snarled. “I just want to know if he’s okay.”

Wilkinson looked to Wonka. “Ms. Wonka,” she said. “I think it’s time for the rest of the children to know now that Victor knows.”

Everyone went quiet and turned towards the Chocolatier. Wilma Wonka grew nervous. She cleared her throat. “When you children won the golden tickets, we did research and…we set up tests for each of you.”

Quietness passed in the room, but Michelle fumed in anger. She stood up angrily. “I knew it! I knew it I knew it I KNEW IT!” She pointed her finger at the Chocolatier. “You set us all up! There was no way all of those rooms were coincidental! The Oompa Loompas couldn’t have made those songs up on the spot! You ruined our lives!”

“Michelle-!”

“No, Charlie!” Michelle snapped her head towards her. “How obvious was it that Charlie didn’t have a test?! What was hers?! What’s her flaw?! You practically set us up for failure and look what it got us! You purposefully withheld information from us in each room! Didn’t tell Victor about what the gum would do and didn’t stop him, and didn’t bother to stop me from the machine! Or rush to save Agnes or Vernon! But if Charlie fell, you’d help her in a heartbeat! Victor is beating himself up because he sees himself as useless! You’ve tortured me for six months and made me feel like a criminal! Like I was inadequate and I was good for nothing!” Michelle’s eyes began to water. The other children went quiet. They’ve heard Michelle rant a million times but never to the point of tears. “I thought I deserved to be shrunk down forever…” She wiped at her face. “Thanks a lot, Wonka. Thanks for ruining my life just so you could find your golden heir! I’m sorry I wasn’t the perfect kid for it.”

Michelle ran up the stairs. Charlie glanced back between her mentor and Wilkinson. She shook her head in disappointment and left the room as well. Soon Vernon and Agnes followed, Vernon furrowing his eyebrows in hurt as he ran upstairs.

Wilkinson finally sat down next to her boss. Wonka sighed. “This is useless,” she said, head resting in her palm. “There’s no coming back from this.”

“It’s not going to happen in one day,” Wilkinson said. “What we did to these children was inexcusable. The most we can do is apologize and reach out. See what happens. But you will have to show them through your actions.”

Wonka said nothing. This was a daunting task. “And what if it doesn’t work?” She asked.

“You tried your best,” Wilkinson said. “But we have six months. A lot can change and turn around in six months.”
* * * * * * * *
Wilkinson and Victor continued their therapy sessions every single day that week. She told him to stick to a daily routine before she could lower the frequency of appointments. She was glad Victor was still opening up to her ever since the revelation of the files and preparing of who was to be the heir to Wonka’s factory.

Just another thing to work through, she thought. One day at a time.

One session they discussed his night terrors and Wilkinson explained to him that Victor was battling his fears and how it was robbing his sleep.

Victor told her every single dream, every single fear. From being trapped in a display case to being an actual marionette doll. It all came spilling out of him.

They also discussed his chewing gum situation. Victor admitted to her that before his father pressured him to break the world record, thanks to Cornelius Prinzmetal, he didn’t chew it at all. But now he was addicted to it. Chewing gum helped him focus and helped him whenever he got anxious. It was like those three months had him in a chokehold.

Wilkinson told him there was nothing wrong with the occasional gum chewing. She reminded him that he is free not only from Giggles but his parents. He can chew gum whenever he wants for whatever reason. However Victor was unsure, both about the gum and his freedom from his parents. He liked gum - well liked it for use of focus. But, did he really want to part with it?

Once he was done, Wilkinson finally asked him: “How do you feel about losing?”

Victor looked up with nervous eyes. He gripped the blanket that was on him. “I…I don’t like it?”

Wilkinson couldn’t help but chuckle at his answer. “Clearly your priorities in life are tied with winning and perfectionism.”

Victor looked away embarrassed.

“Nothing to be ashamed about, Victor,” Wilkinson gave a patient smile. “Your parents made it your whole world.”

Victor didn’t think constantly winning was a problem.

“Let’s do a small exercise, Victor,” Wilkinson said. “We’re going to play a little game and it’s very simple.” She pulled out a deck of cards. “This game isn’t based on strategy, but rather luck.”

The boy looked at her nervously. Luck? That didn’t seem right. There has to be a way, he thought. There was always a way.

“We are going to play a card game called ‘War’.” Wilkinson shuffled the cards. “Have you heard of it?” Victor shook his head. “Quite easy. I will split the deck evenly - I get half and you get half. We face the deck down and then flip out one card one at a time. Whoever has the highest value card wins.”

