Chapter 19
It was 2:30pm, Yannie was sat at the entrance of Garden, awaiting her escort, who was already ten minutes late. The plan was to catch the train from Balamb to Dollet, and stay on until the train reached Timber. There they would rest until the next day when they would catch the early morning ferry to the Cape of Good Hope, where Edea's house was situated.
She gazed out to the Alcauld Plains, which she affectionately called home. She had quite grown to love the landscape. The way they plains gently sloped down to the ocean, how the forests were speckled about like paint blobs, and sleepy little Balamb Town itself. To the west was the Raha Cape, which was good for practising against Bite Bugs and Glacial Eyes. Then there was the Gaulg Mountains. If you had the enthusiasm to climb right the way to the top of Mount Gaulg, it is rumoured you can actually see to the Hawkwind Plains, The Eldbeak Peninsula, both on the northern continent near Trabia, and on a good day, even as far as the Hasberry plains on the eastern Galbadian continent. And who could forget the Rinauld coast, where on a hot summer's day, one could cool ones feet in the temperate ocean. She looked down the long road that lead from Garden to Balamb itself, and saw a smell speck, that grew lager and lager until it could be distinguished as a person.
Squall had returned to garden a day before he had anticipated. At the front gate he met Yannie. She had a backpack on her shoulder, and was wearing jeans, a fleece jacket and a baseball cap.
"Hey Squall."
"…" Squall gave his usual reply.
"Your back early." She said, trying to break the icy silence. Squall shrugged.
"Suppose." He looked at her and noticed her bag. "Where you going?" he asked.
"Long story, but I'll be away for a few days." Squall turned and walked off.
"Whatever."
"Whatever." Yannie mimicked behind his back, quiet enough so that Squall did not hear. She sat for a while longer when she heard hurried footsteps behind her.
"Sorry...I…was late." Said Gered out of breath.
"We'll miss the train." Said Yannie as she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Lets go."
They walked hurriedly to the station. Neither spoke a word to each other. They boarded the train just in time as the conductor blew his whistle and shouted "All aboard!" They made themselves at home in the SeeD carriage. Every train had its own SeeD only carriage. It was fitted with large leather seats and bunk beds for long journeys. One of the perks of being a SeeD, Yannie thought. She fell back into one of the seats, and it made a 'poof' as the air escaped. Gered walked around the carriage, in admiration of its splendour. It was his first time in one. Finally, he broke the silence.
"Are you not going to ask me why I was late?" Yannie picked up a magazine from the table. Without looking at him, she said
"Nope."
"This is ridiculous." Said Gered sitting beside her. She continued to flip though the pages, pretending she wasn't listening. "We can't be like this forever."
"Why not?" she threw the magazine down at the table. For the first time she looked at him.
"Why? Because this is killing me." He held his head in his hands with his elbows on his knees. "Look, I am so sorry for saying what I did. It was a stupid thing to say, and I wish I hadn't." Yannie stayed silent. [I[Accept his apology you fool.[/I] she said to herself. He looked up and continued. "And I'm sorry for thinking there could be something between us. I'm sorry I thought we could be more than just friends." [I]No, I'm sorry. I got scared. I…I… I'm sorry.[/I] "Yann?" She couldn't take anymore and walked over to the bunk beds.
"I'm going to go to sleep for a while. Wake me up when we get there." She fell into the bottom bunk and shut her eyes under the pretence of falling asleep. [I]This is going to be a long train ride…[/I]
*********************
Squall found Quistis in one of the second floor classrooms. She was going through basic status attacks with a class of fourteen-year-olds. He stood at the door, and waited for her to catch his eye. When she did, she held up her index finger to signify 'just one minute.' And continued talking to the class.
"Ok, here is your homework, start it now, and I want it finished for Friday's lesson, understand?" She walked around the class and handed out the papers. "That means Friday Abid Patel. Not Monday." She spoke to a troublesome looking boy at the back of the class.
"Is that your boyfriend Miss?" he asked looking at Squall.
"No, and I'll ask you to mind your own business." She walked towards the front of the classroom. "Can I leave you all alone for five minutes?"
"I bet she is going to go snog her boyfriend." Said Abid in a hushed voice to his neighbour.
"I heard that!" she said appalled. "You can just give me that homework tomorrow." She said smiling. The class laughed, everyone but Abid. She walked out the classroom shutting the door behind her.
"What's the matter Squall?" she said, seeing the look of distress on her friend's face.
"What's the situation with Galbadia at the moment?" he asked. Quistis was puzzled.
"Why do you ask?" Squall hesitated.
"I went to Deling." He said.
"Oh," Quistis said stunned. "Because of Rinoa?" he nodded. "Ah, well, what happened?"
"She didn't want to see me." Quistis put a reassuring arm on Squall's shoulder. Squall did not dwell on his unhappiness. "The reason I ask is because, well, things were just not right."
"How?"
"Three Galbadian soldiers chased down a twelve year old boy and shot him dead in the street."
"But why?"
"He was carrying plastic explosives. And they mentioned something about a curfew. How long has Deling had a curfew?!"
"As long as I have known, never." Quistis was unsettled by this news from beyond the sea.
"There's more. The soldier before he killed him shouted 'The punishment for treason is death. Death beyond death!' That's not the first time we've heard that."
"You don't think…we killed her!"
"I know, its probably just coincidence."
"I hope so too. Listen, I have to see to my class. Meet me in the canteen in an hour. We'll talk more then."
