I have returned! Did you guys miss me? And happy 2015 to everyone out there! Sorry for taking so long to update, I just got so many stories and on top of that I had both school and a new job. But I finally found enough time to write! Alright, thanks to Sorcerer of the Stories (Thanks that means a lot that someone else found my idea really interesting. Honestly, this story has caused me to create many other sisters where there weren't ones before so a lot of my ideas are attributed to this story right here.), Em (Thanks, and yeah, I understood what you were saying with the bow so I decided to change it slightly. And I like that idea you had, I'm gonna try and incorporate it.), Sophia Kaiba, matthewcortes93, milano641, kittyitty6 and TriMaplenut for reviewing/following/favoring along with all 1,737 readers! Alright, now it's time to bring in Luke, who will cause a development for Solana. Also, I recently saw Disney's 2015 Cinderella and decided that Lily James, Cinderella, will be Solana's voice so imagine her whenever Solana talks. I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!

Solana picked up the hint coins she found in the den before she followed Layton and Emmy to the hallway, where they found the maid, Beth, there.

"Master Luke has been holed up in his room for a while now. I can't even tidy up in there." She commented.

"Is this sort of behavior typical for Luke?" Emmy asked curiously.

"Oh no. He's usually quite lively. He's such a good little boy…" Beth sighed, "If you ask me, it's because his mother has been gone for so long. That can be hard on a child, you know. He's quite mature for his age but he's a rather sensitive boy."

"I'll take care of him when he's with us, I promise." Solana swore as she bowed her head down.

"Oh, thank you, Ms. Layton." Beth smiled.

"Please, call me Solana." Solana insisted.

"Where is Luke's room?" Layton asked then.

"Upstairs, at the end of the hall." Beth answered.

"Thank you." The professor smiled before he led the girls up the stairs and down the hall, where he knocked on the door. When they got no answer, Emmy suggested,

"Maybe he's sleeping."

"Perhaps…" The professor agreed.

"I'm not so certain." Solana shook her head before she knocked again.

"Luke? My name is Hershel Layton. My sister, Solana, and I are friends of your father's. Could we talk for a moment?" Layton requested when Luke remained silent.

"Certainly. But first, you'll have to solve my door puzzle!" Luke said.

"Your…door puzzle?" Solana asked, her arms crossing as her head cocked to the side.

"Ah ha, I see. Luke means to test our mettle with a puzzle." Layton smiled.

"That's so cute, Professor! Let's do it!" Emmy grinned.

"I'm in." Solana nodded in agreement, smiling.

"So we shall." Layton said.

"If you are truly the esteemed Hershel and Solana Layton, then this puzzle should be no problem." Luke said, "You will have 15 seconds to perform a specific action in front of the door."

"Just a second, young one!" Emmy cut in, "How are we to know exactly what it is we're supposed to do?"

"You may search the area outside my door as much as you like." Luke stated.

"And when we're ready to perform this action, whatever it may be, we should let you know?" Layton asked.

"Correct. But I will tell you now, you can't do anything to solve this puzzle." Luke added

"Hmm, alright. We're up to your challenge." Solana smiled.

"Good luck." Luke stated.

"You ready, Professor?" Solana smiled.

"Of course." Layton nodded while Emmy simply watched the siblings' exchange in slight confusion. "We're ready, Luke!"

"You know what you have to do?" Luke asked.

"I think we do, of course." Solana stated.

"Professor, Lana, are you sure?" Emmy asked in shock.

"Then let's begin. Please stand in front of the door." Luke instructed.

"Would you like to give this a go, Professor?" Solana offered.

"It would be my pleasure." The professor tipped his hat before he stepped in front of the door.

"Remember, you can't do anything to solve this puzzle." Luke repeated. For 15 seconds, the professor simply stood in front of the door silently.

"What is he doing?" Emmy whispered to the artist.

"You'll understand in a second." Solana replied with a smile.

"That is what you had to do!" Luke cried as the 15 seconds ended.

"'You can't do anything to solve this puzzle.'" The professor repeated with a smile.

