Living for the sake of living
Living 'cause it's too hard to die
Forgetting all my reasons for breathing
Let go of all I'm leaving behind
--- Dark Raion
Chapter 2
The next morning, when Rinoa awoke, she expected the whole thing to have been a dream, created somewhere within the darkness of her sleep- deprived mind. But alas, the rose still sat there, on the pillow, where it had been the night before. Unsure of where it had come from, or why, she gingerly picked it up between her index finger and thumb, and set it on her counter of her kitchen.
Despite the evident lack of sleep, Rinoa knew that she needed to go out and get a job, if she meant to support herself. But where? Her last profession had been a journalist, but she felt she should do something a bit more low key than that. Something where she wouldn't have to risk being known, and possibly being found.
After showering and dressing, she decided to take another quick tour of the town and see what she could find. When she got off the elevator, at the lobby, she was greeted with the sight of Zell leaning on the front desk and talking to Quistis, while, of all things, playing idley with a red rose in a glass vase that was sitting next to the computer monitor. As soon as he heard the elevator drop to the first floor, he turned his attention to it, so as soon as the doors slid open, Rinoa's eyes met with his, sending unwelcome chills down her back.
"Good morning, Rinoa!" he called to her cheerfully with a slight wave. "What's new?"
"You mean since yesterday?" Rinoa asked, sounding a little colder than she had intended.
His smile quickly faded. "Oh. Nothing I guess."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I just had a rough night."
"Oh," he replied, nodding his head in sympathy. He then turned his attention back to the rose on the desk. "So, Rinoa. Do you like red roses?"
"I-I don't know," she stammered nervously, feeling a deep fear well up inside of her.
He arched an eyebrow in question of her strange behavior. "So, what's on the agenda today?"
She shrugged. "I was just going to see if I couldn't find a job."
"You moved here without knowing what kind of work you'd find? Not very smart," Zell commented. When the only reply he recieved was a deadly, "go to hell" look, he quickly ammended by saying, "Of course, there's a lot to say for someone care-free enough to...um.... not worry about that sort of thing.... I guess."
"Thanks....I guess. Well, I need to be going. I've got a lot to do today," Rinoa replied before starting for the door.
"Good luck, Rinoa!" Zell called from behind her with an excited wave.
"Yes, I hope you find something good," Quistis called, looking up from her paper work.
Rinoa cast a half-hearted "thanks" over her shoulder before allowing the doors to fall closed behind her. She couldn't help but wonder why everyone in that town seemed so damn cheerful, if only to each other. Everyone, that is, except for that sexy stranger she'd met the day before.
As she stepped outside into the blinding light of the sun, Rinoa slid her sunglasses on, and looked over the town once again. She couldn't help the sigh of dread that escaped her lips. Though the town wasn't very large, she wasn't looking forward to scouring the area for a decent occupation. Then a thought occured to her.
She made a dash for the Italian restruant that she had eaten at the previous day, hoping Selphie would be there. Of course, their meeting yesterday had just gone to prove her theory about Balamb. She had to wonder if there wasn't something in the water supply.
(Yeah, like prozac) she thought to herself with a small laugh.
When she reached the restruant, sure enough, there was Selphie, and her usual cheery self. Luckily, the place was mostly empty at that time of morning, so she would most likely have time to talk to Rinoa.
"Hi!" she exclaimed as soon as she spotted Rinoa. "You here for breakfast?"
"No, actually I wanted to ask you something. I hate to bother you about this, but do you know of any good jobs available in town?"
"Oh, well, there's a music store nearby that's offering a position. And, they're always looking for people down at the docks to work in the warehouses. But I don't suppose you'd be interested in that, huh? Um....Oh yeah! I just remembered. There's also an opening in the book store in the building next to us."
"That's perfect!" Rinoa exclaimed happily. "I love books."
