After the Storm Has Passed
Chapter Three: The Trip To Balamb Garden

I woke up in a van. I was lying on one of the seats. I sat up and felt dizzy. I recognized it vaguely as a Garden Mission Car, like the one from the Dollet Mission.

Squall came through and sat opposite me. I looked at him and found myself blushing, he was really cute really. He folded his arms and sat back.

"I've injected you with a simple truth drug. Also you've been injected with a tranquilizer, so you can't run away. Now, what's your name?" He asked. I swallowed, but I couldn't lie, so I just stated my name as he asked.

"Karena Dove," I replied. He nodded, and then smirked.

"Do you know where you are? If so, where?" He waited as I battled the drug, eventually losing.

"I'm near Balamb Garden, in the same Garden Car you used for the Dollett Mission," I found myself saying through gritted teeth. Squall looked shocked and he stood up.

"How do you know this?" He shouted. "How do you know my pas-" There was banging on the side of the car. I looked towards the door hopefully. I knew that as long as no one asked me a question I'd be fine.

"Squall! Unlock the doors you lazy skiver!" The childish voice shouted. I knew who it was, it was Selphie. It could only be Selphie. Squall looked at me and then opened the door. I realized I wasn't handcuffed anymore and the tranquilizers were wearing off.

Selphie hopped inside, wearing her yellow sundress and her brown boots. Her nunchaku over her shoulder, her brown hair slightly longer than I remembered and with less of a curl at the end.

"Thank you! Why did you just run off back there! That was really mean! I could have been eaten by a Bite Bug! Or worse, I could have been eaten by Zell!" Selphie scolded playfully. She sat down next to me, then stood up again. She blinked.

"Ooooh!" She said, as though she understood something now. "You're Squall's new girlfriend! No wonder he locked the doors!" Selphie giggled. I shook my head and felt the truth drug forcing me to open my mouth.

"No I'm not Mr. Leonhart's new girlfriend Miss Tilmett. He just saved my life from a T-Rexaur. He thinks I am a spy, which I am not. And I have a question, what happened to Rinoa?" I coughed, if the tranquilizers were wearing off, the truth drug was as potent as ever. Squall launched himself at me and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me.

"How do you know all this? What are you? Why are you here? Where are you from? ANSWER ME!" Squall threw me back into the seat and I began to cry. I realized there wasn't really much chance of me going home. I missed my mom and dad already. To a certain extent I missed my younger brother, but not as much as I missed everyone else.

"I know all this because in my world it's a story. I am human just like you, with feelings just like you. I don't know why I'm here and I am from another world! Please don't hurt me. I can't help it. If it upsets you then don't talk about it. I can't stop my mouth from working," I found myself saying. Selphie gasped and Squall just stared.

"Another dimension?" She asked. I nodded. Squall glared at me so I whispered the word "yes". There was silence. Selphie stared at me, Squall carried on glaring. I jumped when there was another bang on the side of the van. Selphie opened the door. I stood up and made a break for it.

"Hiya!" I heard someone say. Then I ran straight into him. It was like hitting a wall. I looked up to see Zell Dincht. He looked at me surprised.

"I'm going home! I don't care what you say! I'm not letting you bully me!" I pointed at Squall. I shoved Zell backwards, he lost his balance and fell. I jumped over him and made a break for it. I saw Irvine, Quistis and Rinoa running towards the van. I looked back to see Squall, Selphie and Zell coming from the other direction. Before I knew it they had surrounded me.

I acted without thinking. Selphie went for me first. I sighed, Tae Kwon Do was a self-defensive art, but this was self-defense in a way. I kicked the wooden end of the nunchaku and then let the chain wrap around my arm. I pulled and disarmed Selphie. I used the nunchaku to deflect Quistis's whip and brought my leg up behind me to hit Rinoa in the stomach. She was hurled onto the ground. I saw Zell stay back, out of my attack range. Squall brought his gunblade up, but I used Selphie's nunchaku against to deflect it. I heard a click and the fighting stopped.

"I don't think you're going to hurt anyone else," Irvine said. I turned to see the Exeter in my face. I shrugged and threw Selphie's nunchaku to her. Then I back-flipped, knocking the gun from his grasp. I stood still for a moment, then span around to block Zell's attack.

For a while he circled me, then he attacked. I blocked. We were equally matched. He attacked, I blocked. I attacked, he blocked. We were equally getting tired. Then there was a gunshot. I felt the bullet graze my leg. I looked up to Irvine, which was long enough for Zell to bring my legs out from under me. He pinned my arms down and sat on my hips. I struggled, but my strength gave in. I lay there.

It suddenly struck me that if I died, I'd never see my parents again. My friends, I wouldn't tell them how much they meant to me. A new strength took over. A strength I didn't even know I had. I overpowered Zell and the roles were reversed. He couldn't move, but he was looking up at me in a dazed way.

"I will not lose!" I hissed. He swallowed and nodded.

"Then you've won," He replied. I raised my eyebrows and stood up. The rest of them were staring at me in a way that suggested they were shocked.

"Now I'm going to collapse on the floor with exhaustion," I said. I fell to my knees as they gathered around me. Zell sat down beside me and pulled out a phial of green goo. I watched as he rubbed it on my leg, where the bullet had cut it. The wound disappeared before my eyes.

"Thank you..." I closed my eyes, quite prepared to lie here and wait for another T-Rexaur to gobble me up. I was kicked in the side however by Squall.

"Get up," He commanded. I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. He kicked me again, this time harder. I felt the air leave my lungs and I coughed.

"Yo, leave it out man. You're bloody well lucky that she's not dead. An innocent civilian life. So don't start kicking her. I'll bet she's worn out, and I'll also bet that not one of you could say that she's not trained by some force or other. So we need her alive and in a fit state to talk. Now back off and leave her alone you asshole," Zell told Squall. I looked to Zell in appreciation.

"No need to stick up for the "spy". The fact is, no matter what you say, I know almost every detail of the Ultimercia incident and you may have to do something for me to keep me from blabbing," I challenged. Squall brought his gunblade to my throat.

"Or I could just kill you," He said. I nodded. I knew one of the best places to be to find a way home would be Garden. I hoped he'd listen to me. Or that Zell would stick up for me.

"Here I am, trying to appeal to the better side of 'talk-to-the-wall' Squall..." I paused to let that sink in with him and Quistis. He looked at me with the same hatred, and Quistis looked shocked. "You let me join Garden, help me find a way home. I won't go running over to Timber Maniacs and the TV Station. It's no big thing is it? A little girl like me?" I smiled sweetly. I wondered if I was telling the truth now, whether what I was saying was the truth or not. Would I really run off to the press?

"She'd be a valuable asset to SeeD... Although I don't know her story, or why you're being such a meanie. I think what she asks is fair enough," Rinoa said, putting her hand on Squall's arm. He shook it off and began to walk away.

"Fine, you can carry her back then, my lady," I made a rude gesture. Then I stood up, shakily. Zell steadied me and I let him help me.

"You didn't have to do that you know..." I said. Zell grinned.

"Yeah, but Squall's being mean to everyone because of Rinoa. I'm fed up with it, so I wasn't going to let him scare someone away," Zell explained. I looked at him closely. His tattoo wasn't all that bad...

"Yeah well, he should watch it. This bitch bites."