Chapter Six - Food for Thought

"He's here! I've found him!"

Kat ran over to her father's form, laying on the floor. She fell to her knees beside him and turned him over.

"Katrielle!" she heard Emiliana say distantly.

"Dad!" Kat shook him hard. "Please wake up! Please!"

"Katrielle, come on!"

"He's... he's dead..."

"Katrielle wake up!"

Kat woke with a start and jumped at the sight of Emiliana standing at the foot of the bed.

"Breakfast is ready." She frowned. "What is the matter with you?"

"Oh... nothing. Bad dream." Kat rubbed her eyes. "What's for breakfast?"

Emiliana rolled her eyes. "Cold tinned beans."

"Oh."

"We have no electricity or money. It's the best I can do."

"I know. Thank you."

"If we are stuck here, we need to find a way to get money. Neither of us can work as, in this time, we haven't even been born yet..." Emiliana frowned worriedly.

"Let's just get through breakfast first," Kat said bracingly, picking up her dress from the end of the bed.

Kat frowned too as Emiliana left the room. She had highlighted yet another problem; what would they do for money? Kat sighed agitatedly as she pulled her dress on over her head.

"So where to now?" Emiliana asked, wincing as she heard Kat's stomach growl.

Kat had a pained expression on her face. "My coat has a designer label. I'll sell it and buy some food. Real food..."

Emiliana rolled her eyes. "The world doesn't revolve around your stomach, Katrielle.

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"Maybe we could get jobs in a place that will pay us cash in hand, off the books."

"Where?" Kat asked.

"I'm not sure, but we should keep an eye out while we're searching for your father."

"Okay," Kat said as they got up and began to make their way out.

"Do you have any money on you?" Kat asked as they walked down central London.

"No. I use my bank card, but I have no account yet. Why?"

"I smell fish and chips..."

"Stop it, Katrielle..."

"What? I'm hungry..."

"I know, me too, but you don't have to keep talking about it..."

"Oh!" Kat pointed to a boutique across the road. "Look in the window! That coat is exactly like mine. If I can sell it for half the money..."

"But it's the middle of January! You will freeze, Katrielle..."

"But think about what we could do with the money! We can top up the electricity meter, buy food, supplies, a change of clothes each..."

"I suppose..."

"There's a girl over there looking at it. I'll ask her if she wants it, wait here..."

Kat returned a few moments later with a stack of notes in hand.

"We're rich!"

Emiliana smiled and shook her head. "You look cold..."

"But we need to eat." Kat took her hand. "Come on, lets start asking around again. We need to get something done before lunch..." She stopped suddenly.

"What is it Katrielle?" Emiliana asked.

"I recognize that woman over there." Kat pointed to a lady in the distance, who was walking towards them. "I tried to look for her before, to see if she knew where Dad went. They used to be good friends, you see..." Kat trailed off as she looked at Emiliana's shocked expression. "What's wrong, Emiliana?"

"That's my mother."

"WHAT?!"

"Shut up will you, she's staring at us now!" Emiliana hissed, pulling Kat in by the wall.

Kat looked at the woman again, then at Emiliana, then at the woman again.

"Will you stop doing that?!"

"I'm sorry... I just never noticed how alike you two look."

Emiliana smiled a little. "I certainly noticed similarities between you and Professor Layton, anyway."

The woman glanced at them again as she passed, and again before she turned a corner and went down an alleyway, out of sight.

"So you were named after your mother?" Kat asked.

"Huh?" Emiliana looked confused for a moment. "Oh... she doesn't use that name anymore... not in our time anyway..."

"That explains how she managed to drop off the face of the earth," Kat nodded. She smiled and shook her head. "This is unbelievable. Both of your parents are connected to my dad and I had no idea..."

"Who do you think inspired me to work with Scotland Yard?" Emiliana pointed out. "It certainly wasn't my father, anyway..."

Kat smirked. "This really does explain a lot, though. Like why you can be so intimidating. No one ever picked a fight with Emmy Altava and won, so my Uncle Luke told me. You definitely get that from her."

"Yes, well... we really do need to move on..." Emiliana said, trying not to look proud. "Where shall we begin today?"

"Gimme your money!"

Emiliana jumped as she felt something sharp being held against her side. She turned to her attacker, a young man with a black cap and hood. He stared at Kat.

"I know you have money. Give it to me, or your girlfriend gets it."

Emiliana grimaced as he pressed the blade harder against her.

"What money?" Kat said carefully, trying to buy herself time and keeping an eye out for a police officer. Perhaps if she were to scream loudly enough—

Then he was suddenly flung away from the pair and out into the road, oncoming traffic blasting their horns at him.

"Makes you feel tough, does it? Picking on two innocent girls?"

He spun on his heel and ran for it.

