I'm back. Decided to throw chapter 2 out there for now. This time we skip forward six years up to the age of 12.
Never really have much to say in the opening here. That's okay :)
Age 12
"Serena!"
Silence
A certain honey-blonde girl was busy eying herself in the bathroom and putting a band-aid over her scratched elbow after another day of falling off Rhyhorn. She definitely heard her mother call her name, but chose to spite her and pretend like she didn't. It wasn't much of a protest, but anything counted in her book.
"Serena, I know you can hear me!" Her mother's voice called again.
Giving in, Serena audibly groaned loud enough for her mom to hear it. "What, mom? I'm not done fixing the damage to my face!" She called out as she brushed some more dirt out of her hair. It was another day of training that thankfully ended early because of a heavy but short thunderstorm. Serena had never been more thankful for rain in her entire life, as she seemed to have fallen off the rhyhorn much more than usual today. Her face was scratched up and her hair was matted with dirt after a particularly nasty fall.
"You can fix that up after you get back!" Her mother replied loudly. I need you to run to the market to pick up some more sugar. I forgot to get some yesterday when I went out."
"We don't have enough sugar? What are you making?" Serena called out from the bathroom. Quickly, she put the final band-aid on her ankle before giving herself a quick glance-over in the mirror. It wasn't what she wanted to look like, but it would have to do. She had yet to change out of her worn pink work clothes as she was more focused on covering up the many marks on her face and exposed skin. Serena made a mental note to brush her long hair better than she ever had before when she got back. It was the least she could do to apologize to herself after getting it so dirty. She briskly walked down the stairs and saw her mom prepping for baking. Her mom gave her a quick look over and nodded.
"In case you have forgotten, dear, your brother is coming over today and I wanted to make him some of those desserts he likes so much."
A look of realization appeared on Serena's face, and she smiled. She always liked when her brother came over to visit. Except when he would tease her. That was never fun.
"What are you making again?"
Grace looked over all of her ingredients one final time before glancing up at her daughter and chuckling. "Macarons. You've helped me with them before, Serena. I don't know how you can't remember that."
Crossing her arms in mock-indignation, Serena huffed. "It's not that I can't remember. It's just that he likes every dessert in the world."
"You are right, but macarons are his favorite. I should teach you the family recipe sometime." Grace then winked playfully. "You never know when some charming boy might appear and your great-grandmother's macaron recipe might help woo him."
Serena blushed lightly and looked away, embarrassed. "Mom, stop being embarrassing. You know that I don't really like any boys from this town. They're all too rough and mean."
"Who said they have to be from this town?" Grace countered with a chuckle. "If I don't recall, you were pretty obsessed with a young boy years ago after summer camp. Wouldn't stop talking about him. What was his name again?"
"Mom!" Serena replied hastily, moving to cover her reddening face by looking away.
Laughing to herself, Grace submitted. "Alright alright! I get it. Don't joke about boys with Serena." She reached into her wallet and handed her daughter some money. "Don't go overboard on the sugar. We only need enough for this one recipe."
Serena quickly took the money, eager to talk about anything other than her past crush on Ash. It had been many years since she last saw him but he still found a way to creep into her thoughts every once in a while. She couldn't help but wonder what he was up to. If he was on his way to becoming a "pokémon master" like he always wanted to do. She didn't even know for years that her childhood obsession with Ash was a crush, but could confidently say now that her crush was gone.
Confidently.
Now Serena avoided boys like the plague. She didn't think they were gross any longer like she did when she was younger, but she just didn't want anything to do with boys. Or anyone for that matter. Serena was content not being content, just spending her days doing chores and attempting to ride Rhyhorn. After all, that's all she knew. Maybe someday if she was lucky, a grand idea of a dream would come to her, and she wouldn't have to subject herself to riding anymore.
"Better get going, Serena." Grace commented while mixing several ingredients together, shocking Serena back into the present. "I can't wait all day. Calem is going to be here soon."
