(Rena's POV)
"Rena, wake up!"
"I am awake, dipshit."
"AH!"
SLAM!
CRASH!
I just sweatdropped, looking down at Rhythimi's crippled body on the floor. I rolled my eyes and pulled my covers off of me, standing up on the carpet. I yanked the blonde up to her feet, and I could tell that her heart was still racing.
"Gosh, Rena...don't scare me like that!" Rhythimi whimpered, running a hand through her puffy hair. She stuck her bottom lip out to pout ever so slightly.
I just shot her a weird look, completely unamused and not bothered by this girl at all. "I didn't even do anything... You came down from your bunk to wake me up, and I just so happened to already be awake. It's not my fault you're so goddamn jumpy." I huffed, crossing my arms.
Mightyena opened one eye just to look at us; our bickering must have woken him up. He stood up from the foot of my bed and stretched a little, then hopped down onto the floor next to me.
"And your red-eyed wolf doesn't exactly help..." Rhythimi took a few hesitant steps backwards, pointing to Mightyena.
He just glared at her, a little annoyed at being referred to as a wolf.
"What, Mightyena?" I was highly doubtful that she could find Mightyena even the slightest bit repulsive. "Aww, but he's such a cutie! Aren't you, sweetie?" I cooed, hugging Mightyena and adoring him to death. He was happy with the attention, wagging his tail like a puppy with his tongue sticking out.
Rhythimi just raised an eyebrow at our peculiar behavior. "I will never understand how you get him to do that... Mightyena are severely aggressive Pokemon." She shot Mightyena a weird look, and he stopped acting like a puppy and stood strong. "And it's not like he's a typical girl's Pokemon... Most of the girls here have Skitty, Cherubi, Budew, and then there's my Eevee." Rhythimi pointed up at her Eevee sleeping on her top bunk.
My face twisted into the most confused expression I could possibly muster. "In the short amount of time that you've known me, Rhythimi, have you ever noticed me do anything girly or do any typical things that girls do?"
Rhythimi mulled it over for a moment, then sighed. "No...you're right. And not to mention that you're kinda like Keith in a girl's body." She bobbed her head to the side once, mentally shrugging her shoulders and agreeing with her statement.
...I'm not even sure if that comment is worth taking offense to.
"Wait a sec..." I started to say, hesitating for a moment as my suspicion picked up. "Rhythimi, why were you waking me up at---" I glanced at the clock and groaned. "---three in the morning?" I scratched the back of my head, not tired in the least.
"I'll explain that in a minute..." Rhythimi held up a finger to my face, glaring at me with a motherly look. "What the heck were you doing up at three in the morning anyways?" She inquired, crossing her arms.
Oh great, she's mom-ing me again.
I tuned back into my surroundings and shrugged my shoulders at Rhythimi lazily. "I'm sort of nocturnal. I only sleep four to six hours a night." I pointed out the fact, then began stretching my arms.
Rhythimi dropped her jaw. "How do you survive on so little sleep...!?"
I just shrugged again. "Dunno. I'm just used to it and don't require as much sleep as the average teenage girl needs, I guess." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, unsure of how to respond. The truth is, I really don't know the answer to that.
Rhythimi shook her head, snapping out of it. "Oh, Rena! You should probably get dressed." She suggested, starting to push me towards our shared closet.
I just raised an eyebrow and looked down at what I was wearing: black yoga pants and a navy blue tank top. "What's wrong with this?" I asked, curious as to why she wanted me to get dressed so early in the morning.
"Just get dressed, okay?" She rolled her eyes, shoving me into the closet.
I dangerously emerged from the closet and glared at Rhythimi, more than just a little annoyed. "No thanks." I softened my glare, then let out a heavy sigh. "I'm comfortable in the clothes I'm wearing, thank you very much."
Rhythimi just slapped her forehead and groaned. "Fine...at least put on shoes." She insisted, and I gave in to that request.
I slipped into a pair of black flat shoes, and the three of us (counting Mightyena) exited the dorm room. Rhythimi's Eevee still remained asleep in her bed. He's always sleeping, according to Rhythimi. Anyways, we rounded the corner and walked down the hallway to our right until we reached the Commons Area, and I immediately noticed a few things.
One: practically everyone was out of their dorm rooms and hanging out in here. And I mean everyone.
