Here's (the actual) Chapter One! Let's see where the adventure will start from here. Enjoy! c:
-Chapter One: Family Matters-
The flat I presumed belonged to Jude's son was as vintage made to look new as the hallway was. Although there was clearly more life breathed into it, with their possessions scattered about the sitting room; toys, textbooks, and a canvas shopping bag still filled with school supplies for Gerard and his children alike, were collected up by Jude, and piled into a large cardboard box in a corner of the room as he apologized for the mess. Something seemed to catch his attention, as he then opened the balcony door, and leaned out.
"Melanie!" He shouted. "Come back inside! We have visitors!" He paused. "Don't give me that look, young lady." He then closed the door, turning back to face us. "Sorry about that." He said sheepishly, clearing his throat. "She can't be bothered to come in if I tell her it's raining. Anyway, I'll get the tea."
With that, he disappeared into the kitchen, which was just off the dining room. As we sat waiting, Jude attempted to make conversation with us.
"You know, Gerard's wanted to be an archaeologist for years and years." He said.
"I see! Since he was a boy, I presume?" The Professor asked in response.
"So he told you?" Jude asked. "Yeah, he was originally hoping to be the personal apprentice of…Ah, what was his name? Started with 'S'…Anyway, that didn't quite work out, but he did find out about Gressenheller, and later about you, and well, the rest is history!"
He soon came back with five cups of tea, and some cinnamon cookies. The cups didn't all match, but the tea was still good! It was green tea, which evidently was the only kind Gerard's children would drink, and therefore the only kind he had stocked in the cupboard. None of us minded; in fact, if one were to ask myself or Al, we would have said it was a nice change of pace since we mostly had more than a few varieties of black tea at home, and only two or three tins at a time of herbal tea whenever at least one of us was sick.
"Now, I am fully aware this is a difficult topic for you." The Professor started off, after a sip of tea. "But in order to truly understand the situation at hand, I must ask-"
"Say no more." Jude stoically answered, holding up his dominant hand. "I'll tell you whatever you need to know."
The Professor gave a small nod before asking his questions. "Firstly…What can you tell me about the day of your grandson's disappearance?"
There was a brief silence. That was certainly difficult for Jude to recount. Finally, he provided an answer.
"Alright." He muttered, then spoke up. "I only know what my son, granddaughter, and a few random witnesses were able to recount. It happened while Gerard was collecting the enrollment papers for the local secondary school. The twins were at the playground of the neighboring primary school, on the swings, when someone came up from behind them and grabbed them." He paused, took a sip of his tea, then continued. "Needless to say, they both panicked, as did Zeke's service dog, Coco."
"A service dog?" I asked.
"Yeah. Actually, it was her barking that alerted Gerard and the few other witnesses." Jude added. "Anyway. Melanie managed to get away, but Zeke and Coco weren't so lucky. According to Melanie, as she ran, she looked back to see them flailing one second, and knocked out the next."
"Chloroform or tranquilizers?" Alfendi suddenly piped up. It didn't surprise either of us by then, that Al would ask such questions, but I couldn't begin to imagine what Jude had made of it.
Jude shook his head. "Honestly, kid. I have no idea."
At that moment, we all heard a ball bouncing on the floor. We turned to see the same girl from before! She now held the ball in her hands, ready to throw it, but at who or what, we didn't know.
"Melanie!" Jude firmly said to her. "Just come over and put the ball in the box."
She did just that, striding to the box in the corner, and gently placing the burnt orange ball on top of everything else inside. She then stride back to the front door to hang her hooded jean jacket on the adjacent coat hanger. It was here that I finally got to get a good look at her.
She was rather small, coming to about my shoulders. She looked to be between Luke and Alfendi in age, and was quite thin; so much so that combined with her pale freckled skin and dark circles, I first was convinced she may have been ill. Her dull green eyes stood out in contrast, as did her dark wavy mahogany hair, which was messier and more in her face compared to Alfendi's. The only real differences being the shade of red, and the fact she didn't have a single large curl sticking up above all the other locks!
At the time, she wore a black and white striped shirt, a black skirt, brown knee high socks, and brown hook-and-loop trainers with black accents. She then returned to the sitting room, taking a seat next to her grandfather.
"Right then, Melanie." Jude said to her, this time more gently. "This is your dad's teacher, Professor Layton."
"We've already met." Melanie said to him. Her voice was rather soft, though at least now we could hear her. "I'm okay, by the way."
"What's this about?" Jude asked, concerned.