"Good," Selphie laughed. "It'll be just the right thing for you, then"
She nodded. "Yeah. Well, I better go ahead and look into it, now. I would hate it if someone got the job before me."
"Good luck!" Selphie yelled after her as she started out the door. "Come again soon!"
Rinoa smiled and turned to wave at her for a moment before continuing on. She quickly spotted the book store which was simply labeled, "Balamb Books" right next to the restruant, as Selphie had mentioned. As she made the short walk to the entrance, she suddenly stopped, having had that prickling, intolerable sensation crawl up and down her neck and spine, screaming at her sense of awareness that someone's eyes were upon her once again.
She whirled around and searched the surrounding area, expecting to find Zell smiling at her from some bizarre location that he had gone to just for the purpose of seeing her as she searched for her job.
(Don't flatter yourself) she thought, the incident from yesterday still fresh in her mind.
She didn't see anyone. Not anywhere. Yet still she could feel that sensation. This was really beginning to get to her. Something just wasn't right, and something told her it was all Zell.
Deciding that there wasn't any sense in standing there being paranoid, she continued to make her way to the book store. Inside, the modest little shop was mostly empty of people, save the dark-haired girl at the desk. Her hair was long, and fell over her shoulders in unkempt tangles. Her dark eyes were ringed with gold, and a line of stitches ran across her right cheek.
"Hi," Rinoa said, approaching the cash register. "I heard there was a job opening here."
The girl, who was very immersed in her magazine at the moment, glared up at her from over its top and said in a sarcastic, monotonous tone, "Oh really? I'm just soooo thrilled at the possibility of having a new co- worker. But you have to pass the interview first, okay?"
Rinoa nodded. "Okay, that's fine."
"Great," the girl replied, rolling her eyes and chewing noisily on her gum. "First of all, do you know how to read?"
"Yeah," Rinoa said with a slight laugh.
She clapped slightly. "Good for you. So can you like, show people books and shit like that?"
"Yeah."
"Can you make change?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, you're not going to be back there in the porn section jacking off, are you?"
"No, definately not."
"Fine, you're hired," she said. "My name's Lyra. I'll be sure to alert the boss as soon as he gets through brooding over his life and decides to come down from his apartment. That could be years from now, but don't worry, you'll get paid."
"Who is the owner?" Rinoa asked.
Lyra leaned up, until her face was close to Rinoa's. She then blew a big bubble with her gum, popped, grinning slightly as Rinoa flinched at the rush of stale, artificially flavored fruit-smelling air, and said, "No one knows. It's his little secret."
"You don't even know who he is?"
She shook her head and decided to be serious for a moment. "All I know, is that I leave the sales records on the check-out counter at the end of every week. And the next day, I come into work to find an envelope containing my pay check in the place where I left the records. If he ever goes out, which I assume he must, he does it before the store opens, or I suppose on the days when I'm off. Or sometimes, when I'm out on my lunch break. He comes back before I return. So I really don't know who he is."
Rinoa arched an eye brow in thought. "That's really strange."
"No doubt," the girl said. "But I figure he's just some grumpy old man that's too ugly to be out in public much, or something."
Rinoa had to resist rolling her eyes at this explanation. "So when do I start?" she asked, deciding to change the subject.
"I'm taking the day off tomorrow," Lyra replied. "So you'll be taking over tomorrow. In the mean time, go home and make sure you're all rested up for your exciting day tomorrow."
"All right," Rinoa said with a sigh, happy to be able to leave this girl. "What time should I come in?"
Lyra tossed her a key over the desk. "Open the place up at nine a.m. sharp."
"Thanks," Rinoa replied and left, feeling a head ache arise at the back of her eyeballs. Lyra had to have been one of the most unpleasant people she'd ever talked to.
