The End…

Chapter 5: Week Away

Two weeks had passed after the servants had left, and James had gotten very depressed. He didn’t even go and see Growly as much, not that he was to allowed anyway.
James really didn’t want to leave his room at all. Every time he did, Jessiebelle or his parents would catch up to him and start lecturing him on what he was doing wrong, even if he was just walking down the corridor.
After that, they’d send him to Jessiebelle, and down to the basement.
James shuddered at the though as he stood in front of his bathroom mirror. Turning to the side slightly, he gently touched the burning red marks on his shoulders, leading down his back. He picked up his shredded shirt from the floor and through it in the bin.
At that moment, he would have given anything to be round his Grandparents house. He loved them both. They may be too old to do anything energetic, but just being with them was all James wanted. They were the only people in his family who loved him for who he was, not what his parents were trying to make him.

“James! We want to talk to you!”

James turned to look at his bedroom door where he heard his mother’s voice calling and sighed. Putting a clean, deep blue shirt on, he opened the door and made his way down the stairs to the Study.
His parents where both sitting in shiny, black leather arm chairs, with a polished Mahogany desk in front of them. On the other side of the desk in another arm chair sat a slightly older man. Bald on top of his head, but with grey hair en-circling it.

“James, we want you to meet our new Butler, and your main servant, Hopkins.”

James smiled. Finally he would have someone nice to talk to.

“Hello,” James said, extending his arm towards the older man. Suddenly however, Hopkins jumped off his chair, and brought a Megaphone to his mouth and shouted into James ear.

“I HAVE BEEN HIRED TO MAKE SURE YOU DO AS YOUR PARENTS COMMAND YOU TOO MASTER JAMES!!”

James shuddered and put his hands over his ears, maybe he wasn’t going to be friend after all.

“Quite right.” Susan agreed.

“Now Hopkins, you can start your duties now.”

“Yes Master Madison.”

Getting up from his chair and bowing, Hopkins walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

“Now James, there’s more matters to discuss.” Said Fredrick, gesturing towards the chair Hopkins was sitting in. James nervously sat down, and tried not to lean on his painful back.

“First of all James,” Susan started, “Jessiebelle is visiting her Parents in Fuchsia City over the next week, and will therefore be un-able to continue your training.”

‘Yes!’ James thought

“However,” continued Fredrick, “Your mother and I are also going away during the same week to a business trip in Goldenrod City to discuss out Stock Market with the CFS. And will therefore not be here to check on you.”

James hid a small smile, this was going to be even better, he was going to have the whole mansion to himself.

“So,” Susan continued, “As Hopkins needs to get acquainted with where everything is around here, and cannot be expected to be able to control such a disobedient boy as you, we are sending you over to your grandparents Estate for the week.”

James’s eyes sparkled and he found it difficult to not to grin. Going to his Grandparents was exactly the thing he has wanted since the servants had left, and staying for a whole week who be just like a holiday, getting away from his life here.

“Now, at five O’clock this afternoon, I expect you to be suitably dressed as we will take you over there and will be staying for tea. Now James please be polite, we need to make a good impression, so we can tell your grandparents at what a wonderful job Jessiebelle has been doing.”

James sighed.

“And don’t think you’ll get away with doing anything un-gentlemanly like either, because Jessiebelle will be joining us for tea too before we take her to her parents.”

James gulped. As long as he got through this evening, he would be Jessiebelle free for the whole week. He had to try his hardest, but little did he know, that even his hardest, would never satisfy Jessiebelle, and her Oddish, tonight.

@~>~>~~

Five O’clock came and James was waiting very excitedly by the front door. He didn’t need a suitcase as he already had clothes over there in his room.
James looked up to see his parents walking down the staircase, both wrapped up in their finest Ursaring fur coats, followed by Jessiebelle wearing a dark blue, frilly little dress, with a Teddiursa fur shawl draped over her shoulders. Behind them was Hopkins, his arms full of suitcases and bags.
The chilly early Spring winds ruffled James hair and he and his family stepped outside where their Chauffeur was waiting with their 9-seated limousine. James quickly climbed in the very back seat and sat in the corner by the window. His parents sat in the seats opposite him that faced him, and unfortunately, Jessiebelle sat next to him. James tries to cram himself as far into the corner as he could possibly get.

The Limousine was a very dark red, and the panels inside that lined the sides were polished Red Wood. Fluffy white cushions plastered the already soft, peach leather seats.
As Hopkins put the suitcase in the boot and waved to the driver to go, the Chauffer started the engine and started down the pebble driveway.
Looking out the window, James suddenly remembered a very important thing.

