The End…
By James’s Rose

Chapter 3: Hell Begins

James walked sadly into the Kitchen and sat down at a small wooden table the servants usually ate on.

“What’s the matter Master James?” asked the male Cook, coming to James’s side.

“Mother said that she doesn’t want me to become a pokemon trainer when I’m older.” He replied, hanging his head.

The Cook patted James on the shoulder, “Oh, don’t worry about it Master James, I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”

James sniffed in response.

“I know, why don’t you come and have some of those Candied Grapefruit Peels so like so much?”

James looked up at him and smiled, “Yes please.”

James got up of the chair and followed the Cook to the refrigerator. After a few moments of moving various delicacies out the way, the Cook brought out a large plastic bag with dozens of Grapefruit peels inside.

“Here you go.” Said the Cook, handing the bag to James.

James took four peels out the bag and handed them back to the Cook. He sat back down at the table and slowly ate each one as he watched the Cook make his parents breakfast.
James always ate his breakfast with the servants, despite his parents constantly telling him not to ‘mingle with that crowd’.

As he finished off the last grapefruit peel, the door the kitchen suddenly burst open and Fredrick was standing there. Walking over to his son, he grabbed James by the arm and dragged him out the room.

“How many times have your mother and I told you not to eat with the servants? From now on you are eating with us in the dining room!”

He pulled James onto a chair in front of the polished mahogany wood table.

“Besides, we have something to discuss with you.”

The Cook watched silently from the door as James rubbed his painful arm. Shaking his head, we went back into the kitchen and brought out the Breakfast tray.
Laying out various choices on the table, Fredrick and Susan pointed to what they wanted and the servants would place it on their plates.
James wasn’t that hungry after eating those grapefruit peels, and besides, he was worried by what his father said about ‘matters to discuss’.

What did he do wrong this time?

Despite not being hungry, James’s parents had insisted he eat something, so James sat there playing with his scrambled eggs.

“James darhlin! Don’t play with your food!” his mother commanded.

James dropped the fork at the side of the plate and sat there with his arms crossed, annoyed.
Susan and Fredrick stared at their son for a moment before Fredrick started talking.

“Now then James, it is time for you to get your head out the clouds and take on some real responsibility,” he started, “For a start, you are getting to be far too friendly with the servants and it’s not doing you any good. So, from now on, you are not to go talk to the servants, or be seen any where near them, understand?”

James looked up at his father in shook, “What?”

“And further more, you are not to do anything without our permission. That includes going outside, eating, or even walking into a room.”

James stared at him in disbelief.

“This is so we can check so are respectable and dressed correctly.”

Susan patted her mouth with her napkin, “And also James, you are not to play with, or see, that Growlithe any more.”

That was all James could take.

“WHAT!? BUT GROWLY IS MY BEST FRIEND!” he yelled.

“James! Don’t snap back at your mother!” Fredrick commanded.

“That is our final decision James,” Susan continued, “You are always getting dirty and muddy when you play with that pokemon and we won’t have it any more. As soon as that doghouse is built he will be staying in there.”

“YOU CAN’T!” James shouted, jumping of his chair, “I WON’T LET YOU!”

Susan laughed, “My dear James, how on earth you hav’ become so attached ta that fifthly creature I will never know. You are lucky we let you keep him here in the first place, only because we can now breed him as a pedigree.”

“NO! YOU CAN’T! YOU CAN’T!” James screamed once more, running out of the room and back upstairs to his room, tears streaming down his face.

As he slammed his door closed, he ran up to Growly on his bed and hugged him tightly.

“No, I won’t let them take you away.” He cried into Growly’s soft fur.

James stayed there for the next hour, just hugging Growly and crying softly. He had lost every friend he had now. He wasn’t allowed to talk to the servants, and now soon Growly was going to be taken away.
Well, if James wasn’t allowed to play with Growly after the doghouse was built, he’d make up for it now.
Running out of his room with Growly following behind, James ran out of the mansion, without his parents permission, and ran into the forest out the front.

