So, the twelth installment of The Locket is now underway!

Hopefully, you guys will enjoy and I hope that I can write the drama effectively! :3

P.S: Not much of a promotion person says me, but I will say that my ChilixOC CHAPTER story is on chapter 5 now. Just for anyone who fancies a good read, because if you enjoyed this, something laig back and (not so) innocent will just the thing for you! :)

Oh, and if you review, please tell me YOUR thoughts about possibilites that could very well occur in this work. :)

Thanks!

~Jess~

Wishfulshipping_Wishfulshipping_!

Coming for you...

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Iris read the note again and again, the same, almost forgotton feeling of fear raising itself in her stomach as she felt every word, like seperate tiny pins, penetrate her soul like unforgiving stitches - though these words had scarred her far beyond repair, and stitchs weren't even going to begin to heal this gaping wounds.

Cilan suddenly emerged from the room and she clumsily shoved the note in her trouser pocket and he pulled a curious expression, staring at her with suspicion.

"Hey Cilan!" She managed to say without stuttering, her fingers fiddling with a strand of hair apprehensively.

"What's that?" He asked, cutting straight to the chase, his Pansage eyeing her with narrowed eyes - most definitely speculating her every move super closely.

"What's what?" She feigned innocence with a grin, looking up at the ceiling in mock stupidity.

"That thing you shoved so quickly into your pocket." Cilan answered sharply, not buying her act for a second.

"What thing that I shoved so quickly into my pocket ? I- I don't know what you're talking about!" Iris denied, turning her head away from him as she grimaced to herself, not liking his alert attitude.

"Iris." He said sternly, arms folded across his chest, giving him the feel of high authority and importance.

"Ok..." She mumbled dejectedly, staring at the floor before returning her gaze to him and his captivating eyes. "Let's just say that I got the thing from Axew's neck." She stated, as nonchalnet as possible, though on the inside, the panic was there and undeniable. They had to at least get back on the road, even if she had to tell him everything. This was going to be difficult - very nearly impossible!

"So, what was it?" Cilan asked with a smile, apparently pleased with the answer he received as his hands moved to flop beside him, swinging briefly like he was relieved from carrying something extremely heavy.

"Umm, a, uh, number from my friend. Yeah, she's always wanted to get in touch with me. Finally decided to do it I guess." Iris said unconvincingly, though Cilan didn't seem to notice as he looked more interested and intrigued as to why and how her "friend" had accomplished such an impossible task.

"Wow, pure dedication. Like a chef hard at work, the results were truly refined and now look - you have someone but me to talk to." Cilan smiled happily, not noticing Iris' discomfort as he had his eyes closed in a knowledgable way.

"Yeah, I guess." Iris commented, brushing past him but peered at him inquisitively when she felt him gently grab her wrist between his nimble fingers.

"You don't seem all that thrilled to me, Iris. Well, I suppose you can explain in your own time. But, your own time is now if we're talking in the context of what's going on and what I asked you about earlier." Cilan muttered gently, though his grip tightened when she tried to pry herself free and Iris could feel her blood having difficulty getting through to her fingers as they went numb.

"C-Cilan, you're hurting me..." She mumbled, looking down at the floor as she winced in pain.

"Oh, I'm ever so sorry. I honestly didn't - I didn't do any real damage did I?" Cilan questioned hurriedly, immediately grabbing her wrist again and inspecting it from every angle. All in about three seconds of him asking her if she was alright in the first place! What Cilan seemed to forget was that he had only hurt her wrist by accident, not caused her internal bleeding purposfully.

"Shh, I'm fine. Really!" Iris shrugged him off with a playful flick of the wrist and her hand tapped him lightly on the chin in a mock smack.

Cilan grinned and breathed out a sigh of relief though there was a little bit of worry still residing in his eyes as he gazed at her wrist with an apoligetic stare. Starting to feel uncomfortable, Iris folded her arms behind her back and placed a placid smile on her face.

"Really." She repeated and she watched Cilan smile and nod, returning his eyes to hers.

"So, tell me everything then? And please, don't leave any details out." Cilan commanded tenderly, walking her down the hall with practised guidance, his Pansage deciding to stay silent throughout the people's entire exchange. He simply blinked innocently, but was secretly listening to every word that they dared speak.

"Can we at least get going first?" Iris pleaded, but it wasn't all because she wanted to gain distance. It was also for the sheer fact that she wasn't going to put up with any interruptions form the all too friendly Nurse Joy! Ugh, Iris couldn't stand her and her happy smile!

"Will it make you tell me things faster?" Cilan asked.

"Probably, yes."

"Then yes, lets go. I'll go and say goodbye to Nurse Joy then while you wait outside. I won't be long." Cilan reasoned and Iris nodded. Oh yes, she liked that plan. It meant that she wouldn't even have to say a word to the infuriating nurse. Instead, she could waltz on past and Cilan could say her thank you's for her! It was perfect!

