From that point on Clockwork and I were best friends. Eventually I realized that he could see into the future, and that he knew almost everything. He didn't need to come to school, but he got on the bus everyday and never told me his true reason for coming.

Not that I cared much. Sometimes he would just ride the bus to school and then watch me train. At first I was nervous but something about Clockwork allowed you to forget that he was there. It was almost like all that he did was watch time go by.

Then there were other times where his eyes would glow brighter than usual and his face would look blank. Then he'd say something like, "There will be a boy in the future who will have one half from each dimension." Neither of us new really what those visions meant, but I decided that maybe they would be helpful someday.

As time wore on more words of rebellion spread between the ghosts. Clockwork would go with me when I flew around invisibly to watch other ghosts and his reactions to their words shocked me. He neither looked surprised or excited, only a look of boredom was on his face. In fact he almost always had that look on his face.

When I asked him why he always seemed apathetic he simply shrugged and said in his high pitched, almost fake sounding voice, "Because I've seen it already." I floated in silence and didn't ask anymore questions. Deep down I think I was a little bit afraid of this ghost who knew everything.

My anger towards my parents cooled off after the bulling at school had stopped, and since I never really saw them in the castle I had no memory of them doing anything wrong. Even words of rebellion seemed to cease after awhile. The king and queen of the Ghost Zone were more like figure heads than actual rulers. Clockwork said that someday the rulers of a place called England would be like that too.

Life went on as normal as it could get for a ghost, and this continued for exactly two years. The fourteenth year in my life was one that I would never forget. The trouble started almost exactly after my birthday to be exact.

Clockwork and I were floating around the castle when he had looked at me and said, "Happy birthday Pariah." I stared back at him. Since I had never told him when my birthday was it was kind of a shock that he knew, but then again, he knew everything.

The silence that had followed the three words Clockwork had said was broken by sudden angry sounding yells coming from the throne room. Since it was so uncharacteristic of my parents to argue I thought that it was a thief who had gotten lost in the vast winding passageways of our castle. It had already happened twice.

But it was my parents who were yelling. They were not yelling at each other but yelling instead at a cowering ghost that looked sort of like a mad scientist. Then I realized that it was my former principal and I felt my ghostly blood freeze. Before any of them could notice us Clockwork and I turned invisible.

"How dare you insist that our son is expelled from school!" my mother yelled. "He gets on the school bus everyday! I'm sure that you just can't read the attendance record." It was a pretty stupid argument but Mr. Stein looked almost like steam would pour out of his ears.

"I assure you your majesties that he is expelled." He looked very proud. "In fact I was the one who did it!" he realized what he had just done and his face crumpled in terror. My parents both seemed to grow several times bigger and for the first time in my life I was scared of them.

My father glared contemptuously at the simpering ghost before him and unleashed a bright red blast onto the poor creature. Mr. Stein flew from the room from the force of the blast in a ball of red flame.

"There." I noticed that his eyes were glowing with an insane sort of power. "That had to be the most exciting thing I have done in a long, long, time." Father suddenly flew out the door cackling like a maniac and mother followed.

Clockwork and I became visible in the now totally empty castle. He looked at me with the secret knowing look of his and said, "Well, it is still your birthday." My expression was an incredulous one. "We could go to my house if you want." I stared around at the castle. Anywhere would be better than this creepy place.

When we arrived at Clockwork's castle there was a large angry crowd standing around it. "They must be here to talk to my dad." He said, and I could almost sense a lie in his voice. "Could you wait here until I come back? He probably doesn't realize that I'm here."

He flew around the back of his house and less than a minute later the front door opened. A man who I assumed was Clockwork's father stepped out. I stared at him and was amazed at how close he and his father looked. They were even dressed the same. Maybe it was all a coincidence… or maybe not. There was a scar under Clockwork's eye that matched the one his father had.

Suspicions rose in my chest. Clockwork was a shape shifter. How old was he really? I was so suspicious that I didn't hear the life changing conversation taking place behind me. Could I be friends with a lying ghost several times older than myself? But then again, I thought with a cynical smile spreading across my face, I lied a lot too.

The crowd floated away and young Clockwork returned with the strange 'I know all' look on his face. "You never told me that you were an adult." I said to him. He had a slight smile on his lips.

"Actually, the term 'senior citizen' would have been better." His voice was deep and calm. It was strange hearing it come from the mouth of a kid. At that moment he grew taller and at least eighty years older. "Follow me." He said, and I did.

We entered his also empty castle and he led me to one of the many clocks. He waved his wrinkled arm over it and it became a swirling portal. Then it cleared and seemed be a window, a window to another time.

I stared transfixed at the portal. It was showing a one eyed powerful looking ghost fighting a strange robot thing with another ghost inside of it. Then it showed me my parents.

They were destroying everything that was against the many rules they had laid down but no one had followed. The portal became a clock again and I turned around and stared into young Clockwork's face. I took a step backward and realized that I was more scared of this ghost than I knew.

"I should be going now Clockwork; my parents might be getting worried." We both knew that they were doing no such thing. I took another step and was about to turn and run when Clockwork grabbed my arm in his powerful adult fist. "What's going on?" I said.

"Don't go straight home tonight Pariah." He said, and then he turned away as I ran out the door. Before I left I thought that I had heard him say, "Everything's the way it's supposed to be."

Despite my newfound distrust in my former best friend I didn't go home. I floated around the Ghost Zone and watched the world pass by. Then eventually I began to make the long flight towards home.

I stared at the once huge building in disbelief. It had been destroyed and all that was left was a pile of rocks. My parents were also floating around staring at the castle remains. "What happened?" I whispered.

"A rebellion" my father said, and I noticed that neither he nor my mother was wearing a crown. "We are no longer the royal family of the Ghost Zone anymore."

Great birthday wasn't it?

That was sarcasm. Poor, poor Pariah.