Chapter Six: Heightened Emotion
Cloud shook his head, sitting down next to Vincent on the couch. It was mid- afternoon; the day after Tifa ended up in the hospital from being poisoned. The doctors said she would be alright, but they wanted to keep her for a couple of nights for observation. She was probably safer there anyway. Yuffie, Vincent, and Red XIII had remained with Cloud since they arrived, deciding that it was probably safest to stay together rather than to separate. They still hadn't heard from Barret, so they also took care of Marlene. The poor child hadn't spoken to any of them since Tifa told her about Aeris the evening she arrived. It was probably harder on her than it was on anyone. She was so young... too young, to have to go through the loss of the lives of so many she knew... Cloud prayed that by some miracle, Barret was still alive and would come waltzing through the door any minute to pick her up and tell her everything was ok. But it was false hope; Cloud knew that he was gone, and he wasn't coming back.
Yet he still didn't understand. The murderer was clearly targeting him and his circle of closest friends, the members of AVALANCHE and friends who assisted Cloud in rescuing the planet from meteor. But why? What did they want? Cloud just didn't know.
"Hey," Yuffie said to him. "Where's Marlene? I haven't seen her all day."
Cloud glanced around the room. The little girl was nowhere to be seen.
He shrugged. "I dunno. Must still be upstairs. I'll go check on her."
Cloud got up and headed for the stairs.
"Poor child," he heard Red XIII say. The others solemnly agreed. Cloud climbed up the stairs to Tifa's bedroom, which he had given to Marlene while she was in the hospital. Tifa's condition had made the child abruptly worse: she had liked Tifa just as much as, if not more than, Aeris, as she had known her longer. Now Marlene hardly ventured from her room. In fact there she was; lying on Tifa's bed with the remote, evidently watching cartoons. But she didn't seem to be paying very much attention to them.
"Hey Marlene," Cloud said gently. She didn't even look at him. She just lowered her gaze.
"Why don't you come downstairs and have something to eat?"
Marlene still didn't acknowledge him. He tried again.
"You can just help yourself to whatever you want," he said. "There's cookies in the cupboard next to the fridge."
When, after a long moment, Marlene still didn't respond, Cloud sighed and turned back downstairs. He entered the living room and sat back down on the couch.
"Did you find her?" Vincent inquired.
"Yeah, she's in Tifa's room," Cloud replied. "I tried to convince her to come down for something to eat, but she wouldn't say anything."
Yuffie stood. "Let me try. No offence Cloud, but I think she likes me better than you." She smiled slightly.
Cloud smiled back. "None taken, I think you're right. Go ahead."
Yuffie exited the room, heading up the stairs.
"She's going to have to eat something," Red XIII said, "or there's going to be more people than just Tifa in the hospital."
"I know," Cloud muttered. "I know..."
Yuffie returned after a moment, frowning.
"Any luck?" Vincent asked her.
She shook her head. "Not at all. Poor Marlene..." She sat down, sighing deeply.
"Hey, look." Vincent said, indicating the television. A news reporter was on the screen. "Another murder."
Cloud and the others all turned to the screen, expecting the worst. They were right.
"Another bone-chilling case," the reporter began. "The body of thirty-seven year old Barret Wallace was discover early this morning, frozen stiff..."
The screen shifted and there was Barret, literally frozen in a fighting stance, his gun-arm aimed. His lips were blue and icicles hung from his outstretched arm. He was incased in ice.
"The victim died from severe hypothermia..." the reported continued. That was enough. Cloud turned off the TV, storming into the kitchen.
"Cloud..?" he heard Yuffie call. Cloud didn't care.
"Why... why is this happening to me?" he shouted. "WHY?" he kicked the wall, enraged. A picture frame fell from it, shattering. Yuffie, Vincent and Red ran into the room.
"Cloud, calm down!" Yuffie cried. Cloud didn't listen. He punched the wall.
"That is not going to help you," Vincent protested.
Cloud punched the wall again. Again.
"Cloud, listen to them," Red XIII growled.
Cloud's arm plunged into the wall. He retracted his fist, knuckles bleeding, and collapsed into a chair at the table. He put his face in his hands, and cried. This was just too much. Save for the sound of Cloud's sobbing, the house was completely silent.
Someone moved slightly, and suddenly something clanged loudly to the ground, startling him. Cloud turned and looked towards the sound. Then he gasped in astonishment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WAIT!
Please take a moment right now to review this story and leave your guess as to who the killer is before you go on to read the final chapter. Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Vincent, Red XIII, and Marlene are still alive. Or is it someone else? Please guess! Thanks!
