Charles king lonely hope part 1
chapter 2

“I have to make a quick stop and pick something up,” Dad said and was met with a mumbled “Okay” We were all too busy looking around us, but if we thought it was busy and loud now, it was nothing compared to when we had to get out, dad pulled into a parking spot and told us all to “come on”.

We stepped out of the car and into London for the first time, it didn’t take long for someone to almost walk into me. The air seemed different here, it didn’t seem fresh. We followed Dad, closely behind. People tended to walk around him, I didn’t know if it was because he is a big guy or because he is famous, but after hearing a few rounds of “Oh my god, that’s Nick King?” it might be the latter. We passed numerous coffee shops and cafes with people eating outside, some game shops which I would love to check out, and a few clothes shops that Madison nearly broke her neck trying to get a good look at while walking past. One cool-looking weapon shop. Beginners weapon half price which was cool since I might need one for school. Weapons are needed to fight beasts and other animals their skin is hard to break through with some magical spells my mum said, most people nowadays have a weapon to fend off beast attacks.

We stopped at a potion shop, big and bright pink. At the top shining in continually changing colours, now in green, “Matilda’s” we stepped inside, it smelled amazing, a mixture of glorious smelling fruits, then flowers and delightful perfumes. Bottles of every colour lined the walls and ingredients for potions in glass cases were dotted around the shop.

Lavender, werewolf hair, shamrock, small vials of dragon blood, tulips, obsidian runes, amethyst and every crystal known to man.

“Hey Matilda” Dad greeted the old-looking woman with silver eyes behind the counter, she had hair like mine, short all around with a bit of a combover only hers was deep grey, she stepped out to hug Dad, She wore an orange dress kind of hippyish, to match the arm full of bracelets and three necklaces made her look like a hippy, she didn’t have much of a lip so when she spoke to me she was all teeth.

“Charles” she pointed at me, then did the same thing to Madison and Lincoln.

“Yes,” we all said together.

“Matilda has a bit of a gift,” Dad said, turning to us “She has never met any of you and I have never once told her any of your names” he grinned and raised his eyebrows three times, acting like he had blown our minds with this news.

“Your order is downstairs; I’ll be back momentarily” Matilda turned and disappeared through a door behind the counter. Dad picked up a pen with a witch’s head on the end. Ugly face and long nose and grey hair that lets out a few electric sparks when a button is pressed, which dad did and put it into Madison’s face, she shrieked. Lincoln grabbed one and did it as well and chased her around the shop. I noticed a bright blue bottle standing on a plinth. I walked over to it and eyed it up. It’s called Maxigrowth, a potion that grows the drinker’s height by five inches for a limited time.

“Careful mate” a voice came from behind me, I put the bottle down. And turned around and came face to face with a short man I did not know, he looked like he was in his early 20s, with a square head like a box, and large eyes, he looked like a child’s drawing, his matching blue tracksuit was zipped up to the top “if Matilda sees you touch a bottle you’re not allowed too” he tutted three times and wiggled his stumpy finger, he picked up the bottle and turned it around in big bold letters WARNING! OVER 18′S ONLY.

“I didn’t see that,” I said, it was true I didn’t, but the thought of growing a few inches was fascinating, “does it work?”

“Oh, mate, everything in this shop works, Matilda’s is one of the best in the world!... I came to get one of these” he picked up the bottle, “Matilda I’ll take one of these again, I have a date later he winked at me before I turned to see Matilda give him a nod before handing my dad a package. When did she get back up here, I thought, hoping she didn’t see me pick up the bottle before, “She thinks I’m taller than I am” he laughed and then drank from the bottle. He twitched then he gradually grew seconds later he was looking down at me “tadaaaaaaa!”

It’s so cool, he went from a short guy with a square head in a blue tracksuit to a tall guy with a square head in a tracksuit that was showing off some of his calves. I wanted to try it I know I’m only thirteen but come on who wouldn’t want to try it at least once,

“Terry?” Dad called, the squared-head guy turned and shouted,

“NICK?” They hugged each other. “What are you doing here?”

“Just picking some bits up with the kids.”

“Kids?” Then it hit him, a look on his face. “What?... these must be your kids I have heard so much about” Dad pulled Lincoln and Madison close to him then grabbed me by the head and yanked me close to him too.

“Lincoln, Madison and you’ve met Charles” he patted our heads as he introduced us. Lincoln and I put our hands out to shake Terry’s hand and say the “usual” Nice to meet you.

Matilda let out a cough loudly. “I have to go pay” Terry said showing the bottle of Maxigrowth in his hand “I’ll see you all later” he smiled shook everyone’s hand again and went to the counter.

