CHAPTER 8.1 - FEAR THE BEGINNING PT.3
TW: Nightmares / Physical & Verbal Abuse of a Child / Victim Shaming
"Don't fall asleep."
Wyatt slowly peeled his eyes open, looking at the Pokemon hovering over him. The Loudred slowly pressed his hands against his eyes before dragging them down his face. "What time is it?"
Zorro hopped over to the nearby table, opening up Rosa's bag before turning on the girl's pokedex. "Early."
Wyatt looked over at the window, seeing the moon sitting high in the sky. The Pokemon sighed, pushing himself up against the wall as he wiped the sleep from the corners of his eyes. "No, it's late." The Loudred took a second to stare at its own feet, wondering what it was doing, indulging the Grass-type before it turned its attention towards the Roselia. "What's going on?"
"It's nearly time!" Zorro whispered loudly, waddling back over towards his friend. "This was the earliest that he came that one time, and we need to always be ready to catch him if we can!"
Wyatt sighed, shaking his head. "How many of those have you taken? You look tired."
Zorro dropped the Worry Seed he'd been holding on to before kicking it under the bedskirt. "Don't worry about me, just think about Rosa! What if she has another nightmare- what if
everyone has another nightmare? I don't want anyone to have to suffer from this Pokemon if we can do something about it."
"And? What do you think we can do? We're not strong enough to face off against
him. Last time we tried to run, but he just… it was pointless." The Pokemon shook his head, slowly laying back down on the ground. "There's nothing we can do about it except get stronger in our own time. Until then, just worry about getting some rest. The gym challenge is in a few days, and you're going to be the star; right?"
Zorro nodded, doing his best to strike a heroic pose. "Of course! I've been practicing hitting Pokemon that swim underwater just in case I can't get one of that Dreadnaw to come up."
"Good, then just think about that. If you worry about too much, you'll have nightmares regardless of whether that Pokemon comes or not."
Zorro grunted, producing another Worry Seed before starting to nibble on it. "I don't need sleep… I just need Mom to be happy…"
The two Pokemon sat in silence for several seconds, listening to each other breathe. "Fine," Wyatt grumbled, throwing the sheet off of himself before sitting up fully. "Pass me one of those."
Zorro grinned as he produced another Worry Seed and passed it over to the Loudred, prompting the Pokemon to swallow it whole. "So… do you have a plan?"
Zorro shrugged. "Hit it with my strongest moves and see what happens?"
Wyatt sighed, shaking his head. "I guess that is the best you could do against someone like
him. But it would be better if we-"
"Someone like whom?" The voice echoed like a whisper in the Pokemons' ears.
Zorro and Wyatt leapt up, their heads turning rapidly as they searched for the source of the voice. "Show yourself!" The Roselia cried out, readying his petals for an attack.
Laughter echoed through the room as a shadow began to fill it, snuffing out the lights emitted from the various devices around the two Pokemon. "What would you do if I did?" The voice questioned, setting the room's temperature down a few more degrees as it spoke.
"I'd- I'd-" Zorro stuttered, feeling for Wyatt in the new darkness that surrounded them. "I'd hit ya hard! Pow! With everything I've got!" The Pokemon motioned with its other arm, having found and wrapped itself around Wyatt.
"You can't keep doing this to us!" Wyatt yelled out, feeling the comfort of Zorro's roses. "We'll stop you!"
"Oh,
you'll stop me? Really?" The voice questioned again, "But how will you do anything when you're asleep?"
Zorro winced, feeling the weight of the darkness bearing down on him more now than the last time. His eyes felt heavy, despite having used so many Worry Seeds to keep himself awake. "I'll beat you, even if it's just in my dreams then!"
Wyatt shook his head, feeling a similar sort of drowsiness to the Grass-type. "Whatever it takes," he tacked on, puffing out his chest slightly as he took in a deep breath, readying his first attack.
The voice laughed, letting the darkness around them slip away. "I see." The Pokemon floated out from the corner of the room, fixing its gaze on the two smaller Pokemon as it reached one of its arms out towards Rosa. "Well then, what do you say we do this?"