Nodding, the honey-blonde said a quick goodbye to her mother and left the house. The first thing that greeted her when she opened the door was the smell of recent rain. Serena took a deep breath and smiled. She always liked the smell of rain. Glancing up, she saw that her mom's fletchling was flying with some of its brethren in the air, making complex circles and chirping like crazy. Serena started her short walk to the Vaniville market, dodging puddles and taking in all the sights of the recent rainstorm.
"What a beautiful afternoon." Serena thought as she giggled at a fletchling splashing its friends with water.
As she walked, her mind wandered to what she was going to do with Calem this afternoon. Despite living only fifteen minutes away with their father, she only saw him every few weeks or so. He was a prodigy Rhyhorn racer, unlike Serena, and spent most of his time training or traveling around for races. In addition to that, he was also a successful trainer, having made it to the top 8 of the Kalos league this past year. Serena didn't admit it to anyone, but she was immensely jealous of her brother's ambition in life. He knew what he wanted to do and was lucky enough to be good at it too. He was also the heartthrob of Vaniville Town, something that Serena despised, as girls would often ask Serena how her brother was doing but never about what she was up to. Basically, Serena looked up to her brother, even if she would never admit it to his face.
She rounded a corner and the market came into view. This was a very familiar route for the honey-blonde. Her mother often sent her on errands as a way to get her out of the house, she suspected. Not that she needed it. She was plenty fine on her own.
The market wasn't very busy, as people were likely still sheltered inside from the brief rainstorm that ended not too long ago. Serena hummed happily as she almost skipped towards her destination, waving at a few shopkeepers that knew her well as she passed their wares. Nobody gave her a second-glance for wearing her dirty work-clothes too, thankfully. The Yvonne's were well-known in the area for racing Rhyhorn, thanks to Serena's mom's past success and for Calem's current rising success. Serena may not contribute to that success at the moment, but she was still thankful for the lack of stares at her "less than pristine" condition.
Like a well-programmed robot, Serena found the store she was looking for, purchased the sugar, and nearly skipped back towards the way she came from. She found she was in a very good mood despite her many crashes this morning.
"I'm not riding right now, and that's all that matters." She thought.
As if the universe was spiting her, Serena rounded that same corner from earlier, and nearly ran into two of the last people she wanted to see. A short blonde girl with bright green eyes and a taller black-haired girl with dark blue eyes glared at the honey-blonde, as she quickly backed up a few steps to give the other two girls some room. They wore clothes that looked like they cost more money than Serena had ever seen in her life, and had attitudes to match this "rich girl" persona.
"Sorry for almost running into you," Serena said, keeping her eyes on the ground. She didn't want to get into an argument. Just let the situation pass and get back on her merry way.
The other two girls didn't feel the same though. "Long time, no see, Serena. Lost in fantasyland again?" The blonde one, Claire, commented with a dark chuckle. "You're lucky you didn't run into us. Our nice clothes don't mingle well with your dirty ones."
The dark-haired girl, Madeline, nodded once, keeping her chin held high. "I don't suppose you know what nice clothes look like, don't you?" She teased.
Serena sighed. "I just want to get home and help my mom cook desserts, Madeline." She moved to walk past the girls, but they blocked her path. She tried again, going the other way, and once more they moved quickly in front of her. Even though Serena didn't have any interest in arguing today, it seemed that they had other plans. They were the daughters of the wealthiest people in Vaniville Town, and seemed to have it out for Serena. Every time they got the chance they would tease her, try to fight her, or do anything to ruin her day. Since they were so rich, they didn't need jobs, and spent their time lounging around. They were the real reason Serena didn't really like going into town, since they always seemed to turn up whenever she left the Yvonne household without a family member. In her joy from getting away from riding the Rhyhorn, Serena had forgotten to watch out for them. Now she was paying the price.
"What do you guys want now?" Serena sighed, still keeping her eyes anywhere but on her rival's.
Scoffing, Madeline turned her high chin down to glare at Serena. "Oh we were just strolling along, minding our own business, when we thought of you living in your filth and wondered 'Oh, how does the beautiful Calem Yvonne have such a ruffian of a sister as Serena?', and then you turned up." She chuckled. "It seems Arceus meant this meeting to happen."
