A/N: Hello my dear readers! Haha, I am happy to say that the reviews I got have given me the will to write chapter 2 :) Now, just a little info on this chapter: it takes place a day before the events of the Prologue. It's also the chapter two of my very own OC's make their debut in (exciting, I know!) XD

But enough of my mindless chatter, enjoy! ;3

May 12, 1962 8:30 A.M.

Professor Layton sat at his kitchen table, looking out his window into the busyLondonstreets. Even though it was 8:30 on a Saturday morning, the streets were swarmed with people and cars trying to get to whatever destination they were headed for, surrounded by the sound of honking horns, tons of voices either in conversation, yelling, a combination of the two, and shuffling feet.

Sipping his tea, the Professor sighed. What would it be like to have, just once, the absence of all the ruckus?Londonwould be a whole different place entirely, that's what it would be like, he concluded to himself, taking another sip of tea. It was strange how most cities began to get really busy and loud during the nighttime. But in this particular part ofLondon, the exact opposite happened. The streets became silent and tranquil after the sun had set—or at least, that used to be the case…

For, you see,Londonhadn't been so quiet and tranquil these past few nights. For weeks, nighttime had only brought terror and fear. The reason?

A killer was on the loose.

There where rumors on how the mysterious killer operated. Some said she was a master of tight spaces and could hide for days in one's home, spying. Then, when no on was looking, it was just you and her alone in a room… bam, you were dead. Others believed her to be a master of disguise who could morph into any object or person she desired. She used this power to manipulate and hypnotize people into killing themselves, thus the fact she was never caught. Still others had even crazier ideas.

The police, however, had no leads, only two pieces of solid evidence: one, the killer was a woman, and two, she went by the name L.I.V.E.

As the Professor went over all this in his head, his young apprentice, Luke Triton, walked into the room, yawning. "Good morning, my boy," the Professor said, nodding at Luke's entrance. "Sleep well?"

Luke sat at the opposite end of the table and gaveLaytona sleepy smile. "G'morning, Professor. Yeah, I slept well." Getting up, he walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. "Uh, Professor? We need to run to the grocery store later on. We're all out of food."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that Luke. I think the main reason is due to the fact Flora insisted on attempting to make supper last night." Chuckling, he too got up and walked to the cupboard. "Take note, Luke. It's events like Flora's cooking that cause me to stock up on plenty of cereal."

As they both laughed, Flora walked into the room. "Good morning, boys!" she said, quite cheerful for having just woken up. "What're we laughing at?"

Luke andLaytonexchanged glances, "Erm, nothing Flora," Luke said. "The Professor just told me a joke."

Flora nodded, and the Professor asked, "Flora, my dear, what time is it?"

"Hmmm, let's see…" she said, checking the clock on the wall. "Why it's 8:34, Professor."

"Hmmm, then we must make haste. Remi will be here soon and then we're all to head over to Scotland Yard. Inspector Chelmey wanted to ask me something today."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and Flora shouted, "I'll get it!"

"No, I wanted to!" Luke cried, and they both made a mad dash for the door.

Chuckling,Laytonheard the door open and Luke say, "No fair, Flora! You pushed me!"

"Kids, kids!" he hearda new voice say, "c'mon, let's play nice. No need to give the Professor a headache this early in the morning." After taking an extra bowl out of the cupboard, the Professor wandered over to where everyone was, and Remi smiled. "Well, speak of the devil!" She walked over and gave the Professor a hug and a friendly peck on the cheek.

"Hello, Remi. We where just about to have breakfast and go over to Scotland Yard," he said, blushing slightly. He was very good friends with Remi, but still, whenever a girl kissed him it made him feel a bit… awkward.

"Hm, sounds good!" she said, winking at him as she bounded over to the kitchen. She reached for the cereal box and helped herself to a generous serving of cereal. "I'm starved!"

May 12, 1962 9:15 A.M.

After they had eaten their breakfast and gotten ready, the Professor, Luke, Remi and Flora headed over to the bus stop. As they waited for the Scotland Yard bus, Luke and Flora quarreled over their morning cereal-eating competition.

"You cheated! There's no way you could've eaten more than me!" Luke protested.

"Ya-huh! There is too a way: I'm a faster eater! You're just mad 'cause you got beaten by a girl!" Flora replied, sticking out her tongue.

"No, you definitely put more cereal into my bowl!" Luke turned to the Professor, "Professor isn't that right? Flora cheated!"

Laytonadjusted his top hat and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Now Luke, it's best we settle this before we reach the Inspector's office. Just remember: a gentleman should never accuse a lady without hard evidence against her. It's not kind."

Luke sighed. "You're right, Professor." Turning to Flora, he said, "I'm sorry."

Remi smiled at him, "It's so sweet how you always listen to your teacher, Luke. But, then again, he is the best of the best, huh?" She smiled at Layton, causing him to blush again.

Luckily the bus pulled up, and they all loaded on and road to Scotland Yard. When they arrived at the building, Barton greeted them at the door and told them to wait for Chelmey in his office. They obliged and sat down.

"So, Professor," Flora said, rocking back and forth in her chair, "why does Inspector Chelmey want you anyway?"

"He wanted to talk to me about an issue inLondon, something that's got them completely baffled, my dear," he replied, looking around the office.

"Well, then they've come to the right place," Luke said, beaming. "No case is too baffling for the great Professor Layton and his apprentice, Luke Triton!"

"Ahem?" Flora and Remi coughedsimultaneously.

"D-did I say that? I meant the great ProfessorLaytonand company!"

The door opened, and Inspector Chelmey, a gruff man with black hair, a large moustache and a tan jacket walked in.

