CHAPTER 36: Merging Interrupted

August 31st 341 – Monday

Awesome memories dancing behind her eyes, Anabel put her swimsuits away. They'd visited caves full of stalagmites and stalactites, and sand beaches so tiny their three towels had barely fit. The sea had etched the wildest shapes in cliffs, and they'd tried out a crazy amount of new food. Mom and Dad had even written down some recipes to try out at home. There had been a museum with the tallest wooden ships from long before the War, and Anabel had found the best toy for skarmory: a rattata carved from sea-stone and covered in tiny, shiny shells, too solid for him to break. It had a small mechanism to make it zoom around, and it was perfect.

They'd been allowed to visit some ruins alone because they had Espeon with them, and they'd even taken a submarine to visit Devon Corp.'s new archaeological digging site. It was like an underwater village, deep in sand and rock between the islands, spooky quiet except not, with all the people in under-water suits and their machines carefully searching for buried treasures.

They'd made a promise to say the truth to now, so Dad had told them about his family. Dad's parents had told him not to bother coming back if he didn't have a career in pokemon like everyone else. He had three brothers and he'd not talked to them in almost twelve years. It was hard to accept Anabel had such mean people in her own family, but Mom called those talks 'grown-up talks', and Anabel was proud Dad trusted her now.

One conversation in particular had stuck with her.

'Anabel, you could have been the one stealing pokemon and we'd still have brought you here. This isn't just about you. Your mom and I are exhausted. We need this vacation, and we want you with us. You've now learned that life can deal much harsher punishments than we'd ever do.'

She had. It was a terrifying, but she now knew that her parents were her allies no matter what.

And she'd just loved having them well-rested and happy to do stuff with her and joke around.

'We send kids on Journeys at ten because then you'll have grown world-wise enough to spare your poor parents drama-powered teenage antics," Mom had said. "We want you reasonably self-confident and able to put things in perspective before puberty hits.'

'That's bunk, Bibi. I would've been better without it and you yourself were a great teenager."

'I'm exceptional. You married me, didn't you?'

As she shoved the last of her clothes in her wardrobe, Anabel grinned. Mom and Dad had felt more there than ever before. Good emotions had hung to the very air, a song behind every smile. She had to send V the last pictures. She wanted V to come today, so they could snuggle under the covers and talk all night long.

And Espeon really missed Eeveevee.

Anabel opened the window, letting the fresh air in. Skarmory wasn't home yet. She really hoped he'd had fun and would turn up soon.

Anabel picked up her vidphone and laughed again when she unlocked the screen over the picture of Seth's Dragonite dancing in a circle with the groom and his friends. She was glad he'd asked V for advice. She'd never have dared to tell him to bring Dragonite and not care what his parents said.

V wasn't answering the call. Anabel frowned. Come on, V, answer.

'Call me back?' she texted, put out.

After two hours and fifteen more unanswered calls, Anabel was starting to panic. She called the house. Nobody. Nalani's vidphone didn't even ring, going straight to voicemail.

"V told you she'd gone fishing, Ann, relax. Go make a list of what you're going to need for your Journey and the routes you want to travel. It'll get cold, don't forget that."

Right, like she cared about all that when V could have been kidnapped, again, and her family murdered.

It was 6PM when V finally called. "Ann, I'm so so sorry! My vidphone was at the bottom of my pack. Mama was at work and her battery was dead."

"It's alright." Ghosts, Anabel felt silly. "I just get worried." Since crazy stuff keeps happening… "It's… how was fishing? Gene didn't get on your nerves?"

V had that awkward-but-proud smile whenever she talked about Gene these days. "It could've been way more awkward. Fishing is tricky actually. I caught three small branches. Two of them were in the water pretending to be fish, though. Gene says anybody would've been fooled."

Anabel laughed. "You're not supposed to throw the line so hard it gets wrapped in the trees around you!" She settled comfortably on her desk, her legs excitedly kicking the air.

