As Basil and Arden rode into the night, Basil led the way while Arden just sat all alone, which was really simple for her. She had stranded herself away from everyone all this time, so why not keep doing it?
Basil kept looking back at her countless times to check on her. Arden paid no attention to his looking back. She just sat on Toby's back as the canine kept running. The mouse just kept looking at her paws and at the town they were passing by. Drops of tears fell from her eyes. She was nearly blinded by her tears. She slapped herself with her on paws, trying to stop herself from crying. After slapping herself one too many times, she looked up. Two more tears fell from her eyes until she saw two familiar signs. The signs read:
London Drive, Cheese Boulevard
Arden gasped. She had seen those signs before. "Didn't I see those signs one time when I was twelve years old?" she thought for a minute. She suddenly stopped thinking for a second. This place was familiar!!
"WAIT!! BASIL!!! STOP!!!" she yelled. Basil motioned Toby to stop. Basil then slid down Toby's back, with Arden following. Basil stayed silent until Arden had slid down Toby and was firmly on her feet. Basil then questioned her.
"Right, now, why did you want us to stop?" he asked firmly. Arden grasped the shoulders of the older mouse and shook them.
"I REMEMBER THIS PLACE!!" she yelled at him. Basil forced Arden to let go of his shoulder.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Arden sighed and started explaining.
"Well, you see, if you can remember, there was that time when we first met two years ago, and you and everyone else had problems with me, but it was not until Olivia and I went on that journey to find Emily and Julian, my folks. After that battle I had with Ratigan, everything was going smoothly. I mean, I had my parents back and everything was fine, but then that night, I had that nightmare of what would happen if Ratigan had stolen my powerful locket, and to prevent it, I left. After leaving I found a place to stay where I remember I carved something on a building, having lost complete faith in living. I'll never forget that night, when I carved the message and desperately wanted the angel I saw in my dream to take the life I had out of me. I fell asleep hoping to meet my end in sleep. Alas, it did not come."
After a few months, I came across London Drive and Cheese Boulevard, which I remember is where I went into the store and drank a whole gallon of root beer, which made me feel drunk a bit. That store was also the place where I met my boyfriend, Hunter…" she explained. Before she could finish, Basil interrupted.
"Wait! You're still in love with that boy??" he asked surprised. Arden was shocked when she heard this.
"And you call yourself a detective! I mean come on! How could you not know that? You're…well…THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE…for crying out loud," she said in what started as yell that turned into a softly spoken comment.
At this point, Basil was just stared at her. He then nodded his head.
"True, but please continue on with your story. Sorry to have interrupted you," he said calmly.
Arden glared but continued.
"Anyway, I met Hunter in the store, but afterwards, I went back outside, and after climbing a ladder to the roof of that high building over there…" she said pointing the store and then the huge building.
"When I got to the roof, Ratigan waited for me and attempted to kill me. I fell off through the roof and onto the floor far below, where my friend Kanaka, who's now named Allison, saved me, and brought me to her boarding school, where I met, Angel, Anna, Beatriz, Nathan, Alonzo, and all my other friends. That boarding school was also the place where I met back with Hunter, who tried to make himself look absolutely perfect to win my trust, which he eventually did. He and I talked to each other and learned more about each other. And well, the night when we talked, Ratigan tricked me into believing my parents were dead, which they're not, and he tricked me into working for him. During that time, I had started to cough up an evil attitude, but then all of my friends came looking for me, and I explained a plan I had made up for them to come. My plan worked obviously. Then, I explained my whole dilemma and helped them escape. Then, after that, my evil attitude became my personality, and I started to get grouchy and horrible, but then, Hunter had come by, and I was super thrilled! That was the night of our first kiss. After that, I felt like my evil side had melted away. We escaped that night, but the both of us didn't like trip. I got a cut in my body from a bird, who obviously did not like me. After that, we reached the boarding school to find the school on fire, and Allison covered in blood, dying. When she died, after telling me that Ratigan had attacked her, I found my other friends, found that other students and all the teachers dead and we ran away from Ratigan. We all ran into a room, where I helped everyone escape a second time. Ratigan found his way in and he and I had a fight again. After shooting him with a revolver, I escaped myself, injured and feeling like I was going to die myself, just as Allison had died. But then, I was found and before I knew it, I was at the Flaversham's again. We all went to Baker Street and met up with you, and well…the rest you know," she explained to Basil, not realizing that she had just explained Chapter Three thru Chapter Fourteen of her second story, "Arden's First Love".
After explaining everything to Basil, they and Toby took off down past London Drive and Cheese Boulevard. After five minutes of searching, Arden stopped Basil and Toby, hopped off the dog's back and ran towards an old alleyway.
"Wait for me, Arden!" cried Basil.
Arden ignored Basil's request. As she ran as fast as she could to her former resting place, she could not help but wonder "Why isn't Basil so upset like everyone else is. I know I've already asked myself this question, but I need to know: Why isn't he mad at me? Sometimes, that mouse worries me..."
As she reached her former home, she tried to take a look at her carving she made on the wall. As she touched it, pictures of her, Olivia, Hunter, and Ratigan invaded her mind. She shook her head to try and pull them out, but she could not. Basil approached her and watched her shake her head crazily. After shaking, her head finally stopped and she then looked at her former resting place silently.
"This is where my hope, faith, and a little bit of myself passed away, wishing that the angel from my nightmare-like dreams would press his paw on my chest and my world would fall into darkness," she whispered softly, yet Basil heard every word.
The tears that she thought were gone reappeared as the visions in her head still haunted her.
The visions did not leave until Basil touched her shoulder and looked down at her. He stroked Arden's head, trying to comfort her. Arden looked up at Basil.
"Mr. Basil, I'm sure you know that I've been stuck in my room, researching the everlasting crystal. Everyone's so upset with me; I can't even have a pleasant conversation, without someone making a remark about my ignorance. I just can't help myself. I'm just too determined about my research that might lead the way to Professor Ratigan's downfall," she said.
Basil looked down at her and smiled. He chuckled.
"Now you're okay hearing his name?" he asked, remembering the day he met Arden.
At first, Arden did not know what he meant until she thought long and hard and remembered the night when she threw a tantrum about the professor's name. It was in Chapter Two of her first story "After What Happened, Can I Still Win?"
Arden then felt somewhat guilty.
"Ohhh…yeah about that, listen, Basil, after dealing with that ratty professor for one too many times in my life, I'm over that. Besides, I was only twelve. Yes, I still hate Ratigan just as much as you do, but I shouldn't have slapped anyone back then and complained. Sorry about that," she said. Basil knelt down and hugged her.
"Thank you, Arden. That's the nicest thing I've ever heard you say," he said. He then stood back up straight, and they both stared at Arden's carving.