DESTINYS
By: Selphi Tilmitt
Booyaka! Hiya! I am Selphi Tilmitt! This story is about what would happen if
Squall all of a sudden disappeared, and also- A Christmas Party for Chapter 2
with all the characters we LUV so much!! Tee hee hee! So, please R&R when you're
done!! Buh-bye! (thanks for listening to my little paragraph, now please continue!)
^_^ Selphi ^_^
Chapter 1-The Awakening
I looked around at the deadly world around me. I knew that this mission
would not be easy--but I must accomplish it--for if I didn't I would be looked
down upon all of my life. I turned around, facing my rival. He was only a few
steps behind me. I looked deep in my soul to find the courage to--. It was
over. As I fell deep to the ground, I suddenly jerked left and right--trying to
find the edges of the cliff, but it was hopeless. I continued falling-down
-farther and farther, until finally I hit the bottom and everything went blank
as a blanket of darkness consumed me.
My rival must've never stopped for me, for when I woke up, I was exactly
where I had fallen. I tried to get up-but couldn't. My head hurt and I couldn't
move my leg. I had broken my left rib and I could hardly breathe. As I
struggled for air I thought about my life. It took years for me to learn all of
my talents and years for me mature. My name was Squall Leonhart, and I was only
19. My life passed in front of me as I thought about death. Death had never
bothered me--no--not me. For, I knew that whenever death came as a shadow in
the night, no one would miss me, for I had no one whom ever missed me. But now
-now was different. I had changed in many ways in the past couple years. Now
people-whom were very close- would miss me. I didn't want them to worry about
me. "No," I thought, "I will not die. I will continue to live-one way or
another."
I lay on my back wondering what to do when I felt a sudden pain in my
right leg. I shrieked and fell backwards on the ground, gasping for air. Again,
all went black and I fell into a deep sleep-a sleep people call death.
In my dreams I strafed to stay alive. I squirmed back and fourth-back and
fourth. Then, I heard a noise around me. The noise was very blurry, for I was
encountering difficulties as I tried to stay conscience. I could barely open my
eyes, but I managed to open one of them. People were all around me. As I
continued to hear their panicked voices, I started to recognize the sounds.
They were all friendly people whom I had known for a long time. They had
helped me through all times, yet, I had never told them how much they meant to
me. They were friends-good friends, but I -I was always to afraid you could say
to approach these close friends with compassion and pour out how grateful I was
to have them. Instead, I would act very brave and sternly, always getting my
missions done-no matter what the cost. Oh-if only I could've gone back in the
past and change all that. I thought of the chance of me dying, but then gathered
up enough strength to fall asleep peacefully. This would keep me from dying for
a few hours. I just prayed that these familiar voices would take me back to
help. I prayed I wasn't dreaming.
________________________________________________________________________
My day had been awful! I had woken up this morning to the sound of
talking. I then realized that it was the instructor teaching the class! I had
slept in too late! I had already missed 4 hours of class! I was dead! I got
detention and I had to help clean Balamb Garden, a school and home for many
students. It was like a war academy in a way. We were all training to become
SeeDs. I was already a SeeD, but I still took the unadvanced class, for my
social skills were high and in the advanced class, no socializing was allowed.
Anyway, I got up and decided I'd check into class later. I mean, if you
had already missed half of school, might as well miss the other half too,
right? I looked around for my friends, but it seemed as though I couldn't find
any of them, not even Squall! Then it dawned on me! They were all in class. I
wondered about myself, for my stupidity would amaze even myself sometimes.
Well, I checked into Balamb Garden's kitchen, trying to find something to
eat. The only person there was Edea. Edea was like a mother to me. She was like
a mother to all of us. Us 6 SeeDs. She had always cared for us and she raised us
in an orphanage. So, I guess in a way, she really was our mother! I knew she
wouldn't get too upset that I had skipped class, but if her husband, Cid, whom
was also the Garden's headmaster and principal found out, he would punish me,
no matter how innocent I looked. So, I tried to sneak by Edea, but it was too
late. She had seen me order a soda.
"Selphi!" Edea said as she smiled and waved, motioning me to come sit next
to her.
I cautiously walked over to her and sat down, slouching low, so no one
entering would see me. "Yes-Edea?" I asked trying to think of a way to make up
an excuse that was believable.
"Shouldn't you be in class, you know that if Cid catches you-he will--"
Edea started.
"What was that?" Cid asked as he entered the cafeteria. I slouched even
lower, until I fell out of my chair with a big BOOM! "Ouch," I said wearily.
"Is that you-Selphi Tilmitt? What are you doing here? Aren't you suppose
to be in class? My word, you are a SeeD, you should state an example for all
the other students!"
"Well, ya see, Cid," I started, rubbing my head from where I had hit it
against the table, "I needed a new alarm clock and so I got rid of my old one,
cuz it was screwed!"
"Because, Selphie, not cuz, because it was screwed," Cid corrected.
"Ugh-Yeah, I mean yes sir. Ummmm. Then, I was going to get a new one this
weekend. I was going to walk over to Balamb City and buy a new alarm clock with
my savings. I guess I forgot though that I wouldn't have one this morning. Last
night I stayed up really late, finishing an exam, so this morning I was
exhausted! And, I guess, without an alarm clock, I slept in and I just got up.
So, I decided to go ahead and skip the rest of class, or I'd be really far
behind and I wouldn't understand anything. Therefore, I would get a bad grade,
which would cause other people think that I wasn't a very good example." I said.
