Chapter 10-Off That Darned Beach!
As the family minivan pulled into the driveway, Jake slowly yawned and stretched his arms above his head and Gardevoir tried to control her shaking; even an hour after getting into the vehicle she couldn't get over the fact that she was travelling so fast and felt the need to hurl. Lexi bought a minivan when Jake was born, planning on having to haul Jake and a bunch of friends around as he got older. She ended up being a sort of school bus for the small New Bark Town, ferrying all of Jake's friends to and from school in inclimate weather, so it was a worthwhile investment to her.
As the family slowly got themselves out of the car, Lexi letting Gardevoir out since she didn't understand the handles, Jake started shouting, "Ralts! Ralts! Come on! Come inside with me! You've gotta see our house!" Ralts had been wide awake the whole trip, riding in Gardevoir's lap while staring in awe out the window as the landscape of southern Jhoto passed them by at what felt like light speed, thinking about all the possibilities that awaited her outside of that lonely forest. Now, with a huge grin, she ran up to the rejuvenated Jake and the duo rushed into the structure he had called a 'house.'
As they ran up the stairs to the front porch and into the small house, Jake immediately jumped onto the couch with joy knowing he could get away with not taking it easy because his mom was still outside and not able to tell him 'no.' "What do you think Ralts?" He asked while smiling giddily knowing it is her first time in a house. Stunned did not come close to how Ralts felt. She was awestruck that THIS is a home, but she's been living in a tree her whole life! She just looked around at all the walls, a creamy off-white, the polished wood floors, the grey and black tiled backsplash in the kitchen with the red marble counter tops and bronze-colored steel appliances. Of course, she didn't know what any of it is, she just liked everything about it all. There was just so much room and so many new colors and textures! It wasn't all splintered wood and dirt, it was art.
"Do you like it? Welcome to your new home!" Lexi welcomed Gardevoir as she, much like her daughter, walked through the front door, stunned that the humans she had looked down upon for so long could build and live in homes that are so nice. Everything was clean and dirt free, it was more spacious than she could have imagined, and there were so many things around her that she couldn't wrap her mind around, like the hard, stone like rectangles making up the area around a recess in the wall that was black inside, the shiny black box on the wall above the recess, the beautiful shiny... things? of multiple sizes in the next room with with a raised stone surface.
Speechless, all Gardevoir could do was walk. She walked forward, running her hands along the various furnishings of the home, taking in the look and feel of the building that was being offered to her. She had never imagined a house being so fancy.
Meanwhile, Ralts had already been led down the hall by Jake, eager to show his new friend around. Starting at the far end of the hall, Jake started his tour. "This is Mom and Dad's room," Jake said while pointing into a room with a large bed, two walk in closets, and a small attached bathroom. "And this is the bathroom," Jake continued, showing Ralts her first toilet and bathtub. Ralts had no idea what she was looking at, but kept following Jake attentively, loving everything in this new home. "Next we have the guest room," Jake explained, moving back to the end of the hall but opening the door opposite Lexi and Andrew's room, revealing a full size bed covered in a tree leaf patterned comforter. "And then we have my room!" Jake said with a grin, opening the door across from the bathroom. Not that his room was anything special, just a twin sized bed right inside the door with a wavy blue patterned comforter, and 2 tone walls: a medium blue on the bottom, and a light blue at the top. He also had a computer on a desk on the far wall with various toys here and there.
Jake them led Ralts out to the back yard, which was actually more of an open field, spreading so far back that Ralts could hardly see the tree line in the distance. In the area close to the house there was a swing set and sandbox, and on the way around the side of the house Ralts noticed a structure built up in a tree, but Jake didn't mention it as a part of his grand tour. Ralts just assumed that Jake would come back to that and let Jake pull her along to play on the swings.
Gardevoir, on the other hand, was a bit overwhelmed by so much change in one day and was growing exhausted. Slowly, she sank into a corner of the plush couch, trying to mimic the way Lexi and Andrew had sat down. Soon enough she found herself growing tired and felt her eyes close. Sleeping during the day was largely unheard of in the wild: that gets you killed. However, Gardevoir didn't dwell on those thoughts. Instead, she focused her mind on the idle chat between Lexi and Andrew (which seemed to be about food), and on her daughter. Most notably, her daughter's joy. Not just happiness or excitement, but genuine joy. It was comforting. Peaceful. Knowing that Ralts would be safe here, away from dangerous Pokémon and hunters, away from that Arcrus-forsaken forest...
On these thoughts, Gardevoir drifted off to sleep, though, Lexi noticed it wasn't a peaceful sleep. Gardevoir's face was contorting intermittently and her head was turning from side to side. "I think it's time we get a bed ready for Gardevoir and Ralts," Lexi commented, still focused on the resting Pokémon beside her and not the conversation itself.
"Andrew, why don't you go see what's in the freezer and come up with some options for dinner. I'm going to prepare the guest room," Lexi said, cutting off Andrew's complaint about some unknown issue. "Dear, have you even been listening to me?" he replied.
"Sorry, Andrew. I just couldn't help but notice that Gardevoir isn't sleeping peacefully. It looks like she's having a hard time processing this change."
"Ah there you go again. You're so concerned about guests you can't spare any time for me," Andrew teased, giving Lexi a light hug that did nothing to ease her annoyance.
"You say that every time we have company, but don't forget: you were the one working on Christmas last year while I was making a royal feast all by myself before company arrived!" she jabbed back, lightening her own mood and making the both of them smile.
"and you won't ever let me forget it. That's why I love you," Andrew sweetly replied with a light kiss. "Now, go make up that bed and get these two comfortable. It's my turn to cook alone," he said with a sly grin as he walked off to the kitchen.
With that, Lexi headed off for the hallway to strip down the guest bed and put the bedding In the wash since they hadn't been touched in months. On her way, she heard laughter coming from behind Jake's bedroom door, bringing yyet another smile to her face as she realized that her little boy finally got the sibling he deserved and asked for year after year for Christmas. He had a friend and a sister now.
I'd like to thank you all for your patience with me and for not leaving reviews just to say I need to update more frequently. On that note though, I do appreciate reviews with constructive feedback and haven't gotten many at all for this story so if you have any sort of idea for the story or critique of my writing style, leave a review about it!