"Rinoa! Rin-rin, wake up! Headmaster Cid wants to see you in his office A.S.A.P!" the cheerful voice of Selphie Tilmitt woke Rinoa from her deep sleep, where she lay fully-clothed from last nights reminiscences.
Groggily, in a sleep choked voice, Rinoa spat out, "What TIME is it, Selphie? Don't you know people need their rest?"
"Tee-hee! Rinoa, it's nearly ten o'clock! Now, get up, Headmaster Cid wants to see all of us in his office NOW!"
Slowly becoming more awake as the minutes progressed, Rinoa came to the realization that all of her friends were standing in her bedroom. Irvine and Zell were by the door, along with Quistis. Selphie, of course, was hovering over Rinoa's bed, her dark eyes peering at Rinoa expectantly.
"Alright, I'm up, I'm up!" Yawning, she stretched her arms out, suddenly realizing she was fully clothed.
"Rinny… you were thinking about Squall again last night, weren't you?" Selphie's clear eyes gazed softly at her as she took in Rinoa's appearance.
Rinoa's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Squall, as she tried valiantly to hold back the tears threatening to overflow.
"No, Selphie… I- I was reading late last night, and must have just fallen asleep in the middle of my novel."
The lie rolled easily from her lips- lying came first rate to her now that Squall was gone. It had been two years… two years of tortured anguish that all but killed her. She has thought that she was making progress, moving on with her life and her memories. But if last night was any indication, Rinoa was just as heartbroken as the morning she had discovered Squall's absence.
Trying to make light of the tense situation, Selphie grasped Rinoa's hand and pulled her off the bed.
"Well, at least you don't need to get ready! Come on, let's go!"
Giggling, Selphie dragged Rinoa out of the room. The remaining friends were puzzled, pondering the meaning behind the quiet exchange between the two friends.
"You guys… I think Rinoa was thinking about Squall again," Quistis said, worriedly tugging on a strand of her long blond hair.
The group was silent as they let the information sink in.
"Well, that would explain why she was still in her clothes this morning." Zell replied, pacing slowly back and forth across the worn beige carpet. Having moved to the corner of Rinoa's bedroom, Irvine sat, worriedly looking out the picture window at the ground below.
"Irvine… is something wrong? You look distracted, like something is on your mind." Quistis asked, walking over to where Irvine sat. Placing a friendly hand on his shoulder, she said, "Do you need to talk about something? Something important?"
Turning to face the rest of the group, Irvine placed his head in his hands. Regaining his composure, he looked around at the worried faces of his friends, and said something that they never believed they would have ever heard again.
"Quistis… Zell. I know where Squall is."
