Chapter 40 - The Smiling Man (Part 1)

(Lucas)

(Prologue: Villager)


Saturday morning dawns bright, and pleasant. Toon Link's of course awake already - sitting by the river, waiting patiently for me to rise.

Aw. I appreciate that. He could've easily just woken me up, and had us be on our way, but no. He let me sleep in. Which is kinda awesome.

I'm hoping that someday I'll allow myself to figure out how I feel about him.

It's complicated. And not like how people always say it's complicated when they can't be bothered to answer something. It really is complicated. A complete mess, one that even I can't seem to work my head around.

I suppose it starts with the whole concept of being into guys. And then there's Zelda, too. And Mother. And my cousin - and my aunt - a whole lot more! A lot of factors. A lot of things that seriously trip me up, when thinking about them.

I'm good at not worrying about things, though. I can very easily just procrastinate on sorting out my feelings. After all, my role in our group is pretty clearly watching out for everyone. Like Pit and Dark Pit would say - the mother of the group. And boy do the others need watching out for - Red, my best friend, through childhood, extremely socially awkward. Ness, chaotic as you like, always doing this or that, and very hyper-emotional. Lucas, quiet, shy, innocent bean who needs protecting. And then Toon Link.

The epitome of mayhem.

But we're such an awesome group. I get on amazingly with them all - I get on with most people really. But these guys, we've been through thick and thin, and I love us for that. And right now, it's certainly thick.

So. Much. Impossible stuff. Weird monsters and creatures, and people, being other people, and bizarre technology, that I can't even begin to comprehend.

At least I'm not alone in that notion, though. I know Toon Link is freaked out by it - it shows a lot. He's a bad insomniac as it is, but recently, it's been even worse. Sleeping for 2 or 3 hours a night. Nightmares. Waking up in a panic. He doesn't really confide in the others about his sleeping habits, but I often make a point to ask him, to check up that he's doing okay. And he is not doing okay.

I sidle up next to him, on the river bank. "Good morning."

Toon Link grins. "Ah, nice to see you awake! I half thought you'd died or something, you were sleeping like an absolute log."

"I survived this time. How about you?"

His shoulders slump. "Same old. Sleep is hard, man. How do you people do it?"

"Aw…"

He looks up at the sun. "I think it's about midday."

"Midday!?" I yelp. "I slept for that long?"

"You bet. As I said, like a log."

"We should probably get moving, then!"

Toon Link pouts. "C'mon, already? We've not even had breakfast…"

"You can eat your parsnip or whatever on the way. The others will be waiting!"

He rolls his eyes. "C'mon, Villy. Parsnips have to be cooked."

I sigh. "And how do you expect to do that out here?"

"With a fire, of course!"

"Do you really know how to start a fire?"

"Of course!" Toon Link exclaims, confidently. "You just take the kindling, and, uh, some stones, and, hm-"

I grin. "You don't know. Just as well that I do."

"That is not fair."

"Too bad."

"Well, show me, then. Prove it!"

I roll my eyes. "We are not building a whole fire, just to cook a solitary parsnip. Let's eat something that we can actually have raw."

Toon Link looks over at our food. "Ah. That might be hard."

I glance over - oh no. There's an infestation of ants, all black and tiny, crawling all over every single piece of food that Toon Link brought along. They heave out of tomatoes, pouring into carrots, attacking the bread - even carrying off a piece of meat!

I turn away, repulsed. "Well, we're not touching any of that, ever again. What do we do now?"

Toon Link pulls the parsnip out of his pocket with a grin.

"I-"

He tosses it in the air, catching it again effortlessly. "Looks like we are building a fire, after all."

Honestly.


(Lucas)

(2 years ago)

I stare into the violent sun.

I stare into the violent eyes.

The pavement tastes of filth, mixed with the copper tang of blood. My blood.

The world spins by in reverse, magenta flashing, crystalline hues, slowly consuming everything, white matter surging forward over buildings, over parks, over dogs.

Obedience is required.

"Mine," whispers the voice. "Where is he? Give him to me. Or this never stops."

"I won't."

"Then, let's bring in the customers."

Guilt.

...


(Present)

Tomorrow will be unimaginable.

I stand, dizzily.

In front of us; approximately five hundred armed soldiers, on horseback. All with shining silver armour, swords pointed at us, firmly in place, watching, fierce expressions on their faces.

All but one. One armoured man is smiling. Cruelly. Awfully.

My vision flickers suddenly, and I stumble.

The mines. 4 and 20 feet deep.

Ness yelps. "It's the Onett first brigade!"

I furrow my brow. "What's that?"

"The closest of Onett's armies to the government! They're huge, rich, immensely powerful - they must be going to fight in the war!"

"Wonderful. Them being here can mean no good," I mutter, staring at the brigade with little trust. "I wonder what they want from us."

"Hey! You! State your name, and city of residence!" shouts someone who looks like their leader, inclining their horse towards us. He seems to be no older than Ness and I.

Ness stands, trembling. "Uh - I'm Ness, from Onett."

I look hesitantly away from the smiling man, instead focusing on the leader. "I'm Lucas, also from Onett."

The leader narrows their eyes. "And how old are you?"

"16," Ness says, honestly.

"14," I lie.

The leader turns their head to Ness. "Ness, was it? Why aren't you fighting in the war?"

I freeze up. I'd forgotten about that. So had Ness by the looks of things, as he opens and closes his mouth like a goldfish. "Uh, I'm, I'm at the boarding school, I'm not supposed to-"

"At the boarding school, you say? Yet, you're out here? In term time?"

I nod, desperately. trying to keep calm. "It's the wilderness survival week."

He narrows his eyes, under his helmet. "When I attended the boarding school, you had to pair up with people of your age."

"Uh-"

"And yet, there's an alleged 2 years age gap between the both of you? Therefore, I can conclude that you are rogues from the public school, running from your responsibility to serve our great city."

"The rules changed," I lie, unconvincingly.

But it's no good. "Guards, seize them."

Dammit! I grab Ness's hand in fear - but just at that moment, Claus stumbles out of the forest.

A soldier screams, pointing at our interlocked hands, then at Claus. "Look! This homosexual action summoned a demon!"

"Lucas - who - are these men?" Claus rasps, shaking the dirt out of his hair.

"Guards! Quick! Before the demon eviscera-"

"He's not a demon!" I shout, angrily. "He's my brother!"

The leader shivers. "Take them all. All these curséd things. Bring them to the other prisoners. They'll be cannon fodder."

Cannon Fodder. Ness and I exchange a quick glance; one that conveys just a single word.

Run.

All of a sudden, we're hurling ourselves through the forest. I make a wild grab for Claus's hand, and there's a great thundering noise as a small group of horses begin to give chase - no! The air rushes against my face, as we charge blindly past trunk after trunk. My shoulder catches a stray branch. I wince with pain, staggering, and the thundering begins to get louder-

"Keep going!" Ness shouts.

