Disclaimer: JENNY NIMMO OWNS CHARLIE BONE! You don't need to be told that I'm not Jenny Nimmo. This goes for ALL the chapters!
Author's Note: Hope this one turns out good...
"Charlie, it's time for you to go!" Amy Bone called from the kitchen. "The bus is here!"
Charlie stomped down the stairs with his things. "Bye, Mum," he said, kissing his mother's cheek. "I'll see you on Saturday, hopefully, if the Bloors don't give me detention."
"Bye, Charlie! Try to have a good time!" Maisie called with a wave. "Don't let those horrible people get to you, dearie!" Charlie grinned and smiled at his favorite grandmother.
"See you, Maisie!" he said with a wave as he went out the door. Charlie could see the blue bus up ahead. Fidelio's shiny head was visible through a window. He ran into the bus and took a seat next to Fidelio. Gabriel was sitting behind them, looking soberly at Kristy, who was sitting in the seat across from him.
"Hi, Fidelio," Charlie greeted his best friend. "Hey, Gabriel." Gabriel smiled brilliantly at him and waved.
"So when are we going to Darkly Wynd again?" Fidelio whispered into Charlie's ear so that they couldn't be overheard.
"Sunday at Pet's Café. 11:00. Tancred, Lysander, Emma, Olivia, Gabriel, you, and me are going to be there," Charlie answered, content. Fidelio and Gabriel nodded, looking at Kristy mournfully.
"Don't worry, Kris," Charlie said to her inaudibly. "We'll save you. I know we can, and we will." The bright pine green eyes that had been so lively and exquisite were dull and blank.
The bus skidded to a stop. The three friends once again saw the dreaded old walls of Bloor's Academy. Kristy hardly seemed to notice that they had arrived. In fact, she hardly seemed to know where she was and what she was doing there.
"All my fault, all my fault," Fidelio kept muttering to himself. Gabriel looked at the younger boy sympathetically.
"It's not entirely your fault, Fidelio," he said kindly. "Besides, you're going to help cure Kristy, so it won't matter." He smiled at him. Fidelio relaxed a bit.
"Thanks, Gabe," he said gratefully, grinning.
"Move over," Billy Raven told them nastily. "Hurry up. I haven't got forever." Charlie noticed that he was pulling on Kristy's arm. He had the distinct feeling that the effect Manfred's eyes had on her was strong, and that she couldn't do anything by herself.
"What's all the hurry, Billy?" Gabriel asked, frowning. "We've got all the time in the world." He stepped out of the bus quickly, anyway.
Ignoring Gabriel, Billy hurried off to the school, following the blue, green, and violet capes. Fidelio spotted two familiar heads, one yellow and the other black. "Tancred! Lysander! Over here!" Charlie called. The two turned around, grinned, then headed toward them.
"Hey," Lysander said cheerfully. "I'm glad you've found a cure. Where's it again? Darkly Wynd?"
Charlie nodded. "15 Darkly Wynd," he said. "But we're going to meet at Pet's Café on Sunday at 11:00 to discuss everything."
"Sure hope we can cure her," Tancred said, worried. Charlie found this a bit odd, for Tancred had not known Kristy until she got hypnotized and they had told him about her. He just shrugged, then smiled.
"So do I," Fidelio said.
"Me too," Charlie, Gabriel, and Lysander said at the same time.
"Bone! Silk! Sage! Gunn! Torsson!" Asa shouted. "How many times do I have to tell you? HURRY UP!"
"Someone's in a bad mood today," Lysander mumbled. Tancred grinned.
"C'mon. Let's go before we get detention," Fidelio said. The others agreed and ran toward the gloomy academy.
The five made their way through the bronze-studded doors. Tancred and Lysander grinned at Gabriel, Charlie, and Fidelio before disappearing under the door under the crossing pencil and paintbrush. The three music students waved and walked into the door under the two trumpets.
"C'mon. Let's go," Gabriel said quickly, taking long strides as he exited the blue coatroom. His eyes were shifting around. Charlie found this very queer, but Fidelio understood.
"You don't want to see Kris, do you?" Fidelio asked sadly. Gabriel nodded hesitantly. "I know how you feel, Gabe. It's so horrible."
"You know what's weird?" Charlie asked. "We only got to know her for like, what? Less than an hour? And now we're all worried about her."
"I think the only reason we're really worried about her being is because we know she's a kindred spirit," Fidelio said simply. "You seem to find everything strange today, Charlie."