Iris stalked past the counter with a defiant stride, muttering an (obviously) uninterested "Bye." to Nurse Joy, as she skilfully opened the door and kicked it close, though the kick wasn't any harsher than necessary. All the while, Cilan stood with a somewhat smug smile on his face as he watched her depart.

Iris sat on a hard log and instantly heard the note crinkle under the pressure, the sound reminding her of the threatening words. Though simple, the words still stung her harshly in her heart and made her feel sick to the stomach. But what made her sicker was the fact that today was the day. The day that she would have to tell Cilan her real reasons and Iris wasn't sure if she could physically face it.

No, now was the time to take a stand and face it. To be strong and stomach the pain. Afterall, it couldn't be worse than anything she knew of. All she was doing was losing unwanted weight on her "team". But what is it really unwanted? Iris doubted it, but although she had slowly admitted it to herself, she would never admit it to Cilan. But hadn't she already? In her owns special way of course, which included less of the sarcasm and more of the compassion - compassion that she had forgotton that she could show. Iris couldn't even remember the last person, excluding Cilan, that she had ever called a friend. Or even an aquaintence. And then to lose what she had evetually come to love so much was just heart-breaking. But it was for the best... Wasn't it?

Cilan stepped outside and instantly spotted Iris and she didn't look happy. In fact, quite the opposite as she sat hunched on the uncomfortable - looking log, her feet kicking at some loose dirt. Cilan blinked and frowned; he couldn't understand why she was always so downhearted, but he did have a couple of suspicions. That something was going on, and he was mentally bracing himself for whatever it was that she was going to tell him. In a way, this was what Cilan had always dreamed of since he met her; for her to trust him with her deepest secrets. But if one of those most reserved secrets was a bad one...

Cilan breathed in through his nose and exhaled deeply but Iris didn't notice. So he went and tapped her softly on the shoulder - an action that made her whirl around abnormally quick, as if in defense or as if she expected something bad. The action only added Cilan's silent theories and he stored the action in his memory for furture reference.

"Come." He said simply, offering her an inviting hand to take. She comlied meekly and he noticed that the fight inside of the dark female had seemingly vanished.

"Lets just walk for a while, ok?" Iris enquired, though it was more of an order than a statement.

"Agreed." Cilan smiled, letting go of her hand and allowing her to walk on her own, as well as letting himself prepare. Whatever Iris was going to tell him, it was going to be huge. He could tell by her concern and her hesitation to tell him. He had half figured a possible theory out, but he wasn't sure how relative it was. With Iris, he could never tell, because over this past few days, he had noticed that she was very good at hiding what she felt. The saddness with Axew going missing. She'd handled it extremely well to say her partner had gone missing, but Cilan knew that she felt lost without her little Axew. The compassion when he hugged her. He could feel that she wanted to hold him close to her aswell, but she seemed to fighting against something, or fearing something. The jealousy with Nurse Joy, but, maybe that wasn't so subtle!

The pair gained distance from the small Poke-Centre and Cilan felt his curiosity get the best of him.

"Iris, is there alot to say?" He asked, folding his arms behind his back as he listened intently.

"...Yes." She answered simply, though it was barely audioble. Cilan didn't like seeing her like this; she seemed so afraid and fragile, and Cilan had no clue as to why that was.

"Hmm, won't you tell me anything yet?" He chanced, mentally preparing himself for a harsh reply. So it was to his upmost suprise when she simply took a deep breath and sat on some grass. He followed suit, though his position was neater and more careful.

"Well Cilan, there's alot to say, like I said. And it's difficult. For both of us." Iris mumbled, not really sure on how to start. Only last night, when she had taken a shower, had she noticed the many cuts, bruises and scars that were all over her body like an infectious rash or an unpleasant skin condition.

"Go on." He urged kindly. Pansage nodded, eager to listen.

"Well, it's just that I - You promise not to tell anyone else?" Iris suddenly demanded, pointing at him warningly with her fore-finger. However, he did nothing more than lower her finger with his hand and pat it, before folding his arms again and saying:

"I promise Iris. I promise." Cilan assured and Iris breathed out again. This, for her, made the job slightly easier.

"Well, you know when you found me in Striaton?" She began, slowly and unconfidently.

"Yes."

"And when I said to you that I was going to my parents house?" She hesitated and exhaled shakily.

"Yes?"

"...I lied." She muttered simply, feeling the burning sensation of tears. There was no way that she could bottle it in anymore.

"Y-You lied? What do you mean...?" Cilan stuttered, a shocked expression on his face. Iris cried out in frustration as she let the waterworks run.

