Guest: Things will lead back to the present, but I don't understand that you meant.

Marshall arts: I will explain everything in the next chapter after the seventh charm is collected. Alice's friend isn't a twin.

InnocentDiamond: Alice's friend just roams around everywhere, but Alice would know when she's around. She's not Alice's "inner self" though. The time limit thing will come later.

Natellah: She's not Alice's split personality. They're separate. Everything that happened here leads to the present, which were the first two chapters.

MagicxMusicxMelody: Technically, you did not conjugate the word "stall"! As of this chapter, it's manifestation of something, but not Alice.

Cup of Violet Tea: Alice's friend isn't "messing" with Shun, but giving him a warning.

GoldenPiggy: Alice's friend didn't interfere with Masquerade. He chose not to for now because of future plans. "Demon Alice" has a lot more hiding than you think.

Cherry-Tree: If Alice is speaking weird, then it's usually the invisible friend at work.

SSR: Great America field trip is this Friday! Eighth graders only! So excited!

Shun: The next thing you know, graduation will be coming your way.

Alice: That is scary...

SSR: (goosebumps) I can feel it already...

Runo: SSR doesn't own Bakugan!

SSR: But I'm about to get the bracelet as a grad gift!

Chapter Twenty-One

Stolen at Seventh

...

...

"...because she will end up destroying herself as last resort when the time comes."

Shun backed away quickly and blinked, but purple-dressed Alice still remained in front of him. "Who are you?! You're definitely not Alice, that's for certain."

"You made the decision to come back, so why aren't you helping her?!" Purple-dressed Alice started crying as Shun covered his ears. "I can't always be there for her, you know!"

"What are you talking-" Shun blinked again, and whoever that person was had left. Yellow-dress Alice was plucking the petals of the purple flower she picked. "Where did she go?"

"Where did who go?" asked yellow-dressed Alice.

He stared at her for a moment and shook his head. "I thought I saw my friend walking around, but it must've been the wrong person." he lied.

"Oh, that. You still have time to look for her, so don't worry." Alice tossed the flower away and stood up. "Anyway, it's about time that I get-"

"Wait." Shun grabbed and pulled on Alice's wrist as he stood up as well. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you ever that feeling that people want you gone?"

Alice's eyes widened in shock as she puckered in her lips. "That's a very difficult question to answer..."

"How so?"

"Actually, why are asking me this question in the first place?"

"Because..." It used to be Alice asking me vague questions to later express her troubles, but why am I asking her the same questions? I know the answers already. "I don't know how to say it. I think that's the reason why-"

"Shun, please stop." Alice's low voice was definitely out of the ordinary. Shun stopped talking and faced away from her. "You're half-right and half-wrong."

"On what I said?"

"I know who those 'people' you said about refer to. Most of them are my friends. They honestly have no motive to hate on me whatsoever, but it feels like someone's telling them to stay away from me. Some of them are still by my side, others are distancing themselves. Like I said, I can't fix this all in one day if I still don't know who that person talking behind my back is, but I'm certain that everything will be alright with my friends helping me."

"Why aren't you helping her?! I can't always be there for her, you know!"

Suddenly, Shun thought of the last words that purple-dress Alice said before leaving. I still have to find out what that means. She spoke to me in an anomalous setting, so she can't be real. "Do have any friends who are especially close to you?"

"Especially close...hmm...that's a difficult question to answer, too. Can I go now?"

"Last question, Alice. I promise."

"Fine."

"Have you ever been in a situation where someone actually said they wanted you gone?"

"Not really. They just stay away. No one's gone as far as to getting-" She stopped in the middle of her sentence and clenched her hands. "I really need to go home now. It was nice talking to you, Shun."

Something was definitely wrong there. "Same here. Thank you for saving my life."

"No problem." Suddenly, Alice handed the purple half-plucked flower to Shun, who stared at it in slight disgust. "This is for you."

"You want me to keep this...disfigured flower?" he asked uneasily.

"Disfigured? I mean, it's up to you to see this has half pretty or half ugly. You can keep it as is by accepting its flaws or rip all the petals off to make it perfectly empty." Alice grabbed Shun's hand, placed the flower in his palm, and closed his fist.

"Uh...thanks?"

"You're welcome. Wish me luck, okay?"

Shun lifted his head quickly. "Luck for what?"

"Solving my problem, of course. Good luck in finding your friend, too. See you next time."

He watched her walk down the street and diminish into the distance. What was that supposed to mean? Shun turned around and walked back to the shrine. "Julie! Over here!"