We sidestep around a pine, brushing aside a faceful of needles. The horses have to stop and turn, and we sneak under a small gap, the soldiers having to take a much wider arc around it. The hot tang of adrenaline hits the back of my throat. I have no clue where we're going, but suddenly we lurch left, just avoiding some hole in the ground, and as a result the horses have to stop again. We're getting away - we're getting away! We duck under another low branch, spinning around a sharp angle. But just like that, there's a crunch; Claus careens into a thorn bush, letting out a sudden cry!

Desperately, Ness and I twist, and we try to prize him out of it, but he struggles, Ness hops on his foot impatiently, the horses gaining, but they have to go around the branch... Claus breaks free of the bush with an alarmed noise, and we're off again!

Thunk.

An arrow sticks out from a nearby tree.

"Get down!" Ness exclaims, and I hunch over, still hurtling ahead, dodging another trunk at the very last minute. Claus swipes at the thorns on his face and it causes us to lose our balance slightly, but the soldiers make a mistake, one horse is boxed in and collides with a tree!

"Now!" Ness bellows, and with an almighty surge we turn a right angle, but there's a ditch in the ground, and my foot gets caught. There's a sickening crunch. I collapse to the ground, the wind knocked out of me.

"Lucas!" Ness extends an arm to help me up - I take it, he hauls me upwards, but I can hardly walk, my damaged foot yelling with agony-

Thunk.

"Down!" Ness repeats, and as I duck, I lose balance completely, landing on my damaged foot, and with a howl, I tumble to the floor, getting a mouthful of dirt.

"Lucas, come on!"

But I can't, I can't go on any longer. "Go on, without me! I'll hold them off!"

"What? No, I'm not gonna leave you here! Who knows what they'll do?"

Thunk.

I quickly pull Ness into the ditch I've landed in, Claus tumbling down with him, and I wince as Claus's heavy body lands on my other foot. We just have to hope the soldiers will miss us. That they might not notice us in the ditch. The thundering of hooves grows louder, suddenly screeching to a halt...

"Where the hell did they go?" someone growls, gruffly.

"Search the area - they must be hiding," the leader declares grimly. The sound of an arrow being notched rings out, and my breath hitches again. Ness clings onto my middle, breath stilled, face dirty, watching, waiting in anticipation…

"There!" a soldier points, at Claus's raised hand.

I force Claus's hand down, but it's too late. They're coming over. We're done for. Finished.

Ness's grip tightens around me. I hold protectively onto him and Claus.

"You're coming with us," a dark haired man snarls.

I shiver. "No-no, please…"

"We ain't gonna hurt you. You aren't the enemy. But you will be prisoners of the Onett first Brigade. You will serve your duties to the City and the Onett Government."

"We can't fight!" Ness protests. "I don't know - I don't know how!"

"Then, you'll be cannon fodder."

"B-But-"

The soldier looks down at us. "It is an honour to die in the name of Onett."

"But, but we're trying to put a stop to Porky Minch," I explain. "Porky-"

He lets out a cry of mirth. "Porky? I suppose you're one of them bitter paupers who despises anyone who's rightfully earned themselves some money then, hm?"

"He-"

The soldier's face darkens sharply. "Consider yourselves lucky we don't impale you with an arrow on the spot, for treason. With us. Now."

With terrified glances at each other, we slowly clamber out of the ditch. We've got no choice. If we don't obey, they kill us on the spot. My foot aches like hell - I've messed it up, bad, but I need a chance to inspect it, to figure out what the hell I've done.

Horrific images flash through my mind, as Ness and I are dragged up onto the leader's horse, stars shooting through my vision. Ow.

Ness ends up behind me. The other soldiers fight over who has to take Claus, and the loser eventually drags him up onto their equine partner, and Ness wraps his trembling arms around my middle.

"Forwards," the leader commands, and the horses begin to canter back to the main herd.

Ness collides our foreheads.

'What are we going to do!'

I shiver. 'I have no idea. I think we really might be for it this time.'

'And what about Toon Link and the others?'

I gulp. I'd forgotten about them. 'We'll have to think of something.'

Ness tightens his hold on me. 'Did you hear them though? Cannon fodder! I'm scared, Lucas.'

'I'm scared too, Ness.'

We reach the rest of the army. It's immense - stretching even further back than I'd first thought, rows upon rows of horses, soldiers, all the same.

"Where are we going?" I ask our rider shakily.

"Onwards. To Tazmily."

My eyes widen. Tazmily. Tazmily. We're going to Tazmily. My home. My home, that I've not seen in years. In so, so long. I exchange a glance of Ness - a swell of urgency rising up in me. If we're headed for Tazmily, then, then it will undoubtedly be destroyed! This brigade, it's giant. So many people. So many weapons. So much hurt.

"What are you going to do to them?" I ask, nervously.

"Tazmily will become a quarantine site for the virus in Onett."

Oh, yes. I'd forgotten. I gulp - at least it's better than destruction.

"And the people?" Ness asks. "What will you do to all the people?"

"We will do what we see fit."

I sweat nervously. But I steel my nerves - no good worrying about something I have no control over. I suppose. I guess, at least I'm going to get to see Tazmily again. If anything. At least they're not going to completely destroy it.

As for Ness and I though, I'm less sure what we're going to do. I have to hope that we'll think of something. We always do - we've escaped every tight spot so far. Confidence is definitely a preference, for now.

We turn away from the river. Dammit! I'd hoped we'd encounter Toon Link and Villager, but it seems we're going a different way. I'm not sure what we're going to do about them at all - they're going to come looking for us, and they'll find nothing. So what will they do? Will they go on to Onett without us? Continue the wilderness survival week, and go back to school? Heaven knows, but I hope they're safe.

I hope we see them again.

'Lucas, look!' Ness speaks, in my mind.

'What?'

Ness points. My eyes widen. There ahead of us, is somebody that I recognise very well. He's riding on horseback, accompanied by a soldier, unarmoured.

It's Headmaster Hand.

'What's he doing here?' Ness asks.

'I don't know - do you think it's Porky? Back in disguise?'

'Maybe. We need to speak to him, as soon as we stop.'

"We're stopping," announces the leader.

"That'd be now, then," I whisper, the headache from psychic communication getting too much.

Carefully, after being instructed, I dismount the horse, helping Ness down as well. I wince, my ankle still a mess, I resort to hopping on just one foot for now. I'm not sure what they plan to do with us at night, but my hope is held out that there may be some chance of escape. I just need to keep my eyes wide open, and my mind in gear. I can't miss the obvious, like I've been doing lately. I need to look for anything hidden in plain sight.

The smiling man.

It shouldn't bother me so much. He's just some guy, right?

"Is your ankle alright?" Ness whispers.

"Not really," I admit.

"Come on, I'll help you walk. I'll give it a look once we're down for the night."

I smile, grateful. "Thanks."

Claus's guard turns to us. "Right, you two and your freak accomplice-"

"He's not a freak!" I exclaim, hotly.

