(Three hours earlier...)

"I'll get the pack," I say, and I leave the group.

It's typical of me. I'm so forgetful. I get caught up in my daydreams, and my mind empties itself. Walking quick through the forest, I reach a fork in the path. I think it was left here, but it could've easily been right. Another thing forgotten... but I'll do some trial and error. I choose to try the left path first.

I'm surprisingly calm, the cool wind ruffling my wet hair as I travel. Tonight has been amazing, just me and my friends exploring the forest. Having a good time. Even the death omen of my gravestone hasn't interrupted us.

All right, perhaps that's a bit of a lie. That thing has been lingering in my mind. The careful inscription of my name beside Ness's. The sheer age of it, too. I think it was decades old at least, covered in moss, cracked, worn down...

I try to shake it from my head, turning a corner and spotting the pack leaning against a tree. Picking it up, I prepare to return to the others, and my mind begins drifting back to earlier. In Ryu's office, on his floor... what did Ness see? I'll ask later, I decide. For now, we're having fun.

Rustle.

I look up.

Rustle.

"Hello?" I call. I'm met with silence. "I know you are there, I heard you," I add, just in case there actually is someone there and it's not just an animal or my imagination. But to my shock, a figure steps out from among the trees. Even worse, I recognise it.

"Future Human," I say. It's not a question.

"Placet Auxilium!"

My knees shake, remembering the dream in the library. It had cornered me against the bookshelves. I'm suddenly not as comfortable, but it's different, somehow. Around its eye, there's a silver ring. The moonlight from above reflects off it, and it dazzles me momentarily. Its arms are enhanced with wood, I notice, and there's a steel cog jutting through its damaged chest.

It takes a step forward.

"Placet Auxilium!"

"I know what that means," I say clearly. "I dreamt about you in the library — I must be dreaming again now. What was that book that I saw you in?"

It begins to advance.

"Placet Auxilium!"

"Can you say anything else?" I shrink back under its empty gaze. It's just a dream, I remind myself. "Why are you here?"

"Placet—"

"Yes, I know, you need help. How, what can I do?"

It freezes. It stares at me, unmoving.

"Please." I hold up my hands. "I don't want to hurt you, so please don't hurt me either."

There's a flicker of something in the trees. Was that a girl? Or am I seeing things?

"What happened to you?" I ask.

It doesn't speak — I don't think it can. I can hardly speak myself, because it's a horrid thing, and as it starts dragging itself towards me again, I feel my legs tensing up. I shouldn't fluster, I shouldn't show any signs of weakness, but when it growls suddenly, revealing dripping fangs... yes. Hell no.

Giving up on reason, I turn and run. Thoughts rush through my mind. Is it the same beast as in the library? Is there more than one of them? What does it — or they — want? I'm close to the path, but suddenly I'm falling, tumbling to the ground. I cry out. Visions of the gravestone swim through my mind. There's a bolt of blue, and then, with a horrible crash, everything is gone.

.

.

.

.

.

I wake in the middle of the clearing.

I stand and shake myself out, looking around for anything out of place. But I'm completely alone. What happened? Another dream? I must've fallen asleep, but what, in the middle of the woods? I'm uneasy as I get to my feet. I need to get back to the others. Fast.

It's not safe to be out here alone.

My mind races with questions as I run back up the path, the pack hoisted over my shoulder. What help does the creature need? And what was that I'd seen in the trees, a flash of someone and the bolt of blue? It makes no sense. Also, wasn't it all just a dream? It shouldn't be important… but I cannot shake the feeling that something is there. Besides, the Face, that's impossible, too. Unless I'd fallen asleep on the train? But that felt real... perhaps The Face was a human? Some sort of escaped prisoner? I shake my head, overwhelmed with theories, finding the others back by the river. Of course, Ness is asleep — he's never been a night person — lying next to Villager. Toon Link waves, sitting on a rock. I tumble down beside him.

"Is Ness okay?"

"Probably." Villager sits up with a yawn. "He shut his eyes and he was out. He'll be up and around soon, I'm sure."

