Disclaimer: I only own the stuff I make up.
Author's Notes: To start out, I'm going to say what I always say: thank you to all my reviewers! You know who you are! I appreciate your thoughts and comments very much. I would also like to, as per usual, thank my two buddies AC Ishida and Mystique Meowth for being great author friends and beta readers. For a while, I had writer's block on this story, and didn't know exactly how to approach the escalating events and eventual end of the story, but now I know what I will do. So you can be sure of seeing more of this story. That's a good thing, right? XD Please enjoy!
~*Forget Me Not*~ part 4
James stumbled into the clearing and sank down to his knees. He stared mindlessly at the log directly in front of him, the same spot in which he and Jessie had sat just a little while ago, now an eternity away. He remembered painfully their short quarrel, and how he hadn't gone after her. He'd caused her to leave. Now she was dead. If he hadn't opened his mouth and disagreed with her, she would have never gone to that pokemon center, and would be alive right now, in front of him. Everything would be fine.
He recalled the officer's words. 'It was no accident.' 'There was a murder.'
"She's right," James said softly and slowly. "It's my fault she's gone. That means I…" He choked on his words and felt tears slide down his cheeks. He drew a shaky breath and looked up at the clear sky, just starting to fade into evening. Knowing if he started mourning now, he may never stop, James forced down his sorrow. 'Jessie is strong, she'd want me to be strong too,' he thought.
But no matter how he tried, the image of Jessie burst into his mind and a terrible grief welled up in him. He set his jaw and stared forward, desperately commanding himself to stay calm, but nothing was of any use. Before he could stop himself, he let out a sob, and then became aware of the rivers running down his face. James shook as he wiped his eyes, breathing raggedly and irregular. Finally he gave himself up to misery, put his head down, and cried.
James was still the same way when Meowth found him. The cat looked surprised and then rushed forward, asking a hasty, "What's da matta wit yous, Jimmy?"
He didn't respond, just reached out one arm and drew Meowth into an embrace, to which the cat sputtered in shock and then relaxed. James was trying to explain himself to no avail; the block of emotion his mind had become was too thick to allow words to pass. Meowth did catch the word Jessie, and instantly came to the conclusion that this had to do with something Jessie said to him while he was away.
Listen, Jim," he said, licking a paw. "I know it seems like she don't care about ya, or any of us, but I tink she really does, and you just gotta wait till she shows ya. Trust me, pokemon know dese tings. She's mad now, but she'll come back."
This did nothing but make James even more hysterical. The cat was confused. "What'd I say?" he asked, and had to repeat himself a few times before James would stop sobbing. Even then, the blue haired boy would not speak. He just sat and blinked slowly, not bothering to wipe the trails of tears that were spilling from his eyes.
"Stop wit da waterworks!" cried Meowth suddenly, apprehension growing inside of him. James usually never acted this way, and he cried almost every day. He knew something was wrong, and it had to do with Jessie.
"Tell me what's goin' on," said the cat pokemon with sudden seriousness. James lifted his head and made brief eye contact, then started to talk, his words punctuated with sobs that racked his entire body. Meowth several times had to urge him to talk, but his patience paid off and he learned the story of what James had found out today and how such an event came about.
At first the cat was stunned, unable to use his unique ability to form words. The area was silent, save for the sounds of oncoming night and the occasional snuffling of James. Then, he felt angry.
"Who'd do sometin like dat?" he demanded. "Jessie don't know anyone but us! And dem twoips! But deys good guys! Who did dis?"
James shook his head, "It's my fault…"
Meowth resisted the urge to slash the stricken boy's face. Anything to snap him out of this. Grief over a best friend's death is natural, even needed, but the cat didn't like the odd, empty look on his partner's face, devoid of will or want. Stepping back, Meowth turned and began heading once more out of the clearing.
"Where are you going?" James's voice had a desperate edge to it, and the retreating pokemon flinched slightly. But he had to be alone for a while. It was the only way he could really think.
