Touched up version of chapter 2! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story. The song "Peaches" is by Presidents of the United States.
I was in the middle of a dreamless sleep when I felt my shoulder being shaken. I opened my eyes sleepily to see Demyx. He was standing over me from where I had fallen asleep wrapped up in my white, fluffy blanket on my bedroom floor last night.
"What?" I asked as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.
"Come on, Nami. We have to load up the van," he said cheerily and walked out of my room.
Load up the van? What is he…oh, that's right, I thought as memories from yesterday started coming back to me. We're moving.
I groaned. Today was going to be a long day.
I forced myself to crawl out of the warmth from within the blanket and folded it up as neatly as I could in my still very much tired state. I groggily sauntered over to where I had left my clothes on the bed. I sluggishly changed into my t-shirt and shorts and slipped on my flip-flops.
I looked at the pile of boxes. With a sigh, I picked one up and headed downstairs. I walked outside to see Demyx placing his own boxes into the van. I set my box down near him and headed back to my room and repeated the process. Get a box, take box outside, set box down in the driveway and repeat.
I climbed back up the stairs to my room one last time to grab my bag and blanket. Slinging my bag over my shoulder and clutching my blanket to my chest tightly, I headed back out to the van. Seeing me walk out, Demyx called me over.
"Need help?" I asked as I walked over.
"Nope," he said with a smile and took my blanket. He hurriedly shoved it into the trunk of the van along with the boxes and shut the trunk with a quick slam. He shot me a cheerful smile. "So, you ready?" he asked.
"I guess," I said with a frown.
He gave me a reassuring smile and ruffled my hair. "Don't worry, Nami. It won't be so bad," he said and headed for the driver's seat.
I sighed. I made my way over to the door on the passenger's side and reached for the door handle.
"Nami!" I heard voices call out to me from behind.
I turned around to see my best friends Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus running toward me. They had been my best and really my only friends for as long as I could remember. Selphie was a cheerleader, and Tidus and Wakka were blitzball players for Destiny Island High. I was surprised that we still managed to maintain our friendship throughout the years, what with them rising up through the ranks in popularity while I remained at the bottom of the social ladder with the rest of the nobodies. But it proved that they were true friends through and through.
Last night, I had called them all up so that we were in a four-way conversation over the phone. When I had told them that I was moving away they were at a loss for words for a moment. Then Selphie started crying and it all went downhill from there. Good-byes and I'll-miss-yous were all that was said for the rest of the conversation. I had hung up, thinking that that would probably be the last I would hear from them, and now here they were, running toward me as fast as their legs could carry them (poor Selphie was having such a hard time keeping up with the two athletes).
"Hey, guys," I said quietly when they reached me. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't go, Nami!" Selphie said as she burst into tears and pulled me into a tight hug.
"I really wish I didn't have to," I said with a frown.
Tidus and Wakka, both fighting back their own tears, walked over to us and hugged me tightly. I started tearing up as well. It touched me to know that they'd miss me so much.
Honk!
We all jumped at the sound of the unexpected car horn. I turned to see Demyx waving at me. "I got to go, guys," I said and gave them all a hug.
"Be sure to keep in touch, okay?" Selphie said with a sniffle.
"I will," I said. I got in the van and rolled down the window. Leaning out of it, I waved at them as we drove off. I didn't stop waving until they were out of sight. My hometown went by in a blur and just like that it was left in the dust, far behind us.
Good-bye Destiny Island, I thought glumly. Sighing, I turned to look at the strip of road in front of us. And, Twilight Town, here I come.
I sat back in my seat and rolled up the window as Demyx popped a CD into the CD player. There was an awkward silence as we drove along listening to the music. None of the songs were exactly my cup of tea, but I listened to the strange tunes as I stared out the window at the side of the road. Then, Demyx started singing along to a song as it started playing.
"Movin' to the country,
Gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country,
Gonna eat me a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country,
Gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country,
Gonna eat a lot of peaches…"
I fell into a depressed funk (like I wasn't in one already). Why did Demyx have to start singing a song about moving?
"Peaches come from a can,
They were put there by a man
In a factory downtown
If I had my little way,
I'd eat peaches every day
Sun-soakin' bulges in the shade
Movin' to the country,
Gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country,
Gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country,
Gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin' to the country,
Gonna eat a lot of—"
"Dem."