"Easy for you to say. Those branches looked a lot like fish." V smiled. It was crazy how much light and color her new hair brought to her face.

Anabel perked up further at V's 'something big happened' face. "Come on, tell me!"

"I wanted to make it a surprise…" Anabel glowered. V's eyes crinkled. "Yeah, I guess I need to make it up to you for forgetting to check my phone."

"You totally do." A surprise? V looked so excited.

V took a deep breath. Anabel stopped breathing alongside her.

"Come ON, V!"

"Machop evolved!"

Machop- "What?"

"Machop evolved just yesterday! He got revenge for all the attitude Geo's been giving him since she evolved. She figured out Bulldoze too, she looks like a one-rock rockslide when she does. It's really fierce."

"When did Geo evolve?" Anabel squeaked. Geodude and Machop?

"Thursday. It's like Seth said. Setting them up to lose, not by too much, though, in battles they fight hard to win, works well for real. I'm sending you a picture right now."

Anabel stared. Machop –Machoke- stood next to V, just as tall as her, with muscles bigger than any man's. He was bumping fists with V, a merry smirk on his face. His new face. Instead of a serious toddler-high humanoid, a really tough teenager was staring back at Anabel. Geo was right next to him and V, holding Eeveevee up in the air with two of her four chunky arms.

Wow.

"I've been taping all of Machop's battles since Geo evolved, so I got his evolution on camera! I wanted to show you I've listened and have been training hard."

"I never thought you were a bad trainer," Anabel whispered, her mouth dry.

V's smile filled the whole screen. "Yeah, well, it was high time I put in some hard work."

"I'm glad," Anabel said, and she couldn't understand the feelings churning inside her that made that a lie. "I can hear Mom calling." Two lies. "See you tomorrow."

"I've packed everything. I can't wait, see you!"

"Me too." Anabel ended the call.

The picture with V and Machoke stared right back at her.

V had been the quiet one, the one people didn't bother to notice. She'd been all grays, blacks and browns, her long wild hair something to hide behind rather than show off. Now… now nobody would think V boring. With her hair half-purple and tamed curls instead of tangles, Anabel barely recognized her. In a good way, but… she barely recognized any of them. Only Eeveevee was the same.

She'd missed so much! She should have been there!

Anabel threw the vidphone on her bed. "Mom, can I get highlights on my hair like V?" she shouted.

"Uh, no," Mom called from the bathroom.

Of course not.

Anabel's chest was locked tight. She rushed down the stairs. She couldn't breathe.

"Grace and femininity, Donphan, the walls are shaking," Dad called from behind his book as Anabel dashed outside, all but slamming the door.

Machoke. He'd want to be traded to evolve into a machamp. Anabel would have to call Seth. How long until Machoke would want to be freed back where he'd been caught? She'd never thought she'd have to give him up so soon.

Her breaths painful and shallow, Anabel ran, her feet digging in the grass. She didn't stop.

Minutes later, the quiet in the forest around her reminded her that Skarmory's pokeball was empty in her cupboard. What if he never came back?

Anabel dragged her feet, not caring for the scratches that roots and twigs were leaving on her new shoes. Hands balled in her pockets, she stared unseeingly at the ground.

Machop and Geo had evolved. V had changed so much. She'd done so much without her.

Why couldn't V have waited! Just a few days!

Anabel swallowed back angry tears as she slapped a low-hanging vine away. The holidays had been wonderful. The day had started out fine.

Why did it hurt so much? V had looked so happy. She'd said 'I can't wait to see you.'

But now Geo and Machop were fourth badge strong. They weren't supposed to train and train and train without getting badges in between! Espeon… Espeon and Skarmory had so much catching up to do! Would Espeon be upset –

Anabel stumbled, catching herself against a moss-covered tree trunk. Ew. She wiped her dirty hand on her trousers, but now she just had dirty hands and dirty trousers.

