Life literally laughed at Grace.
To her, life was anything but easy. Being born in the disgraceful house of Van Black, trouble always found its way to her. Being a part of the Ancient family of Van Black's wasn't her first choice, but no one got to choose from where they belonged, did they?
Nothing mattered to her, not her parents constant rambling nor their taunts or their abuse. The only thing which mattered to her was Diane.
She was fifteen years old when she joined the chamber. According to her parents, getting into that vile place was the only thing which she did, mattered. Being troublesome, it was difficult for her to make friends with people. But when she did, she showed them her side which Grace hides from the rest of the world.
But things changed when Diane married James, trying to fill her solitude, Grace started dating Mark, Mark Jorum. Then things changed when James died. They changed for worse. Diane cut herself from the rest of the world and disappeared with her son, never to be seen again.
Until then.
Seeing her best friend stand sternly in front of her, tears escaped Grace's eyes. She was exactly how Grace had remembered her to be. Auburn hair with uneven front cut and her almond-shaped eyes along with her caucasian skin. She seemed to be an inch taller than she had been the last time Grace saw her. She remembered that day like it was her present.
That was the day Grace introduced her daughter to her for the first time.
"Diane," Grace said as she approached Diane at the crossroads of Unova region, "y-you didn't contact for a year, I was afraid that you were-"
"Dead?" Diane continued with a sad smile, "how can I be dead? I have a son to take care off." She showed Grace the one-year-old boy who was cackling playfully in her lap, draped in a blue onesie with pokeballs all over it.
Grace sighed as she pulled her two month old daughter close to her chest. She then sat next to Diane on a wooden bench situated near the lamp post located just a little behind the roads.
"I've named her Serena," Grace said breaking the silence that prevailed. Diane smiled as she lovingly caressed the baby Serena's cheek.
"After my middle name?" Diane giggled, "you were always after my name as I recall. She's a real beauty, I reckon that she has your mother's hair, beautiful honey blonde."
"Don't ruin the fun of having a daughter, please." Grace said with dismay, "the last thing I want is for the old woman to appear again in my life."
Diane smiled as she glanced at the little baby who crawled up in her lap. Despite the fact that he was only a year old, Ash looked like James more than he did himself. He had the same raven black hair and Diane's auburn eyes and James's sly grin.
She missed James, she missed him more than she could ever imagine.
Diane slowly got up and hugged Ash close to her chest. Grace dramatically caught Diane's right hand and with an uneasy expression said, "Where are you going?"
"Don't know," she answered sadly, "someplace quiet, somewhere I can raise my son without any threats."
"But what if they come back?" Grace asked with concern, "are you sure you can live without the chamber to protect you? Or me?"
"The chamber can't protect me," Diane replied with a sad smile, "as for you, are you sure it's not the other way around?"
Grace let go of her hand, Diane looked back at her friend and her baby for the last time before picking up the left road, at whose end her car was parked.
An ineffable urge to turn back for the last time flew through Diane like the fire in a Moltres's heart. She stopped for a moment, stopped to turn back, to take the last look at her friend. But she didn't, she kept on walking until Grace yelled.
"Will you ever meet me again?" Said Grace but without paying heed to her words, Diane kept on walking until she reached her car.
That was how Grace remembered that day to be, a day full of sadness and goodbyes without goodbyes. It was true that Grace named Serena after Diane's middle name.
It wasn't because she was after her but because she hoped for her little baby to fulfill her miserable life, just like Diane Serena Kets had once done.
Grace slowly got up, she dusted her pants on which dirt and gravel had stuck. She took off her scarf, sunglasses and stuffed them inside her handbag. Grace had imagined this moment a million times before, she thought she knew what she was going to say when she'll meet her again if she'll meet her.
"H-hi," Grace said tear-eyed, "y-you're here, you're actually here."
Delia smiled as she slowly advanced towards Grace, "It's Delia now- not Diane. And yes, I'm here."
"Delia? After James's mother?" Grace smiled as tears fell from her eyes despite her wishes, "you always liked her, didn't you?"
"I did, just like you." Delia stood face front in front of Grace, unlike Grace, she wasn't feeling emotional or happy. Sure she was happy to see Grace, but not under those circumstances, "Hello, Grace."
Not knowing what to do, Grace lept on Delia and tightly wrapped her hands around her neck. "I missed you!" She exclaimed as she crushed Delia under her arms.
"I'd hug you back but you just separated my arms." Delia said playfully, "seriously you're killing me, literally."
As soon as Grace let her go, she instantly grabbed her by her shoulders and stared at her. "How can your skin be wrinkle-free? You're like above thirty-five!"
"Seriously that's what you want to talk about?" Delia asked with a raised eyebrow, "about my wrinkle-free skin?"
"Fine," Grace sighed as she let go of her shoulders, "I should better ask, where the hell was you?"
Using her right fist, she punched Delia in her shoulder who then took it by surprise and stumbled backward. "Hey!" She complained as she pulled herself together, "we meet after twenty years and that's what you give me, a punch?"
"You deserve it, asshole!" Grace retorted, the emotions which she once felt now started to fuel up flaming the flame of her fury, "you disappear for twenty years and you come back and tell me that you're not even Diane? Moreover, you come back for that old who—"
"Mind your language, kids." Said a familiar masculine voice, "that's my mother you're talking about."
Delia turned back as she massaged her arm, a man with brown and white hair and viridian eyes stood with a wide grin spread on his face, "Delia and Grace reunited after twenty years. I'd be a fool to miss the fight." He said as he walked over towards her.
"Charlus?" Grace croaked unable to recognize the old person who stood in front of them, "Charlus blue Oak? That's you?"
"Uh... yeah?" He said in dismay as he shrugged, "what happened? You're blinded by my awesome old self?"
"I see you're still arrogant as ever," Delia said as she sighed, "come on dear." She spread her arms around welcoming him in for a hug which he gladly excepted.
Diane or Delia was the sister Charlus never had. For him, If there was any other person who knew the grief of losing James, it was Delia. His love and his wife.
After James died, he made it his destiny to reestablish her and her son. In fact, Charlus was the only person she stayed in touch with after the chamber dissolved.
He smiled down at her as soon as they parted, he then advanced towards Grace who shrugged his hands off with a slap, "Still no hugger." He commented as Grace raised an eyebrow.
"You wish, tree," Grace said, earning a laugh from both, Delia and Charlus.
"Tree?" Charkus asked, bedazzled. "You're still gonna do that?"
"Old habits die hard, Charlus." Delia said while placing her hand on his shoulder, "speaking of old, you look older than professor Oak, age did take a toll on you, didn't it?"
"Yeah, well." He smiled sheepishly.
"A toll? Dian- Delia come one he looks older than my mother... and she's dead!" Grace commented while walking towards the gate the Raider manor, "come on you. Open the bloody mansion."
Delia scoffed as she went over towards the gigantic gates of the manor. She took a deep breath and walked inside the watchman's cubicle on the edge of the gate. She pushed a little red button and a gigantic blue screen flashed back into life. She moved forward as the scan began to start.
"Password" the machine spoke in a beaten-down voice.
"Diane Serena Kets," Delia spoke.
"Password confirmed, proceeding the entry."