Victor looked at the cards as if he was trying to convince them to let him win.

“Are you ready?” She asked.

Victor nodded.

They both flipped a card over. Victor had a king of hearts. Wilkinson a three of clubs.

Victor smiled and looked up at her. Wilkinson bowed her head. “Good job.”

They flipped again. Victor had a six of spades and Wilkinson a Jack of diamonds.

Victor frowned. He sighed and tried to keep his head up. The game isn’t over yet, he thought. Meanwhile, Wilkinson had a tiny smile as she studied Victor’s mind during a game.

This oughta be interesting, she mused.

After they went through the whole deck, they both counted their cards. Wilkinson won with forty cards. Victor had twelve.

Victor breathed hard as his cheeks flushed blue.

“Are you all right, Victor?” Wilkinson asked, reshuffling the cards.

Victor looked up at her and then quickly nodded. “Yes,…Ms. Wilkinson.”

She split the deck. Victor didn’t want to play again.

“Before we start, I want to ask how you felt about the game.”

Victor looked away sheepishly. “I…I didn’t like it,” he said quietly.

Wilkinson smiled. However Victor was in no such mood for her warming smiles as much as he appreciated it.

“No one likes losing, Victor,” she said gently. “But without losing, how else will we get better and stronger and learn new things?”

Victor sat there for a moment. He finally calmed down and thought to himself. He did learn that he didn’t like certain competitions. He also learned that he needed a lot more rest than he thought. He craved a normal life. This was all he knew for twelve years, but it took half a year to realize all of this.

“Few more games, Victor,” she said. “Then we can call it a day.”

Victor Beauregarde has temporarily moved in with The Bucket’s. Victor sat in his wheelchair in the living room, watching some Oompa Loompas help out Wilkinson and Charlie’s parents take his stuff to the guest room. He wished he could help them. He didn’t like not doing anything. He couldn’t wait until he was out of the stupid wheelchair.

Wilkinson told him that she felt Victor would get more emotional healing if he stayed with the Bucket’s rather than at the factory. He was happy but he was a little sad that he wouldn’t see much of the other Golden Ticket Winners. After six months, he finally considered them his good friends. Wilkinson reassured him that when the time is right, he can still visit the factory and see them if he wanted to. But of course that wasn’t now due to the fact he wasn’t comfortable seeing The Chocolatier just yet.

Victor carefully wheeled himself to his new bedroom. His arms and legs were still slightly sore. Ozzy was helping him with physical therapy but he was making slow progress. Victor didn’t like that all. He wanted to be better now.

The guest bedroom was now officially his own bedroom. It was filled with his trophies and his school work and his birthday presents. Victor immediately noticed that the bedroom wasn’t blue. He didn’t know if this was going to be some trick and they would magic it into the color he’s grown to despise.

He wheeled over to the closet. His wardrobe wasn’t blue either! Now that was going to take some getting used to.

Victor wheeled himself back to his bed. On top sat the blanket Mr. and Mrs. Bucket gave him for his birthday. Victor gasped softly and grabbed it. He held it tight against his chest and relished the warmth that came with it. He hasn’t felt more hopeful in months.

Victor woke up early the next morning and did his best to climb into his wheelchair. For the first time in a few days, he popped in a stick of gum and chewed so he could focus. He got up at 6AM and proceeded to clean the living room and kitchen. Once he was done, he cooked breakfast for the whole house. He decided to do eggs, grits, and sausage because it was softer than making toast and bacon so Charlie’s grandparents can also eat.

Charlie’s parents eventually came out and were surprised.

“What’s all this?” Mrs. Bucket exclaimed.

Victor wheeled over to them and smiled. “I cleaned the house and made breakfast!”

Mrs. Bucket gasped and smiled. She touched her chest. “Oh honey, thank you, but you didn’t have to do that!”

Victor chewed his gum and frowned. He looked at her confused. “What do you mean?” He asked. “These are my chores. I did that every morning back home!”

Charlie’s parents looked at each other. Mr. Bucket stepped forward. “Victor, we truly appreciate you cooking breakfast and cleaning the house. But how about you start being a kid first? And if you want to help out around the house, that’s great! But I think we should focus on your recovery, okay?”

Victor looked down in disappointment. “Okay…”

Mr. Bucket lowered himself so he could look Victor in the eye. “Hey, thank you for cooking us breakfast, Victor. I bet it tastes amazing! I know Charlie’s grandparents will appreciate your consideration in making them grits.”