(Guess that disproves my theory about the town) she thought.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
After getting the job, Rinoa couldn't resist telling someone of her small, but satisfying victory, so she told the one person in the town that she didn't mind talking to, and whom she was certain would talk back. The one and only Ms. Selphie Tilmitt. So, later that evening when Selphie had gotten off work, she decided she would drag Rinoa out to a small coffee shop for a little celebration. Being a week night, the place was mostly empty, as it seemed most of the town shared a simultaneous bed time.
"Selphie, this place is a little boring, don't you think?," Rinoa said, turning to her new, and only friend.
Selphie waved a hand at her dismissively. "You'll grow to like. It's really the only cool place, aside from the pub, that Balamb has to hang out at ."
Rinoa rolled her eyes and settled her elbows on the table. "This is boring."
"Then let's try engaging in some girl talk," Selphie suggested. "We don't know each other all that well, so we should get to know each other better."
"Okay," Rinoa relented with a sigh.
"I'll go first," her friend replied excitedly. "Where did you move here from?"
Rinoa frowned. "Esthar," she lied.
"Really?! I've always wanted to go there. So, next question. Do you have a boyfriend, or at least any love interests?"
"No," Rinoa replied, pushing the blue-eyed stranger from her mind. "But there is someone who's interested in me."
"Really?! Who?"
"Some guy that lives in my apartment. His name's Zell."
Selphie frowned. "Zell? Uh-oh. You're in trouble."
"Why is that?"
"Zell's a little... how can I put this nicely.... unstabble. He tends to blow things way out of proportion. For instance, he thinks a little crush could be love. But really, it turns out to be an obsession to him. He's a known manic depressive, too. At least, that's what his psychiatrist says. He's also suicidal, and over-agressive, depending on his mood. He doesn't take rejection well at all."
Rinoa shuddered slightly and took a sip of her coffee. "Are you sure about all this? I mean, I admit he creeped me out a little, but still.... he seemed sweet, over all."
Selphie nodded. "Definate."
Rinoa glanced away for a moment, a distant look clouding her eyes. When she looked back to Selphie again, her eyes seemed to hold an enigma of hidden saddness, fear, and guilt. "Then again," she said in a soft, disconnected voice, "it's always the sweet ones that you have to worry about."
Sensing that her new found friend had something profound on her mind and didn't want to be bothered at the moment, Selphie quietly excused herself and went to the bathroom, even though she didn't really have any use for it at the moment.
Rinoa sat back in her chair, lost in thought. As she absent-mindedly scanned over the small coffee shop, ignoring the intoxicating smells of bagels, muffins, and strong black coffee, something on an abandoned table next to her's caught her mind.
She turned her attention to it and saw that it was a newspaper. A very old one at that. The headline read, "Mass Murderer Arrested with Help of Surviver."
After quickly averting her eyes from the offending words, even more bad memories began to surface in her mind.
The room was swallowed in blackness, and the only light that could be seen was the dim, grayish light of the moon that shone through the open window that he was turned to. The strands of his short, golden hair gleamed with pale light, moving slightly in the breeze as he stood, silent.
She stood behind him, warm tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She knew the truth now, but hadn't she always known? She asked him why. And he had turned away, without so much as a word, and began to stare out at the black line of tall pine trees in the distance. It was as if he had never heard her. As if he were in a world of his own. That was what scared her.
The doctors had said later that he had mental problems. That he would slip off into his own world of false reality before commiting the fatal deed against the innocent person that had fallen victim to his subconciously planned trap.
As she stared at his broad back, she knew something was wronge. Something didn't feel right. She wanted only to leave, and never look back.
She took a few tremulous steps toward the door, inhaling deeply as the hurried beat of her racing heart pounded at her temples. Just as she thought she would reach that small opening of salvation, he uttered to her those words that, for whatever reason, would echo in her mind for eternities to follow.
"You know, Rinoa. I'll always love you."
There came a sickeneing flash that was mirrored in her soft brown eyes like the thunder of the mythical gods as they reveled in their vengefulness, and then, before she could flench, she felt the pain, tearing into her skin and spreading fire through the tender nerves that stretched throughout her body.