"Please don't leave."
"I'll be right back, Jim."
"No…" James was crying again now. "Don't you go too, Meowth… I can't stand it…"
The cat grew slightly irritated, but pity washed over him. "I'm just goin fa a walk, Jim, I…" He stopped upon noticing the absolute terror that appeared on James's face.
"This is just like what happened… a while ago… you're going to leave… and…"
"Snap out of it! I jus want ta tink about some tings, and so should you!"
Meowth watched as James's tense shoulders relaxed and dropped, the boy's entire body seeming to go limp before his eyes. "Alright…" James said wearily. "I… I'm tired… I-I think I'll go to bed…"
The cat lingered a little while as he watched James crawl weakly into an old sleeping bag and zip it almost all the way around. He knew James wasn't going to take this easily, and would take a long time to recover, if he ever did, but some thoughts were better sorted alone. He turned, got on all fours and padded silently over the dead leaves and twigs, and vanished into the dark shadows of the forest.
~*~
Lucille sat on a low tree branch; kicking her youthful legs and watching the sun sink behind the hills. It had been so long since she's seen a real sunset. The stars were just beginning to peep out of the colorful sky, and the trees were cast in a golden hue. She sighed, reaching out an arm to catch the light of the waning rays.
Laughing a little, Ash's body leapt down and landed hard on his feet. She didn't care; however. These parts weren't hers. It was Ash who would feel sore.
She gave a low chuckle in triumph. This experience was enjoyable, to say the least. Lucille wished she could remember times like these, when she had her own body. Deep down, she longed to see a face that lit up in recognition upon seeing her. She was jealous of Ash and his many friends. It just didn't seem fair to her.
So, she planned what in her mind was justified. Causing Ash to lose all his friends, and memories, just like she had hers. Then she would have someone to talk to, and she could teach him not to be so dense. They would be best friends, and she wouldn't have to alone all the time. Ash's lips quivered, and then grinned.
But thoughts of revenge plagued her. The fact that she couldn't remember anything was driving her insane. Ash's brain was as empty as her nonexistent one. But she didn't want to give up just yet. Lucille figured if she could find something that resembled her old life, there could be a trigger of response, and she would remember.
The sound of something snapping twigs and disturbing the dry leaves a little to her left disturbed her. She ran her fingers through dark, spiky hair and gave an annoyed sigh as she looked over her shoulder to see who it was.
A Meowth hopped out of the bushes and froze when it saw Ash in front of him. To Lucille's great surprise, it muttered, "Tw… twoip?"
Ash's eyes widened as Lucille took in the oddness of this situation. She never knew pokemon had the ability to talk. The cat was taking a few steps back.
"Look, I was jus takin a walk, an I'm not in da mood for a fight, so let's let dis slide, okay?" he said, looking up at her.
She could deduce from the fear in his voice that Ash was nothing to laugh at. She felt somewhat proud at that moment, but quelled the emotion immediately. Beckoning to the cat, she said in her young boy's voice: "Come here."
Meowth hesitated, and then said, "Why should I?" She frowned. Perhaps Ash didn't wield the respect she had previously thought.
Don't even think about it.
'Ash!' she thought jocosely. 'I thought you had given up!'
Please, not Meowth, and not my body.
Lucille was thinking, and Meowth was getting impatient. She leaned her young head back. A talking pokemon! What could she do with him, and how could she keep Ash to herself?
'Ash… for what I'm about to do, please don't think any less of me,' she thought with a smile. She wheeled around and looked for a tree, or a rock, or anything hard. "This is your lucky day, cat," she said, and winked, to which Meowth looked angry and confused.
The feline countenance switched from anger to horror in a matter of seconds, as he watched Ash approach and knock on a tree trunk a few times, and then proceed to hit his head as hard as possible, effectively knocking him and causing his to crumple to the ground.
The cat took a timid step forward. "Twoip…?" he asked.
Leave him alone. He'll just hurt you if he wakes up.
