Chapter 5-A Strange Little Girl
The girl, who came into view, only looked about seven years old. She was very small and was dressed in a tattered green dress. Her feet were bare and her face was streaked with dirt. She looked like she had been crying.
"Look at that poor kid" Gary whispered. "Say something to her, Vincent"
"Alright" Vincent whispered back and stepped into the open. The little girl saw him and stepped back in fright. "Who are you?" she said, her voice shaking. "My dad said only bad people come here now"
"I…I'm not a bad person" Vincent said slowly, trying to reassure her. "Our boat crashed and we got stranded here. We're looking for the nearest town"
"That would be long way north," the girl told him. "I know many short cuts. I could take you there quickly"
"Thank you" Vincent glanced quickly at the others, and then looked back at the girl. "I'm Vincent," he told her. "And these are my friends. They're all nice. They won't hurt you"
"I…I believe you. I'm sorry, I do not know much of the language you speak. I am Tessa"
Vincent looked rather thoughtful for a second then began to talk in a language, which none of them had ever heard before. Ash and Gary exchanged a glance and they both shrugged. Jessie and James looked puzzled. "What is this language?" Misty asked Brock. "I'm not sure," Brock admitted. "But I'll assume that it's the language used by at least some of the people on this funny island"
After a minute of talking and nodding, the little girl turned and begun to walk into the woods. Vincent turned and smiled at his friends. "Come on" he said. "She's going to take us to the nearest village, using a shortcut. We have to follow her, but not to closely, in case her father sees us"
"Vincent" Jessie said. "What was that funny language you spoke in?"
"The native language here. But don't worry. A lot of people talk the same language as we do now. At least in the villages"
"Did she tell you anything about the island?" Ash asked, as they started walking. "Are there any gyms here?"
"I have no idea," Vincent admitted. "But when we come to the next village, I intend to find out"
After about twenty minutes, the girl stopped them. "The village is just over there," she whispered, pointing over to one of the small houses. "I have to go. Please take care. It's very dangerous here and I don't want you to get hurt"
"We won't" Vincent whispered back. "Take care Tessa"
They stood silently and watched the little girl slip off, the way they had just come. "She was strange" Brock commented. "I hope she gets back okay"
"She will" Vincent reassured them, leading them into the village. "That's why she has that Arcanine"
As they walked into the village, people stopped and stared at them strangely. However, when they saw that it was only a boy leading them, they became less afraid. Vincent was able to get directions to a small hotel, where they could get some food. "Alright" Vincent said when they arrived there. "I'm not staying here tonight, as this is a very small village and the people seem very wary of us. Stay here, have something to eat and buy enough food for the next two or three days. I am going to find some information about the island and try and get a map. But wait here, all of you. Don't go wandering off. And behave yourselves" he added, shooting a glance at Team Rocket, who tried their best to look innocent. "I'll be back as soon as I can"
While they waited for Vincent, they ordered some food and began to eat. "I hope that there are some gyms here," Ash said to Brock and Misty. "I have eight badges, but I want to get some more before I get to the Pokemon League"
"Yeah, like you're really going to get anywhere" Gary muttered under his breath. Brock began to say something, but Misty put a hand on his arm and shook her head. "Ignore him," she said, just loud enough for Gary to hear. "He's not worth the trouble. And Vincent told us to behave ourselves. We don't want to start causing any trouble"
"You're right" Brock shot Gary a look of disgust and turned back to his meal. Over on the next table, Jessie, James and Meowth were also talking about pokemon and gyms. "Maybe we could get some good pokemon," Jessie told them. "The pokemon around here seem to be strong"
"I don't know Jess" James said slowly. "We don't know what the gym leaders are like around here and that Vincent kind of makes me nervous. I don't think he will put up with us causing trouble"
"Meowth, I have to agree with James for once" Meowth agreed. "Last night, while you two were asleep, I had a few words with his pokemon"
"What did it say?"
