Chapter 10: Top Hats and Tails
(Jessie)
That, was a close one. How I got through 2 and half hours of talking with James’ family while pretending it be Jessiebelle I’ll never know. Well, I guess my acting talent is just so superb.
“Yeah maybe.” Meowth says un-convinced. Hmm, I must have said that last bit out loud. Hey wait a minute…is he saying he doesn’t think I’m a talented actress?
“Well at least I can act better than you can! All you had to do was sit inside a pokèball for a 2 and half hours!”
“Yeah, dat reminds me, don’t EVER do dat to Meowth again!!” he yells, swiping me across my face. Well that’s fine, I’ll just whack him back.
After we had escaped from that room, we sneaked past the room James was in into the one after. The servants in there had long gone, and I could now see that the whole room was practically full of stuffed pokèmon, toys that is. Childlike drawings of pokèmon plastered on the walls, the wallpaper showing Growlithe playing together. A single bed, also with a gigantic Growlithe on the duvet.
I don’t even need to think who this room used to belong to. This must have been James’s old room when he was younger. Hmm, thinking of James, I better find him. I put my ear to the wall to see if I could hear anything coming from the next room. Nothing. Jessiebelle must have moved James to another room.
“So Jess, what’s yer plan for getting’ James away from dat maniac?”
At the moment, I have no idea.
“I don’t know, we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come it.”
“What bridge?”
*sigh*
“It’s just a cliché you idiot.”
“Oh…Jess?”
“Yes.”
“What’s a cliché?”
Whack!
“Never mind, let’s go find James. Now get back in the pokèball.”
Meowth backed away.
“Oh no ya don’t, I ain’t getting back in dat t’ing.”
“You have to otherwise people will start getting suspicious.”
“I don’t care, I’ll just follow ya, but I ain’t goin’ back in dat pokèball.”
“Oh fine, come on.”
I slowly open the door a crack.
“The coast is clear, let’s go.”
I open the door fully and walk through, Meowth following closely behind. I look over the banister.
Ahhhh!
I quickly duck down pulling Meowth with me.
“What is it?” he asks.
“Shhh.” I reply, putting my hand over his mouth, “James, Jessiebelle and everyone else are down there.”
“Oh.”
I slowly kneel and peer over the edge of the banister.
“No I, Jessiebelle I, look will you just, Grandmamma stop it, please just, I don’t, I don’t want to get married, no, look just...”
That was James, mumbling as usual. He was standing in the middle of the Hall with what seemed like hundreds of servants around him, putting massive amounts of food on tables. His Grandma and Jessiebelle where also there. Hmm, James is wearing a suit. I must admit he does look very smart. Oh wait, that means they’re all getting ready for the Wedding. His Grandma was pulling on his Jacket while James seemed to be trying to squirm out of it and talk to Jessiebelle at the same time.
“Nonsense James.” His Grandma starts, “You and Jessiebelle make the perfect couple, now let me straighten out that tie.”
She reaches out for his tie, to which James tries to push her hands away.
Perfect couple? She has got to be kidding.
“Perfect couple? You have got to be kidding! Look will you please stop that!”
Hey, that’s what I just thought.
“James dearest don’t be so rude!”
That was Jessiebelle, standing at the side holding that whip. James looks across at her and gulps. Arggh, if I ever get my hands on her I’ll...
“Now for the perfect touch.”
His Grandma claps her hands and a servant brings out a black Top Hat.
“What?!” James gasps, “I’m not wearing that!”
“Of course you are, you can’t wear tails without a Top Hat.”
She puts the Hat on a defeated James. Hehe, now he looks ridiculous.
“I feel like an idiot!” Cries James.
“Nonsence, you look like a true gentleman.”
“Yeah, that’s what I mean.”
“James.” Growls Jessiebelle, tapping her whip against her leg.
“Now now everybody.” I look further over the banister and see Hopkins down below, “The Wedding preparations are ready and the priest has arrived, will everyone please gather outside and sit in your designated seats.”
As everyone piles out the room, I could just hear James complaining. I run to the window at the end of the Hall and see outside there are an awful lot of seats with a ally in the middle. At the end was a priest. Great, this is it, now what do I do?
“So now what do we do Jess?” I hear Meowth whisper.
“Time for us to cross that bridge.” I answer
“Bridge? What bridge?”
(James)
After Jessiebelle had, ‘re-taught me how to act the gentleman’, she dragged me downstairs. The servants brought out this black suit with tails and handed it to Jessiebelle, who handed it to me.
