Hey there! I'm so sorry that this has taken sooo long to update, but I had writer's block and I've been away for three weeks so I've been very busy! Anyway! Here's chapter 3. Again, I'm sorry about the length. Enjoy people! Plant peace for the planet and see you around! Abitat Eco :) :) :) :) :)
Chapter 3- The Golden Apple returns
The Professor smiled widely as the sweet, delicate tones of tinkling notes drifted through his eardrums, surfacing from behind Flora's sturdy, wooden door as he quickly finished his tea and placed his empty cup on the counter. Clark and Brenda smiled at each other simultaneously, realising for the first time how beautiful Flora's voice sounded and how much her curious village of St Mystere really meant to her. She was obviously looking forward to the visit, as she began softly whistling under her breath and humming in unison to the birds' calls, throwing various items into her large case without really paying attention. The happy faces of those who Flora had been closest too before the Professor came into her life flashed through Layton's mind, as if a miniature film camera had been placed securely into his brain. Clive grinned at him from the corner of the room, heaving a large suitcase across the floor (Labelled: Emmy Altava) and he closed his eyes to allow Flora's mesmerising voice to put him into a deep, mystical trance. Layton straightened his top hat and peered over at Emmy, who was currently running after a triumphant and giggling Luke. Layton saw the familiar sight of Emmy's camera hanging from a strap around his neck and he couldn't help smiling as Emmy tried to lunge for her precious device and give the cheeky child a piece of her mind.
"Grrr! This is NOT funny, second assistant!" she growled through gritted teeth as Luke continued to laugh loudly and mock Emmy's efforts, "Don't make me use my martial skills on you!"
"Luke, I think that you should give Emmy her camera back now. A true gentleman never steals a possession of a lady, do they?"
Luke sighed and playfully threw the camera to Emmy, who caught it single handily and placed her hands on her hips.
"Thanks. That's more like it, Luke," she said coolly, "Well, after that little encounter, I'd watch over your teddy if I were you…VERY closely—"
"NO! Not my TEDDY!" squealed Luke as Emmy sniggered, securely placing her camera in her bag where it was safe from the teenager's groping fingers.
Carefully opening the door, Flora skipped gracefully into the room, clutching her bag handle tightly. She smiled nervously at the Professor warmly as he smiled back and brushed a tear from the corner of his eye-Flora was certainly growing up fast.
"Well?" she asked carefully, twirling around on the spot like a ballerina, "How do I look? Have I…changed much since I left St Mystere? Will…will they recognise me?"
Luke's face lit up as he caught sight of Flora and how beautiful she really looked. She continued to look at him expectantly, rocking forwards and backwards on her heels anxiously.
"Oh…Flora…I…I don't know what to say…" Luke faltered.
"Like Mary Poppins," interrupted Clive as he let go of Emmy's case and smiled broadly at her.
"I'm sorry? Who?" she asked curiously as she blinked her eyelashes rapidly with a clueless expression on her face.
Emmy smirked.
"Practically perfect in every way," smiled Clive as Emmy rolled her eyes at him, "That only begins the description, Flora…"
"You look like a princess, my girl," said Layton gently, kissing her lightly on the forehead.
Flora blushed and responded with a hug that almost choked the air out of the Professor before she finally let go and skipped excitedly to the door.
"Are we going then, Professor? Are we? Are we? Are—"
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" he chuckled as he opened the door to allow them through, "Of course, my dear. We shall see them all very soon, but remember: a true lady is always patient."
Flora nodded, blushing slightly as Clark helped her into the scarlet Layton Mobile, but Luke and Emmy didn't move.
"I want to go in the front seat!" protested Luke as Emmy started to climb in, "You sat there last time!"
"Zip it, second assistant!" teased Emmy as she continued climbing into the vehicle, "I'm older than you and I want to sit in the front, so—"
"Break it up, 'Old Emmy'!" Clive smirked as he stepped in front of Luke with his arms folded, "The Professor and Flora will decide where everyone sits. Won't you, Professor?"
Layton winked at Clive before turning to Flora.
"Would you prefer to sit in the front seat, as it is your birthday, Flora?" he asked softly, "Wherever is most comfortable for you?"
Flora shuffled further across the back and slumped down on the seat.
"I'd prefer to sit in the back, Professor, but thank you for asking me!" she chirruped, "Clive can go in the front…if you want…"
The boy punched the air triumphantly as he waltzed to the front of the car and slid into the front seat casually, whilst Emmy, Luke, Flora and Luke's parents clambered into the back. Rosa came running down the steps holding a large parcel just as the Professor was about to jump into the car and Emmy couldn't help but chortle loudly.
"What is it, Rosa?" he sighed as he wearily trudged over to her.
The lady thrust the parcel into his face so that it filled his entire vision.
"Forgotten something?" she said in an a tone of mock agitation as she tapped her foot impatiently on the steps and wagged her finger in front of the Professor's face, "Your lunch! That I spent half of the night preparing?"
The Professor's cheeks reddened as he sheepishly took the parcel and dashed off towards the Layton Mobile as Rosa watched him intently and she shook her head.
