Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

Me no own, Charlie Bone

(a/n: I got that disclaimer from somebody.. I just don't remember who. If it was you, let me know, and ill give you credit.)

I don't own Charlie Bone but I DO own Soleil Shankar.

"Tanc! Wait up!", Tanrced Torsson turned, his blonde hair snapping in the wind to look at who was calling him. Olivia Vertigo was running after him, her vivid blue and yellow hair streaming behind her. Every few steps she stumbled on her stiletto heels.

"Tanc! Have you heard?" Olivia stopped next to him, breathless, and leaned against the outer wall of Bloor's Academy while they waited for the bus. The other children, endowed and unendowed, milled about wrapped tightly in their colored cloaks and glaring at Tancred, the weather-bringer. A few voices could be heard muttering 'thank God it's Friday!'.

"What is it Olivia?" Tancred asked, bored. Considering that Olivia was often excited, and overreacted a lot, he didn't take her seriously. Olivia raised her eyebrows and crouched down dramatically.

"A new girl is transferring to Bloor's—in the middle of the year!" she cried triumphantly, leaping up. Everyone knew what transferring in the middle of the year meant: endowment.

"And by the way, Tanc, can you please get this wind to stop? It's ruining my dress and shoes," she complained as a cloud of some poor student's papers flew past.

"Look!" she said, indicating her elaborate blue and yellow dress and shoes. They were covered in miniscule fibers sticking up in fancy patterns.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Livvy. This wind isn't mine, but I'll stop it anyway," he raised his face into the wind, and it died down.

"Tanc, you really have no idea how cool your endowment is. Anyway, did you hear me? A new endowed girl is coming to Bloor's!"

Tancred smiled at Olivia, finally ready to listen.

"Really? When? Who is she? What can she do? How old is she? How did you find out?" he asked.

"Yes, really, stupid. She will be here next Monday. Her name is Soleil Shankar, and I don't know what she can do. She's 14 years old, just like we are! And I overheard Manfred boasting that he was the one to arrange her transfer here.

"If you see Charlie or Gabriel, tell them to meet at the Pets' Café tomorrow, and ask Gabe to bring extra gerbils, ok?" Olivia asked Tancred.

"Wait—Liv, who's going to tell Fidelio to come?" Olivia blushed, something unusual even for her.

"I will, of course", she muttered, and ran to catch her bus.

Tancred leaned against the stone wall of Bloor's waiting for his bus to come.

Olivia and Fido are dating, and Emma and Gabriel. That leaves Lysander, Charlie, Benjamin, and… me. Tancred thought about how upset he was when Fidelio had first asked Olivia out.

Oh well. The new girl is my age. I just hope she isn't with the Bloors…

Tancred sighed as he made his way onto the bus. Lysander, Gabriel and Fidelio had left on the early bus, and Charlie and Ben had gone home together. Tancred had to sit alone for the long ride home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning, Tancred asked his father to drive him to the Pets' Café. (an: sorry, I don't know the distances between people's houses, Bloor's and the Café, so I'm kind of making it up..) Charlie, Benjamin, and Lysander were sitting around a table in the back, making quiet conversation. At the sight of Tancred, Lysander's velvety chocolate brown face lit up.

"Here, Tanc! Have a Green Heavenly," he said, offering him a chocolate cookie dripping with green icing with one hand, and sweeping back his black dreadlocks with his other hand. After the other boys had greeted him, Tancred sat down, followed by a warm gust of wind.

"For once, I finally got here in time to have a Green Heavenly," remarked Charlie, biting into his second confection.

"Last time Mr. and Mrs. Onimouse made them, you people had eaten them all!". Tancred started into his cookie with gusto.

"Thanks, Sander. Hey, Benjamin," Tancred said

"I'm glad your parents decided to let you come to Bloor's academy. We didn't get to see you very often when we were always in school". Benjamin smiled shyly at Tancred, ducking his head as Charlie mumbled his agreement through a mouthful of Green Hevenly.

At the beginning of last year, Charlie's friend Benjamin had decided to enroll at Bloor's Academy. Now his shyness and social awkwardness was nearly gone. Probably because he deals with endowed kids like us every day, thought Tancred.

ding! The bell on the door of the café rang, and a melee of voices and long adolescent bodies crowded through the door and headed towards their table.

"Pull up a chair, a bunch of chairs, hurry up! I have exciting news!" Olivia cried, hopping from foot to foot, beaming. The chairs having been pulled up, Olivia sat down, her red, black, and white polka-dotted chiffon skirt swishing behind her. She kissed Fidelio on the cheek, and Tancred felt a pang in his chest.

He is her boyfriend, after all, he thought wistfully, looking down and twisting his hands. An icy breeze passed over the group, and Lysander met Tancred's eyes, a wry, sympathetic smile on his face.

Gabriel and Emma sat down across from Charlie, their fingers entwined.

"I absolutely refused to tell anyone what the news was," began Olivia

"I didn't even tell Fido, because I want to tell everyone at the same time—well, not all of you, because I told Tanc on Friday."