“Now go into the next room and get changed into that suit.”
“Why?” I knew why, I guess I’m just hoping something’s gonna happen to get me out of this mess. She steps forwards slightly and scowls at me, I step back. I know that look.
“Get changed into that suit or I’ll come in that room with you and change it for you.”
*gulp* I think I’ll get changed.
“Okay.” I mumble, not enjoying this one moment.
Maybe if I lock myself in the room no one can get me! I walk casually into the next room and close the door. Oh I don’t believe it! There’s no key, I can’t lock it. Damn! Well, I might as well get this over with. As I change, my thoughts stray to Jessie. I wonder where she is? I wonder if I’ll ever see her again. Oohh, my whole life is going wrong. I’ve fallen out with my best and only friend and now I’m being forcefully married to my enemy.
I slowly walk out of the room and look up to see Jessiebelle staring at me.
“What?” I ask nervously
“Is that what you call a neat suit for your Wedding?”
I look down at myself. The suit looks fine to me.
“Well, it’s a suit.”
“Disgraceful. Somethin’ tells me you haven’t put on to many suits in your life James.”
Suddenly, she grabs me by my arm and yanks me into the next room. Unfortunately she grabbed my bad arm, but luckily it had healed a little by now so it didn’t hurt as much.
As I was pulled into the Hall, I saw what seemed like hundreds of servants putting out dishes of food on the tables that where just used for the funeral.
“No no no no no. Put those over there, and these ones over here. Being a Sunflora collector I know everything there is to know about flowers.”
That was my Grandmamma, telling the servants where to put everything. She turns around and sees me standing next to Jessiebelle and nearly screams.
“James! That is not how a suit is supposed to look for a Wedding!”
I can’t understand what’s wrong with my suit. It looks perfectly fine to me.
“That’s precisely what I said Mary, it’s obvious James has hardly ever put a suit on before.”
My Grandmamma walks over to me and starts pulling my Jacket around and straightening my collar. I feel like an idiot standing here like this.
“No I, Jessiebelle I, look will you just, Grandmamma stop it, please just, I don’t, I don’t want to get married, no, look just...”
“Nonsense James. You and Jessiebelle make the perfect couple, now let me straighten out that tie.”
She reaches for my tie. Why doesn’t anyone listen to me? I try to push her hand away as she fusses over me. And if she thinks Jessiebelle and I make the perfect couple, I’d hate to think what her version of an imperfect couple is.
“Perfect couple? You have got to be kidding! Look will you please stop that!”
“James dearest don’t be so rude!”
I look over at where that harsh tone came from. Jessiebelle was standing in the corner watching me like a hawk She’s got that whip out. I gulp, I better be good for a while.
“Now for the perfect touch.”
Perfect touch? I watch as my Grandmamma claps her hands. A servant appears with a Black Top Hat. Hang on, she doesn’t think I’m going to wear that does she?
“What?!” I gasp, “I’m not wearing that!”
“Of course you are, you can’t wear tails without a Top Hat.”
She puts it on my head, as I stand there defeated. I give up now.
“I feel like an idiot!” I cry. Trying to get sympathy out of someone.
“Nonsense, you look like a true gentleman.”
“Yeah, that’s what I mean.”
“James.” I turn my head back to Jessiebelle to see her taping that whip against her leg menacingly. That’s her answer to everything..
“Now now everybody.” I look over the crowd of servants to see Hopkins, “The Wedding preparations are ready and the priest has arrived, will everyone please gather outside and sit in your designated seats.”
Oh no. That means…
“No, look I don’t want to do this, you can’t force, stop it, you can’t force me to get married.”
“Yes we can James.”
I look over again at Jessiebelle who had now moved over to the door. Hmm, I’ve just noticed that she hasn’t changed into anything Wedding like. Out of curiosity, I ask her.
“How come your still in those clothes instead of something descent for a Wedding?”
“Because James, I’m already beautiful enough I don’t need anything more, besides, getting changed would take time, and I’m perfect like this.”
Errr, yeah, sure. Suddenly, my Grandmamma lifts me off the ground and pulls me into another bear hug.
“Oh I’m so pleased to finally see you settle down.” She cries.
“I don’t want to settle down, not with her anyway.”
“Don’t be ridiculous James, come now, we don’t want you ruining your own Wedding.”
She puts me back down on the floor but keeps her arm on mine and drags me out the door. Okay, now I’m getting worried. The Wedding is practically starting and I have no escape plans. Well, all I can do is try and stall the Wedding and hope something happens. Ooh, I wish Jessie were here.