"Yeah?"
"Please shut up."
He chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry," he said and skipped to the next song.
I continued looking out the window. I watched the scenery go by and, for once in my life, I didn't feel the urge to sketch the landscape like I usually did. Instead, I pulled out my iPod from my bag and slipped my ear buds into my ears, the sounds of my tunes canceling out Demyx's music.
At around twelve o'clock, we stopped to have lunch at a restaurant. It was a quaint place with a friendly atmosphere. We were seated quickly by a cheerful hostess, and Demyx immediately started looking through the menu that had been placed in front of him.
"See anything good?" Demyx asked after a minute.
"Not really," I said. Honestly, I hadn't bothered to look it over because I still wasn't hungry.
"Well, you've got to eat something! You haven't eaten anything since yesterday."
"I know," I said and looked over the menu. "I guess I'll have some toast."
He smiled, happy to see I was at least going to try and eat. "Good," he said.
The waitress came, and Demyx placed my order of toast and his order of a burger and fries. When she left there was silence. Demyx sat there twiddling his fingers. It was a nervous habit of his that signaled when he did not know what to say. He was probably too afraid to say anything to me because he didn't want to risk accidentally making me even more upset. And I knew that he always hated it when he did.
I had to think of something to say to break the silence. But what?
Then, a thought occurred to me. "Hey, Dem. I have a question."
"Yeah?"
"How did you find that job in Twilight Town, anyway?"
"Well, you remember Axel, right?"
How could I not? With his fiery red hair, the upside down teardrop tattoos on his cheeks, and his wild personality, he was one of those people you had a hard time forgetting. He had been Demyx's best friend all through their high school years. And, despite what most people would think after a first impression of him, he had quite the soft spot when it came to the people he cared about most.
He had been there for Demyx and I after our parents had passed on and has been considered a part of our family ever since. The guy was practically like a second big brother to me, and he treated me like the little sister he never had.
Neither Demyx nor I had seen Axel since he left Destiny Island to pursue his dream job. But he and Demyx kept in touch, so Demyx kept me updated on how he was doing…when he remembered to.
"Yeah," I said. "He wanted to be a tattoo artist, right?"
"Yeah, well," he said, "the whole tattoo artist thing didn't really work out all that well, so he decided he wanted to be an art teacher instead."
"So…he's the art teacher at Twilight Town High?" I guessed.
Demyx grinned. "You guessed it! He told me about the job opening they had for a band teacher and I applied the next day. I was hired on the spot. Guess the other teacher's resignation must've pretty sudden and they were just looking for someone to fill the spot quick."
So Axel was going to be my art teacher. The thought made my mood perk up. It made moving seem more bearable than it had before (though it still sucked pretty bad).
The waitress came back with our food and we dug in. Demyx ate his burger, and I wolfed down my toast. It was the best tasting toast I ever had (of course that could just be because I had suddenly regained my appetite and realized how seriously hungry I was).
By the time we were finished, both of our moods seemed to have been lifted a bit. Demyx paid the bill, and we headed back out to the van and were on our way once more. We talked for a long while. No music, just Demyx and I talking about Axel, songs for the halftime shows at the blitzball games this year, the classes I'd be taking, Demyx looking forward to teaching again, and just about anything else we could think of.
"Hey, Nami, guess what," Demyx said suddenly.
"What?" I asked.
"We're in Twilight Town!" he shouted.
We drove down the town's main road and I took the scenery in. The buildings, the streetlights, the sidewalks, the shops—everything was exactly the same as it had been last time we were here for a family reunion. Even the same mysterious yet welcoming atmosphere still hung in the air as it had all those years ago (I haven't been here since Mom and Dad passed on). And the sunset cast a glow on the whole town giving it an almost magical feel.
Demyx then turned onto a familiar, old cobblestone road that led into the woods. The trees stood tall like giants on both sides of the road, their branches stretched out over the road, obscuring the twilight sky above from view. The darkness within the forest engulfed us as we drove on, the van's headlights guiding us through the blackness. There was a small speck of light at the other end. The light kept growing and growing until we reached the end of the tunnel of trees. We drove out into a clearing that I recognized all too well.