It was partly true. I had stayed up late last night, talking on the phone, and
my alarm clock was screwed.
"Well Selphie, I don't know what to do with you, you hear? I can't highly
punish an "example" to the other students, but that excuse was pathetic. You
used it last week in case you don't remember. Also, yesterday there were no
exams or make-up exams. Would you like to try another excuse, or would you like
me to just tell you your punishment?"
I looked up at Mr., Kramer, defeated.
"Well, because you slept in, you get detention. Because you decided to
miss the rest of class, you have to clean the Garden, at least the middle floor.
Also, because you used such a pitiful excuse, you can go to your dorm after
breakfast and write a report on--say--," he thought as he looked at Edea whom
looked rather upset, "what are you studying in class?" he asked me.
"We're studying the fighting skills of martial arts and kung fu, sir."
"Well, then you can write a report on your nunchaka," Cid said as he
glanced at Edea and decided, from her expression, he should leave, so he
casually walked out.
"Ha! Can you believe him-Edea? He has never ever assigned something like
that to anyone! No one! Especially for just missing half a day of school!" I
said in disbelief, hoping some agreements on Edea's behalf.
"Well, Selphie, I do agree with you, but you must understand. Cid has a
lot on his mind lately. He was probably expecting to come in here to a nice,
peaceful breakfast. Now, this week he is debating with himself. See, Esther and
Galbadia have declared war upon Trabia and Cid is having difficulties whom to
allow Balamb City and Garden take sides with. His move will affect the rest of
the planet! If he takes sides with Esther and Galbadia, not only will Trabia
probably get destroyed, but The Shumi Village, Timber, and FH will all side with
Trabia. Even though Trabia may become destroyed, it will lead a war that will
continue with FH, Timber, and the Shumi Village, against Balamb, Galbadia, and
Esther. The odds of either winning are slim. If he sides with Trabia, FH and
Shumi Village will also go with Trabia, but Timber will go with Galbadia and
Esther. The odds of us defeating all of them with only FH and Trabia are very
low. Yet, he has pity on Trabia, for they were just bombed because of Balamb,
even though that was a long time ago, they will never be a well equipped as they
were." Edea looked at me and sighed. "No matter what friends we are, I must take
sides with Cid, through this troubled time, you shouldn't bother him. I know you
didn't now about this. I shouldn't have told you. Please, don't tell anyone!
Now, go along back to your dorm!"
"Okay!," I said as I hugged her and walked back to my dorm. I didn't like
this. See, I am from Trabia and I knew that either way, Trabia wouldn't make it,
I felt like going there and helping them. I wondered why Galbadia and Esther had
declared war upon Trabia. I also wondered why FH, a peace loving nation, would
take any sides, for I knew that they never liked wars and wanted world peace.
The words that Edea had said struck me a million times before I reached my
dorm.
"Esther and Galbadia have declared war upon Trabia." "Don't tell anyone." "You
shouldn't bother him." Then, it hit me like a rock. Cid was going to join with
Esther and Galbadia and there was nothing I could do to stop them. I raced back
to my dorm. I went inside and jumped on my bed. I fell asleep and dreamed of
Trabia and my life when I had lived there. I tried to picture my real parents,
but I couldn't. Then, Balamb, Galbadia, and Esther bombed Trabia. Images flashed
through my head of the first time Trabia had been bombed. I couldn't bare the
thought of that happening again! I had to do something. Those words went through
my head over and over again: "Esther and Galbadia have declared war upon
Trabia." "Don't tell anyone." "You shouldn't bother him."
When I woke up, I looked at my watch. It was already 5:00pm! I quickly got up,
care free, but then I remembered the talk I had had with Edea. I slowed down and
went outside. There was a huge crowd everywhere. I wondered what was going on. I
wondered what I had missed that was so important. Some people were crying, while
other were screaming and talking and laughing. What was going on? Had Cid
announced whose side he was going to go with? My heart raced as I tried to make
my way through the group of people to find my friends. I was pushed every which
way. I got off track, but then I saw Rinoa Heartilly, my very best friend. I
tried to reach her, but the crowd was so intense, so I called out her name. I
shouted it 3 times, and then she heard me. She raced over to me and said in a
worried tone of voice, "Selphie, I've been looking for you, come on! We need to
talk to you, we've been waiting for you-follow me!" So, I followed, not having a
clue what she was talking about. We somehow made it through the crowd, into the
quad, and past the guards. We walked on the stage where Irvine, Zell, and
Quistis were patiently and very distressed waiting. Irvine was walking back and
fourth in confusion. Quistis was leaning on a board, trying to stay calm, but
you could tell she wasn't, while Zell looked very upset, as he took his anger
out on the wall. When they say Rinoa and I, they stopped what they were doing
and looked at us.
Rinoa motioned us to all sit down on a couple of wood chairs Zell had made
for a concert one time. We all sat down. Everyone looked so stressed out. There
was silence, until finally I united all the guts I had to interrupt this
peaceful moment to say, "What is going on?"
Everyone looked at me as if I were crazy. "What? I have been asleep for
the past 3 hours or something," I said as I smiled and yawned.
They still stared.
"Oh, come on, tell me-please?" I said relaxed. I was trying very hard not
to get the slightest bit frustrated, because they always made things worse.
"Selphie, it's okay," Irvine said as he stood up and sat down next to me.
Seeing this, Zell did the same.
