Giovanni watched Serena slumber in the seat of the helicopter in front of him. He watched Alena take great care in fastening her in and giving her a pillow to lean on for the trip. The sentiment was sweet, but he didn't care for her comfort.
His brother would kill him if he wasn't careful about this drop off. She'd been missing for at least a month. Not nearly as long as he would have liked to keep her, but she was of no use now. It would be pointless for him to keep her until they were sure Mewtwo would survive the rest of the cloning process.
In the end, it was easy for the Rocket Boss to say that she wasn't necessary at all. But how could he let such an opportunity escape? If this experiment was a success, she and Mewtwo would be bonded. She could have just a taste of his power, and if that were true… the possibilities were endless in Giovanni's mind.
However, he knew that he must focus on one goal first before he could get ahead of himself and ruin all that he'd planned.
He leaned back and glanced out of the vessel to see the region of Kanto coming into view. They were being taken straight to Celadon, close to the condo where his brother and his wife lived.
As they touched down onto the helipad of a building belonging to one of his clients, Giovanni carried the girl in his arms into the elevator down to the first floor. Surveillance showed Aaron out searching for Serena while his wife was at home making phone calls.
"Take her and be quick! You have a fifteen minute window," he dropped the girl in the arms of a trusted grunt. "Don't be seen, she should wake up in a few minutes."
"Got it, Boss."
Giovanni watched them disappear down the street before setting off for his next job, his niece already set in the back of his mind.
OoOoOoO
Where am I?
Serena's eyes creaked open to bright lights and an unfamiliar ceiling. Head spinning and heart racing, she whipped her head around looking for the strange lady or the angry man to yell at her. Where was she? Where were they?
Beside her, a machine beeped in a slow rhythm while all around her was the smell of antiseptic. Wires flowed from her arm to the machine, but she didn't feel heavy and confused as she did before. But this was different than when she was awake the other times.
What had happened? Where was she?
Her mind was in turmoil as she struggled to comprehend the past day or days of her life. A flurry of faces whipped around. She recognizes none of them, or even the flashes of a room she knew she spent time in. But there was a place, she was sure of it.
A place that was different than being awake in reality and being asleep, dreaming. It was different, and she got the feeling that it was nice. An ache in her heart told her that something happened there, but she can't figure out what.
A sharp jab in her skull forced her to drop the memory, and she would. At least for now.
"Rena," a gentle voice sang to her. Relief washed over her body as her mother filled her view, smiling and bright. "My baby, you're safe now. Your father and I are here."
"M-mommy?" Serena rasped, reaching up to touch her mother's face to make sure she was indeed real. Rowan smiled and kissed her forehead many times, whispering comforting words to her daugher. "Where am I?"
"You're at the hospital, your father is right outside talking on the phone with a friend," she ensured her daughter, sweeping her aside to sit on the bed. "Everything is going to be okay, baby."
"What happened?" she continued, glancing around the room, seeing flowers on the table next to her bed. She smiled at them and reached out to feel the petals between her thin fingers.
"Someone took you from us," Rowan spoke in a quiet voice, taking her daughter's hand between hers.
"Oh... Where was I?" she frowned at her mother.
Rowan chuckled in response and brushed back her hair. "We don't know, or else we would have gotten you sooner. Do you know where you were?"
"N-no," Serena glanced away, embarrassed by her question. "I wanna go home."
"It's okay, love. You will soon," she soothed her. "Are you hungry? You should eat."
It's the tone of voice that Serena had learned not to argue with, it sounded like a suggestion, but it wasn't. Either way, the young girl was glad to be back with her mom, and didn't argue when a meal fit for two was ordered for her. She got the feeling that she didn't eat enough while she was gone. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she wasn't given three meals a day, and was rather fed through a tube.
The thought was dispelled as she felt it absurd without her memory to rely on.
Her meal came in and halfway through, so did her father.
Serena had always seen her parents as opposites. Her mother looked delicate with her long blond hair falling in gorgeous waves down her back and bright blue-gray eyes always smiling a calm, collected smile. Her slim figure was always in dressy clothing, even when teaching at the University. While her father was a strong man, one who had worked hard and had the scars to prove it. Opposite of her mother, he had dark brown hair, almost black, and eyes just as dark.
"Hey, how's my girl?" he put a smile on his weathered face and took his wife's spot on the bed. Serena noted the lines on his face and the bags beneath his eyes and tried not to let her guilt show. He already had trouble getting sleep with work, and she had to make it worse.
"I'm sorry..." she mumbled, glancing down at her hands.
Without a single word, Aaron wrapped his arms around his little girl and kissed her head. "Don't you dare apologize to me. I should apologize to you. I should have kept you safe, baby girl. But you are home now, and we're going to focus on that, okay? If you at all remember anything or want to talk, you know that your mother and I are here."
