. . . Chorophobia . . .

Eighth Stanza: Marlene Wallace

The child's wonder
At the old moon
Comes back nightly.
She points her finger
To the far silent yellow thing
Shining through the branches
Filtering on the leaves a golden sand,
Crying with her little tongue"See the moon"
And in her bed fading to sleep
With babblings of the moon on her little mouth.

- Carl Sandburg Child's Moon

Marlene had come to the conclusion that adults were inherently silly. Why didn't they just see thing for what they were? Didn't they see how pretty everything was?

Now when she said pretty, she didn't mean that frivolous sort of flashy thing that most people thought children adored. Sure, she loved pink things, flowers, Tifa's hair, Yuffie's smile, Cloud's eyes, her daddy's voice... but she had come to believe that pretty was something almost sacred.

Pretty was so many little things, but they all seemed to accumulate in the strangest places. Especially when people were dancing. She loved dancing so much; it made her feel so... free.

But even she didn't know the full weight of that word. For all her "cleverness" as Mr. Reeve liked to tell her, she had just as many questions. Her Daddy always made sure to answer them, too, to the best he could.

"Doesn't she look so pretty?" she pointed out to Wright, who was fidgeting beside her. She pointed her thin little finger towards Shera, who was patiently nursing Cid's ego. The boy nodded quickly, it was apparent that he wanted to be running around like a hooligan.

Well, he is only six.

She reminded herself of important things like age in an orderly fashion. She liked numbers; her teachers told her she had a knack for them. But she didn't like them as much as dancing. She could never really sit still.

Her feet were getting antsy, just sitting there, watching her friend, Mr. Reeve, and Tifa finish their dance. Maybe she would be able to weasel another one out of him. He always listened to her when she talked, no matter how silly she might sound. She wondered if all adults were like her family... so full of pretty things.

Her daddy was certainly pretty, in his own way. She didn't like the way he was sitting by himself, with that serious look on his face, though. Her daddy was lonely, but she didn't know why. Didn't he have her? Weren't frequent visits to Aunt Tifa enough? He was confusing, that was certain. But she knew that he liked talking with Miss Elmyra. She was such a nice lady. Maybe she would talk with her, and have her keep Daddy company while she was dancing.

She made a quick face at Wright, it was so fun to tease him, and marched her way over to Elmyra. The woman had hidden herself where adults didn't notice her. Children were not adults, however, and Wright and Marlene had pestered her plenty.

"Well, well Marlene," Elmyra said before the girl had a chance to speak, "Coming to visit an old lady again?" Ms. Elmyra always called herself "old lady". Marlene never understood why; she didn't seem old at all. In fact, anyone she had ever heard as old didn't really seem that old to her. Especially that almost creepy, but nice, man that Tifa chattered about a lot. He didn't look old at all.

"Hello Ms. Elmyra!" she greeted her, clasping her hands behind her back, "Of course I'll come and visit you!" She couldn't help the exuberance; she really loved her large and scattered family; especially Ms. Elmyra and Aunt Tifa. She knew that every other child she had known had a mother; that perfect and lovely lady who cared for them. But Marlene was extra lucky; she had two. And bunches of aunts and uncles. So she didn't feel sad that her real mom went away... the same thing had happened to the flower lady. And she had seen her once. So she couldn't really be gone.

"Why aren't you dancing?" she cut right to the chase, before Elmyra could get on another subject. The woman could be sneaky, and get her to talk for hours on end. She had told Marlene that the flower lady was a lot like her as a child, and that she loved talking too. But Marlene was clever and wouldn't be deterred from her original line of thinking.

Besides, her Daddy needed a friend, and Aunt Tifa was busy.

"Oh, my knees don't really hold up well," Elmyra said, idly brushing in the air with her hand, "I'm not one for dancing really." She grinned at the woman, fidgeting as she stood.

"Then... could you do something nice for me?" she whispered, looking around to see if anyone saw her, "Please?" Elmyra smiled with a warm affection at the girl, despite a lingering sadness behind her dark blue eyes. Marlene always knew that there was something lonely clinging to the older woman, like a fog that just wouldn't clear. She had learned that sadness was something that followed all the adults in equal measure; no matter how wide the smile was, it didn't seem that perfect sort of pretty that it should be.

