Chapter 16:
Quistis narrowed her eyes and squinted, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not see what the instructor wrote on the blackboard.
"And this is the homework for tomorrow…," she heard Instructor Williams say. Frowning, Quistis finally gave up and searched through her bag for a moment, then pulled out her brand new glasses and put them on. The other kids gave her a few weird looks, "Didn't know you had glasses…," one of them whispered.
Quistis shrugged and proceeded to write down the homework. Read page 54-65 and write a 300 words essay on the political problems of Galbadia. What a fun way to spend your day. The bell rang and class was over, and sighing, Quistis gathered her books and stepped out of the classroom.
Things hadn't gone too well in her new home. She had been adopted at the age of 8, but was already too independent and marked by her years in an orphanage. She wasn't willing to adapt to having a family, and she didn't feel comfortable with her new parents, Mr. and Mrs. Trepe. Thus she was often very difficult for them to deal with, often depressed, and often she missed her friends who she had grown up with in Edea's house. Quistis could get frustrated by the mere fact that her adoptive mother had helped her clean her room while she was at school – that was HER job. She felt as if they wouldn't understand she could take care of herself, when in reality they were just trying to give her a normal home.
When she was 10, she had been sent to Balamb Garden, partly out of her own wish, partly out of her parents' wish. They couldn't deal with her anymore. Quistis felt she was better off in a military school like this anyway. It hadn't been as easy as she thought it would be, though. Since she was one of the youngest in the Garden, she had a hard time getting friends, and friends was an important part of Quistis' world. There was no one who really cared, no one who looked after you. At the age of 10, Quistis was completely on her own, more than she had ever been before. She kept her frustration inside and was still often depressed, but buried her sorrows in schoolwork and always tried her best. If she became the best, then people would respect her. Now, she was almost 11, and in a couple of years, she could start training combat. She would work so hard she would become the best SeeD anyone had ever seen. She had made up her mind on that.
As she headed through the Garden on her way to her dorm, Quistis happened to pass by a couple of young boys who were arguing rather fiercely. Curious, she stopped and observed them.
She had seen them before, but only at a distance. They were new in the Garden, but still, she felt an odd sense of recognition. One of the boys were blonde, and the other, slightly younger one had dark brown hair that really needed to be cut. Both were strongly built for their age, she thought. It was one of the things she had learned to notice here in Garden. Who were fit for survival, and who weren't.
Quistis couldn't quite grasp exactly what they were arguing about, but it seemed to be something stupid. The blonde boy was constantly insulting the brown haired one, and instead of ignoring him, the younger boy kept defending himself and snapping back. The arguing was rapidly getting more heated, and the blonde kid started pushing the other. Quistis decided she should interfere before they started fighting and got the Garden Faculty on their backs.
"Hey, you two, stop that!" she said in the best stern voice a 11-year-old could manage. The two boys did stop and looked at her, the blonde one in annoyance, the dark haired one had a blank expression, but she could tell he was on the verge of tears. Those hurt eyes… She had seen them before.
"What do you care?" the older of the two boys growled and let go of the other one's shirt.
"You're not allowed to fight. If you're going to fight, you'll have to wait a few years and then do it in the training area," Quistis lectured, only receiving the same blank look as before, and a roll of the eyes in return.
"Fine. Squally boy was starting to bore me, anyway," the blonde boy snorted and turned to walk away. The younger boy glared after him.
"Are you okay?" Quistis asked, still trying to figure out why she had this strange feeling of knowing them both. Squally boy… Wait a minute… Squall? Did that mean… She looked in the direction that the blonde boy had went off to.
"…I'm fine," Squall muttered and tried to straight out his crumpled shirt.
"Squall?" Quistis looked back at him, "Is that really you?" He looked at her, even more blankly than before.
"Don't you remember? It's me, Quistis! From the orphanage? Was that Seifer? He always used to pick on you!" Suddenly she smiled, "Wow, I had no idea you guys were here! How'd you get here?"
Squall didn't seem to be interested, but he offered a nod, "Yeah, I remember… Didn't recognize you with the… glasses," he shrugged, "Matron sent us here. She said she knew the headmaster."
Quistis continued to smile, "Well, that's great." Finally someone her age, someone she knew. She remembered Squall. How cute he used to be, and how quiet and sad he had been after Sis had disappeared. He really needed someone to look after him, Quistis thought. Someone to protect him from Seifer… Seifer was always so mean. She had never liked him.