Two: there was a ginger-haired girl that had a bob-length haircut giving me a harsh glare. What's her problem? She had a Purrloin sitting in her lap, who was also glaring at me ferociously. Oh-kay then... May I ask why?
Three: Keith was pacing back and forth, and he nearly tripped over absolutely nothing but air when he saw us coming. Buizel was napping on the chair next to him. Huh, kind of like his master. He's extraordinarily lazy.
"It's about time!" Keith whisper-yelled, very annoyed. "You kept us waiting, Rhyth!" Keith was a little ticked off, crossing his toned arms tightly.
"Well soooorry!" She sassed him back, and I could tell an argument was about to break out. "It's not my fault that your new girlfriend is so freaking dang stubborn!" Rhythimi stared at Keith with an all-knowing grin at that last part.
My eyes immediately darted over to her. "Wait what!? No, no, no."
"ACK!" Keith started to choke on air, offended by her little sidebar comment. "She's not my girlfriend!"
"Good. No reason for you to date that tramp." The ginger girl bitterly spat out her insult directly at me, very snarky like. A vein bulged from my forehead at that comment.
My eye just twitched, and I felt myself beginning to lose my unpredictable temper. "Why you little bitch---" I was fuming mad as I charged for her, getting ready to stab her. Keith quickly intercepted my attack and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug. He held me there until I stopped thrashing.
Everyone just sweatdropped at my outburst, and no one was about to speak up to the spoiled brat who talked down to me so cruel just a moment before.
"Are you done...?" Rhythimi sweatdropped again, looking me over with a worried look.
I took in a deep breath, then plastered a fake smile across my lips. "I am calm, perfectly calm." I smiled like an innocent little angel, totally bullshitting everything I just said.
Everyone breathed out heavily, very relieved. But of course I was lying. When am I not? I charged at her again (this time, my intention was to strangle her), but of course, Keith intercepted it again, but this time he scooped me up and carelessly threw me over his shoulder.
"PUT ME DOWN!" I whisper-yelled, thrashing about as I commanded him to unhand me. I was trying to throw punches and having little to no success. I could practically see Mightyena smile and laugh at this. He's used to me being so professional, not... Well, a teenager.
"How about...no." Keith chuckled, and even though I couldn't see his face I knew he was smirking.
I huffed and gave up the fight, relaxing a little. I remained slumped over his shoulder with his arm around my back. "You're only holding me in this position so you can get a good look at my ass, aren't you?" I huffed, crossing my arms while upside down in this very uncomfortable and inconvenient position.
"Well, I have to admit...this does have its perks." Keith laughed, and I had enough at this point. Everyone in the room laughed except for the ginger girl. She seemed even more pissed off and red in the face than before.
Great, it seems like we have a jealous bitch on our hands. I'll have to make a note to report into the boss about her later if she poses a threat. It's not like I can't handle her myself, but...one of the conditions I was given when I accepted this job was to call the number the boss gave me and report in frequently. At least once a week, even if I had nothing out of the ordinary to report. I seriously hate this. It's not like it's a big deal or anything, but I just hate working with others (with the exception of Mightyena). I just prefer to do my work solo.
Suddenly, a voice that's origin came from the bottom floor of the school echoed through the quiet, empty hallways. "What was that, Mr. Kincaid? Voices?" I heard Ms. April ask. The sound of her high-heels were clicking in the dead hallways. From the sound of it, she was getting closer.
"Yes, I think there are students out past curfew. They must be upstairs." Mr. Kincaid's voice followed soon after, and the sound of hasty footsteps on the stairs came next.
"EVERYONE, HIDE! QUICK!" One of the students whisper-shouted.
And this is what triggered the chaos.
Students ran everywhere and ducked for cover. Under the couches, behind plants, concealed by curtains...everywhere. The Pokemon (Buizel, Mightyena, Purrloin, and a few other students' Pokemon) quickly jumped into an air vent, putting the grate back once they were all in. I was spinning around in circles looking for a hiding spot, but they were all taken. I ran for a potted plant, but that stupid ginger girl stuck her foot out and tripped me.
SLAM!
Ow...
"What was that thud?! Okay, there is seriously something going on upstairs." Ms. April's agitated voice echoed once again throughout the halls, and I could tell they began running the rest of the way up the stairs.
