Poketech Camp 4
DISCLAIMER- Hmm, let me think about it for a seocnd, oh yeah, I do not own Pokemon, or its affiliated characters. However I do have rights to Kishi and Gabby, and Mr. Emerid has Lance (also his Hitmonchan).
Today's theme song is an oldie but a goodie, 'Heaven's Coming Down' by the Tea Party.
A quick note of thank-you too, just to everybody who has ever bothered to read something that I have written. Especially any Tracy fans. I love you guys and your reviews have been so wonderful, and I am really glad that you guys exist...I'm going all soft in the head again, it comes from listening to too much pop music (agh kill me, why does our bus have to play pop music and why did I forget to bring my discman?! Give me Muse any day!)
GABBY
Gabby took a careful bite of the fried bacon on her fork, grimacing slightly as a drip of fat plopped back onto her bowl. "So, Gary, what is going on with Belle?"
Gary shrugged, rubbing his left eye and yawning. "Whatever."
"She is so weird, she was whispering her sleep and she was shivering ever since she got back from Spotlight last night." Gabby stated, "You two went back, didn't you?"
Gary remained silent. "I cook a good bacon and eggs, don't I?"
"Gary, listen to me. I am seriously worried. What the hell is happening? I feel as if I am losing control..." she griped "This whole cult thing is out of my grasp. You went back, didn't you?"
"So what? Belle wanted to," Gary pouted "She obviously isn't getting hurt by it, so when she gets sick of it, she'll stop."
Gabby groaned, lowering her head. "Gary, I don't think that she can stop."
KISHI
"Kishi, have you detected...any...uh...evil energy?" Gabby spluttered as soon as breakfast was over.
Kishi gave her cousin a confused look. "Evil energy? Gabby I am shocked. I used to wonder why I couldn't pick up good and evil energy when I was a kid. Then I realised that there is no good and bad, but shades of grey."
"Well...um...could you read the minds of our neighbours or something?"
"What is this? Kishi's free psychic reading week?" Kishi lamented "No way, Gabby, why should I? Do you want to see if they are cute or something?"
Gabby gave her cousin a dangerous glare. "Give me some credit Kishi. I'm not as dumb as that, so fuck off. Forget I asked."
Kishi cast a sad look at her departing cousin, debating whether or not to read her thoughts, wondering what the hell her cousin was on about, and why on earth she was so tense.
"Kishi?" Misty said beside her.
"Yeah," Kishi answered half-heartedly, turning to face her.
"You know how today we are doing the overnight hike?"
"Yeah..."
"And we have to be in tent groups..."
"Oh."
"I want to see if I can switch groups with Jessi so I don't have to be with the sluts." Misty said.
"They're not sluts," Kishi snapped, instantly defending her cousin "And yeah, I guess you could talk to Jessi about it."
Misty blushed. "I'm scared of Jessi though..."
"OK..." Kishi shrugged "I'll come."
ASH
"So Ash, did you kiss her?" Brock demanded.
Ash blushed "No..."
"But you snuck off to a tent with her!" Brock yelled, exasperated, "So don't you tall me that nothing happened."
Ash fumbled to grasp the small piece of self-assertion that he had "Even if I did, Brock, what has it got to with you? All guys brag about how far they have gone but do they ever stop to think about how it affects the girl? I would never, ever do that to Misty, she is my best friend."
Brock stood there for a moment, stunned. "OK..."
"CIRCLE TIME!" Wendy squawked "Get to the tree!"
Ash shook off the momentary deafness and took his place around the tree.
"OK, today we have a big hike, so pack up the tents, organise who is carrying food, take a shower and visit the dunny, all of that. You have an hour to completely pack up your stuff. That does NOT include the showers and the toilets, we are leaving them here for when we return tomorrow."
"What day is it?" Butch yelled.
"Wednesday," Mr. Gyabunga stated, mildly amused.
"Now, we are going to hike until about six o'clock as one big happy family, and then split up to the four different camping areas, which we will point out to you." Wendy shouted. "Now GET TO IT!"
JESSI
Jessi leant against the tree, watching everybody unpack and being thankful that she wasn't. She pricked her ears to the sound of Snap's voice. "Cassidy, we need to talk."
Jessi grinned and positioned herself in a place where she could not be seen, but could hear every word.
Cassidy and Snap were on the other side of her tree, partially hidden by a thick blackberry bush. "What is it Snap?" Cassidy sighed.
"I just wanted to thank you for admitting to me that you are a virgin," Snap smiled.
Jessi reeled back. Cassidy? Virgin? The words were chalk and cheese.
"Thanks Snap, but I really have to go help unpack."
