Children of the Red King Book 01 Midnight for Charlie Bone

by Jenny Nimmo

  The workmen who came to clean up the mess could hardly believe their eyes. They gazed at the old stone walls and the dark, gaping windows, and scratched their heads. Whatever had been going on in Bloor's Academy?

  "I wouldn't like my boy to go to this school," said one.

  "Nor me," said another.

  "Creepy place," said a third.

  At number nine Filbert Street, Maisie was busy making Christmas cakes. The war between Uncle Paton and his sisters was over. For the moment. Paton had won a battle, but Charlie knew there'd be another. Paton had lifted his head at last, and theYewbeam sisters were worried. Sooner or later they would try to even the score.

  For a whole weekend, the rocker by the stove

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  remained empty Not once did Charlie see Grandma Bone. But he could feel her, seething, sulking, and brooding in her room. He didn't care. He felt quite safe. He had good friends and an uncle who wouldn't stand for any wickedness. He thought he might even buy Grandma Bone a pair of socks for Christmas. She certainly needed them.

  When his mother suggested it might be better if Charlie didn't go back to Bloor's (all those bruises gave her a shock), Charlie found himself disagreeing.

  "Mom, I have to go back," he said, "to keep the balance." She looked puzzled.

  "It's difficult to explain," said Charlie. "I know there are some really bad things going on at Bloor's, but there are good things, too. And I think I might be needed, to kind of help out."

  "I see," she said.

  At that moment, his mother looked so wistful Charlie longed to tell her that, one day she might see his father. But he held his tongue. It was too early to

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  raise her hopes. Instead he asked her what she wanted for Christmas.

  "Oh, I forgot," she exclaimed. "Miss Ingledew is having a party and we're all invited. It's a welcome home for Emma. Isn't that great?" She was all smiles again.

  The rest of the semester passed in a flash of feverish activity There were plays to rehearse, exhibitions to put up, songs to practice, and concerts to arrange. Wherever you went, you couldn't get away from the humming, jangling, and thumping of music.

  It took Manfred and Zelda a week to recover from whatever it was that Tancred and Lysander had done to them. The surly pair were still not themselves. Manfred kept his sinister gaze on the floor, and Zelda had such bad headaches she couldn't even play push the pencil box. Asa was his old self however. There wasn't a hint of anything wolfish about him, except, perhaps, his eyes.

  On the last day of the semester, the drama department put on a production of Snow White. Maisie and

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  Charlie's mother were in the audience, but Uncle Paton stayed away He felt he might not be welcome. Charlie agreed.

  Olivia played the wicked stepmother. She was superb. No one would have guessed that she was only eleven. When she came on stage for the final curtain, the applause was deafening.

  Charlie found her surrounded by admirers when he went to say good-bye. But Olivia caught sight of him, hovering at the edge of the crowd, and called out, "See you at the party Charlie!"

  Miss Ingledew's party took place on the longest night of the year -three days before Christmas. Charlie and his family were the last to arrive, because Maisie had changed her clothes five times before deciding to wear a mauve satin dress with frills. Grandma Bone, who was still sulking, hadn't been invited.

  It was surprising how many people Miss Ingledew had managed to fit into her small living room. Fidelio had come with his large father, and Olivia with her film-star mother. Benjamin had brought Runner Bean, 397

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  now completely recovered, and both his parents. Mr. Onimous had been followed by the three flames. The cats had refused to stay behind once they'd sniffed a party in the air. And, after all, they had played a large part in Emma's rescue.

  Bottles and glasses and a great many dishes of delicious-looking food had been placed on the shop counter. Uncle Paton helped himself to a whole plateful as he passed, and there was a certain gleam in his eye when he said, "Julia, my dear, what a wonderful cook you are."

  "Oh, they're just snacks," said Miss Ingledew, blushing slightly Her cozy living room was lit by an enormous number of candles; tall, short, wide, and thin, they danced and flickered from every surface. Charlie noticed that all the lightbulbs had been removed. Miss Ingledew wasn't taking any chances.

  After a while the children decided to have their own party in the shop, because there were so many talkative and over-merry adults in the living room. But

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  shortly before midnight, Miss Ingledew called them all back in. She wanted to make a little speech.

  It didn't last long. With tears in her eyes, she thanked everyone who had helped find her dear sister Nancy's daughter. "It was the happiest day of my life when Mr. Yewbeam - er - Paton, brought Emma to my door," she said. And then she had to sit down and blow her nose because the tears had turned into a flood.

  There were murmurs of sympathy and congratulations, and Emma ran to hug her, but any awkwardness was relieved by Mr. Onimous, who looked extremely smart in a fake-fur vest. He leaped onto a chair and said how pleased he was to have started the search for Emma. And how proud he was of his three cats.