I stood up, rubbed my head and was about to leave, when I heard Irvine's
meekly little voice say, "It's Squall. He's missing."
"Oh-cheer up! Everyone! Don't worry, we'll find him! He is responsible, he
can take care of himself!" I said as I continued being positive, for being
negative only made things worse.
"Selphie, usually your spunky attitude can make everything all right, but
not this time. He was challenged by Seifer. We have no clue where he is. Also,
yes, Squall can take care of himself, or so it appears on the outside. Yet,
inside, he's a scared little child, my child, and I'm afraid that this time,
anything could've happened to him." Edea said as she came up behind me and laid
her hand on my shoulder.
I was surprised that such a small thing could make everyone so upset! They
knew me! I was encouraging and positive! I never gave up! I decided that I would
go find him, no matter what! I decided I wouldn't come back until I did, even if
I never did! I got up and I told everyone that it would be okay and that we
should go look for him. Finally, we set out on our search! We looked everywhere,
from the Shumi Village, to Cactaur Island! We finally found him, a ragged sight,
in a small mountain range between Esther and the Lunatic Pandora. Zell was the
first one to see him. He called for the rest of us. Rinoa was shocked and
instantly started to cry at the sight of her true love. He was still conscience,
but barely.
" He must've fallen from that mountain to end up down here in such bad
condition," Zell observed. This comment made Rinoa cry harder. We tried to
comfort her. So, we called Cid and Edea and told them where they could pick all
of us up. As we waited for them, Quistis and I tried to calm Rinoa down, while
Zell and Irvine tended for Squall. He tried to open his eyes, but barely could
open one.
"It's okay, old pal, we'll find a way for you to make it, we're not going
to let you die," Zell murmured to Squall as he looked at Rinoa, "For her sake at
least."
It was about two hours later when Cid and Edea found us and brought us
back to Garden. We were told to wait in the Library for Dr. Kadowaki to try to
help Squall.
Rinoa was very sad, along with the rest of us, but especially Rinoa. I'll
never forget that look of terror and sadness on her face. Not soon after we
arrived, 2 familiar figures appeared in the doorway: Watts and Zone, Rinoa's two
companions, also Angelo, her dog.
"We came as soon as we heard," Watts said as he sat down.
"Is he okay?" Zone said as he looked at the pitiful sight of Rinoa.
"I hope so," she said as she started to hum the tune of one of the songs
we had sang at a concert once, Eyes on Me. It was a sad song. I thought of the
words in my head. Whenever sang my songs, on the stage, on my own, whenever said
my words, wishing they would be heard I saw you smiling at me, was it real, or
just my fantasy? You'd always be there in the corner of this tiny little bar.
My last night here for you, same old songs, just once more, My last night here
with you-maybe yes maybe no, I kind of liked it your way, how you shyly placed
your eyes on me, did you ever know that I had mine on you? Darling so there you
are with that look on your face as if you're never hurt, as if you're never
down, Shall I be the one for you, who pinches you softly , but sure If frown is
shown then, I will know that you are no dreamer.
So let me come to you- close as I wanna be-close enough for me-to feel your
heart beating fast and stay there as I whisper how I love your peaceful eyes on
me did you ever know that I had mine on you?--
Darling so share with me your love if you have enough, your tears if you're
holding back, or pain if that's what it is, How can I let you now, I'm more than
the dress and the voice, Just reach me out and you will know that you are not
dreaming, Darling so there you are with that look on your face as if you're
never hurt, as if you're never down, Shall I be the one for you, who pinches you
softly but sure, if frown is shown then, I will know that you are no dreamer.
What if Squall died? What if Trabia was attacked? All these things meant so much
to me, yet I barely talked about them. Anything could happen in this world. I
would have to be prepared for anything, anything. I leaned on Zell's shoulder
and wondered what would happen to all of us. I knew that at one time, we would
all leave each other, to go our own ways, to live our own lives, to search for
our destiny. Or maybe, maybe our destiny was to stay here at Balamb Garden.
Maybe-that was all I knew-maybe. The world was full of such chance and "maybes".
I didn't know anything. My life was a "maybe", a chance. I looked at everyone
and thought about everyone else. Then, I calmly fell asleep on Zell's shoulder.
We all waited and waited. From how well I slept, I predicted that we had
been there a little over three hours. No one even mentioned leaving. No, we
cared too much for our good friend, especially Squall. It was strange that
Squall brought all of us together. Fate was different than destiny. Without
Squall, I wouldn't have ever met Rinoa, Zell, Quistis, or Irvine, or at least
known them as good as I did now. One mistake mission and a lonely leader brought
all of us together. I lie there and continued thinking about the old days. I had
known Squall before he had become a SeeD. I remembered good times and bad times.
yet, all in all, I was glad we had all met.
Finally, Dr. Kadowaki came in and we all stood up, anxious to see how
Squall was doing. She said we could all go see him.
As we walked through the hallways, we asked her if he would be all right.
She thought that he would recover, but it would take months for him to recover.
That day was probably the worse day of my life and I will never forget it.
We went into the clinic and looked at him. He looked sad. He still had the
scar Seifer had given him 2 years ago, yet now he was bruised all over. His
chest was wrapped in bandages and he lie there peacefully . It was almost too
peacefully, as if he was dead. Rinoa and Quistis sat next to the small bed.
Rinoa gently touched his cheek and kissed his forehead. She was still
downhearted, but cheerful that he was alive.
