Midnight for Charlie Bone (Children Of The Red King, Book 1) by Jenny Nimmo

Bone?" asked Manfred.
                "None of your business," said Charlie, sounding braver than he felt.
                "Oh, no?"The other boy gave a high-pitched snicker.
                "It is my business," said Manfred. "But I know already You're going to a bookshop called Ingledew's where you'll beg Miss Ingledew to look for a key a key to a certain case that doesn't belong to you, or to her." Charlie said nothing. He leaped around Manfred and jumped into the road, but Manfred's hand shot out and clamped itself on Charlie's arm. The other boy a weasely red-haired individual, grabbed hold of Benjamin.
                "I've got bad news for you, Charlie," Manfred said in a cold, toneless voice. "You won't be going to any bookshop. And you won't be getting a key! No one's going to open that case until it's handed over to me."
                "I don't know what you're talking about," said Charlie, trying to twist out of Manfred's grip.
                "We just want to buy a book," added Benjamin.
                You won't find any kids' books at Ingledew's," said the red-haired boy.
                "Let go of me!" shouted Charlie. "I can go where I want. You've no right to stop me." He brought up his free hand and gave Manfred a blow on the ear, but the taller boy seized both of Charlie's hands and, squeezing them tighter and tighter, forced him to the ground.
                "Look at me!" Manfred commanded.
                Charlie looked. He couldn't help himself.
                "Look into my eyes," came the sinister whisper. Manfred's eyes were like shining coals, black and fathomless. Charlie stared at them, repelled and fascinated. He felt himself sinking, deeper and deeper. And now he was drowning, for he couldn't get his breath. The world outside Manfred's coal-black eyes began to disappear, and Charlie found himself inside another world: inside a car to be precise. The car was traveling at great speed through a forest, and Charlie appeared to be driving. The coal-black eyes were beside him now, and the sinister voice repeated, "Look at me!"
                There was a sudden, violent jolt and Charlie was being dragged from the car. He knelt on the rim of a great pit while the car -a blue one- tumbled over the edge. The silence of the forest was broken by the scream of birds and then, far, far below, came a low, echoing splash.
                "Charlie! Charlie!"
                Charlie opened his eyes and found himself sitting on the ground with his back against a lamppost. Benjamin was peering into his face.
                "What happened to you?" Benjamin asked in a frightened voice.
                "I don't know,” said Charlie.
                “You kind of went to sleep," Benjamin told him. "I've been shaking you for ages."
                "Why did I go to sleep?" asked Charlie, feeling a bit foolish.
                "It was when you looked into that boy's face," said Benjamin. "I think he must have hypnotized you."
                "Who? When?" Charlie couldn't remember anything. "What am I doing here?"
                "Oh, Charlie!" Benjamin wrung his hands. "You've forgotten everything. We were going to see Miss Ingle-dew to ask for a key and then those two boys stepped in front of us, and one of them, the one with a pony-tail, made you look into his eyes, and you went all funny and sleepy."
                "Oh!" Charlie began to remember. He shivered. The air was painfully cold but the memory of Manfred's eyes was colder.
                "Shall we go to the bookshop now?" asked Benjamin.
                "I don't feel well," Charlie muttered, staggering to his feet. Benjamin had never heard his friend say such a thing. Charlie was always well. Benjamin was worried.
                As the two friends walked home