A/N: I hope ya'll are enjoyin' yourselves. I'm getting this done as well as I can, and hopefully I'll not screw it up.
I'm doing two other things at the moment, Austin Friends, which is still in the processes of being put together, and The Phantom of Wonderland. PoW is a comic I'm doing which is the sequel to the previous comic I did Wonderland in the Caribbean. I'm putting together a site for this, and I think, ultimately, I'll have to put together a secondary site for PoW because I've 88 pages to deal with JUST for Wonderland in the Caribbean and I'll probably end up with just as much for is the place I think you need to go to have a look/see, but I can't promise anything since I'm still trying to get pages up…. Five at a time. Only up to 50 now.
Chapter Four
"Charlie! You wouldn't believe what I have to tell you!" said Emma happily. "The new teacher is so nice!"
Charlie looked to Emma from watching the three new girls, Morgan, Corazon and Ada in their separate locations. He looked up at the sky and shielded his eyes from the sun blazing down. "How so? What's his name?"
"Mr. MacGregor! He's so nice! And funny! He comes into class and makes jokes about Dr. Bloor and then shows us something he's done in his artwork. He's so good! He even draws BIRDS!"
Charlie looked to Morgan. So that was where her father was working. Apparently, her father didn't like Dr. Bloor if he made jokes about him. "What sort of jokes?"
"What does it matter," said Emma with less enthusiasm before she started talking to the concrete wall that was Charlie Bone when he was thinking. "He came in once imitating him. He did a fair job of it, as well."
Charlie looked to Emma and blinked. "Oh? I guess he isn't all that bad then, is he."
Emma grunted and fixed Charlie with an irritated glare. "No. He isn't that bad at all. Whatever gave you the idea that he would—oh."
It hadn't occurred to her until just then, but the fact that Morgan had immediately made herself Charlie's friend and that her dad was working at Bloors' might not be such a good thing at all. As it turned out, Morgan was just wanting friends and, as it seemed, she was good at making sure she did, and her father was just as nice and fun with out being a part of Bloors'. "Do you think he might help us like Mr. Boldo—Mr. Sparks did for us?"
"I certainly hope so," said Charlie as he watched Ada and Corazon be shoved off by Dorcas.
Morgan came over in a huff. "That's IT! I've had it up to HERE with that bloke!"
Emma blinked at Morgan. "Eh?"
"Pike…er… Asa Pike, that is. He keeps pestering me and making fun of my hair! I know it's messy, but I can't help that!" Morgan huffed again and cracked her knuckles as she narrowed her eyes in the direction of Asa Pike, who was talking to an older girl with a sneaky expression on his wolfish features.
Suddenly, he jumped and twirled around to find whatever had startled him. Morgan grinned and stretched her fingers as Charlie watched her. "Are you doing something to him?"
Morgan blinked to Charlie and grinned. "Nope. Definitely not." She looked over just as Asa was becoming settled and then stretched her fingers again. Asa jumped again clutching his rear with a hand. She grinned and shrugged to Charlie. "Nothing at all."
As she walked off, Charlie watched as Asa rubbed his rear and his ears turned red. Emma blinked at Charlie and then Asa. "Do you know what her gift is, Charlie?"
"Not a clue. I can't even figure out how she's making him jump," said Charlie with a very bewildered expression on his face. "What about the other two? Do you know what they do?"
"Nothing. I can't talk to Corazon much, since Dorcas generally has her by her side. As for Ada, you might see if Olivia has any ideas about her." Emma rubbed her fingers with a wince and smiled faintly. "Going home tomorrow. You haven't ended up with detention all week, isn't that great?"
"We'll see," said Charlie with a faint frown.
Olivia came into the theatre room and saw Ada sitting by herself at a table. The teacher was out and the only thing she had to worry about was Manfred coming in and bothering her.
She walked over to Ada and smiled. "Hello, Ada. Are you all right? You look a bit out of it."
Ada didn't look up. "He's watching. He's always watching." Her voice sounded a bit far away.
"Manfred? Yeah, you get used to it, eventually. Just don't directly into his eyes. He's a really mean one, that one." Olivia sat down and swung her feet under her.
Ada didn't look at her still. "There must always be balance."
"Of course, there's always balance. If you didn't have balance, then what would happen to the world, eh?" Olivia was really beginning to wonder about Ada and her sanity.
Ada looked up at Olivia finally. "Hmmm? Did you say something? Sorry, must have dozed off. I've been doing that a lot lately." She smiled, bright brown eyes glittering with happiness.
