Boring Legal Disclainer: Squaresoft owns FF8. Not moi. I know, it's an uncool arrangement, but we'll deal, alright? :)
A Porcelain Doll
By Loren
The china clanged as she nervously filled the aunt's tea. The lady waited patiently. Fujin shut her eyes and tried to collect herself. It almost seemed as if she was an actress auditioning as she served her father's own sister. Fujin wanted to make a good impression so that maybe she could be easily accepted into the household. So her aunt, her husband, and their two children would welcome her warmly, with arms open wide.
The aunt sensed her anxiety and smiled empathetically. " Relax darling, all will be alright. No need to exhaust yourself worrying."
" Thank you, Aunt Rachelle," she responded with polite conduct.
" You don't need to always call me 'Aunt Rachelle'. Rachelle would be fine. Anyway, you don't need to sound so formal. It's not the military, my dear," the woman, that seemed to look years younger than she actually was, grinned. Fujin returned the smile.
They discussed things for a little while, while the aunt explained Fujin's new home. Rachelle's older child, a male named Jeremy was off studying away at an university. Rachelle have had a few arguments with him lately. Jeremy wanted to give up chemistry and join the still newly-established Garden. It seemed hollow to Fujin that her own cousin would want to be part of an organization that was suspected of murdering her father. Especially only a few months after his death. When Rachelle mentioned Jeremy would be back in a few weeks to visit, Fujin's stomach turned. She suddenly didn't want to meet such a person.
Rachelle talked about Priscilla too. The girl was a year older than Fujin, so the aunt presumed they'd get along. She went on and on about how proud she was of her daughter. Fujin felt a guilty pang of jealousy, no matter how much she tried to defy it. She heard never heard such appeasement of a mother towards her daughter. Perhaps it was because she wasn't accustomed to it.
Not too long later, a pretty blonde girl fluttered into the room, twirling her soft pink dress as she introduced herself as Priscilla. She spoke dignified, shocking as it would be for an eight year old girl to sound so mature. It worried Fujin that Priscilla would be a constant overachiever, but she seemed harmless. That is, until the attention was drawn back to just Rachelle and Fujin. Priscilla's golden eyes narrowed.
It was a few years, about three weeks after Fujin's eleventh birthday that crisis struck. The drama had built up. Fu's predictions of Priscilla came true quickly, when she enrolled into school. Priscilla indeed got her way with the teachers and fellow students. Good grades, always. With a tight circle of peers that she only forced Fujin into to keep a close watch over her. The resentment was obvious. At home, Priscilla was learning how to share the household with another young child for the first time. Jeremy and her weren't in a similar age group, he was almost ready to go on his own when she was born.
Even though Rachelle's denial of this indignation and Priscilla's constant false reassurances that they really HAD grown close, Fujin knew it was true. Priscilla would throw tantrums and fits, breaking whatever that was in her path. And that awful day, she broke something precious. Something unforgivable. The priceless porcelain doll Fujin always had since she could remember. The symbol of her younger childhood, despite the scars that were attached.
Fujin could remember clearly when she walked into her bedroom that late afternoon. There were angular shards of porcelain all over the floor. The doll's broken face stared up at her as in terror. She was nearly overwhelmed by the sight.
And at the middle of this disaster, stood an angry Priscilla. There was a tiny second of silence before Fujin rushed across the room and swung her fist into Priscilla's rosy face.
Priscilla shrieked, shoving Fujin away as she hit repeatedly. The cowardly screaming just enraged her further. Priscilla began fighting back viciously, her fingernails scratching at pale skin. Fujin moved her backwards with one bold push, and Priscilla fell on the floor. Fu panted heavily, nonverbally declaring the fight officially over!
It all happened so fast. The shard. Priscilla's furious wail. Her face. The next second, Fujin saw blood. Her left eye only recognized blood.
Priscilla collasped weakly again, eager to make the scene look none of her fault. In a moment of pure rage, Fujin pulled her foot up and kicked Priscilla as hard as she could. There was a sickly sound of a cracking. Priscilla spit up something.
Fujin spent no time concluding what had happened. She rushed, nearly blindly, out the door. Past the disoriented adults who were now coming towards the bedroom, and out into the streets. She just kept running, ignoring all voices around her.
Night fell quicker than she expected, and she crumbled in an alley holding her bloody face. It stung and ached for a relief to the agony. Throbbing intensely to the rhythm of her heartbeat, it flooded away the surroundings. The fury had drifted away and pain had found the opportunity to course through her.
She laid in the alley for what seemed like eternity. She let her mind go, and it flowed, with each memory and each fear. Hating to admit, she knew she was afraid. Afraid of being out here, terrified of going back to face Priscilla and the angry adults that would name her a traitor.
" Are you okay?" a boy stood over her. Fujin opened her good eye to see a hefty dark kid, watching her in return with curious brown eyes.
He repeated, " Are you okay?" She nodded bravely, hoping he'd pick up on the obvious.
" You look hurt, ya know! What happened?!"
" It hurts..." she cried. There wasn't much she could say. Her eye stung so bitterly with every movement she made.
The boy held out his hand. " Let's get help. You'll feel better, ya know?"
She reluctantly took it and he lifted her to her feet. Suddenly the whole world began to spin and blur, and Fujin began to drop, but the boy caught her in time. He put his arm around her waist and upper back, hoisting her up. Then he carried her out of the alley to a nearby house. She had never seen a house so small; she had always visited chateaus and mansions, but never a normal house.
Not that it was a big deal at the time.
As they entered through the door, a young woman with long dark hair gasped and run to the broken girl. She shouted a few orders as the little line of vision Fujin had, faded away completely.
---
Sorry to the people I was supposed to plug in. Don't have enough time to find out how to make links work correctly on a .txt file uploaded into ff.net.
