Chapter 10
I feel…tired…
Beep
I don't know why…
Beep
I feel itchy and cold and dirty…
Beep
And that beeping sounds doesn't let me sleep…
I forced my eyes open, squinting them later at the light on the room. After adjusting to the light, I gave a look at the room trying to figure out where I was. While looking around, I noticed the things at my arms…there were bandages…
A flash back hit me like a bullet, all thoughts of the men, the vines, the hands, the mouths, disgusting, disgusting, disgusting! I felt myself whimper, which brought pain to my throat. Then I remembered the vines around my hands.
I started to take them off. Take them off. Take them off. Off. Off. I wanted them out!
I didn't notice I was probably hyperventilating by this point until a nurse came, barking orders at me while pinning my arms at my sides. I did what she told me to do, take deep breaths. In, out. In, out. A few repetitions and I was considerably better, if only a little shaken. Though, I was still trying to get out off the woman's grip to take out the vines.
"Miss, please leave the bandages where they are, you're going to hurt yourself." Bandages? I glanced back at my arms to see the white cloth wrapped almost mockingly around them. I suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over me at the realization that I was finally safe. But I felt too tired to move, so I let my head drop back to the pillow, shutting my eyes close to rest them a little bit. Even though I felt relieved I still needed to know something first…
"What…Happened…" It hurt to talk, but I guess that's what happens when people try to strangle you to death. And my voice was raspy too…Well, damn.
"You see…" I heard the nurse say conversationally as some movement and clicking sounds reached from my right. "A group of grown men were stealing from you, but a young man stopped them with his pokemon. You're very lucky that boy was there. Be a little more careful okay? Aside from your throat, you're fairly fine. Just a few bruises, in your nose and face to name a few." I silently thanked her for not using any medical-language the doctors usually use. Though I had to frown a little at the slight missing information. "Do you want to see him?" Him? Oh, the boy! I felt myself nod, wondering once again why the boy would lie. While they were trying to steal from me, that wasn't the only thing they were trying to do.
They wanted to take me. Violate me. Rape me.
I felt a shudder go down my spine and unconsciously scratched my neck with my hand.
Where he kissed, and licked and sucked….
I scratched even harder while trying to get the images out of my head. When I noticed that it wasn't working, I started to take in deep breaths. In, out. In, out…
I heard the door slam open, the mere sound making me jump and return my hand back to my side. I glanced nervously at the door, and realized that it wasn't the nurse. It was a boy. Wait a minute…I somehow recognized those pure blue eyes and black hair…
"Y-You…?!" I heard myself ask in disbelief. I mean, I knew the guy!
He was the one that wanted to trade Hope!
He just nodded awkwardly and sat in the seat besides my bed in the same manner. Then an equally awkward silence…
"So, how are you?" he asked me rather lamely. But the sincerity in his (beautiful) blue eyes made me answer.
"I almost died and got raped," I told him bluntly. It must be obvious how I felt, ¿no?
"You didn't-I mean, they didn't…do anything. I got there before they…." I sighed in relief, though it did made sense. I didn't feel any pain or discomfort, just kind of unclean and disgusting. Maybe after a shower the feeling will leave. Now, I just had to thank him.
"Thanks…" I told him. I didn't know I was keeping my feelings too in check. So when I said those words, I broke down completely. "I-I thought-I thought I was going to d-die," I said, the hiccups and the tears breaking my words. "And-And that then my pokemon-" My eyes widened and I abruptly sat up, the rough movement making me dizzy for a few seconds. I started to touch my pockets, all over around me but to no avail. I started to panic.
My pokeballs were nowhere to be seen.
"Wh-Where…?!" The teen stood up and went to my side to try to calm me down. "M-My pokemon!"
"They're fine! They're on the center being healed!" The male took me by the shoulders to keep me from bolting out of the Hospital to search for my pokemon. Bad idea. I pictured the man, the smirk, the hungry look in his eyes…
"Let go! Let go! Don't touch me!" I started to shriek and shake while struggling in the young man's grip. He let me go in surprise, and suddenly, the visions stopped. I was panting and tired, my hand going up to my neck to scratch nervously at the spot. The other teen stared at me for a long moment before sighing and leaving. I closed my eyes, thinking about what happened.
I just hit him. To the person that saved me. I hit him and then scared him off.
I'll have to apologize to him later…
I don't even know why I snapped at him. It's just…That vision…The man was right in front of me….! I winced slightly when I retrieved my hand from my neck and saw blood under my nails. After that I stopped. I fell asleep soon after that. Nightmares waiting for me in the corners of my mind.
