Chapter 6: Sanctuary

Her name was Elmyra. She was a warm and generous woman and Aeris thought she was also very pretty. She had her reddish brown hair pulled up loosely in a bun and she wore a modest spring dress that flared out slightly at her petite waist. Her golden brown eyes were kind and sympathetic and looked large in contrast with her small heart shaped face. She spoke gently as she held the little girl, trying to comfort her as best she could. Aeris cried quietly into her hands for awhile, then wiped her eyes and bowed her head over her mother. She laced her tear-soaked fingers together and prayed to Gaia for Asalie and her mother. After the train conductor assured them that he would take care of Ifalna's body, Elmyra took Aeris home with her honoring her mother's last request.

As they walked, she noticed Aeris looking around at everything, her bright emerald eyes were wide with curiosity. "Is this the first time you've been to the slums?" She asked hoping that the girl would be up to talking.

"Yes..." She answered smiling. Her voice was gentle, innocent and sweet. "It's very...dirty." Elmyra burst out in laughter, she had not expected her answer. Aeris listened to her and thought she had a very nice, easy laugh. It wasn't forced or sad like she had heard when she was in Shinra and it warmed her heart to hear it.

"Yes, it is VERY dirty." Elmyra agreed, "It wasn't always like this though. Years ago, before they built the plate above, it was very beautiful here."

"Beautiful." Aeris repeated trying to picture how it might have been without the huge metal plate hovering over their heads. "What was it like?"

"Well, it was brighter." She said thoughtfully trying to call back to mind the memory of old Midgar. "The sky was always so blue in the summer and we would get a gentle breeze from the ocean. That was my favorite time of year here. I liked the warmer weather for gardening..."

"You have a garden?" Aeris interrupted feeling excitement bubble up inside her. Elmyra shook her head sadly.

"No." She replied. "Not anymore. After the plate was built, it blocked out the sun and all my flowers died."

"Oh." Aeris said feeling a little disappointed. She thought about the flowers back in the arboretum and wondered how they would do without her there helping them grow.

"Do you like flowers?" Elmyra asked trying to keep her from feeling sad. In truth, she was surprised how cheerful she was considering she had just lost her mother. Although she sensed she was an unusual child. Kind and very sweet, but unusual nonetheless.

"Oh yes!" Aeris exclaimed happily. "I like flowers very much." They continued to talk about gardens and flowers when they passed by a small playground. Aeris asked about it, not quite sure what it was.

"It's a playground..." Elmyra could see that Aeris was confused. "It's where children come to play. Didn't you have anything like that where you came from?"

"No." She looked at the slide which was a giant mog with the slide coming out of it's mouth. She tilted her head and her eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to imagine how someone would play on it. "Nothing like that at all."

Elmyra felt sad for her when she heard that. What did you do for fun? She wondered, but decided it was a subject better left untouched for now. They continued on until the path they were walking split in two. Elmyra turned to the left but Aeris stood in place looking down the right path. She heard soft whispers and felt her mind being gently tugged in that direction.

"Aeris? We better keep going." Elmyra touched her shoulder. "My home is this way."

"What's down this way?"

"Oh...hmm." Elmyra tilted her head thoughtfully as she considered. "You know, I'm not really sure. I haven't been there in years. It used to be the edge of town, but it's probably all just rubble now." She stepped back to the left ready to continue on her course. "Better come along now, it's not safe to stand out here for too long." Reluctantly, Aeris followed her home.

They passed through a small community and Aeris was stunned to see children her age. She watched them closely as they played together and wondered what it would be like to talk to them. She had only spoken to adults her entire life and didn't know if kids were really that different to converse with. Elmyra saw her looking at them and smiled.

"Maybe once you've settled in, you can come and play with them." She suggested. Aeris was happy for the offer, although a little apprehensive, and nodded gratefully.

When they finally arrived at Elmyra's home, Aeris was pleasantly surprised by the sight that greeted her. The property was big and oddly clean for being in the slums. There must have been gaps in the upper plate, because a few beams of light streamed down from above. There was a large water main that poured out behind her house into a little reservoir. The water flowed between her property dividing it into three different platforms that were connected by cute little bridges. Aeris looked over the now barren soil and could see where the garden had been. It looked like it must have been beautiful.

The house was a lovely, modest two-story with a large wooden door. Inside was warm and cozy and Aeris instantly felt comfortable and at ease. Elmyra told her to make herself at home while she made breakfast. At the mention of food, Aeris' mouth began to water and she sat at the table and watched as her host prepared their meal. Before long, the smell of eggs, bacon and pancakes filled the air. Her stomach began to growl as Elmyra set a plate of food in front of her and poured a glass of juice. Aeris politely waited for Elmyra to be seated before she took her first bite. It was all she could do to keep from devouring the meal like a starving animal. At Shinra, the food was simple, bland and mostly for nutritional value. It was OK, but Aeris was thankful that this food was none of that. She finished every last bite and thanked Elmyra for cooking.

