A/N: I'm everywhere and Everything! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!
achem Anyway, like I said, I'm anxious about book five of CB coming out, so I'm going on a CB rampage. . ;
Also, I'm listening to The Last Samurai soundtrack which is VERY good for this. XD Like when the music swells, that was when Asa picked up Morgan and told Charlie to get away from him. When the music got sad, Mr. MacGregor was kicking Asa's ass.
Chapter Ten
Charlie heard the commotion downstairs. He heard the shriek and a fight going on. He didn't care if he was given detention; he wanted to know what was happening!
Charlie walked to the door and listened for the Matron, his awful aunt. When he didn't hear her, he crept down the stairs and went straight to the infirmary, where the noise was going on.
However, nothing could have prepared him for the image of Morgan and her father glaring at each other and the image of blood splattered on the walls. He caught sight of a foot and ran over to it, bypassing Morgan and her father. Morgan turned and saw Charlie, running after him.
Asa was out cold, his pulse thready. Blood dribbled from his mouth and his breathing was almost nonexistent. He looked pale and had blood coming from his head and bruises as well as scrapes everywhere.
"He'd hurt you again! I don't know why you defend this little creep!" growled Mr. MacGregor.
"DAD!" Morgan touched and prodded Asa, but there was no response. Charlie looked to Morgan and then to Mr. MacGregor, just in time to see Manfred appear. "MacGregor, Bone, you're out of bed. Get back to bed. The nurse will take care of Pike," he said, his tone almost gleeful.
Morgan growled and then looked pleadingly to her father. For the first time since Charlie arrived in the room, Mr. MacGregor's expression took on a softer tone. He saw the look and knew what it meant, though Charlie could only guess.
"I'm going to go home tonight. Tell your father that I'll be back on time for breakfast," he said.
Manfred narrowed his eyes and left. Morgan looked down at Asa and then to Charlie, tears in her eyes. Charlie frowned and shook his head. "Don't cry. You got one of those weird bracelets on you and fell down the stairs. He'll be all right. He tried to help you."
"You children get to bed. I'll deal with this little pup," said Mr. MacGregor as he picked up Asa in his strong arms. "Go on, or the little whelp outside the door will charge you while I'm out."
There was a shuffling sound outside in the hallway that let Charlie know Mr. MacGregor had been right about Manfred being outside still. Charlie sighed and pulled Morgan out. She went up the staircase for the senior dormitories and he went up to the boys' dorm. Outside, he heard the front doors open and shut and saw the vague image of Mr. MacGregor walking out with Asa in his arms.
True to his word, Mr. MacGregor was there bright and early for breakfast. Morgan, however, was still half asleep, miserable looking and staring at her food. Fidelio looked to Charlie and raised his eyes brows. He too had heard the commotion and saw Charlie go out, but had needed to stay to make sure the Matron didn't get too suspicious about Charlie being out.
Charlie looked around and didn't see Asa anywhere. Had Mr. MacGregor left Asa with Mrs. MacGregor all night and now he was going to be with her all day? Charlie wondered if Mrs. MacGregor was endowed and if it was a strange sort of healing she did. The light show was still fresh in his mind and Morgan's pleading look still hung on his brain. Was that why Asa was still about?
During the morning run, however, Charlie's mind was still asking questions. He found Fidelio and Emma and tried to get Olivia into it, but she just jogged off on her own. Charlie told the pair about the night before, about Morgan and her father fighting and Asa looking a broken mess.
"I think you're right, Charlie. Morgan's mum must be a healer of some sort and Morgan wanted to make sure the nurse here didn't have a chance to finish 'im off," said Fidelio as he scratched the back of his head.
Emma nodded. "I agree."
Silence hung among the friends. A glimpse of Olivia gave Fidelio a determined look. "What's going on with Livy?"
"I heard Manfred tried to give her detention because he tripped on this apple that she'd been peeling, or actually, the peel itself," said Emma. "It was five meters long and getting longer!"
Charlie blinked. "Longer?"
Emma nodded and looked to where their friend had disappeared to. Charlie needed to talk to Olivia, but every time he tried, she'd just tell him to go away and run.
It had been a couple of days and Asa was still gone. Asa didn't actually have any friends that would miss him and the teachers could care less. Mr. Ebony even snorted and said "Good riddance" when told about his disappearance. Charlie suddenly started to sympathize with the creepy older boy. He only had the Bloors and the people that stayed around them. He didn't have anything other than his family and Charlie didn't know about them.
That is, until there was Morgan MacGregor. Those two she spent in solitary confinement, or her own anyway. Charlie hardly ever saw her around and when he did, he saw only misery and guilt.
Friday had Charlie going to the buses with Fidelio. He hadn't received a detention, so he didn't have to stay at the horrible school like Morgan did. She had a detention to fill even if Asa wasn't there to serve his time.
However, Morgan seemed to just take it. In the King's Room, that night, it was just her and Manfred. Manfred watched her carefully from the end of the table, doing grade work and other such tasks.
Morgan was sitting not far from him and doing her homework. Of all the girls at the school, Morgan was the most infuriating of them all. When she and the two girls Ada and Corazon had made officially named the Troublesome Trio because Ada was hard to keep under control and Corazon had her troubles as well. Morgan was the one that Manfred had the most difficulty with. In fact, it had been a minor miracle that he had managed to put her under that one day.
