First Touch Of Evil-Chapter 3 of Kirbyhan's 'If He Ever Forgets^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Ash's house was warm and roomy, save the piles of pictures Ash had sent over time. His mother had obviously kept a close watch on them, making sure they never got lost like most papers she recieved. Ash  held the door open for Misty and quietly closed it after she entered.
A light glow of a candle escaped the living room leaving and eery glow on the edges of an oak table that sat directly to the left of the duo.
"Is she awake, do you think?" Misty questioned, debating whether or not to enter. She felt Ash squeeze past her and go anyway. She silently followed.
The living room was quiet and a small fire was left burning in a delicate stone fireplace. Ash's eyes moved from chair to chair, and finally to the sofa where the gentle form of his mother lay curled up. Soft brown wisps of hair peacefully rested along her ebony face, and in her hand was a picture of him and Misty.
"We shouldn't wake her,"Ash said.
"You have guest rooms don't you?"
Ash nodded. "I'm not tired though. You can go to bed, here I'll show you which room you can have,"
Misty shook her head. "I'm not tired either...I just don't want to wake her up,"
Ash studied Misty and then his mom.
"Have you ever been to the springs here?"
Misty raised an eyebrow. "You have very strange 'try-to-start-a-conversation' lines..."
Ash smiled. "No really, have you?
Misty shook her head. "Never heard of them,"
Ash pulled his backpack closer to his body.
"Well, we're going to go there tonight. Go change into your swimsuit and lets go before she wakes."
Misty rolled her eyes and looked around. Where, am I supposed to change?"
Ash extended his index finger and Misty followed it. It pointed to a small door towards the front door of the house.
"K.,I'll be done in a sec,"
With Misty off and changing he went upstairs and changed himself.

The springs---or spa as it turned out to be--- was open 24 hours a day. The entrance desk had a very young women with an ekans who were both impatient. She nearly snatched the money from Ash's hand and shoved them in all so she could return to someone on the phone.
When the door slammed shut, Ash and Misty were left with a huge hot spring, divided into a girl section and a guy section, along with towels and complimentary lotion.
Ash stepped out of his jeans and t-shirt only to reveal jet-black swim-shorts with red italicized pockets.
Misty, on the other hand, wore a bright red bikini with orange stripes.
Taking her beige towel she stated, "I'm going to the girls side... See you in a bit."
Ash smiled and nodded. "How about we meet in a half an hour?"
"Back here?"
"Yeah"
"MmmK. See you in a half an hour," She grinned and  walked off to the girls' section.

Misty settled into the warm water, tempted to fall asleep within it's protection. She really was tired, though she wouldn't admit it to Ash. He probably could tell anyway.
Her hair floated generously on top of the clear water below her. She sat down on a piece on rock that had been shaped so a person could be seated. She closed her eyes for what seemed and eternity...and the water grew cold...and colder...until she couldn't move...

Ash stepped out from the spring. The water was great, but the half in hour was almost up. He wondered why he hadn't blurted an hour instead. The girls side seemed awefully quiet--probably because Misty was getting ready to go back too. He ran the towel over his body and tied it around his waist, leaving a discarded bottle of lotion on the pavement as he went to their assigned meeting place.

Misty's eyes flew open. She had noticed the change in water, only thinking that it was her imagination. Now, she was sure it wasn't. Her arms and legs felt like heavy bars of metal, unable to tred or even twitch.As she became panicked, she noticed that very slowly she was slipping beneath the blue water that she had enjoyed. It was no longer a clear brilliant blue though...it had turned into a powerful shade of black, like an endless abyss pulling her body into it's home. A surge of pain kindled through her body. She tried to cry out, but she could find no voice in her lungs to speak with. It felt like claws knawing at her legs yanking her down, and when she fell under the black-waters spell, everything went black.

The ground was cold, and she could tell be moving that she was sprawled out apon it. Her body was stiff, she noted as she stood.
Her vision was blurry and when the scene in front of her became clear, she gaped.
A perfect table with two chairs was settled in front of her, complete with two elegant wine glasses and a black candle with a red flame. "This is a weird dream..." She muttered as she touched the lower part of the candle with her forefinger.
Two warm hands wrapped around her from behind...one had a leage ring and the other was empty. Misty swung around and gasped.
"Believe me Misty, it's no dream...welcome to your future...with me."
Misty backed up as the figure got closer. With a single gust of wind all the light from the room, all eminating from that solitary candle, dissapeared leaving Misty and someone who had vanished 3 years ago, alone in the darkness of the underworld.