AN: Sorry this took so long, guys. Had a bit of writer's block and couldn't get this chapter right. Still, thank you for your reviews. It's good to know my first story had some success.

Chapter One

Arthur Penhaligon hated school uniforms.

To be fair, he had many reasons to. The t-shirt always felt slightly itchy (expect for the times he considered complaining about it), the tie was never straight enough to please anyone, and he always had to get two or three pairs of trousers before they got his size right.

Even so, the presence of the regular, ordinary, uniform brought him some small comfort. It reminded him that his life was normal now, that he wasn't in constant danger anymore and that he no longer had to chase after objects of unimaginable power on the orders of the physical manifestation of the will of a deity.

The uniform assured him that his dealing with the House were over.

Now all he had to worry about was catching up on his education.

He stared up at the school building in front of him, a dull block of brick and windows. To his left was another block that served as the Lunch Hall. To his right was a wide expanse of grass, covered in a thin layer of dew that was slowly freezing in the cold January air. The field was used for cross-country, though Arthur remembered it for much different reasons.

In truth, Arthur was only starting his last year at school that day. The fifteen year old had spent half the school year with his adoptive family, on a tour with Bob, his adoptive father, and his old band The Ratz. The tour had been in memory of Emily, Bob's wife and Arthur's adoptive mother.

Arthur clenched his fist subconsciously. Even before that tour, he had blamed himself for her death. When the Nothing wiped the Old House from existence, The Complete Atlas of the House and Immediate Environs had made a record of all the Secondary Realms so that they could be recreated. But every bit of the House, except the oldest part, Elysium, had been lost forever, including the spot of land in the Incomparable Gardens where Emily was being held prisoner by Lord Sunday.

The New Architect had been able to restore the living room that Lord Sunday had also taken, but that only served as a reminder. There had been no body, so everyone, his family included, assumed she'd died when the military has bombed the hospital to control the epidemic that his dealings with the House had caused. Only a few people knew the truth, none of his family included.

Arthur sighed, unclenching his fist. He'd promised himself not to think about this. There was nothing he could do now. Calming his thoughts, he walked into the school building.

The layout of the hallway was traditional. Bare, white walls and ceiling and a black-and-near-white tiled floor, stained by generations of students walking to and fro. Lockers of various colour and size lined the walls, each possessing a number and most assigned to a student.

He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small square of paper containing the number for his old locker, along with the combination. He'd been away so long, he'd forgotten where it was. According to his headmaster, known as 'the Octopus' among the student body because of his tendency to confiscate things, it still had everything in it.

As he opened the locker, this was confirmed. A number of various memorabilia from his life was gathered in the small space, including books and pictures. The main feature of this collection was taped to the back of the locker. A large poster covered almost the entire back of the space. On it was a series of hand prints made by brown and green paints, organized to resemble an oak tree.

The picture made Arthur smile. It had been a charity concert, supporting the battle against climate change. It had been the first big event he'd ever been to. He remembered it now, the crowd, the energy.

Then he remembered something else. The very person who'd dragged him there, despite his insistence that he wasn't interested in live performances. He was sure that if he'd been truly serious, he'd have regretted it.

Maybe it was the thoughts that summoned her. Maybe she was already waiting for him. Or maybe it was just coincidence. Even so, the result was the same.

Arthur felt a hand of his shoulder. A hand that then proceeded to turn him around, push him against the lockers and hold him there while the owner's lips met his.

Leaf.

They stayed like that for a minute, his lips locked onto hers, time slowing down. The moment seemed to last forever, but when they ran out of breath, it felt too short.

They stared into each other's eyes. He saw sky blue, framed by hair dyed almost blonde. "Hey." He said, smiling. "Miss me?"

Leaf giggled. "What do you think?" She wrapped her arms around him, just as he did the same. "Of course I did."

Arthur leaned his forehead against his girlfriend's, never breaking his eye contact. "Well, I've been gone a couple of months." He grinned. "We've got some catching up to do." They leaned in again.

Then a locker door whacked the side of Arthur's head.

Anyone who's ever been hit on the side of the head by a locker door knows that it's somewhat of a mood killer. So, when the pain subsided, probably to leave some sort of bruise in the future, he was less eager to get back to his girlfriend and a lot more eager to return the favour to whoever had hit him.

It was Leaf's mortified shout of "Ed!" that gave Arthur the name of his target.

Arthur turned to see a boy that looked slightly older than he was. His black hair hung down past his shoulders and was a sharp contrast to Leaf's pale blonde. And yet, Arthur noted, as always, he could have been Leaf's twin brother, if Arthur hadn't known better.

Ed, Leaf's big brother and practically Arthur's best friend.

Said best friend was being chewed out by his younger sister, a sight that brought endless amusement to Arthur whenever he had the pleasure of witnessing it. "What do you think you're doing?!" she was almost shouting. "It's Arthur's first day back and the first thing you do when you see him is slam a locker into his face?!"