She felt to the groud with a low whimper, too frozen with shock and terror to cry aloud. He looked down upon her one last time, an inhuman look of cold furiousity twisting his face, and a glint of sickening satisfaction in his eyes. Then he turned away from her, thinking she was dead, and thinking himself the better for it.
Her body didn't want to go on. It wanted so badly to give up, and accept this fate she believed she deserved. But she fought it with all the will that remained within her, and pushed her body, that suddenly felt like lifting a ton of bricks, up from the ground until she was on her knees. Bright red blood seeped through her fingers as she clutched at the wound in her side, and the short, rough carpet scratched at her knees as she tried to crawl across the floor to the small oak table where the phone rested.
When she finally reached it, she grabbed weakly at the phone and searched her
clouded mind for the number. When it came to her, she dialed it with bloodied, trembling fingers before collapsing on the floor with the phone strung out next to her.
It rang for a few moments, before a voice came over the other end, asking her what her emergency was.
She mumbled all the details that she could remember, vaguely wondering if the person on the other end could understand her.
At last, she could struggle with the weakness of her body no more, and her vision began to go black, her mind slowly thinking that she would never again see light. The last thing she saw before the darkness over took her, was red and blue lights, flashing rythmically through the open window above her, pulsing against the half-lit moon
"Rinoa, you there?" Selphie asked as she returned to the table to find her friend lost amoung the cloud of her own thoughts again.
Rinoa's head snapped up, her bitter memeory having come to an end. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things."
Selphie sighed, "Well, my coffee has long since gone cold, so I guess it's time we should leave."
Rinoa nodded in agreement. "Definately. I really need some sleep."
"I think so, too."
The girls gathered their things and headed home, which meant they had to seperate at a certain point. When Rinoa reached, her apartment complex, she noticed a familiar figure standing outside, as if waiting for something.
As she came closer, the voice belonging to that familiar figure rose from the shadows half-way covering him. "Hey, Rinoa! How'd your job hunt go?"
"Just fine, Zell," Rinoa replied, hoping their conversation would be short, as she was suddenly very tired.
"Good," he said smoothly. "I was, um, wanting to ask you something."
"What?" Rinoa asked worriedly.
Zell looked down at the ground for a moment then continued. "I was wondering if.... um..... you would go out with me."
Rinoa's heart slammed in her chest. What was she to do? She certainly didn't want to go out with him. She wasn't ready for another relationship, yet, and even if she was, he was much to unstable for her liking. She didn't want to go through the same thing again.
"I'm....really sorry, Zell," she said softly, hoping he would take it well. "I'm just not ready for a relationship."
Zell's gaze then lifted to meet hers, and the look in them was unmistakable. They held pure rage.
"S-sorry..." Rinoa stammed again as she slowly backed toward the door. She quickly went inside, feeling lucky he didn't follow her, and rushed upstairs to her room.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Rinoa opened her eyes slowly, the previous night's dreams echoing in her memory. A small smile came over her lips as she thought about him, and his touch. The dream had been the same as the one before, except the events of this one were different, and once again, they ended all too soon. Still, it was a nice escape from the harsh reality of her life.
As she began to rise from her bed, she noticed once again, the red rose on the pillow beside her's. Fear rushed through her, and her heart began slamming in her chest once again.
She stood slowly, taking a deep breath and looking around cautiously. When she didn't see anyone, she went about dressing and showering. Today was the day she started her new job.
With the keys to the book shop in her hand, she walked through the blinding sun across the circle, her warm shower and the sunshine erasing her worries from her mind. What could Zell possibly do now? She was out in broad daylight.