@~>~>~~

For the rest of the morning and half of the afternoon, James played with Growly in the forest. Chasing him, hugging him, looking for pokemon.

“Growly! Hey Growly, come back here!” the James laughed, chasing after his favourite fire type.

Growly had James chasing him around a very large willow tree around and around in circles. Growly stopped running and quickly dived into the shrubbery to hide from James. As James rounded the tree one more time, he realised that Growly had disappeared.

“Growly?” James asked, looking around the willow tree.

Suddenly, Growly jumped out of the bushes straight on to James, pushing him backwards and making him fall into a small stream. Laughing, James grabbed his pokemon and started wrestling him in the water.

“James, James darh’lin, our guests have arrived! James! JAMES WHERE ARE YOU?!”

James stopped and looked towards the direction his mother’s voice was coming from.

‘Guests? Oh, that Jessiebelle person must be here.’ He thought.

Sighing, he got back up and crawled out of the water, Growly following behind. Standing up, James realised he was completed soaked and muddy.

“Great, mothers going to be really mad.”

Just to add to insult, Growly ferociously shook his wet fur coat, sending and spray of muddy water towards James.

“Growly!” he laughed, shielding himself from the ambush of water droplets. Growly barked happily and started chasing his tail.

“James! James will you get back here this instant!”

James sighed again, “Sorry Growly, playtimes over.”

James patted Growly on the head and made his way down the woodchip path back towards his home.

As James emerged from the trees, he could see a very long white limousine by the front of the mansion. To far away to see who was getting out of it, James ran out of curiosity.
As he got closer, he could see a man and woman going inside followed by a young girl. James had never seen them before and ran up behind his mother standing outside.

“Who are th…”

“JAMES!!!”

Before James had time to finish his sentence, Susan had turned around and saw just what state her son was in.
His new suit they had put him in that morning was completely ruined. Mud was plastered all over it, and his hair was a muddy tangle.

“HOW ON EARTH DO YOU EXPECT ME TA PRESENT YA TO THE REDFIELDS LOOKING LIKE THAT!!!” She screamed, “HOW DID YOU GET LIKE THIS?!”

To answer her question, Growly trotted up beside his master panting, also covered in mud.

“Humph, I shoulda known.” Turning back around, Susan called into the Mansion, “HARLY! TAKE JAMES BACK UP TO HIS ROOM AND MAKE HIM PRESENTABLE FOR THE REDFIELDS!”

The young Butler raced out of the Mansion and quickly grabbed James, “Yes Mame!” he said, before running back up the stairs.

“Sorry Master James, did I hurt you.” Harley asked when they got into James’s room.

James looked up at the Butler and shook his head.

“Oh that’s alright then. Sorry I startled you, but your mother has a tendency to frightened the life out of me when she yells like that.”

He looked down at James to see he was crying.

“Oh, I did hurt you didn’t I?”

“No,” James sniffed, “It’s just, lately, all my parents seem to do is yell at me. I can’t help it if I like playing with Growly, and now they’re saying I’m not allowed to talk to you or any of the servants any more.”

This brought James into more fresh tears, and Harley hugged him to try and get him to calm down.
From the crack in the door, an eye could be seen watching James and Harley hug. “Humph, it’s obvious James is not going to listen to me. I think it’s time for more drastic measures.” Said Susan, as she walked back down the stairs to join her guests.

About half and hour later, Harley came into the Lounge with a spotless James beside him. The five people in the room stopped drinking their tea and turned to James. James stood there squirming, not liking so many eyes on him.

“James, this is Mr and Mrs Redfield and their daughter Jessiebelle.” Said Susan.

