Secrets Exposed
Part 2 : Unusual Dreams
By Freakachu

"Ash! Don't be crazy! There are rocks down there! YOU ARE GOING TO HIT THE DAMNED ROCKS!" Brock hollored at Ash, as he took a running start toward the edge of the cliff. Brock could tell by the determined look on Ash's face that no one would be able to stop him now, and that he was intent of jumping.

'If I get a good running start, maybe I'll land clear of the rocks,' he thought, a second before he jumped. His bare feet left the stone cliff and he felt himself become airborne. The cool night air whipped around him as he fell and, looking down, realized he was much closer to the sharp, hazardous rocks than he thought he would have been.

When he hit the water, it smacked him like a giant hand, cold and fierce. A million knives stabbed him and he doubled up underwater. It was freezing! He swam desperately to the surface to catch a breath, thinking that maybe leaping off the side of a cliff was a stupid idea after all. Ash was grateful for missing the rocks, which were just a few feet away. He clung to one, shivering. The shock of the water had made him forget what he was down there for in the first place. The realization struck him like the ocean had.

"Lilja!" He yelled as loud as he could, but his voice was hoarse from the cold sea water. Gulping in a breath of air, he dovedown searching, not caring that his arms and legs were numb.

'If we ever survive this, we'll be lucky!' Thought Ash. A minute later, he spotted a dot of red a few meters away. Lilja had been wearing a red shirt. He frantically swam towards her, each stroke making him panic more of losing his breath and drowning. He had to save her. He had to save her and tell her how he felt about her. He felt more strongly about her than he had ever felt about any girl before. He fumbled for her, his fingers feeling non-existant. Finally, he caught hold of her around the waist and pulled her up with him. Ash reached the surface with Lilja just before he ran out of breath. The wind had picked up and the water was choppy. The added wind made the air seem even colder as it was before and it bit at his face, chilling him to the bone.

After what seemed like decades, he had dragged her up onto a small sand bar, and was just about to collapse when Lilja coughed and opened her eyes.

"Ash?"

"What? Are you ok? You scared me!" He was even more terrified when she closed her eyes again.

"I love you..." She muttered, before she went limp on the damp sand.

All the world was on fire. Volcanoes spouted lava and the rivers were molten rock. Even the grass was fire under her feet. It burned, but she didn't acknowledge it. Around her, pokemon were being sacraficed to the volcanoes to stop the lava flow. A small child ran up to her and clutched her leg.

"Lilja! Have you forgotten about me?" The girl's meowth tail swished back and forth. She wore old rags of some kind, and her hair was dirty.

Lilja turned around and was now in a different place. She was in a boat, traveling through blood red water. There were people in the boat with her, and one girl screamed "I hate you, and so does everyone else here!" before she pushed her overboard into the burning sea. The one thing she remebered before she went over was the girls hair. It was bright orange.

She floated for a time in the boiling water, seeing nothing, feeling nothing. The sky was black as tar and there were no stars or moon. Gradually the water became cooler, and a large face loomed in the sky. The face looked kind and gentle, kind of like herself. The long hair was dark, and the eyes were deep green. Obviously it was female. The face faded and Lilja heard herself calling out to it.

Ash glanced nervously into his cup of cocoa. It was well into the night, and very chilly.

"She's okay, isn't she? I mean, she did fall of a cliff." Ash sneezed. Brock looked at Misty. She looked a bit disapointed over something.

Brock shrugged.

"She might be okay. It depends. Misty, what happened with you two when she fell?" He questioned.

Misty looked uncomfortable.

"Uh... well, see, we were arguing, and she slapped me. I went to slap her back and she stepped backwards and fell off the cliff. I didn't mean to make her fall."

Brock looked skeptical. It didn't sound like a real truth to him. He just hoped that Misty hadn't tried to harm Lilja in any way or vice versa.

Him and Misty had immediately started running down a path to the waters edge the minute Ash had jumped. They had found both Ash and Lilja on the small beach. Only Ash was concious. Brock had carried Lilja up the hill back to the camp. Once there, noticed that both Ash and Lilja had been wounded, Lilja moreso than Ash. She had cut her right side on something sharp, quite possibly a rock. Luckly Brock had first aid supplies and had then both bandaged up.

"Mmmmrrfff..." Lilja's eyes fluttered open and a blur of black and bright orange smeared her vision. She tried to turn over but a sharp pain grabbed her which felt like someone had thrust a burning knife in her side. Instantly the dream she had came rushing back. The only thing she couldn't remember about it was the face in the sky. Who was it?

