This first chapter has taken me most of a rainy day so please tell me what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Final Fantasy X-2
My Island Sweetheart
Chapter 1
Every year was exactly the same for Paine. It started out, the winter months, in Bevelle. The weather was bleak and cold, eternally dark. The streets were much the same, deserted when everyone else had the sense to stay safely snug inside by their fireplaces when the rain was falling down. Rarely, white cascading snowflakes brought young children and anxious mothers outside to enjoy the sight, but generally, it just rained. The mornings were dull. Filled with stormy weather and frosty windows. The orange fires glow brought a small sense of warmth but, with the yule season over, there was little colour or enjoyment to be had.
Paine stared dreamily out of her small bedroom window, white with morning, at the wet, grey pavements below in the streets. Priests often past, holding large green umbrellas to protect their long robes from the showers on their way to the temple. Occasionally, she would spy a young child being dragged to school by their busy mothers whilst they skipped puddles in large raincoats and yellow Wellington boots. It was on these kinds of days that Paine wished she could sit on the windows ledge, high above, and observe the comings and goings of the city drifting by. The gentle pitter-pater of rain was soothing and almost hypnotic to her, she made the most of her quietest part of the day. Forcing herself away from the pretty sight below, she advanced begrudgingly to the dim lit bathroom to prepare for another solemn day at school. Bevelle high was hardly the first place Paine wanted to spend her time. She found the students overly mean and superficial. All the girls, rich and plastered in the latest fashions, teased her for being more of a tomboy, an outsider. The boys all avoided her on account of her lack of popularity and looks. They called her weird, ugly and crazy, looking into the slightly chipped mirror she thought she could see why. Paine was a tall girl for her age, that being seventeen, she seemed to tower over some of the other girls in her classes. Her facial features confused many, at some points she seemed very boyish and plain and at other times very feminine. Her eyes were an outstanding ruby colour yet soft and understanding, and her hair was silver, short and cropped back past her ears for ease. She mostly wore black or leather, not to fit into any particular group, but because that was how she felt most at ease. Her physical strength was on par with her wit and sarcasm and she could often beat half the boys double her height without even putting any effort into it. Paine wasn't a bully though, she kept herself to herself, unless provoked. More over, she was a loner. No one understood her or even cared about her there. Even the tutors forgot her name during registration. To Bevelle high, she was an invisible blur. Sighing she left the bathroom and quickly grabbed her grey coat and backpack from the bedroom floor. Rushed slightly, she threw them on and hunted the kitchen for her door keys. She knew her mother wouldn't be up until about ten so she silently crept out the front door, cursing when the wild wind slammed it shut. The breeze was nice, the unique smell you only get after a rainstorm filled the streets and sent a chill down the teens neck. It was just what Paine needed, refreshment. Time to think, time alone before the chatter of nine hundred or so students hit her ears. Paine thought about her life, she was seventeen but felt over thirty. She couldn't understand other teenagers and their ways of fun or humour. Maybe that was why she was so unfavoured at her school. Her stomach flipped over as she approached the large metal gate of the school, another day of irrelevant insults and profanity awaited, it didn't take a scientist to tell her that. Stepping into the well lit atrium she felt instantly targeted as she removed her coat. She spotted girls whispering behind their hands and giggling at her. Paine looked down at the marble floors, avoiding eye contact with everyone. With ease she navigated herself into the library. She'd never cared must for books. A book couldn't tell you all the answers in life. But it was her only safe haven away from the noise. Grabbing a double bound book of the end of the shelf she seated herself around a corner of a large collection of romance novels, away from prying eyes. Here she could relax and divulge her mind to her ideal place. Golden beaches and topaz blue waters. Crystal clear waterfalls and emerald banks of a tropical island somewhere. She'd never left Bevelle before, all her life she dreamed of visiting these gorgeous hidden islands. She had fallen in love with the ideas of hidden caves and secret ivy covered towers. Nothing made her happier than to visit this place in her imagination, the warmth of the sand and brightness of the sun. The bell rang, condemning her to first period math where her essay on pi was already three days overdue. Sighing she left the library and her hidden island and clambered towards the stairs with the rest of the rubble.
"Watch where you're going freak." A short blonde haired girl cried, giggling to her friends as she pushed past Paine. Had no one been there, Paine was sure she'd end up throwing her down the staircase personally.
