I was scared straight into
consciousness. I sat straight up in
bed. When my eyes adjusted, I realized
that I wasn't at home.
I was in a bed, much like the ones that
they had in the nurses office at Angel Grove High. I noticed that someone was outside the room.
It was dark in the room. I turned around to see a window. The moon was a brilliant glowing ball in the
sky and definitely didn't look the same to me.
When I glanced down at me, I wasn't the
same either. I was in a blue pajama
suit. Then I started to panic
slightly. I could feel my heart racing
in my chest. Where was I and where the
hell were my clothes?
"Hello?" I called out. "Is anyone there?"
The curtain in front of me was pushed aside
and an older woman walked through. She
was wearing slacks and a pale shirt. She had graying brown hair pulled back in
a bun.
"Wow. You finally woke up." She said with amazement.
"Yes…huh?" I asked suspiciously.
"Well, you washed up on the shore outside
of Balamb. Some sailors found you and
brought you in." She said
matter-of-factly.
"Balamb?? Where's that?"
"Just south of here. On the north central continent."
"North central…America, right?" I said,
curiously.
"My dear. Do you know anything?"
"Apparently not anymore. Who are you?" I questioned.
"Doctor Kadowaki. I'm in charge of the infirmary here at Balamb Garden."
"Balamb Garden? What the…?"
"A training facility for SeeDs."
"SeeDs?" I was really becoming confused.
"You really don't know where you are, do
you? Do you even remember your name?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"Chandra. Chandra Stone."
"Well, I'm impressed."
"Hey. Dr. K!! Is the girl
alright?" A voice shouted from the
office.
"Yes, Zell. She's fine."
"Can I meet her?"
"Sure." Dr. Kadowaki said.
"NO!" I yelled.
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because. I want some decent clothes."
"I'll have to call Quistis then. She's about your size. She may have something."
"I'm right here, Dr. K."
"Thank you, Quistis."
A young woman walked into the room. She had strawberry blonde hair and brilliant
blue eyes. She her hair up in a clip
and she was wearing a rid pantsuit.
"Hello, I'm Instructor Trepe. You are?"
"Chandra Stone. Just Chandra."
"An and where are you from?"
"Angel Grove, California."
"Huh?"
"California? Hello? The land of rock
stars, movie stars and porn stars?"
"And what planet is that on?"
"Earth. This one."
"I'm…afraid not."
"Huh?"
"You're on Esthar."
"Where the…OHMIGOD!!!"
I was an alien. I started to feel my heart race again. My palms started to sweat really badly.
"Okay. Jeri? Marley? Jas? This joke isn't funny anymore. Haha! See, I'm laughing. Come on now. Guys, I'm sorry. I'll
never be a bitch again. Guys?? I'm really scared now."
I could feel the tears build up in my eyes
as complete terror started racing through me.
"Okay. I might be okay. Um…do you
breathe oxygen?" I asked.
"What kind of question is that?" Quistis
said, getting irritated.
"Oxygen is what scientists on her home
planet call our forbign." Dr. Kadowaki
explained.
"Does blood flow red through your heart?" I asked.
"Among other places." The male voice called
out.
"Yes."
"Just out of curiosity…can I see an anatomy
chart?"
"Sure. Quistis, can you bring one over here?"
"Sure. Dr. K."
Dr. Kadowaki just looked at me with a smile
on her face. Either I was a new
specimen to her or she had the hots for me…It was really scary.
Quistis passed the chart to me and I gazed
at it. Everything looked like it lined
up.
"Okay. I'm really confused. I went to bed last night in my own bed. I wake up and I'm here and I don't know how
the hell I got here. Somehow, I got
stuck in a parallel universe or something. Because, if my suspicions are
correct, we're the same species."
"We're probably very similar." Quistis
snorted.
"Can I see her?" the kid yelled out again.
"Zell!!!" Dr. Kadowaki and Quistis yelled together.
"Zell, we have a rare situation on our
hands." Dr. K. said.
"What kind?" he said poking his head
through the curtain. I suddenly felt
better. He was another teenager, about
my age. He had spiky blonde hair and
brilliant blue eyes. There was a tattoo
that was along the side of his face. He
was definitely a trouble maker but at this point, he seemed like he was totally
concerned.
"Zell. Go back to your room."
"Instructor!"
"Zell. Go back to your room and study for the SeeD exam. That is an order."
"Damn it!" I heard him mutter as he walked out the door. I was kind of disappointed. I wanted him to stay.
"Trust
me guys, if I was from…here…I guess, I wouldn't be talking so weird."
"Okay."
I stood up from the bed. I thought I'd get
dizzy but didn't.
"Quistis?"
"Yes, Chandra." She said, coldly.
"Can you pass me the clothes?"
"Yes."
She brought me a pantsuit much like what
she was wearing. It was taupe in color
and the top was too long for my liking.
"Quistis?"
"Yes."
"Do you mind if I alter these?"
"No. Not at all. They're yours."
Dr. K passed me a pair of scissors. I cut a few inches off the top. I needed to bare my midriff. The pants were perfect and the boots were
definitely something I would buy. They
were like riding boots with a little more traction. I tucked the pants into them for a completed look. I was always the fashion plate.
Awhile later, I was alone in
the infirmary with Doctor Kadowaki. She
was seated at her desk and she handed me a paper to fill out. Amazingly, I understood what was typewritten
on the page.
"I don't get it." I
said.
"What?"
"How the hell did I
end up here?"
"If I knew the answer
to that I'd have back to where you belong right now."
"So until we figure
something out?"
"You're here. Quistis brought some clothes down for
you. She left you a couple more suits. They're there for you and you may keep them
she said."
"I'll have to thank
her."
"You can when you go
see her. She's up in the classroom on
the second floor. She would like to
speak to you regarding your options."
"Options?"
"Until we figure out
how to get you back home…"
"Oh, okay."
"Do you know how to
get to the second floor?"
"No, but I'll figure
it out. If I'm going to be here awhile,
I might as well learn the ropes, right?"
"Yes, you might as
well."
I walked out her door
and immediately I stepped into an outdoor corridor. The grounds were made of a concrete substance and the roof on the
corridor was glass. The corridor was
open aired and there were young people everywhere.
The grass was
green. The sky was a purplish-blue and
there were puffy clouds in the sky. I
walked slowly through the corridor and analyzed the situation. I concluded that this Esthar place was much
like my beloved Earth.
I walked to the end of the corridor and
into the building. My eyes had to
adjust but not too much. The indoor are
of the building was brilliantly lit, both naturally and artificially. I looked up to see huge skylights and around
the corridors, brilliant fluorescent lights. On the ground floor, water passed under each of the corridors. It was crystal clear and magnificent. It was unlike any place I had ever
seen.
