-sigh- Sorry I make you all wait so long and then spew out this short chapter. -_-;...but hey, they are getting somewhat longer, in the long run...and my hair is getting longer. Yay for me?

-cough- Well anyway...there is a VERY good reason as to why I didn't update last Friday, and it involves Eminem, a candy apple, and goats.

...

Anyway, I GOT ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! I so happy, I not able to speak in the correct of the English language ^_^;; -dances crazily- See! I'm not even falling over, I'm so happy! ^.^ You all rock! I must...resist...smothering reviewers!

Instead...you get this seksi chapter! Yay!

Now read! ~_^

~Chapter Twenty-Six~

I stopped and gasped. "Tamer?!"

"Wow..." Steve let out a breath. "That is kind of funky. Maybe this...April was...a cousin? Or your grandmother or something?"

I shook my head slightly. "I have no idea. Mom and Dad don't talk about their families much...I'll go ask her."

But neither of us moved. I stared at page in shock, and out of curiosity, flipped a bit more ahead in the diary. I stopped at a certain entry for some reason, and read it out loud again:

"Dear Diary,

I never ever thought this would happen. Why me? Why has this happened to me? WHY? I can never ever go on without him. Never. I feel like someone has ripped a chunk out of my heart and threw it away. Mommy is crying in her room right now. I feel like I have been turned to stone. I can't cry right now. I just can't.

This can't be happening.

THIS ISN'T HAPPENING...."

"What happened?" Steve wanted to know. "Does she write it?"

I was also wondering, so I flipped ahead a few pages, but they were dry and crinkled, like they had been wet.

"Something happened," I whispered. "I think she was crying."

The next page I turned to was a bit blurry, but still legible. I continued to read aloud:

"Dear Diary,

I don't know what's going on with Mommy. First she gives me a Pokeball that I can't do anything with, and now she's laughing. Laughing. Daddy is dead—"

I stopped and gulped, looking up at Steve. "Her dad...died," I whispered.

"That probably explains the blank pages," he sighed back. "How sad...she was only nine."

I nodded grimly, scanning the page. " 'Gave me a Pokeball that I can't do anything with'," I reread. "Pokeball? What Pokeball?"

"This April sounds pretty interesting," Steve suddenly said. "If she really is part of your family, why hasn't your mom ever mentioned her?"

I shrugged. "Maybe she lived a long time ago, or Mom never met her or something...I dunno." I closed the diary. "Want to come with me to ask her? I bet the movers left, so I can get Dad to lug these boxes back to the attic." I jumped up to look outside my window, and sure enough, the moving van was gone. I gestured to Steve. "Come on."

Downstairs, Mom was rearranging the couch in the living room. "That's the last time I ever rent out this house," she muttered.

"Hey Mom," I called.

"Oh, hi Lindsey, Steve," she sighed, flopping onto the couch. "I can't wait to see what else the rent-in family has done to the house," she added, rolling her eyes.

"Well, apparently they thought they could dump stuff from the attic into my room," I said, deciding this was the perfect opening.

Mom slowly sat up. "From the attic?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," I said, Steve and I walking over to her, and we also sat on the couch. "I kind of looked through one of the boxes and I found this..." I trailed off, holding out the diary to Mom.

She looked confused as she took the worn book from me, but her eyes widened as she opened it and read what I assumed was the first sentence.

"I read a little bit of it..." I admitted. "Who was this April? Did you know her?"

Mom didn't answer right away. "How much did you read?" she asked carefully, flipping through the pages as if there was a sign that said what passages Steve and I read. Geez...she seemed more interested in seeing that we didn't read it rather than whose it was.

"Just, like, the first sentence of the first entry...and this one where she wrote about that her dad died." I swallowed. "Did you know her?" I asked again.

Mom laughed a sad little laugh. "Know her?" She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "She was my mother."

My mouth dropped open. "So...April Tamer was my grandmother?"

Mom gave a shaky sigh and stared out into space. "Was," she sighed quietly. "I wonder..."

"Mom..." I started.

She turned to me, waving a hand in the air and letting it fall on the diary, which was on her lap. "I guess this is a sign or something...she just can't let it go..." She suddenly jumped up and threw the diary and the floor and trying to crush it with her feet, yelling, "YOU JUST CAN'T LET IT GO, CAN YOU?! YOU HAVE TO HAUNT US DAY AND NIGHT AND FOR ONLY---" As suddenly as she stopped, she collapsed to the floor and started sobbing.

"Mom!" I cried more urgently, rushing over to her.

