August 25th; 6:30am…Berlitz Residence, Lumoise, Kalos.
Dawn let a yawn escape as she reached her hand out for her phone on her bedside table, and upon seeing it read half past six, she quickly scurried off to the bathroom, fatigue fading away. She brushed her teeth and then stripped out of her clothes. She carefully stepped in the shower and let the warm water trickle down on her body. After about fifteen minutes, she stepped out and threw on her clothes that she had picked out the previous night.
Dawn glanced at the mirror and her expression remained completely neutral as she eyed herself. As she took a closer look, she nearly flinched when she saw how terrible she looked. She looked unusually pale, her hair had split ends, and bags were beginning to form under her eyes. She sighed.
It was the first day of her senior year of high school.
On any other day, she'd normally wake up with a pleasant and warm smile on her face, anticipating another school year. She'd be eager to see another day and how excited she used to be waking up to the smell of eggs in the morning. The first thing above anything else she'd do was to greet her mother with a kiss on the cheek. She'd feel more appreciated and loved whenever it was returned.
As Dawn toasted a bagel, she realized that things were probably going to change.
They had already changed.
Dawn sighed at the thought. She decided to focus her attention on the coffee maker, and how the smell of coffee hit her nostrils. The cool air of August in Lumoise really made coffee the perfect breakfast drink.
The doorbell chimed and Dawn, without even glancing at the door, responded, "Come in." As the door opened, Dawn quickly placed her bagel on a silver plate while she poured milk and sugar in her coffee.
"I'm not ready for school. I swear, summer just started and we're already going back?"
Dawn snickered at her friend's words. Taking a sip of her coffee, she looked over at her neighbour and one of her best friends, Leaf. She had an exasperated expression on her face and Dawn had to bite her lip from laughing at her ridiculous expression and body language.
Dawn's summer had not been the best. That night when she had gotten that mysterious phone call, everything changed. She had been informed by a local policeman that her mother had gotten into a car accident. She had never been so shocked and terrified in her life. When went to the scene to confirm, that indeed, it had been her mother, she felt worthless.
She recalled being tense and getting more apprehensive in the waiting room at the hospital for hours. She tried hoping for the best and prayed everything would be alright. If anything happened to her mother…she'd be heartbroken. Never had she imagined her mother would be in a hospital bed, fighting for her life.
It had been over six hours when she finally heard an update about her mother. It was midnight when her world came crashing down. She had fallen to her knees in complete despair, crying uncontrollably. She felt herself grow weaker and even the doctor had managed to spare a sad glance at the poor girl.
Her mother was in a coma.
She could barely believe her ears, and her heart had swollen when the doctor had told her that her chances of waking up were very bleak. Apparently, the impact of the crash caused a deep wound on her forehead, resulting in a rare phenomenon.
Dawn had never seen herself so shaken up before. When she walked in her mother's room, she instantly wished to be in her place. She had taken slow, careful steps to the fragile woman lying on the bed, as if she was scared she'd lose her right there. Her forehead was bandaged up and Dawn knew she had several bruises and cuts on her body. Her heart had raced and no amount of words could describe how terrified Dawn had been for her mom. She had fallen asleep right next to her mother, hoping a miracle would occur when she woke up the next morning.
However, when she woke up, everything remained the same. Her mother was lifelessly still on the bed and Dawn frowned. Of course, miracles were a bizarre thought, but the thought of one happening was very much on Dawn's mind. She couldn't let her mother go…she wouldn't in a lifetime. She stared down at her, the only sound being heard was the occasional beeping from the monitor screen. She closed her eyes. She had to be strong, for herself and her mother.
Before she knew it, August was slowly reaching its end. Dawn had never seemed to accept this reality, and she'd find herself visiting her mother every week. She had never received any updates from the doctor about her, good or bad, and the thought had traumatized her. She'd have constant questions running through her head every time she visited, and none were answered.
When will she wake up?
Will she wake up?
What if she doesn't? What happens then?
"Dawn!" Leaf cried at Dawn's lack of response, but then frowned seeing tears develop in Dawn's eyes. She gave Dawn a sympathetic smile before reaching out to hug the blunette. Dawn stilled for only a second before she let loose and started to cry. Leaf wasn't surprised the slightest when she realized part of her top was getting wet.