Wyatt and Zorro tensed up, coming truly face to face with the Pokemon for the first time. The two looked at each other momentarily, nodding their heads as they consigned themselves to their fates.
"Just try and keep us from protecting her then!" Zorro cried out, turning a pair of Poisonous Stingers towards the Pokemon as Wyatt rushed in for a grab.
"Hmm. Very well then. Feel my power." A blue-ish psychic energy filled the room, causing everything to float up from the ground as Wyatt opened his mouth to let out a scream before being forced to clamp it shut. "Now now, we can't have you causing a commotion, can we?"
'Another one of these, huh?' Rosa thought, finding herself in the middle of a dance. The lights focused around her were blinding, but each time that she turned she caught a glimpse of some of the girls that she had used to dance with. 'Well, maybe this'll be a little less…' she thought, trying to figure out exactly where she was in her memory.
"I can't believe she still has the gall to get on stage like that."
"I know, right? You'd think she'd have the decency to step down on her own. Her mother's just too good of a person."
"For sure. If it were me, I would have taken her off of center stage the
second I found out what she was getting up to."
Rosa winced, hearing the parents chatting amongst themselves. They always gossiped - and her mother didn't stop them. Why would she? After all, she was the one that had let the rumors slip to begin with. Her gaze wandered through the gathering of parents, taking in the looks of disgust and scorn directed towards her.
Her mother clapped, a signal which caused all the girls to stop at once. "Our lead will now perform the Offering to Arceus. Please clear the stage." Rosa quickly put herself into position, watching as the other girls left the stage to join their parents.
The lights trained on her turned a pale yellow as the music slowly started. The dance started with a long, reflective prostration. As the music carried on, the girl closed her eyes, slowing her breathing as she waited.
'Why am I still here?' she wondered, trying to remember if anything happened on this day in particular. 'I've messed up this dance a few times before, but that doesn't mean that-'
The girl rose slowly, rocking back onto her heels before coming fully to her feet. The music continued on slowly, and she followed its rhythm with a series of sharply extended yet fluid motions. She stretched her body as she moved across the stage, turning herself into an arrow which directed the lights which imitated the Pokemon's path of creation, as in a legitimate performance there would have been singing of the things to which they were meant to be giving thanks.
Rosa looked out over the crowd as she continued to perform, and saw a few of her classmates snickering at her and whispering to their parents, earning smiles or laughter in some cases from them. She frowned slightly, turning her face away from them as she continued on.
'Don't worry about them,' she thought to herself, hoping to instill some confidence into the younger form of herself. 'You're doing great, just-'
Rosa fell on her face, having extended a bit too far on the last point. Her mind was occupied, having seen the interactions between the parents and children. She winced, pressing herself up off the stage as the music stopped. The girl looked over towards her mother, who didn't scold her, but simply gave her a look of immense disapproval.
"That's where we'll wrap it up for today," her mother said calmly, clapping her hands as she looked back towards the rest of the students and their parents. "I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow. Make sure to practice when you get home as well."
Rosa sat on the stage, watching as everyone quickly gathered their things and left, paying her no mind whatsoever. The girl looked to her mother, who was already heading back towards the house. Rosa rose slowly, pursing her lips as she followed her mother's lead back towards the main part of the estate.
"Come," her mother stated calmly as the girl made her way into the house.
Rosa nodded, walking over in front of her mother before being helped to undress. "I didn't mean to-" She started, turning towards her mother as her dress fell from her shoulders.
The sound echoed through the room as Rosa fell to the ground, her own hand against her cheek as she felt the burning warmth of the mark her mother's fingers had left on her face. "How dare you embarrass me like that, and on such a simple performance." her voice was dull and cold, but the look of anger in her eyes was intense. "How am I supposed to hold up my reputation and train these other girls when my own daughter can't even properly perform the simplest of offering dances? If you can do nothing properly besides pleasure men, perhaps you should find a different school of study and save my face."
The woman quickly turned and walked out of the room, leaving Rosa to her own devices. The girl ran her hand across her cheek, holding on to the stinging sensation as she pulled her clothes off the rest of the way. "Why do you hate me?" She whispered to no-one but herself, feeling herself tear up as she stopped to wipe them away. "It's not like I asked for any of it…"
"It's no problem, Mrs. Valdés. This is what I was hired for." The voice of a man came from downstairs, prompting Rosa to come out of her room and see what was going on.