Cassidy stormed off, and it seemed that Snap was staying behind, in a thoughtful pause. Jessi made her move, scrambling to her feet, brushing off her shorts and hissing Snap's name.
"Yeah? What?" Snap asked, a little taken aback by Jessi's sudden presence.
"I couldn't help but overhear yours and Cassidy's little discussion," Jessi said slyly, wishing that her knees weren't so red from forcing her body to contort itself enough to hide under a blackberry bush.
"Oh..." Snap blushed "Oops..."
"I just want you to know that your girlfriend is lying to you. She lost her virginity at thirteen to Tom from the public high," Jessi informed him with an underlying sense of darkness "And since then has screwed Butch, Joey from the public high, Mick from a Celadon Nightclub, Tim who she met at Gary's fifteenth, Brad from Valencia Island and probably a thousand more."
"How do you know this?" Snap gasped.
"I was her best friend after all," Jessi said without a trace of bitterness or nostalgia.
"No way," Snap whispered hoarsely "No way would she lie to me."
"I know how to prove it." Jessi scoffed, grabbing Snap by the arm and dragging him over to Kishi.
"Ah, Jessi I need to ask-" Kishi began, but was silenced by Jessi's raised fist.
"Can you read Cassidy's mind to prove to Snap that she isn't a virgin?" Jessi asked. Commanded more like it.
"AGH!" Kishi hollered, than blushed when she realised how much attention she had just brought upon herself. "What the hell? Why not! Yes, Cassidy has screwed at least seven guys." Kishi shrugged "And why the fuck am I everybody's favourite person now that they want a favour?"
Jessi ignored Kishi's tirade. "See? Snap, I told you so."
Snap gasped and dashed off.
Jessi grinned at Kishi "I love messing up other peoples lives."
Kishi snarled "Well you can live with it now Jess, because as of now you are not in our tent group, but none other than Cassidy's."
Kishi was not supposed to speak that to Jessi.
Nobody spoke that way to Jessi.
"Fuck off you little whore wannabe!" Jessi exclaimed, raising a fist "You are treating me like shit!"
"Why the hell do people always say that I treat them like shit?" Kishi wailed "For God's sake, there is nobody so special that they deserve to be treated any better than anyone else!"
"Well raise the standards of the way that you treat people now, and perhaps you might even get some friends one day! The only reason people talk to you is because they want you to read somebody's mind!" Jessi screamed, shoving Kishi back.
Kishi gasped and her legs collapsed underneath her.
Snap reached out a pathetic hand, letting it hover above Kishi, but then he drew it in, holding it close to his body. "She lied to me...she said she was a virgin..."
"What does it matter anyhow?" Jessi shrugged, crossing her arms.
"I don't want to be lied to," Snap murmured, blushing.
"Well then, don't be a wimp, and tell her how you feel," Jessi nodded, brimming over with false sunshine, knowing exactly how much Cassidy hated people saying that she was a liar.
KISHI
Kishi pushed herself to her feet, knowing everything that Jessi had just said was true.
She wiped a tear from her eye, and avoiding Jessi's glare and Snap's pity, she walked off.
I never thought that I would be the one to fall,
Kishi thought, I thought that it would be Snap...or somebody like Misty, or Joy...the kind of people who fall prey to others, just for being far too innocent. I never thought that I would be the one that everybody hated.Kishi stopped walking when she reached Jessibelle.
"Um, hi, Jessibelle, Jessi wants to swap with Misty, so can she be in your tent group?"
Jessibelle looked at Kishi, her eyes large and staring, the pupils overwhelmingly sized and black. "Whatever," she said quietly.
Kishi looked confused, and then worried. "Yeah...thanks for that, Jessibelle," she said nicely, excusing herself.
Kishi was only around Jessibelle a short period of time, but that was enough to know when something was wrong, but only by a small margin. Kishi put Jessibelle's strangely passive mood down to the after effects of whatever drug Jessibelle was currently taking.
There wasn't much else it could be, was there?
About twenty minutes later the Poketech High students began their day hike, heading past the pool, and towards the mountains on the other side of the river.
SNAP
A thousand thoughts crashed into Snap's mind as he approached Cassidy, his pack weighed down by food and parts of the tent.
He tried to push the thoughts aside, and to speak with a clear head.
"You're not a virgin," he stated.
Cassidy said nothing, slowly looking over the opposite shoulder.
"Why wouldn't you tell me?"
Cassidy paused, wiping her fringe out of her eyes, and then she sighed.
"Just be honest," Snap urged.
"You want the truth?" Cassidy sighed again "Because you are the sort of frigid who would be intimidated or stressed out over their girlfriend not being a virgin. I was just saving you stress." Cassidy shrugged.