"In other words, to solve this puzzle, you can't do anything." Solana smiled.

"'Nothing' was the 'thing' we had to do to solve this riddle. An interesting puzzle, Luke." Layton complimented.

"You're pretty smart." Solana added.

"So, even from inside his room, he could hear us if we did something." Emmy concluded.

"Now, Luke, are you convinced that we are who we say we are?" Layton asked.

"Will you let us in now, Luke?" Solana asked gently.

"As I promised." Luke stated. With that said, the three entered to find a young boy, around 10 Solana would guess, wearing a white shirt, blue pants, suspenders and a blue newsboy cap standing near a window.

"A clever puzzle, Luke." Layton commented as the three faced the boy. Luke simply sharpened his glare at the three, suspicious. Layton reached into his coat's pocket and pulled out the letter. "Your letter. I thought you might want it back." The professor stated calmly. Luke's eyes widened as he gasped, turning to face the three more.

"Professor! You think Luke wrote the letter?!" Emmy asked, shocked.

"Clark never liked typing his letters." Solana explained, "He always wrote his letters the old fashioned way."

"Moreover, only someone very close to Clark would know about our past together." Layton continued, "This someone would know neither Lana nor I could ignore a friend in need."

"Are you really…Professor and Solana Layton?" Luke asked in what Solana could only describe as awe.

"Is this true, Luke?!" Clark cried as he entered his son's room. As he did, Luke's gaze sharpened to a glare. "How could you do something like this?! What were you thinking?! Were you even thinking at all?" Angrily, Luke turned his back on Clark. "Here, now…Don't you turn your back on me again." Clark said.

"Clark, please." The siblings interjected in unison, their voices calm.

"Forgive me." The mayor said as he turned to face his guests. "The boy has barely spoken to me in the last six months. He's been so withdrawn since the appearance of the specter…I don't know what else-"

"Very soon…The world will end." Luke stated suddenly. Layton, Solana and Emmy gasped in shock as Clark's glare increased towards his son.

How could a little boy talk like that? Solana wondered silently, her hand going to play with her chain.

"The end of the world…What do you mean by that?" Layton asked, confused.

"I mean what I just said." Luke stated.

"Luke, you can't say something like that and not elaborate." Emmy argued.

"You know you can trust us, right Luke?" Solana asked as she looked at the boy. She saw something in him, something she could connect to. He was a lot like her when she was going through…everything as a kid, before she met Clark and Brenda.

"He just won't open up to anyone. He wasn't always like this." Clark said. Solana gasped, her hands coming to cover her mouth as she realized that Luke was almost the same as she was at his age. "When he does speak, it's only to say something inscrutable, as you saw. Prophecies…Absurd."

"Prophecies?" Layton asked thoughtfully.

"It's all my fault…" Clark sighed, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about, Clark?" Solana asked softly.

"I-I'm sorry. I have urgent business to attend to in my study. We can discuss this later." Clark stuttered out an excuse. Solana's eyes narrowed, even if she was still reeling over her concern for Luke. "Luke, Mr. Layton and Solana are close friends. Please talk with them. Perhaps you can even help them. Thank you, Hershel, Solana." With that said, Clark left Luke's room. However, Doland entered right behind him.

"I'm afraid that it is time for Master Luke to retire." He stated.

"What, now?" Emmy cried, "We're right in the middle of something."

"And it's still the middle of the day, I don't see the logic, Doland." Solana argued, crossing her arms.

"Nevertheless, it is bedtime." Doland stated. Solana growled under her breath.

Dumb butler, already getting under my skin. She thought.

"If I may, Doland. I'd like to ask Luke just one more thing." Layton cut in, keeping his outspoken sister silent, before the butler could kick them out. Doland remained silent and the professor continued, "Luke, though the town has been repeatedly attacked by the specter, no one has been injured. It seems that an oracle alerts the townspeople about which areas to evacuate. Luke, I believe you are this oracle. Am I correct?" Solana blinked at her brother when the pieces fell into place.

Oh, I see it now. How could I have missed that?

"What?!" Emmy cried, shocked.

