Chapter 2

[Part 4]

"Who's that, Mommy?" unable to go back to sleep with all the noise, the little boy had awakened once more. He'd gone to his parents' side as each of them peered through the broken window.

"I'm not so sure myself," Hilda answered skeptically. "But if what your Dad thinks is true..."

"It is true," murmured Cid, "It has to be! I mean, look at his attire! It has military written all over it. And if there's one thing I know, I know that this guy right here is our last chance of getting anywhere in this place."

She looked weakly at her husband. "Yes, I know, honey, but it's been six months. Who knows? She could be halfway across Gaia by now."

"But the point is," he began, "Is that we do not give up. We can't do that to her, you know that." After giving her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, Cid turned away from the window and shuffled through the damp room looking for his gloves. He found them atop a crooked stool lying on top of cracked tiled floors. Quickly shoving his fingers through the moth eaten pockets, he cupped his hands together and blew on them gently to warm them from frost. Tightening his woolen cap, he spoke to the two, "Here's the plan, we get him from behind and—

"What!" Hilda cried. "Cid, no! He's just a man, we can't even tell if he has any weapons or not!"

"Then what do you suggest we do, hmm?" he asked her irritated. Seeing that she gave no response was enough. "Exactly. Look, I'm not going to kill him, but if it gets to the point where we need to hold him down then—"

"We could just tell him what's wrong!" she argued. "We don't need to hurt anyone!" Cid wouldn't see it her way as he argued on. Hilda shook her head exasperatedly rubbing her temples firmly with her bony fingers as she tried to think of some way to speak to the stranger. The soft pounding of a creaky front door cut through her thoughts. "Oh my God, Cid!" she tried but unsuccessfully failed to cut him off. "Cid! Jonathon's gone!"

"What!" the two looked around the room to see it empty of any beings besides themselves and the critters that live in the deep corners of their home. "Oh no..." she pointed towards the window. "Cid look!" His eyes shifted out the window when he saw a shadowed figure walk towards the stranger.

[Part 5]

Outside, the unknown teen stood staring longingly up at the haunting night sky. There was a moment of calm that soothingly washed over his heart as he gazed deeply at the twinkling stars. A small grin crept across his face, causing him to look away with dizziness. He found his temples pounding as he searched through his pockets. His gloved hand pulled out a crimped piece of paper, which he unfolded little by little.

"Who are you...?" his eyes never left the note as he read it over for the millionth time. Then he froze. Someone was close by. Sensing the presence of another being behind him, he folded the note and stuffed it in his pocket as he placed his hand on the handle of his dagger. Slowly, he drew out the dagger hidden beneath his belt as he waited facing his Black Ninja XRV until he could get in striking distance.

Jonathon crept quietly biting the nails of his left hand while holding the arm of a tattered teddy bear in his right. He kept walking without knowing what dangers awaited him. Just then, the dark figure turned into a striking position instantly causing the boy to stop in his tracks and drop his stuffed animal. Realizing that it was just a child, the teen stopped the dagger at the little boy's tiny neck before he nearly slashed his throat. Wildly, two adults came pouring out of the building's front door with their eyes wide with fear.

"Jonathon!" screamed the woman. She started towards her child when a man held her back in fear that the mysterious teen may hurt him. "Let me go! You sick son-of-a-btch, if you even put a scratch on him I swear!" She jumped as feisty as a cat as she struggled to be let loose from her husband's arms.

The teen's attention returned when he averted his eyes back to the fear filled child. He discovered that he still held the dagger beneath the little boy's chin. Taking a step back, he heard the woman's threats cease into sobs of relief.

"Hi mister," Jonathon looked up at the tall figure that towered before him with innocent eyes. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, swaying with an anticipating eagerness that's waiting to be freed from the small child and leap out at the figure before him.

The teen slid the dagger back into its hilt as he eyed the child carefully. "What do you want?" He ignored the beat that began to drum slightly in his skull and the veins began to pulse through his body.

"Nothing..." Jonathon clasped his hands behind his back and looked shyly towards the ground.

He peered through the dimly lit street at the two adults that waited impatiently for the outcome of the child's well being. He paused for a moment. Something seemed wrong, but he couldn't quite place it... "Go home." He turned back to his motorcycle to give it one last inspection before dragging it away to the nearest mechanic shop.

"But mister—

"Look kid," he faced the child once more. "I don't know what your deal is, but if it's money that you want this is all I got." He took out a wad of bills out of his back pocket and stuffed it in the boy's tiny hands.