Victor gave a small smile. He still didn’t know what to do with Mr. and Mrs. Bucket’s new orders. What the heck did they mean by just be a kid first?

Victor did his best to sleep in the next morning. So he woke up at 7. He slowly eased up and stretched. But when he lowered his arms he gasped. His eyes widened as the blue spread to his fingertips. He immediately got up but he fell onto the floor. He forgot he still doesn’t have all of his strength back. Victor tried to push himself up but his arms shook.

He whimpered to himself. Here he was about to swell up in the new place he called a sanctuary - and he couldn’t get up. Victor heard his stomach growl.

“No!” He shook his head.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Victor panicked as he looked up.

“Victor?” He heard Mr. Bucket’s voice. “Are you all right in there? We heard a noise.”

“No! Don’t come in!”

Mr. and Mrs. Bucket looked at each other nervously. “Are you sure, sweetheart?” Mrs. Bucket asked. “We heard a crash and it sounds like you fell. We know you’re not able to fully move on your own just yet, but-”

“I’m fine! I promise!” Victor looked around himself and saw how his stomach was slowly pushing him up. He cried silently to himself. He didn’t want to blow up in front of them! A loud gurgle emanated from his stomach. He cringed at the sound.

Charlie’s parents’ eyes widened. “I think we should come in,” Mrs. Bucket said.

“No! Don’t! I-” Victor sighed and teared up a little. “I’m about to…swell up.”

“Swell up?” Mrs. Bucket repeated in confusion.

Mr. Bucket nudged her and then mouthed “his condition”.

“Oh! Victor! Let us help you!” She said through the door.

“No! I don’t want you to see!” Victor shouted. “It’s embarrassing and I don’t want to ruin anything!”

“Vic, you’re not going to ruin anything,” Mr. Bucket said. “We understand how you feel about your condition, but we’re not going to judge you. We’re here to help!”

Victor cried softly to himself. “I just…I thought it would be better if I stay in here.”

“But honey, your room is kind of small,” Mrs. Bucket said. “I think we both know it would be better if we got you out into the living room where there is more space.”

“Besides,” Mr. Bucket added, “it would be easier to get you out now than to get you out later.”

Victor sighed frustratedly. “Fine. You can come in.”

He heard the door open and he braced himself.

Mrs. Bucket gasped softly at the poor blue boy lying down on his oversized stomach. “Oh, you poor thing!” Both of them helped him up as Victor tried to steady his breathing. They helped him get through his door and into the living room.

Victor stood there awkwardly as he watched Charlie’s parents move the furniture around.

“There!” Mr. Bucket said proudly. “This should be plenty of room!”

Victor looked down at himself. “Um…thank you…”

Mr. Bucket touched Victor on the shoulder. “I know how you feel, Victor, but we’re here to help, okay?”

“I didn’t want you to see,” Victor sniffled quietly. “You’ve both been so nice and things were going fine and I ruined it by swelling up! I didn’t want to destroy anything. You’ve already done so much for me.”

“It’s because we care!” Mr. Bucket said with a smile. “Now, I believe Ozzy and Lex have told us both that you don’t like being touched by your stomach unless we absolutely have to so we can help you move. Is this correct?”

Victor’s eyes widened at how Ozzy and Lex remembered what he was comfortable with and uncomfortable with. He didn’t expect Mr. Bucket to take how he felt when being touched into consideration as well. He nodded.

“Okay, good!” Mr. Bucket said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Victor, I’m going to give Ms. Wilkinson a call and let her know that your condition acted up and how to proceed from there.”

Victor watched him leave as he finished rounding out. He’s never felt so at ease during one of his episodes. He was still uncomfortable from the pressure and swelling but he never felt safe.

Mrs. Bucket walked up to Victor and smiled. “You doing all right?”

Victor nodded.

“That’s good,” she said. “How about we catch some sun later on, yeah?”

Victor gave a tiny smile. “That sounds good.”

Mrs. Bucket watched her husband teach Victor woodworking skills in the backyard. Victor was fully round and they laid him on his stomach so he could still watch what Mr. Bucket was doing. She was washing the dishes as she studied how happy and relaxed he is.

Victor watched Mr. Bucket with deep interest and amazement as he showed him how to build a birdhouse. Mrs. Bucket grinned as her husband crack a smile and Victor did his best to smile back while he was in that position.

