Chapter 11:
4 ½ years later…
Things were as they usually were at Edea's orphanage. Children running back and forth, playing, arguing, crying, causing trouble. Their Matron was in the middle of it all, trying to control them. She was grateful she had Ellone, though. For being only ten years old, she was extremely helpful when taking care of the younger children.
Edea noticed that especially Squall was very attached to the girl who had accompanied him there when he first arrived. While the others were content playing with each other, Squall always tagged along with Ellone, wanting to be everywhere she was and do everything she did.
Ellone had slowly changed from a quiet and frightened girl to the lively and spunky child she had been before her foster mother died. She still remembered the day Raine passed away, though – The picture of the woman crying out Laguna's name in pain, before falling lifelessly back in her bed, had burnt itself into Ellone's memory and would forever remain there.
Still, Ellone never blamed Laguna for staying in Esthar. In her childish naivety, her image of 'Uncle Laguna' was that of a hero – Who always did the right thing. He was saving people in another city, and that was why he couldn't be there for Raine. That was why he hadn't come to get her and Squall. Even so, Ellone wished he had never went out to save her. If only he had stayed so he could see Raine's baby…
Raine's baby. Squall. The five years old boy who seemed to adore her more than anything. It was a strange feeling to be looked up to by six younger children, but Ellone had quickly gotten used to it. She enjoyed playing with Squall. Teaching him new words, showing him new things. And she would tell him the story of the necklace he had around his neck – well, as much as she knew, anyway. That his mother had given it to him. Squall was more interested in the lion itself that where he had got it from, though. He was always asking so many questions, and would look up at her with those innocent, curious, steel blue eyes of his. He had his father's eyes, Ellone recalled.
Squall never asked about his parents. Of course – he didn't understand what parents were. Ellone never told him much about Raine, and nothing about Laguna, in fear it would just confuse the boy. Well, it wasn't as much her fear as it was Edea's. She had warned Ellone to not say too much about Squall's past. He was too young to understand, and when he got old enough to understand, the truth would probably hurt him.
Ellone and Squall were in the garden on the other side of the house, picking flowers. Edea was hanging up some clothes that she had cleaned. Selphie and Irvine were running around her legs in a game of tag. Nearby, Quistis and Zell were sitting. Quistis was helping Zell with building a little tower of rocks, much to Zell's joy. Not having much money, Edea couldn't afford many toys for the children, so they had to play with what was available to them. Maintaining the Garden was very expensive for Cid, even with NORG's investment, and he couldn't give Edea more than what she needed for food and clothes.
Irvine and Selphie were a strange little couple. Selphie was always so full of life, almost always happy – no matter what the situation was. Hyperactive, people would say, but Edea avoided using that word – Although she did have more trouble putting Selphie to bed at night than with any of the other kids. Irvine was a rather average child. Playful and wild, and while not as much as Selphie, he enjoyed her company. Sometimes, he had an almost sly sparkle in his eyes, and he used to impress Selphie with little gifts such as a pretty blossom or a nice sea shell. Edea found herself chuckling every time he did that.
Quistis was more of a loner. Being the oldest except Ellone, she used to spend time by herself, just walking along the beach and gathering shells and rocks. Sometimes, she would get sad and thoughtful, and if she got angry, she was very difficult to deal with. Instead of opening up to Edea, she sought the friendship of the other children, and they soon accepted her as a leader type. She gained their respect, and abused it in her own ways by bossing them around and always deciding what game they were going to play.
Zell was the whiny type, but good at heart. He would start crying over nothing, and was often picked on by Seifer. But as Zell grew older, he would more and more often defend himself by getting angry. Edea didn't like this particular development, but there didn't seem to be much she could do. Both Zell and Seifer refused to ignore or leave the other alone.
Just as Zell and Quistis' rock tower was finished, Seifer came running up from the beach, a nasty grin on his face. He ran right over to the two of them, nearly knocking over Irvine on his way, and kicked the tower so it was destroyed. Zell's eyes widened, "Oh NO!! My toweeeew!" he started whining. Quistis frowned and stood up, "Whaddya do that for, Seifer?!"
"Hahaha!" Seifer laughed, "Cry-baby-Zell!"