"Dawn, please stop crying." She soothed her, but Dawn couldn't control it. She had been holding her emotions in a bottle after vowing to herself that she wouldn't cry. But when she saw Leaf, she couldn't hold back anymore. "Dawn, stop!" Leaf yelled, effectively making Dawn stop crying uncontrollably, but she was still sniffling.
She pulled away slowly from the brunette's embrace. "I-I'm sorry." She mumbled, wiping her tears with the palm of her hand. "It's just…" She trailed off, fumbling with her words.
"You don't need to say anything, Dawn." Leaf quickly interrupted, offering her a small smile. "I know it's hard…but you have to be strong. I know your mom would want the same thing for you."
Dawn sighed. "I know, Leaf. You've been there for me after I told you about it." She bit her lip worriedly, "But what if she doesn't wake-"
"Dawn, stop being pessimistic. You need to wish the best for your mom. And trust me, when your mom wakes up, you'll never be happier."
Dawn knew that this piece of advice from Leaf was wishful thinking, and she didn't know if she was being truthful or not. But regardless, any positivity caused a pleasant warm feeling to grow in her stomach. Leaf had been her sole confidant through the rest of the summer. Because Dawn had found herself to be lonely and deprived of happiness, Leaf had done what any good friend would do, and lent a supportive, whether it be pouring their feelings out, letting Dawn cry on her shoulder, or inviting Dawn over.
"Okay. Wipe your tears, because we are going to school together for our first day at senior year. Just like any other school day," she said, as she held on to her backpack and gestured for the blunette to walk along with her.
Dawn managed to let a small smile slip onto her lips as the two females exited the house.
Maybe somethings remained the same.
Dawn hugged herself through the chilly wind and felt a small shiver go down her spine. She should've worn a jacket. She groaned internally-the weather was really unpredictable at times. She looked at her brown-haired friend and nearly giggled to see Leaf walking in blue capris and a sleeveless top.
"I still don't understand how you're immune to the cold. It's freezing out here!" Dawn commented.
She smirked. "I still can't believe you get goosebumps over a small cold wind. It's barely freezing. In fact, I feel really hot."
Dawn narrowed her eyes. She knew that Leaf was trying to get under her skin. "Whatever." She huffed. Leaf smiled victoriously to herself. She was trying her best to change her friend's demeanor. She wasn't used to seeing Dawn so helpless and weak. If a little teasing helped divert her mind, then she wouldn't refrain from doing so.
"So, Dawn, it's our last year of high school." Leaf reminded her. "Are you excited?"
Dawn's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Yeah! One more year and it's off to college!" She exclaimed.
"Mhm." Leaf nodded. "What college do you plan on going to?"
She halted for a while. Leaf saw her purse her lips, as if the thought of college had just come to mind. If it had, she didn't blame her. After all, Dawn had been through a lot these last few days and Leaf wouldn't exactly expect her to be thinking about her future.
"I don't know…have you decided yet?"
"No." She shook her head. "I'm going to try to apply after a few weeks."
Dawn nodded and the two girls resumed walking. For a while, she slowly forgot about her mother and started to ponder her future. Where would she go after this? What did she aim to be in life?
Those questions were running through her head as the two girls approached the school building.
7:30am
Paul clicked the car door open, reached in and started the car. He checked his rearview mirrors before sighing and putting it in drive. His foot pressed against the pedal as he went for the road. Usually, the radio would be on and some relaxing music would be playing, but Paul preferred peace and quiet. Truth be told, turning on the radio in the car was almost as annoying as nails on a chalkboard.
After driving for ten minutes, he parked the car in the school parking lot. He closed the car door behind him and started to walk, but suddenly stopped. Something was missing. He slowly exhaled in annoyance as he realized he had forgotten his backpack in the car. Muttering bitterly to himself, he unlocked the car and reached inside to grab it.
"Hey, Paul!"
Taken completely by surprise, Paul accidentally knocked his head against the roof of the car. He gritted his teeth in anger and rubbed his head slightly to soothe the pain. He turned around to shoot a glare at the person.
The chartreuse haired teen sheepishly smiled, "Sorry about that. Are you okay, man?"
Paul grunted in response.
Drew nearly sweatdropped, "So I still see you're the same as ever."
Instead of responding, Paul ignored the male and walked away into the school building with a neutral expression on his face, his backpack around his back. He was hoping silently that Drew had gotten the message that he didn't want to talk right now.
