Please refresh with chapter 56.
This chapter was inspired by a this quote that Thomas Paine stated
It was also inspired by a song that goes by the same title, but not as much.
National Suicide Hotline Number : 1-800-488-3000
"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it the superficial appearance of being right" - Thomas Paine
"Found you again," this woman shouted, causing me to scream.
"Don't sneak up on me like that," I grabbed at my heart, She nearly scared me to death, but still… I didn't think that I'd ever have this much fun in the house.
"If I don't sneak up on you, then how else can I catch you," Mom smiled with her beautiful smile.
For a single moment I thought that this woman looked like my mother. I cringed at the sight …Why does she keep reminding me of her?…
"Is something wrong sweetie," she pat me on the back, most likely to try to calm me down.
Sadly, it worked. Although we had been playing non-stop for hours, it's no wonder that I felt a little tired.
A Magmar could be patting me on the back and I'd still feel comforted to rest easy.
…Wait… wasn't I looking for someone?…
"Ambush!" Louis and his Exeggcute leaped from their hiding places and tackled me to the ground.
"I don't have any energy left," I complained, laughing loudly.
"Jade, get up," Louis yelled.
"Get off of me first," I laughed, but Louis bounced on me harder shouting over and over again.
The Exeggcute's too…
…Why are they screaming so much?…
…Why are they acting like such maniacs?…
"Okay, boys," Mother pulled them off of me, "give Jade room to breath."
"But she needs to," Louis shouted something that I couldn't make out. He seemed to be crying for no apparent reason now.
"There, there," Mother patted Louis on the back to calm him down, "It's way past time for your nap."
"Nap," I asked as I dusted myself off, "since when does he take naps?"
"Since he and the Eggsecute decided to stay up past their bedtime."
…oh, of course…
"I'll be back in just a minute," she smiled as she walked with the boys under her arms, "I'll meet you in the living room."
Those words gave me chills for some reason. Well, there must have been a draft in this hallway or something. These hallways always felt so lonely. I thought that having Louis here would change that, but I'm finding myself lonelier than ever. Which is strange since mom's always…
"Did the room just…," I looked around, I was already in the living room, "I must me more tired than I thought."
I rubbed my eyes for a little while. I don't even remember reaching the living room.
It looked as if one of the servants had left some snacks and hot apple cider recently.
But I didn't see them walk past me. I must have just missed them on the way in.
I took a glass off the table as I took a look out the window.
The cider only bit my lips a little before going down my throat.
It was good, but it tasted off. I took a whiff, it didn't have a strong scent.
I made a mental note to tell Margret later. Speaking of which, where is Margret?
I haven't seen her since earlier this afternoon. What time is it?
"Must not be as late as I thought," I said to myself, "the sun's still up."
'get up, Jade,' I heard one of the Tarsa.
"Sue," I asked after I turned around. Sue wasn't there.
I suspected that particular seed to be bouncing around nearby. But why would she…
"Sorry, it took me so long," Mother interrupted my thoughts, "those boys can be so wild."
"I know, mom. I… What am I doing?"
"Is something wrong dear," she smiled at me.
"Yes, something's wrong," I stopped, "I forgot what I was saying."
"I'm sure that it will come back to you later," Mother sat down in her chair, "your father should be home soon."
"Really," I had to think for a minute, "oh, yeah. He's finishing up the adoption papers for Louis."
"That's right," Mother nodded, staring out the window, "also we're going to get a visit from your cousin."
"Cousin," I asked, "I have a cousin?"
"Yes, by your Uncle Smith," she smiled.
"Of course, Uncle Smith," I finally sat down in an empty chair, "he's going on a trip or something, right?"
"And he's going to be gone for a while," mother explained, needlessly, "So your cousin's going to be living with us until your uncle gets back from his trip."
"How long is he going to be gone," I sighed as I sipped my cider again, "Blarg!"
"Something wrong with your cider," she got up.
"I don't think so," I sipped it again, "Tastes kind of… raw?"
"What do you mean raw?"
"I mean, I can still taste the peels and-"
"What was I saying," I shook my head, the room looked different somehow.
"How happy you are that you're going to see your cousin," mother stated.
I didn't think that was it, but sure enough there was a knock at the door.
"Helllo, hello," Dad called from the door, "I'm back and I brought a friend."
