I'm quite sure that anyone would be paranoid after seeing something that they wish they'd never see again.

That can only mean one thing: they are here, and someone is going to get into serious trouble. the question is, who?

That being said, enjoy the chapter.

I own nothing except my OCs.

Read leave a review, but no flames allowed.

Chapter 14: Gathering and Looming Fear

When the light of day emerged into the sky, bringing warmth and vigor back into the vast streets of Twilight Town, many of the townsfolk returned from their sanctuaries to enjoy the brightened world around them and be involved with the society everyone knows and treasures.

For the Chastain sisters, things were as normal as they could get since they are just now starting to settle back in the civilized world they know of. In fact, for the most part, it was just as they used to be when their parents were alive: Caroline was certainly her usual self, making a fuss as to how they are ever going to be able to adjust to the people in town and trying to get her younger sisters to at least get interested in finding amusement. Jane was trying to keep her elder sibling from going overboard on her ridiculous standards and reminding her of their current position, and Mina was her original excitable and curious self like she used to be in Traverse Town.

However, the same couldn't be said about Mary. Ever since that night she saw the stalker outside in the night, she couldn't get her fears out of her mind as she thought over who it could've been and what that person was doing out there. It made her dread that the people who they had met back at the ruined castle might've followed them to town.

It made her question whether or not she should tell the professor about this. Would he believe her if she said she saw a man with golden eyes prowling about the street near her cousin's house? He did seem like the sort of person who would gladly listen to anything that comes out of her mouth, no matter how farfetched it would sound. If anything, he gave off the impression that he has more knowledge on him than they think; for all she knew, he might have an explanation as to why she and her sisters had their problem during those three days when they were stranded and brought to the castle…

"Mary, what's holding you up in there? Cousin Terra said that Kairi and Xion are on their way to see us, and wanted to know if you'd like to attend a gathering they're having," Mina's voice was heard from the other side of the door.

Quickly, she shoved her fears aside and answered her sister. "Tell our cousin I'll be down in a moment. I still have to clean my glasses. That's all."

There was a pause. "Well, alright. Just don't take too long, as we don't want Caroline yelling at you again."

Mary breathed a small sigh of relief as she grabbed a cloth to wipe the lenses of her glasses; she always knew that her little sister was such a worrier when it came to her well-being. Honestly, she thought it was crazy enough that Jane was the one who would most likely worry about someone.

However, as she finished cleaning her glasses, her thoughts drifted back to her fears from earlier; what is a woman like her to do to warn her sisters without arousing any of their terrors or Caroline's ire?

Maybe she should see if Eraqus is available and speak with him about it later…

"What's taking Mary so long? She seems to be enjoying wasting her time in her own little safe haven, if you ask me," Caroline complained as she fussed with her stringy hair.

"Now, now, Caroline, don't make too much of a fuss about her. I'm certain that Mary either had trouble sleeping last night or was simply too distracted," Jane tried to ease her. "After all, we still have yet to adjust to our new life and Mary is not an exception to that."

"And just think: Kairi and Xion are coming over to talk with us shortly," Mina added jovially, "I'm sure they have something that could help us get acquainted with a number of the people who live in the town. Perhaps they have found someone to bring into their lives, and want to find the chance to make introductions."

That managed to calm Caroline down for a moment once she heard about it, which bought enough time for Mary to come downstairs to meet with everyone.

Most of them didn't notice it, but Mary had slight dark circles under her eyes and her entire figure behaved in a tense fashion, almost as though she was on edge about something. While her sisters failed to see it, their cousin certainly took notice and actually chose to find out what was the matter.

"Mary, is everything alright? You look as though you hadn't slept well," Terra asked her in concern.

Mary shook her head slightly as she kept moving. "I…had trouble sleeping last night. Nightmares, that is. I was thinking of talking with the professor about it later, perhaps when he's available."

Although she could tell that Terra was not completely buying that she had nightmares, she knew that he was only trying to help as much as he could. It wasn't hard for her to understand why he would be concerned since their dear elder cousin is a doctor; if anyone is feeling or looking all wrong, his sixth sense in those warning signs would always kick in.

After an hour or so, Kairi and Xion arrived at the house as they promised they would. Naturally, Kairi would run over and hug one of the girls tightly in excitement while asking how they're doing and whether they're enjoying their stay with Terra, which would lead to someone being forced to pull her off and give a little space. Xion was her usual polite self as she greeted everyone nicely and asked for an update on where everyone is at thus far.

