Author's Note: Hi! :) I just want to say thank you for reviewing, and reading, and just plain looking in the first place. Also, I know my writing is only half-decent, so if anyone has suggestions for getting better, please leave them in a review. Just please, be nice if you do. Finally, this chapter is probably one of the saddest and most depressing. It has a lot of background info, but if you don't like sadness, death, etc. then please wait until the next chapter and I'll put a brief overview of this one at the beginning. THIS CHAPTER IS NOT ALL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, just saying.
Thank you so, so much.

Disclaimer: I can wish on a million stars, but I'll never own pokémon and the like.

Chapter 14: Wish Upon a Star

(Kate's P.O.V., present)

I woke up. Slowly the world came into focus around me, and the first thing I saw was Keith asleep next to me. I gently woke Keith up. He looked at me, and the two of us stared in silence up at the night sky for a very long time. The gentle breeze around us, the beautiful hillside, the incredible night sky. It was all too much to take in. Keith had his arm around me, and I nestled into it. I felt warm, comfortable and safe, for what must be the first time in my life. I slowly began to weep.

I wept for my mother, my father and my brother, I wept for Cyndi, and mostly, I wept for all the fear I had inside. The fear of losing more people I cared about. The fear of being betrayed again. The fear of people, and above all, the fear of trusting others. So many years I spent just shying away from others, so much so that I forgot how to trust. Even now, it still takes me a very long time to trust people. And that's if I ever decide to trust them. I've been betrayed or used so many times in my life that I find it's nearly impossible to care about others. Every time I've done that, it only ended up in pain.

But one day, that's all it took for my life to change. Just one day to learn to trust, care, maybe even love. The day I met Keith and Rythmi. My two best friends, and so much more. I cherish every day with them, because they are the friends who come around once in a blue moon.

"Kate," Keith began, "I'm so, so sorry if I upset you earlier. But the truth is, Luana found out by accident and told me, and then I told Rythmi. I'm truly sorry if I disappointed you. The truth is, you are the best friend I've ever had, and I can't bear the thought of ever losing you. So I mean it when I say, I'm sorry."

All I could do was cry more. My hands shaky, I signed a quick, "It's really okay," to Keith and fell down crying. I looked up to the night sky and I made a wish.

'I wish I could spend as much time as possible with Keith and everyone. And above all, I wish that I can always protect my precious friends.'

(Keith's P.O.V., present)

Holding Kate in my arms, I felt strangely calm. The starry night sky was beautiful, and the gentle breeze made for a perfect scene. It was like something out of a movie.

"Hey Kate," I said, "I know it's difficult, but can you tell me more about your past?"

She nodded and began to sign…

(Kate's P.O.V., memory)

"Kate!" My brother screamed. I ran towards him.

"What happened?" I signed.

All he could do was point. I looked over slowly. In that moment, it felt like time had frozen over. There, lying dead was the rest of my family. I saw a note on the floor, lying near them. Numbly, I picked it up and read it,

Cresselia,

This was because of you. They are dead because of you. If you don't join us, more will join your family. You have two choices: Join us and some may live, or hide and all will perish. You know that you only cause destruction, so join us and be where you belong.

~Team Dim Sum

I began to shake. Why, why was this happening? I prayed that when I woke up tomorrow, this would all just be a nightmare.

My brother gently took my hand.

"I will always be there for you Katie. I promise," He said softly.

I looked into my brothers eyes and began to weep. How could he understand? This was all my fault. How could I have brought this upon people who only wanted to love me..?

(Kate's P.O.V., present)

I felt tears welling up even at the memory. Nothing could ever change how I feel about my family, not even the winds of time. A poem I once heard said this:

Time is an everlasting feeling,
Though it's been said the pain gets easier in time, the pain just gets worse,
Love is a forgotten emotion all too often through the winds of change,
A heart may be broken, but does it still beat,
My heart is broken, but I do not believe,
I do not believe the pain of parting do ease.

I loved that poem as a little kid. It was a beautiful poem, truly beautiful. I felt it related on some deeply personal level to the pain I had inside.

"Hey Kate," Keith said, "You okay?"

I nodded swiftly. Then I shook my head. I couldn't keep lying anymore. I wasn't okay, not any more than a baby starly would be okay falling out of its nest onto the cold, hard ground. I wasn't fine. I was lonely, saddened by memories and pain of the past. I was tired of being afraid. I was tired of being somebody's burden, or somebody's duty to protect, or always feeling like a nuisance. But most of all, I was tired of being the cause of other's pain. I always made people suffer. Maybe the people from Dim Sum were right. Maybe I am just a being that exists only to cause pain. But if that was true, then I decided. I decided I would finish my purpose, my purpose to save Almia, even if it meant devoting my entire life to achieve that end…

(Keith's P.O.V., present)

I wish there was something I could do, but all I could do was whisper a small "I'm sorry," and put my arms around her. We sat there what must've been a very long time, watching the sunrise, before Kate finally pulled away. She looked at me and began to sign more…

(Kate's P.O.V., past)

I watched as my brother grew faint on the horizon, his words still an echo in my ear.

"I'm doing this for you! I, I can't keep protecting you, you need to learn to do it yourself. I can't keep being with you. I'm sorry, you'll just have to take care of yourself."

The harshness of his words still an echo, I walked away, to cry myself asleep later…

(Kate's P.O.V., present)

I bent over and put my head on Keith's shoulder. After what felt like a million years, we both got up, and proceeded back to the base. It was finally time to allow myself to free the pain of the past. After a while, I might finally be able let my broken heart beat. A heart may be broken, but does it still beat..?

I have a bad habit of character death when I write, so just warning you, this won't be the last time with character death. I wasn't even planning on including character death in this chapter, it just happened. Sorry, but this is a tragedy. And yes, I know it is team Dim Sun, not Dim Sum. I just like Dim Sum better, sorry. It's way tastier. Yum… um, anyways, please review.