Silent Skies
Chapter 1
----
Maddie sat angrily against a wall, staring up at the cloudless sky. There she had sat most of the day, trying to release her feelings upon the cold, heartless sky. The girl sighed, then looked down at the people walking down the main street of Goldenrod City. Those who did look her way ignored her.
The girl felt angry all over again. No one ever paid any attention to her. One look at her old, dirty clothes and she was not worth anyone's attention. She frowned, and glared at the people. One woman raised her eyebrows when she saw the grumpy look. But nothing more than that. That was all it ever was.
Maddie shook her head and got up angrily. There was no point sitting there. Just looking at the people made her far too mad. She rounded the corner, and then another, escaping the ignorant glances of the people. They had no idea how it was to be on the streets. She walked down the dank alleyway with a dangerous hint to her walk. Anyone who knew her stayed away when she was in this sort of mood, which seemed to be very often nowadawys.
She rounded another corner, and caught sight of a homeless boy, sitting next to his fire pokemon. The half-starved pokemon was doing it's best to warm the boy, but it could hardly warm itself. In the dim light, the pokemon was unrecognisable, but the girl suspected it was some sort of canine. Probably one of those unwanted crosses.
'Oh, It's you.' Maddie said.
'Hi, Maddie. Uh... do you want to sit with us? Steel could warm you too.' The boy replied.
Maddie looked breifly at the pokemon. It gave her a look which begged her not to.
She glared at it. 'No thanks. I'll be alright.'
The boy shrugged. 'If you say so.'
Maddie turned, and made her way to her own makeshift home. It was hardly more than cardboard and junk. She sighed, then lay down, and tried to ignore the creeping cold. She sighed. If only she had a companion to warm her, just as the boy had. She shivered, then drifted into a light sleep.
~ ~ ~
Morning came with a nasty bite of freezing air. Maddie sat up, blinking, then heaved herself up onto her feet. Nothing was better to shake off the cold than a long run to nowhere. Certainly staying in her cardboard wouldn't help. She frowned, then ran up a side street to reach the main road. At least she knew all the alleys well. She jogged down the street, trying not to notice the cold.
She ran hard, further than she normally did. This morning, nothing seemed like it mattered. For once, she wasn't angry at the people for ignoring her. She turned into an alley, slowing down. She stopped, and looked around. This place wasn't too bad, she noted. It had many overhangs, to keep out the rain, and it was in the right spot to catch the sun in the evening. She squinted into the shadows. In the morning, this place was fairly dark. It was hard to tell what lived here. A place like this probably had many inhabitants. It was just too good.
But as Maddie looked, she could see no-one. She frowned. Why was there no-one? This place was too good to be empty. She strode down the cobbled path, glancing around. Nothing. Complete silence. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of people beginning to move around. But ahead of her, there was nothing.
She shook her head, then turned a corner. Suddenly, a huge dog jumped out, snarling and snapping. She screamed, and ran the other way. The dog lunged after her. It had a chain attached to it's collar, so that it dangled behind, but the dog was so big and powerful that it seemed to make no difference.
The girl ran as hard as she could, suddenly realising why there was no-one. With a dog like this in the neighborhood, nobody even had a chance of setting up here. She bolted around a corner, and scrambled up a fence. If she was lucky, the dog couldn't climb, or jump. She leapt off the top of the fence, and ran down the alley. She turned for a split second to see the dog take one giant leap, clearing the fence easily.
Maddie gasped, and bolted around a corner. There was a ladder there that led to a roof. Perfect. A dog can't climb ladders. She climbed up, and onto the roof. She caught sight of the dog in a patch of light, and saw it was a Houndoom. She shrank back, afraid. Those things were the most agile canines in the world. She got up, and ran over the roofs. She turned back, and the Houndoom had got up onto the roof. She screamed again, and leapt down off the roof.
She landed in a pile of cardboard, softening her fall. She got up, and ran into a small alleyway nearby. She splashed through a puddle, then leapt over a pile of old wood, with nails sticking out of it. Without looking back, she vaulted a fence, then ran though another alley. She turned, and saw the Houndoom run over the fence. It's chain caught on the fence, and for a moment it was slowed, but soon it had torn through the flimsy wooden structure, and was tearing after her again.
Maddie panicked, and jumped over a metal fence. She turned, and backed up, but failed to see an object laying in her way, and tripped over it. Her eyes widened and she pushed herself backwards as the dog reached the fence. It snarled, and saw that she wasn't going anywhere. As she struggled to get up, it leapt over the fence, and lunged at her.
The girl got up and ran around a corner, right into a dead end. She gasped, then turned to wait for the canine. She could hear the snapping and growling of the dog, but it hadn't come into view yet. She frowned, and peeked around the corner. The dog was stuck, it's chain wedged in a protruding bar. This time, the fence had been strong enough to hold the dog, but it was already groaning under the pressure. Maddie backed up, and ran off, trying to get as far from the mad Houndoom as possible.
Maddie slowed, trying to calm her racing heart. It was alright now. She was safe. She turned another corner, and stopped. A soft whimpering caught her attention almost immediately. She frowned, and looked around. All this alley had was a pile of scraps. The girl stepped over to the pile. The cries were almost certainly coming from there. She pulled away a large piece of cardboard, and moved a couple of cans. For a moment, she thought there was nothing there. Then, a little movement caught her attention. She bent down and moved the rubbish away from it. The animal was tiny, and very injured. She picked it up softly, and held it against her chest. Looking around, Maddie ran out of the alleyway, and made her way home.