...

...

"You said something to him, didn't you?"

Alice waited until she was in a secluded area to talk. At first, there was only silence until another voice spoke up. "I'm sorry, but I had to do something. He wasn't understanding anything."

"I don't know if I can be near him anymore..."

The invisible speaker let out a distressed sigh and grabbed Alice by the shoulders. "It's okay. Everything will be fine as long as I'm-"

"I can't imagine what would happen if he knew I had issues."

"Alice, please. That's what Shun and I each are here for. Of course, I've been here way before him, but in these kinds of situations, I can't always be there for you."

"Like when you ditched me at the bridge on the day of food fair? That wasn't very nice."

Alice's friend giggled. "Sometimes I have, depending on the urgency. During that time, there were two people who really needed my help at the moment. That's why I told you to stay there and wait for me." She let out another distressed sigh. "At least you remember that. I just can't bear to think about every time he-"

"Okay, relax. I know I'm unintentionally and involuntarily forgetful at times, like you said. I really don't like it when it feels like my head's in a fog. I know you remember most of what got 'erased', but why won't you tell me?"

"Because..." She tightened her grip on Alice's shoulders. "...I just can't. I know way more than you do because of who I am, and I already knew ahead of time that there are some things that you're not supposed to know or remember because those events are out of place. Do you understand?"

"But will I ever know what I forgot? Will I ever know when all this will be over?"

Her friend let go of Alice's shoulders but now firmly held her hands. "Some things should remain unsaid. I'll do my best no matter what. Getting Shun involved is a slow but worthy cause."

"What happens if you're not here?"

"If one of us is in danger, then so is the other. And I've long been in danger since...that happened."

"But I'm scared."

"Don't be." Alice's friend gave Alice a warm hug. "I'm the one who got us into this mess. I'm the one who will get us out."

"Thanks. You should really let go."

"Oh no. Thanks for reminding me." The friend gave Alice a pat on the back and quickly backed away, but Alice wouldn't be able to see the sorrow on her invisible face. You're too gentle and nice. I can't believe I would end up undoing everything I've worked hard for and pushing you to the limits in the future because of my predicament.

...

...

For just this once, Julie piggybacked Marucho up the back gate stairs to meet Shun. "Where have you been, Shun? You weren't at the shrine, and-"

"Well, now I am. I just had no idea that the shrine had a back entrance that leads to a part of Wardington that I've never been to before." He looked at the blonde boy that Julie dropped off. "You're...Marucho! Am I right? I don't know, I forgot."

"Hello. My name is Marucho. I am a Guardian of Time and Julie's superior, higher by not very much." The two boys bowed and shook hands. "Now that all three of us are here, let's have a serious talk. Because we're right around when Shun here would be meeting Alice for the first time, we need to consider the possibility that Masquerade will be very busy soon if he were to erase the proper events so that happens as is back then."

"Don't even remind me." Shun faced away from the two guardians and breathed heavily. "Why can't Masquerade just erase everything out of the ordinary all at once? I think he's purposely doing this to me because he know how important Alice is to me."

"I don't know..." Marucho answered. "This so-called erasing method does require much energy. He could be saving his energy for bigger plans to come."

"Or just simply provoking us, especially Shun." Julie added. "Since Alice is gone, where's the seventh charm? And where's the bracelet?!"

"Hold on. Let me take this flower out first." Shun flung the flower around and noticed something golden in his hand. "A four-leaf clover charm! I was wondering when I'd get this. Alice liked this symbol out of the most on the bracelet...I think."

"Yeah, but the bracelet?"

"Oh. Must me on me." Shun searched through every pocket and finally found the bracelet. "Okay. Here goes nothing."

Shun opened the clasp and hooked it to the bracelet. For a moment, the bracelet floated and glowed like sunshine until it faded and fell back onto Shun's palm. "That didn't do much." Julie noted. "Hey, shouldn't we be traveling to the present now that-"

"What the hell?!"

Julie and Marucho flinched upon seeing a shadow zoom by and hearing Shun's yell. The bracelet was no longer in Shun's hand, and all three of them stared at each other with flabbergasted expressions.

"This cannot be happening..." Shun growled.

Shun: Somebody tell me who swiped the bracelet from my hand.

Dan: This isn't Leverage! You can't just expect us to catch the thief!

SSR: At least we know that Alice's friend isn't that mean.

Julie: And the "Meanest Person to Exist" Award goes to we-all-know-who...

Shun: Stop. Just stop.

SSR: Yeah, we've had enough of that. Review, okay? :)