"Don't think that you're safe, Layton!" she shouted as the Professor quickly turned on the engine so that the car sparked into life, "We shall have our words when you get home! Make sure you have a proper shower in the mornings and eat plenty of breakfast—"
"ROSA!" Luke shouted through the window as the car started to speed away, "HE KNOWS FROM THE LAST ONE HUNDRED TIMES YOU'VE BEEN ASKING HIM!"
Luke wasn't sure whether Rosa had heard him or not, but she shrugged her shoulders and waved her duster in the air as the Layton Mobile sped down the street and out of her sight. Flora bit her lip to stop the laughter from escaping her mouth as Luke exchanged a glance with his father as he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Well…that was…awkward…" said Brenda quietly as a small smile crept onto her face.
The whole car was filled with laughter for the first five minutes of the journey as it sped through the familiar London streets. The sun was fairly high in the sky and the birds swooped through the air as the car drove through the last smoke ridden road and escaped into the fresh air and the welcoming sapphire sky and the jade coloured forests. Clive rolled down his window and inhaled several lungfuls of the pure air as Flora sighed with pleasure as the sweet aroma of pollinated flowers and nectar filled the entire vehicle. Emmy sat with her legs crossed in the back seat, her arms folded firmly as she let out an annoyed sigh of frustration.
"Why did I have to go in the back seat?" she moaned loudly, "I feel like a child being in the back! It's all stuffy and horrible!"
Luke smirked as Flora giggled and Clive swivelled his head around from the front seat, his face clothed in a wide grin.
"Yeah well, get used to it!" he sniggered as he whistled under his breath, "Stop moaning, 'Old Emmy'! Clark and Brenda sit in the backseat and do you hear them complaining?"
Emmy peered around the back until she found the amused faces of Clark and Brenda, before she blushed and shook her brunette curls.
"Um…no…" she stuttered as she began wringing her hands nervously.
"Precisely," Clive answered as he placed his hands around the back of his head in order to make himself more comfortable, "Oh and the reason that you feel like a child in the back-is because you ARE a child in the back! Are you going to start kicking your seat and screaming like a spoilt child now?"
Emmy growled under her breath and launched a powerful kick on the back of Clive's seat as the impact sent him flying forwards, cursing Emmy's name repeatedly and tugging at his protective seat belt. Emmy smirked from the back as she glared defiantly into his flaming eyes.
"I've wanted to do that for an awfully long time," she said, putting a lot of emphasis into the word 'awfully', "Don't make me tempted again, Birdie!"
Clive groaned and buried his head in his palms as Emmy began making bird noises and chicken clucks in the back seat.
"To be honest, I never thought that I'd say this, but I have to say that I liked 'Illegal' better than 'Birdie'!"
The Professor coughed loudly from the front seat next to Clive, which instantly succeeded in silencing his two assistants. Clive averted his gaze to a rather interesting scrap of paper on the car floor and began swinging his legs gently from side to side, whilst Emmy slumped back in her seat and sighed.
"Sorry, Professor," she said guiltily, "I'll act like a true lady-and Birdie here…I mean…err…Clive, will act like a true gentleman. Right, Bir—Clive?"
Clive nodded obediently and Emmy shuffled around and stared out of the window, so that her eyes were firmly fixed on the passing scenery for the duration of the journey. Luke rolled his eyes at Emmy and turned towards Flora, who was tapping her fingers impatiently on her knees. Luke outstretched his hand and held onto her palm tightly, a small smile imprinted on his face.
"You'll see them again in a few hours, Flora," he said gently, "I wonder how much Lady Dahlia's mouth will fall open when she sees what a proper young lady you are now!"
"Luke!" Flora giggled as the vivid image danced in her mind and she couldn't help but smile, "Yes, I know. I'm just so excited to see them all again, yet…this is hard to explain, but…I feel like I've never set foot in that village because I'm worried that it has…changed…"
Luke sighed and placed his arm around her neck to comfort her as he looked at her with a serious expression in his eyes and a burning question singeing his lips.
"Look, Flora," he started uncomfortably, "You're…you're still thinking about that dream again, aren't you?"
The answer was plainly obvious as Flora closed her eyelids tightly and clasped her hands tightly together. A single tear trickled down her face as Luke shuffled even closer towards her, racking his brains for something to say that would comfort the poor girl.
"Luke," she started, clutching his hand, "You're a brilliant friend. You do know that, don't you?"
Luke nodded dumbly-he was more concerned about Flora presently.
"You can tell me about it," he said quietly as he lifted his head up to see whether his parents were listening to their conversation, "You know you can."
Flora hiccoughed and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as she sat up straight and gazed out of the window in a trance like state.
"I'm scared," she said in a voice barely more than a whisper, "The dream seemed so real and…I haven't been to St Mystere for over a year now…I never wanted my curious village to change. I wanted it to always stay the same. As I remembered it...I just…feel like something bad has happened. Like I said in the kitchen when your mother asked me: it felt so real…"
A shiver ran down Luke's spine and he was ninety nine per cent sure that it wasn't from the cold gust of wind that had just blown down the window and chilled his skin. His mind was clouded with thoughts, both good and bad, about what Flora had dreamt. Was it really a sign of danger? Should they turn the car around and avoid the curious village at all costs? The boy quickly shook his head to erase the thoughts from his mind. Of course it wasn't true and it was most certainly not a sign. Flora wasn't psychic-that was one true fact. He began twitching his hands nervously at every tiny noise and his tongue suddenly felt icy and numb, as if someone had just shoved a whole tray of ice cubes straight out of the freezer down his throat.