“Shall we be leaving then,” Dad said, and we made to leave but as we got closer to the door Mum walked in.

“Hey,” she said giving Dad a quick kiss and then hugging us, “how was your trip?”

“Was good” Dad held the door open as we all left the shop, I looked at my mother for a moment and was completely confused as to how she knew where we were, Did Dad tell her before we left? I have never seen Dad use his phone once. I would ask but not right now, we were making our way to the car, and she was in full flow of conversation with Dad, I walked behind them and heard them talking about the new house completely oblivious to all the strangers that had stopped and began to stare at them, whispers of “oh my god” or “its Nick and Bella King?” I wasn’t the only one who noticed them, Madison and Lincoln did too, we all exchanged looks of Have you seen this?

It wasn’t too long until we arrived at the car, followed by a gaggle of girls with their phones out taking photos, we all hopped in the car, Lincoln now in the backseat, with Mum taking his place in the passenger seat. They still didn’t seem to care about all the eyes on them and the whispers. Dad drove off and past the onlookers who seemed gleeful to catch a glimpse of inside the car.

I was silent while we drove listening to Mum and Dad talking and taking in the city around me, so much stuff I had never seen before, I’m pretty sure we drove past a shop that was only for dog collars, dog collars! Why would an entire shop only sell dog collars? Another shop for the sole purpose of selling unique slippers, was one shaped like a skull.

“Almost there,” Dad said and snapped me out of my dream-like state, we turned on a road called Baines Road. Two rows of double front homes with pillars in front of them holding up a balcony, just before black gates, and lines of flashy 4x4 cars, Dad pulled into a spot between two expensive looking ones they made his car look like it was worth £2.50.

Number 14 was our house, Dad pointed at it and turned in his seat to look at us with a stupid grin and raised eyebrows giving us a, what do you think look. He then got out of the car, Mum too. The rest of us got out too, it was an awful lot quieter here than it was before, it’s so strange since it’s just a short drive away.

“It’s posh isn’t it, Dad?” Lincoln asked looking around, he was right it was posh, and even the hanging baskets seemed like they would look down on regular hanging baskets. “Will we fit in?”

“of course!” Mum said, “Dad is from here, just around the corner actually and is he posh?” We all looked at Dad and were met with a silly all-teeth grin and thumbs up. we laughed.

“Not a chance,” Madison said.

“Ay, I’m partial to some cuscus and I have dabbled in humous” Dad joked, then walked to the gate and opened it up, stepped up two steps and stood by the large red door with the number 14 on it “Ready?“. Oh, the house was the only one without any baskets on it, we did have some patches of grass on either side of the pathway.

We all nodded and walked towards the door Madison jumped up and down with a nervous giggle. Even I had nervous feelings too, silly, isn’t it? It’s just a home, my new home. What if I don’t like it? What would I do?

Dad opened our brand-new front door and stepped in then held the door for everyone, Mum entered first followed by Lincoln, Madison then me. It was warm and welcoming, thank God.

Photos from the old house were already hung up. our old school photos, mum and dad’s wedding photos, shots from holidays that we went to, Italy, and Spain, and random day trips to various countries.

“a quick house tour?” Mum said clapping her hands, she looked gleeful it was nice to see! “This door” she pointed to the door to her left, my right. “This is the living room” She opened the door and walked in, the room was bigger than I would have thought from the outside, I was surprised, our old couch was back leaning against the closest wall left of the TV was on the opposite, a new brown coffee table was perched in the middle of the room and our other couch just behind it facing the tv, leaving space behind it for a table with a good view out the window. a large silver framed mirror hanging above the wood fireplace, it wasn’t lit, but I can imagine how cosy it would be sitting in here when it’s on.

“Across the hall is the office, doubt that any of you care about that. She signalled for us to follow her and past Dad who was standing by the door of the office. We walked back into the hall. The stairs that lead upstairs are on the left by the office.

“Down there to the left is the kitchen and to the right is the dining room!” I had only noticed that my siblings and I had been quiet, I put it down to our excitement about the new house I know that’s why I’m quiet, taking it all in and we all knew what was coming... our new rooms, it would only be minutes before we get to see them. We walked upstairs past more photos. Me and Lincoln are in a boat we must have been around 5 and 6. One of Madison and my uncle Tommy’s Doberman Jackson, the cool thing about Jackson is he can change size I have seen him be little before, the size of a cardboard box and the others he was the size of a motorbike, we used to ride him around the garden. “Boys your rooms are over there” She pointed to the right past the banister down the corridor, two doors opposite each other and a third one in the corner. “Charles on the right, Lincoln on the left” My belly filled up with nervous energy, and I was about to walk into my new room. I stood in front of my new door, put my hand on the handle and pushed it down, I heard Lincoln behind me.