"How long was I gone?" I ask.

"Thirty minutes or so."

I wince. "Sorry. I said I'd be five, did I not?"

"It's all right," Villager says. "You don't need to apologise. We've just been lying around."

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me either!" Villager laughs. "It's all right. Really."

I smile. "Then I won't say anything at all."

Villager grins, momentarily slipping his hand into his pocket. But evidently, he thinks better of his plan, as he speaks again. "Y'know, you've never said. What was it like at your primary school?"

"Erm." I think it over. "I transferred when I was eight, but the first school was in my old village. Tazmily."

"Oh yes, the place Onett wants to declare war on?"

"Yes," I say, my expression darkening. "And Tazmily would never do the things Onett is claiming they would."

Villager looks sympathetic. "I'm sorry they're doing that to your home."

"It's not your fault."

"But what was it like?" Villager takes out a mysterious coin, tossing it in his hand. "How were things in Tazmily?"

"Good, I think." I consider it, trying to bring back the ancient memories. "I was there with my twin brother. There were some nice people, Fuel, Ollie, Angie…"

Villager gives an appreciative nod. "And how about Onett Primary?"

Those memories surface a lot more easily. I give a faint smile. "I hated it. Nearly everyone was cruel, they mostly picked on me for being poor. And Toon Link for being small… I think that's why he decided to teach himself to be more confident."

"I don't understand why people bully," Villager says, sighing. "It's not fair."

"Were you ever bullied?" I ask.

"Well... not really." He frowns. "I didn't have many friends though, aside from Red."

"Ah..."

"Onett can't have been too bad," Villager says, back to tossing his coin. "You must've met the others there?"

"Yes." I smile. "That was good."

"I'm glad."

But my smile falters. "There was also a girl, Inkling… she went off to a different school. We don't see her anymore."

"Inkling? What was she like?"

"Crazy," I say. "She was always up for adventures. She was a lot of fun."

"You four must've been close," Villager says, giving what he must assume to be a neutral expression. It's a throwaway comment, but I catch the undertones.

"We were." I trace my finger through the dirt, suddenly a little uncomfortable. "Ness and I were always closest, though."

"Yes," Villager says, and he tosses the coin once more, fixing his eyes on it as it catches the moonlight. "You and Ness are incredibly close."

"We are…" I trail off, unsure what more to add. "How about you? What was your primary school like?"

"It was all right." Villager runs the coin between his fingers, lying down to face the clouds. "Back in Anville, it was a lot more peaceful. Everyone was friendly, the teachers were friendly, the lessons were... somewhat educational. It wasn't special."

"What is the biggest trouble you ever got in?" I ask.

"Good question," Villager chuckles, thinking. "Once, I threw a tantrum 'cause I didn't like the ending of a book."

"What happened?"

"You should understand, I was about six at the time." He grins. "I wanted the ending to be dramatic; it was a great opening, but then, the ending was ambiguous. So, I threw a tantrum and was removed from the classroom 'til I calmed down. How about you?"

I opt for the answer that'll cause the least concern. "Once, Ness and I were using chalks, and we drew self-portraits on the stone wall. The matron caned us for that one."

"An artist, even then," Villager laughs. "Primary school was a simpler time."

"Yes..."

There's a sudden rustle in the bushes. We turn.

"Headmaster Hand!" Toon Link shouts, suddenly on his feet. "What the hell?"

I close my mouth, which seemingly opened in shock. There he is, standing in the bushes. We're in trouble, I'm sure… but he looks off-colour, panicked and ragged.

"Headmaster, sir, are you all right?" I ask.

"Yes, yes..." He nods, just slightly. He checks rapidly behind him. "Uh, tell nobody I was here, and I shan't punish you for being out of school. Don't even tell Ness."

"But what are you doing?" Red asks.

"That doesn't concern you." Headmaster Hand casts another glance over his shoulder, his face gaunt. "There is terrible danger. I'll be - I'll be on my way. You saw nothing."

"Okay, Headmaster," we say.

And just like that, he rushes into the undergrowth.

