“See any Hags?” Olga asked as she walked up.
Charlie shook his head, amused that his mother knew that if they were looking up, they might be searching for Hags. “It looks clear.”
“That’s good news.” Olga smoothed out her dress, which was spotted with monster goop, then turned to Barrington. “It appears that things are finally under control. Ready to head home?”
Barrington nodded. “I am…” He seemed hesitant.
“But?”
“But Charlie has something to tell you.”
Olga turned to her son. “Go ahead, Charlie. Don’t be shy.”
He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mom, but I can’t go with you. The monsters are going to keep attacking us - until they’re all dead or we are. I just…I need to do what I can to help.”
“Of course you do,” his mother replied promptly.
Charlie wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. Where was the explosion of dismay? The pleading that he come to his senses and return home, where it was safe?
“You have a destiny,” his mother said, cradling his cheeks in her warm hands. “I didn’t want to acknowledge it before, but now that I’ve seen how skilfully you handle yourself and how much good you can do for others, I can’t deny it.” She smiled gently. “You go on and do what you need to, son.”
“I wish I could stay here and protect you.”
Olga shook her head. “Your father and I will be fine.” Having just seen them in action, Charlie knew it was true. He hugged her then and she whispered, “Be safe.” He could feel her breath tickling his ear.
“I will,” Charlie promised. Then he turned to his father and extended his hand.
Barrington laughed. “A handshake? You’ve got to be kidding me!” He snatched his son up in his arms. Charlie could feel his father’s stubble on his cheek and he smelled his aftershave. “You go get ’em, son. Then you come back to us, safe and sound, you hear?”
Charlie nodded, then stepped back and opened a portal. The war with the creatures of the Nether had taken a new and unexpected turn and Central Park - with its monstrous mystery - was clearly going to be the next battleground. The real fight was about to begin, and for that Charlie Benjamin needed his friends.
He had to return to the Nightmare Academy.
Charlie waved goodbye to his parents, then jumped through the fiery gateway and was soon gone from view.
CHAPTER THREE NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Theodore Dagget and Violet Sweet were repainting the outside of the broken yacht that housed the Addy students at the Nightmare Academy when they heard a familiar voice.
“Thought I’d find you painting,” Charlie said cheerfully as he walked towards them over the rope bridge that was strung between two huge branches of the mighty banyan tree.
“Charlie!” Violet squealed, running over to him. She hugged him tightly - then quickly drew back.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked, surprised.
“You shouldn’t be here. You’re exiled. What if someone from the Nightmare Division sees you? It’s not safe.”
Charlie shrugged. “Nowhere’s safe right now - not with all those monsters out there. I’m not going to hide; I’m going to fight. Besides, no one’s keeping me from my best friends - no one - not even the Nightmare Division.”
Violet burst into a sunny smile and hugged him again, more tightly this time.
“Geez, calm down,” Theodore said with a grin, “or you’ll knock him off the bridge before he has a chance to save the world.”
Charlie laughed. “Yeah, right…” He gestured to Theodore’s clothes, which were covered in blue paint. “You get any on the ship or just yourself?”
“Hey, don’t give me any grief, OK? I’m a precision instrument! A finely crafted tool for Banishing! Painting is beneath me.”
“Yeah, beneath you, above you, in your hair, on your clothes - you’ve got paint everywhere but where it’s supposed to be.” Charlie inspected the Addy yacht. There was fresh wood on one side - it looked like it had been recently repaired. “Is that damage from Slagguron?”
Violet nodded. “We’ve been doing our best to fix things up, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Just a few weeks earlier, Slagguron, one of the four Named Lords of the Nether, had slammed his wormlike body against the trunk of the massive tree, knocking several boats from its branches and damaging many more. Charlie still found it hard to believe that the raging colossus was dead now - he and all the Named - killed, in an instant, by the Fifth.
“You’re thinking about the Fifth, aren’t you?” Theodore asked. Charlie always found it eerie how good his best friend was at reading his mind. He nodded.
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“Well, stop it! You don’t have to kill the most deadly monster the world has ever known right this second. Heck, you can relax for five or ten minutes before you go after her…”
“How generous,” Charlie grinned. But his grin quickly faded. “Look, I know I’m not supposed to be here right now - being exiled and all - but I think the Fifth is up to something, something big, and we need to check it out.” But before he could continue, a new voice suddenly cried out.
“Charlie Benjamin!”
Charlie turned to see Brooke Brighton waving to him from a platform high above. Even from this far away, he was amazed by how pretty she was.
“Hey, Brooke!”
“Stay right there.”
With an excited whoop! she slid down a vine strung between her platform and the Addy yacht far below, her long, blonde hair whipping freely in the wind. She landed next to Charlie with the nimbleness of a cat. “I missed you!” she said, then hugged him tightly before giving him a quick, friendly kiss.
There, Charlie thought, remembering his mother telling him he’d never even kissed a girl. Now I’ve been kissed twice.
“Hi, Brooke,” Theodore said expectantly. “You miss me too?”
“Lame,” Violet said, pretending to cough.
“I am not lame!”
“I didn’t say anything. Just had a little tickle in my throat.” Violet coughed again and said, “Desperate.”
“Hey!”
“Of course I’ve missed you, silly,” Brooke said with a smile. She gave Theodore a quick hug, then turned to Charlie. “So where have you been? Tell us everything.”
“I will…but you go first. Has anyone from the Nightmare Division been to the Academy?”
Brooke nodded. “Yeah. They checked out the damage that Slagguron did and said they were going to come up with a plan to protect the place. We’re completely exposed to the monsters of the Nether now that the Guardian’s dead.”
The Guardian.
A pang of sadness hit Charlie upon hearing the name of