HUZZAH! The next chapter is here! I'm so so SO sorry this took so long to get out a write. I can only hope you accept my apology. I hope you can all spare a review?
~ Anima ~
A girl emerged from the hospital, her faded brown hair waving gently, her stone gray eyes confused. She was wearing a pale blue paper gown, a white medical band around her ankle, a golden locket around her neck. Her lips were a pale pink, her skin chalky. She looked as if all the color had been drained from her, her outline like air, instead of solid. She called soundlessly into the mist, her eyes wide. I rushed closer, running to help her.
The stared down at the ground, watching her bare feet grip the sidewalk as she walked, her toes curling and uncurling with every step. She looked around helplessly, calling again.
"I'm coming!" I yelled. She spun around with a gasp before rushing towards me with her hand extended.
"Where are you? Wait for me!" she cried. "Wait!"
"It's okay! I'm here! I'll help you! I'll wait and-"
"No! Wait for me! Don't leave me!" she ran head on into me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the collision, but it never came. I watched in amazement as she ran right through me, as if I was only mist.
"No, wait!" I echoed her, sprinting to catch up. She only ran faster through the mist.
"Lati! Bi! Mew!" she screamed. "Gratiana! Lugia! Suicune! Arceus?" She fell to her knees, sobs racking her body, her hands reaching out to things that weren't there.
"Who...who are you...?" I whispered. The girl fell silent, looking up into my eyes, colorless tears staining her cheeks. She reached out to grab my wrist, but her hand past right through me.
"Not you too..." She uttered.
"Who are you?" I repeated, desperate now. The girl felt so familiar. Why couldn't her name come to my mind?
The girl's lips parted, her eyes wide and intense, her voice seeming to catch in her throat.
"Can you talk?"
The girl bit her lip and closed her eyes, another pair of pale tears falling down her cheek. She opened her eyes, once again trying to take my hand, but it flew through me. Was it me that was transparent or this ghost of a girl?
I was suddenly fading, the mist around me becoming bathed in light, the scene blurring. The girl stood out in my scrambled vision, the only solid thing as the light grew brighter behind her.
"Don't leave me..." she breathed, one single tear trailing like a liquid snail down her cheek, finally descending to the ground once it dropped off her jaw.
I reached out to her as she became nothing but air and the light was overwhelmed by darkness.
My eyes slowly flickered open, only to find Dr. Watson before me.
"What the hell...?"
I glanced down, examining where Dr. Watson had unwrapped the bandages on my leg. I expected to find my leg etched with deep, scabbing scars but there was nothing but bare skin. Not a mark, not a drop of blood.
"Remarkable..." he uttered. "Where's the cuts? The...the..." he shook his head, unwrapping my arm. "I know for certain we have to cast for your arm-what the-!"
I flexed my arm, which was completely healed like my leg. I stared in awe and wonder.
"I-I-I...I don't understand..." the doctor stuttered. "Your head-you must have one scar-!"
He unwrapped my head, finding not even a scratch.
"But you cracked open your skull! You broke your arm! You sliced open your shin!"
"I guess this means I'm free to go?"
Dr. Watson nodded numbly. "Who are you staying with? Do we need to send you somewhere-?"
"I'm staying with my brother Cal," I winced through the lie. Cal and I had decided that we needed to lie if was going to get out of here.
"That's right," Dr. Watson squeaked, still staring at my arm, leg, and head. "Let's get you downstairs."
A wheel chair was brought to my room. I eyes it suspiciously. "Um...?"
"It's out hospital rule that all leaving patients must be escorted outside in a wheel chair," Dr. Watson monotoned. I got into the seat, and Dr. Watson wheeled me out of the hospital room and to a waiting nurse.
"Good luck, Anima," Dr. Watson gave me a parting nod before sauntering off down the hallway.
'Hopefully, I'll never be back here again...' I thought. 'I was starting to feel awfully claustrophobic in that room.'
The elevator swished open with a ding, revealing the lobby. Cal stood there with a small smile playing on his lips and a large bag draped over his shoulder.
"Ready to go?" Cal inquired, moving to take the wheelchair from the nurse. She shook her head.
"Wait till we get outside, dear,"
Excitement fluttered around in my belly as the doors moved apart, revealing the sun. I basked in it's glow, letting out a sigh of relief. Cal only watched in amusement.
"Where's your car?" Cal pointed the nurse in the direction of his truck, and I was wheeled along in silence to the pickup.
"Here you are," the nurse dipped her head, let me get to my feet with the support of Cal, and then made her way back to the hospital. I felt my knees shake as I gripped Cal's shoulders, waiting to topple over. Cal opened the car door with one hand, helping me into his truck with another. I buckled up as he shut my door and got in the vehicle.
"Where are we going?" I questioned, surveying the town around me as it flashed by.
"Home," Cal said with a simple smile, stopping at a red light.
"It seems odd, leaving with a guy I barely know and moving into his house," I told him at an attempt to make conversation.
"It's not really my house, but I guess it is now," Cal sighed. I shot him a questioning look.
