Chapter 1
A/N: I'm trying to continue my Lorax fanfic but a couple of plot bunnies won't leave my brain. One for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the other Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So, I'm just going to get the first chapter out of each one and hope to put both stories on hold for a while. First I'd like to thank kaafan10 from deviantart for role-playing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and renewing my interest in Willy Wonka. I'd also like to thank mircosedy from fanfiction.net for talking about it with me and encouraging me to write this fanfic. I don't own anything, save for a few original characters.
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Scarlett Rivera looked through her sketchbook, hoping to calm herself down. Today was the day of the job interview and to say she was nervous was an understatement. Sure it was just a job for being a common secretary but it was the great Willy Wonka himself who needed one. Scarlett had no experience working in this field, so she was a little surprised when he called her back for an interview.
Scarlett held her sketchbook to her breasts and took a deep breath while looking around the room. It was peculiar with the yellow walls and the floor covered in a red carpet like a movie star would come in any second. There was only one window and it was covered with squares of all different colors.
Then a scary thought occurred to her. Maybe Mr. Wonka wasn't looking for a competent secretary, maybe he just wanted eye candy. He was a candy man after all. If that was the case, Scarlett definitely wasn't getting the job. While her face was round, soft and pale with her cheeks covered in a peach blush accompanied by blood red lips and her dull brown almond shaped eyes were surrounded by a dark eyeliner that created the wing effect and a few fake eyelashes to finish it off; her shoulder-length hair was mouse brown and her figure was practically a stick with little to no curves and small breasts. Scarlett's best feature was her shapely legs but she couldn't dress to show them off. However, she did make sure to look professional with a white shirt, a white long sleeve jacket that she buttoned up and a long white flowing skirt with her legs covered in nylon stockings that were the same color as her skin and white stiletto pumps to finish the look off.
"Miss Rivera," Mr. Wonka called from his office.
Scarlett left her sketchbook on the stairway rail and grabbed her black string knit purse. She took a big gulp and entered, wobbling a little. Maybe she should've listened to her roommate and wore flat pumps. The walls of Mr. Wonka's office were white with yellow stripes covered in flowers with a wooden desk leaning on the far wall stacked with papers, a bust and a cigar holder with a fresh cigar. In the chair was a man with untamed curly blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, Willy Wonka himself. With the white long sleeve shirt, lilac vest, giant gray bowtie and tan pants he was wearing, Mr. Wonka did not look like an entrepreneur. If he was wearing the purple trench coat on the coat rack near the door, the tan hat kept on the statue on his desk and carrying the wooden cane laid next to the coat rack, he'd look like a circus ring leader. Despite Mr. Wonka's strange attire, he carried a dignified presence that made Scarlett feel small, even when he was sitting down.
"H-hi," Scarlett said nervously in her smooth southern accent trying to keep still.
"Interesting accent," Mr. Wonka noted with a deep alluring voice and a charming smile, turning to face her. "And your name is Scarlett?"
"Like Scarlett O'Hara," Scarlet said with a nervous smile, her heart pounding like mad. "Regular southern belle."
Yeah, she wished. The only things she and Scarlett O'Hara could possibly have in common were the name and accent.
"Oh, so you've read the book," Mr. Wonka said sounding interested.
"Yeah, I love Scarlett O'Hara," Scarlett said confidently, thinking this interview might go easier than she thought. "She's beautiful, she's-"
Mr. Wonka's smile disappeared. "Did you just say that she was beautiful?" he asked.
"You didn't think so?" Scarlett said, confused. Scarlett O'Hara wasn't beautiful? What kind of women could this man get that would make him think such a thing?
"In the movie, yes," Mr. Wonka explained. "Not in the book."
Scarlett's face turned bright red. So, that's what he meant. Mr. Wonka turned to the papers on his desk and started writing on the top one.
"Applicant lies if she thinks it will get her what she wants," Mr. Wonka mumbled loudly enough for Scarlett to hear. She couldn't tell if he didn't realize it or if he was doing it on purpose. Either way, it made Scarlett feel less like Mr. Wonka was interviewing her for a job and more like he was studying an animal at the Central Park Zoo.
"Actually, I wasn't lying to get the job. I just didn't want to sound stupid," Scarlett weakly defended.
"Her attempts to sound intelligent make her sound idiotic," Mr. Wonka mumbled as he continued writing, not even looking up from his paper. Scarlett couldn't tell if her face was red from anger or embarrassment. Then Mr. Wonka turned away from his paper and focused on Scarlett with a charming smile. "Do sit down, dear lady. You look a little unsteady."
Scarlett anxiously took the seat leaning on the left wall, trying to keep her balance. "Sorry, Sir, I have trouble walking in stilettos."
"Then why wear them?" Mr. Wonka asked.
"Because I wanted to look presentable," Scarlett answered proudly.
Mr. Wonka turned back to the paper on his desk and wrote ferociously on it. "Applicant sacrifices comfort for vanity."
Scarlett didn't know if Mr. Wonka was insane, stupid, or just plain mean.
"Mr. Wonka, are these questions really necessary?" Scarlett asked hesitantly.
"Au contraire, they tell me who you are as a person," Mr. Wonka said, turning his attention back to Scarlett with a charming smile, making Scarlett wonder if the man was bipolar. "However, we should get to the interview. So, what experience do you have working as a secretary."
"Actually, I'm a recent graduate of Columbia," Scarlett said, hoping she could salvage this interview. "I'm a fast learner. Just ask my professors. When I didn't understand something, I'd stick with it until I did. My roommate—"
"Applicant wastes interviewer's time with personal details," Wonka mumbled as he went back to writing on his paper.
Scarlett couldn't tell if he was actually making notes or just scribbling on the paper. Wonka thought of something and looked up.