"I lied! I lied to you Cilan! I'm not going to my parents house, I was running away! They're always so horrible to me, they disgust me! I hate them!" Iris yelled, angry sobs emitting from her mouth, loud and uncaring as to if anybody heard, although she was still feeling weary about just who was listening in.

"..." Was all Cilan could manage as he simply tried to register the information.

"She lied to me. She really lied to me!" His mind screamed, enraged. "But maybe there's a reason for it Cilan! You musn't lose your temper now!" His mind also argued with him and his brewing emotions. On the bright side, although that probably wasn't the correct term to use in such a dire situation, he had found the reason why she consisted of much pent up and bottled in anger and tears. At least there was a reason. Was there a reason for the lie though?

"Iris?" He managed to breathe out without shouting or lashing out, although he would never hit anyone. More like las out on himself for not noticing it quicker. In fact, now that he mentioned it, most of the anger was directed at himself; for not noticing quicker and for letting it g whenever Iris said something that suggested towards this huge catastrophe.

"I'm sorry! So, so sorry..." Iris continued to cry, eventually just crumpling into a mess and sobbing outwardly, unable to hold it back any longer. This had been building up for years and so had the confession - not for Cilan obviously, but she had always prepared herself for when somebody had asked her if something was wrong at home. But she had never been brave enough. Eventually her cries, although still violent, turning into incoherent noises as she mumbled her apology over and over again.

"Iris, is there any particular reason you were running?" Cilan enquired, though his voice was starting to give him away. It was getting shakey and uneven because of the heartbreak he felt; not just because of the lie, but because of how sorry she truly did feel about it. You know, they always say never to trust a liar, but no one could possibly fake such emotion as Iris was now projecting shamelessly as she screamed into the dirt and hit the floor with curled up fists. Cilan actually believed that she was genuine, but if her reason wasn't good enough, well, he was back home.

"B-Because they do all sorts of cruel things to me." Iris hyperventilated violently, refusing to sit up and show the Connoisseur how vulnerable she really was (although in this case, it may have been a bonus.). At this sentence, Cilan froze and his anger, though still there, didn't feel all that important anymore.

"They beat me. They lock me out of the house when it's pouring with rain so that I get sick. They make me ill on purpose by giving me old, gone off food, and when they come home, drunk and stupid off of their heads, and when they vomit all over the floor and I'm the one who has to clean it up. They laugh at me when I'm in so much pain and then do it all over again. My dad, John, touched... Things and I have nothing! So I ran. And I plan to still run. I-I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't even intend to get close!" Iris spilt every last single detail and Cilan sat in utter shock, his anger now completely vanishing as a feeling of terror brewed in his stomach.

"They hurt me so bad Cilan. I just - I just wanted to get away. To be a normal kid and not have to worry about anything. I can look after myself because of how much I've been kicked out and left alone in the house, even from such a young age. It trained me to find my own food, which was why I was so good at finding the berries to help you make your dish. It trained me to be faster and stronger, which is why I could outrun you easily when Axew went missing. It trained me to climb so that I could avoid anything that came my way! You- You don't understand!" And Iris was right. He didn't understand how something so vile couls take place. Iris screamed, throwing her head back and crying and yelling at the sky and some passer-bys shook their heads and dragged their pokemon into the Poke-Centre. Iris cursed angrily at them and Cilan widened his eyes and tryed to calm her, though she shook it off after seeing that Cilan looked disgusted. Little did she know that the disgust was not for her...

"I-Iris... Why didn't you tell me?"Cilan whispered to her and she shrunk away and hid herself. Cilan blinked back tears and instead, stroked her head, which he felt her shrink away from, her head tensing under his gentle fingertips.

"I-I just d-" Iris began, but was swiftly interrupted by Cilan.

"Sooner. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He seethed and Iris flinched. Realising how cold and cruel his tone sounded. If he'd have known about anything, he never would have messed around with her last night, with the teasing and his careless fingertips as his lanky arms held her close to him. It all made sense now and it was only logic that she would awaken scared out of her wits as soon as she felt that pang of familiarity. Not to mention the dreams that Iris had told him about and the locket that hung limply around her neck being something to do with her grandmother and the "Mysterious Happening". All the things that she had actually decided to tell him were now all linking together, like stray pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

"I-I'm sorry. I should have. Y-You should just go now. Just leave, like the rest of them do." Iris cried, though her tears were dying down and her voice was reduced to a low, whiper-like voice. Cilan couldn't help but notice the expectant look in her eyes, like she actually believed that he would leave her.

"Iris, I-"

"No wait!" Iris suddenly shouted and Cilan froze, shocked at how desperate that she no sounded. "I can be better. I can be good enough for you. I won't bother you anymore; see, I'll even make my own food and you won't even know I'm here. I'll just -"

"Iris -" But Iris continued with the same crazy-looking smile on her face as she explained all of the things that she would do to make it up to him. She looked, deranged or something as she continued with her tangent and went round and round in circles, all the while with that unstable glint in her eye.