“Nice” He was already in his room. I pushed the handle down more and opened the door. I love it! I love it; it has everything I wanted when Mum asked me what I wanted in my new room. A bigger room than my last one, A PC that I had always wanted sitting in the corner opposite the door, it came with a nice monitor that was right in front of me and some games that I always wanted too, my new bed was on the right against the same wall as the door it looked super comfy with a thick duvet and squishy pillows, a tv on the wall over a desk close to my bed, a chair that can roll from the desk to the PC and back, I had already rolled from side to side twice now. I had shelves with books on them I had never read. My wardrobe dominated most of the wall between my PC and window, which looked out into the street and was thankfully flanked by large dark blue curtains, they matched my duvet and blocked out any sunlight.

My attention was completely taken by the birthday presents on my bed, I sat on the side of my bed next to the presents and picked up the closet one wrapped in blue wrapping paper, it was large and felt like books, I was right. different coloured books.

“Oh, who sent you them?” Dad’s voice came from the door, I turned to see him eyeing them up.

“I don’t know,” I said truthfully, I pulled out more books and the wrapping paper looked for a sign, a slip of paper fell out the bottom of the red book. I picked it up and it was a birthday card, with balloons on the front. I opened it up and saw just an eyeball staring at me, I was unsettled for a moment but suddenly the eye moved back, and my grandmother came into view, her shoulder-length silver hair, red lipstick, and intense brown eyes. Dad told me she used to be a teacher, it’s not hard to see it and being around her for 5 minutes it becomes completely obvious.

“Happy birthday sweetheart!” she said, her voice is a mixture of loving and doesn’t mess with me. “Those books we sent are grimoires my sweet, one of them will be the grimoire that will change with you as you develop your magic and change over time... Come say happy birthday” She turned her head, I thought she was talking to my granddad, I mean she doesn’t live with anyone else who else would she be talking to.

“Say, happy birthday to who? You’re talking to no one” came my grandad’s voice in his rough Southern accent,

“To Charles. It’s his birthday, it’s for his card, now get over here!” I feared for my grandad at that moment if he didn’t hurry up and get over there, God knows what would have happened if he didn’t. He appeared in the frame staring at me, I know he couldn’t see me but still, it was nice to see him and the confused look on his face. His deep frown lines showed their depth, his grey hair matched his eyebrows, and he had the same brown eyes as Dad. He doesn’t look his age, body-wise, built like an old rugby player, Dad puts it down to all his years as a guild member.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s for his card, look at the camera it records it! A young girl from the shop showed me how to do it” She clipped him around the head, “Say happy birthday!” she growled that bit.

“Happy birthday kiddo,” he said smiling at the camera, “Fancy a brew?” he walked off, while my nan stood there shaking her head.

“Yeah, go on, happy birthday again sweetheart see you soon” She blew a kiss and disappeared. I put it down and looked at my dad. He smiled at me and then said.

“Your grandad has never been any good with stuff like that? but You ask him for any spell you should be good” I picked up the bright yellow book and tried to hand it to Dad.

“Is this the lighting grimoire yeah?” Dad took the book and looked it over, nodded and handed it back then watched me look over all of them. I said the element as I held up the corresponding book. The lighting book was done, next.

“Fire?” I held up the red book. “Water?” I then held up the navy blue one, Dad nodded, Mum must have one of these somewhere. Next “ground?” I held up the light brown book. I have four more books left, a light blue one, pure white, silver and finally a pitch black one. In order I went, “Ice? wind? light? And dark?”

“Very good,” Dad said but his head twitched at the end like he had seen something, I looked behind me, “I thought I saw a spider,” he said “I didn’t, I’m gonna go check on the others, enjoy your presents” he waved and left.

The dark book surprised me with how rigged the edges were. It’s dark too, like midnight, no one would ever think of this book as a grimoire. I put the books under my bed as I didn’t know where else to put them, my shelves were already full of other books. My aunty Alex is a teacher at the new school I’ll be attending. She got me a book on all of the football teams and their unique events for their home games, I opened it up and the first one was Arsenal and their magical team creating a giant cannon on the roof that shoots down a cannonball that explodes into a cloud of red smoke. Next, man united. They have a large red devil that appears above the stadium and leans in, a scary sight but it would be incredible to see in person. My godfather, Marvin and his wife Tracy got me, sweets that can change how your face looks depending on what one you have, some create strips, some create patches, and some even change the colour of your eyes. My mum hated it. it’s happened that much she has tried to invent spells to instantly get rid of the effects. Uncle Tommy has gotten me a book, what’s with all these books? I read occasionally but not this much. But this one wasn’t too bad.