Serena grinned at her father, her heart swelling with relief before she went back to eating. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she had started eating. It wasn't her mother's food, but it was better than whatever else she had had.
While she ate, her parents discussed further action in trying to find the person that took their daughter from them.
It was on her birthday, the entire morning had gone exceptionally well for Serena. She had her favorite, pecha berry pancakes with funfetti topping, and she had received her presents. A book for studying up on pokemon from her mother and a few trinkets Aaron had bought on his travels around Johto. By lunch things, were still going well with Serena and her father spending the day with each other while Rowan taught. But it wasn't until late evening that it had happened.
Dinner was a feast of Serena's favorites. They were almost ready to go when one of the windows in the living room collapsed and a canister filled with smoke was tossed in. Rowan held onto her daughter but was knocked off by more than one assailant. Aaron stepped in and took down two of the four, but was overwhelmed by tasers and then a flash bomb.
By the time the two came around, Serena was nowhere in sight, and there was a note telling them that she'd be back in a month.
Neither could believe it. But as random as it was, Aaron knew just who had done it.
Giovanni.
But with no proof, he couldn't pursue the Rocket Boss and accuse him of anything. Not with all his colleagues held under him because of their director. No one else hated working for the wrong people more than Aaron did. Society is run by people with money, and right now, that meant Giovanni and his band of accomplices. It was hard to find people to trust living this way, but there was one.
Wesley Wataru, an old friend from the days Aaron and Rowan were dating. Back when she lived in Blackthorn under the strict supervision of her parents.
The two men had grown to like and respect each other, they had become the best of friends and vowed to one day change the system. But that was easier said than done. The G-men had been corrupt for a long time. Both were looking for their window to strike and after this, Aaron was prepped to rip the director a new one.
Giovanni would slip up eventually, and they would be there to catch them.
When she returned, Serena was unconscious in the lobby of their condo after being dropped off by a hooded black figure. Of course, the police lost the trail a few blocks away in a dark alley. Aaron wasn't convinced, but his daughter needed him. They took her to the hospital where things took a weird turn.
Their daughter was fine, if only a little under weight. A healthy diet at home, and she'd be back on track. But the weird part was her body. She wasn't violated or abused. However, on her back were strange scars. They started along her spine and lashed out with jagged looking arms to line her spine on each side. The skin was raised, thick and red. The doctor said that they will more than likely flatten over time, but to keep a watch on them as the nature of how she obtained them was unknown and that could affect how they healed.
Watching Serena eat now, both parents wondered how she was feeling and just what happened while she was gone.
"I'm fine, but I don't really remember anything," Serena spoke after swallowing a mouthful of food. Her dark blue eyes glanced between her parents as she picked up a rather dry biscuit and dipped it into her soup. "I remember some things... There was a lady. She was nice, and she took care of me. She fed me and helped me get cleaned up."
"What were you doing?" Aaron questioned in a soft tone as Rowan took a seat at the end of the bed.
"I don't know... Sleeping? It's weird, I was awake, but I wasn't," she frowned at her useless explanation. "There was also a man who seemed angry all the time, I don't know who he was. But that's it. The lady, the man, and the dream."
"Do you feel any pain?" Aaron prompted, his jaw tightening as he gauged her reaction to his question.
Serena furrowed her brow and squirmed under her parents' gazes. "Um, my back is a little too warm. It aches too."
Her parents exhaled and adjusted their statures before taking one of her hands in each of theirs. Rowan was the first to speak, her worry getting the best of her.
"Rena, we ask because it seems that whatever they did has left marks on your body. These marks aren't dangerous, but they're pretty visible on your back."
More frowning from their daughter as she glanced between them. "Scars?" Her squeaky voice made them flinch as they nodded in return. Serena took a deep breath before exhaling. "Are they ugly?"
"No," her father spoke out first. "Scars are proof that we won tough battles, that we made it through life's hardships. Someone took you for something, but you made it through. Try and be proud of your scars."
Serena nodded, soaking up her father's words for comfort. She just couldn't believe that whatever happened had left a mark. She would never be the same, people would look at her and wonder what happened. What would they think when she said she didn't know?
"Is that all?" she squeezed their hands. "Am I going to be okay?"
"Yes, darling. You are safe now," Rowan released her hand to kiss the top of her head. "Continue eating. We're going to leave in a few hours, and when we get home I'll get a bath started for you."
The idea of a bath had never sounded so appealing to the eight-year-old's mind. Since she'd been up, she'd been nothing but stressed. She needed to relax. At the back of her mind, she wondered if she'd be able to handle the hot water with the scars on her back.
