Chapter 2- Surprise!
Rose looked about her bedroom and smiled brightly. Her bed was covered in confetti, wrapped presents, and colorful ribbon. Balloons were blown up and hanging by her ceiling, and a huge banner hanging on her wall read:
Happy Birthday Rose!
"Awesome baby!" Rose exclaimed. Of course, she had known it was her and Matt's 15th birthdays today, but unlike Matt, she had not flaunted it around school all day. She remembered how that morning in school Matt's locker had been surrounded by many girls all giggling and giving him cookies or presents. Although most of Rose's friends brought her presents too, the thought that it was Rose's birthday as well as Matt's was forgotten by the end of morning classes. Sakura had wished her a happy birthday too, and promised to bring a gift on Saturday, which was tomorrow. That was why she was coming over.
Rose was about to dive into the presents, when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Whirling around, she saw both her mom and dad, smiling at her.
"Mom, Dad!" Rose exclaimed, and hugged them both tightly. "Dad, I thought that you were out on a trip!"
"Well, I came home earlier than planned so I could be with you and Matt." Locke replied, grinning.
"Happy Birthday dear." Celes said, kissing Rose's forehead.
"Yes, Happy Birthday." Locke added, and hugged her tightly.
"Where were you guys?" Rose asked, looking first at Locke, and then to Celes.
"Sorry, we were at the carrier pidgeon post for a moment." Celes said. "I didn't expect you home so early today."
"Well, Saukra and I walked fast, because she had to get home to meet up with her parents to go to Jidoor." I replied. "They wouldn't wait for her otherwise."
"Oh, I see." Locke said, and tugged on Rose's ponytail. "And just where is your brother?"
"He left ahead of me at school and probably went down to the general store to flirt with the girl there." Rose replied. "Did you decorate his room too?"
"Of course, but you know your brother, if too much is out of place, he'll throw a fit." Locke joked. "So we didn't do too much to his precious room."
"Will you run down and fetch Matt?" Celes asked. Rose nodded, and was about to leave, when Celes stopped her and took the dermit out of Rose's hand.
"What's this, a note from a boyfriend?" She teased, and Rose tried to slip away without her answering as she was unfolding it. She had made it as far as the living room, when Celes suddenly cried "ROSE CHERE COLE!"
"Uh oh." Rose gulped, and a few seconds later, both Locke and Celes appeared, Celes red and scowling.
"Um, I can explain..." Rose began.
"And how are you going to explain punching a boy out at school?" Celes growled, but Locke placed his hand on her shoulders.
"Calm down dear." He said, and kissed her temple. "Lets listen to her first."
"It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't get these so often..." Celes trailed off, and looked at Rose. "Well, young lady? Unless you want to be grounded for your birthday, you had better give us a good story."
"There was this guy at lunch who was talking about stuff that was making Sakura upset." Rose said. "I asked him to stop nicely, and he wouldn't, he just got worse. Sakura got so disturbed, she had to leave lunch, so I punched him so he would shut his hole!"
"What in the world was he talking about?" Locke asked, now massaging Celes' shoulders so that she wouldn't have any more angry outbursts.
"Something called the Cult of Kefka." Rose said, and shivered just hearing the name. "I don't know what it is all about, but the boy kept talking about them making sacrifices and reviving magic into the world so that they could torture their enemies! When I asked him to quit talkin' about it, he asked me if I wanted to join, and showed me the weird circle with a K inscribed in his arm that he had done. He said that anyone who was in it had to carve that into their body, and..."
"That's enough." Celes said firmly, and Rose looked up at her.
"I can see why you got mad." Celes said, her tone softening. "But Rose, just because an idiot like him was talking about that stuff, didn't mean you had to take action. You should have just got up and walked away, like Sakura."
"But Mom..."
"Your mother is right dear. We didn't teach you the skills you know to hurt others, it was meant for self-defense only. You have to start taking responsibility for your actions." Locke sighed.