"Whatever. You're prisoners. You're to come with me, to the other prisoners, where you'll be under surveillance, over night. You'll receive rations. You'll be expected to fight, upon our arrival. Clear?"

"Clear," Ness mutters.

"Alright. Follow."

We're led through the noisy chatter of the crowd. There's a great deal of clanking as soldiers shed their armour and weapons, revealing young, fresh faces, smooth skin and surprisingly inexperienced hands. I frown. Why is everyone here so young? In the first brigade? What's happened to all the veterans? The tried and true fighters? But I don't have time to wonder, as suddenly we're pushed down by a particularly large tree. I wince as my ankle takes another hit.

"Watch it!" Ness hisses, landing on a bramble, but he's met with a blade to the face.

"Prisoner, remember?"

"Yes," Ness mutters, giving me an exasperated look. "Of course."

Our escort steps a few feet away from us, before taking a seat, laying down his armour on the ground. All around us the swell of action continues, as horses are tied up, torches are set ablaze, men work hard to unpack, some lying down, some speaking to one another. I'm not sure where Headmaster Hand has gone. In fact, he must've by far the oldest one here, so, maybe he's some kind of leader, for them? Perhaps that's what happened? After he escaped Porky's supposed trap?

Ness takes off my sock and my shoe, revealing my ankle to be twisted at a rather unpleasant angle.

He curses. "That doesn't look good. It looks like it hurts a lot, are you gonna be okay?"

"Hopefully."

"Your poor ankle…"

I glance to Claus. He seems to be okay, at least. He sits, looking neutral, just staring straight ahead at the floor. Completely unsurprised. Completely, I realise with a jolt, desensitised to this scary situation.

"Did you sleep well?" I ask Claus.

He looks up at me, pain in his eyes. "What's happening, Lucas? Why are all these men here? A-Are they taking us away?"

"It's the army," I try to explain, quietly. "The Onett army. We're going to Tazmily-"

His expression lights up. "Tazmily? A-Are we going home?"

"No," I confess. "They mean harm, so we're going to need to get away."

"Oh…" Claus looks distant again. "But… Tazmily..."

I lay a shaking hand on his shoulder. "I know, Claus."

He lets out a long sigh. "That is very sad."

But he doesn't look to be affected at all.

"What's the plan?" Ness whispers, from besides me. "How long until we're at Tazmily?"

"2 days," comes a voice, and a figure steps out of the shadows. "At least, by my reckoning."

Headmaster Hand.

I stare up at him. "A-Are you real?" I clap a hand over my mouth, realising how rude that sounds.

He smiles. "Reality is an abstract concept. I like to think I'm real."

"But, are you Headmaster Hand?" Ness says, nervously. "Or-"

Headmaster Hand nods, sitting, and I shift, awkwardly.

"Wh-Who's this… man?" Claus asks.

"He's the Headmaster, at our school," I explain, patiently.

"Not Porky?" Ness challenges.

"Thankfully not," Headmaster Hand replies. "But, what are you two-?"

"Wilderness Survival Week, sir" I explain, automatically.

Headmaster Hand nods, slowly. "Of course. But, you ended up in the path of this… brigade. By the way, none of the 'sir' business please."

"Yes," I nod. "Of course. How about you, how did you end up-?" I falter.

He leans back. "Now that, that, is a very long story. A long and sumptuous tale."

Ness and I exchange a glance.

He props him up against a tree. "Well - first, how much do you know about Porky-?"

Ness counts on his fingers. "He impersonated you, locked you up in a cell, tried to convert the school into Future Humans, and was behind everything that went on."

Headmaster Hand looks pleased. "So, you figured it out! Good. Did my clue help?"

I exchange a glance with Ness again. "Clue?"

"The blueprints. Magical Monsters and Mythical Creatures. When I got away, I found it in the library, and put it in your bookshelf."

"It was you!" I exclaim.

"But," Ness cuts in, "we'd already found it in the library, and it took us two weeks after that to find it in our bookshelf, so technically, that slowed us down a lot-"

I elbow him. "Ness, shush!"

He pales, as if only just remembering who we're speaking to. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

Luckily, Headmaster Hand smiles. "It's alright. But, a shame. I do apologise. I hope Porky didn't do too much damage to my school, though?"

I bite my lip.

Headmaster Hand looks tremulously at us.

Ness speaks. "He started a fire, burning down his - your office. And…"

"And?"

I hang my head, feeling a sting of pain. "He killed Professor Ryu, and Wario."

There's a beat of silence.

"He-"

"Yeah."

Headmaster Hand looks down to the floor. "Well, no point worrying about what can't be helped, I suppose."

"That's right," I agree, compliantly.

Ness shifts. "Uh, going back a bit, Headmaster, how did you end up-?"

He looks into the distance. "Oh, yes. That's what I was saying."

Ness and I exchange another glance. Headmaster Hand is very weird.

"Well," Headmaster Hand says. I escaped. I, and this might be hard to believe, but I have these powers-"

"So do we," I say, hurriedly. "Psychic powers. You're ELM, right?"

"That's, uh, yeah, how did you-?"

"Ryu told us."

Headmaster Hand looks down. "Oh."

"Anyway," Ness says hurriedly. "What were you saying?"

"Ah, yes," Headmaster Hand looks back up again. "I got away, I saw you and your friends in the forest on the way out-"

"Oh!" I exclaim. "That explains a lot."

"-And then, I walked for a few days, until I ended up at Tazmily. I stayed the night in a man's house. Porky came to give a speech the next day, and he announced that people from Tazmily can go to his city, to stay safe-"

My throat constricts. "But - his city, anyone who goes there, they get converted-!"

Headmaster Hand sighs gravely. "I figured that would be the case."

"Did many people go?"

"Yes. Not everyone, but many people did."

Ness lightly squeezes my hand.

"I volunteered to go as well," Headmaster Hand says. "I managed to help the people in my carriage to escape. We planned to walk to Onett, through the forest, but we got interceded by the Onett Brigade, and we're now their prisoners."

My eyes widen. "There are others here? From Tazmily"

"Yes. Come, meet them if you wish, given we're all in the same boat now."

I look to Ness, who silently nods. I look to Claus, who stares expectantly at me.

I smile, suddenly quite nervous. "Sure."

Headmaster Hand leads us around the back of the tree we're being guarded next to. (Ness helps me walk over.) I find myself worrying - who's going to be here? My thoughts lie on Fuel, Lighter, other friends I briefly had, people I thought that I'd never see again, but… who knows. Either way, some people are safe!

"This is Roy," Headmaster Hand greets. I frown, as a young adult man steps out. I certainly don't remember a Roy. And I knew everyone in Tazmily. Yet, why do I feel like I've heard the name before?

"Hello," he waves. "You are…?"

"Lucas," I say, sounding small.

"Ness."

"Claus!"

"He's from Onett," Headmaster Hand explains. "We encountered him while escaping the carriages."