As they conversed with one another, it led to the very topic that their counterparts wanted to bring up since day one:

"…So, we figured since you girls will undoubtedly be new in Twilight Town, Xion and I thought it would be nice if you got to meet some of the people within our circle. After all, some of our friends and acquaintances have wanted to meet you for some time," Kairi explained jovially, "I even took the liberty of telling our closest bedfellows that you all would be moving here and staying in the town with all of us. You wouldn't believe how excited they were to know that you're coming!"

"What Kairi means to say is that we wanted to try and help you get more comfortable with the people we know of first before expanding your boundaries," Xion explained, "It would warm our hearts if you'd come to our place and pay a visit for the afternoon."

"Your invitation is most appreciative, both of you. I'm sure we'd love to get to know as many people as we can," Jane politely agreed.

"I think a gathering is a fantastic idea. I'm sure if we get to know everyone, we might know who we'd love to have as a friend, or for all we know, maybe more," Mina agreed brightly.

"It'd be worth it if we found someone with resources," Caroline said, eager to find a way out of her current station.

Mary groaned bitterly. "Caroline, people come first. Finances are not our top priority for the moment. And besides, as we've discussed before moving here, we have enough money from our father's fortune to tide us through until we can settle on our own or with another. Or do I need to remind you of it all over again?"

Caroline was about to yell out another angry rant on her sister's remark, but quickly held her tongue since their cousins were nearby and decided to simply remain silent through the rest of the conversation.

"Terra, will you be joining us as well?" Kairi asked eagerly, "It's been quite some time since we last saw you at a gathering."

"I might be able to attend this time around, but I will be a little late due to unfinished business at the hospital," Terra replied, "I still have to see to the health of my patients and determine whether or not I should let any of them return home."

Xion sighed lightly at this. "As usual, dearest cousin, something keeps you preoccupied. But I can understand that. You are one of the town's best doctors, after all."

While the conversation was still going on, Mary quietly slipped away from the group so she could gather her private thoughts together; what better place to do that than the library? Though she did feel relief at being alone to think, she didn't want to take any chances at being watched from anywhere; so, out of paranoid precaution, she closed the drapes as much as possible and checked to make sure nobody was outside while she was at it.

Once she was sure that no one is spying on her, Mary took a seat at the desk and got to work putting together a message that she had to reach out to the professor as quickly as possible. She had to tell him about what she spotted last night, and hope that he might have a way to ensure her and her sisters' safety. If that person she saw was who she thought it was, then that means those other men and their master could be out there as well. But for what reason would they follow them? That's what she wanted to know.

Her message was written out simply as this:

Professor Eraqus, I need help urgently.

Last night, I saw someone outside that I am certain I know. I do not want to drag my sisters into this situation, but I fear that something evil has come to hunt us down. Can you help me?

We'll be attending a gathering with our cousins Kairi and Xion. Talk with me there.

Satisfied with the message, Mary folded the letter and stuffed it into an envelope, and then concealed it within her purse where no one would intrude.

By the time she had come out of the library, Kairi and Xion were about to leave so that they can get everything ready for the gathering while the rest of her family were either talking about what they should do to get ready or having petty conversations with their relatives on other subjects.

"Well, in any case, we'd better get going and see that everything is in order," Xion said as she was getting her hat on, "Will all of you be alright until evening?"

"We'll be quite alright, Xion. We will be there, we promise," Jane promised.

"Oh, I cannot wait until you do come over! It'll be very exciting, and you'll really enjoy yourselves at our home," Kairi said excitedly, all the while bouncing a bit.

It didn't take long for their female cousins to depart from the home to attend to their personal matters, leaving the rest of the family to collect themselves. It was pretty clear that Caroline is very eager to get ready for the gathering as soon as possible as she didn't want to waste the chance to get more involved in society (although only Mary knew that she had ulterior motives); on Jane's part, she kept trying to calm Caroline and reminded her of what was discussed earlier since nobody wants to make a negative impression on their new potential neighbors. As for Mina, she wondered who could be there at the gathering since Kairi and Xion live a very comfortable life in Twilight Town considering it had been years since they last visited the tranquil town.

"Just think about it: we're finally going to be able to get out there and do as we were supposed to, and we'll be merging with the other echelons of the town!" Caroline said impatiently.