Serena looked down at the sugar in her hands, trying and failing to keep her frustration from rising. The other girls took her silence as a sign to continue their teasing.
"I see you must have had a rough morning," Claire commented, her voice seeping with sarcasm. "Your hair has more dirt in it than usual today. Fall off a few more times, Rhyhorn racer?"
Unable to not act on her lack of self-confidence, Serena ran a few fingers through her hair, indeed feeling a few pieces of dirt from her nasty fall tangled into it. She did promise herself she'd brush it intensely when she got back. She felt a little heat rise to her cheeks as she tried to pick a few pieces of dirt out that she could get.
"Embarrassed, are you?" Claire continued. "It's always so easy to tell. You become as red as a tomato whenever someone even looks in your direction."
At this, Serena felt her face heat up more, this time in both embarrassment and a rising feeling of anger. Unable to stop herself anymore, Serena glared her azure eyes back at the girls blocking her path.
"What do you guys want? Are you just going to sit here and block me from getting home, or do you actually have something to do?"
Visibly pleased that they were finally getting a reaction out of the honey-blonde, Madeline smirked. "What could you possibly be in a hurry to do? Getting back to falling regularly? The entire town of Vaniville knows how much of a failure at riding you are. That's one of the reasons why everyone loves Calem so much. At least he's good."
"He's been practicing a lot longer than I have!" Serena protested, raising her voice ever so slightly. Her grip on the bag of sugar began to tighten, reflecting her failing ability to control her emotions.
"Keep telling yourself that, Serena." Claire replied, waving her hand as if to dismiss her reply. "Everyone knows that you're a failure. You'll just have to accept it eventually."
"Stop it…" Serena growled, her azure eyes igniting in flames of anger.
"Or what?" Madeline taunted. "It's not like you have any ground to stand on. Rhyhorn racing is a joke, and if you mom accepted my dad's offer to work for him, maybe you two wouldn't be living in near poverty like you do now!"
"Racing is her passion!" Serena snapped, not willing to tolerate them insulting her mother. Teasing her was one thing, but insulting her family was a step too far. "I may not enjoy riding Rhyhorn, but I at least respect how much my mom loves it!"
"If she loves it so much, then why doesn't she race like Calem does?" Madeline countered. This reply was enough to silence Serena for a moment. She knew the answer, and she felt guilty about it. The girls grinned, and seized the opportunity. "Oh. That's right. She's taking care of you. Trying in vain to teach you her passion. How does it feel to have ruined your mother's dreams, Serena?"
Serena felt tears beginning to prick at the ends of her eyes that she fought back with all of her might. She wouldn't let them get what they wanted that easily, returning her gaze to the sugar in her hands to avoid eye contact. "Mom still races every once in a while." She quietly said. "And once I get old enough, she plans on returning to full-time racing."
Suddenly, Serena felt something wet hit her square in the face. Taking a second to realize it was mud from the recent rains, the honey-blonde stared ahead, mortified, at the blonde-girl who was wiping her dirtied hand off with a fancy looking cloth and a smug look.
"Oh, sorry. I figured you looked better that way. I mean, with how often you fall, it's more natural this way, isn't it?"
Recalling how much time she put into repairing her face after her fall and making herself look presentable (save for her hair, which she reserved for later), Serena lamented how she must look at this very moment and how much time it would take to clean herself off again. Her mortified look of shock prompted the girls in front of her to laugh, much to Serena's dismay. Her emotions finally became too much after the ridiculing and the mud thrown at her, Serena felt the dams in her eyes collapsing. Tears began to run down her muddied cheeks, leaving dirty streaks of liquid through the filth.
Serena's mind became clouded with anger as she turned her teary gaze over to the laughing girls in front of her. "You guys are the worst!" She yelled while trying to send as angry of a glare as she could conjure. "I've never done anything wrong to you, yet you always go out of your way to make me feel terrible!" She clenched her free fist, choosing not to squeeze the bag of sugar, lest her anger made her accidentally break it open.
"I know I'm not good at riding Rhyhorn, but I still get up every single day to practice because I don't give up! Have you two ever followed anything through in your entire lives? Or has daddy come to the rescue every time you've ever struggled with something?"
