Chapter 3
The Ragnarok bounced lightly in the air. Inside the airlock Sia lit candles preparing for the spell. Anxious couldn't describe how she felt. Hopefully she would be bringing her good friend home tonight.
She still remembered the day she had met Andria. How she had tried to kill herself and Andria had come out of nowhere and stopped her. Though how had Squall known that she had practised magic? Sia had never told anyone, only Andria had known.
In the background Sia could hear Squall and Zell's argument. They'd been at it now for more than forty minutes and they weren't about to stop soon.
* * *
"All I said was wait. Don't go flying off the handle with me," Zell shouted at Squall. He was tired of playing along with Squall's ludicrous idea and wanted to stop it now.
"Look man, I know you're hurting, we all were with her death, but you gotta get over it, move on. No point in living in the past."
"But I can't, can I? Every day I'm reminded of her," Squall replied curtly. He didn't feel he had to explain himself to Zell, but Zell was the sort of person who thought in black and white. Guy gets girl, they live happily ever after, it was never that simple in the real world.
Zell shook his head in exasperation at Squall. This idea of his was crazy and pointless.
"I don't even know why I agreed to go on this crazy chase with you Squall. You've changed man; you're not the same man I once knew. You know, the one who jumped out an escape pod to save the one he loved, where did all of that go?"
Squall shrugged. "I don't know, but I know now I have to follow my heart and this is where it takes me."
"Fine," said Zell and stormed off. Squall watched him go, Zell hadn't listened to his point at all.
"Leave him, he'll come round," said Sia coming up behind Squall. At least he knew that Sia would back him up.
"We're ready now," Sia said leading Squall to the circle. "Stand here," she said, pointing to the middle. "Do you know your lines?"
Squall nodded, his mouth to dry to talk. Excitement was welling up inside him. Finally things would be right again.
Sia started the ritual, her words brought on a life of their own. Then she nodded to Squall, nervousness pushed away as he spoke his own words.
"Enu Shub," he said hesitantly, "Am Gig Absu, Kish Egigga, Gar Shan Da Sisie Amarda Ya, Dingir Ud Kalama Siniku, Dingir Ninab Guyu Nexrraniku, Ga Ya Shu Shanmuku Tu!"
The deck of the ship then started to sway, Squall couldn't see properly, nor could he hear. He wasn't sure if the ship was moving or if it was he. He tried calling out, but no words could escape his lips. A crippling pain stared in his legs and continued up his body. Maybe this was what being born felt like. But what about Jake. If the spell had gone wrong, then what would happen to Jake?
The pain by then had reached Squall's head and he lost consciousness.
* * *
Selphie rushed into the Headmaster's office, nearly bumping into Xu who was coming out at the same time. "Sorry," she apologised, as she was already running up to Quistis.
"Seen… ship… sighted… Centra…" she wheezed after running from one end of the Garden to the other, she was exhausted. Quistis patted her back, helping her get her breath back.
"Do you know where it went to?" asked Quistis kindly.
"No," wheezed Selphie, "… said it just… disappeared."
"Literally," asked Quistis, with a shocked expression. The Ragnarok was a big ship, not easily lost. It couldn't disappear into thin air, that was impossible.
"Yeah, one of our ships spotted it and was about to make radio contact, but then it vanished," Selphie said, she was breathing easier now.
Quistis turned and looked out of the window. She and Raijin had been pulled off assignment for Squall's disappearance. But stranger was that Sia and Zell had disappeared too.
The ocean's calming ability did nothing for Quistis this time. Usually the ocean had a soothing effect on her, but something seemed wrong about Squall vanishing act that she couldn't put her finger on. Squall wasn't the person to go AWOL all of a sudden, he just didn't.
Irvine suddenly rushed into the office; he tripped up on the carpet and landed at Quistis's feet.
"Quistis, we have a really big problem. We have to get Rinoa out of Garden. Some of the students are holding her responsible for Squall's disappearance, and they're going after her now. I sent Raijin and Zell to protect her, but since you're in charge, we need you to help her."
"Where is she?" asked Quistis, striding out of the room at the same time. Irvine scrambled up to catch up with her. "In the Infirmary," he yelled, racing after her, only making it to the elevator doors just in time.
* * *
Keeping the Infirmary doors shut and the protesting Garden students out was a tough task, even for Raijin.
Rinoa was huddled in a corner, a blanket wrapped over her. She was mumbling to herself. How could the students believe that she was to blame? She had loved Squall, even after. Where had things changed? Everything was so different, if only she could go back to before…
* * *
"What the hell is going on?" screamed Quistis, her voice ringing loud above the din, demanding immediate attention.
The crowd shuffled around to face her, their faces sheepish. They knew that they had done wrong. They shrank back from Quistis's thunderous look.
"Who started this?"
Stepping to the side, a male and female Garden student surfaced. Their faces grim, they did not look embarrassed or sorry, but determined, as if they had a purpose, a reason why they had started the mutiny.
"Sahr Peters and Sekh Erth, in the Headmasters office room, NOW!" shouted Quistis, anger flaming in her eyes. "The rest of you, get back to what you were doing, and anyone giving me trouble will be thrown out of Garden."
"Why should we listen to you, Quistis," said Sekh, "you are no longer part of Garden, and you harbour a sorceress, our sworn enemy. Squall has disappeared and it is her fault."
"Right," said Quistis, drawing herself to her full height, "you two are to be exiled from Garden for treason. Anyone else feeling the same should walk with these two."
Shuffling, the students sorted themselves out. Half quietly walked away, sorry that they had acted so silly. The other half stood tall behind Sekh and Sahr. Folding his arms, Sekh faced Quistis, Irvine and Selphie.
"I never thought I would ever have to turn from Garden. Your priorities have changed, Quistis. There was one time you and I would die for Garden, but that was then and now things aren't the same and I blame Her."
Walking away, Sekh shouted back, "We'll be in touch Quistis."
"I'll bet," she whispered back.