In a few short moments, she reached the store, and unlocked the door. She stepped into the darkened shop with a slight smile on her face, hoping this would turn out to be a good experience. As she was walking over to turn the light on, someone grabbed her around the waist, and the next thing she knew, she could feel cold steel pressing into her neck....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Living 'cause it's too hard to die
Forgetting all my reasons for breathing
Let go of all I'm leaving behind
--- Dark Raion
Chapter 2
The next morning, when Rinoa awoke, she expected the whole thing to have been a dream, created somewhere within the darkness of her sleep- deprived mind. But alas, the rose still sat there, on the pillow, where it had been the night before. Unsure of where it had come from, or why, she gingerly picked it up between her index finger and thumb, and set it on her counter of her kitchen.
Despite the evident lack of sleep, Rinoa knew that she needed to go out and get a job, if she meant to support herself. But where? Her last profession had been a journalist, but she felt she should do something a bit more low key than that. Something where she wouldn't have to risk being known, and possibly being found.
After showering and dressing, she decided to take another quick tour of the town and see what she could find. When she got off the elevator, at the lobby, she was greeted with the sight of Zell leaning on the front desk and talking to Quistis, while, of all things, playing idley with a red rose in a glass vase that was sitting next to the computer monitor. As soon as he heard the elevator drop to the first floor, he turned his attention to it, so as soon as the doors slid open, Rinoa's eyes met with his, sending unwelcome chills down her back.
"Good morning, Rinoa!" he called to her cheerfully with a slight wave. "What's new?"
"You mean since yesterday?" Rinoa asked, sounding a little colder than she had intended.
His smile quickly faded. "Oh. Nothing I guess."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I just had a rough night."
"Oh," he replied, nodding his head in sympathy. He then turned his attention back to the rose on the desk. "So, Rinoa. Do you like red roses?"
"I-I don't know," she stammered nervously, feeling a deep fear well up inside of her.
He arched an eyebrow in question of her strange behavior. "So, what's on the agenda today?"
She shrugged. "I was just going to see if I couldn't find a job."
"You moved here without knowing what kind of work you'd find? Not very smart," Zell commented. When the only reply he recieved was a deadly, "go to hell" look, he quickly ammended by saying, "Of course, there's a lot to say for someone care-free enough to...um.... not worry about that sort of thing.... I guess."
"Thanks....I guess. Well, I need to be going. I've got a lot to do today," Rinoa replied before starting for the door.
"Good luck, Rinoa!" Zell called from behind her with an excited wave.
"Yes, I hope you find something good," Quistis called, looking up from her paper work.
Rinoa cast a half-hearted "thanks" over her shoulder before allowing the doors to fall closed behind her. She couldn't help but wonder why everyone in that town seemed so damn cheerful, if only to each other. Everyone, that is, except for that sexy stranger she'd met the day before.
As she stepped outside into the blinding light of the sun, Rinoa slid her sunglasses on, and looked over the town once again. She couldn't help the sigh of dread that escaped her lips. Though the town wasn't very large, she wasn't looking forward to scouring the area for a decent occupation. Then a thought occured to her.
She made a dash for the Italian restruant that she had eaten at the previous day, hoping Selphie would be there. Of course, their meeting yesterday had just gone to prove her theory about Balamb. She had to wonder if there wasn't something in the water supply.
(Yeah, like prozac) she thought to herself with a small laugh.
When she reached the restruant, sure enough, there was Selphie, and her usual cheery self. Luckily, the place was mostly empty at that time of morning, so she would most likely have time to talk to Rinoa.
"Hi!" she exclaimed as soon as she spotted Rinoa. "You here for breakfast?"
"No, actually I wanted to ask you something. I hate to bother you about this, but do you know of any good jobs available in town?"
"Oh, well, there's a music store nearby that's offering a position. And, they're always looking for people down at the docks to work in the warehouses. But I don't suppose you'd be interested in that, huh? Um....Oh yeah! I just remembered. There's also an opening in the book store in the building next to us."
"That's perfect!" Rinoa exclaimed happily. "I love books."
"Good," Selphie laughed. "It'll be just the right thing for you, then"
She nodded. "Yeah. Well, I better go ahead and look into it, now. I would hate it if someone got the job before me."
