Chapter 1: The Events of the Day
A group of teenaged mice were sitting around each other in a more dangerous area in old London town. They were talking, deliberating, and arguing about the mission they had concocted and had to execute.
An angry mouse was pacing back and forth. This mouth was nervous and a little upset. This mouse had light brown fur and a yellow skirt, shirt, and bow. As she paced back and forth, thoughts ran through her head. "Is this going to work? I don't think it'll work. Of course I can't say that in front of my friends, so this just as to be done. All of my friends think that once it starts, everything they need to happen will happen," she thought.
The mouse turned to her several friends and sighed.
"Friends, I don't think this will work. I mean, come on. I don't think we should do this," she said. All of her friends began to groan. One mouse, who had tan fur and a black pair of pants and a white t-shirt stepped up.
"How many times do we have to talk about this, little Miss Shy! We've got to do this if we want to get rid of Arden! She's the cause of all of London's unhappiness if you remember. The last time someone caused Londoners happiness, it was when Professor Ratigan was practically owning the streets. Now that everyone's turned to Arden for trouble, we have to bring her down!" he said to her. His girlfriend who had gray fur and a blue skirt and long sleeved shirt stepped forward.
"Pero, novio, que tal vez la derecho de," she said.
"How can she be right?" asked a male mouse had white fur and had a blue outfit on. "My mother, Miss Kitty, says that when someone does wrong, he/she must be punished!"
"You guys are crazy! Why bicker and argue? We should just do what we need to do and hope for the best!" giggled Miss Kitty's son's giggly girlfriend.
"I agree with her! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm gonna go and get her any minute now if we don't do something now!!" yelledd another female mouse who had who had brown fur and a pink dress. Her boyfriend who had has white fur, and wore a bright green shirt, and brown pants, stood up and added on.
"But where is she anyway? That's what we need to figure out!" he asked.
"Don't worry about that. My girlfriend just came back from doing alot of researching, spying, and such," said another male mouse who had white fur, a brown shirt, blue jeans, and had brown eyes. His girlfriend who wore a purple dress, and has tan colored fur, stood up and came forward.
"Yes, as much as I hated going out there, I learned that she and that treacherous Nathan are hiding in Scarborough by the North Sea!" she said.
"Good! So now what are we going to do?" replied another male mouse who wore agray outfit which is a gray shirt, and blue jeans and has gray fur.
"Despite what others say, we are going to attack, very very soon," said a young mouse who stood before them, carrying a young toddler in her paws. Standing beside her was Allison's killer.
"Yes, no matter what, we must turn Arden over to the gallows where she belongs," he said.
"Let's not forget that we must get rid of that rotten Nathan. It's obvious whose side he's on," said the ex-girlfriend of Nathan.
They all nodded, some more reluctant than others. And with that, they began their mission.
--
Arden was speechless and almost fainted.
"What? Marry you? I…" she said. Nathan was on one knee and held out the diamond ring. He smiled a toothy smile, hoping the lady he wanted would say 'yes'.
"Will you?" he said.
There was a long silence. Arden's heart started beating and then dropped continually. Tears fell from her eyes. Nathan's eyes widened.
"I-I…did I come on a bit too strong? If there's something I messed up on, I can fix it up and it over! I promise!" he said, feeling a bit frantic.
The two mice stared at each other. Nathan was hoping for an answer, and Arden was riding on a mental rollercoaster of thought.
"I know you're only sixteen, almost seventeen, but that's okay. I talked to your parents and they said that we can get married whenever we can! We live in Britain after all and British law states that, being between the ages sixteen and eighteen can get married with our parents' written consent! Your parents said that we can and they'll be able to provide written consent. I don't know how since you're still wanted in England, but we can make it through!" exclaimed Nathan. Arden gaped at him, trying to hold on to her consciousness.
She failed. Arden fainted after Nathan's explanation.
When her world faded to black, Arden stayed inside her mind for several hours. As she remained unconscious, voices spoke to her in her head.
Arden, you're not ready for marriage. Yes, Nathan is wonderful and he could be the one, but you have so much going on in your life right now.
You still need to clear your name for the murder, get back at Hunter for the pain he caused, and you so much to do before it's time to settle down and start a family.
What about your locket? If you get married, your enemy, the Professor, might still be after it, despite how long it's been since you've seen each other. If you marry now, you'll be putting Nathan and soon to come children in danger. Is that what you want?
You're only sixteen. Soon, you'll be seventeen. You still have a life to live before it's time to marry.
You have not finished home schooling with your mother and father. You must have your education first before marriage should take place.
Nathan's parents would never accept this proposal. Remember that they, Nathan's brother, Alonzo, and their sister, Erin, are against you! Remember when you got arrested? They left town and that made you angry. You thought that they abandoned you, making you mad at them, which made them mad at you.
Arden, you need to think about all of this. Is marriage really necessary at this time in your life?
After several hours of darkness and voices, Arden finally began to see some light. "Am I dead?" she thought. Her question was answered when she began to see color forming all around her. The blotches of color began to come together into real objects. After Arden had finally found her sight, she looked around her surroundings.
She was no longer at her home in Scarborough. She was in a place that had a bright light. She was sitting on a wooden chair at a metal table. Her wrists were on the table, but they were bound to the table. She could not break away from the table. Arden's heart started racing as she looked around, feeling emotions of fright, worry, nervousness, and so many others.
"Arden, your boyfriend will not be joining us tonight. I have to talk to you."
When Arden heard the voice that sounded strikingly familiar, she sighed in disbelief.
"Looks like I'm about to go on another perilous journey, full of friends lost and found, full of backstabbers, numerous surprises, and so much more…as usual."