"So how was your summer, man? It's been a while since I've heard from you." Paul heard Drew say from behind him suddenly. He clenched his fists slightly, irritated. He was debating whether to insult the guy, continue to ignore him, or just respond.
After a moment, he said, "…It's been fine."
Drew looked satisfied at the response so he poured more questions to his plum haired friend, "Our final year of high school, Paul, I can hardly believe it. Can you?"
"Hn."
Drew chuckled lightly. At times, Drew found his lack of words to be amusing, however sometimes he'd find it annoying. But Drew knew that Paul was a person who didn't socialize much and kept to himself.
"So, what's your first class?"
Paul glanced at his schedule. "History." He replied simply.
"My first class is English with Ms. Brooks. Anyways, so let me tell you about my summer-"
As Drew continued talking, Paul eventually blocked him out as he opened his locker for his books he'd need for the next few periods. He groaned internally. He wondered why he was friends with the teen behind him. On the other hand, he never thought someone would even consider being his friend. He knew he lacked social skills and he knew it was difficult for him to converse with anybody besides his brother. And to top it off, it was extremely difficult to express his feelings to anybody. There were multiple times where engaging an emotional conversation with Reggie proved to be almost impossible. He closed his locker and faced his companion before he realized he was still talking.
"And then she puts mustard on the hot dog! She knows how much I hate mustard!" Paul heard Drew exclaim. How he had transitioned to this type of conversation he had no idea, but he had no intention of finding out.
The two males heard the bell ring and Drew bid goodbye to Paul, who just acknowledged him by raising his hand as he walked to his class.
12:30pm
Dawn exhaled as she sat down on one of the cafeteria tables, with a tray in her hand. The blunette despised cafeteria food. For some reason, it always tasted bland, and so she'd normally bring her own lunch. She had unfortunately forgotten to pack lunch this time, but she always carried around extra cash for emergencies.
"Hey." Dawn heard her brunette friend say as she sat across from Dawn.
"How were your classes this morning?" Dawn spoke, trying to spark up a conversation.
"Not bad. I had gym today. We played dodgeball. Girls verses boys." Leaf added with a smirk and Dawn raised any eyebrow expectantly.
"We creamed them!" Leaf cheered and Dawn laughed. "So, how were your classes?"
"It was alright." She shrugged. "My advanced math teacher gave us a test today."
Leaf's eyes bulged out in shock. "What?! On the first day of school?"
"Yeah, but it was to test what you knew from last year." She glanced down at the floor for a brief second and then eyed Leaf. "I don't think I did well."
"No need to worry," Leaf said with a smile and Dawn giggled hearing that coming from the brunette.
Dawn found herself fumbling with her hands as she devoured her mashed potatoes. For some reason, math was her weakest subject. She couldn't comprehend the practical reason why math was necessary in life. In her opinion, solving for 'x' and finding the hypotenuse of a triangle wouldn't exactly structure her future out.
"Oh, Dawn! I forgot to tell you." Leaf suddenly said, recalling something significant for both of them. "May's going to be moving to this school to complete her senior year."
Dawn's jaw dropped at that statement. Her blue eyes were gleaming with excitement. "That's awesome!"
Leaf's cousin, May, was really good friends with Dawn. Similar to Leaf, May was a lovely brunette and she had Dawn's eyes, except they were a lighter blue. She often wore a red bandana tied around her hair. Every summer, May would visit Leaf from Hoenn and the three girls looked forward to spending some time with each other.
"When will she be here?" Dawn probed.
"Tomorrow. She couldn't make it today." Leaf explained.
"I can't wait to see May. We're going to have so much fun together." Dawn said, as she took a spoonful of pasta in her mouth. Leaf instantly smiled. Seeing Dawn form a friendly smile on her cheeks was something she anticipated today and she was ecstatic to see the blunette back to her normal self…for now.
Paul huffed cautiously as he turned a page. There were some random shuffles and some quiet chatter to be heard. He uncapped his pen and scribbled something down intently on a piece of paper placed on the desk. Paul thought it would be a good idea to get a head start on his history worksheet that was assigned for homework, due to time constraints.
After a while, he pulled out his phone and noticed it was fifteen minutes before his next class. He drummed his fingers against the desk in a rhythmic motion. He then made a mental note to himself to pick up a good book he'd been eyeing. He was in the library, after all.
"Paul."
Paul eyed the source of the voice and blinked seeing the familiar face. He nodded to acknowledge the librarian and she smiled.
