A/N: The Power of SOUND: sings: god, I think I'm in love with this blasted song. Lol This is what I get for poking around the flash section of 4chan. By the by, NEVER go to 4chan unless you're basically unphased by a lot of stuff like porn and the like. -.-;; can't tell you how often I see something that is just basically disgusting and that's just in the thumbnail! I sometimes lose the thumbnail and end up clicking on something that would make most people want to hurl their computer through the window.

Anyway, poor Asa got his ass kicked once again. lol

Oh and if you want to know what to listen to while reading this, listen to Omna Magni from Genesis of Aquarion. It's super creepy. XD

Chapter Eleven


Emma blinked at Charlie's story about his dreams. "What do you think it means?" she asked as she fed her pet duck. They were out at the park and resting on a bench together from walking Runner Bean. "Er, I mean the chamber, not Morgan's mum. She seems to be some sort of healer."

Charlie finished his cookie and stood up, Runner Bean very ready to run and play. Runner Bean was getting tired of just doing not much of anything while the girl was around, though he liked the girl a lot. She was one of Charlie's friends, and Charlie was a friend of his friend Benjamin Brown, so therefore, she was his friend.

Even the duck.

Charlie patted Runner Bean on the head and looked to something moving not far off. He caught a glimpse of red hair and frowned. Was it Asa Pike back to skulking around, or was it something else?

Then, he saw something headed for him. It was small and looked like a clockwork soldier. Emma blinked at it. Charlie picked it up and inspected it. There was a note attached to it.

Black is white and white is black,

White is nice and shining,

Black is angry and dark,

But both can not exist without the other.

Where there is one, there is the other.

Where there is light there is dark.

Where there is hope, there is despair.

Where there is joy, there is anger.

Where there is courage, there is fear.

Can you tell the difference between the two?

Charlie blinked at the note. It was more like a poem than it was an actual note. Who would send something like this to him on a clockwork toy? The toy walked away on it's own after Emma played with the key in its back. It disappeared underneath some bushes and that was the last they saw of it.

Charlie looked to the note again and saw something else, though it made little sense.

That which is white and that which is black,

That which is sweet and that which is angry,

That which shines and that which takes away the light,

Be careful of that which shines,

Be careful of that which takes away light,

Both take and give what is needed to survive,

As well as take away that which is wanted.

Which is the way to go?

"What does that mean?" asked Emma, uncertain of the meaning herself as she looked at the poem. "I would much prefer being in the light than in the dark. The dark doesn't let you see what's coming toward you or if you're someplace good or bad."

"But some people prefer the dark to the light, because they can't see what is there so they can pretend it isn't," said Charlie as he thought about it. "I prefer the light too. At least I can see what I'm doing and where I'm going."

"Enjoying yourselves, children?" asked a sweet voice behind them. A tall woman dressed in all white smiled kindly down at them. "Would you like a flower, miss?"

Emma blinked and nodded, taking the flower and looking at it. "Thank you, ma'am."

Charlie blinked at the woman. She wasn't just dressed in white, she even had white hair and perfectly pale skin. She gazed at Charlie with light blue eyes and smiled. "You can call me Miss Angel."

Charlie nodded. "Miss Angel…. Do you sell flowers?" he said indicating the strange white flower that she had given Emma.

Miss Angel smiled and nodded. "Angel Flowers is my shop."

Charlie nodded and Miss Angel gave him a flower as well. "What's this for?"

"For your mother. She will like that flower I believe," said Miss Angel.

Runner Bean wagged his tail and barked happily at Miss Angel. Charlie decided that if Runner Bean liked her, then she wasn't a bad person. However, Miss Angel looked around and frowned. "I must leave. Could you give this apple to your friend Olivia for me? Tell her she can't deny herself any longer," she said softly. Charlie took the apple and watched Miss Angel walk off quickly.

Emma sniffed her flower and looked to Charlie. "They're so pretty!" she giggled. Charlie blushed and looked to the apple to avoid looking at Emma. Lately, he'd been getting nervous around her a lot and feeling his stomach do flips when she smiled at him; which was a lot since she liked to smile.

Charlie walked Runner Bean back to the Café and let Mr. and Mrs. Omnimous take him in. "Thank you, Charlie. He really does look forward to you coming," said Mrs. Omnimous. However, as Charlie walked out, a policeman walked up to the door and looked in on them. Mr. Omnimous grunted as Charlie looked to him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

The Policeman frowned. "Just make sure that this place stays quiet, Mr. Omnimous, or we'll be forced to have you shut down your enterprise." Then, he walked on.

Charlie widened his eyes and looked to Mr. Omnimous. Mr. Omnimous sighed. "The Loom brothers came in with their dogs and made a mess of the place shortly after you took Runner Bean out. We managed to shoo the dogs out with Norton's help, but the police came because someone complained about the noise."

Charlie frowned and nodded, walking out of the café. He saw Olivia and ran after her. "Hey! Olivia! Wait!"