"What…what did you see?" he choked in a sound barely audible for the human ear to detect, "In the dream?"
Flora screwed up her fingers tightly and she pressed her back even further into the seat behind her. Her eyes widened as the memory came back to her and her pony tail began shaking in fear. Luke leaned forwards even closer so that Flora's rasping breath could only reach his eardrums.
"I saw…darkness- a shadowy, beckoning darkness that filled my entire vision. It surrounded everything in sight so that absolutely nothing, not even the brightest colours in existence, could penetrate through its thick blanket of terror. I could still hear things though, only they were distorted and muffled. I could hear screams-echoing, loud screams from several men, women and children…I could hear a piercing laughter…I thought that it would make my ear drums explode... Then there was a fire…it was roaring like a ferocious beast and I could hear several things being sizzled by its flames. There was footsteps and scurrying. I tried to scream, but I thought that all happiness had been drained from me…That was when I heard the most terrifying thing in my whole life…a name being called amongst the flames…"
Luke licked his lips and tried to get any moisture into his dry throat as Flora continued to vacantly stare out of the car window as it travelled down the bumpy road in front of them. His mind started to whirl, the information being twisted into many unidentifiable shapes. A name. What name would terrify Flora like this? His heart froze as the one name flew into his mind and he turned his head in horror towards the sobbing girl, who had now turned away from the window and was sobbing quietly into her palms.
"Don't say you heard—"
"Yes, Luke," Flora snivelled as water trickled out from between the gaps in her fingers, "Dahlia."
She scrunched up her eyes and let her tears fall as the blurred figure of Brenda leant over the seat towards her, pulling out her handkerchief from her bag and pressing in lightly into Flora's trembling hands. Clark peered over at the girl with a worried expression on his face, looking at Luke questioningly. Flora finally accepted the handkerchief and rubbed it over her face so that the material blocked everything from her vision for a short period of time. Brenda scraped a stray strand of hair from out of Flora's eyes and enveloped her in a lavender scented hug, which started Flora's tears off all over again-it was like she was with her real mother all over again when she was very young.
"There, there, Flora," whispered Brenda quietly as Flora's tears dampened her violet cotton cardigan, "It's okay. Why are you crying? Is there something worrying you?"
Emmy immediately turned away from the window and looked helplessly at the shaking form of Flora as Clive craned his neck backwards, so that he could see what the commotion was about.
"What's going on back there? Is everything alright?" asked the Professor in a concerned tone as he made eye contact with Brenda through the mirror that hung from the ceiling of the car.
Clark patted Flora on the back gently before sighing sadly.
"Flora's upset, Hershel," he started uncomfortably, "I have no idea why, but she's just started crying for no reason at all."
Luke pulled himself forwards so that he was just centimetres away from the Professor.
"She's worried about the dream, Professor," Luke explained as a cold fear seemed to turn his insides to ice, "She thinks that something bad may have happened…The sooner we get to St Mystere the better- if you ask me."
Layton stopped at the traffic lights before turning around in his seat and facing the tearful face of Flora, as he tried to force a smile onto his face to comfort her.
"We shall be there soon, Flora dear," he said soothingly as she lifted her head a little so that she could hear him, "Everything will be fine. I promise you that now and a gentleman never breaks his promises. Understand?"
Flora managed a timid nod as she blew her nose and Brenda shuffled back to her original seat, exchanging several worried glances with Clark. Clive tried to give Flora a reassuring smile, but he couldn't seem to muster one. He was too worried about Flora to do so and he absolutely hated to see the poor girl so upset-especially when it was her birthday.
"Thank you everyone…" Flora snivelled quietly as she curled up against the window and rested her head on the handle, slowly letting her eyelids drop and her breathing return to its regular pattern as she drifted off into a comfortable, undisturbed sleep, with all of the terrifying images from her previous nightmare now erased from her mind…for the time being at least…
"Look, Flora! This is the small forest that we drove through when the Professor and I arrived to solve the case of the Golden Apple!" he said excitedly, trying to stand up to get a better view of their familiar location, "Remember, Professor? The sun was shining and the birds were singing and it was a beautiful day?"
Layton smiled warmly at his apprentice as the vehicle drove through the familiar paths of greenery and forests in the golden rays of the afternoon sun. Emmy, Clive and Luke's parents instantly craned their heads towards the windows, their eyes wide with interest as they drank in every detail of the exquisite surroundings. Brenda closed her eyes and inhaled the wonderful scent of the countryside around them as Clark and Luke tried chirruping melodies to the passing birds as they flew gracefully through the air. Clive couldn't remove his eyes from the window; it was as if he had never visited a more beautiful place in his life. He didn't even appear to be blinking as he stared mesmerised at the beauty of the place. Luke finished his successful birdsong tune to a passing nightingale before smiling widely as he observed Clive's actions.
