Deepest Emotions; Chapter 2
New Places, New Faces
Disclaimer: I did not create any of the characters in this story (So far we have Rinoa and Seifer, and we'll have two more for this chapter)
Rinoa sat on the train, every once in a while drifting off, falling asleep. She was thankful her father wasn't coming once again; he would be telling her how she needed to go to college, start a brilliant career, and become rich, as he had.
'That sick fool,' she thought to herself, rolling her eyes. 'He doesn't get it. Money isn't everything; you can't have everything you want. Now, if only he had some intelligence...maybe then he would see...'
She started to close her eyes once more to fall asleep. She had to wake up at three in the morning to make sure she would have everything ready on time to leave, and she was tired. She was used to sleeping a couple of hours longer, but since the train left at 5:30, she didn't get to have the luxury. Now, as the train sped across the countryside, she dozed wearily, awaiting her destination, and whatever may come during the next month.
As she began to fall asleep, she heard someone come into her coach. She sighed sleepily.
'Probably the conductor...' she thought, sitting up to hand him her ticket.
To her surprise, it wasn't the conductor at all. A dark haired man sat down across from Rinoa, his hair covering his eyes as he looked down at the floor. Puzzled, Rinoa sat forward slightly.
" Hello..." she said polietly. " Umm...my name is Rinoa."
The man didn't say anything. To Rinoa, he seemed to be somewhere in his mid-twenties, but she couldn't really tell anything about him as long as he hung his head, and kept silent.
'Not a conversationalist, huh?' she thought. 'What the hell is he doing here in my coach, anyway?'
" What's your name?" she asked, trying again.
The man was still silent. Rinoa was becoming annoyed.
'Why won't he say anything!' she thought. 'It's not like he's a fucking mute...is he?'
" Can you say anything at all?" she asked, trying not to sound cross.
At long last, the man looked up at her, his piercing blue eyes freezing her in her seat. Now Rinoa could tell; he wasn't very much older than her at all.
'His gaze is so intense!' she thought, feeling nervous for some unknown reason. 'And his eyes...they're so deep...and blue...HEY! Forget it!'
" So," she asked again. " What is your name?"
The stranger was silent for a while. Finally, he spoke. " My name is Squall." he said.
Rinoa smiled slightly. 'Well, at least he's polite enough to answer me!' she thought.
" Okay...Squall..." she said slowly, thinking of what else to say. " Do you have a last name, Squall?"
Squall's expression never changed; he had a rough expression, though Rinoa couldn't quite place the emotion. She studied his face momentarily, suddenly realizing that she was staring. She hoped he didn't notice.
" You didn't share your last name with me." he replied quietly, looking to the floor again.
Rinoa softened her expression and voice, hoping that would break the ice a bit. " Oh, I'm sorry!" she replied kindly, " How rude of me! My name is Rinoa Caraway."
Squall was silent. He didn't seem to care about what Rinoa was saying. Rinoa grew angry again.
'I'm trying my best here, dammit!' she thought. 'What the hell is wrong with you!'
" What's your last name?" she asked yet again.
Squall muttered something under his breath. Rinoa glared at him, trying to look him in the eye.
" What was that?" she asked, her voice becoming harsh.
"...I said, I don't really care to share it." he replied, looking out the window.
" I don't believe you!" Rinoa exclaimed, jumping up. " You come in here; in my cabin, unannounced, and then when I try to make polite conversation, you brush me off! What the hell is your problem!"
Suddenly, Squall stood up. Rinoa backed up slightly, a bit nervous. She didn't think he would hurt her, but she didn't want to take the chance of being wrong. He had muscles, she could tell; though it was difficult to see with the jacket he was wearing. He seemed to be rather strong, and she had fleeting thoughts of being sent flying across the room.
Rather, memories.
" Excuse me. I apologize for the intrusion, Miss Caraway." he said quietly, leaving without looking at her again.
As the door shut, Rinoa sat down in disgust. 'People today...' she thought angrily. 'They just don't have any manners!'
Sighing, she closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep, but the aggrivation from the unexpected visit from Squall made it difficult to relax.
Suddenly, the conductor woke her up.