Snap's eyes widened, and his brow fell.
"You wanted the truth," Cassidy said slowly "And you got it."
"Is that the way you think of me? I thought we were in an equal relationship!" Snap said at last.
"It was barely a relationship," Cassidy said slowly "I'm sorry Snap, but I have seen rocks that move faster than you,"
"Is that all a relationship is for you? Sex?" Snap cried out, his eyes moist with fresh tears "You are a sex maniac..." his voice trailed off "What do you mean 'was barely a relationship'?" Was?"
"'Was' is the past tense of 'is'." Cassidy supplied.
"Well if it is over, let me say this Cassidy, blame yourself, cos you are dumped."
Cassidy shivered. "Fine then Snap. Get with Joy then, she is about as shy as you are. Except she is actually willing to have sex before marriage. Welcome to 2000, Snappy-boy."
"Fuck off Cassidy," Snap whispered, halting his steps.
"I probably won't," Cassidy snapped lightly, speeding up.
And so, after many months, it was over.
JENNY
As Jenny struggled under the weight of her pack, she was the sole carrier of the tent, her mind knotted itself into various shapes of worry.
There was an underlying anger and fear that the drug lord was still around, free to push his junk at teenagers and little kids and that because of one man's weakness, there as nobody that could stop him.
Jenny would never forgive her father if anybody died.
Also, there was the Ash/Brock/Kishi/Misty problem. With Misty back on the scene, Ash would forget everything about Jenny and their short relationship. And now that Kishi and Misty were friends again, Kishi would spend less and less time with Jenny.
And that left Brock. Brock had been all over Jenny since Hurricane Scyther, but ever since the start of Camp, he had become further and further estranged, and for perhaps the first time, Jenny felt insecure without Brock. Sure he was a dick sometimes, that he was a bit weird and he was sleazy. He'd been all of those things for her, and now that he wasn't there, there was nobody that wanted to do anything for Jenny.
Jenny walked alone, noticing for the first time just how screwed up it had all become.
TRACY
Tracy was noticing how screwed up it all was too, he'd seen the looks exchanged between people and the things whispered behind backs.
He knew that Snap and Cassidy had broken up, even though neither one had made a big deal about it, not only had he been directly behind the former couple at the time, but the way they were avoiding each other instead of getting it on was a big clue.
And Kishi had managed to piss off Gabby, Jenny and Jessi all in the one morning, which was an impressive effort.
He knew that Brock was shying away from Jenny because of what Ash had said about how a real man shouldn't brag about how far he has gone.
He knew that Gary and Jessibelle were together, and that Jessibelle was probably hungover, and Gary was worried about her.
And then there was all of the usual chaos, Hitmonchan being part psychic, Misty's mood swings, Joy and Jessibelle suddenly not speaking a word to each other after a month or so of being inseparable. Standard stuff, everything that he had gotten used to over the short period of time that he had been at the school. It felt like forever.
The shortest forever he had ever lived before, though.
Tracy sighed, thinking only of Joy.
"Hey Lance?" Tracy said softly to the dark haired boy beside him.
"Yeah?"
"Should I ask Joy out?"
Time dragged on as the Poketech High students managed to avoid having any social interaction, keeping their thoughts and feelings well to themselves. Before they knew it, the clock had hit six and there were fifteen minutes of final farewells before the four groups (five including the teachers) were pointed in the direction that they would camp.
GARY
"See ya, babe," Gary smiled, giving his girlfriend a warm hug, and a small kiss on the cheek.
Jessibelle remained limp, half heartedly hugging him back before pulling away, her eyes fixed on something above Gary's head.
For a second, the fear of being alone in the middle of the bush inhabited by an evil cult washed over him, ad he longed to be sleeping beside Jessibelle, just to know that she was safe, not because he loved her. Because she was the only one who had visited the neighbouring valley almost as many times as he had.
James was no good, he was so afraid and now he was being so quiet, keeping his distance from everybody, especially Gabby, and Gary could tell that it was pissing her off.
Gabby wasn't really offering him much support for his fear either, she wouldn't really take him seriously. She was one of his best friends, but for stuffing around with, not sharing intimate feelings and secrets. Which was fine, Gabby could be a gossip if the matter in question benefited her.
"And let the night come," Jessibelle whispered.
Gary's eyes widened, his eyebrows visually screaming out of his confusion.
"See you, Gary," Jessibelle waved, a brief flicker of something darting across her empty face.
Gary shut his eyes and for the first time in his life, he said nothing.
JESSI
The thought of eating dinner was a horrible one for Jessi, her former best friend and two girls who hated her were all making remarks at her expense.
They all prepared dinner, and it came at 7:30, about half an hour before the sky would darken.