Edea winced as she heard Quistis and Seifer start a heated argument, sometimes interrupted by Zell's protests. Irvine and Selphie just stood by and watched, amused. Seifer was far by the most difficult of them all. He had this air of superiority – or at least, the need to be superior – hanging around him, and never let anyone tell him what to do. Not Quistis, not Ellone, and sometimes not even Edea. Besides, he had grown fond of picking on the others, Zell and Squall in particular. But he didn't always dare to bother Squall, as Ellone usually would protect him.
"Stop this, right now!" Edea demanded, walking over to the children. She placed her hands on her hips and looked sternly at Seifer and Quistis.
"Matwon, Seifew pushed my toweeeew!" Zell complained, pouting.
"Cry-baby-Zell! It was an ugly tower! And it was just some stupid rocks, anyway."
"Shut up, Seifer!" Quistis snapped.
"Get him, Quisty!!" Selphie and Irvine cheered.
"Children…," Edea started, ready to give them a lecture, but suddenly a strange dizziness caused her to stumble in her words. The disagreeing voices of the kids turned into a blur as the world started to spin around her, and suddenly, she fell over on the ground.
"Matron!!" all the children cried. Even Seifer had stopped arguing, and was staring along with the others. But Edea didn't move.
(Where am I?)
(Sorceress Edea… Worthless puppet…)
(Hello? Who are you? What's happening to me??)
(I want Ellone.)
(What…?)
(I want Ellone. She has the one power I need. The power I need to reach my goal.)
(Power? What power? What are you talking about? Who are you?)
(She has an unique ability. You are going to help me get it. Ellone's power will be my possession, and once I control her mind, the world will be mine.)
(You… What are you going to do with Ellone?)
(Bring me to her. The world will be mine. A world beyond your imagination.)
(No!)
(Bring me to her! You will be my puppet! Bring me to her!)
(No! You'll never get Ellone! I don't know what evil you intend to do, but I'm not going to let you use my girl for your devilish purposes. )
(Your mind is too strong… Mine is still too weak. But I will be back, Sorceress Edea, and then you will not be able to resist. I have plans for you… I have plans for the world, for the time, for the universe… You will see what I mean.)
Edea gasped as she woke with a start. The children gathered around her were still staring, some of them were crying. Ellone came running along with Squall and Selphie.
"She's awake!" Quistis yelled to them. Ellone came to a halt next to her Matron and bent down. Squall stayed behind with the others.
"Matron… Are you all right? Talk to me."
"I'm…," Edea tried to find words. What had happened to her? That… person. That force that had entered her mind. A Sorceress? Adel? No, it wasn't Adel… From what she had heard, Adel had been removed from power and Esthar had a new ruler, so it couldn't be Adel. What was she talking about…? World domination? And what did she need Ellone for? The power … the power that Ellone had – Was that why Esthar had kidnapped her?
"Matron?"
"I'm all right, sweetheart," Edea sat up, shaking her head, "I just was a little dizzy, that's all."
She looked around at the frightened faces surrounding her, "Oh, don't look at me like I fell from the moon. I'm all right. Come to me and share a hug, huh?"
Selphie was quick to smile and was the first to approach Edea. Soon after, Ellone, Quistis, Irvine, Zell, Squall and eventually Seifer all came and hugged their Matron. None of them were going to argue any more for a few days, that was for sure.
But Edea was deeply concerned. Whatever had entered her mind, it was powerful, and she had no doubt it would return for Ellone. Ellone had to be protected… And she would have to hurry.
Chapter 12:
Yet another six months later…
"So… I guess this is it," Edea sighed regretfully, staring out at the sea as she stood on the rocks near the lighthouse. The fresh, ocean wind caressed her raven black hair and dress. Cid loved the effect that had on her – His dark angel, so beautiful. But so solemn, and that bothered him.
"Well, the White SeeD ship is located north of this part of the continent, hidden. We'll be there in about an hour. Don't worry, Edea. Both Marion and Peter have turned into dedicated young SeeDs and they'll be able to protect her until you can take over. She'll be safe there. And that's all you wanted, right? That Ellone will be protected?" Cid tilted his head and watched his wife curiously.
"Indeed… I just hope that.. it's enough. This… person keeps entering my mind. She's still too weak, but who knows when she'll be able to… Even I can become a threat to Ellone," Edea swallowed.
"There's something I don't understand… Why doesn't this character just seek out Ellone's mind directly, instead of going through you?"