Olivia frowned slightly at Ada. "Er, not really. I was saying Manfred would be along anytime soon."
Ada's expression flashed a look of horror just as Manfred walked in. Manfred glared at Olivia. "I thought class was over." Zelda was behind him, giving the two girls nasty looks.
"Er—sorry! I was just—Olivia and I were just talking about the end of school play," said Ada with a bright smile.
Manfred glared an even darker look than before. Ada looked away quickly. Olivia giggled and picked up a mask. "We could always have a fairy running around, Manfred! You never know when those come in handy! Maybe Zelda could have her hand at it." Then, she grabbed Ada's hand and pulled her out of the theatre room.
Ada was jerked down the hallway. "Ah! Ow! That hurts—"
"Hush!"
Olivia pulled Ada into an empty classroom and looked to her. "What is your gift?"
"Gift?"
"ISIDORE!"
Manfred's tone was dangerous as he walked by the classroom. Ada was slinking behind Olivia in terror. When Olivia felt the coast was clear, she looked to Ada again. "What is your power? You're one of the endowed, right?"
"I—I don't know what you're talking about," said Ada hurriedly.
"Yes you do! My friends Charlie and Emma are endowed, what are you?"
"ISIDORE!"
Manfred was walking by again and Olivia clamped a hand on Ada's before she could make a noise. Manfred stopped in front of the door. Ada was positively trembling against Olivia.
"Manfred, would you please come over here! I won't be waiting here forever for you, y'know!" Zelda's plea was more insistent than an actual plea. If she had a sledgehammer, she'd be applying it to Manfred's head.
Manfred growled and walked off. Olivia sighed as she leaned against the wall. This was getting ridiculous. "Ada," Olivia hissed, "Please answer me. What is it you do? Why is it that Manfred wants you around all the time?"
"Because I say things that I'm not supposed to," Ada said grimly. She sounded like a little kid, but she looked only slightly older than Olivia. "I…I know things."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "All right. So you say things you're not supposed to."
Ada nodded.
"ISIDORE, COME OUT RIGHT NOW, OR I'LL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN!" Manfred's voice could have been applied with a chainsaw in the hands of a serial killer madman.
Ada ducked slightly and gave a sort of little curtsy to Olivia before she headed out of the darkened room. "Excuse moi," she said in a small voice before disappearing out in the hallway.
Olivia grunted and slapped a hand on the wall. This was just perfect. She had nothing. The girl was terrified of Manfred.
Emma was rubbing her fingers again, looking at the costume design she had to make for the end of year school play that the Drama department was putting on. She looked to Corazon at her desk, painting.
"Now, I don't want to see anyone not doing something. There is always something to do; you just have to apply yourself!" Mr. MacGregor smiled brightly as he went around the room.
He came over to Corazon and smiled brightly. "Very nice, Miss De La Cruz. Put a little orange into the mixture now and you'll get the skin tone perfectly. Not that much, careful! You'll end up looking like you've had too much beta carotene."
Corazon looked up at him. "What?"
"I meant that you'll look as though you've eaten too many carrots. If you eat too many, your skin turns slightly orange." Mr. MacGregor patted Corazon on the head and chuckled.
Emma walked over and looked over Corazon's shoulder. She was doing a self portrait with tribal looking pictures of the sun in the border. "That looks nice, Corazon."
Corazon's cheeks darkened. "Thank you."
"Why are the suns in the corners?"
Corazon's cheeks darkened a little more. "My—My mom likes the sun. She has them everywhere in the house. Even on the outside, clay sun disks set up everywhere, mirror suns on the walls, decorated plates; she has everything."
"Where are you from?" Emma had been wondering that since she'd arrived and heard her name.
"America… Texas, Florida—I lived in Florida for a while and then we moved to Texas—Then, we moved here. I like the sun and I miss it here." Corazon darkened the color of the skin tone on her portrait a little more and smiled. "I like to paint."
"Corazon, can you help me please?" Dorcas was watching them intently. Emma gave a grunt and walked back to her work.
Charlie got onto the blue school bus, not wearing his cloak. He was finally going home for the weekend. Fidelio sat down next to him and Morgan in front of them. She turned in her seat and smiled brightly. "Well, looks like a nice weekend. Want to go see a movie or something tomorrow?"
Fidelio smiled. "I'd like that."
Charlie nodded slightly. "All right."