"Ok." Said Squall, and left with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
It was 2:30pm, Yannie was sat at the entrance of Garden, awaiting her escort, who was already ten minutes late. The plan was to catch the train from Balamb to Dollet, and stay on until the train reached Timber. There they would rest until the next day when they would catch the early morning ferry to the Cape of Good Hope, where Edea's house was situated.
She gazed out to the Alcauld Plains, which she affectionately called home. She had quite grown to love the landscape. The way they plains gently sloped down to the ocean, how the forests were speckled about like paint blobs, and sleepy little Balamb Town itself. To the west was the Raha Cape, which was good for practising against Bite Bugs and Glacial Eyes. Then there was the Gaulg Mountains. If you had the enthusiasm to climb right the way to the top of Mount Gaulg, it is rumoured you can actually see to the Hawkwind Plains, The Eldbeak Peninsula, both on the northern continent near Trabia, and on a good day, even as far as the Hasberry plains on the eastern Galbadian continent. And who could forget the Rinauld coast, where on a hot summer's day, one could cool ones feet in the temperate ocean. She looked down the long road that lead from Garden to Balamb itself, and saw a smell speck, that grew lager and lager until it could be distinguished as a person.
Squall had returned to garden a day before he had anticipated. At the front gate he met Yannie. She had a backpack on her shoulder, and was wearing jeans, a fleece jacket and a baseball cap.
"Hey Squall."
"…" Squall gave his usual reply.
"Your back early." She said, trying to break the icy silence. Squall shrugged.
"Suppose." He looked at her and noticed her bag. "Where you going?" he asked.
"Long story, but I'll be away for a few days." Squall turned and walked off.
"Whatever."
"Whatever." Yannie mimicked behind his back, quiet enough so that Squall did not hear. She sat for a while longer when she heard hurried footsteps behind her.
"Sorry...I…was late." Said Gered out of breath.
"We'll miss the train." Said Yannie as she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Lets go."
They walked hurriedly to the station. Neither spoke a word to each other. They boarded the train just in time as the conductor blew his whistle and shouted "All aboard!" They made themselves at home in the SeeD carriage. Every train had its own SeeD only carriage. It was fitted with large leather seats and bunk beds for long journeys. One of the perks of being a SeeD, Yannie thought. She fell back into one of the seats, and it made a 'poof' as the air escaped. Gered walked around the carriage, in admiration of its splendour. It was his first time in one. Finally, he broke the silence.
"Are you not going to ask me why I was late?" Yannie picked up a magazine from the table. Without looking at him, she said
"Nope."
"This is ridiculous." Said Gered sitting beside her. She continued to flip though the pages, pretending she wasn't listening. "We can't be like this forever."
"Why not?" she threw the magazine down at the table. For the first time she looked at him.
"Why? Because this is killing me." He held his head in his hands with his elbows on his knees. "Look, I am so sorry for saying what I did. It was a stupid thing to say, and I wish I hadn't." Yannie stayed silent. [I[Accept his apology you fool.[/I] she said to herself. He looked up and continued. "And I'm sorry for thinking there could be something between us. I'm sorry I thought we could be more than just friends." [I]No, I'm sorry. I got scared. I…I… I'm sorry.[/I] "Yann?" She couldn't take anymore and walked over to the bunk beds.
"I'm going to go to sleep for a while. Wake me up when we get there." She fell into the bottom bunk and shut her eyes under the pretence of falling asleep. [I]This is going to be a long train ride…[/I]
*********************
Squall found Quistis in one of the second floor classrooms. She was going through basic status attacks with a class of fourteen-year-olds. He stood at the door, and waited for her to catch his eye. When she did, she held up her index finger to signify 'just one minute.' And continued talking to the class.
"Ok, here is your homework, start it now, and I want it finished for Friday's lesson, understand?" She walked around the class and handed out the papers. "That means Friday Abid Patel. Not Monday." She spoke to a troublesome looking boy at the back of the class.
"Is that your boyfriend Miss?" he asked looking at Squall.
"No, and I'll ask you to mind your own business." She walked towards the front of the classroom. "Can I leave you all alone for five minutes?"
"I bet she is going to go snog her boyfriend." Said Abid in a hushed voice to his neighbour.
"I heard that!" she said appalled. "You can just give me that homework tomorrow." She said smiling. The class laughed, everyone but Abid. She walked out the classroom shutting the door behind her.
"What's the matter Squall?" she said, seeing the look of distress on her friend's face.
"What's the situation with Galbadia at the moment?" he asked. Quistis was puzzled.
"Why do you ask?" Squall hesitated.
"I went to Deling." He said.
"Oh," Quistis said stunned. "Because of Rinoa?" he nodded. "Ah, well, what happened?"
"She didn't want to see me." Quistis put a reassuring arm on Squall's shoulder. Squall did not dwell on his unhappiness. "The reason I ask is because, well, things were just not right."
"How?"
"Three Galbadian soldiers chased down a twelve year old boy and shot him dead in the street."
"But why?"
"He was carrying plastic explosives. And they mentioned something about a curfew. How long has Deling had a curfew?!"
"As long as I have known, never." Quistis was unsettled by this news from beyond the sea.
"There's more. The soldier before he killed him shouted 'The punishment for treason is death. Death beyond death!' That's not the first time we've heard that."
"You don't think…we killed her!"
"I know, its probably just coincidence."
"I hope so too. Listen, I have to see to my class. Meet me in the canteen in an hour. We'll talk more then."
"Ok." Said Squall, and left with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.