Chapter 1
----
Maddie sat angrily against a wall, staring up at the cloudless sky. There she had sat most of the day, trying to release her feelings upon the cold, heartless sky. The girl sighed, then looked down at the people walking down the main street of Goldenrod City. Those who did look her way ignored her.
The girl felt angry all over again. No one ever paid any attention to her. One look at her old, dirty clothes and she was not worth anyone's attention. She frowned, and glared at the people. One woman raised her eyebrows when she saw the grumpy look. But nothing more than that. That was all it ever was.
Maddie shook her head and got up angrily. There was no point sitting there. Just looking at the people made her far too mad. She rounded the corner, and then another, escaping the ignorant glances of the people. They had no idea how it was to be on the streets. She walked down the dank alleyway with a dangerous hint to her walk. Anyone who knew her stayed away when she was in this sort of mood, which seemed to be very often nowadawys.
She rounded another corner, and caught sight of a homeless boy, sitting next to his fire pokemon. The half-starved pokemon was doing it's best to warm the boy, but it could hardly warm itself. In the dim light, the pokemon was unrecognisable, but the girl suspected it was some sort of canine. Probably one of those unwanted crosses.
'Oh, It's you.' Maddie said.
'Hi, Maddie. Uh... do you want to sit with us? Steel could warm you too.' The boy replied.
Maddie looked breifly at the pokemon. It gave her a look which begged her not to.
She glared at it. 'No thanks. I'll be alright.'
The boy shrugged. 'If you say so.'
Maddie turned, and made her way to her own makeshift home. It was hardly more than cardboard and junk. She sighed, then lay down, and tried to ignore the creeping cold. She sighed. If only she had a companion to warm her, just as the boy had. She shivered, then drifted into a light sleep.
~ ~ ~
Morning came with a nasty bite of freezing air. Maddie sat up, blinking, then heaved herself up onto her feet. Nothing was better to shake off the cold than a long run to nowhere. Certainly staying in her cardboard wouldn't help. She frowned, then ran up a side street to reach the main road. At least she knew all the alleys well. She jogged down the street, trying not to notice the cold.
She ran hard, further than she normally did. This morning, nothing seemed like it mattered. For once, she wasn't angry at the people for ignoring her. She turned into an alley, slowing down. She stopped, and looked around. This place wasn't too bad, she noted. It had many overhangs, to keep out the rain, and it was in the right spot to catch the sun in the evening. She squinted into the shadows. In the morning, this place was fairly dark. It was hard to tell what lived here. A place like this probably had many inhabitants. It was just too good.
But as Maddie looked, she could see no-one. She frowned. Why was there no-one? This place was too good to be empty. She strode down the cobbled path, glancing around. Nothing. Complete silence. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of people beginning to move around. But ahead of her, there was nothing.
She shook her head, then turned a corner. Suddenly, a huge dog jumped out, snarling and snapping. She screamed, and ran the other way. The dog lunged after her. It had a chain attached to it's collar, so that it dangled behind, but the dog was so big and powerful that it seemed to make no difference.
The girl ran as hard as she could, suddenly realising why there was no-one. With a dog like this in the neighborhood, nobody even had a chance of setting up here. She bolted around a corner, and scrambled up a fence. If she was lucky, the dog couldn't climb, or jump. She leapt off the top of the fence, and ran down the alley. She turned for a split second to see the dog take one giant leap, clearing the fence easily.
Maddie gasped, and bolted around a corner. There was a ladder there that led to a roof. Perfect. A dog can't climb ladders. She climbed up, and onto the roof. She caught sight of the dog in a patch of light, and saw it was a Houndoom. She shrank back, afraid. Those things were the most agile canines in the world. She got up, and ran over the roofs. She turned back, and the Houndoom had got up onto the roof. She screamed again, and leapt down off the roof.
She landed in a pile of cardboard, softening her fall. She got up, and ran into a small alleyway nearby. She splashed through a puddle, then leapt over a pile of old wood, with nails sticking out of it. Without looking back, she vaulted a fence, then ran though another alley. She turned, and saw the Houndoom run over the fence. It's chain caught on the fence, and for a moment it was slowed, but soon it had torn through the flimsy wooden structure, and was tearing after her again.
Maddie panicked, and jumped over a metal fence. She turned, and backed up, but failed to see an object laying in her way, and tripped over it. Her eyes widened and she pushed herself backwards as the dog reached the fence. It snarled, and saw that she wasn't going anywhere. As she struggled to get up, it leapt over the fence, and lunged at her.
The girl got up and ran around a corner, right into a dead end. She gasped, then turned to wait for the canine. She could hear the snapping and growling of the dog, but it hadn't come into view yet. She frowned, and peeked around the corner. The dog was stuck, it's chain wedged in a protruding bar. This time, the fence had been strong enough to hold the dog, but it was already groaning under the pressure. Maddie backed up, and ran off, trying to get as far from the mad Houndoom as possible.
Maddie slowed, trying to calm her racing heart. It was alright now. She was safe. She turned another corner, and stopped. A soft whimpering caught her attention almost immediately. She frowned, and looked around. All this alley had was a pile of scraps. The girl stepped over to the pile. The cries were almost certainly coming from there. She pulled away a large piece of cardboard, and moved a couple of cans. For a moment, she thought there was nothing there. Then, a little movement caught her attention. She bent down and moved the rubbish away from it. The animal was tiny, and very injured. She picked it up softly, and held it against her chest. Looking around, Maddie ran out of the alleyway, and made her way home.