"I believe she is referring to the incident in the car park." The Professor explained.
"Oh, those were your brakes I heard!" Jude exclaimed, shaking his head in discouragement. "You should really get those looked at."
"I'll write a note to myself about it later." The Professor had remarked. "In the meantime, can you think of anyone who may have-"
"Ah, before you finish that sentence, Professor." Jude interrupted. "I think it may be best to continue this out of earshot of the kids."
"Granddad, if this is about Zeke, I can handle it." Melanie insisted.
But he didn't listen. He clearly thought of someone in particular, but wouldn't answer. He certainly seemed adamant about not elaborating any further so long as we (or rather Melanie) were in the room. The Professor seemed to realize this as well, because he then agreed with Jude on continuing the conversation in another room. They went down the hall to a small study, closing the door. At the time the others didn't know or understand why, but we all stayed out of it for the time being. I knew how the Professor went about finding clues at this point, and I could hope Alfendi would try to understand that much as well, based on what he knew. In the meantime, I had decided to get acquainted with Melanie Hopkins, who was now sitting upside down on the armchair adjacent to where we were sitting.
"So, Melanie, where are you from?" I asked, trying to make conversation.
"Brooklyn." She answered blankly, her gaze still fixated on the tea table.
"Brooklyn?" I repeated, unfamiliar with the name. I had been taught geography, as part of my schooling, though even then it only sounded vaguely familiar at best.
"It's one of the major boroughs of New York City." She clarified.
"Oh, yes! I've heard of that place." I said, knowing where exactly that was. "It sounds absolutely lovely!"
"You're probably thinking of Manhattan." She remarked. "Brooklyn is the city the type of pizza is named for."
"Ah…" I nodded. "Do you like London so far?"
"It's alright." Melanie shrugged. "I mean, it's hardly anything like it is in all those books."
Books? "Do you like to read?" When I asked that question, her eyes lit up for a short moment, though she didn't otherwise budge.
"Yes, I love reading." She answered, as if nobody had asked her that before.
Our conversation was soon cut short, when the Professor and Jude reemerged into the sitting room, having finished talking about whatever it was they didn't want us to hear. It wouldn't be until much later that I learnt what they discussed, so I was surprised at what the Professor had said next:
"Flora, it seems this adventure will be taking us to the Lake District." He said.
"The Lake District?!" All three of us kids exclaimed in surprise, which was enough to get Melanie to practically slide out of the armchair and land with a soft thud, followed by an oof. I think it should be worth mentioning at this point that her skirt was the type with shorts sewn into them.
"Do you really think Zeke's there?!" She shouted, the most excited I had seen her so far. "'Cause if he is, I'm coming with you, I won't take no for an answer!"
"It's worth looking there for sure." Said Jude. "Right, Professor?"
"Absolutely." He confirmed.
"Just remember, I have cousins there who will be of some help to you." Jude added. "Especially since I need to stay here in London."
"You're not coming, Granddad?" Melanie asked him.
"Your Grandmom and I need to be here with your dad, Mel." Jude explained, kneeling down to her level. "That's why we're both on a leave of absence from our jobs. Until he's all better. Okay?"
She only nodded in response.
"Okay, then we're all set." Said Jude.
"Except for tickets and luggage, of course." Alfendi remarked.
"We'll be here first thing tomorrow morning to pick her up." The Professor said to Jude.
"Nine on the dot?" The other man asked.
"We'll be on the train by then." The Professor corrected. "We'll pick her up at eight thirty."
"Okay, I got you now!" Said Jude, showing us the door. "Well, see you tomorrow. And I just can't thank you enough."
"It is the duty of every gentleman to help those in need." The Professor stated with a tip of his hat. I would always get a fuzzy feeling whenever he said something along those lines. To be perfectly honest, it still warms my heart to think about. At the time, I thought Melanie felt the same way; she couldn't seem to help but stare at him as we walked out the door.
We returned home after that, just as Rosa had started on dinner. She had left the salad for me to cut up and wash, and had been teaching Alfendi how to set the table, today being no exception. Meanwhile, the Professor was preoccupied getting our train tickets, packing his trunk, and finished just in time to join us for dinner. I knew he couldn't stick around for long, for you see, he had been tutoring Gerard in the off-hours; but any amount of time with him was certainly better than none!
"Hey, Dad." Alfendi said to him in between bites. "When you get home, can you show me how to pack my own suitcase?"