She ran away as fast as she could, but he managed to catch up with her. He held out the apple, huffing in order to breathe. "Miss… Angel… wanted you…. to have… this," he gasped.

Olivia looked the apple as though it might bite her and ran off. "NO!"

Charlie sighed and leaned against the wall, tired of running. That was when he heard someone coming toward him. A flash of red hair made him straighten up, but all he saw was a bracelet on the ground. He walked over carefully and picked it up. He felt nothing when he held it. He put it on and frowned. Again, nothing happened.

Was this one just a fallen friendship bracelet from some girl? If so, how many red heads were in this town? The only ones he could really count were Asa, Mary Dawson and Rosemary Lace. There were a few others, but he didn't know them by name.

He put his hands into his pockets and started to walk off when he heard something behind him in the alleyway that he'd run into to chase Olivia. There, in the shadows, stood Asa Pike in regular clothes, a jacket, T-shirt and jeans and trainers. He looked to Charlie with those wolfish eyes and stared intently at him.

"What do you want, Asa?" asked Charlie, curious what Asa was doing. He'd seen how Asa reacted to Morgan, but was never truly certain if Asa was good or bad.

Asa walked forward and Charlie flinched, ready to bolt if he had to. However, he never had the chance to move. Asa seemed to be in front of him the moment he twitched and had him by his shirt front, lifting him off the ground. Asa slammed Charlie against the brick wall, not actually looking him in the eye anymore. It was as though Asa was afraid to look him in the eye, like people did when Manfred was around. "Trust what you will, Bone, but in the end, you will have to be the one."

Charlie tried to pry Asa's hands off of him and nearly succeeded when Asa knocked his head against the wall behind him again. Charlie saw stars and kicked at Asa's stomach. Asa loosened his grip, eyes tearing up in pain, but he snarled and punched Charlie on the jaw.

Charlie hit the ground and coughed. His head hurt and his cheek hurt worse. His entire head felt like it was expanding, even though it wasn't. He started to get up, but Asa picked him up by the shirt front again. "I have to do this," he said, once again not looking him in the eye. Then, Charlie found himself slamming against the brick wall of the alleyway once more, his body starting to hurt where he made contact with the wall and the ground.

He stayed awake long enough to hear two sets of footsteps walk away from him, one with the almost loping feel of an animal and the other with a more predatory feel to the sound. Someone else had been in the alleyway with him!

However, Charlie closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.


Charlie felt a soft surface under him. He heard someone talking and felt something stinging his face. He hissed and tried to strike away whatever was making his face hurt again.

"Charlie, you're awake!" gasped Emma's voice. He opened his eyes somewhat to see her looking down at him with worry etching into every part of her face.

"Charlie!" Uncle Paton suddenly came into view and patted him on the face. "What happened to you?"

"Asa Pike… tossed me around," he said, though his mouth still hurt.

Emma put a hand up to her mouth and gasped. Uncle Paton looked furious. "That insolent, ungrateful little brat did this to you? I knew he was nothing but trouble," he growled, the lights in the next room flickering and something popped that sounded like a light bulb.

"Paton!" cried Miss Ingledew as she rushed in.

Paton looked apologetically at her. "Sorry, lost my temper," he said. Miss Ingledew nodded and looked to Charlie.

Emma went back to swiping Charlie's cuts with what seemed to be disinfectant and apologized when he hissed from his face stinging. The wheels in his head were turning as he tried to think about what happened in the alleyway. Someone else was in the alley and that someone had Asa hurting him. Whoever it was, Asa was afraid of him.

Charlie walked home with Uncle Paton, getting a scared greeting from his mother who had been called when Emma had found Charlie lying in the alleyway next to Miss Ingledew's shop. Charlie hadn't noticed he had run to the bookstore in his attempt to chase Olivia. Uncle Paton told him that Miss Ingledew had called his home and Uncle Paton had come to get him, though the sun was barely beginning to set.

Maisie gave Charlie a look over and fixed whatever Emma hadn't been able to wrap properly. In the end, Charlie simply went up to his room and crashed on his bed. He looked across at Number Thirteen and saw Morgan's light was on in her room. She was sitting on her bed, knees drawn up and she was wiping her eyes. Charlie frowned. Why was she crying? She had looked depressed when she'd been brought home by her dad, but now she was crying.

Charlie couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and went to sleep, listening to the flutter of the moth as it flew across the room and landed on his bedside table, wings spread.


He was in the room again, looking across it at ten knights and one lady all sitting in gilded chairs. The woman was peering at him through her multicolored veil with dark eyes. She opened her mouth and started singing that strange song about the Red King.

Then, the song stopped and she stood up. "Beware that which is black. It takes away that which is good and keeps it locked away for its own amusement. Be careful who you trust."

Then, Charlie found himself listening to a strange purring sound, getting louder and filling him with a strange warmth throughout his aching body. In the morning, Charlie found that his wounds no longer hurt, though he was still scratched up. He also found a name in his head he somewhat recognized, but couldn't remember where from.

Mahmet.