Chapter 23

A week passed for Hayden, a blur of pain and joy and heartache. She lived wild in the windswept mountains, eating berries beside the pokémon without humans. They were utterly fearless around her, often outright protective or helpful. She slept beside Cody and Sierra in the shelter they had apparently built together—or would build, one day. 

Hayden did not know how to camp, or how to live off the land. That was the recreation of the rich, who could afford to leave their shop behind for vacation and put work aside. Even Cody sometimes acted confused by what she did, or else gave advice that was incredibly simple, but that Hayden would never have guessed on her own.

Whenever she needed something, she just asked Liz to talk to whatever pokémon were nearby, and ask them how to do it. Whatever fear she had once had of the strange, personless creatures that were wild pokémon, it was gone from her now. Lady Gracidea had taught her in clear terms just what kind of beings should be feared, and which could be trusted.

If she hadn't just changed, she might have been open to the intimacy that Cody obviously craved. But her reflection still embarrassed her, and her own skin still felt awkward and ill-shaped in whatever clothes she wore. Maybe one day she would feel brave enough to explore it, but not then.

Despite what they had said, the pokémon of Shaymin Valley did not fly off when night came. Instead they declared Hayden was a “wilting flower in an untended garden” and demanded she return each and every day. When such powerful wild creatures were involved, she couldn't even imagine refusing their summons. They couldn't fly in their little female forms, but once they got their flower—the male ones could probably hunt Hayden down on the other side of the world.

Besides, Liz liked them. She told her so after the first night, when they lay together in Cody's big sleeping bag, surrounded by safe smells and the sounds of many wild pokémon moving in the dark outside.

"Havalina is the best teacher I've ever had," she thought to Hayden, once Cody and Sierra had fallen asleep. "They know so much more than the shrine people. Their moves make so much sense!"

"Too bad there aren't any wild mew to teach us," Hayden thought back. "Does it seem weird that they know so much about human things? I thought wild pokémon didn't understand humans."

Her daemon spent a long time thinking that over before she finally answered. "I don't think they are wild, exactly. I think they were members of Shaymin House from a long time ago. They're very old and very out of touch, but they remember."

Hayden shuddered, enough that Cody's breathing changed, and he opened one eye, fixing on her. "Nightmares again, Hadie?"

She shook her head, settling back onto their shared pillow. "Nah. Just wondering about the shaymin."

"Oh." He closed his eyes again. "Unity. It's scary sometimes. I want to understand it as well as you do, one day. But I don't want to be like your friends. Sierra and I like having two parts. Two viewpoints are better than one."

"They're… awakened masters?" Liz whispered, into his ear. "Living out in the woods?"

"On the land of Shaymin House," Sierra agreed. "Where else would they be?"

That part still unnerved Hayden a little. But it took great effort to hold a different viewpoint than her own daemon. The more Liz liked them, the harder it was for Hayden to stay unsettled. 

There was no saying for sure how many amazing things they knew. But this time, they mostly taught Hayden how to be a plant. They learned all kinds of grass-based attacks, starting with the simplest and working their way up. They battled together too, but her new teachers were much more compassionate than anyone in the shrine had ever been. Hayden never left their valley carrying a barely conscious Liz in her arms.

Granted, they did work so hard one day that they weren't strong enough to fly out again, and had to spend the night sleeping on the grass. But it was warm that night, and the shaymin made for good company. Given their strength, Hayden knew the fate of any unfriendly monster that might come for her.

But what would happen if Lady Gracidea visited? Would they give her up? Or worse, Cody?

She asked as much on her last day, when she finally built up the courage to ask them such direct questions.

"We keep our own council," Havalina reassured her, from beside the icy riverbed. It was where they all went for water, drinking glacier runoff from further in the valley. Even the shaymin did not go much further in that direction, though. The green grass transformed to permafrost up that way, with deep blue glaciers always looming on the horizon. "The heirs of our family now only inherit what we left behind. They are very young, and don't always know best."

"But Constantine made a wise choice selecting you," said Mara, the smallest of the three. She'd quickly turned into Hayden's favorite of their number, even if Liz liked Havalina better. She was newer, smaller, and more sensitive to how hard things were for Hayden. Her two sisters seemed to just expect her to get everything right the first time. "Couldn't let you go to waste, kitten. Shame you weren't born in our garden, but you can still tend to other parts. I think you will save them one day. When you find another flower like ours, you know where to bring her.”

“So your secret is safe," Havalina said again. "The others have their reasons for hunting the timespinner's erased house. We do not have those reasons. He may come, if you are here."

* * *

Then it was over. The days blurred around and around until Cody announced that they had caught back up with the day she left. 

Cody led her back through the forest, until he would go no further. "Sierra and I should be moving on," he announced, when they reached a little clearing in the grass. "Stay in one time too long, and the big eyes start to notice. Don't want that to happen, or I can't come back. I want to come back."

Hayden wasn't exactly sure how long she'd been out in the forest with him then. A week, long enough that her clothes were stiff and dirty from many times washed and dried in the lake, and dirt and slime smeared almost every inch of her skin. The one thing they didn't have out in the shelter was soap. She'd have to get that fixed for next time.

