She imagined the sky filled with fireworks, the kind that Garden was always partial to. Giant explosions of color—was there anything more Selphie than that? Esthar had plenty of fireworks too, but this was the first year in a long while she was going without them. It was actually a little relieving how much it didn't bother her. She'd needed fireworks before, needed the sound to drown out everything. But now she was content in the quiet, with only the shore providing the background music to her birthday celebration.

Matron and Cid had been making preparations all day long, insisting she take the day to rest, and eventually they'd convinced her. Though, in secret, she had done one little thing. In her defense, she had made it before the sixteenth, so Matron and Cid's words didn't apply. It was a silly banner, made using the children's art supplies when they were outside listening to one of Cid's stories. It was covered in handprints of paint, all from her tiny little hand. She still had some paint remnants on that hand that would take a little more vigor to get completely off.

As Matron was making some lemonade with the home-grown lemons and Cid was frosting the cake, Selphie sneaked by, banner in tow. They'd set up chairs and tables out near the cliff, ready to start the party at sunset when the temperature started going down. No one was out there now, so Selphie took the moment to tie her banner from one freestanding column to another, right above the table, then jumped back a few feet to examine her work.

"Nice," she said with a satisfied smile.

The banner rippled slightly in the breeze, making the metallic paint of the words "Happy Birthday to Me!" almost seem alive.

It was a tradition from back when she'd gone to Trabia Garden. The first year she'd done it as a strange form of vengeance against another student, but then it carried on from there. She'd always had strange ways of exacting revenge. And her latest ideas, the ones concerning Seifer, had probably been the weirdest yet.

She'd always had a plan in the past, but with Seifer, she had no idea what she was doing. One minute it was giving him a cold shoulder, and others it was her acting outrageously cheerful, and then there were times like on the beach when she'd just been plain messing with him. She was all over the place and had no idea how to control herself. All her feelings and ideas she'd collected over the years had been useless once she'd finally seen Seifer again. He wasn't evil and power-crazy and delusional like he'd been back in the war, but rather just a big, walking muscle that was awkward at communication and possessed the pride complex of a teenager.

How was someone supposed to be willfully mean towards that?

He hadn't planned on staying for her party, but Matron always had a way with words and she had convinced him to stay until tonight.

After the whole shark business on the beach, Seifer and Selphie had stayed relatively far apart, only seeing each other in passing. She had no idea what to say to him after that whole thing once she'd had time to think back on it and cringe about how utterly weird she'd been. The things she said, as few as they were, were always accompanied by her own awkward laughter and mostly incoherent babbling.

Until last night, when they'd both ended up on the beach after the sun had gone down. He'd been there first, and she'd almost escaped before she remembered that she'd been the one to make them both promise not to run away anymore. So she'd plopped down right next to him, a half a bottle of brandy in the sand between them she was secretly grateful not to drink alone.

They'd said little, but it had been enough.

The air had been warm, and she was in her pajamas of a t-shirt and shorts, hair down, makeup off; and he'd been in a tanktop and shorts, his short hair all ruffled and messy from his work that day, a few dirt stains on his face. It was nice. They had both just been people then, resting after a long day and without any pretense at all.

"Do you like brandy?" Selphie asked. "It's never been my favorite, but I mean, booze is booze, right?"

She swore she saw the corner of his mouth lift up a little, but it was Seifer, so she could have been completely imagining it.

"Ahhh, boooOOOOooooooOOOOOooooze!" she sang and then lay down in the sand. "No booze at the party, though. Not with the kids around. It'll be my first alcohol-free birthday party since . . ." She counted on her fingers and then shouted, "Since I was twelve!"

"Trabia Garden must party hard," Seifer muttered.

Selphie snapped back up to a sitting position. "We did, actually. Trabia may be the smallest garden, but we're definitely the fiercest."

Seifer smirked. "If you're any indication."

Selphie's lips parted and she stared at Seifer's profile—he was gazing dramatically out over the ocean. Had he just given her a compliment? A Seifer compliment was almost worth ten normal compliments. She felt a strange satisfaction and confusion in her stomach, and the blue lump in her stomach grew in size. It was almost as big as the grey one now, the one that had been sitting unchanged for a few weeks.

