It was three days after that "introduction" with Charlie that Alastor decided to go up to the door of the Parris house and ask Gabriel if Charlie could play outside with him. Gabriel was suspicious of the boy because he had known his father to be a drunken scoundrel but both him and his wife had known the boy's mother to be a decent woman and he was aware of how hard most people were on him. So he allowed his daughter to form a friendship with him.

At first Charlie and Alastor were very shy with each other because neither one of them had ever had a real friend before. But very soon they became as thick as thieves. The two of them were together as long as they were allowed to be. Everyday after school Alastor would ride his bike over to her house and ask her to play. Then up until dusk they would run, hop fences, climb trees, skip rocks, go fishing and swimming in the nearby lake, she'd even help him with his homework sometimes. She was his only friend and he was hers. However when two people usually become as close as they have they typically tend to notice certain things.

For example Alastor noticed that for some reason Charlie didn't liked to be left alone. Whenever he would leave her by herself even if it was for twenty seconds she would get so frightened and/or beg him to let her come with him. And Charlie noticed that Alastor never got angry or sad. Not even when other kids picked on him. It was like whenever something made him upset he'd just swallow any bad feelings that rose from it.

But children due to their innocence, did not dwell on such things that would typically concern an adult. So the two would just ignore the other's issues and occasionally help them when said issues became too difficult. Like how some nights Charlie would sneak over to Alastor's house and crawl into bed with him because she was scared. It was fairly innocent mind you and she would always leave real early in the morning before their parents would notice. Alastor didn't mind but he often wondered what it was that scared her so much.

"Charlie." He said to her one night as she was laying next to him in his bed.

"Yes?" She replied.

"I know you like to sleep with me because you're scared but what's scaring you? Is it a big mean dog that howls at night? That would scare me."

"No." She giggled. "No I like dogs. Especially puppies."

"Then what is it?"

"If I tell you, you might think that I'm crazy."

"I wouldn't think that."

"Promise?"

"Uh-huh."

"Cross your heart?"

He took his finger and drew an invisible cross over the part of his chest where his heart was located.

"I cross my heart."

"Okay."

She hesitated before speaking again.

"I'm scared of my invisible friends."

"What invisible friends?"

"They can't be seen but I can hear them, they'll talk to me when I'm alone and I'll talk to them. But no one else can hear them so when they see me talking with them they think I'm crazy."

"Oh is that what it is? I thought you just heard voices in your head like Joan of Arc or something?"

"They're not in my head. They're there. I know they are. I can't see them but I know they're there. Daddy says they're not real and that I imagined them but I know that's not true. Do you believe me?"

"Sure I do."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Mama says just because you can't see or hear something that doesn't mean it isn't there. Like she says that sometimes angels will come down from heaven to watch over us but we can't see them."

"You believe her?"

"Yes. I mean she's never lied to me and she's a lot smarter than I am so I believe her. Hey maybe you're talking to angels."

"I don't think so." She said shaking. "I don't think angels would say the kind of things they say."

"What do they say?"

"At first I used to like what they said to me. They'd tell me about all these places I could go to one day and they'd tell me about all this stuff I could do if I tried. They said that I was special and that everyone was wrong to think I was strange. But now they're starting to tell me things I don't like."

"Like what?"

"They're telling me that my mommy and daddy don't really love me. That everybody hates me. And they're telling me that you're bad and that you're going to hurt me."

"What? That's not true. You know it's not true, right?"

"Yes but they won't stop saying it. Every time I'm alone they just keep telling me these bad things and tonight they told me that I should kill myself."

"No!" He said sitting up in horror. "You wouldn't actually do that would you?"

"I don't want to but they keep saying that I'll only be happy once I've done it. It's scaring me. I don't want to die."

She started to cry.

"I don't like them anymore. I want them to just go away and stop talking to me."

He hugged her back and she hugged his neck.

"Don't cry Charlie." He told her gently. "Smile. You know you're never fully dressed without one."

"I'm sorry. I don't like to cry but I just get so frightened by them sometimes that I don't know what to do. I don't know how to stop hearing them."

"They only talk to you when you're alone right?"

"Mostly."

"Then I won't leave you alone. I'll stay with you so you won't have to hear them say those bad things. I'll stay until they go away for good."

"Thank you."

The two of them laid back down in bed. Alastor laid on his back, Charlie was on her side and she had her arm on his chest as a way of clinging to him lightly.

"Charlie?" He said.

"Yes?"

"Please don't ever think about killing yourself. That's what my daddy did and he went to hell for it. Or at least that's what everyone says he did."

"Don't worry Alastor, I'd never do that. I'd be too afraid to."

"Good. You know Mama says that Daddy didn't go to hell. She says he went to heaven because he wasn't really bad. He was just sick and couldn't be helped and that God doesn't damn the sick and helpless."

"What do you think?"

"I don't remember my daddy but I know he really hurt my mama and I think anyone who hurts Mama must be bad because she's the nicest lady in the whole world."

"My daddy says only God can really know who's good and who's bad."

"Do you think I'm bad Charlie?"

"Of course not. Why would you ask a silly thing like that?"

"Because sometimes I get this feeling that there's something really bad inside of me. Something that wants me to do very bad things. I don't know what it is but I feel like if I get really angry it'll come out and I'll be a bad person."

"You could never be bad Alastor." She said snuggling closer to him. "You're the nicest and sweetest boy in the whole world. You don't have a bad bone in your whole body."

"How do you know? You haven't even seen my bones."

"Because I know you and I know the only thing inside of you is a rainbow."

"A rainbow?"

"Uh-huh."

He looked at her skpetically.

"Charlie you're my best friend but sometimes I don't understand your way of thinking."

"That's okay and you're my best friend too. I like you so much better than my invisible friends." She yawned and started to drift off. "I just hope that they won't take me away like they say they will."