It was early in the morning, earlier than she'd normally woken up for school, but she hadn't been able to sleep right the past few nights anyways. She listened in on the conversation that her mother and this man were having, curious as to what they were discussing since this man's voice was unfamiliar to her.
"You came highly recommended, so I didn't have any doubts. You
are quite quick, though." A small laugh escaped her mother's mouth, causing Rosa to wince as she peeked around the corner.
He was… handsome. His platinum blond hair was tied up in a bun, which went great with the business suit he was wearing with its diamond pattern on the sides. But what was most interesting of all to her, was his eyes. Since he was sitting on the opposite side of the table from where she was coming down from, she could see them - one eye was strangely yellow, while the other was grey.
"I don't particularly like cleaning jobs, but I wouldn't want you to settle on someone else. You are a friend of a friend, after all. It could be troublesome for them if this mess were to come back on you."
"I appreciate the courtesy. I'll be sure to thank them properly the next time I see them."
The man looked up in the direction of the watchful girl, just barely missing her before she turned back around the corner. "Of course, Mrs. Valdés. I must, however, be taking my leave now. If I stay too long, I'll be late for my next job. I can't risk my reputation of efficiency, you understand?"
"Of course. In that case," her mother scooted out the chair she was sitting on, "I'll see you out."
Rosa rushed back upstairs, looking out from her window as she watched the man get walked out to a waiting vehicle. He turned, and exchanged a few words with her mother before glancing up at her window with a smile which was followed with a glare from her mother.
'Who… is he?' She wondered. She'd forgotten all about this moment, since in the face of everything else she'd gone through, it seemed so insignificant. But now that she was here, reliving it… 'Why was she meeting with him, and what did he mean by cleaning? We have maids that come every week, so then what is…'
Rosa turned from the window as the man got into the vehicle and quickly found her way back into bed. She rolled over under the covers, closing her eyes as quickly as she could to try and fall back asleep, or at least get into a position that felt like she'd just woken up. She didn't think she was supposed to see that conversation, but what she was more worried about now was what her mother would say to her.
And so she laid there. And laid there… and laid there. She waited patiently for her mother to come talk to her, to get angry at her for eavesdropping, but she never did come. Slowly but surely, the girl's eyes did start to grow heavy on their own, and soon enough, she was back asleep.
'Wh-where am I?' Rosa wondered, taking in her new surroundings. This nightmare was different from the last one. Last time, she'd been in her body through the whole experience, but now… it was choppy, jumping from bit to bit. She looked around, taking in the empty classroom around her as she wiped the tears from her eyes. 'What is… what happened?'
"Rosa, you alright?" A young girl asked, making her way into the room with a twisted length of aluminum in her hands.
'Where do I…' Rosa wondered as her mouth slowly opened.
"Yeah, thank you for running them off, Elena." Rosa looked up at the pink-haired girl and wiped the tears from her eyes.
'I remember now, she was my friend… the only girl in school that ever stood up for me. I can't believe I'd forgotten about her for so long… and after all she did for me, I-'
Elena shook her head, pulling her bangs up away from her sweaty forehead into a clip atop her head. "Don't mention it. I expect the boys to be immature and dirty about it, but the girls… they're just bitches." The girl took a seat at the desk in front of Rosa, turning the chair around to face her. "So, what do you want to do today?"
Rosa shook her head, looking at the bloodshot and tired eyes of the girl in front of her. "What do
you want to do?"
Elena stared and Rosa and slowly smiled, shaking her head. "Dunno. Guess we'll leave it to Simon then, yeah?" She said softly, tapping the length of metal against her boots as she looked over at the door. "Where's he at, anyways?"
"I think he went to chase after the boys after you went for the girls," Rosa smiled, blushing slightly. "You two always surprise me." She chuckled, picking up some of the scattered papers that were left on the floor from the girls that had been there just minutes before.
