Squall woke up with a slight headache that turned into a big headache when he got out of bed and walked into the door frame as he headed into the bathroom to wash up because of his blurry vision. He rubbed his head as he splashed water into his face as if to wash away the sleepiness and his headache. As he wiped his face off with a towel, he heard a knock on his door. He crossed the room to punch the button to open his door. Rinoa greeted him with a warm smile.
"Good, you're up," she said cheerfully.
Squall yawned. "You came to wake me?"
"Yup. You wanna come to dinner with us? Actually you really don't have a choice because if you say no I'll bug you until you come," Rinoa said.
Squall smiled slightly. "I guess my answer is yes then."
"Nice hair," Rinoa commented on Squall's messy bed hair.
"Thanks," he said and went back to the bathroom to comb it. Rinoa followed him in and sat down on the edge of his bed.
"How are you feeling?" Rinoa asked.
"Still tried," he answered.
"Well you can go back to bed with a full belly after dinner," Rinoa said.
"Where are we going?" Squall asked walking back into the room.
"Not far. It's a new place in Balamb. We didn't feel like going too far," Rinoa said.
"I don't feel like going too far either," Squall said.
"Ready?" Rinoa asked.
"Yeah," Squall said grabbing his jacket.
"Let's go," Rinoa said taking his hand and dragging him out of the room.
The others waited for them at the front gate.
"What took ya?" Zell asked.
"I wasn't gone for that long," Rinoa said.
"Zell's just impatient," Selphie needlessly pointed out.
"No, I'm just hungry. Let's go," Zell said.
"Sir! Sir!" a young boy shouted as he ran down the steps to the front gate. The group turned around. The boy stumbled as he ran. He reached the group panting and gasping for air.
"Take your time there," Irvine said.
"I have a message for com mander..." the boy said through gulps of air. He tried to salute, but was too tired to and put his hand on his knees instead.
"What is it?" Squall asked.
"Here..." the boy said and handed Squall an envelope.
"Thank you," Squall said taking it.
"No problem..." the boy answered. He stood up straight and began walking very slowly away back towards Garden.
Squall looked at the envelope. It was marked "URGENT" in bold red. He tore open the top of the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper and read.
"Any of our business?" Rinoa asked after allowing Squall to read the message.
Squall still stared at the letter. "They're accepting him."
Quistis looked at Squall. "What? How?"
"Apparently they've changed their minds," Squall said folding the letter again.
"That's strange," Quistis said.
"What?" Selphie asked in confusion.
"We can talk about it later," Quistis said and started walking. Zell followed and then the rest. The others were a bit confused of what Squall and Quistis were talking about.
The new restaurant was actually more like a large café. It was, in fact, called the Yum Yum Café. Inside it was warm and cozy. It was dimly lit for a more intimate atmosphere. The restaurant/café was one of the more modern places and it attracted many teenagers. A few people were scattered through the restaurant, but it remained quiet.
The group was seated comfortably in the back of the place by a large mural. They sat scanning the menu.
"Hey this place is pretty cool," Selphie said.
"Hope the food's good," Zell said.
"It's nice and quiet in here," Rinoa said.
They continued to scan the menu until a short, blonde waitress came to take their orders. After that was done, silence fell over the group.
"What was that letter about?" Selphie asked breaking the silence.
"Oh yeah. You guys looked kinda worried," Irvine said.
"I don't know if we should be too worried. I mean, I guess it doesn't affect us directly," Quistis said.
"What is it?" Rinoa asked.
"In our selection meeting this morning, someone's case was brought up. We had to decide whether or not to allow him to attend Galbadia Garden. They said his application was just about perfect," Quistis started.
"But you rejected him," Irvine interrupted.
"Yes, but I guess the committee's changed their minds," Quistis said.
"Who was it?" Rinoa asked.
"Seifer," Squall answered.
"WHAT?!?" Zell said in surprise.
"Shhh! Quiet, Zell. Let them finish," Selphie said.
"Seifer applied to Galbadia? I thought he wasn't allowed to attend any Garden," Rinoa said.
"No. He wasn't allowed back in Balamb Garden. I guess he decided to try his luck at Galbadia. One of the committee heads said that he wanted to be part of the Galbadia Army," Squall said.
"Galbadia Army? I thought he wanted nothing to do with them because they were a group of idiots," Irvine said.
"They've got better soldiers since new students were accepted. What's strange to me is that the committee changed their minds when they seemed so convinced that Seifer would be a distraction to the learning in Garden just two hours after the decision was made. I'm guessing the whole committee wasn't a part of this decision because I know I wasn't notified," Quistis said.
"As long as he's not in our Garden," Zell said bitterly.
"Maybe he won't cause any trouble in another Garden," Selphie said.
"The committee argued that Seifer may not cause trouble, but others may cause trouble for him or because of him," Quistis pointed out. "They were so convinced of it too. Just about everyone raised their hand in opposition of letting him attend any of the gardens."
Silence fell over the group once again as each person was left to ponder over the letter.
"Food's here," Irvine announced. The waitress set down the food and they began to eat. No one mentioned the letter the rest of the night, but there was a feeling of uneasiness that remained.
************************************************************************
"This is what you wanted," the voice said inside Seifer's head.
"How..." Seifer whispered.
"You don't need to worry about how. All you need to do is indulge in your wishes," the voice said.
Seifer sat in his new room in Galbadia Garden. He had taken the incredibly difficult early entrance exam and passed with ease and moved in immediately out of his beat up hotel room. He knew the exam was hard, but he didn't know how he pulled out the answers out of his head. They just sort of came to him and he wrote them down without a second thought.
"Soon, you will be a top ranking officer in the Galbadian Army. You will lead the army with your incredible leadership and teach them all your skills. The Galbadian Army will be an unstoppable force," the voice told him.
Seifer didn't bother to answer. The voice also told him he would get into Galbadia Garden, but he had heard of his earlier rejection. He didn't know how these things were happening, but he was beginning to get used to it. He was liking his new home in Galbadia Garden. It was a whole lot better than is rotting room in FH. He wondered what other things he could get used to and begin liking.
"You'll be admired by all. Already people are turning heads, not because you caused trouble in the past. They're turning their heads because you're proving to be a great potential leader and a man of success," the voice said.
Leader success these words rang in Seifer's head. He liked the sound of them. The future suddenly seemed very bright.