In truth, dinner was not the nightmare that she had imagined, Cassidy bitched a little, but Jessibelle was spaced out and Gabby was spending all of her time thinking...and by the time the tent was set up and the sky was dark, Jessi hadn't been attacked verbally or physically.
They were camping on a high hill, if you followed it long enough you would reach a cliff that dropped down onto a small creek, Jessi had already explored the area, her way to get out of helping set up camp and gather firewood.
But now, Jessi was nestled in the safety of her sleeping bag, the hour hand on her watch scraping past 9, the low breathing of her exhausted companions lulling her into an innocent, childlike doze...
JESSIBELLE
Jessibelle awoke just after midnight, hearing the crunching of sticks around her, her mind jolted into a fearful state of consciousness.
"Can you hear that?" Gabby hissed, making Jessibelle jump.
Jessibelle nodded, realising that her friend had also been woken up by the noises. Jessibelle untangled herself from her sleeping bag and released herself into the night air, unzipping the tent flap and peering out into the darkness.
Gabby crawled up beside her, shoving a flashlight into her hand.
Jessibelle said nothing, creeping out into the gloom and strapping her hiking boots on. Gabby, worried, did the same, ears pricking.
Jessibelle switched the torch on, keeping a steady hand as she shone it into the bush around them. There was nothing but the sounds.
"This is very Blair Witch," Gabby whispered, taking Jessibelle's arm. "There's nothing here, it's just a Mankey or something. Let's go back to the tent."
"In a moment," Jessibelle said quietly, walking slowly to the end of their tent site clearing, facing scrubby bushland.
Hesitantly, Gabby took her place beside her.
The two teenage girls stood their for a moment, each thinking their own thoughts. Eventually silence fell, there was no snapping of twigs.
Jessibelle turned around to go back to bed.
She walked right into the black cloth that was billowing in the wind, the connection oddly solid...Jessibelle's heart pounding five beats in her brain before she realised she was being held by the cult leader.
Gabby was trying to shriek, her fists beating the flesh beneath the material flapping in the night breeze. Tears started to flow down Gabby's cheeks as she watched the terror spread across Jessibelle's face, contorting it into a play of light and shadows that was too surreal for this world.
Gabby gasped and brought her torch down upon the head of the previously impassive cult leader, towering and oppressively huge, so much bigger than before...
The leader whipped around, his hands lessening their pressure on Jessibelle's frail wrists...Jessibelle wrenched away, kicking her assailant, and then, voice choking with sobs, she fled into the night.
Faced with the leader, Gabby ran too, following the sound of Jessibelle's footsteps.
Sweat trickled down Jessibelle's face as she ran, tears streaming from her eyes, her legs getting cut by the longing branches of the shrubs around her.
Her animal pant filled the night as she and Gabby struggled through the landscape, her ribcage heaving with every breath.
Gabby's hair flew wild behind her as she ran, her mind screaming out for Gary as she tried to stay within sight range of Jessibelle. Her mind feverishly recounted his jokingly horrific tale of running, and somewhere in the distance, perhaps outside of this reality, Gabby swore that she heard someone utter 'I know a quicker way'.
They ran for an inordinate amount of time, never stopping, never looking back, for every time that they slowed they would hear the slow, ponderous steps of the leader behind them, taking all the time in the world, because in this world, it was his world alone.
Because nighttime was his time and when you live in consciousness in the time of the night, you followed his rules and his rule of time is that time never passes if you are not conscious of it.
In the leader's reality, consciousness was a just a measurement of time anyway.
Jessibelle and Gabby were consciousness of nothing as they fled.
"Shit!" Jessibelle cursed, uttering the first word spoken in halting sobs, her running not slowing in pace.
The trees had split to reveal a slight rise in the rocky, bare ground, but after that nothing. She continued to run.
Behind her Gabby screamed out "STOP BELLE!"
Jessibelle didn't stop, and her feet connected with empty air, her body fell limply from the top of the cliff and cracked when it hit the rocks below.
"BEEELLLLEEEE!" Gabby screamed again, filling the night with her wail, but no answer came.
'And it feels now,
Just like Heaven's comin' down
Your soul
Shakes free
As your conscience hits the ground'
'Heaven's Coming Down'
, The Tea PartyTO BE CONTINUED.
Agh...thanks everyone, I finally got around to writing this, so OK, this is Jessibelle's final fate, but what about Gabby up there still with the leader?
I make no pretense to be a good writer of any sorts, especially a scary writer, and this was a pretty shonky offering. So OK, I'm the least perfect being on this planet, I know that, but have I ever claimed not to be?
Lots of love to you all,
Tenshi_Mew2