Author's note: Chapter 50. Can you believe it? Whoa....
to Shadow-Seraph : Ohh, gotta watch my back then :) You didn't say anything 'bout the chap, by the way.
to Greyon Hell : I tried to read that fic too, but there was something that bothered me 'bout it, can't remember what tho...
to Firefly-dreams : Hehee, thanks :) I'll forgive you.
to Lizzie : Ohh, you better send me some of those t-shirts! :) Where have you been hiding again? And when will you be on MSN? I miss you, hun :P
-Squall's POV-
Wonder whose grand idea was it to build a city consisting only of docks?
"Well this is new," Seifer says, scrathing the back of his head. "The architecht's been kinda.... weird 'round here, don't you think?"
"Yeah," I snort. "Must be one hell of a place on a storm."
"Guys," Quistis says. "Will you go get Matron, please, it's time to go."
The door behind us opens.
"No need, Quisty, we're here!"
We turn to face Selphie waving at us with one hand and the other holding onto Matron's arm.
"Are you ready to go, Matron?" Quistis asks her.
She nodds and attempts a smile. "I think I am." She looks at the five of us. "Thank you, my children. You have taken this so well. I owe you so much."
"You owe us nothing, Matron," I say. "You raised us. We owe you."
She smiles and hugs me. "I see now that I raised you well."
"Yeah, you can be proud of yaself," Zell says with a grin.
The walk from Garden to FH seems endless. There's a million bridges, catwalks, stairs.... When we finally reach the railway, Cid, who has come with is, stops and turns to us.
"That is where the mayor lives," he says, pointing down into a pit. "I'll go talk to him, about keeping the Garden here. You go on ahead to Esthar." He hugs Matron. "Good luck."
"We don't need luck," Seifer says. "We're good."
Cid smiles and starts walking down to the mayor's house. We just stand there, looking at each other.
"Are we ready to go now?" Irvine asks.
"I think so," Matron says.
"Are you sure you can walk suck a long way?" Selphie asks, looking worried.
Matron smiles. "I think I can. And in case I can't, there are three strong young men with us."
Selphie giggles and jumps. "Yay, let's go then!"
"Is there no transportation to Esthar?" I ask. Walking miles and miles in this doesn't sound tempting.
"There's no cars or anything in FH," Seifer says. "They live on docks, remember?"
"Couldn't one of us go to Esthar and borrow something?" Zell asks.
"Like what?"
He shrugs. "Well it's a high tech city, right? They must have some cool hoover cars or something."
"If we had gone thru this conversation while walking, we would already be up there," Seifer says.
"Wow, this is such a cool place!" Selphie shrieks when we walk thru the town.
"What happens if it rains like, a lot, and then the whole town is under a flood?" Zell asks.
"The ocean doesn't flood," Irvine says. "I think."
"Tides," I mumble.
"Yeah, how do they survive during tides?" Zell asks, turning to me.
I shrug. "I don't know."
"Huh." Zell turns back to Matron. "Hey Matron?"
"Hmm?"
"How do these people survive during tides?"
"I don't know, Zell, maybe you should ask one of them."
"Good idea!" Zell says, looks around and runs to one of the docks on the right.
"Great, now we'll never get to Esthar," Seifer mumbles.
"Why don't you kid go have some coffee or something in the meanwhile?" Matron suggests.
"You're not coming?" I ask her.
"I don't think it's too good for you to be seen with me."
"Nonsense!" Selphie says and takes her arm. "You're our Matron, we're not ashamed of you."
"Even tho you did try to kill us and take over the world," Seifer mumbles to me.
Matron apparently hears that. She glances over her shoulder at Seifer and smiles.