"Besides, dear, you're growing up." Celes said. "You're a young woman now, and..."
"Oh, Mom, don't lecture me on that." Rose protested. "Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I have to start settling down and behaving myself so that some pretty boy will swoop by and try to marry me!"
"That's not what I meant at all." Celes said. "I know you don't have to do any of those things, because I taught you that you didn't have to practice your lifestyle like that unless it was what you wanted. When I was your age, I wasn't thinking about marriage or boys either. I was simply putting a little more effort into growing up then you are now. All your father and I are asking is that you try harder, because you are a young lady now, and not some 5 year old." Rose sighed and nodded.
"You're right, I should try harder. And next time, I will, alright? I will walk away with Sakura."
"Good girl." Locke said, smiling again. "Now, go and get Matt, and we'll sign this and forget about it for the night."
"Erm, what your father means is, don't forget about your lesson, but have fun." Celes corrected, and Rose smiled.
"Sure thing Mom. Bye!" With that, Rose took off out of the house before Locke or Celes could get in another word. Celes sighed and closed the door behind Rose, leaning against it.
"Are you worried?" Locke asked softly, approaching her.
"I can't help but feel a little worried." Celes said, and looked up at him. "I mean...have you heard anything about...the Cult of Kefka since..."
"Shssssh." Locke said softly, pressing a finger to her lips. "Celes...I think we are both forgetting that they are teenagers now. Rumors like this fly around school faster then chocobos in a race. This stuff amuses them." Celes took Locke's hand from her face and held it down.
"But, Locke...I don't want to have to explain to Rose and Matt about Kefka. I didn't want to have to tell them anything until they were much older..."
"I don't want to either." Locke said. "Lets give this a few days. I'm sure by the time school is over on Monday, Rose will be telling us about something else bizzare she heard in school, and this Cult of Kefka thing will be out of everyone's minds. Even if the cult was real, do you really think they would have the ability to keep quiet and stay out of the news this long? I don't think it's very believable."
".....You're right." Celes smiled, and Locke kissed her gently on the nose and held her hips. "Maybe I should start acting my age and stop believing everything that I hear too."
"Nah...you're aloud to act young...you're only 33." Locke smirked, and kissed her again, and then moved to her lips. Celes giggled and kissed back.
"But you're not." She said, and gently slapped his hands away from her hips. "You're older, and I say you need to go and set up the cake and plates for Matt and Rose when they come home." Locke pouted and backed off.
"Only by 7 years...!" He protested as Celes pushed him into the kitchen.
"Locke Cole, you wonder why our children are so unruly? Look at their father!" Celes teased as she plopped down in a chair and watched him get out plates and silverwear.
"I think that it would be easier to control myself if I didn't have such a sexy young woman by my side all the time." Locke smirked as he came over to the table and set the plates down. He was about to lean in and kiss her, when she held up her hand and blocked him, smiling.
"You can look, but you can't touch until tomorrow night." Celes said, and smiled.
"Oh, you mean at the twins' surprise birthday party tomorrow night at Figaro Palace? Celes, you naughty girl!"
"Well, Locke, they'll have the Chancellor to look after them, so..." Celes smiled more and winked. "Now, hurry up and get out the cake!"
"Oh, right!" Locke said, snapping out of his lovely daydream of Celes and retreating into the pantry where the cake was hidden.
**********
"Awww, Rose, you really didn't have to drag me out of there like you did." Matt snapped as the two walked slowly back home from the general store.
"Yes I did, Matt. You would just not shut up! You kept going on and on...I bet that the girl was so bored, she was greatful that you left."
"Whatever!" Matt smirked. "Anyway, did you get in big trouble?"
"No." Rose snapped. "I just had to promise to never do it again." Matt let out a small snicker when Rose suddenly remembered something and put on a serious face.
"Hey, Matt..."
"Yeah?" Matt turned to his sister and blinked.
"Have you ever heard of the Cult of Kefka?"
"What!? Rose, don't tell me you're..."
