With no one else on the roads this late at night, Layton slowed the Laytonmobile as they came closer to the noise of boys meanly laughing at someone. Turning off the headlights, he slowed the car down until it stopped. Looking over to the sidewalk, Flora crawled over the seat and watched over Luke's shoulder at the scene before them.
A ring of boys circled some poor boy in the middle. They all pushed the one in the middle around and over to the others, keeping his off his balance. As the boy was pushed again, the boy he was falling towards, side-stepped and the boy in the middle fell hard on his hands and knees.
With a better look at the boy, Luke and Layton recognized him from seeing him earlier in the library. His body tensed as he tried not to cry, but tears fell anyway.
"Look! Mute's crying!" They all laughed and pointed at him.
In a sudden burst of energy, Clive went from his knees to his feet, and was down the street before the boys realized that he was gone. They shouted angrily and took off after him. The Professor started the car again, and drove after them.
Clive turned down a blocked ally and saw a wall at the end and a metal bridge suspended in the air, spreading between the two buildings. He charged forward. He jumped off the wall and back-flipped through the air. He grabbed the railing to stop himself from flying over, and his feet swung around until they hit the metal with a loud clang; out of the reach of his tormentors. The Professor and the children watch as it all goes down, and park outside the alleyway.
The boys who had been tormenting Clive stood underneath, glaring up at him. "You can't stay up there forever, Mute!" And they walked away, while Layton and Co. climb there way up in the shadows.
Flora made it up first, and heard the silent tears of Clive. He hugged his knees tightly to his chest as he cried into his sleeve. When Flora's fingers lightly brush his shoulder, he jumped and crawled away quickly. When he looked back over his shoulder, she saw the fear in his eyes and tear stains on his cheeks.
"Clive, are you alright?" Professor Layton asks gently, slowly approaching the shaking boy. The boy only stared at the Professor, giving off the feeling of a hurt puppy.
Clive began to slide away as the professor approached. "Clive, I promise I won't hurt you." He said gently. At the Professor's promise, Clive hesitated. The Professor slowly crouched down to Clive's level, and looked straight into the eyes of the fearful boy. "Clive, are you alright?" The Professor asked again.
Clive shook his head back and forth, but never let his eyes leave the Professor's. A strong breeze blew through the ally, making Clive tucked his chin in and wrapped his arms tightly around himself to try and keep warm from the freezing night breeze. Though the wind easily ripped through his thin shirt like knives, making him shiver violently.
"Come, Clive. Lets go to my apartment. It's not far from here." The Professor offered his hand to the shivering boy once he himself was fully standing. Clive slowly took Layton's hand, and lifted himself to his feet, with help from the professor.
Another blast of freezing wind shot through the ally, and Clive pulled himself in again. The Professor slipped his coat off and around the young man's shoulders. To a man with a wool shirt under his coat, he was perfectly fine without it.
Gently, Flora took one of Clive's hands, as Clive's other hand griped the coat together in front, and guided him forward as the Professor kept his hand on the boys upper back, and kept him comforted as much as he could.
The car ride was almost silent on the way to the apartment. Clive sat in the back, staring out his window, while Luke sat on the other side of the bench, thinking to himself. Flora had grabbed the passenger seat next to Layton. Out of the silence, Luke turned to Clive and questioned, "You haven't said a single word, sarcastic or other wise, sense we've seen you. What's wrong?"
Clive looked to his lap sadly, as he pulled the coat tighter around his thinning frame.
"It's like you can't even talk any more." Luke stated, and Clive slowly nodded his head. "Wait, what?!"
"You mean you can't speak anymore?" Flora asked, turning in her seat to see the older boy. Again, Clive sadly nodded his head.
'How could you have fallen so far so fast, Clive?' The Professor thought worriedly.
The car parked in front of a tall, red brick, building. Professor Layton opened the dark wood, double doors as Flora led Clive into the hall lined with doors, each having a small golden plate with a number on it.
Luke ran passed the others to the elevator on the other end of the hall. "I get to press the button!" He cheered all the way down the hall.
