[ After Dusk ]

UnreachableRomance

Brief Note: Some people said that this sorta have some similarities to Twilight. But it's not really. I haven't even read the book because it's overrated :-) But that's just my opinion.

Anyway, enjoy.

[Chapter 1]

……………

If there's anything more drearier than the weather of Kavlin, Johto – is moving to Kavlin, Johto because your mother - who has been living as a widow for three years - remarried. After Dad had mysteriously disappeared while exploring the treks of Saven Forest way up in Sinnoh, my Mom had promised me and my little brother, Max that she was never going to love another man.

And from this, you can see how easily that she forgot her promise. Or pretended to forget her promise. The man, Justin Carter was big, broad and pink-faced. Not exactly the best looking man in the world. But my Mom was crazy for him. He was all she ever spoke about. Justin did this, Justin did that, Justin gave this, Justin said that… and so on. I was getting irritated by how quickly she forgot about Dad and when I would go tell her this – she would fake cry, saying that all she wanted was not to be lonely. Like we weren't enough to keep her from being un-lonely.

And finally the big day came. Justin proposed to Mom – who couldn't accept faster. They celebrated their wedding at the local church a month later, with me being anything but happy. It's not that Justin wasn't nice or anything – but I just think that Mom could do a lot better. And besides, she didn't even need a man to be satisfied with her life. She had me and Max. That was enough.

"Oh would you just wipe that look of dismay off your face and be happy for me?" Mom had hissed at the wedding when she saw me sitting sedately on a chair, wearing a white gown (that my mother had forced me into. I'd have rather worn pants and a t-shirt), my face looking grim.

"I am happy for you," I insisted and pretended to smile. It came out as something between a leer and a sneer. Mom shook her head but didn't say anything more as she pranced about in her white wedding dress, her auburn hair in an updo as she checked up on everything before the guests started to arrive. Usually the bride had to be seated elegantly until her father came and escorted her with the 'dum-dum dum-dum' melody in the background. But Mom hadalready married once and Gramps had died out of old age a few years back.

I remembered counting the number of flowers hung up around the banister. A hundred and seventeen. I was recounting the spidery blossoms before my brother trotted up to me, wearing a small tux. Probably something that Mom had made him to wear. He sat himself beside me and poked my stomach.

"What do you want?" I asked him, focusing on counting the flowers. The same thing as I did at Dad's funeral. I counted the number of flowers above his coffin with no body inside. They couldn't find it.

"Are you sad, May?" Max asked me and I shrugged, my eyes fixed on the flowers.

"More like mad."

"At Mom?" he wanted to know.

"I…I don't know," I had to admit, looking down at my lap. "I know it's not her fault for wanting company… but… I-I really don't know."

"But Justin said that we're going to have a dog! Isn't that great?" Max beamed. I looked at him. Oh, what did eight-year-olds know about pain anyway.

"Yeah, totally awesome," I said, just to make him happy and then looked at the flowers again and sighed. Maybe having a fourth member to the family again wasn't going too bad.

--

"WHAT?!" I shrieked. Mom grimaced.

"May, calm down," she commanded. "It's not that bad."

"Of course it's bad!" I exclaimed, my mouth wide open in shock.

Mom had quietly crept up to my room, a week after their marriage and broke the news to me. We were moving. As if that wasn't bad already – we were moving to Kavlin. The little depressed looking area that our family had visited when I was about ten years old. I hated everything about it. It was dark, dreary, grey, cold, rainy and so on. I had finally realized the joys of living in sunny Petalburg after that 'vacation' and was never so glad to get back to where the sun shone. And now we were moving to Kavlin, Johto. Not a mere vacation – but moving from the place I grew up in. The place I loved. Did life have to be a living hell for me?

"C'mon honey," Mom pleaded, her brows knotted. "Justin got a great job there and the job even provides a big mansion from the seventeenth century! It's going to fun!"

"Living in an ancient creepy house in a dreary grey weather does not sound like fun to me," I muttered under my breath. Mom looked like she was about to burst out crying. That's what I hate about her. She was all the drama you could live without. "Okay, okay, fine," I had to say, at last. I couldn't stand the way her chin was wobbling now. "But what about my friends?"

"You'll get new ones," Mom replied, apparently not about to cry anymore. "And you never did have many here anyway."

I would have yelled at that offensive remark if it weren't so true. I just didn't get along with people. It's like I couldn't handle the way their moods would change. Having an over-dramatic mother was enough for me.

And with that, my Mom turned to leave as if the case was closed. And in a way – it was. I was moving to Kavlin whether I liked it or not. Good-bye sun. Good-bye forever.

And that is why, I'm here right now – staring at a huge grey mansion (the ones you'd probably see at some horror movie), with rain pouring down and watching some of the men haul our stuff into the house. I'll bet that it won't even fill half – no, one-third of the house. The neighbors weren't very friendly. They seem to be watching us as if we were some intruders, trespassing on their area. But even if they were the nicest people in the world, I still wouldn't have liked them anyway. I just don't like Kavlin, period.

After a while, I got bored of sitting inside the car, and stepped out into the rain. I put the hood of my jacket up and ran inside as fast as I could. Inside, it wasn't so different from the rain outside. It was cold, dark and damp. The wallpapers were faded and peeled. The floors were squeaky.

Yet… there was something about this house. Something I couldn't put my finger on. The way that sometimes a chilly cold breeze would sweep into the room without any door open. The way that a scent of peppermint would go through my nose. It was like… another presence was there.

I shook my head. All the excitement of this new (or old) house, Kavlin, and moving must have mingled with my senses. Of course there was no one else here. Who would be? When the word 'ghost' went through my head – I could feel shivers running up my back.

No, I told myself sternly. This house is not haunted. Not at all.

…If only I could convince myself.

……………

How'd ya like it? :-) Yep, a paranormal plot. :D It's short but it's the first chapter – so yeah. The plot was inspired by a friend. Thanks, Jake.

I think Drew's going to be introduced in the next chapter. And more details will be there too.

So please keep a look for the next chapter? And review?

Thanks :-) I would greatly appreciate it.

-Suzie :o))