"Now, Caroline, there is no need to rush in like this. Being social does take some getting used to because we are – at the moment – strangers in a strange land," Jane reminded her, "Mary did tell us that we will be alright until we do find someone we want to be with or until we have established a means to be self-sufficient. Wouldn't it be better if we learned about everyone before we jumped into any prospect?"

"Your sister is right about that. It's best if you don't rush things in a town like this," Terra agreed, "Believe me, I've had my share of seeing what happens when someone's ambitions get the better of them."

"For the love of…! Terra, I swear you are way more paranoid than Mary is!" Caroline accused as she stormed away in a huff.

As Jane hurried off to douse the eldest sister's temper and Terra moved on to have a word with Mina, Mary took the liberty to sneak to the doorstep of the house and find someone who could deliver her message to the professor. Surprisingly, she had a stroke of good luck when she found a boy passing by with a mailbag; promptly, she hurried down the stairs to accomplish her hidden objective.

"Excuse me, young man. Could you do something for me?" Mary asked.

"Sure thing, ma'am. What can I do for you, ma'am?" the messenger boy asked, curious as to the job.

"I need a message delivered to one Professor Eraqus as soon as possible. He is currently residing in town under request of investigation, and I need to speak with him," she explained as she gave him the envelope, "It's of utmost urgency that he gets that message."

"Oh, sure, I can do that, ma'am. I was just heading down to where he might be," the boy agreed willingly, "I can get the message over to him, no problem. To whom should I address this message is from?"

"The name is Mary Chastain."

"Alright then, I'll let him know that it's Mary Chastain," the boy said as he went his way.

As soon as the boy had left to do the job, Mary looked around the area one last time to make sure no one suspicious saw what she was doing – if only because she didn't want to get more paranoid than she already is, after what she saw last night. When she saw that there's nobody watching her, she quickly retreated back into the house so she could get ready for the gathering her other cousins were planning, mainly intent on keeping up with appearances for the sake of her sisters' safety.

On the part of the professor, he was already preparing for his traverse through Twilight Town with his apprentices when they heard a knock on the door to their room. Ventus, on his mentor's behalf, took the initiative and opened it to find the innkeeper and the messenger boy out on the stairway with said boy holding an envelope in his hand.

"Sorry to bother you, but this lad's got a message from a Mary Chastain, and said that he's to get this to Professor Eraqus right away," the innkeeper said.

The professor looked up from his notes as he asked, "Did you say Mary Chastain? Let me see what she has written."

The boy stepped in for a moment and handed him the envelope. "Here you are, sir. This letter is from Miss Mary Chastain. She said it had to reach you as soon as possible, sir."

"Tell me, young man, when Miss Chastain asked you to send the message, was there anything wrong with her?" Eraqus asked out of curiosity.

"Well, she did seem rather unnerved by something. Maybe somethin' spooked her?" the boy replied before taking his leave.

Upon hearing this, Aqua looked up from her book to hear what was going on. "Is there something wrong?"

"Apparently, Mary had a letter sent to the professor earlier," Ventus told her, "But, honestly, I'm not quite sure why she would do that unless something has gone completely wrong."

But the good professor knew better than that; he opened up the envelope and unfolded the letter he was given to find out what the fuss was all about. When he did, he found that the message was undoubtedly written by Mary; however, he quickly noticed that the message had been written rather hastily, almost as though she were in some kind of hurry, and there were indications of trembling somewhere in the slopes of her handwriting. But it was the message itself that worried him even more: it asked him to meet at the home of their cousins Kairi and Xion, and apparently she saw something that disturbed her greatly. What could it be that has frightened her so? That was something he wanted to know.

"What did Mary say in her letter?" Ventus asked.

"It seems that something happened last night while we were away. Mary went to much length to ask for help, but something that she wrote bothers me," Eraqus replied, "In her letter, she says that she saw someone that struck a familiar chord to her. And it seems that she doesn't want to involve her own sisters in the matter."

"What could she have seen that requires attention like this? I remember that all four of them had a run-in with strangers that appeared hospitable until they escaped," Aqua wondered, "Sure, we did see that man with the golden eyes, but we didn't see anyone else. Could she have seen someone among the people they've encountered somewhere at some point?"

"Well, if she did, she would've recognized something that could point toward the people who took them in," Ventus speculated, "For all we know; she saw one of them and feared that she and her family have become targets for either kidnapping or murder."

