Just a silly alternate ending I thought up. Hope you like it :) The format may be a little messed up, since I'm using a different program than I usually do. If it is, I'll remedy it as soon as I can.

Disclaimer: I don't own Namco or Tales of Symphonia.

Lloyd rushed into the Brunel household followed closely by a sweaty and tired Genis. They had sprinted from Dirk's house to Iselia Village in a desperate attempt to try and catch Collete before she left for her journey. They didn't even stop for the monsters that cut them and blocked their way through the forest.

Phaidra jumped at the sudden arrival of the pair. She shakily looked over the pair's cuts and scrapes. "Lloyd! Genis!...my goodness, you two nearly gave me a heart attack…"

" Phaidra! Did Colette already leave?" Lloyd asked worriedly.

"…I'm afraid so," the elder answered.

Lloyd turned to Frank, who sat in the seat next to Phaidra. Colette's father had watched the exchange quietly, without reaction.

"Frank…Why did…why did she…?"

The man looked up at Lloyd, his own face solemn and unreadable. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. "Colette left me this to give to you," he said, handing the letter to Lloyd. The swordsman quickly unfolded it and looked over the words on the page.

The room gained a silent, uneasy air as his eyes traced the page again and again. Genis, who had already began to guess at what happened, looked between Lloyd and the Brunels. Frank almost rose to speak, but Phaidra silenced him with her hand. She wanted Lloyd to have a moment to soak in the message before he was disturbed.

The uncomfortable silence went on for a while, until Lloyd looked up with an innocent, questioning look.

"…Did she leave behind a Read-With-Me version?"

Everyone stared in disbelief at the swordsman. Each tried to make sense of his question, but their answer only continued to frighten them.

Frank was the first to speak. "He…he can't possibly be…" He shot a glance at Genis, silently pleading for an explanation. The boy stared back, his shocked expression slowly turning into embarrassment.

Lloyd watched obliviously, worried that he had said something wrong. "Can't be what? All I asked was- "

CHOOOOOOOM!

So, that's it! If you hadn't guessed, the large made-up word is that other Iselian house catching on fire.

Once again, I hope it was worth the time it took to click and scroll :D