"You wouldn't happen to go to Onett Boarding School, would you?" Roy asks.

"Uh, yeah," I reply. "Why?"

"Do you know Professor Marth?"

"Yeah, he's our maths teacher," Ness answers.

Roy's face lights up. "He's a good friend of mine - how is he? Is he alright? What's he like?"

I shrug. "Uh, he's kinda normal, really. He's alright. He's looking for you, though," I say, suddenly remembering where I heard the name. "He saw you in a newspaper."

"Ike!" Roy calls, suddenly. "Ike, these kids know Marth!"

A weary looking soldier comes over, and I shrink back nervously, but he takes off his helmet, and sits down. "Marth? You know him?"

"This is Ike," Headmaster Hand says. "Him and Roy we're friends. He's our inside man."

"I'm not your inside man," Ike says, coldly. "I've told you many times that I'm not going to let you try to escape again."

A harsh looking woman comes over. "What's all the rabble about?"

That face… I definitely know that face!

"This is Elmore," Headmaster Hand says quickly. "She's, well…"

She squints at us. "Who are you? And what's that monster thing!?"

I gulp. I definitely remember her now. I got many a scolding from her, as a kid. She's the wife of the mayor-

"-Pusher!" Headmaster Hand introduces.

"Hello," I say nervously, to the pair, as the mayor steps forwards. Ness merely waves. They look at us blankly.

"Uh, then we have Tessie and Caroline-"

Two women step out. One I don't recognise particularly well, but the other, Tessie,I'm fairly sure, was the owner of an inn.

"Hello," I wave.

Tessie's mouth opens slightly. "Hey, is that Lucas?"

The other woman, Caroline, frowns. "Lucas? You mean Flint's son? He was a lot smaller, wasn't he?"

"Uh, yeah, it's me," I blush.

"Well, haven't you grown!" Tessie exclaims. "How is Flint? And Claus?"

"Uh, they're fine," I lie. "How are - how's the inn?"

"Probably getting destroyed as we speak," she says cheerily. "Well, it's lovely to see you again, Lucas."

"Y'know," Caroline begins. "I always did say that Lucas would be the perfect husband for my Angie. Perfectly quiet, well behaved…"

I blush. "Oh, uh, thank you, but I'm taken."

Claus gives me a strange look, and I cross my fingers, banking on him not knowing what taken means.

"Mother, are you talking about me again?" A girl, around our age sighs, coming out from around the tree. "Oh, hey. Who are these people?"

"Lucas and, well, some others," Caroline says.

Ness waves. "I'm Ness. Lucas's - uh - friend."

Claus stays silent, retreating.

"Well, nice to meet you," the girl smiles. "I'm Angie."

She steps forward to shake our hands. I'm fairly sure I recognize her, I would've gone to school with her for a little while, but I don't remember speaking to her much.

A boy who I definitely do recognise runs out. "Angie, what's going - oh?"

It's Ollie - the mayor's son. I never really spoke to him either, and not many people spoke to him either on account of his parents, but he always seemed nice. Quiet.

"This is Lucas, and Ness," Angie introduces.

Ollie stares through his glasses. "Hey, Lucas, are you Flint's son?"

"Oh - yes," I say. "I am."

"Oh, I remember you!" Angie exclaims. "Yeah, you were the quiet twin, weren't you? How is Claus?"

I shift. "He's alright."

Ness looks at me blankly.

"Then," Headmaster Hand says. "We've got Reggie."

A man nods briefly, before disappearing again.

"And Duster."

My mouth opens in surprise. Duster! He was a family friend, we'd see him often, he'd sometimes babysit for Claus and I! I give Ness an excited look, as Duster walks out, noticing me.

He gasps. "It ain't Lucas? Flint an' Hinawa's son? Surely not?"

"That's me." I can't help but grin. He's still got the accent. He looks just how I remember him!

He beams. "You've shot up, m'chap! I r'member when you were just a little thing, ah, Hinawa, God rest 'er soul, she always said you'd be tall some day!"

"I'm Ness," Ness says. "Lucas's friend. Nice to meet you."

Duster vigorously shakes his hand. "'Tis a pleasure to meet you too, m'chap. But, Lucas, how's Claus, how's y' dad?"

"Well," I bite my lip. "Claus is here."

Claus jumps, and I indicate for him to come out from hiding, which he does reluctantly. Duster's face falls.

"M'lord, what 'appened, Claus?"

Claus opens his mouth. "Well…"

"It's a long story," I say, hurriedly. "Sorry," I add, as Claus looks slightly put out.

"H-How is Boney? Is Boney big now?" Claus croaks.

I freeze up.

"A-Ah," Duster rubs his face, evidently still unnerved by the sight before him. "Boney, ah, sorry to say that he went missing, just a year or two ago. 'e lived an 'appy like though, ah, he was a great companion."

"Boney…" Claus mumbles, staring at the floor. "Poor Boney…"

I bite my lip, trembling slightly. "Shame."

"But your dad?" Duster asks. "How's he coping, m'lad?"

"Not great," I admit. "But, we get by."

"Ah," he nods. "Ah, I see. D'you still paint?"

"Yeah," I smile, surprised he remembered. "When I can."

"I'm sure you've much improved," he chuckles. "Ah, I r'member when you'd get paint on anything you could get your grubby mitts on. Your mother would go mad. You painted the walls, you painted th' curtains…"

Ness laughs. "Wow. I can imagine."

I blush. 'Shut it, you. I'm sure you got into trouble as a kid as well."

"Yeah…" Ness says, suddenly growing distant. "I guess I did."

"So, what are ya doin' out here, m'boy?" Duster asks, frowning. "Thought you went to live in Onett?"

"We're trying to put a stop to Porky," I explain. "He's causing mayhem."

Duster's face darkens. "Ah, Porky. Steven - I mean, 'eadmaster 'and, 'e told me all about Porky. Thought Porky was a good guy, I did. Ah…"

I grimace. "That's how he is. Persuasive. Likable."

"Had me fooled… ah, hah, alas."

"Yes," Roy chips in. "Me too."

I absent-mindedly lean back on Ness's shoulder. "So, how does the Onett Brigade operate? What's going to happen?"

"We travel on horseback by day, and stop to rest at night," Ike explains wearily. "We don't do much else. Prisoners are rightfully guarded, and that's that."

Headmaster Hand clears his throat. "Well, you could let us esca-"

"No! I can't do that."

"Well-"

Ike glares at him. "Do you want me to report you to the leader?"

"Who is the leader?" I ask, nervously.

Ike shrugs. "Some guy. Calls himself 'Captain Strong.'"

Ness snorts. "Captain Strong? Sounds like a bit of an egoist to me-"

Roy frowns. "I think that's his actual name. But, I thought he was head of the police force?"

Ike shrugs. "He could've been. I, unlike you, didn't get into trouble with the police, at school-"

"Okay, that's not relevant."

Headmaster Hand frowns. "I know Strong. Had to get him involved in a drugs case up at the school. But what's a policeman doing here, leading the Onett First Brigade?"

