Rose frowned at her son disbelievingly. The child tried to hold her gaze, but found that he could not.

"You want to go to Grandma's house rather than Lucas's party?"

Jasper nodded vehemently, his eyes still fixed on the floor.

Morty and Rose glanced at one another.

"But why, Jas?" Morty asked, kneeling down to his son's height, "you'll have much more fun at the party," he said, injecting excitement into his voice, "They're going to the Ruins of Alph…you love the Ruins of Alph!"

It was true, Jasper did love the Ruins of Alph: there were many fun games and Pokémon related activities that the curators put on, especially for birthday parties…

"I just don't want to go," Jasper mumbled. He didn't want to look at his parents, because he knew that if he did, he would find it much harder not to cry.

"Well…if that's really what you want," Rose said gently, "I'm sure Grandma would love to have you over."

Jasper nodded and tried to smile; he at least had to make it look like he had gotten what he wanted.

In truth, Jasper would have loved to have gone to Lucas's birthday party. January was a very cold and boring month as far as he was concerned, not being allowed to play too long in the garden, and he wanted nothing more than to go outside and play with some children his own age. The problem was Jasper was certain the children didn't want to play with him.

At first he had enjoyed going to school in Violet City. His Grandpa Hector was a teacher there, and Jasper loved him very much. He had gotten on very well with the other children there, too. Every break time they would all play together, and Jasper enjoyed going around to his friends' houses for supper, and in turn inviting them around to his own home.

His little life had been very enjoyable when they first moved to Ecruteak City. Their garden was big and green, and there were lots of plants and bushes and trees to look at and play in. Wild Buterfree and Beautifly had sometimes settled on his shoulder if he had the patience to sit still for long enough, and once he had even caught sight of a Poliwag in the garden pond.

His mummy and daddy had seemed happier too; they were at home a lot more than they used to be in Tarragon City, and Jasper no longer had to go to a nursery. The times when both mummy and daddy were at work Jasper now got to spend with his grandparents, Isadora and Hector, who lived in neighbouring Violet City and always let him play, and read him books, and gave him milk and warm biscuits.

But recently, things had changed. Young as he was, Jasper couldn't quite put a finger on what was different. He certainly didn't feel any different, but he felt as though he was being treated as though he were by others. It had all started in the garden with Raichu. The Pokémon had electric shocked him, hard, and Jasper had had no idea why. Raichu was his best friend, they had always played together, but now the Pokémon actively avoided him…he never wanted to play anymore and sometimes Jasper felt as though Raichu didn't even want to look at him anymore. This made Jasper feel very confused, and lonely sometimes, but his mummy and daddy still acted the same towards him, and so did Grandma and Grandpa. Life had continued, and Jasper became accustomed to no longer having Raichu's companionship. However, the same thing had started to happen at school. It was very gradual at first, so much so that Jasper himself, and even the teachers, didn't notice, but somehow, one day, Jasper found himself alone at break time. None of the other children seemed to approach him, or even want to talk to him. Embarrassed, Jasper had not told anyone; not his mother, his father, nor his grandparents. His little self was unable to articulate exactly what he felt anyway: isolated. The children were not horrible to him necessarily; they just treated him as though he was not there. As there was no physical or verbal bullying involved, Jasper felt that he was acting like a baby, for every time he thought about it, his bright brown eyes filled with tears. And so he stopped thinking about it.

Rose was aware that Jasper was unusually quiet on the short walk to Violet City - and he was looking rather peaky now she thought about it... She found herself thinking that the child was probably coming down with a cold.

"Now be a good boy," Rose smiled as she bent down to Jasper's level, and kissed him on the forehead, "and make sure you bring daddy and I some cakes if Grandma makes them, okay?" she winked.

Jasper giggled. Grandma's cakes were very yummy, but his mummy's cakes were…not.

The front door of the cottage swung open and Isadora, still dark haired and very young for a grandmother, exclaimed in delight upon seeing her only grandson. She scooped him up and kissed him all over his small face, making him giggle and splutter.

"Sorry Isadora," Rose said apologetically as she handed over the child's rucksack, "obviously we wouldn't ask, but we're supposed to be decorating the living room this afternoon…and Jasper didn't want to go to the party."

Jasper bit his lip worriedly, hoping the grown-ups weren't going to start asking him why he didn't want to go…but to his relief they started talking about paint colours. Boring.

Jasper wriggled down from Isadora's arms and proceeded through the house, leaving the women chatting on the doorstep.

The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly for the golden-haired child. Isadora made ginger biscuits and hot chocolate, Hector read him stories about heroes fighting Dragon Pokémon in Medieval times, and he played with Vaporeon and Octillery on the rug in front of the fire. Before long, he had forgotten about the party and about Raichu, simply happy to be surrounded by those who loved him.

