So I've had this idea for a while, and after quite a few attempts at starting it, I finally got the first chapter finished! I'm actually really excited for this story, and I hope you guys enjoy it, too. (Oh, and since I got yelled at in my other Pokémon fanfic, I should warn you there may be some strong language, hence the M rating. But don't worry, I promise there won't be too much.)
There were people following her. More specifically, there were some pretty shady people following her. She didn't have to glance over her shoulder to figure that out; she could feel their eyes burning into the back of her skull and she could hear their heavy footsteps striding not too far behind her. She tried to remain oblivious, though; showing any sign of being aware that they were following her would have a bad end result. It's better to remain unaware of their presence, that way they would take it easy on her – she hoped.
However, this tactic would soon be proved ineffective. As soon as she rounded the corner and was out of sight of any passersby, the man that had been following in her shadow quickly advanced on her and covered her mouth with his hand, stifling her scream, and dragged her into a nearby alley. She was shoved into the hard chest of a large Machoke, who held her arms behind her back and spun her around to face the men crowding around her. Her chocolate brown eyes fell on the familiar face of the loan shark she had previously met with several weeks earlier, and her heart skipped a beat. He had a friendly smile on his face, but his dark eyes held malicious cruelty behind them. His jet black hair was slicked back and he had a thin mustache, and he was dressed in a simple black suit, his hands buried deep in his pockets. He took two long strides towards her, his eyes locked on hers.
"Gemma," he spoke, "we haven't heard from you in a few days. You doin' alright?" he asked innocently, that friendly smile never leaving his lips.
Gemma trembled slightly in the large fighting Pokémon's arms. She nodded briefly, but remained silent. A million scenes flashed through her mind of the different possibilities of what they would do to her, each one more frightening than the last.
"Good," he said. He took two long strides forward until he stood right in front of her. He leaned down to her eye level, his face mere inches away from hers. "So why haven't we heard from you?"
Her voice shook when she spoke. "U-um, I've just been busy," she squeaked, her eyes wide.
The smile fell from his face and was replaced by a frown. "Is that so," he replied monotonously, stepping back. She saw his dark eyes meet with the Machoke restraining her and give a curt nod. The large Pokémon roughly shoved her on her knees, capturing her medium-length chestnut hair in his hands and pulling tightly. She cried out in pain, her hands reaching up in a fruitless effort to loosen the creature's grip. With another tug, the fighting type had forced her head back so she looked up at his master. The man in the black suit knelt before her.
"Now Gemma, I've been patient with you. I've shown restraint considering your young age, but I'm afraid I'm fed up with waiting," the man said in a haunting voice. "I need my money, kid."
Tears were threatening to spill over her face. "I don't have it," she whispered shakily, her brown eyes wide.
"Then, you've left me no choice," he said almost apologetically. Gemma watched in terror as the man stepped aside, allowing a large Scyther to step forward. Its razor sharp scythes glinted menacingly in the little available light in the alley, and Gemma could feel her heart skip a beat. The green Pokémon grinned mischievously at the frightened girl.
"It's a shame, really," the loan shark voiced. "Such a pretty little face like yours going to waste."
Another stab of terror engulfed the girl when she realized just what they were planning. Her heart quickened with every step the menacing Scyther took towards her, her small body shaking in the strong Machoke's grip. Just as the bug/flying type pressed one of its scythes into her cheek, breaking the flesh, a thought came to her mind.
"Wait!" she cried, feeling the stinging sensation as her skin broke in two. The Scyther paused and glanced back at its owner confused. The man's brow was raised in question, waiting for her to continue.
Gemma racked her brain for a cause for her interruption. "Give me a month. I swear I'll have your money by then."
The man shook his head. "Three days," he announced.
"Three weeks."
"One week," he countered, crossing his arms.
Gemma bit her lip. "Two weeks," she bargained. "Please, I promise you'll get your money by then."
His dark brow rose in disbelief. "You'll come up with $10,000 in two weeks?" He questioned doubtfully.
She doubted it herself. "If I don't, it'll be half, and I'll get you the rest the next week," she reasoned, a desperate hopefulness shining in her eyes.
A frown fell on the man's lips. "Then we're back to three weeks," he pointed out, clearly unhappy with the proposal. He sighed despite himself and shoved the Pokémon aside, kneeling down in front of her again. "I'll make you a deal, Gemma. If you can give me no less than 7,000 in two weeks, I'll give you the next week to come up with the rest. But if you don't," the man paused and leaned in closer, his lips brushing the girl's ear, "we'll have no choice but to pay your mother a visit," he finished in a low tone. He pulled away and stared hard into the frightened face of the quivering girl. "Do you understand me?" he demanded darkly, to which she nodded – the best she could in the tight grip of the fighting Pokémon – vigorously. He smiled and replied with a satisfied 'good', standing up and leading his posse out of the dark alleyway.