However, there was certain brilliance to Morgan that attracted everyone to her; a sort of quiet will power to be herself no matter what, even at the expense of having to deal with him. Mr. MacGregor had the same sort of strange brilliance and it angered Manfred that the man continued to disobey his father and grandfather. Mr. MacGregor could do whatever he pleased and if he was told to stay put and be quiet, he would only be that much louder and gregarious.
Morgan had that in her and it outshined the twins considerably, who had a certain mystery about them that intrigued people. Even Joshua Tilpin had problems trying to get her to do what he wanted.
Just then, the doors opened and Asa Pike stood there in the doorway, looking at Morgan and Manfred. His face was bruised, but healing, blood had been cleaned away and his arm was back in a sling. His shirt was open half way, however, causing Morgan to blush. There were bandages around his chest and ribcage that could be seen through the opening in the shirt.
"Welcome back, Pike," grunted Manfred. "Sit and do your homework."
"Actually," said Morgan pointing to her watch, "It's time for bed, sir."
Manfred blinked and then growled faintly, leaning back in his chair. "Fine, go to bed, both of you."
Morgan blushed and picked up her things, walking out past Asa. Walking down the stairs, she heard a faint conversation between Asa and Manfred, so she stopped and listened.
"Back so soon? I would have thought MacGregor would have killed you," said Manfred.
"He almost did," said Asa, anger evident in his voice.
"Too bad he didn't finish it," snapped Manfred.
"Why have you and everyone made me a target? I know I screwed up the experiment, but so did you!" snarled Asa.
"Want another Saturday detention, Pike?" said Manfred smugly. "What do you want? To be let back in on what's going on?"
"Yeah… yeah I do."
Morgan felt her heart stop. Asa wanted to deal with Manfred and the Bloors some more WITH them? How could he after what they'd let happen to him and what they actually DID to him!
"Fine. Give MacGregor hell and make him quit and maybe we'll consider it. Until then, keep on your toes." Manfred's tone clearly said "no more", so the shuffling of Asa could be heard coming to the doorway. Morgan looked to the stairs, gripping her bookbag in a death grip.
They were going to make her father quit so she would have to go away too? Asa wanted to join the Bloors! HOW COULD HE!
Her body trembled as Asa appeared at the top of the stairs and walked down slowly. "Morgan?" he asked softly.
Morgan felt hot tears going down her cheeks. This was war! This wasn't a game! They were declaring WAR on people's lives and Asa wanted to join THEIR side!
She felt a couple of fingers brush her cheek and she bit him. "OW!" He snapped his jaws at her in response and she growled.
"Get away from me… Don't you EVER try to talk to me or my friends EVER, Asa PIKE!" she snarled and ran off.
She felt as though her heart were ripped in two and stomped on! She couldn't handle it, so she went up to her bed and just collapsed on it, burying her face into her pillow.
Saturday evening, Charlie looked out his window to see Morgan walking out of the car and into her own home. All that day, Charlie had wondered what was going on and wished desperately that he could have been at the school to see what had given her such a hard expression.
He looked to the moth and stroked one of its wings before looking woefully to his homework. If he didn't finish, he was going to get detention for certain and get bad grades on everything.
Charlie found himself in the chamber once more, looking about at the woman on the throne and the ten knights around her. He touched her nose through the veil and watched as her eyes opened to look directly, intently, at him. Once again, the chorus of knights sang and as they sang, Charlie both felt light and warm as well as deeply saddened, his heart swelling as well as breaking.
Then, all went silent and the woman sang in a clear voice.
"Five took the castle,
Five he left behind
The story lives on
The story never ends
In the woods you can see him
In the woods you can feel him"
Charlie listened to it and wondered what it meant. Was this another verse of The Song of the Red King? It sounded like it.
Then, all at once, she stopped singing, the song unconcluded. He reached to touch her face when she grabbed his wrist.
"The one you seek is right under your nose, boy. He has always been there; you have just been too weak to seek him! Beware the black spider that weaves her web around you!"
Then, she let go of him and her eyes closed. Charlie reached to touch her veil again and he felt something hot burn him. He saw Manfred burning the wand and the little moth fly away from the flames, coming from the ash. The burning sensation when away and an image of Asa lying on a bed with a window above his bed frame could be seen.
Mrs. MacGregor walked in and sat down, patting his hand. "Don't worry, dear, you're safe with me," she said in a soft tone.
Then, she brought her hands out and a strange light filled the room. She reached her hands down and touched his chest and suddenly the light flickered, electricity sparking where she touched Asa. Charlie could feel it in the very air, something magical was happening and the toll it took on Mrs. MacGregor was obvious. She looked tired when she took her hands away from Asa and there was blood coming from her mouth. She wiped it away and then stood up, covering Asa in a blanket before walking out.
Charlie looked at Asa on the bed and saw him look peaceful, sleeping with his face in the half moonlight. He didn't look like he was going to hurt anyone, he looked like he was just asleep from the rigors of the day.
Then, Charlie woke up, shutting off his alarm clock.