"You're very welcome." She said as she took the plates away to the sink to wash. "It's nice to share a meal with someone again. I had actually been saving it for my husband, but this is as good an occasion as any I think." She turned to Aeris and smiled, though sadly.

"Oh..." Aeris felt a little guilty for taking the food away from her husband. "Where is your husband now?"

"Wutai." She shrugged with a heavy sigh. "He was suppose to come home on leave." She scrubbed away at the plates then rinsed them off. "That's why I was at the station this morning. I've gone every morning hoping that he'll be getting off the train, but...oh well." She dried off the plates with her apron and put them away. After she was done, she took off her apron and looked back at the little girl sitting at the table. "Enough of that. Look at you! You look exhausted. Why don't you go upstairs and clean up. I'll make up a bed for you and you can rest for a little while."

Aeris didn't argue. Now that her stomach was full, she was fully aware of how tired her body was. She did as she was told and soon found herself in a very comfortable bed with big fluffy blankets covering her. She quickly fell asleep and slept better than she had in her whole life. When she woke up she felt absolutely refreshed. She looked around remembering where she was and what had happened and a flood of emotions rolled over her. She felt that she was safe now, but at the cost of Asalie and her mother.

She ran her fingers over the bangle her mother had put on her wrist and felt the magic swarming inside the materia set within it. She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the materia her mother had always worn and stared into it. Its glow was almost hypnotic and Aeris became mesmerized by it. As she held it, she could hear the planet speaking to her, whispering what her mother had told her. This was meant for you...

"Aeris?" Elmyra was knocking at the door. Aeris snapped to attention as Elmyra entered the room. "Oh good." She sounded relieved. "I was starting to worry. I have some fresh clothes here, why don't you shower and come down for some breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Aeris asked confused. Elmyra laughed at her expression.

"Yes, you slept all day and through the night. I tried waking you a few times but you just fell back asleep. You must have needed it, but I think you're probably hungry now." She started to leave then added. "Oh by the way, after breakfast I have a surprise for you."

As soon as Elmyra left the room, Aeris got out of bed, took a shower and got dressed. She put her hair up and carefully looped the tie around her mother's materia just like she had worn it. She inspected herself in the mirror and, even though there were several pieces of hair around her face that were left undone, she was satisfied. She hurried downstairs and was greeted by freshly baked bread and a bowl of fruit. Her and Elmyra exchanged pleasantries and ate breakfast together. When they finished, Aeris helped Elmyra clear the table and clean up. As soon as they were done, Elmyra took Aeris out for a walk. She didn't say where she was taking her, only that it was a surprise. At first, Aeris thought they were going to the playground in sector 6, but when they came to the split path, they started walking in the direction Aeris had asked about before. The path was lined with quite a bit of debris and looked like nothing was left standing, but Aeris was sure there was something. She could feel it whispering to her to come and find it.

"After you fell asleep, I asked around." Elmyra said with a sly smile, "I was curious myself about what was down here." They rounded a corner and saw a large stone walled church, the only building left. It was old and worn down, but still very beautiful. Elmyra led her to the doors and together they pushed them open and walked inside and were instantly surrounded by light streaming in through the stain glass windows. "I was amazed that it was still standing. I used to come here when I was younger. If I was sad or scared it made me feel better."

"It's very peaceful here." Aeris was awestruck by how beautiful it was and that it really did made her feel at peace. She walked down the isle to the podium and noticed that the floor was breaking apart underneath it. She knelt down to take a closer look and saw a tiny green tendril peaking out from between the floorboards. Stunned that anything was growing here, she began breaking apart the boards and pulling them up to make sure what she was seeing was real.

"Aeris! What are you doing?" Elmyra ran over to investigate. She stopped dead in her tracks and gasped as Aeris pulled up a board and uncovered a plant. It was small and weak, but it was alive. "I don't believe it." She bent down to take a closer look. "This is a miracle. Nothing grows in Midgar."

Aeris gently touched the plant and felt a tiny pulse of life on her fingertips. "Something about this place..." She whispered softly. She carefully examined the ground then stood and pointed at the podium. "Can you help me move this?"

It was hard work, the podium was large and a little heavy, but they managed to get it off the damaged floor. They pulled up more floorboards which wasn't very difficult since they were decayed and weak. Before long they had cleared away the bad boards and discovered that the tiny sprout was only a piece of a larger plant. Aeris' face lit up when she saw it and felt a resolve form within her heart.

"I want to help it grow." She stated frankly. Elmyra smiled to herself, amused by how serious she was, and nodded her approval. Aeris smiled up at her and placed her small hand in Elmyra's and stood there for awhile looking down at the life that had somehow thrived here beneath the floor of this sanctuary in the slums.