Gemma fell forward on her hands as the large Machoke shoved her away from him and followed after his master. She shook violently and watched as a dark red droplet of blood splattered to the asphalt beneath her. Her head shot up as her loan shark called back to her.
"Oh, and Gemma," he called, standing in the entrance to the deserted alley, "we'll be keeping a close eye on your mother."
Gemma slumped to the ground on her side, bringing her knees up to her chest and heaving large, choked sobs, her salty tears stinging her open wound and mixing with the blood that spilled down her face.
"Gemma, what happened to your face?"
Gemma gave her mother a tired smile. "Nothing, Mom. I just scratched my cheek, is all," she answered, but it didn't fool her mother.
The older woman's eyes narrowed and she frowned disapprovingly at her daughter. "Gemma, you're a terrible liar. It's too clean of a cut for it to be a scratch. And why are your eyes red?"
She knew before she got home that her mother wouldn't ignore that. "It really is just a scratch, Mom. And it hurt, so you know, I was crying a bit. It's no big deal, really," she tried to persuade her mother.
Her mother's lips pressed together firmly in a thin line, but she didn't say anything more, knowing her daughter would stick to her original story. "Well," she sighed, getting up from her spot at the kitchen table, "at least let me clean it up for you." Gemma didn't object and followed her mother obediently into the bathroom.
Gemma stared at the ceiling, her face tilted upward so her mother could work on her cheek. She winced a bit when she dabbed a bit of Hydrogen Peroxide on the cut, but remained silent nonetheless. The older woman ran a washcloth under some warm water and wrung it out before bringing it to her daughter's injured face. She dabbed at the wound, wiping away any excess blood.
"It'll probably scar," she warned, to which her daughter nodded. She fell silent again. Her tired green eyes fell on her daughter's appearance. The girl looked almost nothing like her; her eyes were brown, her hair a rich chestnut color while her mother's was a sandy blond, and when she smiled, two dimples presented themselves to the world. A pang of loneliness hit the older woman as she realized yet again how much her daughter resembled her father. She even had her father's personality, always wanting to help others, no matter what the cost.
Gemma gazed up at her mother inquisitively when she sighed and placed the damp washcloth in the sink. "Gemma," she started, eying her daughter seriously, "you don't need to push yourself, okay? I don't want you to feel like you need to help me, whether it's just with getting stuff done around the house or financially. You're only sixteen, you're supposed to be out there enjoying your teen years, not staying indoors and taking care of me." Gemma frowned and opened her mouth to object, but her mother held up a hand, silencing her. "Now I understand that you may think that you should take care of me, but you don't need to. I'm a grown woman and I can take care of myself."
The younger girl dropped her gaze and stayed silent, a defeated look on her face. Her mother sighed and lifted the girl's chin. "Gem, I just don't want you to waste your life trying to be an adult. It's okay to go out and have fun. I only want you to be happy, okay?" She nodded and her mother placed a soft kiss on the girl's forehead. "I love you, sweetheart."
A small smile tugged at the girl's lips and she replied, "I love you, too."
Her mother smiled and attached a bandage on her cheek. "Get some sleep, Gem. I'll see you in the morning."
As Gemma lay in her bed, she pondered what her mother had said to her. She couldn't imagine just ignoring her mother's health and well-being and just running outside to live her own life. She had to take care of her mom, even if her mother didn't think it was necessary. A frown shadowed her face and she turned to her side, staring out her window. However, what she had done to help had turned into something dangerous for her mother. She scowled and buried her face into her pillow so her screams were muffled by the soft fabric. Why did she have to turn to the mafia? She knew they were dangerous, especially since they brought Pokémon into their dirty business, and yet that loan shark's offer was just so tempting, so inviting, that she couldn't refuse. They needed that money, and she was too blind with desperation that she easily turned to the nearest solution, no questions asked.
Although she had thought she had cried herself dry earlier that day, fresh hot tears fell down her cheeks as the frustration built up inside of her. She rolled over again, facing the large Pokémon League poster on her wall. She stared at the grinning faces of a young boy and his Bulbasaur with envy.
"Why couldn't I have just been a Pokémon trainer," she mumbled irritably, closing her eyes. "It'd be so much easier, traveling the region, catching different Pokémon, earning money, collecting badges..." Gemma trailed off, on the brink of sleep, when her eyes snapped open. She sat up in her bed slowly, her brown eyes wide as they scrutinized the poster more closely. When she ran the thought through her head again, she gave a small gasp.
Gemma fell back on her bed gratefully. With a grin on her face, she slowly drifted off to sleep, knowing exactly how she was going to come up with that $10,000.