"Thanks," she said quietly, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

With an irritated sigh, Seifer snatched the brandy bottle, unscrewed the lid, and took a giant swig.

Selphie just pressed the bottom half of her face into her knees to hide her smile.

They sat there in silence several more minutes, passing the bottle between them until it was empty, Selphie finishing it off. Immediately after, she fell into a long succession of painful hiccuping until Seifer had lifted his hand and cast a Cure on her. Without hiccups to worry about, she saw him pocketing something right after.

"Hey!" she said, pointing. "What was that?"

Seifer cringed a little, but reached back in and pulled out a round blue stone. It was a summoning stone, and one Selphie knew well. The last time she'd seen it, Rinoa had cast it off into the ocean, bidding farewell to her good friend—

"Leviathan," Selphie said in surprise.

"Found it on a fishing boat. I thought it might come in handy," he said with a shrug. "You know, in an emergency."

Selphie giggled. "Like a hiccup attack?"

Seifer put the stone back and looked away quickly. It wasn't quick enough, though, because Selphie saw it this time: a real smile. A small one, of course, but a smile nonetheless. Selphie had made Seifer smile, and she also felt strangely honored to be important enough for a GF emergency.

"I still have mine," Selphie said. "Not junctioned, but same reason. I haven't had to use them, yet, though. Not in . . ." She held up her hands and counted on her fingers, even though she already knew how long it had been. But seeing it on her fingers, all ten of them, glaring up at her, it was different. Like those ten years hadn't been so long until then. Ten years since she'd seen her friends in person.

Ten . . . years? She sighed, her hand fell into the sand, and she looked up at the twinkling stars.

Looking back, even knowing all I've done, it doesn't really feel like I've done much at all. It was all busy work. Except for the space station, but life took me away before I could do anything with that.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Seifer get to his feet and put his hands in his pants pockets. He too was looking at the stars.

"You leaving?" she asked.

"Try not to sound too sad about it," Seifer said.

Selphie made a face. "I'm not sad about it. I was just asking, is all!"

Seifer smirked again. "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow, Selphie. Happy birthday." With that, he turned and began making his way back to the orphanage.

Selphie looked after him a moment and then checked her phone: 12:01 AM, it read. She turned off the screen and held the phone close to her chest. Her eyes found the stars again. Leviathan, huh? Reminds me of my dorm at Garden. Huh, I wonder if that poster is still there? With a smile, she thought, Everything's been way coincidental the past few weeks, hasn't it? Is the universe trying to tell me something?

Not long after that, she'd gone to bed herself. After a whole day of doing practically nothing, she was ready for the party to kick in to gear. She took a seat at one of the tables and put her hand behind her head, breathing in the fresh, salty air.

Nida was the first to show up, a box under his arm. He glanced around at the empty party space, then approached Selphie. He stopped in front of her and held out the box. "Hey, Selphie. I'm not sure when we're supposed to open presents, but it'll be less embarrassing with no one else around. So this is for you." He moved it closer.

"You made a present for me?" Selphie asked, blinking a few times. She took the box from him and carefully tore the paper off, revealing a basic cardboard box. Once she'd ripped open the two flaps, she came face-to-face with a stone carving. Carefully, she pulled it out to see it in better light.

The statue was made of marble, and perfectly smooth.

"It's a chocobo," Nida said. "I know how much you like them. I've been working on it since January. I'm not really a sculptor, but—"

"Oh. Right. Well," she said, setting the statue back in the box, "thanks, Nida. It's . . . super thoughtful."

Nida rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. "Oh, it was no trouble at all! I hope you like it."

Just then, Cid and Matron came out of the house, both of their arms full of party food. A few of the older children followed them out, helping to carry even more food.

"Whoa!" Selphie exclaimed. She set the box down on the chair beside her and ran over to help the others, particularly Matron. "You guys made so much food!"

"When you're making food to feed a lot of children and Selphie Tilmitt, there's no other option!" Cid said proudly, holding the tray of cold cuts closer so Selphie could see.

"Wow!" she sighed. "That all looks delicious. I'm starved!"

Matron gave a little laugh. "We're almost ready to start. I have to get the rest of the children."

