Chapter 1, The Beginning:  (Rinoa's pov)

            'The memory seems to kill me. " I HATE YOU! You are not a father, not a guardian, just another work centered useless man!!" "Well, Rinoa, you seem to think you do a lot! You're a good for nothing spoiled little brat! I wish you had died instead of your mother! It was your fault anyway!" I think those words were what made me leave. I loved my mother and I miss her a lot, but I don't want to be held accountable to her death. I know I interfered a lot, but I was a child then, I'm not going to be around for him to blame anymore'. I closed my diary and put it in my bag. The train was rocking back and forth and was normally used only for late night workers, but it was the only train running at the time and I wasn't going to stay another minute.  " We will be stopping at Balamb for the night. We will arrive shortly." The conductor said. He sounded sleepy.

            When the train stopped I realized it was raining, so I put on my long black jacket and pulled the hood up. The doors opened slowly and I stepped out into Balamb city for the first time in my life. It was a gorgeous place, there were lights shining out of every other window in the buildings and the rooftops glistened under the streetlights. I looked around and was very surprised to see a hotel right in front of me. I headed through the spinning doors and came into a large room. The walls were a creamy red color and the carpet was blue. There was a big chandelier in the center of the ceiling, which was arched like a church would be.  I walked up to the lady at the front desk and asked for a room. She reluctantly handed me the key and told me it was on the 5th floor.  I smiled and headed to the elevator. It took me forever to reach my room. The hall seemed to go on forever. "113" I said to myself and opened the door. The room was quite cozy looking. The walls were a cream color and the carpet was beige. The bed had a little blue comforter with a dog on it and matching pillows. I set my things down and decided to find a drink machine. " Hey! Jackass! OVER HERE!!! I'm TALKING to you! Fine, walk off I don't care any more!" It sounded as if a girl was really pissed at someone. I soon found them both.

The girl was a short thin girl with flipped out brown hair that went well with her green eyes. She had on a cute yellow dress and adorable boots. She was chasing after some guy. The guy was, in no way, short of his good looks. He was tall and had dark brown hair and icy blue gray eyes. He wore a white t- shirt with a black jacket and a pair of baggy black pants ( I know… not quite the same, but hey, I'm basing him on my friend). I smiled at the guy, I'm not sure why though…. But he was cute. The girl smiled at me and mouthed sorry and continued chasing him down the hallways, yelling at him the whole time. I'm sure she pissed some people off; it was 2 in the morning. I rounded the corner and looked both ways, still no drink machine in sight, though I did see a guy that resembled a cowboy carrying a drink. I looked in the direction of where he had come from and decided to try that way. I eventually found one at the end of the hallway. I bought my Dr. Pepper and headed back to my room. I think I made a wrong turn because I got lost. I ran into the cowboy guy and asked for help. He more than gladly helped me back to my room and introduced himself as Irvine. The elevator was packed so we took the stairs. " So what brings you to a place like Balamb?" He asked me, actually curious. "Um… actually, I ran away from home." I said, rather nervously. "Oh, sorry. When did you get here?" " Just a bit ago, I took the only train from Deling city and let it take me wherever." " Oh, So what about your school?" " Well we're on Christmas break and I figure within a week he will have found me, so…" "He?" "My father." "Oh. How did you get that bruise on your face?" I looked to the floor when I heard those words. "….. My, my father, is abusive. We don't get along. He hates me and blames me for everything. He comes home drunk sometimes. He doesn't have time for anything other than work and alcohol" I let out a sigh. "Oh, so… you think he will find you?" "Of course. But he won't look for me himself, he'll send his army after me." ".. Your dad isn't, General Caraway, is he?" My eyes filled with tears and he knew he was right. " Sorry" " its ok, he just pisses me off." " Well I need to get back to my room and get some sleep. Will I be able to see you again tomorrow?" "Sure, just call my room extension. Thanks Irvine." " No problem, oh by the way, I never got your name." " It's Rinoa." I said smiling.