Chapter 3 – Party Plans
'But… don't you think it's wrong, Mesprit? That I like Amez when I'm not human?' Widdershin sighed, exasperated.
Mesprit was quiet for a moment. 'Love' she stated.
'What?'
'You love Amez, not like her. There's a difference!' she rolled her gold eyes, making Widdershin groan in annoyance.
Mesprit giggled, but then she became serious again. 'Normally this is frowned upon, but for your case it's a very different situation. Dylan has made a wrong decision falling for a human as well, but because of what he is; Amez needs you to protect her. It must be said, I don't think Amez realises just how dangerous he is. Widdershin' she fluttered down so she was face to face with him 'Amez means a lot to me, she's my best friend too. Promise me that you'll keep her safe'
'Of course, I promise. Do you think I'd let that monster hurt her?' Widdershin growled, his hands balling into fists.
Mesprit shuddered at Widdershin's outburst 'No, I didn't mean it like that!'
Widdershin relaxed, closing his eyes in defeat. 'So, how do we plan this party?' he sighed.
Mesprit laughed her tinkling water laugh, and clapped her hands together in glee.
Amez woke up the next morning, groaning as the sun broke through her curtains and hit her straight in the face. She rolled over, hiding under the comforter, trying to get back to sleep. She'd had a pretty sleepless night, whenever she'd managed to finally doze off; she'd had recurring nightmares, mostly starring Dylan. She couldn't believe he'd tried to kiss her! Something funny was up with him, he always seemed to try and touch her, but she would mostly slug him off. However, he was really strong, and it wasn't always easy, and she liked having two arms, so she just had to give in and pretend he wasn't there.
She sighed, and got up. She'd missed Widdershin last night; whenever she had nightmares, he would always soothe her. They would stay up, just talking about silly things until she fell back to sleep on her own. He hadn't come back, so she hoped he was okay. She wasn't used not having him nearby. She plodded down the stairs, following the smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen.
'Morning Mum' she yawned as she sat down at the table rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
'I've been called a few different names in my time, but never mum! I'd be a bit worried if you're confusing me for Johanna' a deep, yet somehow familiar voice laughed.
Amez stared in shock as the figure at the stove turned around, revealing an Infernape clad in her mother's baking apron.
'Widdershin?' she asked, eyes wide.
'Good morning to you to, Amez' he laughed.
'Ohmigoshyouevolved!' she squealed, as she leapt out of her seat and into his arms, catching him in a hug.
Widdershin blushed; her pyjamas were a bit skimpy: blue silk shorts and a white strap vest. However she didn't see, nor did she seem concerned about her revealing clothes. He was now slightly taller then her, around the same height as Dylan in human form. He hesitated, before gently hugging her back; he didn't know the limits of his newfound strength yet.
She pulled back laughing, and touched his check. 'How?' she breathed.
'How about we talk about it over breakfast? I don't know about you, but I'm starving!' he grinned, and pulled a plate of pancakes from next to the stove and made his way over to the kitchen table, Amez tagging along, bouncing with excitement like a puppy out for it's morning walk.
'Since when do you cook?' she asked, raising her perfectly shaped eyebrow.
'Since I can actually reach into the cupboards and control the stove at the same time' he replied good naturedly.
Amez giggled, reaching for the maple syrup at the same time he did, both their hands touching at the same time. This caused them both to laugh again.
'Ladies first' he said, handing it to her like a waiter in a restaurant.
'Why thank you' she replied in a posh British accent.
As she drowned her pancakes in syrup, Widdershin poured them out some orange juice, of course serving Amez first.
'My dear Widdershin, you're such a gentleman' she spoke in the same posh accent, trying to surpass a giggle. Widdershin just rolled his eyes, but laughed too.
It had been a while since Amez had felt so buoyant. You just couldn't be too happy around Dylan and his dark demeanour. Whereas when she was with Widdershin, she didn't have to worry about trivial things, like making sure he didn't invade her personal space like Dylan would whenever he got the chance. With Widdershin and his easy-going, open attitude, she could be herself. She could laugh and joke and just enjoy the moment. She couldn't do that with Dylan. She raised her glass of orange juice in a toast. 'Cheers!'
'Cheers!' Widdershin returned the gesture, smiling as he watched her dig in to her breakfast.
'So you want to hear about my evolution or not?' he grumbled like a kid whinnying for a candy bar, laying his arm on the table and the other hand on his heart, feigning he had been hurt by her forgetting.
'Mhm' she tried to say, although her mouth was full.
Widdershin laughed. 'Well when I went out yesterday, I decided to go visit Mesprit. She inquired about your birthday, and if you had made any plans for a celebration. I said no you hadn't, so she said why don't we plan a birthday party in her cavern. I replied a little too enthusiastically' he chuckled 'and in my haste I accidentally knocked into and smashed a nearby boulder. That triggered my evolution, but because I was in my Chimchar state for so long, I skipped my Monferno stage to become the Infernape you see sitting across from you. The end' he got up and bowed, receiving a round of applause from Amez.
He felt bad lying to her, but how could he tell her the real story without admitting his feelings? Simple, he couldn't. And plus he didn't want to bring Dylan into the conversation, especially after his sick joke last night. They were perfectly fine without him, just as they had been before he came into the picture three years ago.
'Cool! So what's like, now being a part fighting-type?' she questioned.
'Weird. I'm not use to this new size, and strength, oh and speed! I got back from Lake Verity in less than two minutes! How long does it take you, hm?' he cocked a thick eyebrow at her.
