Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, or any of its characters...I wish though..

:::Welcome to Garden:::

The girl entered Garden, looking for the office. A lady with short, brown hair noticed her looking around and approached her.

"May I help you?"

The girl said nothing, but instead handed her a note that Ma Dincht wrote. The lady looked at it and her eyes lit up after reading who it was from.

"Come with me. My name is Selphie. I'll show you to Headmaster Squall's office." The girl trailed Selphie to the elevator, where she pushed the button for the third floor.

The girl was to attend Balamb Garden, just like Ma Dincht told her to.

"In fact, I have an idea…" Ma Dincht had said. "You can go to Balamb Garden, where my son goes. Well actually, he's a fighting instructor there. You can learn how to fight and defend yourself, just in case, and you can meet plenty of friends. I assure you it will be safer to stay there."

So here she was now.

The elevator reached the third floor and the doors slid open. They walked out and came upon a set of doors. Selphie lightly knocked on them. No one answered. She knocked a little louder. "Squall?"

There was a pause, and from the other side came an exasperated "Yeah?"

Selphie opened the door and stepped in, the girl following her. Squall looked at her inquiringly. "This girl will be a new student here at Garden," Selphie explained. "It's a little sudden, but apparently Zell's mother recommended her in this note." She handed Squall the note from Ma Dincht, who read it.

Squall studied the girl who was half hidden behind Selphie. She had dark, straight hair that flowed down her back. Her chocolate orbs were fixed on the floor. Something about her bothered Squall. He just nodded. "I see. What is your name, then?" he asked her.

"Meilyn."

That was the first thing she had spoken ever since her arrival in Balamb.

"Okay then, Meilyn," Squall said, "we'll get your schedule fixed up along with any other registration requirements. Selphie here will show you to the dorms and you can get settled in."

The two girls left, along with a packet of registration papers for Meilyn, and they headed over to the dorms. Selphie showed Meilyn her room and set the papers on the nightstand, realizing that Meilyn hadn't come with belongings of any sort.

"All I have are the clothes on my back," Meilyn said.

"Don't worry about it," Selphie said, "you'll be wearing a uniform most of the time anyways. So just relax for now, or take a tour of the building. I'm sure someone will be happy to show you around." She headed for the door. "Oh, and welcome to Balamb Garden!" And out she went.

Meilyn had been working on filling out the registration papers for a while when a knock came from her door. "Come in."

In came a blonde, spiky-haired guy who looked to be about her age. "Hey, my name is Reis. My mom said that you could use a tour guide?"

Meilyn gave him a questioning look. "Mom?"

"That would be Selphie. She is my mother. She kinda volunteered me to show you around. So…are you up for it?"

Meilyn shrugged. "Sure." She abandoned the registration papers and left with Reis.

He showed her as much as he could, and tried to explain everything about Garden. He showed her the classrooms, the lobby, the cafeteria, the library, the infirmary, and the quad, which she liked the most. Then they came to the Training Center.

"C'mon," Reis said, "my dad might be in here. He's also another instructor. But be careful; there are real monsters, and you can get hurt if you don't come prepared." The two followed the hallway into the Training Center, where, sure enough, was Reis' dad, who was training.

"Hey, Dad!" he said, playfully punching his father in the arm. Meilyn could see who he got his looks from.

His dad ceased his training and ruffled his son's hair, receiving an annoyed look. "So what are you doing here?" he asked.

"This is Meilyn," Reis said, pointing to her. "She's new here. Meilyn, this is my dad, Zell. He's the fighting instructor around here."

The name sounded familiar to Meilyn. "Oh, so you're Zell. I met your mother."

Zell looked at her with interest. "Oh really? Well, nice to meet ya. Have you showed her around, Reis?"

"Yep, and I even told her about the rush for hotdogs in the cafeteria."

"Heh, that's my boy!" Zell said, ruffling Reis' hair once more. Meilyn could see that the two were really close.

"Okay, okay, cut it out!" Reis exclaimed. "We better get going anyway. See ya later."

"Bye Mr. Dincht," Meilyn said politely.

Zell laughed. "Save that 'Mr. Dincht' stuff for class. Just call me Zell."

Meilyn nodded and left with Reis. "He seems very nice," she said, as the two roamed the halls. "Both your parents seem nice."

Reis shrugged. "Yeah, I guess they are." The two went back to the dorms. "Okay, well I gotta go. I'll see you later." He left, leaving Meilyn alone in her room. She saw the registration papers lying on her bed and decided to finish filling them out.

Soon it had gotten dark out, and Meilyn had been lying on her bed, thinking, when a knock came from her door. Selphie stepped in with clothes in her hands. She set them gently on the bed.

"I was able to get your uniform. Just tell me if it doesn't fit right. And I brought you a t-shirt and shorts to sleep in. They're my daughter's, about your age," said Selphie.

Meilyn asked, "You have a son and a daughter?"

Selphie nodded. "I see you have met Reis. I'm sorry if he was any trouble, he can be a handful sometimes."

Meilyn shook her head. "He was pretty nice. He showed me around."

"Okay, that's good. I'll leave you alone now." Selphie left the room, leaving Meilyn alone again. She changed into the t-shirt and shorts Selphie gave her and laid back down. She continued to think for over an hour until she fell asleep.

A/N: Yes, I know...not the most exciting chapter! And I promise to make even longer chapters. This is just the beginning. Please R&R!