Meowth jumped up and looked around fearfully. "Who's dat?" he said rather than asked. "I said who's dere?"
Lucille was surprised to find out this cat she was in was a friend of the young lady she put to rest. She found joy in the aftermath of what she'd done. What most interested her was the boy. James, was it? According to the talking cat's mind, he was really torn up about this. Lucille felt proud of herself.
She didn't respond to Meowth's question, as the contours of a plan formed in her consciousness. This cat wanted to know who killed his female friend, and the boy James's terrible grief made her feel like she accomplished something. Using these facts, she set her twisted motives of the destruction of lives into action.
Who did it?
Meowth sighed. "Must be my imagination talkin for me," he said, shuffling away. Lucille's influence over him was not like Ash's: she designed her thoughts and responses to seem as if the cat was thinking to himself. A pokemon's mind was much easier to control than a human's. Possibly because their emotions were true, instead of indefinite and hazy like a human's.
It couldn't have been Ash or any of his friends.
'I don't see why anyone would,' though Meowth. 'I don't understand it. Why Jessie?'
Could she have done something wrong?
'No, but James did say dey did have a fight before. I don't know if dat would have anyting ta do wit it. I wish he'd learn ta shut his big mouth. Dis wouldn't have happened if he did.' Meowth gingerly stepped over a fallen root, never suspecting anything out of the ordinary, but Lucille was slowly corroding his trust in his friends. She chortled softly. This boy, James, was certainly interesting to her. She could really have a good time with him.
Maybe it was him.
The feline paws slowed, and then stopped. 'Jimmy? No, he would never do dat. Never.' His tail flitted as he continued along the forest floor.
He sure seems broken up, about it, though. Guilt? After all, they did have a fight. Maybe she really angered him.
'It can't be… I don't tink so. Jess was Jimmy's very best friend. He couldn't do dat, ever. Not ta anyone.' Lucille felt a twinge of victory at the uncertainty in the cat's voice.
But the more I think about it, the more it seems right…
Surely Meowth won't disagree with himself, she reasoned. She was right. Meowth's brain was racing. 'No…' he thought. 'It can't be…'
You know it is.
Suddenly the cat laughed out loud. "What am I thinkin?" he said out loud. "I must be goin' crazy! James would never do that," he added, as if saying it would make it true.
Are you sure?
Back in the private realm of his mind, Meowth hesitated. 'I… he can't have, not him, not eva…"
He did it.
'No…'
He did it. He killed her.
'Not him…'
James killed Jessie.
His paced quickened. "No, no, no," he repeated over and over. Lucille knew she had won this. This knowledge gave her a pleasure like no other.
James killed Jessie. James killed Jessie. He did it. He murdered her, she chanted in step with Meowth's frantic denials.
Finally he halted. "I'm gonna go tell Jimmy exactly what I tink about people like him! I can't believe dis… I taut I knew dat jerk… I'll show him… I have a mind to toin him in to da cops… how could he…" he said out loud, each syllable dripping with hatred and betrayal. These words were on the tamer end of the spectrum, and Lucille's laughter in the back of is mind did nothing but fuel his building rage.
Of course Meowth would have never come to such a conclusion on his own. It was purely the work of Lucille. But as long as the furious feline was possessed by her wicked entity, he was as good as a mindless slave.
Truth to be told, Lucille didn't know why she had taken such an interest in the cat and the boy, but, she thought to herself; even she had to have fun sometimes.
They were closer to the camp than she had thought. She smiled and settled back, waiting for the earth shattering accusations and ice cold words that would be inevitably exchanged. Meowth made no secret of bursting into the clearing, scattering leaves and making much noise. James's eyes snapped open and he sat up.
"Meowth?" he asked sleepily, and then yawned. "Please tell me it was all a dream…"
"What you did was no dream," hissed the cat. James's emerald eyes quickly lost their glazed over dreamlike look, and he stared at the cat in wonder.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Don't play stupid wit me, Jim. I know what you did, an I wanna say dat I will neva forgive you for it."