"Lilja," A faint whisper broke the eerie silence. Her eyes adjusted to the lighting, which wasn't much. She could just barely make out two silhouettes by the fire and another closer to her. She recognized the closer one as Ash. Hastily, she tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness made her fall back. Lilja noticed that she wore something that wasn't hers. It looked like one of Ash's shirts, but she wasn't sure. Suddenly she felt embarrased.

"Ash? Is that you?" That wasn't the most brilliant question in the world.

"Yeah. Yeah it's me. How are you?" He seemed to have a blanket as well. What had happened? Lilja couldn't remember.

"My side hurts... and I feel dizzy. What happened?" She gasped.

"You don't remember? You fell off the side of the cliff."

"How'd I get back up here then?"

"He jumped off after you." Brock cut in.

"You what?!" Lilja snapped up, pain in her side felt like a hot knife. "Did you really?" She didn't think he'd actually risk his life for her. Suddenly she remembered saying something to him before. Immediately her face grew warm from embarrasment.

She noticed Misty sitting by the fire, a disgruntled look on her face. Then she remembered how she got in the water in the first place.

"I can tell by the way you look at him that you like him alot. Is that true?" Misty had asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess."

"He doens't like you."

"How do you know?" She had muttered.

"Because I've been with him since he started on his journey. We talk and stuff. I've asked him. He says, sure you're cute and everything, but you aren't his type. He wants me, you know."

"Why would he? I mean, you bug the hell out of him, and no offence, but you can be a brat sometimes."

Then Misty had slapped her across the face.

"I hate to break it to you BITCH, but it's true. Why don't you just leave. Ash doesn't care about you that way, I don't know if Brock is even feeling like a friend toward you, and I certainly don't like you!"

Misty had stepped toward Lilja in an attempt to slap her again and she backed away, closer toward the edge of the cliff, not knowing how near she was to it. Instead of hitting her like it seemed she had inteneded, Misty shoved her. Hard. She then felt herself fall freely through the air. Before she even really realized what had happened, she hit the water, followed by a tearing pain in her right side, then she had felt no more.

Lilja glanced around. Misty had to be wrong. It looked like the only person here that didn't want her around was Misty. Brock didn't seem to mind, and Ash looked like he'd have a heart attack if she even pretended to faint.

She did feel tired though. And although she really didnt' want to scare Ash, or even Brock, she had to drift off into sleep.

Once again, Lilja awoke, but this time to the sound of talking. She glanced over toward the fire and saw that it was just Misty and Ash awake, Brock had sometime, while she was asleep, dozed off as well. Both of them were sitting on a log by the fire.

"So, about that bike," Misty started in a low tone.

Ash sighed.

"I told you, I'd get you a new one, but I really don't have enough money for one right now!" He hissed.

"No, no, I mean, it's okay. Don't bother." She slid closer to him and put her hand on his. "I don't really need a bike."

'Damnit, look at her! She knows I love him, and now she's trying to take him away from me!' Then another thought occured to Lilja. Maybe Misty was right. They did seem awfully buddy buddy. Maybe he did like Misty better. They had been friends much longer than she had been with Ash.

Ash looked uncomfortable. Or as uncomfortable as one could look with a close friend.

"I, uh... Misty." He gulped, as Misty took hold of his shoulders and turned him so he faced her. Being daring, she leaned toward him and kissed him. Not a slight peck, but a full mouth kiss. Ash's eyes popped open in surprise and Misty released him.

Lilja saw that kiss and turned around in her sleeping bag. No! He did like Misty better! He who never seemed to pay any more attention to Misty than he needed to. If this was true, then the rest about everyone not wanting her there was probably true as well.

She crawled out of the soft sleeping bag and over to her backpack and things. Lilja went to stand, and the pain in her side returned. Remembering that she wasn't wearing her own clothes, she looked down and saw that, yes, in fact she was wearing one of Ash's shirts and a pair of her own shorts. Her clothes she was wearing before, were somewhere, she didn't know exactly where. Her side felt stiff, as if something was wrapped around it. Sure enough, there was a tight bandage around her middle. She absently wondered what kind of wound was underneath.

Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, she mindlessly scribbled a short note in the dark, and scooped her possesions together. She dressed as quickly as possible, and took one last look at the boy she knew she loved, who was now sleeping peacefully. She had told him she loved him, and then... and then this happened.

Leaving the note on the log, she disappeared into the darkness without a sound.