"Want to go to the cafeteria with me? If we hurry, there might be some hot dogs left."
The boy shook his head quickly, "No… I have better things to do," that came out more unfriendly than he had intended it to, but he didn't care about the hurt expression Quistis gave him in return. Did he? Nah.
He made an apologetic gesture with his hand and turned to leave.
Quistis looked after him, unsure of how to react, "Okay… bye then," …So much for trying to be nice. But she wouldn't give up that quickly. Squall needed a friend… A big sister, perhaps.
She just wanted to help him.
Chapter 17:
Three more years went by, and the three children from the orphanage continued their training. Boring lessons about the basics of world politics and military were gradually replaced with lectures in self-defense and fighting. Quistis was doing incredibly well. 14 years old, and she was already one of the best students Balamb Garden had ever had, far more skilled than most of the students older than her. At the age of 12, she had been allowed to choose a weapon to specialize in, and she had chosen the whip. Ridiculous weapon, some would say, but they soon changed their mind when they saw the grace and perfection she handled it with. Several monsters in the Training Center met their fate at the powerful blow of Quistis' chain whip.
Squall, too, had been allowed to start training with weapons a little early. He seemed to fit in so perfectly at a military school. Everything was rules and orders. No one ever asked your opinion, they didn't want you to talk, only to listen and do as you're told. That way, he could easily avoid getting to know anyone, or even more important, letting anyone get to know him. The gunblade he had decided on seemed a little too difficult for him at first, but Squall wasn't one to give up on a challenge. Especially when he saw that Seifer had picked the same weapon. He hadn't been training for long when his instructors saw great development in his way of fighting with the gunblade. Headmaster Cid was pleased. They needed a gunblade expert at Balamb Garden.
The only one who didn't seem to fit in was Seifer. While he was just as good with the gunblade as Squall, and had almost equally good grades, all the rules of what you could and couldn't do bothered him. Whenever he was training, there were orders he had to follow. Watch out for the t-rexaur. Kill that grat, don't bother with the bigger ones. Or simply the orders everywhere else in the Garden. No running in the library. No walking about after curfew. No breakfast after 9 AM. It wasn't so much that it was hard to follow. It was just the mere annoyance of having to be told what to do. Still, Seifer had nowhere else to go, and anyway, he found the training strangely intoxicating and exciting. Fighting was a whole new way of seeking power for him. When he was killing monsters, it gave him this feeling of ruling the world. In that moment, he could do anything. Everything. Imagine if he just kept it up… he could become the favorite student of Garden. Seifer, the gunblade expert. They would all look up to him. He would be the center of attention, the leader of important missions…
…if it wasn't for Squall. Squall and his incredibly annoying perfection. Squall, Seifer's rival. It had been like that from the day they could walk and talk. Squall was almost one year younger, yet he had caught up with Seifer's strength and intelligence quickly. He could outrun him when they were playing, and he always got the most attention from Ellone. Sis. This didn't seem to bother the other kids, but it bothered Seifer. What was so special about Squall that made him deserve her more than them? And when Ellone had left, Squall had more or less retreated into his own world and didn't talk with anyone – And STILL the others would rather side with Squall than with Seifer when there was a fight.
Now, Squall was rivaling him in becoming a good student. A great student. A great SeeD. Squall didn't even acknowledge that he was trying to challenge Seifer, but Seifer knew he was. Squall had long since stopped crying when the older boy taunted him, and like before, he always took up the challenge. The problem was that, as often as not, Squall would win. He was becoming stronger, better, and Seifer disliked the way Squall was standing in his way.
He didn't hate Squall. He never had. In fact, he admired Squall's skills and didn't deny them. But the rivaling kept them apart and held up the wall that had always been between them - the only thing that kept them from being friends? Brothers? Seifer didn't even want to think that thought.
This morning, they had been practicing with their gunblades. Seifer had been leading and was sure to win, when Squall had made an unexpected move and knocked the gunblade right out of Seifer's hand. The humiliation was still burning in Seifer's chest. That look on Squall's face… He hadn't been laughing, he hadn't been smiling, he hadn't looked triumphant at all. He had just stood there, leaning on the gunblade and watching Seifer with a blank expression. As if he took his victory as granted. That expressionless face had annoyed Seifer more than anything, and he had abruptly picked up his gunblade and left.
