Here's chapter two for you lovely readers!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Charlie Bone OR:
Alan Llano and Jannae Deinla!
Alan and Jannae are property of my pen name is pen name! Ritz and three upcoming characters are mine.
WARNINGS: … Randomness and possibly some out of place things. I apologize for that, everyone, in case it appears. ^^
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Chapter Two: Making Friends
"So… She's a bit spunky, isn't she? Didn't cause any problems for you, did she, Manfred?" Ezekiel cackled as he flipped through a bio of the new endowed students arriving in mid-semester. Manfred gave him a blank stare, then scowled.
"She's irritating… A cocky little girl." He muttered. Ezekiel cocked a brow, frowning at his great-grandson.
"I take it you've not made good company with her then…"
"Evidently!" Manfred blurted, then went silent as Ezekiel stared at him. He expected the old man to have a heart attack screaming at him, however, Ezekiel only gave a small chuckle, then turned away from the young boy to file through another bio. He paused, his eyes scanning one.
"Hm… This is interesting… Manfred, we have two new students coming today."
"So?"
"So! Don't be impudent, boy! You must know every student in this school!"
"…"
"Let's see… Alan Llano and Jannae Deinla… Manfred, do me a favor, go tell Asa to give our new students a grand tour. Meanwhile, YOU do well in trying to become acquainted with Miss. Knightly."
"Guh, yes, sir." Manfred grumbled and left the room in a huff. Why was he always forced to do the dirty work? There were times when he wished he could simply ignore one thing and do something smarter… Instead of making 'friends' with Ritz the old fashioned way, he'd give her a piece of his mind by hypnotizing her into the next century!
XxXxXThe Kings Room was now full of the endowed children, which included two new members, Alan and Jannae. However, one student was missing… Charlie looked at Ritz's empty seat then at Manfred's intent stare on the door.
So… Manfred couldn't have hurt her for he was as curious were the ice wielder was as everyone else. It was abnormally warm as well, which caused a bit of a stir in Charlie's mind. Even Tancred was looking a bit uneasy, the electricity in his hair sparking.
Charlie took his chance to look over the two new children. Alan was scanning his textbooks with amused golden brown eyes, his dirty blonde hair in a spiked fashion. Beside him, Jannae looked more enthusiastic about her study time for she was flipping pages in her book to look at most of the pictures, Charlie guessed. Her hair hung just past her shoulders and her greenish-gray eyes were sparkling brightly.
Charlie gave a sigh of relief. It seemed the two were pretty nice, even if they hadn't spoken much when Manfred introduced them as new endowed members. However, Manfred gave no hints as to what their endowments were and it was making Charlie eager to find out.
Before he could think of a plan to ask, however, the doors burst open. Ritz came walking in, looking like she'd gone through Hell and back. Her normally flat hair was sticking up in random directions, sort of like a rock star that's a bit emo. Her left ear was pierced with three black studs and a silver hoop. Her purple cape had bits of ice clinging to it.
"Miss. Knightly, lovely of you join us… So late!" Manfred barked. Ritz blinked, then flashed him a totally fake innocent smile.
"Sooo, sorry, sir. I had some trouble for a project… No need to glare." She added, then noticed the kids, and used the same smile.
"Oh, so we have new friends here?" She asked. Manfred glared, his temper rising, but he didn't yell for Alan broke in before he could.
"About time," Alan mused with a crooked smile, "Manfred kept whining about someone not arriving… Nice to meet you."
"And yourself." Ritz replied. Jannae beamed.
"I'm Jannae Deinla! You must be Ritz Knightly…"
"The one and only."
"Unfortunately," Manfred muttered under his breath, "Now, take a sit, Knightly, before I add onto your detention." Ritz sighed and brushed past the seats to take one between Dorcus and Alan. She dropped her books, then dropped her head. However, her attempt at napping was cut off by Manfred.
"Sleep and I will report this." Manfred threatened icily. Ritz looked up with sparkling lavender eyes, her smile as fake as all the other ones. Charlie was beginning to grow a bit suspicious. Ritz always had such a false smile on her face.
Alan took quick notice as well as he studied the girl with a raised eyebrow. She was definitely faking it… She was a horrible actress. Was she failing her classes in drama? If not, then it must have been a miracle.
"Sorry, sir… I'll remember not to." Ritz answered quietly, then opened up her book, and leaned on her elbow. The room was silent again as everyone seemed to be studying hard until the bell toned for them to be dismissed. Ritz was on her feet in a minute, gathering up her books.
