Chapter 10

Belize, Petunia, and Pop were walking around the house making sure if they can't find Rylie along the way, dead or alive, all three was hoping alive, but they knew about the town well enough to know they will be back, but the image of the skeleton burned in Belize's mind, he wanted to know if they died there why they couldn't be brought back, but he didn't know if it was true or not, no one there knew.

"My feet hurt; I think I stepped on a splinter." Petunia said leaning against the wall holding her foot up, Belize went over and took a look, she could have been right, the place did have splinters, but the only problem with what he saw, it was too swollen to tell if it was a bite, infected scratch, or infected splinter.

"Okay Pop help Petunia stand, we need to search every inch of this house for Rylie, Toothy, or Flippy." Belize said as he was looking down the hall trying to remember about this part of the haunted house, he made it himself and he was trying to remember exactly what he made this section do. Belize left Pop and Petunia, and went and tried one of the doors.

Belize slowly turned the knob as he felt his heart race with each little millimeter turn. Belize felt his heart feel like it stopped the second the knob mechanism snapped signaling the door could be opened. Belize slowly opened the door and slowly peered inside, he saw Lammy was sitting on the bed. Belize sighed, but then he remembered he left Lammy back with the others in case anyone shown up.

Belize started to feel a sense of intrigue as he sat there and took a great look at Lammy, Belize then realized what this part of the haunted house was for now, he made it pick random peoples fears, and a random person they know, and mix the two together, he looked closely at Lammy again, and saw her expression of sadness, some betrayal and the sense of revenge.

Belize felt a vibration in his stomach that was telling him this was his fear and it picked Lammy. Belize looked down and tried to relax. He then said aloud "This is not real, I made this area, and I can control what goes on here and what doesn't." Suddenly the Lammy in the room looks up to Belize at the door.

"Oh Belize my love, you came back finally." Lammy got up from the bed ran over to Belize and gave him a hug, Belize was shocked at how realistic this little mirage he made in the house was, somehow he got it to mimic down to every smell on the person too, Belize thought about this because there was a special Tropical Ocean Breeze that he had given Lammy just a day or two earlier.

The smell was lingering all around the room, Belize was looking around getting slightly disoriented by the smell, but then he walked out of the room and shut the door, he looked down the hall and saw Pop and Petunia were no longer there. "Oh come on really."

Suddenly Belize heard a female scream he ran down the hall and saw Petunia in the corner of the hallway crying, Belize walked over to her and started to pat her head, "Hey Petunia, your okay now… Where is Pop?" Petunia was staring at the wall while sulking and then saw a shadow move along the wall, she kept her eyes fixed on that and ignored everything Belize was saying trying to calm her down.

Belize noticed that she was too preoccupied with something and decided to try following whatever it was she was following and once he caught sight of what it was Belize felt a knot in his stomach tell him to grab Petunia and run, get away from there and into one of the rooms. Belize did just that, he grabbed Petunia and ran as fast as he could running by several doors until he felt that one of the rooms was safer then the others, he twisted the knob and it was locked, Belize knocked on the door and suddenly the door was unlocked, Belize opened the door and looked down the hall seeing a huge cloud of smoke with red eyes glaring right at him and flooding the hallway.

Belize got inside the room and pulled Petunia, just in time to close the door as the cloud started to bang on the door trying to break it down, but Belize knew this room was safe from it, but he didn't know why. Belize looked around the room and noticed it looked exactly like his room in the orphanage, Belize knew that was the safest place he knew until he moved to HappyTreeTown.

Belize felt a lot calmer then before even though Petunia is still slightly freaking out at whatever that thing outside the door was, she kept whimpering every time the door was banged and started to bend into the room, but never broke, she started to relax a little, but she was still very worried about everyone else.

She took a look at Belize and could have sworn he looked a lot younger and more feministic. She almost believed that Belize was never in the room, but somehow Rose was there smiling and looking happy, She sat and stared at the cute figure for what like to her hours, while the fog outside was still trying to bust down the door.

Suddenly everything went silent, Petunia shut her eyes for a few seconds and opened them up again Belize nor the figure that looked like Rose was any where in the room, she started to panic a bit, but she managed to stay calm until she felt something grab and pull at her tail. Petunia screamed and started swiping scratches at whatever grabbed her tail without ever even opening her eye.

"Petunia, Hey Petunia, Calm down it's just me… Belize." Belize said dodging a couple of swipes, but some of the swipes he couldn't dodge, just cut him a little, nothing to bad that he couldn't deal with. Belize then released Petunia's tail and then sat down closer next to her.

"Wh-what is this place? Belize…?" Belize sighed as his memories was flooding into his mind. "Just home… at least it was until something made me snap and not be considered normal, by anyone." Belize looked down at his hands as he remembered each of the fires he started while he was in the orphanage, and some of the lives he damaged just because his love of fire, was feeding off his hatred of other happy families, since he never got to know his that well.

"Petunia, look I may not be myself too much in this room, okay, so if I'm saying things you don't understand, just punch, hit, or slap me with something to snap me out of it… this room is making me feel like I am ten again." Petunia nodded, Belize sighed as he just figured to let the memories flow into his mind.

