Prologue

Nighttime at the Boardwalk was always a fun time. All the people walking about and the loud music, which all happened during the day but if you add the lights –oh the lights- it just makes everything all the more spectacular. Too bad Alysse was always working all night long that she very rarely had time to soak it all in and enjoy the wonder, but that never stopped her from trying every now and again.

"Alysse, would you please pay attention. You'll burn the funnel cakes!" came the cry of Loren, her older sister.

"All my attention is paid to the funnel cakes, don't you worry," she said taking her eyes off of the lights of the Giant Dipper, just across the way, and flipping the cakes over in the hot oil.

"I swear, I don't know how you work two jobs, when you are day dreaming all the time."

"She works two jobs, all at night, and has school during day, which means she doesn't sleep, so when else is she suppose to dream?" asked Maggie, a fellow worker who was passing through with more powdered sugar.

"Here, here!" exclaimed Alysse as she plated the funnel cakes and set a blizzard of powdered sugar atop them.

"Would you take over cashier, Alysee? It is time for my break," said Loren. Alysse nodded and carried the cakes to the front window and handed them to the awaiting customer who took them gleefully and with a hurried 'thanks' walked away.

"Hello," she greeted the next customer. She quickly took in his appearance so she could remember what he ordered and knew immediately that he was into the rock genre of music. His hair was blonde and swept back, and long, and fluffy, and just so 80's. Sadly, around the Boardwalk, well in Santa Carla in general, hair styles weren't all that reliable to recognize people by so she quickly took in his appearance of black mesh shirt, black tuxedo jacket complete with tails, an earring, and baseball pants.

"Hello!" he greeted very energetically.

"What can I get for you this warm evening?" she asked with a smile, it wasn't a scary smile, just a simple one that could be classified as her 'customer service' smile. She loved her jobs, here on the Boardwalk at the funnel cakes and down the way at a bakery, but talking to people wasn't really her forte since she did day dream a lot. Let's just say, it wasn't uncommon for her to tune out of conversations.

"Just a regular old funnel cake please…eh, why not, I'll have the experience, after all, it is a 'warm night', " he said doing air quotes with a smirk on his face.

"All right," she said putting in the order with Maggie and the punching it into the register, "that will be five dollars please." He handed her the bill and she added it to the tray.

"I have a question," he said suddenly, usually they wait to the side at this point.

"I might have an answer," she said giving him her attention.

"Why is it called the experience instead of just a la mode like everywhere else? Isn't that what it means when it comes with ice cream?"

"Technically, a la mode means 'in the fashion' in French, how the ice cream started I don't know, but yes that is true. As for our version, have you seen Santa Carla, we're kind of special here," she said with a shrug.

"Wow," he said with a chuckle, "you're like an encyclopedia."

"I don't have that much useless knowledge do I?" she asked as his ordered was handed to her.

"Perhaps," he said still with a smirk.

"Well then, here you go, enjoy, unless there is something else you'd like to ask," she said handing him the plate along with some napkins and a plastic fork.

"Can't think of any right now, but I know where to find you if I do. Thanks," he said taking the treat from her and giving her a wink before walking away into the throng of people, and already she lost him in the crowd, because honestly, that many people had his hair style.

Now she does often make fun of the 80's look, but that didn't mean she looked completely different from everyone else. She had long light brown hair, and it was wavy but she didn't make it poofy or anything, that just got in the way, instead she just kept it tied back with a black scarf. As for wardrobe choice, she kept it simple: chef pants in a black and white checkered print, and some light blue shirt- light blue was kind of her colour- and typically an apron went over that. Right now it was a white one with red trim that had the Boardwalk logo on the front, and when she worked at the bakery she just had a plain white one on. She just knew years from now people would look back at this generation and make fun of their 'fashion sense' or lack of one.

"Alysse!" shouted Loren once more, waking her sister from her dreamland, this time filled with hairspray and shoulder pads, "customers!"

"Hi, what can I get you?" asked Alysse breaking out of her own thoughts once more and get back to her job.

…

Loud music could be heard in every little crack and crevice of the Boardwalk and that could only mean one thing: it was Friday night. During the summer, in other words, during the Boardwalk's operating time period, every Friday night meant free concert night. Tonight's guest was some…rock band. Alysse liked music and listening to it but she very rarely paid attention to who the artist was.