James got out of his sleeping back and came towards him, to which Meowth brought out his claws. "Don't you come near me," he warned, and James stopped.
"What's going on, Meowth," he pleaded, new tears forming.
"I'll tell ya what's goin on," said the cat softly and dangerously. "You an Jessie got in a fight, and ya killed her!"
James gasped and staggered back. "Wh-where did you get th-that from?!" he cried.
"Shocked dat I found ya out? You're not so smart, Jim."
James shook his head from side to side, disbelieving. "Meowth, why are you saying these things? You know I…"
"James," he said with finality, "I don't wanna hear your reasons. I don't wanna hear anyting from you, ever again."
Lucille smiled somewhere inside of Meowth's mind.
Now tell him Jessie thinks the same, she urged subliminally.
"And Jessie is probably lookin at you right now tinkin how much she hates ya too," continued Meowth. "I taut I knew ya, Jim."
James could not form coherent words at this point. He succeeded in gasping out small portions of a whole mess of things he needed to say, but Meowth refused to listen. "Look, Jim," he said, staring into James's horrified eyes with disdain, "Don't eva come near me. I neva want ta see ya face again, ya got it? I ain't gonna call da cops, but just remember I still tink ya should be locked up foreva."
With those parting words, and egged on by Lucille, Meowth turned and dashed away, not taking note of direction or scenery, just running as fast as his little paws could carry him. She relished in the anguished cries and sobs that issued from James back at the camp, but soon they were too far away to be heard.
Keep running. He'll follow you and kill you too.
The cat dashed quickly through paths and turned several times in different directions. Finally, his little legs were burning from soreness and he came to a halt, breathing hard. Lucille smiled to herself, and laughed a little.
Here is where I say farewell.
Meowth experienced a blinding white flash of light, and then a short period of darkness before his slitted eyes opened and found they were staring up at the night sky. He got up and licked his fur, and then took in his surroundings, which were totally alien. Confused, he thought to himself:
'What just happened?'
~*~
to be continued
Author's Notes: To start out, I'm going to say what I always say: thank you to all my reviewers! You know who you are! I appreciate your thoughts and comments very much. I would also like to, as per usual, thank my two buddies AC Ishida and Mystique Meowth for being great author friends and beta readers. For a while, I had writer's block on this story, and didn't know exactly how to approach the escalating events and eventual end of the story, but now I know what I will do. So you can be sure of seeing more of this story. That's a good thing, right? XD Please enjoy!
~*Forget Me Not*~ part 4
James stumbled into the clearing and sank down to his knees. He stared mindlessly at the log directly in front of him, the same spot in which he and Jessie had sat just a little while ago, now an eternity away. He remembered painfully their short quarrel, and how he hadn't gone after her. He'd caused her to leave. Now she was dead. If he hadn't opened his mouth and disagreed with her, she would have never gone to that pokemon center, and would be alive right now, in front of him. Everything would be fine.
He recalled the officer's words. 'It was no accident.' 'There was a murder.'
"She's right," James said softly and slowly. "It's my fault she's gone. That means I…" He choked on his words and felt tears slide down his cheeks. He drew a shaky breath and looked up at the clear sky, just starting to fade into evening. Knowing if he started mourning now, he may never stop, James forced down his sorrow. 'Jessie is strong, she'd want me to be strong too,' he thought.
But no matter how he tried, the image of Jessie burst into his mind and a terrible grief welled up in him. He set his jaw and stared forward, desperately commanding himself to stay calm, but nothing was of any use. Before he could stop himself, he let out a sob, and then became aware of the rivers running down his face. James shook as he wiped his eyes, breathing raggedly and irregular. Finally he gave himself up to misery, put his head down, and cried.
James was still the same way when Meowth found him. The cat looked surprised and then rushed forward, asking a hasty, "What's da matta wit yous, Jimmy?"
