It was a long dirt road, with clouds of dust floating along it. A small form was walking through it, and the little chime of a bell could be heard.
It was a cat. Around its neck a little bell bounced. As it mewed and continued to saunter down the dirt path, the white cat faded away into the dust clouds.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Goodbye, Planet Earth
If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.
-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
I think I was floating along in something.
I was cold. Or, whatever I was floating in was cold. Something was in front of my eyes; it was like a black curtain fluttering in the wind, just behind my eyelids. Even as I slowly came out of my stupor and tried to speak, the coldness became colder. I flailed and sputtered, tried to find something in the dark.
My ears caught the sound of something far away, rippling through the air. As I blinked, I could almost see someone behind the fluttering black curtain.
Hello?
Anyone?
It was a woman with blonde hair, and she was turned away from me. She almost looked lost, afraid, confused. I wondered what happened to her, and if that was what was happening to me.
But I can't die yet, I thought. Sephiroth and I are going to marry.
Twisting and turning, trapped in the thin black sheet, I reached out. I tried to make sense of what the woman was saying.
Cloud? Where are you?
With a strange gasp, I woke up, snapping up off the floor. I was not actually awake; my dream was over. I was sitting on the edge of the cliff with Zack. He looked like he was deep in thought when I appeared.
Rubbing my eyes, I yawned. That alerted him to my appearance.
"SAAAAM!!!"
I was immediately and profusely "glomped", Zack flying through the air to wrap his arms around me. Slammed into the ground, I groaned and tried to pry him off, but there was no moving him.
"I can't believe it, you guys are gonna get married! I gotta be the best man!"
Grinning as he sat up and pulled me to my feet, I agreed with him. "I'll get you to that wedding somehow"
Zack seemed to wake to reality as a dull sadness appeared in his joy filled eyes. "No… no, that's fine. I'll be happy to watch the wedding from here!"
"I won't be happy with that! You've got to be there!" Giggling, I walked past him, arms behind my back, to look out to the canyon. Silently, I looked over the beautiful view.
Zack was looking me over with a small smile. Chuckling a little, he shuffled his feet, before walking up to me. Then he walked back. Then he chuckled again, and walked forward.
"Zack?" I asked him, my eyes faraway.
"Yeah?"
"Sephiroth, he… he said we'd met before." Zack gave me a strange look, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"I don't know how" Zack told me. "That couldn't have happened"
Chuckling a little, I nodded. "Of course. It's … impossible"
For what is it to die, but to stand in the sun and melt into the wind?
-- Khalil Gibran.0-0-0-0-0-0
After a while, Sephiroth tired of torturing his brothers by forcing them to push the car along the road. I didn't really think it was funny, though Crystal kind of did, so I was happy to see them when the tired three crawled into the van. Using some sort of shiny gem thing Crystal called material, or something, Sephiroth powered the van, at least for a while.
It was a painstakingly long drive. Somehow, the scenery didn't change. I could fall asleep, wake up an hour later, look out my window, and – oh, look, more rocks.
At some point though, Jamie nudged me and nodded to the window. I noticed the van was slowing down. Climbing over my brother, I ignored his complaints and stepped outside.
Sephiroth looked funny. Head cocked to the side, one eyebrow disappearing into his bands, he was staring at something. Peeping out from behind my fiancé, I looked at what he was confused over.
It was a sign; you know, like those green ones on the side of the road. "Welcome to…" Wherever, or "You are leaving" so and so. This sign read, "You are leaving Earth". It also said, "Welcome to Nowhere"
I tried squinting to reread the sign. Nope. It still said "Welcome to Nowhere", and not "Welcome to Gaia". Damn.
"So, we're leaving?"
I looked back; Jamie was standing behind Crystal, and both looked a bit detached, yet forlorn. Sighing, I stepped up to them, placing a hand on both their shoulders. My heart was hurting too, from all sorts of things; memories, attachment; I think I might've also had indigestion, but that's a different story.
"I wish I could've seen Mom and Dad one last time" Jamie whispered as the three of us walked behind the van, looking down the dirt road that led home. Jamie and I use to visit our parents graves every year. I stopped going; he didn't.
"Yeah" I mumbled somberly, not truly regretting the fact I hadn't mourned at Dad's grave. I didn't really remember Dad in the best light.
"Wish I'd had one more Heinekken" Crystal sighed sarcastically, with a grin.
