Wooteh! Update time!
This weeks words~
Traffic cone
Lame
Silver ring
Pineapple
Bullseye
Dart
Half picked by me and the other by Fwirl when we were coming home from seeing Transformers 2. Have you guys seen it? It was INTENSE!
Haha, moving on~
Enjoy!
"I cannot believe that you defied me!" Katherine was in mid-rant as the smooth, low limo made its was back to the house. "After I said specifically that you weren't allowed to bring your Pokéballs to dinner, you did so anyway!"
Selena was gripping her little silver purse so hard that her knuckles were white. "I wasn't going to battle, Mother."
"That's not the point!" Katherine snapped, her green eyes sharp. "When I tell you not to do something, I expect you to obey me. Richard, do something about your daughter," she demanded, turning to her husband.
Richard sighed, running a hand through his short wavy hair. "What do you want me to say, dear?" he asked wearily.
"Tell her to apologize! She embarrassed us in front of your boss!"
"No, she didn't," he argued. "He didn't even see her drop her bag."
Katherine let out an irritated little gasp, turning herself to completely face her husband, her curly blond hair bouncing against her cheeks.
Selena turned her face away, looking out the window at the cool night, watching traffic cone after traffic cone pass by her window in a line of bright orange. Bicker, bicker, bicker, she thought darkly, repressing the urge to cover her ears with her hands. That's all they ever did.
"It was a successful dinner, dear," Richard said blankly, his eyes on the tiny buttons of his phone as he checked his email. "George didn't think anything of it."
"I'm sure he was just too polite to," Katherine pressed, her voice shrill. "He obviously thinks we're barbarians."
"Just because I dropped my bag?" Selena finally said scathingly, still turned away so she wouldn't lose her temper.
"Don't start with me, young lady. This is the last time this is going to happen, you hear me? We're going to find other trainers that can properly take care of Pokémon. We'll drop them off at the Pokémon Center tomorrow."
Selena felt as if the ground had dropped out from underneath her. "W-what?" she gasped, feeling her hands shake. "Take them...away? You can't!"
"You obviously can't handle the responsibility," Katherine said loftily, getting out of the car and smoothing the front of her dress with thin fingers. "Don't you think it's only fair to them that they have the best possible care?"
"I give them the best possible care," Selena snapped, feeling more angry than she ever had before. A metallic taste coated her tongue, and her vision went red. "They're mine. I've had them for years."
"Pokémon need more attention than that. All you ever do is battle them."
"Oh, and Contests are better for them?"
Katherine narrowed her eyes. "Don't speak to me like that, do you hear me? I am your mother, young lady, and I—"
Selena let out an angry noise, shoving past her mother and up to the doorway. She wrenched open the handle just as Maria was about to. The older woman blinked from the sudden movement, murmuring, "Are you okay, Miss Selena?"
"Leave me alone!" Selena snapped, feeling the hated tears sting the backs of her eyes. She ran up the stairs, flinging herself into her room and slamming the door behind her with a ear-ringing thud.
How can she do this to me? Selena thought angrily, tears freely falling from her eyes. She knows all I love in this world are them, and she wants to take that away! What's wrong with her? She's crazy!
She bit her lip as she heard the door close downstairs. Scurrying to the vent on the floor, she pressed her ear against the cold metal, straining her ear to hear the soft conversation her parents were having.
"Don't you think you should give her some time to think about this?" Richard was saying, obviously exasperated.
"No!" Katherine's voice sounded like she was questioning her husband's sanity. "I've made my choice and she has to honor it!"
"Those are her Pokémon, dear. She caught and trained them herself."
"She doesn't have the diligence to train them," Katherine argued. "If she had been a Coordinator, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Now go and get her Pokéballs!"
"Why don't you sleep on it, Katherine?" Richard suggested. "In the morning, if you still feel this way, you can do as you like."
Katherine let out a impatient sigh, but agreed. Their voices faded as they moved to their bedroom.
Selena sat up, moving slowly like an old woman. "They'll take them," she whispered to herself, looking at the play of moonlight across the silver fabric of her purse, the slight bulge showing that the Pokéballs still rested inside.
Pulling it towards her, she dug around inside, recognizing Mightyena's Pokéball by touch alone. She ran her fingers over the smooth surface, feeling the small nicks and scratches from years of use. She pressed the button in the center and released him.
Mightyena shook his head as soon as he touched paw on the floor, looking around in slight confusion. He turned to tilt his head at Selena, an alarmed look crossing his face when he saw that she was crying. A small whimper came from his throat as he pressed his nose against her arm.
"Mightyena," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his strong neck. "What are we going to do? Mother's going to force me to turn you and the others over tomorrow."
He let out a growl—Selena could feel it rumbling through her chest.
"I know," she sighed, flicking her wrist across her eyes. "I don't want to...but if she makes me..." She trailed off, smoothing his ears and looking into his red eyes. "I won't."
She got to her feet, Mightyena's eyes following her curiously. Dusting off the front of her dress, she walked over to her closet, rummaging around inside.