He didn't respond, just reached out one arm and drew Meowth into an embrace, to which the cat sputtered in shock and then relaxed. James was trying to explain himself to no avail; the block of emotion his mind had become was too thick to allow words to pass. Meowth did catch the word Jessie, and instantly came to the conclusion that this had to do with something Jessie said to him while he was away.
Listen, Jim," he said, licking a paw. "I know it seems like she don't care about ya, or any of us, but I tink she really does, and you just gotta wait till she shows ya. Trust me, pokemon know dese tings. She's mad now, but she'll come back."
This did nothing but make James even more hysterical. The cat was confused. "What'd I say?" he asked, and had to repeat himself a few times before James would stop sobbing. Even then, the blue haired boy would not speak. He just sat and blinked slowly, not bothering to wipe the trails of tears that were spilling from his eyes.
"Stop wit da waterworks!" cried Meowth suddenly, apprehension growing inside of him. James usually never acted this way, and he cried almost every day. He knew something was wrong, and it had to do with Jessie.
"Tell me what's goin' on," said the cat pokemon with sudden seriousness. James lifted his head and made brief eye contact, then started to talk, his words punctuated with sobs that racked his entire body. Meowth several times had to urge him to talk, but his patience paid off and he learned the story of what James had found out today and how such an event came about.
At first the cat was stunned, unable to use his unique ability to form words. The area was silent, save for the sounds of oncoming night and the occasional snuffling of James. Then, he felt angry.
"Who'd do sometin like dat?" he demanded. "Jessie don't know anyone but us! And dem twoips! But deys good guys! Who did dis?"
James shook his head, "It's my fault…"
Meowth resisted the urge to slash the stricken boy's face. Anything to snap him out of this. Grief over a best friend's death is natural, even needed, but the cat didn't like the odd, empty look on his partner's face, devoid of will or want. Stepping back, Meowth turned and began heading once more out of the clearing.
"Where are you going?" James's voice had a desperate edge to it, and the retreating pokemon flinched slightly. But he had to be alone for a while. It was the only way he could really think.
"Please don't leave."
"I'll be right back, Jim."
"No…" James was crying again now. "Don't you go too, Meowth… I can't stand it…"
The cat grew slightly irritated, but pity washed over him. "I'm just goin fa a walk, Jim, I…" He stopped upon noticing the absolute terror that appeared on James's face.
"This is just like what happened… a while ago… you're going to leave… and…"
"Snap out of it! I jus want ta tink about some tings, and so should you!"
Meowth watched as James's tense shoulders relaxed and dropped, the boy's entire body seeming to go limp before his eyes. "Alright…" James said wearily. "I… I'm tired… I-I think I'll go to bed…"
The cat lingered a little while as he watched James crawl weakly into an old sleeping bag and zip it almost all the way around. He knew James wasn't going to take this easily, and would take a long time to recover, if he ever did, but some thoughts were better sorted alone. He turned, got on all fours and padded silently over the dead leaves and twigs, and vanished into the dark shadows of the forest.
~*~
Lucille sat on a low tree branch; kicking her youthful legs and watching the sun sink behind the hills. It had been so long since she's seen a real sunset. The stars were just beginning to peep out of the colorful sky, and the trees were cast in a golden hue. She sighed, reaching out an arm to catch the light of the waning rays.
Laughing a little, Ash's body leapt down and landed hard on his feet. She didn't care; however. These parts weren't hers. It was Ash who would feel sore.
She gave a low chuckle in triumph. This experience was enjoyable, to say the least. Lucille wished she could remember times like these, when she had her own body. Deep down, she longed to see a face that lit up in recognition upon seeing her. She was jealous of Ash and his many friends. It just didn't seem fair to her.
So, she planned what in her mind was justified. Causing Ash to lose all his friends, and memories, just like she had hers. Then she would have someone to talk to, and she could teach him not to be so dense. They would be best friends, and she wouldn't have to alone all the time. Ash's lips quivered, and then grinned.