"Please don't leave me here alone Cilan!" She cried, terrifyed and unstable.

"Iris!" He yelped above her inseasant scene and she stopped and peered up at him, giving him a chance to see how pityful and how much anguish and loneliness there was in her eyes.

"Yes, Cilan?" She dared, saying his name as if was the last time it would ever leave her lips. And it probably would be, she thought silently to herself.

"Iris, I'm not going anywhere." Cilan murmured, making his choice. His anger with her could wait. This situation could have her life on the line and he wanted her to live by him. To trust him. To love him. Anything and everything, and he wasn't ready to give up without a fight.

"Wh-What?" She questioned, staring up at him with most innocent eyes he had ever seen.

"What your parents," Cilan spat the word as if poisonous to the tounge. ",did to you was wrong. And it won't go unpunished. When we get to Nacrene City, there is a police station. We can file them in there and then the police will look for them." He stated sternly, kneeling beside her and watching her breathe in and out as she tried to steady her breath.

"That's not possible." Iris whispered, turning her head away from him.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because I know for a fact that they'll have got all the police within the next couple of towns on the look out for me. That's one of the reasons that at first, I treated you badly. Because you're a Gym Leader and so people know you publically, the police would also be familiar with you. If they see you with me, helping me, then you'll lose everything, because of me. Plus, with the publicity that you - and your brothers - seem to have, that alone caused a threat to me because people would recognize you, even people not from Striaton. Everyone, and that would be a direct lead for the police." Iris explained clearly, managing to reduce her whimpers to stiffled and a- little- under- control hiccups.

"Ah, there is a problem. We could -"

"And Cilan?" Iris asked. Cilan stopped speaking and turned to her. "No more lies?" She asked, a frown etched into her face. Not that he'd told any, but she wanted to make sure that he continued to be honest with her, even though she felt that she didn't deserve even that much.

"Not a single one." He said.

"So it's the part of my promise when I tell you now about the Mandibuzz. I knew it, I told you and you didn't exactly believe me? Well, it was my fathers." She admitted with eyes tightly shut, readying herself silently.

"How do you know. Is there any major distinction?" Cilan questioned inquisitively, the shock of the truth giving him a headache and making him feel sick to the stomach. He felt that he could actually just spill his contents right there and then, on the grass for everyone to see, but instead, he swallowed thickly and scolded himself for thinking such digusting thoughts. The tears that had existed briefly in his eyes, were gone now and he had managed to keep his cool throughout the entire conversation. He still couldn't comprehend how someone could be so evil...

"No. I know it's wrong now," She muttered, drying the last of her tears and clearing her throat. "But I didn't always know that what they were doing to me wasn't normal. See, when I was a baby and father used to call me and being little, I couldn't get there fast enough, he would always get his Mandibuzz to grab my Axew and then he would lead me right to him." (1) Iris explained and Cilan understood. The perfect bait for a child with a love for something; to take it away or use it to their advantage. Like blackmail, it was a pityful crime that only the lowest of the low performed in order to get what they wanted from a younger audience. Truly diabolical and Cilan shuddered in utter distaste.

"I understand." He breathed out hoarsely, his throat sore from all the pent up tension in. It was all he could muster the courage to say.

Then helping her stand up, Cilan eyed the shaken pokemon, his Pansage and her Axew both with eyes wide open and mouths ajar.

"They're just shocked." He told Iris with a meek smile, and Iris returned it, though neither of them were in the mood for pretence. The atmosphere was now awkward and tension filled between the pair. Iris suddenly launched herself around him and held him close, in which he immediately blinked at and held still, waiting for something.

"Thank you Cilan. Thank you for not leaving me. And I know that I don't deserve your comapny but I kno-" Iris began with a gleeful smile but Cilan was having no self-critism.

"How can you not deserve protection. You didn't so anything wrong!" Cilan assured, taking her by the shoulders and holding her close to him, his heartbeat beating quickly with both terror and the aftermath of shock.

"Iris, I'm going to teach you everything." Cilan suddenly whipsered to her.

"What do you mean?" She quizzed, whispering back to him.

"I'm going to teach you that not all people are bad. Most of the people are like me, without sounding pointlessly egotistical, kind, caring, loving and inviting."

"Thank you. Thank you Cilan." Iris mumbled into his chest and Cilan relished int he feeling, glad to hold her in the safety of his ever-welcoming arms.

"I'm going to teach you real life..."

Wishfulshipping_Wishfulshipping_Wishfulshipping_

So, chapter twelve? Hopefully, it was a good read and I will warn you about the drama levels, because they are about to go off of the charts! D:

Review? :)

Thanks!

~Jess~