The sun had just gone down about half an hour ago and she was on her way to work. She had a slight skip in her step because this day had been her last day of school and now she was out for summer, which meant time to focus all her energy on work! She didn't work two jobs just to support her and her family, it helped but they were well off. She lived with her sister, their parents were away on business, but they were financially supported. Alysse had always wanted to work at a bakery but the one she wanted to work at was a very high demand one so it took her a while to get a job there. When they were first able to work, both sisters got a job at the funnel cake shop but when Alysse finally got the bakery job, she decided to just work two jobs.

While walking down the boardwalk reflecting on her life up to this point, she almost ran over someone half her height. She stopped herself in time and looked down at the boy who was looking around him as if lost.

"Are you lost?" she asked, kneeling down to his level.

"Yes," he said still looking around him. He rubbed his eyes, almost as if he had just woken up from a nap.

"Let me help. I work here over at the funnel cake place so you can trust me okay, see my apron?" she asked showing him her 'uniform' to reassure him. He glanced at it and nodded. "Now what does your guardian look like?" she asked.

He didn't immediately respond, still looking around in a slight frantic way.

"Don't worry, we'll find him or her, okay?" she tried to comfort him as best she could. She had a basic understanding of how to deal with lost kids since it has happened a few times before while she was working, but there was usually someone there to help her, now she was all on her own and it was beginning to make her nervous.

"Laddie?" came a shout and the boy's attention immediately jumped to look where the voice came from. Alysee inwardly cursed herself for not getting the boy's name first nor introducing herself.

"Star?" he shouted out.

"Laddie!" came the reply and a young women a similar age to Alysee with big, bushy brown hair in a beaded skit and a white top rushed over and scooped the boy into her arms.

"Star!" he cried hugging her.

"You know not to wander off. If we lost you, you know I wouldn't be happy about that, nor David," she said looking him in the eye while she lectured. He just nodded, with a slightly bored expression like he heard this all before.

"Well since you are now a found boy instead of a lost one, I shall get to work. Bye," said Alysse standing up and stretching a bit. Star stood up as well with a hold of Laddie's hand.

"Oh, thank you for looking out for him," she said gently holding her free hand out.

"No problem," responded Alysse who shook her hand and nodded to Laddie before heading off to work. She took a quick glance at her watch and seconds to get there on time.

She rushed into the back of the funnel cake shop and clocked in while tying her hair back before starting up the fryer.

"Almost late there, weren't you?" asked Maggie as she mixed the funnel cake batter.

"The important thing was that I wasn't. Plus I found a lost boy."

…

"Girl don't you ever take a day off?" asked Markus, a fellow baker who was in charge to actually baking the breads every morning.

"Yes, I have one on Thursday," she responded as she switch her Boardwalk apron for her plain white one.

"I don't know how you do it," said Emily who handed Alysse her checklist.

"Sometimes, neither do I," she said pulling some gloves on before grabbing a sheet tray and heading into the walk in freezer. She worked quickly on pulling out all the small cakes she needed to decorate before heading out into the warmth of the kitchen.

"Hey did you check the display case?" she asked Emily once she placed the cakes at her station.

"Nope, I thought you liked to do that," she said looking at her blankly.

"That I do, just testing you," she said smiling at her friend before heading to the front of the bakery and checking off what cakes were already in the display and good to go for another day.

She was checking the amount of cupcakes when she heard a tap on the door. Placing her checklist on a nearby counter she walked over to the main door and looked outside through the window and saw no one there.

"Odd," she said, before heading back to the task at hand.

Usually at the bakery she decorated cakes and cupcakes. Occasionally she helped bake things when they were short people, but she liked decorating. When she first hired on that was all she did but soon the job kind of changed to her making all the buttercreams and ganaches that she rarely had time to actually decorate anything. Then she got her hours worked out and from 4:30 till 8 she only decorated display cakes before getting to work on making spreads and fillings for the rest of her shift.