"You said 'Columbia'. Do you mean the university?"
Wonka knew Columbia University didn't accept women, but this one, without make-up, might make it masquerading as a boy. Wouldn't that be interesting, if she had.
"Um, er, no," Scarlett began. She'd been hoping Wonka would think that when she said it, but the 'O'Hara' exchange had taught her something. "Columbia School of Business Administration. It was a two year program, very intense, my roommate helped me—"
"Applicant attempts to mislead interviewer with incomplete answers," Wonka mumbled returning to his notes.
"Mr. Wonka?" Scarlett asked hesitantly.
"Yes?" Mr. Wonka said with that same charming smile that Scarlett was starting to wonder was fake.
"If you... If you," Scarlet wasn't sure how to begin.
"What is it, my dear lady?" Mr. Wonka asked in a pleasant tone.
Scarlett took a cigarette from her purse and placed in her mouth. She lit it and took one puff, feeling her heartbeat slow.
"If you have to take notes, could you at least not mumble them loud enough for me to hear?" Scarlett asked Mr. Wonka politely.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid that I'm a tad bit hard of hearing," Mr. Wonka told her and then went back to his desk. "Applicant feels the need to tell her interviewer how he should do his job."
Apparently, Mr. Wonka's hearing was selective. Did he feel that he was so loaded the common people were beneath him?
"Why do you wish to apply for this job?" Mr. Wonka asked.
Great, how was she supposed to answer this question? It's like her roommate said, she couldn't tell the truth in these situations but, if her lie was too obvious, Mr. Wonka would catch her in the act. Scarlett took another puff and cleared her throat.
"Well, I think it will be a valuable experience working with you," Scarlett began, and that was no lie. At least, it would've been before these events took place. "I also would like to expand my horizons, get to know people and become a little less shy." That was partially true. "I also need money for food and rent, so how much does this job pay?" Okay, that last part really didn't need to be said out loud.
Mr. Wonka kept his same charming demeanor. "Thank you for your time, my dear lady."
Scarlett got up from her chair, trying to steady herself in her stilettos.
"That's it? That was the entire interview?" Scarlett asked.
Mr. Wonka took the cigar from its holder and put it in his mouth. "I believe I have everything I need," he said as he lit it.
"That's great, I hope to..." Scarlett began, tightening her grip on her purse excitedly which instantly softened. "Wait a minute, I didn't get the job."
Mr. Wonka returned to his paper with the lit cigar in his mouth. Then took a puff out of it.
"She's also very observant," he mumbled while writing on his paper.
This was the last straw. Scarlett left the office and slammed the door in a fit of rage. Then she left the building and smoked the last few puffs of her cigarette. How could that man be so charming and so rude at the same time? Sure, the interview hadn't been going well but he didn't have to make it obvious and then hide it at the same time. One thing Scarlett absolutely knew, she liked the candy better than the candy man. Even if it would be a long time before she could eat another Wonka bar.
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The door slam jolted Willy as he put his pen down. He didn't think that the shrieking violet would be capable of that. Sure, she did point out what he was doing wrong but she mustered it with all the courage of a shopkeeper trying to tell a robber to please point the gun someplace else. Willy took another puff from his cigar, letting the smoke relax him. He never thought he'd interview so many bad applicants in one day. Some women were unskilled and thought that Willy would hire them simply because of their looks, while others acted like Willy would hit them if they said the slightest thing he didn't like. He thought about just letting someone else handle hiring a new secretary while he just focused on making candy. Then he realized that the man he put in charge of the interviews might hire one of the attractive women with no skills. It was amazing how far human superficiality could sink to.
Willy put the cigar back in its holder and took his top hat from the statue, his coat from the rack and his cane from right beside it, thinking it might do him best to work on some new candies. As soon as he left his office, he saw a book in the waiting room. Maybe Miss Rivera, left something here. Willy leafed through it and was taken unaware by its contents. In the book were sketches of a country meadow, a few of the drawings were of Miss Rivera dressed as Scarlett O'Hara, her getting married to a man of handsome built while an angry woman glared at them in a bridesmaid dress, a disheveled man living in a box on the street with a sign saying "give me change," and a few drawings of the wrappers for his chocolate. Willy couldn't help but notice that Miss Rivera took the time to draw new candy wrapper designs and this woman applied to be his secretary?
"Who would have thought that such a timid girl could hide a bold talent."
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A/N: Well, what do you think? I hope I got Wilder!Wonka in character. Just so you know, this story doesn't have a beta-reader. What I like to do is post the first chapter and then find a beta-reader so I don't have to worry about someone stealing my story. I've also been using azaleas dolls to recreate my OCs and as covers for posting my stories on fanfiction. I'd rather you didn't use them as a reference for what my characters look like, because it's not 100% accurate on account of they won't let you create anything less than a model on that website. The reason I can't do better is because I can't draw. So, you're stuck with azaleas dolls recreations. Yes, I'm aware that everything in Willy Wonka's office is chopped in half but this takes place before the movie, so he hasn't got around to it yet. Because of this, I'm a little torn on what the factory should look like. Should it have the same design as the movie or should I have him redesign it that way when he fires all of his workers? Also, he does smoke cigars in the movie. When Charlie and Grandpa Joe went into Willy Wonka's office at the end, he was seen with a cigar in his mouth in a blink and you'll miss it moment. Also, this takes place in 1959 and I've been watching Mad Men and looking up 50s stuff to get a better idea of the time period. That said, I don't agree with the views expressed in this fanfic but I do believe it staying true to the era you're writing in, and that's what I intend to do. Oh, and I've never read or seen Gone With The Wind. However, my mother does love the book and the movie, so that's where I got the information from.
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