Chapter 2: Dreaming, Accepting, Dying
One does not recognise a dream until having already awoken. It is only after the rush of senses, the pull of reality, that the mind realises that something was truly amiss.
I am still waiting for the day for my joke of a life to draw to a close, to awaken to the light… yet I have the constant fear that it already has.
How does someone simply accept this?
Third Person:
The sun's rays danced upon the rolling waves, brushing against the shoreline of Vermilion Harbour. A considerable distance from the main boarding pier by the heart of the city was the central fishing dock, off towards the outskirts of town. The substantial wood-based platform branched off into several strips, and was more or less lined with a combination of recreational yachts and small commercial fishing vessels.
The sun was reaching its peak while fishermen and sailors travelled from one place to the next. There was not much interaction between them; most walked by, operating on their own hours and schedules, rarely acknowledging another's presence except for a quick dodge-by.
The blazing heat was accompanied by a refreshing ocean breeze, dancing across the open water, through the dense trees of the nearby forest, and around the bodies of young Caitlin and Richard. Both were stripped to their swimsuits, leaving some heavier garments in a pile behind them.
Caitlin's hair was a warm brown, and reached down to her shoulders. While dipping her feet in the moving water, she steadied a large egg on her lap. The sounds and noticeable movement from within the hard shell grasped her attention and kept her brown eyes glued on the Pokemon-to-be. Richard's hair was rugged, but still a moderate length. It, too, was brown, though a lighter shade. His dazed green eyes were locked on Caitlin, though he would never admit it, even if caught.
"Rick?" Caitlin turned up and locked eyes with Richard. He shifted away slightly, hoping that he was not going to blush again. He was marginally timid and thus became embarrassed without much effort, but he would never admit that either. Does she have eyes on the side of her head or something? He pretended that he wasn't actually staring at her. "Yeah, what is it?"
"What are you going to do when I leave?" she inquired with a gust of drama, air of tension, and string of sincerity.
Something inside or Rick sunk as soon as she said that; perhaps it was the realisation that moments like this were soon to pass, though he did not fully recognise to what extent. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Caitlin began, gazing at the clear blue sky, "whenever I'm with you, you just stare at me, pretending that you're looking at something else. Are you going to carry around a picture of me so you don't get lonely, or are you going to find someone or something else to occupy your head?"
"I do not stare at you," he replied, slightly offended.
"Whatcha talking about?" she countered, raising her voice, "Of course you do!"
"Do not."
"Do too."
"Do not."
"Do too."
Rick reached towards Caitlin, planning on grabbing her egg and pushing her into the water, but in a mere flicker he instead was plummeting into the warm, salty ocean blue.
"In a daze, always staring," she taunted, "You should've seen that coming."
Rick spat out some water and shook his head. "I blinked."
"You don't blink when staring at me, you know. Or were you perhaps staring at –"
"Hey, you two," interjected a new, rougher voice. The two teens looked up and saw a huge man dressed in a worn-down fishing suit. "There aren't any lifeguards here, so I hope that the two of you can swim."
"Don't worry," Caitlin replied, "we're both pretty good."
"Yeah," added Rick, climbing back onto the dock, "neither of us will drown on you."
"Alright," responded the fisherman, who was already turning and walking away, "I'll trust you kids. I've seen you both hanging around here enough anyhow. I just don't want to report any deaths on this dear dock; jeez, we've had a perfect record so far this year."
Caitlin giggled to herself. "Yeah, what kind of idiot would drown in water this calm? You'd have to be a pretty shitty swimmer."
Rick caught his tongue. He's never agreed with everything that Caitlin said, he's never approved of her behaviour all of the time, but he wouldn't see her for a while. She saved money for months to buy a ticket to Johto. Since the ship was going to dock at Olivine City, she would not be able to pick-up her starter. Instead, she bought an egg from a local breeder. She never told him what Pokemon would hatch from it. Did she even know herself? It's always been her dream to enter the Pokemon League, compete in any of the Regional Championships, and perhaps even win. When she arrives, she'll be able to register as an official Pokemon Trainer.
It was Saturday afternoon. She was to leave Monday morning.
The thought brought tears to his eyes.
He heard a sigh. "Are you crying now?" What a rhetorical question…
Caitlin put the egg down between them, and then wrapped her arms around his moist body. "Hey, you better be a good cook by the time I get back. I expect some pretty fancy stuff to celebrate my victory in the Championship Finals! I expect fine-dining fit for a real Champion!"
Once Richard calmed down, the two of them lay down further back on the dock, expecting to sunbathe for a short while. Neither of them expected to fall asleep, and nobody expected the winds to blow fiercer, waves to hit harder, and those black clouds to cloud the dream-like sky.
Or was it the storm that was the dream?
Richard's POV:
"...e…"
"…"
"…ey"
"…ey!"
"HEY!"
I flung forward, wide awake. I realised that the man above my head seemed vaguely familiar. I also realised that I didn't wake up from his yelling. A wave had somehow flown over the deck and splashed me; I was soaked. That type of stuff doesn't happen; the water's never this rough around the dock,
but I doubt that I truly recognised all of that back then. My eyes stung and my ears rung. I had no idea what was going on, except that a hand was around my arm, raising me to my feet. My vision was blurred, my head spinning, but Caitlin was there as well. I noticed that the egg was still in her arms, but she appeared to be shocked as well.
Thunder.
A roar filled my ears, and my body was suddenly bombarded by bullets of water.
"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" He was the fisherman from earlier. I could tell that he was screaming, but I could barely hear his voice. The dock was shaking. I started to fall backwards.
Caitlin grabbed me.
The fisherman scooped up our clothes and we all made a run for it. I nearly slipped a few times on the wet wood.
"HERE!" The fisherman passed me my sandals, which I quickly slipped on. They were drenched; it was like sticking a pair of dish sponges to my feet.
I looked down and saw that Caitlin was already wearing her sandals. How long had I been out for?
We reached the sloped platform that led back to the top of the sea wall.
We just reached the top.
Chaos.
A devastatingly strong burst of wind tore right by us. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the egg fly out of Caitlin's arms. It was falling into the water.
She jumped.
I don't even remember whether or not I screamed. Perhaps I did, perhaps I didn't. I can't recall hearing my own voice. I definitely didn't hear the fisherman scream at me when I tried to dive in after her. I pulled myself all the way to the edge of the sea wall, but he just wouldn't let me follow. I struggled like mad, but his grasp was too strong. However, I was still able see everything that happened. It's the only vivid memory I have of that day. Despite the dense rainfall, the roaring wind, and the obscured lack of light, I saw it all.
I saw Caitlin swimming with the egg, trying to get to the dock.
I saw Caitlin attempt to get up onto the dock.
I saw Caitlin toss the egg into a large bin on the dock.
I saw Caitlin get pulled back into the ocean.
I saw Caitlin fight the waves, desperately trying to stay above water.
I saw Caitlin be thrown into a docked boat by a sudden surge.
I saw Caitlin flail over the chain that connected the boat and the dock.
I saw Caitlin die.