Whispers in the Dark「Pokemon Fanfiction」

ᴏɴᴇ • sᴏᴍᴇᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ғᴀʀ ғᴀʀ ᴀᴡᴀʏ

Chapter One: Somewhere Far, Far Away

"Celeana, your lunch."

The pale-eyed woman's smile was gentle, every strand of stiff flaxen hair gelled into place, catching the sunlight and being bleached even whiter. A tray sat in her hands, the usual, standard meal of rice, vegetables and meat—the essentials for a healthy, nutritional meal.

"Thank you, Miss Enya," the teenage girl responded with a smile, accepting the plate from the older lady and poising her fork above a tantalising piece of meat. "I really do a—appreciate you bringing me lunch today."

Ignoring the way she'd tripped over a word, the psychiatrist took her seat next to her patient's bed, watching her as she savoured her lunch heartily.

"How are you feeling today?" A standard question, but necessary for all psychiatrists to ask.

Tucking a lock of her long, ultramarine hair behind her ear, the teenager tilted her head to the side. "Fine, I guess." Her voice was casual, and it relieved the woman to hear the sincerity in her voice.

"That's nice to hear," she encouraged. "Are you nervous?"

Celeana raised an eyebrow. Yes, she did have an appointment with the doctor today, but she didn't know what it was about. "Not really. I—I mean, appointments with the doctor aren't really that uncommon..."

Another smile— the one Miss Enya would shoot her when she knew something that she herself didn't.

She sighed. "So you won't tell me?"

"You'll find out soon enough," her psychiatrist replied in her usual kind tone. "You'd better finish your lunch soon. Your appointment is in twenty minutes, so get changed before then."

"Y—Yes, Miss Enya."

• • •

The teenager brushed her hand against the door to the doctor's room, knuckles scraping against the pristine white of the wooden frame as a hollow noise resounded—it caused her to jump back, alarmed by the loudness of the sound, but calmed herself as she realised that it was nothing to be afraid of.

She offered a brief smile to the familiar man who opened the door. "I'm here for my a—appointment, doctor," she commented.

"This way, Celeana," the doctor replied, leading her into the small space inside. It was cluttered, yes— but it brought a sense of warmth to see the frequently-visited site once again. "We'll just be taking some simple tests and check-ups."

The girl was disappointed— she had been expecting more of a surprise. It had sounded like something important, from the way Miss Enya had spoken.

Changing the topic, she tilted her head in confusion. "Didn't I just have a check-up last month?"

Her heart promptly deflated as she was met with no answer. The man stayed quiet, and she lowered her head in internal defeat, stepping onto the weighing scale— just as she had done for the past five years.

The next half an hour passed by in a blur, and as she sat down to have her pulse taken, she was feeling more and more fed up.

"What are you planning to do?" she asked, uncertainty creeping into her flat tone.

"Now, don't feel worried," the doctor reassured, his tone taking all of five seconds to switch from professional to empathetic. "We're not going to hurt you or anything."

"Then why am I having a check-up so soon?" Celeana's voice rose, and the doctor realised that giving her a surprise wouldn't work— instead, it was giving her a huge panic attack and probably causing all sort of thoughts to race through her mind.