GoldenPiggy: Glad to see you made an account! Shun kind of had no choice but to go back in time to find out why.

Cup of Violet Tea: Was it? Alice was a little OOC, but at least you liked it. Runo and Dan's relationship eventually leads to the stuff that happened in the first chapter. Marucho knows some details.

LegoLord: Sorry if it was confusing. Your theory of the invisible friend being a Guardian of Space is mostly correct. Interesting logic there. And the plot will thicken even more soon.

MagicxMusicxMelody: Alice kind of has to keep everything a secret. So it is a good or bad thing that Marucho's wish came true? XD

InnocentDiamond: I agree! You know when there's trouble when even Alice acts OOC! Since Alice is technically 'alive', I'll refrain from talking about her funeral. It'd be a spoiler; sorry. DX

Cherry-Tree: I actually am using the Bee, but the anomaly and charm will come later. Just not here. What's more interesting is how this 'family feud' started.

SSR: Presidents' Week off~ Already arrived in Reno. Weather's pretty good.

Dan: I thought we were going to Las Vegas...

Shun: (facepalm) Where have you been all this time?

SSR: My cousins and relatives arrived here yesterday and reserved spaces. Might be going to Las Vegas during the later days.

Runo: Skiing for the win!

Dan: No, snowboarding for the win!

Julie: I'm going to hang out in the food court where it's nice and cozy.

Shun: Save us a table, if you will.

SSR: And with that planned, let's go! I don't Bakugan!

Chapter Sixteen

Not Afraid to Threaten

...

...

At the food fair, Alice searched for the station where was assigned to and popped the tent up together with Shun. "Are you really the guy Dan's been trying to introduce to me?"

Shun looked up blankly. "I don't know. Since when did Dan start becoming matchmaker? And why do you ask?"

"Dan gets jealous of the weirdest things. Honestly, I feel like we've already met before."

Shun froze.

"What classes do you have? I'm pretty sure we integrated at least once this school year. I just forgot when and where."

He breathed a sigh of relief. So she thinks she's seen me from school before. Still corresponds with the fact that Masquerade is manipulating everything. "I'm pretty sure we've never seen each other." Because I didn't meet you until that day with Runo and Dan.

"Really? Sorry, my mistake." Alice spread a tablecloth across the table and placed every jar of honey as except for the rare one, which she held in her hand. "I'm still upset about not having my Himalaya acacia honey anymore. It's all my fault."

"Don't blame yourself." Shun took the Lehua honey and read all over it. "By the way, you said something about business not well. What happened?"

"The Misakis' diner hasn't been doing well with attracting customers. It's probably because of competition from other restaurants and cafés. Kind of like my 'competition' with some of my classmates. It's takes more than just hard work and self-esteem to move on and prosper."

This time, Alice didn't take any pauses in her answer or glance at Shun in between. Shun kept his eyes on her and asked, "And you're thinking of using this food fair to gained publicity?"

"Runo's parents don't just open a diner. They make a lot of food products on the side for individual sale, like parfaits and sandwiches." After looking left and right, she walked closer to him and whispered. "Their high-quality honey is the best."

"No wonder Runo was so hesitant." Shun put his hands in his pockets and looked around. "So how exactly are you going to get people to notice? Because everyone else has free samples, pamphlets, and all that fancy marketing stuff."

Out of nowhere, Alice took out a white cardboard box by its handles and handed it to Shun. "This is where I need you for the 'extra help'. You'll be in charge of placing free-sample utensils and flyers."

"You can't be serious."

"Sorry, but I'm really serious." Alice turned around to use her inhaler. "I have to go somewhere. Be right back."

"Wait!" But Alice was already too far away to hear him. "Whatever. Not like I've never done this before." Shortly after lifting the cover, the mess inside of loose flyers, toothpick packets, stacks of tiny cups, and other stuff was enough to change his mind. "Or maybe not. Guess she wants me occupied with this junk rather than deal with it herself."

Suddenly, a bad thought came to his mind. Did Alice give me this stuff to keep me occupied and away from her while she's away doing something?

...

...

"You didn't have to purposely do that."

"If I didn't, then all the flaws would be noticeable." After a few minutes of running, Alice slowed upon arriving at the same brick path from earlier.

"I don't suppose he noticed you using your inhaler." the voice said to her.

"He probably did, but does it matter? It's not a crime to be asthmatic."

"No, but he knows more than you think."

