CHAPTER 37: Empath
September 1st 341 – Tuesday
Light floated through the cracks in the shutters, teasing Anabel awake. A weird load – no, a presence- in her mind made it all come back. Abra. He wasn't in the bedroom, but she could feel him.
Anabel's hands flew to her head. It was so heavy. She shifted on the pillow, but it didn't get better. She shut her eyes instinctively. Her brain – no, Abra- was grabbing her somehow.
He was outside, exploring.
It was like being on a rocking boat, and maybe drunk, because everything was shifting and Anabel's mind was torn between two places. Eyes shut, she could almost see it: the kichen window was open and Abra was seated outside under the window sill, against the wall, too short to be seen. The voices inside, Dad, Grandma, were talking about her.
~Don't move,~ Anabel urged sleepily. It came out in mumbles as much as thoughts, but what mattered was that he got it. ~I want to hear.~
Abra listened, tinkling like a hundred tiny curious bells.
Grandma didn't sound impressed. "I see Robin is calling big brother to the rescue, but even Merle doesn't have all the answers."
"Do you, Byrde? You told us to pretend Anabel's empathy was just a quirk, something unimportant." Anabel's breath hitched. They'd known? "For years we did, and now she dreams of travelling with Valeria, and we'll have to tell her that she can't."
No! They couldn't do that!
"Nothing should have happened before she hit puberty. Journeys teach independence, civility, social awareness, resourcefulness, and confidence," Anabel could totally picture her father's 'are you kidding me?' face. "And when they don't, Max," Grandma stressed, "they shake a kid into knowing what they want and asking for it. Without your Journey, you'd not have had the balls to ask to be emancipated at sixteen."
Emancipated? What was that?
"This isn't about me. It's about Bells, who instead of gradually accepting she's exceptional, is being hit with everything simultaneously. She can feel and remove our emotions, Byrde. How can I be a parent if she feels my every fear?"
Hearing the shake in her father's voice had Anabel squirm. Her fingers clenched around the covers, as if she could hide and pretend she hadn't heard. This was all her fault! And her Journey…
Anabel abruptly shook her head. Abra was… confused. Curious. He poked at her emotions at her thoughts, as if answers would pop out.
But there was no time to explain. Suddenly, Anabel was full of energy despite her pulsing head. She ran down the stairs in her overlarge sleeping-T-shirt, stomping her feet for good measure.
No way her Journey was over! There had to be another way!
Three faces turned to stare when she showed up. Her throat caught.
"Hi, Grandma, Dad, Mom," she managed. It wasn't just Grandma, Dad, Mom. Everything was more, there was-
Grandma raised her eyebrows. "Slippers, girl, and if it's too hot to sleep in pyjamas, at least throw something on for breakfast. I taught you better."
Another day, Anabel might have winced and rushed back up the stairs, but today Anabel stared in wonder. It was there again, the silent singing chimes she could somehow hear now.
"You always speak of duty and how you have to do stuff for us, but you… the song… It's like Mom and Dad! Why don't you just say that you love us?"
Grandma's mouth opened and shut, but the song coming from her didn't dim, hugging them all.
Grandma's face split into a smile, a warm broad smile of the kind you didn't forget. "Because I knew my psychic granddaughter would finally get around to it."
"Your grandmother always knows everything," Dad said knowingly, smile there too but arms still crossed.
Grandma had tears in her eyes. Confusion so insistent it could just be Abra's echoed in her mind, so Anabel did the only thing she knew couldn't go wrong.
She hugged Grandma, swallowed in Grandma's chimes, Abra's confusion, and a dozen feelings she hadn't asked for. She concentrated on Grandma's warmth, her perfume, and tried to keep everything else away.
"I must fly, but do call if there's an emergency." Grandma's dry voice was so at odds with the soft hand caressing Anabel's hair. "I'll shotgun my career for the family if I must."
"Don't worry, Mom," Mom was by the kitchen door, a bowl of coffee in her hands. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling with a faint smile. "Max and I are all grown up now. We'll survive."
Anabel stared in incredulous delight as Grandma winked and blew her a parting kiss. Maybe, maybe empathy was actually a gift.
Dad turned to her, his arms crossed. "Grandma chimes as strong as your own mom and dad's?"