"Same time?" The cheerful blonde asked, although she had a hunch what his response would be.
"I'll be there." He responded.
"Great. All you need to do today is sort out some books and files. Should take you at least an hour," she stated. She waited for a response, and Paul nodded simply before she walked away.
Paul took out his schedule and noticed his last class ended at three in the afternoon. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and exhaled. His shift started at four every day for the week. His average hours were good and usually he'd reach home at around nine, or, if he had additional tasks, ten. Therefore, Paul would always find himself fatigued every night. He'd have limited time to complete his assignments or to study, so the best choice was to do schoolwork in the library every day at lunch time. Of course, if he had the opportunity to change this, he would.
But he assumed he'd have additional time today, since he'd be out in an hour's time. The plum-haired teen decided what he'd do this evening. He had planned this for a while, but during the summer, he obtained another job out of school and that required extensive hours and limited time even for himself. Though, he wouldn't complain, because the salary he received was more than satisfactory.
Paul didn't even realize the bell had already rung before other students gathered their respective belongings and ventured out of the library. How long had he been lost in his thoughts? He shook his head disapprovingly as he made his way to Spanish class.
2:15pm
"Class, here I have this history worksheet. It's based on the topics that we've discussed so far. Your task is to complete it. Since it is a rather long worksheet, I suggest you get started on it right now." Mr. Johnson said, as he began to hand out the worksheets.
Dawn held the worksheet in her hand and then skimmed through the pages. The blunette slowly widened her eyes when she realized it was about ten pages long. She grumbled a few choice words, irritated at the amount of work. Deciding to follow Mr. Johnson's advice, she got started on the worksheet. Her history textbook provided some additional information, in case she was unsure of anything.
However, when she glanced at the third page, she came across several questions that she had absoultely no knowledge of. Scrunching her eyebrows in confusion, she blew a breath as she began to search in her textbook. She had a disappointed look when she closed it, unable to find any relative topics.
She eyed Mr. Johnson. When he wasn't looking, she gestured to her brunette friend sitting beside her, "Leaf. Do you know the answers to the questions on page three?"
Leaf raised her eyebrows. "I'm still on page one."
Dawn rolled her eyes and whispered, "Never mind, then."
Dawn looked at the length of the worksheet and sighed. She'd have to do additional research.
For now, she skipped those questions and decided to work on those questions she was familiar with. She made a mental note to make a quick stop to the library later before she went home.
She diverted her mind to her mother for a brief second. Clenching her jaw slightly, she wondered how long her mother would suffer in that hospital room and how long she'd spend her nights alone. She didn't like being alone. For some reason, it was a scary feeling...one that she couldn't decipher.
"Okay class." Dawn shot her head up to Mr. Johnson, who had managed to break her thought process, "you guys are free to leave. And a reminder, these worksheets are to be completed for tomorrow, and will be graded. Dismissed."
Once all the students had piled out of the class, Dawn exited, carrying her belongings with her.
"Hey Dawn, are you going home now?" Leaf asked from behind her.
Dawn hadn't realized Leaf was behind her. She turned to face her and shook her head slightly. "No. I'm going to the library to do some research."
"Oh, okay. Well, I have to get going. My mom needs me at home. I'll see you later." Leaf said, smiling at the blunette. Dawn nodded, and the two females shared a friendly hug before they bid goodbye.
Dawn tilted her head slightly. She had never found herself so lost and helpless.
And that too, in a library.
She was currently standing in front of the 'History' section with a finger on her chin. She managed to notice some books out of place and it was very disorganized, to say the least. She slowly reached for a book, and gripped it but flinched when some other articles and books fell to the floor. She groaned slightly, picking them up.
"Need some help?"
Dawn whipped her head around to see the librarian, who had an amused expression.
"Yeah," she said desperately. "I'm looking for a history book to work on an assignment. I'm looking for a specific topic." She glanced at the shelf and placed the books neatly on the shelf. "I can't seem to find it though."
"I'll help you out. I'm sorry about the mess. You can't find any relative books because they've not been sorted yet. It should be much more accessible once my employee gets here in an hour." She said matter-of-factly.
"Okay." Dawn nodded.
After a half hour, Dawn had gotten all the information she needed. With a breath of relief, she turned to the librarian with a grateful smile, "Thanks for helping me out. I really appreciate it," she said.
"No worries! You can call me Gretchen, by the way." She responded cheerfully.
