Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait. Here's the third chapter. Let's see how the journey continues…

Chapter 3

Ten minutes had passed since her search for shelter had begun, and Tweak still couldn't help admiring the scenery around her. The snow she was walking on wasn't white, but sky blue. If it wasn't for the texture and the white foam-like dust that came out every time she took a step forward, she would have thought it was water she was walking through. Another odd thing she'd noticed after leaving the cave was the fact that it was daytime in Alledia. It had been nighttime back at home, so she knew this alternate Earth even had a different time zone—something she'd undoubtedly have a hard time getting used to.

Turning to the left, Tweak wondered what she was going to do now. She was tempted to call out for someone and hope company was nearby, so they could provide shelter for her. However, she didn't want to attract the attention of that scary octopus-like monster Emily had scared off. If it had swallowed the girl's mom, it could just as easily swallow her too…or worse. The smartest option would be to just keep walking and hope help was near; and that Miskit was safe.

After thirty more minutes of walking and still finding no shelter or help, Tweak sat down behind a rock and yawned. Her feet were getting sore, and she was starting to feel sleepy from staying up so late. Maybe she'd have to just stay where she was until someone found her instead. As long as it won't be that…horrible beast… she thought. It was the only term she could think of to describe that octopus-like creature, and as she dozed off, she sighed as it made her think of Kwazii. Until now, only he had ever called a creature a horrible beast.

"…miss! Miss, can you hear me?"

Tweak awoke with a start. A tall grey cat was bent down next to her, looking concerned. He had a small black nose, dark brown stripes at the top of his face and at the edges of his whiskers, and a greyish-blue mountaineer outfit. He appeared to be a young adult, perhaps about a few weeks or so younger than Kwazii.

The cat sighed with relief. "Oh good, you are alive. I was beginning to worry you may have needed medical attention."

"No, I'm okay," said Tweak. She stood up and, after glancing around to see if anyone else was here (which wasn't the case), turned back towards the cat. "Uh, do you know if there's any kind of shelter nearby?"

"Not that I know of," replied the cat, examining the area, "Unless the airship I used to travel here counts, of course."

"It counts, alright," chuckled Tweak. The cat smiled, and he led her past some rocks, over to a giant, round, grey airship that was parked on the ground. Although it lacked colour, she had to admit that it looked quite majestic.

"I am Rico," said the cat, giving a friendly smile.

"Tweak."

They shook paws, and Rico led her into the airship, which he revealed was called the Luna Moth. "So," he said once they were inside, "were you searching for the treasure too?"

"What treasure?"

"The Sapphires Of Nia Gara. Have you not heard of their legend?"

Tweak shook her head. She knew Kwazii probably heard about this treasure, but if he had, he hadn't told her or the other Octonauts about it.

"For a century," Rico explained, "I've heard rumours that, somewhere in this mountain, there resides a buried treasure known as the Sapphires of Nia Gara. Legend has it that whoever discovers them will be given the power to control the element of water. I feel it could really benefit our city in case the Elf King's army gives us any trouble." He sighed, and added, "With luck, it could also restore my brother's hopes and beliefs. Lately he has been going through…tough times."

"I'm sorry," Tweak said.

"I appreciate your apology," said Rico. They were both silent for a while, and then he asked, "Anyways, if you were unaware of the treasure, what were you doing on Gondoa Mountain?"

"Gondoa Mountain?"

Rico frowned. "You aren't from around here, are you?"

"Uh, well…what would you say if you met someone who…came from an alternate version of Alledia and got stranded here because the passage connecting the alternate planets was sealed up by the walls inside it?" She saw Rico's eyes widen in surprise and gulped, hoping he wouldn't suddenly see her as an enemy or something. For all she knew, this cat could be one of the creatures Miskit would want her to stay away from.

Luckily, Rico smiled kindly. "Do not fret. I will see what I can do to help you find a way home."

