Chapter 5

I was completely speechless.

This person, who I had never met before, wanted me, ME, to return to America with him! How could he have said return if he didn't already know that I was from America?! AND WHY SHOULD I?! I mean, I'm just standing here with my jaw to the floor like a complete idiot, and he hasn't even given me an explanation yet!

"Sa…eh…wha?" I tried to speak, but my words kept getting jumbled up. He, L, was staring blankly into my eyes. And I was freaking out. My mouth closed as a sudden realization hit me:

Those eyes were not the same ones from last night.

My little theory was totally wrong. This man is up to something, and now I'm afraid to find out why it involves me.

"Hmm, where to start," L mumbled, still looking at me, but he looked distant for a moment, thinking. He was still biting his thumb. I found it quite strange as I gently picked up the pillow I was holding from the floor. I must have dropped it when L baffled me with his request.

I looked at Watari, and he smiled back, but his old eyes didn't quite match the smile he was sending me. His eyes looked more serious, sad even. It made me curious as to what was really going on.

I turned my attention back to L, watching him impatiently. He took his thumb out of his mouth, moving, moving his hands to rest on his knees in his crouched position. His eyes seemed to flicker with life as he stared back at me.

"Ms. Weden," he finally started, "your father is in danger. Seeing as how he is a retired police officer, it may have seemed like he wouldn't become involved with government matters, but it appears as though there is a terrorist group that seems to be targeting not only your father, but others as well. There is a 75 percent chance of them discovering your father's current position, though that percentage increases by .32 percent a day. The group also appears to be threatening and kidnapping families in order to get compensation form their main targets. It's starting to get serious." He looked at me the whole time, and I couldn't peel my eyes away. What was he talking about? My dad could never become involved with this sort of thing. But…he never actually mentioned anything either, at least, not to me. Of course, I was still pretty young when he was in the service. My mind was suddenly reeling with all of the possibilities of what could have happened back then. I looked down at my hands, gripping the pillow, making my small knuckles turn white. My heart rate started speeding up, and a nervous feeling rose in my stomach.

I got up to walk off my stomach ache, heading towards the table. I faced away from the two men, hugging my pillow and taking a deep breath. I turned my head in their direction.

"…what about my mother?" I asked, almost regretting it as soon as the words slipped from between my lips. Watari looked down, avoiding eye contact. L simply sat there staring at me. I held my breath.

"…I'm afraid that there is a 98.6 percent chance she is being held captive. According to my sources, she was reported missing by your father." The look on his face never faltered. He seemed devoid of emotion.

I held a gasp. I already had the feeling that this was happening. I looked back towards the wall, feeling helpless.

"What does this have to do with me, exactly?" I asked hectically, turning around to face them. I started to shake, though it was more of a way to keep me from throwing up.

"Avy, there is an extremely high chance that you, too, are a target. It's better if you stay with people who can protect you. I also have a theory, but I'll tell you about that later. If you agree—"

"What about my life in Japan?!" I screamed at him, starting to panic. "What about Casy?! I can't just leave her! Her fiancé just died! There's no way I could leave her like this!" I was mad, really mad. How dare he come barging into my life, grab it his hands, and twist it! Before either of the men could react, I was out the door, running.

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I felt like I was choking. I mean, I guess I was choking, considering the tears streaming down my face. I was far too upset to even think about turning back and facing him again. He already freaked me out, and now he tells me I'm a possible target for a bunch of stupid terrorists? Unbelievable!! Way to make a girl feel secure about her life, which is exactly the reason I came to Japan in the first place!

I didn't even notice that I was working myself out of the maze. With every turn of a corner, every tear that fell from my face, I felt myself calming down. Every time my heart slowed a little, I was closer to something I recognized, even though everything in these halls appeared to be the same. My mind was whirling, solving the illusion of the maze that I said earlier that I would surely get lost inside. All these thought processes seemed to go by in seconds, and it didn't dawn on me until my feet stopped moving that I was standing in front of the elevator that would take me downstairs, and better yet, even further away from L. I stepped in, anxious to leave the building that caused my new internal turmoil. Unaware of my hand moving to push the first floor button, I took a large breath of air, wiping my eyes and calming my nerves to only slight butterflies fluttering in the pit of my stomach.

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The cool breeze instantly calmed me, walking out of that god-forsaken place. It didn't help that the creepy robot guy tried to escort me out. Ugh, I get shivers just imaging him touching me. I just ran out before he could even get out from behind the front desk. And now, I was just calmly walking down the street, heading towards the park. I always heard good things about it, that it was a very quiet and relaxing place. Of course, I usually did not have time to go, but I figured that I would delay going back to the bakery for a little while longer.