Well, we were soon informed that he would have to stay in bed for 6 more
months. All through those 6 months, we lived our lives on, still with laughter
and cheer, but things were not the same. Everyday, Rinoa would go to see him and
spend an hour talking to him, whether he heard her, or not. One day, exactly 6
months and 21 days later, while Irvine and I were flying the Ragnarok, a way
cool space ship, we received a call that Squall had awakened from his long
sleep! We were thrilled and I quickly flew the ship back to Garden. Meanwhile,
Rinoa and Quistis were in Esther, planting flowers in front of President
Laguna's house. They also came swiftly when they heard the good news! Zell was
in the quad, rebuilding the stage! He sure is sweet! Heehee!
Anyway, we all raced to the clinic and all went to see Squall, whom was
rather shocked and surprised, that he had not been with us for 6 months. Yet-
much had happened through that time period that will still remain a mystery in
the eyes of Squall, but though he only been away from us for 6 months, in those
six months I felt as though I completely didn't know Squall. Like I had
forgotten everything about him.
I will continue to try to find my destiny, but sometimes I just get caught
up in the moment, but I will never give up, for I am determined and though
outside I may look like a care free, spunky, caring, and easily deceived girl,
inside I am a rock that will not be shaken! For always this shall not be, but
for now, my destiny in this world is still a mystery and like myself, shall not
be shaken.
Chapter 2-- The Merriest Christmas Ever
The date was December 20th, and Christmas was near. I hadn't gone
shopping and I, Quistis Trepe, decided to go shopping on Saturday-bad idea.
Classes had been let out last Tuesday and being an instructor, I had been let
out Wednesday, but I didn't mind! The Christmas spirit was taking everyone by
surprise--except me. I felt so lonely. Selphie, Irvine, and Zell had gone out to
find a Christmas tree in a Chocobo Forest. Rinoa and Squall were finishing
buying decorations in Esther Mall. Everyone was out of town-but me. I was stuck
in Balamb City and I decided to go and buy all of my friends the best gift of
all, if I could only remember what they said they wanted. I went into one of the
stores in Balamb. Practically everything was sold out.
I felt lonely again and sad that I wouldn't be able to buy them a gift
they deserved. I knew I should've gone last weekend for shopping, or even the
weekend before that, but I hadn't. I hadn't and now it was Saturday and
everything was gone. I tried not to complain. It was amazing how negative I
could be when Selphie, whom is always positive, was my best friend. I had many
problems like that, bad habits, you could say. I told myself that I was
responsible, at least as an instructor at only age 19. I thought of all the
gifts I had received from my students. I tried to think of a simple gift I
could buy everyone, but I couldn't. My mind was dazed by the time I left the
store.
I continued looking in every shop, in every store. It was the same.
Nothing. I looked down at my hands when I decided to go back to the Garden. They
were empty. I hadn't bought even one thing! I was stunned! I thought it
impossible for a girl to go shopping and not buy anything! Then I thought of
something that Edea had told me when I was a little girl in the orphanage.
One Christmas year in the orphanage, I had made Edea a paper flower, which she
loved. I also gave her a lot of good photos of me. That was when she said that
sometimes the greatest gifts can't be bought with money, but only with your
thoughts and memories and wrapped in love. That was when I first started
thinking about what I could actually make for them. I tried to think of
something for my friends that was priceless. I decided that I should get them
something that would last forever, that they'd remember. Not something that will
break over time or be put away, but a good memory maybe? I was not the creative
one of the group. I was more of the brains of the group.
Most of the time I was lonely, afraid, and serious. I thought that maybe
that was my problem. Maybe I didn't have any good memories, that I could
remember at least. I thought about the "memory" present for a while, but after
an hour of debates with myself, I decided I should probably just buy something.
That would be easier. I never liked thinking about memories, because I couldn't
remember my childhood. The last thing I remembered was entering Balamb Garden
and becoming a SeeD. My like was all a blur, but I never really cared, right now,
I just worried about finding them a gift, before it was too late.
I tried to think of everything and anything that Squall, Rinoa, Selphie,
Zell, and Irvine would want. To do this, I tried to think of any hobbies they
might have or interest. This is what I came up with:
Selphie- music, songs, instruments
Squall- ?? fighting? sitting around training
Zell- martial arts, punches and kicks, fighting, fishing
Irvine- attract girls, be cute, tell jokes,
Rinoa- chocolate, dogs, cooking, trains
Edea- earrings, homemade stuff, memories, sewing
Cid- notepad, picture frame, poem,
Nida- gift certificate, animal, fishing, drive
Laguna- music, Julia, Ellone,
Seifer- train, gunblades, candles, fire, dictionary
Now I had a list of what to get, I just didn't know how or where to get
it. I was very confused. I decided to go someplace where not many people would
shop--like Winhill's mall. I took a train to Delling City, but the traffic there
was awful, so I wasn't able to continue to Winhill. I went in those shops there,
but it was the same as the shops in Balamb, until I found a small little shop in
the back of the city. I went in. It was a beautiful little shop with wonderful
little items!
Most of the items were marked down! I was overjoyed that I had finally
found someplace to shop. A little salesman came up to me. He was about 5 feet
tall. He was rather chubby. He had curly white hair with a long snarled beard.
His voice was soft, gentle, and welcoming.
"Is there anything I can do for you, young lady?" he asked as he balanced
himself on his cane. "Are you new here?"