We stare around at each other in confusion. I hope he's all right; he's always been kind to me, waiving debt when I don't have the school fee. It worries me to see him looking like that… though it fills me with suspicion, too.

I glance at Ness, whose sleep appears to have become disturbed, shaking and shuddering like a steam engine. I hope he's not having more nightmares. He rolls over, and I gently touch his back, which calms the shaking a little, but not much. I decide to leave him to fight off the monsters by himself, moving instead to sit beside Toon Link, who's woken up from his stupor.

I haven't had much of a chance to talk to Toon Link so far this term. I like talking to him though, he's much easier to talk to than Red, and we have a surprising amount in common, even though our upbringings were very different. His shy side is definitely still there, and I sometimes privately think that only I get to see it.

"Hello," I say, whispering.

"Hello," he whispers back. "You okay, Lucas? You look sick."

"Yes, I'm okay. This was a nice idea."

"It was." He nods, pleased with himself. "Even though we found out you're gonna die, we should do this again."

"We will," I say.

He lowers his voice. "But how are you, what with the, well, the grave?"

My stomach flips as the words on the stone bore back into my mind. But I force a smile. "The grave isn't important. I don't wanna think about it."

"Understandable." Toon Link glances down at the others. "Just know we're on your side, okay? First that face you saw, now this. I'm worried, Lucas."

I stare at him. "You've gone soft."

"Shut it," Toon Link says, poking me in the forehead. "You are one to talk."

"Excuse me!"

Toon Link laughs, and I do too. He pats me on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go back to sleep, but wake me when Ness is up. Seriously, Lucas, if anything tries to kill you, we're here, okay?"

"Okay," I say, and as Toon Link rolls over again, I decide to hang the blankets up to dry. By the time I've done that, Ness is awake, and there's a whole debacle over him not remembering if he slept. I'll have to tell him about Headmaster Hand, but I cannot do that yet, not when he might still be here.

"Ness," I say, trying to convey that something-happened-but-I-mustn't-tell-you-yet look.

"What?"

Later, say my eyes.

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~~o00o~~

Chapter 8: Present History

(Lucas)

~~o00o~~

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(Eight hours later...)

I wake. It's dark. Then, I remember I'm snuggled up to Ness, wrapped in a blanket. I mustn't have been sleeping for long… so what woke me?

Ness sighs in his sleep. He seems peaceful, at least. I listen for a bit, in case anything's outside, but there's only silence. Shivers course through me — it's freezing cold — why did we decide to sleep out here in midwinter? I'm lucky I haven't caught hypothermia.

Yesterday comes back to mind. I grimace to think of being up that awful tree. I don't know why I'd dared Ness to climb it, it hadn't seemed so tall from the ground, but that feeling of being so beyond help, with the trunk swaying and the wind tearing at me...

I shudder. I think Ness feels it, because he pulls me a little closer.

How did we end up here, cuddled up like this? We must've been tired last night; I cannot remember much from after the tree. I think we just dropped off. Ness is warm though and, truth be told, he keeps the nightmares away. When we were younger, we'd always sneak into each other's beds if we had a nightmare, and we'd hug away the demons. Thanks to him, no Future Humans or evolutions of Future Humans loomed in my dreams last night.

I lean my head against Ness's chest, hoping to get some more sleep, but he stirs — curse myself, did I wake him? He stretches a little, so I watch his face for any signs, my fingers crossed… and his eyes flicker open, catching my gaze.

"Hello," he mumbles. "Is it morning?"

"I cannot tell," I say. "I'm trapped in this blanket."

"Oh, s'rry," Ness murmurs. He unwraps us, and I stand, looking around. The night is still gloomy, the distant taste of earth on the wind. Villager is asleep against a tree and Red's still on the grass, but Toon Link is nowhere to be seen. I prod at Ness, who seems to have fallen asleep again.

"What?" he whines.

"Gettup." I stretch out a hand. "Toon Link's gone missing."

"No, Mother, it's the weekend, not yet—"

"C'mon, you sleepy thing." I sigh, pulling him up by his sides. "We've got a Toon Link to find."