Just as she rose to her feet, Manfred was behind her, his mouth to her ear.
"As cute as you think you are," Manfred hissed steadily, "You won't get away with trying to act special… You'll have no choice, but to side with me on things sooner or later."
Ritz looked up and stared right at him. As people left the room, an icy chill fell over the school. In fact, the Kings Room began to grow ice in the corners. Manfred flashed her a glare, then stormed out of the room.
Ritz watched him go, frowning. Alan came up beside her, tilting his head a bit as he watched with her.
"You and Manfred don't get along, I take it?" He asked. Ritz glanced at him out the corner of her eye, a smile sliding across her face.
"No. If you do get along with, you'll regret it, so I think I'll just stick to myself." She answered. Alan smirked as he took as step toward the door to leave, sending her short glance.
"I hope you know, your smiles are faker than cotton snow used for ornamental Christmas trees." He said, then flew out the door in a flash. Ritz blinked, her smile dropping as she touched her lips.
"They are?" She asked aloud, then smirked in amusement. The kid was smarter than she gave him credit for. Now, all she had to do was wait and see whose side he was taking, if he was even taking a side…
Now, Ritz decided, to become acquainted with the other endowed children…
XxXxXRitz had trouble getting around that day for Manfred had been at every corner; ready to pounce on the smallest thing she did to arouse attention. She was beginning to regret her toying game with the boy. He was practically breathing down her neck when he was around!
That night, girls scurried around to get ready for bed before the Matron came to bellow around their tardiness. Ritz sat in her bed, wearing a pair of loose baggy black sweatpants and a black button-up t-shirt to match that hung down past her waist almost.
Ritz watched everyone hurry to bed, taking note that Jannae had conveniently gotten a bed near her. She flashed Jannae a smile when she took a seat on her bed.
"You're Jannae from the Kings Room." She stated as a greeting. Jannae smiled at her.
"Yes. You're Ritz, the one Alan says is faker than cotton." She responded. Ritz laughed lightly.
"He's a bit cocky."
"I would know, he lives next to me."
"Ah, so you're neighbors?" Ritz asked, taking that in as a mental note. Jannae nodded, then flipped her hair over her shoulder as she leaned on her elbow on the bed.
"Yes. Have been for quite some time… Say, you don't happen to have a thing for Manfred, do you?" She asked suddenly, her eyes flickering with curiosity. Ritz looked at her for a moment, thoughtfully.
A thing?
For Manfred?
Ritz laughed.
"Never. I merely find it funny to taunt him…" Ritz answered as her smile became faker. It was an interesting question… Manfred certainly wasn't very attractive, Ritz noted with a thoughtful look at the floor. He was a very skinny, tall boy with blotchy skin and a hollow face as if he never did anything, but scurry around like a rat.
Was he even healthy in such a state? When was the last time he saw a doctor?
Ritz blinked rapidly, giving herself a gentle smack on the side of the face. Why did she even care?! Without Manfred around, she'd be able to move swiftly around… But then again, without Manfred, she'd have no reason to be sneaking around.
"TIME FOR BED!" Matron's voice practically shrieked violently as she made her rounds. All the girls let out cries and jumped into their beds and became deathly silent. Ritz lay down for only a moment, listening to Matron vanish to scream at the boys.
Waiting for a moment longer, Ritz finally sat up, sticking her feet into her heels.
"Where are you going?" Jannae's voice asked softly in the darkness. Seeing as it was dark, Ritz didn't bother with a smile as she shrugged mindlessly.
"I am curious about something… Could you cover for me?"
"Certainly, but next time, you take me with you…"
"Got it." Ritz was up and out into the hallways in a flash. She crept easily, knowing that no one was watching. It was evident when Asa was hanging around, but to her immediate relief, he wasn't.
She paused at the end of the hallway, debating something. She was tempted to sneak into Manfred's office for information, but what if he was in there? What would her excuse be?
Sorry, I came to poke around? No… Manfred was no arse and would definitely latch onto her like a leech in a swamp, bombarding her with detentions. No one liked their personal space to be invaded.
But it was worth it, Ritz grinned and stepped down the hallway to the bookcase that hid Manfred's office. She risked slipping in.
"Oh!" Ritz exclaimed in surprise to find the office empty. Manfred must have been visiting with his father or great-grandfather for the office was free to poke around in.
Ritz approached his desk, digging through it. She found a few student information packets, mostly on Charlie and his friends. She came across two new files, whom she immediately knew belonged to Alan and Jannae.