"We'll work out which movie, later. Also, Charlie, I'm going to need you to be the navigator, or I can get my dad to give us a lift." Morgan was firing off at the mouth rapidly, far faster than Charlie really wanted to listen to.
"All right."
Morgan giggled and turned in her seat. When they reached the stop he and Morgan got off, Charlie tried very hard to stay ahead of her, but she came up right behind him, her legs a bit longer and stronger than his. "Why the rush? Are you all right?"
"I—I have something I need to do at home." Charlie just wanted away from Morgan. She was far too strange for him.
"Aww—come on! I'm not that bad am I?"
"Yes, you are. Why are you following me around?" Charlie grunted as he turned onto Filbert street.
Morgan glared at him. "I only want to be your friend, you fool! You don't have to be so rude with me!" Then, she huffed off to number thirteen and slammed the door.
Charlie sighed and got into number nine and was greeted by Aunt Eustacia and Aunt Venitia. They each grabbed an arm and pulled him into the sitting room where Aunt Lucretia and Grandma Bone were sitting. "What did I do now?!" Charlie growled.
"Silence!" growled Grandma Bone.
He knew it was too good to last. He stood silently, waiting for them to hurry up with his punishment so he could get some dinner and get some homework done so he could go to the movies the next day.
"We hear you have some new friends," Aunt Venitia said with an eerie smile.
"Yes, and why do they interest you?"
"So tart with us! His blessed aunts!" Venitia had a hand on her chest melodramatically.
"Stay away from that girl across the street there. That's an order." Grandma Bone wasn't one to mince words words, generally.
"Charlie! Are you home?" Maisie came bustling into the room and hugged Charlie, pulling him out quickly. "I couldn't stop them. They seem very intent on something," she said hastily.
Charlie nodded and welcomed the cookie that Maisie handed him. Grandma Bone walked into the kitchen and growled. "We're not through here!"
"On the contrary, I think you are." Paton was in the doorway behind Grandma Bone. She gave a frightful stare to Paton before growling and walking out in a huff. Paton smiled at Charlie. "Are you all right? Nothing they did you, I hope."
Charlie smiled and shook his head. "No." There was a slam of the front door and Charlie knew they had left. "No, they want me to stay away from the girl across the street."
Paton looked thoughtfully at Charlie and then at the kitchen window. "I guess you should stay as close to her as possible then."
I'm doing two other things at the moment, Austin Friends, which is still in the processes of being put together, and The Phantom of Wonderland. PoW is a comic I'm doing which is the sequel to the previous comic I did Wonderland in the Caribbean. I'm putting together a site for this, and I think, ultimately, I'll have to put together a secondary site for PoW because I've 88 pages to deal with JUST for Wonderland in the Caribbean and I'll probably end up with just as much for is the place I think you need to go to have a look/see, but I can't promise anything since I'm still trying to get pages up…. Five at a time. Only up to 50 now.
Chapter Four
"Charlie! You wouldn't believe what I have to tell you!" said Emma happily. "The new teacher is so nice!"
Charlie looked to Emma from watching the three new girls, Morgan, Corazon and Ada in their separate locations. He looked up at the sky and shielded his eyes from the sun blazing down. "How so? What's his name?"
"Mr. MacGregor! He's so nice! And funny! He comes into class and makes jokes about Dr. Bloor and then shows us something he's done in his artwork. He's so good! He even draws BIRDS!"
Charlie looked to Morgan. So that was where her father was working. Apparently, her father didn't like Dr. Bloor if he made jokes about him. "What sort of jokes?"
"What does it matter," said Emma with less enthusiasm before she started talking to the concrete wall that was Charlie Bone when he was thinking. "He came in once imitating him. He did a fair job of it, as well."
Charlie looked to Emma and blinked. "Oh? I guess he isn't all that bad then, is he."
Emma grunted and fixed Charlie with an irritated glare. "No. He isn't that bad at all. Whatever gave you the idea that he would—oh."
It hadn't occurred to her until just then, but the fact that Morgan had immediately made herself Charlie's friend and that her dad was working at Bloors' might not be such a good thing at all. As it turned out, Morgan was just wanting friends and, as it seemed, she was good at making sure she did, and her father was just as nice and fun with out being a part of Bloors'. "Do you think he might help us like Mr. Boldo—Mr. Sparks did for us?"
"I certainly hope so," said Charlie as he watched Ada and Corazon be shoved off by Dorcas.
Morgan came over in a huff. "That's IT! I've had it up to HERE with that bloke!"