"We're friends, right?" Elena questioned, leaning in closer. "What do you want me to do, just join in with them and laugh about some rumors I'd never even heard about?"
Rosa shrugged, letting her eyes linger on one of the papers she'd picked up, and let her smile turn sour as she looked it over. The paper had been covered in slurs by the other girls, and a few phone numbers from the boys. "I dunno… I just didn't think
I would get to be this lucky."
"I'll always be there for you, Rosa. You're family to me, yeah? No matter what happens, I'll always treat you like my lil sister." Elena smiled, vigorously rubbing her hand against Rosa's head, messing up the girl's hair. "Besides… what do I really have to lose? It's not like anyone around here would have wanted to adopt me after I ran away from that last family."
Rosa sighed, fixing her hair as the smile returned to her face. "You don't know that, Elena. I think anyone would be-"
"Rosa!" Simon called out, sliding back into the room with a few new bruises on his face. "You doin' okay? They didn't hurt you, ri-"
The girl quickly shot up from her seat, her face turning white at the boy's injuries. "Simon, what did you do?" She asked, immediately cutting him off.
"Ah… I just wanted to-" the boy winced as Elena hit his foot with the metal stick, shaking her head at him. "I, uh… fell, on my way back here." He laughed lightly, scratching the back of his head.
Rosa shook her head. "You guys… you don't have to-"
"So!" Elena chimed in, inching closer to the boy in her chair. "We've decided that we don't know what we want to do today, so it's on you now. Where are we going after this Si-boy?"
'She came into our class a year after the rumors first started spreading… the new girl, in a class full of people who'd already decided who the class victim would be. She was an orphan, someone who'd travelled the world by no choice of her own. She had a chance to start fresh in a new school, already accepted by everyone simply because the role she'd have normally fallen into was already filled. Nobody could have been more of an outcast herself, and yet… Elena didn't hesitate to stand up for me. Maybe it was because she felt bad for me, or maybe it was something else… but either way, she'd become my only other friend besides Simon. Ever since, we'd been inseparable… that is, until
that day…'
Simon looked at the two girls and sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Want to go swimming? The weather's nice enough."
Rosa shook her head and frowned. "Sorry, I can't get wet… I have dance classes again tonight."
Elena rolled her head around and sighed, "Ugh! You have dance class every night! I can't stand spending so much time away from you!" She laughed playfully, shaking her head. "Why don't I just join in your classes with you? I can protect you better from the girls that are in your lessons too, and like, it'd be super cool to learn some of the same moves as you, yeah?"
Rosa smiled and shook her head. "You wouldn't want to join our lessons… everyone there is-"
"Whaaat?" Elena scoffed, shaking her head. "I can't believe you don't want to spend time with your bestie." She frowned playfully, crossing her arms as she puffed out her lips. "Simon, pleeeeease? Can you pleeeease talk her into asking her mom for me?"
Simon sighed, shaking his head as he sat in a nearby chair. "Is it that big of a deal?"
Rosa shook her head. "Simon… you know how my mom gets… I don't want to make her angry."
"Oh no," Elena whimpered, faking a sniffle as she put her sleeves up against her eyes. "One of my best friends is too embarrassed of me, what am I supposed to do now? Now I'll never get to meet her mom or learn the
proper way to present myself as a woman." She peeked at Rosa through her sleeves, letting her tongue hang out slightly.
The girl shook her head and sighed, laughing lightly. "Okay… I guess it won't hurt to ask if you can join in. You'll have to take out your piercings though, otherwise I
know she'll say no."
"Hmm," Elena mused, shaking her head. "No, I think I'll keep them in. I got a plan if she tries to refuse me. Trust me, I know how to manipulate adults… after all, how many times have I been adopted? You know how it is."
Rosa nodded knowingly. She
had travelled most of the world in this way. The way she looked now was expressly done for the purpose of making sure nobody would want to see her, just to be certain.
"Well… I guess we'll head home then."
Simon and Elena nodded, grabbing their things from around the room before rejoining Rosa at the exit to the classroom. "I'll walk you home," Simon said, "but after that I think I'll probably head back to my place. My new records just came in, and I've actually been super anxious about getting to listen to them all day long."