She remembered when her father came home with a scratch on his arm many months ago. It was bleeding and fragile for the first few weeks. After that, it became a delicate pink scar once it had started to heal. Too much movement or too extreme of temperatures made it act up.
Was that going to be the same for her?
Her mother would know, and that was a thought she was willing to contend with until the problem arose and she had to make a choice.
OoOoOoO
As Serena stepped into their home, a condo on the middle floor of the Celadon Towers complex, she had an overwhelming sense that she had entered a dream. Her feet were planted on the soft carpet and the afternoon light was pouring in from the line of windows across the room, bathing her in soft golden light. It all felt like a dream.
She let the warmth consume her until she heard her mother calling her into their master bathroom. An immediate left and then a right down the short hall lead her to her parent's bedroom. Once inside, she took another left to end up by her mother, who had put some sweet smelling bubbles in the bath. Serena could feel the heat emanating from the tub and could only imagine how it would feel on her sore muscles.
"I'll go pick out some pajamas for you. Do you want anything while you're in here?" Rowan stood up after testing the water.
"No."
"Just a minute more, and you can shut off the faucet. I'll be back."
The door clicked shut behind Serena and she took this chance to strip down and toss her clothes into the laundry basket in the corner behind her. She tied her hair at the mirror before daring to look at her back. Twisting to the side, she took a deep breath before slipping a quick peek.
True to her parent's words, her scars were visible and an angry red. Against her bronzed skin, the scars appeared smooth with darkened edges. They lined her spine with some kinks and lines lashing outwards. It reminded her of a large lightning strike, or a tree branch.
She tore her gaze away, unable to handle the look of her back. How could she be proud of something like that? Someone did that to her!
Shutting off the faucet, Serena didn't ease herself into the tub, she slipped into it with an angry huff and stared at the ceiling. The hot water clung to her, stinging her skin with each movement until she finally adjusted to it. The sweet smelling aroma clung to her body as she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.
These scars were fresh, so who knows? Maybe they would heal much better than the doctors expected. That was what she hoped, and she'd do whatever was needed to ensure that they got better. She'd rather them look more like her father's, light pink ones visible only if you stared and traced them all.
"Coming in," Rowan knocked on the door before stepping inside with a bundle of clothes in her hand. She grinned at Serena swaddled in bubbles, looking content, if not a little troubled. "What's wrong?"
"These...scars," she hesitated, but realized they would find out sooner or later. "Will they go away?"
Rowan set her clothes on the counter and moved to sit at the edge of the tub behind Serena. She took the tie out of her dark hair, and brushed her fingers through it. As she spoke, she began to braid. "Maybe. They'll start to heal and will look better. It's going to be okay."
"How can you know?"
"They're scars, Serena. They're what's leftover when something's damaged the skin," she tied her hair and grabbed a pin to keep it out of the water. "I understand you don't like them, and you don't have to. But you'll eventually have to accept that they're real, and you'll have to move on."
"But what about n-now?" Serena stammered, on the verge of tears.
Rowan leaned over to plant a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "It's okay for you to be angry and wish you didn't have them. Just know that tears and anger won't make them go away."
After bathing, Serena sat on the couch between her parents as they conversed about something boring, and she pretended to watch TV while staring at the cityscape stretching behind the TV. Living on the middle floors allowed for some bad views of the city from above, but an okay sight of it, overall. She liked being able to see the shorter buildings up close and not being able to see the tops of other tall buildings. From the couch, the sky was visibly growing darker, giving way to night time.
The thought of sleep filled Serena with uncertainty. She wondered if she'd be able to sleep. She didn't feel tired, nor did her brain seem to want to shut down for a few hours at a time.
Would she have nightmares? Or had whatever happened taken away that ability?
She couldn't avoid sleeping forever, especially with her parents on high alert.
On her way to bed, Serena watched as her mother released her Leafeon to accompany her daughter to bed. The pokemon would keep the air clean and even sweet, leaving Serena to feel a little relieved to share a space with her. Her parents tucked her in, an act she didn't want, but let them do anyway, before taking their time in leaving her room.
Their rooms were right next to each other, and that made going to bed much easier for both parties involved.
With Leafeon at the end of the bed, Serena laid on her side, conscious of her scars and the stars at the covered window. Would someone take her tonight? She had a protector near, so probably not. Still, the fear and unbelievable reality that she was home kept Serena from falling asleep right away. She didn't want to wake up and realize that it was a dream in a dream. That she wasn't home at all, and that she'd be stuck in an endless loop of not knowing where she was or what she was doing.
For a second, she wished it had all been a dream, that way the nagging sensation in her head would stop making her feel guilty for forgetting something. Or someone.
