Hi guys~! Comix here! I bet you're all tired of my writing by now, this is like my third in a row. But don't worry, Bryn is going to write the next one! Here you go, the aftermath or Caitlin and Leanne's big fight.

Chapter 35- Caitlin

I didn't notice just how bad the storm was until Mike mentioned it to me. I'd ran and ran and ran until I got to the edge of an orchard, where I sat, head in my hands, back against bark.

"Hey, dude?" Mike whispered softly. "It's probably not the best idea to sit under a tree during a thunderstorm."

I nodded, drawing myself into a ball. My clothes were really, really wet, clinging to my skin. My teeth chattered, and my hair clung to my forehead. "Was I too hard on her, Mike?"

"Dude, she needed to know…"

"That's not what I asked." I cut in, my voice sounding like a high-pitched Batman. "Was I too hard on her?"

"I…" Mike rubbed the back of his neck. "No. You're too old for her to be walking all over you."

"Mike, I'm fifteen." I reminded him.

"Yeah, that's old enough to watch Insidious." Mike grinned. Then he frowned. "It's her fault, anyway. She kept on… pressing you down."

"But she's my mum!"

"Momma birds teach their fledglings to fly, not hop around in the nest."

"Go away, and take your proverbs with you." I grumbled, closing my eyes as lightning flashed a little ways away, and the thunder followed soon after.

When I opened my eyes again, Mike was gone.

"Mike?" I blinked. "Mike, where did you go? This isn't funny…" I staggered to my feet, looking around. "Mike? Come back…" I looked around again, but I was the only person out here. "I didn't mean what I said, I was just… just…"

"Sulking and feeling bitter about yourself?" I spun around. Mike pinched me on the nose. "You sour grape Snape."

"MIKE!" Despite how annoyed I was at him, I hugged him. "Don't ever do that again I thought you really had gone and where would that leave me I don't know what to do now you still have to guide me and make me more self-confident!"

"Hey, little man, you just stood up to your mother, for the first time in your entire life." Mike squeezed me back. "I'd say you are more self-confident. And you do know what to do next."

"I… I have to go rescue Allie." I thought out loud. "I have to go back to the lighthouse and face Nook and get my sister back."

"There you go! Let's get going." Mike laughed. I nodded, and we began to make our way back towards the lighthouse. The closer we got, the harsher the storm seem to become.

"Mike? I'm scared."

"Nobody said a cool person couldn't be scared. Cool people just don't let that stop them."

The place seemed empty when we got inside. I was dripping water all over the stone floor, but that wasn't my problem. The floor was dirty, it needed a wash anyway. The entrance room was the main chamber, and straight above us was the light part of the lighthouse. Now, running down from the ceiling, was a large metal rod. Nook must've been setting things up for his evil plan while I was gone.

Below the metal rod was a large metal plate, a bit like a dish. Connected to it were many small wires, which went around the room to other metal plates, a bit smaller than the central one. After some observation, I decided they'd been placed in the shape of a star. On top of the star of plates, were random items, however two were barren. I wondered why briefly, then continued looking around for my sister.

She was sat where I had been only an hour ago. She was bound, and blindfolded, as I had been. There was nobody around, it would be easy to just sneak over and-

"What are you doing here?"

It would be an understatement to say that I jumped. I spun around, looking for the origin of the voice. Mike was bent over, laughing his head off.

"Oh my God, your face, that was amazing!" He giggled. "Sorry, I just had to do that. That was priceless!"

"MIKE!" I groaned in frustration. Of all the moments for him to do something like this- he was lucky nobody could hear him.

"Caitlin?" My eyes widened. People might not be able to hear a figment of my imagination, but they could still hear me.

Aw num nuts. There was the sound of approaching footsteps, and Caroline appeared at the top of the stairs.

"What's going on up there, Caroline?" Nook yelled from downstairs.

"Caroline, I will give you a… a…" I felt around in my pockets as I hissed at her. "A beach chair! A beach chair, if you don't tell Nook I'm up here."

"A beach chair, hullaaaa?" Caroline looked ecstatic. "I've been looking for one of those for ages!" She took it off me gleefully.

"Caroline?" Nook sounded closer now.

"Nothing! Just the Momma's Boy's sister mumbling to herself, hulaaaaa." Caroline called back. She turned to leave, before looking back at me. "I don't see what the point of that deal was. He's just going to see you when you come down to get out of here." And with that, she left.

"Man, she's smarter than we gave her credit. But… crap, what are we going to do?" Mike looked around.

"'What are we going to do' this is all your fault!" I hissed at him as quietly as I could.

"Caitlin?" Allie's voice was small but hopeful. "Are you there?"

"Shh." I whispered. "Nook might come up next time."

"Who are you talking to? Is it Mum?"

"… No. Just me, I'm afraid. Me and… my imaginary friend." I added, ignoring Mike's protests. I walked over and untied the knots of her blindfold and her blinds. She blinked for a few minutes, adjusting her eyes to the light. "Now, we need to think of a way to sneak past Nook and out of the door downstairs."

She nodded. Allie was good at sneaking out, she'd know what to do.

"It's too high to climb out of the window." She said, walking stiffly over and looking out of one of the windows. "So, I guess the only way out is through the front door…"

"But how can we do that, Nook is…"

"Caity," she held up her hand. "Let me think." She looked around the room. There were multiple doors, and a couple of storage boxes that were covered in dust. They looked rather small. "I've got it!"

"Caitlin, I want you to go hide in that room there." Allie pointed to the door nearest the stairs. "Don't let them see you opening it. I'm going to open that door," she pointed to another two, "and this one. I'm going to throw one of the boxes into that room, close the door slightly, then hide in this room, okay?"