An hour later, he was sitting on one of the benches in the main hall of Garden, pouting and angrily tapping his gunblade against the floor. A glare from a Garden Faculty made him stop.
(One day… You'll all look up to me…)
Two strange figures, who were apparently approaching him, caught Seifer's attention. He had seen them before; they were new in Garden, and everyone had been giving them weird glances, with good reason. One was a male, around Seifer's age, big and muscular, dark haired and had tanned skin. The other was a pale female who was always dressed in blue. She appeared to be the same age as Seifer too, possibly one year older. Still, her short hair, which covered half of her face, was an unnatural silvery gray, and her left eye was covered by a black eye patch. They were, without doubt, the weirdest couple in Garden. If they could even be called a couple. The female kept bossing around the male and kicking his legs if she didn't like his actions.
(Great… Morons heading my way...)
"Fujin, he really looks down, ya know?" the boy said as he observed Seifer.
"DEPRESSED," The silver haired female stated, crossing her arms as she came to a halt next to her companion. Her one eye stared in a way that made Seifer nervous.
"Leave me alone, you freaks," The blonde boy muttered, clenching his fist in annoyance.
"UPSET," the girl added. The boy beside her nodded.
"Fujin's right, ya know? Ya look like ya sold your mother and didn't get paid, ya know?" he moved closer, but stopped as Seifer shot him a warning glare.
"What do you care?"
Fujin shrugged, "You look like you need a friend," her words were spoken with difficulty. Her companion gave her a surprised look. Fujin rarely spoke in the way that would be considered 'normal'. She must have liked this spiteful boy, and he was never one to question her decisions. She did not like that.
Seifer watched her for a moment, then he sighed and leaned back against the bench, "Just pondering how to beat that smugness – which I know is there – out of a… person… I know," he said, more to himself than anyone, "You're new here, huh? I'm Seifer Almasy."
"My name's Raijin. Just Raijin, ya know? And she's Fujin," he dark boy shrugged as Seifer gave him a weird look, "It's just what we're called, ya know?"
"SEIFER," Fujin smiled, tasting the word. Seifer felt a strong need to ask them both a whole lot of questions. Yet, he figured the questions could wait.
Somehow, he had a feeling this was just the beginning. Of what? He wasn't sure.
"Pleased to meet you," he offered, in the most polite tone Seifer Almasy could possibly produce – and it couldn't be helped that his greeting sounded half-hearted. Seifer was never a polite person.
Chapter 18:
(It's quiet…)
Squall was lying on his bed in the dorm room. It was the middle of the night, or rather, very early in the morning: 4 AM. Outside, birds had started chirping and the weak light that intruded the dark room implied that dawn was approaching. His roommate hadn't returned yet.
Bobby, Squall's roommate, was 4 years older than himself, and also Squall's complete opposite. He was rude, outgoing, and maybe a little dense. Usually, he snuck out in the night after curfew and didn't return before the sun had rose, exhausted. Squall didn't even bother to wonder where Bobby was in the night. It didn't matter. The two of them never spoke to each other, never crossed each others' paths. They merely nodded in greeting if they happened to bump into the other on the way in or out of the room.
It didn't matter to Squall. As long as Bobby left him alone, he was satisfied.
The wall that Squall had been struggling to build around himself, was finally complete. 13 years old, and he had already earned the title of a lone wolf. Friendless, anti-social, never smiling, never talking unless he had to. He was unable to see how wrong it was, how much he lost – How could he? Every single person he had ever cared for was gone. Sis had been taken away when he was only 5, and that's when he started building the wall. Wrapping himself in a shell that no one could seem to break. None of his childhood friends, and not even Matron. They had left him too. They probably didn't know it, but he missed them. He missed Matron, he missed Zell, Selphie and Quistis. One by one they had been removed from his life. When he found Quistis again, it was already too late. She had, without having any guilt in it at all, hurt him like everybody else, and he hadn't wanted to get close to her again. The only one that had been with him all the time was Seifer. And Seifer could hardly be considered a friend.
