The next day, when he joined me at our little sanctuary, we barely talked. He nodded his head at me where I sat with a book and he took his usual place at his tree, our old roles restored. Well, not completely. There was something different in the air this time. There was a mutual respect, which was new. But there was something deeper too. A new connection that wasn't there before. It was stronger than any other relationship I'd ever had, except maybe with Tris. But it was different from my connection with Tris. While I lived my pain and humiliation alongside him, Tris was someone I needed to protect. I couldn't show him just how scared I was of the bullies. With Echo it was different. He saw how vulnerable I was, saw the very depth of the hurt I felt, and I saw the same in him. We shared our hurt with each other, and though I didn't acknowledge to him in words, I think he knew how connect I felt to him because of our shared struggles. So we sat alongside each other, not really talking, but just sharing the feeling of mutual struggle. This was how we spent the next week.
By his third week in town I couldn't help it. Sharing mutual feelings of hurt wasn't enough for me. I was intrigued by him, I needed to have a conversation. The little taste I had had of him during his monologue was not enough. That speech was the epitome of who Echo really was, a bitter, ruined soul trying to make his life better and move on past the bullies. This was a stage in my life I'd not yet reached. I was still snagged within the claws of the bullies, stuck behind the bars of the institution that was school. I was not so brave as him to leave my family and everything I knew to pursue an unknown future. I needed to delve deeper into that place that was Echo's mind to know what it was to be free.
That Monday I sat, bookless, waiting for him. When he walked into our little place he took one look at me and walked toward where I sat. He slid down the shed and sat down beside me. We sat there in silence for a while. I wasn't sure what to say. How does one begin a conversation? The only conversation I'd ever had with someone not related to me was with Tris, and he was so different from Echo. He wasn't absolutely gorgeous first of all, as I finally came to accept Echo was, and Tris was like my little brother-talking to him came second nature to me. This person was nothing like him. Not in physical features, not in mind, and certainly not in the relationship I wanted to have with him. I'd never felt the overwhelming urge to kiss Tris before.
"There goes that face again. Your thinking face. What are you thinking about?"
How to start a conversation with you." I decided being blunt was the best way to start this. He laughed quietly to himself.
"Well…what do you want to talk about?" He asked, a smile on his lips. I thought about that for a second. What did I want to talk about with a person as interesting as him…
"Everything." I thought out loud. And that was how we began. For the next two weeks we talked about anything and everything. At first we stayed with the topics of bullies, but eventually I had enough. I wanted something to cheer me up, not make everything worse. So I asked him about his adventures. I saw the hesitation though, and asked him what his qualms were.
"It's just that…everyone always asks me that question. It used to be fun but…" I understood without him saying anymore.
"Then don't tell me what you tell them. Tell me about the different parts of your adventure. Like how you got your Pokemon." And he did. He explained all the things people wouldn't necessarily ask him about. Like the feeling each new captured Pokemon brought to his heart, and how the feeling strengthened with every second together, growing stronger as one. He told me what it was like to almost loose a Pokemon, along with the grief and guilt that came with it. My favorite part was when Echo explained to me the different places he'd been. The valleys of flowers in Floaroma, the soaring skyscrapers of Jubilife, the enormity of the contest hall in Hearthome, and the almost unbearable cold of Snowpoint. I hung on his every word, living the beauty and adventure of a travelling life vicariously through him.
But his own voice didn't satisfy him. He asked about me quite a few times. He wanted to know everything about my life, and I wasn't sure what to tell him. All I could think of were the bad things. Like my need to organize and clean, or my fear of Pokemon. He seemed very interested in that. He asked me plenty of questions, trying to grasp how I felt when it came to them.
"So, you love Pokémon, love what they can do and what they stand for, but you're still scared of them?" He paused to look at me. I only shrugged, not sure what more to say. "You know it's all in your head right? Most Pokémon don't want to hurt you. I can attest to that. They're loving, kind creatures." I just shrugged again, looking down at my interlocked hands. It was quiet for a while as he thought about what I'd said and I soaked in my self-pity induced misery. I hadn't expected him to understand of course, I was an oddity, unlike anyone else. Even though we had something shared, it was not enough to make him totally understand the inner workings of my mind. No one could. Not unless they had the same infliction as me, and who else was stupid enough to be frightened of Pokémon?