"Someone's feisty today." Claire commented idly, as if Serena's rant didn't even reach her ears. "Calm down, or we'll cover up more of your face with mud. That way, we wouldn't be able to tell if your face was red or not!"
"Ah man that wouldn't be very fun." Madeline pouted. "That's what I like most about Serena. She is so easy to embarrass."
"Now they're pretending I'm not even here!" Serena thought, her anger rising. More tears escaped her eyes as she opened her mouth to continue her rant.
"Seriously guys!" She spoke. "Why do you always want to put people like me down!? I'm not lesser than you just because we don't have as much money! In fact, I'd say I'm better off than you, because I don't treat people terribly like you two do!"
This seemed to be a step too far for the girls, as their laughing eyes turned into bitterly angry ones. "Watch yourself there, Serena." Claire warned, her voice low. "Don't say anything you'll regret."
"Or what!?" Serena shrieked. "You two already try to make my life miserable!"
The two girls walked in opposite directions then, as if to surround the honey-blonde. Rolling up their sleeves, they glared at Serena with devious smirks. "Oh honey, you don't want to know what we could do to you." Madeline taunted as she inched forward. Instinctively, Serena took a step backward and kept on her own angry face, even though on the inside she was absolutely terrified of what they were going to do.
Silently she prayed while keeping her gaze level. "Arceus, don't let them hurt me…"
The girls got a few feet closer and Serena considered running back into town. If she did that though, the girls would just corner her in an alleyway or in an unoccupied street. Nobody could really intervene out of fear of what would happen if they crossed the girl's fathers. At least if she was out in the woods, she had a quick run home after whatever they did to her. Closing her eyes tightly, Serena braced for whatever was coming, but the only thing that she heard was a familiar splashing sound and a shocked gasp.
Then another.
Opening her eyes, Serena herself gasped at the two muddy faces of the girls in front of her. They looked more shocked than angry, and the mud that was on their faces too was much wetter than the mud on Serena's, as it dripped down onto their expensive dresses.
Another handful of mud was thrown from Serena's left side, striking Claire directly on the chest. She screamed just as more mud was thrown at Madeline, hitting her in the face again.
Looking to her left, Serena's teary azure eyes met the sea blue eyes of her savior. Without a moment of hesitation, her face broke out into a great grin at the angry face of her brother, Calem, who was holding moist balls of mud in each hand and glaring down the two bullies.
"C-Calem?" Madeline croaked out, taking a step back from Serena in surprise.
Calem didn't take his gaze off of his sisters' assailants as he walked threateningly in front of Serena, shielding her with his body. "I've seen enough here. You chose the wrong girl to bully today, ladies."
Serena thought she could see Claire visibly gulp before she took a step back as well. Their anger and bravado from earlier had completely evaporated at the appearance of the first Yvonne sibling. "Calem, I think this is all a misunderstanding! You see, Serena—"
"Did nothing to you!" Calem interrupted with such intensity that even Serena looked at him in surprise. In all the years she's known him, she had never seen him snap that angrily before. "I saw all I needed to see. Serena was walking down this path and you two ambushed her. I don't want to think about how you two would have hurt her if I wasn't here, and for your sake, you'd better not have been going to do anything!"
There were a few moments of shocked silence as they registered what Calem said, before they both backed up a few steps and waved both their hands rapidly. "No need to do anything Calem! We were just leaving, right Claire?" Madeline nervously cried out. Claire nodded rapidly before taking another step back.
"Yes, that's right Madeline! I think our business is d-done here! Let's go home." And without another word, they took off running. Where they ran, Serena didn't care. All that mattered is that she was safe and that her brother had rescued her.
As the girls disappeared from their view, Calem took a deep breath and dropped the mud in his hands. Turning towards Serena, he offered a small but sincere smile. "Hey Rena. Sorry I didn't co—" His sentence was cut short by the honey-blonde girl violently enveloping him in a hug and squeezing him tightly.
"Thank you." She muffled into his shirt. Recalling that her face was still muddy though, Serena jumped away, not wanting to dirty her brother's shirt. Disappointedly, it was too late, as she already got a few large drops of mud on his nice clothes. Calem glanced down at his shirt and then at Serena's dejected mud-covered face before breaking out into a chuckle.