“Growly! I didn’t say goodbye to Growly!” he shouted to his parents.

“Don’t worry yourself James dearest,” Jessiebelle sighed, “that mutt won’t know the difference.”

“Of course he will!” James snapped back.

“James, don’t be so rude!” shouted his mother, “You must learn to never raise your voice to a woman.”

James crossed his arms and frowned out the window, “Well she’s no lady.” He mumbled.

“James!” his father bellowed, “One more word out of you and you can stay with Jessiebelle and her family.”

James gulped and went quiet. That was the last thing he wanted.

@~>~>~~

The hour slowly drifted by, and James had fallen asleep by the time they pulled up the driveway to his Grandparents estate. When the Limousine stopped, the lack of movement woke James up. Yawning, he sat up from leaning on the side of the Limo and looked around. His parents had already left and were talking to James’s Grandmother, but still, Jessiebelle was still with him.

“Come James, we mustn’t be late for tea.”

Then, grabbing his arm tightly, she leaned in closer eye to eye and said in a whisper, “You will act gentlemanly an’ polite in front of me while ah am here, because if you don’t, ah come back from my parents house, ah promise you, you won’t be coming out of that basement for two weeks.”

James gulped.

“And ah always keep my promises.” She sneered.

Backing up, she got out of the limousine and left James in the car. James knew he would have to make a special effort, just for tonight anyway.
Following Jessiebelle out the Limo, he saw his parents still talking to his grandmother. She was short, plump woman, with shoulder length, curly light brown hair. She wore a very frilly deep green dress, and she wrists and neck were covered with bracelets and necklaces, all made of the finest Gold and Starmie Diamond (the piece in the centre of that Pokemon is very valuable, and very expensive) .
James smiled. He knew for a fact she only ever dressed that way her son was coming around. She and James’s Grandpappa may be super rich, but they didn’t squander their money as much as his parents did. He knew they were both very kind, and loved him very much, a lot than his parents ever did put together.
James walked up to his fathers side and bowed politely at his Grandmother, who smiled sweetly at him.

“Ah hope you don’t mind if we leave James with you Mother, “said Fredrick, “But we can’t take him on a Professional Business Trip.”

“Oh it’s no trouble at all dear.” She said smiling, “We’d be happy to see our little Grandson.”

James smiled again. He was going to love this week.

“Please come in,” she gestured, “we have tea ready and set out.”

“Thank you Beatrice.” Said Susan, taking her husbands arm and leading them all into the Mansion.

@~>~>~~

The Tea went quite quickly, and James tried his absolute best to like his parents and Jessiebelle had tried to teach him.
He deliberately sat next to his Grandpappa, but unfortunately, Jessiebelle still managed to seat herself next to him on the other side.

James breathed a sigh of relief as everyone left the table. He’d managed to get through it without Jessiebelle making a fuss on what he was doing wrong.

“James.” Fredrick called, “You run along with Jessiebelle, your mother and I need to talk to your Grandparents and set a few rules before we leave for Goldenrod.”

James sighed. He walked out into the Hall and saw Jessiebelle blocking his way up the stairs. He stopped. He wanted to go up to his room and stay hidden away until they had left, but not if Jessiebelle was standing in the way.
The two young children, one that had lost her innocence when she was practically born, stared at each other for a moment before Jessiebelle started walking towards him. James wasn’t so scared and stood his ground. He knew there wasn’t a torture chamber here, and his Grandparents wouldn’t let Jessiebelle get away with hurting him. He stood still as she walked up in front of him.

“What on Earth did you call that?” she asked sternly.

“What did I call what?”

“What you did while we were having Tea.”

James looked dumbfounded and sighed.

“What did I do wrong this time?”

“You put your elbows on the table when you had finished eating.”

James stared at her, “Is that it?!”

Jessiebelle scowled at him, “Don’t think ah wasn’t watching and judging every move you made in there, and don’t think you’re gonna get away un-punished either.”

She brought out her pokeball and held it in her arms.

“Come on out Oddish!”

James backed away slightly. He knew what was coming. When he had almost escaped from the basement once last week, she had gotten her dreadful Oddish to use its Stun Spore on him. He couldn’t do anything except wince from the pain as she whipped him harshly on his back.
James split for the stairs just as her Oddish appeared. Jessiebelle gave chase and ran after James down one of the long corridors.

“You can’t run forever James!” she called after him.

James turned around to see how far back she was when he ran straight into the wall at the end of the corridor and fell backwards on to the ground. He sat up slowly groaning and holding his sore nose, but it was to late to escape.

“Oddish! Use your Stun Spore!”

James turned around in time to have the Stun Spore directly in his face.