"Ooh, what'd you get, Si-boy?" Elena asked, pulling open her bag to reveal a small device. "I listened to a few of those bands you recommended last time, but I think I'm looking for something a little more melodic."
"Ooh, in that case let me recommend this band here," he said, pulling out his own device.
Rosa fell slightly behind, watching the two of them continue on with their music talk as they made their way back towards her house. She smiled, watching the two of them getting along.
'They
were perfect for each other, weren't they?[/i]
"Something's come up, so there'll be no classes today," her mother announced as she came into the building with Elena in tow. The woman didn't even turn her gaze from the piece of wood she was whittling away at. "What's that
rat doing here? I thought I told you not to bring her around anymore. I have an image that needs to be-"
"Mrs. Valdés," Elena cut in, "I'm sorry to ask, but could you please teach me how to dance?" She questioned, prostrating herself at the feet of Rosa's mom. "I've been on the wrong path for so long, and Rosa's told me so much about how dance has helped to change her life… I just… I want to know how to be a proper maiden."
Rosa's mom put the piece of wood down and looked between the girl in front of her and her daughter. "Is this a joke to you? You think it's funny to waste my time with-"
"No!" Rosa replied, joining Elena on the ground in front of her mom. "I- I want to help Elena… you know she's an orphan, right?"
"Yeah, I'm an orphan… so learning to be a proper maiden could help a lot in getting me adopted again."
Silence hung over the three of them, with none of them wanting to be the first to speak. Eventually, her mother took a breath and cleared her throat. "I don't appreciate being talked over." She stated bluntly, letting the weight of her words hang over the two young girls. "Though, I suppose if you're looking to reform yourself, it would be good for my image if you were to join the class. That being said, you have to lose the piercings and change your hair to a natural color before I'll consider accepting you."
Rosa felt her heart leap, feeling excited in the presence of her mom for the first time a while. "Thank you, mother." she stated, her voice shaking slightly with excitement.
"I'll be sure to make myself presentable for you in the future," Elena added on.
"Tch. That is good to hear. Now, get off of my property until then. Rosa, head to your room and start your schoolwork."
"Of course," Rosa replied, glancing over at Elena as the two rose to their feet. "I'll see Elena out and then head up." Her mother waived them off, returning to her work as the two girls excitedly made their way back outside.
"See, I knew it would work in our favor." Elena whispered, wrapping her arms around Rosa. "Now we get to be together even when you have dance."
"Yeah!" Rosa replied, smiling as she returned the embrace. "I'm super excited for it… but, now that she's kicked you out for the day, what are you going to do?"
Elena shrugged, looking behind her. "I dunno. Might go see what Simon's new albums are like. Then I guess I'll have to stop at the store for some new dye before I head back to the orphanage."
Rosa nodded, looking back towards the entrance to her own house. "That sounds like fun… I have to go study, I guess. Let me know tomorrow if you find anything you think I'd like to listen to." She smiled softly, hugging Elena again before taking a few steps back the way they'd come.
"Of course," Elena replied, returning the embrace. "I've also got a fair few joke songs I can torture him with, so I'll let you know how that goes too."
Rosa laughed lightly, heading back inside as she waved back at her friend. "Things are going to get better… I just know it."
'Don't… don't set yourself up like that. It's not long from now, that…'
"Phew, your mom's really been kicking my ass with those lessons." Elena shook her head and massaged her thigh. "You'd think she'd take my first week a little slower, given I've never danced before."
Rosa laughed lightly and shook her head. "You shoulda known better, El. I've told you the type of teacher she is… she never takes it easy on anyone."
"Yeah, I remember… I'm kind of glad we don't have class today. I love getting to spend all this extra time with you, but man… my body just really needs a break."
Rosa laughed, looking over at Simon. "I told you it'd be hard when you first started out, didn't I? But yeah… I guess I could get a head start on studying for our midterms. I think the plan is to drop you off first, then me and Simon'll head down into town to go home."
"Ah, don't worry about it. I think I can make it home myself." Elena smiled, giving her leg a little slap.
"You really do look so much different with black hair." Simon remarked, staring at Elena. "I can't believe you even did your eyebrows just to take these classes."