"We're going to leave, bud," she whispered. "We're running away."
Mightyena let out a shocked snarl, his eyes wide. He looked up at her in confusion, his head to one side.
"We can't stay here. We have to be together," she said firmly. "You guys are my friends, and I'm not going to let anyone come between us. Besides, summer vacation starts in three days. I won't miss much school."
Mightyena turned away suddenly, grabbing her purse from the floor and bringing it to her. He gave a muffled growl and shook the bag slightly.
She smiled, taking it from him and running her hand over his head. "They're coming, too," she promised. "We won't tell them until we're far enough away. Do you hear Mother or Father?"
He turned to the door, leaning one ear against the dark wood. He turned back to her and growled, but the sound was easy and relaxed.
"Good, good," she muttered, pulling her backpack out of the closet. "We've never been camping before, bud. I'm not really sure what to bring." Pulling open the drawers of her dresser, she began to paw through her clothes. "Probably sturdy clothes, huh?"
Mightyena let out a crooning growl.
"I'm gonna take that as a 'yes,'" Selena said, casting a fond look back at Mightyena. She pulled out her favorite black jacket and dark blue jeans, quickly changing out of her purple dress. Reaching up to the back of her neck, she unclasped her necklace and earrings, leaving them in a pile on her dressing table. She twisted the silver ring on her finger, eventually deciding to take it with her. After all, I don't have to abandon everything.
"We're going to be gone a long time, bud," she told him as she packed her backpack with clothes, stuffing in as many as she could. The whole while, she fought down a little bubble of panic. How am I supposed to just run away? She grabbed a flashlight from her bedside table, clicking in on and off to make sure it worked, then put it in as well.
Mightyena nudged her leg, a rolled-up map in his jaws. He turned away, scratching a drawer open, and then returned with a new package of five Pokéballs, tossing them up to her, too.
"Thanks, bud," she praised, scratching his ears and getting a happy grumble in return.
Once she was certain she was all packed, Selena leaned back with her hands behind her head, pleased at her own work. "We'll be good for a while, Mightyena," she assured him. "Now all we need is some Pokémon food and some food for me." She grimaced, realizing she had to go downstairs for that. "Stay here," she told him sternly. "I'll be right back."
Mightyena looked rather upset to not be able to go with her, but sat down on his haunches, his tail wagging slightly.
Selena smiled. "Good boy." She crept past him, peering into the hall to make sure it was empty, before walking softly out and down the stairs, one at a time, her ears straining for any possible sound. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard a slight creak, and she paused, barely breathing, until she realized it was just the step she was on.
She made it to the kitchen undetected, moving as swiftly as a dart, and quickly began to grab stacks of nonperishable food, stuffing them into a plastic bag. "Bullseye," she breathed to herself, sealing the bag shut. Opening the cabinets softly, she also grabbed a bottle full of water, and was just bending down to find the Pokémon food when someone coughed lightly behind her. She whirled, ready to defend herself, until she realized it was Maria, wrapped in a light blue robe.
"Miss Selena," she whispered, her eyes worried. "You're going to run, aren't you?" Her voice was sad and concerned.
Selena, clutching a box of pineapple-flavored Pokémon snacks, didn't know what to say. Oh, crap! She'll tell Mother! "I...I was just...hungry," she said lamely, slightly shaking the box. She ran her tongue over her dry lips as she watched the play of emotion over Maria's lined face.
"Hungry for...Pokémon snacks?" she asked delicately, pulling the box from Selena's grasp and flipping it over to look at the back. "Please, Miss Selena. I am not a fool."
Selena bit her lip, staring between Maria's gray eyes before murmuring, "She's going to take them away. I can't let that happen."
Maria's eyebrows contracted, and she lightly grabbed Selena's arm. "Come to my room, Selena. I have something that may be useful." She gently pulled Selena along to her small room on the ground floor, pushing open the door and stepping inside.
Selena followed willingly enough, remembering the many times that Maria had brought her in here as a child to teach her how to crochet or knit. "What is it?" she asked, trying not to be rude. "I need to get going."
"Here, dear." Maria disappeared into her closet, reappearing with a dark blue sleeping bag. "You can have this—it was my husband's when he used to go camping."
"Wow, thanks, Maria," Selena said warmly, running her hand over the soft fabric.
"And take these, too, dear," Maria pressed, pushing a pair of thick-soled boots into her arms. "They'll help over the more rough terrain. You look about the same size as me. And one more thing..." She went back into her closet and returned with a flat, gold box in her hands. "I wanted to give this to you after your first gym battle, but this seems a more important time." She handed over the box.
Taking it gently, Selena opened the top box, her breath catching when she realized what it was.
The quilt was white itself, with squares of pitch black and shimmering silver-gray, with a border of dark clouds along the outside. Fully spread out, it must be even more beautiful, Selena thought.
"I know it's going to be a burden to carry it with you," Maria said apologetically. "But with the cold weather at night, I assumed it would come in handy."