Selphie set the tray of lemonade on one of the long tables and then clasp her hands behind her back. "And Seifer!" She held up a finger. "Actually, I'll probably have the best luck dragging him over here. I just know he'll find some excuse not to come!" As a whispered aside to just Cid and Matron, she added, "What with his whole anti-children thing."

"Anti-children?" Cid said loudly, defeating the purpose of the "whispered aside." "Nonsense."

"He's just nervous around them," Matron said gently. "He can be very sweet with them. Last year, one of the little ones who had just learned to walk fell, and he picked her up and gave her a pep talk. He'll never admit to it," she said with a laugh, "but I saw it." She set her other tray down on the table, put her hands in front of her, and bowed to Selphie. "I think that's a wonderful idea. Can you go fetch him, Selphie?"

Selphie did the SeeD salute and bounced off around the house to where Seifer's tool shack sat. The lights were on, so she skipped confidently over to the door. Clearing her throat and adjusting her skirt, she lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles lightly on the door. She heard some shuffling from inside, and lowered her hand just before the door opened.

For some reason, when he recognized her, he gave a little surprised start, but then opened the door all the way. "What is it?"

"Excuse me, what? My party, obviously!" Selphie said, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm here to make sure you actually come."

"Didn't I already say I would?" Seifer asked.

"Just making sure you didn't wiggle your way out of it," she said. "You ready? It won't start until everybody's there, and everyone's there but you! Even Nida's there."

"Who the fuck is Nida?" Seifer said with a frown.

But Selphie just waved it off. "For real, though. Are you ready? I'm not leaving till you're ready!"

Seifer glanced back a moment and then suddenly moved forward, nearly crashing into Selphie as he closed the door behind him. He stared down at her from way up there and all Selphie could do was realize how close she was to Seifer Almasy and that they were just standing there awkwardly, looking at each other.

"Ha ha," she laughed nervously and took one giant step back from him. "Is that a yes?"

Seifer gestured towards the party and folded his arms. "After you."

"Uh uh, mister," Selphie said, snapping back from the moment. "After you. How else am I supposed to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't bolt for the meadow or something?"

Seifer gave her an exasperated look, rolled his eyes, but started forward, and once he'd passed, Selphie took up position behind him. She looked at the back of his head as they walked, and she knew he must be wondering why the hell she was so adamant about him being at her birthday party. In all honesty, she wasn't quite sure why she was either. Maybe it was to help normalize things between them, to see them just as the two kids who used to go to this very orphanage rather than the enemies they were in the war. Maybe it was so he knew that she didn't hate him anymore.

Because she didn't, at all. As they walked, she finally realized that. She hated the Seifer from the war, and over the years, she'd hated the idea of Seifer, but this man who walked in front of her was different from both of those things.

Once the party came into view, she forgot about it. Instead, she ran ahead of Seifer to greet the rest of the kids who'd finally joined in. All the lamps and lanterns were lit, casting a pink and yellow glow over the entire party space. Most of the kids were already lined up at the tables, piling food onto their paper plates. Cid and Matron were examining the banner, Cid scratching his chin, and Matron smiling with her arm around Cid's waist.

"Happy birthday, Sephy!" the kids cried out, and Selphie kissed each of them on the head.

Then she traipsed over to Cid and Matron. "Nice banner, huh?"

Cid chuckled. "It surely is."

"Happy birthday, Selphie," Matron said, reaching out to lightly touch her arm.

Selphie gave Matron a warm smile and then gave a deep bow. "Thank you, Matron. Cid." When she came up, her eyes were watering, but she quickly wiped them dry and bounced away towards the buffet table to also start stuffing her face.

In the end, she sat down at a table, three plates full of food for her to destroy. But, before she took the first bite, she noticed Seifer standing on the edge of the party space, hands in his pockets, staring at the ground.

Party pooper.

One of the tiny kids wandered over to him, and Selphie leaned her elbows on the table, watching intently, wondering if it was the same kid from last year, one year older now. She stopped in front of Seifer, holding a red cup in her hand. Seifer's head moved the tiniest bit, and Selphie could just imagine him staring down at the girl with an unintentionally intense and scrutinizing gaze. But the kid was unfazed, and she tugged on his pant leg before lifting the cup towards him.