"Beats me."

"I thought the leaders rotated," Ollie frowns. "That's what I observed."

"Oh, there's two leaders," Ike explains.

"Two?"

"One official leader, that bosses us around, sets the rota, the superiors, the roles. That's Strong. Then there's the 'day leader', which leads the horses, and our procession. That's the one that rotates."

Ollie scribbles this down.

"I used to be on the rotation," Ike grumbles. "Before smart guy Headmaster Hand got me involved in an escape."

"Dwelling on the past is never advisable," Headmaster Hand says serenely, standing up. "I daresay you have duties to be taking care of, Ike?"

"Yes," Ike sighs. "I have to tend to the horses."

Roy raises an eyebrow. "By 'tend to the horses', do you mean-"

"Yes! Yes, I have to shovel the dung!"

Roy bursts out laughing. Ike shakes his head, and muttering, he storms away, into the darkness.

"There's a fire going on over there," Ness whispers to me, pointing to a campfire. "Let's see if we can go. Warm up a bit."

I nod, not having realised quite how cold I am. My coat, which is actually borrowed from Villager, is torn from running away from the guards, and I'm shaking like a leaf.

"We're going over to the fire," I explain to Claus.

"F-Fire? Isn't that - bad?"

"It's a campfire, it'll be alright. It's controlled."

"M-Mother always said-"

"Well, I don't remember what mother said, but the campfire will be alright," I say, with more sternness in my tone than intended.

Claus stands up, heavily. "Okay, Lucas."

Ness takes my hand, helping me up, and we start walking over, but a guard pushes me back.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ness surges forwards. "Hey! Don't you hurt Lucas!"

I grab him by his coat. "Ness, don't. We're just going over to the fire."

"I can't allow that," the guard says, standing rigidly. "You're to stay by the tree. Captain's orders."

"But-"

Their face darkens. "No. Exceptions. Go. Sit back down."

"That's not fair!" Ness exclaims, but I sigh.

"It's not worth it Ness. Come on."

"But-"

"They're not gonna budge."

Grumbling, Ness sits back down, and I follow suit, and Claus after that. I come to the quick conclusion that both of us are perhaps getting rather irritable, having not eaten or drunk properly in the last few days.

"D-Duster didn't know who I was," Claus mumbles, out of the blue. "He thought I was a monster! A big, scary, monster."

I nervously pat him on the back. "Don't say that, buddy. You're not a monster. We'll get you tidied up, cleaned up, and you'll be as good as new."

"Y'know, something should probably be done about the whole nudity thing," Ness says, awkwardly.

I turn in bemusement. "You what?"

Ness blushes. "Well, Claus kinda doesn't have any clothes, does he?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were so bothered by nudity."

"I'm fine with it, it's just…" he indicates to all the people around.

"Yeah, actually, good point," I concede. "Claus?"

"L-Lucas?"

I take off my coat. "Tie this around your waist."

"Why?"

"Erm-" I try and fail to find the right words. "Just do it."

"Okay," Claus says, compliantly, taking the coat, and effortlessly tying it around his waist.

Ness leans back against a tree. "Alright. What do we do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we gotta make a plan to escape, don't we?"

All of a sudden, two figures descend into our midst. "Did you say something about planning and escaping?"

It's Ollie and Angie.

"Figured you'd be a good pair to speak to," Ollie grins, adjusting his glasses. "We're getting nowhere. Things have never been this bad before."

"Oh, uh, right." I exchange a glance with Ness, clearing my throat.

"It's actually quite light for us," Ness grins, jauntily "Yeah, we've dealt with much worse."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! Like-"

I elbow my counterpart sharply in the ribs. "Ness, let's not show off. What were you two saying? Escape - that sounds good."

"Yes," Angie sits up, looking rather like Red, when he's keen to answer a question. "Yes, Ollie and I, we've been calculating and noting down the weaknesses of this brigade, the rotas, the systems."

"Noting down? Where did you get the paper?" I frown.

Ollie brings out a notebook, from his front pocket. "Never go anywhere without this."

"He wants to be a detective," Angie explains happily. "Since we met, he hasn't talked about much else.

"Oh."

"What's that?" Claus asks.

Ollie flinches, noticing Claus's bizarre appearance for the first time. "Uh, you mean a detective? Someone who investigates things. Solves crimes."

Ness runs a stray hand through his hair. "Being a detective sounds cool. Are you any good?"

Ollie points to me. "Scratch marks in your trousers. I'd say you've been running in a chase, probably from the brigade. Dirt in your hair. You hid in a hole. There's a dark hair on your shoulder, probably from Ness. You like physical contact. You're close, you two." He turns to Claus. "Thorn sticking out of your arm. Probably ran into a bramble bush, during that chase. Childlike speech, damaged appearance, I'd say you were locked up for a number of years. Judging by the fact that you've got no proper clothes yet, you were recently found."

He points back at me. "You're shivering, yet it's not that cold. You're pale, and skinny. You're almost certainly anaemic." He moves onto Ness. "You sit stiffly. You spend a lot of time sitting down, possibly studying. Your father was abusive, judging by how you responded earlier, when Lucas said you'd gotten into trouble as a child. Both you and Lucas have probably known each other for some time, Lucas would've been lonely after Claus had gotten locked up whenever that was, and would've stumbled into you, Ness, and most likely clung onto you, and that eventually formed what you have now. So yes, I am good. Am I right?"

I stare, open mouthed. "Uh - yeah."

Ness frowns. "Wait, you're anaemic?"

"Perhaps."

Ollie gasps. "Really? I got that all right!? Aw, yeah!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Well, there is actually one thing…"

"Oh?"

I grin. "Ness was the clingy one."

Ness gasps. "Hey!"

Ollie slips his hands into his pockets, with a good-natured smile. "Ah, there's always something. So, yeah. I wanna be a detective."

I frown. "You need a lot of qualifications for that though, don't you?"

"Oh, yes. Tons," Ollie grins, tossing his notebook in one hand. "Not a problem."

"I didn't think Tazmily had any higher education?"

"Ah, well," Ollie adjusts his glasses. "See, Tazmily has changed quite a bit, since you were there, Lucas."

"Changed?" I repeat sharply. "How so?"

Angie gives a half-smile. "A lot of development came in. Regeneration of old buildings. Still in progress of course, but now we've got factories, a college, brick, stone…"

The thought revolts me. "Factories?"

"I hate them," Ollie grumbles. "Destroyed the view."

"How did Tazmily afford all that?" Ness asks, bemused. "Lucas says it's just a small village?"

"Porky," I conclude, darkly.

Ollie nods frantically. "I knew he was bad. I told mother, told father, they wouldn't listen."

"He's v-very bad," Claus chimes in, with a noticeable shiver. "Very very very bad. He did a big amount of bad things."

"Shall we get back on topic?" Angie suggests. "Escape?"