He sluggishly gets to his feet. I feel a little guilty, he's a heavy sleeper, and it's hard to wake him, but I feel uneasy about going into the forest alone.

"What are we doing?" Ness complains, giving me his best pout.

"Finding Toon Link," I repeat. "We have to go into the woods, all right?"

Ness nods, but he stays still.

"Come on, you big zombie."

He nods again, this time walking alongside me.

We find Toon Link sitting by the river, surrounded by stillness. An owl hoots in the distance. He skips a stone across the water, staring at nothing in particular.

"Hello," he says quietly. "Something the matter?"

"Just wondered where you were," I say.

"I couldn't sleep," Toon Link says, not meeting our eyes. "You know, insomnia. It's really pretty here."

"It is," I agree, looking at the purple flowers that scatter across the bank. Ness nods, leaning against my shoulder. I wrap an arm around him, hoping he doesn't fall asleep again.

Toon Link pulls a face, skipping another stone through the current. The river froths and churns a little more than yesterday, and it consumes the stone, dragging it down to deeper depths.

"We should wake the others," Toon Link murmurs. "We should go back before dawn... so we're not noticed by the professors."

"Good plan."

I shake Ness awake again, and I move over to rouse Red, while Toon Link wakes up Villager.

"Time to go back, I hope?" Red says, already alert.

"Yes," I say, helping him up. "We don't want to get caught."

When everyone's awake, I take a last look at our little clearing. We're all still drowsy, and it almost feels like if we speak, we'll disturb the sleeping wildlife. I wonder vaguely what lives in this forest, what rare creatures may be among the trees.

We assemble ourselves, packing our things. I realise the blankets will probably have to be cleaned, but I don't mind doing that. It's something to do; weekends usually end up quite dull, aside from playing chess with Ness (a strange pastime we both enjoy) and visiting the baths. Wii Fit Trainer often holds sporting events on the field, but none of us are particularly athletic, so we rarely join in.

"Does anyone know the way back?" Villager asks.

"You were leading us," Toon Link says, frowning. "I thought you would."

"I know the way," I say before an argument breaks out.

It takes five minutes or so to reach the original clearing, but that's long enough for Ness to huddle up to me and hold my hand. I can tell he's uneasy about something or other, because he's shaking, not too much, but there's a little tremor in his fingers that's a dead giveaway. I'm starting to get worried. Lately, he's been getting upset a lot more. What with all that's going on… I shake my head, tightening my grip on his hand. He'll be okay in time. He has to be.

The rest of the walk passes without any problems. Toon Link sneaks open the great wooden door, and we creep into the entrance hall.

"Good," Red says, pleased. "I was sure we'd be caught."

"5:36," Villager says, seeing the large grandfather clock in the hall. "We should go to our dorms, I suppose."

But the path to the stairs is blocked by none other than Professor Bowser.

"I don't think he's seen us," Toon Link hisses, pulling us into a nearby cupboard. "Just wait for him to go past..."

Red gulps. "I don't want detention."

"Me neither, so shut it!"

There is silence as we wait, and I look around at the cupboard we've found ourselves in. It's unusual, seeming to go quite far back. It's hard to see how far, though. It disappears into a mass of boxes.

"Do you—"

"Shush!" Villager exclaims. Toon Link covers Villager's mouth, and Villager tries to scramble in protest.

"Stop that," Red hisses. "You'll be heard!"

The pair instantly stop scrambling, and I move nearer to Ness as footsteps sound outside.

"Can you see him?" I whisper. Toon Link tries to look through the crack under the door, but I assume he sees nothing, because he comes up shrugging. I wait with bated breath, certain that Bowser's going to come in any second. I hate the dark. It was fine in the forest with the moonlight to keep things ambient, but something about this room is deeply off-putting. I back away from the door, but in my keenness to get away, I don't see the bucket behind my feet. I cry out, my legs fly out from under me, and there's a clatter as I fall on a pile of broomsticks.

Fantastic.

