"Hey Quistis."
Quistis looked up from her breakfast at the deserted table and found herself staring into the emerald eyes of Seifer Almasy.
"Hi," Quistis greeted, "I'm glad somebody finally got here. I was starting to get lonely."
"I can't stay," Seifer informed, "I just came down here to tell you that we're going to have to cancel a few practice sessions." It had been two weeks since Quistis' first lesson and already she had improved tremendously. She still wasn't back to the level she had been at when she left the Garden but she was getting closer every day.
"I heard them call everyone over the intercom this morning," Quistis told him, "what's going on?" Everyone, of course, was Seifer, Fujin, Raijin, Squall, Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie, Zell and Cammi.
"We're being sent on a mission," Seifer replied, "General Caraway, Rinoa's father, has agreed to fund an assassination on Skylar Deling."
"Assassination?" Quistis repeated in surprise, "You're going to kill him? But he's just a child!"
"A child who's organized an army large enough to take over the entire world," Seifer reminded, "It has to be done, for our safety."
Quistis nodded, still not liking the idea. "I understand."
"I gotta get back up to Cid's office," Seifer said, "I'll see you in a few days." Seifer turned from the table and started to walk away.
"Wait!" Quistis shouted and jumped up. She met him on the other side of the table. "You're going to be all right, aren't you?" She paused, then added, "you know, all of you?"
"We're SeeDs," Seifer assured, "this is what we're trained to do. We'll be fine."
"All right," Quistis agreed, "be careful."
"We always are," Seifer grinned, "I'll see you in a few days." He offered her a smile and then left the cafeteria. Once he was gone, she returned to the table and continued to eat her breakfast in solitude.
Later that afternoon after the others had left on their mission, Quistis was relaxing on her bed, reading a book about the Sorceress Wars. She had just made it to Chapter 7: The Fall of Adel, when the phone rang. She sat the book aside and picked up the receiver on the second ring. "Hello?"
"Instructor Trepe?" It was Kiana Bolger, a fairly new cadet who Quistis had first met outside the Garden the day of the Festival. Her new hellish assignment was to answer the telephones.
"Yes?"
"I have someone on the line asking for Angelica," Kiana explained, "he says he's from Winhill but won't tell me what he wants, only that he needs to speak with 'Angelica' and that it's important. Do you want to take the call?"
"Of course," Quistis told the girl.
"All right, I'll transfer it to your phone Instructor." There was a series of beeps and then Quistis heard a gruff, muffled voice whisper, "They're transferring me."
"Hello?"
"Angie?"
"Pete?" Quistis smiled into the phone, "Hi! How are you?"
"Not so good Angie."
Quistis frowned when she heard the strained tone in the bartender's voice. "What's wrong?"
"Galbadia is here," Pete informed, "they've completely isolated the city and set up headquarters here. They won't let anyone go out or come in."
"Why are they in Winhill?"
"I dunno," Pete answered, "but judging by the set up they got in the Denton's mansion, they aren't planning on leaving any time soon."
"Are they hostile?" Quistis inquired.
"They've roughed up a few people," Pete told her, "but nothing serious."
"How're Marta and James?" Quistis asked.
"They roughed up James a little for refusing to sell items to them," Pete informed, "but he's gonna be all right. Marta's okay too."
Quistis felt the anger rise up in her. "How many are there?"
She heard a rustling on the phone and Lili's voice in the background. "Okay okay!" Pete exclaimed, "Angie, Lili wants to talk to you." There was a slight pause and then Lili's voice. "Angie?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"I know why they're here," Lili told her, "I heard some soldiers talking on my way home from work. They chose Winhill as their base because it's the easiest town to close off from everything. They also said that eventually they have to get rid of the residents so there won't be any opposition."
"What do you mean 'get rid of'?" Quistis asked.
"I'm not exactly sure but I doubt that they're going to let us all go and blow their cover," Lili commented, "we'd be in big trouble if they found out we called you."
"All right, I'll tell Headmaster Cid," Quistis promised, "I'll take care of it."
"Thank…" The line went dead.
"Hello?" Quistis clicked the disconnect button a few times. "Hello?! Lili? Are you there? Lili?" The phone remained dead and Quistis began to fear the worst. She wasted little time getting up to the third floor office.
"Hello Instructor Trepe," a blonde girl greeted as she stepped up to her desk, "How can I help you?"
"I need to speak with Headmaster Cid," Quistis told the secretary, "It's urgent."
"Just a moment." The blonde girl picked up the phone on her desk and dialed a few numbers. After a short conversation, the secretary hung up the phone and smiled up at Quistis. "Go on in."