Emma blinked at Morgan. "Eh?"
"Pike…er… Asa Pike, that is. He keeps pestering me and making fun of my hair! I know it's messy, but I can't help that!" Morgan huffed again and cracked her knuckles as she narrowed her eyes in the direction of Asa Pike, who was talking to an older girl with a sneaky expression on his wolfish features.
Suddenly, he jumped and twirled around to find whatever had startled him. Morgan grinned and stretched her fingers as Charlie watched her. "Are you doing something to him?"
Morgan blinked to Charlie and grinned. "Nope. Definitely not." She looked over just as Asa was becoming settled and then stretched her fingers again. Asa jumped again clutching his rear with a hand. She grinned and shrugged to Charlie. "Nothing at all."
As she walked off, Charlie watched as Asa rubbed his rear and his ears turned red. Emma blinked at Charlie and then Asa. "Do you know what her gift is, Charlie?"
"Not a clue. I can't even figure out how she's making him jump," said Charlie with a very bewildered expression on his face. "What about the other two? Do you know what they do?"
"Nothing. I can't talk to Corazon much, since Dorcas generally has her by her side. As for Ada, you might see if Olivia has any ideas about her." Emma rubbed her fingers with a wince and smiled faintly. "Going home tomorrow. You haven't ended up with detention all week, isn't that great?"
"We'll see," said Charlie with a faint frown.
Olivia came into the theatre room and saw Ada sitting by herself at a table. The teacher was out and the only thing she had to worry about was Manfred coming in and bothering her.
She walked over to Ada and smiled. "Hello, Ada. Are you all right? You look a bit out of it."
Ada didn't look up. "He's watching. He's always watching." Her voice sounded a bit far away.
"Manfred? Yeah, you get used to it, eventually. Just don't directly into his eyes. He's a really mean one, that one." Olivia sat down and swung her feet under her.
Ada didn't look at her still. "There must always be balance."
"Of course, there's always balance. If you didn't have balance, then what would happen to the world, eh?" Olivia was really beginning to wonder about Ada and her sanity.
Ada looked up at Olivia finally. "Hmmm? Did you say something? Sorry, must have dozed off. I've been doing that a lot lately." She smiled, bright brown eyes glittering with happiness.
Olivia frowned slightly at Ada. "Er, not really. I was saying Manfred would be along anytime soon."
Ada's expression flashed a look of horror just as Manfred walked in. Manfred glared at Olivia. "I thought class was over." Zelda was behind him, giving the two girls nasty looks.
"Er—sorry! I was just—Olivia and I were just talking about the end of school play," said Ada with a bright smile.
Manfred glared an even darker look than before. Ada looked away quickly. Olivia giggled and picked up a mask. "We could always have a fairy running around, Manfred! You never know when those come in handy! Maybe Zelda could have her hand at it." Then, she grabbed Ada's hand and pulled her out of the theatre room.
Ada was jerked down the hallway. "Ah! Ow! That hurts—"
"Hush!"
Olivia pulled Ada into an empty classroom and looked to her. "What is your gift?"
"Gift?"
"ISIDORE!"
Manfred's tone was dangerous as he walked by the classroom. Ada was slinking behind Olivia in terror. When Olivia felt the coast was clear, she looked to Ada again. "What is your power? You're one of the endowed, right?"
"I—I don't know what you're talking about," said Ada hurriedly.
"Yes you do! My friends Charlie and Emma are endowed, what are you?"
"ISIDORE!"
Manfred was walking by again and Olivia clamped a hand on Ada's before she could make a noise. Manfred stopped in front of the door. Ada was positively trembling against Olivia.
"Manfred, would you please come over here! I won't be waiting here forever for you, y'know!" Zelda's plea was more insistent than an actual plea. If she had a sledgehammer, she'd be applying it to Manfred's head.
Manfred growled and walked off. Olivia sighed as she leaned against the wall. This was getting ridiculous. "Ada," Olivia hissed, "Please answer me. What is it you do? Why is it that Manfred wants you around all the time?"
"Because I say things that I'm not supposed to," Ada said grimly. She sounded like a little kid, but she looked only slightly older than Olivia. "I…I know things."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "All right. So you say things you're not supposed to."
Ada nodded.
"ISIDORE, COME OUT RIGHT NOW, OR I'LL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN!" Manfred's voice could have been applied with a chainsaw in the hands of a serial killer madman.