'If he thinks this is pretty, his eyes would probably pop out of their sockets if he saw the Golden Garden back in Misthallery!' he thought as Clive wound down the window even further so that he could feel the warm breeze against his bare skin.
Emmy instinctively pulled out her camera and began using up almost all of her battery by taking dozens of photos of the vivid, beautiful area that they had almost finished driving through.
Flora stirred, stretching her arms widely and slowly sitting up, rubbing her glazed eyes with her soft palms.
"What did I miss?" Flora asked sadly as she saw the interested looks on all of their faces.
Layton turned towards his adopted daughter and smiled broadly.
"We are almost there, my girl," he said warmly as the car continued to drive onwards, "You'll be at St Mystere very soon! Just a few more minutes and then—"
"A few more minutes? !" groaned Emmy as she placed her camera in her bag and folded her arms, "I wish this car could travel faster-if it could travel at the speed of light then we would be there quicker than a click of my fingers!"
Clive frowned at Emmy as the Professor patted his car gently before replacing his worried look with a bland smile as he straightened his top hat.
"I say, Emmy," he started with a grin, "Your talk about the speed of light has just reminded me of a truly wonderful puzzle! Clark gave it to me back when we were at University. Remember, Clark? The one about the girl who could travel at the speed of light?"
Clark smiled and laughed a little as the vague memory came back to him for a split second before vanishing again. Emmy puffed out her chest proudly as Luke tittered with Flora.
"May I solve it please, Professor?" she asked as she looked up at him with wide eyes that instantly made his reply obvious, "I'm sure that I can beat this puzzle! I'll thrash it at the speed of light!"
"You'd have to do that in something like zero point zero, zero, zero, zero, zero—"
"Okay, Luke! I get the point! It was just a figure of speech!" snapped Emmy in exasperation before she quickly returned to her normal tone, "Okay, Professor. Let me have it!"
Puzzle 3-Light speed (40 picarats)
'Scientific law states that it would be impossible for one to travel at the speed of light, because it takes an infinite amount of energy in order to do so and you'd also travel back in time too. However, there are rumours of an ordinary girl who is said to be able to travel at the speed of light. Scientists visited her house. The light switch was over one metre from her bed, but the girl still managed to get into her bed before her room got dark. The scientists eventually found the solution. If the switch was over one metre away from her bed, how could she get into bed before it went dark?'
(You know the drill! Answer below-cover if you want to solve it yourself! Get this right and you will have 120 picarats)
"I must say, Clark-I never knew that you were so good at making puzzles!"
Clark smiled slightly as Brenda beamed proudly at him. Emmy began restlessly shuffling in her seat as she pondered over her answer for several minutes, before she sat up straight and pointed her finger assertively into the air.
"Aha! I have the answer, Professor!" she said triumphantly as Clive averted his gaze away from his watch after timing how long Emmy took to solve the puzzle.
"Go ahead then, my dear," he said happily, "What is the answer to the puzzle?"
Emmy flicked her hair behind her back casually and smiled.
"She can't travel at the speed of light at all-she just has the habit of going to bed at midday! That was a good puzzle, I must say so myself!"
"You liked it then?" Clark asked with a hopeful expression as Brenda lightly elbowed him in the stomach.
"Of course I did! It was almost as good as the Professor's!" she grinned before swivelling her head towards the window, "Now here is my next burning question: Are we there yet? !"
Layton chuckled as he released his tight grip on the steering wheel.
"I was wondering when you were going to ask me that, Emmy!" he laughed, "Well, yes-we are here!"
Flora immediately stopped looking so dozy and sprang to life, pressing her face against the glass windows as the car slowed down and Layton pulled over to a quiet parking spot.
"I can't believe I'm here again!" she squealed excitedly as she and Luke threw open the doors and immediately raced each other towards the moat that separated the village from the forest area.
Emmy and Clive followed soon after and Layton, Clark and Brenda eventually scrambled out, exchanging glances of pride as they watched their children run towards the village excitedly. Flora let out a gasp as the Professor, Luke's parents, Emmy and Clive ran over to join where she and Luke were currently staring across so that they were facing the village.
"What is it, Flora?" asked the Professor gently, "There is nothing to be scared of here. Are you nervous at seeing your friends again—"
"The drawbridge is…damaged," she croaked as she pointed a shaking hand towards the large piece of wood lying disregarded between the village and where they stood now.
St Mystere was now permanently open so that anyone could get in, but why? Cautiously, the Professor bent down so that he was on his knees and placed a finger to his chin thoughtfully. Clive squinted through the light as he caught sight of two large metal contraptions barely attached to the sides of two large, wooden beams from which the drawbridge had been firmly secure. Emmy was just about to pull out her camera and take a picture of the scene, before Layton placed a firm hand on her shoulder and shook his head in disapproval, gesturing towards the devastated face of Flora as she and Luke simply stared, confused, at the drawbridge. Brenda blinked rapidly as she tiptoed closer towards the edge, with Clark following her lead.
"What could have happened, Professor?" asked Clive curiously as he began pacing up and down.
"I take it that this wasn't like this when you last came here, Flora," said Brenda softly as she placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay, dear…there has to be a simple explanation for this...