Demyx pulled the van up to the wrought iron gate and ivy-covered stone walls. A feeling of dread then came over me. We had arrived at Great-uncle Ansem's mansion. The gates were already open, waiting for us to pass through. I gulped. I so didn't want to be here right now.
Demyx drove up to the massive front doors and put the van in park. I grabbed my bag and got out of the van. I stared up at the mansion nervously. It was just as huge and foreboding as I had remembered it being when I was a child. The mansion, being as old as it was, was starting to decay. The brick exterior looked like it was slowly crumbling away, ivy vines having crawled their way up the walls. The roof was missing a shingle here and there. The shrubs were in serious need of a good trim. One of the large windows on the front side of the second floor was cracked and grimy while the other had a sheer, white curtain drawn over it. The shadows that the mansion cast under the light of the setting sun were large and ominous, as if something were about to slither out of their depths. The whole scene would make for a very creepy-looking sketch.
I looked up to see a single raven perched on the overhang of the entryway. It stared down at me, its black eyes daring me to take another step. I stared back completely frozen, chills running down my spine.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Demyx looking down at me reassuringly. He grabbed my hand and led me to the door. He knocked three times. The door opened and we were met by a man in a black suit. I had never seen him before, but I assumed that he was a newer butler.
The man bowed his head. "The master has been expecting you," he said and stepped aside.
We walked past him into the foyer, our shoes squeaking against the polished linoleum floor. The inside of the mansion was very neat and well-kept compared to the exterior. The chandelier hanging from a long, golden chain filled the large room with light. There were three doors, one to my left, one to my right and another all the way in the back of the room. If I remembered correctly, the dining room was off to the left, the one all the way in the back led to the mansion's enclosed courtyard, and the one on my right went to the entertainment room. Leading up to the second floor were two sets of stairs, one on the left and one on the right, both with very intricately designed banisters.
And there in the center of the room stood the old man himself in all his arrogance. His long blond hair was sleeked back. His short beard was evenly trimmed, as it always had been. He wore a white coat over a white shirt and black slacks. His eyes looked at Demyx with mild interest. Turning his gaze to me, those orange eyes of his narrowed, seemingly scrutinizing every fiber of my being with that piercing gaze of his. Looking away, he spoke. "Welcome," he said, his deep voice echoing through the foyer.
"Hello, Great-uncle Ansem," Demyx said cheerily. I simply nodded, trying not to get even further onto his bad side than I already knew I was. If I did, I knew I would secure for myself a most unpleasant stay.
"You may pick from any of the guest rooms that I have," he said, and gestured up the left staircase to the second floor. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. I'll join you for dinner in an hour." With that he climbed the right staircase and strode down the corridor and out of sight.
"Well, let's go, Nami," Demyx said and practically dragged me up the left staircase.
We walked into the hallway where he had said the guest rooms were. I looked around curiously. Out of all the times I had been here, I had never once gone beyond the stairs. I counted the doors. There were seven, and I was really hoping at least one of them led a bathroom, because as soon as I was done unpacking I was getting a shower.
"Okay, let's split up and look for our rooms," Demyx said and ran down the hall.
I went to the nearest door, which was on my right, and turned the knob, the wooden door creaking as it opened. On the other side of the door frame was a room that didn't exactly suit my tastes. But it certainly matched Demyx's tastes to a tee. The walls were painted a deep ocean blue and the carpet was a color that reminded me of the white sand on the beach back in Destiny Island. There was an oak four poster bed with a bare mattress off in the far right corner. Beside the bed was an end table with a light house statue on it. On the wall opposite of the door was a window just above the bed. On the left side of the room was a door which I guessed was a closet. In the corner, on my right nearest to the door, was a large oak desk with a swivel chair in front of it. I looked up at the ceiling. There were no lights up there, and I didn't see a lamp anywhere around the room. I looked to my left and saw the light switch. I flicked it on and the room flooded with light, which was coming from the light house.
Okay, Demyx had to see this.
"Hey Dem!" I shouted down the hallway.
"Yeah?" Demyx yelled back.
"Come look at this."
He came over to me. "Look at what?"
I pointed at the room. "This."