School dragged on incredibly slowly for Paine, as usual, until the three thirty bell announced her departure from this living nightmare once more. The showers had stopped but the pavements remained damp, unnaturally shiny in the sunlight. Large puddles made home at the edge of the paths. The walk home was worst than her walk in had been. She had to occasionally stop for squealing girls who had gotten their toes wet from lake-sized puddles and large cars that swept by, spraying giant waves of water onto Paine's already sodden clothing.
Completely soaked, chilled to the bone and utterly depressed Paine opened her front door, not paying any attention to her surroundings, dropping her school bag and wet coat to the hallway floor. Walking into the warmer lounge she noticed an unusual sight.
"Mum?" She asked, noticing the woman sitting in the large sofa by the fireplace. "What are you doing home?" She continued, bewildered. In many aspects Paine was very much like her mother, she shared the same ruby eyes and tall slim figure. Her mother was a timid yet pretty looking brunette, with a kind smile and warm heart. She remained unmoved in her chair, staring at her daughters gaze.
"Paine, I need to tell you something urgently." She began, still facing directly ahead. "Please, sit down." She gestured to the seat opposite to her. Paine anxiously obliged. Her mother was hardly ever at home, being such a highly demanded lawyer. "I'd like you to go pack your belongings. We're moving to Besaid." She started, Paine was in utter disbelief. Besaid? It was an escape from her mundane life. It was like a wish granted. But surely at a price. "I don't wish to interfere with your studies or personal life but I feel it for the best for us both." She continued, a twinge of sadness in her voice. Paine was stunned, so it was at a price. She was grateful for her mother's actions. But more over curious.
"Why? I mean, mum, you love Bevelle. You grew up here. I grew up here." She started unsure why she was fighting this.
"I promised you from the day you were born I would never lie to you so I shall keep my word. The firm can't afford me any more. I lost my job today. This house is hard enough to pay for on one budget alone. Right now its,impossible." Paine took in the information, weighing her fantasies against her mothers hidden tears. She would gladly sacrifice her happiness for her mother. Hadn't she proven that seventeen years over?
"I understand." The ruby eyed girl nodded, walking towards the door to leave her mother alone with her thoughts, stopping only to ask.
"When do we leave."
"Tomorrow, dawn." Was the softly spoken response. Paine sighed softy.
Clearing her room was a harder task than she imagined. It was painful seeing all her stuff laid bare, a thousand items, ten thousand stories. A bear, half a buttoned eye missing, tattered and torn but well loved. She thought back to infancy, how she had loved and taken him everywhere with her. Fed him dinner and tucked him into bed. She remembered crying when she let go of his paw in the middle of town and how her mother got mad for running half way around Bevelle to retrieve it. Paine couldn't help but shed a tear, remembering her life before now. Remembering how happy her mother was before her father had died. A victim of sin. Maybe, a new start was what they both needed, she thought, shutting her eyes uncontrollably out of fatigue.
Paine didn't remember falling asleep that night, nor any of her dreams. Looking around at her bare room it was evident that her dream was about to become a reality. The morning moved slowly, but soon enough both mother and daughter were stood side by side on the Bevelle docks, ready to board. Paine imagined this moment in her head a thousand times. A small smile to the big city then a giant adventure to follow. There was no smiling this time. As the stout captain boarded them and set ready to sail she couldn't help but let her mind wander. She was unnatural, a freak. She'd never had a friend in her life. How was she meant to adapt to a new place if she didn't know how? The blue ocean was clear in front of her, the contours of an island only vaguely visible at this range. Within the hour they would arrive, and there they would start a new life. A NEW life. It was daunting when all she knew was Bevelle. Did people act differently here? What if they saw her as a freak too, a change of scenery couldn't change that. She let her mind wander, forgetting the beautiful image in her head of her dream island until her mother called her over to the port side of the ship.
"Look Paine! Isn't it beautiful?" Her mother cried, in raptures over the dainty little island. It was more than beautiful. It was Besaid. Emerald green hilltops with topaz waters and golden beaches. The dazzling sunshine perked up her spirits as she watched young children playing by the tides innocently, laughing and having fun. "Welcome to our new life." Her mother smiled, walking toward the cabin to fetch her luggage. Paine stayed stationary. Watching as they pulled up to the docks. Some of the villagers had come to greet the arrivals. Smiling and waving. Among them Paine noticed a teenage boy of around eighteen, tall and dark skinned, contrasting with perfectly feather white hair and a charming smile. He was laughing with his friend, a slightly shorted al Bhed boy. Blonde and wearing an eye patch. It was then that Paine, unknowingly, first laid eyes on Baralai Maytan and Gippal Lraago. And it is here, where Paine's story really began.