Ness hastily picks me up, backing us into a shadowy corner. Why am I such an idiot? Footsteps echo from outside, and Ness tries to carry me behind a row of boxes, but he knocks down a stapler…

"Hide!" Toon Link whispers as a growl sounds from the corridor. Ness quickly puts me behind a bin, throwing himself down beside me. Red stumbles as he tries to join us, causing a mop to fall from who knows where and land with another clatter on the floor. I spot the door handle starting to turn — I breathe heavily, accidentally inhaling cobwebs and coughing — we're for it now — Villager tries to blend in with the broomsticks...

There's an eerie silence, and the handle stops turning.

But suddenly, Toon Link opens the cupboard door, sprinting out with a cry of "COME AND GET ME BOWSER!"

A noble sacrifice! I suddenly feel extremely warm towards him. I watch through a crack between boxes as Bowser's shadowy figure gives chase down the corridor. Cries and stomps come from outside, and I almost have to laugh.

"Do you think it's safe to leave?" Villager whispers.

"Not yet," Ness says. "I can still hear them."

But Red's facing the other way. "How far back does this cupboard go?"

I turn, and the light from outside the door seems to reveal that, hidden behind the boxes... this isn't just a cupboard. This is the entrance to something much bigger.

There's a small gasp from Villager. "What is this doing here?"

Ness takes a couple of steps down. The stone walls of the cupboard seem to become dirt quite quickly as behind them, a passage slopes downhill, into darkness. It's queer. I feel a slight chill from looking down it.

Bowser gives another shout from outside the door, and Villager rushes to shut it. A flash of energy rushes through me; I'd almost forgotten him…

"I told you, Professor Bowser," Toon Link says, his voice echoing from the corridor. "I was the only one in the cupboard." I feel another jolt as Bowser's footsteps fill my ears. "Besides," Toon Link continues. "If anyone was in there, they'd be sensible enough to have hidden somewhere else, wouldn't they?"

"Down here!" Villager hisses, already clambering into the passage.

"What?" I say, but he's already in. Red follows. I gulp, looking at Ness — I hate tight spaces. But to my dismay, the cupboard door swings open, and we're left with no choice.

Ness grabs my hand, and we begin to run.

"See? Nobody here!" Toon Link's voice echoes as we plunge into the darkness. The musty scent of old tunnels fills my nostrils, dampness, coldness. We run through spider webs. The ground under our feet is lumpy, and I have to slow myself down, just so I don't trip. We take a turn, and as soon as we're around it, any light that remained is gone.

I gulp.

"We're at a fork!" Ness hisses, and I almost jump out of my skin. "Left or right?"

"Right," Villager says, and we hurry on through. I screw my eyes tight shut, already afraid of this dark, filthy tunnel, these enclosed walls, the stale air. The possibility of anything being down here. All of a sudden, I don't feel too well.

"Ness?" I whisper, trying to catch my breath.

"Lucas, where are you?"

I quickly squeeze his hand. "I'm here — I don't like this..."

"Sorry Lucas, I did not think! I should've — what with you hating the dark… it's pitch black!"

"Yes, well noti—"

Clunk.

We fall short.

"Ness… was that you?"

"No..."

"Villager? Red?"

"No, not us either."

"Do you think — Bowser—?"

"I don't know," Ness says. "We just need to keep quiet."

I nod, but I remember that nobody can see me. A wave of nausea hits. What if the roof caves in? Nobody would ever find us, and what if this has something to do with the disappearances? Worriedly, we advance, now only walking. I hold tight onto Ness's hand.

Clunk.

It's closer. Oh hell, it has to be Bowser, he's going to catch us and then what? He'll probably kill us! The walls close in around me, but suddenly, we're ascending, going up, up, up, and there's a trap door in the ceiling, Villager hastily undoes the bolt, and we scramble into the moonlight.

We're back in the forest.

"What!?" I look around at the trees.

"Damn!" Ness says. "Quick, get back in! We need to go the other way."

I stare at Ness, incredulous. "But what about whatever's in there?"

"There's one of Bowser and four of us," he says. "Come on! We've got no other choice."

