Chapter Twenty-Four:
A/N: Anyone else think Tessa's been settling down and becoming a tolerable person? I do, and it's so not Tessa. Therefore, I'm doing something about it.
And, to keep my promise, this chapter is dedicated to Pixie-Stixs. Thanks for the summary (wink)
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Tessa spilled onto the ground outside of Timber where no one could see her. Phoenix landed on its talons and towered over her beaten form. It leaned down and folded its wings over her. It lifted its head and cried before bursting into flame.
After the smoke cleared, Tessa sat up with all of her injuries having been healed by the Phoenix's regenerative power. She shook her hair out of her eyes and wrapped her arms around her knees. She finally knew that there was a connection between her and the mystery disease, and it involved the people in blue suits.
"He mentioned Xu," Tessa said as she felt her nose. She was sure it had been broken by Reno in the alley, but it felt just like it had before. "How does he know Xu?"
Then she remembered how interested Xu had been in the autopsy and wouldn't let her take samples to test, and Tessa began to become suspicious of her examiner. I'd better get back anyway, she thought. I do still have an exam, after all.
---
"You're late," Xu said angrily. She glared at Tessa as the younger girl jogged up to the hotel. She had stopped to change clothes because she didn't want questions about how she had gotten so dirty. "I'm deducting this from your score."
"Sorry, Ma'am," Tessa gasped as she bent over to catch her breath. "I just ran into some heavy foot traffic. It won't happen again."
"It had better not," Xu said. "I'm sick and tired of your unprofessional attitude. When we get back to Garden I'm going to talk to the Headmaster about you."
"Yes, Ma'am," Tessa said as she stared at her shoes, afraid that looking at Xu might give away her suspicions. "Sorry, Ma'am."
"Very well," Xu said. "It turns out that the train to Galbadia City has not been here for a week, so we can't take it."
"Why can't we rent a car, Xu?" Zell asked. "It would be hell to lug all of this crap across a country."
"Timber doesn't rent cars," Xu said. "However, I have arranged for another mode of transportation. We will be taking a Shinra airship to Galbadia City, but we have to find our own way back."
"An airship!" Adette gushed excitedly. "I've always wanted to ride in an airship! This is so exciting!"
"This is so awesome!" Zell yelled as he gave Phelan a high-five. "I haven't been on an airship in ages!"
"Woo hoo," Tessa said apathetically, but no one heard her. She was too busy eyeing Xu to really care about riding on an airship.
"Aren't you excited?" Rinoa asked as she leaned beside Tessa. "It's an airship!"
"I'm… conflicted," Tessa quickly lied. She thought of an excuse as Rinoa looked oddly at her. "Remember what I told you earlier?"
"Oh, yes," Rinoa said thoughtfully. "I had completely forgotten. Well, don't worry about it, I'm sure everything will be fine."
What did I tell her? Tessa asked herself as Rinoa stood back up and walked over to Zell. The brunette jumped on his back and covered his eyes with her hands to great comic effect. The only people not laughing were Xu and Tessa, whose eyes met in mutual annoyance.
Tessa quickly looked away, before Xu became aware of her suspicions. She sighed and scratched her neck. Jayne's collar chafed her neck, and Tessa remembered how Xu had recognized it. There was so much she didn't know about her examiner, and it worried her. Her fingers wrapped themselves around the half-heart and she tried to gather the strength to act like she should.
"Hey, Tessa, is this awesome or what?" Phelan exclaimed as he slapped her on the back. "We're going to be in an airship."
"Yeah, alright!" Tessa yelled angrily. 'Let's go ride an airship! It's exciting because we're only, what, three years old? Grow up and stop acting like a stupid man, you idiot!"
"Whatever,' Phelan said with a shrug. He was too used to Tessa's behaviour to think anything of it. In fact, everyone rolled his or her eyes, everyone but Xu.
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The airship was a dressed-up blimp. It was painted silver and gleamed in the sunlight, with the rudders spinning in the wind. Everyone, except Xu, stared at it in awe, even Tessa. It was easily five times larger than a vessel.
"Amazing, huh?" Tessa heard Adette say to Phelan. "And to think we're going to be riding it!"
"Oh, yes, it is the most wonderful thing in the world," Tessa said sarcastically. "Maybe afterward we can hold hands and sing songs together!"
"We weren't talking to you," Adette scoffed. She looked to make sure no one was looking before she flipped Tessa the bird.
Tessa shot Adette a venomous look but didn't respond further. Rather, she tightened her grip on the pack in her hand. She was tired of lugging it around and was grateful for a place to rest. She hadn't mentioned her third attack to anyone, since she believed that she'd just be laughed off.
As the group boarded Tessa noticed a small group of men in blue uniforms with black masks running around the bottom of the airship, passing around paper bags.
"They're Shinra employees," Rinoa told Tessa when she saw the younger girl looking at them. "Mostly guys that couldn't get into SOLDIER"
Tessa's head snapped in Rinoa's direction as she remembered a glimmer of something. "What's SOLDIER?"
"You're from Junon and you don't know about SOLDIER?" Rinoa said with a laugh as she followed Tessa through the door and into the airship. "What were you doing?"
She was unable to answer right away because she was taken aback by the size of the interior of the airship. Her eyes spread across the expanse of the airship's cargo hold, with high towers of crates strapped into place and an even higher ceiling.
"Hello," Rinoa said as she waved a hand in Tessa's face, "can you hear me?"
"What?" Tessa said as she regained her senses and remembered that they were conversing. "Oh, sorry."
"Don't worry," Rinoa said with a smile. "I'm just glad you made a friend on this trip."
Tessa's right eyebrow shot up into her bangs. "I haven't made any friends. Did you go insane or something?"
"We're not friends?" Rinoa's smile fell and she clasped her hands behind her back.
"I didn't know you thought we were friends," Tessa said as she tried to hold back a laugh. "We just talked and you gave me a tour of Timber. I appreciate it end everything, but I have friends and they're nothing like you."
"Clearly not," Rinoa said in a hurt voice. "I didn't even have to be nice to you. I'm famous! I'm Rinoa Heartilly! I am the Sorceress that helped beat three other Sorceresses."
"Calm down," Tessa said, openly laughing. "You're a hero, I get it. That doesn't mean I want to be friends with you, though."
Rinoa wiped a tear from her eye, but her voice was filled more with anger than sorrow. "You know, that collar really fits you. You're one Grade A bitch."