" Miss," he said mannerly, " We have almost arrived at the station. I would suggest you prepare for the arrival."
" Oh..." she said, yawning slightly. " Thank you very much."
After the conductor left the coach, Rinoa streched out, and sat up for a moment. Then, she got up, and made sure her hair wasn't a mess. As she was doing this, the train stopped, and an announcement was made over the intercom.
" Please watch your step as you exit the train. For those traveling in the luxury coaches, please meet the porter on the platform, as they will be required to help you pack your things in your vehicle."
" That means me, I guess..." Rinoa said quietly, checking one last time to make sure she looked okay, then leaving the coach.
Getting off the train, she ran into someone on the platform.
" Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized, flustered.
The girl she bumped into smiled at her. " No problem!" she replied, " No need to apologize! I wasn't watching where I was going, anyway. Sayyyy...where are you headed?"
" Oh! Well..." Rinoa replied, " I have to go get the keys to my rental car, meet up with the porter for my bags, and then I'm headed to the waterside."
" Wow, I'm headed for the waterside, too!" the girl replied. Rinoa observed that she was extremely bubbly. " You wouldn't by any chance be staying at the condos in the Blue Laguna, would you?"
" Actually..." Rinoa said, " Yes, I am."
" Wow, me too!" the girl replied happily. Suddenly, she held out her hand. " By the way, my name's Selphie Tilmutt!"
Rinoa smiled. 'Finally, someone polite! ' she thought, shaking Selphie's hand. " Rinoa," she said kindly. " Rinoa Caraway."
" Great!" Selphie said. " Nice to meetcha! I guess we'll be neighbors for now, huh? How long are you staying?"
" About a month." Rinoa replied.
" Cool, me too!" Selphie said, grinning.
'Wow...' Rinoa thought, 'This girl is really bubbly!'
" Say, um, Rinoa..." Seliphie said shyly, " Can I ask you a favor?"
" Sure." Rinoa replied.
" Do you think, um...maybe I could ride with you to the condos?" she asked, a bit embarrassed. " You see...I forgot to rent a car, and I don't know how to get there...if you say no, I'm sure I can get a cab, but I thought, you know, even though we only just met..."
" No problem, Selphie." Rinoa replied. " Come on, let's get out of here."
Selphie's face lit up. " WOOHOO!" she exclaimed. " We're gonna have so much fun!"
Rinoa laughed, and they made their way to the parking lot.
Rinoa turned the key in the lock, and opened the door to what would be her new home for the next month. She smiled as she looked inside, the sun shining in through the window.
" It's beautiful here..." she said quietly to herself, closing the door behind her as she set down her first few bags. She explored each room slowly before going back outside to get the rest of her things. All the walls were wallpapered, and there was a small vase of flowers arranged in each room. No two vases were alike, and every flower was bright and beautiful. The bedroom had a nice, soft bed, and the living room had a big TV, as well as a loveseat, a sofa, and a recliner set in the corner. The kitchen was small, but Rinoa wasn't worried too much about that.
'It's not like I'm going to be cooking a huge dinner anyway...' she thought, sighing as she stepped out on the balcony. She held onto the railing, staring out at the brilliant ocean laid out before her along the horizon, and closed her eyes, thinking about all the things that could happen this time.
'Let it come...' she thought, willing the summer to knock her off her feet.
In the meantime, somewhere not too far away, Seifer Almasy was talking on the phone.
" How is the plan coming along?" he asked.
" Rather well." the person on the other end replied. " I believe she took the bait."
" Good." Seifer replied, grinning evily. " Keep in close contact with her; I want to know everything she does."
" Understood."
As Seifer set the phone down on it's hook, he chuckled to himself.
" Rinoa will regret having ever left me." he said quietly, his plan already in play.
Author's note: (27-03-05) Chapter two! Hopefully by the time this is posted, I'll have some reviews (god, how I've missed getting reviews!) If there are any reviews, I'll put my thanks and the names of my fans down here in my notes. If anyone has any suggestions, I'll consider using them, but whether or not I use them, I'll still put my appreciation down here as well.
Love, TrinForever, aka Viviya
