The party had trekked on through the Yampi Desert for hours on end, and their limited supply of food and water was nearly gone. I bet if we hadn't brought Kraden along with us, our supplies wouldn't be so low, Felix thought bitterly.

Felix had good reason to state this: Kraden was, after all, a scholar. He was old, weak, and grew tired and short of breath very quickly. Many times the whole group needed to halt and wait for Kraden to catch up. Kraden certainly wasn't a fighter, and he didn't contribute to the group in any direct way. Whenever a roaming band of mercenaries or pack of wolves came along he'd cower and hide while Jenna, Felix, and Sheba had to face the adversaries alone. Three inexperienced Adepts engaging in a slaughter against powerful foes.

Then Felix remembered Jenna. She was his sister, and he loved her to death, but sometimes, through a combination of several factors (most of which were heat and pent-up frustration), he felt like slapping her. She was truly what his friends back in Vale some time ago would have called a "drama queen." She whined so much that Felix was sure he would explode. Jenna always complained about how dry her throat was, or how sweaty her clothes were, or how cold she was, among several other things. When we get out of this god-forsaken desert, I'm going to set her straight. Another bitter thought, he noted.

Felix relived the memory of how she handled the rigorous traveling pace when they were taken hostage by Saturos and Menardi. On the first leg of their journey, they were caught in a ferocious thunderstorm, and the whole group was forced to take refuge in the caves that led to Imil. Even in the caves, the wind still blew through with a ferocity that surprised the whole group, even veterans like Saturos and Menardi. It was cold that night, and while the shelter kept them dry, it was not enough. Jenna had broken down into tears, prompting their sadistic party leaders to beat her until she stopped weeping.

Perhaps the one Felix favored most was Sheba. She did her part, pulled her own weight, and generally stayed the hell out of everybody's way. Her face always radiated a neutral expression. That was probably the reason why Felix preferred her over the other members of the group. Sheba didn't speak unless she had something worthwhile to say, served as their eyes and ears, and, above all, wasn't trying to impress Felix. He hated nothing more than a kiss-up. Within his mind, Felix said a silent thank-you to Sheba for making their journey more bearable. If Sheba was just like Jenna, I'd never have been able to hold it all together.

"You're welcome, Felix," Sheba blurted suddenly.

Felix jolted as if he were shocked. That mind read ability of hers was really starting to piss him off. "Quit it, Sheba!" Felix snapped.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

Felix sighed. All of the heat of the unrelenting sun during the day and the frigid temperatures at night were starting to peel away at his sanity. Wonderful, Felix thought. Now I have to apologize. I'll do it later.

"Jeez, Felix. Why are so grumpy?" Jenna inquired.

Felix felt veins bulging in his temples. He was behaving like a time bomb, all because of her. Each time she commented on something he did, five minutes were dropped from the time before he'd detonate.

"I mean, you're always yelling at me, yapping at Sheba, telling Kraden to hurry up," Jenna stated. "What is up with you, Felix?"

"Nothing," he spoke tersely.

"Uh, really? 'Cause it sure seems like something is wrong with you. I think you need a break."

Shut up, Felix thought.

"Tell you what: how about you just follow along and let me lead the group for the next couple of miles?"

"No."

"Well, why not?"

"Because you have no idea which direction Alhafra is," Felix responded coldly.

"Yes I do!" Jenna exclaimed.

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do. It's north."

At this point, Felix stopped in his tracks and turned around. Sheba moved away from his piercing death glare. He clapped his hands in a mock gesture. "Excellent, genius. But which was north?"

"That way!" Jenna thrust her arm out northwards.

"She's right, Felix," Kraden said. "We've been hiking for around for about six hours. Look up in the sky. The sun is about to set. It's currently afternoon, which means that the sun is descending towards the west. North is that way." Kraden pointed a frail arm in the same direction Jenna was pointing.

"Dammit!" Felix screamed, throwing his arms up in the air. "All right, Jenna, have it your way. If we're lucky, under your leadership we'll only run out of supplies by tomorrow!"

"Felix, we're only five days from Alhafra. There must be another oasis around here somewhere," Jenna rebutted.

"Jenna, we're humans! If we do not take water within seventy-two hours, we will die. After tomorrow, we will be unable to ration our water any longer. There's simply too little of it! And you might as well forget about finding another oasis, because I can guarantee you that the one we stopped at yesterday is the only one in this desert, and it is miles behind us."

"We're going through what I said would happen yesterday!" Jenna exclaimed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Felix shouted back.

"Felix, I said that if we all rested at that oasis for a day, then we would have the energy to move on!"

"Like those pathetic cowards who were fawning at that thing like dogs to raw meat? We are better than that!"

"There you go again!" Jenna yelled in his face. "Your pride is getting the best of you. It's clouding your judgment and is impeding the safety of the group as a whole. I'm taking over."

And at that moment, Felix broke. He slapped Jenna in the face, grabbed her collar, and threw her like a rag doll. Kraden stepped in front of him, but Felix merely shoved him out of the way. Jenna's body twisted and tumbled in the sand. Felix sprang after her, tackling Jenna before she had the chance to get up. In a tangle of arms and legs, they both kicked up sand all about them, masking presence. Felix finally pinned her down and hammered her with punches until he was sure he had dented the armor. In a final bout of madness, Felix unsheathed his sword and was just about to hack at Jenna's helm.

"STOP!" a commanding voice, akin to that of a god, yelled.

It was Sheba. She was levitating now, and rings of psychic energy surrounded the wind Adept. Wind swirled around her, initiating a massive sandstorm. Her eyes were pure white, devoid of pupils as the wind picked up speed until it matched that of a hurricane.

"WE HAVE A MISSION!" Sheba boomed. "TO LIGHT THE FOUR ELEMENTAL LIGHTHOUSES, AND RESTORE THE POWER OF ALCHEMY TO MANKIND. AND WE CANNOT DO THAT IF WE ARE DEAD!" She turned to Felix. "FELIX, JENNA IS YOUR SISTER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I COMMAND YOU TO STOP THIS MINDLESS QUARREL!"

Felix shocked at his actions, stepped back, and sheathed his sword. He had nearly killed Jenna, his own sister...over something as trivial as an argument between siblings.

Sheba returned the desert to its normal state and descended onto the sand. The color returned to her eyes. "Felix." Sheba shook her head. "Something is wrong with you."


AN: Wow. I really didn't mean to bash Felix this much; he's my favorite GS character. Well, anyways, please be nice and R&R!