Edea shook her head sadly, "I believe she is a Sorceress, Cid. Maybe she needs to go through another Sorceress. And I know, the only current Sorceresses are me and Adel. That really worries me more than anything else. Is there a third that we don't know of?" …There could be. Just recently, there had been another Sorceress at Edea's house. Edea still wanted to think it was a dream – That old, weak woman… She wanted to die. Edea couldn't let her children see her, she would just frighten them. So, to avoid her scaring the children, she had agreed to receive the old Sorceress' power, so that she may die. …There was something strange about this new power. Not like the one had been passed on to her when she was 5. Her power as a Sorceress was doubled, but still.. weakened, in a way. It was as if she had less and less control of herself, and the power of the sorcery slowly took over her mind… She couldn't even think about it, much less talk about it. Who had this old woman been? …And the SeeD. The young SeeD that had been there. Squall had asked 'Who is he?' …Edea couldn't remember clearly, but the boy that had been standing before her… how old was he, seventeen, eighteen? … he didn't belong there. She knew who he was. Her head hurt when thinking about it… Something was terribly wrong.
Cid was silent, looking grim. He wanted to protect his wife, his Sorceress, but what could he do against a force that was inside herself? Nothing. Truly, Edea was far more powerful than himself, and if she couldn't resist it, how could he?
"What does she want with Ellone's ability…," Edea mused.
"The power to travel back in time, was that it?" her husband asked.
"Yes.. well, almost. As I said, according to the letter I received from Esthar's President, the scientists there have figured out Ellone is able to send one's mind back into the past… There is this scientist there… Doctor Odine, an expert when it comes to all sorts of strange powers, including the power of Sorceresses. He is looking for Ellone, wanting to do more research on her ability, so we have to keep her away from him. Also, whatever this unknown Sorceress wants, I need to protect Ellone against her too. She is planning no good. Perhaps, by letting her explore my mind further, I can figure out what she is going to do…"
"Edea, that is a great risk to take," Cid frowned.
Not replying, Edea just leaned her head against her husband's shoulder and looked out at the ocean again. Esthar had confirmed that Adel's powers were safely sealed out in space, and they had a new President that ensured new peace in the country. It wasn't Adel. That thought kept repeating itself. So who was it?
(President Laguna Loire… You were looking for Ellone… Why don't you protect her yourself?)
(Of course, Doctor Odine is there… And the President doesn't know someone else wants her…)
(It's all up to us now…)
"No one must know where she is, Cid… No one." Edea whispered.
"I have a surprise for you," Ellone smiled secretively as she held her hands behind her back. She and Squall were standing out in the flower field by Edea's house. It was Ellone's favorite place, which automatically caused it to be Squall's favorite place, too.
Wide eyed and curious, Squall looked expectantly up at the five years older girl, "Really? What is it, Sis?"
"Choose a hand."
The boy watched her thoughtfully for a while, looking from one arm to the other, "You're just gonna move it to the other hand when I choose," he said, frowning a bit.
Ellone faked a hurt expression, "No, I'm not. Don't you trust me?"
Of course he trusted her. Asking Squall if he trusted Sis was as pointless as asking whether the sky was blue or the grass was green. More than anyone else, he trusted Ellone. She was always there for him. Never would she tease him or argue with him like the other children his age did, never was she too busy to spend time with him like Matron often was. Whenever he needed her to be there, to play with him, comfort him, tell him stories, answer his questions, Sis would be there for him. And truly, she was the only stabile thing he had in his young life, the only one he had to hold on to. He wasn't as independent as Seifer, he wasn't the leader type like Quistis, he didn't have Zell's ability to draw attention, Selphie's spunky nature, or Irvine's charm. You could say he was the only one in the orphanage that really didn't do too well as an orphan. The others had their own ways of protecting themselves against the longing to have true parents – Squall had Ellone.
"I trust you," he eventually said and smiled his innocent smile, pointing at Ellone's left hand. She showed it to him, and it was empty, "Aw, I knew it!" the boy pouted.
Ellone giggled and quickly showed him her right hand. In it was a silvery ring, and the head of a lion was carved into it. Squall's eyes, if possible, went even wider, "It's Griever!" he cheered and took the ring out of Ellone's hand.
She nodded, "I thought… since you're so fond of that necklace, you should have something to match it. So I asked Cid to have someone make this ring for you. It's still way too big, but that's because I wanted it to fit when you're all grown up. Then you'll always have something to remember me by."