"LUKE!" yelled Clark as he ran even closer to the drawbridge edge, "Please get off of that thing this instant! You don't know if it's safe! It could sink any moment!"
Luke stopped halfway across the bridge before turning to his father and jumping up and down on it, making Clark almost tumble into the water with shock. Even though it was unstable, there were several thick poles coming from out of the water keeping it in place. Luke presumed that Bruno had had them fixed in that place a few days ago.
"It's fine, Dad!" Luke replied as he advanced even further across it, "Even if it wasn't stable I can still swim-can't I—"
Luke froze to the spot, his eyes focused on two large, empty holes with huge, long marks streaking through the splintered wood. The teenager bent down to examine the holes more closely, his heart hammering as Flora, Clark, Brenda and Emmy carefully walked over the drawbridge towards him.
"What is it, Luke?" asked Emmy as she bent down to the same level as him, "What's wrong?"
"This bridge has been ripped off of its hinges!" he exclaimed as the Professor and Clive eventually made it across after some final observations.
Flora clutched her throat as her eyed began to water as she inhaled several lungfuls of air.
"Can…can you smell smoke?" she asked timidly, the same fear instantly coming back to her as she quickly filed past the group and ran across the rest of the drawbridge into the opening of St Mystere.
Clive watched her leave before glancing at the holes and sighing.
"Professor, something is wrong," he said, swallowing the lump in his throat, "and I have a feeling that when we go through that entrance, we shall see something much, much—"
"NOOOOOOO!" shrieked the high pitched voice of Flora from the other side of the drawbridge.
"Worse…" finished Clive as he instinctively ducked when Luke, Emmy and the Professor sprinted across the demolished drawbridge and ran over to join Flora.
Clark and Brenda looked at each other before each taking hold of Clive's hand and pulling him roughly across the bridge before he fell into the water, their minds whirring with visions of what horrifying sight awaited them at the end of the path. They were met with gasps of shock and disbelief from the rest of the group as the Professor immediately grabbed Flora's hand tightly and hugged her, whilst Emmy stood there with her mouth hanging open and Luke craned his neck backwards a puzzled expression on his face.
"Err…Professor?" he asked slowly, "Are you sure that we're in the right place?"
Layton looked fearfully at his apprentice as Flora continued to wail into his jacket.
"I'm afraid we are, my boy," he said shakily as Luke's mouth was suddenly replaced with a perfect circle, "This is most definitely not the St Mystere that we know though…"
The group stood silently for several minutes, whilst their wide eyes absorbed all of the details with shocking and interest like sponges. The sight in front of them, which was assumed to have been large rows of houses all neatly arranged together, was nothing but large piles of black coals, ash, soot and debris. Layers upon layers of rubble consisting of charred lumps of straw, burnt sticks, deformed bricks and materials and the remnants of broken pieces of old furniture littered the pavements of the streets. As far as the group could see, only a few houses had been spared of this horror, as well as the once grand and proud clock tower that had bravely survived. That small survival put a little ray of hope in Flora's heart, but she buried her head even deeper into Layton's chest so that she didn't have to witness the awful fate that had overcome her village. The sun could now barely be seen as thick clouds of ash and smoke blocked its sharp rays from view, making the village feel like it had been plunged into an icy storm of fear. There were no birds singing sweetly in the trees-they were all charred and ruined too. Where there had been lampposts and shops to supply the residents of St Mystere with their daily needs, they had been replaced with large empty holes in the cracked bricks of the pavement and more piles of debris. This was one street of St Mystere. Had the others been spared? Was the whole village like this? Luke blinked rapidly as he witnessed what had once been the prettiest and most peaceful village in the whole country, or so it had been in his opinion. He knew how much the village meant to Flora and seeing it in such a terrifying light and dire state when he and the Professor had both promised her that everything would be fine made his heart freeze to ice in his chest as he looked helplessly on at Flora. Emmy and Clive closed their eyes respectfully as Clark bent down and picked up a large sign, with its paint scraped off and the letter hanging untidily off of the sign. Luke gasped as he recognised the sign that had once been on display outside of Crumm's café when they had last visited.
"The residents," Luke breathed as his father threw down the sign and held onto Brenda's hand tightly, "Where are they? What has happened to them?"
Flora finally emerged, her eyes red and swollen from where she had been crying as Layton closed his eyes and held her close to him.
"My dr…eam…" she stammered, "This is…what happened in my…dream…"
Layton swivelled his head around, trying to find any signs of life, but he was so far failing as his chest throbbed with worry.
"Yes, Professor. Where do you think the residents are?" asked Emmy sadly as she coughed on the choking stench of the burnt buildings that had once housed a family of happy residents, "This is worse than the spectre in Misthallery!"
"They're as alive as they can be," answered a small high pitched voice from behind her, "We survived, but barely."
Emmy swivelled around on her heel as the rest of the group followed her example to see who it was who had spoken. Luke and Layton gasped as they recognised the curly brown hair, the large, beautiful eyes and the same outfit that she had worn when they had last seen her.
"Lucy? !" gasped Luke in shock as she looked up at them with big eyes, "You're alive!"
Lucy shrugged her shoulders and giggled quietly.