Quistis thanked the girl and hurried into the Headmaster's office. He was sitting behind his desk when she entered and Edea was standing next to him.
"Quistis," Edea smiled, "Come in and have a seat."
"Thank you." Quistis took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk.
"My secretary tells me you have something urgent to speak with me about," Cid said.
"Yes sir."
"What is on your mind my child?" Edea urged.
"I just received a call from a friend of mine in Winhill," Quistis began, "he called to tell me that the Galbadian Army has set up headquarters in Winhill and have cut the town off from everything. The residents aren't allowed to leave and no one is allowed in. I was also told that the soldiers are planning to get rid of the people in Winhill so there won't be any opposition to their operation."
"What do you propose we do about it?" Cid questioned.
Quistis stared at the Headmaster, slightly taken aback by his question. "We have to liberate Winhill."
"And who will pay for such a mission?" the Headmaster inquired.
Quistis was speechless. "Well, I, uh…no one, I guess."
"Quistis, I know these people are your friends but you must understand," Headmaster Cid started, "we work for a profit. We can't afford to send SeeDs out for free."
"But sir, they're going to kill the residents of Winhill!" Quistis protested, "are you really going to let them be slaughtered?"
"Until someone agrees to pay to have a mission sent out, there's nothing I can do," Cid informed.
"Cid," Edea scolded, "don't you think you're being a little cold-hearted?"
"Please Edea," Cid pleaded, "you know as well as I do that we can't afford to work for free." He turned his attention back to the blonde woman. "I'm sorry Quistis. It's out of my hands. You must understand…"
"Oh, I understand," Quistis interrupted, "perfectly clear." She turned and stormed out of the office and back to the elevator. She rode down to the first floor and strode back to her dorm room.
She entered her room and began to throw a couple of things into an overnight bag as a plan formed in her mind. The trip into Balamb would take ten minutes on foot. The train ride to Timber from Balamb would be about three hours long. From Timber to Winhill by train was another three hours but since the Galbadians had closed the town off, the trains wouldn't be going to Winhill. She would have to rent a car in Timber and drive as close to Winhill as she could get without being detected. She concluded that the trip would take about eight hours at the most, seven and a half if she was lucky.
Once the plans had been made, she zipped up her overnight bag, which was mostly stuffed with potions and other curative elixirs that she had come across in her training sessions, and got Save the Queen out of the dresser. She put the whip on the bed next to her bag and picked up the phone on her nightstand. She dialed the number of the Balamb Train station, which she found printed on a card taped to the phone, and asked them when the next train to Timber was leaving. The receptionist told her that the next train to Timber wasn't leaving until 9:45pm. Quistis thanked the man and asked him to save her a seat on the train. She gave him the name Angelica Ericson just in case anyone from the Garden happened to have friends at the train station. She didn't want the Headmaster to know she was gone until she was on her way to Timber and she assumed her name on the train registry would draw some unwanted attention.
After Quistis hung up the phone, she walked over to her closet and slid the door opened. She was preparing from the first real battle since…well, since before she could remember ands he didn't think her normal outfit of a tank top and shorts would be proper battle attire. She began pushing aside outfits until she came upon a peach colored shirt and skirt combo. It was a lot like the outfit she had bought in Timber, but the shirt was longer, had a high color in the back, mahogany sleeves hooked on by a thing strip of cloth, chains hanging down on either side and was trimmed in gray. The skirt was plain. Also with the shirt and skirt were two belts and a pair of black pants. One belt was made of brown leather and had a place to hold her whip. The other belt was made of gray cloth and had gray diamond shaped trinkets hanging from it. She pulled the outfit out and put it on the bed. She then found a pair of brown boots that matched the leather belt. She quickly changed into her outfit and looked at herself in the mirror above the dresser. There was something missing.
Quistis looked down at the dresser and saw a silver clip with a dark reddish-brown strip of stone in the middle. She swept her hair up into the updo that was customary to her, although she didn't know it. All she knew was that she like the way it looked with the outfit. She left two pieces of hair hanging down on either side of her face and secured the rest with the clip. Now her outfit was complete. All she had to do now was sit down and wait for her time to go.
Three and a half hours later, Quistis sat on a bench in the Balamb train station, waiting to board the train to Timber. The station was deserted except for a man in a business suit and a frail looking woman clutching the hand of a small child. Quistis had her overnight bag slung over her shoulder and her ticket in her hand. When the announcement was made that her train was boarding, she was the first one on. The conductor gave her a funny look when he took her ticket but she ignored it and took her seat at the very back of the train.