I heard the door open, and saw Dad had come inside. "Dad!" I cried. "Mom's---"

'Mom's what?' I thought. 'Breaking down? Crazy?'

Dad's eyes widened and he immediately came over and helped Mom up. "Diana, what the..." he started.

"Lindsey found her diary," Mom whispered.

"Who's diary?"

She pointed to the floor. "Mom's."

Dad's eyes widened some more. "A...April's?" he stammered.

Mom nodded, burying her head in his shoulder, and it looked like such an intimate moment, I wanted to leave, but I was glued to sitting on the floor.

"She won't leave us alone," her muffled voice cried. "She can't. It's like she wants our lives to fall apart." She looked up at me and Steve, who was just sitting on the couch looking really confused. "They saw her!" she continued, waving her arm and Steve and I. "They saw her, and then Lindsey saw her and then she finds the diary and never mind she's been invading Lindsey's dreams as well!"

"Uh..." I stuttered. "Mom...are you feeling okay?"

She took a deep breath and sank onto the couch. I hoisted myself between her and Steve, and Dad sat on the armrest, staring at the floor.

"Lindsey, there's something that...that you need to know," she whispered, her eyes closed. She thought for a second and buried her head in her hands. "I can't do this." She suddenly stood up and started for the front door. "I can't. This is just..."

"Mom, wait!" I cried, getting up and going after her. Steve and Dad followed me, and to my surprise, when I stepped outside, I saw Ivy getting out of her mom's car in front of Steve's house.

"Ivy!" I squeaked.

"Lindsey?!" she exclaimed, confused. "What are---"

"Hey, who's that?" Dad interrupted, pointing at someone who was walking down the road.

I squinted. The guy was dark but pale, dressed all in black...

"Darrell!" I cried.

"What?!" Mom yelled.

"You both came here together?" Ivy asked, still quite confused, and I didn't blame her.

"What's he doing here?" Steve growled.

Darrell had reached the hubbub. "Hey Lindsey," he said, as if we were in Hoenn and the past month never existed.

"Darrell!" I cried again, not thinking and rushing forward to embrace him. "Where the hell have you been?!"

He put a hand on my shoulder and gently pushed me back, but not so much that I was still holding onto his arms. "Coming here, of course."

"Eh?"

"I couldn't afford the ticket to the ferry, so I had to ride Pokemon and hitch rides on boats to cross the ocean to Johto," he explained.

"It took you a month?!"

"Considering I had to find places to sleep and food, yes," he grimaced. "I was dropped off in New Bark Town early this morning, and I just kept walking, since I knew you lived around here somewhere."

I swallowed a lump in my throat. He had really risked so much...for me? Did that mean...

"You're awesome," I said, flinging my arms around him again, not caring people were watching.

"Lindsey, get away from him!" Mom cried, rushing over to us and yanking me back.

"Mom!" I yelled. "What's your deal?!"

"He can't love you! There's no possible way he could ever really love you!" She shoved me back into Steve and Ivy and glared at Darrell with a mixture of hatred and fear.

"AND WHY NOT?!"

"He's..." she started, on the verge of screaming. "HE'S ANTHONY!"

~*~*~

Oooo. Funky man.

I must now reply, for I have not done that in some time...-nod nod-

Silvie~ And I shall call you Silvie indeed. Well, here's the answer to your question...the dark and mysterious Darrell has come back. Muhahaha. Now I shall not tolerate any more laziness. ^_~

Haruka~ You are my 100th reviewer! I think this is the first time you've reviewed this and I love you! Oh god, what's wrong with me! Why am I ending everything in exclamation points! Even that! Damn it! Thanks for reviewing! ^.^

Karania~ I'm too lazy to type Avalon...oh wait, I just did. I be crazy in da head. X_X

Zero_Chan~ That 'This reeks of Lindsey/Steveness' comment actually made me burst out laughing. I mean, a REAL rotflmao. Whatta comment. Geez I can't spell today. And Lurk will probably roll his eyes at that. Tssh.

Melani~ Yes I meant you, but you already knew that. :P Uhmm...wow...it's reviews like yours that make me glad I don't have a life. ;D Ha...what that is supposed to mean, I have no clue. Yeah. And stuff.

Rose~ YOU! YAY! ^.^ I thought falling over was my job. ~_^ Heh...CANDY STORE! –dives into piles of candy-

Hrmm...okay, I don't know whether the next chapter is going to be Tuesday or Friday. I'm losing track. -_-;; Just check one of those days to see if I updated. :P

Over and out. CHEESE!