Elena shrugged. "Anything for Rosie, yeah?" she smiled, winking at the boy.
"Y-yeah," he replied, blushing.
"You two should just date already," Rosa remarked, covering her smile.
"No no no no no," they both said in unison, shaking their hands in defense towards their shared accuser.
Rosa laughed lightly, rising up from her seat as she looked at them. "I dunno, you're pretty cute together."
"Don't joke around like that, Rosa." Elena chuckled nervously, pulling on the choker around her neck. "We don't even have that much in common."
Simon shrugged as he cleared his throat, making his way towards the exit to the room. "Y-yeah, we're just friends, right? All of us are like a family, so that'd just be kinda weird."
The three made their way down the hallway, laughing awkwardly amongst themselves as they exited the school. "Well, I guess I'll see you later then, huh?" Rosa wrapped her arms around Elena, giving her a hug before they parted ways. "No school tomorrow, but classes are back on."
Elena nodded. "Yeah, I know. We're all set to meet up at Simon's in the morning, right?"
Simon nodded, "Yeah, just gotta wake up this one," he said, pointing his thumb towards Rosa as he stifled a chuckle. "I'll help knock out her chores early on, so we should have plenty of time together afterwards."
"Sounds good," Elena laughed, waving at the other two before starting off towards the orphanage. "See ya tomorrow! Be safe!" Rosa and Simon nodded, waving back at the girl as they walked in the opposite direction.
The duo walked in relative silence on their way back home, finding themselves still under the veil of the awkward silence of Rosa's earlier suggestion. Simon looked like he wanted to say something several times, but he never let himself voice whatever it was inside of him. Eventually, they found themselves at the gate to Rosa's estate.
"Well," Simon said quietly, chewing on his lip as he kept his focus on the ground in front of him. "Guess I should go clean up my room if we're all getting together tomorrow. Since Elena hasn't been coming over, I let it get a little bit out of hand."
Rosa smiled and nodded, wrapping her arms around the boy. "Sounds good. I'll see you in the morning, lover boy."
"I'm not in love!" He replied, squeezing his arms in between Rosa's to break the embrace. "Like I said, we're
all just friends, right? Just… friends."
Rosa stuck out her tongue at the boy as she made her way up towards her front door. "Yeah, whatever you say. See you in the morning!" The girl entered her house, waving at the boy as she closed the door behind her.
Whoosh. Woosh. Woosh..
Rosa slowly made her way through the house, following the whooshing sound that she kept hearing. "Mom?" She called out lightly, not wanting to interrupt her if she was in the middle of something.
"Come in, Rosa." Her mother replied, swinging around a long and thin piece of wood.
"What is… what's that?"
"Don't repeat yourself." Her mother stated bluntly, continuing to swing around the wood. "It's called a switch. It's not used anymore, but it used to be a tool for punishment. I've been working on it the past two weeks, just trying to get it down to the proper thickness and length."
'She knew…' the girl slowly realized, piecing together the details she'd remembered from this dream and combining them with what she'd learned from the last nightmare. 'She didn't start making the switches until
after she met that man… she… she
knew. I don't know how, but… she...'
The girl nodded, watching and listening as her mother swung the switch around the room. It was almost mesmerizing, watching as the switch almost disappeared each time that she swung it, turning into a blur before coming to a wobbly stop. Her mother slapped the stick against the wall, creating a cracking sound and leaving a small imprint of the wood before nodding.
"Head on upstairs. I want all your work done before tomorrow so we can dedicate the whole day to your training."
Rosa begrudgingly nodded. She'd just promised to meet up with Simon and Elena, but now her mother was telling her she'd spend the whole day dancing… "Yes, mother." She'd try to fight it later, but for now, all she could do was accept it. She had intended to start studying anyways, so it wasn't the right time anyways. She'd wait until she was called for dinner to bring it up.
'But… she never did call for me.'
Hours passed, and Rosa finished studying for the night. The sun had fallen, and the moon was sitting in its place. The girl stretched out, wondering what was taking dinner so long as she made her way to the window. She looked out, watching the lights in the town flick on as the last bits of daylight faded out. She sighed, and then noticed something that… she hadn't expected to see for a while.
