Diary part 2: Jordan Yale





POV

I woke up to darkness.  Until I opened my eyes.  I saw a bright
light, and thought I was in heaven.  I took a closer look.
It was just the sun, blazing through the window...I was alive?

RM


"Ash?  Ash, breakfast is ready!" came from downstairs and up
into Ash's ears.

'I'm alive,' Ash thought surely.

Ash ran down the stairs, anxious for answers.  He saw his mother
cooking, smiling as if nothing happened.

"Mom...before you do anything, I just want you to know that I love
you and I'm thankful for everything you've done for me..." Ash said,
running up to her and hugging her.

Delia was surprised by this.  She didn't even hear Ash coming down
the stairs.  "Oh my...  And it's not even mother's day!" she giggled.  But
nonetheless, she was happy by this surprise, and hugged her son back.
"You're such a sweetheart..."

"I know you didn't mean the things you did yesterday..."

"Ash?  Listen, I wasn't trying to deceive your father.  He's dead, he died
of cancer, remember?  I can't keep living singly...it's for the best to have
another man around the house anyway!  I'm so sorry if you don't like
the idea of me and Josh's affair..."

"Josh?" Ash asked, confused.

"Yeah!  I was at the Grand Hotel for about three weeks!  I just got home
this morning, sweetie," Delia said, wondering why Ash was acting so
clueless.  "You must have had a bad dream."

"Yeah," Ash said, "a VERY bad dream."

"Well, sweetie, tell me about it!" Delia said, smiling.

"No thanks.  I'd rather not," Ash said, walking to the back door.

"Where are you going, honey?" Delia asked.

"Just for a little stroll around the park," Ash said.

Delia nodded.  But when Ash walked out, she whispered into
Brock and Misty's ears, "Go see what's wrong with him."

"Right," Misty said as they followed Ash sneakily.


AT THE PARK...

*~I'm so tired of raising my hopes high,
Just to find that it couldn't come true~*


Ash sighed as he stared deep into the water of Pallet Pown
in Pallet National Park.  Totally oblivious to the music of
the headphones blasting in his ear, the only voices he could
hear were his own thoughts.  He pinched himself.
'I've got to be alive,' he thought.


*~My foolishness all started
The day that I had met you~*


'That dream ...  Dream?  But it felt so real ... '


*~I believed in you so much
That I forgot about sense~*


Ash threw a small pebble, and the little bit of relflection that
he could see wiggled in the ripples of the vibration.


*~And the truth grew so hard,
My will to lock my heart
Became more intense~*


"Ash?" he heard.  Ash didn't even have to turn around.


*~I put it on my soul that I would always believe you,
That I'd never take my trust from myself or deceive you,
But sometimes, words themselves need a take-back or a re-do,
And I learned that on the day I had to leave you.
Everything I knew, I trusted you with that knowledge,
'Cause we were close, from kindergarten way up to college,
But I just couldn't take our friendship to go and crown it,
'Cause I know that there was something not to trust about it,
And it was you.
I knew that when you started makin' promises you couldn't keep,
And visions that you couldn't see with wishes you can't even dream
And visits that never really were vivid or loving to me and still, it's
a big lie, it seems, you livin' wit' your heart on me,
I couldn't take it,
A mistake, though I tried to fake it,
Makin' it so that you wouldn't play wit' my heart just to break it,
Takin' the pain and the rains of the day that the way of the sayin'
would delay by playin' wit' mainly the strain I put on payin' for
you and our trust too, but now, I don't know what to do.~*



"Misty ... I'm all right.  I know Mom said for you guys to check up
on me, but I'll be fine," Ash said.

"How did you know?" Misty asked.

"I heard her through the window."

"Oh," Misty said.  "Well ... what's wrong?  Why do you look so
confused?"

"I just had a weird dream, that's all."

"Well, the last big thing that happened was the incident at the Ghost
Tower ... darn that chandelier ... and anyway, that was it, and it was
about two years ago, Ash."

"Really?  Good," Ash said, looking like his mind was a whole lot
clearer now.  "Thanks, Misty."

"No problem.  Oh yeah, and I want you to meet a friend of mine.
He's going to be taking me, you, Brock and Pikachu to the fair," Misty
said.

Just then, a boy who looked about seventeen popped up behind Misty.
Misty turned around and said, "Ash, this is Dex Johnson.  Dex, say hi to Ash
Ketchum."

"Hey," Ash said, smiling as he shook Dex's hand.

"Hi, Ash.  My name's Jordan, but people call me Dex," he said as he shook back
with a somewhat...different looking smile...

And Ash didn't like that smile, at all.


TO BE CONTINUED...