Squall didn't hate Seifer. He had no reason to – he knew that his constant attacks came out of jealousy, not out of hatred. In the beginning, he had stood up to Seifer because he thought it would bring Sis back. As a child, he had been convinced that Sis left him because she didn't like him anymore. No one had ever even attempted to give him a proper explanation of why she left. If he made the right decisions, if he showed her he wasn't weak, that Seifer couldn't control him, then maybe, maybe Ellone would come back.
Eventually, he came to realize the truth. Sis wouldn't ever come back. She was gone for good. Squall never, ever wanted to experience that pain again. The pain of losing the one you loved the most.
He sat up in his bed and studied his hand. The Griever ring Ellone had given him was still a little big, but no longer too big for him to wear. Pulling off the ring, he took it in his palm and wrapped his fingers around it, closing his eyes.
It had been so humiliating. That day when Seifer had started picking on him, and had said something degrading about Sis. The memory was stuck in Squall's mind. Everybody had been there, Quistis, his classmates, even some of the older students. It was almost 3 years ago now. Seifer's harsh words always hurt his emotions, but when he mentioned Sis, it was too much. They had all seen Squall's tears, all heard his words as he said aloud to himself, "I've got to stand up to him, so Sis will come back." For once, Squall had been the first to hit, but the fight was short-lived. Garden Faculty separated them quickly, and both got in big trouble with the headmaster.
Never again. Tears were useless. Fighting for her was useless. Sis was gone, and that was the end of it. Squall still took up Seifer's challenges, but not for Ellone's sake, anymore.
Seifer had been right. Squall did enjoy beating him, and it was what kept him going. What did he want to accomplish in Garden? He hadn't been sent here on choice. Edea had suggested it, probably to get them both out of her way. But the Garden needed a gunblade expert, and the two boys with equal skills were always a challenge to each other. It kept them both going. The wish to be the best. Only Seifer did it so he could brag about it and feel the power. Squall did it for himself.
To prove he could take care of himself. He didn't need anyone to depend on, he didn't need the world. He wasn't a child anymore. And it had to be admitted, for being 13, Squall was acting very adult. More than what was good for him.
(…Why depend on others? In the end, you're on your own… I've learned that the hard way.)
He glanced at the ring again, then put it back on his finger. The necklace… Sis had told him to always wear it, but he couldn't remember where he had got it from. It didn't matter. He liked the necklace, and the ring was his only memory of the only person who had ever heard the words 'I love you' escape his lips.
With those thoughts circling inside his head, Squall laid back down and eventually he drifted off to a troubled sleep.
7:00 AM. An alarm clock started beeping. A grunt was heard from beneath the sheets of the bed. A hand stretched out and turned off the alarm. Everything went quiet.
Somewhere else in the dorm, someone else got up. The boy, roughly 15 years old, glanced at his sleeping roommate. Grinning, he devilishly decided to let him sleep, and went to take a shower.
7:46 AM. A set of sea blue eyes popped open. Something was… wrong. A head filled with messy, blonde hair turned and its owner gazed at the alarm clock next to the bed.
"Aw, HELL! I'm gonna be late!" Zell Dincht was on his feet in a matter of seconds. As he pulled on his pants, he mumbled an amazing amount of cussing words, and all of them involved his roommate, Mark, "I TOLD him to wake me if I fell back asleep! Man, I'm gonna KILL him!"
This was usual routine for Zell. Every morning, he was late, and every morning, he missed breakfast and came running into class at the last minute. Every day, he got yelled at for it after class, and every day, he was late for lunch and missed the hotdogs. But that was all a part of being Zell Dincht – it came as naturally to him as martial arts and cussing.
The boy had just recently joined Balamb Garden. When he was 7, he had been adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Dincht who lived in Balamb. Unlike Quistis, who had been very uncomfortable in her new home, Zell loved his adoptive parents dearly and they had got along well. Especially Zell and his mother. His father was a seaman and didn't stay at home for long period of time, so he and Zell had always been a little distant to each other. Still, he considered them his real parents more than he had ever considered his friends at the orphanage a family. With time, he had grown from a wimpy child to a reckless, but strong and honest teenager.
His interest in martial arts he had 'inherited' from his grandfather – his mother's father - who in his time was the best of them all. Zell had learned a lot from him, and his grandfather saw the boy had potential. He was the one who suggested Zell should go further with his skills, and as Balamb Garden was so close, it was the natural choice. There he could learn how to use his skill for real fighting. While most of the other students in Garden had to choose a weapon, Zell didn't need anything but his own hands and a pair of strong gloves.