"Oh, I get it!" Mike piped up. "Nook and his goons'll come charging up here, and they'll go into the room to investigate. Then, we all run down the stairs and escape. That's brilliant, Allie!"

"She can't hear you, idiot." I rolled my eyes, and Allie looked confused. "Just talking to my friend again."

"Caitlin, you're fifteen and you still have imaginary friends?" Allie grinned. "That's adorable."

"Shut up!" My voice came out like a squeak, and I blushed. Allie only grinned wider. "Okay, let's just do it then."

I snuck over to the door, and pulled it open a fraction. I froze, certain that Nook had heard the doors hinges creaking, but when nothing happened I squeezed into the door and shut it with as little noise as I could. I didn't look around the room, instead peering through the crack in the door to watch what was going on.

"Uh, hey, dude? … In all seriousness, I was thinking…"

"Not now, Mike." I hissed, eyes watching as Allie picked up one of the boxes high above her head.

"Uh, I do kind of need to tell you this now."

"Can't it wait?"

"No."

"It has to. I don't have time right now." I replied quickly, and just as I said time, a loud crash reverberated through the building. Allie was out of sight as Nook and some other animals came pounding up the stairs. My heart was beating in my chest. They saw the ropes and the rag abandoned on the floor. They saw the door, slightly ajar. They all grinned at each other evilly. They went in.

Allie and I slipped out of our hiding spots at the same time. We tiptoed to the stairs, but as soon as we hit the third step it was a free-for-all to the door.

"It was a trick!" Nook howled from behind us, and my fear spurred me on. Outside the rain looked torrential, the front of the lighthouse really should have a door…

We were almost there. We could have made it.

But then my foot caught a wire, and I fell, almost comically to a clatter. And that was all it took. They were upon us in seconds, like a school of piranhas. I was yanked up to my feet harshly. Knives were pushed against our throats, and I looked directly into the terrible tanuki eyes of Tom Nook.

"Momma's boy." He growled. "You've been a thorn in my side for far too long. Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill you both here now."

"B-because Alex… you need m-me to g-get her to come!" I stammered out, not liking the quiver in my voice.

"Alex knows you're here, she'll come anyway." Nook laughed. "What does it matter to me if she finds a dead body instead of an alive one?"

"You bastard!" Allie growled from beside me. "Just let us go!"

Nook glared at her, and a felt a wave of fear grip me, like a wall of steel.

"I-I… I can trade you something! O-our freedom for… for…"

"I seriously doubt you have anything I want, boy." Nook snarled, still looking as though he wanted to rip Allie's head off.

I looked around the room. There had to be something he wanted, right? There were empty plates on his contraption thingy… he had to be still looking for something! I looked at each of the items in turn; there had to be a link between them I could use!

KK Slider's guitar… a worn-out looking turban with an amber on the front… a leathery brown chair…

They were totally random! What kind of link would they have?! It was hopeless, I felt like I was going to cry…

Out of nowhere, Pascals voice drifted into my head. "Precious items are precious for a reason, whether it's a music box, a turban or even a guitar. Hey, hook a dude up with a scallop, would you?"

Next, I recalled that dream I'd had while I had been unconscious only a few days ago. Pascal had kept saying precious things in there, too…

And when Nook had put me under mind control! He'd wanted me to find Redd's 'precious things'.

If only he'd been more specific! I bet anything could be precious to this 'Redd', even their tent!

But… hadn't Kapp'n mentioned somebody called Crazy Redd? That Saharah had given his wife a Red Vase, and was told to give it to them…? There was a turban right in front of me, and Redd seemed to have wanted the vase…

Could the Red Vase, I had in my pocket, be… a precious item, like Nook wanted?

"Well? I'm waiting." Nook sounded smug. "What could you possibly have that's of use to me?"

"A… A p-precious item!" I squeaked out. "J-just like the ones your looking for."

Nook's eyes glared, and he gestured for the knives to be lowered from our throats. I rubbed my neck. "How do you know about that? If you're lying to me, boy…"

"I'm not lying! I-I swear! It's a long story, but I don't… want to tell you?" The words came out as a question, and Nook glared at me, unimpressed. "Anyway, it d-doesn't matter how I g-g-got it, what matters is that I have it." I furrowed in my pockets until I pulled out the large, but light, vase I'd been hauling along with me all this time. "I'm surprised it hasn't b-broken, with how rough you've been treating me over the past couple of d-days."

Nook's eyes were like saucepans. "The Red Vase… But how? Give it to me!" He lunged toward me, but I sidestepped him.

"Promise to let us go first!" I said. He waved his hand. "Say it! Say you'll let us leave, and that you won't try and have us kidnapped again! Or I'll drop it." I held the Red Vase high above my head.

"NO! You wouldn't." Nook ground out. "It's so valuable."

"It has no worth to me." I half-lief. "I'll break it, I will! So promise."

"F… Fine! I'll let you go, and I won't send anybody after you."

"Show me your hands so I know you aren't crossing your fingers!" I said.

"I don't have fingers, you idiot... Or hands!"

"Do it!" I held the vase up a little higher, and Nook held his paws in front of him reluctantly.

"Okay, now pinkie promise with my sister." I said.

"What? No, that is the last straw. That is completely idiotic, and…"

"Just do as he asks, would you?" Allie said, rolling her eyes. "Pinkie promises are like the law with him."

Nook grumbled, but reluctantly held out a claw. Allie clutched it with her own pinkie. "I pinkie promise to let you and Momma's Boy leave, and will not send anybody to follow you." He turned and glared at me. "Happy now?"

"Yes." I nodded, and slowly set the vase down. I moved away from it and grabbed Allie's hand as Nook lunged for it. I wasn't sure if he would keep the pinkie promise, as twisted as he was, and I wasn't going to stick around to find out.

We scampered through the town like dormice. We'd escaped. Finally, it was over.