"No, no, I'm not in it or anything like that Matt. I mean, have you just ever heard of it?"
"Of course I have. Who hasn't? That's a group of loons that worship some freaky clown-faced guy named Kefka Palazzo. He's dead now though. However, I guess his followers are still at large, because all they talk about is reviving magic or these creatures called Espers so that they can make sacrifices and extract their revenge on their past enemies."
"Past enemies? Who are those?" Rose questioned.
"Well, before we were born, there was the huge organization of people called the Empire that totally ruled over the world with force and fear. Kefka used to be a general for them. The Empire would slaughter anyone who got in their way of domination, and even just innocent folks to raise the deathcount. The generals of the armies were the worst though, which explains Kefka's nature. Anyway, he broke away from the Empire, and made them his enemies, as well as the people the Empire were fighting against."
"That means Kefka's enemies were the entire world!" Rose cried.
"Exactly." Matt said, and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's why he was so dangerous. No one knows exactly what happened to him though. At the time of his death, he traumatized the entire world with this specatcular beam of light called the "Light of Judegement." Those who wern't killed instantly suffered a major memory lapse. It was because of Kefka that the world is like it is today...."
Rose looked around her small, quiet village and realized Matt's point. The grass and flowers growing about them were not as bright as perhaps they could have been. The sky was always a dull blue, because of heavy dust that was in the air. The major oceans of the world were also tinted from dust and full of debreis. Everything was faded.
"A lot of old books or records might have been able to describe for us what the world used to be like before we were born." Matt told her. "But they are either destroyed or well hidden. If what some of the books I have read are true, then our world used to be radically different."
Rose sighed and looked down at her feet. "So you learned all of this from reading?"
"Mostly." Matt said. "Some people tell stories too, but you can never tell if they are true or not. That's why I love history, and want to be a historian. Searching for the past is almost as exciting as the treasures Dad searches for."
"Then Matt, do you know, if something like that will ever happen again?" Rose asked, her tone a little scared. This surprised Matt, and he gave his sister a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry Rose, nothing like that can surely ever happen again. There is no magic, no Espers, and best of all, no one from the Empire appears to be alive anymore."
"Thank God." Rose said, and smiled back. "Can you imagine? We might all be dead if people from the Empire were still alive, especially one of those vicious generals like Kefka was!"
"Yeah, I absolutely hate the Empire, just from reading about them." Matt muttered. "I bet they killed at least someone who might have been one of our ancestors, and besides that, they killed history." Rose's heart froze in her chest. Matt had a good point. What would have happened if their mom and dad had been hurt by the Empire? Rose instantly wondered how many future generations of children had been killed in the Empire's reign along with those who actually died.
"I'm glad Mom and Dad wern't hurt by the Empire." Rose added. "Or else, we wouldn't be around! But, I kind of wish I could have been alive during the reign of the Empire."
"Why's that?" Matt asked as they approached their doorstep. Rose held out her fist and smirked.
"Because then finally, I would have an excuse to kick some ass!" She exclaimed. "I could show a general or two Rose Chere Cole's "Fist of Judgement!" Ha-Ha-Ha!" Matt shook his head as the door opened and Celes popped her head out to see what was so funny.
"Hey you two, what took you so long?" She asked, and smiled.
"Oh, Matt was just taking forever to leave." Rose said, and hugged Celes. Celes blinked and looked down at Rose.
"You ok dear?" Celes asked.
"Yeah, Mom...I don't know...Thank you for the surprise in my room....and...just thanks for being here for us." Celes' face flushed over with happiness as she hugged her back. Rose burried her head in Celes' shoulder and sighed. She was suddenly very greatful for her mom and dad, greatful that they had made it alive from their devastating past.
That's why Mom and Dad probably never talk about when they were younger. Rose thought. Because, I am sure that it was just too painful for them. But that's ok. I love them anyway. I love Matt too. I'll protect them all no matter what happens, no matter what may be in our futures, or mom and dad's past...
