This is a partial idea I've had for a bit. I'm only doing it now because somebody psychic guessed it…

And I don't really have ideas other than this. I'm just using filler chapters mainly until I get to the bit I want. I hope that's OK.

Charlie was biting his thumb when Joe, Carly and Kara found him.

"You OK?" Joe asked.

"Cut my thumb." Charlie replied, showing them the small drop of blood.

"That was clever." Charlie smiled. "Hey, there's a new girl."

"Ooh, shiny."

"Charlie!" Kara laughed. "Girls aren't shiny."

"They are in my book."

"You're weird."

"Have you only just figured that out?" Kara glared at him half-heartedly. Charlie grinned sarcastically before turning and looking down the corridor. "I want to find this new girl and annoy her." Joe frowned slightly. Normally, Charlie helped the new kids settle in and then annoyed them. The girls hadn't noticed, so Joe stayed quiet.

Charlie wandered off, which was also unlike him. If he was on the hunt for a new kid, he bounced off and badgered people for information.

Joe had met the new kid once. She seemed nice enough, a bit shy. He was watching Charlie when he saw her out of the corner of his eye. Charlie had rambled past her.

"Charlie!" Charlie looked back. Joe pointed and Charlie looked in the point's general direction.

"No way!" The new girl looked round.

"Charlie?"

"Phoenix?" Charlie looked bewildered, gormless slightly. The new girl pushed her way through the crowd of girls that had decided to take care of the new girl for a bit. "You ditched me!"

"I didn't ditch you."

"You left me on my own."

"I did not."

"Did too." Charlie muttered, sulking. The new girl- Phoenix- folded her arms, her molten lava eyes glittering cheekily. Charlie grinned and bounded forward. Phoenix was a fraction of an inch shorter than him, which clearly settled well with Charlie as the pair hugged.

"You know her?" One of the girls asked, looking Charlie over in confusion.

"Oh, we go way back." Charlie beamed. Phoenix jabbed her fingers in Charlie's sides and effectively made him jump away, squirming and complaining.

"What he means is that his family helped me and my older sister out of a tight spot."

"And they moved in with us!" Charlie finished. "But then Ava moved out and you went with her. You ditched me!"

"I didn't! I ran away!" Charlie gaped at her. She flicked her auburn hair out of her eyes before grinning triumphantly.

"Well, looks like you're going to have to do it again then." He grinned devilishly before rushing her. Phoenix squealed and ran off.

"That kid gets weirder every day." Joe muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Charlie and Phoenix were inseparable. It was clear they had been the best of friends as kids and that bond hadn't vanished or weakened. They bickered non-stop, always challenging the other, but they made the perfect team, winding the teachers and fellow students up. She became a member of their group very quickly, getting on incredibly well with the girls.

Joe didn't tell her his secret. Charlie trusted her, but Joe wasn't sure. Her eyes unnerved him- eyes couldn't naturally be that colour, could they? But she was very nice and kept Charlie in his place more often than not, which was an impossible task.

"Ooh, choccie cake."

"No." Phoenix said sternly. Charlie looked at her challengingly. "No." She repeated, her tone firmer. She had one hand on her hip and was pointing at Charlie warningly. "I'll tell your mom."

"She finds it funny."

"What if you're still hyper when you get home?" Charlie checked his watch.

"I'll be safe."

"Mm-hm." He made a grab for the chocolate cake Kara was holding out for him. Phoenix grabbed his wrists and spun him round forcefully, unbalancing him. Charlie looked at her stubbornly.

"Uh oh, he's got that look." Joe grinned.

"Can I remind you how many embarrassing things that you've ever done over the six years that you lived with me? Look at how many kids there are here…"

"You wouldn't…"

"I would." Charlie made to climb on the table, but Phoenix grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back. "Unless you never stop me from having choccie cake." Phoenix didn't agree with this.

"Fine." Charlie beamed at her.

"Good girl." Charlie held his hands out to Kara. "Choccie cake." He pleaded childishly. Kara smiled and handed it over. Phoenix glowered, but kept quiet.

"Charlie, your arm's bleeding." Charlie looked down at his left forearm. For the past few days, he had worn a bandage over it, insisting he had fallen from a tree (idiot). The bandage was to stop him from picking at the scabs.

"So it is." Charlie studied it for a few seconds, before shrugging it off and biting into his favourite food.

"Charlie Valdez and Phoenix Anderson! My office!"

"Woo!" Charlie and Phoenix high-fived and got up. Their classmates gave them a polite round of applause while their teacher threw a board marker at them.

"Get out!" She warned, but she was smiling. Charlie threw the board marker right back, but his throw was way off. Charlie was well-known for his accurate aim. Instead of skimming the teacher's shoulder like he usually threw the marker, it bounced off the board about two metres from where the teacher stood.

"All in the wrist." He said casually, following Phoenix out.

"Are you OK?" Phoenix asked. Charlie had been a bit funny for the last few days. He smiled and waved it off.

"I'm lacking caffeine and sugar. I'm fine." Phoenix didn't pester him as he would switch and play mute and wouldn't talk until she changed the subject. For someone that didn't shut up, he was very good at playing mute.

In the principal's office, the two had to sit like good little students in matching chairs and act innocent. They hadn't redesigned the school's computer system. They hadn't added rainbows and unicorns. They hadn't unblocked all the games. They hadn't done anything.

"You've got until the end of lunch to put the school system back to normal or you'll be cleaning gum off the bleachers."

"Didn't you make Kevin and his group do that?"

"Yes, but they were poor workers."

"Should've kept them there until they had finished." Charlie muttered. The principal studied him for a few seconds.

"Are you alright?" Charlie nodded.

"He said he was lacking caffeine and sugar."

"No caffeine and no sugar for you, Charlie. A good night's sleep is what you need."

"Sir, I'm ADHD. It goes one sheep, two sheep, cow, turtle duck, Old McDonald had a farm." The principal chuckled.

"Don't count sheep. It keeps the mind going."

"Oh." Charlie shrugged. "Okey dokey then." The principal glanced sidelong at Phoenix before looking at Charlie quizzically. Charlie just nodded.

"Is it your fire?"

"A bit." Phoenix recalled Charlie's fire powers, remembering how he had accidently set their old school on fire when he was nine. Well, part of it anyway. She had been there and had managed to pull him to his senses to drag him out. They had both been kicked out.

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" Charlie nodded, sitting forward to play with the Moses cradle on his teacher's desk. He loved this thing, but it wasn't long until the principal confiscated it. "What did you do to your arm?"

"Fell out a tree." Charlie replied quickly. Phoenix frowned. The principal was chewing his lip.

"Go and sort the system out." He said, shooing them out of the room, but watching Charlie carefully.

Any guesses?