"My parents are dead," he shrugged sadly. "Died in a train wreck last year,"
"I'm sorry," I muttered sheepishly.
"Don't be. It's not you're fault,"
We were quiet for a minute as the light turned green and we sped off.
"Cal?" I finally piped up, "How old are you?"
"Sixteen," Cal chuckled. "Why?"
"Just wondering. I barely know you, remember?"
"I guess so,"
The rest of the car ride was quiet. Cal kept his eyes on traffic and my own eyes watched as the unfamiliar city whizzed by. But was it really all that unfamiliar? I didn't know where I was from or how I got here, but what if I had a home in this city and I just didn't know it?
I let my mind wander, wondering when I could explore the city with Cal. When we finally pulled up to a small, one story house painted blue with white trim. It looked like a very homey and average, if not a bit overdone with the white picket fence and flower boxes in the window. Nevertheless, it looked like a nice place to live.
"The flowers were my mother's," Cal explained with an abashed grin, pointing to the tulips. "And so was the fence. She had a thing for cheesy detail."
"I think the picket fence is a nice touch," I responded.
Once he parked, Cal helped me out of the car and led me towards my new home.
"How long do you think I'll be staying here?" I asked as he stuck the key in the doorknob.
"You're welcome for as long as you want to stay, Ami."
The door swished open with a click, revealing the inside of the house. The interior was very much unlike the outside with its bright blues and whites but consisted of earth tones. There was a small fireplace and there was a TV mounted on the wall. The only thing that was out of place was the lavender chair seated by the window.
"Was my mom's. The only thing that Dad let her have on the inside. She wanted floral patterns and bubble gum pinks, but that was quickly vetoed. Plus the colors here are peaceful, aren't they? Tranquil, just like my father." Cal smiled sadly, lost in thought as he left me to roam the rest of the house. My bare feet padded over a smooth wooden floor as my fingers ran across the marble countertops and cherry cabinets. Then it was on to the dining room with the cherry table and chairs. I stopped at the stairs, biting my lip. Curiosity was going to get the best of me, and my impulsiveness made me climb the stairs to the sea of white carpet that was the upstairs.
"Anima?"
I pivoted and slipped back downstairs to Cal.
"Yes?"
"I forgot to give this to you. But here are your belongings that were with you when you fell."
Cal held the bad out to me and I took a seat in on the couch. Cal pulled up the lavender chair and plopped down across from me.
Inside the bag was a white t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. The shirt was splattered with blood, but the jean shorts remained unstained. I examined both, feeling the fabric and waiting for something to happen, something to cause my mind to unclog but nothing came. I set those by my side, taking out a pair of bright orange sneakers that remained clean and not dappled with dried gore. I ran my thumb over the shoelaces in wonder before I dipped my hand back in the bag.
This time I pulled out a golden locket and a black recorder that seemed to be fashioned out of glass. I first examined the heart shaped locket and tried to pry it open, but my attempts failed.
"Let me try," Cal took the locket from my hands but he too could not open it.
"Maybe it doesn't open," he said once the locket was back in my hands.
"No..." I shook my head. "It has hinges and a tiny clasp. I wonder why I can't get it opened."
I tried again, but quickly got bored when I could prevail, and slipped on the necklace. Then, I picked up the recorder.
"Why would I have this?" I raised my eyebrows as I examined the instrument quizzically.
"You might have been playing in the Festival of Mirrors," Cal suggested.
"Festival of Mirrors?"
"Every summer Veilstone holds the Festival of Mirrors. People come from all over the world to participate. The city sets of rows upon rows of mirrors in the park, and in the center is a huge stage with the Underlit Shrine on display. On the final night people gather in the park in costume. During the ceremony, there is a chosen musician to play while people set flowers and other gifts before the shrine to pay homage to Giratina."
Giratina...Giratina...Giratina...
It was a faint whisper, but recognition lingered there. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my temple and there was nothing but darkness. There was a burst of light, then a roar, and a large Pokémon flashed across my vision.
"ANIMA!"
There was a bright flare of red, and then nothingness.
"Anima? Anima? Are you okay?"
I blinked and gasped, finding Cal standing above me and myself sprawled across the carpeting.
"Wha-?" I slowly sat up, the locket vibrating against my chest. "What happened?"
"You fainted. Maybe you should lie down."
"I...I fainted?"
"Yeah." Cal swallowed hard. "Are you okay? Do you need to lie down?"
"I think I remembered something," I said, ignoring him as my mind whizzed on overdrive. "There was this great golden Pokémon that looked like a serpent-"
"Giratina? You saw Giratina?"
I nodded. "Briefly. I think."
Cal was still gazing at me, his eyes quizzical. "Maybe you should get some sleep...?"
I sat in silence. Cal patted my head before walking into the kitchen. "I'll get you something to eat, okay?"
"...Okay..." I swallowed hard, looking back down at the instrument.
W-Who am I?
I have much more to come soon. While I was away, I figured out what direction I want this story to head in. See you next chapter!
~Confetti Storm