Everything pretty much had a set design for how they were suppose to be decorated except the cupcakes, those they were allowed to use their creativity and any leftover coloured buttercream in the fridge that they didn't want to waste. That morning she already took a peek and saw that they had leftover ivory buttercream and a light blue from a wedding cake order yesterday. She was in the middle of creating a design for the cupcakes in her head when she heard the tap again.

Marching over to the door, she looked out once more and didn't see anyone, once again. She sighed and turned around to go back to work when the tap came one final time. She threw the door open and there stood a young man around her age, maybe slightly older, who had curly hair that was loosely tied back wearing probably the most fantastic jacket she had seen in a long time. It was black jean jacket but it had a lot of things stitched onto it from faux leopard fur to logos.

"Have you been the one tapping all night long?" she asked.

"Not all night, only the past couple of minutes," he said taking a step closer.

"Well I am sorry but we are closed right now," she said looking at her watch to see what time it was. They didn't open for another two hours.

"I know," he said linking his thumbs sticking out of his fingerless gloves, into the pockets of his pants and taking a casual stance, "I was told to come pick up a special order at this time. We had it cleared with the owner when we ordered."

Alysse hesitated, this was very unusual and she never handled customers while at the bakery so she didn't really know what to do.

"Can you wait here while I go check?" He nodded. "I'll be right back." She closed the door and quickly went to the check the special order fridge to find the cakes dated for pick up today. She found a small on that had a pink note attached to it, the only one with a note on it, and written write there did it say that it was to be picked up at 5 AM.

"Hey Markus," she said walking back into the kitchen holding the box with the cake inside.

"Yes?" he asked closing the oven door and walking over.

"Did you know about this?" she asked letting him see the note.

"Oh, yes, lost track of time, sorry. Is the pick up here?" he asked. She nodded. "Well let's go take care of it, can you bring the cake." She followed him into the front and he went to turn the register on while she walked over to the door.

"Everything is okay, so go ahead and come on in," she said. He nodded and followed her into the bakery and he walked over to the register while she returned to her checklist.

"Does everything look right?" asked Markus as he opened the box's lid to show the cake.

"Looks great, except we decided that we did want writing on it, would that be too much trouble?" he asked while bringing a thumb up to his lips as if he were biting the nail.

"No problem at all. Alysse," said Markus getting the girl's attention.

"Yes?" she asked after writing a number down and looking over at the two.

"Can you go and get the writing chocolate?" She nodded and headed to the back and put her checklist at her station before grabbing the piping bag with the chocolate in it by the oven and returned to the front.

"What did you want written on it?" she asked taking the cake out of the box and turning it towards her on the front counter.

"If it will fit, 'Happy Birthday Laddie'," he answered.

"No problem at all," she said already piping out the 'h'. She was a pro and making 'Happy Birthday whoever' fit on any size cake, even cupcakes. Everyone was silent as they watched her pipe and when she finished she placed the piping bag down and turned the cake for the customer to see.

"Nicely done," he said giving a slight applause and smiling at her. She smiled back with a slight shrug while she put it back in the box and taped the lid closed while Markus rang him up and the exchange of money was done.

"Have a great day," said Markus as he handed him a receipt. Alysse handed over the cake and got another smile, well technically this one would be called a grin, in response.

"Thank you," he said nodding to Markus, "and thank you Alysse." He left the bakery quickly and Alysse closed the door and locked it as they heard a motorcycle leave the area.

"That was strange," she said walking with Markus back to the kitchen.

"Eh, I'm use to it by now," he said with a shrug before pulling oven mitts on and opening the oven.

"This is Santa Carla after all," said Emily walking by with a tray of large cakes for the display case.

"Very true," nodded Alysse before heading back to her job.

…

"All I am saying is that you should just quit working at the funnel cake place and free up your nights a bit. With mum and dad sending us money we are more than capable to afford everything," said Loren as they left work that night; she on her way home and Alysse on her way to the bakery.

"But I like working at the funnel cake place with you and Maggie. It is sort of a nostalgia thing," she said with a shrug which also helped her put on her jacket. It was a cool night, but that wasn't an uncommon thing so close to the Pacific Ocean, and the ocean breeze came in and it was most felt at night.

"Well don't work yourself crazy- I know, I know you have done it for quite some time now but with your school changes and all, please focus on your studies okay?"

"Yes big sister," said Alysse which earned her a light shove.