"No!" Flora stated loudly, "It's my turn!" She released Clive's hand and chased down Luke.
Clive froze in place, watching the two children run for the metal doors and argue at the same time.
The Professor gently placed his arm around Clive's shoulders, catching the attention of the young man. He gave a gentle smile to the lost and hurt boy. The corner of Clive's mouth twitched as though he were trying to smile, but forgot how.
Layton guided Clive forward to the elevator, where the two youngest of the group were still arguing. Flora had her hands on her hips and Luke folded his arms in front of his chest, both refusing to back down. "Why don't I press the button this time. If you can decide before the next time we use the elevator, THEN one of you can press the button." Layton decided.
"Yes, Professor." They apologized together.
Upon the elevator doors opening to the fifth floor, Luke and Flora burst out the doors as though they were entering a candy shop.
"Welcome to my home, Clive." The Professor announced as he walked through the open door to his, fairly large, apartment. Luke and Flora were already flung on the couch, laughing together. Both children had their legs hanging over the arms f the couch and their head almost touching. All in all, it was a picture perfect moment.
"Children, we need to find a lace for Clive to sleep tonight. And it may be the couch which you are on!" The Professor stated, a hinting smile spread across his face.
Luke's eyes widened in excitement and he flung himself off the couch and over to the Professor and Clive. "He could sleep in my bed! Then I could sleep on the couch!" He shouted enthusiastically.
"That would be very kind of you, Luke. What do you say, Clive?" Layton turned to the young man. When Clive said nothing the Professor realized his mistake, "Oh, right. Would you like to sleep on a bed?"
Clive didn't even think about his answer. Violently, he shook his head. "Why not?" Flora asked.
With his inability to talk, Clive gestured to Luke, hoping they would get the message.
"If your trying to say that it's Luke's bed, then might I remind you that he full-heartedly offered it to you." Layton explained.
"Please, Clive!" Luke begged, "I've always wanted to sleep on the couch! But the Professor and my Mother would never let me because I 'have a perfectly fine bed'."
"That's because you do. But if we have a guest, then it is polite to let them sleep there. It's just one night, Clive. After that, we could probably find a cot for you to sleep on if its that uncomfortable for you." The Professor explained. "But if you would rather, you may have the couch instead."
Flora had dashed out of the room moments before, and came back into the room with a screeching stop in front of Clive. Layton took the shoulders of his coat as Clive shrugged it off, and Flora excitedly handed him a pad of paper and a crayon.
"I tried to find a pen or even a pencils, but I suppose this should work for now until I can find one!" She smiled brightly like she had just solved one of the world greatest puzzles.
Clive looked like he just scratched on the paper before showing her what he wrote. In very neat hand writing, he put, "Thank you"
"Why won't you take my bed?" Luke piped up, now that Clive could tell them exactly why.
Clive quickly summed up why on the pad and gave it to Luke to read. Luke read aloud every word. "I won't take your bed because I already feel like I'm imposing. I would rather have the couch, if that's alright."
"Why, Clive, your not imposing at all!" The Professor announced, "We will gladly take you in and do what we can to help you. It doesn't matter what you've done in the past, because you already paid for it, and more."
Luke handed back the pad and Clive again looked to scribble over it. Once he was finished, Luke took it and spoke for him.
"No one else seems to think so."
"Clive, listen to me full and clear." The Professor stated firmly. "You have done your time, you have made amends, and your story has been told. The Prime Minister is behind bars. Then you go off, get a job in the Archives, and take on everybody dumping on you. I full believe you are better than you think you are. It only matters what YOU think, not what those random people in the street think." Layton explained.
"If you really want the couch, I guess you can have it." Luke stressed the word 'really' more than he probably should have, but got his point across.
Taking the pad again, Clive quickly wrote, "Actually, if you want to sleep on the couch that bad, Luke, who am I to stop you?"
"So you'll take my bed?" Luke asked, looking about burst in excitement.
Clive practically flicked his wrist and the word, "Yes" ended up on the paper. Luke began to jump up and down in celebration. "We'll then, lets get you settled in." Layton smile, following the celebratory young lad.