As he rushed down the hall from the dormitory, Zell ran right into another boy, who nearly lost his balance and just barely managed to keep himself from falling. Zell feared the other would start an argument. He didn't have time for that now – if he hurried up, he could even manage to reach class in time today, "Sorry, man. It was an accident."
There was silence for a while, then the brown haired boy shrugged, "Whatever."
"Hey… You're in my class, aren't you?" Zell studied the slightly younger boy, "You're the quiet one," he grinned, "Looking forward to class? We're gonna learn how to junction GFs. Boring, huh? But I can't wait to learn how to use magic. I'm gonna blast up those monsters good."
Rolling his eyes, Squall started to walk down the hall. They'd both be late if this kid didn't shut up soon. Zell followed and kept talking, "I've heard this rumor that GFs make you lose memory. Stupid, isn't it? You think it's true?"
A shrug was all he got in reply. Zell didn't say anything for a while, but Squall had a feeling the silence wouldn't last.
He was right.
As they stepped out of the elevator, Zell suddenly asked, "Do I know you from somewhere? I have this creepy feeling I've met you before… Maybe in Balamb? Where you from?"
"Not from Balamb," Squall looked up for the first time, "I don't think I know you… Sorry."
With that, he stepped into the classroom and found his seat quickly, leaving a rather puzzled Zell behind.
In his mind, Squall could have recognized Zell anywhere, even after six years, but his wounded heart refused to admit it. It didn't matter. Zell was a part of his past, and he didn't need him as a friend anymore. He didn't need anyone.
Chapter 19:
"Oh my God…," Rinoa whispered as she stared in wonder at the tiny prize she held in her arms, "She's so adorable… She's the cutest thing I've ever seen!"
The puppy barked playfully and licked Rinoa's face, causing the girl to giggle with joy.
General Caraway stood next to his daughter, smiling in satisfaction, "I take it you like it?"
Rinoa was still completely caught up with her new pet, hugging the small puppy against her chest lovingly. But at her father's question, realization dawned upon her, and the smile faded. As her brown eyes met his own, they were shooting daggers, "How DARE you?!" she hissed. She could see the confusion find its way to his face, but she didn't care – she would explain it to him. She would explain it well.
"How dare you try to bribe me?" Rinoa shook her head in frustration. The puppy whimpered, feeling how her mood changed.
"Honey, I didn't-"
"Don't you 'honey' me! Did you really think this – of all the lowest things to do - would work? Did you think a sweet gift would change everything?" her voice was dangerous, filled with anger. General Caraway didn't even get a chance to defend himself.
Rinoa set the puppy back down in the basket and rose from the floor, glaring at her father, "You're killing people! You're forcing my friends' families to do something they don't want to! Just for your own benefit! You don't care about what happens to them, you don't care about all the pain they've done through, all the loved ones they've lost! And you expect me to FORGET because of a dog??"
"Rinoa, listen to me. It's my job. I have to carry out my orders, and-"
"You could quit!" Rinoa threw her arms up, "I don't care about this big mansion! I just want a father I can be proud of – a father that don't go around ordering people to KILL!"
There was an awkward pause. The black haired girl struggled to find words. Rinoa had turned into a beautiful, young woman, stubborn and strong in her beliefs. After she had met Zone and Watts, her life had never been the same again. Despite her father's denial of her actions, she defied him and started her training. One of the escapees from Timber, a middle-aged woman named Jane, had offered to teach Rinoa the arts of fighting. While still inexperienced, Rinoa could easily defend herself with her Blaster Edge. Not that she had been in any real fight yet, but the time would come soon. She and her friends were heading to Timber shortly, to finally carry out their plans, and it was this decision that General Caraway was desperately trying to stop. In his own way, he just wanted to protect his daughter. But just like her mother, Rinoa didn't want to be treated like a china doll.
"You never cared about what I want, though, did you?" the girl said slowly, her voice quivering, "Not about me, and not about mom. You've always been telling us what to do, you never listened. Well, like it or not… General… I'm going to Timber tomorrow, and there's nothing you can do to stop me! I'm 15 years old and I can make my own decisions!"