"Hey. I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you cry." I looked up at him, mystified. Sure enough, when I brought my hand up to wipe beneath my eyes, it came away damp. I laughed and rolled my eyes.
"It's not your fault. I was just thinking," I mumbled.
"Do you ever wonder if that's your problem." Then he pursed his lips when he saw the look on my face. "No, I'm serious. Maybe you think too much. Maybe you should just do. You, just for once in your life. I mean, if all this Pokémon stuff is just in your head, then don't think about it. Just run up to a Pokémon and hug him, or pet her. You don't even have to do anything with Pokémon. You can just leave. Leave town, head for Jubilife. It's not that far away, and, if you have a trainer with you, not dangerous. There are so many opportunities there for you. Do you know how many Patisserie shops there are in Jubilife? I've seen your work, you can make it big in the best of them." I couldn't help but be flattered. My cheeks burned red. But I sighed.
"I just…can't," I whispered. This was not the answer he was looking for.
"What if you left with me?" The intensity in his stare had my heart beating wildly.
"I don't know..."
"Come on Bernie! It would be fun. You wouldn't just have to hear about all these places, you could come see them! You would be with me every step of the way…I can keep you safe." It would have been so easy to say yes. To just disappear in the night with him, and travel for the first time in my life. The Pokémon Gods know my mother and grandmother would not protest. They'd wanted me out of the house for years now, trying to get the little birdy to fly on her own. They would be ecstatic to finally see I was taking a chance, even if I disappeared without their knowledge. My brother was the same. He thought staying in Twinleaf was unhealthy for me. And it was, I had to admit that. But there was still the bake shop, and Dan who needed me there, and Tris would be all alone, abandoned by his best friend, and… I shook my head, too afraid to say a word to him. Echo looked away, frustration coloring his face. But he didn't press me. For the rest of his stay we avoided the topic and went back to the easy leisurely conversations.
But it couldn't last forever. Too soon, a month after returning to Twinleaf, he had to return to his true home. The only place he would ever be happy was on the road. I knew that I really did, but for so long he was the only good thing in my life. Our hidden little conversations, kept from the knowledge of the rest of Twinleaf, kept me going. They brought joy to my life. But I knew Twinleaf was not where he belonged. On our last day together, in our little sanctuary, neither of us sat. We just stood there, looking at each other, not sure how to say good bye.
"Thinking about how to do this, huh?" Echo said looking at my face with a little grin. He reached up and brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm gonna miss seeing that face," he whispered, making me blush bright red. I wanted to tell him to stay, that he could see my face everyday, but I knew it was futile. And it was unfair of me to ask that of him. So I didn't. I kept it all to myself.
"I have something I want to give you." He pulled hi backpack to his chest and riffled through it for a bit. Finally he pulled a little crystal object out, and asked me to stretch out my hands. He placed the crystal between my palms and I stared at it in awe.
"What is it?"
"A Time Flower. It's very old and from very far away. They say that it traps moments of time inside."
"Moments...of time?"
"Yep. There are certain people who have the power to see these moments...I can't...not yet anyway." I stared at it, turning it this way and that. It sparkled in the auburn light of the setting sun and sent a little jolt of energy through my skin. The amount of aura in it was intense. "It's a little piece of my adventure that is now yours."
"I...don't know...I mean...thank you." I pulled the little crystal flower to my chest and looked up at him.
"And so the time comes...how about we keep it simple?" He said. There was a little sparkle in his eye when he leaned toward me. With the motion I felt my aura rattle and pull toward him. For a brief second I saw his aura. It was huge and bright yellow and proud looking, waving gracefully. I closed my eyes and just allowed myself to feel. For the first time, and the last time, I kissed Echo, and it was absolutely heaven. I felt our Auras entwine, tightly and knot together. In that second I knew no matter how far we were from each other, our souls could not be torn apart. But too soon, he knew he had to leave. We could both hear the going away celebration a mile away in town square. He leaned away from me and looked me in the eyes.
"Well, my little violet eyed beauty, if you ever want to see me, just take a chance and look for me." I didn't respond, he already knew my answer. It would never happen. He smiled a sad smile, but I saw the excitement in his eyes. He was ready for his next journey. Then he disappeared, leaving me wishing I was stronger.