- Rikku Kisaragi.
Cloud shook his head, sitting down next to Vincent on the couch. It was mid- afternoon; the day after Tifa ended up in the hospital from being poisoned. The doctors said she would be alright, but they wanted to keep her for a couple of nights for observation. She was probably safer there anyway. Yuffie, Vincent, and Red XIII had remained with Cloud since they arrived, deciding that it was probably safest to stay together rather than to separate. They still hadn't heard from Barret, so they also took care of Marlene. The poor child hadn't spoken to any of them since Tifa told her about Aeris the evening she arrived. It was probably harder on her than it was on anyone. She was so young... too young, to have to go through the loss of the lives of so many she knew... Cloud prayed that by some miracle, Barret was still alive and would come waltzing through the door any minute to pick her up and tell her everything was ok. But it was false hope; Cloud knew that he was gone, and he wasn't coming back.
Yet he still didn't understand. The murderer was clearly targeting him and his circle of closest friends, the members of AVALANCHE and friends who assisted Cloud in rescuing the planet from meteor. But why? What did they want? Cloud just didn't know.
"Hey," Yuffie said to him. "Where's Marlene? I haven't seen her all day."
Cloud glanced around the room. The little girl was nowhere to be seen.
He shrugged. "I dunno. Must still be upstairs. I'll go check on her."
Cloud got up and headed for the stairs.
"Poor child," he heard Red XIII say. The others solemnly agreed. Cloud climbed up the stairs to Tifa's bedroom, which he had given to Marlene while she was in the hospital. Tifa's condition had made the child abruptly worse: she had liked Tifa just as much as, if not more than, Aeris, as she had known her longer. Now Marlene hardly ventured from her room. In fact there she was; lying on Tifa's bed with the remote, evidently watching cartoons. But she didn't seem to be paying very much attention to them.
"Hey Marlene," Cloud said gently. She didn't even look at him. She just lowered her gaze.
"Why don't you come downstairs and have something to eat?"
Marlene still didn't acknowledge him. He tried again.
"You can just help yourself to whatever you want," he said. "There's cookies in the cupboard next to the fridge."
When, after a long moment, Marlene still didn't respond, Cloud sighed and turned back downstairs. He entered the living room and sat back down on the couch.
"Did you find her?" Vincent inquired.
"Yeah, she's in Tifa's room," Cloud replied. "I tried to convince her to come down for something to eat, but she wouldn't say anything."
Yuffie stood. "Let me try. No offence Cloud, but I think she likes me better than you." She smiled slightly.
Cloud smiled back. "None taken, I think you're right. Go ahead."
Yuffie exited the room, heading up the stairs.
"She's going to have to eat something," Red XIII said, "or there's going to be more people than just Tifa in the hospital."
"I know," Cloud muttered. "I know..."
Yuffie returned after a moment, frowning.
"Any luck?" Vincent asked her.
She shook her head. "Not at all. Poor Marlene..." She sat down, sighing deeply.
"Hey, look." Vincent said, indicating the television. A news reporter was on the screen. "Another murder."
Cloud and the others all turned to the screen, expecting the worst. They were right.
"Another bone-chilling case," the reporter began. "The body of thirty-seven year old Barret Wallace was discover early this morning, frozen stiff..."
The screen shifted and there was Barret, literally frozen in a fighting stance, his gun-arm aimed. His lips were blue and icicles hung from his outstretched arm. He was incased in ice.
"The victim died from severe hypothermia..." the reported continued. That was enough. Cloud turned off the TV, storming into the kitchen.
"Cloud..?" he heard Yuffie call. Cloud didn't care.
"Why... why is this happening to me?" he shouted. "WHY?" he kicked the wall, enraged. A picture frame fell from it, shattering. Yuffie, Vincent and Red ran into the room.
"Cloud, calm down!" Yuffie cried. Cloud didn't listen. He punched the wall.
"That is not going to help you," Vincent protested.
Cloud punched the wall again. Again.
"Cloud, listen to them," Red XIII growled.
Cloud's arm plunged into the wall. He retracted his fist, knuckles bleeding, and collapsed into a chair at the table. He put his face in his hands, and cried. This was just too much. Save for the sound of Cloud's sobbing, the house was completely silent.
Someone moved slightly, and suddenly something clanged loudly to the ground, startling him. Cloud turned and looked towards the sound. Then he gasped in astonishment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WAIT!
Please take a moment right now to review this story and leave your guess as to who the killer is before you go on to read the final chapter. Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Vincent, Red XIII, and Marlene are still alive. Or is it someone else? Please guess! Thanks!
- Rikku Kisaragi.