-o-

Raichu felt miserable. He curled up on the old sheet that was protecting the sofa, and watched lifelessly as Morty and Rose, dressed in tatty old clothes, painted the walls with rollers. The couple were talking about everyday things; work; what to have for dinner; whether they ought to buy another armchair…

The rollers made a satisfying, odd sort of rippling squelch as Morty and Rose moved them continually up and down the walls. Ordinarily, Raichu would have been interested and would have liked to help them, but recently he just didn't feel like doing anything at all. He knew that Rose watched him occasionally, thinking he didn't realise, and he had heard her voice her concern to Morty that something wasn't quite right with him…but Raichu was fine – physically at least. He so desperately wished he could communicate his concerns to the couple…but he couldn't, and it wasn't a simple matter of a language barrier. He knew that Rose, and even Morty by now, were easily able to understand him. It was instead a question of loyalties, and Raichu felt torn in many directions. But it all came down to Jasper. The child he had loved so dearly, that he had been so protective over, had come to frighten him. Raichu tried to avoid playing with him, for all too often Jasper's voice would change, and the game they happened to be playing at the time would become a game no longer, but a battle of wills. Raichu felt threatened at times, flinching now when the child approached him too quickly, or made any sudden movements. Occasionally now there was something different about him, something that had only started when they had all moved to Ecruteak City. Jasper was not always himself any longer, but only Raichu seemed to have noticed. Rose and Morty were aware that the child didn't sleep well, but they were still putting it down to being unsettled. The house and the city were all new to Jasper…they thought it was bound to take a few months for him to get used to the new routine.

But Raichu had realised that, although the child was different, he wasn't just a different version of his previous self. It was almost as though there were two Jaspers, one Raichu knew well and loved, a sweet little boy who loved to laugh and play, and then the other Jasper that frightened him, whose eyes and voice were cold, and whose touch could bring severe pain. Raichu shuddered, and tucked his tail more firmly around himself.

-o-

Something was not quite right with Jasper, Isadora had decided. Normally he was so full of life that it exhausted her, but today he seemed…withdrawn somehow. He was nestled between herself and Hector on the sofa, but he made no move to chat, or wriggle, or plead to play with Hector's Pokémon or…anything. Nevertheless, he seemed fairly content in his silence. Perhaps he was just tired? Isadora surreptitiously peered into his little face and noticed that underneath his bright brown, cat-shaped eyes were dark smudges.

"Did you have a bad night's sleep, little one?" she asked, smiling as she stroked his golden blond hair from his face. But for his eyes, Jasper looked just like Morty. Isadora felt that she had a four year old Morty back again, and it warmed her heart that this little thing was Morty's son…her little boy's little boy…she chuckled softly to herself.

Her reminiscing meant that she failed to notice the stiffening of Jasper's shoulders in response to her question. He didn't like thinking about bedtime. His bedroom still made him feel funny inside, like something was there with him in the dark. But he was a brave boy; he knew where the light switch was now, and every time he felt that way, he forced himself to get out of bed and turn on the light, proving to himself again and again that there was nothing in his room; nothing was watching him.

"No, I slept fine," he said.

-o-

That night, back in his own bedroom, Jasper thought that the thing might be present once again; the tingling feeling on the back of his neck and the slight clenching of his stomach made him think so. He tried to tell himself to stop being silly; he knew there was nothing in his bedroom. But, nevertheless, he could feel the perspiration starting to bead his small back and the palms of his hands. His heart began to race, and his mouth became very dry. Hot tears prickled at the corners of his eyes.

Stop it Jasper, he chided himself, there's nothing in your bedroom, nothing is looking at you!

As he told himself this however, he had the creeping feeling that he was indeed being watched - not from somewhere in his bedroom - but from within his own head. A cold rushing realisation shuddered through him at this thought; his breath left his lungs in such a rapid whoosh that he felt simultaneously light-headed and winded. He leapt from his bed in his terror, and sprinted across the landing to his parents' bedroom. The door was half open and Jasper slipped inside, his heart hammering in his throat. He moved silently through the darkness until he reached the edge of his parents' bed and climbed hastily inside, closing his eyes tightly to try desperately to avoid the sensation of being watched.

But the sensation disappeared as quickly as it had come. Jasper held himself very still, hardly daring to believe it, but he could feel his muscles relaxing, and his terror diminishing as warm feeling tingled its way through his little limbs. The sensation had gone; he was not being watched by anything anymore. A shaky sigh escaped his lips as he realised this, and he pushed his sweaty hair from his forehead with a small hand that still trembled slightly from his previous fright. Rose turned over in her sleep, and enveloped Jasper in her arms.

Nobody is watching me, Jasper smiled to himself, as his tired eyes closed heavily with sleep.

And indeed, nobody was. The coils that held the child's soul relinquished in the presence of his mother and father, and the Beast withdrew once again from Jasper's conscious.

AN: so this is the second of seven childhood chapters (I think!). Would love to know what you all think so far!

A x