She watched as the woman and child went all the way to the front and sat down and the man in the business suit went through the curtain into the first class section. About five minutes after she had boarded, the train rumbled out of Balamb and on towards Timber.
During the trip, Quistis dozed off in her seat. Only when the brakes screeched and the train came to a halt did she wake up. She opened her eyes and remembered the dream she had that actually turned out to be a memory. It had started here too. She suddenly wondered if Seifer and the others were all right. It hit her then that she might now ever see them again if things went wrong in Winhill.
Quistis grabbed her bag from the seat next to her and exited the train. The Timber Train Station was lit up with bright, fluorescent lights and was just as deserted as the Balamb station. Quistis scanned the room and spotted the car rental booth. She adjusted the strap on her shoulder and walked over to it.
"Hi," Quistis greeted, "I'd like to rent a car."
The woman behind the counter was reading a book and looked very bored. "Name?"
"Angelica Ericson," she answered.
The woman typed it into the computer without looking up. "What size car?"
"Just a small one is fine."
"Method of payment?"
"Gil."
"It'll be 300 gil for the deposit," the woman told her, "we'll deduct the mileage and other fees from that and give you the rest back after you return the car." She grabbed a set of keys off a pegboard behind her and handed them to Quistis. "It's the blue one out front."
"Thank you." Quistis gave the woman the 300 gil and left the train station. She found the right car and climbed in. The tank was full of fuel so Quistis started it and drove out of Timber, heading in the direction of Winhill.
The drive was a long and boring one with nothing to see but endless miles of road and mountains. She drove for three and a half hours before she saw the lights of Winhill twinkling in front of her. She turned off the headlights and proceeded forward in total darkness. She finally stopped the car about two miles from the town and decided to continue on foot. By this time, it was about 4:30 in the morning. She wanted to make it into the town before the sun came up so she wasted no time. She grabbed her bag of medicines and magic potions and started off towards the sieged city of Winhill.
It took her about thirty minutes to reach the town on foot. She scouted her surroundings and saw that there were three guards stationed on the outskirts of the town on the side she was on. She knew she couldn't take them all on at once, so she would have to either find a way to sneak in or lure them away from their post one at a time. She finally decided it would be easier just to sneak in.
Quistis figured that the easiest way in would be from the beach. She assumed that they wouldn't be watching the shore as closely as the road from Timber. She quietly crept around the town and down to the beach. Just as she thought, there was only one Galbadian soldier and he seemed oblivious to his surroundings. In fact, he didn't see Quistis until she had already come up to him. He started to yell but she threw a vial of Silence Powder on him before he could. The man clawed at his throat, trying desperately to make the sounds that the Silence Powder denied him. He didn't try for long because a second later her was on the ground, forced into slumber by some Sleeping Powder. Quistis quickly tied the soldier up with some rope she found near the dock and drug him into a nearby boathouse.
Once the guard was dealt with, Quistis snuck up the path from the beach and into the town. The town was silent except for the shuffling of boots as two armed guards patrolled the plaza. If she remained in the shadows, she could make it all the way to the Ericson's house without being seen. She would have to hurry because the sky was already tinted orange over the eastern mountains.
She crept quietly through the shadows until she stood on the front doorstep of the Ericson's home. She tried the door and was surprised to find it locked. She knew that in Winhill it was a rare occurrence to find a locked door except on a business. She had a sudden moment of panic where she thought she wasn't going to get in but then remembered that there was an extra key hidden on the ledge above the door. She ran her hands along the tiny space until she touched the key. She grabbed it and unlocked the door quietly. She turned the knob and slipped quietly into the dark house, pulling the door closed and locking it behind her.
The second she closed the door, she heard a low growling. She froze and looked around quickly, hoping her eyes would adjust to the dark before she was attacked by whatever was making the angry noise. Then she realized what it was that was threatening her.
"Tank?" she whispered. She winced, as her voice seemed extremely loud in the silent house. Immediately the growling stopped and a low whimper was heard. A second later, the golden dog emerged from the shadows and walked up to her. "Hi Tank." Quistis bent down and petted the dog, who wagged his tail happily and licked her hand.
Suddenly, a noise by the back rooms drew both of their attention. Tank began to wag his tail again and Quistis remained motionless. After a few seconds, a frail and frightened voice called out "Who's there?"
"Marta?" Quistis inquired.