"So, that's your endowment…" She murmured as she scanned the page, tilting her head. Without even knowing it, the air around her grew a tad bit chilly. She ignored the way her blue-sparkly nails seemed to shimmer in annoyance. She backed up, shutting the drawer to leave, then spun around to make a quick getaway.
XxXxXManfred was no fool. As soon as he sensed the chill of cold excitement, he knew the Knightly girl was up to no good.
She always was.
Manfred was not only annoyed with this fact, but also what he had just heard from Ezekiel's mouth. Some foul sounded words that only spelled trouble for Manfred.
Maybe the lass as a bit of a thing for you, Manfred? Hahaha! Now would that not make for a comedy show!
Manfred scowled. Nobody really had any confidence in him and it created aggravation for him. Manfred came around the corner, smashing right into Ritz, who almost stumbled in her heels. On impulse, Manfred grabbed her elbow, keeping her steady.
He stopped, then jerked his hand back, and glared at her. Ritz stared back at him blankly, like a deer in the headlights with a nice packet of files in her hands.
"What do you think you're doing?" Manfred snapped. Ritz thrust the files behind her back, keeping a tight hold on them as she smiled falsely.
"Nothing… What does it look like I'm doing?" She asked innocently.
"Those files are from my office." Manfred ground out. Ritz frowned now and it was definitely serious.
"Your point being?"
"You give them back, that's my point!" Manfred barked, making a grab at them behind Ritz, who dodged to the side right past him.
"No!" Ritz protested and faced him again, keeping the files behind her back. Manfred glared at her icily.
"This wouldn't be happening if you simply stood against Bone… Obviously, you're trying to get more information out of them, merely to taunt me with." He growled, digging his nails into his palms.
Ritz looked at him for a while, fidgeting a little.
"Er… Yes… That's right…" She muttered. Manfred raised an eyebrow suspiciously, then grew a little alarmed as the air shifted temperatures to something much colder than usual. Manfred felt the chill all the way to his bones, giving a little jolt of shock at the cold. Even Ritz tensed up at the cold air.
"Now, give me those files." Manfred ordered, holding his hand out. Ritz eyed his hand at first with a frown. She clicked her left heel on the ground thoughtfully as she dig her nails into the file folder in her hands. She still hadn't memorized all the information on the bios, but Manfred was already going to punish her for stealing the files in the first place.
She was wondering why Manfred hadn't forced their eyes to meet in an attempt to hypnotize her. Was there a reason why? Either way, it was unnerving. So, slowly, and steadily, Ritz held out the files. Manfred snatched them from her hand and in doing so; his palm grazed the sharp nails of the opposite. He tried not to flinch when the cold nails cut into his skin and jerked back.
Ritz frowned at him.
"All right… So you win this time… Big deal… I still have the rest of the year to beat you…" She muttered. Manfred flashed her a sharp look.
"Huh…" Was his response and he was off back to his office. Ritz sighed and turned tail, heading back to the room to give Jannae a report of the events.
"Oh," Jannae had breathed with a grin when Ritz told her about her literal run in with Manfred, "He caught you?" Ritz looked at her, incredulously.
"Yes, what does this have to do with me getting in trouble?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Jannae shrugged and lowered her voice so the other girls wouldn't hear.
"I just saw this movie a while back… In the movie, this guy really liked this girl, but he couldn't be with her because they were from opposite sides of a war… So, he had to fake being nasty to her, but he slipped up sometimes… Maybe Manfred slipped up, you know? Maybe-"
"Jannae!" Ritz exclaimed in shock at her friend's suggestion. Jannae laughed softly, covering her mouth at Ritz's pure surprise.
"It's true! I swear, Manfred either favors you as a fellow sneak or he's got the hots for you, Ritz." She pointed out. Ritz had to smirk at the idea. Manfred?
With a heart?
Haha, the joke was as funny as her liking Manfred!
… So, why did Ritz give up the files when she could have frozen Manfred to an icicle for catching her?
A/N: Mwahaha. ^^; Anyway, yes. I have added two new characters that are not mine. (see disclaimer at the beginning) I hope they are in character. If something is wrong, feel free to correct me! I make attempts to keep your characters just how you like them.
Also… Ah, this is still NOT a MarySue, so refrain from thinking so. o.o; I mean, I may pair a few characters up, but Ritz is a different story for she is I. If… That was correct grammar. 0o; So, thanks for reading everyone and I would love reviews! (Flames not included. .)