  At this point a small disagreement broke out between Runner Bean and the flames. But it was mostly a matter of low-key growling and griping and soon settled by a word from Mr. Onimous.

  Emma Tolly made the last speech of the night. She

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  looked completely different from Emilia Moon. Her blonde hair had been tied in a bouncing ponytail and her cheeks were flushed with excitement. It was almost as if pale Emilia hadn't been a real person at all, but a sad figure borrowed from a fairy tale.

  "I'm so happy" she began. "I still can't really believe I'm here. I have to keep pinching myself. Before I say anything else I just want to let everyone know that I'll be going back to Bloor's Academy next semester." Miss Ingledew looked up with a start. She began to rise, saying, "No..

  ."but Paton gently restrained her.

  "I'm sorry Auntie," Emma went on. "I know I said I wouldn't, but I've changed my mind. It's a good school, after all, and I've got a really great art teacher. And Fidelio and Olivia are still there, and Charlie, of course. They're not scared of anything, besides..." she frowned, almost to herself "there are things... other children, I mean, who might need me. So I'm going back." She gave a bright smile. "And now I'd like to thank everyone who helped me find out who I really was, especially Charlie, who started it all."

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  "To Charlie," said Miss Ingledew, holding up her glass for a refill.

  "To Charlie!" Everyone cheered and raised their glasses, and somewhere a clock began to chime.

  It took Charlie several minutes to realize that the whole room was looking at him. His thoughts had been far away with someone else who had fallen asleep at twelve o'clock.

  TO BE CONTINUED...

  402

  401 403 SNEAK PREVIEW OF

  TIME TWISTER

  BY JENNY NIMMO CHILDREN OF THE RED KING SERIES BOOK 2

  JANUARY 1916

  For the last few days of the christmas holiday, henry yewbeam and his younger brother, james, have been sent to stay with their cousins, the bloors, in bloor's academy the courtyard at bloor's is full of snow the windows are frosted. the temperature is beginning to drop even further. it gets colder and colder. it hasn't been this cold for a hundred years.

  Henry Yewbeam doesn't care about the cold. He has to get away from the bloors, especially ezekiel, who is constantly tormenting him. henry puts on his blue school cape and takes his bag of marbles down to the freezing hall. this is a wonderful place to play marbles; such a long, smooth floor and no interruptions. halfway through his game, henry sees a marble rolling toward him. it's not one of his; it's bigger, shinier. he picks it up it's full of beautiful colors. suddenly, Henry knows he shouldn't have to
uched the strange marble.

  404 THE WALLS ARE FADING; THE LIGHT IS GOING; HE FEELS HIMSELF DISAPPEARING. QUICKLY HE PULLS A PIECE OF CHALK OUT OF HIS POCKET AND WRITES ON THE FLOOR: GIVE THE MARBLES TO JAMES.

  Henry has now vanished from 1916.

  JANUARY 2002

  it's freezing cold, the coldest day for nearly a hundred years. Charlie Bone is crossing the hall on his way to a lesson at Bloor's Academy It's deserted except for Blessed the dog, who is sniffing in a corner. Something begins to happen a few feet in front of Charlie. A boy in a blue cape materializes. He rubs his eyes and says, "Oh, my word! What happened?" Charlie takes the bewildered Henry Yewbeam into the blue coatroom. Charlie confides in Gabriel Silk and together they try to keep henry hidden, but it becomes impossible. blessed has told Billy Raven, who in turn has alerted old Ezekiel. Manfred, Zelda, and the matron are on the hunt for Henry

  Why did Henry disappear? Can Charlie help keep him safe from old Ezekiel? Will Henry ever be reunited with his brother James?

  405 JENNY NIMMO

  I was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England, and educated at boarding schools in Kent and Surrey from the age of six until I was sixteen, when I ran away from school to become a drama student/assistant stage manager with Theater South East. I graduated and acted in repertory theater in various towns and cities: Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Hastings, and Bexhill.

  I left Britain to teach English to three Italian boys in Amalfi, Italy On my return I joined the BBC, first as a picture researcher, then assistant floor manager, studio manager (news), and finally director/adaptor with Jackanory (a BBC storytelling program for children). I left the BBC to marry the Welsh artist David Wynn Mill ward and went to live in Wales in my husband's family home. We live in a very old converted watermill, and the river is constantly threatening to 406 break in, which it has done several times in the past, most dramatically on my youngest child's first birthday During the summer we run a residential school of art, and I have to move my office, put down tools (typewriter and pencils), and don an apron and cook! We have three grown-up children, Myfanwy lanto, and Gwenhwyfar.