And so, we plunge back into the tunnel. Dead silence consumes us, no sounds of water dripping, no Bowser, only our hurried footsteps. It's happened again, I realise; we need to stop blundering into things that could be dangerous. Exploring these passages had seemed like an escape, but once again, we're fighting for our lives.

We reach the junction at last, and we take the other path, which instantly widens into a much larger passageway. It's a sudden relief not to worry about claustrophobia, despite the continued darkness. We surge forward, feeling our way through like moles in the darkness.

Clunk.

Bowser! My head spins suddenly, and I stumble, falling to the ground. Ness helps me up off the floor, and I tug at him, panic searing my chest.

Clunk.

"Run!" Red cries, and we break into a sprint. Ness staggers, though — in a panicked moment, I find him slowing me down. Red and Villager disappears ahead. But suddenly, paths are splitting off in every direction, and I come to a mad halt, catching Ness by surprise. His momentum carries his hand out of mine.

"This way!" Ness shouts, running — which way? Has he forgotten I cannot see in the dark!? Suddenly, I'm rooted to the spot, terror filling me completely.

"Ness!" I call, desperate, but there's no reply. Why did he not wait? I start to panic, feeling my chest closing up, my neck constricting. I'm alone. Alone in empty caverns, with anything behind me — what if I die here? Where do I go? What if I make the wrong choice!?

Clunk.

What would Claus do? I think madly, and the thought that comes back to me is deafening: Just choose a path!

And so, I blindly pick the furthest left, hurtling headlong down the passageway.

Clunk.

It sounds so close — I feel my breathing quickening, my legs tearing with agony — another choice of path and another appear, and I guess and gamble my way through them all, praying I don't meet a dead end. Everything seems so much darker without Ness's touch.

Clunk. Clunk.

It's coming. It's coming for me. I have to run, but I'm blinded by fear and darkness — surely not much longer, not much more... I choose another path, hurling myself down it, but I'm gasping for breath — it's not going to be enough!

But suddenly, the passage begins to tilt. I cross my fingers for all I'm worth. I hurtle upward, the passage becoming stone, becoming wood, walls — I burst into a cupboard, and I almost collapse with relief.

I throw open the door, and light returns, flooding me with beautiful, beautiful colour. But I'm not free yet! I spill out onto the floor of a corridor, stumbling over a box. Almost hysterical at this point, I look around, trying to gauge exactly where I am, slamming the door shut behind me as I sprint — I'm near the pool, I think — but what about the others!? What if the passage collapsed and crushed them!?

I start running down the corridor, desperately taking a shortcut upstairs and past the Trades classroom, through the corridor of dorms for the year below. I sprint round a bend, down more stairs, avoiding the main Hall in case anyone is there. I slow down around Ryu's history classroom (I have a strange feeling that he sleeps in it) and as I come out to the main corridor, I catch sight of Toon Link sprinting toward our dorms.

I follow him, and I tumble up the stairs, thanking my lucky stars that nobody saw me. I'm delighted as I see a dust-covered Ness appear in the corridor behind me.

"Ness!"

"Lucas!" He hugs me, his relief clear. He must've been worried about me. If only I hadn't been so slow. "We made it," he breathes, collapsing in my arms.

"Just about," I say. "I was so worried—"

Ness pushes open the door to our room, but he gasps.

There's a beat of quiet.

"What's the matter?" I look inside, pushing past Ness's shocked figure.

It's a mess. Everything is everywhere. I step slowly inside, and Ness follows behind.

Ness picks up a torn book. "I don't understand," he says cluelessly. "How—"

I gaze at the devastation. Nothing's left untouched. Everything's strewn about, all of our things. I rush to the art equipment that Ness bought me for Christmas, and with a horrified gasp, I see that all the pencils and paintbrushes have been snapped in half. I try to hide the debris so Ness doesn't see, but he's too quick. His eyes practically pop out of their sockets.

"How dare they!"

Great. Now the whole corridor will be awake.

"It's all right," I say quietly.

"It's not all right! That was - that was yours, and they deliberately—"

"Ness, it's fine, it's just, it's just stuff—"

"Who would do this to you?"

