Chapter 6
Luna and I plummeted downward. The waterfall obscured my vision and made it difficult for me to take a breath. It didn't matter in the end though. When we hit the water's surface, the impact and shock of the cold water forced all the air out of my lungs. Instinct demanded I let go of Luna to claw for air but, even with my hands free, I struggled to find the surface.
The current of the river had whisked us away so fast that, by the time I did resurface, the waterfall was nowhere in sight. Not that I could see anything in the first place. The lights of the underground operation did not extend to life-threatening waterslides, it seemed. I flailed blindly in the water, only calming once I felt a soft warmth press into my side. Secure in the knowledge I still had Luna by my side, I began to focus my efforts on controlling our speed. Hope rose in my chest as the area around us gradually became more visible, though, it was quickly crushed when I realized the light was accompanied by the familiar roar of a second waterfall.
I kicked out against the current, a futile attempt to avoid the plunge. In my adrenaline-fueled thrashing, my calf struck a rock and changed my trajectory. No longer was I sailing feet first towards the edge, instead my head went under and I felt my body spin. Before I knew it, I was sailing head-first into the light of day. A brief spike of relief flooded my body upon glimpsing blue skies before my vision started to darken. I was unconscious again before I even hit the water.
My awareness returned slowly. I could feel a soft weight on my chest and the comforting support of a mattress beneath me. The air smelled clean… lived in, albeit in a slightly dusty capacity. In the moments before I opened my eyes, I let myself believe that I was back home, in my own bed, waking from a truly spectacular dream. But then I opened them, and it was clear this was not my room. It was less cluttered for one, decorated with tastefully neutral colors, and furnished with only a bed, desk, wardrobe, and nightstand.
As I lay in the bed, taking in my surroundings, the door across the room opened. A young girl in a red dress entered the room carrying a bowl of water and a washcloth. A rather fat Pidgey fluttered around her head, picking at strands of dark hair and obscuring her vision.
The girl squeaked indignantly. "Stop it, Pudge! You're gonna make me drop this!" she chastised in a loud whisper.
Brushing her bird aside with one hand, the girl looked up and locked eyes with me. She stopped abruptly, spilling some water over the side of the bowl. Without another word, she spun on her heel and raced from the room, leaving a trail of spilled water in her wake.
I was about to ignore the odd encounter and return to sleep when the girl returned with a woman I assumed was her mother as she was the spitting image of the older woman. The woman took one look at me and rushed to the bedside. Her hands were covered in flour that she hastily wiped off on her apron before placing one on my forehead.
"Hey," she whispered to me with a smile, "how are you feeling, sweetie?"
I took a moment to actually investigate how my body was feeling. My limbs felt heavy and sore, my left calf housed a dull ache that pulsed with my heartbeat, and as I focused on it, a matching ache began to echo in my head.
"Mostly tired," I rasped. "And thirsty."
"I suppose that's to be expected." The woman chuckled, turning to pick up the glass of water on the bedside table.
She raised the glass to my lips and waited patiently as I struggled to lift my head enough to drink. When I had finished, she replaced the empty glass and resettled the blankets around me.
"Now, I'm sure you have questions, but we're not going anywhere," the woman said. "We'll be here for you when you wake up again. For now, just get some rest."
With that, she stood up, took the little girl's hand, and led her out of the room. The young girl looked back at me as she left, giving me a shy wave as her mother shut the door. Alone once more and with my headache soothed, I quickly relapsed into sleep.
When I next awoke it was because a thin beam of afternoon sun had escaped the confines of the curtains and seemed to have personal beef with my left eye. I cracked my eyes open, glaring at the traitorous curtains. I couldn't deny, however, that I felt much better than I had previously.
I rolled over, stubbornly chasing the last vestiges of that post-nap haze. From further in the house, I could hear a high voice chattering about something and the clattering of kitchen tools being put to use. A few minutes later, the irresistible aroma of fresh pie spurred me, finally, to action.
I threw back the covers and ignored, for the moment, that I was clad only in an unfamiliar nightgown as I tested my weight on my injured leg. The ache that had subsided in my sleep flared up again, but I could walk.