To be continued
Rose looked about her bedroom and smiled brightly. Her bed was covered in confetti, wrapped presents, and colorful ribbon. Balloons were blown up and hanging by her ceiling, and a huge banner hanging on her wall read:
Happy Birthday Rose!
"Awesome baby!" Rose exclaimed. Of course, she had known it was her and Matt's 15th birthdays today, but unlike Matt, she had not flaunted it around school all day. She remembered how that morning in school Matt's locker had been surrounded by many girls all giggling and giving him cookies or presents. Although most of Rose's friends brought her presents too, the thought that it was Rose's birthday as well as Matt's was forgotten by the end of morning classes. Sakura had wished her a happy birthday too, and promised to bring a gift on Saturday, which was tomorrow. That was why she was coming over.
Rose was about to dive into the presents, when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Whirling around, she saw both her mom and dad, smiling at her.
"Mom, Dad!" Rose exclaimed, and hugged them both tightly. "Dad, I thought that you were out on a trip!"
"Well, I came home earlier than planned so I could be with you and Matt." Locke replied, grinning.
"Happy Birthday dear." Celes said, kissing Rose's forehead.
"Yes, Happy Birthday." Locke added, and hugged her tightly.
"Where were you guys?" Rose asked, looking first at Locke, and then to Celes.
"Sorry, we were at the carrier pidgeon post for a moment." Celes said. "I didn't expect you home so early today."
"Well, Saukra and I walked fast, because she had to get home to meet up with her parents to go to Jidoor." I replied. "They wouldn't wait for her otherwise."
"Oh, I see." Locke said, and tugged on Rose's ponytail. "And just where is your brother?"
"He left ahead of me at school and probably went down to the general store to flirt with the girl there." Rose replied. "Did you decorate his room too?"
"Of course, but you know your brother, if too much is out of place, he'll throw a fit." Locke joked. "So we didn't do too much to his precious room."
"Will you run down and fetch Matt?" Celes asked. Rose nodded, and was about to leave, when Celes stopped her and took the dermit out of Rose's hand.
"What's this, a note from a boyfriend?" She teased, and Rose tried to slip away without her answering as she was unfolding it. She had made it as far as the living room, when Celes suddenly cried "ROSE CHERE COLE!"
"Uh oh." Rose gulped, and a few seconds later, both Locke and Celes appeared, Celes red and scowling.
"Um, I can explain..." Rose began.
"And how are you going to explain punching a boy out at school?" Celes growled, but Locke placed his hand on her shoulders.
"Calm down dear." He said, and kissed her temple. "Lets listen to her first."
"It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't get these so often..." Celes trailed off, and looked at Rose. "Well, young lady? Unless you want to be grounded for your birthday, you had better give us a good story."
"There was this guy at lunch who was talking about stuff that was making Sakura upset." Rose said. "I asked him to stop nicely, and he wouldn't, he just got worse. Sakura got so disturbed, she had to leave lunch, so I punched him so he would shut his hole!"
"What in the world was he talking about?" Locke asked, now massaging Celes' shoulders so that she wouldn't have any more angry outbursts.
"Something called the Cult of Kefka." Rose said, and shivered just hearing the name. "I don't know what it is all about, but the boy kept talking about them making sacrifices and reviving magic into the world so that they could torture their enemies! When I asked him to quit talkin' about it, he asked me if I wanted to join, and showed me the weird circle with a K inscribed in his arm that he had done. He said that anyone who was in it had to carve that into their body, and..."
"That's enough." Celes said firmly, and Rose looked up at her.
"I can see why you got mad." Celes said, her tone softening. "But Rose, just because an idiot like him was talking about that stuff, didn't mean you had to take action. You should have just got up and walked away, like Sakura."
"But Mom..."
"Your mother is right dear. We didn't teach you the skills you know to hurt others, it was meant for self-defense only. You have to start taking responsibility for your actions." Locke sighed.
"Besides, dear, you're growing up." Celes said. "You're a young woman now, and..."