I was personally quite bemused; since Al was still a little boy, he had obviously been used to his parents doing most everything for him. Sure, he knew how to dress himself until he was met with a belt or anything to tie, which is how I had witnessed Father helping my little brother with tying his shoes! So it went without saying that Alfendi had yet to need to pack his own bag, even to go to his mother's on the weekends or to visit either set of grandparents. At the same time, it was wonderful to watch him grow up before our eyes!
"Ho ho! Feeling independent, are we?" The Professor asked his son, and received a confidant nod in response. "I'm sure that can be arranged."
"Professor, I had just realized something." I spoke up. "Who's going to tutor Melanie's father while you're away?"
"I have already made the arrangements." He explained, as he finished his meal and prepared to go out for the third time that day. "Dr. Glaive will be taking over my classes, while Professor Zbornak will be handling Gerard's tutoring sessions. Now to fill Gerard in. I shouldn't be too long!"
And with those words, he was out the door once more. Al and I helped Rosa clear the table, and wash the dishes, all the while listening to her rant on about how the Professor works too much, and how too often he seems to run on fumes. I rebutted to her, sharing my doubts that it was all intentional; sure, even now, he works very hard, and it often leaves him exhausted by the late hours of the night, occasionally to the point he can't even be bothered to tread upstairs to his actual bed, and practically plops onto the couch in his study (though from my understanding, this doesn't happen anymore).
But at the same time, it wasn't like he worked so much to where he forgot he had a family to look after! I reminded her that in spite of all that, he still made time for us, whether, for example, it was to play with Alfendi, or to be there to teach him new things; and to help me with my studies, or with navigating adulthood before the time where I would be considered an adult would come. She concurred with my notion, though I agreed on her notion that he should try to take care of himself a little better.
"So, Rosa, are you coming with us tomorrow?" Alfendi asked her, his small hands drying a cup with a dish towel.
"No, dear. It'll be the two of you and your father this time!" She answered.
"Oh." Al muttered, somewhat disappointed. I wasn't surprised, as he had grown attached to Rosa since he first moved in with us; I was the same way when the Professor first brought me home from the village. Perhaps we both saw Rosa as something of a mother figure, since I didn't have a mother, and Al only gets to spend time with his so often.
"Don't be down about it, Al! You'll only be away for a few days." Rosa reassured him.
"But what'll you do if we're not here?" He asked.
"I'll be fine here." She remarked. "For one, I can finally tackle that disaster zone of an office!"
We all got a laugh out of that.
After the dishes were cleaned, Alfendi and I played in the sitting room until about an hour later, when the Professor finally returned home. And as promised, he was ready to teach Alfendi how to pack his own bag. I could hear them talking from outside Al's bedroom door.
"Now, remember, Alfendi: you'll want to pack a change of clothes for each day we are away, plus an extra set, just in case." Father explained to him, while showing him the proper way to fold a shirt and pair of bottoms together. "We will be away for about four days."
"So that's five changes of clothes altogether!" Al answered.
"Precisely!" said Father. "Now as for socks and underpants, it is best to roll them up, and pack them in between your outfits."
"Like this?" Alfendi asked, while he tried to roll up a pair, only for it to unroll itself before it could even be placed in the bag, clearly discouraging him.
"Of course, laying them flat on top also works!" The Professor added, knowing that was how they were stored in his son's dresser.
"Yes, that might work better." Al said, nodding in agreement.
That was all I heard before going back to my room to finish packing my own bag. Soon, nightfall made its presence known, and we made the mistake of trying to get ready for bed all at the same time; between the three of us, there was only one bathroom, so we were practically on top of each other while we brushed our teeth! I didn't mind too much, but I was sure Alfendi felt he was getting squished. And the Professor, being the gentleman he is, waited for us to finish (true, from what I heard, he used to pull all nighters, and, as a result, often brushed his teeth in the sink in his study. But ever since we came along, he had cut back on the all nighters, and therefore had no need to do that; I only bring this up in case someone says he could have 'gone back downstairs').
Perhaps it was because we were to leave so early in the morning, or because the thoughts of a missing child circled our minds, that the Professor and I didn't sleep as soundly as we usually did. That said, we weren't completely restless, either; just conscious enough to awaken before any alarm clocks went off an hour and a half before needing to pick up Melanie. Alfendi, however, was still sleeping peacefully when we got up, and only awoke whenever Father attempted to pick him up out of bed.
"Five more minutes…" Al mumbled, resting his head on his father's shoulder.
"No, no. It is time to get up!" The Professor softly said to him.
