My name is Raphilis, but call me Raphie, I'm 14, have fiery red hair and need glasses. It's been just my Papa and me for as long as I can remember. He always takes care of me when I'm sick, which is often. It's nice… But I wish I was stronger so he wouldn't have to do it so much…
Tonight, I can't seem to stay asleep. I've woken up three times so far, and it's 2:18am… Maybe I should ask my Papa if he has anything for this, so I make my way to his bedroom which is just across the hall… And he isn't there, nor in any other rooms do I check out in a panic. Metronome - our Chatot - seems to have been fed... Surprisingly.
I instantly become scared, since I know that I'm not safe without him. I can't just go back to sleep, I have to find him. He may be in danger or dare I say dead.
I don't have time to change out of my plain blue PJ's since any moment wasted could mean anything bad, so I slip into some fluffy white slippers, grab my flashlight, put on my glasses and head out of the door into the halls of the apartment building. I tiptoe down files of stairs till I'm on the ground floor and silently exit out of the building.
The streets are lit up by the lamps for sure, but I can't help but feel as if anything could pounce out at me from the darkness. It's also very cold, but I didn't bring a coat or anything so I know why.
"P-p-papa?" I ask while shivering into the dark of night, hoping for him to hear me.
I hear a soft chuckle and suddenly jerk to the left, shining my flashlight down a dark and short alleyway. My light brown eyes widen in fear as I see a figure coated completely in black.
"Your 'Papa' isn't here." They laugh.
I hold back my tears of fear but I feel stiff, unable to move.
"Who are you? Why are you talking to me?" I ask, regretting my choice to speak to this stranger, but it's better than just standing there or something worse could happen.
The stranger laughs again. "It doesn't matter… Now get over here." They urge, starting to slowly walk toward me.
"Keep away from me!" I retaliate, now finding the strength in my body to spring off the ground and make a mad dash out of there. If I just stood there, I'd probably find myself in their basement or on the pavement and missing a kidney.
That was close. I can't hear any footsteps apart from my own so I'm safe for now… Now to get back on my mission – to find Papa!
After some more walking, I see an open bar that obviously has people in it, perhaps Papa is in there? It's worth a shot and it's probably warm in there…
As soon as I walk in, the bartender gives me a disgusted look, while the few other people don't seem to pay attention to me.
"Who let this kid in?" He asks, looking around at the others.
"I let myself in… It's cold and-" He cuts me off from trying to explain myself. "Look kid, you are too young to even be in here…"
"I'm not that young! My voice may say otherwise but-" Cut off again. "Just get out now…" The bartender urges.
"Okay, I'll get out, I just wanted to ask-" Yet again, cut off. "Did I say you could ask me something? No. Get out now before I get crankier." He urges me again, this time getting out from behind the table to approach me.
"Sorry! I'm just trying to- AHHH!" I look up at the bartender, he's holding a pocket knife and it's dripping with fresh blood – mine. He gave me a nasty cut on my arm just then. I can still feel the cold blade in my skin.
I stare at him with fear in my watery eyes before stealing a coat from the coat-rack next to me to have some warmth and rush out of the bar, pressing down on my right arm to try and slow the bleeding down.
I can't afford something like that. I need to start thinking of places my Papa could possibly think to go to at a time like this… My only bet is the small park that connects a few streets. He often goes there to clear his head, and I hope that's what he's doing.
I run my fastest down the sidewalks to eventually reach the place. And Papa was in fact there. I felt safe and excited again, then using the last of my energy to run towards him.
"Pap-" I stop myself, he is with another person discussing something, but it was a little late to go quiet, they heard me.
"Raphilis, what are you doing here?" My father turns to ask me. He looks more worried than mad, but he is in a suit so this is probably interrupting something to do with his work.
"I kept waking up and I wanted your comfort but you weren't there so I… Sniff." I almost cry out of the fact that I know Papa isn't gone.
Papa looks at me and sighs before speaking. "I wish I didn't have to do it this way…" He says, playing the pronoun game with me. I give him a funny look but I don't think this will be a happy ending.
"Papa, what do you mean?"
"You know well that I'm struggling just to afford food for us, Raphilis. If I keep looking after you, this will turn for the worst." He says.
I don't want a reminder. I try to block it out… But that fact sinks deep into my brain.
"And I need to get progress done at work or the entire project will be shut down. I thought I could do this while you were asleep, but…" He grits his teeth before closing his eyes and looking away from me. "Knock him out."
Before I can try and figure out what he means for certain, the person he was talking to gets something out of his briefcase, lunges at me, grabs hold of me and sticks something in my neck.
I quickly feel dazed and floppy and my vision goes blurry despite my glasses. I fall to the ground once the guy lets go of me. All I can do is lie here and just manage to watch as my Papa gets in the car with the guy and drives away…
"Pa…Pa… Don't… Go… P…Please…"
The world goes dark, I give into weakness.
...
That was almost 5 years ago... Imagine me: poor, scared, defenseless and no one to take care of me. What was I meant to do? I fled, that's what.
As soon as I woke up, I went back to the place I called home, packed all my stuff, took Metronome with me (as well as my newly found birthday Pokemon which was a Larvesta I named Samba), and tried to find a place where I could stay without anyone knowing I was there... Well, hardly anyone knew I was living with my Papa in the first place but that's beside the point.
There's an abandoned building. No one goes there because ghosts or something, but I've been living here for years and I haven't seen any ghosts.
Now, let's make it clear... This chapter was past events. I am now 18, and I've heard some news... My father is visiting Lumiose city to discuss a few things with the local professor...
I'm coming for you, Papa.