CHAPTER 4: SMALL SAVIOR

The summer was mild and rainy, which was good for the gardens and the Hansen's small farm at the edge of the village. It also allowed Tifa ample time to practice piano and for her mother to teach her a thing or two about cooking, which she enjoyed thoroughly.

Tifa sat on the back porch, watching the rain fall and playing with her little wooden horse. Papa had hung her brightly painted birdhouse high upon one of the porch's wooden support beams. She checked with Cloud almost every day (with Mama's help) but there were no birds. When she asked why that was so, Mama had said that it was probably too late in the year for the birds to lay eggs. She and Cloud had been so disappointed to learn that they'd have to wait until next spring to see any eggs in the birdhouse.

However, that disappointment was forgotten when Mama told her that she'd be attending school in a few short weeks. Every day as she ate her breakfast, she watched through the window as the town's children make their way down the street. They skipped along with their lunch pails, slates and books, disappearing into the schoolhouse when the teacher came out and rang a small bell. Tifa couldn't wait to join them!

She was so excited to tell Cloud, but when she did he didn't seem very happy about it. And when she asked if he would be going, too, he got very quiet. Tifa was sure not to mention it again no matter how hard it was not to gush with excitement to her friend.

That changed when Cloud's birthday came and went and he had called her to the back yard, arms clutching a bundle wrapped with burlap. He had proudly showed her its contents: a brand new primer and slate, with two slate pencils. Tifa had taken his hands and bounced with excitement: he was going to school with her! And for the first time, she heard him laugh along with her.

… … …

She hadn't slept well last night. With a foggy head and sleep heavy eyes, Claudia fed Cloud his breakfast before helping him wash his face and don his new shoes.

The distress had been evident on her son's face when he told her Tifa said she'd be starting school in the fall, and Claudia figured that enough was enough. Cloud would miss his playmate, but most importantly he'd eventually become aware that he was being denied a chance to learn with the other children. Somehow, she'd have to figure out how to afford the things he'd need for his education. Even harder than that would be convincing herself that her son would be alright on his own with his school mates. Kids could be so cruel.

And so she worked long into the night for weeks, stitching and cutting and mending to make enough wares to sell so that she could afford some shoes for Cloud. Claudia set up a tab at the dry goods store to slowly pay off the cost of the slate, primer and slate pencils. She carefully made Cloud two new shirts and one pair of slacks out of material from his father's old clothes. Now that the day had come, she wondered if she had done enough to prepare him for this.

From the looks of it, Cloud hadn't slept well either. She handed him his lunch pail, kissed his head and wished him luck as she escorted her son out the door.

… … …

His breakfast felt like a lead weight in his stomach as Cloud adjusted his pail and books so he could hold them all with one arm. When Mom told him he'd be going to school, he was so excited at first! If he could learn and do what the other kids did, maybe they'd talk to him and include him. But now he couldn't help but be anxious about meeting the other children. The only person to ever ask him to play was Tifa, why would going to school change that? What if they all made fun of him?

No, no. He couldn't think about that; Mom had said to be brave. Steeling himself, he took a breath and turned to step in the direction of the school house.

"Cloud, wait!" came a familiar voice from behind. He turned his head to see Tifa running towards him, hair tied up in a deep red bow to match her new dress. A leather pack bounced off her hip as she bounded forward. She took his hand when she reached him. Cloud smiled as he felt some of his anxiety fade.

"Will you walk with me, Cloud?"

"Of course," Cloud gave her hand a squeeze, prompting a giggle from Tifa. It gave him courage to walk beside her.

"Let's walk together every day," he suggested. Tifa nodded and swung their arms as they began to move towards the school.

The pair walked along, passing the water tower at the center of town square and through the smell of freshly baked bread from the small tavern within the inn. Ahead they could see the other children gathered near the tiny school house. Tifa bristled with excitement and Cloud swallowed anxiously. Before Cloud and Tifa could talk with the others, the school teacher appeared with a bell in her hands and rang it to summon everyone inside.

Miss Strauss was a kind young lady with frizzy brown hair pulled back into an unruly braid. She didn't look much older than some of the biggest students but carried a confidence in her steps. She instructed her pupils to line their lunch pails at the back of the room before taking the seats she assigned to each of them last term. Miss Strauss knew each of her students by name, even her two newcomers, for Nibelheim was a tiny village and even the most aloof of residents was bound to be noticed. Tifa and Cloud stood together, not knowing where the teacher expected them to sit.