Elmyra nodded then, and Marlene couldn't help but hop a little. Her happiness always involved movement, so it was a natural reaction.

"Could you talk with Daddy?" she continued to whisper, like she was preparing to wrap Christmas presents, "He looks so lonely over there." She pointed, and Elmyra's eyes shifted from the girl to the large man who hunched over the table with a mountainous intensity. A wry grin swept across her features, and Marlene couldn't help but giggle. Ms. Elmyra always made such funny faces in her mind.

"Of course, dear," Elmyra replied in her soft way, "Let's just hope he wants some company." There was no doubt in Marlene's mind that he wanted company; he just didn't know it yet.

Daddy likes people as much as I do. Why would he want to be alone?

And she followed Elmyra as she slowly walked over, skipping around her with a natural ease. She wasn't impatient with the woman, but she wanted to make sure that her Daddy stayed put. He could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Daddy!" she boisterously greeted him, "I brought someone to sit with you!" There were no pretenses to worry about here. She had a full honesty, and nothing else would work.

"You either tell the truth or you say nothing at all."

Tifa often had things like that to say. Big adult things that always stayed in her mind. Her teachers had their own words, but none of them seemed to stick. They weren't as warm, they weren't as honest. They always held something back.

He gave both of them a smile, though he seemed more hesitant with Elmyra. Marlene remembered that Elmyra had once yelled at her Daddy, because of the dangerous things. The things he didn't want to talk about, no matter how much she begged. Secrets.

"Hello again, Mr. Wallace," Elmyra said with a quiet tone. Marlene didn't know why she called her Daddy that, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Lil' midget pesterin ya agin?" he said with a humorous tone. He was teasing Marlene, and she knew the best way to deal with it. Give him a pout and a smile. And he smiled back before turning to Elmyra again.

"Ya can sit down," he said, gestering towards a chair next to him, "Lil' midget'll git all fidgety otherwise." He gave Elmyra a conspiratorial grin, and she suppressed a laugh with her hand as she sat down. Marlene rolled her eyes.

I am NOT a midget.

She looked up the word once, and she was self-righteously angry at him for a day. She wasn't that short. He was just too tall.

The music had changed again; somehow she had missed the song before. It was a slow song; almost mournful. Shera was being pulled onto the dance floor by Cid, quite a funny image, and Cloud had managed to stop injuring Yuffie for the moment. Maybe she would find Aunt Tifa, and get help finding another dance partner. She was good at things like that. Nobody ever said no to Aunt Tifa.

She scanned the area, flitting around like a pixie, her skirt bouncing as she moved. She preferred skirts, because they moved so well with her, so fluid. No other way to be, in her mind. Besides, Tifa had taken to wearing looser skirts herself, and she always thought Tifa was very lovely.

But she couldn't see her. It was like she had disappeared completely.

She furrowed her brows, and absently placed her hands on her hips; a mannerism that she didn't realize she had. She heard a female laugh behind her, and quickly glanced to see Elmyra laughing with her hand slightly over her mouth to muffle the sound. And her Daddy was smiling; one of those smiles that reminded her of those stories where everything ended up well and good in the end. Like a princess had been saved.

And was it ever pretty.

She never quite understood adults. They could be so serious sometimes, with their sad eyes and shadowed expressions. Didn't they see it? How bright and beautiful the world was now?

Her eyes wandered amongst them and she smiled broadly upon finding Tifa.

Didn't they see the smiles? How lovely the sky looked so blue and pure... like she'd never seen it before? So much different than the gray world that tickled in the back of her mind, before she could fully remember anything. How fresh everything was... how new?

And Tifa was blushing furiously, making Marlene giggle.

Didn't they see her? The flower lady was everywhere... and with a quick look behind her eyelids, she could her. She couldn't be a memory because everything was so... clear. Like the flowers that Tifa insisted on growing. Like the very pinkness of the dress she was wearing. Like being outside for the first time after a long winter.

Maybe I'll ask him to dance too, considering Aunt Tifa managed to get him out there.

Marlene skipped her way closer to learn a few more things about dancing. For Tifa had a new partner, and a fairly good one at that.

And did they ever look pretty.

AN: HC stands for Haphazard Composition, another fic of mine. If you're ever bored, it's an ok read. This chapter was odd for me, since I was quite a tomboy at Marlene's age. I hope it doesn't sound weird.