I woke up again, this time I was crying and whimpering. I saw worried blue eyes staring at me.
"Are you okay?! Come on, wake up…damn." I tried to calm my breathing like the nurse told me to do. Then I noticed his hands on my shoulders and I felt myself start to shake, my vision going lack for a second. I don't know how but I managed to pry his hands away from my shoulders without hurting him. And with that, the shaking stopped.
After a few minutes, I was calm again. Or as calm as I could be.
"Damn, you scared me…" He sighed, falling on the chair besides my bed in, what I supposed was, tiredness. I noticed, by the darkness of the room, that it was still night time. If so, why was he still here…? "Are you okay? You're staring off to space... Do I need to call a nurse?" He looked so different from the straightforward person I met at the Center. I smiled at him.
"I'm fine…just…thinking," I told him, trying not to worry him anymore. Then I noticed something out of the corner of my eye…Those were my pokeballs! I narrowed my eyes at them before glaring at the teen in front of me. He laughed and held his hands up in surrender.
"Hey, no need to kill me yet. I told you they were at the Center, and it was true. I had to use your psychic when I found you to get you quickly to the Hospital. That ralts sure was worried about you. It even attacked me!" he said laughing. I resisted the urge to facepalm right then and there. 'After all, who goes opening other's trainers pokeballs after all,' I grumbled. I returned my attention to him, however, when he took my pokeballs in his hands and extended it to me with a smile. "You have an awesome team." I could feel myself heat up at the comment. After all, this is the first time someone calls my team nice…
"They're epic," I told him, agreeing with him in my own way while he just chuckled. I threw the bunch of pokeballs and soon, my team of five was out…
Wait…Five?!
I immediately started to count heads. There was Noble in my lap (hugging me), Epic by the end of the bed (almost falling off if it weren't for my hero), Hope trying to go higher but only reaching my legs, Ambition who was looking at me creepily and lastly, a blue ball with a fin on the head, wide eyes and big teeth along with a red underbelly…
I didn't know that pokemon.
The boy must've noticed my horrified face because he quickly explained.
"Um, Erh, you see, when I got there, that gible was fighting the thugs' carnivine. I-I thought it was yours, so when I was going to return it with a Greatball I found in your bag, which turned out to be empty by the way, it suddenly started to shake and it captured it! I left it to you since the greatball was yours and all," he explained in one breath. I looked at my new addition. It was a little bigger than Ambition, and it was reaching for my hand. I petted it with a little hesitance. It rumbled happily, leaning closed to my hand. Hope gave it a growl, snapping it jaws warningly while it just growled back. A gible…Those were Dragon-type pokemon right?
"Um…Thanks?" It turned out more of a question than a thank you. "Hi guys…" I told my pokemon, they all fell silent. Suddenly, I was a ball of pokemon. All of them trying to hug me from different angles, sometimes going over each other to reach me(in the gible's case). They made me laugh(even as I felt tears pricking at my eyes), Noble perching on my head easily with a well timed teleport. Ambition, being the antisocial one, just smiled(Smiled) and just sat at the end of my bed. Even the gible seemed to be more worried than him!
"The nurse said that you'll be able tomorrow if you want. After all, you have only a few minor scratches!"The blue-eyed teen said grinning. It seems like he was happy for me.
"That's good…Can I know your name?" I asked suddenly.
"Eh? Why now?"
"I just noticed that I didn't know how to call you, O' Savior of mine," I told him teasingly. He blushed a nice red color at the nickname, while I just smiked. "Or shall I call you Hero?" H e blushed even more! Oh my Arceus, I never knew teasing someone would be so much fun!
"Okay, okay, That's enough! You win, my name is Capr-Erh,Cap. You can call me Cap." I raised my brow at the slip of tongue but decided to ignore it.
"Thanks for saving me again, Cap," I told him again with a genuine smile. He looked aside, muttering a 'no prob'. I laid back (almost knocking Noble from his perch on my head) and returned most of my pokemon after petting each one of them. The only ones left out were Noble and Hope(because she was my baby). Hope laid on my lap, and Noble on my head. I turned back towards Cap, to thank him again(and actually ask him if he could put the pokeballs at the nightstand that was out of my reach), but he was asleep. His black hair falling slightly over his face, looking almost like a small kid even though I knew he was older than me. Maybe he was tired…
With that thought, and the security that my pokemon were fine and with me, I felt myself drift back to sleep.
I was alive, my pokemon were alive. We were alive
And I was grateful.