Squall didn't catch the hint. He was so excited he couldn't see the sad features in Ellone's face, "It's great!"
Ellone bent down, and felt Squall's short arms around her neck in a tight hug, "I love you, Sis," he said. She sighed and closed her eyes, returning the hug. She was going to miss him, "I love you too, Squall."
Things were going well for the Galbadians. After Esthar had withdrawn all the soldiers from Galbadia and Adel was no longer a threat, President Deling had ordered the army to concentrate on their true goal: To rule the entire Galbadian continent. New soldiers had been trained and they had finally managed to gain full control over Timber. Now the only independent states left in Galbadia were Dollet, and that new place that was still being built - Galbadia Garden. Martine, a young man full of visions and dreams – and money – had followed Cid Kramer's example and was creating a Garden – a place to train special combat mercenaries. Rumors said a similar project was going on in Trabia, and both Gardens had strong bonds with Balamb Garden. Still, Galbadia Garden was a little corrupt. Martine had problems funding it, and had been supported by President Deling. In return, Deling asked for the Garden's support in war should they ever need it. As in, if Galbadia ever needed to hire SeeDs, they would be granted the best ones, regardless of whether others had requested SeeDs before them or not.
Tonight was a party at the President's building to celebrate their (assumed) victory over Timber. Naturally, General Caraway and his wife were going.
"Julia, are you coming? The car is waiting!" Caraway shouted from the doorway.
"I'm coming, Phillip! Just let me say good night to Rinoa, will you?" Julia was wearing a long, dark blue dress. Her black hair was neatly set up on her head and she had put on the expensive diamond earrings that her husband had bought her. She was a wonderful sight.
"Mama, sing for me…," Their little daughter stood in the door to her bedroom, in her pyjamas. She looked up at her mother with pleading, brown eyes.
"Can't the nanny put her to bed?" Caraway was impatient, "That's what we pay her for, after all."
"Phillip… Just a moment, okay?" Julia smiled at her husband, "Please?"
He sighed, "Oh, all right. I'll tell the driver to wait. Good night, honey," he smiled half-heartedly at his daughter, then walked outside.
Julia took Rinoa's hand and followed her into the bedroom, then helped tucking her into bed, "There, sweetheart… I'll sing you a song, and then you'll be a good girl and go to sleep, okay?"
Rinoa nodded.
"What do you want me to sing?"
"Eyes on Me."
Julia smiled, "You always ask me to sing that. Don't you want to hear something else for once?"
The girl shook her head, "No, it's my favorite."
"Okay, okay," Julia giggled and sat down on the bed, then cleared her voice, "Let's see… ahem…"
"Whenever sang my songs, on this stage, on my own… Whenever said my words, wishing they would be heard… I saw you smiling at me, was it real or just my fantasy… You'd always be there in the corner, of this tiny little bar…"
Rinoa smiled widely, and her childish voice mixed with the beautiful tone of her mother's. She had memorized the text.
"My last night here for you, same old songs, just once more… My last night here with you? Maybe yes, maybe no… I kind of liked it your way, how you shyly placed your eyes on me… Oh, did you ever know, that I had mine on you…"
………
By the end of the song, Julia's voice had lowered to a whisper. Rinoa's eyes were closed and she was already sound asleep, "…If frown is shown then, I will know that you are no dreamer…"
Julia sighed softly and kissed her daughter's forehead, "Good night, my angel," she switched the lights off, then walked out of the room and left the house to join her husband in the car.
She did not know that this particular trip car trip would prove to be fatal…
Chapter 13:
The sun was high on the sky, but nearby, dark clouds were threatening. It was nearing midday, and all the children at the orphanage – now reduced from seven to six – were by the backside of the house. Well, almost all of them. Irvine and Selphie were down by the beach, curiously watching as the men from Balamb delivered food to Edea. Ever so slowly, they moved closer to the small ship…
Quistis, Zell and even Seifer, much to the others' surprise, were playing with a red ball that had been given to them along with the last supply of food. Squall, however, didn't want to join the game. He never did. Instead, he was sitting in a shadowed corner, leaning against the cold stone wall of the house and watching the tip of his shoes.