Bubbles mixed with Mom's chimes, tearing a giggle from Anabel. Mom put her coffee down and begun to laugh, and Anabel just laughed harder, hugging her tight.
"It's going to be alright, Baby," Mom whispered in her ear.
Oo*oOo*oO
"Ahh, stop it!"Anabel groaned, letting herself fall back on the bed. And why did her head still feel like it weighted a ton? She'd taken a pill and everything!
"Abra, you're psychic, so protect her or something."
The seething resentment around V was snagged and dissolved by golden chains. They were sharp with fear, but it was an ally-fear, that killed V's other bad emotions.
V huffed, a smile snaking up her lips, her golden control firmly in charge and soft chimes brushing Anabel's ears. "This is nuts, Ann. Brilliant, though."
Her eyes bright with relief, Anabel rolled over, latching onto V with a laugh. There was something strong, something awed, to V's chimes. Mom's and Dad's wrapped Anabel tight in a blanked of love, but V's… they were an extended hand to rush off and face the world. They filled her with the conviction that she could do anything.
A lock of black-and-purple hair tickled her nose.
"Was the purple because of Gengar?" Anabel wondered. "I thought green was your favourite."
V scowled. "It's not Gengar-purple at all. Maybe I'll try green next time. You'd like green better?"
"No, no." She liked this V full of colors. This V who cared.
Something creaked above them.
"Ann, Skarmory's back!" Mom called.
Anabel and V shared mirror grins, rushing outside where all their pokemon were already having fun.
"Brah!" Abra protested.
Anabel realized he'd begun trying to reshape his golden bubble like V had asked. "It's alright, we'll do that later."
A puff of frustration sizzled out of abra, but he followed after them.
Anabel sighed. Uncle Merle should be there in a couple of hours. Hopefully things would start making sense.
"Welcome back, Beautiful," Anabel greeted. "Had fun? How far did you go?"
Skarmory hit his bracelet on the ground, his wings opening merrily when the toy lit up. "Skarmory, skar- mory, skar."
"All the way to Fallarbor?" Anabel laughed as the steel bird's enthusiasm wrapped her in a swirl of chimes. "Let's get that sign off you. I'm proud of you for avoiding trouble."
Anabel flinched and lost her balance. Everything vanished, replaced by a dream-like image of Abra riding a flying Skarmory.
Anabel groaned. She was on the ground. She'd have a big fat bruise on her left leg. "Abra, I'm a baby when it comes to these psychic things. Go easy."
"Or I'll punch you," V said with an all too bright smile.
Abra recoiled, his fear shooting out in shards. He vanished.
"ABRA!" Anabel shouted. Where had he teleported? ~You're safe. She doesn't mean it! She isn't going to punch you. Come back!~ Could he hear her ? "V, honestly!"
Abra teleported right behind her, looking warily at V.
V's face went slack. What – Abra was reading her – Burning chaos suddenly swirled around V, draping her in a furious shadow.
They were fighting over nothing. Anabel balled her fists so hard to stop from shouting at them. How could they make it all about themselves when -
"Abra, I'm not an abra," V ground out. "Privacy matters. Stay out of my mind, or I'll focus on every single horrid memory I have so you can live them too! You want to know something, ask."
Anabel stumbled backwards, her hear racing with a panic not her own.
"Could you not convince him you hate him?" she croaked. And come on, Gengar could mind-talk to V but not this cute little abra?
V sucked back her anger almost as fast as it had come. Wow. "Sorry, Abra, of course I don't hate you. I'll soon like you loads. We just have to all have learning to do." She sighed, a rueful smile gracing her lips. "It's not the end of the world if I get mad at you. I won't hit you, I promise."
"See," Anabel said. She giggled. It was all so weird. She blinked, her wandering psychic senses focusing on Abra. He was drowning in weird, weird, weird, but the happy wonder kind, as he tried to figure out the hows and whys of people.
"Oh, Abra wants to fly on Skarmory," she recalled, trying to pull back from the waterfall of tiny crystal bells splashing her just as much as Abra.
Skarmory hadn't let them fly. He'd panicked when Anabel had hurt his hands on his sharp neck feathers, and hadn't cared when they'd tried to talk of solutions like thick gloves, so they'd reluctantly let it go. Anabel had hoped he'd change his mind. Maybe Abra would figure out how to.
