Chapter 2

Kat sat up with a gasp as her eyes flew open. She put one hand over her heart and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. Thankfully, her heart was starting to slow as her brain caught up to the fact that she must have been having a nightmare. She flopped back into the soft bedding with an arm over her eyes and a gusty sigh. What a nightmare it had been too. The monster had been enormous and unlike anything she had ever seen before. It would take an army to kill something like that.

When her breathing had finally evened, she moved her arm and froze. Somehow she had forgotten about the strange circumstances she had woken to before. It all came crashing back in, and she nearly fell as she tried to extricate herself from the sheets. The light coming through the windows was a muted orange glow, and the breeze was starting to turn chilly.

Kat froze a few steps from the window. Was she really about to check and see if some crazy lady was telling the truth? Really? It had to have been part of the dream. She had been reading about Final Fantasy before she fell asleep on the boat. Weird dreams were way more believable than her being in Bevelle.

She let out a deep breath and smiled as she turned away from the window. What was the point? She was just glad someone rescued her after she fell overboard. With that thought in mind, she realized her wounds felt better, but they weren't all gone. That just sealed the deal. She just needed to get back in bed for the moment. The rest of the weirdness could wait.

However, her thoughts and her steps were frozen when she turned to find a different woman than the one before, but still wearing the same kind of strange clothing—almost like a nun. The woman looked just as surprised to see her but recovered far faster. She clicked her tongue goodnaturedly as she set an armload of linens to the side and immediately moved to help Kat back to the bed as she said, "Oh dear, it's too soon for you to be up and around. The potion helped, I'm sure, but we need to assess how bad your toxin exposure was—"

Kat had been too stunned to fight against the woman's grip, but as soon as those words were uttered, Kat pulled away almost violently and cut her off. She was scowling as she said, "Look, I don't know who put you up to it, but you can cut the crap. Bevelle isn't real, so where am I? Cairns? Cooktown? It can't be too far from them."

Instead of looking remorseful or upset, the woman only seemed more concerned. She held up both hands as if that could ward off Kat's disbelief. "I'm not sure where those villages are, but they are nowhere near here. Don't worry; it occasionally happens that survivors of Sin wash up elsewhere. We'll do our best to treat you. The Temple can even provide a little bit of money or supplies to get you on the road to finding your friends once you are healed, but for now, you need to rest."

Kat tried to ignore the shiver that crawled up her spine as she clung to her scowl. The woman had sounded way too convincing, but that was impossible. Instead of heading back to the bed, Kat skirted the other woman and proceeded to another of the windows. That time, she didn't hesitate to look out. She found a city full of small houses and an open market down the hill closer to the water. Despite the onset of dusk, barkers could still be heard, letting the dwindling crowd know that the last of the fish would be half off.

A shiver crawled down Kat's spine at the complete unfamiliarity of the place, but she was relieved that she couldn't see anything that screamed, 'I'm in another world.' She turned back toward the other woman and gave her a longsuffering look as she pointed out the window as she said, "This is supposed to be Bevelle? Right. Where is the Temple?"

The other woman sighed softly and shook her head as she took a step back. Her voice still held all the patience of someone used to dealing with troubled patients. "If it would help to ease your mind, please look over here. This is a simple clinic run by the Temple, but it isn't inside it. We are closer to the beach where most of our patients can be found."

Suddenly Kat couldn't seem to make her feet work. There was no way. When it looked like the woman was going to get closer, Kat finally forced herself to head to the window on the other side of the room. Her breathing had quickened, and her heart felt like it was beating erratically as she stopped. The woman's voice was soft as she said, "See there in the distance to your right. We are blessed to be watched over, here in the seat of Yevon."

Kat noticed the woman slip into the strange bow, but her mind didn't keep it. She was too busy being stunned as she looked up at the shining spire in the distance. From this angle, she might not have recognized it as Bevelle, but even without that knowledge, it was too strange to be on Earth. She did shiver when she caught the faint sound of the hymn carried on the wind from the Temple in the distance.

There was no way her legs could hold her. She didn't even notice the renewed pain from her shoulder and the half-healed wounds on her leg as she fell to the floor. She didn't look at the nurse, or was she a nun? Not even when the woman made a distressed noise and jumped to help Kat back to her feet. Not that her legs were obeying any command. Her brain was far too occupied trying to think about the impossible situation.

It was also too far gone to notice that the woman had somehow gotten her back to the bed, but she did snap back to her senses when the woman put something to her lips. She glared at the poor woman as she jerked away and snapped. "What are you trying to do?"

The nun let out a soft sigh as she held up the vial. "This is a potion—the same that you drank earlier today. It will help to calm you and will heal your wounds."

Kat was suddenly at a complete loss. It had really been a potion. It wasn't just that her wounds weren't as bad as she thought. No, she had drunk an honest-to-god potion. She had never had a panic attack before, but she remembered coming close after her first diving mishap. She was dangerously close to that same feeling, so she did what she had been instructed the last time too. She brought her knees up and dropped her head to rest on them as she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing—In through her nose, hold it for a few seconds, then out through her mouth. It took several rounds before the worst of her chaotic thoughts were calmed enough that she could look at the nun without losing it again.

