The Scars of Marsten Hall
2
Friday, April 28th, 1989
Silence consumed the streets of Fehahra, except for the occasional footsteps that pierced. The half-moon was tucked in a blanket of clouds. A dim light painted the cobblestone street, only broken up by the purple glows emanating from the Lampent floating up and down.
A pitter-patter of footsteps running on tiptoes down an alleyway echoed in the night, which stopped at a small semi-detached house. The stone bricks were chipped, especially around the wooden door frame. The metal Coltese numbers hung off the wooden door by a single nail.
James pressed his hand against the door. He leaned in and rested his ear against the metal lock. He pressed his thumb and index fingers together and flicked the lock.
"Hurry up, James, you twat. The patrol will be coming around again soon." Lioa leaned against the wall as he peaked towards the street.
Huffing, James reached into his pocket and pulled out a small hairpin. The cobbles under his shoes wobbled as he pushed the pin into the hole in the lock. He pushed the small hairpin up, flicking his wrist a little as he did.
A whirring in the bushes overshadowed the click from the lock opening. The half-moon's shallow light reflected a shine into the street.
Andrew rushed forward and stared into the bush with his green eyes. His cyan curly hair bounced as he took a green poké ball out of his shorts' pocket. He pressed the button on the front of the ball. With the index finger on his right hand, he flicked up the latch and a deino shot out. Her back hood coated her body, making it hard to see her in the dark.
"Nutkio, blast it with fire blast!" Andrew pointed at the bush. The deino opened her mouth, baring her teeth. She took in a deep breath and growled. Fireballs spat out towards the bush in a spiral.
A chirping-whizzing sound screamed out of the bush in pain. A klink rotated in the air, wobbling from side to side. The metal gears, which shined, were dimmed in patches.
Lioa glared at the klink, his eyes narrowed. "Rusto, why in the name of darkrai are you here? Where is the scaredy-meowth, Kitiku?"
"H-h-here…" Kitiku said, pressing his nails into the stone bricks of the house across the street. "W-w-we sh-shouldn't be, um, be out h-here." His stomach churned, and he shuffled his feet, staring at the ground. "I-I c-came to g-get you. I d-don't w-want you to be, um, be arrested."
James got up off his knees and looked at Kitiku. "The Elktan are monsters; these people betrayed us, so they deserve to lose everything. It is the Elktan's fault that Pierre is dead. Or did you forget that? You know what? Forget it…" James pushed the door to the house, and he stepped inside. His eyes scoured the room. James tiptoed across the wooden floor into the living room.
He turned to see Lioa, Kitiku and Andrew behind him. Rolling his eyes, James tiptoed behind the sofa. His eyes locked onto a glass cabinet pressed against the back wall. Rusto's reflection caught his attention as it darted from chair to chair, committing to a barrel roll to reach him.
"Kuti, can you please keep your damn klink under control. We aren't in a spy comic." James placed his hand on Kitiku's shoulder. "I promise, once we got something to sell, we'll go." He pressed gently down on Kitiku's shoulder and helped him down into a chair.
James… James, you want them to pay. You want to kill them.
James's ears twitched. His eyes were drawn to a black string necklace hanging around the end of the stair railing. The floorboards creaked as his feet dragged him towards it. He reached forward, lifted the string, and stared into the stone. "Hey, Li? Come check this out…"
"That's cool. It will be worth, like, what? 2 C.K. on the market? Don't be a twat. Find something actually worth selling," Lioa said, reaching into his pocket. He flipped the latch on his green poké ball and allowed the gurdurr inside to appear before him. "Ruskuo, break open this case."
James stuffed the necklace in his hand into his other pocket and pulled out a small can of spray paint made from a mixture of kecleon blood and water. He raised the can to the wall. He pushed down on the can, and the colour spat onto the wall. James moved around, painting the symbol on the Colran flag on the wall.
"That's' enough." A man in a blue jacket stepped out from the shadows. His messy blond hair stopped just above his light blue eyes. His top button on his wonky, untucked white shirt was undone, and his blue tie hung looser than usual. "Come on, boys, thieving? Really?"
"Oh, fuck off..." James muttered under his breath. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the poké ball inside. A clattering sound echoed from the kitchen, sending a shockwave of sound through James's body. He quickly clasped his ears.