I saw an opportunity to hide in plain sight, but it was a long shot. Oh well...it's all I have right now. My only option. It's that spot or nothing at all. I quickly took my position. Just in time, too. I saw Ms. April and Mr. Kincaid walk up to the second floor holding flashlights, and they began scanning the room. Their flashlights landed on a tipped over potted plant, and the dirt spilled out a little. Keith's Buizel was standing next to it, completely covered in dirt. Huh... It looks like Prince Charming covered for me. I'll have to thank him for that later.
Ms. April let out a loud sigh. "Oh, it was just one of the Pokemon." She walked over to Buizel and quickly cleaned up the mess, standing the potted plant back up. "Go back to your master's room, mister." Ms. April said to Buizel, pointing her finger in the direction of Keith and Isaac's dorm room.
Mr. Kincaid stormed off downstairs, grumbling incoherent things to himself. That rancid smell of his overused hairspray still lingered, unfortunately. Ms. April followed him downstairs, and they both left. All of the students sighed in relief and came out of their hiding spots and inhaled sharply in shock when they saw where I was.
I wrapped my legs around the light fixture attached to the ceiling and let my upper body dangle towards the ground. I reached my arms out for the coffee table and lowered the rest of my body from the ceiling in a cartwheel-like motion. I made a graceful and silent landing on the floor, and everyone's jaws were on the floor.
I just looked at them all with a weird expression, as if what I just did wasn't completely socially unacceptable at all. Well, it's not like I'd even know the first thing about interacting with normal teenagers, anyways... "What?" I shrugged, not seeing anything wrong with what I did. "There were no more hiding spots, so I sat on top of the light fixture..." I sweatdropped, admitting that last part sheepishly.
Everyone seemed highly impressed (except for the ginger girl, of course) and I got a round of quiet applause.
"Well, let's get back to what we were originally doing!" Rhythimi clapped her hands together, gaining everyone's attention. "Let the initiation ceremony unfold!"
"Initiation ceremony?" My eyes darted towards the blonde without hesitation. "What...?" I sighed with heavy disappointment, completely lost here and not really wanting to do whatever it is they were about to ask me to do. I'm so not in the mood with putting up with these inferior imbeciles and their utter nonsense at present. It's too early in the morning for me to pretend like I'm a normal human being with normal thoughts and feelings and that I actually give a damn about these people.
"It's just a test of courage." Keith rolled his eyes, picking up on my reluctance immediately. "Scared, Blue Eyes?" Keith flashed a conceited smirk in my general direction, clearly taunting me.
I just crossed my arms and smirked back at the idiot. "Is that supposed to be my new nickname courtesy of you?" I asked, curious for what his answer entailed.
Keith wore a large grin from ear to ear, and he didn't waste any time in getting all up in my face. I'm starting to notice a trend here. He must do this to girls often. "Only if you want it to be, Blue Eyes." Keith laughed, relaying my exact words from earlier back to my face.
I just groaned and rolled my eyes, motivated to change the subject suddenly. "Alright, Rhythimi. Proceed with the rules." I gave the order and waved her off, basically agreeing to this 'test of courage.'
"Okay, the rules are simple!" She smiled brightly, placing her hands on her hips. "Four of us have hidden our School Stylers in the following rooms: the Staff Room, the Library, Ms. April's classroom, and Mr. Kincaid's classroom. All you have to do is find all four Stylers, then plunk them down at the basement door!" Rhythimi explained, seeming very excited for this challenge.
That's it? Seriously...? They could've put a lot more thought into this, I admit. If I was in charge, well---never mind. I'll keep that thought to myself.
"That's it?" I scoffed, turning my nose up at the inferior 'challenge.' This is gonna be too easy. I'm a thief, you can't hide anything from me! Not to mention that I work better in the dark.
"Yep!" Rhythimi piped up, seeming a little anxious about what she was going to say next. Oh no. "But...you can't go alone. The rule is that you're partnered up with the person you sit next to in class!" She explained, and everyone simultaneously looked over at Keith.
"Oh joy. I'm so excited." Keith yawned, extremely bored with the idea.
I just rolled my eyes and walked past him, heading straight for the stairs. Mightyena and Buizel followed, and Keith finally gave in and started to catch up.