Anabel froze. She was surrounded by no trees she recognized. She spun on herself, her breath quickening. Where was she?

Forcing big calming breaths in her lungs, Anabel tried to backtrack, straining her ears for the sound of water. The stream shouldn't be far.

Every breath burned. Why had she run?V was the one who ran away.

It was V's fault for not having kept her vidphone closer! All the worry had blown Anabel's stupid jealousy out of control.

But it was totally Anabel's fault for having left without her vidphone, or Espeon.

Ghosts, Anabel recognized nothing.

You stupid numel! Her thoughts fragmented by panic, Anabel started running again.

She stopped dead when an odd sound reached her ears. It wasn't water, it wasn't growls, or sentret whistles, or rustling leaves. It wasn't wood cracking, beedril buzzing, or any sound people would make.

It was compelling.

Anabel followed it without an afterthought. It rose to a vibrant hum. It was bizarre, neither feeling nor noise. It tickled her ears and filled her mind. Her chest. It was everywhere.

She stumbled, feeling faint. Her vision blurred. It was louder. She pressed on, steadying herself on the trunks and trying to blink the sudden blindness out of her eyes. It was so loud now. She fell, her hands flying to her head.

Stop, make it stop!

Her perspective shifted.

She saw herself, awkward and shivering on the ground. She tried to move her head. Wide lilac eyes –her eyes!- met hers. A fear with two voices paralyzed her muscles.

Stop!

She was violently yanked backwards, except her body hadn't moved. She opened her eyes. The world made sense again. Sort of.

The hum had abated. A terrified-looking little yellow pokemon with a kite-shaped face, two small pointed ears and a long thick tail sat sprawled less than a foot from her face.

An abra.

That pokemon couldn't be a threat.

Anabel reached out with her hand, upset to see the fear in those white-less black eyes. She smiled tentatively.

Her mind filled with want.

She had to know everything. Her thoughts raced, breaking into a thousand questions, pulsing with ravenous curiousity.

She gasped for breath. A terrified voice at the back of her mind screamed that this wasn't her.

~Human.~

Anabel jumped to her feet. The hum was gone. Everything was silent again. She finally took in her surroundings, an unremarkable clearing, crowded with pokemon that were anything but unremarkable. Three kadabra and one alakazam stared at her. They did not look happy.

~Human,~ the sole alakazam repeated, its lips unmoving as its crystal voice filled her mind. ~The awakening is not for your kind.~

Anabel gulped and extended in a placating gesture. "I have no idea what happened. I heard a sound … something and I followed without thinking. I'm so so sorry." She turned to the young abra at her feet. "I didn't mean to scare you."

It, he, was adorable.

A flash upset her hold on reality. Her head was so heavy. Everything was bigger. She stood in front of herself. Something was different. She was alien.

Everything. She had to know everything.

Anabel blinked, her eyesight normal again. The curiosity not-hers gone. She dizzily leaned against the nearest tree.

Nothing like that had ever happened with Gengar.

Anabel took a shaky breath, staring back at the now wide-eyed abra. "But how?"

Gengar had been cold, echoes and winter winds. The abra felt different. Curiosity, neither warm nor cold, bubbled in Anabel's veins, tickling the edge of her mind, but it wasn't hers. It entwined with her feelings, similar but not, as if somebody had mixed two different types of music.

~The human mind is rarely unlocked. Your fledgling psychic sensitivity led you to us, Human. Your species' instinct is to flee the awakening, not seek it.~

Anabel shivered at the grave slow tone. Somehow she knew it was the alakazam, but the voice came from everywhere at once. It wasn't cold and uncomfortable like Gengar's, it didn't echo or shove all her other thoughts away. It settled neatly between her thoughts, emotionless. It was intense, foreign.

So she really was a little bit psychic. Anabel swallowed, feeling terrible all over again.

"What do you want me to do now? Should I leave and not tell anyone? I'm alright," she said, desperate to go home.