"Good luck!" Selphie yelled after her as she started out the door. "Come again soon!"
Rinoa smiled and turned to wave at her for a moment before continuing on. She quickly spotted the book store which was simply labeled, "Balamb Books" right next to the restruant, as Selphie had mentioned. As she made the short walk to the entrance, she suddenly stopped, having had that prickling, intolerable sensation crawl up and down her neck and spine, screaming at her sense of awareness that someone's eyes were upon her once again.
She whirled around and searched the surrounding area, expecting to find Zell smiling at her from some bizarre location that he had gone to just for the purpose of seeing her as she searched for her job.
(Don't flatter yourself) she thought, the incident from yesterday still fresh in her mind.
She didn't see anyone. Not anywhere. Yet still she could feel that sensation. This was really beginning to get to her. Something just wasn't right, and something told her it was all Zell.
Deciding that there wasn't any sense in standing there being paranoid, she continued to make her way to the book store. Inside, the modest little shop was mostly empty of people, save the dark-haired girl at the desk. Her hair was long, and fell over her shoulders in unkempt tangles. Her dark eyes were ringed with gold, and a line of stitches ran across her right cheek.
"Hi," Rinoa said, approaching the cash register. "I heard there was a job opening here."
The girl, who was very immersed in her magazine at the moment, glared up at her from over its top and said in a sarcastic, monotonous tone, "Oh really? I'm just soooo thrilled at the possibility of having a new co- worker. But you have to pass the interview first, okay?"
Rinoa nodded. "Okay, that's fine."
"Great," the girl replied, rolling her eyes and chewing noisily on her gum. "First of all, do you know how to read?"
"Yeah," Rinoa said with a slight laugh.
She clapped slightly. "Good for you. So can you like, show people books and shit like that?"
"Yeah."
"Can you make change?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, you're not going to be back there in the porn section jacking off, are you?"
"No, definately not."
"Fine, you're hired," she said. "My name's Lyra. I'll be sure to alert the boss as soon as he gets through brooding over his life and decides to come down from his apartment. That could be years from now, but don't worry, you'll get paid."
"Who is the owner?" Rinoa asked.
Lyra leaned up, until her face was close to Rinoa's. She then blew a big bubble with her gum, popped, grinning slightly as Rinoa flinched at the rush of stale, artificially flavored fruit-smelling air, and said, "No one knows. It's his little secret."
"You don't even know who he is?"
She shook her head and decided to be serious for a moment. "All I know, is that I leave the sales records on the check-out counter at the end of every week. And the next day, I come into work to find an envelope containing my pay check in the place where I left the records. If he ever goes out, which I assume he must, he does it before the store opens, or I suppose on the days when I'm off. Or sometimes, when I'm out on my lunch break. He comes back before I return. So I really don't know who he is."
Rinoa arched an eye brow in thought. "That's really strange."
"No doubt," the girl said. "But I figure he's just some grumpy old man that's too ugly to be out in public much, or something."
Rinoa had to resist rolling her eyes at this explanation. "So when do I start?" she asked, deciding to change the subject.
"I'm taking the day off tomorrow," Lyra replied. "So you'll be taking over tomorrow. In the mean time, go home and make sure you're all rested up for your exciting day tomorrow."
"All right," Rinoa said with a sigh, happy to be able to leave this girl. "What time should I come in?"
Lyra tossed her a key over the desk. "Open the place up at nine a.m. sharp."
"Thanks," Rinoa replied and left, feeling a head ache arise at the back of her eyeballs. Lyra had to have been one of the most unpleasant people she'd ever talked to.