"Have fun you two!" A random guy student laughed, and I had a feeling he was about to make a joke of some sort. "But not too much fun!" Yep, I was right.
I just slapped my forehead and groaned at the perverted comment, just shaking it off. I quietly tiptoed down the stairs, while Keith wasn't as sneaky. I swear that boy made every floorboard creak. He would make a terrible thief. I turned on my Styler just in case I needed to make some captures.
Suddenly, there was a shuffling noise, and a shadowy figure moved across the floor.
"What was that?" Keith asked, immediately getting on his guard. He clearly wasn't afraid or anything, just a little paranoid.
I just rolled my eyes, continuing to make my way towards Ms. April's classroom. "It's probably just a Bidoof or something." I brushed it off, ignoring his warnings and cautious behavior.
Oh how wrong I was.
________________________________
Three down, one more to go.
Mightyena and I just got done wrestling a hyperactive Pichu for the third Styler and left the Staff Room to meet up with Keith and Buizel. 'Not afraid of the dark' my ass... He's at least uncomfortable being down here. That's clearly obvious.
I saw droplets of water begin to hit the windows. It must have started to rain or something. I felt a little anxious and hurried up, quietly jogging over to Keith.
He took the third Styler from me, stuffing it in his pocket. "Alright, now we just have the Library." The rain started to pour harder at that point, and I was starting to feel even more tense.
"Okay, let's go---"I started to walk off in the direction of the Library, but Keith gripped my arm and jerked me backwards.
"Rena...are you scared of the dark?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me. Or at least I think that's what he's doing, because I can't really see.
"What? Hell no!" I laughed, messing up his spiky red hair for asking such a ridiculous question. "Are you?" I smirked, leaning in closer for dramatic effect.
It worked. Keith just scoffed, brushing me off. "Oh please, me? Nah, I'm not scared of anything." He boasted, and I could practically feel his ego grow bigger.
"I'm not afraid of anything, either." I replied, punching him in the arm. "I'm a fearless daredevil." I struck a comical pose, earning a laugh from the red-head.
"Oh really?" He asked as we kept walking, clearly skeptical. "Spiders?"
"Nope!"
"Heights?"
"HAH! If I was afraid of heights, I'd be totally screwed!"
"Okay...boats?"
"Nope!"
"Airplanes?"
"Nada."
"Germs?"
"Nope!"
"Clowns?"
"How are those even remotely scary...?"
"I don't know! Some people are scared of them!"
"Uh huh..."
"Anyways... How about small spaces?"
"Not scary in the least."
"Rhythimi?"
"That's...yet to be determined."
"Haha! Uh...snakes?"
"No!"
"What about bug Pokemon?"
"Nope. They don't really bother me."
"Nyan Skitty?"
"Oh yes, the Nyan Skitty is such a fearsome and vicious monster that should be feared."
"I was kidding..."
"Sure you were, Keith. Sure you were."
Mightyena and Buizel just rolled their eyes at him. Keith sighed in annoyance, holding the Library door open for me. "Oh come on, you must be afraid of something." He inquired, trying to get the information out of me.
I was about to say something sassy when a loud crack of thunder erupted through the skies, and a large flash of lightning followed right after.
KRACKOW!
I screamed and backed up into a bookcase, accidentally slamming my head on the corner of it a little too hard. I didn't care that my head hurt like hell; I completely ignored it. The sound of the thunder erupting through the air and the blinding flashes of lightning that reflected through the windows made the horrific memories come flooding back, and I began trembling from fear. I tried not to remember. I really, really tried to forget. I ducked under one of the tables in here on instinct, trying to suppress tears while rocking myself in a soothing manner.
Keith dropped his jaw in shock from my sudden behavior change. "Whoa! Rena!" Keith quickly dashed over to me, sounding very worried. I was certain that he was about to make fun of me, but he didn't. He moved one of the chairs out of the way and crawled under the table, taking a seat next to me. He gripped my shoulders and forced me to look up at him, and tears rolled down my cheeks. I was shaking uncontrollably, and my lip was quivering. "Rena, are you okay?!" He looked me over, making sure I was alright and uninjured.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a bump on my head tomorrow, but otherwise I was physically fine. I leapt into his arms and wrapped mine tightly around his neck, burying my face into his chest. I couldn't help but sob. All of the trauma was coming back to me. All of it. Every single, last, petrifying detail of that night all those years ago. Mightyena and Buizel kept their distance, figuring it was best to give us some space. Well, actually, I could tell Mightyena wanted to rush over to my side, like he has always done for me these past three years, but Buizel stopped him. Buizel must have noticed Keith was handling this situation just fine.