I'll figure it out soon. Promise! :)
A Porcelain Doll
By Loren
The china clanged as she nervously filled the aunt's tea. The lady waited patiently. Fujin shut her eyes and tried to collect herself. It almost seemed as if she was an actress auditioning as she served her father's own sister. Fujin wanted to make a good impression so that maybe she could be easily accepted into the household. So her aunt, her husband, and their two children would welcome her warmly, with arms open wide.
The aunt sensed her anxiety and smiled empathetically. " Relax darling, all will be alright. No need to exhaust yourself worrying."
" Thank you, Aunt Rachelle," she responded with polite conduct.
" You don't need to always call me 'Aunt Rachelle'. Rachelle would be fine. Anyway, you don't need to sound so formal. It's not the military, my dear," the woman, that seemed to look years younger than she actually was, grinned. Fujin returned the smile.
They discussed things for a little while, while the aunt explained Fujin's new home. Rachelle's older child, a male named Jeremy was off studying away at an university. Rachelle have had a few arguments with him lately. Jeremy wanted to give up chemistry and join the still newly-established Garden. It seemed hollow to Fujin that her own cousin would want to be part of an organization that was suspected of murdering her father. Especially only a few months after his death. When Rachelle mentioned Jeremy would be back in a few weeks to visit, Fujin's stomach turned. She suddenly didn't want to meet such a person.
Rachelle talked about Priscilla too. The girl was a year older than Fujin, so the aunt presumed they'd get along. She went on and on about how proud she was of her daughter. Fujin felt a guilty pang of jealousy, no matter how much she tried to defy it. She heard never heard such appeasement of a mother towards her daughter. Perhaps it was because she wasn't accustomed to it.
Not too long later, a pretty blonde girl fluttered into the room, twirling her soft pink dress as she introduced herself as Priscilla. She spoke dignified, shocking as it would be for an eight year old girl to sound so mature. It worried Fujin that Priscilla would be a constant overachiever, but she seemed harmless. That is, until the attention was drawn back to just Rachelle and Fujin. Priscilla's golden eyes narrowed.
It was a few years, about three weeks after Fujin's eleventh birthday that crisis struck. The drama had built up. Fu's predictions of Priscilla came true quickly, when she enrolled into school. Priscilla indeed got her way with the teachers and fellow students. Good grades, always. With a tight circle of peers that she only forced Fujin into to keep a close watch over her. The resentment was obvious. At home, Priscilla was learning how to share the household with another young child for the first time. Jeremy and her weren't in a similar age group, he was almost ready to go on his own when she was born.
Even though Rachelle's denial of this indignation and Priscilla's constant false reassurances that they really HAD grown close, Fujin knew it was true. Priscilla would throw tantrums and fits, breaking whatever that was in her path. And that awful day, she broke something precious. Something unforgivable. The priceless porcelain doll Fujin always had since she could remember. The symbol of her younger childhood, despite the scars that were attached.
Fujin could remember clearly when she walked into her bedroom that late afternoon. There were angular shards of porcelain all over the floor. The doll's broken face stared up at her as in terror. She was nearly overwhelmed by the sight.
And at the middle of this disaster, stood an angry Priscilla. There was a tiny second of silence before Fujin rushed across the room and swung her fist into Priscilla's rosy face.
Priscilla shrieked, shoving Fujin away as she hit repeatedly. The cowardly screaming just enraged her further. Priscilla began fighting back viciously, her fingernails scratching at pale skin. Fujin moved her backwards with one bold push, and Priscilla fell on the floor. Fu panted heavily, nonverbally declaring the fight officially over!
It all happened so fast. The shard. Priscilla's furious wail. Her face. The next second, Fujin saw blood. Her left eye only recognized blood.
Priscilla collasped weakly again, eager to make the scene look none of her fault. In a moment of pure rage, Fujin pulled her foot up and kicked Priscilla as hard as she could. There was a sickly sound of a cracking. Priscilla spit up something.
Fujin spent no time concluding what had happened. She rushed, nearly blindly, out the door. Past the disoriented adults who were now coming towards the bedroom, and out into the streets. She just kept running, ignoring all voices around her.
Night fell quicker than she expected, and she crumbled in an alley holding her bloody face. It stung and ached for a relief to the agony. Throbbing intensely to the rhythm of her heartbeat, it flooded away the surroundings. The fury had drifted away and pain had found the opportunity to course through her.
She laid in the alley for what seemed like eternity. She let her mind go, and it flowed, with each memory and each fear. Hating to admit, she knew she was afraid. Afraid of being out here, terrified of going back to face Priscilla and the angry adults that would name her a traitor.
" Are you okay?" a boy stood over her. Fujin opened her good eye to see a hefty dark kid, watching her in return with curious brown eyes.
He repeated, " Are you okay?" She nodded bravely, hoping he'd pick up on the obvious.
" You look hurt, ya know! What happened?!"
" It hurts..." she cried. There wasn't much she could say. Her eye stung so bitterly with every movement she made.
The boy held out his hand. " Let's get help. You'll feel better, ya know?"
She reluctantly took it and he lifted her to her feet. Suddenly the whole world began to spin and blur, and Fujin began to drop, but the boy caught her in time. He put his arm around her waist and upper back, hoisting her up. Then he carried her out of the alley to a nearby house. She had never seen a house so small; she had always visited chateaus and mansions, but never a normal house.
Not that it was a big deal at the time.
As they entered through the door, a young woman with long dark hair gasped and run to the broken girl. She shouted a few orders as the little line of vision Fujin had, faded away completely.
---
Sorry to the people I was supposed to plug in. Don't have enough time to find out how to make links work correctly on a .txt file uploaded into ff.net.
I'll figure it out soon. Promise! :)