An image of Skarmory's claw flashed in her mind. This time, it was like Anabel had known it was coming and she didn't lose her balance. She blinked. "Right. Abra figures Skarmory can carry him in his claw."
Excitement sharpened V's gaze. "That's clever. Let's try it."
"Only if Skarmory agrees," Anabel warned. She'd felt the panic before and it had been enough to make her heart race and her mouth dry. Now… she didn't even want to think about what it'd do to her now.
It was only a few seconds before Skarmory handed his paw out. "Skar."
What a dear. "Thank you, Abra, you can go."
Of course, the moment Eeveevee realized what they were up to, she rushed up to Skarmory, bouncing like a spoink, and spraying crystal chimes all the way to the house.
"Eeveevee too," Anabel laughed. "He's got two paws. Don't go far and don't drop them from too high when you land, Skarmory. Maybe later we can figure out a sort of saddle…"
~'Saddle'?~ The voice high-pitched, clear and oddly smooth.
"A saddle is something we'll put on his back so we don't hurt ourselves or accidentally slide off," Anabel explained. Had that been the first word she'd heard from Abra?
A grin bloomed on her lips. Abra could talk. Of course he could.
Skarmory, Abra and Eeveevee soon were too far for her to sense, but V's laughter, a shower of bubbles and little singing bells, told her all Anabel needed to know. Watching them all felt like family, the best kind.
The landing wasn't too rough. Eeveevee crashed and rolled on the ground and yapped like her dreams had come true. Abra teleported just before Skarmory let him go, leaving the bird to stare confusedly at his claw and the little pokemon now seated a few yards away.
Anabel gasped when she suddenly saw herself in Skarmory's claw. Was that what hallucinations looked like?
Her heart raced with possibilities. "Skarmory, would you carry me in your claws? Put one under each of my upper arms and then when you land, you slow down enough to drop me and then you land? Your feet are smooth. It won't hurt or make me bleed as long as you're careful with your claws."
She held her breath as Skarmory seemed to ponder it. His head turned to Abra and tilted to the side, but he seemed to take this psychic-speak thing in stride.
"Mo-ree." It was hesitant, but it was a yes.
A whoop of triumph burst from Anabel's chest. ~Abra, you're awesome!~
Anabel gasped as soon as Skarmory flapped his wings. She wasn't so much lifted as sharply tugged. The ground vanished under them. Her shoulders protested, not used to carrying her whole weight, but for the first time, she could see her house, he garden, from above.
She laughed and shouted, until a spike of concern from Skarmory made her catch her breath. "It's great, you're not hurting me at all," she said breathlessly. The air sung a soft melody of sweet chimes hung. Skarmory was happy. A shiver ran up her spine as she realized how far the ground was.
"Let's go back down," she called.
"Waaah!" She tripped and fell on all fours when Skarmory dropped her. She scrambled back upright, shaking through her laughter despite her bruised knees. V was clapping, and everyone added their voice to an entwining of joyful silent songs
"May I do the same?" V eagerly asked Skarmory.
"Moree." This time, there was no hesitation.
V slid her vidphone's cord around her neck. "Brilliant, I'll take a video from up there."
Oo*oOo*oO
"Hello, Sparkle!" Uncle Merle jumped off his bike and opened arms wide open to greet them. "With all Robin's been telling me, I've begun to think I should be studying people instead of pokemon. You're the most interesting niece an uncle's ever been blessed with."
Anabel laughed, hugging him warmly. He made it sound like she'd be his new pet project, but in his arms she was wrapped in song just like with her parents, even if it wasn't as loud or familiar.
V held her hand out with a slightly awkward smile. "I heard lots of good about you, Professor. I had pictured you more… wild."
"I heard a lot of good about you, V," Uncle replied. He chuckled and ran a hand in his close cut copper hair, before rubbing his just-as-short beard. "You know what they say: beauty is on the inside." He soon had his let-me-teach-you-something face. "Pokemon are visual, ladies. In the science division, we all work with scyther and the occasionally poliwrath. Like Jennys and Rangers, we keep our pokemon by our side. Always the same pokemon, always the same uniforms: it tells wild pokemon that I'm there to observe."