"Yes, I guess I am, aren't I?" she asked with a tinkling laugh, "Oh! I remember you! You and the Professor in the top hat! You came and adopted Flora Reinhold, didn't you? Huh? Flora! Is that really you?"
Flora timidly stepped forwards and Lucy ran into her arms and hugged her tightly, which shocked Flora mightily, but pleasantly.
"Look how much you've changed! You've grown up so much! Wait till everyone hears! Hey! The Golden Apple has returned to her village…well, what's left of it at least!"
Clive frowned at her as he peered around at the scene around them.
"How can you joke about such a thing?" he asked in a confused manner, "Half of your village has been destroyed by a…what was it again?"
Lucy beamed as two women stepped out from part of the rubble behind her. One was fairly large, had a stout figure and wore a beaming smile on her face and the second woman was small, covered in soot and blinking rapidly behind her large glasses.
"Well, well, well!" exclaimed the first woman as she threw up her hands with glee, "As if I could forget my two favourite customers EVER! Professor Layton! Fluke! How nice to see you again!"
Layton raised his top hat as Luke did likewise-he was used to everyone getting his name wrong by now and a true gentleman didn't protest.
"Ah, Beatrice!" greeted Layton as he shook her hand, "It is nice to see you alive and well…I'm…awfully sorry about your inn…you were doing so well, but this disaster has taken you out of a business…"
Beatrice sighed loudly, but managed a forced smile.
"Ah, well. The old girl was getting pretty old and she did live up to her name, but…yeah, you're right…the fires came, she didn't stand a chance and my only option was to leave my inn and run for my life, It was hard though…leaving her to the flames…my home, my life's business-I'm thankful that I'm alive though! I'm starting a new inn a few streets down from here to supply for all of those poor unfortunate people who lost their homes…but I could've died like some of the other residents—"
"WHAT? !" screamed Flora as she immediately let go of Lucy and looked into her eyes, "Please tell me that's not true—"
"Look at how my little Golden Apple has blossomed…how you've changed since you were a baby, Flora…"
Flora squealed with relief and flung herself into the outstretched arms of Ingrid, who had been with Flora since the moment she's been born. She nestled her head into her woollen cardigan and let her grey strands tickled her bare skin.
"Ingrid! Oh, I'm so glad to see you! I've missed you so much!" Flora sobbed gently into her cardigan.
Ingrid ran her long fingers through Flora's chestnut strands, before embracing her once again and breathing in the sweet scent of her perfume.
"I don't think that I've seen you people before," Beatrice said, gesturing towards Clark, Clive, Brenda and Emmy.
"These are friends of Flora's. Flora wanted them to see her village, but of course not like this," Layton explained, gesturing towards the piles of debris.
"Who…who died and how many?" asked Brenda shakily as Beatrice sighed loudly.
"At least a dozen," she said with the tiniest twinge of pity creasing her face, "Burnt to a crisp by the flames, devoured by the tornado, but either way their death was the same-painful and slow…Just random residents died…several injured…"
The group gasped after Beatrice had explained and they quickly closed their eyes and said a prayer for the dead villagers. Even though they were robots, they were seen as identical to humans in their eyes.
"You mean this was done by natural causes…a tornado and a fire?" asked Clark, "Isn't that unnatural in these parts?"
Lucy shook her head.
"No. It wasn't natural and it most definitely was not a natural cause! It was 'She-who-brings-darkness-to-the-world'!"
A wind blew through the village, carrying the sound of sheer silence with it.
"Err…I'm sorry? Who?" asked Clive as he felt his brain cells frazzle.
"Here's a tip for you lad: if you want to keep your life, stay away from 'She-who-brings-darkness-to-the-world'!" whispered Beatrice with a shiver.
"Never mention her name! 'She-who-brings-darkness-to-the-world' won't take kindly to her name being mentioned!"
Before Layton could ask more about this strange human, or creature, Flora interrupted.
"Who's injured? Who's hurt?" she asked in a panicked tone.
Lucy scrunched up her face in emotional pain.
"Granddad," she said bitterly, "He had it pretty bad-he was trying to save me too! Several other residents have been hurt as well and are currently being repaired by Bruno-he's literally being swept off of his feet with all of these robots being dumped at his door!"
"Err…robots?" said Emmy cautiously as she scratched her head and looked at Layton.
"All of the residents are robots built by Bruno and Flora's father to keep her company after he passed away," Layton explained quickly, "Everyone here, apart from Flora and Bruno, are robots and the townspeople were told the truth soon after we adopted Flora. Anyway, carry on, dear."
"There was Crumm…and Gordon…several of my friends including Agnes and Adrea…oh…and Lady Dahlia too!"
"WHAT? !" squealed Flora as she let go of Ingrid and looked at Lucy fearfully, "How bad? How bad is she hurt? What happened to her? !"
Lucy held up her hands to calm Flora down, before she cleared her throat to speak.
"She's okay now. She was lucky though! She was surrounded by flames and Bruno risked his life to save her! He got her all fixed and mended but she's just a little bit jumpy at the moment. Why? I take it that you wanted to visit her? She's really been missing you, Flora—"
"That's enough, Lucy," said Beatrice sternly as Lucy blushed and shuffled behind her, "Reinhold Manor was surprisingly left untouched. It's in the usual place, but if you want information on what's been going on in town then you should consult with Dahlia. She'll tell you everything you need to know."