The lights flicked on, revealing Marta standing by her bedroom door with a fireplace poker in her hand. She let it drop to the carpet when she saw who was kneeling by Tank. "Angelica?"
Quistis stood up and nodded. She was surprised to see how old Marta looked. It seemed she had aged twenty years since Quistis had last seen her. A look of relief flooded Marta's face and she rushed to Quistis, grabbing her in a hug.
"What are you doing here?" Marta questioned, "How did you get in?"
"Pete and Lili called me yesterday afternoon," Quistis explained, "they told me what was going on."
Marta's face lit up. "Does this mean SeeD is coming?"
"No," Quistis replied bitterly, "Headmaster Cid won't come unless someone pays him to."
Marta's face fell. "Then what are we going to do?"
"Don't worry," Quistis comforted, "I'm going to get you out of here."
"Marta?" James' voice floated out of their bedroom. "Who are you talking to?"
"Come on," Marta urged. Quistis followed the elderly woman into the bedroom. She quickly turned on the light and Quistis saw James laying on the bed. His head was wrapped up in a white bandage and his left eye was black.
"James," Quistis said and went to his side.
"Angie?" James smiled. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to help," Quistis told him, "are you all right?"
"Yeah," James assured, "it's nothing that won't heal."
"I'm going to sneak you out," Quistis informed.
"But we can't go," Marta insisted, "James can't walk. They broke his ankle."
"Hush woman," James chided, "That doesn't mean you can't go."
"I'm not leaving without you," Marta declared.
"Just wait a second," Quistis interrupted, "No one is going anywhere right now. First, I have to come up with a plan to get everyone out of here, but I need your help. Marta, can you make me a list of everyone who is here in the town and what houses they are in?"
"Of course," Marta agreed.
"Okay, I'm going to go talk to Pete and see if I can get his help," Quistis told them.
"Angie," James called, "Pete…"
Quistis didn't like the tone in James' voice. "What?"
"They caught him calling out of town," Marta informed, "they…"
"They hurt him pretty badly," James finished, "Lili's with him but Dr. Lockheart doesn't know if he's going to make it or not."
Quistis felt the hatred rise up in her and she bit her lip to keep from screaming. She took a deep breath. "I'm going over there. I'll be back in a few minutes." She quickly left the house and snuck over to the bar just as the sun was peeking over the mountains. The door was locked so she went around back and climbed a tree to the second floor. Through the window, Quistis could see Pete lying in bed and Lili sitting in a chair next to him. Quistis scooted over and knocked lightly on the window to get Lili's attention. The brunette stared at her for a moment, then hurried over and opened the window.
"Angie?" Lili questioned, "What are you doing?"
Quistis swung into the open window and Lili shut it behind her. "I'm here to help everyone get out of Winhill."
"Is SeeD coming?" Lili asked hopefully.
Quistis shook her head. "I tried but the Headmaster wouldn't send anyone without getting paid."
"Then what are you doing here?" Lili inquired.
"I came on my own."
Lili nodded and solemnly drifted back over to Pete's bedside. "Then it was all for nothing."
"What?"
"Pete took the blame for the call because he thought that SeeDs were on their way," Lili replied, "He kept saying, "they'll come soon' but he was wrong. Now he's laying there dying for nothing."
"He's not dying!" Quistis shouted, near tears. She couldn't admit it, even though Pete looked terrible. His entire face was bruised and he had several cuts criss-crossing his forehead. Other than his shallow breathing, he didn't move. "And it wasn't for nothing because I'm going to get you all out of here!"
"There's no point in trying," Lili despaired, "this afternoon there is a mandatory meeting in the plaza for all the residents of Winhill. I think they're going to kill us."
"What time?" Quistis asked.
"Huh?" Lili stared at her blankly.
"What time is the meeting?"
"5:00," Lili answered, "why?"
"Listen to me." Quistis grabbed Lili's shoulders, "I am going to get you out of here, all of you, but I'm going to need your help. Can you help me?"
The glazed look left Lili's eyes and she focused on Quistis. "Yes."
"Good. Will you see Dr. Lockheart today?"
"Yes," Lili nodded, "He comes to check on Pete every morning."
"All right, tell him that I'm here and what I'm planning on doing," Quistis instructed, "tell him to tell as many people as he can so that the word spreads around Winhill. This town will be empty by 5:00."
"Okay." Lili nodded vigorously.
"I'll be back later to fill you in," Quistis told her, "until then, get Pete ready to be moved."
Lili looked at her questioningly, then nodded.
"I'll see you later." Quistis climbed out the window, down the tree, and snuck back to the Ericson's house.