She was happy that the young boy was opening up more and more.
* * * * * * * *
Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Come in!” Wilkinson said at her desk.

Wilma Wonka opened the door and sat down in a chair. She sighed. “You called for me?”

Wilkinson smiled. “Yes. I wanted to know how you and the children were doing.”

Wonka rested her chin on her fist. “They still won’t talk to me. I hardly see Charlie anymore. I’m afraid I blew it, Wilkinson.”

“You didn’t blow anything,” Wilkinson shook her head. “I think those years of being in isolation took a toll on you.”

Wonka looked up at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You forgot why you made candy in the first place.”

Wonka sat up. “That’s preposterous! I didn’t forget anything!”

Wilkinson smiled in amusement. “You were so fixated on finding an heir that you went and punished four children instead of getting to know them.”

“But we found Charlie!”

“And I’m grateful we found Charlie! But, Wilma, were the cost of these children’s lives worth it? Look at Victor. He turned himself in to you. Michelle said it herself! Sure, they learned a lesson or two but you changed everything - and not in a good way.”

Wonka took in what her assistant had to say, but she didn’t respond.

Wilkinson sighed. “Children are not one thing. They are like…candy!”

Wonka raised her eyebrow at her.

“Children have a range of emotion and needs and they need to learn and grow from good lessons. Not harmful, life altering permanent ones. Kids come from different backgrounds and upbringings. Not everyone’s parenting is the same. We’re not always going to come across a ‘Charlie’. There could’ve been other ways to help the four of them. The lessons you gave to each ticket winner was out of mocking instead of guidance. When Agnes fell in the chocolate river, we mocked her gluttony. When Victor swelled up, we mocked his pride. Vernon, his greed, and Michelle her laziness. The point of candies is to show them the sweeter side of life.”

Wonka lowered her hand and thought over what she was saying.

“Each Golden Ticket Winner is like a different types of candy. Agnes is like chocolate. She’s simple yet subtle. Michelle is one of those bitter candies but you still enjoy them. Vernon is a sour candy and it takes some getting used to. Charlie of course, is sweet. Victor, ironically but true, is like those gummy candies. You have to work with him and be patient.”

Wonka looked her in the eyes and mulled it over. It was all starting to make sense.

“If you’re going to be a teacher and a mentor to these children, and I mean all of them, not just Charlie, you have to learn about them and learn from them. You can’t just gather quick notes from an interview and toss them into a file. You need to be flexible and patient - like gum,” she winked.

Wonka held her hands up. “All right, I hear you!” She sighed. “I’ll be more open to all of them and not just Charlie.”

Wilkinson nodded and smile. “Good.” Wonka gave a small smile back but it faded too quickly. “I want to confront one more thing. It’s something that you do will all four of them but mostly Mr. Beauregarde. You give them nicknames. Specifically Victor’s, ‘sweetie pie’.”

Wonka blinked a few times. “What’s so bad about it?”

Wilkinson sighed. She rubbed her temples. “It’s clear that I don’t just have a lot of work to do with Victor, but you as well.” She folded her hands. “The nickname you use for him only reinforces in his mind that he won’t ever escape his punishment. It keeps him trapped in the thinking that he deserved to turn into a blueberry.”

Wonka scoffed. “Well I didn’t know about the reinforcing part! I just thought it was a cute nickname for him because he ate the pie!”

“Oh Wilma, you have to be aware of other people’s feelings and reactions!” Wilkinson pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m just happy you’re realizing that their punishments were a bad thing.”

Wonka smiled. “I’m learning!”

Wilkinson gave a patient grin in return but she was still nervous. “Yes, but we got to take baby steps.” The Assistant straightened up in her seat. “Why are you hard on him the most?”

Wonka did a double take. “Excuse me?”

“Out of the five of them, you are hard on him the most,” she repeated. “Then it’s Michelle who you also trap in the Testing Room. Then Vernon, then Agnes, and then of course, Charlie.”

Wonka shifted in her chair. “I’m not hard on the boy,” she shook her head.

Wilkinson dropped her hands. “Why do you think Victor took the gum?”

Wonka shrugged. “He loved gum and he thought he was going to win the whole thing.”

“Victor stole the gum for his parents,” Wilkinson said. “He wanted to make them proud. In fact, he wanted to make you proud. He never thought about winning the tour for himself. He only wanted to make his parents happy.”

Wonka said nothing. She slouched a bit in her chair.

“Now tell me, Wilma,” Wilkinson leaned forward. “Why are you hard on him?”

