The university library was huge, like I expected. I walked along past all the books until I found a computer. I searched up several things from gray skinned children to strange happenings across the world all to no avail.
"Ugh." I flop down on the desk in defeat.
"Hey, did you need help with something?" A boy asked me nervously. He had an armful of books, which blocked his face. "My name is Jake."
"My name is Jade. You wouldn't happen to be Jake English, would you?" I asked him.
"Yeah!" He dropped the books on the desk next to mine, face lighting up when he spotted my face. "And you're Jade Harley, right?"
"Yes!" I hugged him tightly.
"Ah! Stop... wings!" Jake gasped, pain edging in his face.
"What?" I let go immediately, looking for any sign of them through his clothes.
"I know, I don't remember them either. I don't remember a lot of this." Jake lifted his hat a bit to show a pair of white dog ears. "But I've been struggling to find the others."
"Well, we're both from this town-"
"Actually, my aunt sent me state side from down under. Unfortunately, I was attacked by a cat and a man in a white suit and then... then this! I came here hoping I could fix what's wrong with me only to realize I'm just back to normal. I can't go back though, not after what happened, but they let me stay here."
"Who is they?"
"Some dorm students let me stay with them. Don't worry, no scientists."
"How much can you remember? My memory only covers up until Dave and I spot the Condense's ship near the volcano."
"My memories don't get much farther I'm afraid."
"So you also have no idea where everyone else is. Why is this so difficult!" I searched through my memory just to be disappointed that I didn't remember. I had an idea. "You stayed away from peanuts, right?"
"I couldn't remember I was allergic to them for a bit. My aunt never gave me peanuts, so I didn't know, but I remembered when I had some a week ago." He frowned.
"How do you not remember that you're deathly allergic to peanuts?"
"I just didn't. Second peanut related death, but I came back. Golly, that was stupid on my part."
"Hmmmm..."
"Hmm?"
"Hmmmmmmm." I turned around, typing in death by peanuts. I searched through the results even as Jake leaned over my shoulder to read the screen.
"Um, Jade? Why are you looking up peanut related deaths?"
"Maybe John is on here." I found a report that caught my eye. "Kid dies of peanut allergy, up the next day." I recognized the face of the kid in the picture. "How do you two not remember your peanut allergies?"
"I don't know!"
"Me neither." I click the link next to the picture of John, reading over it. "Says his friends gave him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a hiking trip and he went into shock. He couldn't seem to get to a hospital fast enough and died before anyone could save him. The next day he walked out the dead bay in perfect health. He's in Buffalo, New York."
"Should be easy to find him!"
"Yes, especially with your help." Doc Scratch noted. Jake and I spun around to face the tall man in white. His eyes flicked between us. I immediately get ready to toss him back and Jake got in position to pull out his pistols. "Ah, ah, ah. You wouldn't want to reveal yourselves, now would we? In a place like this, with so many cameras to catch all the angles?" He smiled," Doesn't seem like a bright idea now does it?"
"You can't do anything without revealing yourself either." I shot him a glance as I shut down the computer, stepping away as it powered down.
"That's the difference between us. I don't care if I'm caught, and things aren't as you remember from your session." Scratch took a step forward as Jake and I took a step back. "Why not come along quietly?"
"How about no." His hand slowly slipped into his coat pocket. I spotted the butt of a white pistol as he pulled it out. There are to many people in the building for this. "He's got a gun!" I yelled, immediately getting screams from the building goers.
"That wasn't very polite of you. You had to ruin the surprise for your slow relative here."
"Did he just call me slow?" Jake asked.
"No matter, I will have you both in a short while anyway." He held up the pistol.
I jumped in front of Jake in time to see Dirk in front of us. Last time I checked Dirk couldn't teleport, nor was he anywhere near here.
"Back away from my boyfriend." Dirk swung his katana at Doc Scratch. Doc Scratch didn't seem up for the idea.
"I have a heir to find." He stated. A moment later I saw the cat, growling before I caught myself. A moment later the two vanished in a flash of green.
Dirk walked right over to Jake. "Damn. You just seem to be getting hotter all the time."
"Okay... that's not Dirk." I look over to Jake in confusion.
"It's a shame you don't have those smooth legs anymore, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the ears are cute." Dirk's hands slipped under Jake's hat.
"Stop it! I almost died! Again!"
"Shhhhh... No need to over react about that. I have it under control." Dirk seemed to move closer to an already uncomfortable Jake.
"Jake, what is going on?"
"Brain ghost Dirk showed up." Jake whimpered. He backed away from Dirk. "It happens sometimes, not on purpose though! It's one of my hope power things."
"I hope this isn't what you want from Dirk."

"It's not!" Jake stopped suddenly. I heard a noise from near the door, turning to look. It went black after that.

"Wait, you're supposed to be dead!" Aranea looked over in shock. "How are you alive?!" She managed to find her way out from under the Condense's trident in before the Condense tried pinning her again. The Condense's foot found it's way on her back. I reached for her outstretched hand. She smiled when my hand slipped around hers, and the look on her face turned to fear when I pulled the ring off.

She faded away as the ring no longer held her in the world of the living. The Condense found it funny, until I shrunk her down. I had a blade in hand, driving it down on her tiny form in a small splash of fuchsia. I looked to the sky, knowing I had to find Roxy. I had a promise to fill, and I needed Roxy to help me do it.