Ever since Ellone left, he had been like that. If he ever was anti-social before, it had gotten 10 times worse after 'Sis' went with the White SeeD ship. Edea had tried hard to comfort him and explain that Ellone had to leave, that it had nothing to do with him. But it didn't matter. In his eyes, she left him because she didn't like him anymore. Was it because he hadn't trusted her when she gave him that ring? But he did trust her, he told her that. He just couldn't figure out what he had done wrong…
"Hey, Squall. C'mon!" Zell said, "Come and play wif' us. Bet'cha can outrun Seifer any time," despite what the other kids might have thought of him, Zell was good at heart. He always tried to encourage Squall to play with them, but he was always turned down. Squall just didn't reply.
Seifer scowled at Zell, "Shut up!"
"Oh, no, not again," Quistis groaned, "Can't we just play and… be friends, for once?"
Zell looked over at Seifer and frowned, "Well, Squall always ran faster than ya before, bet he's better at playin' ball too. Just 'cause you're bigger doesn't mean you're better at everythin'."
Squall remained silent.
For a moment, Seifer looked like he was ready to jump at Zell's throat, but he changed his mind. Instead, he stepped over to Squall and kicked his leg, "You think you're better than me, huh?"
Caught by surprise, Squall looked up at the older boy quickly, "Ouch!" he winced and rubbed his leg, "I haven't said anything…"
"C'mon! Cry-baby-Zell says you're so tough! Prove it!"
"Seifer, stop it…," Quistis walked towards them. Seifer whirled around and shoved her so she fell backwards, "Don't tell me what to do!"
Then, Squall suddenly got to his feet, "Leave her alone."
"What? Are you her knight or somethin'?" Seifer turned his gaze back to the dark haired boy, "C'mon. Show me what ya got!"
Squall took in a breath. What would Sis have wanted him to do? She'd want him to stand up for himself, right? She wasn't there to help him now… He had to take care of himself. Still, he didn't say anything. He just stood there, staring at Seifer without blinking.
Seifer stepped forward and pushed Squall in the chest. But he hadn't expected Squall to regain his balance so soon, much less had he expected a sound blow to his face. Zell and Quistis stood watching with wide eyes as the two boys started fighting, and they weren't exactly gentle with each other, either.
Even if Seifer was almost a year older, Squall was strong for his age and was indeed a match. No one was sure what the outcome of the fight would be, but they never got the chance to find out. Edea suddenly came running up from the beach and straight over to the fighting boys. She grabbed them by their arms and quickly separated them, then proceeded to shake them both. It was rare to see her this angry, but she did not tolerate fighting. Seifer had a blue eye. Squall's nose was bleeding.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she looked between them, still holding them. Squall was staring at the ground, and Seifer was just looking displeased. He sent a glare in Squall's direction.
"Who started this?"
No reply. But Zell was quick to point at Seifer, "He did!"
Edea turned to Seifer, "Is that true?" Seifer's attention, however, was set on his young rival, and his pouting was replaced by a grin, "Look! Squall's crying!" he triumphed.
All eyes turned to Squall, and the boy squirmed out of Edea's grasp and ran past them, straight through the house. They heard the door slam shut on the other side.
Zell and Quistis didn't say a word. Edea sighed and shook her head, then started to drag Seifer with her into the house, "You come with me, young man."
"Hey, he hit me first!" Seifer protested.
"Ooooh, he's gonna get it good," Zell grinned to himself. Quistis slapped his shoulder, "Be quiet, Zell."
Just as Edea and Seifer disappeared, Irvine and Selphie came up the path. Irvine was carrying a box with him, "Look what we found at the boat!" he said.
"Woo-hoo! We're gonna set up fireworks!" Selphie danced about along with him. Quistis walked over and she opened the box as Irvine proudly showed it to them, "Oh, cool! Where'd ya find 'em, Irvy?"
"It was Sefie who found 'em," Irvine explained, "When Matron went up here, we snuck into the ship, and Sefie found 'em in a corner. Guess they were goin' somewhere else, but… now they're ours!"
"It's bad to steal!" Zell said.
"Oh, phooey, Zell! Don't ruin the fun!" Selphie snorted, "We'll do it tonight when the stars come out! It's gonna be pretty!"
A flash of light interrupted their excitement, along with the deep roll of thunder. The next they knew, the clouds cracked open and it was raining.
"Awww, darn!" Irvine pouted.
Quistis sighed, "Guess we have to wait 'till tomorrow… Where we gonna hide it?"
