Chapter One -
“What is this?” I asked, holding up a frilly sea - foam green dress with two fingers. The box it came from was still on the floor, and I considered shoving it back.
Mum sighed. Her face was tired. “I’m sorry, Wolfe. I ordered the wrong thing. I meant to get you that black dress…” she trailed off, watching my face.
I took a deep breath in, trying to calm myself. “Mum. I didn’t want any of those dresses. I just said that if I was forced into one, I would probably, in a life or death situation, wear the black one. This,” I held up the insulting gown, “is something I wouldn’t wear in private.” Mum sighed again and rubbed her temples. The look on her face made me consider. I groaned.
“Mum, if you give me twenty dollars and promise me we'll burn this dress afterward… I will wear it.” Mum’s face lifted a bit. She swept from the room, and I sat down with the dress in my lap. “Why did I agree to this?” I muttered.
Mum was holding a going - away party for me. Not that a lot of people would be coming. I wasn’t exactly popular to the people of our little town. We lived by the sea at the edge of the region, in a town so small it hadn’t made it on the map. Porpoise was always cold, and sunny days were nonexistent.
Anyway, when I was thirteen I started a journey. It was going really well, but I hadn’t gotten very far when I was hit by a truck. There wasn’t any lasting damage, but I had been hospitalized for a little over three months. I wasn’t allowed to continue my journey, even when I had recovered. Now, I was going out again, and Mum was terrified. It took me a solid month to convince her I wouldn’t get hurt again. I should have realized that she wasn’t going to let me go this easily.
I stood up grumpily and trudged to my room. Kumo was sitting on my bed, waiting for my return. He smiled, and I half - heartedly pulled my lips up in response. I threw the dress to the bed and sat down.
“Whatever you do, Kumo,” I told the little Litwick, “don’t look at that thing. It’ll give you nightmares.” Kumo giggled and very obviously stared at the dress. I got up to change into my nightclothes. I returned and nudged the dress to the floor, where it stood out among the heaps of colorless cloth.
Kumo pulled on my arm, and I picked him up and placed him in a bed I had made in my spare time. It had been built to fit Riku, my Pignite, so Kumo stuck out on the big bed. I lay down quietly when Kumo did, then let out a big breath of air. Great, I muttered, staring at the ceiling. The party was tomorrow. I was taking Akura for sure; people usually misjudged her.
The night was quiet. I fell asleep quickly, having nightmares about tomorrow.
I smiled and nodded, then smiled and nodded some more. We were in the backyard, shivering on a cold day, and I was being publicly humiliated in the mermaid dress. Akura did sit on my shoulder, but like me, attention made her skittish. She would sometimes fly up and around the house, her little Vullaby wings flapping hard. People I had barley met patted my back and wished me luck; as soon as I could, I sat down in the corner of the lawn.
The younger children who had been forced to dress up and come sit nicely at a party started to roll through the mud as soon as their mother’s back was turned. I envied them. Any color would have been better than this sickly pale green, even a drippy, muddy brown.
My mum followed me to my little hideout, along with a trio of younger mothers. I pretended to listen as Akura shyley swooped back to my shoulder. I sat quietly for the whole decade of two hours, until it was late enough to excuse myself; I had a big day tomorrow, anyway. I hurried up the stairs clumsily, the layered dress weighing me down. As soon as I entered the room, Akura swooped down to my bed to wait - politely looking away - while I stripped myself of the ugly satin and tugged on my bed clothes. Riku was waiting in the makeshift bed, holding Kumo in his hooves, who immediately reached for me.
I scooped the little Litwick to my shoulder and sat on the edge of my bed. Kumo radiated heat, and Riku pushed himself into my cold leg. I rubbed his big ears and tried to sit still. Tomorrow. I was actually a bit nervous. I had agreed, after my injury, to travel with some people around my age. The Professor had called it “drafting.” I knew I was ready for it, though. Sort of.
I chewed my lip anxiously. Sleep didn’t come fast enough that night.