Seifer's lips moved, and Selphie desperately wanted to know what he was saying. The little girl just responded by pulling his pant leg again, and then slowly, Seifer crouched down so he was closer to eye level with her. He was talking some more, but he was too far away for Selphie to see his exact expression. Still, she watched with focused, slightly squinted eyes.

Nida sat down at the table. "This food looks great, doesn't it?" He tapped Selphie on the shoulder. "What are you looking at?"

Without looking at him, Selphie reached out, grabbed his collar, and pulled him closer. Then she pointed at Seifer and the kid. "Look! Look!"

The kid and Seifer were still talking, and he was shaking his head and . . . Is he laughing?! "No way!" she breathed.

But then he threw his head back and he was clearly laughing. Of course Selphie had heard him laugh before. Before the war and during it too, both completely different kinds of laughter. Selphie wondered what this laughter sounded like. The girl was smiling, so it must have been nice to listen to.

She heard choking noises beside her, and after a moment, she looked over and noticed she was pulling on Nida's collar too hard. She released him and he fell down onto the table.

Returning her attention back to Seifer and the girl, she looked just in time to see Seifer finally take the offered cup and lift it in thanks. Then he put his hand on top of her head, she seemed to giggle, and then he got to his feet. Hurriedly, the girl returned back to the other children, and Seifer was left alone in the boonies, red cup of something in hand. He was staring into it.

Selphie leaned her chin on her hands and smiled.

"All right, all right!" Cid called to everyone. Once the volume was just low enough, he said, "Now, being in charge of the music, I'd first like to take the moment to talk a little about it." He pushed his glasses farther up his nose. "As everyone at Garden knew and knows, when I was headmaster, every morning during announcements I would play a little old time music—yes, yes, the kind my grandfather grew up with. But there's something about it that just makes you want to dance and sing and all those wonderful things!" He put his arms in the air, like he was making a grand speech to a huge audience.

Matron whispered something in his ear, and he cleared his throat and continued. "It's also the music I used to play here, twentyish years ago. So, after years of missing out on it, Selphie," he said, now looking at her. "This music tonight is dedicated to you. I hope it brings you the happiness you have always and will always deserve."

Selphie's cheeks warmed and she hid her face a little.

Cid moved to the stereo and hit the on switch. The place was suddenly alive with the voices of the old crooners backed by brass. Cid started shuffling his feet in the dirt, making his way back to Matron. He offered his hand, hips bouncing, and blushing, she took it. The two took to the floor, the children cheering them on.

She hadn't heard this music since the war. And then, she hadn't been at Balamb Garden very long. This music made her think of being young again, in the orphanage. Irvine had always asked her to dance, and even then, Selphie had to admit they cut quite a rug. Zell had always preferred to dance alone and in his own style which Selphie had a hard time describing. There was a lot of arm movement and head jerking and the occasional grunting that probably wasn't intentional. It was a dance that didn't seem to fit to the music, but Zell somehow had made it work.

But Cid was right. The music did make her happy. It reminded her of all the good times she'd had in this place when she was younger. Her feet tapped on the ground in rhythm with the music, and even her lips mouthed along with the words she was sure had been long forgotten. Memory was funny like that.

Selphie hurried and scarfed down her food and then got to her feet, determined to steal the dance floor away from Matron and Cid. She cracked her knuckles and popped her neck. "Right," she said, briefly curling her fingers into fists. "I got this!"

"You got this!" Nida called from behind her.

She hopped over to the dance floor. Matron and Cid looked over and smiled at her. Wiggling her fingers in a wave, she first began swaying, letting her body warm up to the beats. Then her feet began to move first, and she let them take her wherever they desired. Soon she was spinning around the dance floor, arms out to her sides, laughing. Some of the children mimicked her and then there was a whole plethora of them all spinning around the dance floor like dandelions in the wind.

"Dance with Sephy!" one of the kids pleaded, and Selphie took her hands. The two of them twirled with each other and then suddenly Selphie was bombarded with pleas to dance with them. So mid-step she switched to another kid, and then another, until she had danced with nearly all of them on the dance floor.

Oh, boy! she thought as she clutched her stomach and finally managed to escape back to her table. Maybe eating before wasn't such a good idea.