But thoughts of revenge plagued her. The fact that she couldn't remember anything was driving her insane. Ash's brain was as empty as her nonexistent one. But she didn't want to give up just yet. Lucille figured if she could find something that resembled her old life, there could be a trigger of response, and she would remember.
The sound of something snapping twigs and disturbing the dry leaves a little to her left disturbed her. She ran her fingers through dark, spiky hair and gave an annoyed sigh as she looked over her shoulder to see who it was.
A Meowth hopped out of the bushes and froze when it saw Ash in front of him. To Lucille's great surprise, it muttered, "Tw… twoip?"
Ash's eyes widened as Lucille took in the oddness of this situation. She never knew pokemon had the ability to talk. The cat was taking a few steps back.
"Look, I was jus takin a walk, an I'm not in da mood for a fight, so let's let dis slide, okay?" he said, looking up at her.
She could deduce from the fear in his voice that Ash was nothing to laugh at. She felt somewhat proud at that moment, but quelled the emotion immediately. Beckoning to the cat, she said in her young boy's voice: "Come here."
Meowth hesitated, and then said, "Why should I?" She frowned. Perhaps Ash didn't wield the respect she had previously thought.
Don't even think about it.
'Ash!' she thought jocosely. 'I thought you had given up!'
Please, not Meowth, and not my body.
Lucille was thinking, and Meowth was getting impatient. She leaned her young head back. A talking pokemon! What could she do with him, and how could she keep Ash to herself?
'Ash… for what I'm about to do, please don't think any less of me,' she thought with a smile. She wheeled around and looked for a tree, or a rock, or anything hard. "This is your lucky day, cat," she said, and winked, to which Meowth looked angry and confused.
The feline countenance switched from anger to horror in a matter of seconds, as he watched Ash approach and knock on a tree trunk a few times, and then proceed to hit his head as hard as possible, effectively knocking him and causing his to crumple to the ground.
The cat took a timid step forward. "Twoip…?" he asked.
Leave him alone. He'll just hurt you if he wakes up.
Meowth jumped up and looked around fearfully. "Who's dat?" he said rather than asked. "I said who's dere?"
Lucille was surprised to find out this cat she was in was a friend of the young lady she put to rest. She found joy in the aftermath of what she'd done. What most interested her was the boy. James, was it? According to the talking cat's mind, he was really torn up about this. Lucille felt proud of herself.
She didn't respond to Meowth's question, as the contours of a plan formed in her consciousness. This cat wanted to know who killed his female friend, and the boy James's terrible grief made her feel like she accomplished something. Using these facts, she set her twisted motives of the destruction of lives into action.
Who did it?
Meowth sighed. "Must be my imagination talkin for me," he said, shuffling away. Lucille's influence over him was not like Ash's: she designed her thoughts and responses to seem as if the cat was thinking to himself. A pokemon's mind was much easier to control than a human's. Possibly because their emotions were true, instead of indefinite and hazy like a human's.
It couldn't have been Ash or any of his friends.
'I don't see why anyone would,' though Meowth. 'I don't understand it. Why Jessie?'
Could she have done something wrong?
'No, but James did say dey did have a fight before. I don't know if dat would have anyting ta do wit it. I wish he'd learn ta shut his big mouth. Dis wouldn't have happened if he did.' Meowth gingerly stepped over a fallen root, never suspecting anything out of the ordinary, but Lucille was slowly corroding his trust in his friends. She chortled softly. This boy, James, was certainly interesting to her. She could really have a good time with him.
Maybe it was him.
The feline paws slowed, and then stopped. 'Jimmy? No, he would never do dat. Never.' His tail flitted as he continued along the forest floor.
He sure seems broken up, about it, though. Guilt? After all, they did have a fight. Maybe she really angered him.
'It can't be… I don't tink so. Jess was Jimmy's very best friend. He couldn't do dat, ever. Not ta anyone.' Lucille felt a twinge of victory at the uncertainty in the cat's voice.
But the more I think about it, the more it seems right…
Surely Meowth won't disagree with himself, she reasoned. She was right. Meowth's brain was racing. 'No…' he thought. 'It can't be…'
You know it is.