"Then we'd best not dawdle on meeting with the family. It'd be in our best interest to warn all four sisters of the potential danger they could be in," Eraqus agreed as he got up to get his belongings together, "Mary said her young cousins are having a gathering at their place, so that is where we are going. We must see that none of them are marked for harm…or death, for that matter."

By the time evening had begun to roll around, there were many people inside the abode of Kairi and Xion Chastain. There were many people at the gathering, some eager to meet their new neighbors in person and get more acquainted with them while others just came to have a good time with friends and loved ones. Thankfully, since the manse was large enough to hold up to forty or so guests (excluding the staff that work within the house, there was no need to concern with overcrowding.

The Chastain sisters were pretty much strangers in a strange environment, it was no surprise that it required more time for them to get more acquainted with the new folk that have come to speak to them personally. Now granted, they each had their own pace – or none at all – with handling the situation. Caroline certainly had no trouble getting sociable with the crowd, especially since the men of the town seemed to flock around her like she's the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen. Jane spoke with a few people as politely as she could, but was still a rather shy and soft-spoken individual who needed a lot of persuasion to open up to the public. Mina was as sweet as she could possibly be, her innocent demeanor lovingly charming anyone who approaches her to greet her face-to-face; there were some men who tried to woo her, but she wasn't interested in pursuing any of them at the moment.

However, on Mary's part, she was hardly the sociable person tonight as she often kept to herself while looking around as though she were searching for something. She deeply wished the professor would hurry, for her fears have been pressing too hard on her mind and she wanted something to be done about the unexplainable dread.

"Mary, what are you doing over there? This isn't the proper night to be acting like a recluse."

Mary jolted in shock, forcing her to turn and realize that it was Kairi who came to see her.

"Really, Mary, what's gotten into you lately? You've been rather unsociable, and it's made your sisters worried," Kairi asked her, "What's bothering you?"

"I…I don't know how to explain it without sounding like a madwoman," Mary answered hesitantly, "Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. That's why I asked someone to come here so I could freely confess my feelings."

Kairi gave a shrug like she didn't care at this point. "Oh, what does it matter? Our guests of honor have arrived, and I want all of you to meet them. You'll love them so much, I promise you! Now, come on! Come on!"

As much as Mary wanted to decline, she knew that it was far too difficult to back off from a request made by Kairi. Not wanting any more trouble, she followed her cousin to the open area of the study to find two particular gentlemen entering the room together; the impression she had was that the two were friends, considering how the two were behaving like one is very enthusiastic and the other was more awkward around people.

One was a rather perky young man, most likely around Caroline's age, sporting chocolate brown hair that spiked in some places and azure blue eyes; he was dressed in a more casual buttoned yellow shirt with blue trousers and a red vest patterned with black stripes, complete with black leather boots that tucked the lower regions of his trousers rather messily. It was easy to tell that he was the more laidback of the two, especially with the way he would casually greet everyone around him and sometimes did little tricks with food that the more rigid folk would give weird looks to.

The other was a young man with an uncanny resemblance to Ventus, probably around Jane's age, with ruffled dirty-blonde hair and azure blue eyes much like his; unlike his more outgoing friend, he dressed himself in a white buttoned shirt with a checkered black-and-white vest and warm-grey trousers neatly tucked into buckled black leather boots with a black jacket. His behavior was more polite and reserved, but also gave an indication of social awkwardness that Mary could easily relate to; not only that, but he seemed to be trying to keep a straight face while trying to understand what he was doing among a crowd of people.

"Are those the two people you and Xion wanted us to meet?" Mary asked.

"Yes, that's them. That brown-haired young man right there is my main man, Sora," Kairi told her, "He's the only child of a plantation owner, and he lives just a way outside the town. Just look at him, so young and virile. If only you had someone who could loosen you up, then you'd be a lot better off."

Mary rolled her eyes at that. "Really, are you serious, Kairi? Why would I be worried about finding my man when my sisters have yet to do that themselves? Mina is not yet ready for courtship, Jane hasn't done it since she's too shy to deal with men, and Caroline gives an impression that she'll sleep with anyone before she'll even marry. And besides, unlike other women I know – who either follow all their parents say to the letter or will throw themselves on any man they see like those corner girls – I have enough common sense to know that not all men are respectable."

Kairi pouted at this. "You've certainly gotten boring, Mary…"

Mary was about to go further on her opinion when she saw Professor Eraqus and his pupils enter the main hall, and could tell from their gestures that they were asking something to the doorman (in which the doorman gladly pointed her out from the rest of the crowd). Although she felt relief that she finally had someone to talk to despite the lively environment, she had to be careful not to upset her hosts at what other agendas she has.