It was absolutely beautiful. The worn, wooden benches along the stone path had very few people sitting on them, mostly visitors reading the paper of feeding the birds. The sky was bright, the sun shone, the wind caressed the trees to a soft, jumbled pattern. The people were relaxed, smiling and enjoying everything that was going on around them. It was a nice vibe for a nice day. Everyone seemed as if they couldn't draw up their energy to walk around. I silently moved past them, brain whirling. Nothing made any sense anymore.

The park hid a secluded area, somewhere I enjoyed being alone, though I'd only been there once. I believe I'm the only one who really knows about it, but I could be wrong. There's a dirt path that winds up to a small cliff overlooking the lower part of the city. The tall trees and bushes kind of hide it from the path, and everything else for that matter, but it definitely exists. There's a rail on the edge of the cliff and a small rock perfect for sitting on. Overall, it's a very comfortable place.

I silently pushed my way through the brush, taking a moment to sweep off any leaves and twigs that may have collected on my clothes and hair. I took a deep breath, slowly making my way forward to the sitting stone. I glanced at my watch. It about two thirty at the moment, and I left shop around noon, which means I still hadn't eaten anything. Not that I really wanted to anyway…

As I carefully placed myself on the stone, careful not to jab myself on any stray rocks, I noted to myself how pleasant everything was today. It made a large impression on my sulky mood. The sky was clear except for a few clouds cluttered here and there. The sun still sat high in the sky, shining brightly.

It couldn't get more relaxing than this. I mean, everything in this place seemed like paradise! The warm rays hitting my face made me feel sleepy. I yawned and stretched my arms, settling down to a more comfortable position on the small rock. I almost closed my eyes before something caught my attention.

My hand felt some small object underneath a crevice in the rock. I looked around before hopping off the rock and squatting beside it. Whatever was in there, I was going to find out.

It was just a small indention, but it was definitely big enough to something from view. It was just pure luck that I discovered it.

I took a breath and stuck my hand in. My hand was just small enough for me to grab the object. I whispered a small victory as I pulled the object out.

I quirked an eyebrow. It was just a plain, white little envelope with the initials U.R.in a small, almost unreadable font. The thing wasn't even as big as my hand. It didn't look like it had been there long; in fact, from what I could tell, it looked like it had been placed there only a few hours ago. Curiosity getting the better of me, I slid the envelope open, glancing around before returning my eyes to the prize.

It had already been opened, so whoever it was for had already been there. A small shiver went down my spine at the thought of someone watching me. Trying to be inconspicuous, I sat down on the ground and faced away from the trail, the envelope lying in my lap.

My fingers twitched slightly as I pulled a small square paper from the envelope. Typed were the words:

11:15 pm, 125 Kyo place, 7th floor. Don't be late.

"So, it's a meeting place, eh? I wonder what it's all about…" I spoke to myself, scratching the back of my head. I was definitely something for me to look forward to today. Maybe I could learn something.

I stood up, muscles pulling slightly from sitting still for so long. I suppose it was time for me to head back to the bakery. After all, I was still working. I looked at the letter before carefully putting it back into the envelope and placing it in my pocket. I smiled to myself as I headed down the path. This lunch break had been a bit too long!

O.O Goodness!! -bows before readers- I am sososososoo sorry!! It has been about 5 months since I last posted!! School and band grabbed me away and said you couldn't have me!! I should never have let myself get so busy!! GAHH!!

Well, here you go! To all my readers who read this: THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS AND STICKING WITH ME!! I now how some of my favorite authors feel when it comes to finding the time to write!! I really hope you enjoy this chapter. And if this makes you feel better: I've already started on CHAPTER 6!! WHOOOOHOOO!!

These are my reviewers!! (gah, long list!!):

Yu-Gi-Ah 2.0, Moriko220, KazeNoSasayaki2494, dani's random fox, L wants your cookie, Nami Hyoko, contour, KazeNoSasayaki2494, dreamerxofxroses, Seengot, Giselle Bourignon, bellaXmonster, Andrea Tyler, Meng-4-2, OrochiSama'sGirl, Me and Gaara 4ever, Cross - The Damned Alchemist, twilight-yuna17, Midnight Hikari, Katt Satou, hellbutterfly421, White Alchemist Taya, Green Animelover

Thanks again to all my reviewers! Oh, and before I forget...

I am going to put this story up on Quizilla. It won't be immediate, but it will definitely be sometime very soon! Ahem, I suppose I should tell you that the one going on Quizilla is a corrected version. I went back and read some of my earlier chapters and corrected things that I didn't spot the first 3 times...mrrr. But, look for it soon!! Thanks again!