As my eyes continued to look around at all the enchanting gifts, I answered,
"Yes, I am new here. How long has this shop been here? Last time I was
here, I didn't remember this place."
The little man look worried as he quickly replied, "Well, we just
opened....two weeks ago-yes-two weeks ago."
I started to think. I had been here two weeks ago and I hadn't seen this
shop.
As he almost read my thoughts, he quickly said, "Or was that just last
week? I just can't remember these days. Anyway, it's not often we get new
customers! What do you want? Are you looking for something extravagant? Like a
diamond necklace or beautiful flower for yourself? Or would you rather have a
brand new jewelry case?" He said this cheerfully, trying to persuade me to buy
something.
"Well, yes, actually, that sounds nice, but it's Christmas! It's the
season for giving, right?" I said as my mind thought about what would fit each
of my gifts.
"Ugh--yes, I guess so, so, why don't you buy something for your friends?
I'm sure they'll appreciate the gift! After all, it's the season for giving! Go
ahead and look around, if you need any more help, just ask!"
My heart pounced with joy as I looked around. Everything was so beautiful
and perfect for anyone! I was sure that my friends would love all of these
gifts. I looked in the music section. They had all sorts of things, including
guitars, drums, flutes, pianos, clarinets, CDs, microphones, and much more cool
gadgets and things I knew Selphie and Laguna would flip over! I grabbed a basket
and almost instantly, it was filled with goodies, just for Selphie and Laguna!
I continued looking around, until I found a section full of books! They
all looked so thrilling and action-packed, that I just couldn't help from buying
10 of them! I decided that I would give some to Squall and I could give the rest
to other friends. The books ranged from The Sorceress's Knight, to guide books
on GFs, and even a book entitled, The Eternal Champion! Oooh! I knew this would
be the best Christmas ever!
So, I kept on looking around and I filled my 6 baskets and 2 buggies full
with fishing lines, bait, gloves, punching bags, joke books, cute stuffed
animals, Godiva chocolate, picture books, picture frames, notepads, models, gift
certificates, CDs, instruments, books, candles, and even tiny models of some
gunblades for Seifer!
I bought candies, clothes (from socks to long fur jackets and boots!),
scrumptious foods, jewelry, dressers, play dough, activities, crafts, nail
polishes, paper, markers, systems, computer games, Playstation 2s, Dreamcasts,
more models, boom boxes, cards, board games, video games, computers,
accessories, purses, water, drinks, suitcases, figures, sofas, dolls, and
everything else imaginable! I was so vivacious and ecstatic to have bought my
friends something they deserved!
I went up to the cashier, where I couldn't even see the little old man,
for he was covered with gifts and munchies. After a long time of scanning items,
he looked at me and said very cheerfully, " That will be 1, 567,900 Gil.
please!"
I didn't pay much attention to the cost of it! I was just too overjoyed to
have finally bought something. I handed him my credit card. After I had paid for
it all, I rushed outside and started filling my rented car with bags and boxes
of stuff.
No words are good enough to describe how I felt, yet Christmas isn't about
buying things with Gil., no! Christmas is a time for good memories and to
celebrate the birthday of Christ, yet unfortunately, at that time I didn't know
that, so I should've guessed that something bad would have to happen and
something awful did happen.
Anyway, I was driving along, when all of a sudden, a car drove in front of
me so fast that I didn't even see it, but sure enough, I hit them-hard-real
hard. For, the road I was traveling in was very old and barely no one ever used
it, so I was driving about 110 MPH. Both the person in front of me and myself
started going topped in circles. It was very dizzying and I was very shocked and
dazed. Soon enough, I regained myself and relaxed that both cars were going to
blow up in about 10 seconds. The other driver had already jumped out, but I was
very surprised. I knew I didn't have enough time to get all of my bags out, so I
just looked back at them and jumped out of my car. It threw me across the road.
The other driver and passengers immediate ran over to see if I was okay. My head
hurt a lot. But, after a few minutes of regaining my conscience I was fine. We
ran as far away as we could. Then, the cars blew up. The thought never even
crossed my mind of how I would repay the rent a car shop! Until later, when they
phoned me and asked where my car was.
It turned out that the people in the other car was Selphie, Irvine, and
Zell. They had gone out to get a Christmas tree, and now, not only was all of my
gifts gone, but we didn't have a tree either! I was very depressed and I knew
that this Christmas would be the worst Christmas ever.
Selphie, Irvine, and Zell tried to cheer me up, as another car drove by,
Rinoa and Squall, and picked us up. Zell did his best to explain what had
happened to Squall and Rinoa, but they would never know about the million
something Gil. I had spent on gifts for them was wasted. It was a hectic time
on the way home, as Selphie turned the radio real loud, Zell, said what had
happened, Irvine wanted to drive, Rinoa kept screaming at him to slow down, and
how Irvine's driving was so awful, that the car was shaking rapidly up and down,
back and fourth. Through this crazy time, my memory wasn't that well, for I was
depressed, sad, and I had just been in a very tragic and horrified from the
shock of the car crash. We drove off in the distance and I fell asleep, despite
all the noise and racket everyone was making.
_________
Well, it turned out that we decided to buy a log cabin out near Obel Lake
for Christmas, Squall and Rinoa decorated it, and Zell went out and cut down a
small tree, while Irvine shoveled snow, which was everywhere, and Selphie sang
carols, trying to cheer me up. That's how we spent all day on Christmas Eve.