Keith ran his fingers through my hair, trying to calm me down. "So much for being fearless..." He whispered in a hushed tone, but it didn't sound like a snarky remark. More like a concerned friend trying to calm me down, which he was doing.
I hated feeling so weak, but I couldn't help it. Thunderstorms always make me get like this, no matter how tough I try to be. They just make the horrible memories come rushing back... It's too much... I cried for probably half an hour, and Keith held onto me the whole time. He didn't let go, not even once. We sat there until the thunder got further away and my crying subsided. My face was red and puffy, probably from all of my tears. We crawled out from under the table, and I stumbled onto the floor. I guess I hit my head harder than I thought...
"Arceus, Rena!" Keith whisper-shouted, rushing over to me. He quickly scooped me up and sat me on the table, inspecting my head wound. "Ow...that has to hurt. You have a gash on the back of your head!" His hands immediately flew up to his hair, and he began pulling at it in a stressed out manner. "Jheeze, let's get you upstairs..." He picked me up bridal-style, heading for the door with our Pokemon leading the way.
"Wait!" I stopped him. "What about the test of courage!?" I asked, worried that I failed the test.
Keith looked down at me in a way I've never seen him do before with anyone. There was concern, worry, and a little frustration (probably from me getting hurt and being so stubborn about it) in his red eyes. "Forget the test of courage. You're more important."
My breath hitched at his words, and my eyes got all watery. Stupid emotions...this is one of the many reasons I hate being a girl.
I abruptly sat up and hugged him around the neck, hoping that later at school today he would forget all of this ever happened. "Thanks, Keith..."
"Don't mention it, Blue Eyes." He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug.
I think this is one of the few moments in my life that I've ever felt truly happy. Not the kind of happy that I feel when I steal a valuable painting, but a different kind of happy.
And that's when I knew that I was in trouble.
________________________________
(Third Person POV)
A man with icy-blue hair stood outside of a window, looking into the Ranger School. He didn't care that it was raining. He actually found it rather soothing. He watched as a particular red-haired student carried a girl in his arms up the stairs, and he saw the whole emotional scene go down a moment ago. The girl had long dark brown hair that reached her lower back and crystal-blue eyes, just as the boss had described her. That must be her, it just had to be her. Right?! He couldn't be mistaken? It WAS her?
The man pressed his index finger to his lips in attempt to calm his thoughts, mulling something over. "I can't tell if her being so emotional is real or just part of the act..." He mumbled to himself. "Either way, it's working. That boy is like putty in her hands, and it's only day one. Everything is going to plan. Well, as long as she doesn't get too attached."
With that thought, he turned around and reluctantly began walking away from the school, climbing into an expensive looking car waiting for him in the driveway. He gave the driver instructions to head to Pueltown, thinking things over in his mind.
"She better not get attached for real, or we'll have some serious trouble on our hands..." He thought to himself, getting comfortable in his seat.
The car drove off and disappeared into the storm, completely undetected.
No one would ever know that it was there.
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AAAAAAAAAAND THE PLOT THICKENS! Duhn Duhn DUHNNNN!!!!
...
Okay, I'm done now. Back to writing the author's note---
So, here is chapter four, and this is where the real mystery begins >:3 I hope this chapter made you ask yourself a lot of questions. If it didn't, then I need to step up my game. (PS look for comments left by PokeBroncoFan because without a doubt I'm sure he'll have a conspiracy theory or two after reading this XD)
And now, for my thank you. This book has only been up for a short amount of time, and it already has so many reads, comments, and votes. THANK YOU!!!!!!!! Your support and praise is making me tear up ;-; *sniffle*
Also, thank you for adding TSTHOAT to your reading lists :D the title of this book is way too long for me to type out every time, so I'll be referring to it as TSTHOAT, so try not to get too confused! Anyways, that's it.
Fan art: she never left me her username in the email, but she made both this one and the next one attached to chapter 5!
Read, comment, vote, and enjoy!!!!