Wonka took a hard swallow. “I guess I do see myself a little bit in the boy…”

Wilkinson didn’t respond. She wanted her boss to keep going.

“Especially with you saying that he just wanted to make his parents happy…” she drifted off. She shook her head. “I’ll admit, in my younger years of starting off I was a little…arrogant.”

Wilkinson snorted. “A little?”

Wonka glared at her. “But you’re right. Pride always has a reason behind it. For me I was finally doing it. I was living my dream and I was good at it. Best chocolatier there was - and still is!” She smiled. “But I quickly realized after finding that gray hair at my hair appointment, you can’t go on forever. That appointment sent me into a spiral. I was forgetting things and panicking. I haven’t seen you in days. I shut myself away from the world. It was a real wake up call.”

She looked up at Wilkinson. Wilkinson gave a nod, ushering her to continue.

“I think a part of me gave that punishment to Victor out of fear and disgust. The amount of pride he had was the same I had when I was his age. The idea that you’re untouchable. But there was a reason with him coming in second behind Charlie. He was still moldable. The way his eyes lit up at the chocolate river or the inventions in the Inventing Room. Just like Charlie’s. He was open to things unlike Michelle. He didn’t want it for himself like Vernon or Agnes. He just wanted to know. But the difference between him and Charlie was that his parents are holding him back.”

“And you became just like his parents,” Wilkinson said. “You held him back.”

Wonka looked at her disgusted but she frowned. “I know,” she said softly. “I only made it even worse.”

“But you’ve made strides,” Wilkinson said. “You allowed him prom, a birthday party - the gym was a nice touch of reaching him half way!”

Wonka smiled softly.

“You’re making progress.”

“If I can be completely honest with you,” Wonka said, “but during all of this, I was a little hurt when I found out Charlie goes to you more for advice than to me.”

Wilkinson sighed and adjusted her glasses. “I know that must’ve hurt. I’m sorry about that. Charlie insisted she spoke with me. She feared that going to you would just be another dismissal of her feelings about the rest of the children.”

Wonka looked away. “I see…”

“She told me she just wanted to make new candy. She was afraid you were giving her busy work and not wanting to make new candies with her.”

Wonka mentally slapped herself. She didn’t mean to push her protege away.

“I think you need to talk to Charlie.”

“Yes,” Wonka said. “I believe I do.” Wonka stood up. “You know, Ms. Wilkinson, I am grateful you are in my life.” Wilkinson smiled at her. “I’m happy to have you as my assistant and as my girlfriend.”

Wilkinson did a double take and quickly blushed. “I’m sorry - excuse me?!”

Wonka glanced awkwardly. “What?”

“Since when have we been dating?!” Wilkinson exclaimed.

“Well I’ve known you for several years, decades even, you’re one of my closest friends, I see you every day and confide in you-”

“That’s just what friends do!” Wilkinson exclaimed all flustered. “We don’t do anything couple-like, like hug or kiss or go out!”

“We can start that up if you like?”

Wilkinson stood up in a rush. “No! Um!” She put her hands on hips. “Just go speak to Charlie! And we’ll put a pin on this later.”

Wonka smiled and nodded. “Very well.” She left.

Wilkinson sat down with a huff and slid her hands down her face. “Oh dear lord…”
* * * * * * * *
Wonka knocked on Charlie’s bedroom. “Charlie?”

“No! Go away!”

Wonka was taken aback she’s never heard the girl so angry before. “Please, let’s talk this out.”

Charlie said nothing. She heard Wonka sigh then opened her door. Wonka sat across from Charlie on her bed. She took a deep breath. But before she could open her mouth, Charlie snapped at her. “Do you have a whimsical punishment for every person you meet?!”

Wonka cringed at that. “Charlie-”

“You never listened to me! I told you to get to know them! But you didn’t! You drove them all away! You became obsessed with your work and made me become obsessed with work! I don’t want to do that! That’s not the type of person I want to be! I don’t want to shut everyone away! I don’t want to forget why we make candy in the first place! But you did. You kept shoving paper work in front of me. You forgot the meaning of it all.”

Wonka sighed. Charlie’s words stung into her skin. “Charlie, please! Listen to me! I realize that now. I apologize for not only of my treatment of the others, but also to you. You’re right. This isn’t what makes a good chocolatier. We can’t forget the magic we bring to people’s faces.”

