CURSE OR FATE
Hey! I'm, like, an adult now. Which means I look back through my works and cringe like crazy. Thus, I have decided to go through and update/clean/improve my old stories. Expect large parts of the story to be under construction for a bit, I'm sorry!
CURSE OR FATE?
Glancing at the clock for the twentieth time that morning I shouted up a winding staircase of iron and mahogany, "Sammy, hurry up will ya?" Her response quickly trumpeted back down.
"I'm putting on my face, Andrew!" I rolled my eyes as I leaned back against the banister.
"You're putting on makeup for a jog?"
"Sorry we're not all born men and granted that sweet freedom of not caring what you look like." From her room flew a straightening iron that missed my head by inches I'd prefer not to think about.
"Okay, okay, sorry! Men are trash and women are holy angels we don't deserve. Take all the time you need." As I wandered around the foyer of Sammy's home I stopped in front of the large floor length mirror that stood next to the stairs. With Sammy's last stinger ringing around my head, I decided to take the time to evaluate my "look." Shocking blond, unruly hair, average height, dark eyes surrounded by a face with pockets of acne that accompany most teenage faces, in general, a typical seventeen year old guy.
"I'm ready for our jog now let's go." The seventeen year-old athlete strutted into the room, breaking my train of thought. Her looks mirrored mine, but with a lot less acne. We've been friends for so long most people assume we're brother and sister. Our parents have been best friends since high school and, naturally, we became best friends, which didn't help the case. It was around fifth grade that I realized she was beautiful, but never told her, of course. She was insanely out of my league, and besides, why risk losing my best friend?
"Finally, what could take a girl so long to put on so little makeup?" Sammy burst out laughing and patted my shoulder.
"It's cute, and a liiiiiiittle misogynistic, that you think this is a 'little makeup.'" I felt the blood run to my cheeks. She laughed again.
"Come on, let's go already, Slowbro." She slipped into her jogging hoodie and ducked out the intricately designed double-door. I quickly followed, knowing I would no doubt get left behind by the ironically impatient girl. Ever since middle school, Sammy and I have spent our Saturdays taking a 2-mile long jog through Takatak Forest. She did it to stay fit during the track team's off-season. I told her that's why I did it too, but I really just wanted to be with her, hear her laugh, talk about our lives as though we don't already know everything about each other.
This Saturday was the definition of an early, spring day. Crisp, just a few degrees above cold, with flower buds not quite ready to open, gathering dew in the morning light. The two of us walked towards the forest, disturbing the sleep of a few Pidgey and Rattata, talking about school. We were both seniors, mid-terms had finished up yesterday and I was not optimistic about my results. Sammy, a brainiac and my tutor as well as being a student Olympian, hated to see me upset about grades.
"Cheer up, you're working as hard as you can, and honestly, when are you planning on using Calculus in the future?"
"Maybe it'll help me actually catch a pokemon." Sammy rolled her eyes at me.
"Okay, even going off of the assumption you would be able to calculate the exact length and arc of your throw, I don't think you're going to catch a Jolteon right off the bat." I chuckled. Jolteon was my favorite pokemon. It's speed and special attack made it a beast on the field. There was just no hope of me catching one without a starter pokemon. Apparently, you only get one of those if you're like one of the hotheads who left home when they were ten.
"Always such a cynic, Sammy. Maybe I'll find a weak one." She snorted with laughter.
"And I'm sure it'll be shiny too." Laughing again, she skipped over to a sign stating, 'Now entering Takatak Forest!' We took our time adjusting shoes, checking the time, and stretching out before the run. Eventually, Sammy straightened up, cracked her neck, and yelled, to no one in particular, "LET'S DO THIS THING!" Then, boom, off she went, managing to call over her shoulder before disappearing into the forest.
"Better hurry up, Andrew!"
"Wait! You didn't even give me a warning this time!" But she was already gone and obviously not slowing down. Sammy was easily the fastest member of the track team, so her vicious speed didn't surprise me one bit. In an act of defiance, I decided I wasn't going to run but actually enjoy the scenery for once. I put my hands in my pockets as I strolled through the forest, watching the Butterfree flutter to and fro. I started to wonder what I would like as my first pokemon. Pidgey wouldn't be too hard to catch, neither would a Rattata, but at the same time they would be such weak starters.
