Felt that I had to finish this chapter and put it up. It might have a few grammar and spelling faults but it's late here and I'm kinda in a hurry to go to bed.

Italics = flashbacks.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2

"I'm sorry for calling you during work…" Allen apologized and glanced at his friend Lavi who was driving Allen home.

His hands still shook from the hypnosis, even though he told himself multiple times that what he saw (remembered?) wasn't real, couldn't be real!

But deep inside him he knew he couldn't get away, wherever he ran they would find him – and do whatever they did again. But what did they do? And who… or should it be 'what'? Allen wasn't sure anymore. True, he'd told Dr. Cross 'what' but Allen didn't remember what They looked like anymore, as soon as he'd awakened from his hypnotic sleep he forgot their faces (was it one or several?).

Actually the only thing he remembered from the hypnosis is the fact that he was taken from his home last night, that They somehow had him not remember it and that he was in his bed again a few hours later.

Allen frowned as he tried to create a timeline for last night. First: he went to bed around ten p.m. or so, second: according to his digital alarm clock next to his bed he awoke, for some reason, around two-ish? But immediately after that he doesn't remember a thing (and that would've have remained so if it weren't for Cross' idea to hypnotize him). The next thing he remembers is "waking" up in his bed around half past four a.m. There's a memory gap of about two and a half hours…

"Hey! Moyashi-chan? Are ya listenin' to me?" Allen was snapped out of his deep thinking by Lavi's currently obnoxious voice, that guy's got a talent in voice-mimicking.

"I'm sorry, I was just…"

"Distracted? Thinking? Did something happen during your session?" Lavi's tone suddenly went from loud and obnoxious to worried, another trait Allen admired him for – to instantly know something's going on which he doesn't know about (yet).

Allen gazed out through the passenger window; Lavi glanced at him a few times.

Should he?

Yes, but…

"Nothing, nothing special", he knew that Lavi knew he was lying; he was overly perceptive of everything.

Which is kind of annoying when Allen doesn't want to worry his friend.

"We're here", Lavi then said as he drove up on the driveway next to a small house.

Allen lived fairly isolated, the closest neighbor lived a ten minutes walk away from the house and the closest convenience store is about fifteen minutes by car.

He didn't move from his seat. He stared at his home, the home he inherited from Mana, the home he spent every summer in, the home he'd always felt protected in…

That home, that feeling of security, was no more.

Gone…

Taken…

Destroyed.

Lavi noticed his hesitation; he put a hand comfortingly on Allen's shoulder.

"You can stay at my place if you want", he suggested. Allen bit his lower lip and shook his head as a no.

"I'm fine, Lavi, really", and to top things off he unbuckled his seatbelt and left the car, Lavi stayed inside.

Allen walked towards the front door of the yellow house; he stopped and took a few deep breaths after closing his eyes. Trying to regain that lost feeling. After a moment he turned around and smiled at Lavi as he waved his left hand. Lavi waved back and then he drove away. Allen's smile faltered when he couldn't see the car anymore.

…he shouldn't trouble him – this was his problem.

He turned to look at the house – which wasn't his anymore – and shivered before he went in.

The inside looked normal – at first glance anyway. He searched through his stuff in all rooms, except the bedroom. Everything was where it's supposed to be. Nothing was unusual, out of place. The burglar alarm was functioning and it hadn't been any problems with it that night. No windows broken or open – locked from the inside – the same with the back door.

He began to doubt – was the hypnosis a hoax? Did nothing happen? He was safe!

Relief flooded over him and he let go of the breath he'd unconsciously been holding. He was safe.

He opened the door to his bedroom and threw himself on the oh, so comfortable bed, relishing in the familiar scent. His head was close to the edge so he would see the wooden floor if he opened his eyes. One arm, his right, hung down from the bed and with his fingers he traced the familiar dents and edges of the planks.

Then he felt it, an irregularity, something that hadn't been there before. He traced it and found that it kept going and going. Allen opened his eyes and he looked at the floor.

Scratch marks, ten of them, made from fingernails – his.

Words not understandable. Screams in the brightness. Rough shuffling of bed sheets.

Cold floor. Fingernails dug into the floor. Dragged from bed to window. Something holding, nothing holding.

Cold night air, the light covers the twinkling stars and the moon.

Taken.

He sat up straight in his bed, ragged breathing.

A memory, a memory of last night. It happened, it happened.

"Oh God…" Allen said with a thick voice, tears fell down his face, "no… please, no. No. No…"

In the living room he called Lavi, it didn't take long before he answered.

"Lavi speaking", Lavi said cheerfully, but Allen couldn't return it. In a low, broken voice he asked:

"Lavi… can I stay with you for a couple of days?"

Note: Allen does not have the mutation on his left arm, it's completely normal.

This story will be short, just so you know.

Review? :P