Chapter Two: Past

"You know, it's such a pity that Lyra can't speak. She seems like such a bright girl, and Arceus knows that Ethan would have a much easier time with her if she could. Ethan really adores her, but I think he gets frustrated with her. Heck, I know I would. And it must have been so difficult for you to learn sign language for her."

I put a finger to my lips, signaling for Ethan to be quiet. I didn't want my mommy or Ethan's mommy to notice the two of us hiding around the corner of our house. It was kind of fun, anyhow, like a secret mission. If I could tell that to Ethan, I would, but he didn't know how to read my language. Not many people did.

"Lyra, what are you doing? I want to talk to Mommy!" Ethan cried, and I narrowed my eyes at him. He was gonna get us caught! Stupid boy! It was annoying that I didn't have any girl neighbors my age. I was stuck having play dates with this kid because my mommy was friends with his. Ethan was so stupid, just like all the other boys. He was going to get me sick with cooties, and then I would be really sad.

I grabbed his shirt as he started to run around the corner of the house, pulling him back towards me. He fell on top of me, and I pushed him off, dusting off my new dress as I rose to my feet. Ethan curled his hands into fists, and I continued to glare at him, shaking my head and putting my finger to my lips again. I had seen other people do that, so it wasn't sign language. It was universal!

"You don't think I know that?" I heard my mommy say, and I sat down against the wall of my house. "I get frustrated sometimes, too. And other times I think it's a great thing that she can't speak… she'd be a very sharp-tongued girl if she could. But no… I wish she could speak, too. I signed her up for some speech therapy sessions with a doctor next week. I'm a little concerned I started too late, though. She's already seven."

"I'm sure it will be fine. I've heard that speech therapy is a really valuable thing for mutes to try, and a lot of doctors are successful at making improvements in speech." Ethan's mommy paused, and I glanced back at Ethan to make sure he was still sitting there with me. "Isn't it expensive, though? How are you going to afford this?"

My mommy sighed, and I stuck my fingers in my mouth, biting the nails. "Well, that's a whole other issue that I'm trying not to think about too much. I'm positive that I have enough money saved up for her to go to speech therapy for a few months, but after that… I don't know. I think it's something she needs, though. And her father could always chip in a few hundred dollars, too. If he ever pays child support…"

"I want to go, Lyra," Ethan complained, and I pouted at him. Before I could stop him from getting up, he rose to his feet and ran away from me. I wanted to yell at him, but as I opened my mouth, nothing but air came out. I stood up, stomping my foot angrily on the ground. If my mommy and Ethan's mommy and Ethan got mad at me for not talking, sometimes I was angrier than them. They couldn't listen—I was the one who couldn't talk.

I followed after Ethan, but he had already run over to his mommy and was tugging on her hand. I slowed to a walk as my mommy glanced at me; she knew I had been listening in on her conversation. I lowered my head, guilty, but my mommy just called my name. I sat down on the ground, refusing to move any closer.

"Lyra!" my mommy said sternly, and I crossed my arms where I was, sticking my tongue out. Ethan's mommy laughed at me, and I smiled. Even Ethan giggled at my actions, and I felt proud of myself. "Honestly, Lyra. I don't know what to do with that girl… Lyra, can you please come over here, honey?"

I signed at my mommy that I didn't want to go over, and she crossed her arms, furrowing her eyebrows in annoyance. I didn't like it when my mommy was mad at me, but she never got angry very long. And Ethan's mommy didn't look mad. Ethan squirmed, jumping up and down and tugging at his mommy's hand some more, but she didn't stop smiling.

"Mom! Mom, what did Lyra say?" Ethan looked back at me, and I signed at him, smiling. It was kind of like a secret code! He wouldn't be able to figure out what I was saying if no one told him! So, maybe it was like a girl code… I could tell all the girls at my school, and then the boys would have no idea what we were talking about! Their cooties couldn't get us with my secret sign language! We would be the best!

"She said she didn't want to come here, and then she said that you would never find out what she was saying," my mommy told Ethan, and I stomped my foot again. My mommy was ruining it! Why was she on the boys' side? "Lyra, darling, please stop being like this. I just want you to come over here so we can discuss something. Okay?"

I pouted as I walked towards my mommy, curling my hands into fists and stomping the whole way over to her. Ethan's mommy couldn't stop laughing. But my mommy pulled me onto her lap when I finally made it to her chair, pulling my pigtails out and letting my hair go free. Then, wrapping my hair around my other hairs, she braided my hair.

I loved it when my mommy braided my hair. It felt cool. So, she couldn't be too mad!

Ethan let go of his mommy's hand and jumped in front of my mommy, staring at me as my mommy braided my hair. I stuck my tongue out at him. He was probably really jealous that his hair wasn't long enough to braid! That was why girls were so much better than boys. Boys were dirty and smelly, and girls could be like princesses and braid their hair!

"I wanna know what she's saying, though!" Ethan said, and my eyes widened. I stared up at my mommy, moving my head and messing up one of my braids. I shook my head, ruining my braids even more, and my mommy just took my hair and continued to braid it without saying anything to me. I crossed my arms, staring angrily at Ethan.

