The Tourist

A native from Balamb, Zell Dincht is enjoying his first vacation off that small island since he can remember. Twenty-six years and he had never been off the island, until now. And when he finally is, he intends to enjoy this time away from his home and his ma, as long as he can. Zell had saved a lot of money for his trip around the world and his first stop was of course Timber, as it is the only train connection to the mainland from Balamb. It was pure luck Zell got here in the same week that all the world leaders were here. He didn't plan on staying long in Timber, but he decided that waiting a few days because the president of Esthar was going to be here, was worth spending some time in this town.

Not many people knew the President Laguna Loire was a film-star before he became the president of Esthar. He wasn't really a film-star because he only featured in one movie, which got some bad reviews, but Zell is one of the few people who knew he did act and he's one of the few who actually liked the movie. One of Zell's most priced possessions is the original video which included an original film poster from over twenty-six years ago. The film was brought out before he was even born but he remembers he watched that movie with his father before he died. If it was possible he would like the president to sign his old video, he couldn't leave without his favorite movie, so he took it with him on his journey across the world.

Before he left his mother had warned him that the world is an expensive place and that if he really wants to travel around the world he needs lots of more money than he had saved. Just like any son he doesn't listen to his mother, until he found out he really should've listened to his Ma. Indeed traveling around the world is expansive, he was only at his first stop and already he had lost a quarter of his savings.

But none of that matter today, today he will finally get to see the president of Esthar and hopefully score an autograph.

Because he has spend the last week in this city he already knows his way around, but if he didn't know his way around he still wouldn't find it troubling to find the plaza the president would speak from, everyone in this city is going to the plaza, so all he has to do is follow the crowd.

Suddenly a woman runs into him and her backpack hits him in the back of his head. She turns around to apologize and Zell almost drowns in her clear blue eyes. The woman is in some kind of a hurry, because before Zell could blink she was already gone and all he sees is her yellow backpack flying through the crowd before him.

Zell strokes the back of his head, where the backpack had hit him, and he is relieved he didn't find any blood and he hopes it won't leave a bump. He wouldn't hear the end of it if his Ma ever found out.

At the next corner Zell is in awe when he sees a hotdog-vendor, never one to resist the smell of hotdog's he buys three hotdogs. After finishing all of his hotdog he licks his fingers and thanks the man before walking further to the plaza.

The cathedral is in his vision and in a few minutes the loud bells will reverberate around this part of the city. Knowing he has to hurry if he wants a good spot at the plaza he doesn't look where he is walking. It goes well until he bumps into someone and while Zell remains standing a small boy is on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Zell asks the little boy while helping him back on his feet. He is checking the boy over and it looks like this little stumble has given him a small scrape on his left knee. Grabbing his small first aid kit he retrieves a small bandage from his box and straps it on the boy's knee.

The boy nods his head after Zell administrated the bandage and he wipes his tears away with his arms. "Thank you." The boy said with a timid voice.

"Where are your parents?" Zell asks the little boy after he put his first aid kit back in his backpack.

A woman comes running their way and Zell guesses this is the boy's mother. "What have I told you?" The woman said angrily to her son while hugging him tightly. "Simon. Don't walk away without me. What if I didn't find you?" Checking her son over she sees the bandage on his knee. "What happened?"

The little boy, Simon, is looking guilty and Zell cannot help but feel guilty too. "That is my fault, I am sorry." The woman looks up to him as if she didn't notice him before. "I wasn't looking where I was going and we ran into each other. Unfortunately little Simon hear is not as steadfast as I am." Zell tried to lighten the mood with a joke and it seems to work. The woman's lip curls slightly up and she shakes her head.

"Well, that's like my Simon." She said while ruffling his son's hair. "I'm Nicole by the way. Thanks for taking care of his knee."

Zell rubs the back of his head and told her it was no trouble. The bells strike and Zell knows he has to hurry or he will miss everything. He searches his pockets for some candy and gives a lollypop to Simon. "Are you going to the plaza too?" He asks them and when the woman with the pigtail nods her head he drags her and her son along. "Let's go together."

A few minutes later he said goodbye to Simon and Nicole. Nicole spotted her friend at the entrance, and although Nicole asked Zell to join them, he had declined her offer and said he wanted to get closer to the stage. Nicole told him she understood and thanked him again for helping her son. She kissed him on the cheek and Zell felt his heart flutter.