She swallowed. 'Ten' she replied indignantly 'A perfectly normal and average time'
'Ten. Sloooow human' he emphasised the slow 'Like a turtle!'
'Hey!' Amez cried, making an attempt at swatting him with her fork, but he dodged it easily, grinning widely again.
'Sloooow' he repeated, laughing. Amez just rolled her eyes, and went back to eating her breakfast.
'So where's Mum?'
'Johanna's out at the studio working. But she did give us a list of stuff we need to buy for your party. She said we should go to the Pokemart in Sandgem Town when we're done with breakfast'
'And what did she say about your new look?'
'Let's just say she handled it better than you, "ohmygoshyouevolved!"' he said, imitating her perfectly, sniggering.
This time she did succeeded in poking him with her fork, hard enough to push him off his chair. Now it was her turn to snigger.
'Are you done?' he asked, getting up and brushing himself off.
Amez nodded 'Thanks for that, never knew you were such a great cook. I'll do the dishes' she said as she made her way over to the sink with the plates piled in her hands.
Widdershin was in front of her before she even had time to blink.
'I'll do it' he said, taking the plates of her hands, smiling.
'Are you sure? You shouldn't have to do all the work' Amez replied, frowning.
'Don't worry. Just go get dressed. The sooner you're ready, the sooner we can get going' he all but shooed her out the kitchen.
'Don't forget to ditch the apron!' she called behind her, as she whizzed up the stairs, Widdershin's laugh echoing behind her.
A few minutes later Amez came back down the stairs, dressed in dark blue jeans and a long sleeved purple top, with silver stars flowing across the front from the left side. Her hair had been brushed, and tucked behind her ears with two matching silver star hair clips.
'You look nice' Widdershin said, as he held the door open while she slipped on her trainers.
'Thanks!' she smiled warmly at him, following him outside and locking the door behind her, slipping the key into her pocket.
'It's chilly today' she stated, unconsciously moving nearer Widdershin. He seemed to be radiating warmth from his fur. It always seemed to be cold around Dylan.
'It'll take ages if we walk. Do you want to see how I travel now?' Widdershin didn't even bother to wait for a reply, before the Infernape took of, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.
'Wha? Hey!' Amez yelled after him.
He was back before she had even taken a step forward, laughing.
'Sloooow human!' he pointed at her.
Amez pouted 'Oh yeah? Why don't you just go by yourself then?' she said harshly before turning around back toward the house.
Widdershin grabbed her shoulder 'Hey, I'm sorry, you know I was kidding. I-'
'Physch! Can't believe you got owned by a 'sloooow human'!' she jeered at him, in a joking way.
'Why you!'
Suddenly she was on his back, arms around his neck. It was nice and warm here.
'Come on, I'll get us both there quicker!' He told her, before taking off again.
Neither of them noticed the burning blood red eyes that watched them from the shadows.
Widdershin was true to his word, he got the two of them into Sandgem Town in less then five minutes. He stopped outside the Pokemart; a blue topped building next to the Pokemon Centre. He let Amez down. Her hair was windblown, and her checks were rosy from the wind, which contrasted with her pale skin and dark hair, making her look beautiful, almost mystic, like a china doll.
'Wow! That was incredible!' she grinned, running her hand through her fringe.
'Don't forget we've still got the journey back!' Widdershin grinned.
Both smiling, they entered the shop. Pokemon were allowed inside the Pokemart. There was a young boy with Rattata sitting on his shoulder, while his mother was being followed around by a Chansey. Even the checkout counters had Chingling ready to bag customer's items for them, so no one paid a glance at Widdershin.
He pulled out a shopping list from his wrist guard, which was covered in Johanna's neat handwriting. The two friends set off toward the confectionary aisle. As Amez was scanning the racks of crisps, she accidentally bumped into another girl when she tripped over a stray bottle top, sending her and the crisps flying.
'I'm so sorry!' she cried, offering the girl a hand.
The girl looked to be around her age. She had a soft beige skin, that seemed to have a hint of pink in it. Her hair was pale green, cut into a straight fringe, with layers similar to her own, which reached a few inches past her shoulders, short in comparison. She had a pale pink flower tucked behind her ear. Her outfit consisted of a strappy white top and matching white gypsy skirt, which ended mid calf; way to revealing for this cold weather. On her feet were white stilettos. Her eyes were the exact colour of Amez's own; a soft, forest green.
The girl accepted Amez's hand. Amez couldn't help flinching as she pulled the girl to her feet; her skin was ice cold.
'Are you okay?' Amez asked, concerned.
'My name is Serena' the girl spoke in a clear, high soprano voice, which sounded strangely young coming from a teenager.
'Oh, er, hi Serena, I'm Amez, and this is Widdershin' Amez introduced them. Widdershin waved; however Serena ignored, and continued to stare at Amez.
'Hello Amez' she smiled.
'Are you okay?' Amez asked again, this time she didn't just mean from the fall.
'Yes, why wouldn't I be?' Serena replied, clearly confused.
'Oh, ok, never mind. I'm sorry, I need to get going, nice meeting you' Amez said stiffly, walking past her.
'I'll see you soon' it wasn't a question.
'Sure' Amez smiled at the green-haired girl 'See you round'
'Goodbye!' Serena called after them.
'Strange girl' Widdershin whispered, as soon as they were out of earshot.
Amez nodded, glancing behind to see Serena waving wildly from her spot.