The woman had watched her with concern and curiosity. When Kat finally looked over, the nun gave her a helpful smile as she said, "Better now?"

Kat had no idea how to respond. Better? How could she possibly be better? Unless she was still dreaming, she was on a whole other planet. What the hell? However, since the woman didn't look like she was about to give up, Kat sighed and shook her head as she said, "Not really, but I'm calm now."

That seemed to be enough to satisfy the nun. The woman held the vial out again, but Kat's eyes widened as she leaned back. "Uh, I appreciate everything, really, but I don't want to go back to sleep just yet. Can we hold off?"

The nun pursed her lips for a moment before she finally sighed. "Of course, I'm sure you have a lot to think about. Instead, I can give you a regular potion, but I will only give you two hours. You need to sleep to heal, and this is designed to help bring about the best healing."

Even taking it later wasn't appealing to Kat, but she could tell there was no getting out of it for the moment. She could try and sneak into the city, but if she were honest with herself, she knew that wasn't a great idea yet. She was still too unsteady to even think about walking around. At least the woman was willing to compromise. Kat gave her a nod before the woman walked away with a smile, only to return a few seconds later with a similar vial.

Kat took it with trepidation, but she could immediately tell the color was a little less green. Plus, it hardly had any smell. That was a plus. She thanked the woman before she downed it and was pleasantly surprised that it was almost as tasteless as the aroma indicated.

She handed the empty vial back to the nun, who took it before she said, "I will be back in two hours with the next potion. All we ask is that you stay inside. At least until we can determine how badly you will be affected by your exposure."

That whole sentence felt like a slap to the face. This new reality sure hadn't made it easy as there were reminders of the impossible every time Kat turned around. Plus, she had no idea what to do next. At least she had two hours to try and figure it out.

Despite every effort Kat made, there was simply no way for her mind to develop a viable solution. She had a life, and she wanted to get back to it. Her family, her career, her friends—she already missed them fiercely, and just the thought of never seeing them again made it hard for her to breathe.

Part of her brain was still railing against reality. Being in a fictitious story was just too much to process. How was that even possible? She didn't feel like she was in a game, so what did that say about the world around her, or more importantly, what the connection to Earth was.

At least she had managed to come to a few conclusions. First, the thing she had seen when she fell overboard had to have been Sin. As impossible as it was, there was no other logical explanation. That might have sort of explained how she ended up on Spira, but it still begged the question of why Sin was on Earth. How was that possible? That was a question she may never know an answer to, but as ridiculous as it sounded, even to her own brain, maybe Sin was the trick to getting back.

The irony of the idea was not lost on Kat. Just thinking about chasing the behemoth down was enough to make her chuckle mirthlessly. Although, it did make her wonder if she could somehow find Yuna and her guardians. Getting them to let her travel with them would be even more challenging than finding them, she was sure, but what other choice did she have. She tried to squash the traitorous thought that she had no idea when in the timeline she was. Surely she wasn't pulled to Spira outside of the timeline she knew. Or she hoped not anyway. It was the only hope she could cling to.

It wasn't much, but it was the beginning of a plan. Maybe she could take some time to ask around Bevelle when they finally released her. If Yuna hadn't been there yet, perhaps she could just wait. Although, surviving until then might be a problem. She somehow doubted the Temple would provide her enough to live off of for long. If she was going to stay in Bevelle, she would also have to figure out a job.

Just the thought made her head hurt worse than it did before. Despite not having more than the bare bones of a plan, the pain in her head and her limbs had gotten to the point that she was relieved when the nun returned with another potion. She wasn't keen on the idea of passing out again, but she would take it in the hopes that she could leave the next day.

Kat was both thankful and apprehensive when she woke up the following day. The gulls' cries and sea-salt breeze were almost soothing as she thought about what was to come. At least she felt much better than she had the day before. She could see no sign of the red welts on her leg, and all the bruises on her arm were gone. Not even her shoulder gave a twinge when she rotated it a few times.

She was grateful when the same nun from the previous morning came in with a bright smile as she said, "It seems you are feeling better this morning. I'm happy to see it." The woman then paused as she went to a nearby cupboard and pulled out a small sack before she moved to sit in a chair next to the bed Kat was still in. The nun then patted her hand as she asked, "Do you feel up to talking about what happened? How much can you remember?"

Kat let out a soft sigh. She could remember everything, but none of it would make sense to the woman in front of her—or almost none of it anyway. But if she was really on Spira, then no matter the timeline, she had a little bit of an advantage. She knew what to say to make things easier, at least.

A frown furrowed her brow, and she didn't have to pretend for fear and uncertainly to fill her eyes as she said, "Everything is a little fuzzy, but I remember I was on a ship with my mentor and the crew. I think there was a storm, but not a bad one. Still, the boat rocked like mad. I got up to see what was happening, and then I saw it."