"Locker door." Ed corrected, purposely missing the point, as always. "And, come on, he was kissing you. As your older brother, I feel it is my duty to stop such an atrocity from happening within eyesight."

Arthur couldn't help but hear a ring of truth in his words. He'd stopped bothering to count the amount of times his older sister Michaeli had 'accidentally' walked into the room when the distance between Leaf and him dropped below thirty centimetres.

Still, a locker door seemed a bit harsh.

"Oh, come on, Ed." Arthur said, somewhat mischievously. "We haven't seen each other in months." He put an arm around Leaf. "Let us have some alone time." At this, Leaf blushed, something that Arthur didn't make her do often and always tried to apologize for in some way.

"Besides," Arthur continued. "It's not like you haven't had your fair share of girls kissing you in the hallway." Arthur grinned, poised to deliver the killing blow. "Right, Branch?"

Leaf's parents were big eco-warriors and had decided to change their names, and the names of their children, to ones related to nature. Ed himself was ashamed of the name, so Arthur had deemed it Plan A for annoying him.

The reaction was immediate. The grin fell off of Ed's face, replaced with the quiet sound of teeth clicking together behind thin lips. His eyes had widened ever-so-slightly and his fists had clenched. From the way Leaf was shaking, Arthur guessed she was trying not to giggle.

In all honesty, Ed looked ready to punch him. Then he sighed and the grin returned. "Still the same old Arthur, I see."

Arthur raised his fist and Ed bumped his against it. "I'd never change for anything." Arthur said, smiling back. "It's good to be back."

It didn't take long for Arthur to settle back into the regular, repetitive schedule of school life. He'd kept up his studies during Bob's tour, so his teachers were astounded when he was able to answer their questions as if he'd been there all year. Yet, even after all the time he was gone, some things stayed the same. Spending lunch with Leaf and Ed discussing rock music and recent news, then helping the Ecology club out whenever he was free.

By the middle of January, it felt like he'd never been gone. Life felt truly normal.

And that when it all started.

It was a cloudy mid-January day when it happened.

In each grade at Arthur's school, there was a mandatory cross-country run at some point in the week, like Monday for seventh grade. Arthur, in tenth grade, had his run on Friday and always looked forward to it.

It was strange. A few years ago, he feared any kind of exercise. Now, he revelled in it. The air in his lungs, the wind rushing by. He wasn't particularly athletic, but he still kept his body in shape.

Mr Weightman, their gym teacher, jogged past him. "Good work, Penhaligon." he said, in a tone that didn't sound either complimentary or insulting. Arthur had deemed this tone 'Teacher's voice,' because every teacher he knew used the same tone when giving anything that sounded remotely like a compliment. "Keep up the pace." He added, before rushing off the close the gap between him and the group running about ten metres in front of Arthur.

Leaf ran up to Arthur, meeting his pace. "Hey." Arthur greeted.

"Hey." She said, a little out of breath. "You're trying hard today. Usually you're back there with me and Ed."

"First day back, I wanted to see who'd improved." Arthur responded. "Besides, I might as well show off a bit. Prove that I've been keeping fit."

"I see." Leaf paused, looking forward, eyes on the forest they were headed towards. "Isn't it a little weird?"

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.

"I mean," Leaf said. "You're able to keep pace way in front of me and Ed. Yet when I see you, running cross-country without breaking a sweat, I just remember kneeling on the grass, leaning over a boy I'd never met before, asking 'how many puffs?'"

Arthur smiled at the memory. He had been panicking at the time, but now, years later, that moment had a much different meaning. "It wasn't all that bad, back then."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's how we met isn't it?" He turned to her, smiling, to find her smiling back. He glanced behind them. "Uh oh. Looks like Ed's getting suspicious." She looked, to find her brother watching intently for the smallest movement.

"Honestly, after two and a half years, you'd think he'd have gotten used to it." Lead shook her head. "He's at bad as Michaeli."

"I disagree." Arthur stated. "Michaeli's worse. She's got like a sixth sense or something…"

Leaf giggled. "See you on the other side, Arty." And with that, she slowed her pace. Arthur watched her out of the corner of his eye as she re-joined her brother and began the process of what Arthur expected would be very close to an interrogation. He looked forward again, not needing to see more, just as he entered the forest.

A dark canopy of leaves blocked out the grey sky, interrupted every now and then with gaps in the leaves. The running track had been drawn through the forest for years, and nature's grasp was slowly creeping over it, as evidenced by the various flowers and plants growing between the white lines of the track.

Arthur took in his surrounding, breathing in the smell of the forest. It was as he did this that he reached a gap in the trees.

He stopped. And stared. Past the gap was a huge clearing. Past that was a view of the City. At least, part of it.

Arthur looked to the east and saw the ruins.

From here, Arthur could see the full extent of the damage done almost three years ago. A wide circle of destruction was spread out before him, fallen buildings and various other kinds of wreckage scattered about. The buildings on the edge were nothing more than slightly irradiated husks, while the buildings closer to the centre had only a few low walls and foundations remaining.

And in the middle was the small crater that had been East Area Hospital.