Once Zell brought in our little tree, everyone came in and helped decorate
it. Squall brought out all the stored boxes of ornaments, while Rinoa put them
up. Zell trimmed the tree and Selphie strung popcorn and made chocolate chip
cookies, even though, they weren't exactly chocolate chip cookies by the time
she was done (she and Rinoa ate all the chocolate chips!). Irvine and I roasted
marshmallows. I was still rather sad, but happy to be in an environment where
people cared about me and where I cared about them!
We all stopped what we were doing when Angelo come running in, tracking
snow everywhere! We all laughed and helped Rinoa pick up the snow. Then, we all
got our jackets on and went outside to shovel snow some more, for if we didn't,
we might've been snowed in! We all did, but Irvine, he declared he had something
to do inside. As we shoveled snow, Squall accidentally flung his shovel back,
which caused a little snow fling back and hit Selphie on the back of the head.
Selphie automatically thought this was a challenge for a snow ball fight and
started to throw snowballs! At first we tried to calm her down, but then we just
thought it was too much fun and also started throwing snowballs. Irvine finally
came out in skates! He told us all to get our skates on, so one by one we did
and started to skate on Obel Lake, all but Zell, who claimed he couldn't skate
and that he'd rather just sit and watch. Yet, Selphie dragged him on the ice and
helped him from falling every 10 seconds! After a while, Angelo came back
outside. She saw all of us skating and having fun, and she couldn't resist, so
she jumped on the ice, which cracked it and then she ran into Zell and knocked
him over. He started to wobble, then fall without Selphie's help. (Selphie was
over talking to me about how much fun she was having.)
Now, Zell's really strong, and to stop him from falling on the glass, he
didn't think, and punched it real hard to break his fall. His fist went deep
into the water and cracked all the ice. Seeing this, we all ran off the ice, but
Zell was too slow, and he fell into the freezing water, while all of us laughed
very hard. We carried him in and we all sat by the fire and roasted
marshmallows, while Zell roasted himself a few times, from trying to stay warm.
Each time he did, everyone started laughing, even Zell!
Soon after, we ran out of marshmallows, so we all bundled up again and
went outside, to go caroling! We sang all kinds of songs, Selphie leading us. We
even made up some new ones! The prettiest song we sang though, was the 12 days
of Christmas, for each one of us took turns saying the lines and making up new
verses! It was very amusing and fun!
We walked all around, even though the only things that could hear us were
monsters that were passing by and I think that they liked our music so much, that
they decided not to fight us. That proves that man and monsters can live
together in peace! In fact, one Righty actually seemed to be clapping for us!
This made us very happy and so, we continued proudly singing, still, Selphie
leading us!
After about 17 songs, we came back inside and hung each stocking and
wrapped our presents, while Selphie and I made dinner! For dinner, we had a huge
dish with a mixture of chicken, beef, and pork with cooked carrots, steamed
mushrooms, baby corn, fresh broccoli, fried green beans, and small red peppers
covered in a spicy sauce that made your eyes water. We also had a gigantic bowl
of fried rice, mixed with snow peas and small bits of carrots. There was a small
platter of seafood like snow crab, fish, shrimp, oysters, and clam chowder,
which Zell helped a bit on!
Everyone agreed that the smells coming from the kitchen were so appetizing and
mouth watering that they couldn't wait 'til dinner!
We also made glazed bananas, egg drop soup, egg rolls, dumplings, sushi, hot and
sour soup, sizzling rice soup, and Chinese noodles with a delicious cream to it!
Everything looked and smelled very good! We worked so hard, that we worked up a
big appetite! We asked Rinoa to set the table and she was happy to.
She set out our old, Chinese tea set and even made some green tea to go
with it! Her green tea is the very best on earth! We set out a small, simple,
and flat table and put together 6 little chairs. Rinoa also set out dragon
napkins and matching silverware, plates, and bowls. Finally, we all set down to
eat!
Irvine, being a real gentleman, dished out our wonderful home made meal
for me. Zell did the same to Selphie, for a good cause, but his clumsiness
caused him to spill the tea all over the floor, so Selphie decided to help
herself. Rinoa and Squall helped each other! Squall would put food on Rinoa's
plate, while Rinoa would try it, and if she liked it, she'd put some on his
plate.
We were all starved, so we dug in and ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, and ate,
until we were all stuffed! We also occasionally talked, but the food was so good
and plentiful, that we didn't have time, or want to, stop eating to start a
conversation. We instead, would pass each other glances of appreciation, trust,
or other happy facial expressions!
After eating and eating, we were all full, well, almost of us. Zell was
still eating, faster and faster! That boy sure had a huge appetite! We were
stuffed and kind of sleepy, but we weren't about to mention that to anyone! It
was only 11:00pm and there was no way any of us would be the early bird! We
always stayed up late, kind of as a challenge, especially on Christmas Eve!
We all settled down on the coach in the living room, in front of the
fireplace, and next to the tree. Irvine, Squall, and I sat on the coach, despite
how squashed we were. Selphie sat on Zell's lap on the lounge chair, and Rinoa
sat in front of us, in front of the fireplace, with Angelo on her lap. (She soon
after started to roast some more marshmallows, our back-up supply.)
It was all silent at first, like- it was the night before Christmas and
all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse--well, I
don't want to get carried away with that poem... So, anyway, as I said, it was
silent. All you could hear was the snow falling outside (if you could even hear
that) and the fire cracklings as Rinoa quickly blew out her fiery marshmallow.
