Mission 8 Prelude: Catching Up With Time - P.1

Something... just wasn't right. The air felt tense, but he couldn't figure out exactly why. It almost felt... Supernatural. He flopped over onto his other side. "It's... probably nothing. I'm just a bit uneasy about everything that's been going on lately. That's all." Though he assured himself of this, his mind clung to the doubt that was being shoved away.

The Bayleef muttered something that no one would have heard if they had been awake, and in an attempt to take his mind off of things, grabbed the small hand-woven doll that was resting on the head of his bed. It had been a gift, given to him on the same day Lyra had evolved, and was fashioned to resemble Marci, his Mawile partner who had gone missing. Ever since that day, the precious plush had a special spot on his bed, right beside him every night.

He ran a claw through its stringy hair and sighed. "...I just wish you'd come back."

       A series of three thumps broke the mid-night silence. James' head snapped up in response. What was that? The others couldn't have made it, they were still sound asleep.

Three more thumps echoed throughout the house, these distinctly louder and more wooden. "Is that... the door? Who could be knocking on the door at this unholy hour?" James grunted as he pulled himself out of bed. He slowly trudged to the front of his home and unlocked the large wooden door. It creaked as he pulled the heavy wooden slab open. "Hel-"

Before he even got the word out, someone dashed through the frame and tightly wrapped around his neck. "James!..." The sweet female voice cried out. A single drop of water plopped down on his chest. "I'm home..."

James didn't have to look at her to know who it was. He hugged her back. "Welcome back."

"Who... Who's at the door?"

Lyra and Lilly Ann stood in the main hallway behind the door, both yawning and rubbing the drowsiness from their eyes.

James smiled at them. "Guys... She's home."

The Mawile looked around James' shoulder at the other two. "Uh, James? Who are they?"

James patted her on the back. "We need to catch you up on the times, Marci."

       "Okay, so let me see if I got this straight." The four had been sitting in the den for the past few hours, the sun now beginning to seep through the windows. James, Lyra, and Lilly Ann had spent the entire morning explaining what had happened over the weeks Marci had been missing.

"Shoot for it." James replied.

"My witch of a sister held Lyra for ransom, then threw her off a cliff, and Lyra evolved to keep from dying?"

"Right!" The Volcarona chirped.

"And Miss... Ann was it? Ann was the Lilligant we saved after Sorbet's rampage. She was grateful for us saving her, and you were grateful for her delivering my letter, so you let her join the team?"

"Yes'm." Lilly Ann nodded.

Marci examined her comrades and nodded slowly. "In that case, I have one thing to say to all of you..."

She wrapped her arms around everyone and sniffled. "I'm glad to be back with friends."