(Guess that disproves my theory about the town) she thought.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
After getting the job, Rinoa couldn't resist telling someone of her small, but satisfying victory, so she told the one person in the town that she didn't mind talking to, and whom she was certain would talk back. The one and only Ms. Selphie Tilmitt. So, later that evening when Selphie had gotten off work, she decided she would drag Rinoa out to a small coffee shop for a little celebration. Being a week night, the place was mostly empty, as it seemed most of the town shared a simultaneous bed time.
"Selphie, this place is a little boring, don't you think?," Rinoa said, turning to her new, and only friend.
Selphie waved a hand at her dismissively. "You'll grow to like. It's really the only cool place, aside from the pub, that Balamb has to hang out at ."
Rinoa rolled her eyes and settled her elbows on the table. "This is boring."
"Then let's try engaging in some girl talk," Selphie suggested. "We don't know each other all that well, so we should get to know each other better."
"Okay," Rinoa relented with a sigh.
"I'll go first," her friend replied excitedly. "Where did you move here from?"
Rinoa frowned. "Esthar," she lied.
"Really?! I've always wanted to go there. So, next question. Do you have a boyfriend, or at least any love interests?"
"No," Rinoa replied, pushing the blue-eyed stranger from her mind. "But there is someone who's interested in me."
"Really?! Who?"
"Some guy that lives in my apartment. His name's Zell."
Selphie frowned. "Zell? Uh-oh. You're in trouble."
"Why is that?"
"Zell's a little... how can I put this nicely.... unstabble. He tends to blow things way out of proportion. For instance, he thinks a little crush could be love. But really, it turns out to be an obsession to him. He's a known manic depressive, too. At least, that's what his psychiatrist says. He's also suicidal, and over-agressive, depending on his mood. He doesn't take rejection well at all."
Rinoa shuddered slightly and took a sip of her coffee. "Are you sure about all this? I mean, I admit he creeped me out a little, but still.... he seemed sweet, over all."
Selphie nodded. "Definate."
Rinoa glanced away for a moment, a distant look clouding her eyes. When she looked back to Selphie again, her eyes seemed to hold an enigma of hidden saddness, fear, and guilt. "Then again," she said in a soft, disconnected voice, "it's always the sweet ones that you have to worry about."
Sensing that her new found friend had something profound on her mind and didn't want to be bothered at the moment, Selphie quietly excused herself and went to the bathroom, even though she didn't really have any use for it at the moment.
Rinoa sat back in her chair, lost in thought. As she absent-mindedly scanned over the small coffee shop, ignoring the intoxicating smells of bagels, muffins, and strong black coffee, something on an abandoned table next to her's caught her mind.
She turned her attention to it and saw that it was a newspaper. A very old one at that. The headline read, "Mass Murderer Arrested with Help of Surviver."
After quickly averting her eyes from the offending words, even more bad memories began to surface in her mind.
The room was swallowed in blackness, and the only light that could be seen was the dim, grayish light of the moon that shone through the open window that he was turned to. The strands of his short, golden hair gleamed with pale light, moving slightly in the breeze as he stood, silent.
She stood behind him, warm tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She knew the truth now, but hadn't she always known? She asked him why. And he had turned away, without so much as a word, and began to stare out at the black line of tall pine trees in the distance. It was as if he had never heard her. As if he were in a world of his own. That was what scared her.
The doctors had said later that he had mental problems. That he would slip off into his own world of false reality before commiting the fatal deed against the innocent person that had fallen victim to his subconciously planned trap.
As she stared at his broad back, she knew something was wronge. Something didn't feel right. She wanted only to leave, and never look back.
She took a few tremulous steps toward the door, inhaling deeply as the hurried beat of her racing heart pounded at her temples. Just as she thought she would reach that small opening of salvation, he uttered to her those words that, for whatever reason, would echo in her mind for eternities to follow.
"You know, Rinoa. I'll always love you."
There came a sickeneing flash that was mirrored in her soft brown eyes like the thunder of the mythical gods as they reveled in their vengefulness, and then, before she could flench, she felt the pain, tearing into her skin and spreading fire through the tender nerves that stretched throughout her body.