"Absurd!" Doland cried, glaring slightly at the professor.

"I believe my brother was talking to Luke, Doland. Only he may answer." Solana cut in. "Luke, please answer just one question: do you know where the specter will appear next?"

"Master Luke will not stand for such balderdash! Please leave at once!" Doland cried.

"We were talking to Luke and Luke alone." Solana said, crossing her arms and glaring at the annoying butler.

"…Tonight." Luke suddenly spoke, drawing the group's attention to the 10 year old boy. "The specter will appear tonight."

"But how could you know that?!" Emmy cried, not believing what the boy was saying.

"Tonight…" The Layton siblings repeated thoughtfully.

"If you want, I can also show you where it will appear next." Luke offered.

"I would very much like that, Luke." Layton nodded, a small smile on his lips.

"You'd be a big help. Thank you." Solana smiled, placing her hand over her heart and curtseying to the boy. Luke's eyes widened, not being used to the younger Layton's way of greeting/thanks.

"Master Luke! This joke is in poor taste!" Doland cut in suddenly.

Oops, I forgot he was here.

"Please don't tell my father about this, Doland." Luke requested, his face still blank but his voice betrayed his emotions, just like his eyes. Solana could see the fear he had of Clark finding out what he was doing.

The question is: why?

"Master Luke…I…Are you certain this is okay?" Doland asked.

"Yes. Doland, did you tell the townspeople? Did you tell them about the specter just as before?" Luke asked, obviously concerned.

"…I did. I will make a final tour of the area to ensure that everyone has gone." Doland smiled, which unnerved Solana in more ways than one.

"But…then where will the specter appear tonight?" Emmy asked.

"Great Ely Street…" Luke answered.

"Then we must go now. Even if we can't stop the specter, we must confirm Luke's prediction." Layton stated. Solana, Luke and Emmy nodded in agreement as they left the boy's room.

"Good luck…" Doland said as they did.

After collecting hint coins, sneaking past Clark and helping Beth with a note Doland left her that was impossible to read, the four finally left the Triton household.

"Where are we headed, Luke?" Emmy asked as they walked down the steps.

"The specter will appear tonight on Great Ely Street in the North Ely district." Luke explained.

"That boy we met earlier said they were evacuating that area." Emmy stated.

"It seems Doland has given them my warning." Luke said, relief flowing through his voice. Solana smiled down at the boy as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Luke, what's the fastest way to North Ely?" Layton asked as they started down the path away from the Triton house.

"There is an intersection past the boat landing. From there, we need to go north." Luke explained as he led the way. "I'll show you the way."

"Thank you, Luke." Solana smiled down at the boy.

"That's the area the police blocked off, if I'm not mistaken." Emmy stated.

"Yes, I believe the police have been helping with the evacuation." Luke nodded.

"We saw a house earlier that had been destroyed by the specter. Do you know anything about that?" Emmy asked after a minute of walking in silence.

"Brock's house, you mean?" Luke asked, turning to the three behind him. "Yes, it was attacked. No one was hurt but his house was destroyed."

"So that was the specter?" Solana asked thoughtfully.

"I certainly hope we can help the people of Misthallery, Professor, Lana." Emmy said with a sigh.

"We'll do our best, Emmy." Solana smiled slightly, try to reassure the girl.

"I'm sure we'll find something useful in North Ely. But first, I'd like to see all of the damaged buildings." Layton said. "Has the specter attacked many areas around town, Luke?"

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Layton." Luke said sadly, looking down as he did so.

"Let's go back to Brock's house. I would like to be certain that we didn't miss anything the first time." Layton stated as Solana reached down and took Luke's hand in hers. Luke looked up at the blonde woman in surprise.

"We're here now, Luke. And we're gonna do whatever we have to, to help you. You're not alone anymore." Solana smiled.

"Thank you, Ms. Layton." Luke said with a barely there smile. But it was a smile nonetheless and Solana felt her own widen slightly.

"Your welcome, but don't call me Ms. Layton, it makes me feel older than I am. Call me Solana or Lana, whichever you prefer." She said.