"So, I've drafted a full copy of which soldier does what," Ollie declares, pulling out a sheet of paper from his notepad.

"There's about 500 of them - how-"

"I identify them by their distinctive features. And really, there's nothing better to do all day."

"We haven't let on to Headmaster Hand," Angie adds, leaning forwards. "We reckon he's a bit…"

"Mad?" I suggest.

"He's a control freak," Ollie says, calmly. "Means well, but, prone to mistakes, and misjudgements. Especially of other people. Tried to keep quiet around him, keep out of sight. We prefer working with more cooperative people."

"Right-" I smile, still kind of bemused.

"So," Angie continues. "With Ollie's draft, we can see when the gaps are. When people rotate. When posts aren't guarded. The best times to escape are when we're getting ready to travel, or when we're setting in for the night."

'They've thought this out a lot,' Ness whispers in my mind.

'You bet. They're smart though.'

'Crazy smart! Like, how did Ollie know all that stuff about Father, and the chase, and - and Claus!'

I have to hold in a giggle, as I take Ness's hand in mine. 'Who knows.'

Ollie frowns. "Are you focused on something else?"

I swiftly break apart from Ness. "Nothing important-"

"Right. Well, we were saying, we need help. Hit a brick wall. There's no way to escape, with everyone else."

"So… why not try a distraction?" Ness suggests, evidently pulling an idea out of thin air.

"That's what Headmaster Hand reckons," grimaces Angie. "And it would work, but we've tried it before. We secretly set the horses off, threw a stick into their midst, but we were caught, thanks to Ollie's dad."

"Pusher," I recall. "Right."

"Yeah… Uh, sorry for rambling on-"

"Oh, it's okay," I assure her. "Like you said, nothing better to do."

"Yeah…"

I shiver again. It really is cold - Ness slings a casual arm over my shoulder, pulling me near. We can't be too obvious, or Ollie might pick up on exactly how close Ness and I are, which would probably lead to our execution.

"Wish we could be over by that fire," Ness bemoans, as singing starts up. "It'd be warm, if anything."

"We could start a fire here," I suggest. "That could even be a distraction-"

Ollie shakes his head. "Thought of that one. Guaranteed these guards around us would leave us to burn in it."

"Eurgh, what a horrible thought!" Angie exclaims.

I shiver. "Sounds painful. At least it'd be quick."

Roaring heat. Rushing over our bodies, consuming us. Swallowing us up in light. In flame. In smoke.

A stray rook calls up above, and I shift a little, suddenly uneasy. The rooks should be sleeping. Why are they always making so much noise?

Tuneless singing continues to come over from the campfire. 'Oh, Danny was a fine young chap, who mined all night and day…'

'You're on edge,' Ness speaks, into my mind. 'What's up?'

"Something's off," I mutter, the psychic communication clouding my thoughts. "Sensory check. Quick."

'Danny boy, he swung his pick, for coal, for coal, for coal!'

But it's hard to think, over all that noise!

Tomorrow, unimaginable.

I grip my head in my hands. Tonight has already been unimaginable. We've been captured. We found Claus. We somehow fell out in a whole dream. Surely. No more. We haven't even been together a whole day yet. Not even a whole day! It seems like centuries ago that Ness confessed his feelings. Centuries!

'Danny boy, he swung the pick into the Captain's head!'

"Bit morbid," Ness whispers, but I shush him. There's something. I can feel something.

'Oh, the mighty captain, oh he did end up dead!'

I stand abruptly.

"Is something wrong?" Ollie asks.

"Yes."

"What? What is it?"

I freeze, glancing around at the group of prisoners. Everyone is still here, just talking, or lying down, resting. What is wrong with me? Why am I so damn on edge?

"Look!" Angie exclaims sharply, pointing to the campfire.

I turn. It's a normal fire, burning high, great plumes of smoke billowing off of it. But it's not weird. It's not out of the ordinary.

"What is it?" Ollie asks.

"There - that guy. He's not singing. He's just standing there."

I squint through the darkness. I can just about make out a figure, silhouetted against the flames, standing stock still. Staring directly away, almost as if… watching for something.

The smiling man.

'Danny Boy was sent to jail for forty days and forty nights…'

"Everyone, look away!" Ollie hisses.

"What? Why?"

"If he sees us all staring, he'll know we've seen him."

"Maybe he's just tired?" Ness suggests. "Maybe he zoned out? Not everything has to be weird."

"No…" I grimace. "No, I definitely feel it. He's up to no good."

"But what?"

I wring my hands. "What can you hear? What can you all hear?"

"Huh? I suppose I can hear singing," Ness suggests. "The fire? Birds?"

"That's a lot of rooks," Ollie observes.

I shake my head. "None of that. Something else. I can hear something else."

Ness screws up his forehead. "You know, I think you're right."

"Can you hear tapping?" Angie asks. "Because I can."

I strain my ears. Is she right? Just through all the racket…

Tap Tap, Tap Tap Tap. Tap Tap Tap…

"Just someone grooving to the rhythm," Ness shrugs.

Ollie jumps up. "It's Morse!"

"Morse?"

"Morse code!"

"What are they saying?!" I ask, frantically.

Ollie squints again. "Uh… Q? No, I. I… S… I again… Uh, I think T…"

Angie grabs a sheet of paper from the notebook, and begins to write.

"...R? I think. E… or U? No, E. A. D… uhh, oh, I'm not sure of that last one, oh, and it's repeating again. Okay. Uh, what does that mean-?"

Angie reads out her paper. "I. S. I. T. R. E. A. D. Is it read?"

"Is it ready?" I suggest.

"Yeah - that could be it!"

"But what? Is what ready?" Ness asks, tensely. "What's going on?"

I shush everyone. "Watch the other guy."

The smiling man shifts suddenly, moving his fingers out of dark pockets. They just catch the light of the fire, as they rest against his hip.

Tap, tap tap, tap.

We can't hear the noise, but we can certainly see it. He's replying.

Tap.

Tap Tap Tap.

"Y-E-S," Angie repeats. "Yes."

Ollie curses under his breath. "They're up to something. I know it!"

Angie raises a hand. "But, sorry, but Lucas just had a feeling. Are we really going to go on that? That something is up?"

"I trust Lucas's feelings with my life," Ness says sharply, taking me by surprise.

The smiling man moves suddenly, purposefully, away from the fire. Out of the shadow. My breath hitches - he's coming towards us. He must have noticed us looking!

"Get Ike," Ollie says suddenly, noticing. "Quick."

I call over to the soldier, who's back sitting with Roy again. "Ike, we need help."

"Help?"

"Yes - there's a guy. People were using morse code-"

"Is this some elaborate plan to escape?"

"No!" I exclaim. "Something's going on…" my eyes drift back to the man, who's just a few metres away now. "Please."

Headmaster Hand stands. "Did you say something is going on? Because, as it would happen, earlier, I did see something…"

I glance back over. The man has reached the guards. "Y-Yeah, c'mon."