And yet, when Matron announced cake time, Selphie forgot that entirely.

"Cake!" she shouted, jumping to her feet, though she had only just sat down.

Cid emerged from the house with a giant cake he could hardly carry himself. The twenty-eight candles were all sparkling like mini-fireworks. Matron helped him set it on the cake table, thus far unused.

"Come make a wish, Selphie," Matron said, holding out a hand.

Selphie rubbed the back of her neck. "Aren't I too old for that?"

"Nonsense!" Cid said, coming over, putting his arm around her, and ushering her towards the cake.

The sparkling candles lit Selphie's face with so many colors, and she smiled when she saw the same effect on the kids who were crowding the table. All the sound drowned away until Selphie could only hear the music, though she knew everyone was still chattering up a storm, and the waves were crashing against the rocks below, and the gulls were still crying, as if they knew it was her birthday.

Selphie gave the tiniest of smiles. What to wish for at twenty-eight. Am I really that old? Doesn't feel like it. She glanced over the kids' heads to where Seifer was still standing, now holding an old vinyl case, the red cup still in one hand. What would Seifer wish for? A quiet life with just enough to keep him busy and satisfied? I could see that.

There was too much to wish for. The space station, the continued happiness of her friends, the long lives of chocobos, the technological advancement of Esthar . . . All of that was so other-centric. What could she wish just for herself? That's not too selfish, right?

She looked back to the candles and closed her eyes. I wish . . . I wish that I'll be able to see my friends again soon. I hope that's not too much to ask, universe. She blew out the sparkling candles and everyone clapped.

The cake was pure chocolaty goodness, just how Selphie liked it. Matron sure knew how to make a decadent, rich cake. Selphie had the tiniest piece and she swore she was set for another three years before she could have another piece again. The kids, however, stuffed two or three pieces in themselves each. The adults all marveled at their tenacity.

Next was presents time, and everyone pulled the chairs in a circle to share. Each kid had made Selphie a homemade craft; she had plenty of things to hang on the walls now, probably too many things. But she loved each and every one, and as thanks, she kissed each kid on the head. Some of them blushed, others giggled nervously, and some of them tried to escape from her kiss, but she snatched them back and they laughed.

The last gifts were from Matron and Cid, though Selphie didn't really need any from them. After all, they were giving her room and board here at the orphanage, and even paying her though she insisted she was on paid Garden leave, still receiving her SeeD salary. But they insisted, and eventually Selphie had to give in. The fact that she had too much money than she needed or wanted didn't seem to matter to them.

First was Cid, who gave her a coupon to a weapons shop in Balamb. "Ninety percent off an upgrade to Strange Vision. I hear they're coming out with a new model soon."

Selphie folded the coupon in half and carefully set it in her most secure pocket. She had seen the previews of the new nunchaku upgrades they were going to get later that year, including what items you would need, and even though she had plenty of money now to pay for it, she was thrilled nonetheless that Cid had chosen it for her. He knew her too well.

Though, something in the back of her mind was wondering just how much Cid had paid or done to get that coupon. Nothing ever had a sale for 90% off.

Next was Matron. She held a tiny gift box in her slender fingers which she extended to Selphie once the excitement over Cid's gift had passed. Carefully, Selphie set it on her lap and undid the latch. Inside rested what looked like a little book without pages. She pulled it out and opened it, her breath catching in her throat.

"There are few pictures of your time here," Matron said. "And those we had got lost after . . ." She never finished that sentence, but she didn't have to. "That's one I found early this year. It was the strangest, most fortunate thing. I'd like you to have it."

It was a picture of Selphie, Zell, and Seifer at the orphanage when they were young. The photo was worn at the edges, and there smudges of some kind on it. But the image was clear, and Selphie remembered it. It was taken in December, and Zell had been having the worst day thanks to Seifer's incessant bullying. Selphie had made it her mission to cheer him up, and part of it resulted in gathering the two of them together to take a picture where they were making silly faces. Both Selphie and Zell were trying their best, and maybe Seifer was too, but he wasn't very good at making silly faces.

Selphie loved it. She ran her fingers lightly over the edges. "Thanks, Matron," she said quietly, then caught her eye.

"Of course," Matron said gently.