She felt to the groud with a low whimper, too frozen with shock and terror to cry aloud. He looked down upon her one last time, an inhuman look of cold furiousity twisting his face, and a glint of sickening satisfaction in his eyes. Then he turned away from her, thinking she was dead, and thinking himself the better for it.
Her body didn't want to go on. It wanted so badly to give up, and accept this fate she believed she deserved. But she fought it with all the will that remained within her, and pushed her body, that suddenly felt like lifting a ton of bricks, up from the ground until she was on her knees. Bright red blood seeped through her fingers as she clutched at the wound in her side, and the short, rough carpet scratched at her knees as she tried to crawl across the floor to the small oak table where the phone rested.
When she finally reached it, she grabbed weakly at the phone and searched her
clouded mind for the number. When it came to her, she dialed it with bloodied, trembling fingers before collapsing on the floor with the phone strung out next to her.
It rang for a few moments, before a voice came over the other end, asking her what her emergency was.
She mumbled all the details that she could remember, vaguely wondering if the person on the other end could understand her.
At last, she could struggle with the weakness of her body no more, and her vision began to go black, her mind slowly thinking that she would never again see light. The last thing she saw before the darkness over took her, was red and blue lights, flashing rythmically through the open window above her, pulsing against the half-lit moon
"Rinoa, you there?" Selphie asked as she returned to the table to find her friend lost amoung the cloud of her own thoughts again.
Rinoa's head snapped up, her bitter memeory having come to an end. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things."
Selphie sighed, "Well, my coffee has long since gone cold, so I guess it's time we should leave."
Rinoa nodded in agreement. "Definately. I really need some sleep."
"I think so, too."
The girls gathered their things and headed home, which meant they had to seperate at a certain point. When Rinoa reached, her apartment complex, she noticed a familiar figure standing outside, as if waiting for something.
As she came closer, the voice belonging to that familiar figure rose from the shadows half-way covering him. "Hey, Rinoa! How'd your job hunt go?"
"Just fine, Zell," Rinoa replied, hoping their conversation would be short, as she was suddenly very tired.
"Good," he said smoothly. "I was, um, wanting to ask you something."
"What?" Rinoa asked worriedly.
Zell looked down at the ground for a moment then continued. "I was wondering if.... um..... you would go out with me."
Rinoa's heart slammed in her chest. What was she to do? She certainly didn't want to go out with him. She wasn't ready for another relationship, yet, and even if she was, he was much to unstable for her liking. She didn't want to go through the same thing again.
"I'm....really sorry, Zell," she said softly, hoping he would take it well. "I'm just not ready for a relationship."
Zell's gaze then lifted to meet hers, and the look in them was unmistakable. They held pure rage.
"S-sorry..." Rinoa stammed again as she slowly backed toward the door. She quickly went inside, feeling lucky he didn't follow her, and rushed upstairs to her room.
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Rinoa opened her eyes slowly, the previous night's dreams echoing in her memory. A small smile came over her lips as she thought about him, and his touch. The dream had been the same as the one before, except the events of this one were different, and once again, they ended all too soon. Still, it was a nice escape from the harsh reality of her life.
As she began to rise from her bed, she noticed once again, the red rose on the pillow beside her's. Fear rushed through her, and her heart began slamming in her chest once again.
She stood slowly, taking a deep breath and looking around cautiously. When she didn't see anyone, she went about dressing and showering. Today was the day she started her new job.
With the keys to the book shop in her hand, she walked through the blinding sun across the circle, her warm shower and the sunshine erasing her worries from her mind. What could Zell possibly do now? She was out in broad daylight.
In a few short moments, she reached the store, and unlocked the door. She stepped into the darkened shop with a slight smile on her face, hoping this would turn out to be a good experience. As she was walking over to turn the light on, someone grabbed her around the waist, and the next thing she knew, she could feel cold steel pressing into her neck....
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