Some time later he found himself a good spot, not too crowded and with a good view of the stage. He grabs his video camera and starts recording, he wants to have proof that he saw Esthar's President with his own eyes. He records the stage first but because it is empty he decides to film the crowd instead. His camera moves towards a couple standing near a pillar and they are standing very close as if they are kissing. He feels a bit jealous at this couple, they have each other and he is still single. And it doesn't help that his Ma seems to enjoy telling him that and then she urges him to find someone. Zell wants to move the camera away from them, but something inside of him tells him to keep looking.

The tall man with a brown pony-tail walks away with large steps and the petit woman in the yellow dress remains leaning against the pillar, but she isn't alone for long. A blond woman, in fact the same blond woman who ran into him earlier, seems to say something to the smaller woman before giving her the yellow backpack, he remembers that one, or better said the back of his head remembers that yellow piece of fabric. She turns away with a scolding look but Zell sees she hasn't stepped far away from her.

He follows her with the camera but soon she has blended with the crowd and Zell doesn't see either of them anymore.

The crowds begin to cheer and Zell points his camera back on the stage, just in time for the mayor to begin his speech.

During the long speech of the mayor he decides to film other people on stage and stopping by one of the federal agents Zell sees that he is looking intensely at one single spot. Following his gaze he films the building and he too sees the curtains move behind the glass slide door, he films that window for a short time and he sees a shadow near the curtain. He doesn't know what to think of it but when he looks back at the federal agent Zell sees that he is stance is more relaxed then before, he assumes everything is fine and Zell relaxes too. Turning around on his heels he completes his 360-shot and he is just around when President Loire starts to speak.

Zell points his camera at the president but he looks back at the federal agent, he has the feeling he has seen him somewhere before, but where? He is trying to remember from where but his brain doesn't cooperate. He can see the man is probably thinking the same thing while they are locking eyes and Zell hopes he will have the chance to talk to him before they have to leave for Esthar again, whoever he is. And he will get that chance sooner then he thinks.

A single gunshot flies through the air and Zell has filmed all of it.

=XXX=

His hands are trembling while he tries to see what happened with the president. All around him people are running away and he knows he should too, his instinct too is to flee, but somehow he is rooted to the spot, he can't move.

While all people move away from the podium the woman with the yellow dress and backpack is trying to get near the stage. When she reaches the stage she drops her yellow backpack and she turns around and bumps into the blond woman. He can't hear what they are saying and it isn't until he is almost run over by the fleeing crowd that he forgets about those two women and he focuses on the president again.

The federal agent jumps from the stage and asks him hurriedly. "Have you filmed everything?"

Nodding his head he rewinds his recording, he has inkling at what he wants to see. The agent is distracted by his partner who is yelling at the same blond woman whom he seems to see all day.

When she shouts about a bomb Zell almost drops his camera. He touches the federals arm lightly and said to him, "Maybe you should listen to her."

Zell doesn't know what is going on, but he has the feeling this woman knows more about whatever shit is happening here, then anyone else.

Zell hears the federal agent saying to his partner. "Seifer, what if she speaks the truth?"

Zell sees the yellow backpack lying underneath the stage and he knows the woman speaks the truth. Why else would the petit woman throw that bag under the stage, but then why did the blond woman take that bag with her in the first place? It doesn't make any sense.

"If she does," The man continues. "We need to-"

The man couldn't finish his sentence. Maybe he did, but Zell didn't hear the end of it, all hears is an annoying ringing in his ears.

=XXX=

Opening his eyes Zell is amazed he is still alive.

All around him people are lying on the ground, dead and alive mixed together on the cold blue bricks that are slowly starting to get red. The agent he had been talking with before is standing over another agent, a piece of wood from the stage pierced his chest. Looking at all the dead people around the plaza Zell has trouble keeping the hotdogs he ate earlier from leaving his stomach. Swallowing thrice he is convinced his stomach has calmed down enough for him to walk around to see where he can help any of the injured people.

He hopes Simon and Nicole are alright.

Kneeling down next to a young woman he feels for a pulse, but sadly he doesn't find any. He closes her eyes and walks back to the agent; maybe he can still help him.

Before he reached him someone bumped into him for the third time that day, What the….am I magnetic today? Whoever bumped into him pushes him out of the way and Zell falls down on his knees. Turning his head up he sees who is in a hurry, and he isn't that surprised when he sees the same blond woman again. That's the second time today she bumped into me. Something inside of him urges him to follow her, why? He doesn't know, but soon he will whish that he didn't follow her so recklessly.

TBC

Next Chapter: The Police Officer.

Guess who that is! One tip: it's a woman.