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Forever a mystery: yeah it is getting rather intense, isn't it? Glad to see you're still reading.

The Letter

Quistis finally decided that enough was enough. In order to look for Rinoa she was going to have to go where Rinoa usually went.

That was going to be a chore; she hardly knew where Rinoa liked to hang out.

Then it hit her, the Asian coffee shop!

Quistis got into her car and buckled up. She suddenly had an idea of where to look for Rinoa. She slammed on the accelerator and went flying towards the road. She was going to find that woman, if it was the thing she did.

As she made her way onto the road, Quistis started thinking. What if Rinoa didn't want to be found?

What if she made herself disappear because she didn't want to face Quistis?

Or maybe she disappeared because she didn't want to be found by someone dangerous.

But who? Who could be a threat to Rinoa? Several thoughts passed through her mind. She thought of Squall and his threats to her in her office. Then she remembered Zell telling her that he felt that they were being followed.

She sighed. Nothing was working out for her. And in her quest to find Rinoa, she could very well end up dead.

She pulled into the parking lot of the Asian coffee shop. Getting out of the car, she tried her best to stay calm. She was only there to find Rinoa.

And hopefully, no one was following her.

She went through the door. Smiling politely at the waitress, she said hello.

"Can I help you?" the Asian waitress asked.

Quistis gulped. "Yes. Have you seen a woman go through her. She's about 5'3, with long black hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and is usually wearing a blue dress?"

The waitress shook her head. "No, but I do have something here for you," she handed Quistis a letter.

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

The waitress shrugged. "I don't know. Some man left it for you."

Quistis cautiously took it. Thoughts of being followed were zipping through her mind. She said thank you to the waitress and went back to her car.

Opening the car door, she sat down in the front seat. She stared at the letter, afraid to open it. The words "Quistis" were written in red ink.

'Red ink? How can I be sure that's not blood?' she thought.

That man could be a serial killer or a psychopath for all she knew. And psychopaths gave her the creeps.

When Quistis was little she used to read ghost stories all the time. It was a tradition to her. And when she was old enough, she used to watch them on TV.

Of course, some of the movies got a little too real for her. She would have trouble sleeping because of the elements in the movie.

Now she was terrified of psychopaths, real or fantasized. So it was easy to see why she was so hesitant to open a letter with possible bad news for Rinoa.

Even though she was still mad at Rinoa, she didn't want anything bad to happen to her. She cared for her still, even though Rinoa probably didn't feel the same way back.

Love sometimes worked in mysterious ways. And the horrible thing was, Quistis didn't want to lose Rinoa. She wasn't sure if she loved her because love was a word that scared Quistis.

It all started when she dated Frankie.

Frankie was a cop in New York City. Quistis met him when she first moved there. At first she thought Frankie was the perfect man: charming and handsome. When they first went out He was the sweetest person in the world to her, always giving her gifts and flowers. They had some great times together.

Quistis remembered the time they went to the bowling alley. They didn't even go bowling. Instead, they went to the bar, and got completely drunk. Then, they went into the bathroom and had the most amazing sex. However, Quistis barely remembered it.

'I must have had how many martinis? Oh God, I don't remember,' she thought fondly of the memory.

It was times like those that Quistis longed for. Not what Frankie would do to her.

Suddenly Frankie wouldn't return her phone calls. Quistis thought that was odd because he seemed to love talking to her on the phone. They would have the longest conversations, sometimes spanning three hours.

She left many messages on Frankie's answering machine. She didn't remember how many (it was a long time ago). Yet he still didn't call her back.

Finally she cornered him in a grocery store, demanding information. The only excuse he gave her was that he was "busy".

Eventually Quistis found out the truth. He was cheating on her. She got that information from a close friend. When she found out she was furious. She broke up with Frankie immediately.

Ever since she had trouble with trust. And now she had to open a letter that could possibly spell doom for Rinoa.

She breathed in and out slowly.

'Here it goes,' she thought.

She opened folded paper and unfolded it completely. She found that the letter itself was written in red ink too.

She started to read the letter.

Dear Quistis,

My name is Seifer Almasy. I am sure you know who I am.

After all, you and Rinoa are very close it seems. However, my friend and/or boss feels that you and his wife are a little too close for comfort.

So he's giving you an ultimatim. I have your "girfriend".

If you want her back you're going to have to do some favors. My boss is going to prosecute you in the trial.

He wants you to pay him off.

5,000 dollars he said.

If you don't pay it, she's dead.

I'll give you a call tommorow at your office.

Better pick up the phone or else.

Have a nice day.

-Seifer