Chapter 11

The morning sunshine shown through the window above the bed of the infirmary. I woke up and looked at the ceiling for a while, content not to think for a bit. Ah, ignorance is bliss. I smiled as I soaked in the sunlight. I felt good, considering two days ago I had been stabbed in the stomach by Seifer Almasy's lunatic brother. I saw a single vase beside my bed, and blinked, then pinched myself to see if I was really awake. I was, I thought, irritated as I rubbed my arm where I'd decided to pinch myself. In the vase was one red rose, and a red ribbon was tied around the vase. No card, but I knew who it was from.

"Seifer," I laughed softly, standing up and sniffing at the rose. It was really pretty and I loved the way roses smelled...

I decided I couldn't live without herbal tea one minute longer (Orange Zinger is the only kind I could drink. Buy it at Kroger. It tastes really freaking good.) and I went to tell Dr. Kadowaki that I was leaving. She actually approved, nodding at me. I smiled and waved, the single vase in my hand. I'd sit it in my room, and once it started to wilt I'd just press it. I was smarter than death, but only when it came to flowers. I dropped off the rose, and then went to the coffee shop where they also sold hot tea. Thank God, dunno what I'd do without it.

I sank down at my usual table. Up until last year, I had been on a coffee kick, but then Dad told me that coffee made your hair turn gray early and I almost instantly quit. Only after I was broken did he mention that he'd conveniently forgotten to tell me that he was only joking, and by that time I had moved past coffee and onto herbal tea. See where it landed me? I had a fettish for all things that had caffine and such. I guess since it was a drug ((A/n: for really, caffine is classified as a drug. I am not lying. funky, neh?)) I had gotten... stuck on it. Ah well.

I stirred my hot tea with a coffee stir, even though -looking- at a coffee stir made me crave coffee, which I sworn on my life I'd never get addicted to again. I propped my head up on my hand, watching the tea swirl around, steam coming off of it. I had an odd, ominous feeling in my stomach, but I didn't know why... I hated not knowing why, I really did.

"Hey Sierra." Seifer said from behind me, sounding rather nervous.

"Seifer," I smiled, pleasantly surprised, "Thanks for the rose. I loved it."

"Oh... you're welcome. You... gotta get outta here. Ultemecia... she's back."

"What the"

"Come on! No time to waste, I'll tell you some other time, just -go pack- and meet me at the gates in half an hour. Be careful!" he instructed.

I let the horror sink in. Ultemecia was -back-. She knew that a woman I had recently found to be Edea Kramer died and passed her powers on to someone, and that someone was me, and Ultemecia knew now just how easilly she could conrtrol me... She knew that I was a sorceress surrounded by -thousands- of sorceress assassins. And she knew she could make me do simply anything, even kill my friends. Gulp. I jumped up as the shock kind of sunk in. I ran as fast as I could, ditching the tea and dashing to my dorm, panicked, gathering random items I'd need.

I got as much Gil as I could carry, as well as my big sword and as many clothes as I could fit into a Punk Rock Hello Kitty bag I bought from Hot Topic. I closed my eyes, trying something I had never tried... Using sorceress powers on purpose. A crystal casing engulfed my rose, making it look like a simple glass orniment. I sighed, putting it gently into my bag and running out the door, hurrying to the gates. I felt like everyone was -looking- at me... staring at me, like they knew what I was. I put my head down and ran harder until I saw Seifer. He caught my hand, seeing my freaked out expression.

"You okay?"

"Gotta be. I'm leaving."

"We're leaving. C'mon."

Seifer gestured towards a black, inconsipiciuos car. I smiled slightly, relieved, hopping in on the passenger side. Seifer got in on the other side, going from zero to seventy in, like, seven seconds. Which is pretty scary when you're a 5' 5", naueseated teenage girl. I felt my stomach tightly knot with fear. I leaned forward, laying my head on the dashboard and sighing.

"What is it?"

"...Everything is upside down, Seifer. Sefie is mad at me, Squall is dead, Sarah forgot her two best friends exsisted, I went from a perfect, uneventful life and then... whoosh... here comes along this sorceress business and POOF!, it's like everything's changed... I mean, look at me! I'm running away from a Garden, and Igrew up in a Garden, and I know that the sorceress Ultemecia can control me with a -word-... she does to. It's scary, for goodness sakes... egad, Seifer, this is just so hard..." I sighed, letting a single tear run down my face. I felt him reach over and wipe the tear from my face.

"Sierra... is all of it so bad? Maybe you've lost a little, but you've gained a little too, right?"

"Yeah... yeah, sure..." I muttered, sitting back and turning my face away from him.