"Oi, you're all here now, eh?" Chelmey grunted as he sat down. "Well thank you all for making it, I suppose."

"'T'was no trouble at all, my good man,"Laytonsaid. "Now, I understand the matter we are about to discuss is quite serious?"

"Mmm," Chelmey said, lacing his fingers together in front of his mouth and nodding. "You see,Layton, as much as it pains me to admit this…we need your help."

"And, for what are my services required?"

"You've heard the news lately, correct?" WhenLaytonnodded the Inspector continued, "Well, this L.I.V.E character seems to be posing more of a problem than we first anticipated. In fact, I think this may be the hardest case we've ever encountered. We need a separate investigation crew to search for possible suspects… and that's where you come in."

The Professor sat for a moment, letting Inspector Chelmey's words sink in. He was asking him to accept a potentially life-threatening case that could very well result in failure, seeing as where the investigation was headed already. But still, he felt somewhat obliged to say yes. After all, this was the first timeLaytondidn't have to push and push and sneak around for Chelmey to finally agree to team up with him.

"Well, this is quite a big offer… Would it just be me, Luke, Flora and Remi or would there be other police officers as well?"

The Inspector chuckled. "Oho! I couldn't let you take all the credit if your crew actually did find the killer, so I've given you the honor of being paired with one of my most promising men."

Just as he finished, the door opened and a young man stepped in. He looked about twenty-sixyears old with tan skin, muscular arms and deep blue eyes that looked both kind and protective at once. "Hello, Inspector Chelmey," he said, and looking at everyone else he said, "Hey, folks. My names Lance McCoult. I'll be working with you on the investigation."

Flora was gawking at the man so intensely that Luke had to cough rather loudly to break her trance. Remi, on the other hand jumped up and said, "Well, this whole ensemble is perfect, is it not? With the Professor as our brains, you as our brawn and me as our transportation, we're practically unstoppable! I'm Remi Altava, by the way." She batted her eyes at Lance, causingLaytonto shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"Hey, you forgot us, Remi!" Luke exclaimed, jumping up. "After all, Flora and I are your backup defenses!" Looking at Lance, he smiled, "I'm Luke Triton, by the way."

"And I'm Flora Reinhold!" Flora piped up.

Lance chuckled at all the introductions, and said, "Ah, it's nice to meet you all. And since one introduction hasn't been made, I suppose I am right to assume that you," he turned to the Professor, "are Professor Hershel Layton?"

The Professor nodded. "That I am. I'm thrilled to be working with such an experienced police officer." He smiled and stood to shake Lance's hand.

"Ha, well, I've only been with the Scotland Yard for a few months, but according to Chelmey I'm the best he's got to offer. Now, as much as I'd love to sit and get to know all of you, I'm afraid that will have to wait."

Chelmey cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him. "Yes, well," he began, "I've got some business regarding my part of the L.I.V.E case to attend to, so I'll have to ask you all to leave. But tomorrow, you are to report bright and early to a different police stationto meet up with Lance's wife, Chelsea, with whom you'll discuss suspects and other matter regarding the case. Now, good day." And with that, he gestured them all to the door.

"So…we're going to meet your wife tomorrow, huh?" Remi asked, a slight disappointment ringing in her voice.

"Yes. Chelsea's something, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to show up as on-time as possible. She can cause an awful fuss over anyone coming even a minute later than they're supposed to!" Chuckling, he shook all of their hands and bid them good day.

After he had left, Layton, Remi and the children headed out the door and back to the bus stop to await the bus home. As they passed by the bench located right outside of Chelmey's office, no one seemed to take notice of the strange woman clad all in black sitting there. She had ear buds with her and a nearly-invisible wire running from them to a tiny microphone that had been on the Inspector's desk the whole conversation, undetected by anyone who had been in the room. She turned to watch the small group round the corner, smiling deviously once they disappeared.

May 13, 1962 2:43 A.M.

The Professor's head shot up from his pillow. He could have sworn he'd heard noises outside his room and whispering. Cautiously, he crept out into his living room and peered around; no intruders. He shook his head, dismissing the sounds he had heard as a hallucination caused by nerves. After all, in a few hours he would be meeting with Lance and his wife to start a dangerous case, so it was understandable for him to be a bit anxious.

Yawning, he turned to go back to his bed, when an envelope on the coffee table caught his eye. That's strange. I'm positive that wasn't there before, Layton thought to himself as he walked over to the table and inspectedthe envelope. It looked normal enough, with a wax seal bearing an image of a phoenix. He carefully broke the seal and unfolded the letter. The writing inside looked like it had been hastily scrawled and read:

Hershel Layton,

I see you've decided to play detective. Let me give you a bit of advice you can call it your first clue: Don't bother. Many people have played this game, and all have lost. But please, feel free to try and beat me. I welcome all new opponents. The first move is yours.

The Professor read the note, confused by its meaning. Only when he saw the signature did he understand, and it made his heart stop.

Yours truly, L.I.V.E

A/N: Okay, I lied about the "two of my very own OC's make their debut in this chapter" bit I wrote in the beginning authors note, but I promise, you'll all meet Chelsea next chapter! But for now, woa, was there some small hinting of remiXlayton in this chapter? And What's up with that letter? I mean, Cliff hanger much? XD

Hahaha, thanks to anyone who read this chapter for reading, and please, tell me what you think. Loved it? Hated it? Just need something to do to kill a few seconds? Any type of review is welcomed ;3 (Remember: they give me the will to write!)

Well, I'll see you guys next chapter, bye!

~Lizz