James looked at them and tried to smile, but his heart wasn’t in it. He got the feeling these people where just like his parents. If they were, he felt sorry for their daughter already.
James looked at Jessiebelle, who was fanning the afternoon heat away with a silk fan. She was about the same age as him. She sat perfectly, wearing a frilly, light pink dress, and her hair hung at her sides in curls. In her lap sat an Oddish, also sitting just as perfectly.
“Well James. Aren’t you going to say hello?” asked his father.

James stepped forward slightly towards the Redfields, “Hello.”

Both Pricilla and Henry turned away from him.

“So rude.”

“Quite despicable.”

“Our Jessiebelle will certainly teach you a thing or two about manners.”

“You were right to call us here so early Susan.”

James was confused. He didn’t think he was being rude. After all, his father did tell him to say hello.

“You obviously have no manners what-so-ever.” James turned back to Jessiebelle who was now staring at him, “But that’s what ay am here for. To greet a lady, you must bow before her and take her hand. Not stand there like an idiot and mumble hello.”

James immediately changed his mind about Jessiebelle. It looks like her parents had got to her, so now she was just as snobbish and inconsiderate as everyone else in the room.

Fredrick motioned to the seat next to him and James walked over and sat down.

“Now then Fredrick,” said Pricilla, “We must keep this short I’m afraid, Henry and I have a meeting at the CFS in a few hours.”

James giggled. He had heard his mother mention the CFS a few times. He had no idea what it stood for, but James had always imagined it meant: ‘Club For Snobs’.

“I don’t see what’s so funny James.” His mother snapped. Sighing, she turned back to her guests, “Yes, as you saying?”

“As we were saying, we will have to go soon, so we’re just going to give you a few reminders about our Jessiebelle.” Said Pricilla.

“First off,” started Henry, “She must only ever eat white bread, not brown. She has her Bally lessons at five o’clock every evening until six. I have told the private instructor to come here. Now, is the umm, place, ready yet?”

James frowned when he said place, he had almost whispered it.

“Yes, it is ready, and James knows nothing about it.”

Now James was really curious, “What? What place?”

“You’ll find out soon enough James dearest.” Replied Jessiebelle.

James dearest? He didn’t even know this girl and she was already calling him pet names?

The two couples exchanged head nods and Henry and Pricilla got up off their seats.

“Well, I’d say that’s just about everything! Said Henry, taking his wife’s arm in his, “We’d better be off then.”

They walked out to their limousine out front followed by Jessiebelle, James and his parents. They stood at the door as Pricilla and Henry got into their limousine. It was then that James realised that Jessiebelle was still standing next to him.
Jessiebelle was smiling and waving a handkerchief at her parents.

“Goodbye mot’der, goodbye father!”

Pricilla wound down her window.

“Goodbye sweetie, and remember, don’t forget to groom that Oddish everyday, and don’t be afraid to fire any servants if they don’t so as they’re told.”

What did she just say?

As the Limousine drove down the long driveway, Jessiebelle’s mother shouted out one more thing.

“See you when you and James are married!”

With that, the limousine went out of hearing distance and speed away. As James’ parents and Jessiebelle stood there waving, it was then that it struck James.

MARRIED!?!?

A sweat drop formed on the side of James’s head as he turned to look at Jessiebelle. She had put the handkerchief into her pocket and turned to face James.

“Oooohhh Oddish!”

Out of the front door, her Oddish waddled towards her and jumped into her arms.

“Oddish, James is going to be our new, umm, playmate. Isn’t this gonna be wonderful?”

“Orrrdish!” it replied.

James could did a double take. Did her Oddish just smirk at him? James turned towards his parents for some support, but instead found them walking back into the mansion.

“Well Jessiebelle, I hope you can teach our son a few things about manners. Ay am sure we’re leaving him in capable hands.” Said Susan

“Don’t worry,” Jessiebelle called after her, “He’s in perfect hands.”

James stood there, not really knowing what to do. What ever his parents had planned for him, he could tell it wasn’t going to be pretty.

To be continued…