Chapter 2:

Last Week of Vacation.

A/N: As promised, remastering this story is continuing the same day it started. I want to be able to 'catch up' to the point I was at before, and then continue on with it from there. Thanks for feedback and everything!

~Star

The dreaded last week of vacation was upon us, and the feeling of desperation surrounding us all inched its way into our cores. No one ever wants Summer to end, because unless you have jobs, summer is a relief from work. A standstill point where you can relax and live as boldly, shamelessly, or lazily as you would like.

Unless you counted the few hours a week of training for the Struggle, we were all definitely being lazy.

Currently, I was perched on the arm of one of the old couches we kept in the Usual Spot. Roxas and Hayner were throwing darts, and I was watching Pence with feigned interest as he shuffled through an old notebook he had brought along. He had wanted to trade a few cards in this dueling card game we were both usually really into, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything but stare hazily at each card he held up, and nodding off whenever he wasn't watching.

"Okay, this is driving me nuts."

I turned my head slowly toward Hayner, fanning myself with my hand as I sent him a level-if not completely bored-look. "What is?"

"This stalemate. I cant beat Roxas at darts no matter what I try, Olette hasn't looked up from her magazine since she got here, and Pence is busy talking to himself because your staring off into space. We need some excitement!"

He pumped his fist into the air, grinning like he expected the rest of us to rev up the moment he finished his sentence. None of us did, and he was met with an awkward silence until Roxas' piped up.

"You can't beat me because you're not even aiming, you're just throwing the darts. Honestly, Ellie has better aim than you do and shes a terrible throw."

My snicker caught in my throat and nose, and I shot the blond a death glare. He replied with a grin of his own and a wag of his eyebrows. "Wanna prove me wrong? You'll have to fight me."

I scoffed, holding my hand up in reserve. "No thanks, I don't have to prove myself to you."

Hayner rolled the his eyes at the two of us, and waved his arm frantically. "Hello, I'm trying to make a point here, so listen up would ya?"

Roxas and I shared a look of irritability, and he plopped down next to Olette, who had finally looked up from her magazine. Satisfied, Hayner decided to finally continue.

"Have you ever been more ticked off in your life? 'Cause I haven't! Nuh-uh! Never!"

He continued on with something new about Seifer being an ass, and how exhausted he was with just doing the same thing everyday.

"There have been mysterious robberies the last couple of days, too!and to make matters worse, Seifer decides to blame us for it, and spreads the rumor across town!" Hayner was engulfed in flaring emotion, flushing a red color.

"Keep making that face, and you're gonna get sick," I sighed, sitting forward on the edge of the chair. "Look, we know we didnt steal anything from anyone, so what does it matter that Seifers accusing us of it? Theres no proof."

Pence began to shift, pulling the contents of his notebook back into their rightful packets and fiddling with his camera.

"You know why I cant let it go, the whole towns buzzing about it," He paused for a moment. "I dont want to end summer on such a bad note."

As irritating as it is to admit it, he was right. I glanced over at Roxas, who seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, he looked back at the rest of us. "We could find the real thieves. That would definitely clear our names."

Nodding in agreement, Olette set her magazine down on top of a crate.

"Thats probably the best idea we've got, Roxas," I gave him a look of appraisal.

He looked over at me, to see me watching him for a response. He attempted one of his trademark sheepish smiles, but it didn't quite make the mark.

He's been thoughtful lately, like hes locked himself away and only sharing the surface of who he is with the rest of us. It's not like we've known him forever, but in the last few weeks, he hasn't quite been himself, either.

A panicked moan from Pence drew my eyes away from Roxas, and I raised a curious eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"The - are gone!"

"Huh?" I blinked in confusion, watching him fiddle nervously with his camera again. Still sleepy from a morning of literally doing nothing, I stared at Pence blankly.

"The what? Say the word, I don't know what you're talking about." What was with the games? None of us will know whats missing if Pence doesn't spit it out.

"You don't get it, I cant say it! The -! They're gone!"

I looked over at Pence, to see that he and Hayner were looking inside the photo container.

'Ohhhhh…' I thought.

As if I had just been jolted from a heavy sleep, I leapt up from he arm chair.

"What? What do you mean, 'The - are gone'!" I instantly choked, coughing and giving way to a look of self disbelief. Which probably looked ridiculous, since I was directing it at myself rather than anywhere else. Gasping for breath, I made an attempt to say the word again.

"-."

"They didn't only take the-, they took the word -, too!" Roxas exclaimed. I stood in shock, touching fingertips to my throat and looking around at the others. In a room full of people whose mouths were moving, you would think someone could have whispered a single word, but that wasn't the case. We all stared at each other in shock, looking like gaping fish.

"So the same thief thats been parading through town stealing stuff from people got us, too?" Olette looked dumbfounded, and glanced around at the rest of us. "But- I didn't see a single thing! And Pence always keeps his camera with him."

I gave the situation a little thought. "You think this creeps been breaking into houses?"