Charlie gave a small smile and Wonka was at ease. “I forgive you, Ms. Wonka. I truly do. But I am holding you accountable to this. You must work with me. We need to form a plan,” she said determined. “You have to propose something to them that can get everyone all on the same page and make amends.”

Wonka nodded slowly. “I believe I can do that.”

Charlie smiled but she hesitated. She faced her mentor. “Ms. Wonka, may I ask you something?”

Wonka’s face became serious. “Yes, my dear girl, what is it?”

“Did you plan…our breakup?” She asked timidly.

“Your breakup?” Wonka repeated. “You mean you and Victor?”

Charlie nodded.

Wonka touched the young girl’s hands. “My dear child, no!” She cried. “I wouldn’t do that to you! You two were happy together!”

Charlie wiped away a tear. “Yeah, we were…” she said quietly. “But I’ve honestly come to terms we probably wouldn’t have lasted either way.”

“And why is that?”

“We’re both in different points in our lives,” she said. “And I just wasn’t the right person to be with him on his journey and he wasn’t the right person for mine.”

Wonka paused for a moment. “I think what you mean is that you weren’t in the right position.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Maybe you couldn’t be there for him as his girlfriend,” Wonka shrugged. “But you are doing an amazing job at being there for him as his friend.”

Charlie let the words sink in. “I didn’t consider that,” she said. “Thank you, Ms. Wonka.”

“Of course, Charlie,” she said. “And I do mean this…things are going to start changing for the better around here.”

“I know,” Charlie grinned. “I’m really excited for the future.”

The two embraced.
* * * * * * * *
Cameron and Lex sat and hung out in Victor’s new bedroom at the Bucket’s. However Victor looked stress as he sat in his wheelchair.

“Victor, it’s going to be okay!” Cameron reassured. “Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise.”

Victor breathed hard as he looked at the cork board. It had every sport he ever played on there. There were three columns: yes, no, and maybe.

They were weeding through Victor’s competitions.

“They’re…they’re going to know!” Victor said through ragged breaths. “I can’t quit anything!”

Lex turned to face him. “Victor, you said it yourself a few weeks ago. You said you quit being a champion! But Cameron and I both know that you don’t want to quit everything completely. We know you like certain sports, Vic. We’ll keep the ones you like, and trash the ones you don’t. We’ll take it one step at a time.” She squeezed his hand. Victor took a deep breath. “You ready?”

Victor nodded.

The process wasn’t easy. They had to continuously remind the athlete that this would be better for him in the long run. It seemed like every month for 12 years, Victor picked up a new sport or activity to put under his belt. He kept the ones he knew he definitely wanted to keep: gymnastics, track, his different martial arts, and fencing. His strong no’s were golf, badminton, and baseball. His maybe’s were swimming and archery. But there was still a lot more to go through.

It felt like torture to Victor. Every time he threw an activity into the “no” column, he felt that his father knew. That somehow Sam Beauregarde felt a disturbance somewhere and was going to track him down. Victor felt like he was running out of relaxation exercises to calm his heartbeat.

There was a lot of back and forth between the boy and his friends.

“You haven’t played this sport in years, Victor!” They would yell.

“He might find out and I’ll have to go back to it!” He’d shout back.

The arguments would continue but soon it would dwindle. All that was left was the “maybe” column.

Cameron turned to Victor and clasped his back. “See! We went through it! It’s going to be okay!”

Victor gripped the arm rests of the wheelchair and let out a shaky breath. He did feel lighter but he still wasn’t sure of all this.

Lex kissed the side of his cheek. “I’m really proud of you, you know that right?”

Victor gave a trembling smile, but it went away when he saw the cork board. There were so many activities in the “no” and not a lot in the “yes”. He frowned. This was supposed to feel good, so why didn’t it?

“What’s wrong, Vic?” Cameron asked.

Victor shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just have to um…get used to all of this.” He looked at the cork board once more. He’s been wanting a lighter schedule for a long time, but he didn’t consider it being done in this type of circumstance. Victor felt his eyes water and he tried to quickly wipe at them. “I’m sick of crying,” he muttered. He looked at his friends. “I just can’t believe it took a humiliating life event just for me to get here. Why are you guys still here?! Why didn’t you make fun of me like the rest of them?!”

Cameron sighed and sat on Victor’s bed. “It’s like I’ve told you before, man. We’ve known each other for far too long. I’m not going to leave you. Besides, Victor,” he touched his friend’s shoulder. “Your parents are awful.”

Victor couldn’t help but crack a tiny smile at that.