"You got the book on abra?" Anabel said. Uncle could go on for hours on any topic if they didn't interrupt him. There always was a point to what he said, but Anabel didn't always have the patience for it.
"And a short version for right now, Professor?" V added. "I've managed to traumatize him twice already."
Anabel laughed. Abra had gotten over it as soon as Skarmory had lifted him up in the sky.
"Abra and evolutions are very focused, curious and intelligent. Usually they have a few specific interests, and each circle shares them. They are social, in that they have been reported to prefer to pursue a mild interest with other pokemon, than one of their main interests alone. They have some empathy and will try to avoid others' suffering, even at the cost of time or the opportunity to gain more knowledge. Because interests are specific, circles with different or similar interests occasionally meet to expand their 'database' of knowledge. They have near perfect recall."
Anabel nodded thoughtfully. Would it be cheating if she brought Abra to school? "But when it's about feelings and stuff..."
Uncle Merle grinned. "Oh, he has everything to learn. I don't know how much he'll feel, as opposed to just understand, but as long as you're both happy, there's no point in trying to make him human."
"Yeah, as long as he doesn't flip out the day Anabel wants to have sex, a husband and kids," V muttered.
What? Where had that come from? Anabel stepped back from the unexpected fear trapping V in a wall of spikes and glass. A fear that was burning up with something dangerous, something that wouldn't hesitate to hurt.
"Or get bored of Ann and I being friends, and decide to drag her somewhere they can be together alone."
"Stop," Anabel breathed. She had to break the glass. V had no reason to hate Abra, V shouldn't be-
Oops. The glass was gone and V was looking at her very, very weirdly. "Did you just make me… calmer?"
"Sorry, Mom said I shouldn't do that, but-"
Anabel swallowed back tears. She couldn't do this. She couldn't handle everyone's emotions all the time.
She spun round. Abra had teleported near her. He must've left a very confused Skarmory behind.
She had to smile when the bubble around Abra began to grow, struggling to become two bubbles, as he tried again to include her in it.
"What's he doing?" Uncle asked.
"Trying to protect me, I think," she said, crouching to scratch Abra's ears. "All these emotions… it's… a lot."
Abra's pointy ears twitched in irritation. Oops. Not like Espeon then. ~Where would you rather be touched?~
Abra's eyes met hers, confused, but then he let his head loll backwards, against her chest. His mouth opened in a wide yawn, as she cradled his head. That big head sitting on that tiny neck.
That was why her head felt so weirdly heavy since she'd met Abra!
"Professor, why did the alakazam leave Abra with Ann so easily?"
Anabel tensed, but this time V seemed just honestly curious.
Uncle made a face, his eyes crinkling. "I can only guess, but you get access to knowledge around humans that's harder to come across in the wilds. The species on the whole must think that's a good thing... I've read just last night of kadabra who actively sought out psychics, often young adults. I'm sure that the fact that they evolve into alakazam when they bond, just like when they change circles, is also a factor. "
"But the alakazam read Mom's mind. Mom's not psychic."
"A non-psychic wouldn't tolerate prolonged contact long. Especially with a young abra, who has no experience of the human mind."
Anabel shot a look at V, who was now swirling with tendrils of… suspicion? "What are you thinking?"
"Whether Gengar broke the minds of the first people he bonded with. He never mentioned anybody being psychic." She shrugged. "Anyway, he has experience now, and he's probably much less powerful than an actual psychic-type when it comes to mind-things."
Valeria had scary thoughts.
"Anabel," Uncle Merle said, looking graver, "there's a facility for psychic kids. It's called Psyduck Village and listed as an exclusive holiday location, but that's just for privacy. It's on an small island between Pacifidlog Town and Mossdeep City."
Privacy? It sounded like they had to be hidden. Anabel swallowed.
"It's a boarding school to teach you to master your abilities. It's safe," Uncle said softly.
"What about my pokemon?"
"I'm waiting for an answer to that."
She and Abra stiffened as one. They couldn't say no! That wasn't fair!
"Can't she get a teacher to come here?"
The plea in V's voice was like a punch.
Freak. Uncle didn't have to tell her. Anabel had a License. Espeon, Machoke and Skarmory were her friends. They wouldn't forbid them unless she was a freak.
Uncle looked dead serious. "Unfortunately she has to go."