"To us—"

"Everything is destroyed!"

"Not everything," I say, picking up the books I got him for Christmas. "These are all right still. And the blanket you got me."

"But the art stuff — and you don't have much else—"

"Ness, it's okay. I've still got you, don't I? I don't need presents to be happy—"

But he turns purple with outrage. "It's not fair! All my clothes are fine. Even my - my teddy bear is all right! Whoever did this, they did it to spite you, and that's not okay!"

"Ness, I don't mind—"

But there's a knock at the door, and then people are flooding in. It's the Pits, closely followed by Villager and Red.

"We heard shouting," Pit says.

"It's okay—"

"They got you too?" Villager asks.

"Too?"

"Our room was messed up as well."

Ness balls his hands into fists. "When I find out who did this, I swear…"

More people hurry in.

"Can you keep it down in here?"

"Holy—"

"What happened?"

Ness throws himself onto his bed, possibly overwhelmed by all the people. The whole corridor must be here by now, and I spot Olimar and Meta Knight grinning at the back. My suspicions grow. Of course they'd be involved somehow.

Suddenly, Shulk, the professor who monitors our corridor, bursts in.

"What is all the noise? C'mon, everyone back to bed. Ness, Lucas, what is going on? I'm guessing you did not throw all these clothes around…"

"Yes," I say.

"Someone must've broken in," he concludes. "But who?"

"Meta Knight and Olimar," I say, putting the pieces together.

"It was them!?" Ness exclaims, shooting up and squaring right up to them both. "Come on, two versus one, you'll pay—"

"Ness!" I say. "Don't be an idiot, please."

"Don't call me an idiot!"

"Oho," Meta Knight says, grinning. "Fancy that, fighting me in front of a professor? Very inappropriate behaviour…"

Ness stamps his foot with frustration, which causes some laughter. I glower at all of the new arrivals.

"Ness," Shulk says calmly. "I understand that you are upset, but please calm yourself. And did I not tell everyone else to go to bed?"

There is some grumbling, but people finally start to leave our room.

"Wait," I say. "Red, Villager, they should stay. The same thing happened to them."

"If you say so. Come on boys, come back..." Shulk makes himself at home, sitting on my bed. "Now, are any of your things missing?"

"Not that I know of," I say. Ness curls up in a ball.

"Not in our room either," Villager clarifies.

"All right, so I suppose it's some typical bullying," Shulk says. "I'll have to bring this to Headmaster Hand."

"Can you not do anything now?" I ask. I don't want Headmaster Hand to get involved. Plus, he might still be wandering around the forest.

Shulk shrugs. "Honestly, this isn't something I know how to deal with. We're just told to tell the headmaster directly."

I give in. "Fine."

"I'll let you clear things up, all right?" Shulk stands, giving us a last look. "I'll make sure whoever did this gets punished, 'cause this isn't fair. And if anything else happens, please let me know."

He leaves.

"Why are all the professors so useless?" Ness complains, slumped down in his bed. "I hate them, Olimar and Meta Knight. So much."

"I know," I say, patting his back.

"All my books are everywhere," Red grumbles. "I had them catalogued by subject, publisher, and author."

"I don't have the heart to clear up right now," Villager mumbles, covering his face with his hands. "I just wanna go back to sleep."

"Agreed," I say, suddenly yawning. "Ness, come on, you need sleep too."

Villager and Red stand. Red's a little bit in shock, I think. He's absentmindedly chewing on his thumb, a habit I thought he'd dropped.

"See you tomorrow," Villager says as the pair leave.

"See you."

Once they're gone, I try to pick up some loose clothes from the floor, but it's no good. Clearing up is a job that'll take some time, and I am so, so tired.

"Come on," I say. "You need rest."

"Yes," Ness says vaguely.

"This is terrible." I hug him. "We can still move on. It's fine. We got out of the forest without being caught. We can go again sometime. We could go through the passageways."

Ness nods. I don't know if he's really listening, but he seems to be calming down.

"Come on," I say. "Tonight was fun. Don't let them spoil it."

