38. Look At Me Now

Convincing the group to pack wasn't difficult. As soon as Keane informed everyone that we were in danger because the Tamers were coming after us, pokémon were returned and clothes were jammed into suitcases and bags. Meredith was the only one who questioned it since she still believed the Tamers were the pinnacles of goodness, but Keane managed to persuade her to pack without giving her the entire story. It took a total of ten minutes for us to get our things ready, and then we were teleported out of there.

The first things I saw of Goldenrod City were the buildings, embossed with sunlight. The buildings looked as if they had been dipped in gold, a glossy yellow that reminded me of stained teeth. They lit up like a smile would, yet the glow didn't seem genuine. As soon as Corwin spotted a Tamer, we fled into an alleyway and the gleam was gone.

The alleyway was wedged between two immense buildings. Trash littered the cement floor, while dirt smudged the gray, aged walls. We ducked behind some full trash cans. I tightened my grip on my overstuffed bags, while Bundy stooped lower on my shoulder.

If we were going to have to hide every time we saw a Tamer now, we were going to have to change our identities completely, like Henrietta suggested. I didn't know what that meant for me and my family, though. What about Jacoby and Trevor? Mom and Dad? If Henrietta had to cut off her friends and family, did that mean I would have to do the same? What kind of threats were the Tamers? Better yet, why were they after Corwin?

"Have you noticed our proximity to the filth?" Corwin suddenly pointed out.

The filth wasn't touching me, but the smell was strong. "If I have to throw up, it'll be on you, Corlose."

Thankfully, Keane heard and teleported us again, but this time we were in a lobby of red and white.

"I feel dizzy," Bundy announced. He clung to me as he always did, draping his tail over my right shoulder.

"If you have to throw up, do it on Corlose."

"Don't you have to throw up, too?"

"Not anymore." The sterile environment of the pokémon center had settled my stomach. Now I was hungry again, despite the fact I had just finished off the muffins from breakfast fifteen minutes ago.

Meredith sauntered to a couch and dropped her bag to the floor. She reached down to grab her pokéballs and release her pokémon. As she pulled out Poona's pokéball, she paused to look at me.

"…Why are we here? You didn't really explain it. I know that we have to go here for the next gym, but this seemed so…fast."

I jerked my thumb over at Keane. "Featherbutt here will explain everything. I'm going to go take a piss." Bundy saw that as an opportunity to jump off of my shoulder with a subtle cry of, "Ew."

While everyone got situated in the way that they could, I sashayed over to the restroom, whistling a random, off-key tune. When I was finished and on my way out of the bathroom, I kicked the door open.

"OWWW!"

Apparently, it ended up hitting someone in the face, which was an added bonus to my day. I half-wondered if I'd broken their face. Call me sadistic, but sometimes when I was having a really awful day, it always cheered me up to know someone was having a worse one.

As I came fully out of the restroom, I learned that, no, I hadn't broken the person's face. But they were extremely pissed off.

"That was completely unnecessary! Can't you open the door like a normal person? What are you, as thick-headed as a geodude?" And that was when I reunited with Lillian.

I threw my arms around her as soon as she stopped grasping her freckled face, which had pinked from the collision.

"LILLIPUP!"

"Oh crap," she mumbled into my chest as I crushed her into my ribs. After a few seconds, she started struggling and threatening to choke me with my scarf.

"Geez, Lil. If you're this pissy, then it's a good thing we're near a restroom."

"I should have known it was you. Who else would slam a door into a stranger's face?" she complained. She had started adjusting the red bow she wore regularly in her rippled hair, which was pulled up into a side-ponytail, as usual. Lillian was always so proper and never once took off that bow. I bet she even showered with it.

I smirked and bowed. "Yours truly! What's up, Lillipup?"

She rolled her eyes and moved past me. "Let me use the restroom first."

I waited outside impatiently but steered clear of the door in case she decided to take revenge. Thankfully, Lillian didn't even attempt and walked out as normally as she could. She was so different from her sister since it seemed as if she always wanted to fit in. Maybe that's why she didn't like me so much. I still didn't know how I managed to get her number from her.

Crossing her arms, she looked me up and down, as if judging me for my adventurous fashion.

I did a spin for her. "Whatcha think of my badass fashion? My badasshion?"

"Uh huh," was all she said. Worst feedback ever. With her arms still crossed, she continued, "What brings you to Goldenrod? Did you leave almost immediately after I did? And is Trevor with you?"

"Nope!" I explained to Lillian that Jacoby and Trevor had stayed behind and that we had left only a few days after she had. I failed to mention Louie, the Freedom Fighters, and the Tamers, but those were all minor details at this point, right? "What about you, Lillipup? Damn, you're fast if you're already here."

"I was going to say the same thing to you." She sounded annoyed. I forgot how competitive she was. "How are you here already?"

I wanted to say that Meredith was able to beat the gym leaders with the help of my awesome furret and that Keane had teleported us to get us away from the Tamers. Instead, I said, "We're just badass. Mostly me." I posed.

"So you tell me every time I see you." She started leading us back to the lobby as she spoke so that we didn't block the restroom. "I guess my journey's been really fast, too. The clefairy my parents got me is really strong, and they gave me a lot of money. I'm not low on anything, really. I only stay here because it's free and cheap."

"Maybe Trevor ignores you because of all the bragging."

