Chapter Seventeen:
The Day Before School
Crystal sat outside the house, smoking a cigarette while Taheha happily played in the snow, making angels and snowmen underneath a dusky sky. Festival was present, hopping around in the snow, doing cartwheels and making little snow castles. Jazmin was curled up in bed with Talon, their clothes strewn out across the floor. He smoked a cigarette as Jazmin naked on her stomach. He picked up the condom and tossed into the trash, walking naked to the fridge to grab some iced tea. He walked back, taking another drag, looking out the window. He sighed pleasantly and put out his cigarette and discarded it in the wastebasket. He gave Jazmin a kiss on the head and she smiled in her sleep, her ear twitching happily. He was done with work today, getting in around seven. He turned on the television, switching to news as he chugged down some iced tea. Mayor Braham was sitting with another interviewer, giving his two cents about the whole situation.
"So you were there when it went…and pardon my language here…to shit," the interviewer said.
"Yes. I was giving a speech on the importance of unity," Braham said, "And how important is to accept that we are different from mons, but also we humans are very alike. And that push and pull is important for us to coexist peacefully."
Talon sipped his iced tea again, leaning back as he watched.
"Do you think coexistence is possible?" The interviewer asked.
"Absolutely. Unfortunately we will always have…criminals and terrorists with us," Braham mused.
"So the riots…were caused by…"
"Criminals. Before they arrived, the protests were peaceful," Braham said, "Can you turn down the studio lights, it's pretty hot."
The interviewer looked up, noticing he was sweating, "Oh yeah, I'm sweating. Hey, please turn down the studio lights."
Braham remained dry but sighed in relief, "Anyways, criminals came and started shooting into the crowd. I think there was, as the kids say, 'beef', between two factions. It was 'beef' between drug runners and gun runners. I believe if they were not present, things would have turned out better."
"Yes…maybe," the interviewer didn't look convinced, "What about the knockout gas and master balls that were being used?"
"All necessary. Mons are…an emotional people. And we humans are irrational. People start shooting so you go wild—thinking it's the cops. So they start clashing. It was necessary to quell the uprising."
"Reports say the knockout gas was neutralized by someone creating an electric terrain. How do you feel about that?"
"I…have no real opinions about it, really. Electric terrain is a powerful move and not many electric types know how to use it. But from what I'm told…it prevents sleeping."
"Yes. The effects of the gas would be nullified."
Braham tapped his foot, smiling to himself, "Interesting."
"What about the deaths and injuries sustained at the riots?"
"Simply tragic," Braham said, "My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims. May God be with you."
"Some of those victims were mons too."
"Then may Arceus be with them," he said, smiling at the interviewer.
"Ah…and…do you think, well it's been dubbed Red Riot, this will worsen relations between black, brown and mon communities and the police?"
"I…cannot say, to be honest, but…we will see," Braham said. The interviewer nodded again.
"It was good to see you here Mayor Braham," he said, getting up to shake his hand. Mayor Braham gave him a firm handshake and a stage hand removed the mic as the cameras cut. He walked off the stage and headed to his trailer down the hallway of the studio. He went in and closed the door. He checked his phone, frowning at the hundreds of texts he got from his publicists, hundreds of notifications and so forth. He scrolled through them, deleting some and then went onto his newsfeed, seeing the video of a Jolteon woman and a Jolteon man electrifying riot control equipment and creating an electric terrain. It was impressive, but not worth investigating. He pocketed his phone and sat in his chair, facing the mirror. He rubbed his eyes, noticing one of them had become snakelike. He looked down at his left hand. His skin was starting to shed. He pulled a piece of it off, revealing purple scales underneath. He sighed and discarded the skin in the wastebasket beside his vanity. He reached into his suit pocket and downed a translucent tonic. He opened his mouth, seeing that his forked tongue became "normal" again. His one snakelike eye changed back to its beautiful dark blue color. The area where the skin had peeled off grew over, covering the purple scales. He flexed his hand, smiling to himself. Good as new. There was a knock on the door. It was his assistant.
"Sir, your 7:30 is here," she said to him.
He straightened his tie and stood up, practicing his smile in the mirror before going to open his door.
"Yes, thank you, Claudia," he said, leaving his trailer and heading outside to his limo.
Jasper took a drag of his cigarette and took a swig of henny. He scrolled through his phone and sighed. Nobody wanna come out again, he thought. He pocketed his phone and thought deeply. There is no future if ion make one. He looked at a piece of paper where Lakeda wrote down a number for him. He picked it up, looking at it disdainfully for a moment, but then sighed. He took another drag and pulled out his phone again, dialing the number. It rung for a bit and a young woman's voice picked up on the other end.
"Hello, you reached the office of Dr. Gross," the woman chimed, "Leave a message and your phone number and he will get back to you. If you are here to schedule an appointment, leave your name and your number and he will get back to you."
Jasper swallowed a bit, "Hi…uh, yeah. Um…I'm currently uninsured…how much is the session?"
"A hundred a session," the woman said cheerfully.
"Oh good," Jasper said, feeling relieved, "And Dr. Gross is a mon, yeah?"
"Yes he is—specifically of the Metagross line."
"Yeah…" Jasper said, chuckling softly to himself, "Well…uh, my name is Jasper Jolt and I'm looking to have a session with him." He gave him her number and the woman wrote it down.
"Alright Jasper Jolt, I will relay the message. Expect for him to get back in touch with you tomorrow."
"Good looks," Jasper said, hanging up. He took a drag, looking at his phone. He pocketed it again and put out his cigarette stepping out of Strika's room to see Lakeda and Mateo sitting around the kitchen table, having dinner and chatting. He gave Mateo a quick nod of acknowledgement and grabbed his coat, heading out. Mateo nuzzled Lakeda.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah—I'm…okay," she said, smiling, holding his hand, "I'm okay."