"I know of a place!" Selphie quickly closed the box and picked it up, then started to run down the path, "There's a cave by the beach. Follow me!"
Irvine immediately ran after her, with Quistis close behind. Somewhat reluctantly, Zell eventually followed, too.
By the front of the house, a young boy was standing in the rain, uncaring of the fact he would soon be soaked to the skin. The rain was a blessing to him – Because of it, no one could see the tears running down his cheeks. Not that there were anyone else out there, anyway. It was no use crying. Crying wouldn't change anything, crying wouldn't make Sis come back, or make Seifer stop bothering him.
Squall just didn't get it. Why did Seifer have so much against him? Truly, he had never done anything to anger him. Every time they were arguing, or fighting like today, it was Seifer who started it. And his attacks just got worse every time. Ever since Sis left.
There was an empty hole in his heart where Ellone once had been. This pain that wouldn't go away, no matter how hard he tried. It didn't matter that the other kids could be nice to him at times. It just wasn't the same. He didn't want their friendship, he didn't want to get close to them. Even Edea had warned them that at any time, someone might come along and want to adopt them, as most of the wars in Galbadia had come to an end. There was a good chance that if he even tried to come close to anyone again, they'd just be taken away from him. Squall promised himself he would never trust anyone again, never let them see how weak he was, never let them get to know him. He could take care of himself.
Taking in a breath, he looked up at the rainy sky, "Sis… I'm… all alone…," he whispered. Slowly, he glanced down at his hand. He was holding the ring she had given to him, "But I'm doing my best…"
"I'll be okay without you, Sis… I'll be able to take care of myself."
Chapter 14:
"Have you made a decision yet?" Edea closed the door to the house as she stepped outside, looking at the married couple before her. They were a man and a woman in their mid thirties, obviously a middle class family. For the last five years they had tried to have a baby, without success. Which was why they were here today.
"Well, we really wanted a girl…," the woman began.
"…but little Irvine seems to be a fine boy," her husband finished.
Edea sent them a look that was a little more sharp than what she had intended, "They're all fine boys, Mr. Kinneas. They've all been through a lot, including Irvine, they just have different ways of dealing with it."
Inside, Irvine was standing by the door, eavesdropping. Squall was sitting on one of the beds, staring at the floor. The idle thumping of Seifer kicking an old, red ball into the wall repeatedly, along with the chatting adults outside, were the only sounds heard.
Finally, Irvine turned and bounced out on the middle of the floor, "Yay! You hear that?! They're gonna adopt me! I'm gonna see the world!"
Squall sent him a sidelong glance.
(Good for you.)
Seifer turned to look at Irvine, then shrugged, "Well, didn't ya hear them? They wanted a girl, so when they couldn't have that, they took the closest thing," he grinned.
Irvine just smirked. He had long since learned to not let Seifer provoke him, "You're just jealous. Still stuck here at the orphanage, Seifer? Gee, I wonder why nobody wants you."
The door opened, and Edea peeked inside, "Irvine, could you come out here?"
"Coming, Matron!" the red haired boy took a quick glance at the two other boys, then followed Edea outside. It was not like he was going to miss them. Seifer didn't do anything but throw nasty comments and show off, and Squall hardly said two words to him. Or to anyone at all, in fact.
"There you are," they heard Mrs. Kinneas say as Irvine was out of sight. Squall could imagine Irvine smiling and charming that poor woman to death. Nine years old and females already liked him. It was pathetic.
"So, you said you live in Deling city?" Edea asked. Low murmurs could be heard as they were talking, but Squall could only make out a few of their words.
(I've never even been away from this house.)
"You be good to my boy now. I love all these children as if they were my own, so I want to make sure they'll be taken good care of." Yeah, that was Matron, all right.
(Do you really care that much about us? Not that I've ever cared to find out. You say you love us, but still you'd rather see us adopted and taken away from you. So, what are you gonna do with us two? Wait 'till someone comes along and adopts us too? You think that'll happen? Don't count on it.)
(Not that I care, anyway.)
(That's a lie.)
Seifer shook his head and picked up the ball, then threw it down at the floor, hard, "See, they don't want bastards like us, Squall. They want kids who'll do as they tell 'em. I dunno about you, but I ain't ever gonna let anyone tell me what to do. Nobody wants wild kids – But when I get older, I'll show 'em all."
Silence.