For the second time that day, Arthur found himself clenching his fist, blaming himself. He'd caused the 'plague' that had resulted in the missile strike. It had been his enemies that had acted against him. If only he'd…

He paused, took a deep breath and unclenched his hands. He'd been over this with himself. He couldn't dwell on 'ifs' and 'maybes.' What was done was done. The alternative could have been much worse.

He sighed. He took on last look at the view, then began to turn back to the track.

It was in that moment that he saw her.

She hadn't been there the moment before, but there she was, standing in a small gap between two tree trunks to his left, looking over the ruins. Time seemed to slow as he took in her appearance. A brown cloak hid what Arthur knew was a small, slender frame. Brown, messy hair tumbled down her shoulders, framing a child's rounded face and two clear blue eyes. It was this face that his eyes wouldn't look away from.

In that moment, she noticed him. Their eyes met. And Arthur felt such a shock of recognition that he stepped back.

"Suzy?" he said, disbelief flowing in every letter.

Her eyes widened, and Arthur saw a mix of emotions. He saw surprise turn to shock, then relief and then…

Fear?

Arthur didn't have time to question it before Suzy turned away, as if he was the last person she wanted to see, and disappeared behind a tree. Arthur ran forward, but when he looked behind the tree, she was gone.

What in the world? Arthur thought. Why was Suzy here?

Arthur was confused. As a rule, Denizens weren't allowed outside of the House, though he didn't know if Suzy would have counted, due to the fact she was a Piper's Child, born outside the House and brought in by the Pied Piper. Still, why would she appear in front of him, then turn away and disappear?

"Arthur!" He heard a shout from behind him. He turned to see Leaf and Ed catching up to him. "Stopped to take a breather?"

Arthur hesitated for an instant, but knew his answer already. If this led to something, he didn't want Leaf involved. Not after what happened last time. "Sort of." He answered as they reached him. "I just noticed the clearing." He pointed a thumb back at said clearing.

Leaf nodded. "I noticed it last year. A couple of trees fell down, exposing the view." Her face grew sombre. "When I first saw it, I couldn't believe it." She walked up to the gap that lead to the clearing and looked across the City. "So much destruction…"

"Hey." Arthur slipped his hand into hers. "All that's behind us now, right?"

Leaf was quiet for a moment. "Yeah." She said finally.

"Come on." He said. "Let's get back to the track." They turned from the clearing and Arthur glanced at the gap where Suzy had appeared. He remembered the look in her eyes, the fear.

Something was wrong.

Since then, Arthur had been distracted.

In class, Arthur would constantly find himself staring out the window, the image of Suzy refusing to leave his mind. Confusion soon turned to worry as he considered things. it wasn't long before his behaviour became noticeable.

Many times, Leaf had asked him if anything was wrong. Arthur didn't like lying to her, but if she knew, she'd worry even more, and would undoubtedly get involved. So he told her he was fine and she left it for a while.

Suzy didn't appear again, yet Arthur found himself glancing around from time to time. But there was no sign, no messages only he could see, no nothing.

And so Arthur's confusion increased.

And then, suddenly, it was the last days of January. Arthur stood on the steps of the school, standing with Leaf, while Ed stood at the bottom of the stairs, tapping his foot impatiently.

They ignored him, simply focusing on each other. "Hey, do you want me to come over during the weekend?" Arthur asked. "We haven't hung out in a while."

"I can't." Leaf replied, sounding very sad about it. "I need to get my work done and Ed doesn't want any…" She smiled. "'distractions'"

Arthur chuckled. "Doesn't he know that'll just make it more likely I'll do it?"

"Yeah, but at least he's trying." Leaf leaned forward and kissed him. "Anyway, I'd better go." She released him from her embrace. "See you whenever."

"Bye." He said. She turned and began walking down the stairs. Arthur blinked.

And the world turned grey.

It took Arthur a moment to notice, but when he did, his eyes widened. He looked around. It looked like the colour had been drained out of everything. The leaves, the sky, even the other students were all dyed various shades of grey.

More than that, it looked like someone had hit the pause button on his surroundings. Birds were caught mid-flight. The clouds had ceased their slow glide across the sky. Leaf, Arthur saw, was stuck mid-step, her near-white hair in the process of swishing.

Arthur had already deduced the cause of this and was prepared to start shouting, when he heard it.

It was faint and quietly echoed from some unseen source, but the moment he was aware of it, it began to get louder and clearer. Arthur immediately recognized it. After all he'd been through, he'd have known the tinny sound of an old-fashioned phone ringing anywhere.

He turned and headed back into the school. That was where his instinct was telling him to go. Through the multitude of hallways, now somehow empty despite the dozens of students that had still been in the school.

Finally, he reached his destination. He faced his own locker, knowing the now crystal-clear ringing was coming from it.

He entered his combination and opened the door.

Inside was a red velvet box he knew all too well. He opened it and found the old phone inside. He picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" He said tentatively.

"Lord Arthur." Said the voice of the New Architect. "We have a problem."