Why would someone go about stealing other peoples memories like that? I was surprised to find that I couldn't even think of the word I was trying so desperately to say, and in agitation, I snatched darts from the board and began to repeatedly chuck them.

"I guess we're just gonna have do what Roxas suggested." Pence spoke up thoughtfully.

Everyone ignored my angry, miniature dart match with myself. Which I expected, and was thankful for, because If I had actually been playing there was no way I would have won against anyone. Pausing mid-throw, I gave what Hayner stated some thought.

"Thats probably the best idea," I stated slowly, lowering my hand.

I must still be brimming with irritability, because Roxas plucked the remaining darts from my hand and stuck them back to the board, giving me a pointed look. I felt my stomach shrink, like I was being reprimanded by a caretaker, and shook away the feeling.

"The question is, where do we begin?" Olette stroked the corner of the magazine thoughtfully before glancing at the rest of us.

"We should ask around," Roxas held his palms out expressively. "If we start with the origin of the crimes, we could probably get some leads."

Hayner nodded slowly, clucking his tongue like he was tasting the idea before judging it. "I like that plan."

"Its as good a place to start as any!" Pence shot up, clutching his camera to his chest. Of all of us, its probably Pence who is the most bothered by things of this nature. He always captured major events in our lives. It was his way of keeping the moments in out friendship alive. This particular summer, he had caught tons of memories, frozen in time. It would be a shame if he lost all of his hard work.

We filed out of the Usual Spot through its makeshift curtain, Hayner in the lead. He struck up conversation, and they all chattered lively with each other about the possibilities of catching the creep who was stealing from everyone.

"You're unusually uptight." I started at the hand that lightly tapped my wrist, glancing up at Roxas, who was giving me a look of concern. He pulled his hand back, continuing with his observation. "You're usually not so aggressive. Whats been up?"

I could pretend not to know what he was talking about, but that would have been ridiculous, and he would have seen right through it. Thats just how Roxas was-perceptive.

There were a lot of things about Roxas that I didn't know, and probably wouldn't. But to him, I was an open book. It didn't take long for him to get how I worked, or how I thought about life. Its probably half my fault, for letting him in the first place. Next to Hayner, he was probably my closest friend. Even Olette didn't know me the way he or my brother did.

"It's nothing, really."

How are you supposed to tell someone that you've been stuck in a state of misery for reasons you wouldn't be able to explain, because you didn't even know why yourself?

He gave me an incredulous look, but didn't say any more. We ran to catch up with the others, and skidded to a stop by the jewelry shop when we finally found them again.

"Any luck?" I raised an eyebrow, but Pence only shook his head.

"Nada."

I sighed, and I was about to suggest more places to look when the lady who owned the shop called out to us.

"Roxas, I thought you were such a nice boy!"

He stopped in the middle of running his fingers through his sandy blond hair, eyes widening in surprise. "W-what do yo mean?"

"My -! They're gone, and I don't know why you took them, but I would very much like to have them back." She crossed her arms, giving him a level stare.

Holding his hands up in defense, Roxas rushed out, "Woah, I dont know what you're talking about! I havn't taken anything."

Hayner nodded fiercely. "It's the truth, hes been with us all summer long!"

The woman looked doubtful, and her shoulders drooped. "I want to believe you, Roxas. But..."

His eyes glimmered like blue flames. "I will prove my innocence, you know."

She sighed, looking hurt and cornered. "I hope so, Roxas. For your sake, I really do."

Hayner gave the store clerk a swift goodbye and pulled the rest of us along with him.

"You see what I mean?" He exclaimed, once we were out of earshot. "Seifers going around spreading lies! He's letting everybody believe that Roxas stole their-!"

I leaned against a pillar, sighing heavily. "Never thought I'd see a day quite like this one."

Olette nodded in agreement with me, and glanced Roxas' way. She opened her mouth to reassure him cautiously. "We will clear your name. You know that right?"

He nodded, shooting her a smile. "I know, Olette. Its just really unsettling, that's all."

Hearing this, she nodded and shifted her weight to the other foot, tilting her head in thought.

Pence pulled out his beloved camera, as if on a whim. Holding it out in front of him, Pence tilted it to catch us in out worried poses and stricken faces. The flash startled me, and we all turned to him questioningly.

"I figured-hey, its our first mystery to solve together. I might as well catch what it looks like," He grinned at us sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. As we all started to laugh, he gave out a yelp of surprise and a little jump. For a moment, we were all disoriented, and then a flash of white caught my attention.

It slithered through midair, swiping itself in a circle around Pence and making a grab for the memory he held in his hand. In his attempt to protect the actual camera, the thief swiped the card from him and started to sprint off. If you could call it a sprint, since it looked more like flying in zigzags and somersaults to me.

Without really thinking about it, I shot forward, determined to catch up to whatever the hell that thing was. One thing was for sure, and it tugged at the back of my mind, with all my other collective thoughts.

That thing wasn't human.

Chapter Two has been updated! I may get to Chapter 3 today, I may not. either way, I will keep working!