Living in the Shadows

PART 2: CHAPTER 1 NIGHTMARE/FLASHBACK

It's my birthday today and my parents are taking me to their research lab for a tour before we go on a picnic in the meadow behind it. They couldn't take the day off for some reason, so they brought me along.

The lab is like any other building, except it has small windows and a dome on top. Just before we entered, I saw an unmarked van leading three trucks to the back of the building.

The tour was very long. One might think that getting to see the on-goings at a research facility would be the most exciting thing to happen. But to a kid that just turned seven, nothing could be more boring. Dad was talking everybody to death while Mom was explaining what Dad was talking about. The only thing that kept me awake was counting the number of Pokemon, per room, and adding the numbers up in my head. (I also had a little sticker book and was placing some on the walls and doors.)

Just to be clear, the Pokemon are mostly Magnemite and Magneton with the occasional Pikachu evolutions, plus an Ampharos and Luxray walking beside my parents.

While Dad was going on and on about the possibility of inter-dimensional travel, I snuck into an unlocked room. The room was semi-dark, the only light came from a window with half-closed blinds. And other than a desk and chair, there was nothing in it. I was about to leave when I saw something out of the corner of my eye; it seemed like one of the shadows was moving.

I turned my head to get a better look, but nothing was there. I made my way to where I thought I saw the moving shadow, crawled on my hands and knees but still didn't find anything. Well, other than a black glass marble. I exited the room and got back to the group. However, that stunt didn't go unnoticed.

"Jenna, what were you doing in there?" My mom asked me in a stern voice tone. She was standing right behind me and I jumped when she spoke.

"Nothing," I told her sincerely.

"What's in your hand?" she asked when she noticed my other hand was holding something.

After I showed her the marble she exclaimed in excitement: "Oh! We have been looking for this for weeks!" Then looked at me as she held the marble. "Where did you find it?!"

After I pointed to the room, she took the marble to my dad. "Yoshi! We found it!"

Dad stops talking and examines the marble. "Ladies and gentlemen," he begins excitedly. "I'm afraid we must cut this tour short on account of a scientific breakthrough!"

He asks the security guard to escort everyone but me out of the building. "Jenna, honey, your mom and I have to go to the dome for a bit," he explains to me.

"Why don't you go outside and play with some of the Pokemon," Mom offers.

Before I even open the door to the back of the lab, one of the security officers hands me a slingshot. "In case you get bored," she told me with a wink.

She wasn't like the other security guards. For one thing, she had a mischievous look in her eyes and a sly grin. (Truth be told she reminded me of my babysitter.)

When I got outside, I saw the van and trucks from before. There were people in dark uniforms wearing sunglasses and they were unloading some equipment. They all had this insignia on the front of their shirts and the equipment. It was a solid black sphere with a red V overlapping it and a blue and white abstract balance symbol in between the V's horns. None of them noticed me as I walked to the tree line.

A Poliwag and Oddish came up to me when I got there. "Hello," I say to them.

"Oddish." "Poliwag."

"Do you wanna play with me?"