Something tugged at her leg. Anabel smiled weakly and picked up the little abra. He wasn't heavy, but he wasn't light. Her hand went behind his head, like she'd seen babies held. His fingers were longer than hers but only three. Cheerful and curious bubbly bells surrounded her.

It was all silent now, but the psychic types' looks were loaded. They had to be speaking with thoughts. Silver streaked the alakazam's short whiskers. Was it female?

Confirmation burst like a shower of confetti in her mind. Anabel's frown dissolved. This abra-talking-to her thing took some getting used to. She ran her thumb against his wide forehead. His dark-yellow fur was much shorter and rougher than the eevee, even his thick tail felt rigid and heavy. She brushed her fingers against the brown armor-like shell that protected his shoulders and torso. It was hard and smooth, but also very warm. A smile bloomed on her lips.

"I'm not used to speaking without words," she whispered. "It's okay, but please, could you try to be a little quieter?"

"Brrah..."

The abra's face hadn't changed, but a wave of sharp alien frustration crashed into Anabel. She stumbled backwards, her hold on the pokemon tightening. She gasped, fighting down instinctive panic at being hit with emotions not hers.

"Brah." The voice was weird, flat-toned, but somehow, Anabel knew he was sorry.

She swallowed. The poor abra was just as confused as she was. "It's alright, don't worry."

The others had stopped talking.

~Human, are your nurturers from Verdanturf Town or the house by the forest?~

Anabel gave the alakazam a nervous smile. "The house."

~I will teleport you.~

Awesome. She made to put the abra down.

~No, he must come,~ the alakazam said, her unblinking black eyes making Anabel nervous. ~There is much knowledge to be given.~

What?

~Abra is awakening. Before, he could not contact unless he was contacted; it is the near-muteness of the very young. You have merged with him.~

Uh… "So he did awaken. That's good, no?"

The alakazam stared and Anabel squirmed, feeling very stupid. What did it mean 'merged'?

~The merging has rendered your minds open to the other. It is permanent.~

Anabel furrowed her brow. "And that's bad?" she said meekly. They'd taken Gengar from V, but Abra was little and harmless, and anyway Anabel wasn't making him come with her.

"The merging requires proximity. Unstable bonding is dangerous. You and Abra are a new circle."

Anabel's mind went to a screeching halt. Wasn't 'circle' their word for family?

She'd stolen a child from his family? Abra whimpered, his slanted eyes pained as he grasped her shirt and tugged.

Acute alien frustration pierced through her feelings, blurring her vision. She barely stopped herself from falling. A second later, the frustration was much weaker, and Anabel thought she sensed a flash of apology from Abra.

"It's alright," she whispered.

The alakazam kept staring, her face stern and emotionless.

"You're not angry, Elder?" she said, tentative about the title. But she owed the pokemon something and remembered that word from Grandma's stories.

~'Guide', not 'Elder'. The fabric of reality is unaltered by emotions. The development is interesting. ~

They weren't upset? Abra was totally more curious than upset, and Anabel felt him so much more acutely than she ever had Espeon.

Some of the weight lifted off her chest.

"So it's not the first time this happens, Guide? You're here to explain and to make sure it'll all be alright?" A sense of giddiness was slowly invading her mind.

The alakazam grabbed her arm tightly. ~No and yes.~

Before Anabel could process what was happening, she found herself in her garden, shivering from shock.

"Anabel?"

Mom was staring at the three of them, wide-eyed by the door. Worry clung to her, a fall of ice-coated feathers.

Anabel froze. She'd never sensed emotions that clearly.

"Bells, what's going on?"

Anabel found her voice. "Mom, I… I swear I just meant to take a walk and clear my mind. I…"

She couldn't believe she'd lost it like that just because Machop evolved. What was wrong with her?

"Is something wrong?"