"No, not yet! I mean, I'd appreciate the help, but I was thinking maybe since I was here…I could see what it's like." Of course, the real reason Tweak didn't want to leave Alledia so soon was because she wanted to help Miskit and spend some time with him—but she couldn't tell Rico that. He'd probably think that was too dangerous for her to do, like Miskit had.

"Sure," said Rico, "I can show you around. Although I can only show you the city where I live. My brother may mind if we head anywhere else."

Tweak agreed to the plan, and Rico started the airship's engine. He decided the search for the Sapphires of Nia Gara could wait.

"Have you lost your mind?! She cannot stay here with us!"

"Her stay will not be permanent, Enzo. It is just until we acquire a way to unearth the passage to Alledia's alternate version."

"This is a bar, not a motel."

"Enzo, she needs a place to stay. We're the only friends from here that she's got!"

"You're the only friend from here that she's got. Secondly, why were you sneaking away in our airship without my permission to begin with?"

Rico had taken Tweak to Nautilus, the city where he and his brother lived. The two of them ran a bar together there; while it wasn't exactly the kind of bar anyone could imagine being used as a temporary shelter, Rico knew it would have to do. Unfortunately his brother, Enzo, wasn't exactly keen on the idea of someone staying in the bar for a while—and it wasn't just because this was a bar they were talking about.

"Alright, alright," Enzo finally said, "she can stay here for one night. But tomorrow you must promise that no matter what happens, she is not staying here for another night!"

Rico sighed, but he agreed to the compromise and set up a room for Tweak. Having noticed her weariness around the bar customers, he made sure the room she'd be staying in was as far away from the service area as possible. "I am sorry about Enzo," he told her as he set up a cot, "He has been very stubborn for reasons I cannot explain."

"It's okay," reassured Tweak, "He's not the only one who can be like that."

As he finished setting up the cot, Rico smiled. "Do not worry. Tomorrow we will close the bar and locate the passage back to your home. For now, feel free to make yourself at home, and I will come see how you are doing once business hours have passed."

Tweak thanked him, and with a wave, Rico left and went to help Enzo serve their customers. When he was gone, she settled into the cot and yawned. Checking the time using a clock on the wall, she could see it was 4:00 PM. That probably meant it was four in the morning back at the Octopod—she had to get some sleep!

As she lay down and tried to relax, Tweak wondered what she was going to do about tomorrow. That was when Rico planned to restore the passage back to Norlen, but she knew she wasn't ready to go home quite yet. She really wanted to help him complete his mission, but first she had to complete another tough task: actually finding him. There was a chance he could be somewhere in Nautilus, but there was also a chance that he could be in another city; and who knew which one?

No, Tweak told herself, don't think about all that now. Just go to sleep. Thankfully, this time it only took her a few seconds to do just that.

It was very late—or rather very early in the morning—at the Octopod. Everyone was in bed, sleeping…or so they'd thought before dozing off. One member of the crew was out of bed, hoping to go on a secret joyride in his favourite gup. Tweak had been very stern with him lately about going too fast every time he did this, but if he could manage to sneak outside while she was sleeping, then he could avoid any lectures as long as he didn't crash.

Kwazii entered the launch bay without making a sound, and as he set up the Gup B, he couldn't help thinking back to what happened this evening. As expected, the captain hadn't believed his story about Alledia, which the pirate cat knew for a fact was really true. But the captain had been right about one thing: that really was the first time Tweak had ever been interested in one of the stories he'd told. She'd said it was because Calico Jack's human friend Silas shared a talent with her, and Kwazii didn't blame her. That was the first and only story he had for the crew that involved someone she could relate to, after all. The rest of his stories were either about beasts or hidden treasure.

The Gup B was ready now. Kwazii started to climb inside of it, when suddenly he noticed a small brown spot on the submarine. Thinking it was a spider, he was unable to stop himself from screaming loudly, slipping off the gup, and tumbling into the water with a loud splash. Kwazii had a huge fear of spiders, which the entire crew had found out about weeks ago.

After noisily splashing out of the water, Kwazii rushed to the control panel, trying to stay as far away from the spider as he could. As he stood there, breathing heavily, his gaze wandered to Tweak's bedroom, which also happened to be in the launch bay. Instantly another fear made its way into his mind as he realized that his scared reaction must have woken her up. She was going to catch him and lecture him after all—maybe even tease him about his fear of spiders.

"Tweak, I can explain!" Kwazii exclaimed, rushing toward her room and climbing into it. "I was just trying to give the gup a clean so you wouldn't have to do it, and I saw a spider! I wasn't about to sneak out of the—" His voice trailed off as he noticed Tweak's bed was empty, and she was nowhere to be seen.

Embarrassed, Kwazii left Tweak's bedroom and then looked around the launch bay. That was when he noticed the lever controlling the octo-hatch had already been pulled down, meaning the octo-hatch was open. Now he was confused. Had Tweak left the Octopod before he came down here? She certainly hadn't taken any gups with her; if she had, he would have noticed while getting the Gup B ready. On top of that, she didn't usually go out for a swim unless it was during the day. Why would she leave the Octopod so late at night?

Kwazii shrugged it off, saying to himself aloud, "At least she won't catch me leaving." And with that, he got into the Gup B, forgetting about the spider until he left the Octopod, where his gaze wandered to the front of the gup. He then realized that the small brown spot wasn't a spider at all—it was just a dry drop of brown paint, presumably there because Tweak had unknowingly spilled some paint onto the gup while working on another invention near it.

As Kwazii rode around the reef in his favourite gup, he found himself unable to stop nervously looking around, expecting to run into Tweak at some point. However, she didn't seem to be anywhere near the Octopod, or even the reef around it. All of a sudden the joyride seemed to lose its joy, and Kwazii found himself focusing more on where Tweak might be than the fun of sneaking out for a fun ride around the underwater world. Not because he was afraid of getting caught, either…alright, yes. That was part of it. But mainly, he was getting worried about her. His gaze wandered toward the Octopod, and for a moment, he was tempted to return home and sound the octo-alert.

No, Kwazii told himself, it's not worth it. She'll be back before the others wake up. Focus on what you came out here to do! Annoyed with himself for being so jumpy, he did his best to enjoy the Gup B ride and to stop worrying about Tweak's strange absence—a task that, although difficult, he gradually managed to do.

After spending a half hour exploring the reef and joyriding, Kwazii decided now would be a good time to return to the Octopod. He didn't want to get carried away with the joyride and end up crashing. If he crashed, then sooner or later Tweak would find out what he had been doing, and she would not be happy. She'd lecture him for sure, and maybe even get him to help her repair it—a chore, the kind of thing Kwazii couldn't stand. With any luck, he would manage to return to the Octopod before she did, and he wouldn't have to get in trouble for sneaking out.

Kwazii steered the Gup B back into the octo-hatch and, after parking it, got out and entered the launch bay. He turned toward Tweak's room, hoping she wasn't back yet so he wouldn't be caught. Thankfully, her bed was still empty, and he didn't see her anywhere else in the launch bay. He smiled to himself, glad to have gotten away with his secret joyride.

"Kwazii?"

Oops—he'd spoken too soon. With a sigh, Kwazii turned around to find Peso arriving in the launch bay. Marina, a sea cucumber he'd found and hospitalized two days ago was sitting inside the tank he was carrying, now feeling better and ready to be released into the ocean.

"Uh, hey me hartie! What are you doing up so early?"

"I was going to bring Marina back home in the Gup E," said Peso, "She's very anxious about being away from her family, and I thought it would be best to release her as soon as possible." He frowned, noticing the Gup B and how it was dripping with water. "Did you just…sneak out?"