I'd obviously hit a soft spot because she pursed her lips. "Maybe Henrietta ignores you because it's you."

I had almost forgotten about Henrietta and how Lillian was searching for her while she was out on her own journey. Since I knew the true reason, her comeback wasn't really biting. Knowing the truth didn't stop the bitterness I had contracted over the years, though.

Lillian looked surprised when I leered down at her instead of puffing up or provoking her further.

"What if I told you I ran into your sister again?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I hadn't even thought of what would happen if Lillian knew the truth—that Henrietta had been working with the Tamers and supposedly protecting us for all of these years by cutting her friends and family out of her life. I didn't know or think of how the truth would affect Lillian and what she would do in response to it.

Lillian stopped walking to stare at me. I didn't realize how big her eyes were until she had widened them to their full capacity.

"You saw Henrietta?" It wasn't a second longer before her face relaxed and she said coarsely, "You're bluffing."

Could I tell her the truth? What would she do if she knew? Did she have a right to know because she was her sister?

Or would telling her undo all the protection that Henrietta had intended for all of these years?

With a tight smile, I chirped a high-pitched, "Yup," and then galloped over to where Meredith sat on the couch, petting Poona and Kayla. Junie Wittz, the hoppip, was dancing around the lobby, while Bundy chased her from behind until he got distracted by a few of the potted plants pressed against the walls. Corwin had some of his pokémon out, including Galilei and Virchow, while Keane sat near him.

Lillian trekked over to the couches and surveyed the group. "…So why are you traveling with these people again and not your brothers?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Lil." It was honestly because I had needed to leave as soon as I could to find Sophie and Henrietta and also travel with Meredith because she had Poona. Corwin was along for the ride just because I could probably use his big head to stop the curse, but now he was becoming more trouble than he was worth since it seemed like the Tamers were after him. Speaking of which, I would probably have to talk to him about that and see why that was.

"But you are looking for Sophie and my sister, right?"

"Yup."

Lillian watched me carefully. "…Rochelle, I don't know why you and Henrietta were friends with her, to be honest."

"Sophie? Why wouldn't we be? Sophie is cooler than a cubchoo." Come to think of it, over the years my parents had questioned my friendship with her multiple times. She made even Dad uncomfortable, and that was difficult because Dad liked to see the good in everyone.

"She was a b-word," Lillian admitted. Sometimes I forgot how squirmy people were when it came to cuss words. Lillian was one of those people. I had to giggle, though, at 'b-word.' "Our parents didn't even like her. They thought something was off. And you didn't think it was weird that she wore all those pokémon parts like they were accessories or something? That's really gross."

I stuck my tongue out thoughtlessly. "Sophie's a good friend. She's stayed friends with me all these years. She's honest and loyal, and I think that's pretty kickass. Your sister is neither of those things. That speaks loads, don'tcha think?"

She humphed, but that was as far as her protest went. I remembered her mom used to do that a lot while she was arguing with Henrietta.

"Hello!"

Lillian and I glanced at the same time toward Meredith, who had stood up. Poona playfully pawed at Kayla from behind her, trying to spin the leaf atop Kayla's head.

"I hope I'm not interrupting. Are you a friend of Rochelle's?" she asked.

Lillian glanced at me as I made the cheesiest smile I could muster. "…That's one thing to call it. She was closer with my sister, Henrietta."

"…Henrietta?" Meredith brightened. "Oh, we met her earl—" And that was when I tackled Meredith to the ground.

Lillian hovered over us not because she cared but because she probably saw it as entertaining. If anything, she was only ever interested in pranks because she liked exploiting how juvenile they were, which was something she clearly wasn't. I knew this because she reminded her sister of this every time we had hung out, always pointing out that their parents liked well-behaved children like herself. At least overtime Lillian had gotten less bratty.

"Silence is as golden as this city, ain't it?" I whispered to Meredith mysteriously. Even though I had whispered, she got that message loud and clear, especially since I had just cupped her mouth with my hands.

"Are you all right?" Lillian inquired of Meredith, as we both got to our feet. She shot me a defensive glower. Maybe Lillian felt as if she had to protect her from me. It wouldn't be the first time.

Meredith smiled hesitantly, as if expecting me to tackle her for the expression. "Uh…y-yes! I'm just fine. Rochelle likes to test my reflexes sometimes. They haven't improved much. I'll do better next time, Rochelle." I was surprised by this response—mostly because she thought of something that made sense with me. Now I had an excuse to hit her randomly.

Lillian shook her head. "She's probably just using that as an excuse to hit you. Doesn't surprise me."

Foiled again. "Geez, Lil. All this hatred. It's not because of Trevor, is it? When the wedding happens, I hope I get an invite."

"Anyway, what were you saying?" Lillian asked, facing Meredith only now. She was almost as good at ignoring me as her sister was. It must have run in the family.

"Oh, I was just going to say that that's such a pretty name! Henrietta. Very pretty," she complimented quickly. Had the girl gotten better at lying or had she always been this good? "What was your name again?"

"Lillian Johnson. Yours?"

"Meredith Clarkson! I like that name, too."

"I like yours. Are those your pokemon?" She pointed behind Meredith.

Meredith noticed the look I was giving her as Poona started waving at Lillian with her tail. "Uh…some of them, yes."

"Very cute. What are their names? I can show you mine, if you'd like."

"Yes, I would definitely like to see them!"

And just like that, these two ten year olds became best friends.