A shiver ran down Kat's spine at the memory that was neither fake nor expected. Thinking about Sin really did scare the living daylights out of her. Still, she swallowed again as she tried to continue. "I know I was somehow pulled overboard, but I don't remember much after that. I honestly can't remember why I was even out there. I know it had something to do with learning, but that's it."

The nun sighed and gave her a pitying look as she said, "I was afraid of that. To not even remember Bevelle, it had to have been quite the ordeal. You're lucky to be alive."

That was another truth that caused a shiver to wrack Kat's body. She tried to repress it as much as possible as the woman continued, "Since you are healed, we won't keep you, but you can stay a few more days if you think it could help."

Kat sighed as she shook her head. She wasn't going to accomplish anything by staying in bed. Honestly, if she didn't focus on why she was there or what it would take to get back, she could almost be excited about the visit. It wasn't every day a person could explore a city from a beloved story in person. The idea of getting to see the areas the game didn't delve into was almost thrilling.

With that thought in mind, Kat managed a smile as she said, "No, I think it would be best if I try to figure out what to do next. Maybe, if I walk around, I might be able to hear news of someone I know or remember what I was doing in the first place. Although, I think I'll probably stay in Bevelle for a few days."

The nun nodded with a smile as she said, "If you cannot find accommodations tonight, feel free to come back here." The woman then stood and gave Kat that same weird bow as she said, "May Yevon's blessing be upon you."

That was enough for Kat to lose her smile. Yevon—the cause of everything. She tried to keep her disgusted scowl back as she stood. Thankfully, the nun didn't seem to notice anything was wrong as she pointed to a pile of clothes on a nearby table. "I'm afraid what you arrived in was too tattered to repair. These should do well enough while you are here in Bevelle."

Kat looked at the thin gown they had put her in and was grateful one of them thought about a change of clothes. Plus, even if her nightclothes had been repairable, they wouldn't have been appropriate. Kat nodded her thanks before she said, "Um, I hate to ask more of you, but do you know where I might find information on ships that have passed through?"

She paused for a moment, and a frown flashed over her face before she sighed and said, "Also, maybe where I could find a temporary job? Until something comes up, I'm going to need to take care of myself."

The nun did not seem perturbed. If anything, she was pleased to help as she smiled and said, "The local pub is always looking for waitresses or bartenders. It could also be a place to gather information since many sailors pass through. If you would like to wait a moment, I can pen a brief letter to the owner with an introduction and request."

Kat wasn't thrilled with the idea of leaning on the Temple so much, and doubly so for the idea of working at a bar, but she couldn't fault the logic. She hadn't waited tables since her part-time job during her early college days, but at least she had some experience. She swallowed another sigh and managed a smile as she picked up the clothes. "Thank you, that would be appreciated.

She then turned to go behind a screen on the other side of the room so she could change, but she stopped and turned back with a chagrined look. "I apologize; I never even told you my name. I'm Katherine Summerton, but everyone just calls me Kat."

The nun's smile grew as she said, "What a funny name, but it suits you. You can ask for Sister Grace if you ever need anything. If I'm not here, I'm sure one of the other sisters would love to help."

Kat gave the woman a thankful nod before she turned to finish changing. Once she was behind the screen, she was grateful to see she had been given trousers instead of a dress. The sleeveless faux turtleneck was a little tight but not too bad. Especially since there was a baggy tunic that opened at the front and fell to her knees. The belt that went around to hold it closed was too loose but still did the job well enough. She was also grateful for boots instead of sandals. If she was going to have to walk everywhere, for the time being, they would be better suited to her travels.

The nun had even thought to include a ribbon to tie her brown hair back. Something Kat was happy to do. They might have been close to colder weather, but down near the beach, it was as temperate as expected. The last thing she wanted was to walk around sweaty because her long hair was stuck to her neck.

It didn't escape her notice that the clothing was more in line with the males she remembered from the game, but maybe that was a way to make people look past her since she was traveling alone. Not that she thought there was any way to hide her femininity. Maybe it would be enough at night.

By the time she was finished, Sister Grace had a note laying next to the bag she had pulled out earlier. The woman pointed to them both as she said, "That letter should help if you go to The Flying Fish pub. It's not far from here, and I included a little map. The owner's name is Marstrom. If you feel under the weather again, please stop by."

Kat thanked the woman for everything, tied the pouch to the only loop that made sense on her loose belt and waved her goodbyes before she turned and walked out the door. She had to pause for a moment to take it all in. She was in Bevelle—a whole new world, and she was alone. As depressing as the thought was, that wasn't the time to give in to it. Instead, she took a deep breath before pulling out the hand-drawn map and trying to find her way to the local pub.

A/N: She hasn't gone through many of the stages of grief yet, but she's stubborn. At least she can think clearly enough for the moment. We should start seeing more of the characters in the next couple of chapters before things really pick up the pace. I know there isn't a lot to go on yet, but I hope you enjoy it so far nonetheless. Thanks for reading and cheers! Also, to Diction- thank you so much for the review. I'm glad you like Kat so far and I hope you like where it goes. Thank you!