Suddenly the cat laughed out loud. "What am I thinkin?" he said out loud. "I must be goin' crazy! James would never do that," he added, as if saying it would make it true.
Are you sure?
Back in the private realm of his mind, Meowth hesitated. 'I… he can't have, not him, not eva…"
He did it.
'No…'
He did it. He killed her.
'Not him…'
James killed Jessie.
His paced quickened. "No, no, no," he repeated over and over. Lucille knew she had won this. This knowledge gave her a pleasure like no other.
James killed Jessie. James killed Jessie. He did it. He murdered her, she chanted in step with Meowth's frantic denials.
Finally he halted. "I'm gonna go tell Jimmy exactly what I tink about people like him! I can't believe dis… I taut I knew dat jerk… I'll show him… I have a mind to toin him in to da cops… how could he…" he said out loud, each syllable dripping with hatred and betrayal. These words were on the tamer end of the spectrum, and Lucille's laughter in the back of is mind did nothing but fuel his building rage.
Of course Meowth would have never come to such a conclusion on his own. It was purely the work of Lucille. But as long as the furious feline was possessed by her wicked entity, he was as good as a mindless slave.
Truth to be told, Lucille didn't know why she had taken such an interest in the cat and the boy, but, she thought to herself; even she had to have fun sometimes.
They were closer to the camp than she had thought. She smiled and settled back, waiting for the earth shattering accusations and ice cold words that would be inevitably exchanged. Meowth made no secret of bursting into the clearing, scattering leaves and making much noise. James's eyes snapped open and he sat up.
"Meowth?" he asked sleepily, and then yawned. "Please tell me it was all a dream…"
"What you did was no dream," hissed the cat. James's emerald eyes quickly lost their glazed over dreamlike look, and he stared at the cat in wonder.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Don't play stupid wit me, Jim. I know what you did, an I wanna say dat I will neva forgive you for it."
James got out of his sleeping back and came towards him, to which Meowth brought out his claws. "Don't you come near me," he warned, and James stopped.
"What's going on, Meowth," he pleaded, new tears forming.
"I'll tell ya what's goin on," said the cat softly and dangerously. "You an Jessie got in a fight, and ya killed her!"
James gasped and staggered back. "Wh-where did you get th-that from?!" he cried.
"Shocked dat I found ya out? You're not so smart, Jim."
James shook his head from side to side, disbelieving. "Meowth, why are you saying these things? You know I…"
"James," he said with finality, "I don't wanna hear your reasons. I don't wanna hear anyting from you, ever again."
Lucille smiled somewhere inside of Meowth's mind.
Now tell him Jessie thinks the same, she urged subliminally.
"And Jessie is probably lookin at you right now tinkin how much she hates ya too," continued Meowth. "I taut I knew ya, Jim."
James could not form coherent words at this point. He succeeded in gasping out small portions of a whole mess of things he needed to say, but Meowth refused to listen. "Look, Jim," he said, staring into James's horrified eyes with disdain, "Don't eva come near me. I neva want ta see ya face again, ya got it? I ain't gonna call da cops, but just remember I still tink ya should be locked up foreva."
With those parting words, and egged on by Lucille, Meowth turned and dashed away, not taking note of direction or scenery, just running as fast as his little paws could carry him. She relished in the anguished cries and sobs that issued from James back at the camp, but soon they were too far away to be heard.
Keep running. He'll follow you and kill you too.
The cat dashed quickly through paths and turned several times in different directions. Finally, his little legs were burning from soreness and he came to a halt, breathing hard. Lucille smiled to herself, and laughed a little.
Here is where I say farewell.
Meowth experienced a blinding white flash of light, and then a short period of darkness before his slitted eyes opened and found they were staring up at the night sky. He got up and licked his fur, and then took in his surroundings, which were totally alien. Confused, he thought to himself:
'What just happened?'
~*~
to be continued