Selphie set the photo back in the box and clasped it securely closed.

They moved the chairs away to make way for some party games. Nida was rolling up his sleeves to prepare. As they were setting up, Selphie looked for Seifer again, but he was nowhere in sight. With a frown, thinking, Oh, so he thought he could slip out early, huh?

"Hey, Cid, I'll be right back, okay?" she said quickly and then slipped out herself, heading towards the meadowy side of the orphanage where it was dark. The music drifted to the background, echoing a little off the orphanage, gentle and soothing. She searched all around as she walked, in case he was somewhere else on the way to his shack.

But he was nowhere to be found. And when she stopped in front of his shack and knocked, no one answered. There weren't any lights on either. No way he's asleep. It's only like nine! She put her hands on her hips and turned, examining the immediate area. Where did he skulk off to?

She slowed her breathing until she wasn't making a sound. There were crickets, and the very distant party music, and . . . something else. A rustling. But there was no breeze anymore, not since the party had started. She followed her ears through the maze of free-standing columns until she saw a vague dark shape.

"Seifer?" she called.

The shape moved, maybe standing up, and she knew she had found him.

Knew he wasn't asleep! She skipped over to him, and once she was near enough, she could take in his appearance in the faint starlight and waning moonlight. "Hey, you said you'd come to the party. That means not leaving super early."

"I was planning on coming back," Seifer said, sounding slightly defensive.

Selphie got on her tiptoes and peered around him. "What were you doing out here, anyhoo?"

"I . . . was just getting something," Seifer said.

Selphie blinked and wiggled her nose. "Um, out here? Were you getting some tomatoes?"

Seifer sighed. "No. I didn't want to be a dick, so I thought I should probably get you something since it's your birthday."

"Oh." Selphie physically moved back a little, though her feet stayed planted. She put her hands behind her back. "I . . . Well, I wasn't really expecting you to give me one or anything. So, you're probably fine. Ha." He wanted to give me a birthday gift? Last one he gave me at the orphanage was a . . . damn, what was it?

"I guess since you're here, I can just give it to you now. Probably for the best." Seifer turned away from her.

A toy train car he made in the shop. He painted it yellow.

Seifer lifted something.

He painted my name on it, too. Said it was the Chocobo Express.

Seifer shook the thing in his hands a little, and Selphie bounced away from her memories. She let her eyes adjust a little more to the darkness and then she gave a little embarrassed squeak. He had flowers in his hands, from the garden. When she looked at him, he was pointedly looking away, but she could see his furrowing brows. It must have been awkward and difficult to give her flowers.

Selphie gently took them, and as soon as she had a good grip, he let go and retracted his hand to safety.

"Thanks," she said. "I can't really see them because it's dark, but I'm sure they're really pretty."

"Right," Seifer said. "We should probably get back to the party."

Selphie grinned. "Oh, so eager now?"

Seifer looked at her with a frown. "You want to just stand out here?"

"I don't know," she said, glancing around. "It's kind of nice, actually, you know. Don't you think?"

Seifer swallowed and quickly looked away again. "I guess."

She lifted the flowers. "I'm going to put these in some water, but when I get back to the party, I expect you to be trying to pin the tail on Cerberus, okay?"

"Is . . . that what they're playing?" Seifer asked, and she could hear the cringe in his voice.

"It's one of the kids' favorites," Selphie said. "Come on now. No more brooding in the corner." She waited for Seifer to move first, which he did after a few moments, and very reluctantly. Then they were both of them heading back, one bouncing, one trudging.


The next day

Selphie woke with the sunrise the next day, refreshed and ready for the day. This is my first full day being twenty-eight. She smiled at that and got dressed. Downstairs, Cid was just making breakfast in the kitchen and Matron was pouring some water into the coffee machine. Selphie smiled at her flowers on the table, now able to see them in their true colors. Most of them were bright yellow daisies, and then there were a few pink and blue orchids in the mix.

"Did you have a nice time last night, Selphie?" Matron asked.

"It was perfect," Selphie said. "Best birthday I've had in awhile."

Best birthday I've had since the war.

"Huh," Selphie said as she looked at the flowers.

"What is it?" Cid asked, half-absorbed in cooking eggs.