"Alright…Lana." Luke agreed. Solana's smile widened into a grin as she started swinging her and Luke's conjoined hands as they walked. Unknown to either, however, was that the professor was watching them with a fond smile on his lips.

The four made their way to Brock's house, being stopped once by Bucky who gave Luke a train to play with, and found Brock himself still laughing.

"Bah-hah-hah-hah! BAH-HAH-HAH-HAH! The specter crushed my house! Now I've got a flat flat! Beat that! Bah-hah-hah!" He laughed.

"I'm sorry about your home. It was lucky you weren't hurt." Emmy said.

"It wasn't luck! The oracle said the specter was coming! That oracle should become a meteorologist! The police evacuated us out of here, sure! But what now? I think I let my specter insurance lapse!" Brock continued.

"Does he always laugh like this?" Solana whispered to Luke, who still held her hand.

"Yeah. I heard some people say it was to hide his sadness." Luke whispered back.

"More like push him into further madness." Solana muttered, earning a small laugh from Luke.

"Feel free to laugh with me anytime here, folks. Bah-hah-hah-hah!" Brock said.

"Laughing at a time like this can make some of us feel rather sad." Emmy said.

"True enough." Layton agreed, "Let's leave him. He needs time to deal with this."

"Or see a psychologist." Solana muttered, earning another small laugh from Luke.

"Luke, what other places were hit by the specter?" Layton, not hearing his sister, turned to the boy and asked.

"There is a house east of the crossroads that is still being repaired." Luke informed.

"Then let's head there. Luke, after you." Layton smiled.

"Alright. Let's go." Luke said, still holding Solana's hand as he walked. What neither of them noticed was that they looked like a mother and son walking through town on a normal day. Just the fact that his sister could look normal when he knew of the sadness and pain clutching her heart every second of every day, caused him to smile. It seemed as if Luke was filling the hole in Solana's heart just as she was filling his.

When Luke stopped walking, he turned to the adults and explained,

"Some houses along the canal were damaged by the specter. Most of them have been repaired by now."

"Hmm. Was there any connection between the damaged houses?" Layton asked. Luke shook his head in response.

"What are you thinking, Professor?" Emmy asked.

"Oh, nothing…yet." Layton answered.

"There's that intuition I know and love." Solana smiled.

"But-but you-you must be thinking about something!" Emmy cried, not understanding.

"What he's saying is that we need more information, Emmy." Solana explained, her hand still in Luke's and her voice sounding like that of a mother's.

"Correct, Lana. Luke, where else can we see evidence of the attacks?" Layton asked.

"Hm. I'm sorry but I think this is the only place that would have any damage remaining." Luke said, disappointed he couldn't be a bigger help. Solana's grip on his hand tightened in order to reassure him.

"Alright. Let's head to North Ely and see if the specter will appear there next!" Layton smiled.

"North Ely is just north of the crossroads. I'll show you the way." Luke said before he began walking, pulling Solana with him.

"I hope the police aren't still blocking the way." Emmy said as they walked.

The group soon stopped in another area, having heard about some unnaturally thick fog and sink holes from a man called Mido along the way, and Luke turned to the adults.

"This is North Ely." He said.

"You're a great tour guide, Luke." Emmy smiled, reaching out and moving the boy's blue newsboy cap with her hand, thereby messing up his hair as well. Luke muttered a protest as Emmy continued, "You're as good at this as you are at delivering hidden messages."

"Hidden messages?" Luke asked as he adjusted his hat with one hand, still holding Solana's tightly.

"Yes, like the one you wrote in the letter where you wrote 'Help SOS'." Emmy explained. Luke remained silent, staring at the girl. "What was that all about?" She asked.

"I believe that test was intended for Lana and me." Layton smiled, "Luke here was hoping to find someone that he could trust. Because sometimes it's difficult to share secrets with those closest to you."

"And it's always easier to speak with someone who understands you." Solana finished, squeezing the boy's hand.

"Would that be fair to say, Luke?" The professor asked.

"…!" Luke's eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock.

"Judging by his expression, I'd say you've impressed Luke with your powers of observation, Professor." Emmy smirked. "Luke? Is there something you'd like to tell us? You can trust us."