"Rinoa, I forbid it!" The General boomed, his voice suddenly rising, "You are my daughter, and you are to stay here, where you are safe! And by all means, there's plenty I can do to stop you!"
"I am NOT your daughter!" Rinoa was in tears, but she kept her tone even and determined, "If you're going to stop me, you won't be able to do it without hurting me, because I'll fight back!"
She paused again, sobbing. How much didn't the General want to hug her and take her pains away? But he knew better. There was nothing he could do. Inwardly, he was torn apart, torn between his duties and his love for his daughter.
Rinoa lifted her hand to the necklace that she was wearing. Her mother's wedding ring was attached to it. Holding the ring to her chest, she swallowed, "From this day on, I am no longer your daughter. I am no longer a Caraway. I am Rinoa Heartilly, daughter of Julia Heartilly – the way she was before you destroyed her and made her stop singing," Rinoa saw the pain in her father's eyes. She wanted to see that pain. He had hurt her so much.
"Rinoa…," he whispered. Shaking her head, she turned away from him.
For a long while, he simply stood there, staring at her. Then he bent down to pick up the basket with the puppy. But Rinoa beat him to it.
She quickly grabbed the puppy and held it close, "No. It's not her fault that you have become the man you are. I'll keep her," With that, the girl walked out of the room, leaving a wounded General behind.
…
Wiping away a few tears, Rinoa sat down beneath a tree in the park. She slowly stroked the puppy's fur, who was wagging her tail and licking at her new owner's hand.
"You'll need a name…," Rinoa mused. She thought about a character in one of her mother's songs. It was about a young girl named Angel who was in love. Almost all of Julia's songs were about love… More often than not, unhappy love.
"Angel… No, that's too …soft," Rinoa smiled, "Angelo. Do you like that name?"
The puppy barked a happy reply.
"Angelo it is then."
Rinoa leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes. Tomorrow was the big day. Only she was leaving with three friends, instead of two like she had thought.
Her mother always used to call her Angel. Maybe that song was inspired by her?
Black hair as soft as velvet…
Brown eyes that could never lie…
Why couldn't he see her beauty?
Without his love, the Angel would die…
Chapter 20:
Headmaster Martine had a lightly suspicious expression on his face as he looked through the application. After reading through it in its entirety, he put the document down on his desk and leaned back in his chair briefly, studying the young man who was standing in front of him, before standing up.
"So, Mr. Irvine Kinneas… You want to join Galbadia Garden?"
The boy nodded in reply. He was barely 15 ½ years old, but seemed both tall and strong for his age. He was wearing a long coat and a cowboy hat – his long, reddish hair, with exception of the bangs that hung down at the sides of his face, was pulled back in a ponytail. The cowboy hat implied where he came from.
Just a few months after Irvine had been adopted, Mr. Kinneas – his father – had lost his job in Deling City. The small family had been forced to move, because they couldn't afford living in the large house in Deling anymore. So, they had moved out to the open plains of Galbadia, not too far away from the Garden, where they had found an old and abandoned house. After days of work, Mr. Kinneas' skilled hands had transformed the old house into a nice and perfectly livable home.
The Kinneas family had started a chocobo ranch, more or less. The market wasn't that great, and there were plenty of competing ranches scattered around the continent, but it was enough to make a living.
Already as a 10 year old, Irvine had developed a liking for guns. His father was rather good at shooting, and he needed the skill too, to keep the monsters from intruding his ranch and harming the chocobos.
Irvine's adoptive father had been practicing, shooting at some boxes, when Irvine came by. He had watched for a while before asking to try. Somewhat reluctantly, his father had allowed him to do so, and almost at the first try, Irvine shot a perfect hit. The boy had talent.
From that day, it only went one way for Irvine. He was soon even better than his father, and the gun became his best friend. Still, the only living things he'd shoot at were monsters.
Life at the ranch quickly became boring for him, though, and as the chocobo market was decreasing, the Kinneas couple decided it was time Irvine got out on his own. In Galbadia Garden he could be trained even further in his shooting skills, and as a SeeD, he would be able to earn his own gil. Besides, Irvine was a social person, and secretively he was looking forward to meet all the young female students at Garden…
So there he was, at the Galbadia Garden Headmaster's office. Little did he know that all his friends from the orphanage – he still hadn't forgotten about them – were living in Garden too, although not in the same one.