"I'm sorry, Kairi, but I've got something going on right now. Could you stall those boys until I get back?" Mary asked, hoping she'd buy it. "And kindly keep my sisters occupied while you're at it?"

Kairi shrugged her shoulders with a smile. "Sure thing, Mary. You need some time to yourself, I get it. We all need at that once in a while. Take your time getting back, no pressure."

Relieved that her cousin actually bought that, Mary quickly left the study to meet up with the person she really wanted to talk to after what happened before.

"Am I glad to see you, Professor? I'm sorry I wrote so suddenly, but so much has happened, and…well…" Mary faltered, her real emotions slipping out.

"I got your message, and I came as soon as I could," the professor replied, "Was there something you wanted to tell me that you couldn't tell your family?"

Mary looked around a bit; unsure if anything was listening to their conversation. Though she could see that many of the guests were too busy chatting about trivial things and laughing at one another's jokes, she didn't want to take any chances at being overheard by anyone within the area; more so when she saw Caroline glaring suspiciously from the corner as though she wanted to know what the doctor was doing here of all places.

"We'd better not discuss it while Caroline's watching. The lounge is across the main hall," Mary directed. "It'd be better to talk there."

"Alright, then," Eraqus agreed. He turned to his pupils. "Ventus, Aqua, will you see how the other sisters are faring? Keep an eye out for anything out of place, and do not let any of the girls out of your sight."

Both apprentices nodded in acknowledgment and left to join the crowd while Mary led the professor into the lounge, which thankfully has not been used yet since no one was going to exhaust themselves just yet. But to be cautious, Mary checked to make sure no one followed them before closing the door tightly and locking it with the spare key left on the desk.

"Sorry…I've been going more paranoid these past few hours. It's been haunting me since last night," Mary apologized as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Could you explain to me what has made you afraid, Miss Mary?" Eraqus asked calmly.

She took a deep breath before telling everything. "Last night, when I looked out the window, I saw someone stalking around the streets. This person was dressed in black, the face covered in darkness even when walking under the lights of the streets. But then…I saw golden eyes, staring towards me. I swear it looked as though those eyes were able to pierce into my soul and break my nerves." She gulped a bit. "I've seen them before, Professor…One man I know back at that castle had golden eyes that were like that of a dangerous predator. I think it's a sign. They know that we escaped, and they're probably here to hunt us down and seek revenge."

This piqued the professor's curiosity. "That does sound familiar…I recall that there was a man with golden eyes last night. However, my pupils and I discovered him trying to destroy the coach that you and your sisters were travelling in. He seemed to be rather hasty in trying to rid the area of proof that you were all stranded in the woods." He looked towards her with a hard gaze. "That man we saw was not too thrilled to know that we have learned something from the four of you. Even now, he sees us as a threat."

"If that's the case, then we're all in danger! I can't let anything happen to my sisters!" Mary cried out distressfully. "If I lose any of them, I…I don't know what I would do. Jane, Mina…those two are defenseless, and as much as I despise Caroline's attitude, I'd hate to see anything happen to her."

"Mary, I understand you want no harm to come to your sisters. I am sure we can find a way to safeguard them as long as possible, but that means they will have to listen to everything I say to the letter," Professor Eraqus reassured her with conviction. "For now, I cannot offer much, but when things have calmed down, I will speak with them for their safety."

Before anything more could be said, the faint sound of a carriage rattling caught their attention; Mary took the initiative to see what was going on, and peeked outside the window to see an ornate black carriage parked outside the manse. Though it was difficult to see, she could barely make out the forms of two people outside the vehicle; one of which jumped off the back to open the door for the passenger inside.

But then, what she could barely see from the window alarmed her so much that she was at a loss for words: an eerily familiar male figure emerged from the coach with the fluidity that is to be expected. Though it was hard to see, she could make out the silvery white hair flowing out of the visitor's dark hood, and could see a gleam from the orange-amber eyes, and barely made out the face of the person who has arrived to slip in among the people within the manse.

"What…! No, how did he…?" Mary stammered in shock.

Eraqus looked out the window to see what she saw. "Is it someone whom you know from before?"

Mary swallowed before she answered, "That man…that was our host back at Hollow Bastion. That was Xemnas."