Yes, yes, I know it's been forever since I posted. Actually, about two months, but I've got valid excuses!
1) I've been extremely busy with schoolwork and the holidays
2) I've been a lazy bum and/or had writer's block after I typed out one or two sentences
Thank you for the last chapter reviews Sakina the Fallen Angel and KivaEmber! I really wish that I had gotten more name suggestions, but what'cha gonna do? So I made do with the ones I got.
Alright, onward with the next chapter! Our unknown girl finally gets a name and things start to get suspicious.
Disclaimer: I don't own any Final Fantasy VII characters. I do, however, own my own characters. So take them and you suffer my wrath!
"…Alias?" Tifa finished.
"Alias?" Barrett looked at Tifa, with a confused look on his face before it dawned on him, "Yeah, that would fit her nicely."
"It would?" Alias looked at them questionably.
"Well, think about it." Tifa explained, "You don't know your real name, and we have to call you by another name until we find out your real one. So, I thought of Alias. We can even call you Ali or Lia for short."
"That sounds cool." Alias said, happy now that she had a name she could refer to.
"Yeah, and to avoid any suspicion, you can be…a distant cousin of mine. Alias Lockheart. How about that?"
"You really don't mind sharing your last name with me?" Alias gave into a broad grin that had been tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Welcome to the family, 'Lia." Tifa smiled, grabbing Alias into a headlock and rubbed her head with her fist lightly.
"Ack!" Alias laughed, twisting and struggling to get out of the headlock. It didn't help that Barret was leaning on the counter, laughing so hard that tears were leaking out of his eyes, "Darn you, Barret! Help me out here!"
"No way, girlie. Yeh got yerself into that situation."
"No fair! It's a conspiracy, I tell you!" She yelled, trying in vain to loosen the hold. She was only able to after three voices entered into their little play-fight.
"What's a conspiracy?"
"Hey, Tifa. Why do you have that girl in a headlock?"
"Just when you think you've seen everything, they go and pull this."
"Biggs, Wedge, Jessie! 'Bout time ya'll showed up." Barret said, breaking the silence that had started after the three had entered the building with inquiries. Tifa had loosened enough for Alias to have gotten out of the headlock, but she stood there in a half-sitting position with her arms latched around Tifa's.
"Sorry, Boss. However, you didn't seem to be very…impatient with us being late." Said the man named Biggs.
"He probably didn't even realize that we were late." Smiled Jessie
"Yeh all just shut it! We have some pretty important stuff to discuss tonight and we need all the time we can get!" Barret raised his voice above the laughter.
"Before we do anything, can we get some of Tifa's food and drink? I didn't eat before we left and I'm hungry." Wedge intervened before Biggs could say something.
"Ah! Sure, Wedge." Tifa said, Alias finally letting go when the attention rounded on them. She followed Tifa behind the counter and gave her the bottles when she needed them as Tifa made the drinks.
"So, you didn't answer our questions; the most important, who's the girl?" Jessie had come by the counter and leaned across it to get a better look at Alias who, in turn, stared back at her with the same questionable look. Her eyes shifted between the three when Biggs and Wedge came over to see her as well.
"Is she on display or something?" Tifa said, putting a sisterly arm around her shoulders.
"Well, we just want to know who she is." Biggs said.
"I'm Tifa's cousin." Alias said, a little dry in the mouth with her heart pounding because she didn't know if she could pull off this cousin scheme, "I'm Alias Lockhart, but you can call me Lia or Ali if you like."
"Do you have a dual identity or something?" Jessie said, peering at her.
"Why do you ask that?" Alias asked, a cold chill going down her spine. She felt Tifa's hand close tighter around her shoulder and saw Barret hold his breath.
"Cause that's what Alias stands for." Jessie explained
"Come off it, Jess. Her parents probably were thinking of her as someone with a dual personality. You know; calm and collected one moment, then a crazy firecracker going off the next." Biggs said
"Heh, I can't fool you, can I, Biggs?" Alias gave a nervous smile, but was extremely relieved. She could tell Tifa and Barret felt the same. They soon were sitting around the table, drinking and eating the food that Tifa had made. Alias could tell why Wedge had wanted to have some of it before they did…whatever. Everything was fantastic and it took a lot of willpower to not eat anymore, even after her stomach told her that it was full.
"So, Barret." Biggs said, after everyone had eaten their fill, "Are we gonna go now and—"
"One moment, Biggs." Barret broke in, which cause everyone to look at him strangely, "I…need someone to go get…"
"Some more water?" Tifa helped. She was catching on what Barret was trying to avoid.
"Can't we just go down—" Jess asked; Wedge and herself weren't getting it quite yet along with Biggs.
"No! I would like to get it before." Barret jumped in again.
"Barret? What's wrong?" Alias asked, suspicion nagging her towards her newfound friend.
"Alias? Why don't you go get some?" Tifa asked.
"Okay." She said slowly, getting up and going to the back.
While she was away, Tifa whispered to Barret, "What's up? Why Alias?"
"I don't know yet, okay?"
"Know what?" Biggs whispered.