"Maria...I don't know what to say." Selena ran her fingers over the silky material, noticing with a little laugh that the cloud border was the same pattern that was on the sticker of Mightyena's Pokéball.
"I was a Pokémon trainer when I was your age," Maria said, a smile on her face. "I know the bond between Pokémon and trainer, and it's more than the superficial bond your mother thinks it is. You need to protect them, and they'll protect you in return. That's how it was between my Dewgong and I." She grabbed Selena's hand, squeezing her fingers gently. "Just be safe, okay, dear?"
Selena smiled, throwing her arms around the old lady. She had been like a grandmother to Selena all her life—a kind role model where others were cruel and shallow. "Thank you so much, Maria. I won't forget this."
Maria laughed softly. "You'll need to be going now, Miss Selena," she told her. "Your parents have just gone to bed not even fifteen minutes ago. I can lock the door behind you—"
"No," Selena argued. "They'll know you were the one to let me out if the door's locked in the morning. I'll climb out through the window."
Maria frowned. "Your room is three-stories high," she protested. "You'll break your neck! Just go out the door and I'll leave it open."
Selena could see the logic in Maria's plan, secretly dreading the prospect of climbing out her window anyway. "I'll go get my pack."
"I'll go pack you some real food," Maria teased, pointing to the box of Pokémon treats.
"Okay," Selena whispered, already out the door and heading up the stairs. There was a strange, warbling screech coming from inside, and Selena flung open the door in alarm, not sure what to expect.
Mightyena looked up in shock, his eyes wide and watering as he looked at Selena.
Selena looked past him to see Trapinch out of her Pokéball, her eyes gleefully closed as she gnawed on Mightyena's tail.
"Trapinch!" she scolded in a whisper, tugging her loose of his tail. "You can't come out whenever you want! It's dangerous!"
Trapinch looked happily up at her, looking unsure or uncaring of what she was saying. She purred and rubbed her head against Selena's arm.
"Aaw!" Selena squealed softly, seeing Mightyena's incredulous expression out of the corner of her eyes. "You're so cute!"
Mightyena growled sharply, shaking her backpack and looking up at her.
"Right, right," she agreed, pulling Trapinch's Pokéball out of her silver purse to make her return, but the little orange Pokémon was tottering away, rummaging around in the crumpled papers by the desk. "Trapinch! Come over here, little girl!"
Trapinch came back readily enough, her eyes glittering as she deposited a paper ball on Selena's lap, moving back to watch her.
"What's this?" Selena murmured, smoothing out the paper to see, with a little jolt, that it was the Golden Star Conference notice that she had printed out the previous night. "What...you think we should go to this?"
But Trapinch just stared at her, her eyes gleaming.
Sighing heavily, Selena pointed the Pokéball at Trapinch and murmured, "Return."
With a flash of white light, the little orange Pokémon was gone.
Selena went to re-crumple the paper, then paused, thinking it over. "What the heck," she muttered, folding it evenly and putting it in her backpack with the Pokéballs of her team. "You, too, bud," she said to Mightyena. "I'll let you out when I get far enough away."
Mightyena nodded stiffly, closing his eyes as he returned to his Pokéball.
Selena minimized it, then placed it carefully on top of the rest of her things, zipping the pack shut with a sharp snap. Moving to her desk, she pulled out a pen and a new fresh sheet of paper, hesitating slightly before she began to write.
Mother and Father, I'm sorry that you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving. I can't be completely happy in a home where my friends—my faithful team—are not welcome. I have decided that it's time for me to go on my Pokémon adventure, so I will be gone for a long time. Please don't worry about me—I'll be fine. I love you both, and hope that one day, you will be able to see that you aren't always right about things. Love, Selena.
She folded the letter in half, pressing it to her chest for a few heartbeats, before laying it on top of her discarded necklace and earrings on her dressing table, knowing that her mother would find it. Standing back up, she shouldered her pack and opened the door.
She moved quickly out into the hall and down the stairs, not dropping her guard until she was back in the kitchen with Maria.
"Here, Miss Selena," Maria said, tying a carefully-constructed bag to the backpack and tightening the sleeping bag on top of it. "You're all set for about two weeks with that—Pokémon food and all. I put some money into the side pocket of your pack, okay? And your quilt is right inside with the food—I used it to pad the boxes and such so they won't make noise."
Selena hugged Maria tightly again. "Thank you so much. Please have my mother look for a note I wrote her on my dresser."
"Of course, dear. Be safe."
Selena swallowed painfully past the lump in her throat, nodding stiffly. She turned around and pulled open the door, feeling a rush of cool air play over her face. Taking a deep breath, she walked outside and closed the door behind her, feeling a strange note of finality in the soft thud of the dark wood.
Dun, dun, DUN! What will happen now? Will Selena triumph over her parents? Will she fail? Tune in next time! (Man, I feel like a bad Saturday morning TV show. *_*)
R&R~
Shadow