ONE HUNDRED SPELLS. Perfect for beginners. I opened it. Categories for everything, basic spells 1-10. Water spells 11-20, fire spells 21-30. They interested me the most since all the males in our family are all fire mages. I flicked to page 21. It read.

Fire spells are the ability to create and manipulate fire. Here are ten spells to help you get started. The first spell “index burst” the spell to creates a small burst of fire from the index finger. Explains how to do it, hand positioning and how to feel the magic. Why not I’ll give it ago I thought.

I copied the book. I took my right hand and held it just in front of my chest. Grab the wrist with my left hand and hold it firm. Then pointed my finger out like a gun, now I’m supposed to imagine fire travelling up my finger and then out of the tip. I cleared my mind. Pictured it, burning at the base of my finger boom it shot out of my finger. A small burst of fire shot out shaped like a gassy golf ball. It evaporated before it hit the wall. Stunned I yelled “YES!” with both arms in the air.

“what’re you yelling about?” Lincoln called from the hallway and then popped his head in. I pulled up the book and showed him the spell I just did.

“This,” I said.

“No way. Show me!” Lincoln said. He stepped into the room more and leaned against the doorframe.

“Okay,” I ready myself. Grabbed my wrist again. Cleared my mind. Pictured pushing fire magic through my finger then, boom. It shot out, Lincoln’s eyes followed the small fireball whizzing past, he looked at me and then smiled. and said.

“Fire? FIRE!” he yelled as I did before. Two seconds Dad appeared out of nowhere.

“Where’s the fire?” he asked. I held up the book again pointing at it as he walked in behind Lincoln,

“I did this” Dad’s grin was amazing! All I could ask for. He sat down on my bed, took the book from me then said.

“Well done” he looked proud and that made me happy. I replied “Thank you” before he stood up and asked me to do it again, I suddenly felt nervous, and it didn’t help when my mother walked in wondering what the noise was about and became intrigued after mum was told what happened. I looked at her for a moment and wondered if she was upset I’m not a water mage like her, I know Lincoln was a fire like Dad, maybe she hoped I would have been like her. I stood up and steadied myself, held my arm, focused on the magic in my arm through into my hand, smiled at my mum and pushed the magic through into my finger and then out it. Something went wrong, it didn’t feel like how it did the previous two times. I didn’t have to wait long to see why that was. Screaming hot water burst out my finger like a faulty hoe. I clutched my finger in agony.

“Oh, wow this hurts.” I have never felt pain like this. As quick as a flash my mum grabbed my sore finger and mumbled something about freezing, I couldn’t hear her through the pain. It took a minute before I finally calmed down from the pain. Mum still had a hold of my hand, holding my finger out eyeing up my sore finger, and in the words of Lincoln.

“Your finger is super red” he wasn’t wrong it glowed, “so what happened? I thought you were gonna shoot fire again.”

“So did I” I replied, I did think I was going to.

“What were you thinking? While you were trying the spell” Mum asked me. I said that I was happy that Dad said Well done to me and that I wondered if you would be upset if I was a fire mage not a water one like you.

“Ohhh. Okay” she smiled at me then flicked my forehead with her free hand, leaving a wet spot “You got distracted my sweet, what have I and your father always told you? To do magic you must be focused and know what you’re doing, have a clear picture in your mind... you lost focus when you had seen me, and your mind began to wonder.” That made sense I did do that. “No more magic or attempting spells, not until you start school which won’t be long now.” She stood up, messed with my hair then left, Dad followed her out, Lincoln looked at me held up his finger and yelled “crimson finger!!” then he left too.

Later that day, I sat in the front room watching a film with Madison, something about a spy who needs to beat a villain. He eventually won by breaking a bomb from the inside, I don’t get how it worked. The bomb just crumbled and that was the end.

“That movie was awful,” Madison said, “we better get dressed, we will be leaving soon” She stood up and left the room closing the door behind her, leaving me alone with the credits of the film playing in the background. I forgot that we were all going out to the guild, I had so much fun playing on my new PC, the games were brilliant I ate my sweets from Uncle Marvin, and I ended up with blue patches all over my face and one bright yellow eye. My mother spelt off.

“OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! You can’t go to the guild like that!” She had to put a spell on some water to get it off, she was not happy it made me laugh. I went to the bathroom and washed my face just to make sure it was all gone.

After the bathroom I went back to my room, my door was open and my mum was in there laying clothes on my bed, “your clothes for our trip to the guild, get dressed I’ll meet you downstairs” Before I could say anything she had left. What I was gonna ask her is, why wasn’t she dressed? And only in a dressing gown with her hair in a bun. Never mind. I looked at the nice dark jeans and white T-shirt on my bed. I got dressed and headed downstairs, Dad and Lincoln were both sitting down in the living room.

“Oh god, she has dressed us the same!” Lincoln scoffed. He is right, he is just a taller version of me and our father an even taller version and all of us were dressed the same again. I took a seat on the opposite sofa and watched the news. Looks like even more trouble in Europe, fighting in Romania, Poland, Portugal, and Switzerland.

Suddenly there was a knock at the front door, we all looked at each other, and then Lincoln and I looked at Dad. “Fine!” he said standing up to answer the door moodily, like a child.

“Why would we answer it?” Lincoln said, “We just moved here it wouldn’t be for us.”

“That’s true, he is from around here and isn’t the guild not far from here too? Someone might have wanted to see him” The living room door opened, and in walked Dad followed by Aunty Alex and her husband Curtis. She’s always pretty my aunty, about the same size as my mum but she has long blonde hair and the same green eyes as my mum. She had on a long coat and heels. Her husband Curtis was cool... sometimes but the rest of the time he wasn’t a nice guy and got angry and fast. It normally doesn’t take much. Maybe it’s because he is short? He isn’t a well-known mage like his wife, he has beady eyes, brown hair and and a nose like a fat button.

“Hello, Charles” Aunty Alex said her soft tone is always calming to hear, it’s surprising that she is a teacher in my new school, Kingsborn. “Happy birthday” she walked over and out her arms for a hug, I stood up and gave her the ones, she had on her normal sweet rose-scented perfume. She gave Lincoln one too. Curtis stood in the corner silently. “Thought we would stop by before you head to the guild and say hello, but we will see you properly tomorrow at the school.”

“Tomorrow at the school?” I said confused, today is Thursday and I didn’t think I would be going to school until Monday. For the reveal day.

“Yeah, son. About that?” Dad said looking like a kid in trouble. “The reveal day is tomorrow, we thought, with your birthday, moving house, new city and going to the guild for the first time, then if you add the reveal day on top of that it can be a lot, so we told you it was Monday, we were gonna tell you later when you had less time to worry or be nervous”.

“Why would I be nervous?” I said truthfully. “I’m not nervous about any of it. I’m looking forward to the reveal day even more so that it’s tomorrow” I have been looking forward to my natural magic being revealed for years.

“I don’t think you get it” Curtis’s voice from the corner, his harsh tone pretty clear that he didn’t want to be here but the grin forming on his face gave the impression he was going to like what he said. “For normal people, it’s an exciting day, joyful. But for you, your siblings and anyone who happens to be the spirit of a famous guild member, it becomes a whole event everyone will want to know who you take after and what your magic will be, you may even make the news.” Curtis grinned like an idiot; Dad breathed out in exasperation. If looks could kill Lincoln would have killed Curtis.

“That true?” I asked Dad.

“Yeah,” Lincoln answered first, giving me his attention. “It happened to me; I turned up at Bastion” Bastion of Angels to give it its real name. it was the elite magic school kids in the north of England go to. “Everyone eyed me and Dad up, everywhere we went it was loud then all of a sudden it just went quiet. Some people even asked for photos with Dad, then when it was my time for the reveal. you have never heard silence like it or not heard silence like if you know what I mean, it’s just awkward and I did make the news” he looked at Curtis, then sat back on the couch and began watching the TV again.

I thought about it all for a moment, “That won’t bother me” Dad chuckled, Lincoln grinned, Curtis lost his grin and Aunty Alex ruffled my hair. “I know that people will want to know what mage I will be, that’s understandable, I’ll be interested in what Uncle Marvin’s son Kevin will be, there are plenty of kids of famous people and I’d like to know what they will be too.”

“Well said,” Aunty Alex said, “I have to go soon, where is Bella?”

“Getting ready upstairs, she’ll be down soon,” Dad said “Go up, she will be happy to see you” he added after seeing her twiddle her thumbs, Aunty Alex grinned and then left, Curtis went to follow but Dad put his hand up and stopped him. Well, this is awkward, the strangest silence ever! How can it be silent while the TV is making noise?