The violet book- a Pokémon violet fanfiction

Chapter 18

"...Juliana?"

She could feel her heartbeat in her ears. It was so loud. A flash of light, a bright pain.

No, no, no. That was a memory. This is right now.

She looked up to meet Arven's eyes.

Juliana curled her fingers in, trying to cover her scar.

She winced and tried to stand up.

"Arven... it's—I— you— you—... I can't...no!" She cried, clutching her head as memories flooded in.

Arven let out a huff of breath, grabbing Juliana's arm and pulling her upright.

Her legs shook, making her fall over again. Arven crouched lower so he could slide her arm over his shoulder to support her weight, then pushed the door closed with his leg.

Once he did that, he shimmied his way over to her bed where he set her down.

"Take a deep breath." Arven said, standing up.

Juliana inhaled.

I can't tell him! He's going to know about the accident! Then he'll tell everyone, and they'll all hate me!

Her breath started to get shaky again.

Arven exhaled, crouching down to wrap his arms around her silhouette comfortingly.

Juliana exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself down.

She had to admit, it did feel slightly comforting to have his arms around her shoulders.

"Juliana." He whispered softly into her ear. "Tell me what happened."

She inhaled slowly.

"I—I had another nightmare..." She admitted. Arven sat backwards and lifted his arms off of her shoulders, giving her a puzzled look.

"Another...nightmare? About what?"

Juliana froze.

"The accident...and the fire...and..." Juliana held up her palm and moved her braid away from her scar.

Arven winced.

"You... what? I need more details." He inhaled. "Do you get nightmares often?"

Juliana pulled her hand away and stared into it.

"Ever since the accident..." She muttered honestly.

Arven raised an eyebrow.

Juliana sighed.

"The lab—the lab fire. When I lived in Hoenn about four months ago. I moved here to escape eveything. The looks, the whispers, the horrible scenes you can't get out of your mind. The fire. Worst of all—the fire. That horrible burning smell, the hurt Pokémon. They stripped my role as the Elite four member. They took my Pokémon. They took my life right out of my hands. And it wasn't even me. I didn't even do it."

Her gaze was intense.

"But I couldn't tell anyone. I couldn't show my scars. They'd all ask—then they'd all know—and I'd have to move to another region."

Arven didn't speak.

Juliana pressed her hands to her face tiredly,

"Do you need anything?" He asked with concern written on his face. "Like a glass of water?"

Juliana looked down at her scarred palm, hesitating slightly.

Would he hate me if I ask for food? What if he yells at me?