He looked inside and let out a manly squeal (if a squeal can even be described as manly). "It's perfect! I'm going to go start getting the stuff out of the van." He took off like a shot for the stairs, leaving me to look for my room on my own.
I went across the hall to another door. I turned the knob and peered into the room. I gasped. The room was large and very…fascinating (to me at least). The walls were immaculately white, as were the floorboards. Off to the right there was a white canopy bed and the fabric draped over top of it was white as well. The bedside table beside it and the lamp set on top of it were white. The desk and small stool off in the far right corner were white. In the corner closest to me on my right was a white bookshelf. Opposite of the bookshelf was a tall white dresser. Next to the dresser was a white vanity with three mirrors. Beside that was a white door, which I assumed was a closet. It was as if the room itself was an unfinished sketch in someone's sketchbook, a long forgotten work that had been left to be completed at a later date but never was.
The only color in the room came from the large window on the far wall with a sheer curtain drawn across it. The light from the sunset outside bathed the room in an orange glow. I walked over to the window, drew back the curtain and looked outside. The view of the woods and horizon was spectacular, unlike anything I'd ever seen before.
This room was…perfect!
I walked out of the room and headed down the stairs when I saw a pile of our cardboard boxes in the middle of the foyer. Demyx then walked in, shoes squeaking, with my suitcase. He was merrily humming a tune when he saw me and stopped abruptly. He stared at me for a moment, not studying me, but looking like he was trying to remember something very, very important. Eyes widening suddenly, he dropped my suitcase and made a mad dash for the door, shouting, "Crap!"
"What's wrong, Dem?" I shouted.
"I forgot I have to pick up a few things around town. I'll be back!" With that he was out the door, leaving me alone once again, this time to deal with the boxes.
Shaking my head at his forgetful antics, I went downstairs and picked my suitcase up. I sauntered back up the stairs to my new room and set my suitcase down on the floorboards. I headed back downstairs to see the butler from earlier standing there.
"Would you like some help, Miss Naminé?" he asked.
"Yes please."
We each picked up a box and headed upstairs. Before I knew it all of the boxes were in their right rooms. "Thank you," I said to the butler. He simply bowed and, turning on his heels, he left.
Now, it was time to unpack. Books, knick-knacks, and art supplies were put on the bookshelf. The photograph of Demyx, our parents, and I went on the bedside table. My various articles of clothing were put in either the closet or dresser. I went across the hall to Demyx's room and opened the box Demyx had put everything from the bathroom in, conveniently marked "Bathroom Stuff." I pulled out my hair brush and elastic hair ties and put them into the drawers of my vanity. I took my sketchbook out of my bag and set it on the desk along with my laptop, a box of colored pencils, and the folders full of my sketches. I got my comforter, sheets, and pillowcases out and made the bed. I looked around, and the feeling that something was missing nagged at me. But I shrugged it off. I'd worry about it later.
As I finished by placing my fluffy blanket at the foot of the bed, there was a knock at my door. "Miss Naminé," the butler's voice drifted into the room, "dinner will be beginning shortly." There was the sound of creaking floorboards and footfalls, signaling him taking his leave.
I made my way down to the dining room and saw that it was pretty much the same as it had been when I was last here. The cherry oak table was covered by a white tablecloth. Platters covered by silver domes were spread from end to end. However there were fewer chairs this time around. Only three. There was one at one head of the table that Great-uncle Ansem was already occupying, and the other two were obviously for Demyx and me. All of them had fine china, linen napkins, and all the silverware placed properly in front of them.
I seated myself in the chair that was farther away from Great-uncle Ansem and glanced over at him. Hand propping up his head, he glared at me. Then, with a simple, disdainful shake of his head he shifted his gaze to the window.
I looked at the silver-domed platters of what I assumed were gourmet dishes. My mouth watered at all of the possibilities of delectable foods those domes could be concealing. My stomach growled rather loudly. I really wanted to just chow down right then and there, but I knew better. I had been reprimanded by Great-uncle Ansem at just about every family reunion because I always forgot to wait until everyone was seated at the table before eating. And I wasn't about to let that happen again.
Growl!
But I'm so hungry, I thought. Come on, Demyx. Hurry up.
