Warning: This story will have yaoi (BoyxBoy love). If that isn't your fancy or you just hate this couple Kindly either:
A. Hit the back Button
B. Be brave, read the story and try your best to ignore the yaoi-ness
C. Understand it's my story and that no matter what you say, I won't change my story to match your views
D. Have an awesome day and NOT flame/troll
E. Do all of the Above but A
Author's Note – so if anyone of you are long-time fans of this story you know I'm an infrequent updater. I apologize for that! I'm just one erratic lady, I guess. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It's all about Maria and it adds a bit to the plot – but that's all I'm saying! Please enjoy chapter 15!
Chapter 15 - Maria
Maria was sitting inside the Pokemon center. She was waiting for Dylan and Red to come get her so they could all go and search for Green together. Maria glanced over at the counter where Nurse Joy was standing and noticed a small family of three were happily healing their Pokemon. Their son's face was completely covered in a smile as his mom and dad held his hands and waited for their Pokemon. Maria sighed and turned her view to the other side of the Pokemon Center – she missed the days with her mom and dad where she did similar things.
She really missed them...
It was a very cold, cloudy day – the sun didn't seem to want to grace the people with its warming glow. Tents littered the alleyways and streets, making no room for anything else. Nurses and doctors hurried from each tent making sure to not waste any of their time or energy on anything not important. Maria gazed at the doctors – she had to trust them to take care of her mom and dad. They told her they'd make her parents better and then they could go back home with her. She couldn't wait to go back to living like normal. Maria had asked the doctors and nurses if she could live there in the tents – but they told her no as they didn't know whatever they were sick with was infectious.
So Maria would go home every night and make herself dinner and pray that her parents would soon return to being healthy so she wouldn't have to eat dinner by herself anymore – but she didn't realize that the doctors and the nurses were much more sinister than they appeared. That every time they'd tell her that her parents were getting better that they were actually running test after test not giving a single damn about her parent's well-being. Maria would bring them cookies she had baked and the doctors and nurses would take them, faking gracious smiles.
Maria really thought that they cared about her and her family – but in reality, they couldn't give a rat's ass about any of their 'patients'. Maria would try to follow the nurses around the tents but they'd always send her away and tell her to visit her parents. Maria just wanted to follow and help them since they were helping her parents out. She wanted to return the favor – and favor that wasn't really there.
One day Maria walked in on her parents sitting hand in hand as they were looking into the sky. It was quite a lovey day for being winter – the sun was bright and warm, embracing anyone under in a warming glow. Maria smiled bright, holding a small surprise of cookies she had made for them. It was here parents favorite – chocolate sugar cookies. It was the recipe her mother came up with and Maria had spent the last few nights after visiting them t perfect it – and she finally did.
"Hi, mom and dad!" Maria enthusiastically chimed out, keeping her hands behind her back. She wiggled her eyebrows and smiled. Her parents both turned their gazes to her – and Maria's smile fell a bit. The head nurse had told her that her parents were starting to get better but Maria could tell that she had lied to her – her parents looked like they had taken another step down death's staircase. Maria shifted her gaze downwards and kicked her foot slightly, trying to hide her disappointment and anguish.
Her parent's skin had turned from their pasty white to a darkening ash color. Red glowing vein-like markings twisted their way all over their body – like a tree's roots, going anywhere they wanted. Their eyes were no longer their respective brown and blue – they were now stained and littered with oranges and reds. Their faces were sunken in and their hair had changed to a silvery white.
Her parents were dying in front of her and there literally wasn't a single thing she could do to save the – she only knew how to comfort them and that was by being the daughter they raised her to be. Maria raised her head and forced another smile out. Tears were beating and fighting to come crashing out but Maria bit her cheek and told herself to toughen up. She had to be strong even though everything was against her. She had to believe that the doctors and nurses could save her parents.
Her belief in the doctors and nurses saving her parents was the only thing keeping her together.
Maria clenched her plate of cookies and wiggled her eyebrows once more. Maria's mother smiled and her dad laughed. Maria's father reached his one hand out and smiled.
"So, what's behind your back?" he asked, motioning his hand at her to hand her whatever she had behind her back. Maria playfully rolled her eyes and smiled in reply.
"I don't know dad, it might be too good to give up!" Maria laughed out, twisting side to side in excitement. She couldn't wait to give them these cookies – but she did love to tease her parents. Maria's mother clasped her hands together and smiled while Maria's dad started to protest.
"What!? Come on, you're my favorite daughter! Let me take a peek!" Maria's dad pleaded, giving her the puppy dog eyes. Maria giggled and flashed a toothy smile.
"I'm your only daughter, dad!" Maria said, walking over to her parents make-shift bed and sitting down on it. Maria finally showed them her surprise and her parent's eyes sparkled with life – they couldn't believe that their daughter took the time to master making their favorite cookies. Her parents looked at each other and warm smiles plastered them. Tears started to stream down her mother's face and her father's eyes started to flood – but he wouldn't let the flood gates run.