I sprint back over to the others, Headmaster Hand following in quick stead.

A guard halts the man. "No, you can't come through. They're prisoners."

"Yes, I bloody well can! Strong's orders."

"Oh - right, sorry. In you go."

Headmaster Hand pales. "Who's that?"

"We don't know," Ollie whispers. "They were signalling - Morse - but they must have caught us looking-"

Ness grabs my hand. "What do you think he's gonna do?"

Headmaster Hand steps forwards. "Hello sir, can we help?"

The smiling man's face remains hidden in shadow. "I daresay you can."

I freeze. I know that voice.

Tongue, dragged across the sand. Fists. Men.

"What do you want?" Ness demands.

There's a quick snarl, and Headmaster Hand is thrown back against a tree. "Did you see?"

Headmaster Hand gasps for air. "N-No, what do you mean, I didn't see any-"

The man turns on us, a great hat hiding an undoubtedly menacing face. "And you lot, you… kiddos… heh…"

Ollie steps forwards. "We have sufficient evidence to say that you, and your friend are up to something."

They laugh. "Oh, really? What makes you think that?"

"The Morse code. You said something is ready."

He sneers. "Smart one, you. Well, not a word to anyone. Not a word. There's no need for any of you to get hurt today. But, if you tell a soul…"

"You're just some guy, why should we take your threats seriously?"

He laughs again. "Ah, some guy, am I? Oh, I can make your lives hell. Easily. Even from here, even in this Brigade. Hell. You'd know, wouldn't you, Lucas?"

He turns to me, with a sultry smile, and I back frantically away. No. No. Don't be sick. Don't be sick.

"I'll be leaving, now." He tips his hat. "And you won't be doing a thing." He turns in place, nodding to the guard, and walking back out, towards the fire.

And there's nothing we can do.

Ness grips my hand, tight, as I sway in place.. How can he be here?

...

I'm stood by the mine. An 80 foot drop looms before me.

"Tell me where he is!"

"No! I won't!"

"Tell me."

"N-Never!"

"TELL ME. OR I DO IT."

"NO!" I sob. "Please!"

"Tell. Me. Where. He. Lives."

"I-I won't!"

He snarls. "You'll snap eventually. But for now…"

A piercing howl tears through the night, and I fall to my knees, sobbing.

"That man was weird," Headmaster Hand summarises, from underwater, completely unaware. "Well, I'll speak to Ike. Let him know what's happening."

"Don't," I whisper hoarsely. "Don't ever mess with him."

"But-"

"Don't."

He glares. "Remember, I am your Headmaster-"

"He'll kill you," Ollie says, suddenly. "That man - he's killed before. He's planning to kill tonight. There's going to be a murder."

I stare, mouth open. "H-How do you know?"

"The way he said, you don't need to be hurt tonight. As if someone else will be. The way he walked, he's important. Or at least, believes he is. He made that threat effortlessly, like he's made similar many times before. And on the collar of his coat - gunpowder."

"Gunpowder!?" Ness exclaims. "He's gonna blow us all to pieces!?"

"I don't know," Ollie whispers. "But for the love of God, don't tell Ike. He's obliged to tell his superiors, and if they know, he knows that we know."

I wring my hands in distress. "But - they're going to blow people up!"

"That's why we need to prevent this, alone."

"Alone!?"

Ollie furrows his eyebrows. "I thought you said you'd faced much worse?"

"B-But-" Ness and I look nervously at one another.

"Come on. Lives are at stake."

"I guess-"

"Gunpowder?" Claus asks, out of the blue. "Is that what Guy Fawkes used, on November 5th, 1605?"

I turn to him in surprise. "How do you know the exact date of the gunpowder plot?"

"We did it in class," Claus says, blankly.

"Retentive memory," mutters Ollie, fiddling with his notebook. "Clinging onto old memories to block out the new."

"Right," I shiver, disturbed.

"The gunpowder must be hidden somewhere," Headmaster Hand swoops back in. "So, we need to find it, and throw it away. Or soak it with water."

"Water. That'll stop it exploding," Ollie realises, quickly scribbling it down. He turns to the rest of us. "Right. Angie and I are going to go and look around, see if we can see who the other guy signalling was. Ness, Lucas, Claus, look for the gunpowder. Headmaster Hand, convince Ike to let us out of the prisoner zone. Without telling him why." Briskly, he strides away, round the tree, with Angie in tow.

Headmaster Hand massages his neck. "Damn, that weird guy… really got me."

"Right," I say, awkwardly.

He sighs. "I don't think that this is the best way to do things, but better do what they say. Good luck."

"Oh - good luck."

Headmaster Hand strides away, over to the others, leaving us alone.

"So, we're suddenly involved in a murder plot?" Ness marvels, shaking his head. "What is even going on?"

I scan the area near the fire. "I've got no idea. The night continues to be unimaginable."

"Those guys… kinda intense. I mean, they're smart. Crazy smart."

"Ollie was smart back in primary school," I admit. "But this…"

"And now we're looking for gunpowder. Who was that guy, by the way?"

My face darkens.

"Wait, not-?"

"Him," I mutter.

Ness moves his hands to his mouth, and quickly moves them away again. "Him - I thought he was in government, now? What's he doing here, trying to blow people up?"

I sigh. "I don't know."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

My lip trembles. "Later."

"Olay." Ness rests his hand on my shoulder. "Later."

I give a shaky smile.

"See?" Ness beams. "This relationship thing. Easy."

"Relationship?" Claus repeats, confused.

"A-Ah, yes," Ness stammers. "Lucas was looking for relationship advice, the other day. There's a girl he likes. You know. Specifically about… comforting people. I was just showing him how-"

Claus's face lights up. "L-Lucas? A girl? What is her name?"

"Uh, B-Bayonetta!" Ness blunders.

'Bayonetta!?' I mouth, appalled.

Ness rubs his neck, turning red. "It's going, really, really well for them."

Claus claps his hands together. "Yay! Lucas is in love!"

I resist the temptation to slap Ness to another planet. "Shall we just find the gunpowder?"

"Yes. Let's do that," Ness withers, under my piercing gaze.

I pat him on the back. "Excellent. Now, how are we supposed to find the gunpowder, without leaving the prisoner zone?"

"We-" Ness falters. "Look, with our eyes, I guess. Maybe it's here, with us?"

"No, he," I shudder. "He said that we don't need to get hurt, tonight. So it can't be near us. I'd say the blast radius of the gunpowder is-"

Ness grabs my shoulder. "Please, stop. There's enough geniuses around here already."

I roll my eyes. "Your poor, fragile ego."

"I'm not egotistical!"

"Quite the opposite," I agree. "And we're gonna fix that. But for now, we need to look for the gunpowder, anywhere but here."

He sighs. "Well, we can't really see anywhere else. It's night."

"Congratulations, you know the difference between day and night!"

Ness pouts. "You're bullying me."

"Bullying is bad," Claus agrees.