She was smart enough not to bring the jacket home with her. Besides, the day she left was nice and warm despite the coming winter. There was no reason not to try and enjoy it. 

"When?" she asked. "How will I know when you're here?"

He hesitated. "I… think maybe by keeping a diary? Write about when I visit, but don't lie. Otherwise it won't work. Or did you already start yours?"

Hayden let go of his hand, folding both arms again and glaring at him. "You made such a big deal about never telling the future. Is that really even a rule?"

"No," he said. "Yes. Sometimes it is. Depends. You can't really understand from just three dimensions. But that's not asking you to change. I already like you in the dimensions we have. Three is enough."

"We'll have to go for longer next time," Liz said, floating over to him. She hovered there until he caught her, then rubbed her head up against his fingers. "You could go further back. Or further forward. Doesn't matter so long as we get back to where we started, right?"

Sierra landed on Hayden's shoulder. She shook her head to each side. "Can't stay for very long without getting noticed. Once you can travel, then maybe we could do some of that. Too bad the shaymin couldn't teach you that. That's the power you really need."

"We'll find someone to teach us," Liz said. "Someone must know. There are lots of psychic types in the house."

Cody held out both hands, offering Hayden's daemon back to her. She took the kitten reluctantly. Neither of them wanted to let go. "Watch your back in there, Hayden. I know you're good at making friends—but you still have plenty of enemies. They hate you without ever meeting you. Stay alive, okay?"

He embraced her, squeezing tight. "I couldn't do what you do. Walk back into that house. You're the bravest kitten I know."

She squeezed back. "I'm… the only kitten you know," she said. "Of course I'm the bravest."

He let go, sticking his tongue out. "The only kitten I know right now. There's a big future out there, and there was a past before that. Technically I'm not even born yet. But that hasn't stopped me."

He let go, then backed away from her. "I'll see you in a sec!" He waved, catching Sierra out of the air. Then they faded. She heard the sound much easier now, the gentle rumble through the trees. One moment he was there, then he was an outline—then they were gone.

Hayden reached through the air where he'd been, trying to catch his shoulder. But there was nothing there. "Think we could follow him?"

She held out her hand to catch her mew, holding her close. Her tail wrapped around Hayden's arm, and she just stayed that way for a few seconds. At least she wasn't completely alone. Her daemon was always there.

Then someone touched her shoulder. "Hi Hayden. Did we have fun?"

She opened her eyes again, mouth hanging open. Cody was back. Only… not as dirty as she was anymore. "I… yeah. We did." 

"Oh good. Don't spoil it! I think I see you coming now." He darted away from her, out into the trees. Liz floated out of her hands, staring after him. Sure enough, Hayden heard voices coming down the trail. Her own voice, and Holland in the distance. She heard the little chime again, saw the faint glow through the trees.

Her brother did too, because he stopped on the trail, turning back. "Hayden? Please don't do anything weird on me right now. Lady of the House is counting on me to stop you from running off."

Too late for that now. There had to be a way to insulate her older brother from the consequences of her departure. He'd done his job, exactly the way Lady Gracidea wanted. There was just no way to keep a legendary trapped. Not like Cody… and maybe one day, not like her.

We need to learn to teleport, she decided. Once she could do that, no one could force her to stay in one place. She'd be… free.

"We'll be strong enough that Lady Gracidea can't tell us what to do," Liz thought back. "Together."

"Shit," her brother muttered, scanning the trees around him. He raised his voice. "Hayden, please! I know I can't force you… but it would be great if you came back. Before they blame me for losing my own brother in the woods."

Hayden emerged from the trees ahead of him—behind him now. She cleared her throat. "Thanks to the one who owns both of us, I'm your sister now, Holland. I thought you knew."

His daemon noticed her much sooner than he did. She sniffed the air behind them, then darted over to her, her nose twitching. "Who are you with?" she demanded. "I don't know them."

Like all dark types, Hayden's power to read thoughts couldn’t penetrate their mind very clearly. But she didn't need powers to see just how upset he was. 

She ignored the question, though she couldn't advance any closer with his daemon blocking the way. Holland's umbreon was particularly large and fierce, which had helped him advance through the guard so quickly. And apparently into Unity as well.

Holland rushed over to her, occasionally glancing back the way he'd been looking before. "How did you—teleport? Can you two do that already?" Then he saw her, and his mouth fell open.

Hayden couldn't entirely hide there was something different about her. There were a few little tears in Eleanor's borrowed clothes, inevitable when she spent so much time out in the wilderness. Her hair was braided again, though much more awkwardly than before. Eleanor could do it better than Hayden or Cody.

Her brother stumbled over to her, anyway, resting his hand on her shoulder. He sniffed the air, eyes settling on her. "You smell like you've been living in a zoo."

She grinned back at him. "Kinda. I'm ready to go home now. Actually I… think I'm ready to try the bath now. Eleanor has like a million different soaps. I think I'll dump in every single one."

Holland shrugged, then turned back around. "You gonna tell me what just happened?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Mythical pokémon stuff. I don't think you'd understand."

He sighed, exasperated. "The Lady said you might say something like that. Let's just… get you back before she can smell you."