"Hey cousin, Aunty Dolly," the boy said as he came in.
My cousin looked about my age. He was kind of sickly pale.
His hair was a mess, but he was wearing a bright red beret.
He also had long sleeves, despite the hot weather we've been having.
His left eyebrow was covered by his beret, tipped as if it was a fashion choice.
The only strange thing that I truly noticed was that his left eye was a little lazy, possibly blind.
Mother stepped up to peck her husband on the cheek.
I stayed seated examining my supposed cousin.
I'll admit that he looked familiar, but I've never met someone who dressed like him before.
"It's been a very long time, cous," he smiled..
"I'm not your cousin," I spat out of habit.
"Oh, don't be that way," he waved like Uncle Smith usually does, "just because I stuffed your head in a mud pie last time I saw you."
I couldn't come up with a retort. I don't know what he was remembering.
Honestly, I didn't know him. Is he really who he thinks he is? Or was he like…
"Quit daydreaming, cous," my cousin waved his hand in front of my face, "Look, I'm sorry about the mud pie thing, but you can't not talk to me forever."
"What is there to say," I turned and walked out of the room. I moved my hand to my lips, but something was missing.
…Hold on… now where did my apple cider go? I could have sworn that I was still holding it before I saw-…
"So are you going to give me the grand tour or what, cous?"
I turned to see that he had followed me into the hallway.
"I'm not taking you anywhere," I snapped, "And stop calling me, 'cous'. I have a name you know."
"Right, Uncle Smith told me about this," he had to think for a minute, "he said not to call you 'babie', cause you like to be called 'Jade', right?"
"By him and everyone else, ye-," I paused at a sound, "did you hear that?"
"Did I hear what," he looked at me like I was crazy.
"Someone just called for me…"
"Really," he cleaned his ear with his pinkie, "I didn't hear anything."
"Well, I did! It was quiet and whiney, saying-," I tried to say what the voice called, but I had forgotten the word, "he's… he's cold."
"Whatever," my cousin rolled his eyes, looking for something to do, "if you wont give me a tour, then I guess that I'll have to go explore."
"Wait. You can't just go wondering around someone else's home."
"Why? Got something to hide?"
"Sure, I'm actually a Vulpix Reborn who's best friends with a half-Growlithe boy, the niece of a murder, and the protector of a medal known as the Phoenix Gate."
How do you think that he would have reacted if I told him all that?
Instead, I decided to go with the shorter and more rational explanation.
"No, nothing at all."
"That's what they all say," my cousin smirked as he slipped through the first door he could get to.
"I've seen this before," Margret placed a hand on the sleeper's forehead, "she can't wake up by conventional means."
"Then what are we going to do," Louis whined, "I don't want her to sleep forever!"
"There's only one being that I know that can wake her up," Margret lowered her head.
"Then go get him!"
"She," Margret corrected, "is not someone that you can call up. Someone has to go to her directly."
"Then let's go get her!"
"I can't get her. She and I aren't on talking standards."
"But we have to do something," Louis whined, "Maybe mama can…"
"We can't do that either," Margret kneeled on the floor, "she's stuck like this until-"
"(I want to help save her.)," Sue and the other Tarsas hopped closer, "(is there anything we can do?)"
"Wait, Lou," Margret's eyes widened at her idea, "Lou can your Exeggcute use any attacks?"
"How did we get outside," I looked around.
"We went through the door, duh."
"But we were in the middle of the house," I complained, "there aren't any exits from the hallway."
"Well, there must have been one, otherwise we wouldn't be here now would we?"
"I guess so…," I made a quick glance at the scenery. We were somehow in the backyard alright. My parents went with the Pewter City style rock garden. We weren't far from the house at all, but I don't recall this door either. I should have known that something was wrong right away, but his logic was too convincing for me.
"Hey, is that old cave still out here?"
"What cave? There shouldn't be anything out here except for the Dolly's garden."
Not to mention that they've remade the backyard so often that I wouldn't be surprised if we found ancient fossils by kicking the dirt. If a cave did exist, it'd be long gone now.
"Yeah, there was this old cave. We used to play in it all the time," my cousin jumped onto one of the stones, "pretending that we were Pokémon out to save the world."
"Pretending what?"
"Do you at least have that necklace that we stole," he asked me sharply, "cause I still have mine."