"Sorry," a slender man said. His brown hair flopped over his blue eyes, and he glanced at the blond-haired man. "Good job, Sutton."
"Thank you, sir," Sutton said. He tossed a blue poké ball in his hand.
"Let's not be rash, kids. We can settle this without fighting, but if it comes to it…" the brown-haired man said.
Lieutenant Tomilson and Sergeant Sutton. Great. James thought as Sutton took a step forward towards the group.
"Ruskuo, pull it!" Lioa scampered back as the glass cabinet crashed, blocking the doorframe. "Take that you twats! Let's scatter!" Using his elbow, the glass fell through the window, and he jumped through it as fast as he could.
Planting one foot forward, James took his hands from his ears, swaying from side to side. He pulled himself through the window onto the street. "Come on!" He turned back to the room, reaching up to Andrew and pulled him through.
Inside the house, Tomilson glanced at the spray paint on the wall. Not bad, kid. If it weren't a crime, I'd be impressed. He straightened his tie and approached the fallen cabinet. I guess he forgot about the door. "Sutton, get those three."
"Three? Yes sir, come, let's find them."
Nodding, Tomilson walked towards the chair and stuck his arm down the back. The kid doesn't know anything about stealth or not getting caught. He felt the tip of a shirt and carefully pulled on it. Damn, he thought, pulling Kitiku up from this hiding spot. You didn't even prepare for this. The others chose darker clothes. You are shaking, too. A smile crossed his face, and taking Kitiku's hands, Tomilson said, "You must be cold. Would you like my jacket?"
The muffles from Tomilson's thick Elkrat accent chilled the air as it entered Kitiku's ears. Kitiku looked squarely at the floor, shaking his head slightly. I didn't mean to break the law. I want my mum, he thought. His klink floated behind him.
That must be your klink, huh? Tomilson ran his fingers through Kitiku's hair. "I guess I best get you down to the office cell block. We can talk more there, but I'd appreciate it if you removed the klink." He took a deep breath and looked back at Kitiku. "No poké ball on you? That's okay, I'll carry it." Tomilson pulled his right hand back but felt Kitiku's sweaty grip tighten. Alright then, you are too scared to let go. I'll have the soldiers take you to my office. It will be quieter there. I just hope Sutton is having success with the three delinquents. He tilted his head slightly, and a soldier walked over.
"Sir?" the soldier asked in Elkrat.
"Take him to my office, give him a drink of water and take the klink with you," Tomilson said. Looking at Kitiku, he switched back to Colrat, "I'm going to have to find your friends now. They will take good care of you." Tomilson smiled one more time and stepped through the door frame. He pushed his hand under his jacket, took the second poké ball from his belt, and pressed the button. A red beam shot into the house and sucked the exploud back up. Time to find those miscreants. Placing the exploud poké ball back on his belt, he took the third ball in his hand and pressed the button. The dragapult in front of him curled her tail up. Tomilson mounted on the dragapult's back and shot up into the sky as the holy building's bells chimed a melody on repeat once.
Tomilson barrel rolled to the side, and a stream of electricity sparked down from the blanket of clouds above his head. The crackle from the electricity almost drowned out the bells, chiming its sweet melody twice again. He felt his heart pounding rapidly as he descended onto the street but paused to watch the chaos below. One, two… where the hell is the red-haired boy?
"Sir!" Sutton called out, giving a slight nod. His eyes flicked back to his electabuzz. Its yellow fur stood on end. Its black stripes sparked. He ran forward, swinging an electrified left fist. "Vesx, take it out! Ve'ash, deal with the deino!"
Sweat coursed down Lioa's face. "Salla, watch out! Rew!"
"Er, right… Nutkio, dodge it and use bite!" Andrew stepped back, wobbling.
The staravia's eyes narrowed on electabuzz's fist, and she stretched out her talons. She spread her wings out and dived forward. A limber leg paraded towards her beak, cutting off her attack path. Her feathers ruffled, and she barrel-rolled away. Her feathers stood on edge as a current surged through her body. A cry escaped her lungs.
One down, Sutton thought. The hitmonlee bounced into the ground, scraping its limber leg on the cobbles, which wobbled under his weight. Damn, that will restrict his movement. "Again!" Sutton called out.