"And you're just way too wimpy. Even if anyone adopted you and took you on the trip of your life, you'd just sit around in a corner and stare at the ground, holding onto that stupid ring of yours. Ain't that right?"
"…Whatever."
"Now, be a good boy, Irvine," Edea bent down and gave him a warm hug, closing her eyes tightly. No tears, not now. Mr. and Mrs. Kinneas were watching, smiling, "I will, Matron, I promise. And when I get big, I'm gonna come visit ya!" Irvine replied.
Edea smiled despite herself and kissed the boy's forehead, then stood up, "Go, now. Go with your new parents."
She watched as Mrs. Kinneas took Irvine's hand. She watched as they walked away from her house, out of her garden, towards the ship to sail away from Centra, out of her life.
Edea sighed. It was never easy to see them go, but it was for the best. They deserved parents and a new future elsewhere. …Quistis had been taken a couple of years ago. She had been adopted by a Mr. and Mrs. Trepe in a small village outside Dollet. Zell was the next to go, adopted by the Dinchts in Balamb. Selphie hadn't got any adoptive parents, but the Headmaster of Trabia Garden had been on search for children to become students there. Even if she was a little young, Selphie's spunky nature had caught his attention, and he had decided to take her with him to Trabia. Selphie, of course, had happily agreed. Now, Irvine was gone. Only two were left.
Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy. Nine and ten years old, both very difficult to deal with in their own separate ways. Edea had hoped a goodhearted soul would want any of them, but no. It wasn't meant to be. She knew she could wait no longer. The older SeeDs at the White SeeD ship had been ordered elsewhere, and Ellone, who was still only 14, had problems taking care of the younger children that were there. They needed an adult.
For a moment, Edea just stood there and looked out at the endless sea of flowers to the west of her house. Then she turned and walked up the stairs to join the boys inside, "Children… I have a suggestion. You remember when I told you about this place called 'Balamb Garden'…?"
Chapter 15:
It was early afternoon in Deling city, and people were walking up and down the streets busily like they always did. Rinoa was sitting on an empty garbage bin outside the hotel, watching the life of the city buzz by. They were always so busy, they always had something to do… all of them. And she was just there. No one even seemed to see her. Not even her own father.
Ever since her mother died five years ago, things had cooled down considerably between Rinoa and General Caraway. He hadn't shown much emotion when Julia had passed away in the car accident, but simply buried himself in his work of leading the Galbadian army, even more than he did before. It was his way of forgetting. Rinoa was lonely and had no one to share her thoughts with.
She used to cry herself to sleep at night, when no one could hear her or see her. Deep inside, she longed for her father to come to her room and comfort her, but it never happened. Now she was 10 years old and had learned to deal with his way loving her: At a distance. Still, she wasn't a girl meant for solitary life, and she needed friends so badly it hurt.
She was so lonely.
As she sat there, she noticed two boys walk out from the hotel. They seemed to be about her age, and both had dirty and ragged clothes. Their expressions were miserable. Strange, Rinoa thought. Most of the children in Deling were snobby and had that 'I am holier than thou' attitude, because their parents were rich. Her father was one of the mightiest men in Galbadia, yet she had never been proud of it. She preferred walking or taking the bus instead of being escorted by Caraway's expensive cars. She wanted to wear simple and comfortable clothes instead of pretty dresses. In general, she didn't want to believe that anyone was better than someone else just because their parents had a lot of money. She didn't feel any different from anyone else.
Unfortunately, no one seemed to agree with her on that.
Curiously, she leapt down from the garbage bin and made her way over to the boys, "Hi! Isn't it a great day?" she said in a cheerful tone, trying to start a conversation.
They gave her a not-so-friendly look in return, "What's so great about it?" the thin one with black hair asked. The other boy had light brown hair and was not quite as tall as the one who had spoken. He remained silent, and just watched Rinoa in wonder.
Rinoa was a bit embarrassed. Obviously, they were not in a good mood, and she considered just walking away. But she felt forced to ask another question, "Uh.. I haven't seen you guys around here before. Where are you from?"
"Timber," the one who had spoken first said quietly, "We came here with our moms… They're still inside the hotel. We had to run away," his expression darkened.
"Why?" Rinoa was oblivious.
