When I looked back up Clockwork was gone. I stood up and stretched. Despite my belief that Clockwork was telling the truth, I promised myself that I would not turn evil. Why would I turn into the kind of person I hated?

I left through another door and drifted aimlessly through the Ghost Zone. Ghost's stared at me but looked away when they saw my gouged out eye socket. Finally I grew sick of their terrified stares.

"What is wrong with all of you?" I yelled at the shocked ghosts. "Haven't you ever seen someone more disfigured than me?" A girl about my age floated closer.

"Your injury isn't the reason we fear you. We've heard that a one eyed ghost escaped from the prison and blew the warden into oblivion. I'm pretty sure that you're the only one eyed ghost around."

I sighed and continued flying. My evil reputation had already been created. After a few minutes of flying I realized that the girl was still following me. I stopped and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. "What do you want?"

She held out her hand and in it I saw a black piece of fabric. I turned and she picked the eye patch up by the string. "My little brother thinks that he's a pirate. I'm sure that he won't notice if you take one of his patches."

I picked it up and stared at it. "Why are you giving me this? I'm evil remember? You aren't supposed to be nice to evil people."

The girl smiled, "Evil people never say that they are evil. Besides, I have a soft spot for bad boys." She turned and floated away. I watched her leave and carefully tied the black cloth around my head.

Hope slowly flooded through me. The future could be changed. Somehow I was going to stop my evil future from happening. I turned invisible and sped through the Ghost Zone. Finally I was floating in front of Clockwork's castle.

I was about to knock when I heard Clockwork call out, "Come in Pariah." I entered the large castle and stared at Clockwork.

"I'm not going to be evil. There is no way you could know that. You of all people should understand that I'm not who everyone sees. I refuse to believe everyone's lies! I just wanted to be normal Clockwork and you knew that. Who would want to suffer my fate? No one trusts me, no one believes me, and my parents never taught me how to do anything! I'm alone in this huge overpopulated Ghost Zone! You see things clearer than everyone. Teach me how to stop my fate!"

Clockwork stared at me. "You never can change Pariah."

"How can you say I never change! My parents are the one's who stay the same." I glared at him out of my one eye. "Isn't my eye proof enough that I've changed?"

Clockwork sighed as he changed into an old man. "Pariah, no amount of help can stop the future from happening. If I were to help you now then it would disrupt important events in the future that ensure someone else's life." A portal showed a ghost with white hair, green eyes, and a black and white jumpsuit. Clockwork pointed to the portal and said, "His future to be exact."

Anger burned in my chest as my last hope vanished. "You want to help someone who probably hasn't even been born yet and you're willing to sacrifice me to do it? I thought that you were my best friend, but you've been manipulating me since the first time you got on the bus."

He said nothing and simply stared at me. Then he nodded slowly. "I am the master of all time. As much as I hate to I must make sure that young Danny's life turns out okay. His life will ensure the safety of the human world." I glared at him again and felt my eye glow menacingly.

"I swear that you will regret this Clockwork." I turned my head towards the screen and blasted an ectoblast out of my eye towards the boy's grinning face. The portal vanished. "If I must be evil as my destiny dictates than I'm going to be the most destructive force you could ever imagine. Then I'm going to kill the ghost that you're trying so hard to protect."

I turned and flew out of the castle. Fate had pushed me too far. My last hope had ditched me for some pathetic ghost named Danny. I flew towards the remains of my castle and was relieved that there were no ghosts around.

Finally I arrived at the red brick ruins of my old home. I stared at it for a long time and then flew over and started working. I pushed stones and worked building wall after wall. The best thing about being a ghost is that you never get tired.

Most of the inside of the castle had been raided. Even some of the bricks were gone. I worked and worked and finally it was starting to look like a building. Weeks passed and I was amazed at how no ghosts ever flew past here. Maybe they had lost their interest once all of the valuable objects had been stolen.

I stared in amazement at my castle. I had built it by hand and it looked far more foreboding than it had before. As I was lost in thought I suddenly was hit in the back with a powerful ectoblast.

"And to think, this was the same kid I used to beat up in school." I turned around and stared into the Fright Knights helmeted face.

"Not so pretty anymore, right Fred? Shame that you welded that tin can helmet to your head. Now no one can see your handsome face… oh that's right, I melted it." I calmly let an ectoblast form in my hand.

The Fright Knight's gauntleted hand glowed as he charged up a purple blast. "You think you're so strong because you caught me off guard. Well guess again!" He launched his blast at me and instead of firing I simply smacked it away as if it was a fly. He gasped in surprise and then I launched one continual blast at him.

His screams filled the air as I put more and more energy into my blast. All of my rage smashed out of me and fueled my beam. I stopped abruptly and watched as Fred floated limply. I flew over and I watched as he opened his eyes and stared up at me. "Pariah…"

I kicked him and he doubled over in pain. He still continued to talk. "You… stopped. You could have killed me, I know you still had more power in you, but you stopped. Why?"

Sadness filled my dead heart as I remembered how desperately I had been trying to escape my evil future. I didn't want to kill him… but I couldn't let him know that. "A king needs servants Freddy boy. How would you like to become a real knight?"

Fred laughed harshly. "I don't assume I have a choice"

I smiled at how narrowly I had avoided showing weakness. He believed me. "Welcome to the Dark castle, Fright Knight."