"I don't know if we can trust her with you-know-what yet."
"Oh!" Jessie exclaimed.
"Well, she's your cousin, right Tifa? Shouldn't you know whether or not she can be trusted?" Wedge said.
"Distant cousin." Tifa explained, "She only just arrived last night and I've not known about her until…the last few months."
"Yeah. Until then, we don't want her to know. Our activities can affect anyone who has any contact with us. The less she knows right now, the better." Barret said, ending the conversation as Alias walked back in, holding the last few bottles.
"There's no more. We need to go get some more."
"Oh, why don't we go down to the store and order for some more?" Tifa said, getting up from the table and walking with Alias out of the door, looking back with a reassuring nod before the door swung closed behind them.
Once outside, Tifa and Alias walked in silence. Tifa, however, felt a change come over Alias and took a glance at her. She had a look of intense concentration on her face, like a child did when they were wondering what they had done wrong.
"Alias?"
"Huh?" Tifa's voice penetrated her thoughts, snapping her back into reality, "Yeah?"
"Are you okay?" Tifa looked at her with concern.
She was quiet for a few seconds before giving smile, "I'm fine, Tifa. There's nothing to worry about."
"You seem really serious, though."
"Just thinking."
"Your past? About what you told the others?"
"….Yeah." Alias nodded.
"Are you sure that's all?" Tifa had such a sisterly look that Alias couldn't help, but feel grateful for the concern instead of annoyed that one usually feels when they wanted the questions to stop five minutes ago.
"I'm sure, Tifa. Really!" She said, when the look didn't go away, "I just got too engrossed in my own thoughts. Sorry if I worried you."
"Okay." Tifa said, still uneasy from the expression she had seen, but wanting to drop it as they entered the store. After ordering the water to be shipped tomorrow, they returned to the bar to find the others missing.
"Where'd they go?" Alias asked, looking around as if they were hiding.
"They probably finished whatever they wanted to say." Tifa replied, going behind the counter, "Why don't you go upstairs and check on Marlene? She's probably already gone to bed, but I just want to be sure."
"Sure thing." Alias said, a thought nagging at her persistently, but she pushed it away.
She peeked in on Marlene and found the little girl facing away from the door, her breathing telling her that she was asleep. Walking in, she pulled up the covers that Marlene had kicked away and gave her a pat on the head before exiting. Going to Tifa's room, she started to undress for bed when she heard a weird sound. It was mechanical, but that wasn't the weird part. What was weird was the fact that she felt the machine working as if they were right underneath her feet. It went on for a few minutes, Alias rooted to the spot where she stood, before she heard voices. In fact, the voices of Barret, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, the latter three saying there goodbyes before they left the building. Alias finished dressing and walked downstairs.
"Where were you?" She asked Barret, who was taking a drink from Tifa with a serious expression on his face.
"Oh, went out with them for a minute. Sorry, kid." Barret gave a smile before downing the drink.
"Why didn't you wait for us to come back?" Alias persisted
"Because we didn't know how long it would take for yeh guys to come back." Barret said, a note of warning on his voice that caused Alias to grow quiet.
"I just wanted to know." Alias said, a tinge of anger on her voice for the unprovoked attack.
"Curiosity isn't always a good thing." Barret snapped back.
"Fine! Keep your damn secret!" Alias exploded and stomped up the stairs, slamming the door behind her. She flung herself onto the bed, an angry roar in her ears. What was he so upset about? Geez, how could someone who had saved her life be such a…a…jerk? The roar subsiding, she could hear Tifa's voice and Barret's as they had a conversation, probably over the outburst Alias had done. She heard Tifa coming up the stairs and she brought up the bed sheets and had her back facing the door. The door opened slowly, light flooding in, as Tifa's shadow loomed on the wall Alias was facing. She walked over to where Alias was trying her hardest to act asleep and seemed to hesitate before going to her bed.
Alias didn't sleep very well that night, her thoughts about what Barret and the others had done to make Barret snap at her and her own outburst
Next day
"Alias? I'm going out for the supplies we ordered. Can you keep an eye on the place?" Tifa asked. Alias was behind the counter washing and putting away the last of the glasses before she looked up.
"Yeah. No problem. No one's in here anyway." Alias said, gesturing to the empty seats.
"You know Barret didn't mean it, he just isn't very good with 'interrogations' as he calls them."
"S'alright. It's not on my mind at all." Alias said truthfully; she had done enough of that last night.
"Okay. I'll be back in half an hour." Tifa called as she left the building. Marlene came down just then and smiled at Alias who smiled back, coming from behind the counter with a broom to sweep the floor.
"Tifa and Daddy gone?" She asked, Alias nodding an affirmative response.
"Wanna help me clean up a bit?" Alias asked Marlene who went to go get a rag to wipe the tables.
Alias was starting to sweep when the bell rang, signaling a customer. Lifting her eyes, the sight of the two men, for some reason, sent a cold chill down her spine.
Why did Alias get a feeling of sudden dread from these two men? Who are they? What do they plan to do? Why are they there? Why am I asking you these questions? You don't know, only I do. Ku ku ku ku!
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