"Fido, right now, I'm finding you strange. Kindred spirits? I think Olivia's getting to you," Charlie said, grinning. Olivia was performing in Anne of Green Gables. She was the star, Anne Shirley. Gabriel laughed. Fidelio couldn't help but grin.
"Well, I did go to her house on Saturday," he said, his ears growing pink.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "And what, exactly, were you doing there?" he asked. Charlie tried to suppress a laugh.
"Um, er, I was helping her practice for the play," Fidelio answered, blushing. His ears were a nice crimson.
"Right," Charlie replied, smirking as they entered the assembly room.
"Did I just hear what I just heard?" Billy Raven asked, smiling smugly. "Fidelio Gunn's got a girlfriend?" Fidelio grew even redder, if that was possible.
"She's not my girlfriend," he said inaudibly.
"Oh, I'm very sure," Billy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Very sure." He went to his usual spot with his clarinet. Charlie unwillingly went to stand next to him, glaring daggers at Billy.
Dr. Saltweather smiled grimly and conducted the orchestra. Charlie almost went deaf with all the squeaking that was coming from Billy. After that horrible experience, he dizzily wandered into Mr. Paltry's room for his lesson. Unfortunately, Kristy was there, too, like before. It seemed that the cranky teacher had a full schedule, and had put her with him.
The lesson, needless to say, was terrible. Old Mr. Paltry complained about everything Charlie did. No matter how much he tried, Charlie managed to get criticized every minute of the lesson.
"Off with you, Bone!" Mr. Paltry said, glad to get rid of him. "I've got better things to do. It's impossible teaching Charles Bone to play the trumpet." Charlie rolled his eyes at the remark. It was getting old.
A few hours later, the Endowed were sitting in the King's Room, doing their homework. Gabriel tried hard to ignore Kristy's presence. Everybody did. It was so painful looking into those dull, empty green eyes. When it was time to go, six of them were glad.
When Gabriel, Fidelio, and Charlie arrived at the Boys' Dormitories and changed into their pajamas, Gabriel started tossing around in his sleep. Damian Smerk threw a boot at him, but he wouldn't stop. Charlie was worried. This was just like the time his older friend had Dorothy De Vere's glove. Fidelio was the one who rescued them by shaking Gabriel awake.
"Gabe, you okay?" Fidelio asked, looking into his friend's fearful brown eyes. Gabriel trembled and nodded.
"Y—yes," Gabriel said shakily. "It—it's jus—just tha—at . . ."
"It's okay, Gabriel. We're going to save Kast soon, remember?" Charlie said, patting Gabriel's shoulder. Kast was a name they gave Kristy, because her full name was Kristina Alexandra Stephanie Twirl. The initials: K. A. S. T. Kast.
Gabriel relaxed slowly, and nodded. "Okay, Charlie," he said, regaining his usual confident voice. "I just hope we're not too late," he whispered.
"We won't be, Gabe. We won't be," Fidelio told him softly. But Charlie wondered.
Sunday, 11:00 a.m.Pet's Café
Charlie entered the café to find that Norman, the bouncer, was waiting for him.
"Right this way. Your friend there is taking care of your pet for you," he said. The usual words. Charlie thanked him and took the gerbil from Gabriel.
Olivia had a rabbit in her lap. Fidelio had its mate. Emma had a very colorful parrot perched on her shoulder. Tancred was holding Fidelio's deaf cat. Lysander was holding one of Gabriel's gerbils, and Gabriel himself was taking care of three.
"So, Charlie, when are we going to go steal this 'Lily of Truth' thingy?" Olivia asked eagerly.
"Er, well," Charlie began. He had never really thought of when they were going to steal it. "How about today?" he suggested. Fidelio's eyes were bugging out.
"Chazz, are you nuts?" he said, bewildered. Olivia beamed at him for using her nickname for Charlie. "But we haven't prepared for it!"
"So? I think it'll work out fine," Tancred argued. "Besides, the sooner the better, right? I mean, you can't keep Kristy waiting forever!"
"Ooh. I think somebody's got a crush on Kristy," Emma teased, grinning. Tancred grew pink. A gust of wind tangled Olivia's hair.
"Who's got a crush on Kristy?" Fidelio asked cluelessly, staring at Olivia's tangled hair.
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Fido, isn't it obvious? It's Tancred!" she said, trying to untangle her hair.
"And it looks like Tanc's not the only one who has a crush on someone," Lysander said, grinning in the same way as Emma.
"Shut up," Fidelio said, turning beet red. Olivia's eyes twinkled in amusement.