“You took the gum to be seen and they still didn’t appreciate you,” Cameron said. “And Ms. Wonka only did that to you for her own selfish reason and to punish you without even knowing you. And you sadly ended up punishing yourself. It’s time to stop punishing yourself, Victor, and to start healing.”

“And, Victor,” Lex grabbed his hand, “the silver lining is that we now have each other. You have real friends who trust you and support you. We’re not saying that we’re glad your incident at the factory happened, but something beautiful came out of it.”

Victor nodded slowly. He then gasped a little when Lex hugged him and then soon Cameron joined in. He lingered in their embrace for a bit before they let go.

“I’m loving this new headband look on you, dude,” Cameron said. “But I’m sad because that means I can’t ruin your hair anymore.”

Victor smiled. “Shut up.”

“VICTOR!!!!” Later on in the evening, Vernon Salt ran up to Victor and spun him around in his wheelchair in the living room. The other Golden Ticket Winners trailing behind him. “I’ve missed you so much!”

“Vernon, ease off!” Michelle said with a laugh. “We all missed him!”

Vernon stopped spinning him leaving Victor slightly dizzy.

“I missed you guys too,” Victor said with a small smile.

Michelle punched Victor’s arm causing Victor to yelp in pain. “Glad to have you back, Blueregarde,” she cheesed at him.

He was attacked by one last hug from Charlie. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said quietly. “I’m so happy you’re okay!”

Vernon nudged the German girl and smiled. “He missed me the most you know!” Agnes rolled her eyes but smiled.

Charlie released him. It finally hit Victor how much the other Golden Ticket Winners mean to him and how he meant to them. They truly were friends.

“Victor,” Michelle said slowly, “what did they do to you in there?”

“And are you okay?” Agnes asked earnestly.

Victor didn’t know how to respond. “I…I just felt so…alone…” The Golden Ticket Winners frowned at that. “I was so isolated and I was just in a lot of pain. I’ve never been blown up for so long, and I was just continuously made fun of the entire time. I’m pretty positive people kept talking to my stomach and not to me. I didn’t even feel human.”

Victor then took off the white plastic headband and everyone gasped at his blue roots.

Charlie looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry you went through that, Victor.”

“Yeah, man,” Michelle said. “But you’re here now with us!”

Agnes nodded in agreement.

“But while I was in there I couldn’t help but feel I deserved this. I deserved to be in there forever. I was always meant to be a blueberry.”

“Oh, dude, that’s not true! And you know that!” Michelle exclaimed.

Victor shifted awkwardly. “Well I’m trying to know that. It’s still hard to believe.”

“You’ll get there,” Agnes said.

“And we have those thoughts all the time,” Michelle added. “I know you’re sick of hearing this, but it’s true. You don’t see what we go through with her, Victor, but we all feel what you’re feeling. There are days where I feel like I don’t deserve to be back to normal. That I won’t amount to anything. I sometimes think my dad prefers me to stay shrunken down too. But if we don’t have our parents, we have each other.”

They all looked at Michelle proudly. She then blushed and shook it off.

“Whatever! Stop looking at me like you’re proud of me!” She yelled.

The kids laughed and hung out in the living room for a bit, simply happy that they’re reunited.

They talked about how their parents have been giving them a hard time and their expectations of them. Charlie could only partially relate so she talked about Wonka. Six months ago, the other Golden Ticket Winners might’ve given her a hard time, but this time, they listened to her. They were patient with her about how Wonka pressured her to be perfect even though she hardly taught her anything within those six months.

Charlie admitted to all of them how she was pretty positive if she didn’t return the Everlasting Gobstopper, her grandmother would’ve convinced her to give it to Slugworth.

Eventually the children stopped talking about anything that had to do with the factory. They talked about their hopes and futures, what they were looking forward to in the next school year, what they would do after the factory was done.

They promised they would never leave anyone’s side.
* * * * * * * *
Wilkinson sat at her desk, scrawling in her journal.

“Wilkinson’s report, August.

“Victor Beauregarde has been doing increasingly better in physical therapy with recovery Oompa Loompa, Ozzy. Ozzy is the only Oompa Loompa Mr. Beauregarde trusts as he had worked with him before. Ozzy has told the boy that the roots of his hair will return back to normal if they continue the rate of recovery. He has also told me that Victor is now out of his wheelchair and has been using crutches. He has tried to remind Victor that he will soon get his strength back. We all know the boy has deeply rooted perfectionist issues.