"No, it's not that," he whimpered excitedly. "My parents, over there." He pointed behind him towards the front door where his parents stood dumbfounded. "They were yelling. I don't like it when they fight."

"And what does that have to do with me?" he replied uncaringly.

"Daddy says that you're going to help us," he told the teen. He bent down to pick up the stuffed animal and began to hug the teddy bear wrapping his short arms around the bear's limp limbs while stroking it's torn head.

"Really...?" he said unbelievingly. "And what am I suppose to do, huh? Pay bills? Get you out of Trion? What?"

Jonathon grew quiet. Why is he yelling at me...? He thought to himself. He looked over at his parents who kept their distance of the teen. They weren't aware of the danger that had passed and were trembling with dread. The teen nodded and inhaled before losing control. He glanced at the boy's parents before signaling for them to come pick up their child. The woman's tensed shoulders relaxed a bit as she and her husband stepped forward slowly. The beating in his head and the pulsing of his veins grew slightly with every step the couple took. The teen's turned his attention back to the motorcycle; it badly needed some gas and an oil change. The engine needed some repairs that neither his idle hands nor tools could fix. Just then, he heard the little boy squeal.

"What is it now?" he mumbled annoyingly. He turned to see the boy crying and rubbing away his tears with a fist.

"A- auntie E-edea..."

Suddenly the air was knocked out of the teen's lungs. He froze without breathing a single breath. "What... what did you say?" the boy wouldn't reply. His parents just looked strangely at the dark figure while gently shoving their son along. The silence drove him mad. "What the hell did you just say?" he screamed. He rushed towards the homeless family when he grabbed Jonathon by the shoulders and shook him mildly, "Tell me dammit!"

"What in the devil do you think you're doing? Let go of my son!" Cid screamed at the teen when punching him across the face. His knuckles cracked within contact with the teenager's cheekbone. The dark figure had lost balance and feel towards the ground when Cid kicked him hard. "You bastard!" was followed by another kick to the gut.

"Daddy, no! He might not help us," the little boy pleaded as his mother held him safely in her arms.

"What kind of monster are you? Shaking a child like that!" she yelled loudly at the teen that sat there in pain. A single ray of light shone down from the softly lit streetlamp where the teen stumbled to get up. He wiped off the streak of blood that dripped from the side of his lip. He turned around to face Hilda. He didn't respond as Hilda squinted through the shadows to see the stranger's face. He looked up with his sad expression bewildered. Then, something inside her snapped. There was something far too familiar with his burning eyes. It didn't take Hilda long to realize that she recognized those two pairs of gray-blue eyes. "Oh dear lord..." her eyes changed from an angered fiery to confusion. "Cloud?" Her eyes clouded with tears as her grip loosened around Jonathon.

"Cloud! Hah!" exclaimed the opposing Cid. "He died years ago! This is just some...some..." Then it was his turn. "Jesus... it's...is it...?" The teen was too still to react. How do they know my name? He wondered. He saw Cid gazing at his eyes when a look replaced his furrowed brows to unconceivable shock. "I-it is you!" he cried.

Cloud couldn't tell whether Cid was joyous or terrified by the tone of his voice. All he knows is that it was time for him to go. With a turn on his heel, Cloud walked back to his motorcycle when a shout halted him in his footsteps.

"Cloud! Where are you going?" It was Hilda.

"Aren't you going to help us?" whined Jonathon.

The teen was struck with dizziness. He needed to get out of there. He walked on and took off the breaks of his Black Ninja XRV in preparation of dragging his vehicle for the next few miles. The others were still frozen in their tracks as they watched him roll away down the dark street.

"Hilda, take Jonathon inside," Cid instructed his wife. She picked up her son when she spoke to him.

"Cid, is it possible...?" she asked worriedly.

"He was standing right in front of us wasn't he?" Cid replied. "But we can't know for sure. Just take Jonathon inside, I'll take care of him." He nodded in Cloud's direction putting his fists on his waist. Hilda paused for a moment. "Don't worry, I'll be fine," he reassured her. "I'll come back as soon as I can." He kissed his wife lovingly on the cheek, and then ruffled his son's hair. "Take care of your mama, sonny."

"Ok Daddy, I will," smiled Jonathon.

Cid looked down the street. Cloud was barely visible. Sighing, he mumbled, "This is going to be a long night..."

[Part 6]

The muscles in his biceps were pumping. Just his luck, he had to push a great mass of weight uphill. Cursing under his breath, he heaved the motorcycle forward. Just a little more... he thought as he reached the curving point of the hill. He parked the vehicle by a curb putting on the brakes when he spotted an old bench where he can rest. He wasn't sure where the next gas station was, and it could be a while until he spots one.