"Okay. I'm Dawn. It was nice meeting you, Gretchen, and thanks for helping me out," Dawn said, glancing at the history books in her handbag.
"You're welcome," Gretchen said with a warm smile on her face as she watched Dawn leave with the handbag in her hand.
After a short while, Paul walked into the library with a sour look on his face. His last two classes devoured the life out of him and he just didn't have the energy or motivation to work for another hour. However, he knew that there was no other choice.
"Ah, hey Paul." Gretchen cheered. "You're right on time to sort out all of these." She gestured to the shelves above Paul's head. His expression worsened when he noticed the workload.
"If we don't sort them out, then it'll just get worse, right? Plus, a girl was here earlier and she was having a really hard time finding a book for her research. Luckily I was able to help her out."
"Hn." Paul grunted, as he closed his eyes. Although it may have sounded bitter, he really didn't know what else to say.
Gretchen giggled. "You always know what to say, Paul. Anyways, let's get started. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish."
Paul nodded, agreeing with her, and the two started to sort the books.
6:00pm. Dawn's residense.
"Finally finished," Dawn said with a breath of relief, throwing her pen on the table. She proceeded to wipe the sweat upon her forehead and as such blew her blue bangs up with a breath or two, then reached for a napkin to wipe her face. She hadn't realized when the temperature began to get warm.
She looked over her work for a few minutes, and when she was satisfied, she headed towards the kitchen, deciding to get a quick snack.
But when she passed the hallway, her blue eyes couldn't help but to glance at the photo frame of her mom on the wall. She could see an image of herself through her mom. She looked just like her. Her heart weakened a little and tears began to form in her eyes.
She narrowed her eyes and then blinked, her tears fading. She grabbed her purse and headed outside, locking the door behind her.
She was going to see her mother today.
And despite her mother being in a coma, she had planned to tell her how her first day of her senior year went. They had always talked about school, and Dawn intended to keep it that way.
Because Dawn knew that no matter what, she'd always listen.
Soon enough, Dawn stared at the building penetrating the sky above her. Much to Dawn's luck, the hospital wasn't too far away from where she lived. This made each and every visit much more accessible. The blunette exhaled before she walked in with a composed look on her face.
As she walked up to the front desk, memories of that night came flooding back. She remembered how lost she had been. She remembered falling to her knees and wailing for her mother. Her eyes were wavering when she recalled her mother going up to the ICU unit.
"Hello, how may I help you?"
"Huh?" Dawn blinked. She then smiled sheepishly. "Oh...I'm so sorry! My name is Dawn Berlitz. I'm here to see my mother, Johanna," she told the female clerk.
Dawn waited as she clicked and typed on the computer screen in front of her. "Okay...Johanna Berlitz. Right, she's in the ICU room at the moment. You can take the elevator up to the 8th floor," she told her. Dawn nodded and went straight for the elevator. Sometimes she wished she could skip all the formal procedures and paperwork, but she put that thought behind her as she pressed the button on the elevator.
When the doors opened, she walked in, clutching her purse tightly. She unzipped it and checked the time. When she glanced up, she slightly widened her eyes to see a male in the elevator as well. Dawn pursed her lips. When had he come in?
To add to her surprise, she noticed that he had pressed '8' and she assumed that he was going up to the same floor.
A little rythmic music in the elevator ride soothed Dawn's ears and she watched the numbers change.
1...2...
Dawn glanced at the broad stranger beside her. She could inhale the scent of cologne and for some reason, it gave a her feeling of satisfaction.
3...4...
His hands were in his pockets and his breathing was still and heavy. He licked his lips.
5...6...
Dawn made a remarkable note about the stranger's hair. Sure, it was a bizarre color, but for some reason it was very familiar. Why did he look so familiar?
7...8.
The doors opened with a 'ding' and Dawn watched as the stranger began walking out. Dawn slightly parted her lips as realization struck her.
"Hey, wait!" Dawn called out to him. He turned around and raised an eyebrow.
She walked up closer for an accurate observation and she snapped her finger for emphasis. "I know you!"
He didn't say anything but he expected her to continue, almost interested to see where this was going to lead to.
"You're...Paul. Paul Shinji."
So there you guys have the second chapter. What'd you think? Leave a review below and share what you liked or disliked about it. And now since I'm back to school, updates will be random. But thanks for reading and just like always, I'll see you guys next time. :)