"Welcome," she smiled at the pair. "Please introduce yourselves to the class and we'll find a seat for you." She walked behind them, putting her hand on Tifa's shoulder to prompt her to speak.

"I'm Tifa!" Tifa stated, and proudly told the class she was five years old when Miss Strauss asked for her age.

Cloud cast his eyes downward when the teacher moved to stand behind him. Never before had so many pairs of eyes been on him! He could feel his palms getting sweaty and his face getting hot. He swallowed, shifted his primer and slate in his arms, and cleared his throat softly.

"C-Cloud Strife, six years old."

"Welcome, Cloud. Welcome, Tifa," the class recited in bored monotone when prompted by their teacher. Tifa beamed and Cloud kept his eyes on the floorboards.

They were both assigned places to sit and lessons quickly began.

Tifa grew anxious when she was separated from Cloud and took a moment to observe her surroundings. There were two rows of wooden desks, each long enough to sit four students. A large chalk board spanned much of the length of the front wall, the bottom lined with a wooden ledge that held some chalk and a cloth eraser. The room was small but there were plenty of windows and the mixture of the white walls and sunlight made the schoolhouse bright with natural light. In the rear corner of the room sat a small wood stove and a small pile of books.

Miss Strauss's desk was near the chalk board, and Tifa had been assigned to the seat closest to it. Tifa turned to peek over her shoulder and saw Cloud seated in between two boys a few rows back. She observed her class mates and it seemed like they had been seated according to age: younger kids in the front, older in the back. Tifa counted thirteen students, of which she noticed she was the smallest. Suddenly she realized something was wrong—there were no other girls!

… … …

They were supposed to be reading quietly; he was good at that. With Jason Hansen on his left and Thomas Taylor on his right, it was impossible. They both took turns jabbing him in the ribs with their slate pencils, tugging on his golden hair and flipping his primer shut. Cloud silently hoped that the teacher would notice, but his tormentors were too sly. To make things worse, his new shoes were pinching his feet and he knew there would be blisters later. Cloud didn't know whether to be relieved or afraid when Miss Strauss dismissed them for lunch outside and away from supervision. At least he'd get to talk to Tifa again.

He walked outside with his lunch pail, trying to stay out of sight by sitting between the trunk of a pine tree and the wall of the school house. Cloud removed the lid from his lunch pail, revealing a small corked bottle of milk, a hunk of buttered bread, a cube of cheese and apple slices wrapped in wax paper. He was about the reach for the bread when out of the corner of his eye he saw Jason, Thomas and a dark haired boy named Jim Ackerman approaching. His heart began to pound in his ears and he wished with all his might that he never left his house today.

"Hey Cloud," Thomas sneered, his auburn hair glinting in the daylight. Cloud was quickly surrounded by the threesome. He had learned that Jim and Jason were six, like he was, but Thomas was already seven years old. All three of them were tanned from days in the sun, playing or helping on their parents' farms during the summer. Cloud looked at his own skinny, pale arms and immediately felt inadequate.

"What kind of name is Cloud, anyway?" Jason teased, leaning over Cloud and blocking out the sun.

"My pop says he's got no daddy, so he hides inside all day," Jim stated, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "That's why he's so pale. Even his hair is pale!"

Cloud kept his head lowered, hoping that if he kept quiet they'd get bored and leave him be. There was a loud metallic clank as Thomas kicked over his lunch pail.

"Hey! Don't you have anything to say?" Jim shoved the side of Cloud's head. Cloud tensed to get ready to run when he heard his name. Tifa was calling him. He looked up to see her round little face hurrying towards him, holding her own lunch pail. She smiled at the group, unaware of Cloud's predicament.

"There you are! Let's sit together—oh, your pail fell over." Tifa crouched to set it upright and the three bullies exchanged uncomfortable glances. Harassing Cloud was much less fun with the threat of a little girl running tattling to the teacher. The trio awkwardly wandered away as Tifa happily chattered about. Anxiously, the blonde looked around to be sure his tormentors had retreated. Just like that, they were gone! Tifa had unwittingly rescued Cloud from attack—at least for the moment.

"Uh oh, Cloud…your milk bottle broke. Let's share mine, ok?"

A/N: Thank you all very much for your kind words! It makes me so happy to hear your thoughts. :)