"We're not here to talk about who has a crush on who," Gabriel interrupted. "We're here to devise a plan to steal the plant from that Ghost woman."
"Then c'mon. Let's go!" Charlie said, standing up. Fidelio stared at him.
"You serious, mate?" he asked. "Now?"
"Fidelio, you're acting strange," Olivia commented. "Before, you couldn't wait to have an adventure, and now . . . now you're really reluctant to having some excitement. I liked the old Fido better." At this, Fidelio grinned.
"Okie-dokie," he said, bolting up. "Let's go, people!" Lysander stared at him in wonder.
"Something's wrong with you, mate," he observed. "Olivia has a powerful impact on you." Fidelio's ears grew pink.
"Stop teasing me," he mumbled.
"Aren't we supposed to be going now?" Emma asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah. C'mon! Hurry up!" Tancred said. They all got up quickly and left, waving to Norton.
"Wait," Olivia said just as they were outside. Charlie turned to her. "Where is this Darkly Wynd anyway?"
"Er . . ." Charlie stuttered. "Well, now, I dunno." Olivia laughed.
"You sound like Matthew Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables," she said. Charlie grinned.
"Well, now, I guess I do!" he exclaimed. Olivia burst out in laughter.
"Oh, come on, Chazz. We have to be going now, remember?" Fidelio said, frankly annoyed that Charlie was getting all of Olivia's attention.
"Ooh! Is someone jealous of Ickle Charliekins?" Lysander joked. Fidelio grew red.
"This is really weird," Gabriel said. "Fidelio's always red, Charlie's always rolling his eyes, Lysander is for once, not good natured, and no one seems to care about 15 Darkly Wynd or Kristy." At this, everyone straightened up.
"Of course we care about Kristy!" Charlie said, looking mildly offended.
"How could we not care about her?" Tancred demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I was just saying," came Gabriel's innocent reply. He held up his hands defensively.
"Oh, come on! Can we go now?" Emma asked exasperatedly.
"YES!" all of them shouted.
"But first, directions," Charlie added. "Let's ask that lady at the newspaper stand."
"Oh, hello, darlings. Anything I can help you with, dearies?" the lady at the newspaper stand asked.
"Um, can you tell us where Darkly Wynd is?" Tancred asked awkwardly.
"Darkly Wynd?" the woman asked. She looked mildly surprised. "Why, it's no place for children."
"But I have relations there. Great-aunts, to be exact," Charlie said.
"Ah, well," she said with a sigh. She gave them the directions.
"Thank you," Emma called politely behind them as they left. The woman waved back.
A few minutes later, they were at Darkly Wynd. It was a gloomy, dark place with a chilling, mysterious aura about it.
"I really don't like this place," Olivia said, shivering.
"Neither do I," Fidelio and Gabriel agreed.
"Come on. As Tanc said, the sooner the better," Lysander urged. The seven children walked through the empty, dark streets.
"I can see why this place is called Darkly Wynd," Charlie commented.
"I think we've found the place," Tancred said quietly. The other six turned to look at a huge, foreboding house. On the plain, mysterious door, the number 15 was visible.
"This is definitely scary," Emma squealed.
"There's the garden door," Lysander said, pointing to a light gray wooden door with a lock sealing it.
"All right. So who's going to come and who's going to keep watch?" Charlie asked softly.
Olivia, Tancred, Lysander and Gabriel wanted to come. Fidelio and Emma were up for the watch. Charlie, of course, went with the garden group.
The five leaped over the door and landed on soft, green grass. They looked around in wonder. Tristan Ghost may be a frightening woman, but she sure knew how to garden.
"It's beautiful," Olivia breathed.
"We don't have all day, Olivia," Gabriel whispered. "That Ghost woman might come here any minute." Olivia nodded.
Tancred, Lysander, Gabriel, Olivia, and Charlie searched quite some time. An hour, to be exact.
"I'm tired," Olivia complained. "Are we ever going to find this Lily of Truth?"
"Probably no---"Tancred was saying. Then his eyes grew wide. "There it is!" he exclaimed, pointing to the corner of the garden. They saw it. A pure white flower with a purple stem and blue leaves. The Veritas Lily!
"Tancred, quietly go get it," Lysander commanded. "You're the quickest and the quietest of this crowd." Tancred grinned and obeyed. He stepped closer and closer to the Lily of Truth. He plucked it from the ground, roots included.
"Stop right there!"
Author's Note: Heehee. Sorry for the cliffie. But it creates so much suspense. I couldn't resist! R & R!