He dug under his shirt to pull out his pendent. The instant that I saw it, I could hear something growling. I could feel it's anger being focused on that pendent that my cousin was holding. I knew that he couldn't hear the growl. It was too faint, and quickly faded.
"Where did you get that?"
"I told you, we stole it when we were kids."
~Jade~ a voice shivered ~l-liarrrrr…~
"Who's…?" … I know that voice…
~Jade-d… hez l-lying…~
"Tyrone…?"
"Earth to Jade," my cousin shook me, "who's Tyrone?"
"I need to go," I turned to get back at the door, but it was gone. There was nothing but a brick wall, "What happened to the door?"
~… hur-ry r-r-run… s-so cold, Aniki~
"What's going on?"
"Are you feeling alright, Jade," my cousin tried to touch me, but I knocked his hand out of the way.
"Don't touch me," I shouted, then stood there trying to calm down, "I just realized something…"
"And just what is that," my cousin slowly approached me.
"Uncle Smith doesn't have kids," I put my fists in front of me, "Who the hell are you?"
"Smart girl," my cousin's eyes closed as his form slowly grew paler. It was as if his complexion was being bleached out of his already opaque skin. He stepped closer, reaching his hand up to that hat of his. I saw that his nails were changing differently than the rest of him, turning black.
"Stay back or I'll attack," I warned him.
His hand gripped his hat as he pulled it over his face, "you wouldn't dare hurt m-"
And that's when I pummeled him. I didn't give him a chance to go through with his grand unveiling. Afterwords, I wish that I did. I would have been a lot less traumatizing than what happened next. He fell backwards in slow motion. He barely gasped as his hands spread out, his hat remained on his face. It looked as if I had punched him so hard that his brain hit the back end of his skull. Blood splattered, but fell slower than his body. He hit the ground hard.
"Don't say that I didn't warn you," I regained my stance, "I gave up being 'damsel in distress' back on the Bondell's farm. If I can take down an Arcanine, then a two bit crook like you would be a piece of ca… aren't you going to get back up?"
His body only laid there. He didn't move.
A cold wind picked up, his hat slowly fell off his face.
I didn't just break his nose, I killed him.
I couldn't have been that strong.
It had to be a mistake.
He had to have hit his head on a rock or something.
No… but that pale face of his.
He must have been dead from the start.
But that would mean…
"Ow," I got hit in the head with something. I turned to see one that a giant banana had bumped me in the head, "well, that's not normal."
"Jade, get up," Sue's big voice called as I whited out.
"Welcome back little miss," Margret smiled in relief, "is everything where it should be?"
"It was all just a dream," I smiled, "thank god."
"Jade's awake," Sue bounced with the rest of the Exeggcute, "we did it!"
"You guys did it," Louis hopped with them in a small dance, "Jade's awake! Jade's awake!"
"I assume that wasn't an ordinary dream was it," I asked thinking back about what happened.
"You've been asleep for four days, little miss."
"Four days, how's that possi-, oh, forget it," I sighed trying to get out of bed, but I was too weak to get up completely.
I was so hungry, I must have not eaten for a few days.
"I'll go get you something solid to eat right away, little miss," Margret bowed as she left the room as quickly she could.
"So what happened," I looked at Louis for an explanation, "did I hit my head or something."
"Margret says that you were attacked by a nightmare curse of some kind," Louis hugged me, "but my Exeggcute were able to use their Psychic to dispel it."
"Really," I asked, "well, thank you guys."
"(We worked hard for three whole days.)"
"Really, three days? Is that so?"
"(We did a great job didn't we?)," the Sue head hopped up next to me.
I didn't have the heart to tell them that only extremely experienced Exeggcute could use Psychic.
Not to mention, even with a TM, one can't become an expert with Psychic overnight.
It couldn't have been them and it certainly couldn't have been me. But that would mean…
Something else got me out of that nightmare.
"Yes, you did," I smiled and rubbed Sue's head, "Where's Tyrone? You'd think that he'd be worried sick about me."
"We never told him," Louis explained, "Margret told the school that you went on an unexpected trip with your parents."
"Still," I tried to remember, "I heard his voice too."
"I haven't seen him since the fire."
"Something happened to him," I could feel it, "he said that he was… cold. I can think of only one thing that could mean."
"What Jade?"
"Derrick's back."
end