He leaned back against the bench ignoring the rough rustiness of its surface. Despite the cold weather, he could feel sweat pouring down the sides of his forehead. His head itched with drying sweat as he stared once again at the stars.

His mind wondered back to the old apartment building where he met the homeless family. Who are they...? He asked in his mind. And how do they know my name? Lost he was when his clear mind began to throb. His gloved hand shoved through his large pockets in search of a bottle of aspirin. All he could find was one gel tablet left from a pack of two Advil's that he'd use earlier. "Eh, good enough," he shrugged as he popped the pill into his mouth. Surprisingly, the outside coat of the gel cap turned out to be sweet. Cloud let the taste linger before letting it slide down his throat. The stars captured his thoughts again.

"Funny how ten years would go by and those things could still amaze you."

Cloud looked down to see Cid shuffling up the broken sidewalk. He nearly tripped over a tree root that stuck through a crack in the busted pavement. "You again? Didn't you beat me down enough?"

Cid laughed deep in his belly. He rubbed his beard as he watched the twinkling lights in the dark night sky. "That's no way to talk to your Uncle now, boy." Cloud's headache was victor against the Advil.

"What? No, no, no. You must be mistaken—

"Am I? Just tell me why you came back," Cid spat seriously. "Not everyday you see kids coming back to this dump here."

"I've never been here before."

"Never?" he asked. "You are Cloud aren't you?"

"How do you know my name?" he looked at the pudgy old man stoking his gray- specked beard.

"Look kiddo, I'm the one asking questions here," he began to pace with his hands in his pockets. Frosted air escaped his lips with every word that left his mouth. "Seems to me you don't quite get that this isn't a game."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Please! Like you're really here to take a trip down memory lane, or, or catch up with the Jerboa twins! You just want to make sure you're smooth sailing when it's all over, aren't you? Aren't you?" he screamed in his face.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Cloud got up with fury. "Look man, I came here to find out what the hell is going on in this place, not to talk to some psycho, all rite!"

"Fine, call me crazy. Anyone who'd talk to you would be. You are Cloud, right boy?"

"I said yes! Jeez!"

"Then who am I?" he exclaimed. That he could not answer. He just looked at the old man not giving into his torments. This is some kind of trick, he said to himself. Yeah, that's right, he's probably just after your money or something. Yet the sticky feeling deep within his throat wouldn't let it go.

"Hey! Where d' you think you're going, boy?" Cid hollered when Cloud unhooked his Black Ninja XRV from its brakes and began to roll away. "Don't think you can get off that easy!"

"Whatever old man! Your call!" Cloud was in no mood to argue. His body was feeling way off. Did he catch something on the way to Trion? The Advil didn't seem to help one bit as he dragged on. Looking behind him, he saw Cid stalking close by. "Still here!" he asked unbelieving.

"You said it was my call," Cid smirked.

"That's not what I meant dumb ass..." he whispered.

"I'm not leaving you alone 'til you tell me what's going on," he said. "So you best start spilling because I got a wife and kid to look after."

"Excuse me? You're asking me what's going on?" he shook his head in nonsense. Just then, he nearly leaped with joy. Just a block away was a gas station that was still open. Only one car was parked in front of the pump. Besides the cashier worker, it was deserted. "Perfect," the teen said out loud. He'd rather not bump into any more psychotic hobos. The two walked without talking, for the night had dropped to cautious temperatures. Cloud pulled the motorcycle up to the curb in front of the gas station. By then the single car had gone and two more had entered the scene.

"Hey! You there!" Cloud looked up to see a man in his early twenties walking towards him. He was wearing a button down shirt covered with a black jacket bearing the name Vincent written in cursive on the sown in nametag. He nodded towards the motorcycle. "Is this baby yours?"

"Yeah," Cloud answered.

"Hmm... Black Ninja XRV," he said checking out the vehicle. "Nice. I hadn't seen one in years."

"I need some repairs done on it," Cloud said. "Oil needs changing, gas needs refueling, engine's starting to have some kinks in it too."

"Trust me, I've seen worse," he chuckled. "My shift's about to start. Why don't you go warm up inside, I'll take care of those kinks for you."

Cloud felt relieved almost too soon. He looked over his shoulder for any signs of the homeless father to see that he was still stalking him through the streets of Trion. "Damn it," he scowled. He left Vincent to do the fixing and walked over to the man. "All right, let's talk."