The night was a silent one, though, one could feel the electricity within the air. A storm was brewing, hiding the glowing golden gems and silvery, opaque moon. The dark clouds hid the little light of night, leaving lost souls to wander aimlessly. It was cold, with a gentle wind blowing. The trees bowed down their heads in submission to the icy breeze. Dew crawled across the dead grass; hiding the dull brown that it had become. Fog rolled in from the south, hiding the roads.
One house was still visible. It was a tall, Victorian structure of three levels. The lights were on, providing some light to the unearthly dark surrounding the ancient home. Within the house, two girls sat in a large, well-lit, warm room.
One girl sat on an old, thread-bare couch. She was slender, but one didn't dare misjudge her size for frailty. She was very strong, and could beat just about anyone in a fight. Her strength, combined with her sepia hair, and dark, wine-tinted eyes, gave her the look of a mysterious fighter.
The other was small with a generous, but not too full, figure. Long coppery locks fell on either side of her face, only to fall against her waist. Hazel eyes were framed by dark lashes, while freckles dotted her cheeks, nose, and arms. She was very pale, with translucent skin.
The two stared at a television, watching a movie. Both could only wait for it to end. They were more than eager to share their critiques.
"Okay. First off, the girl's a…well, she ain't nice. Second of all, she pulled a Tifa!" Heather huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at the screen.
"Yeah, but at least she saw that the guy really did love her. And, after all, love conquers all."
"So. I still don't like her."
"Then go kill the director."
"I will!" Heather stood and stabbed at the air, shouting random phrases of anger and death. Courtney rolled her eyes, but had to laugh. Her friend was always doing something strange, but amusing. Heather was like no other person that Courtney had ever met. She was always herself, never fake in any way, insane, and always kind. Except for moments like these.
"Magic materia! Where'd you get that?"
"My mother found it at a garage sale in Bella Vista. Cool, huh?"
Heather sprinted towards the table near Courtney, and picked up the green sphere.
"I want one! Courtney, best friend in the entire-"
"No, no, a thousand times no. That's mine so that I can cast my offensive spells on people." Heather laughed and tossed the orb to her friend.
Courtney held the cold glass ball in her hand, staring into its endless depths. It suddenly became very warm in her palm. Its surface seemed to absorb all light, with the center glowing. Voices, some male, some female, adult's, and children's, whispered. The voices were full of fear and panic. The words were in some kind of odd language, one that seemed very old.
One voice rose above the others. It wasn't in a language Courtney could understand, yet she knew what it was saying. Its matronly voice swirled within Courtney's mind, speaking of spells, death, destruction, and another world.
She dropped the orb and jumped up. Heather looked at her friend as though she were insane. She didn't understand how such a simple glass ball could make Courtney act like that. She picked it up, suddenly understanding why she was afraid to touch it.
Heather listened as the same voices screamed within her head. Only the calm, matronly voice wasn't there. Just chaos.
"Heather, did you hear them?"
"Yeah…is there something you want to tell me about this? Is this a joke? 'Cause if you're trying to scare me, you're doing a really good job."
"I'm not. I've never heard it before. Never. Give me the ball." Heather gladly handed it over, and rubbed her arms. Goose bumps crawled up her arms and down her back, making her shudder. Courtney held the "materia" in one hand, and held her other hand out to Heather. The two friends locked hands, not really understanding, or caring, why.
"Transport!" Courtney's voice shook, but her tone was strong. The two girls were enveloped in a pale verdant light. Their bodies disappeared. Never again would life for them be the same.