"That's right, you'd better run!" Emmy snarled.

Kat and Emiliana looked at each other worriedly, Emiliana growing paler by the second.

"Er... thank you for that," Kat said faintly.

"No problem," Emmy said, staring at Emiliana. "Are you alright? You look a bit pale... Did he get you?"

Emiliana's eyes widened as Emmy examined the wound on her side.

"It is just a scratch..."

"It's a bit more than that," Emmy said pointedly, holding her hand out to Kat, showing her the blood.

"Emiliana!"

"I'm fine!" She insisted, pulling away from Emmy, looking flustered.

"No you're not, you need to go to hospital..."

"No, definitely not..."

"Why?"

"Er..."

"She's an illegal immigrant," Kat suddenly piped up. "Er, she came here with me... it's a long story... but if she goes to hospital, she could end up in real trouble..."

Emmy frowned, studying Emiliana closely. "Come with me, then. My apartment isn't far from here, I'll get you patched up..."

"You don't have to..." Emiliana tried.

"Yes I do, look at the state of you," Emmy said fixedly, grabbing her upper arm as she began to sway slightly on the spot. "You'll only end up fainting, then someone will call an ambulance and you'll end up in hospital. Let me help." She began to steer her away from Kat and down the street. Kat quickly ran after them and took Emiliana's other hand.

Emmy pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket. "Hold that over the wound," she said, handing it to Kat.

She quickly complied, making Emiliana gasp in pain.

"We're nearly there," Emmy reassured her as they turned down an alleyway and climbed up some steps, entering a grubby-looking flat.

Inside, however, was spotless, a wooden staircase and two doors visible upon entry. Emmy pushed open the nearest door with her foot as she quickly steered the two girls inside. Here, she let go of Emiliana and began rooting through the cupboards for a first-aid kit.

"Take your shirt off and lay down on the table."

Kat peeled of the handkerchief, which was now soaked with blood, and looked at the wound briefly. It was deeper than she had thought.

Emiliana carefully removed her jacket, then her shirt and vest, and sat up on the table beside a tall pile of books.

Emmy emerged, first-aid kit in hand. She pushed the books off the table and gestured for Emiliana to lay on her front. As she did so, Kat quickly began to apply pressure to the wound again, as blood had begun to drip on the table.

Emmy took off her jumper and placed it under Emiliana's head. She then studied the wound, a large slash in Emiliana's side, towards the back. She quickly glanced over Emiliana's back to check for other injuries before checking her pulse.

"Just try and relax," Emmy said calmly. "Don't panic, just try and slow your heart rate. Okay?"

Emiliana nodded silently.

Emmy began to press hard on the area around Emiliana's armpit. After a moment, she told Kat to remove pressure carefully, and to Kat's relief, the blood flow began to cease. Emmy then told her to take her place while she washed the wound with a saline solution, causing Emiliana to gasp suddenly, and closed the wound with glue.

They worked in silence until Emmy spoke up.

"So where are you from?"

Emiliana hesitated.

"I know you're not an illegal immigrant. You, young lady, are a terrible liar." She nodded to Kat.

"Italy," Emiliana replied.

Emmy smiled. "I always wanted to go there. Their food is exquisite."

Kat's stomach growled suddenly, making Emmy laugh as she finished dressing the wound.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Katrielle," she replied. "Kat."

"I'm Emiliana," Emiliana replied as she sat upright.

"And you already know my name for some reason," Emmy mused as she rooted through a basket of clean laundry in the corner of the room. "Here." She threw a yellow hoodie and a pair of white jeans similar to the ones she was wearing over to Emiliana, who caught them, surprised. "You can't walk around in your bra, or your colleagues in Scotland Yard will arrest you."

Emiliana frowned.

"Yes, I caught you both staring at me, and yes, I caught bits and pieces of your conversation. Something about me, and Scotland Yard, and Professor Layton, correct?"

Kat and Emiliana looked at each other.

Emmy turned her back on them and washed her hands thoroughly at the sink. She then opened the fridge. "I'd better feed you both before I start grilling you with questions, or I won't be able to hear your explanations over Kat's stomach."

Kat smiled appreciatively. "Thank you."

"Head into the lounge next door, I'll be with you shortly."

Emiliana pulled on the hoodie carefully and the two of them left the room.

Emmy's mind was racing as she buttered several slices of bread. Emiliana from Italy... was there an Italian girl in Targent? Emmy doubted it — all Targent members were trained in hand-to-hand combat and judging by what had just happened, neither of the two girls in her front room could fight their way out of warm butter. Emmy sighed as she cut the ham and cheese sandwiches into halves. She could tell that these girls were in trouble, and if they had something to do with the professor, then it was her duty to help them.

If this was the only way she could make up for her past mistakes, then she would do all she could to help.