xxi. her burnished hometown glory

Her eyes were shut. Her ears strained for sound.

Her PHS may be pressed against her ears, but that didn't mean that she could hear a thing.

It rang, and she breathed out.

"… Helena?" Jackie's voice, loud and clear, nearly shouted in her ear. Well, Helena thought sourly, that was her fault for turning the volume up so loud. "Hel? You there?"

"Yeah." Helena blinked, looking up. Somehow, she had stopped noticing that the rain had stopped, and it was night time, stars lighting up the sky. "I'm here, Jacks."

"Well, good, because I've because saying your name for the last minute and a half, I swear." Helena couldn't help it, grinning at her chiding. "What's the matter? You don't normally drift off like this."

Frowning, she wondered if she should spill the beans. That her sister was alive—that she even had a sister—who had faked her own death, (possibly… she was believed dead at the very least), and that not everything had been restored. How had she ended up in Costa Del Sol, if she lived in Junon for most of her life?

"No." The lie was the best option. "I've just had an odd day, that's all. Besides missing you, of course."

"Tell me all about it."

"Can't." Won't, rather. "I'm tired, and I wanted to know how you were doing."

Blinking, Helena tried to count the stars.

"Aw, that's sweet of you. I'm good. I'm on my way – I'll be there soon. Promise."

"You promise?"

"Yep."

Helena was the believer. Elena was the sceptic.

"Alrighty, kiddo. I'm off to bed. Nice of you to call, but… I'm tired."

"'kay." Helena smiled. Without her memory, all of this would have been so much simpler. She'd have been more trusting, less deceiving, and…

"Go to sleep, Hel. Night."

Her smile felt slightly forced, though her tone remained light and unassuming.

"Night."

… why did Jackie pick her up from the café when she was an amnesiac, so long ago?

Perhaps she waited forever for her answer to be answered. Perhaps it only took five minutes.

But when the bus eventually came, she smiled at the bus driver, paid her fee, and grinned a little brighter when the bus driver returned the gesture. She found a place to sit, although not many people were actually on the bus this late at night, it didn't stop her from being picky.

A window seat.

Elena liked window seats, however she looked at it: windows were like movies that never ended. The whole world beyond the window continued to grow and change, however slight, be it a chocobo storming from one place to another, or just the subtle shift of light.

Helena preferred to sleep.

And once she was tired of one activity, she moved onto the other, imagination flowing from one spot to another.

Hijacking a bus really wasn't that hard. Especially if the bus driver thought he was being replaced anyhow.

Biggs grinned.

AVALANCHE were finally getting closer to the truth about Professor Morton.

Even if his daughter was going to be sacrificed along the way.