But Selphie shook her head. "Nothing. Just going to be a good day." I didn't have any nightmares last night. At all. I don't even remember falling asleep. She smiled to herself again. Sure am doing that a lot today.

"Where'd those flowers come from? Are they from the garden?" Matron asked, turning on the coffee machine and then taking a seat at the table. She lightly touched one of the flower's petals. "They're beautiful."

"Birthday present from Seifer," Selphie said.

Matron let out a tiny "oh" of surprise and smiled. "That was very kind of him."

"And super weird," Selphie said. "But nice, you know?"

Matron's smile disappeared, and she looked at the table in concern. "Seifer left back for Winhill early this morning."

Selphie was quiet a moment, her eyes locked on the flowers. "So soon, huh?" She brought her shoulders in a little, then suddenly she said loudly, "Well, that's just like him to escape as soon as he can. Pff. Whatever. I'm going to set up the classroom for this morning's lesson."

Cid and Matron cast each other a look, then Matron said, "We'll let you know when breakfast is ready."

Selphie nodded and headed to the main classroom. There wasn't much to really prepare, most of it just cleaning up and making sure everything was organized, but it gave her hands something to do. Unfortunately, it wasn't intensive enough for her mind, so as she worked, she found herself preoccupied with one subject: Seifer.

It was a silly thing to be preoccupied with, but things had changed in the past few weeks. Seifer wasn't the enemy anymore; he was a friend to become reacquainted with. And as weird as it felt to acknowledge it, his presence had done what ten years of busy work hadn't. Seeing him as a regular person, trying his best to just live a quiet life and make no more waves, it made her realize she could move on as well. The war had affected everyone in a different way, and seeing someone who was hit as hard as Selphie, if not harder, was better than talking with a therapist or seeing her friends move on with their lives almost as if there had been no war at all.

Today had been the first morning she'd woken up with glee, ready and excited to face the day. All the other days had been forced. For a decade she had been living by the "fake it till you make it" philosophy, and it had worked somewhat, but it could never be a permanent solution. Something else always had to change.

Come to the orphanage. Work with kids. See Matron and Cid again, especially Matron.

Confront Seifer.

Befriend Seifer?

Be angry at Seifer for leaving without saying goodbye!

Words I never thought I'd think. But really, he goes and gets me flowers for my birthday and then just leaves? And he said he didn't want to be a dick! Well, that's a dick move, Seifer!

She sat down at one of the desks and sighed. I'm so small I can still fit in this okay.

So what is it? Back to the same old, same old? At least, until the summer ends. Then I'm back in Esthar City . . . aren't I?

Cid's voice called through the house, summoning everyone to breakfast. The scent of bacon, eggs, and pancakes followed right after. No one could resist that for long. And only a few moments later, she heard laughter and the patter of children's feet as they made a mad rush for the kitchen. They'd be in the classroom soon, as that was the only place big enough for them all at once.

I don't know, though. Is that what I want? That's not what I wished for last night. But everyone back there is counting on me to come back. Can I just let them down? Can I let Ser Laguna down?

Her fist smacked against the table.

Kids began slowly trickling in, all of them bidding Selphie good morning and trying to take bites of their pancakes before they had even sat down.

Selphie lifted her face and put on a smile. Her fist relaxed and her fingers lay flat on the desktop.

"Sephy, you gonna eat?" one of the kids asked.

"Course I am!" Selphie said, leaping to her feet. "You think I'd miss out on pancakes?" She ruffled the kid's hair and then headed out of the room, stopping in the hallway halfway between the classroom and the kitchen.

Nida popped out of the kitchen, a breakfast plate of his own in his hands. His face lit up when he saw Selphie. "Hey, Selphie! How you feeling? I don't know if it's possible to get hungover from too much fun, but I'm definitely feeling something like it." He laughed.

"Too much fun isn't a thing," Selphie said, and walked by him into the kitchen. The rest of the kids were just streaming out, leaving Matron and Cid.

"Ah, Selphie. Just in time. I was just saving the last of this for you before Benin tried to take it," he said with a chuckle. He poured some bacon and eggs out of their pans onto a plate, then added two fluffy, chocolate chip pancakes.

Selphie took a seat at the table. "Smells delicious." She smiled. "As always."