Then, so unexpectedly, Selphie got off Zell's lap and put on a CD. This
made me think of all the gifts that had been destroyed. I started to feel bad,
but then I cheered myself up again--or maybe it was Selphie, I'm not sure. We
all expected the music to be a soft familiar Christmas tune, like O, Come All
Ye Faithful, or such. Instead, she played the band, Kagato,'s version of Jingle
Bells, which was very intense and loud. Naturally, out of shock, our hearts jumped
inside of us. Then, our stomachs started to hurt, or at least mine, but
Selphie didn't let that stop us from have a good time.
She got up in the front of the room and started to dance. she danced
crazy, calmly, and softly. Then, Zell joined her, and not long after, we were
all dancing and singing, even Squall! Then, we all settled down. We looked at
the clock. It was 10 minutes after midnight!
Selphie yawned fakely and said, "Well, I think we should all go to sleep!
Ha Haah! Just kidding. But, I do think we should get ready for bed, for Santa
won't come, unless we're all asleep, and if Santa doesn't come..."
"We know, we know, we won't get any gifts," we all said as we looked at
our small tree. It already had so many gifts under it, that it looked as if it
would explode if there were any more.
So, one at a time, we went in the bedroom and changed into our pajamas and
brushed our teeth, washed our faces, and headed back into the enormous living
room. When I was done, I put some orange peel, pine needles, and some spices in
a pot of hot water and put it on the stove. It made the house smell nice and
Christmasy! Then, Rinoa came and helped me get some cookies and eggnog and truffles
out. These weren't for Santa, they were for us! Selphie then came in
with Zell, and they helped us carry the trays of cookies, treats, and eggnog in.
We set it on the flat table which was in front of the beautiful, comfortable red
and green sofa. The sofa was so soft, fluffy, and bouncy! After everyone had
changed, Irvine said in an "intelligent" voice, " Let's go get everything ready
for Santa!"
So, we all marched into the kitchen and got what we thought Santa would
like. Every year we did this! See, everyone thought Santa would like a different
type of treat and drink. This process took about 30 minutes. Every year, Santa
would eat the kind he liked best and that would determine who could open the
first gift!
Squall stuck with the traditional milk and chocolate chip cookies. Selphie
had coffee and thin mints, Irvine had water and a health bar, Rinoa had hot
chocolate and truffles, Zell had ended up with a fruit juice and some nuts, and
I put out some green tea and a left over glazed banana. The mantel was full with
each of our different plate of muchies, and in front of each one, we'd write a
letter from Santa, with no signature, so he couldn't pick what to eat and drink
from favoritism! In our letters, we would ask for his autograph (which he never
gave out), say what we wanted for Christmas, how good we've been, and additional
questions or comments about Christmas. Last year, Selphie wrote a real cute
letter to Santa to ask if he had Jesus Christ in his heart. Unfortunately, Santa
only replied to the one letter that he ate and drank the treats from, and that
was Squall's that year.
My letter looked something like this:
Dear Santa Claus,
I have been a very good girl this year! I tried to buy everyone a very
good gift, and I didn't give out any homework for the students either! I shoveled
snow and I helped around, for it is the season to be giving, right?
Well, because I've been so good this year, my list is extra long! Hope you don't
mind. I would like a new school uniform, for my last pink one had coffee spilled
on it, by Selphie. I'd also like some good memories, yes, lots of them! I want a
happy moment and some nice pictures! And for everyone to be happy! Also, I would
like it to snow some more, but not so heavy or thick! Also, one more thing, get
everyone something they want, cuz they've been very good this year! One more
thing, you stay rested and in good condition! I hope you have a nice year and
you can go in the kitchen and help yourself, just please save some more
marshmallows for Rinoa! I made some muffins for Mrs. Claus!
Could I please have your autograph? That would also be a nice thing to have!
Your trusty helper,
............................
Then, we all got out our sleeping bags, moved the sofa to the side, and
put them out, in this order-
Rinoa Squall
Quistis Irvine
Selphie Zell
Then, we all listened to the fir crackle, until Zell pulled out a big pile
of books. We all took turns reading them! They were all very good and some were
so stupid, they were hilarious! We had fun reading, laughing, interrupting for comments
or questions, and just listening to each other! After we had read each
book 10 times, we got out some board games and played. The board games were
Christmas games. Every year, three weeks before Christmas, Rinoa, Selphie, and I
make a Christmas board game to play on Christmas, or a book to read on
Christmas! This year, we chose a game. Same thing with Zell, Squall, and Irvine.
We were having so much fun, that we didn't even hear the jingle bells that
were outside our house! We kept talking, until they were closer, and Squall
said, "Listen."
We all listened for a minute, then it was hectic! We had heard the bells
and we were screaming with glee as we put away our food, brushed our teeth
again, got situated in our sleeping bags, and tried to fall asleep. I quickly
glanced at the clock before I closed my eyes. It was 3:48am! We had stayed up
pretty late, but I could tell from the way that the breathing went, that no one
was tired. I laid on my stomach and slighting opened one eye. Everyone else did
the same and we ended up looking at each other, then we giggled and turned over
again.
I was probably the only one that was actually tired! I heard a noise next
to the chimney. I wanted to stay up to see if it was Santa, but I was too tired.
Somehow, I managed to lightly open my eyes, but all I could see was a dark
shadow, supposedly of Santa. I recognized it somehow. Then it hit me like a
rock! It was the little man from the shop that I had bought all that stuff from.
