Streaks of lightning flashed brilliantly outside, lighting the monochrome
sky in a bright celebration, casting its graceful blessings upon the
greyscale town below. There were about twenty families living there, each
as poor as the quality of life around them. There were no roads in the
town, just the dirt and gravel which cut into the feet of those too poor to
afford shoes. Each house was poorly made, with missing pieces of roof that
let in the slanted rain into the small rooms. It drove up a fine mist,
dampening that which was guarded by the meager ceiling.
That was how Cadence woke up, her nightgown clinging to her thin form as she tossed her ragged blanket to the damp grown, a frown creasing her smudged yet still beautiful face. Her brown hair was cold as it framed her face, falling to her midback as she stumbled sleepily towards the doorway, pushing away the curtain which sufficed for a door to her miniscule room. The room was drab, with cheap white-washed walls and nothing in it save her cot, washing basin, trunk of posessions, and a faded poster of the Pokémon Blastoise.
The young girl ignored her surroundings and stumbled into the main room, where her parents were asleep on a mattress, covered by nothing but a thin white sheet as they cuddled closely together. There were two rooms in the house and Cadence hated them both with a passion, as she went out the back door (a simple screen this time) and shivered briskly in the sudden onslaught of cool air, walking a tad faster towards the well that was her source of water. She drew up a bucket and scampered into the house again, wiping her feet briefly on a faded rug to relieve them of their mud.
She filled the basin in her room with the water and repeated the process many times until it was full of the chilly liquid. Stripping out of her pink nightgown, she proceeded to bathe and clean her face and hair with a simple bar of soap. Deciding she had done her looks enough justice, she quickly dried herself best as she could with the ratty towel behind the basin and dressed into her best clothes, a pair of faded jeans that actually were a bit long for her and an almost-tight dark blue tee shirt, with a white zipper jacket to go over it for the chill that was constantly over their northern town.
Coal Town had long since been known for the fact that it was inhabited by the poorest citizens, who couldn't even feed their families at some times. Most of their men worked in the coal mines beneath the town's surface, while the women picked up their needles and thread and sewed at Mrs. Coal's house, the wife of the current Mayor and the man who had created their life style. Long ago, during the coal shortage of 3014, Coal Town had been a prosperous and nice place to live. That was when Cadence's grandfather, Aidan Le'Morbus, had moved there, taking his wife and son with him. Cadence's father had married and had her when Aidan passed away, leaving her father, Anthony, his most prized posession: his Pokémon. There'd been six in the collection, of which her father had sold most to make payments on loans or to get food for Cadence and her mother. He had one left now, a Vaporeon. The Le'Morbus family line had been users of fire Pokémon until Anthony, who had met his wife Camille and her love for the water breed. Cadence had been born from their harmony and shared their love of the aquatic Pokémon.
Cadence sighed lightly as she waved the memories on with a shake of her head, entering the main room once more and casting a concerned glance at her parents. Her first thought was to wake them. 'But they look so content lying there, with peaceful smiles on their faces instead of the stern lines when they wake up. I'll let them have their moment, they had no need to say goodbye to me, I'll come back after I visit Professor Willow.' With once more wishful glance, Cadence slipped out the plastic front door onto the mud, looking up at the dreary sky which always seemed to cover up the sun.
As if in answer to her disappointment, a cloud shifted its position and allowed a solitary shaft of white, brilliant sunlight to land before Cadence, who immedietly stepped into it, shook her head, and with a smile carried on. The sunlight disappeared behind her back as she walked on, a lone call of thunder billowing far off, an elegant rain beginning with it, resembling crying tears.
Cadence took no notice, and shouldering a brown backpack on her shoulder, stepped off to Professor Willow's house.
That was how Cadence woke up, her nightgown clinging to her thin form as she tossed her ragged blanket to the damp grown, a frown creasing her smudged yet still beautiful face. Her brown hair was cold as it framed her face, falling to her midback as she stumbled sleepily towards the doorway, pushing away the curtain which sufficed for a door to her miniscule room. The room was drab, with cheap white-washed walls and nothing in it save her cot, washing basin, trunk of posessions, and a faded poster of the Pokémon Blastoise.
The young girl ignored her surroundings and stumbled into the main room, where her parents were asleep on a mattress, covered by nothing but a thin white sheet as they cuddled closely together. There were two rooms in the house and Cadence hated them both with a passion, as she went out the back door (a simple screen this time) and shivered briskly in the sudden onslaught of cool air, walking a tad faster towards the well that was her source of water. She drew up a bucket and scampered into the house again, wiping her feet briefly on a faded rug to relieve them of their mud.
She filled the basin in her room with the water and repeated the process many times until it was full of the chilly liquid. Stripping out of her pink nightgown, she proceeded to bathe and clean her face and hair with a simple bar of soap. Deciding she had done her looks enough justice, she quickly dried herself best as she could with the ratty towel behind the basin and dressed into her best clothes, a pair of faded jeans that actually were a bit long for her and an almost-tight dark blue tee shirt, with a white zipper jacket to go over it for the chill that was constantly over their northern town.
Coal Town had long since been known for the fact that it was inhabited by the poorest citizens, who couldn't even feed their families at some times. Most of their men worked in the coal mines beneath the town's surface, while the women picked up their needles and thread and sewed at Mrs. Coal's house, the wife of the current Mayor and the man who had created their life style. Long ago, during the coal shortage of 3014, Coal Town had been a prosperous and nice place to live. That was when Cadence's grandfather, Aidan Le'Morbus, had moved there, taking his wife and son with him. Cadence's father had married and had her when Aidan passed away, leaving her father, Anthony, his most prized posession: his Pokémon. There'd been six in the collection, of which her father had sold most to make payments on loans or to get food for Cadence and her mother. He had one left now, a Vaporeon. The Le'Morbus family line had been users of fire Pokémon until Anthony, who had met his wife Camille and her love for the water breed. Cadence had been born from their harmony and shared their love of the aquatic Pokémon.
Cadence sighed lightly as she waved the memories on with a shake of her head, entering the main room once more and casting a concerned glance at her parents. Her first thought was to wake them. 'But they look so content lying there, with peaceful smiles on their faces instead of the stern lines when they wake up. I'll let them have their moment, they had no need to say goodbye to me, I'll come back after I visit Professor Willow.' With once more wishful glance, Cadence slipped out the plastic front door onto the mud, looking up at the dreary sky which always seemed to cover up the sun.
As if in answer to her disappointment, a cloud shifted its position and allowed a solitary shaft of white, brilliant sunlight to land before Cadence, who immedietly stepped into it, shook her head, and with a smile carried on. The sunlight disappeared behind her back as she walked on, a lone call of thunder billowing far off, an elegant rain beginning with it, resembling crying tears.
Cadence took no notice, and shouldering a brown backpack on her shoulder, stepped off to Professor Willow's house.