Chapter Two

It had been mum's idea, right from the beginning. When I was all of 2 years old, I had managed to climb up onto her old piano stool and thump around on the keys. At first she thought the house was haunted, until she caught me red handed playing what I thought was music. She could never get me away from that old thing sitting in the front room. No matter how hard she tried, I'd always find my way back to it and continue pressing all the keys until I decided I was either hungry or sleepy, although she often told me she couldn't count how many times she'd found me fallen asleep on the stool. It was then that dad began to grow nervous, telling mum that they'd have to put the piano in storage. He claimed it was because they needed a new lounge suit for the room, however mum wasn't stupid. She knew he didn't want me to grow attached to such a thing like she once had. But it didn't matter how much he tried either, neither of them could get me away from the piano. Since I was 4 I could remember mum and I sneaking off to the old shed in the back yard while dad was at work for the day. He worked in a mine at the base of Mt. Nibelheim, where they mined for copper. During the day mum and I would hide out in shed. She'd teach me the basic beginner melodies that her own mother taught her when I was her age. She'd even bring out a tray of her famous cookies, finger sandwiches and tea. Those days were my favourite, however, I never questioned why it was only during the week we went out to the piano and not during the weekend when dad was home. However, as I grew older I recognised this pattern and put two and two together. We never spoke about this directly, mum just continued teaching me all the songs she knew until I outgrew her knowledge. She had me memorising Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in its entirety by the time I was only 13. Mum had only mastered the first half of the piece, where as I was determined to learn every second of the 15 minutes. It was that year that dad had arrived home early from a mining collapse scare one day and caught us out in the old shed. I had never seen him so livid, it scared me the way his eyes would widen as if he was truly insane. I think it scared mum to, and perhaps was her downfall, this is what made her give it all up in the beginning. From that day forth, a disliking of my father grew and grew until we hardly spoke about anything except for small talk both in the morning and evening.
Now I knew he would never talk to me again, and would probably disown me… the line I had crossed now was left far behind me, about 150kms away to be exact. This too had been mum's idea, to sneak out just after dad had left for work. Since the argument that broke downstairs a month ago, mum helped confirm my enrolment and boarding form at Avalon, as well as helped pack my belongings in secret. Neither of us breathed a word to dad, and luckily he hadn't caught on…yet, however I knew tonight wouldn't be easy for mum.

"Mum, he'll blame you for this," I said from the passenger seat. "I don't want to cause you two anymore arguments, I've already done enough."

"Oh, sweetie you aren't giving up now are you?" mum chuckled. Her eyes wrinkled in their corners, but I could see through her mask, she was worried too.

"No, of course not, but I can't help but be worried, you are still both my parents," I answered fiddling with the ring on my right index finger.

"You don't need to worry about me Tifa, you just worry about these next three years and enjoy them," she smiled. "You've earned it."

I sighed. I couldn't shake the nervousness, "you call me, write to me, I don't care if it's by letters or email, just let me know about what's going on, okay?"

"Okay," she laughed. "Oh look, Midgar, only 50kms away now!"

I let the worry dissolve from the eagerness that now stirred within me, I was so close now. I had waited for this moment to arrive for so long, however it wasn't as I thought it'd feel. I felt so worried about mum and guilty about what I had done to dad. This wasn't how I was supposed to feel. I was supposed to feel as if a new chapter of adventure was only just beginning.

We arrived at the stone gates of Avalon Academy about 40 minutes later. We stared up at the tall stone towers that held the brass gates, topped with horseheads from within the car before pulling up the private road.

"I can't wait to tell Elisa this is where you're studying," mum said in awe. "This is amazing!"

I said nothing, I couldn't speak a word. Numbness washed over me as I stared out the window, gazing at the students socialising on the front lawn. It was busy, as today was the day before classes commenced. Students hugged their family members and said their farewells as daughters and sons entered the main campus building with their belongings. I felt a sudden stab at my heart as I watched what seemed to be a daughter and father hug at their car. I turned to mum as she pulled up in a drop off bay. She seemed as excited as I should have felt, but now all I felt was an overwhelming numbness and agitation. I sucked in a breath and opened my door, taking in the surroundings as I closed it. Mum popped the boot and began unloading my two suitcases.

"You need a hand taking these up?" She asked shutting the boot.

I shook my head with a timid smile as I reached for my luggage.

"Oh honey, don't look so scared, this what you wanted, right?" She looked doubtful for a moment.

"Oh no, no, mum, I'm excited, really, I am. I was just not expecting to feel so nervous." I replied. "And it's just you risked so much taking me here."

"Hey, don't you worry about me, I told you," she lifted my chin and gave me one of her warmest smiles. "I believe you can make this go so far, I always have."

"Oh mum," I laughed. "Stop it, you're going to make me cry!"

She laughed too as I pulled her in for a hug, the last hug from her for a while I presumed.

"Hey, one last thing," she said taking my shoulders so I'd have nowhere else to look but at her hazel eyes. "Don't just make me believe you can, but make him."

With that, she truly did make me cry, and before I'd let anyone around me notice I wiped my eyes and gave her shoulder a small shove, "I told you not to make me cry!"

After giving me a small kiss on the cheek and leaving me on the curb with my two suit cases, mum's silver sedan pulled away from the curb and back towards the east freeway toward Nibelheim.

I turned around to scrutinise the monstrous building behind me. I counted five floors before picking up my bags and being sucked into the flow of students entering the doors. Inside was the main lobby with its walls decorated with past honour students. On the left was the admin office and opposite were the stairs and lifts. Further on ahead took you to the main hall where the cafeteria was. The main campus seemed to hold the essential places of the academy, including the admin and cafeteria on the first floor and all dorms and recreation rooms on the above floors.
I directed myself from the steady flow of students to the admin office where I was greeted by a short round lady with cropped hair.

"Hello, can I help you?" she chirped, her label read 'Rachel'.

"Ah yeah, I'm here to receive my dorm allocation," I replied.

"Of course, name please?" she asked.

"Tifa Lockhart," I answered.

Rachel scrolled through a page before pressing enter and printing a small receipt with my dorm and floor number. I mumbled a thank you before heading across the lobby toward the elevator. Upon dragging my suitcases into the already full elevator. I looked down upon my receipt to read I was on the 3rd floor in room 22. As I went to select the floor number in the elevator, a hand had already reached it, bumping mine in the process. As I looked up to who's hand it belonged to, a pair of intense blue eyes and a full head of messy spikes caught my gaze. His stare was cold and I smiled apologetically before turning my eyes back to my receipt.

As the doors slid out, I made sure to let the guy with the intense eyes exit first, bumping my shoulder as he did. I raised my eye brows in astonishment, what an asshole. I too stumbled out after him, now looking for signs to direct me to room 22. Unfortunately, it was in the same direction as he was going in. As he continued on, getting closer and closer to room 22, I became nervous, what if he was my roommate?! Luckily, He turned to the door of room 15 glaring at me as I passed. I kept my head down as I continued down the corridor, that guy gave me the absolute creeps.

As found the room I was looking for, I paused hearing a form of music I'd never heard of before blare from behind the door. I exhaled, hoping my roommate who had already found our room wasn't going to be as rude as the other guy I had already encountered. Upon opening the door, I was greeted with an unnerving sight.