The couple swapped looks again, but Selphie ignored them.

"Are you all right, Selphie?" Matron asked before taking a tiny sip of coffee.

Selphie picked up a fork and viciously stabbed into the stack of pancakes. "Never better!" Then before they could squeeze anymore conversation out of her, she stuffed the pancakes into her mouth.


Things went about their usual way, the way they had been before Seifer showed up. Eventually, he was out of Selphie's mind and she was back to purely focusing on the orphanage. The nightmares came back every so often, but their decreasing frequency was enough for her. One day, they'd simmer out and never come back unless she was having a particularly bad day.

The summer ticked by steadily, growing hotter and hotter until suddenly in the very beginning of September, the temperatures dropped to about eighty degrees, practically freezing considering what they'd all been dealing with for the past couple months.

And two weeks before she was scheduled to head back to Esthar City, her day was interrupted. Nida poked his head into the classroom while she was in the middle of a lesson, said that she had a communication from Garden. It must have been official, else her friends would have simply called her phone. So Selphie passed the lesson on to Nida and headed to the library where it was quiet and free of any distractions. Then she set Nida's laptop on her knees and accepted the incoming message.

Quistis' face appeared, grim. She had dark circles under her eyes, like she hadn't gotten enough sleep recently. Selphie had gotten plenty, and wished there was a device to transfer her hours to Quistis immediately. She was glad to see Quistis' face again, grim or not. The message must have concerned Selphie's duties in Esthar.

"It's good to see you again, Selphie," Quistis said, voice tired as well. "How is everything at the orphanage?"

"Blistering until a few days ago," Selphie said. "But I've enjoyed my time here a lot. It's a nice change from what I've been doing. So thanks for suggesting sabbatical."

Suggesting, as in ordering. But Selphie was still thankful.

Quistis gave the smallest of smiles—it was tired too!

What's wrong, Quisty?

After a long moment of silence on both ends, Selphie quietly asked, "Is . . . everything okay with you?

"I don't want to take you off your sabbatical sooner than we agreed on, even so close to the end, but there is a Garden matter that demands attention, and I know of no one else I would rather have helm the mission than you," Quistis said.

Selphie's heart began beating faster. "What happened?"

"There's been an attack," Quistis said.

Selphie dug her fingernails into her thighs. "Where? On whom? By whom?"

Quistis sighed. "Someone bombed the headmaster's office at Trabia Garden."

Selphie flinched. Why does everyone want to hurt you, Trabia? "The . . . The headmaster?" Please don't take Luna away. Please don't say she's dead.

Back when Selphie had attended Trabia, she'd had many friends, but there had been a few very close to her heart. Luna was one of them. The last time Selphie had seen her, she was in the running to be headmaster of the newly rebuilt Trabia Garden. She still even had Selphie's Triple Triad card after winning it back from Squall. There's no one Selphie would rather have hold on to it.

The look in Quistis' eyes was enough. Before she even spoke, Selphie knew. Luna was gone.

"I'm sorry, Selphie," Quistis said. "I hate to spring bad news on you like this, but Garden is in need. We need to find those responsible, possibly stop future attacks." Again she sighed, heavier this time, too heavy for her age. "With all the anti-Garden propaganda the last decade, I can't say it's necessarily a surprise, but . . ."

Neither of them found out what came after that.

"I'm recalling you to Balamb as soon as possible. Garden is here, and we will be here for some time, possibly until this whole situation is resolved. I can arrange transportation for you. Zell can be there on Ragnarok tomorrow," Quistis said.

Selphie straightened and gave a firm nod. "Right. Of course."

"I'll see you soon, Selphie." A little light entered Quistis' eyes, and as if all the tiredness was suddenly gone, she said, "It'll be so good to see you again. You've been away too long."

I know.

Selphie smiled. "It'll be good to see you again, too, Quisty."

At the nickname, Quistis gave a little chuckle. "Goodbye, Sephy."

The screen went black and Selphie slouched in the chair. She stared up at the air, at the dust motes lit by the sun sneaking through the cracks in the window blinds.

I didn't want it to happen like this. Not with the death of a friend and the pain of the people I love.

She closed the laptop.

Still . . .

My wish is coming true.