All types of pokemon were swimming around my head when I rounded a bend in the path and I noticed a small shack that now stood on the side of the trail where one had never stood before. The shack was old and tilted at a weird angle. Tables with small trinkets and jewelry were placed in front of the structure. I reasoned that this must be some kind of traveling shop, that or magic.
"Welcome to Carla Zay's Shop of Mystery. What do you desire?" A fair-skinned woman with dark hair and ice blue eyes appeared behind me, seemingly out of nowhere.
"AHH!" I jumped forward, barely catching myself from falling. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." She smiled innocently and gave me an appraising look with a small chuckle.
"My apologies, young one. Have any of my wares caught your eye?" She had the kind of look where she could either be eighty or sixteen, and I wasn't sure I wanted to stay around long enough to find out which it was.
"Well, the random shack in the middle of the woods is pretty eye-catching." She threw her head back and let out a harsh laugh, an old laugh, it reminded me of my grandmother.
"Things change, boy. I'm surprised you don't know that at your age." I could feel my face turn beet red.
"But, that doesn't explain..." She swept past me and waved a bejeweled hand over her wares.
"Did you come here to ask questions or to buy something?" I glanced down at the trinkets laid out below. Most of it looked like old junk that only antique collectors would buy. Old cutlery made of mottled silver, the handles molded into the shape of random pokemon. A few pieces of jewelry inlaid with gems that had seen better days.
I was about to tell the strange woman that I wasn't interested in anything, and run the hell away, when something actually caught my eye. A necklace. Its chain was made of silver, ordinary, but the pendant was unlike anything I'd seen before. I had never been interested in jewelry before, but this necklace wasn't normal it had an allure to it.
I picked up the necklace and held it towards the sun. The pendant was made to look like the face of a Jolteon, an angry one, its black marble eyes flashing with some inner rage, circled by lightning bolts made of amber. The pendant itself was made of stone, granite maybe? It felt as though it would start growling at me the detail was so perfect. Something sparked deep within me, a need stronger than anything I'd felt before. I knew I had to have this necklace.
"How much for this?" Carla smiled mischievously, giving her the look of a young imp.
"Ten thousand pokeyen."
"WHAT?! Are you serious?"
"My shop, my prices. Not happy? Then go away." The necklace seemed to gain weight as it sat in my grasp. I couldn't leave it. Something in me wouldn't let me let go. I needed this necklace, needed it now and at any cost. Carla began clicking her tongue at me.
"Meowth got your tongue, boy?" Seizing the moment, I took a big, fake, sniff.
"Actually, do you smell something burning?" She sniffed the air and, to my luck, seemed to smell something as a look of panic crossed her face.
"Dammit, the mice are burning." With a large swoosh of her dress she ran into her shack. I quickly picked up a box of Starley-shaped earrings I thought Sammy would like and placed the necklace underneath the cushion holding the jewelry.
"Strange, I'm having berries tonight." Carla emerged from the shack, her dress seeming to float around her. Her eyes darted to the earring box that I held clutched in my hand.
"Ah, earrings for a special someone?" My face went red again as I let out a nervous chuckle, grateful for the embarrassment to mask my nervousness.
"No, just thought they would look nice for my mom." She smiled cryptically and let out a laugh, a different one from her first, lighter, like wind chimes, making her seem much younger.
"Ten pokeyen." It took all my willpower not to make a face at the disparate price. I quickly paid her and ran off, hopefully not too fast to make her suspicious. I glanced at my watch. It was right about the time Sammy liked to stop for a break in the jog. I took a look around where I now stood.
Nervously, I opened the box, removed the cushion and marveled at the necklace inside. Gently, I picked up the necklace and slid the chain around my neck. The pendant rested in the middle of my chest, just below my t-shirt collar, perfectly hidden. It felt...right. Like some part of me was returned that I never knew was missing. I felt energetic, probably from all the nerves of having just committed a felony, and yet, I didn't feel guilty, in fact, I was ecstatic. Quickly putting the earring box back together, I held it close to me as I broke out into a dead sprint, hurrying to catch up to Sammy before she took off again.
Well, there you go. Thank you so much for reading. Review if you liked it, or even if you didn't. 3