"Oh, Mom, don't lecture me on that." Rose protested. "Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I have to start settling down and behaving myself so that some pretty boy will swoop by and try to marry me!"
"That's not what I meant at all." Celes said. "I know you don't have to do any of those things, because I taught you that you didn't have to practice your lifestyle like that unless it was what you wanted. When I was your age, I wasn't thinking about marriage or boys either. I was simply putting a little more effort into growing up then you are now. All your father and I are asking is that you try harder, because you are a young lady now, and not some 5 year old." Rose sighed and nodded.
"You're right, I should try harder. And next time, I will, alright? I will walk away with Sakura."
"Good girl." Locke said, smiling again. "Now, go and get Matt, and we'll sign this and forget about it for the night."
"Erm, what your father means is, don't forget about your lesson, but have fun." Celes corrected, and Rose smiled.
"Sure thing Mom. Bye!" With that, Rose took off out of the house before Locke or Celes could get in another word. Celes sighed and closed the door behind Rose, leaning against it.
"Are you worried?" Locke asked softly, approaching her.
"I can't help but feel a little worried." Celes said, and looked up at him. "I mean...have you heard anything about...the Cult of Kefka since..."
"Shssssh." Locke said softly, pressing a finger to her lips. "Celes...I think we are both forgetting that they are teenagers now. Rumors like this fly around school faster then chocobos in a race. This stuff amuses them." Celes took Locke's hand from her face and held it down.
"But, Locke...I don't want to have to explain to Rose and Matt about Kefka. I didn't want to have to tell them anything until they were much older..."
"I don't want to either." Locke said. "Lets give this a few days. I'm sure by the time school is over on Monday, Rose will be telling us about something else bizzare she heard in school, and this Cult of Kefka thing will be out of everyone's minds. Even if the cult was real, do you really think they would have the ability to keep quiet and stay out of the news this long? I don't think it's very believable."
".....You're right." Celes smiled, and Locke kissed her gently on the nose and held her hips. "Maybe I should start acting my age and stop believing everything that I hear too."
"Nah...you're aloud to act young...you're only 33." Locke smirked, and kissed her again, and then moved to her lips. Celes giggled and kissed back.
"But you're not." She said, and gently slapped his hands away from her hips. "You're older, and I say you need to go and set up the cake and plates for Matt and Rose when they come home." Locke pouted and backed off.
"Only by 7 years...!" He protested as Celes pushed him into the kitchen.
"Locke Cole, you wonder why our children are so unruly? Look at their father!" Celes teased as she plopped down in a chair and watched him get out plates and silverwear.
"I think that it would be easier to control myself if I didn't have such a sexy young woman by my side all the time." Locke smirked as he came over to the table and set the plates down. He was about to lean in and kiss her, when she held up her hand and blocked him, smiling.
"You can look, but you can't touch until tomorrow night." Celes said, and smiled.
"Oh, you mean at the twins' surprise birthday party tomorrow night at Figaro Palace? Celes, you naughty girl!"
"Well, Locke, they'll have the Chancellor to look after them, so..." Celes smiled more and winked. "Now, hurry up and get out the cake!"
"Oh, right!" Locke said, snapping out of his lovely daydream of Celes and retreating into the pantry where the cake was hidden.
**********
"Awww, Rose, you really didn't have to drag me out of there like you did." Matt snapped as the two walked slowly back home from the general store.
"Yes I did, Matt. You would just not shut up! You kept going on and on...I bet that the girl was so bored, she was greatful that you left."
"Whatever!" Matt smirked. "Anyway, did you get in big trouble?"
"No." Rose snapped. "I just had to promise to never do it again." Matt let out a small snicker when Rose suddenly remembered something and put on a serious face.
"Hey, Matt..."
"Yeah?" Matt turned to his sister and blinked.
"Have you ever heard of the Cult of Kefka?"
"What!? Rose, don't tell me you're..."
