Chapter 5

It had been about two days since the "Old Ryder and Chase" (what they called them in their thoughts) moved back into the Lookout. Katie was living there too until they figured out how to change them back. Since then, the pups and girl had been getting quite frustrated. The two delinquents were making it difficult to live with on purpose. They disobeyed their orders, never talked to them unless to make some snarky comment, and didn't at least try to take up their previous roles in the team.

"Ryder, can you please tell Chase to help out with the chores?" Skye asked one time. The boy only shrugged and walked away, leaving her to haul the bag of trash to the dumpster. Katie walked up to her as she continued to scowl at the direction where her "leader" left. "Ugh! I know we should take our time with them but it has already been two days and they're driving me crazy."

"Be patient Skye, I'm sure they'll come around," Katie encouraged her with a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. The cockapoo sighed, her ears plastering down against her head.

"It's just hard seeing them so… different," she mumbled. "I keep expecting Chase to wake us up in the morning with his megaphone and Ryder to lead us on missions, but when I see them it's like their lives with us never even happened. All those good times, fun memories, all went down the drain."

"I'm sorry, Skye," Katie patted her back. "I had no clue you felt that way. Just trust that in time we can get them back, you just need hope."

"I hope so." Little did they know, someone was eavesdropping on the conversation the entire time. When the discussion finished, they silently went to go tell the other.

Later that night, Katie woke up after having a nightmare. In simple explanation; she dreamt about what would happen if Ryder and Chase were never the same again. It made her shudder. So she quickly wiped the remaining tears from her face before exiting the guest room. As she continued down the hallway and to the kitchen, she stopped short to hear a voice in the room she wanted to enter.

"Hm… if we… no, no… maybe if we… this is useless," the person finally quietly sighed. They seemed to be alone and, based on how they sounded, seemed stressed for some reason. She decided to make her presence known and turn the corner. Ryder immediately reacted, scrambling to get a piece of paper off the table and stuff it into his pants. He glared at her while she looked plain confused.

"What are you doing up?" They asked simultaneously. Katie cleared her throat uneasily.

"I was getting a glass of water… couldn't sleep," she whispered. Ryder looked at her skeptically before nodding.

"Then I suggest you get your rest. You might have long days ahead of you," he begrudgingly suggested. Katie was a little thrown off. Was he… concerned? His glare returned as he slipped past her to the door, but the girl grabbed onto his arm before she could stop herself. "What are you doing?"

"Aren't you going to tell me what you were doing?" She frowned. He ripped himself from her grasp, the leather rubbing against her skin made her wince a bit.

"I have nothing to say to you, princess," he quietly growled. Before he left, he added one more thing. "Just so you know, I might not know who you are but I know you're withholding something from us. So don't think that this little 'amnesia' excuse will let you think I have trust in any of you. Because I don't."

With that, he left. Katie frowned at his acquisition. What was she hiding? Why is he so suspicious all the time? As she thought about it, she came up with various ideas why he might think that way. He and Chase have no idea who they are, no memories or heart-to-heart moments they ever had were washed away, so they were beginning a clean slate. She also thinks that since she or the other pups haven't told them their real plan - which is to turn them back to their lives how they know it as, erasing the personalities that are currently with them. She knows that it was one secret she and the others must keep. If the other two found out, who knows what they'll do.

Now that she thinks about what Ryder told her, Katie couldn't help but wonder. 'He and Chase don't trust us' she thought. Maybe, if they spent time with them, they'll get to know her and the Paw Patrol a little better to feel secure. With that new plan in mind, she smiled to herself before leaving the kitchen, completely forgetting about the water she wanted to get.

By the next morning, Katie had a good feeling right off the bat. She woke up early and bought fresh groceries from Mr. Porter's before beginning breakfast in the kitchen. The smell soon woke up the pups, as they came rushing inside with tongues sticking out of their mouths.

"OH! What's that heavenly smell?" Rubble profusely wagged his tail. Katie giggled at his over-enthusiasm.

"For Ryder and I, I made some waffles while you pups get my special kibble with a special surprise inside," she winked. She set out the bowls and poured out the dog food before laying it in front of them. At once, they dug their faces inside, lifting their heads to get air.

"Is that… bacon?!" Marshall guessed excitedly. Katie nodded, making him dive in for seconds. Not too long later, two more guests awoke and joined them downstairs. Everyone paused as they turned to look at them. Katie smiled warmly, gesturing her hand to the table.

"Would you like to join us for breakfast?" She asked politely. They seemed hesitant but before anyone could respond, two loud stomach growls erupted. The boys blushed while the pups held in their snickers and Katie only smirked. "I suppose you come join us. Before you die out of hunger."

Both of them didn't utter a word, they just silently walked to their spots and sat down to observe their food. The two glanced at each other awkwardly. The pups got the message and continued eating, even sparked conversation to make the tension more bearable.

"So, what should we do today?" Skye questioned the rest of the pups.

"Eh, I might go to the junkyard and search for stuff," Rocky shrugged. Chase and Ryder slowly took bites of their breakfast. They tried not to die on the spot. It was the best thing they ever tasted. They didn't eat for a full three days and now it was catching up to them. Katie glanced at them occasionally, watching in shock as they stuffed the remaining food in their mouths.

"I'm going scuba diving with Captain Tuwbot," Zuma announced. Ryder caught her stare and slowed down, Chase oddly doing the same once he saw Skye staring at him.

"I was planning on heading to the beach if anyone wants to join," Marshall spoke with a small shrug. Surprisingly, the German Shepherd spoke up for the first time.

"I'll go with you." Everyone was surprised. Their looks made him frown. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No!" Marshall exclaimed a little too quickly. "I mean, 'course it's not wrong. It's going to be fun, I'm sure you'll like it."