"Yeah, well, Abra's going to have to be allowed, or some owner's going to get his head ripped out by an alakazam. 'The merging must be done'," V mimicked with a grim smile.
~The merging must be complete.~
They all started. V was the first to frown at Abra. Anabel instinctively cradled him tighter.
"Did he just tell me off for getting my imitation wrong?"
"It's not arrogance," Uncle said. He had a straight face, but bubbles were spewing everywhere. Anabel couldn't help her chuckles. "Accuracy is important to them."
Valeria made a skeptical hmmm sound but then she winked at Abra. "You nerd."
Despite her laughter, despair pooled in Anabel's stomach. No Journey for… weeks? months? And no pokemon? But at least V had her back.
"Uncle, can't I convince them it'd be better to practice on Espeon than on people? Abra doesn't get as emotional, so I totally should take both." Ghosts, could Anabel sound any less desperate?
"I'll do my best, Bells. I know that you'll first get a mentor. Later you'll spend time with kids like you, in a supervised environment. They have a visitor policy. We won't forget you."
'Later'. How much later?"Mom and Dad are freaking out… V too."
V crossed her arms. "I'm not freaking out. Catch, I'm mad! I… I won't let them keep us apart. I'm going to Mossdeep anyway."
That was new. Mossdeep spread over a large island off the eastern mainland. It was home to the seventh, and second toughest, Gym in Hoenn. It was said to be a very pretty place, with lots of diving spots and even a space center. Did V want to take a holiday? "Why?"
"After Geo and Machop evolved, I watched those evolution videos with Eeveevee again. Her mind's made up on glaceon." A smile broke V's lips. "It's the snowflakes. There's an ice rock north of Mossdeep."
Still seated in the grass with Abra's head against her chest, Anabel hugged Abra harder. She'd miss so much, again! "Uncle, when do I have to go?"
"You're with the people who love you most in the world, Ann," Uncle said. A tendril of misty water stretched out from him, almost brushing her cheek. "This is as easy as it'll get for you with non-psychics and, well…"
"I'm sorry, I –" She flinched, suddenly confused. He… he was sorry, not her. Well she was, but she hadn't been before he'd reminded her with-
"How are you feeling?" Uncle's voice tore her back to reality.
She hated the point that he was making. "All over the place …" she admitted sullenly. It was a miracle she hadn't burst into tears yet.
And she was so tired.
She blinked. The oddest blanket off cotton warmth was draped over her mind. She'd felt it before. Her eyes fell on Abra. He was asleep, in a weird seated-hunched position with his thick tail curled over his crossed legs. His head still heavy against her chest.
Anabel fought the building yawn in her chest. 'Merging' or not, she'd better not start sleeping sixteen hours a day.
"We're leaving on Friday," Uncle said softly, chimes with sharpened edges reaching out towards her.
Afraid of the bite of fear, Anabel exhaled when she realized what her uncle felt was just concern. Friday. Just two days and then…
Bubbles popped all around, drawing a helpless grin on her lips. What-
V had a weird tight-lipped smile, a calculating look in her eyes. "Ann, this is tough now. Later, though, you're going to be incredible. Abra must learn to teleport you, and if he learns to teleport both of us together... We'll never, ever get into trouble again!"
Ann watched amazed as V's slicing fear and slithers of acid bitterness fought against an onslaught of bubbles and a thick fog of… something. Something safe, something ambitious, and the chimes ringing around them proved that friendship was winning despite all the disappointment.
A tear escaped her eyes. Ghosts, she was tired.
'Incredible.' Anabel laughed softly, relief only bringing more treacherous tears. "I wish you could come with me."
"I won't be far," V vowed. "I'll call, and remember the codes. We can help, okay? First sign of trouble, I'm getting you out of there."
Anabel gently set Abra down in a comfortable sleeping position. She stood up and wrapped her best friend in a desperate hug. She didn't want to forget this feeling. Everyone's special brand of chimes.
"Could we… Could we free Metagross tomorrow? I'm not sure I'll get another chance soon."
She'd be less tired by tomorrow, and she could calm it. Them. The four beldum stuck in one metagross. The pokecenter couldn't do anything for metagross. Now Anabel might really be able to help them.
She just didn't want everyone to think that this was bad. She didn't want to be a freak.
Just one more chapter to go. Thanks for being part of this.