And speaking of the devil, at that moment, Demyx walked into the dining room with plastic bags in both hands. "I'm back!" he exclaimed. "And look what I bought."
He set the one plastic bag down and pulled an outfit out of the bag in his hand. The outfit consisted of a crisp, white button up blouse, a black blazer with a crest on the left side right where one's heart would be, a pleated black skirt and a forest green neck tie. I realized what it was immediately. It was my new uniform.
Destiny Island High had required uniforms, so it wasn't anything new for me. I'd have to get used to the colors though. My old uniform had been white and blue. Black, green and white were going to take some getting used to.
"Hooray!" Demyx said. "You're now officially a Twilight Town Raven."
Raven? Oh yeah, that's right. Twilight Town High's mascot was a raven (ugh). I should have remembered that much from our game against them at the blitzball championship last year, because all I heard or saw all that week leading up to the game was, "Go Sharks! Beat the Ravens!", or something to that effect in one form or another. I didn't remember the score, but I was pretty sure we lost. I remembered Demyx telling me that the Ravens had had some "kick ass" sophomores last year.
Accepting the fact that I had gone from being a Destiny Island Shark to a Twilight Town Raven, I nodded. "I guess I am…" I said quietly.
"And I also picked up your school supplies," he said picking up the other plastic bag. A second later, he dropped the bag with a gasp. "Food!" he shouted and took a seat in the vacant chair.
Clearing his throat, Great-uncle Ansem said, "Now that we are all present, dinner is served." He picked up a silver handbell and rang it.
Butlers immediately emerged from the kitchen and began removing the domes from the platters to reveal an array of mouth-watering, gourmet foods that I didn't even know the names of, not that I cared all that much with my growling stomach. All three of us immediately dug in. The food was wonderful and dinner was bearable, if not rather silent for the most part. Great-uncle Ansem finished his meal first and retired for the evening. That left Demyx and me to chat with each other while we finished our own meals.
One of the butlers came out of the kitchen just as we finished eating. "Would either of you like some dessert?" he asked.
Demyx and I looked at each other. We both still had room in our stomachs for dessert and nodded eagerly. The butler immediately brought us each a slice chiffon cake covered with white icing and topped with fresh strawberries. We consumed the cake slowly as to savor its light fluffiness and sweet taste.
Once we were finished, we headed up to our rooms with my new uniforms and school supplies. When I got to my room I put my new school supplies into my bag. Hanging my uniform up, I decided to go get my shower and grabbed a pair of blue pajama pants and a yellow t-shirt with a cute chocobo on it. I went and grabbed the "Bathroom Stuff" box out of Demyx's room and found the bathroom, which happened to be right next to my room. I grabbed what I needed for my shower—shampoo, conditioner, body wash, towel, hair dryer—along with my other toiletries out of the "Bathroom Stuff" box and stripped down and hopped in the shower. Letting the warm water cascade over my body, I took as long as I possibly could. When the water started getting cold I rinsed myself off, got out, dried myself off, and changed into my pajamas.
After blow drying my hair and performing the rest of my nightly rituals, I went back to my room, ready for a good night's sleep. I crawled into bed, cocooning myself in my sheets and comforter. I shut my eyes, expecting to immediately drift off to dreamland. But I never did. Instead, I lay there wide awake, my thoughts being preoccupied by what tomorrow could bring.
I hopped out of bed and walked over to the window, thinking that perhaps some fresh air would help clear my head. I opened the window and a light breeze wafted into the room, making the curtains sway gently. I looked out to see the dark woods perfectly visible under the light of the full moon. I grabbed my sketchbook off my desk and began to draw. With gentle strokes of my colored pencils, I captured the site onto once blank page.
I tore the page out, took some tape, and stuck it to the wall. I stared at it for a while before I turned my gaze to give the rest of the room a once over. So that's what was missing. My own personal touch that was added by my sketches. Although, I didn't think I'd want to cover the walls with my sketches from Destiny Island. They held too many reminders of my old home. So, I decided I'd just have to cover the walls with the new memories I made here.
My eyes feeling heavy, it was time for me to get some shut eye. I crawled back into bed and curled up in a ball under the covers. Hoping that I would make some good memories here, I drifted off to sleep.
Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to review!