I left the room and navigated the house until I stumbled into the kitchen. The girl was sitting at a dining table, swinging her legs as she doodled on a piece of paper with her Pidgey. The mother kneeled on the tile of the floor, peering into an illuminated oven,, her dark hair now tied back.
For a moment, I stood at the entrance to the room, unsure of how to proceed. I was saved from the burden of announcing my presence when the mother stood up, turned to me, and jumped back with a gasp.
"Oh, you scared me!" she laughed, placing a hand over her heart. "I'm glad you're up, are you feeling better?"
I nodded with a grateful smile. "Much, thank you."
"Well, come sit down." She waved me over, leading me to an empty seat at the table. "The pie will be out in a minute. I suppose we should introduce ourselves while we wait." She took a breath, placing her hands on the back of her daughter's chair. "My name is Kate, and this is my daughter, Brooke."
Brooke nodded along to her mother's words. "And this is Pudge!" she exclaimed, lifting up her paper to reveal the approximation of a Pidgey, despite the bird himself standing right next to her.
"Nice to meet you both," I said, "My name's Alice."
"Oh!" Kate bent down and picked up a Shinx that had been winding around her ankles. "And finally, Marcy decides to join us!" She cradled the blue feline close as if it was a very grumpy fuzzy baby. "She's very lazy you see," Kate continued, "she slept almost as long as you did."
"How long did I sleep?" I asked hesitantly.
"You were out for about a day," Kate reveals. "I found you last evening, you were passed out on the river bank, dragged there by a very nervous-looking Absol."
"OH!" I sat bolt upright in my chair, mentally chastising myself for not making Luna and Crystal my first priority.
"Don't worry," Kate interrupted before I could rise from my chair. "Your Pokemon are safe. They're outside in the back if you'd like to go see them."
I nodded, following Kate to the back door. The backyard was a grassy expanse cordoned off by a white fence. A large tree in the back corner held up a rope swing and, just as Kate had promised, Luna and Crystal were safe and sound. Luna was napping in a puddle of sun near the door unbothered by Crystal dancing on her head, trying desperately to reach the Absol's blue horn.
I smiled at the scene. Kate had opened the door for me but I shook my head. "I'll go visit them later," I said, turning my attention back to Kate. "I still have questions."
"Ask away," Kate chirps, closing the door once again.
"Well, to start… where are my clothes?"
As it turns out, it's pretty difficult to survive an impromptu jaunt down two whole waterfalls and keep all your belongings intact. The clothes I had been wearing, despite having been washed, were stained and torn. Kate was kind enough to provide me with a fresh set of clothes and access to the bathroom to wash up. Miraculously, my bag was still with me, although, many of my items had been lost along the way.
After washing up and rebandaging my leg, I re-joined Kate and Brooke at the table for pie. "So, where exactly am I?" I asked as I waited for the pie in front of me to cool.
"You're in a small village called Falune," Kate said. "We're about half a day's walk from the city of Loden. We're very self-sufficient, although, I'm not sure how many folks actually know we exist." A sad chuckle accompanied her words. A moment of silence passed as Kate finished plating pie for herself and Brooke. "So, where did you come from?" Kate asks.
Considering the situation, this was a fair question to ask, one that I should have been expecting earlier. Yet, it still made me pause. I didn't think the whole story would be believable, not to mention it might incriminate Eren if he was indeed involved in whatever that was. I settled on a partial truth, vague enough to not worry her, but with just enough truth that I wouldn't feel guilty for lying.
"I come from a small village a lot like this one, actually. I was passing through the mountain when I got lost, I ended up in the river and was swept all the way here."
Kate blinked, clearly shocked. "That's terrifying. I'm glad we found you when we did." I nodded in agreement.
"Are you a trainer?" Brooke asked, only half paying attention to me as she tried to grab the pie plate being slid out of her grasp.
"Not till it's cooled," Kate admonishes quietly.
Smiling at the scene, I respond, "I am. Do you want to be a trainer too?"
Brooke scrunched up her nose. "No. That's too much work. I wanna work at the nursery."
"Oh, you have a nursery here?"
"We do!" Kate responded proudly. "They always have the cutest little Pokemon running around there. We could take you to see it tomorrow if you're feeling up for it?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "I'd like that."