Chapter 3: Leaving

Vincent sat on the orphanage's yellowing lawn. He was watching the sunset, reminiscing. He remembered the girl who left five years ago. His best friend... Tifa.

Like he said the night before she was adopted, he never forgot about her. Everyday he'd sit on the orphanage's lawn and watch the sunset. Sometimes Tifa's little friend, Marlene, would join him, but he'd never speak to her. She was only nine years old and he was seventeen. She wouldn't understand...

Of course, there were the other teenagers there, too, although there were only two others because of how small the orphanage was. He just didn't like speaking with them. One time last year a fifteen year old boy teased him about missing his 'girlfriend'. Vincent had ignored him that time, but when he kept teasing him, Vincent shoved him against the wall and held him by his collar. Luckily for the fifteen year old, Mrs. Macready was outside that day and quickly intervened. She reprimanded Vincent for using force on the other boy and she scolded the other teen for teasing Vincent. Needless to say, Vincent was never bothered again.

Vincent missed Tifa dearly. He thought that the pain would ebb away eventually, but it hadn't weakened for the past years. She was the only friend he had and she was taken away from him. It was ironic that they'd talked about being separated the evening before. It was as if Tifa knew something like that would happen soon. It was inevitable, though, so of course she'd know. He knew, too, he just never liked to think of it.

There was only one year left before he could leave the orphanage. He would be eighteen in October of next year and he couldn't wait for that day. He knew exactly what he'd do after he left. He would search for Tifa. He would keep his promise to her and meet her again. The world is big, he knew, and Tifa could be anywhere, but he'd manage. He knew he would.

A small hand touched Vincent's shoulder and he knew it was Marlene. Some days she'd come, other days she wouldn't.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Marlene asked, gesturing to the sunset while fixing herself beside the older boy. Vincent nodded slightly, not looking at the little girl beside him. That was how it always started.

They sat there in silence for the next while, which was what always happened next. Vincent counted the seconds it took for Marlene to ask her next rhetorical question.

Ten... Eleven... Twelve...

"You miss her, don't you?" she asked for the hundredth time. It was always the same question and it always took her around twelve seconds to ask it.

Marlene knew the answer. It was so obvious that he missed her. She'd never really spoken to this tall teenager before Tifa left, but she wasn't dumb enough to not notice how close they were. Even though Marlene knew the answer, Vincent never acknowledged the question. He ignored her entirely, actually. But she wasn't bothered by this. It made her sad that he never tried to talk with her, but she never pushed anyone to do anything, so she'd always let him be.

By now she'd leave... but not today.

"What will you do when you leave?" Marlene asked.

She expected Vincent to stay silent like he usually did. It was a few moments before, surprisingly, he answered.

He sighed before speaking. "I'm going to look for her."

Marlene smiled and got up. "Well, good luck, Vincent."

Vincent looked up at the little girl curiously. Something about that smile of hers made it seem as if se knew something he didn't. When she skipped off towards the orphanage he just shrugged it off, thinking it was only his imagination playing tricks on him.

He turned his head back towards the horizon. The sun was already almost gone, so he got up and looked back down at the ground. He remembered that he'd always help Tifa up, but those days were long gone. Sighing, he shoved his hands in his black jeans and walked back into the orphanage. Right when he got in, Mrs. Macready rushed to him.

"Vincent, my dear, you're going to leave early." she said, knowing that this news would bring his spirits up greatly.

"...Why?" he asked. "The law says that I can't leave until I'm an adult, which is when I'm eighteen years old. You said so yourself."

Mrs. Macready chuckled. "You've always been one for doing the right things, Vincent. We'll be missing you."

Vincent was silent. But then it hit him. He was being adopted. Why though? He was already so old that no one should want him.

"Who is it?" he asked, but there was no need because right at that moment a short man in a slightly wrinkled suit walked in. He was short with long black hair, skin almost as wrinkled as his suit and glasses with very thick lenses. For whatever reason, Vincent despised the man thoroughly right when he saw him. There was just... something wrong about the way he looked at him.

"This here is your new parent as of today." Mrs. Macready announced, gesturing to the man who was now standing next to her. He was very short compared to Vincent, who was six feet now.

"Hello, Vincent. My name's Jason." He greeted while holding his hand out to the much taller and younger man before him. Vincent eyed the hand skeptically, but didn't take it. Mrs. Macready gave Vincent a reprimanding look but he still didn't take the offered hand. Jason smiled with malice before withdrawing his hand.

"I'm sorry, but Vincent's just been through some... events." Mrs. Macready explained, noticing the warning look Vincent gave her.

"Ah, I see." Jason said, "Hard times, eh?" Vincent didn't answer him, though. He just glared at the man, his eyes attempting to burn a hole through his chest. He didn't trust this man, but with the looks of it, the required documents and such were already finalized and there was no turning back now.

"I'll go pack..." Vincent muttered, failing to burn the desired hole in Jason's chest, and left to his room.

Yes, he did want to leave the orphanage as soon as possible, but not with this man. There was just something terribly wrong going on with that man. He said nothing though, even as his bags were packed and he was exiting the orphanage doors for the last time.

His bags were small for he owned very little except for clothes, books and a couple of pictures of him and Tifa. Jason opened the car's black door for Vincent. He hesitantly entered the small car and sat on the grey leather seats. Jason slammed the door shut and got in the front seat to start the car. Without a word he drove out of the Nibelheim Orphanage's parking lot, sneering. Oh, how easy it was to acquire his latest subject...