And so, after a few months of "enjoying" life, I've come back to give this story another chapter. I was actually pretty proud of this chapter, but I'll let you, the reader, be the judge. I can't make any promises, but I will say I will try to be more focused on writing than RPing. It's becoming a mess, to be quite frank. And to be honest, I want to sharpen my writing skills.
So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy the second chapter of "Beneath the Surface."
Chapter Two
Adam had a shiver crawl up his spine as his eyes were replaced by a pair of eerie, yet lovely red orbs. He blinked, and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He couldn't say a word, only breathe nervously. Adam thought about reaching out his hand, to maybe scare away whatever hid beneath.
Then, to Adam's horror... his reflection looked like it smiled at him. The reflection smiled at him as his actual face stayed perfectly surprised. "Wha-what is," he managed to mutter, before realizing that the eyes belonged to a separate being. But as it became clearer, if only slightly, it still managed to confuse Adam more and more. It looked a bit like a jellyfish Pokemon, but he'd never seen something with a haunting smile like the one it was giving Adam.
The most detail Adam could discern was from it's head. On top, was a small crown-like tuft. The look was similar to how a fedora shape is found on Honckrow. It's head was blue and white, with a frilly collar around it's neck. But the most distinguished feature was it's face. It had a seemingly innocent smile, but it still chilled Adam to the bone.
After what seemed to be an eternal staring contest, a blue tentacle was made visible, waving to Adam. Adam was simply in frightened awe at the new Pokemon he was witnessing, waving at him. Adam slowly waved back at the mystery Pokemon. With that, it disappeared into the depths, it's eyes the last bit of it to vanish. Adam, meanwhile, took some time to regain his composure. He got up off of his knees, and turned his back to the ocean. "Whatever that thing was... I hope I've seen the last of it." Adam muttered this to himself as he walked away, trying to forget about those red, hypnotic eyes.
He thought about going to the Canalave Library, to maybe learn about whatever he saw in his reflection. But, he shrugged, thinking Pokemon entries aren't in there, as new information is discovered every now and then. "...dam...Adam..." A voice, similar to that of a child rang out, slowly grew loud enough for Adam to hear, now as if the voice was right behind him. He quickly spun around, his heart racing at the thought of that creature inches away from him. "Who is it?!" He yelled, before realizing nothing was there. Nothing visible to him, anyway. What was visible, what was in his direct line of sight, was the Harbor Inn.
He sighed, his chest in pain due to the stress he experienced. "Not only at home... but anywhere I go, I can't be at ease... what's wrong with me?" He asked himself quietly as he slowly turned away from the abandoned inn, walking away at a brisk pace, away from the strange events that happened to him.
The following week, Adam's studies in Pokemon and general subjects went well. Not to mention, Adam's birthday was just another few weeks away. He would come of age to become a Pokemon trainer, finish his studies and travel the world with whatever Pokemon he chose from the Pokemon Center. But, Adam's father still beat his wife, and Adam as well, though only half as much, but just as rough and unmercifully. Something about this week, though, was different. As Adam would cry himself to sleep over being beaten, or forced to watch his mother being beaten, he would often have nightmares that gave Adam a terrible fright, casuing him to wake up in the middle of the night. His heart would be racing and become short of breath. Sometimes, he'd be too terrified to go back to sleep.
Adam never had dreams, nor nightmares to begin with. His mind would just fade to black as he slept through the night. But over the last week, his dreams only had the sounds of disturbing giggling, the voices coming from a woman and a young boy. With each night, the dream became more and more clearer to him, turning into a nightmare he would not forget so easily. During the most recent night, Adam's nightmare was fully revealed to him.
The first thing he saw after several minutes of the mixed laughter was a pair of red, gem-like eyes. The same eyes Adam had seen in his reflection. Those eyes would be accompanied by a small, seemingly innocent smile. Adam felt as if the face was right in front of him, the breath smelling like seawater and... some other smell he couldn't recognize. But it was awful, and Adam couldn't stand it. He could hear the creature giggling, with the same giggle sounding like a young boy. Even though Adam knew what it was coming from, he could only question what the hell it was, and why it was haunting him in his dreams. The laughter grew more and more louder, as the face became distorted and more frightening. As Adam's fear and panic reached it's limit, he would immediately rise up and open his eyes. That face would be imprinted in his mind for years upon years to come.
Over the next couple of weeks, Adam studied harder and harder, even taking the weekends he'd normally spend alone to try to finish up before his birthday came to pass. But the beatings and abuse from his father, as well as the nightmare Adam had every night, wore on his mental state. After being beaten, he would weakly make his way to his room, trying not to fall asleep too soon. But when he did, the face of the creature would appear, making him wake up instantly. He could even hear the creature's giggling, though, despite being awake.
Regardless, Adam did his best to survive until his birthday, usually by medication that helped numb the nightmares. He couldn't, however, rid himself of the feeling of being watched. He couldn't suppress the sounds of giggling, thinking they were just part of his imagination. And most of all, he couldn't dull the paranoia and fear that began to creep into his mind.
