Chapter Twenty-One: Mistaken for Another
Aralyn was evicted from Seventh Heaven well after dark when Yuffie shoved her out the door. "You've done plenty," she said. "Now get home!"
Hugging her threadbare coat tighter to her to ward off the cold, she wandered the empty streets of Midgar and Edge alone. The path was icy from the snow that had been packed by so many footsteps, and more than once she found herself on her back looking up at the starry sky.
"Gloria?" A man's voice rang through the streets, eerily loud against the stark silence of the city. Aralyn paid no mind and continued.
"Gloria? Gloria!"
Aralyn decided to turn and found an unfamiliar man running toward her, arms outstretched like he recognized her. Following instinct born from living on the outskirts of the violent slums, she ran.
The icy patches slowed her, however, and she slid on one that had evaded her sight and fell painfully to her knees. The man was fast and strong; there had been no hope for escape in the first place.
The man grabbed her arms and turned her so that she faced him, looking at her for a moment. She examined him as well. He had black hair that fell past his ears, with rebellious pieces framing his face. His eyes were a startlingly light icy blue, and his features were sharp and striking. He held himself nobly, a princely aura of confidence and pride surrounding him.
His lips broke out into a large smile. He gripped her under her shoulders and lifted her in the air, twirling her around once before placing her back on her feet. She was not released; instead, she was surrounded by his arms and crushed into his chest.
"Gloria!" the man cried, slightly breathless from the chase. "Gloria, you're here!"
"I'm not…" she choked out as she struggled to get away.
But he didn't seem to hear her. Instead, he cut off her futile protests by pulling her chin up. Just after their eyes had locked, he abruptly forced her into a fierce and passionate kiss.
Aralyn's heart stopped. When she could catch her breath again, which took several moments, she fought with all her strength, tearing her lips from his and screaming.
The man recoiled as if he had been struck. "Gloria! What…what is the meaning of this?"
"I'm sorry," she gasped, clutching her heart, which felt as if it would burst from her chest. "You must have mistaken me for someone else. I'm not Gloria."
"No, Gloria," his thumb traced her jaw line and she slapped it away. "You're just confused, love, that's all!"
"My name's not Gloria!"
But he still pulled her closer.
"Don't you dare!" Aralyn screamed.
"Gloria…why do you resist me?"
"My name is Aralyn!" she cried. "I'm married to someone else!"
That must have struck a nerve as he leapt back, finally releasing her. He looked at her for the longest time. "You're…married?" The last word was so quiet that the breeze stole it away, leaving Aralyn to read his lips.
Aralyn held up her hand, the golden band glimmering in the faint lamplight. The man's breath caught, shock and horror written plainly on his face.
"Gl—ah," he sighed. "Miss…Misses Aralyn." His voice shook as he said the name, like it was from a foreign language. "Oh, Gloria…!"
Aralyn turned and ran.
She knew that he would follow, but her declaration had left him momentarily stunned. She needed that time. Unfortunately, it wasn't long. He followed every turn she made through the winding streets, calling both "Gloria" and "Aralyn" frantically.
But when he took the final turn, he found himself staring straight into the shaft of a three-barreled gun.