"Hunny, these are lovely. Did you make these yourself?" Maria's mother asked, choking back tears as best as she could. Maria's facade crumbled – and she started to cry. She ran over to her parents and dove in for a hug – and was embraced by pure love. Her parents hugged her tight and tears started to fall all around. Maria just wanted to be with her parents forever. She didn't want to lose them. She didn't want to be an orphan.
She didn't want to be alone – and most certainly didn't want to lose her parents who loved her just as much as she loved them.
Maria hugged her parents tightly and the responded by hugging her just as tight. They all held each other. Maria had never seen her father cry and now he had rivers running down his face. Maria knew her dad always acted tough – but she knew he was a big softie. Maria's mother on the other hand was always a cry baby – whiny and complaining over everything but this time, Maria felt real sadness in her tears. It was as if Maria's mother knew she wasn't long for this world – and Maria didn't want to accept the fact that she was losing them.
They eventually all calmed down a bit but stayed cuddle up together in a hug. Maria reached her hand out and pulled the cookies over to them but her mother spoke up.
"Hunny, it's really dark and depressing in here. Let's take a stroll to the nearby park and eat them there. It's such a lovely day anyways – I'd love a break from this tent," Maria's mother chimed out, petting Maria's hair gently. Maria nodded and they all stood up. Maria led the way, holding the plate of cookies proudly as her parents walked behind her, hand in hand. In this small walk to the park, Maria couldn't help but think fondly of how in this moment, everything felt as it it was back to normal. That her parents weren't dying and that they were going to the nearby park for their weekly family outing – and then they'd go home, eat dinner together and then have her dad tell the best bedtime stories and have her mom send her to sleep with the tightest tuck in bed and a kiss on the fore head just like any kid ever wanted.
But she knew those days were long gone.
Maria shook her head, trying to rid those happy thoughts as they were depressing her a bit, reminding her that the moment she was in right now was not the best – and that was not how Maria wanted to remember these moments. She wanted remember these moments as the time she could spend her parents last few days as happily as possible with them. Maria turned to her parents as they were entering the park and she caught a glimpse of her parent's sad eyes. She could tell they too were thinking of better times.
"Mom. Dad. I love you both very much," Maria mumbled out to herself, trying her best to not cry. She had to be strong. She knew her outburst earlier was somewhat acceptable but she didn't want to cry again.
"No more frowny faces!" Maria mentally yelled to herself.
Maria and her parents ended up sitting on a bench nearby the center of the park. Flowers danced elegantly in the wind as a rainbow of petals swirled all around – different colors blurred together and Maria was stricken by nature's true beauty.
"Wow, that's so beautiful!" She yelled out, exctied. Her dad patted her on the head and her mom giggled.
"Yes, it is quite lovely isn't it? I'm glad we can see this together. It's not often that the wind is this kind to us. I'm honored that mother nature is letting us see such a beautiful act of nature," Maria's mother cooed out. Maria smiled and basked in the beauty. It was pure bliss.
Maria's mother and father ate the cookies and they simply loved them. They praised Maria and she couldn't help by smile even more. She knew deep down that this could possibly be the last time they were ever all together like this and that she had to hang on to this moment. She didn't want to take anything for granted like she had done. Each and every single second she spent with her parents was an absolute precious blessing.
She just wished that they could stay like this forever. But a few days later, her heart was destroyed and completely broken – only to be reforged with spite and blood-thirsty for revenge.
Maria was coming to visit her parents like she did every day but was greeted by complete and utter silence. Maria tilted her head – no one was around. The tents were quiet and still. It was like the whole population of the tents had just disappeared. Maria felt her stomach churn and she simply couldn't put her nerves to rest – something was very wrong. Maria started to frantically run towards her parent's tent and was stopped. Forcefully.
"W-what the heck?! Let me go! I-I gotta find my parents! There in here somewhere! What's going on?!" Maria screamed, trying her best to free herself from whoever grabbed her. The offender turned her around and Maria was greeted by a sassy red-head woman and a short-purple haired man. Maria's eyes went wide as the woman covered her mouth and the man shushed her. Maria kept quiet and listened to the silence – but it wasn't true silence. A whooshing sound was somewhere in the distance. Maria struggled free and ran towards the noise while the adults chased her.
"Come back here! You're going to get hurt!" the woman yelled, catching up to Maria. The woman went to grab her but ended up missing as Maria ducked and kept running. Maria's breath was erratic and her heart felt like it could pop out of her chest.
"Mom! Dad! Where are you guys?!" Maria screamed once more, keeping her pace up trying to reach the noise. Maria could hear the noise much better and was almost at it when she was grabbed. The woman had caught up to her and Maria squirmed.