"Don't you know? There's a war there. The Galbadians are trying to take over our city and they're ruining everything! We just want to be independent, but they keep saying we'll be better off if we surrender to them. They've burnt down the entire forest outside our town…," the boy swallowed, "My dad… and his dad…," he motioned to the other boy, "…they used to be in a resistance group, but..," suddenly, he looked very pained and bent down, groaning in agony, "Oww, my stomach!"
Confused, Rinoa kneeled next to him, "Oh! Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"I'll be… okay.. Just talk to Watts. Talk to Watts, okay? Owwww…"
The other boy who had been quiet until now cleared his voice as Rinoa looked up at him, "Ahem, I'm Watts, miss. What Zone is trying to say is that our fathers were in a resistance group… But the Galbadians found our headquarters and killed them…," he looked at the ground sadly, "We had to escape. Timber is a total mess… We always knew they could find us at any time, but…"
Rinoa put a hand to her mouth as she stood back up, "Oh, how awful!" …she had heard about the war in Timber, but she had never known it was this bad. Her father had always told her it was for their own good – That they would be blessed with new technology and a new way of life. So this was what it was really like? They weren't blessed – They were forced to live a life they didn't want. People were killed and children had to run away. In the mind of a ten-year-old, that seemed so awfully wrong and pointless. Her father had lied to her. Rinoa didn't even notice that she was voicing her thoughts.
"…He lied to me."
"What?" Zone and Watts asked in unison. Zone was still holding his stomach, but it seemed like he was calming down.
"My father," Rinoa replied, "He lied to me. He never told me this is what it's really like… And he should know. He's a general."
"Wait a minute… a general?" Zone asked, "THE general?"
"General Caraway, ma'am?" Watts asked.
"Yeah," Rinoa looked surprised, "Do you know him?"
"Know him??" Zone was at his feet rather quickly, "KNOW him?! He's the one who's responsible for all of this! He's the one who's ordered all the soldiers into our town! He and President Deling. My dad told me!" he shouted.
Watts nodded, "That's right. Sorry, miss, but we can't talk with you. You're a Caraway."
Rinoa was shocked, to say the least. It took her a short while to even regain her voice, but when she did, she didn't sound happy, "That's not MY fault! I didn't choose my parents! I didn't even know this was happening!"
People had started to turn and look at the kids with the loud voices. Some snorted in disgust, others stared. Rinoa noticed them and felt herself start to blush. She was both angry and disappointed, although more with her father than anyone else.
Her voice lowered, "I can't believe that my fa- … that man… would do a thing like that…," she shook her head and looked down at the ground. The father she knew, the one that was cold, but still loving and protecting in his own way, was dead to her now. He had helped causing the death of many people, leaving their children without parents, husbands without wives and wives without husbands. He had helped ruining the life of a whole city. For almost 11 years now.
"Hey, miss…," Watts put a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay. Don't cry."
Rinoa didn't realize that her eyes were wet before the boy before her said it. She blinked and wiped her tears away, "I'm fine."
"If you're so sad about it, why don't you help us?" Zone asked, "Me and Watts are going back to Timber once we get enough money, to continue where our dads had to stop… We still need to plan everything. It might take a while, even years, but we'll manage," he said, determined, "Timber will be free again."
"That's right, miss," Watts added.
(What can I do… What can we do? We're all just kids… ) Rinoa took in a breath. Deling City had nothing to offer her, and right now, she didn't even want to look at her father. Maybe she could start training… She could learn combat. And magic. She had always been told she was a smart girl – she could help these boys plan and fight. Everything to liberate this town. Anything to correct the mistake her father had done.
And being only 10 years old, completely irrational, naive and lusting for adventure, Rinoa believed, in that moment, that she could do it. She already liked these boys: They were so brave, and they believed in themselves, because they had each other to trust. That's what Rinoa wanted. To be free. Independent. To have friends.
"I'll do it. I'll help."
"Yay! That's great!" Zone cheered, but he then he paused, hesitating, "You'd better not be a spy for you father."
Rinoa sent him a cold glance, "That man is not my father. Not anymore. We're going to help free Timber, us three."
"Yeah, we might be a little young now…," Watts said, "But in a few years, we'll be older and can take care of ourselves. We can do it, miss, I'm sure," he smiled.
"I'll join you if you please stop calling me 'miss'."
"What do you want us to call you then? Princess?" Watts tilted his head.
"My name is Rinoa," the girl winked, "But 'princess' will work, too."