She finally fell asleep. Alastor moved his arms to her waist and pulled her closer to him, just before he fell asleep he whispered a vow to her,

"No one is going to take you away from me."

As the days went on their bond became stronger and the closer Charlie became with Alastor, the less she conversed with her invisible friends. This in turn caused her to not hear their voices as much when she was by herself. Eventually she stopped hearing them all together which made her feel very relieved. She would still have strange dreams and visions from time to time but they weren't nearly as frightening or frequent and in time they would fade as well.

But there were other hardships she would find herself encountering. Ones that involved the people she loved most and would often cause her to doubt if she could over come it. One of said hardships reared it's ugly head on Friday, September 13th 2028 and it would haunt her for years to come.

"Do you want me to make you a Daisy chain Alastor?" She asked him as they were walking back from the lake together that afternoon.

"No." He answered.

"Why not?" She asked upon finishing the chain of flowers that she had made for herself.

"Because I would look ridiculous."

"No you would look cute."

"I would not."

"Would to."

"Would not."

"Would to."

Suddenly they heard a stick break from behind and turned around to see the Chambers brothers standing across from them. Alastor quickly grabbed hold of Charlie's hand, she could feel him trembling.

"Aww now isn't this a pretty picture?" Vince smirked. "The little retard's got himself a girlfriend. Too bad he'll never be smart enough to know what to do with her."

Alastor squeezed Charlie's hand.

"Let's just ignore them and keep walking." She whispered to him.

He nodded, they both turned back the other way and tried to continue on home but they were halted by the three fourteen year olds running up in front of them to block their way. They tried to run but Keith grabbed him from behind and pulled his elbows back while Bryce had Charlie by her shoulders.

"Come on Vince can't you just let me go?" Alastor pleaded with the most malicious of the three. "I won't tell anyone!"

"Oh I know you won't." Vince said cracking his knuckles as he approached Alastor "Not after I'm through with you. You and your mama kept whinning so much that now the church is beginning to think I've got some kind of demon in me. Now they're trying to get my dad to send me to military school!"

"Please!"

"Since you can't seem to stop flabbing your mouth, I'm going to make sure that it shuts permanently."

"Vince don't!"

But he just punched Alastor right in the jaw and started to beat him repeatedly with his fists. Alastor struggled to get away but Ketih had a very good grip on him.

"Stop it!" Charlie pleaded desperately. "Stop it! Leave him alone!"

"Hey Vince I think that's enough." Bryce said.

"Shut up!" Vince snapped. "This dumb ass thinks that he can humiliate me and get away with it?!"

After another punch Alastor dropped to the ground and began to suffer a fatal kicking to the stomach from Vince's leather boots. He couldn't move, he couldn't react, one kick just kept coming after another and through it all Vince had a twisted smile on his face. Not once did his smile falter, not even when Alastor started to become bruised and bloodied.

"Okay Vince I really think you should stop now!" Bryce said.

"Yeah." Keith said. "Some of his blood is on our shoes, if he dies we're going to prison."

"Fine." Vince huffed. "But just one more thing."

He stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a switch blade. He grabbed Alastor by his hair and forced him to meet his face.

"You like to smile right, ya little shit? How about I carve a permanent one on that stupid face of yours?"

Alastor couldn't defend himself. He couldn't even try to run or struggle, he was too weak and in too much pain. He could only just lay there and let Vince get it over with.

"Stop it you bastard!" Charlie screamed tearfully. "Why are you doing this?! He's never done anything to you! Don't hurt him anymore! Please!"

Vince turned to look at Charlie and for a moment he began to think. When an idea came to mind he flashed that disgusting smile again and finally released his hold on Alastor.

"Hey Bryce hand me the retard's squeeze."

"Why?" Bryce asked.

"Quit asking questions and do what I say!" He snarled.

Bryce looked very reluctant to do so but he tossed Charlie right over to him. Vince dropped his blade and forced her on to the ground.

"Keith get her arms!" He ordered.

His other brother firmly gripped Charlie's hands and held them over her head.

"Let me go! What are you doing?!" She cried.

"Hate to break it to you little girl but your boyfriend over there is too dumb to know how to use his own dick." Vince took hold of her legs with one hand. "But I know how to use mine perfectly!"

"Vince that's sick! She's like five or something!" Bryce said in horror.

"Hey if you're just going to stand there and squawk then you can just go home!"

Charlie looked over at Bryce with eyes full of fear.

"Please." She pleaded. "Help me."

Bryce just stood there not sure what to do. Charlie hoped that he would stop the two other boys or at least call for help but instead he just ran away. She proceed to squirm and kick but it was no use. She was trapped.

On the side Alastor was starting to regain consciousness and when his vision cleared the first thing he saw was Vince climbing on top of Charlie. The maniacal look on his face and the horrified one on hers, as soon as he saw Vince undoing his belt buckle he knew what the twisted teenager had in mind.

"No..." He called out weakly. "No!...Don't you dare!"

It hurt to speak but he still shouted.

"Get off of her! Don't you touch her! Not now or ever!"

"Oh you're awake." His grin was so sinister. "Now you can watch me show your girlfriend what it's means to be something you'll never be. A real man."

Alastor wanted to move. He wanted to move more than anything in the world but his body hurt all over and even if there wasn't any pain, how was he supposed to stop them? They were so much bigger than he was.

That's when his eyes fell upon Vince's switch blade that he had dropped on the ground. It was right next to his hand and in perfect reach. If he had the nerve to use it then maybe he could save Charlie. But Alastor had never fought or been violent with anyone in his life. He couldn't use that knife against Vince and Keith because it wasn't in him.

But when he saw Vince tear Charlie's dress before pulling down his pants everything went red...