"Let me go, now! My parents -" was all Maria got out before she was put down to the ground and slapped across the face. Maria's face stung and she went quiet. The woman's eyes pierced hers and she decided it might be best to listen to her.
"You need to get the hell out of her. They're all dead. Gone. I'm sorry but your parents were killed -"
"Killed?! What?! No, they, they were just fine yesterday! I visited-"
"They were disposed of. Done being tested on and the company boss decided it'd be best to get rid of them. Now, please go. Before they see you. I'm sure your parents down want you to join them," the woman sorrowfully spat out. Maria fell to her knees. She felt so numb. So dead.
She didn't get to tell her parents one last time that she loved them. She didn't get to say goodbye.
Maria's life flashed before her eyes. All the memories and happy times of her parents circled all around her and Maria bathed for that moment in bliss for those memories – and then reality set in. She was greeted by a flamethrower to the face. The red-headed woman cursed out loud and grabbed Maria, picking her up and cradling her.
"She's not infected. I'm making her leave the area now!" the woman yelled out. The man with the flamethrower shook his head.
"You heard the boss's orders. Everyone is to be disposed off – whether or not they were infected," the flamethrower guy hollered back. The woman clenched Maria tight and glowered at her. Maria felt the anger and fear raced throughout her veins. Maria looked over at the flamethrower guy and noticed the wreckage behind him. Flames swallowed everything behind him – trees, tents, benches and human corpses were lit and turning to ash. The ash of everything combined and swirled around like a wild sandstorm. Maria took a closer look and noticed one of the nurses had been killed and was quietly burning up. Maria felt her throat tighten up.
When the man said everyone was to be disposed of they literally meant everyone. Maria flashed her eyes to the woman. Maria was afraid. Maria didn't want to die. She didn't want anyone to die – yet so many did.
"Put her down or you'll burn with her, Jesse. I don't wanna make you suffer for something you had no control over." the flamethrower guy said. Jesse kept quiet and put her head down.
"No. I'm not letting you kill this child. She's been through enough. Her parents were just murdered. Don't add another innocent number to the already high death count," Jesse retorted. The flamethrower guy sighed and shook his head. He relaxed his arms and put the flamethrower to his side.
"If word of this gets out, Jesse, it's on your shoulders and it'll be your head. Not mine."
"I'll deal with that when the time comes," Jesse growled out, putting Maria down. Maria froze and looked at Jesse and then the flamethrower guy. Was she really safe to go? Maria felt Jesse put her hand on her shoulder.
"You need to go now. And never say a word about this to anyone. I mean it, girl," Jesse huffed out. Maria nodded quietly and then ran for the closest exit she could find. Tears flew past her as she ran. She couldn't believe what had happened. She lost her parents and then almost lost her own life – she was lucky to have been saved by that Jesse woman.
But Maria's grief faded and turned to anger. She wanted revenge on everyone involved with her parents death – and he wouldn't stop till she found this woman's boss and made him suffer just like he made her parents suffer.
Maria's eyes fluttered open. She had dozed while waiting for Dylan and Red but when she looked around they still weren't there. Maria sighed. She hated whenever she had that dream. It always made her depressed and remember that tragic day – a day she wished never happened. Maria looked around again to see if maybe they missed her or she missed them but Dylan and Red really weren't here yet. Maria decided to stand up and head for the desk to ask for a snack when a certain sassy voice caught her attention.
Maria turned her gaze to the front doors and in front of her was a woman that saved her life on the day her parents died. Maria never thought she'd see this woman again.
It was Jesse – and the purple-haired man whose name she never got. Maria wanted to avoid them yet at the same time, Jesse was a very important part of Maria's plan to get revenge. Jesse's boss was the one that was responsible for what happened to her parents – and Maria wanted the name of this man. But she was afraid. What if Jesse refused or didn't even remember her? What if Jesse completely ignored her?
Maria would be lost on how to avenge her parents – and probably couldn't without Jesse's help. Maria clenched her fists and took a breath. She needed to talk to Jesse. Maria forced herself to walk up to Jesse. When she was next to Jesse, she went to say something but fear stopped her – so she grabbed Jesse's sleeve on her shirt. Jesse had a pensive, annoyed look plastered on her face until she realized who exactly Maria was. Jesse's mouth dropped agape and she covered her mouth.
"Hello, Jesse. I'm Maria, that girl you saved all those years ago – and I really need your help again".
End of Chapter 15.
Author's Note – I had a blast writing this chapter! Though, writing a few parts actually made me tear up to think about poor Maria and her parents. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please, leave a review telling me what you think of it and I hope to see you at the next update! I really appreciate every single review and favorite I receive. I really means a lot to me! I hope you're all doing well and I hope you all are happy!
-Love, Twisted List.