"That's okay Rena. I'd rather have a muddy shirt than a hurt sister. How long have those two been bothering you?"
Serena crossed her arms in indignation before attempting to wipe some of the muddy tear-streaks off her face. "Those two girls? Months, maybe a little over a year. I don't know what I ever did to them."
Calem shook his head. "Sometimes with people like that, they don't need a reason to be bullies. I've seen plenty in my travels." Reaching his hand out, Calem ruffled Serena's hair and smirked. "There was no way I was going to let them do anything to my little sister."
Serena didn't try and suppress the smile that formed on her face. Usually, Calem wasn't very affectionate towards her, so this was a welcome change. But she remembered something he said earlier that she needed an answer on. "Hey, when you first threw that mud at them, you said that you saw me walking and them ambush me. You were watching the whole time? Why didn't you do anything sooner?"
Realizing that he was caught, Calem simply shrugged and smirked. "Well, I wanted to see how little Rena has handled herself in my absence. Can't say I'm too impressed, sister. You should stand up to those bullies more."
"So you just let them throw mud at me!?" Serena replied with a sniffle, raising her voice. She wasn't actually angry at her brother, and she knew he knew that, judging by how he smiled and took a step back like Serena was going to hit him.
"Hey calm down sis! I wasn't going to let them actually do anything to you! I intervened before they could hurt you, didn't I?"
Serena crossed her arms again and looked away from her brother, mock offended. "Perhaps. Although you could have come a few minutes earlier if you ask me."
"Well I didn't ask you, so that's that." Noticing the sugar that Serena was holding, he pointed in the direction of the Yvonne household. "Mom forget to buy sugar again? How sweet of her."
Scoffing at his lame attempt at a joke, Serena attempted to wipe some more of the mud off of her face. She wiped her hand on her work clothes, inwardly squirming at the feeling of the wet mud. At least her clothes were going to be washed anyway. And then Serena could get a head start on making herself presentable again. Calem began walking in the direction of their house and Serena was quick to follow him, taking position on his right.
"Mom wanted to make more desserts for you again. Whenever I go somewhere, she never wants to make my favorite desserts."
Raising an eyebrow, Calem smirked again. "And where do you go that isn't the market, Rena? Last I checked, dad's house isn't exactly very far."
"It's far enough!"
Calem laughed, and the two of them talked and caught up the rest of the short distance back to Grace's. Turns out Calem was back in town for a few days before he was to head off to Sinnoh for a Rhyhorn racing tournament. He figured that he could try his hand at the league while he was there too, since he didn't win in the Kalos league this past year.
"Top eight is good, but this guy is looking for nothing but first place!" He proudly said as they entered the Yvonne yard.
Serena shook her head, chuckling. "I'm sure you'll get first place someday. As for me, I just need to find something that isn't Rhyhorn racing."
They paused right before the door, Calem turning his attention over to his sister. His eyes flicked over the dirt in her hair and the muddy bandages on her face. "Still having a rough time, Rena?" He asked, to which the honey-blonde replied with a slow nod and a sad gaze.
"It hasn't gotten any better. I just wish a miracle would happen where I could have a breakthrough moment and know what my dream is."
"It'll come with time. You just have to be patient." He smiled and pretended to think by placing his finger on his chin. "What was that saying that your boyfriend from years ago said? You know, that one that you chanted for years?"
Serena's face turned bright red and she used her free hand to hit her laughing brother on the shoulder. "Mom teases me enough about boys as it is! I don't need you doing it too!"
The door suddenly opened, revealing Grace, who had a snarky smile and was crossing her arms. "I'm glad I'm not the only one that likes to tease her." She reached out and brought her son into a hug. "Welcome back, Calem. We missed you."
"Not fair. Now there is two of you against one of me." Serena muttered as she squeezed past her hugging family members to enter the house. "I got the sugar, mom."
"Well I hope you did for all the trouble it looks like you went through." Grace replied as she and Calem broke their hug and followed Serena inside. "What happened to your face? Did you fall?"