"Hah – I'm sure they have booze in Gaia!" Jamie commented, and we all laughed.
"Oh, and they have tea, too" Crystal grinned. Jamie chortled.
"Yup, gotta drink your damn tea" the two laughed. I was lost.
Crystal stepped to the back of the van. When she opened it, Loz was asleep on the left side. Shaking her head as she climbed into the van, Crystal gave the man a peck on the forehead. Then, she opened the cooler and pulled out some sodas.
Jamie and I thanked her, as she sat on the edge of the van and Jamie sat up there with her. I stood beside them.
"I'm gonna ride the rest of the way back here, with Loz" Crystal whispered. "I want to watch it fade into the distance"
"Not me" Jamie mumbled, taking a swig of his coke. "I was never good with long goodbyes"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"If you are going through hell, keep going."
Sir Winston Churchill
"We need a new car"
Moaning and shaking his head, Yazoo kicked the van. It sputtered and gave off smoke. Kadaj was sulking by the driver's door and Crystal was slowly and repeatedly banging her head against the window.
"What do we do?" Jamie asked, shaking his head. Sephiroth walked up to us.
"We ought to find what we're looking for, long as we're sure of what we want" Smirking, Sephiroth stalked towards the back of the van, motioning for his brothers to follow.
"I don't get it" Crystal muttered.
"He means that this is a spiritual place. If we look for something, this place outta deliver it to us" I tried to explain it as we stepped back into the car. Jamie was already sitting down.
"Try speaking with little words, maybe baby will get it better!" Jamie giggled with a slow, childish voice. Crystal smacked his face and sat down beside him, placing her legs in his lap.
The van began to move. Sephiroth was running out of material what – its, so the boys were back behind the van, this time with Sephiroth's help. "I hope we find a garage or something soon" I whispered.
I wanted to talk with Sephiroth again.
0-0-0-0-0-0
It didn't take me long to fall back to sleep.
"Hey, Zack?"
"Hmm?"
Looking over at me with his legs crossed, Zack had a curious look on his face. "I was just wondering… have you seen anyone else out here?" This confused him.
"What do you mean?" Flushed in the face, I scratched my head.
"It's just… I saw this woman the last time I was here. She looked really confused… lost. I just wondered if you saw her."
I could tell by the look in his dark eyes Zack was concerned. That warmed my heart. I was glad he cared. "I haven't seen anyone else but you"
"Oh" My head fell. "I just… wondered."
"Why?"
Eyes glittering in memories, I placed my arms across my knees and leaned my chin against them. My hair fell in front of my eyes.
"She looked like my mother"
0-0-0-0-0-0
Eventually they were all too tired to push. So, they all got back in, smelling the place up with sweat, and Sephiroth used – what did he call it – his mana, his own magic, to keep it going. I couldn't talk to him – his eyes were closed like he was sleeping, but you could tell by the concentrated look on his face he wasn't.
Loz was back in the back with Crystal, and Jamie and I were sitting beside each other, playing.
"Go fish"
Reaching into the pile, I huffed and blew the hair out of my face. Jamie simply grinned, bouncing in his seat.
"Two's?" I asked Kadaj. His hand was so crowded I would be surprised if he didn't have anything. I didn't get to find out though.
"Hey guys" Yazoo leaned back from the front seat. "We've found something" He was grinning ear to ear. Yazoo was sweat covered, exhausted, but very happy nonetheless.
0-0-0-0-0-0
It was a few big buildings, clumped together. Our dilapidated, beaten van slid to a halt, dust whirling through the air. When it stopped, a hub cap fell off. I was surprised when the engine didn't burst into flames.
Jamie and I leapt out, followed by an eager Kadaj.
Yawning, Crystal leapt out of the back of the van, picked up her flip flop that had fallen off, turned and threw it at Loz's face. "Wake up call come on, muscle head!" The man groaned and threw the shoe back twice as strong, but Crystal just caught it.
The largest building was an enormous garage, and beside it, connected by a small door, was a rather large house. A separate garage was to the side, and in the middle was a car port. Above the larger garage read a large, bright blue sign that said "THE SEA SALT MECHANICS". I had thought it was a weird name, but I wouldn't know weird until I met the house's inhabitants.
0-0-0-0-0-0
A thousand miles seems pretty far
But they got planes and trains and cars
I'd walk to you if I had no other way
- Hey There Delilah