Kwazii nodded. "Promise me that once she comes back, you won't tell Tweak."

"What do you mean, 'when she comes back?' Did…did she leave too?"

"She must've. She didn't take any of the gups though."

Peso glanced at Tweak's bedroom in confusion. "That's strange. She usually just sleeps in."

"Think she'll be back before the captain wakes up?"

"I hope so," replied Peso. He set up the Gup E and placed the tank containing Marina inside of it. "I'm going to bring Marina home, but I'll see if I can find Tweak on my way back. Could you open the octo-hatch for me?"

"She already did before I got here."

"Oh. Then I'll see you soon, Kwazii."

Kwazii waved, and Peso entered the Gup E. Once the green submarine disappeared into the water, Kwazii returned to his bedroom and got back in bed. As he lay there, he remembered what Peso had said about Tweak's absence being strange, and he began to feel uncomfortable again. He wasn't sure why, but he had a strange feeling that Tweak wasn't coming back any time soon, and that Peso wouldn't succeed in finding her either. He was tempted to go back to the launch bay and search for clues regarding why she might have left, but the thought of Peso—or worse, Tweak—catching him doing so made him stay in bed.

Morning came, and Kwazii finally gathered the courage to leave his room. Too nervous to head into the launch bay, he went to the games room and found Dashi removing last night's movie from the television. There were two beanbag chairs set in front of the television, and Shellington was lying in one of them, still sleeping.

Noticing Kwazii arriving, Dashi smiled. "I don't understand why you didn't want to watch the movie with us. There were so many scenes you would have liked!"

"It's a romance movie," snorted Kwazii, grimacing, "No way I would have seen that."

"Oh, I don't know," said Dashi, "There were more duels against various forces than romantic parts."

Desperate to change the subject, Kwazii asked, "Anyways, have you seen Tweak?"

"Yes, she watched a few minutes of the movie with us last night. She wasn't here for very long though."

Suddenly Kwazii and Dashi froze as they heard the octo-alert. Shellington heard it too and jolted awake, just in time to hear Captain Barnacles announce on the intercom, "Octonauts, to the launch bay!"

Kwazii, Dashi, and Shellington all leapt down the octo-shoot and went to the launch bay, where the captain was waiting for them. Peso, Professor Inkling, and the vegimals were there too, but strangely, there was still no sign of Tweak.

"Octonauts," announced the captain, "Tweak has mysteriously disappeared last night, and she hasn't taken any of the gups. Does anyone know where she might be?" He waited for an answer, but no one had any information. Dashi told him about her and Shellington briefly seeing Tweak the previous night, but it didn't help much.

"After bringing Marina home," Peso said, "I asked Tweak's friend Sandy if she's seen her. She hasn't, and she's not sure where she is."

"We'd better find Tweak," declared Barnacles, "She could be in great danger. Octonauts, let's search the reef and find our friend."

Tweak yawned and sat up in the cot. Now feeling much more rested, she checked the clock and saw it was 2:00 AM. "Oh me oh my," she said aloud. This meant it was the afternoon back home! Her friends definitely knew she was missing by now, and it was only a matter of time before they began searching Norlen for her. If she was going to find Miskit, she'd have to start her search now.

Very carefully and quietly, Tweak slid off the cot and left the room. She could hear Rico and Enzo snoring in the room next to it, and as she crept toward the bar's service area, she kept her paws crossed that the cats would stay asleep…which they did. Next, she entered the service area, where she used a pen and discarded paper receipt to leave a note for Rico. She thanked him for taking her in, saying it was really nice of him, but she needed to leave so she could "help someone outside the bar, which might take a while." It wasn't the best excuse, but it was better than no note at all. She wasn't about to make the same mistake she'd made back at the Octopod.