A truck was pulling up to their estate - a truck, with the symbol for the Pokemon Rangers emblazoned on the side. Her father wasn't supposed to be back yet, not for a good while. He'd only just been back the last month, and his assignments were for two at the bare minimum. The girl started to shake as she inched towards her closet. She needed to get dressed… she
had to meet him at the door, regardless of whether he was supposed to be back or not.
She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, wondering what had happened that he'd be coming back home so early. And… was it because of her? Was it because she'd opposed her mother? Did she call him back? These questions ran through her mind as she changed into his favorite dress and continued to plague her even as she made her way down to the front of the house. She pressed her hand against her chest, feeling the pit starting to form as her mouth quivered.
"M-mom?" She questioned, seeing that her mother was already waiting at the door.
The woman turned to look at her daughter. At the time, the look on the woman's face seemed… odd - something that she couldn't exactly explain. It wasn't joy, or anger… it was…
'She has the same look on her face that Damien did, that last night in Motostoke. Playfully malicious... knowing that there's nothing that can be done to escape the position that they've put you into.'
Her mother opened the door, greeting the ranger that was there waiting for her. "Hello," she started kindly, ignoring the box in the hands of the man just behind him. "Is there anything I can do to help you? I believe my husband should still be on patrol in Hoenn."
"Mrs. Valdés?"
Rosa leaned around her mom, looking at the Ranger just on the other side of the door. She felt the pit in her chest ease up a little bit as she looked the man over, making sure that it wasn't her father.
"Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"
The Ranger looked at Rosa's mother, and then down at the girl. "Ma'am, it may be better if you step outside for this." The man nodded towards Rosa as he pulled his hat off and rolled it between his hands.
Her mom shook her head without even glancing back at her daughter. "I'm sure whatever you have to say will be perfectly fine for us both to hear. She is a young woman after all. I'm sure she'll be able to handle it, if it's regarding her father."
The young girl's heart dropped as the pit returned, spurned on by the spite that was dripping from her mother's words. The girl winced, doing her best to keep her mouth steady so as to not show the pain that was hidden beneath her natural smile. She looked up at the Ranger, who was clearly having difficulty grasping the dynamic that her mother had just created.
"Well… it is in regards to your husband, but if you're certain that it's fine, I can't stop you." The man glanced back at Rosa and then at someone else who was just outside of view from where the young girl was standing. "I'm afraid that your husband, Ranger Rey Valdẽs, was killed in action this past week."
"Wh-what?" her mother replied, her whole body starting to shake as she slowly fell to the ground. "Don't- Don't say that… Rey can't be… he
can't be."
"Mrs. Valdés, I'm sorry, but it's the truth." The Ranger reached his hand out, placing it comfortingly on the woman's shoulder.
Rosa felt the pit in her stomach slowly disappear, as the fear of being subjected to the presence of her father slowly slipped away from her. She felt a small smile forming on her own face, knowing that she'd never again have to… but then, realization struck. She felt at some of the small bruises she'd earned from her mother over the last weeks, and wondered how things would escalate now that the threat of her father's return wouldn't be there.
Her mother would typically stop with her punishments a couple of weeks before her father was due back, just to give her time to heal up before he found her again… but now…
There was nothing to stop her mother from treating her however she wanted… and even if she was somewhat glad her father was gone now, she recognized even then that things were about to get much, much worse for her.
"Mrs. Valdés, I'm quite sorry for your loss." The Ranger continued stoically. "This is… all that remains of Ranger Rey Valdés." He stated, holding out the small box towards Rosa's mother. "After the incident, there wasn't much to recover that was… whole… so we went ahead and had his remains cremated - as were his wishes, indicated in the will we found in his office at headquarters."
"He… wanted to be cremated?" Her mother asked, the tears streaming down her face.
'Those… those aren't even real,' Rosa thought to herself as she watched her mother crying. 'Why… is she faking it?'