The boys leaned forward in interest.

"Alright. So you know what it means when

someone transfers to Bloor's in the middle of the year, right?" she asked. They all nodded excitedly, except for Benjamin, who was new to Bloor's.

"It means you're endowed," whispered Charlie. Ben gave him a grateful nod.

"Well, there is a girl who's transferring to Bloor's… all the way from America," she paused to add dramatic interest to her monologue, smiling.

"I overheard Manfred boasting to the Branko twins that he was the one who discovered her and arranged the transfer, and her name is Soleil Shankar."

"So-what Shankur?" asked Gabriel, puzzled.

"No, Soleil Shankar " replied Olivia, pronouncing it "so-LAY shan-CAR".

A cacophony of questions greeted her ears.

"I don't know how she is endowed," Olivia said frowning. She liked to have all the information when telling a dramatic story.

Charlie began to speak.

"Listen, guys—"

"and girls!" interjected Emma.

"--and girls. If Manfred arranged her transfer, that means her family is either friendly with the Bloors, or he really did just happen to discover her. That means that we have to get her on our side as soon as possible, right? I mean, we can't let the Bloors get her!"

he finished and watched with sharp eyes as his friends began to plan on how to befriend the new girl.

"One question," Lysander's voice, with a slight British-African accent rang out

"how old is this new girl?". The table was silent for a moment, everyone wanting to hear the answer to the seemingly 'just curious' question, but Tancred could have sworn that his best friend was asking for a different reason.

"Oh," Olivia said flippantly "she's fourteen, like we are." She shared a 'girls-only' smile with Emma.

Was Tancred just imagining it, or did Lysander and Charlie look a little hopeful? Benjamin would never be interested in the new girl, he had a girlfriend, Silvie Toggs, who was unendowed just like he was, and in music. The table sat in silence as each person contemplated the meaning of the arrival of a new endowed girl, each thinking very different thoughts.

Emma PoV: I wonder who this Soleil is. Lysander looked hopeful when Olivia said she was 14. I do worry about him being single, after I turned him down. I hope Gabriel doesn't become interested in her, too.

She looked up at Gabriel, a worried smile on her face. He looked back, smiling, as he leaned down to kiss her lips softly and quickly.

Oh, so no worries there…

Gabriel PoV: A new endowed girl. I wonder what her endowment is. Mine certainly is not very useful… Mmm, Emma smells so good.

He looked down at Emma, and kissed her softly.

Benjamin PoV: A new girl. I wonder if Silvie knows her. She has a lot of pen pals in America…

Charlie PoV: I wonder if… no. I can't think about—what if..? No. I can't. I have bushy hair and… oh…

Lysander PoV: Soleil Shankar, Soleil Shankar, Soleil Shankar, it has a beautiful rhythm.

In his mind, Lysander began to piece together a picture of her. Chocolate skin, long black, African hair braided in tight plaits, deep, dark eyes. Maybe African, like himself.

We probably have the same endowment, too! We must be soul mates…

Tancred PoV: Oh, Thor. I bet she'll be Scandinavian like I am. Maybe Finnish. Wispy blonde hair, blue eyes, icy pale skin with rosy cheeks… She is most definitely mine. I've been turned down enough times.

Olivia PoV: This is so exciting. I hope she'll be in drama with me…

Emma sneezed, breaking the spell. Charlie jumped up with a start.

"Ben! Come on! I told Mum we'd be home by 5:00! We need to go!" He grabbed Benjamin's arm and pulled him out of the chair.

"Sorry-bye-have-a-nice-day-and-see-you-on-Monday. Come on, Runner!" Charlie and Ben were already hustling through the door, followed by a chorus of farewells.

"I suppose I ought to go home too, Mum couldn't cook an edible meal to save her life," said Olivia wistfully, rising. Fidelio stood with her, his hand around her waist.

Tancred shuddered with jealously, and an icy wind swept through the small café, sending the last Green Heavenly into Runner Bean's waiting mouth. The lean dog smacked his lips and headed after Benjamin, finally satisfied.

"I must be off too," Emma stood with Gabriel.

"Ooh!" squealed Emma, as she tripped on the edge of her chair. Gabriel caught he in a tight embrace and stared into her eyes, mock-serious. She stared back smiling a tiny smile.

Lysander looked away, his chest burning. Tancred met his pain-filled eyes and stared back. They both shared the pain of rejection. Gabriel began to lower his head. Lysander swallowed hard. Gabriel's longish hair brushed against Emma's joy-filled face. She pushed up on to her tiptoes and their lips met. Lysander looked at the kissing couple. He stood suddenly, knocking his chair over in his haste. He rushed out of the shop, the bell on the door jingling loudly, startling the couple.

Emma and Gabriel broke out of their kiss. Gabriel gathered up his gerbils and left with Emma. Benjamin, Charlie, and Tancred stood, and went their different ways.

(a/n: I kind of ran out of ideas at the end, so I just have them stand up and walk away… now, Tancred is on his knees making a puppy face and begging you to review!!!)