Floraline

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Professor Layton. If I did, Descole would have his own spin-off.

Author's Note: Well, the movie Coraline is playing on TV right now, and I'm currently really into Professor Layton and pining for Mask of Miracle. I've seen the movie before, but just it being on is making me combine the two mentally. I thought of Flora for the title role because she is a character that doesn't get much attention or stories, and she is always left behind. It's easy to see her as frustrated as Coraline is with her life. This really made me want to write this story, along with the idea I had for the "Other Mother". I hope you all enjoy it. Please review! And feel free to let me know if you want to IM and talk about Professor Layton! I'm also currently looking for someone to co-write a fanfic or two with me.

Chapter Four

Resemblance

The tunnel seemed to go on for ages, and Flora was getting increasingly nervous. She was not as smart as the professor, but the length of this tunnel seemed unnatural. It had started in the attic of the house, and it just kept going straight forward-no twists or turns or anything like that.

Flora winced. She hadn't realized adventures could be so…painful. Crawling was hardly something a young lady such as herself was used to, though she was now starting to feel like she'd been doing it for ages. The length of the tunnel was only part of the problem. It was also rough and rocky, and she was crawling down it with the use of only one hand, while the other was out in front of her, holding the candle. She could see a lot of the tunnel thanks to the light, but there was still no sign of the end.

The teen was certain she would be sore tomorrow, not that she wasn't already pretty sore. Her hands and knees ached. How much time had passed since she started this trip?

There was no way to get an answer to that question right now, so she pressed on.

Finally, Flora could make something out some distance in front of her. Doing her best to ignore the pain she was in, she moved as fast as she could, until she found herself in front of another tiny door, marked the same as the first.

Though she had thought she'd be excited, worry prevented her from trying to open it. What was on the other side? Suppose it really was someplace dangerous? Or what if it led to another attic? It would be awful if she ended up in someone else's house, and if she got caught, the professor would learn about everything she had done.

For a brief moment, Flora considered turning back. But how could she, after coming this far? And honestly, her body wasn't ready to make that trek again. No, she couldn't let her fears stop her. She had to see where this tunnel led.

Swallowing nervously, Flora moved to open the door. After the last time, she was honestly expecting it to be locked, so she couldn't hide her surprise when it opened without any difficulty.

"Yes!" She smiled.

Before fear could take hold of her again, Flora opened the door all the way and crawled through. She immediately moved into a sitting position, eager to take the weight off of her sore knees before she did anything else. Rubbing at them, she looked around, her pained expression transforming into one of awe.

At first glance, one might look at the room she was in and say it was exactly the same as the one she had just come from. As far as Flora was concerned, they would be wrong.

True, the basic design of the room was the same as Layton's attic. It was about the same size, with the same lone window, a floor made of wood, and a wall covered with that paper she had loved so much. But while the attic she had come from was in desperate need of some work, this one was everything she'd imagined it could be and more.

The floor looked new, and it was sturdy. A circular, magenta-colored rug had been placed in the middle of it, and all it took was a touch to tell that it was as soft as it looked. That lovely wallpaper wasn't faded or damaged in any way, and it covered all the walls, not just one. The window that was so small and simple there, was large and arched here, with luxurious curtains that matched the rug. Were it daytime out, the room would surely be flooded with sunlight. Not that it needed it, as hanging from the ceiling was a beautiful, extravagant fixture that illuminated the attic perfectly.

There was still hardly any furniture in the room, but what there was looked like nicer versions of stuff from the professor's attic. The style was old-fashioned, like what she was used to from her home before going to live with Layton, and yet everything looked new. There were no boxes, and she doubted she would find a speck of dust or dirt anywhere.

Flora slowly stood, unable to stop gaping at her surroundings. She was pulled out of her trance suddenly, as part of the floor to her right collapsed with a loud noise, revealing a flight of stairs leading downward. It was almost as if some unseen force were beckoning her to go downstairs.

Before the teen could stop herself or even think about the fact that she was wandering around someone else's home-a stranger's home-without permission, she was traversing the staircase.

It should have surprised her that the hall she entered was nearly identical to the one the attic stairs led down to in the professor's house. But somehow, it didn't. She didn't even think it strange, though it most certainly was. Just like the previous room, this one was much nicer than its twin.

Flora felt a desire to open up every door in the hallway, to see if every room was a nicer duplicate of one in the professor's house. But even though she was already walking about someone's home without an invite, she was still too much of a lady to seriously consider invading another's privacy like that. No matter how much this might look like the professor's house, it wasn't.

She knew that she should go back, for that reason alone. Forget apologizing for trespassing. The owner of this house didn't even need to know that she had ever been here.

By now, Flora had reached a second staircase, which led down to the first floor. She could only catch a glimpse of what was down there, but that was somehow enough to make her keep going, against her better judgment.

While the previous two floors had closely resembled those in the professor's home, the differences between the ground floors were much more obvious. At least, they were from what she could see.

Both had a similar layout-one branching hallway that opened into various rooms. Given what she had already seen, Flora was certain there was a kitchen, a sitting room, a living room, and a bathroom, just like at the professor's house. And there were some similarities in décor. Where there was a cabinet or picture there, there was one here. But everything in this place was much larger and more extravagant. The professor's home was what one would call "quaint". No one would ever associate such a term with this house-no, this mansion. That was what it felt like, after all.

Suddenly, Flora felt very lost. It was as if she had only just realized that she was standing in a stranger's house, though she had been aware of that fact all along. Panicking a bit, she didn't even waste time to scold herself as she turned to rush back up the stairs, intent on returning to the attic and going back through the tunnel. But the sound of a door opening on the second floor made her freeze.

If someone were coming downstairs, they would see her before they'd even reached the first step. She had to get out of there.

Flora decided to head for where the entryway was in the professor's home. Once she was outside, she could worry about getting back there. For now, the most she could hope for was that she was heading in the right direction and that she didn't run into anyone.

Thankfully, her instincts were right, and it took all her willpower not to cry out in joy and relief as she saw the front door. She raced towards it, reaching for the handle. But before she could even touch it, the door opened on its own, and she stopped in her tracks, face-to-face with someone she recognized…almost.

The man standing before the teen regarded her with a curious gaze and a kind smile. He no doubt wondered why she was in his home, but it was clear that he did not mind her presence. In fact, it seemed like he delighted in it.

Normally, this would have been a huge comfort to the frightened Flora, and she would have immediately started apologizing and trying to explain herself. Instead, her heart raced, and she stood frozen in place, any and all words dying in her throat before she could voice them.

This man…looked like the professor. Physically, they could have been twins. Even the way he was dressed reminded her of him, but the colors and style were different. Just like this house could be called a more extravagant version of the professor's home, so could this man be called a more extravagant version of the professor himself.

He wore a top hat almost identical to the professor's, but his was black, and the red ribbon around his met at the side in a bow that almost looked like a flower. Beneath his black tailcoat, he appeared to be wearing a red vest over a white dress shirt and cravat. His slacks and shoes were also black, in contrast to his white gloves.

But the most striking difference, was the accessory on his face. There, on his right eye…

…was a monocle.