Ethan's mommy was being tricked by Ethan's boyishness, too! "I think that would be a lovely idea! Ethan, you can learn how to read and use sign language. It's like learning another language. You could speak the same language as Lyra!" His mommy smiled, and I held my breath. I didn't like that smile anymore.

"Yeah! Yeah, I want to!"

My mommy nodded, finishing my braids and petting my head. "I think that's a wonderful idea. It will give Lyra someone to talk to who isn't me. Won't you like that, Lyra?" My mommy smiled, and I stared at her, shaking my head. "Oh, come now. Ethan, tomorrow, you and me and Lyra are all going to sit down and start sign language lessons."

I wiggled out of my mommy's grip, slithering to the ground and running away around the corner of my house again. I never got anything I wanted! Never, ever! And right now, all I wanted was to be by myself. But no… Ethan ran after me and ruined things again. Just like he always did. Ethan was only good at ruining things.

"Lyra, this is going to be fun!"

I just stared at him, not bothering to use my secret language to tell him that he was wrong. This wasn't going to be fun. Not at all…

It didn't take Ethan very long to pick up on the sign language. After two years of lessons—two very long years—Ethan knew all of my secrets. And it was all my mommy's fault for making him take lessons in the first place. Now that he knew what I was saying all the time, he really knew everything! I couldn't hide anything!

And if I had a secret, he would tell my mom.

"Hey! Lyra wants to go on a journey with Pokémon!" he tattled one day, and I flicked him on the cheek, quickly giving myself the cootie shot to prevent the evil bugs from spreading all over my body and making me die. "Did you hear that? Lyra wants to leave New Bark Town! And I want a Pokémon, too, if she gets one!"

My mommy just looked at me with wide eyes. That was her oh-really face. It wasn't a good face at all. "She's not getting one, Ethan. It's up to your mother and father whether you get a Pokémon or not, but Lyra can't really handle having her own and going on a journey. It's a part of growing up that she's just going to have to miss, unfortunately. You understand, don't you, Ethan? If your parents let you go, don't be too loud about it, all right?"

I threw my hands out, rising to my feet: What?

"Lyra, honey, I'm sorry. But you're not going to be able to communicate with the people necessary to making your trip successful. A lot of children go out and train, but they have voices. None of your speech therapy has been successful yet, and if you got hurt, you wouldn't be able to ask for help. I just can't let you put yourself in danger like that. No Pokémon and no journey. I'm sorry, honey."

I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry really hard! How could my mom be so mean? I just wanted a Pokémon! I just wanted a journey! All I wanted was to be like all the other kids at my elementary school… like Ethan. Ethan's parents were already talking about getting him a Pokémon: a Marill. And I couldn't have anything?

I glared at Ethan, angry that he had blabbed on me. If he hadn't of said anything to my mom, then I wouldn't have been in this situation! I could have just asked Professor Elm to get me a Pokémon without my mommy knowing—not that he would understand me. He was one of those people who couldn't understand my sign language.

Ethan just shrugged at me, and I began to cry, running away from my house and heading out into my backyard to sit on my swing set. Ethan followed me out—like always, ruining everything again—and sat on the swing next to me. He didn't say anything, but instead he began to pump his legs, kicking back and forth. I just sat still on the swing.

"We're only nine. Maybe when we're really old you can get a Pokémon!" Ethan said, and I looked up at him. He had a point, as much as I didn't like to admit it. "My mom didn't get her first Pokémon until she was thirteen. That's really old, but… maybe you can get a Pokémon then! Or when you move out!"

If I ever move out, I replied, my hands limp as I signed.

"Are we friends?" Ethan continued, and I looked over at him. He was still pumping away, getting higher and higher. Any higher, and he would go right over the bar and make a full circle. And I would laugh when he fell off.

Finally, I exhaled slowly, raising an eyebrow and asking, Friends?

"Yeah. Like… best friends. Because best friends will do stuff for each other that other people wouldn't. And I could… ask Professor Elm for you if you could get a Pokémon. His sign language isn't very good yet, so I thought maybe I would ask for you. But, you know, only if we're best friends. If we aren't, I can't do anything! It's just the rules."

Ethan skidded to a stop, kicking up the fresh grass beneath his swing and replacing the area with dark brown dirt that kind of looked like poop. But I wasn't going to say anything about that—because Ethan had just said something so awesome! He would ask Professor Elm for me! That was worth being best friends with a boy!

So, I nodded, and Ethan smiled. "Cool!"

I had never been so happy that Ethan had learned sign language in my life! And maybe now that he was offering to be my best friend, this could be used to my advantage. A best friend who spoke both languages!

It could work.

Author's Note: This whole chapter… in the POV of a seven-year-old… and a nine-year-old… SO. HARD. Just saying. Writing in the POV of anyone under the age of twelve is, like, ridiculously hard. I have to cut down my vocabulary and make my sentences a bit choppier. And I know there are places where it probably sounds too mature. But oh well.

Next chapter is back to the present! (Thank goodness. And no other past chapters will be in the POV of Lyra at either of these ages.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.