"Hope you have fun, you two," Skye smiled. She finished her food and began making her way toward the sliding doors. "I'm going to see what Mayor Goodway is up to."

"I'll come too," Rubble jumped up before following the cockapoo out the door. Soon enough, the rest of the pups left to do their planned activities, which stiffly left Katie and Ryder alone… again.

"So, what are you planning to do today?" Katie smiled as she took the first bite of her cereal. The boy didn't notice but she only made the waffles for him so that he feels a little more welcomed. The former-but-not-really leader shrugged robotically. 'Dang, this is going to take a lot so he can trust me' she thought. 'Quick, Katie, think! What was Ryder's favorite place to go to in Adventure Bay?... Ah-ha!' "So, I was planning to go hiking in the mountains. Maybe you would like to join?"

He looked at her for a long moment before saying, "No."

She sighed heavily, watching him get up and put his empty plate in the sink. "Look, will it kill you to do something fun? I'm not asking for anything else than to get out of the Lookout!" She nearly shouted, making him freeze. After a few seconds, his shoulders slumped as he quietly sighed.

"We leave in five," he instructed in a monotone voice before leaving for his room upstairs. Katie couldn't believe it. She convinced him to go hiking with her. She tried not to squeal as she quickly put her food in the sink and sprinted off to her room.

Chase and Marshall had finally arrived at the beach. A few people were there, having fun and enjoying the splendid UV rays from the gigantic ball of fire in the sky. At least, that's how the German Shepherd saw it.

"So, what do you want to do?" Marshall happily hopped on the sand. When he didn't hear a response, he turned around and raised an eyebrow, watching his friend step on the sand carefully. "Uh, Chase? What are you doing?"

"So, this is… sand?" Chase frowned, flattening his paw on the floor, feeling warmth travel up his body.

"Uh, yeah. Have you… never been on the beach?" Marshall asked, remembering that this Chase was completely different from the Chase he knows. The pup collapsed on the floor, rolling his body to get as much heat as possible.

"Ah, this feels amazing!" He sighed in content. Marshall couldn't help but smile. Chase suddenly sprang up with newfound energy. "So, what should we do?"

"We can build a sandcastle!" Marshall suggested, pointing to nearby buckets. The other quickly agreed, the more he stayed in the sand, the better. Chase couldn't understand it, but he felt… happy around the dalmatian, it was weird. It was a little different compared to how he feels about Ryder, he just couldn't explain it.

Soon enough, they began building the castle with a moat and everything. Once they were finished, they laid beside it and watched the waves from afar.

"So, how do you like Adventure Bay so far?" Marshall sparked conversation. Chase shrugged, placing his head on his paws.

"It's manageable. I prefer Foggy Bottom though, it's more exhilarating," said the other.

"Why?"

"Because you can do practically anything there, whether it's right or wrong… Before I met Ryder, it was hard to survive. Everywhere I went was dangerous. I was alone. But when I met him, it made my life a little easier. I could connect with someone who was having the same problems as me," he quietly explained. Marshall bit his lip. He wanted to know more, but he didn't want to push his luck either.

"What happened to you?" Marshall asked before he could stop himself. Chase stood up and he knew he blew his chance. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push! I just wanted to know and-"

"It's okay," Chase cut him off. "But I don't think it's a good idea to say anything right now. This was, uh… fun, I guess."

Marshall nodded a bit before watching him leave. Despite ruining his chances of learning anything new, he did figure out that Chase was by himself at the very beginning, and shared a similar past with his owner. 'At least he had fun' Marshall thought successfully with a smile, returning his gaze to the tall sandcastle.

"So, what would you like to do? We can go camping, fishing, meditating, rock climbing, exploring, or maybe we can…" As Katie continued to list options, Ryder rolled his eyes. Not twenty minutes into their hike, he had already got annoyed with the girl. Probably the best part of the trip so far was that the only way to get to the mountain was taking an ATV.

Now, Ryder had driven loads of times. He stole cars to race them with other people in Foggy Bottom (how else do you think he got money?), so when he was given the chance to ride that vehicle, he went for it. Katie had scolded him for nearly breaking every road law, but he didn't care what she had to say. The best part was – the ATV was apparently his. How cool is that?

Anyway, Ryder was about done with the blonde girl. He was this close to leaving her in the middle of the woods before he realized that there was a road nearby. More than that, someone was talking near it.

"... maybe we can go tree climbing-" Ryder clamped a hand over her mouth before yanking her behind a boulder. She squirmed under his grip but he only shook her to snap out of it.

"Quit it!" He hissed. "There's someone over there."

Katie, though thoroughly confused, stopped struggling. Ryder let her go so they could peek over the large rock. A ways away, they saw a man with a purple suit and top hat circled a bunch of kittens with strange outfits. Katie was curious as to why Mayor Humdinger would be so close to Adventure Bay, but by experience, it was nothing good. Ryder, however, was conflicted. He never liked the man, since he was sent to his office so many times before he was sent into juvenile hall. But he was also the man that took him away to Mayor Goodway.

"What's Mayor Humdinger doing here?" Ryder whispered to Katie. The girl shrugged.

"He usually comes by and causes trouble around our town-"

"Wait wait wait. He causes trouble in some other town when he sends me to juvie when I stole a candy bar?" Ryder rhetorically questioned. Katie shrugged again. "That hypocrite. How long has he been doing this?"

"For as long as I remember," Katie whispered. Ryder glared at Mayor Humdinger, his burning hatred growing by the second. A sinister smirk suddenly appeared on his face, making a chill run down Katie's spine. "What is it?"

"You know what? I think it's time we teach that Mayor a taste of his own medicine," he chuckled darkly. He pulled her with him as they fled the scene, off to plan his revenge.

TBC...