"No, no, I'm not in it or anything like that Matt. I mean, have you just ever heard of it?"
"Of course I have. Who hasn't? That's a group of loons that worship some freaky clown-faced guy named Kefka Palazzo. He's dead now though. However, I guess his followers are still at large, because all they talk about is reviving magic or these creatures called Espers so that they can make sacrifices and extract their revenge on their past enemies."
"Past enemies? Who are those?" Rose questioned.
"Well, before we were born, there was the huge organization of people called the Empire that totally ruled over the world with force and fear. Kefka used to be a general for them. The Empire would slaughter anyone who got in their way of domination, and even just innocent folks to raise the deathcount. The generals of the armies were the worst though, which explains Kefka's nature. Anyway, he broke away from the Empire, and made them his enemies, as well as the people the Empire were fighting against."
"That means Kefka's enemies were the entire world!" Rose cried.
"Exactly." Matt said, and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's why he was so dangerous. No one knows exactly what happened to him though. At the time of his death, he traumatized the entire world with this specatcular beam of light called the "Light of Judegement." Those who wern't killed instantly suffered a major memory lapse. It was because of Kefka that the world is like it is today...."
Rose looked around her small, quiet village and realized Matt's point. The grass and flowers growing about them were not as bright as perhaps they could have been. The sky was always a dull blue, because of heavy dust that was in the air. The major oceans of the world were also tinted from dust and full of debreis. Everything was faded.
"A lot of old books or records might have been able to describe for us what the world used to be like before we were born." Matt told her. "But they are either destroyed or well hidden. If what some of the books I have read are true, then our world used to be radically different."
Rose sighed and looked down at her feet. "So you learned all of this from reading?"
"Mostly." Matt said. "Some people tell stories too, but you can never tell if they are true or not. That's why I love history, and want to be a historian. Searching for the past is almost as exciting as the treasures Dad searches for."
"Then Matt, do you know, if something like that will ever happen again?" Rose asked, her tone a little scared. This surprised Matt, and he gave his sister a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry Rose, nothing like that can surely ever happen again. There is no magic, no Espers, and best of all, no one from the Empire appears to be alive anymore."
"Thank God." Rose said, and smiled back. "Can you imagine? We might all be dead if people from the Empire were still alive, especially one of those vicious generals like Kefka was!"
"Yeah, I absolutely hate the Empire, just from reading about them." Matt muttered. "I bet they killed at least someone who might have been one of our ancestors, and besides that, they killed history." Rose's heart froze in her chest. Matt had a good point. What would have happened if their mom and dad had been hurt by the Empire? Rose instantly wondered how many future generations of children had been killed in the Empire's reign along with those who actually died.
"I'm glad Mom and Dad wern't hurt by the Empire." Rose added. "Or else, we wouldn't be around! But, I kind of wish I could have been alive during the reign of the Empire."
"Why's that?" Matt asked as they approached their doorstep. Rose held out her fist and smirked.
"Because then finally, I would have an excuse to kick some ass!" She exclaimed. "I could show a general or two Rose Chere Cole's "Fist of Judgement!" Ha-Ha-Ha!" Matt shook his head as the door opened and Celes popped her head out to see what was so funny.
"Hey you two, what took you so long?" She asked, and smiled.
"Oh, Matt was just taking forever to leave." Rose said, and hugged Celes. Celes blinked and looked down at Rose.
"You ok dear?" Celes asked.
"Yeah, Mom...I don't know...Thank you for the surprise in my room....and...just thanks for being here for us." Celes' face flushed over with happiness as she hugged her back. Rose burried her head in Celes' shoulder and sighed. She was suddenly very greatful for her mom and dad, greatful that they had made it alive from their devastating past.
That's why Mom and Dad probably never talk about when they were younger. Rose thought. Because, I am sure that it was just too painful for them. But that's ok. I love them anyway. I love Matt too. I'll protect them all no matter what happens, no matter what may be in our futures, or mom and dad's past...
To be continued