"He indicated that he wished to be cremated regardless of how he met his end. It was written that… this was to ensure his family wouldn't waste time mourning over him when he passed." The Ranger pursed his lips, opening the top of the box, revealing its contents. "It seemed his Pokemon were stolen or released, since all we could find on him were empty capsules marked with what was supposed to be contained within. Other than that, all that was left was his styler system, a torn patch indicating his rank, and a few service medals that were part of his outfit."
Rosa's mother looked through the box, her tears still flowing as she struggled to get anything else out. "D-Do you k-know wh-wh-"
The Ranger nodded his head. "I know it's hard to accept, but the investigation is still ongoing, and will be for some time due to the nature of his death. It seems from the forensics that were recovered, there was a Kabutops that was involved, but we're still uncertain of where the Pokemon came from exactly or why it had targeted him in particular, given that we had several Rangers in the area investigating some disappearances."
"Of course, those Rangers were stationed every couple of hundred miles so there could have been room to slip through the cracks in their perimeter… if that were the case, it would be hard to argue this was the act of a truly wild Pokemon. There's also the fact that there've been no reports of wild Kabutops in that area, nor any trainers with the Pokemon registered to them. However, the current theory is that it came from the sea bed."
Her mom lifted her gaze from the box, meeting the eyes of the Ranger who had kneeled down next to her. "W-why?"
"Rey was investigating in the area of a sunken ship out in the open seas. They suspect one of the passengers on that ship may have been smuggling rare Pokemon out of Kanto and released the Kabutops in their last moments. Though… there's about as much supporting evidence for that as there is any other we're currently pursuing."
"I… I see…" her mother cleared her face of the snot and tears which had covered it. "I suppose I'll-"
Rosa shot up out of bed in a cold sweat and quickly looked around the room. "N-not again," she whispered shakily, before noticing that the room was an absolute disaster. She quickly jumped out from under the covers, looking around to check the locks on everything. "What happened?" She whispered, feeling her heartbeat accelerating as she finished checking the door and windows. "I
know I locked everything, so then what-"
"R-Rose." Zorro called out weakly, crawling out from beneath the bed.
Rosa turned on her heels , seeing the beaten and bruised form of Zorro inching towards her. "Oh no! What happened?" She fell to her knees and lifted the Pokemon up before looking around the room again. "Who did this to you?"
Zorro shook his head before pointing towards the bathroom. "Rose." He said weakly, his eyes slowly closing as he fell asleep.
Rosa's face went completely white as she gently laid the Pokemon down on the bed. She slowly walked towards the restroom before pressing the door open with her fingertips. "H-hello?" She whispered, balling her hands up into fists, ready to confront whatever or whoever was waiting for her.
"Loud." Wyatt smiled weakly, seeing his trainer coming into the room as picked himself up off of the floor.
Rosa looked her starter over, seeing that he was even more injured than Zorro had been. She quickly grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around Wyatt, hugging him tightly as she teared up. "What the fuck is going on around here?" she whispered, her voice shaking as she tried to comfort the Pokemon.
"L-Loud," Wyatt replied, patting the girl on the back before pushing her away. "Loudred." He said weakly, holding out his hand towards her. "Loudred, Loud Loud-red." The Pokemon muttered, pushing the orb towards the girl.
Rosa held out her hand, turning the orb over in her hands. "What is this?" She whispered, looking at the purple and pink rings within it. "Where did you get this?" She looked up at Wyatt, who simply smiled at her as he dozed off.
Rosa winced, looking around her as she exited the bathroom and took a secondary look at the room around her. A battle had definitely occurred here, but she had no idea against what. Then again… "Mom," she whispered, placing the orb on the bed before remembering the nightmare she'd just awoken from. "She wasn't even upset," she whispered. "And yet for all that time, she… no…" she shook her head, trying not to connect the two nightmares she'd recently had to relive in such a similar fashion.
"It couldn't be," she whispered, thinking about the man she'd seen leaving the house that morning, and how her mom acted towards her after that. And then the way that she'd talked to her father's shrine up until the night of the fire… "She wouldn't have," she whispered, choking on tears. "They're just bad dreams… just- bad dreams…" she bit her lip as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"We have to do something to stop these nightmares," she whispered, placing her hand on the orb beside her. "And I need to find out what it is that you do."