"Good…cuz this cookin' aint," Mateo teased. Lakeda playfully slapped him and he let out a sarcastic 'ow,' as she laughed. When Mateo continued digging in, she scrolled through her phone. It was a message from an unknown number.
?: I love you mom.
And I'ma always be with you.
Lakeda smiled. She set aside her phone and ate her dinner. As she spent her time with Mateo, Jazmin was awake now, wrapped in bed sheets as she looked out the window. Talon was still naked on the mattress, smoking again.
"I'm thinkin' of renovatin' the place," Talon said, "What color would be nice for these walls?"
Jazmin looked around, "Blue?"
"Meh…how about red?"
They briefly pondered it and in unison they spoke, "Yellow." Talon grinned at her.
"So…how you feelin' about school tomorrow?"
"A relief," Jazmin admitted, "Too much wild shit in my life, nigga."
Talon laughed a bit, "Feel ya. Is ya cuz leaving tomorrow?"
"Nah…she gon be stayin' for a bit. She gon start high school next year. Overheard my uncle arguin' with her moms about goin' to a boardin' school. Ya know, 'who gon pay for that bullshit,' type shit. Better than goin' to that fucked up ass Los Lados. She gon' finish her middle school stint at her ol' school tho."
"Oof," Talon teased, "Los Lados be fuck shit, bih. But boardin' school tho…that shit dry as fucked."
"Yeah," Jazmin said, shrugging, "But it is what it is. It ain't ever easy, but we gotta keep on pushin', yea?"
"Yep," he agreed, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Ay, put on yo clothes. I got an idea."
Jazmin cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. She let the sheets drop and slid back on her thermal black leggings, furred boots and her crop top sweater. She then put on her coat, zipping it all the way up. Talon got dressed as well, putting on black jeans, fresh kicks, a black and red t-shirt and his bomber jacket. He finished up by slipping on his gloves. He held out his hand and Jazmin took it as he led her through the back. The backyard was unmaintained and sloppy, with weeds growing everywhere. But Talon made a note to also clean up back here and making it presentable.
"Why we out here, nigga?"
He picked her up and she held on tightly. His feathery wings materialized and he flew up, climbing great heights in a matter of seconds. Jazmin held on as he soared so high they were above the clouds for a brief moment. He descended, knowing it was extremely cold up here and the air was thin. From this height, the city was…otherworldly. The gorgeous city line, the lights, the neon signs, the luminous billboards, the lights of trains in the distance….it was beautiful from this height. She could see the totality of the urban world she spent her entire life in. Her eyes were wide as she saw the cars down below, racing through and fro… people heading to work or coming from work. Talon smiled at her reaction. A bird's eye view, she thought. Talon saw this every time he flew. It was a shame that flying types had to suppress their natural affinity for the air and sky, simply to make everyone else comfortable. She felt warm, even though the wind chill was a little worse up here. Talon's body radiated a natural heat that she loved. An electric type and a flying type, she thought, amused at the ironic juxtaposition of it all. He held her tightly, never missing a beat with the wind—sailing smoothly through the sky. He been by my side since we were in middle school, she thought, touching his face.
He circled around, showing her the coastline, where East Lados was. His incredible hawk eyes meant he could see what was down there with great detail. Portia was sitting atop her house with her grandmother, eating sushi. She'd been freed, with no charges pressed against her as the courts agreed she was acting in self-defense. From this height as he soared over downtown Scion City, he saw Zanny walking with Big Smoke, talking his ear off as they went to apply for legit jobs. He moved a bit lower, scanning his surroundings as Jazmin took in the wonders of a city's true beauty in the nighttime. He saw Mr. Ace talking to Lemmy in front of a restaurant and she shut him up with a kiss. As he moved further north, he saw Uniqua laying her head in Nines' lap as they sat on an apartment rooftop, smoking up. Nines waved when she saw Talon fly on by and Jazmin waved back. He flew over Scion Square, taking in wonders of the sleepless city. As he looked around he spotted Andre sitting with a cute Sylveon girl, both of them partaking in al fresco dining in front of a swanky restaurant. He paid for her and they walked off together, heading to the protests that were further uptown. A few blocks down from the restaurant, he saw Tessa, in front of a makeup store handing out samples, looking rather happy. As Talon soared over further uptown, he saw Naz and Vinalia walking together, holding hands and heading into a flower shop. Both Jazmin and Talon could hear the chanting of the protesting crowd, screaming Justice for 77! In the protests she saw Ms. Mega again, darting back and forth with man who was also of the Yanmega line. As he went further east, Talon spotted Belilah sitting in front on her windowsill of her apartment. She was with her friends, looking like she was happy. He ascended higher, spotting Jasper standing at a corner, smoking a cigarette and crossing the street at the walk signal. They passed by a huge billboard that had Arty's image on it, posing for a perfume line. As he made his way back to Los Lados, he saw Alto sitting outside of his stoop, smoking a blunt with his big sister while his grandmother sat with them, enjoying the fresh air. There was a makeshift memorial for Gale in front of their house, complete with flowers. He climbed higher, showing Jazmin the full moon that was high in the sky. She smiled at the sight, giving him a kiss.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too," Talon said back to her, now landing back in his backyard, his feet gracefully touching the earth.
It ain't easy
But you make it a bit easier
She held his hand and they walked back inside. She checked her phone as she did, smiling warmly at a text she received from an unknown number
?: I love you Jazzy Jolt
Be good
I will Strika.
It ain't easy
But you make it a bit easier
I'll be okay