"I can't…Not now." Luke shook his head as he looked down, his cap hiding his eyes.

"That's okay, Luke. You can share with us when you want to." Solana whispered as she bent down to the boy's level, forcing him to meet her eyes as she gave him a gentle smile.

"For now, our hands are full with the specter." Layton said, "We need to find a place where we can safely observe the specter."

"The second floor of the hotel on Great Ely looks down onto the street." Luke offered, looking up.

"That is our next destination, then!" The professor smiled in thanks at the boy. Before they started walking, however, Solana pulled Luke off to the side and bent down to his level again so he looked directly into her big brown eyes.

"Just remember this, you can always trust and come to us, no matter what. Do you understand?" She whispered.

"Yeah. Thank you, Lana." Luke whispered back, the beginnings of a smile spreading across his face. Solana smiled back at the boy before they rejoined the other two adults, swinging their hands again as she whispered back,

"Your welcome."

Once they got past the officer, with Luke's help, talked to Aldus again and spoke to a store owner, the group stopped in front of a white building.

"Here's the hotel." Luke stated.

"If the area has been evacuated, everyone should be gone, right?" Layton asked.

"That should be correct." Solana agreed, "Right Luke?"

"Yeah." The boy nodded.

"Only one way to find out!" Emmy grinned before she led the way into the hotel.

"I don't see anyone here." Layton stated as the four looked around, finding the hotel empty.

"There's a bell on the counter. Let's see if anyone answers it." Emmy suggested. Solana, being the closest, reached out and rang the bell. Her eyes widened considerably as a man walked out.

"Well, finally! Some guests! Can I get you folks a room?" He asked.

"What are you doing here?" Solana cried.

"Sir, you must be aware that you are at risk today. Have you not received the evacuation order?" Layton cut in before something could go bad.

"Evacuation order? I thought we had more cancellations than usual." The man, his nametag saying his name was Joseph, said. "As the owner of this establishment, I have no intention of leaving!"

"The specter is coming tonight. You won't be having any guests." Luke spoke up from his spot beside Solana.

"Well, let the blasted specter come. He can put down a deposit just like everyone else." Joseph said offhandedly. "Besides, where is there to run to? The specter won't be leaving Misthallery anytime soon."

"Perhaps not, but…at least you'd be safe." Luke said.

"I'd say that's a little more important." Solana added, calmer now that she got over the fact that this man was, actually, here.

"Did you ring the bell to get a room or to badger an old man into abandoning his business?" Joseph asked. "I suggest you refrain from telling me to go elsewhere unless you'd like me to tell you the same."

"I suppose that's logical." Layton agreed with a smile. "We would like a room, please!"

"Actually, you look like pretty sophisticated folks. Maybe you could help me with something." Joseph said. He explained how he had to check all the rooms every night and that he had to remember a number in order to remember the pattern he follows but he can't remember the number. He drew out a layout of the rooms and gave it to the group.

"I'll handle this one." Solana offered as she looked at the paper before she smiled. This puzzle is no problem! She thought before she grinned, "That's another puzzle down! The answer is 25."

"That's all there was to it? How could I lose sleep over that?" Joseph asked, surprised. "Tell you what-take room 302. Best city view in the district. Right up the stairs."

"Thank you, sir." Solana smiled as she bowed.

"You're too kind. Thank you." Layton added before the group made their way up the stairs.

Once the group entered the room, Layton spoke,

"Room 302, here we are." Emmy ran to the window right away and grinned.

"This is great! We can see the entire block from here! We'll have a front row seat for the specter!" She cried.

"Don't forget about the fog that comes with the specter." Solana reminded as she and Luke sat on a bed, their hands still joined.

"Of course. I hope the fog won't obscure our view." Layton agreed.

"I think we'll be fine." Solana smiled, trying to be optimistic as Luke leaned so his head rested on her shoulder, not because he was tired but because he was scared.

There's the chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it, especially the moments between Luke and Solana, I had fun writing those! Please review to let me know what you think! Later!