Charlie Bone and the Sandman.

Chapter 11 - Familiar and unfamiliar faces.

The sickness had flushed out of Charlie Bone, and the dark-haired male couldn't be anymore relieved. With the sneezing, aches and coughing finally gone, he felt like a new person. However, his endowment still hadn't come back, and he had no idea why. His parents as well as Paton were worried about what had happened to him. Was it even possible for people to lose their endowment? It shouldn't be, but it seemed possible as it happened to the poor boy. 

A sigh escaped Charlie's lips as he got out of bed. It was Monday, but he wasn't allowed to go to school until next week as his parents were still cautious. Plus they needed to find out how he had lost his abilities. It couldn't just vanish like that, could it? 

On the bright side, the house was empty and Charlie's legs were just itching for a walk. So he changed his from his pyjamas into casual clothes before he wrapped a jacket around himself. Pulling on some socks and slipping into his boots, the male teen left the house, making sure to lock the door behind himself.

And where was the first place he would go to? Of course, Benjamin's house. Both had been close friends for years, and were almost like brothers. They were allowed in each other's houses without even asking for permission. So stepping up to the house of his childhood friend, Charlie cleared his throat and knocked on the door patiently three times, waiting for a response which he didn't recieve, oddly enough. No yelling from the inside, no door opening and certainly no barking. Were they not home? He thought to himself with a sigh. He then remembered that it was Monday and Benjamin was obviously gone to school, with his parents at their dayjob.

As he turned around to walk back to his house in disappointment, Charlie suddenly froze in his tracks as he saw a man with sunglasses walk past, his hands shoved in the pockets of his trench coat. It was rather odd to be wearin sunglasses in this weather where it was windy more than anything. Heck, the sun wasn't even up. With his curiosity raising within the second, the thrill of a chase was striking up the young male. A small smirk curled up on his lips as he ran across the street, slowly following the strikingly suspicious man whilst bleinding into the shadows.

Following and following the stranger, Charlie quickly hid behind a wall as it seemed that the older man stopped walking. He then took a peek from the corner to see that he had entered an average house. Nothing suspicious going on there, he thought to himself with a frown. Or was there? A long black car parked right outside the house and the door opened to reveal a young boy. His hair was like a bear's fur, brown and thick. His green eyes were shaped like emeralds and his ears seemed to be like a bat's. Pointy and furry. Hopefully he couldn't hear like a bat too, or Charlie would be in serious trouble for attempting to spy on them.

Suddenly, the strange boy turned to the direction of where Charlie was standing, causing him to gasp and hide behind the wall again. Biting his lower lip, the dark-haired male waited a few minutes before he popped his head back out, only to see the unfamiliar boy open the backdoor. Out came a familiar cane, followed by thick black shoes and a bald head that caused Charlie's eyes to widen. Ezekiel Bloor. He was still alive...

Leaning on the wall with all his strength, the young male witnessed as the cruel man whom he thought had died, went into the house, followed by the young boy. He then jumped up in surprise when he felt a hand placed on his cold shoulder. "Charlie?" Billy asked out, blinking twice as he fixed the huge glasses that were resting on his nose. Charlie, whose skin was pale white, stood there frozen as he tried to comprehend what he had just seen. "Ez- Ezekiel." He murmured out in fear. The young albino opposite him rose an eyebrow. "Is dead, right?" Charlie shook his head in response, pointing at the house the people had just gone into.

"What are you talking about?" Billy, completely confused, had asked. He grabbed Charlie's arm and slowly crept towards the house, looking up through the open window only to see an ancient familiar man rested on a sofa near a fireplace. Ezekiel was alive. 

"So who are you, boy? Manfred tells me that you've quite the endowment." Ezekiel sneered, his black beady eyes locking onto the brown-haired boy Charlie had just seen previously. However, the stranger didn't speak. The man with the sunglasses did instead. "His name's Alex. And he, has the ability of taking away other endowments." As the words escaped his lips, Ezekiel's small eyes cracked full open. "Is that so?" He asked cynically.

The young boy named Alex only nodded in response. He was probably around Billy's age, which was 15. "I alread took away the endowments of two powerful people. Tancred Torsson and Charlie Bone." Alex stated with the evil grin obvious on his dry and twisted lips.

He was responsible for Charlie's loss. But that also meant Tancred had lost his endowment, and Tancred was one of the most powerful people alive, with his ability to manipulate the weather.  And if he didn't have his abilities, just imagine what could happen if everyone lost their endowments.

This was the Bloors' new weapon. A young boy, not even 16, with the ability to steal other abilities. This would be Charlie's greatest enemy yet, and he needed to warn the others before it was too late.

Feeling Billy's grip tighten around his arm, Charlie broke out of his trance and glanced at the young albino. "L-Let's go." He whispered before breaking off into a spring with the white-haired boy by his side. They definitely needed to warn the others. But how could they? Everyone was back in Boarding School.