"Lucas." Ness turns to me, stumbling on his words. "I'm sorry for getting angry at Meta Knight—"

"It's okay," I say. I'd been expecting this. "I'm angry at him too. Shulk will deal with them."

"Those passages scare me."

"They scare me too," I say. "A lot."

"I know, because they're dark and all," Ness says. "But they scare me because they mean anyone can break into the school."

There's a pause.

"Like, say, The Face."

My stomach slowly drops. "…I don't feel safe anymore."

"We need to tell Headmaster Hand about these passages," Ness decides.

"You're right, we do." I nod in strong agreement. "But right now, we should sleep."

"Yes. I'm spent."

"Me too, Ness."

I stand up, ready to go back to my bed, trying to avoid the sharp splinters of wood from all the broken paintbrushes. I glance at Ness, who's already curled up under his covers. He looks soft. I think back, remembering being in the forest.

"Lucas?"

"What?"

"You are cute."

I blush in spite of myself. I'd forgotten about him saying that; I'd been so tired at the time. Does he really think I'm cute? Is that a thing friends say to each other? I don't know… but it's a bit wonderful. My insides do a funny little dance.

Cute.

"You going to bed, Lucas?" Ness's sleepy voice comes from the other side of the room, and I smile, secretly.

"Of course."

I roll myself under my covers. They're comfortable, despite how cold the room is. It's an easy coldness, I decide.

But my thoughts drift to the less-than-easy topic of Future Human. I wonder if I'll dream of it tonight, and I realise with a small jolt that I forgot to tell Ness about Headmaster Hand. But perhaps he doesn't need any more to worry about. Lately, everything's been far too unusual, I think. Red, too — I'm sure he's been quieter this term, more reclusive. It disturbs me.

And I still haven't talked to Popo. Or Mega Man, Villager's friend. I suppose I have a fair amount to do tomorrow.

I wonder what Father is doing now. Well, sleeping, of course, but I wonder if he's got a pay rise yet, or if he finally has the rent under control. I made a fair amount of money over Christmas, so he should last for the term just fine, but I cannot help but worry. I wish he worried about me, too.

I think back to Tazmily as well. I wonder how it is now, under the threat of war from Onett. My beautiful village will stand, I have to believe that. I know Tazmily cannot be as good as it is pictured in my mind, I know it cannot be quite as sun-dazzled as I remember it, but I have no bad memories from that place. It would be so nice to move back there with Ness. I think he'd love it; he doesn't like the city, he much prefers nature to the buildings, and Tazmily is full to bursting with wildlife. The Sunshine Forest, the rolling sunflower fields… I daydream about Tazmily a lot, and I am not ashamed of it.

I remember being five, when Claus was too, even though he seemed like the older one. Most mornings in Tazmily were easy, pleasant, with fresh bunches of sunflowers in the vases around the kitchen. Mother would usually be out in the fields, and Father would be doing odd jobs around the village. Father never earnt much, but combined with my mother selling sunflower oil, we'd make enough to get by.

"Lucas!" Claus would shout. He would always yell my name as if it were the best thing on earth. "Wanna play?"

"Of course!"I'd say, equally excited, because I was at that age when everything was amazing. Claus and I would always play, from pirates, to hide-and-seek, to hungry hungry dragos. Sometimes, we'd play with the other children in the street, laughing and shouting. I remember when someone found a football, and we'd spent the evening kicking it around in the village square. Elmore had yelled at us, but it had been funny. It had been so, so funny.

I smile into my pillow, but it's bittersweet. It's one of the only memories I have left of Claus. I like to disappear into my memories sometimes, to relive the best times. I feel oddly compelled to write a song about him. A ballad, perhaps? But no, not for his liveliness. A happy song. I think the happiest songs are sometimes the saddest.

What am I thinking about? How long have I been lying awake? Too long, drowning in daydreams. What I have now is good, and I know that as I stare around the steadily lightening room. Ness snores softly in his bed, and suddenly, I feel drowsy too. At long, long last.

I hug my pillow, and my eyes close, dropping me into a restful oblivion.