We each had a shower, no longer than ten minutes at a time, then we were quick to dry off and get dressed afterwards. Breakfast was short and simple, yet filling, allowing us plenty of time to grab our bags and head out the door.
We went up to the Hopkins' flat, as we did before (though far more smoothly this time). They were still having breakfast when Jude's wife, Carie, answered the door. She seemed like a nice lady; she was only about as tall as the Professor, though she was almost twice his age. Much like her husband, her skin had also tanned from its original fairness, though her freckles remained prominent over any other blemish. Her hair was copper colored, aside from the few strands that were as reddish-brown as Melanie's, but unlike her granddaughter, her hair was neatly brushed so her bright hazel eyes were fully visible. She was dressed rather simply, in a button down blouse, and fitted trousers, yet no shoes or socks.
"Good to see you again, Lieutenant." The Professor greeted her.
"Likewise, Professor!" Carie greeted, inviting us in. She didn't have a Brooklyn accent like Jude or Melanie did, though it had to have been American in origin. "She's almost ready to go!"
I glanced over to see Melanie finishing an omelette and some fruit juice. This time she was wearing a layered shirt, denim pants, and the same hook-and-loop shoes from before. She was sitting on her chair cross legged, her knees barely touching the table, only allowing her feet to dangle once she had finished her meal, and popped two gummies in her mouth before hopping out of her seat.
"Okay, I'm ready." Melanie spoke softly, as she grabbed her backpack off of the sofa, and her jacket off of the coat hook.
"Alright." Jude nodded as he and Carie each hugged their granddaughter one more time as they saw her off, while reminding her to be good, and to call them once we got to the Lake District.
We made it to the train station just in time. The Professor had handed each of us our ticket to give to the man at the gate, and followed his gentlemanly lead all the way to the train itself. Because of how crowded it was that day, he carried Alfendi with one arm, and his trunk with the other. I held on to the Professor's coat, while Melanie somehow followed closely behind without touching any of us (although, once, the sole of her shoe met the back of mine and almost succeeded in removing it from my foot!).
We boarded with no trouble and soon made it to our seats, which were ones typical of what one would expect from an English day train, with a sturdy table in between four seats facing each other. We set our bags on the luggage rack directly above us, and waited to depart. All the while, I noticed Melanie gazing around with great curiosity.
She mouthed something to herself, whispering at most. All I could hear her say was the word 'fancy'. It was odd that she would say this, at least I thought at first. As I would later find out, American trains rely heavily on convenience, often to the point of cutting corners wherever they deemed possible, and therefore often forgo a decent appearance!
I could tell Alfendi was excited from how he glanced around, and bounced in his seat. After all, this was the first time he was getting to join us on one of our adventures; until that day, he was normally entrusted to his Grandma and Grandpa Layton, whether at our house, or theirs, and would spend at least a day or two waiting for us to come home. I could understand why, as the Professor was simply concerned for his son's safety; there was hardly an adventure where the well-being of either myself or Luke wasn't somehow compromised, and seeing that Al is younger than us by ten and seven years respectively…Well, I was surprised when I found out he was coming with us, but if his father deemed him ready for adventure, then he must have been!
A few more minutes passed before the train finally started pulling away from the station. Soon, the four of us could watch the city going by, and by the next hour, the English countryside. I could still remember the look of astonishment on Melanie's face as she looked out the extra large window, getting to see rolling hills occasionally dotted with sheep or cows grazing in their enclosures, and luscious grass and trees swaying from the breeze. The sky was a vibrant blue, with hardly a cloud in sight; a welcomed change from the grey overcasts and sporadic rainfall we had in London in the days prior. Perhaps it was an auspicious sign of things to come! At least, that's what I kept telling myself, and I still have the feeling everyone else thought the same.
And there's chapter one! At nearly 4,000 words, it is my newest record for longest chapter yet!
Because of that, I have a lot of ground to cover. So…
1. Speaking from experience, Amtrak (American railway system) isn't that great. Especially when you ride coach.
2. I am trying for sound continuity, but if it seems I missed something, worry not! It will be addressed down the line.
3. Since Sunday seems to be my day to post with this story, I will (at least try to) update every Sunday. If something comes up that results in a delay, I will update on my Tumblr (Yoshi-G-teh-First) as soon as I can.
But that said, I hope you like what's here so far, since the plot really has begun! The Professor and co. are heading off to the Lake District now.
So until the next chapter, honest reviews, please! c: