Chapter five on the Crown Petone!

Chapter five: Memories

(Mark)

When we all felt a lurch in the theatre, the entire building started to shake.

"Professor!" Like yells. "The roof!" We all look up to see that the roof opened up into spires from the middle going out. I started to go outside to see what happened, Father and Luke following me.

When I reach outside, I couldn't believe my eyes. I could see the mainland, but there was the ocean in between us.

I look over the railing to confirm what I thought, and I was correct.

The Crown Petone was a giant ship.

By this point, several, if not the rest, of the other people have come out to see what's happened. I look back to Father, and his eyes have taken the state of when he's trying to solve a puzzle.

"Does he think he can trap us?" One of the people say. I wonder…what's the reason for bringing us out to sea in the first place? So that word of what happened on board couldn't be revealed, assuming that everyone but the winner lost their lives…? Or something else?

I shudder at the thought and try not to dwell on it. One of the passengers jumps up on the railing next to me.

"What is it?" A woman asks on his other side. "Have you found a way out?"

He shakes his head. "I dunno about you, but I'm swimming back."

I hold my hand out to stop him. "I'm not sure that's a really good idea."I gesture to the waters below, where you could see sharks circling the ship. The lady next to him gasps.

One of the other people, wearing a sailors hat, joins Father and I at the railing. "Very strange." He tells us. "You don't normally see sharks. Not in these waters at least."

All the people are talking among themselves. I block them out and look to the open ocean. Despite being trapped, I always found that I liked the sea. The sight calmed me down, the air helped me think, the sea was, in a way, my peace.

That peace was broken a minute later when strong yet melancholy organ music pierced the air. Everyone turned back towards the Main Hall. Many ran back in, including Father and Luke. I took one moment to look back to the ocean, glittering in the moonlight, almost sad I had to leave its light, before joining them.

When I made it back to the Auditorium, I saw the source of the organ music was the Detragon, with Mr. Whistler on the piano bench, many people yelling at him.

"We're stranded at sea, and you play MUSIC?!"

"We're surrounded by sharks, no way back to land, and you sit in the organ's chair?!"

Mr. Whistler plays one last final set of notes, ending his song. That's when I pipe up. "If anything, now is the PERFECT time to play music."

Everyone looks at me, ranging from bewildered to angered. I elaborate. "You all said so yourselves. We're stranded at sea, surrounded by sharks. Most of us are in a panicked craze. We need to be calm. Find our peace. We all have different ways to do that. I get it from the ocean, and I'm sure Mr. Whistler here gets it from music." Some nod in understanding, while some simply turn away from me. A man with a rather large beard turns to face the composer.

"Mr Whistler, you wrote this opera. Are you somehow involved in this deadly game?"

Mr. Whistler stands up before answering. "I was asked to compose an opera." He turns to the man. "Nothing more."

The bearded man lets out a small huff. "So you say."

If he IS involved, he certainly isn't going to just tell us. I think to myself.

"Professor!" I hear a new voice exclaim. I look towards the stage and see the lady who played the part of the Ambrosian queen come down towards my father.

Janice Quatlane

I walk over to them as I hear Father finish saying, "Is it not the duty of every gentleman to assist a lady in need?"

She smiles at this. "You haven't changed a bit." I stand next to my father and extend my hand to her. "Miss Quatlane? I'm Mark Layton. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She accepts my hand. "A pleasure to meet you too! Please, just call me Janice."

I grin. "Alright, Janice."

"So you're Mark? The Professor told me about you." I tugged at my trench coat collar at this, hoping I looked like her expectations. Before we could continue, however, the voice once again came over the speakers.

"Now that we are all passengers aboard the Crown Petone, it is time to start our puzzle solving game."

A few murmur at his words, and I myself am a little surprised. Puzzle solving…game? I wonder. "The rules are simple." The voice went on. "The winner, otherwise known as the last person standing, gets eternal life. Now then, let us proceed.

A spotlight is shone on the stage, except some parts are darkened, taking the form of numbers. "Puzzle number zero zero one. Look around you. Search for the oldest thing you can see, and gather under it. Sounds simple, no? But there is a catch."

At these last words we hear a noise coming from the stage that sounds like… a lever or gear snapping into position.

Looking towards the stage, a single spotlight lands on something rising out of the floor. It's a contraption that I can't recognize, except for one part: the sheet music that's displayed on the front.

With a small click, the sheet music slowly moves down the contraption, with music playing at the same time. The music is beautiful, yet haunting. But at the same time it puts my mind in a state of calmness.

"You only have as long as the music is plays. I suggest you get busy."

…

As soon as Inspector Chelmey and I got to the Yard, I was finally able to ask him questions.

"So what's this important matter? I certainly didn't do anything recently."

Chelmey shook his head. "No, Mark, it doesn't have to do with YOU doing anything." We both walk into his office. "About an hour and a half ago, your flat was robbed."

I blink twice. Robbed?

I sit down in the chat across from Chelmey's desk, and he does the same with his own. "So what exactly happened?"

He rubs the back of us neck again. "Actually, after we found him out, the burglar himself fled the car after we chased him into an alley. Disappeared. Don't ask how. I don't know." He added, when I was about to speak.

I frown. "If it was a simple burglary, then why did you need me or Father immediately? I understand it was us who were robbed, but why seek us out to the docks when you could just wait for us back at the flat?" No one knew we had gone to the docks, so I assumed Chelmey used resources from the Yard to find us.

"Because it doesn't make sense."

"The burglary?" I question.

"The item that was robbed." He questioned. He took a yellow letter from the pile on the desk, extending it to me. After taking it, I quickly read the envelope.

"This was in this morning's post." I finally replied. "Didn't really look it over since we were really excited from something else." I turned it over in my hands.

Chelmey continued. "Why go through the trouble of breaking into a flat just to steal a letter when you can steal half of the stuff there?" The letter itself was addressed to Professor H. Layton. It had a wax seal depicting a fancy F with a sword gong through the top.

I look back up to Chelmey. "Pardon me for sounding rude, and I understand you wanting to inform me when we were robbed, but this couldn't wait until after our vacation was over?"

He rubbed the back of his neck before continuing. "Well….to be perfectly honest, it's the Prime Minister."

Bill Hawkes. His name leaves an unsavory taste in my mouth. "I seriously doubt that Bill of all people would concern himself with a simple robbery." Especially after what happened ten years ago. I think. It doesn't escape my mouth however.

"He doesn't." Chelmey answers. "It's actually something else." He motions to the letter in my hand. "That seal on the letter? It's the coat of arms for the town of Femblem. There have been some…murders happening there. Murders that are… strange, to say the least. I was sent down there a couple of times, but came up with nothing. Bill has been getting. A lot of flak from some government officials about it, and…" He stopped talking.

I narrow my eyes at him. "And what?"

"It's a bit embarrassing, but if this doesn't get solved soon, it's my job. When I noticed that they finally sent a letter to Layton, I thought if anyone could solve this case it would be either him or you. Thankfully I caught you before you left."

I look down to the letter, then back up to Chelmey, then back down to the letter. Careful to preserve the seal, I open the envelope and read the letter.

Dear Professor Layton,

I know that you might be a busy man, but I have no one else to turn to.

Here in our small town, there is a mysterious figure that has been killing people in the most impossible and horrifying ways. I can't give you all the details in this letter, but I will fill you in completely should you come. I've included two train tickets to Femblem. Please, these are good people who are being sentenced to the worst possible fates. It's a puzzle that we can't solve.

-Erica Speqtor, Mayor of Femblem

Once I finished reading the letter, I looked up to the inspector with a puzzled look on my face. "This letter says people are dying in 'the most impossible and horrifying ways.' What does she mean by that?"

Chelmey slid me a folder from his end of the desk toward me. I stopped it inches from the edge of the desk. "Have a look." He replied.

Opening the folder, I flipped through the profiles of different people. Looking over them, I realized they were files of the victims from Femblem. Everything seemed normal, until I read the causes of death.

One said they died from 37 stab wounds to the chest. Apparently he was drinking tea by the fireplace when this happened, and no knives or blades were found that matched the wounds. It was nearby for that matter. Another one drowned while going on an evening stroll. I closed the folder, not wanting to read more for now.

"…" I said nothing for a couple minutes. After they were up, I finally spoke. "Bill is a total jerk to put your job on the line. Along with other reasons."

He sighs. "That makes two of us, but he's still prime minister."

Looking over the letter again, I delicately fold it back up and place it in my trench coat pocket.

"Alright." I tell him. "I'll help you out. I'm off to Femblem in the morning."

He lets out a sigh of relief before holding out his hand. "You're a good bloke Mark. If anyone can solve this puzzle, it's you." I shake his hand.

…

Stepping out of the yard, I saw an unexpected person waiting for me on the front step.