Flora nodded as Layton raised his top hat and ushered the group towards him again.
"Thank you very much for your help. We'll be sure to see you again very soon. In the meantime, do look after yourselves and be careful!"
The three residents nodded before they turned around and began shuffling the other way through the village. Flora ran up to the Professor and Luke as they sprinted through the debris ridden pavements of St Mystere, only to not meet another living soul other than the three girls whom they had just passed.
"You told me that this village was curious, Hershel, but I never expected this!" Clark exclaimed as he tried to keep up with his son and his wife.
Brenda prayed silently under her breath and Emmy and Clive quickly sped down the streets, being determined to reach Reinhold Manor-no matter the cost.
"What has happened, Professor?" called Flora as she gripped Luke's hand tightly and they rounded the corner of the street to see the familiar trashed storeroom where Layton had found lots of puzzles hidden.
The Professor counted their heads to make sure that they were all there before turning towards his assistants, trying to keep a calm composure.
"I have no idea, but our best hope to find out exactly what happened is to consult with Lady Dahlia at Reinhold Man—"
"No one consults with Lady Dahlia without my say-so," snapped a short, thin man who leant by the gate towards the manner, tapping his foot impatiently and looking down at the Professor through his wide glasses, "State your business or move out!"
The Professor raised his hat politely as Luke gasped.
"Simon! We thought it was you!" he said, sighing with relief, "We've seen the wreckage of the village and we'd like to talk to Lady Dahlia if that's—"
"Do I know you, Shorty?" he asked as he frowned with disgust, "I don't think I've seen you around here before and anyway, who's Simon? Hardly anyone apart from the residents are seen around here, which leads to the only conclusion: you're all imposters, or you're all demons doing the bidding of 'She-who-brings-darkness-to-the-world'!"
Luke gasped loudly and quickly began shaking his head until it looked like it would fall off.
"Huh? ! No, no, no, no, no, no, sir! We're not imposters! We've come to see Lady Dahlia! She requested to see Flora Reinhold, so we came. Look! Here she is with us now!"
Simon raised his eyebrows as he caught sight of Flora, but this still didn't convince him.
"You think you're so smart, don't you, Shorty?" Simon scoffed as he moved his glasses to a more comfortable position, "Well I'll tell you something: YOU'RE NOT AS SMART AS ME! You want to get through here? Solve this puzzle to prove that you're not an imposter-and I MIGHT let you through here!"
Luke straightened his jumper and adjusted his cap.
"Go on then!" he said in a slightly agitated tone, "Let's see your best shot!"
Puzzle 4-Numerous numbers (40 picarats)
"To get through here, you need a number. Solving the puzzle will show that you are not an imposter as only people of the village or people of high intelligence will be able to get this puzzle right. I will give you a number and you must respond with the correct number. If you say the incorrect number, then you cannot get through here-BECAUSE I WON'T LET YOU! I can give you some information:
The first man to pass through here was given the number 100. He responded with the number 10 and I let him through.
The second man to pass through here was given the number 50. He responded with the number 5 and I let him through.
The third man to come here was given the number 20. He responded with the number 2 and I chased him all the way down the road until he was well out of sight. Filthy imposter!
There's your information! Your number is going to be 20. You know that 2 is not the answer. So, Mr clever cap, what is the number you must respond with?
(You know the drill! Get this right and you will have 160 picarats)
Luke bit his lip hard, before taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, whilst the man at the gate continued to tap his foot against the cobbled floor impatiently.
"Six," Luke said in a loud, clear voice, "At first it seems like you have to divide the figure by ten, but it is really the number of letters in the number that count and there are six letters in 'twenty' so that's the answer!"
The man raised his eyebrows, before letting out a dramatic sigh and reluctantly opening the gate to allow them through.
"Hmph. You're not as dumb as you look then. I'm only doing this because of the lady's orders, but in my opinion-you're presence spells disaster. Do what you came to do-then skedaddle!"
Layton responded with a forced smile as the group filed through the gate into the large grounds of Reinhold Manor. Luke smiled as he caught sight of the flowing river that he and the Professor had once ridden on when they were solving the case of the Golden Apple. Clive had to grip onto Flora's arm tightly to stop himself from charging into the field of exotic flowers and even Emmy couldn't bring herself to find her camera and take up half of her film-she was too mesmerised by the beauty of such a quiet, curious place. Layton squeezed Flora's hand tightly as she wiped a tear from the side of her eye. Clark and Brenda smiled at each other in unison as they orderly made their way towards the large, grand door that separated the manor from the outside world.
"I can't believe that I'm home…" Flora breathed as Emmy reached for the knocker and banged it several times so that an endless echo filled the entire house.
Seconds later the door opened, allowing them to enter the manor. Even Luke's parents, Emmy and Clive couldn't hide their excitement as they nervously followed the Professor, Luke and Flora through to the main entrance hall.
"Flora!" exclaimed the surprised, delighted voice of Matthew as he hastily ran towards her, "I can't believe my eyes! You're here! You've come home at last!"