After finishing the note and signing it, Tweak placed it and the pen on the counter before leaving the bar through its front door. She then wandered around the streets, searching for Miskit and trying to decide whether or not she should ask passersby if they'd seen him. It was dark out, so the streets of Nautilus were mostly deserted. However, there were a few people and human-like unidentifiable creatures outside at the moment, either pushing carts filled with staples or going for late night strolls alone.

After hesitating for a moment, Tweak went up to a man who had tentacles for hair and the nose of a giraffe, but was otherwise human. "Uh, excuse me," she said nervously, "but have you seen…a pink rabbit?"

The creature studied her warily. "Sorry ma'am. There be plenty o' rabbits here, but none of 'em are pink."

"Well he's not really a rabbit, he's more of a robot that looks like a rabbit…"

"No robots here are animal-based, ma'am. Now if you'll excuse me." With that, the creature turned and continued walking without another word.

"Wait!" Tweak called. She started to run after him, when suddenly she was grabbed by the wrist and pulled into the alley that was on her right. Falling to the ground, she looked up so she could scold the person with her for being so rough, only to realize that it was one of the strange creatures she and Miskit had seen back in Emily and her family's house: the grey-skinned one with pointy ears, silver hair, and that cyan amulet. He was even scarier up close, and because he was face-to-face with her, she noticed for the first time that there was a scar on his left eye. Looking back at his amulet, she suddenly remembered the magic energy in the one Emily had discovered, and then instantly realized why Kwazii had referred to the Alledian villains as "amulet-wielding beasts."

Suddenly realizing the beast might do to her what Emily had done to the octopus-like creature, Tweak screamed, her ears looping around each other—something they always did when she got scared. The beast quickly covered her mouth, and after glancing around to make sure no one had heard the scream, he escorted her to a door and took her inside an old building. After closing the door, he released her, and she backed into a corner, terrified.

The beast gazed down at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "You really think I'm going to hurt you?"

Tweak remembered what Miskit had said about the beast and repeated it to him. "Well I heard you're bad news! I heard you could take others hostage, or worse!"

"That's what my father would send his soldiers to do," said the beast, rolling his eyes, "But I'm not like him."

"Then why did you push me in here?!"

"Because if we'd stayed outside, you would have kept screaming. My father's men would have found us, and we'd both have been punished. Me for treason and you for knowing too much."

"What do you mean, 'knowing too much?'"

"You're looking for that pink rabbit who's helping the stonekeeper my brother fought tonight. Emily…you know, the girl whose mother got stung by an arachnopod."

"What's an arachnopod?"

The beast looked surprised for a moment, and then he slightly narrowed his eyes. "So you know about the Elf King's cruelty and you know a pink rabbit robot is helping Emily, but you don't know what an arachnopod is. Are you serious?"

"Actually…I don't know who the Elf King is either."

His expression remaining unreadable, the beast crossed his arms. "In that case, I assume you don't know what a stonekeeper is either."

Tweak knew the beast had referred to Emily as a stonekeeper, and not wanting to look ridiculous or something, she tried to make a guess. "Uh…someone who fights beasts…near stones?"

The beast placed a hand on his hip. "Care to tell me how someone who's hopelessly unprepared was able to figure out one of Emily's friends is a pink rabbit?"

"I'm not telling you anything," Tweak said firmly.

"Fine," replied the beast, "have it your way. Just know that if you really want to find that guy, then not asking me what you need to know about Alledia is the biggest mistake of your life." He turned to leave, and as he opened the door, he concluded, "But if you want to find the rabbit and avoid trouble with my father, go to a library and read every history book there is. If it helps, I can tell you for a fact that elves don't run libraries here."

"Elves?"

"My species. And whatever you do, don't put on any amulets."

Before Tweak could ask him why he'd said that part about amulets, the beast stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

That's it for Chapter 3. How will Tweak's search for her crush go? Will the other Octonauts find her? The next chapter is coming soon…

Note: The Sapphires of Nia Gara were something I made up, inspired by the real-life city Niagara Falls and the iPad game "4 Elements."