"Mr. Kinneas, I have to be honest with you…," Headmaster Martine said slowly, "You are almost 16, and normally, students start their training at the age of 13 or 14. Starting your training this late… It will mean you won't be able to graduate when you are 17, which is the norm. Some students even graduate at 16… In extreme cases at 15. You've lost a lot, and it will not be an advantage for either you, or us."
"I understand that, but I still wanna give it a shot. Don't wanna disappoint my old folks, you know?" Irvine insisted, obviously not very good at being formal.
"Then tell me, Mr. Kinneas. What makes you think you fit in Garden? The training is hard, and the job we do… is extremely dangerous and demanding. What do you have that would convince me to let you in? It's expensive to run this school. I have to make sure nothing goes to waste," Headmaster Martine wasn't an easy person to deal with, and was clearly hesitant about this slightly rude and oblivious boy, "Go on. Impress me."
Irvine frowned and glanced around the room, his blue eyes settling on the window. Walking past the headmaster, he promptly opened the window and took his gun off his shoulder.
"Mr. Kinneas… What are you doing?" Martine stepped up next to him, "You are not allowed to-"
"See those cones in the top of that tree?" Irvine made a nodding motion towards a tall pine tree a good distance away.
Martine had to concentrate hard and squint to even see them at all, "Yes…"
"Now watch…," Irvine lifted the gun and aimed at the tree… It took him a few seconds to get it perfect. Then, he fired the gun. The bullet hit the top of the pine… and the cones fell to the ground.
The headmaster stared, speechless.
Irvine slowly turned around and blew the smoke off the mouth of the gun, "Gunman expert Irvine Kinneas at your service, sir."
The intercom crackled through the halls of Trabia Garden. It was Headmaster Thomson's voice.
"Miss Selphie Tilmitt, would you please report to the Headmaster's office? I repeat, Miss Selphie Tilmitt, please report to the Headmaster's office. Thank you."
Two girls, who were sitting watching some rather handsome guys playing a game of basketball, looked up in surprise at the message. Maria shoved her friend's side with her elbow, "Selphie, what have you done this time?" she asked, giggling
Selphie frowned, "If it's about the soap in Jason's pizza, you know nothing, okay?"
"Sure thing," Maria grinned, "Strange, I didn't think the Headmaster would care that much about Jason's well-being, though…"
Shrugging, Selphie rose and left the basketball hall.
There was a knock at Headmaster Thomson's door, "Come on in."
"You wanted to see me, sir?" Selphie asked nervously as she entered, doing a quick SeeD salute out of respect.
"Ah, yes, Selphie… I have news for you," the headmaster smiled warmly, which made Selphie relax considerably. He rose from his chair and cleared his voice, "As you know, you failed the last written exam by only 2 points…," he began.
Wincing lightly and wishing he wouldn't remind her, Selphie nodded.
"However, since you were so close, I decided you should have another chance… And the good news are: You passed this time."
Selphie's eyes widened and she smiled brightly, "Really?? WOO-HOO!" she exclaimed and leapt into the air, "Does that mean I can take the field exam now?!"
Smiling at the young girl's enthusiasm, the headmaster nodded, "Well… almost. Because you didn't pass the first test, you missed out on your chance taking the field exam this year… It's already over, I'm afraid. I had hoped you would make it, but…"
Her expression falling, Selphie let out a quiet, "Oh."
"BUT…," Thomson continued, "You'll be able to take the first field exam next year, and you won't have to take another written test. Since we can not offer field exams here at Trabia, you will be transferred to Balamb Garden next autumn for your final exam."
"Does that mean I can finally become a SeeD?" The headmaster nodded. Selphie smiled again, but hesitated, "I'm going to miss my friends, though…"
"You'll see your friends again, don't worry. And just think about this opportunity, Miss Tilmitt. I always knew you had it in you. You'll do fine. Out of all the Garden students, only about 30% actually become SeeDs. You're gifted."
"Thank you, sir," Selphie blushed, "I try my best."
"I know you do," he winked at her, "You're dismissed."
Selphie nodded and quickly saluted, then left the office.
Seconds later, the girl's cheerful voice rang through Trabia Garden as she shouted, "Woo-hoo! I'm gonna be a SeeD!!!"