“Victor Beauregarde has also been making strides in not only in individual therapy sessions with me, but also the group sessions he has with the twenty taste testing Oompa Loompas who tested the gum prior.

“The Bucket’s have been telling me nothing but great things about the boy. He’s been opening up more and more, finding more things to explore, and seem overall more relaxed. The only concern they have is his eating habits. He doesn’t eat a lot. We will have to explore this later.

“Lastly, Ozzy has told me that unfortunately his time in the Testing Unit has set back his recovery time from one month to more. He projected it might be half a year. With this in mind, I have decided to keep him for the rest of the year for his emotional well being. There is no way I can do this in a month.

“In other news, Charlie Bucket has pitched to Wonka to do similar recovery projects with the other Golden Ticket Winners. Michelle Teevee is already making strides in her own physical therapy. I might have to start scheduling individual appointments with the other winners including Charlie about the aftermath of the tour. I’m afraid we missed a whole lot with these children. The children are slowly forgiving Wilma, but Victor still hasn’t spoken to her since my first session with him. But either way, I am very hopeful of the future, of the factory, and for Wilma herself.

“P.S. reflect on romantic encounters with Wilma and see if she is right…”
* * * * * * * *
Mrs. Bucket sat next to Victor on the couch. “Victor, sweetheart,” she said grabbing his hands, “we have word that Ms. Wonka will be coming here to talk to you privately. We just wanted to let you know so you can prepare.”

Victor shook his head with a frown. “No! She can’t be here!”

Mrs. Bucket patiently sighed. “I know how you feel. But she’s wanting to apologize to you. At least hear her out and then you can go from there.”

Victor looked down. “She’ll just see me as a bad kid. That’s all she ever sees me as.”

Mrs. Bucket gave him a warm smile. “Victor, we don’t think you’re bad. We didn’t know anything about you and we think you’re a sweet child.”

Victor looked up at her. “Really?” He said softly. “Even with my golden ticket interview, and what you’ve heard, you really think that?”

She nodded. “You can’t be quick to judge people. Everyone has a story. You may never know what they’re going through.”

The doorbell rang and Victor’s heart leapt. Mrs. Bucket gave Victor a hug before she got up to open the door.

There stood Wilma Wonka - not in her chocolatey glory, but nervous and vulnerable. Ms. Wonka nodded and smiled at Mrs. Bucket and walked in. She sat across from the boy.

“I’ll be up in my room if you need me,” Mrs. Bucket said.

“Thank you,” Wonka bowed her head. The two heard her leave and sat in silence for a bit. The both of them avoiding eye contact. “Victor,” she finally said. “I must sincerely apologize for my behavior to you. It was wrong for me to so quickly judge you and the others. I was distracted yet hyper focused on my own legacy that I forgot why I made candy in the first place. I’m sorry I put you through all of that, my dear boy.”

Victor didn’t know what to say. He felt a wave of different emotions. Anger, sadness, distrust, to name a few. But looking at how disheveled Wonka was made Victor think other wise. Something was different here. Could she be possibly telling the truth? “I accept your apology,” he said. “But it’s going to take me some time to forgive you….and trust you.”

Wonka felt slightly at ease. “Thank you.” She said.

“Is that all?” Victor said.

Wonka looked around and sighed. “No,” she leaned back in her chair. “I know that what I’m about to tell you isn’t going to expedite the forgiving process, but it might help you with your own process to recovery.”

Victor looked at her puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t always this amazing, you know?” She winked. Victor rolled his eyes. “In fact, my parents were very similar to yours.” Victor froze at the Chocolatier and looked her in the eyes. “My mother was a dentist. She didn’t like that I was interested in making candy. She often yelled at me or burned my candy. Sometimes she would slap me for sneaking off and eating them.

“The other children often made fun of me for making candy or other fun creative inventions. Called it weird. But I was proud of what I made when I was little. Edible clothing. Chocolate turtle doves. List goes on. But the bullying was relentless. I got sick of it. So one day, well, I got payback. I decided to trick all my bullies by giving them super sour candy. Their lips were puckered for hours and they couldn’t speak for days. Once they recovered well, let’s just say they are changed for the better.” She smiled. “But even though I taught them a lesson, I’m afraid I still haven’t learned mine after all these years. No one wanted to be my friend after that incident. I think I simply made them afraid of me.” She looked at Victor with sorrow. “I’m afraid all five of you are scared of me. And you have every right to be.”