Flora tried her hardest not to cry as she sprang at Matthew, flinging her arms around him tightly, almost choking him to death. Matthew responded with a softer hug as he ran his cold fingers through her glistening strands and for the first time ever, the Professor noticed a teardrop of joy in the corner of Matthew's eyelid and he was certain that it wasn't a trick of the light. Flora eventually let go as Matthew beamed with pride and straightened out his smart uniform, before addressing the waiting group and the Professor.
"It's nice to see you again, Matthew," Layton smiled as he extended his hand out towards him.
Matthew grasped it tightly and began shaking it roughly up and down, until Layton had to pull away; he feared that his hand would drop off if he continued.
"Ah! Professor Layton and Luke! It's an honour to see you again! I take it that these are your new friends, Flora?" he asked, gesturing towards the four other humans gazing in wonder around the hall.
"Oh! Of course!" Flora said quickly as she pointed to each of them in turn, "Matthew, these are my friends: Emmy, Clive and these are Luke's parents, Clark and Brenda. It's really nice to see you again, Matthew! I've missed you so much!"
Matthew nodded as his smile widened before it was quickly erased from his face and he shuffled his feet nervously.
"Well, I'm afraid that you've picked the wrong time to come…" he started uncomfortably, "You see, St Mystere is suffering a…well…I take it that you've seen the damage?"
"Yes, Matthew. Ingrid said that Lady Dahlia got injured and that she could tell us more about this strange occurrence…" said Luke slowly, "Is there any chance that we could see her?"
Matthew nodded straight away and ushered the group towards the stairs, whilst Clark and Brenda had the hard job of dragging Emmy and Clive to the foot of the staircase when they refused to move a muscle.
"Of course! She'll be extremely glad to see you, Flora dear. It's just up the stairs and to the—"
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Matthew was cut off by a piercing, high pitched scream that came from the rightmost room at the top of the staircase, where Layton and Luke had last talked to Lady Dahlia and that was a scream that they recognised very well.
"DAHLIA!"
Flora was off like a bullet as she thundered up the staircase, with the professor, Luke and the rest of the group close at her heels. The screaming suddenly stopped and was replaced with an unnerving, uneven breathing noise from behind the door. Emmy effortlessly kicked the door open before the group charged inside, swivelling their heads in all directions in the hope that Lady Dahlia would magically appear in front of them.
"My…my lady?" Matthew whimpered as he began wringing his hands, "L…Lady Dahlia?"
The butler was met with a terrified squeak as the group immediately ran towards the window, their faces filled with worry. Dahlia lay sprawled across the floor, her chest rising and falling unevenly. Her limbs were shaking uncontrollably and her face had been drained off its colour and replaced with an icy shade of white. Brenda and Clive instantly ran to her aid, heaving her up with all of their strength even though she seemed reluctant to do so at first. Carefully, they guided her to the couch and lay her on it, so that her tearful eyes gazed blankly up at them. Flora just stood frozen to the spot, being too sickened and terrified to move. Matthew elbowed Clive out of the way, much to his protests, before kneeling beside Dahlia with a complexion almost as white as her own.
"Dahlia…" he stammered as he tried to make her breathe properly, "What…what happened?"
Trembling, Dahlia pointed her hand towards the window as Luke bent down to get a glimpse of what had terrified her. The boy placed a hand to his mouth and staggered backwards, looking disgusted. Everyone's eyes were now averted to the horrifying sight that had made Dahlia so terrified: a large, glistening object lay alone in the centre of the floor, the majority of it eaten away by some unknown creature and a strange, glossy substance pooled around it. The Professor bent down to get a closer look at the intriguing object and he suddenly knew what it was. It was a fruit-an apple. This was not an ordinary apple though: this didn't have the rosy, red colour, or the fruity, sweet aroma of a normal apple. This apple was rotten, larger chunks of it decaying with every second that passed. It was completely black, with not a single bright colour covering the deadly fruit. Insects and unknown creatures crawled all over it, baring their tiny fangs menacingly at Layton as the apple seemed to get darker and darker almost as quick as it decayed. Layton's hands suddenly felt warm…and sticky. He pulled them back in horror, to see them coated in a familiar, glistening red substance that spelt certain disaster: blood. Luke turned away at that point, now understanding what that revolting substance on the floor was. The Professor dropped it and backed away towards the group, swallowing hard on his fear. A loud cawing noise interrupted the silence that followed as a large black crow took off from the nearby tree branch, which it had been perched on for some time.
"Wh…wh…what was that…that…thing?" Flora asked, hiding her face in the Professor's jacket.
Dahlia shrieked and sat upright, suddenly feeling very alert.
"It's…it's…a sign…" she faltered, choking with every word she spoke.
"What…what do you mean?" asked Emmy, having difficulty hiding her fear.
"A sign…" said Dahlia again in a deep tone, "from 'She-who-brings-darkness-to-the-world'…a signal…"
"Huh?" said Luke, having trouble to think clearly, "To signal what?"
"The…the end of St Mystere...eventually…and…and…"
"What?" demanded Layton, even though he had guessed the answer, "What else does it signal?"
Dahlia shook violently, before turning her head slowly, so that her eyes locked with Flora's.
"Death…of the Reinhold family..."