"He was created as a Team Rocket pokemon, but he was passed down to a trainer after he hurt his leg in a pokemon battle. He knows our boss, and he says that Vincent does too. It could be dangerous to mess with him"
"Oh, okay. For now we won't try anything" Jessie said. "Just in case. But remember that we're Team Rocket. If the opportunity arises…"
"We'll take it" James agreed.
An hour later, Vincent returned, holding a map in his hand. He insisted that they leave immediately, so Ash and the others packed up their food and followed him out of the village. Finally he stopped and sat down, leaning against a tree. "Well" he said. "I've got an old map and I've been told that there are three gyms on this island now"
"Wow, that's great" Ash cried. "Where are they?"
"One's in the next town, one's on the other side of the island and one's in…in the middle of the Dark Wood"
"The Dark wood?" Gary repeated. "Creepy name"
"I know" Vincent laughed. "It's alright, I doubt that it's as bad as it sounds. The gym leaders are very strong, but their badges count if you want to enter the league. The other thing I asked about was that little girl" he paused and his eyes took on a troubled look. "I asked everyone I spoke to, but no one has seen her. But there are some disturbing rumours…"
"What sort of rumours?" Misty asked shifting closer to Ash. "Rumours about little Tessa?"
"Yeah. They say that three years ago a little girl, aged about seven or eight, was beaten to death by her father. Her body was buried near where we first met Tessa. Also buried with her was her Arcanine, her guardian since birth. They say he died of a broken heart. Her name" he paused and wrapped his arms around himself. "Her name was Teresa Clark"
"Teresa" Jessie repeated, frowning as she remembered the strange little girl, dressed in rags and very distressed. "Could Teresa have been shortened to Tessa? Sort of like a nickname. Like James and Meowth call me Jess. Could it be possible?"
"Yeah, but that would make her…" James paused and shivered. "A ghost" he continued. "I don't like the sound of that"
"I don't think any of us do" Vincent remarked. His strange green eyes looked at them all, and yet it didn't seem as though he really saw them. He was thinking deeply, trying to drag up old memories from his heart. "Tessa Clark" he said absently. "Tessa Clark"
"Isn't Clark your last name?" Brock asked suddenly. "Couldn't it be something to do with your family?"
"Funny you should ask" Vincent said quietly. "That's what I've been trying to figure out. Clark is Jack's last name, and his dad's last name. Damon and I have a different surname, because we have a different father. Jack was born here, and his father stayed here after my mother and Jack left. I suppose it could be the same man" He stopped and shrugged. "It doesn't really make much difference anyway. It was just kind of weird. Don't you think so?"
They all nodded. "It's not just strange" Misty said slowly. "It's kind of scary"
"It's alright Misty" Ash slipped his arm around her shoulder. "I thought that there was something funny about that girl. She just wasn't…"
"She didn't seem real" James cut in. "I mean, I know that this is a strange place and things don't quite make sense, but she seemed like something out of a fairy tale"
"Meowth, James is right again," Meowth noted. "It seemed sort of weird the way that Arcanine just showed up like it did"
"And it was cold when she turned up" Gary added. "It was warm, then it got colder. I though that was odd"
"Sol-leks was growling at it" Vincent remembered. "He doesn't usually do that, to wild pokemon or trainer pokemon. And he kept very close to me. Something scared him"
"So if we add all this together…" Jessie started to say, then broke off and moved against James, who put his arm around her. "It can point to only one thing"
"A ghost" Vincent said calmly. "It's not impossible, I'll admit that"
"How can you sit there and talk about ghosts so calmly?" Misty asked, shivering in fear. She pressed herself against Ash for protection. Gary, meanwhile, was slowly moving nearer and nearer to Vincent. Vincent thought for a moment. "Well" he said slowly. "Most ghosts can't hurt humans anyway and that little girl even helped us. Not all of them are evil, some are sad; some are just lonely and want human company. There's nothing to be afraid of, I promise you. Besides, you have me and Sol-leks for protection, don't you?"
"Well yeah" Ash agreed. "But…"
"No buts. Stick with me and you'll be safe. Now come on, I want to get as far as possible before it gets too dark to see"