"Flora?" I asked, seeing her. When she heard her name, she turned her head towards me, then stood up. "What are you doing here?" You should be on a ferry to LA with Father!"

She gives me a smile. "Well, you see…"

…

(Flora)

After seeing Mark leave with Inspector Chelmey, the ship's horn blew a second time.

"Come along, Flora." The Professor told me. While picking up our bags and moving to board the ship, my thoughts went to Mark.

It's so unfair that we get to go to America, and Mark has to stay behind because of a last minute emergency. I thought to myself. I stopped walking, staying in place. The Professor noticed, and stopped in turn. "Flora, are coming?"

With my mains made up, I look at the Professor in the eyes. "Professor, I'm sorry, but I just don't think it fair that Mark stays here alone. You said so yourself, we an always schedule another vacation time. I'm going t stay with Mark."

"Are you sure?" He asks gently.

I nod my head. "You don't mind, do you Professor?"

He shakes his head. "Of course not." He smiles at me and tips his hat. "Until I return Flora. I love you." And with that, he went and boarded the ship.

…

(Mark)

As I helped row the boats away from the Crown Petone, one question lurked in the back of my mind: why was the Host (as I now called him) bringing us out here? Why not ask a puzzle that brought us to a different part of the ship?

I was so lost in thought, I didn't notice the others, including my father, Mr. Whistler, Amelia, and Luke talking. It wasn't until Luke abruptly stood up, almost falling over in the process, that I was pulled back towards reality.

"Professor!" Luke almost yelled. "The ship!"

Turning around to see what he was excited about, I saw what the Crown Petone Theater looked like while in sho-mode.

True to Father's logic, it looked like a giant crown.

"To those of you in the boats," the loud voice of The Host boomed over what I assumed were the ship's outside speakers. "Congratulations on solving this puzzle. We are all now one step closer to eternal life. Please, relax and enjoy the next part of your journey."

Suddenly, rails sprang up on the sides of the boats, along with a motor on the back. Right before the motor started, I took one last look towards the Crown Petone.

That was a mistake.

When I looked in its direction, the ship itself exploded into flames.

Flames.

Fire.

Smoke.

Death.

(Hershel)

When the Crown Petone exploded into fire, my first instinct was to grab Luke and protect him. "Janice!" I quickly spoke to her. She realized what I was trying to say, so she grabbed and protected Melina.

After the explosion I let go of Luke. "Are you alright my boy?" I asked him. He nodded his head yes, but his eyes widened in shock when he looked next to me. Puzzles, I look to where he's looking and I see Mark hunched over, grabbing the sides of his head. His breathing was ragged, and he was mumbling something to himself.

"Mark?" I ask. "Are you alright?"

"Flamesfiresmokedeathflamesfiresmomedeathflamesfiresmokedeath…" I heard him mumbling a bit louder. I rested my hand on his shoulder, gently gripping it. "Mark what are talking about? What's-!" I didn't finish, because at that moment he lunged at me, gripping my shoulders tightly. What terrifies me was the deranged and panicked look in his eyes.

"Hescominghescomigtokillusallhescomingtokillmeweshouldhaveheededthewarningsbitwedidntweusedhimandweliedtohimandheisgoingtowreakhisrevengeuponusallhesgoingtokillmeheisgoingtokillmeheisgointgtokillmeheisgoingtokillme!"

Then, as soon as his madness came, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell unconscious on my shoulder.

(Mark)

All I could see was flames. I tried to walk around, but I couldn't move. I felt like the smoke was suffocating me, and the heat was nearly unbearable.

"Mom!" I tried to call out with my hoarse voice. "Dad!" I then went into a fit of coughs before collapsing to my knees. I clutched the sides of head as I then started to hear a slow but maleficent laughter. I felt myself getting weaker. It was getting harder to even breathe. With every last bit of my energy, I looked up. Ahead of me I saw the shadow of a figure, hidden by the flames.

"You cannot escape your fate, Mark Layton." The voice said calmly. "Soon, you will be mine." Suddenly, terrifying light green eyes opened. They seemed to stare into my soul. I was getting weak to the point where I was starting to fall unconscious. I fell on my side, and my eyes started to close. I longed for the sweet release of death.

"And I…WILL…BE…FREEEEEEEEEEE…."

Sorry, but no puzzle this chapter. Couldn't find a good place to put it. And sorry this chapter took so long. I am putting all other stories on hiatus until I finish this one. I promise you that.

Bye bye!