The alakazam stepped forward before Anabel could formulate an answer. ~Do you have a mate?~

Mom stared. The feathers stuck together, trapping her in a prison of ice. She straightened and nodded. "Yes, Max! MAX!"

"We can go inside, maybe?" Ann said, an echo of fear seeping in her bones. Mom's feelings… they shouldn't be so… obvious.

The alakazam teleported.

Mother and daughter shared a confused glance.

Abra pointed towards the house. "Ah."

Dad's voice cut the air. "ROBIN!"

They rushed inside.

Espeon stood between Dad and the alakazam, her ears folded down and body frozen in a half-crouch. Slowly she straightened and relaxed, her twin tails whipping the air.

"You have no Guide," the alakazam said after a tense moment.

"We saw no need for it. Ann's been doing fine. She's a normal little girl."

Anabel winced, letting herself fall on the couch. Dad looked confident, he sounded confident, but ropes of fear twisted and tugged at his muscles. Not fear, fear was sharp and hard. This was a blunt fear that shackled. Anabel could barely breathe. Concern. Why was concern suddenly so loud? She'd never seen… sensed feelings like this. What was happening to her?

She turned to Abra, who'd jumped on the couch too. Everything was new, the softness, the shape, the smells of the room. Anabel's heartbeat accelerated as she became acutely aware of her senses, rediscovering things that familiarity had dismissed to the back of her brain.

"Do you have a name?"

Abra's huge almond eyes stared at her, his confusion poking around her mind as if his very thoughts were solid.

"Should I call you something other than 'Abra'?"

She was confusing him. She was making him curious.

"Just 'Abra' for now," she decided, smiling as he carefully picked up a pillow.

What are those made of? What are they for? Questions, too many questions for a single brain tickled the edge of Anabel's mind.

"They're… cloth," she whispered. "They're comfortable and look nice."

A huge yawn burst from her mouth. She shook her heavy head, wishing it would all get less loud. Loudest was Abra, a bright shining ball of wonder. But the ball had cracks and sharp edges. Things were changing fast for him too, and the pillow Abra half-hid behind was safe. She shuddered as searing tendrils brushed her skin.

Pulsing fire clung to Mom like a tentacruel, new twisting tentacles appearing every second.

Why was Mom angry? It wasn't fair! Why couldn't they just be calm!

" – about Abra?" Mom was saying.

~Humans can teach much. We perfect the bonding. We do not oppose it.~

"She's a child! You're going to take the abra with you, Guide," Mom said, her voice low and shaking. "I'm not risking my daughter's well-being for the sake of… of an experiment!"

Blades of sharp glass –fear- stronger than than Mom's fire sliced throught everything. Anabel shuddered. She wanted to hide, to run. She couldn't move. Shivers wracked her body. What's going on! She wasn't looking anymore, but she could still sense it. Why were her parent's feelings so loud!

Anabel gasped when she a hand, an invisible hand, grabbed her. Grabbed something of her. Like a limb she hadn't know she had. She could feel it. The flames and blades were gone.

~Pull back your senses. You are making their emotions yours. You must find control.~

Alakazam's black eyes trapped hers. The pokemon shone with solid brightness that left very little space for feelings. With Alakazam's help, Anabel shakily 'pulled back'.

Mom's eyes went very wide, every trace of expression vanishing.

"What are you doing to her?" Anabel exclaimed.

"Reading her mind. It won't harm her," Dad said, his calm a terrible lie. Whips of fire cut into him, and at tight-woven golden net wrapped around them, chasing them back, but bits kept breaking off and shooting out like screaming bullets of hail.

Anabel tried to stay away, she did. What was this golden brightness around everyone?

~Abra will not oppose Anabel. Attempting comparison with the gengar is meaningless. Abra's… 'influence' is rational. It is safe. ~

Anabel watched amazed how Mom's and Dad's brightness twisted into golden threads at the alakazam's words, blunting the fear, quenching the anger, and dragging the emotions back behind shining walls.