This was to hard to handle. Mom, Squall... can you hear me... up there in heaven? I need help...

I need someone.

"Listen up, Sierra Loire," He said suddenly, his voice sharp, and he actually pulled over and turned to look at me, "So what? Your destiny is untold. Your future is unknown. But what fun would life be if nothing was ever new or exciting? I mean, -look-. You can either stay in your shell, protected but never experiencing life and love, or you can get out and try -new things-. It might be a little scary, and at times dangerous, but it can also be wonderful. You can't tell me you've not tried one good thing since your life started to change. Seriously. Name three things that your thankful for."

"'Your destiny is untold'... I thought you didn't believe in destiny."

"I didn't... until I met you. Before that, I couldn't have cared less... It was all a load of shit to me. But then I met you and everything -changed-... But name three things you're thankful for now."

"I'm thankful for... in the order from least to greatest... meeting new people... seeing new sights... and meeting you."

He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

I smiled a little. "No... not at all."

After three long hours in a car with Seifer Almasy acting like an idiot because he was trying to cheer me up, my patience was wearing pretty thin. I sat with my head back and my eyes closed, feeling like curling up in some hidey hole and never coming back out again. Ultemecia... where was she now? She could just... take me over. Just like that. I knew it, but it scared me all the same. I mean, what if she took me over and made me hurt Seifer?

"...Seifer?" My own voice sounded soft and weak. I didn't like that one bit... not one little bit at all.

"Yeah?" he said, in a falsely cheerful voice.

"...I wanna go to Esthar..."

"What the"

"...No, Seifer. For really. Cripes... Can't you see all the awful things she could make me do? It'd... be best."

"I won't let you get sealed!"

"...Seifer..."

"Damnit! Sierra, why are you constantly pulling this shit on me! You're always depessed about something or another, and you're all I got left and I won't let you get sealed!"

I closed my eyes, trying not to cry. (8)Take me away... take me far away from here, I will run with you(8)... Seifer... I had expected you to be my knight in shining armor. Why...? Why didn't it work out? Was it because I'm a sorcerss? Was it because I did something wrong? I felt him reach over for my hand but I pulled back.

"...Look, Sierra," he sighed, "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have gotten angry... but we're not going to Esthar." he said flatly.

Neither of us talked for a long time, but eventually we stopped at a house out of the way, out in what Dad used to laugh and call 'no-man's land'. Basically in the middle of freaking nowhere. Seifer stopped the car and looked over at me.

"Stay here. Gotta make sure who's here."

He got out of the car, motioning for me to lock it. The part of me that was still kind of cheesed off at him told me not to, but my common sense made me lock the doors. I sat in the car, and ten minutes later he came back out, taking my backpack from me and linking his arm through mine. Seifer escorted me to the house. I looked up, surprised at how his face captured my attention.

I had never noticed how tired he looked sometimes in moments of stress, his pale face beaten and worn by a hundred foes of the past. I felt slightly guilty at being mad at him. His eyes shone brightly, though, and he felt me gazing at him. Suddenly I stared at my shoelaces, biting my lip.
"Thanks for getting my bag," I said softly.

"No problem." He smiled over at me. "This house... It belongs to my best friend and his sister, Spencer and Teal. They'll understand... Teal is a sorceress. She has to live under the strain of sorceress bangles. She can definetly relate to your situation. No one really knows this house is here... it's in the stix (a/n: my word for the middle of nowhere) and no one would think to look for you here. Make yourself comfortable, we might be here for a while. However long it takes until the Ultemecia threat is gone. Oh, and I'm warning you... Spencer and Teal are slightly... eccentric." He smiled fondly and openned the front door.

Two people sat at the kitchen table playing chess. The girl had dyed lime-green hair that was tamed into a ponytail, and she was wearing a black summer dress and knee-length purple socks. Around her wrist, though, I saw a silvery, shining bangle. I shuddered. The boy had lots of spiky black hair and brilliantly bright green eyes. He grinned up.
"Ah, Seifer! I didn't think you'd ever come to visit! And may I ask who this lovely lady with you is?"
Before I could answer, Seifer lowered his voice and said, "Sierra Loire. She's a sorceress currently being sought out by Ultemecia."

"Ahhhh, I see! Feel free to stay as long as you need to."

"I'm Teal." The girl jumped up so fast it seemed like she had springs on her feet. "It's nice to meet you, Sierra! Lemme show you your room. It's next to mine." She snatched my bag from Seifer and marched me into the next room.

I grinned at him, trying not to laugh. I had a feeling this was going to be fun.