I sat in my room, attempting to sing. My throats is dry, my voice is hollow, my hands are freezing. I can't do this.
"Meow." A yellowish shape darted into the room. Pikachu climbed onto my bed and began licking my hand. I don't know if he was trying to comfort me or if he was playing, because all of a sudden my body goes into breakdown mode, and my throats tightens like it's about to burst. I can feel my hands trembling, and Pikachu runs away, partially because Ash was coming up the stairs.
"What in the world are you crying for?" He demands. I didn't know why he was angry, nothing happened between dinner and now, which was 8pm.
"I'm not crying." I stammered, trying to make my face blank. Ash used to be so easy to deal with, now he felt like trying to avoid being found guilty by an extremely strict prosecutor.
"Then shut the hell up!" He roars suddenly. "I don't know how I used to be able to put up with you, Dawn! Always trying to flirt with guys, so fussed over a chipped nail, using the try me makeup in stores to make yourself glamorous and then reporting them, you're such a spoilt, stupid B*TCH!"
"Ash-" How had he come up with these things? And why was he even mad in the first place? I tried to make an explanation but emotion trumps my logic and I stand up and shout at Ash from my room.
"Who told you this stuff? I've never done any of this!"
"BULLSH**! Stop trying to defend yourself, Dawn. Because you haven't got anything to defend yourself with."
"Really? Then how about the truth?" My voice rose; almost to the point where I was screaming.
"WELL THIS IS THE TRUTH!"
"Who told you?" I don't even know why I'm still calm, or why I'm bothering to keep calm. A small voice in my head said just walk away and be silent, but I didn't listen. I never listen.
He didn't answer.
"I know for a fact Serena doesn't lie. And I know that you do."
Of course it was Serena. Who else could it have been? This was all the things she did- apart from reporting makeup shops. Serena must've told him over the phone. Suddenly red flashes over my eyes, I let go of control over my emotions, and lifted up my hand ready to strike- but then the door closed abruptly in my face.
I didn't bother going after him. Instead I get changed, get into bed and try and think of something happy that doesn't concern Ash and Serena, but of course it failed.
I can't. I can't stay here in Sinnoh anymore. Last time I checked the time it was 10:20, and that was a while ago. But then every second seems a long time now.
I needed to go somewhere, to escape from the cold wind and snow, Ash's yelling and Serena's lies. Even if it meant no more pikachu, no more Aunt Delia's cooking... and no more sense of safety and homecoming, ever. Sinnoh wasn't my home anymore, but if it wasn't, where was it? I rolled over and stuck my head under my pillow, trying to think. Somewhere like a different region, somewhere warm... But which region? And would Aunt Delia let me? I could tell her it was for a dancing course, which was kind of true since I planned to enter a competition there.
My room was dark and I couldn't distinguish between my eyelids and the walls, but somehow I fell asleep amongst the blackness.
***
I woke up to darkness, and I thought it was still nighttime when I saw the sky was slowly turning blue. I'd thought of a plan, or a sort of plan at least.
"Aunt Delia?" I asked at breakfast. Ash had left early for Saturday morning football practice, and I was alone in the house.
"Yes, Dawnie?"
"I really want to enter a dance competition, but the Sinnoh one's already booked and the nearest one date-wise is held in a different region..."
"Looks like you have your heart set on going." The brown-haired woman remarked, smiling. I returned a feeble attempt at a smile back, but it was less like a smile and more like a face cramp. "Where exactly is this?"
"Hoenn."
"Well, dear..."
I knew it. She wasn't going to let me. Every time she started with "dear", I knew she wouldn't agree. Even though the Ketchums were borderlining extremely wealthy, as Mr Ketchum was the leader of two big companies, it wasn't exactly a surprise. No one would let a 16 year old go enter a dance competition in a different place if it wasn't their own child.
"... I think it's a great idea!"
...I seriously wasn't expecting that, but all the same, I was thrilled.
"I'll arrange the flight for you!"
"Thanks so much Auntie!" I sighed in relief. Only a week more here, and everything would go as I wanted... hopefully