The deino jumped up with its stubby little legs, baring her tiny sharp teeth. The hitmonlee shifted direction, leaping into the air once more. The scrape on its leg leaked blood. However, he remained focused, slamming the base of his foot into the deino's jaw, sending her flying and gasping for air.
Landing on the wonky cobbles, the Hitmonlee pivoted into a barrage of bullet punches into the chest of the gurdurr. However, the gurdurr grinned at the punches and swung its muscular leg at the hitmonlee's injury.
"Thanks, Sutton. I will take it from here. Miskix, use dragon tail!" Tomilson jumped off the back of the back of the dragapult as she swung her tail into the air. The force of the swing knocked the gurdurr back, leaving Lioa exposed to attack.
Sutton dashed through the gap, pressing the buttons on his two poké balls to bring his electabuzz and hitmonlee back to his side. Hames, where are you? If I was James, where would I go to hide? Sutton paused in the alleyway. His forehead felt a little wet. With his shirt sleeve, he wiped away the sweat. Damn, Colran heat… Out of the corner of his eye, the street darkened. Sutton stopped at the start of the road. His eyes focused on the street-lampent in the distance. Its flame danced in the darkness, flickering, and suddenly, a popping giggle echoed down the street as the purple light faded into a cloud of fog. The fog pressed against the windows of the houses, plunging the road into utter darkness.
"What the…" Sutton whispered; his hand drifted down to his electabuzz's poké ball. "Gah!" Sutton felt his back surge in pain, and his legs staggered back. A loud screeching sound pierced through the silent streets. He turned on his heels to face the epicentre of the sound. Well, I guess I found you…
James stepped forward, "Iron tail, Okta!" Okta roared, raising her boulder tail.
Sutton's gaze motioned to the golden onix, overshadowing the rest of the street. "James, this is a residential area… you could kill someone! Verash, take it down into a ball so it doesn't kill anyone!" The Hitmonlee sprung up using its spring-like legs. Bending its injured knee, he focused on the onix's horn on the top of her head.
The onix screeched in pain, and her horn crumbled a little under the pressure of the kick.
"Okta!" James rushed forward in front of her, her tail still wriggling. She swung, slamming the iron-hard tail into the hitmonlee's body.
The hitmonlee flipped through the air, landing on his non-injured leg. Damn. We can't risk another high jump kick. Getting hit again may leave him paralysed or worse.
"Switch it up!" Sutton stepped to the side. James is being reckless, placing himself between his onix and my hitmonlee. I need to distract her. Sutton's hitmonlee sprung forward, closing his fists and focussing on a single point.
"Okta, watch out!" James heard footsteps behind him, swivelling, and he turned to point. His cheek ached, and his vision became black. The uncomfortable smell of his blood crowded his sense of smell. His tongue could taste the unmistakable salty taste of blood.
Well, that was luckily very anti-climatic. Sutton crouched next to James, quickly taking the poké ball from his hand and sucking the onix back inside. Sorry, Hames, I didn't mean to punch you so hard.
Opening the cell door, Sutton heard the bell chime twice more. It took an hour and a half-ish to round them up and get them here. He entered the cell and sat down beside James.
"''ere I am? Baddle won?" James asked, squinting at Sutton. His left arm was up, covering his eyes from the light.
Guilt crept through Sutton, like a slimy shellos on a hot day. His cold hand pressed an ice pack against James's swollen jaw. "You are in a cell. No, you didn't win. You almost killed some people.… sorry for punching you so hard. I couldn't think of anything else I could do. Would you like me to take you to your brother?"
"Brodder?" James stared around the room. His vision pulsing in rhythm with the swelling of his pain. "Home?"
Sutton momentarily peered at the floor before looking calmly into James's eyes. "When your father comes to pick you up." Gently, he pushed James's hair back. To you, I am just a monster from Elktan. I won't let you stay out late or break the law – a foreigner who wants to hurt you. The truth is, it must be hard on you, on all of you. Every day, this war takes a greater toll on you than on me. Sutton eased James onto his back, lifted the bedside blanket, and wrapped it around him. "Now try and get some sleep. We will sort out punishments in the morning."
7 | Page