With that, I closed my eyes, and the next time I opened them, it was bright and
a blanket of light covered me.
I looked at the clock-- 7:00am. I looked around. Everyone else was asleep!
I was surprised that I was the 1st on up! I yawned 3 times, before I woke
everyone else up. I quietly nudged Selphie, whom was good at wakening everyone up.
Once she was awake, she was like an energizer battery-she never stopped.
When she was up-she was up and at first, she'd be tired, then, once one sip of
coffee was inside her, zooom! She'd become hyper and energetic and nothing could
stop that.
I quickly made some coffee and gave it to her. She yawned again, before it
was actually in her system.
"Good morning, Quisty!" she said spunky as she looked around at everyone
else. "Well, let's wake them up!"
She then put on some music, this time it was soft and delicate. Selphie
quickly went to everyone, nudging them gently with a little whisper, "Wake-up,
it's Christmas."
After everyone was up, we all filed in line to brush our teeth and wash
our faces, but not change! You couldn't enjoy Christmas dressed as much as you
could with your pajamas on. Today was the guys turn to cook. We watched them go
in the kitchen and fix a beautiful breakfast!
As we heard their yelps of pain, as they burned themselves, and questions
of cooking, we looked at the tree. It was lovely! Santa must've put up more
lights and decoration on it, because it was a little triangle of light. There
were so many gifts, that practically, the corner was filled with them, stacked
up to the ceiling! Then, I remembered the letters. I raced over to see whose
letter he had answered. As I looked around, I noticed that Selphie's coffee was
gone, but so were my glazed bananas. I couldn't read my letter though, until
after Christmas breakfast!
About an hour later, Zell, Irvine, and Squall carried 6 dishes (one for
each of us) out of the kitchen, and placed them on the flat table. We all sat in
our sleeping bags as we took our plate and ate. We had a casserole with bacon,
meat, cheese, and vegetables in it, grits, coffee or tea, rolls with a wonderful
"bounce" with them, and hashbrowns. Zell had made some waffles, along with the
traditional communion we'd take. Everything was so tasty!
After some more eating of delicious food, we all took our pills, if we had
any, and started to open gifts. Before we did though, Selphie and I each read
our letters we had sent Santa, and then read Santa's reply.
Mine went like this:
Dear......,
I am glad to hear from you! Your glazed bananas were a wonderful snack to heal
my crave for sweets! Thanks! Also, Mrs. Claus loved the muffins! I hope you have
a good Christmas, but the things you wanted are priceless! Money cannot buy
those things! Yet, you have good memories, this entire Christmas has been one
for you! remember, some of the best gifts are priceless. Also, remember that
every moment in a good memory, whether you'll always remember it, or not. Live
each moment wisely and with love!
Thank you for being so caring! Yes, you, along with everyone else, were caring,
and you earned everything under the tree to you! I know about your shopping
accident! Don't worry! It is a time for giving and you tried! You did your best!
Keep up the good work, and have a very merry and blessed Christmas!
St. Nick
I was very excited and ecstatic! Not only did this letter overfill me with joy,
but it encouraged me and reminded to always live each moment full of joy and
love, for I can change my feelings, or moods anytime I want to!
Everyone else also thought it was way cool! I then hugged everyone and we went
to our stockings!
We opened them simultaneously! They were full of goodies and junk and
stuff! There were oranges, nuts, nutcrackers, stuffed animals, jewelry, small
gifts, and small games! Again-words cannot describe how wonderful that time was
for us! We were surrounded by loved ones and that was one of the greatest gifts
of all!
Before opening the million gifts under the tree, we found our traditional
envelopes from Santa on the tree! In each one, Santa would give words that
described us, and sometimes we would try to guess each others!
Mine said- generous, caring, kind-hearted, deserving!
Selphie's said- sweet, encouraging, positive, determined!
Rinoa's said- helpful, out-going, nice, adorable
Irvine's said- witty, funny, creative, smart
Squall's said- loving, fun to be with, cool, star
Zell's said- strong, obedient, wonderful, entertaining
Then we opened all of our gifts and had a blast as we played with them, thanked
each other, and watched Christmas movies all day! it ended up, that I did get a
new uniform, and that everyone got what they wanted and somehow, they even got
what I bought them, that I thought was destroyed! It was a very happy day! It
continued to snow, light and fluffy, and infact, we got 6 more days or Christmas
break, for it snowed so much that we got out of school for a snow day! We also
got lots of pictures of good memories!
Though at first, Christmas seemed as if it would be awful, it turned out
to be the best Christmas ever, just because someone cared enough to love it,
just as I love Irvine, Selphie loves Zell, and Rinoa loves Squall! I now know
that it doesn't matter what you get or buy with Gil., only who you're with and
how you spend your time!\
Okay, what did ya think? One day I was inspired, so I spent one entire day
typing that story! Pretty good? Okay? Great? Please Review to tell me what ya
think! I wrote that story a very LONG time ago, and I still haven't finished the
3rd chapter, cuz I am SOO busy with other stories, so PLEASE tel me if I should
continue and all, and if I do, I am sorry if it takes a very LONG time before it
comes up! I am getting 2 lazy!! LoL! ^_^
When ya review, tell me the truth, but please dont be harsh! As Treni Utsukushii
(my best bud!)-- Everyone is entitled to their own opinion!
Buh-bye! (4 ever) LoL
^_^ Selphi^_^