Sinnoh is a cold region. I know that for a fact. Flowers have to wither before snow can fall and stars have to flee before the sun can rise.
Disaster has happened, but all it broke was people's hearts. It turned my mother's heart to stone, it turned Zoey's eyes grey, when I last saw her. They used to say she had beautiful brown eyes.
But the disaster is over. Team galactic's been disbanded and their power destroyed, the people are safe, everything is back to normal. But not for me.
Every night I dream of it, assassins trying to hunt me down, kill me even. I see a girl screaming. I can't exactly tell what she looks like. She is beautiful and fragile. I wanted to save her. Each time I pull out a knife and try to kill the man guarding her, slice the ropes binding her, but each time I end up almost stabbing Ash, Kenny, Iris. I almost did it to myself.
"Dawn!" An irritated voice jolts me out of my thoughts. "I asked you for advice! What do I do about Calem? I like him, but he's pushy and fussy and he's not like- like Ash." Serena leans toward me, fingering her caramel hair. She acts like she has the worst problems in the world.
"Do you love Ash?" I asked, looking at her in the eye, my own blue eyes piercing her lighter turquoise.
"Yes!"
"Then leave Calem. If you think he's fussy then leave."
"Yeah! He's been a jerk! He doesn't deserve it!"
"No, leave him because you'll only make things worse for both of you." I can see the shock racing through her, in her pale blue eyes. I feel her hand, wrapped around mine, stiffen.
"Why should I care about him? He's been terrible! He always acts like he's so busy! Shauna isn't me, I'm his girlfriend and she's just another person! Why does he visit her?" She whined, kicking her boots against the leg of the park bench where we sat.
"Maybe he loves her." I sighed.
"That's not true! He loves me, he chose me, I'm his girlfriend!" Serena stood up, her usual sweet, soft voice edged with hurt.
"Did he ever say he was your girlfriend? Did you ever ask him? Did you ever ask him if he even liked you romantically?"
She was silent for a moment, as though she was thinking. Then she snorted. "Why should I ask? I already know!"
"You can't just know." I shoot back, anger bubbling inside.
"Yes I can! I knew I shouldn't have asked you for advice! You keep painting me as the bad guy!" she added, sneering at me as though she had won, won this argument that never really started.
"You've never met a "bad guy"! You've only ever been saved by Ash and Calem, you've never fought your own battle!"
"I've met Lysandre! He tried to take over Kalos and I stopped him!"
I laughed. Did Serena know?
"You didn't stop him. It was all of you, but mainly Ash, Clemont and Alain. Steven, Diantha and Malva helped."
"Well I helped too!" Serena says, standing up, her voice raising to a shout. "I brought Mairin to safety! When will the boys know that girls can help too?"
"You could've done more, instead of watching half the thing crying and screaming for Ash."
"Done more? I've done enough!"
"There is never enough. But any least you could try."
"You're the one to talk! Where were you when Shauna was shot?"
"Where were you? I was in sinnoh trying to save a forest fire."
She is silent, then lets out a derisive laugh.
"you're the one to talk! Fearing disasters that will never become a problem! You're too busy saving imaginary girls!"
"And what have you ever done for the world?"
Nothing. I already knew the answer.
"Well at least I'm not someone who doesn't know what love is!" Serena scoffed.
That did it. That line that brings on a wave of fury. Why?
Because it's true.
My blood turns to ice. I don't know why I did it. I wasn't exactly angry
I raised my hand, and whacked it across her face.
She staggered back, blood trickling from her nose and from where I'd scratched it. She slipped and skittered across the surface of the path, covered in ice. She looked up at me through scared eyes, me seething with cold fury. I can see her trembling, I knew she wasn't expecting that. We'd never hit each other, even when we felt like ripping each other to pieces. It reminded us too much of disaster, we hadn't dared. Serena stared at me like the young assassin did in my dream. He was about to kill her, though I knew he wouldn't have wanted to. Scared eyes, trembling and small.
I offered to pull her up, but she scrambled up herself. "I shouldn't have asked you for advice."
"Go and talk to Calem." I hissed, resisting the urge to hit her again and walk away, knowing she would never be back. A few seconds of silence, then she walked away. I walked in the opposite direction, listening to her footsteps. I sighed.
Serena was right. I didn't know what love was. I didn't know what "happiness" was. I didn't know what "hope" meant. I didn't know what life was.
