Nngn I'm afraid I'm going to fail at finishing this.
Ch3
“Eight badges, eight gyms. How long d'you reckon 'til I reach the league?” he asked, drawing figures on the dirt ground with a stick.
“Oh, I dunno. Must be a long time, I guess.” I continued to stare at the big, fluffy clouds.
“A super long time,” he agreed, finishing his poor rendition of a Charizard. “It must be fun. A long journey.”
“I guess.”
“You don't seem very excited about this.”
I shrugged, replying, “Why would I be? It sounds awfully tiring.”
“Well,” he said, blushing slightly, “I thought we agreed to go together! On a journey.”
I laughed, facing him.
“I only said maybe.”
“W-Well, you promised,” he retorted, throwing the stick away. He crossed his arms. “You promised me. You promised to go on a journey with me when I turned ten. You promised you'd stay with me until I reached the league! You promised!”
He stood across me, smiling sadly.
“How many more promises are you going to break, Laila?”
“I don't know,” I said quietly, holding Ren. “I don't know where I am but I must admit I don't like this place.”
It was true. I was in a cemetery. It was cloudy and dismal, the familiar cold circling us. I shivered and held Ren closer. I could not feel my nose, ears or fingers.
“Of all places this time,” I commented, struggling to smile. I could not. Cemeteries depressed me, and for a good reason. They only reminded me of my ethereal life. Yesterday, I was nine and suddenly, decades later, I had trouble finding my socks every single morning. Was that why I looked forward to Ren's antics? Remembering Seth's words, though, I winced.
“I must apologize to him again,” I told Ren, who was sleeping, “I feel terrible now. He is only worried about me, after all...”
I sighed and forced myself to look at my surroundings.
I knew I wasn't in Lavendar Town. I could not spot the tower anywhere. All I could see were fields and fields with endless gray slabs of stones sticking out. The grass was a pale, sickly yellow. As cemeteries went, this one was quite gloomy.
“I don't recognize this place at all. I feel as if you're taking me farther and farther away, sometimes,” I told Ren, despite the fact my words were heard by no one. Talking comforted me, so I continued as I walked past the gravestones.
“And I can't tell if there's a pattern, unfortunately. I was never good at noticing things. At times, I can't even tell if I'm dreaming. Why me, I wonder? Suppose someone else had found you instead; suppose a more adventurous person than myself had found you. I am sure their story would be far more exciting. I cannot weave a tale for my life.”
The air grew chillier. I coughed lightly, holding the shawl closer.
“But I do not regret finding you. I am, I suppose, happy. You have made life a bit more interesting. Seth tells me it's a phenomenon. I simply see you as a friend.”
Upon the last word, I stopped walking. No matter what direction I took, everything looked exactly the same—rows and rows of gravestones, dead grass, gray sky, and a large, crooked tree.
“Oh dear,” I murmured. My chest felt heavy and for some reason, I felt uneasy. “I feel like I'm walking in circl—hmm? Tree?”
In the distance, I could see a silhouette of a person standing in front of one of the gravestones, next to the tree. My vision was poor, but it wasn't so poor as to miss another human being, let alone a tree, in this vast, empty cemetery.
“I know I was alone,” I said, gripping Ren tighter. “I know I was alone,” I repeated, if only to reassure myself. Nevertheless, curiousity got the best of me and I approached the figure. He was a man, I could see. He donned a long, black coat and a hat. He was facing down, making it difficult to see his face.
“Excuse me,” I called out politely. He did not look up. Perhaps he couldn't hear me.
“Excuse me,” I called out again. He still did not look up. Perplexed, I walked closer to him, but my presence still went unnoticed.
“...ou,” he whispered. I could barely hear what he was saying. Feeling bold, I walked even closer, ending up right next to him.
“...you,” he whispered again, and this time, he raised his head and faced me. I immediately recognized his gaunt face, blue eyes, and hair streaked with gray.
He grabbed my shoulders, taking a step closer. Startled, I attempted to take a step back but found my feet rooted to the ground.
“I missed you,” he said hoarsely, “I did, I really missed you. Where are you now? Why did you leave?”
My whole body trembled.
“I don—“
“I missed you. I miss you. Where are you now?”
“I do—”
“I miss you!” he yelled, digging my nails into my shoulders. I cried out from the pain, tears threatening to emerge. He leaned in closer until his face was directly in front of me. Shaking, he began to weep.
“I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, Laila, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I really do, so why did you—”
(◕ ‿‿ ◕) PM me for a contract.