What If I Can't Let Go?

Chapter 1

Happy 5 year anniversary to me~!

Can you guys believe how fast time flies? I've been on this site sharing my work for five years now, and I don't intend on stopping anytime soon. ;) Anyways, I'd thought I start posting this story along with another ("Presence of an Angel") which are two intertwining plotlines that have a Halloween/supernatural theme this month.

I'll try to stay more active despite my busy schedule this year... I hope you all will enjoy this story! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

Jack's POV

I couldn't remember anything.

I didn't know my name. I had no idea what was happening. Nor did I have any clue as to where I was.

All I knew was I was stuck in this dark foggy realm, feeling nothing but cold. I wasn't sure whether it was the area, or I was, but either way it didn't matter to me now. It felt normal.

At one point, I had questioned everything. Who am I? Where am I? What's going on? But as time passed, I've come to accept the fact that I wouldn't be finding any answers any time soon. It didn't mean I didn't still think about it.

Time. That was something I could never focus on. Nothing ever changed, I had no idea how long I've been here for. Did it really matter? I wish I knew.

Then something strange happened.

I wasn't sure at first what caused it to happen, but it did.

I felt this warmth, gentle yet alluring, pulling me away from where I was. I welcomed it, letting the feeling take a hold of me. I didn't know warmth was this comforting. A light blinded me, forcing me to close my eyes. Then I felt a breeze surge past me, almost as if it were transporting me off somewhere. It was the truth though. I was being transported. Finally, I knew I'd be somewhere else.

When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in that dark hazy space, but in a candle lit room. The opened curtains offered some more light, illuminating the room that had clearly seen better days. Dust finely coated everything, the stone walls looked weathered, and various colourful empty bottles sat among glass shards that were haphazardly placed in a corner of a room.

Finally, my eyes settled on the figure standing before me. A pale girl with black hair done up in a fancy manner and a deep purple floor length gown stared at me in fear and amazement. She looked as if she were in her early twenties. Something else I noticed about her was how tired and out of placed she looked compared to where we were.

"It worked. I finally did it," she quietly breathed out. "After all this time..."

Her eyes shined in the candlelight with unshed tears. She looked at me with such intensity and sadness, I had the urge to reach out to comfort her.

That's when I noticed something strange.

My hand was translucent. So was the rest of me. When I looked down, I could see a circle drawn on the ground with an elaborate design that resembled a star within it. Just next to where I stood in middle of the circle was a small glass filled with a red liquid. Blood.

I realized everything as the room suddenly dropped a few degrees. Some of the candles flickered out. I wasn't living. Or at least, I was no longer living. I was merely a ghost, a spirit.

The girl before me, she had summoned me here. For some reason, she had put in all this effort to draw me here and by the looks of it, it wasn't easy.

Retracting my hand, I caught sight of the cut on her arm, blood still slowly trickling out. It wasn't a large injury, but nonetheless needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. Looking down once more at the glass on the ground, I realized the blood within it was slowly vanishing, it was why I was here.

She was why I was here.

I was drawing off energy from her to be here.

"Don't worry about me."

Her voice snapped me out of my reverie, causing me to look up at her. She reached out towards me, with the arm that was injured I noted, but I tried to back away.

Hurt immediately flashed onto her face as she dropped her arm back to her side. Her brown eyes flickered down to the glass on the ground.

"We're running out of time," she murmured, hands clenching her dress. Taking a deep breath, she looked straight at me once more. "Do you know who I am?"

I tried to find the words to speak, but my voice seemed lost. I could feel the answer at the tip of my tongue, but the lack of energy and use held me back. Instead, I shook my head in response.

Although she was upset, she didn't say anything about it.

"Do you remember what your name is?"

Once again, I shook my head.

"I see..."

She glowered at the sound of distant horses galloping in our direction that drifted through the window. My eyes flickered back down to the glass of blood, the liquid nearly all gone. Her brown eyes looked desperate as she looked at the wound on her arm then back at the glass.

I could tell she was considering offering more blood to keep me around. As the seconds ticked by, I knew this would only further harm her. Seeing how pale she was now, she wouldn't be able to last much longer if she were to give up more blood. When our eyes met, I shook my head.

"...Jack?"

The name caught my attention immediately. Why did it sound so familiar?

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Tears leaked out of her eyes. "I won't give up."

I nodded, acknowledging I heard her. A few more of the candles flickered out, the room was getting colder.

"I promise, I'll make this work, no matter what it takes me."

She staggered closer, only to sink to the ground when she was at the edge of the circle. I moved over, resting on my knees to watch her as I tried to catch the rest of her words. Her voice was growing fainter with every passing second.

An affectionate smile was offered to me. I stared, trying to burn this into my memory.

"I l–"

Without hearing her final words to me, I felt the world around me pitch and darkness swallowed me once more. I blinked, seeing I was back in the dark foggy realm. I looked at myself, seeming less translucent and more solid. The warmth faded, leaving me to wallow the cold once more. Although what I felt was brief, I craved to feel it again.

Jack.

For some reason, the name resonated within me.

"Jack!"

I could hear a voice calling to me from memories I never had. I wanted to reach out and grasp it, find out more, but I couldn't do anything. A vague feeling came back to me though.

Jack. I was Jack.

The name she said, wasn't just any name, it was my name. I clung fiercely onto the name, a sense of comfort coming along with it. The familiarity was much better than the foreign feeling of being in such a world that was different from the one I was in now.

What scared me was, she looked as if she knew me. Even I didn't have the slightest idea of who I was. All the effort she had put into summoning me though... Clearly, it was on purpose.

"Do you know who I am?"

We had known each other, but I had no idea who this girl was. Did that mean I was missing my memories? Or was it actually a mistake and I only looked the part of someone she knew?

The thought made me feel uneasy, I shook off though. My name was Jack, I was certain of that.

I clung onto this moment, knowing I didn't know who she was, what her name was, or the reason why she had summoned me. She made this unknown feeling stir within me. She had the same voice as the name that echoed in my missing memories. This was the first thing that had ever happened to me since arriving to this realm. This girl, whoever she was, offered me hope. There was something beyond this.

She held the answers to all the questions I had.

She had the ability to draw me out and make me feel.

She knew me.

From that day on, I waited. Hoping that she would summon me again. Wishing she would she tell me what she knew about me. Dreaming of the day we would see each other again.

What I didn't know was, I wouldn't see her again. That was the only time I had ever seen her in that life. There were a lot of things I didn't know – my appearance, being a prime example right now – and I would soon find out that time wasn't what I was waiting for.

I was waiting for her.

There was something between the two of us, and she was the only one with the information that could help solve it.

She was important to me, being the first and only person I ever saw.

I just had no idea how fundamental she was to me.

How was it? This is just a bit of background from Jack, but there's more to it! :)

Anyways, I really enjoy this story, there's so much I have planned!

I'd love to hear some positive feedback. :) Hope to see you all next chapter!

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

~Skitty13