Alice stared at her invisible friend blankly and blinked her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? What does he know that I don't?"

"Way more than you, for starters." The 'person' paced around Alice for a few seconds, making the redhead shiver a little. "Alice, don't worry. As long as I'm here, you'll be fine. Sometimes you do some weird things, and it's up to me to correct those mistakes. I know just as much as Shun knows, maybe even more."

"But that won't help me because I don't know what you know. I only see blankness ahead of me. Not like you can magically transfer your knowledge into my brain." Alice placed her hand on her forehead. "Unless, of course, when we're-"

"That's the only plausible method, but I can't always be by your side." The 'person' took a few huge steps back, bringing a gust of wind upon Alice. "Especially with these one-minute, five-foot-radius restrictions."

"It's just the way you exist in this dimension that makes you unstable. I'm already doing my best to accommodate."

"I know. I'm doing my best not to make it a burden for you, but..." Suddenly, they stopped talking. "I have to go somewhere."

"But what am I supposed to do?"

"Just go back and act normal."

"Like-" Alice had another coughing fit and used her inhaler. "Like I can act normal and stable with the possibility of that happening. I'm coming with you."

"You can't! Just don't go back to Shun yet until I'm done. I know how to find you."

"But-"

For a moment, Alice's invisible friend turned visible and stared at the brown-eyed beauty with identical brown eyes. "Trust me. You don't want to go. Stay here and wait."

"Alright." And Alice's friend was gone.

...

...

After the sarcastically cheerful welcome that Masquerade greeted, shivers went down Marucho and Julie's spines in fear and disgust.

"Masquerade...so it is you." Marucho held his left hand up, telling Julie not to move forward. "You stay back. Masquerade, you do understand that you're not allow to travel in time as you please, right?"

"So? How come only the Guardians of Time get to flying into any era they want? If you didn't want me to, then why give me the ability to do so in the first place?!" Masquerade threw a few more hour hands as he continued speaking. "I'm just making sure somebody isn't interfering with time. That's my job, right? To make sure everything exists in its proper time period? Oh Julie, you're in big trouble. Marucho, why aren't you teaching her a lesson?"

Marucho gave the girl a displeased look but shook his head, knowing that he was involved as well. "Here's the thing. We're trying to investigate a person's death, and-"

"And you technically are tampering with the evidence!" Julie interrupted, pulling out an hour hand that flew by earlier and throwing it back. "Ouch, that burned!"

"That's some experience for you." Masquerade called back all the hour hands he threw back into his hands. "So what? People were meant to die. Then there's space for other people to exist and live. That's also my job. Your job is to make sure time keeps going forward. Why let Shun go back in time for a stupid mission?"

"So what?! I brought Shun back in time, so I'm responsible. Alice died a very confusing death, and we're trying to investigate. You, on the other hand, are making things worse by erasing anything relating to us from Alice's mind and ruining our progress."

"Like I care. You Guardians of Time just sit around and do nothing, whereas a Guardian of Space like me has to interact with the physical world to make sure everything it in its place." Masquerade summoned and threw a slender, faster minute hand, only to be stopped by a horizontal-flying sweep hand that literally flew through and pinned the minute hand onto a nearby railing. "How on earth did-"

He stopped talking shortly after feeling a sharp pain on his neck.

"Marucho, is he alright?"

"Rather odd for a Guardian of Space to randomly have a spasm..."

The source of the pain came from a stiletto sweep hand pointed at his throat. "Is anyone there?" Masquerade demanded. "Who is this? What's going on?"

Meanwhile, Julie and Marucho were very confused at why he was yelling exclamations when 'no one' was around. However, the 'person' holding the sweep hand pressed harder, making Masquerade wince. Whispering into his ear was a threatening female voice.

"Don't you dare lay a hand or weapon on them, especially since I'm here to take back what's mine."

SSR: Speaking of invisible, I just saw this guy wear all white clothing walking through the parking lot. I thought it was some winter tumbleweed.

Everyone: (facepalm) Seriously?!

SSR: Everything's covered in snow! What do you expect?

Julie: Guys, the equipment stand is open. Get your gear fast!

Shun: Hopefully, Runo and Dan don't get into a ski pole fight.

SSR: But they're fighting... already...

Julie: At least it isn't as dangerous as the "flying clock hands" from above. And if you don't mind leaving a review...

SSR: Whatever anomaly I have planned will appear later. This "arc" will be pretty long.