"Mom, Dad," she said in a shaky voice. "Your feelings are so loud." Abra had crawled on the back of the sofa. "Is he doing this?"

~No. He is shielding from you.~

"I can feel it, I think," Anabel breathed. Like a solid bubble, between her and the little pokemon now testing out the window knob. There were no more questions tickling her mind, no more pulsing curiosity.

~You need a Guide. The merging accelerated what would have happened.~

"We were told most psychics bloom at puberty," Dad whispered, and the bright gold chains got stronger, burning away the warring feelings. "We'll look into it."

Gold is reason and control. The answer had popped in her mind, loud and clear. She snapped her head towards Abra, who was staring back at her.

~Thanks,~ she thought tentatively.

Control. So the gold was how Mom and Dad kept their emotions in check. Everything was so fascinating and scary.

Anabel's breath hitched. She didn't want to be a freak.

~She needs a Guide,~ the old alakazam repeated. ~I will return to assess the completion of the merging. Abra is of your circle now.~

"Do we have a say in it?" Mom said, like she couldn't believe this.

~Circles are not to be broken.~

The alakazam teleported away.

"I was told of a suicide and experiments when we bought the house, not of abra in the forest–"

"Robin, please," Dad said, frowning deeply. He took Mom's hand and made her sit down. "Bells, are you alright?"

Abra is of your circle now.

"I'm sorry, really," Anabel said, "I didn't mean to run into them." Mom's shards of fear cut into her. Fear Anabel had caused. It wasn't right. She wanted them to feel safe.

Anabel gasped as the shards broke apart, falling in a shower of dust.

"Mom, I think I can make the fear go," she breathed. Maybe she could help instead of just making messes.

Broken into splinters, the cutting tendrils were swallowed by Mom's golden brightness.

Anabel winced, shutting her eyes briefly. Ghosts, this was exhausting.

"Come here, sweetie," Mom said, pulling Anabel in as tight a hug as she could. "We love you so much. We'll manage." The hug held a song. A warm song that had to be love.

"Speh!"

Espeon looked so simple right now. Her emotions didn't wrap and coil and merge. Anabel only heard lovely chimes that made her feel better.

Anabel hugged Espeon, clinging to her warmth, her softness.

"Espeon, please show Abra our room so he can get settled." Would she have to ball Abra? Was that even right?

But she had a much more important question. "V's still coming over, right?"

Mom and Dad shared a look. "Your Mom will call Merle. He'll know which resources are available to psychics."

Everything sharp and angry had dissolved, leaving water-like tendrils that felt heavy and stifling.

"Dad… Your anger turned… sad. I'm… removing it makes me tired, I'm not sure I can."

"I'm not sad," Dad huffed. "It's just… a lot to take in."

"You're not removing our emotions unless it's hurting you, Ann," Mom said softly. "We'll need to talk about the morals of this. It's a fine line between helping and manipulating."

Yes… Anabel was so exhausted. She smiled, warmed by the song much louder than the remaining mess of emotions. Some kids had to worry if their parents loved them. Anabel really did not.

"V has read a lot on mind-bonds," she pleaded. "She'll be happy to help. I… I really want her here."

"She can come," Mom agreed. A slow breath left her chest. "Max, let's got think where it won't affect our daughter." The cutting worry was back, making Mom's calm face a lie. "Ann, don't leave the house, obviously."

"I won't."

Alone in the living-room, Anabel swallowed. She childishly wanted to shout at Mom and Dad to come back, but she was so relieved at the sudden… silence.

A shudder ran up her spine. She tucked her knees under her chin.

What did this all mean, for their Journey?

So there you go, accelerated psychic puberty through encounter-with-an-abra. This scene was one of the first I wrote for this fic, and one of the few that survive without a complete overhaul from the very first draft all those years ago, so I'm very happy to have it out.

Don't hesitate to drop a word, it'd make my day.