"Now I get to go home and take a nice bubble bath and you get to go slave over a hot oven!"

"I hardly do oven work, now that freezing freezer though, that is my specialty."

The sisters shared a laugh when Alysse felt a tap on her shoulder and stopped her laughter as she turned to face the tapping culprit. It was a young man with platinum blonde hair in a short mullet and a sweeping black leather coat.

"I believe this is yours," he said holding one of his gloved hands up and Alysse took a good look at the object in his hand and realized it was her watch.

"Oh, thank you so much," she sad taking it from him and securing it on her wrist.

"Don't want to loose that, now would you. You might be late for something," he said bringing his hand down to his side.

"Yeah, that would be bad," she said with a chuckle before glancing at her watch again, "and if I don't get a move on, I shall be late for something. Thank you for returning it."

He smirked and nodded before turning on the spot and walking away from them.

"And I shall see you tonight," she said turning to her sister and hugging her.

"Don't you mean tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah, then. Night," shouted Alysse before running off to work.

…

"So glad we've almost made it,

so sad they had to fade it.

Everybody wants to rule the world!" sang Alysse as she mixed some pastry cream. It was the hour she had at the bakery after doing funnel cake work and before anyone else came in. She would just make any fillings and stuff that they needed and usually blasted the radio and sang along. She wasn't a bad singer she just wouldn't ever do it in front of anyone. So you can imagine her surprise as what happened when she came to the end of Tears for Fear's 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World.'

"All for freedom and for pleasure.

Nothing ever lasts forever.

Everybody wants to rule the world."

A one person applause came form the back door. Alysse, holding a whisk up, turned to the door expecting Markus to be there when she saw someone she had never met. He had long dark hair and was wearing a dark jacket and, she couldn't help but notice, no shirt.

"Er," she was kind of at a loss for words, "we're closed." It was the best she could come up with.

"I know. I was just walking by when I heard someone singing. Couldn't help but find out who," he said leaning against the doorframe casually.

"Yes, well, I'm terribly sorry but my concert has just ended and I need to get back to work," she said putting the whisk down and checking on her mixture before looking back at him.

"Of course," he said standing up fully, "hopefully I will hear your voice again soon."

"Or not," she said shyly and uncomfortably. He smirked at her before turning and walking out the back door. The door slammed behind him and that caused a nearby tower of bowls to crash to the floor.

"Last time I leave the door open, even if it a hot night," she muttered to herself before stooping down and picking up the metal bowls.

…

"And so, I would like for all the workers of the Boardwalk to remain calm at all times. This meeting was just to make sure everyone was aware of these disappearances, and should anyone ask, just let them know that the police are working on it. That is all." The guy in a suit stepped down and everyone at the meeting began to file out of the area.

Every once in a while there would be a meeting for the Boardwalk workers and it was always about the same thing: missing people. It has come to a point where people aren't worried and just tired of hearing about it. It was common to them now, but I'm sure they keep having these meetings to reassure the people who lost loved ones.

"And on that depressing note," said Loren as she walked with Maggie and Alysse down the Boardwalk.

"I know right," said Maggie.

"It get's more depressing," said a voice from their right and they turned to see one of the Frog brothers who ran the comic book store.

"Oh boy, you," said Loren rolling her eyes.

"Hey, we are just here to make sure people are safe from what is out there," came a voice to the left and there was the other one.

"And as evident by these meetings it seems that you are doing a fantastic job!" said Alysse sarcastically.

"Not our fault people don't believe us," said Edgar, the one to their right.

"Actually it could be your fault. It is all about how you sell your product," said Maggie.

"Very true," nodded Alysse. Loren then bumped their shoulders.

"Don't encourage them," she hushed.

"Well if you ever want to find out the truth for yourself, you know where to find us," said the one of their left, Alan, before both brothers headed off to their store.

"Aren't they just a big ball of fun?" asked Alysse.

"Big ball of crazy is more like it," said Loren.

"That too," said Maggie and they headed off to the funnel cake stand.

…

A/n: Hello and thank you for reading. I have most of this written except for the last chapter so chapters will be posted quite quickly. This may or may not result in a sequel I have not decided yet.

Thank you,

Charlotte