…

"Okay they have been gone too long… I think someone should go and find them." Kayser said looking at the small crowd of people. Everyone was hesitantly scratching their heads trying to figure out if it was a good idea to bring Belize back in the picture. Kayser walked by them and made everyone slap them-selves.

"Belize is at least some of our friend…" He then looked at everyone and stared them down "If you hated Belize enough to not help him, then why would you come to a party that he was hosting?" Everyone but Lammy, Miltera, and Rose shrugged. Kayser stood by the door opened it and looked out into the hallway hoping to see the group of three return as a group of six, but Kayser wasn't as optimistic as everyone else, especially when things are not making sense. He then started to pace back and forth. Everyone was just chitter-chattering around just talking local gossip and talking like they were getting to know each other better.

Kayser snapped his fingers and everyone suddenly got quiet and was looking at him. "I think I got it, I think we can go once, Belize returns." Everyone sort of cheered, but then after a cheer they might finally be freed they looked at him and were wondering what he was planning on doing.

"Belize said if we solve who killed Sniffles and Flaky and possibly a couple others, then we can focus on getting out of here." everyone nodded in agreement, Kayser then smiled "Okay so lets see what evidence we have." He paced a little again, Everyone that was missing at first, is the primary suspects." Everyone then started to look suspiciously at Kayser.

Kayser paused a second and just realized he may have given everyone the idea that he was the one behind it, but Kayser then recovered from the statement. "By that I meant everyone… I went missing to play I went missing. Who was gone before anyone realized I wasn't there?" everyone looked around and then Rose walked out of the crowd.

"I know who was missing while some things happened, Mr. Kayser sir." Everyone was looking at Rose as she just smiled and laughed, "Well, you were one of them, but then Flaky, and the new lady I don't remember her name…" Kayser's attention suddenly snapped to the squirrel, "You were gone to, how did we not notice that?" Michelle kind of blushed a bit, and then saw everyone was looking at her, she kind of had a nervous laugh, and then she cleared her throat.

"Okay I hate parties, and crowds now can you please stop getting closer to me, your really making me claustrophobic." Michelle said as she started backing into a corner even though no one was moving toward her. "Just answer where you were." Kayser said as he knew about claustrophobia a bit well, and got some of the others to back up away from the corner Michelle was in.

"I went to freshen up in the bathroom, and…" She started to reach into a bag everyone started to worry a little and kept their eye on her hand, Kayser ran over to Michelle and grabbed her hand from the bag, Michelle was shocked at how fast he reacted. Michelle pushed him back and continued to pull out something.

"wrap this little gift, for Rose." She said as she held the box out to Rose. Rose slowly walked over to it grabbed it and opened it up, she smiled as she looked at it, it was a fireproof pure silver locket, Rose opened it up and didn't see a picture inside, but knew that Michelle didn't have one to put in for her.

"Ooh that is so nice and pretty." Rose said as she closed the locket and put it around her neck, "Thank you very much, Miss… Um what is your name?" Rose said looked up sweetly at Michelle, "The names Michelle, I own a business her, and well someone brought that it a couple days ago and mentioned every one of your names, and gave descriptions."

"Wait what? You know about us, but we don't know about you." Kayser said realizing what Michelle said, Michelle smiled, "Yes and I think I remember what they looked like to it was…" Before Michelle could finish the lights in the study shut off and everyone screamed, then suddenly when the light was back on Michelle was gone.

"Where did she go?" Kayser said looking around and every didn't hear the door open or close, because it makes a loud creak from not being opened or closed, much at the very least of being oiled was out of the question too. Everyone looked around and started to panic, that someone got into the room and took Michelle without going through a crowd of folks, and getting her out without any evidence.

"Okay this is not good at all." Kayser said, knowing that he was now the only one missing when Flaky and Rylie went missing, and killed Sniffles. Everyone turned their attention back to Rose who was slightly crying because she never got to completely finish her thanks, and give Michelle a hug for getting her a gift she loved and could wear, that was of such great quality.

She then glared at Kayser, and started to point at him, "You… it was you that did this." Kayser looked around as everyone was getting closer to him glaring at him, Kayser laughed a little, "Well, apparently things are not going as planned, but also nothing I say without proof will change your minds so…" Kayser pushed Miltera, Disco Bear and Cub out of the way and opened the door and ran out.

"Leave him, once Belize learns it was Kayser he would deal with him, and then we can get out of here." Disco Bear said as he got up and started walking over to Rose, along with Miltera, Cub, and Lammy went over to console the saddened raccoon.

A/N Well this isn't looking good for Kayser, if he really done it, but its also not good for Michelle, Rylie, Belize, or Petunia, possibly Pop too whatever happened to them, or happening. Every time I write on this it saddens me that for some reason it gets closer to the end then I can think, weirder still I have so many ideas, but I just don't know why they are not flowing like I wanted them to, all well this is only the start of the finger pointing of who the culprit is.