"Well, I—"
"It was Madeline and Claire." Calem interrupted, earning a pointed glare from his sister.
Grace gasped, and turned towards Serena, looking her up and down quickly. "They did this to you? Why?"
Serena sighed, looking down at the floor and sitting at the kitchen table. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, mom."
"Have they done anything like this before?" Grace asked, worry overflowing on her face and in her voice.
Serena didn't answer, instead choosing to look down at the table shamefully. This in itself was enough of an answer for Grace, who groaned. Calem leaned against the table Serena was sitting at, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the inevitable.
"This is precisely the reason why I didn't want to work for those rich snobs in the first place! They act like just because they have money that they own this entire town and can do whatever they want!"
Calem raised his finger, hoping to stop the rant while he had a chance. "Well technically—"
"I know they actually own most of the town, Calem!" Grace interrupted, sending him a stern glare. "I'm trying to be an angry mother here!"
Calem shrugged and then gave Serena a supportive smile. The honey-blonde sighed and smiled back while their mother ranted on. In truth, there was nothing they could do. The families of those girls were too powerful, and the best everyone else could do was wait to see if something would happen that would put those bullies in their place. The only reason Calem could get away with what he did today was because of his rising fame and his soon departure out of Kalos.
"—and if it wasn't for our divorce and lack of money, we probably would have moved to another region so that we wouldn't have to be near those aristocratic idiots!" Grace continued, before setting her spoon down that she was waving like a wand and taking a deep breath.
"Done yet?" Calem asked cheekily, to which Grace nodded in reply. "Good. Sometimes I know it feels good to vent, but there's nothing we can do."
"I know. Kalosean aristocracy just frustrates me so much, dear."
"Tell me about it." Serena commented, resting her head on her hands in front of her. "You two aren't the ones having mud thrown at your face."
It was silent for a few moments then. Grace thanked Serena for getting the sugar and apologized for the treatment she received on the way home before returning to her baking. Meanwhile, Calem took the opportunity to look over at Serena, who was absentmindedly staring at the table, no doubt lost in her thoughts. She managed to wipe most of the mud off of her face, which revealed a few band-aids from her earlier fall. She looked rather sad, so Calem decided it was time to try and make her smile again. Tapping on the table to get her attention, Calem gave her a sneaky smile.
"You know, even if I had to come save you, I do like that you gave those two girls a piece of your mind."
Serena sighed, looking back at the table. "Yeah, it felt good to say it, but look where it got me." She gestured towards herself. "I'm going to have to shower again, and who knows how long it'll take to get all of this mud out of my face and already dirty hair!"
"Sometimes you just have to say what needs to be said, honey." Grace chimed in while measuring ingredients out in the nearby kitchen. "You definitely got that from me. Your dad is much too reserved."
Serena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, thanks mom. That means the mud in my hair is partially your fault too."
Calem chuckled then, prompting his sister to look at him suspiciously. "I also heard that you don't give up on racing Rhyhorn. That sounds familiar. Where did that come from?"
Serena's face turned a light shade of pink, and she could almost feel her mother's smirk on her without even looking over.
"Did she say that now?" Grace added. You could hear her smile in her voice. "Well, I'll have to remember that tomorrow when we try again. And I'll restart my efforts to hunt down that Kanto boy. Maybe he could send you some support?"
The honey-blonde groaned and hid her reddening face in her hands. Boys were never a subject she wanted to talk about. Especially that one. "Why do you guys tease me so much about that?" She muffled out into her hands.
Calem and Grace both laughed, with the former walking over and rubbing his sister's shoulder playfully. "Because for years all we heard about was how much you adored that boy for being your friend at summer camp! You wouldn't shut up about him! And then all of a sudden, you hit the age of 10, and you never want to talk about him, and get all red in the face whenever he's brought up."
"Stop…" Serena groaned out, putting her hands down to reveal her reddened face. Despite this, her mouth curled up in a slight smile. "I just figured out that I probably shouldn't have been talking about him like that, lest you two get the wrong idea."
"Oh, we got the wrong idea alright." Grace chuckled. "Your crush on him for years was pretty cute."