“What is this?” I asked, holding up a frilly sea - foam green dress with two fingers. The box it came from was still on the floor, and I considered shoving it back.
Mum sighed. Her face was tired. “I’m sorry, Wolfe. I ordered the wrong thing. I meant to get you that black dress…” she trailed off, watching my face.
I took a deep breath in, trying to calm myself. “Mum. I didn’t want any of those dresses. I just said that if I was forced into one, I would probably, in a life or death situation, wear the black one. This,” I held up the insulting gown, “is something I wouldn’t wear in private.” Mum sighed again and rubbed her temples. The look on her face made me consider. I groaned.
“Mum, if you give me twenty dollars and promise me we'll burn this dress afterward… I will wear it.” Mum’s face lifted a bit. She swept from the room, and I sat down with the dress in my lap. “Why did I agree to this?” I muttered.
Mum was holding a going - away party for me. Not that a lot of people would be coming. I wasn’t exactly popular to the people of our little town. We lived by the sea at the edge of the region, in a town so small it hadn’t made it on the map. Porpoise was always cold, and sunny days were nonexistent.
Anyway, when I was thirteen I started a journey. It was going really well, but I hadn’t gotten very far when I was hit by a truck. There wasn’t any lasting damage, but I had been hospitalized for a little over three months. I wasn’t allowed to continue my journey, even when I had recovered. Now, I was going out again, and Mum was terrified. It took me a solid month to convince her I wouldn’t get hurt again. I should have realized that she wasn’t going to let me go this easily.
I stood up grumpily and trudged to my room. Kumo was sitting on my bed, waiting for my return. He smiled, and I half - heartedly pulled my lips up in response. I threw the dress to the bed and sat down.
“Whatever you do, Kumo,” I told the little Litwick, “don’t look at that thing. It’ll give you nightmares.” Kumo giggled and very obviously stared at the dress. I got up to change into my nightclothes. I returned and nudged the dress to the floor, where it stood out among the heaps of colorless cloth.
Kumo pulled on my arm, and I picked him up and placed him in a bed I had made in my spare time. It had been built to fit Riku, my Pignite, so Kumo stuck out on the big bed. I lay down quietly when Kumo did, then let out a big breath of air. Great, I muttered, staring at the ceiling. The party was tomorrow. I was taking Akura for sure; people usually misjudged her.
The night was quiet. I fell asleep quickly, having nightmares about tomorrow.
I smiled and nodded, then smiled and nodded some more. We were in the backyard, shivering on a cold day, and I was being publicly humiliated in the mermaid dress. Akura did sit on my shoulder, but like me, attention made her skittish. She would sometimes fly up and around the house, her little Vullaby wings flapping hard. People I had barley met patted my back and wished me luck; as soon as I could, I sat down in the corner of the lawn.
The younger children who had been forced to dress up and come sit nicely at a party started to roll through the mud as soon as their mother’s back was turned. I envied them. Any color would have been better than this sickly pale green, even a drippy, muddy brown.
My mum followed me to my little hideout, along with a trio of younger mothers. I pretended to listen as Akura shyley swooped back to my shoulder. I sat quietly for the whole decade of two hours, until it was late enough to excuse myself; I had a big day tomorrow, anyway. I hurried up the stairs clumsily, the layered dress weighing me down. As soon as I entered the room, Akura swooped down to my bed to wait - politely looking away - while I stripped myself of the ugly satin and tugged on my bed clothes. Riku was waiting in the makeshift bed, holding Kumo in his hooves, who immediately reached for me.
I scooped the little Litwick to my shoulder and sat on the edge of my bed. Kumo radiated heat, and Riku pushed himself into my cold leg. I rubbed his big ears and tried to sit still. Tomorrow. I was actually a bit nervous. I had agreed, after my injury, to travel with some people around my age. The Professor had called it “drafting.” I knew I was ready for it, though. Sort of.
I chewed my lip anxiously. Sleep didn’t come fast enough that night.