Ada ducked slightly and gave a sort of little curtsy to Olivia before she headed out of the darkened room. "Excuse moi," she said in a small voice before disappearing out in the hallway.
Olivia grunted and slapped a hand on the wall. This was just perfect. She had nothing. The girl was terrified of Manfred.
Emma was rubbing her fingers again, looking at the costume design she had to make for the end of year school play that the Drama department was putting on. She looked to Corazon at her desk, painting.
"Now, I don't want to see anyone not doing something. There is always something to do; you just have to apply yourself!" Mr. MacGregor smiled brightly as he went around the room.
He came over to Corazon and smiled brightly. "Very nice, Miss De La Cruz. Put a little orange into the mixture now and you'll get the skin tone perfectly. Not that much, careful! You'll end up looking like you've had too much beta carotene."
Corazon looked up at him. "What?"
"I meant that you'll look as though you've eaten too many carrots. If you eat too many, your skin turns slightly orange." Mr. MacGregor patted Corazon on the head and chuckled.
Emma walked over and looked over Corazon's shoulder. She was doing a self portrait with tribal looking pictures of the sun in the border. "That looks nice, Corazon."
Corazon's cheeks darkened. "Thank you."
"Why are the suns in the corners?"
Corazon's cheeks darkened a little more. "My—My mom likes the sun. She has them everywhere in the house. Even on the outside, clay sun disks set up everywhere, mirror suns on the walls, decorated plates; she has everything."
"Where are you from?" Emma had been wondering that since she'd arrived and heard her name.
"America… Texas, Florida—I lived in Florida for a while and then we moved to Texas—Then, we moved here. I like the sun and I miss it here." Corazon darkened the color of the skin tone on her portrait a little more and smiled. "I like to paint."
"Corazon, can you help me please?" Dorcas was watching them intently. Emma gave a grunt and walked back to her work.
Charlie got onto the blue school bus, not wearing his cloak. He was finally going home for the weekend. Fidelio sat down next to him and Morgan in front of them. She turned in her seat and smiled brightly. "Well, looks like a nice weekend. Want to go see a movie or something tomorrow?"
Fidelio smiled. "I'd like that."
Charlie nodded slightly. "All right."
"We'll work out which movie, later. Also, Charlie, I'm going to need you to be the navigator, or I can get my dad to give us a lift." Morgan was firing off at the mouth rapidly, far faster than Charlie really wanted to listen to.
"All right."
Morgan giggled and turned in her seat. When they reached the stop he and Morgan got off, Charlie tried very hard to stay ahead of her, but she came up right behind him, her legs a bit longer and stronger than his. "Why the rush? Are you all right?"
"I—I have something I need to do at home." Charlie just wanted away from Morgan. She was far too strange for him.
"Aww—come on! I'm not that bad am I?"
"Yes, you are. Why are you following me around?" Charlie grunted as he turned onto Filbert street.
Morgan glared at him. "I only want to be your friend, you fool! You don't have to be so rude with me!" Then, she huffed off to number thirteen and slammed the door.
Charlie sighed and got into number nine and was greeted by Aunt Eustacia and Aunt Venitia. They each grabbed an arm and pulled him into the sitting room where Aunt Lucretia and Grandma Bone were sitting. "What did I do now?!" Charlie growled.
"Silence!" growled Grandma Bone.
He knew it was too good to last. He stood silently, waiting for them to hurry up with his punishment so he could get some dinner and get some homework done so he could go to the movies the next day.
"We hear you have some new friends," Aunt Venitia said with an eerie smile.
"Yes, and why do they interest you?"
"So tart with us! His blessed aunts!" Venitia had a hand on her chest melodramatically.
"Stay away from that girl across the street there. That's an order." Grandma Bone wasn't one to mince words words, generally.
"Charlie! Are you home?" Maisie came bustling into the room and hugged Charlie, pulling him out quickly. "I couldn't stop them. They seem very intent on something," she said hastily.
Charlie nodded and welcomed the cookie that Maisie handed him. Grandma Bone walked into the kitchen and growled. "We're not through here!"
"On the contrary, I think you are." Paton was in the doorway behind Grandma Bone. She gave a frightful stare to Paton before growling and walking out in a huff. Paton smiled at Charlie. "Are you all right? Nothing they did you, I hope."
Charlie smiled and shook his head. "No." There was a slam of the front door and Charlie knew they had left. "No, they want me to stay away from the girl across the street."
Paton looked thoughtfully at Charlie and then at the kitchen window. "I guess you should stay as close to her as possible then."