"Can you see anything by the fire?" I ask.

Ness shakes his head. "Nope, just a load of guys singing. Badly. There's not even any women to impress, why do they do this to themselves?"

"Singing was - fun," Claus says, flatly. "Singing - was nice."

I turn, frowning. "I don't remember you being that into singing?"

I catch the tiniest glimpse of a blush on his face, and it fills me with hope, as he smiles. "I did singing. It was a secret."

I smile back. "I'm sure you were an awesome singer."

"Well, there's no visible gunpowder around," Ness concludes. "We'll have to wait until that Ike guy lets us out. I guess we'll wait?"

"Yeah," I agree. "And then, hopefully, we will sleep."

"Ooh," Ness shivers. "Dreams. I dunno about them."

"Huh?"

"Long story."

I think back to my dream, with the rooks, and the bright sun, and the fear, and I remember that perhaps, just maybe, I dunno about dreams either.

We sit down, Ness resting his head against my shoulder, and it's a welcome relief, to have his warm body snuggle up to me. Unfortunately, Claus takes this as a sign to do the same on the other side, and all of a sudden, I have to wriggle free, because claustrophobia, and I'm cold again.

"Alright, m'chaps?" Duster smiles, coming speedily over to us.

"Hi," I wave.

Duster ruffles Claus's mane. "Really got long this, didn't it?"

Claus nods. "Very, very long."

"Ah, well y'll be all tidied up and y'self soon, m'man. Keep on smilin', you'll be alrigh'.

"T-Thank you mister Duster," Claus rasps politely.

Ness takes my hand, as Duster ruffles Claus's hair again, before shuffling over to us two. He crouches down, lowering his voice, concerned. "What really 'appened to him, Lucas?"

"He got kidnapped," I mumble, the words filling me with regret again. "Abused and hurt, by Porky. For 8 years.

"Porky Minch?"

I nod.

He turns round to face the campfire, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Y' look after him, okay? It' been a long while since I saw you two. Look after him, like 'e looked after you though, yeah? That's important. Very important."

"I-I will. I promise."

"Good. Oh, an', y' wouldn't mind givin' uncle Duster one o' your more recent paintings, would ya? The one on my wall is a tad dated..."

"Oh - yeah, of course, uh, do you like, landscapes-?"

"Anything will do," he smiles, heartily. "Y' got a bright future ahead of you, m'chap."

"Th-Thank you," I try to smile, as Duster nods, turning away, walking back over to Roy.

I instantly turn to Ness. "Ness, I don't know how to look after people."

He pats me on the back. "You do a pretty good job of looking after me. And hey, who says you have to be alone?"

"Hmmm…"

"Besides, it's good practice for when we have kids," Ness adds chirpily, making me choke on my own saliva.

"Ness, it's not even been a day yet."

"And?"

"And, in case you've forgotten about basic biology-"

"Aha, though," Ness points, dramatically. "Adoption always exists."

"And it'd be illegal for us."

"But-"

I sigh. "Ness, shush. People aren't supposed to know, if we want to avoid jailtime and certain death."

Ness rests a finger on my chin. "Don't want people knowing our forbidden secret, huh?"

"No, I-"

He winks, and I blush, suddenly completely flustered.

Ollie strides into our midst and we explode apart. "Did you find the gunpowder?"

"No," I admit. "Did you find the other person?"

"No," Angie sighs, appearing. "Only people back there are Reggie, sulking, and some more guards. They must've made a sharp exit."

"Could it be someone external?" I suggest.

Ollie scribbles something down. "I considered this. Now, you know the other guy. The one that came over to us, all quickly. Who was that?"

I open my mouth in amazement. "How did you-?"

"The way you looked at him. Fear. You've encountered him before, and it wasn't good. Who is he?"

I shift uncomfortably, feeling a numbness come over my body. "Someone."

"Name?"

"G-Geldegarde."

Ollie scribbles it down. "What happened when you met him?"

My insides turn to dust. "I-I don't wanna talk about it."

"It might be important," Ollie says, flatly.

Ness takes a step forwards. "He said he didn't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Lay off him, Ollie," whispers Angie. "I know it might be important, but it sounds like it was traumatic, and that wouldn't help us solve this case, yeah?"

Ollie hangs his head. "I guess. Sorry, Lucas, I only meant-"

"It's okay," I whisper faintly.

'What happened?'

Pushed down, in the back of an alley. The choking, the sour taste at the back of my throat.

I gasp for breath.

Blades. Men. Hands. Touching.

I grab onto Ness, my vision swimming, flooding-

"Lucas? Lucas, you okay?"

The thud of my head striking the pavement. Pain, exploding through me. The copper tang of blood. Fists. Sobbing. Filth.

"Lucas? Lucas!? Come on, come on, you with us?"

Heavy breathing. Rapid, ragged breaths, as I run, run, as far as I can, away, away, to home, but that's no good either.

Firm hands grip my shoulders.

The ringing in my ears. Shouted orders. I have to obey. I have to do everything he says. Or he hurts. He hurts.

"Come on, come on, pick him up, I'm not sure what's happening-"

Sobbing into a pillow. The next day, the same. Keep going, for him. More, and more, and more. Endless. Sobbing. Touching.

Hands writhe around me, whispers snaking past my ears, and I'm suddenly lifted from the ground.

"D-DON'T TOUCH ME!" I scream. "LET GO! LET GO!"

"Lucas, please, it's-"

I scream more, writhing around. "NO! IT HURTS! STOP IT! STOP IT! PLEASE!"

'Do what I say, from now. Or, you know what happens.'

A gleeful face leans from under a bowler hat.

'Sing a song of sixpence,

Lucas is all mine.

Four and twenty feet deep,

At the bottom of the mine.

You know what will happen,

If he isn't all mine.

He'll be my little treasure,

Lucas is all mine.'

I collapse into a heap, voices floating like daggers towards me.

"What on earth could Geldegarde have done, to bring about this response-?"

"All you need to goddamn know, is that he's a powerful member of the government, and he's an awful man. Now, mind your own, and let me help him!"

A voice sounds closer to my ear. "Lucas, Lucas, are you there? Are you okay?"

'How could you forget-'

"Lucas, come on, are you there?"

'I honestly forgot.'

I screw my eyes up tight. No. No.

The lie.

"Lucas, Lucas, it's me, Ness, please-"

"I'm sorry," I croak, hoarsely. "I did it to save you."


A/N

I'm gonna have to pause this chapter here, dammit. It's been a while since the last update, and there's a bunch more that I want to do with what's happening. Which means, the next part is gonna have to be Lucas again- But it'll be good. I promise! Anyway, this is late because I'm not feeling the mental groove recently, y'know? And also, I've been recording an album-

In other news, I'm gonna crack out the second part of this chapter ASAP, hopefully before I go on holiday for a couple weeks. I don't plan to write over the holiday, so there'll be a little break in this fic, but I might keep editing earlier chapters if I get a little bored-

~ReadyForTeddy