"Yeah, I can still picture the dreamy look in your eyes whenever someone would say his name. Now you can't even talk about him without blushing!" Calem joined in, putting his hand on his head dramatically and looking away. "Oh, how poor Ash would be hurt! The girl of his dreams won't even say his name!"
Unable to hide her smile or her blush, Serena scooted her chair out and ran away, leaving the laughter of her brother and mother behind in the kitchen. She ran up to the bathroom, partly to begin the task of cleaning herself up, and partly to escape her teasing family. Truthfully, she really enjoyed having her brother around. She couldn't show it, as there was still her sibling pride to keep up, but she loved when he would mess with her. It distracted her from her Rhyhorn woes and general pessimistic view on life, and there was the simple truth that it was impossible to be sad when Calem was around. He was supportive when he needed to be, and a teasing older brother the rest of the time.
Serena certainly didn't appreciate when he ganged up on her with their mom to tease her about Ash and boys in general though. According to her mom, Serena's "in a stage where boys are beginning to become appealing", as she heard in a very uncomfortable conversation that she was forced to have a few months ago.
Ever since then, it was like her mind was corrupted, and even the mention of boys dating or liking Serena was enough to make her blush. Especially the boy from her past—Ash Ketchum from Kanto—which unfortunately her family hadn't forgotten about and loved to tease her for. After all, he's pretty much the only boy Serena was ever friends with throughout her life, and thus perfect "Make fun of Serena" material. The other boys in town were either rich and stuck up, or country boys who were interested in things Serena wasn't interested in.
Serena turned on the sink and wetted her hands, ready to begin the process of washing her face before the more difficult task of washing her hair. Downstairs, the chatting and laughing voices of Calem and their mother could be heard. Shaking her head and smiling, Serena silently thanked Calem again for saving her from those bullies today. Her mind then wandered to the events of the day. She brutally fell off of Rhyhorn, got saved from her failure by the rain, went into town to get sugar, and almost got beat up by two rich girls, and finally was saved by her brother. The day was barely half way over too! There would be chores to do later, but with Calem around, it wouldn't be bad.
As she finished getting the mud off of her face, Serena then thought of the boy from the past that her family loved to tease her about. It had been six years since she last saw him or heard from him, and had accepted that she probably wouldn't ever see him again. It was fun while it lasted, but her mom was right: Kanto was pretty far away, and they had no way of contacting each other. Even so, Serena found herself wondering every once in a while what he was doing, or how he was doing. It never lasted more than those two questions, but still, the thought did cross her mind.
She was 12 now, and if she recalled correctly, he was the same age as her, and that people typically started their Pokémon journeys at 10. So, if he still wanted to be a Pokémon master like he often talked about during their week at summer camp, he was two years into his journey at this point. She wondered if he ever thought of her like she thought of him, or if he even remembered her.
Shaking her head as if to mock herself, Serena looked at herself in the mirror. Her face looked better—minus the band-aids—and now it was time to tackle the dirty and muddy mess that was her hair.
"This is going to take a while…" She said out loud with a sigh.
And it would. But the honey-blonde occupied herself with thoughts of what her "Kanto-hero" was doing, as Calem once referred to him as. Little did she know, he was just starting out his journey in Johto, and was on his way to becoming a pokémon master. For now, Serena would just live out her days, waiting for her miracle that would give her a dream. She would wait as long as she needed to…
Ah yes. Teenage bullies. Gotta love em, you know? I figured that since Kalos is based off of France and a time period is never mentioned, that I could add some good ol' aristocratic rich girls. As you can tell, I've take a few creative liberties with writing some aspects of Serena's life, but I've kept almost everything major the same. Except for big obvious things like Calem, of course. Thought he'd make for a good teasing older brother figure. I also couldn't remember where Serena learned the macaron recipe, or if it was ever explained in the first place. So, instead of trying to find like a 5 second clip across like 15 episodes of where she got the recipe from, I figured I'd just make it a family recipe. Sounds good enough to me.
Anyway, I'm off. Probably won't wait too long to post another chapter or something. :)
Twilly