It was then he made his mistake.

Not ready for the attack, James gasped, and breathed in some of the Stun Spore. He started chocking and he could feel his Lungs tightening. But every time he tried to breathe, he just inhaled more and more of the Stun Spore, before he collapsed completely. He tried to prop himself up against the wall, but he could barely breath and was starting to panic

“ ‘onestly James dear, don’t be so dramatic.”

James grasped his throat and stopped chocking. Now he was simply struggling to breathe. Every breath he took was extremely painful. He could feel his Lungs getting tighter by the second, like they were pushing every piece of Oxygen out of him.
Tears started welling up in his eyes. He was petrified he was going to die, he’d never heard of anything like this happening to anyone. Jessiebelle frowned at him.

“James?”

“What’s going on here?!”

Jessiebelle turned around to see James’s Grandpappa standing behind her.

“Nothing Mr Justin, me an’ James were just…playing.” She smiled sweetly.

Justin was his first name. He didn’t like Jessiebelle calling him by his first name, even if she did put Mr in front of it.
Justin looked past Jessiebelle to James, barley conscious on the floor. His face was staring to turn blue.

“Good heavens child, what have you done to him?!” he yelled, pushing past Jessiebelle, and despite his bad back due to old edge, he knelt by his Grandsons side.

“He’s breathed in Stun Spore. This is very dangerous.” He turned to Jessiebelle, “Go and get Fredrick, I’ll need him to carry James to his bedroom.”

Jessiebelle turned away.

“No respectable gentleman would carry anything except a Ladies luggage.”

Justin let out a frustrated sigh, but then noticed one of the male servants come out of James room with a pile of sheets in his arm.

“Jonathon! Help me bring James into his room.”

Seeing the state of his employers Grandson, Jonathon quickly dropped the sheets and ran over to James. Picking him up in his arms, he went into his room and placed him on his bed. Coming to his side, Justin gently put his hand under James chin and made him put his head back.

“Keep your chin up James, it should clear your airways a little.”

James found he could breath a little more, but it was nowhere near enough. Justin put the back of his hand to James’s forehead and felt he was burning up. He turned to Jonathon.

“Go get a cloth and basin full of ice cold water.”

The servants quickly nodded and went into the bathroom. James tried to open his eyes, but everything was too painful and paralysed.

Suddenly, Beatrice waddled through the door up to James’s bedside.

“Oh the poor thing, he’s running the fever already.”

James turned his head to the side and groaned. From the doorway, Fredrick and Susan walked through and stood at the end of the bed.

“What’s wrong with him now?” she demanded.

“He’s breathed in Stun Spore. I’ll need you both to stay with him while I use my Poliwag to try and find some Salvia Weed.” Said Justin.

Despite the pain, James’s eyes flew open and fixed his gaze on his Grandfather, silently begging him not to leave him alone with his parents. Justin saw the look in his eyes and reconsidered.

“On second thoughts, perhaps it’s time for you two and Jessiebelle to be going, Beatrice can stay here.”

Beatrice nodded and placed her hand on James flushed cheeks.

“Quite right too,” said Fredrick, “Susan and I have to be going, we have to get Jessiebelle to her parents Estate. We haven’t time to wait around James.”

James closed his eyes again and listened sadly. His parents truly didn’t care for him.

“Come Jessiebelle, we must be going.”

Jessiebelle, who was standing in the doorway at the time, walked up to James and stood over him.

“Have a lovely week James dearest.”

James could tell she didn’t mean it. She turned around and walked out the door with Susan and Fredrick.
As he watched his son disappear out the front door, Justin turned back to James.

“Don’t worry James, I’ll find some Salvia Weed and you’ll be better in no time.”

Beatrice sat at the side of the bed as Justin brought out a Pokeball from under his jacket.

“Come on out Polly.”

His nicknamed Poliwag emerged from the Pokeball and twirled around on it’s little legs.

“Poli, Pooooli!”

“Polly. Remember all those years ago when we had to find some Salvia weed for Beatrice?”

Polly jumped up in the air and again, “Poli!”

“Good. We need to find some more, because James is sick now.”

Polly looked up at James in the bed and jumped up in the air again, turning towards the door. Using his walking stick as support, Justin followed his Poliwag out of the door and into the gardens.
James lay in bed feeling completely useless and worn out. His temperature was getting worse, and his breathing was horse and rough. Beatrice gently moved a wisp of hair out of his eyes.

“Don’t you worry about a thing.”

Gently re-wetting the cloth, she placed it back on his forehead and sat back. There was nothing she could do now, except keep James company, and wait as Justin searched for the Saliva Weed.

To Be Continued…