Chapter 64: A Little About Me

I'm going to start with a shocker: I'm not human. I'm a Cetra.

What's a Cetra? I don't fully know. Here's what I do know.

We were an ancient race living on the Planet for thousands of years. We're humanoid, but not human.

What's the difference? We're more spiritual people. I don't necessarily mean in the religious or supernatural sense. We can talk to the Planet. We can even communicate with the dead, if the dead want to see us. But you won't see any of that here.

My birth mother's name is Ifalna, and my original name is Aerith, Daughter of Ifalna. It's unknown who my father is.

Elmyra Gainsborough has been my mom since I was seven. When my biological mom died, Elmyra found me at the scene and took me in. She was a lonely, nineteen-year-old war widow; we really needed each other.

From then on, I blended in with human society, and tried to make friends.

I met Gehrig Cline the first day of third grade. There was only one available seat, and it was next to her. When I tried to sit down, she pulled the chair away, and I fell on my butt. Of course it hurt, but somehow I wasn't angry. In fact, I laughed. She was a big prankster. She also had a habit of knocking on classroom doors and running away and faking seizures. Once, on Halloween, she even showed up to a friend's apartment in a body bag.

And so began our nine-year friendship.

We were practically inseparable through the rest of elementary school, and all through middle school, even when Gehrig started dating boys and I stayed single.

Not that I was short on men. I mentioned I had a picture of Zack in my bedroom. He was my first boyfriend.

I first met Zack when I was sixteen. He crashed into my life, both literally and figuratively. I was in the church in the slums when he came through the roof. I thought he was dead at first, and apparently, so did he.

He asked if it was Heaven, and if I was an angel. No, he wasn't flirting; he really thought he was dead.

Then, he started flirting. He credited me for helping him regain consciousness, and said he'd reward me with one date. He was being kind of forward, but I was, deep down, hoping he'd do it.

Especially after he stood up and I realized how tall he was.

I decided to show him the way out of the slums, so I led him to Wall Market. On the way there, he protected me from an attack. Then, when we were almost there, he held my hand. That put me on cloud nine; I had never held hands with a guy before. He seemed so strong, yet gentle.

By the way, he got me perfume, which I loved.

But the date ended when he got a phone call. I wasn't mad, because he was on the job to begin with. But I then asked him for a second date; I thought it was a little off, since girls aren't supposed to do that, but I really, really wanted to see him again.

Of course, we went on more dates. We went to the aquarium for our second date, where we really got to know each other. And that was where we had our first kiss, right in the jellyfish room. It was the first time I ever kissed a guy, and sparks flew through me, making it as if we were the only two people in the world.

That moment was ruined seconds later, when a bunch of kids ran in and did what kids do when they see a couple kiss.

We went to movies and the zoo. We met each other's parents. He even taught me to drive.

That summer, I lost my virginity to him. It happened when we were at Gold Saucer, and Zack took me on a surprise visit to his room.

He started kissing me all over. Then, he touched my butt; I knew it was it.

I resisted at first, because I didn't want to get so close and then get hurt. But, in the moment, I grew to trust him.

From then on, we were an intimate couple. We spent our first Halloween together that October, and, since we were staying in, I went as a topless hippie.

We spent our first Christmas together, and we were seeing each other regularly after that. I was staying with Zack more and more, especially after the Turks started trying to take me.

And then, the summer after junior year, Gehrig died.

It was a big shock to us all. She had gone for a run, and her heart gave out on her. She was only seventeen, and I remember it was something she was born with. And all that time, she used to joke about how she was immortal.

Zack was there for me, of course. Eventually, we were practically living together. There was an incident shortly after Gehrig died that left me afraid to live with my mom, so he took me in. From then on, we were living and acting as a married couple. At that point, marriage seemed inevitable.

We had it all planned out.

We would go to the prom together. On June 12, I would graduate high school. On June 13, we would get married. I would then settle in as a housewife for the rest of my days and hopefully pop out three children.

Why three? That's usually the most someone like me can have. Usually, on the third child, our body gives us a warning. Then, if we ignore the warning, and we have a fourth child, we die, literally while the baby is coming out. The baby, if pulled out, usually lives, but it then has to grow up without a mother.

That's why I have to be careful about sex, by the way.

Did I mention how long we Cetra gestate? A few hours.

So, yeah, I have to be careful.

And then, in September of my senior year, Zack mysteriously vanished. He was on a mission with some guy named Sephiroth to Nibelheim. All I heard was that there was some sort of problem at the reactor.

I got a few texts, but then he stopped texting.

I sent letters to him, but he never responded.

To this day, I don't know what happened.

Of course, I had to move back in with my mom. I ended up going to the prom with my friend Tobin. He really stepped in and took care of me when Zack disappeared.

And yes, we did it. And it was amazing, though Zack was better. And if he didn't have to go away to Xing after high school, we may have dated. I'll never know.

And the next relationship is something I don't want to talk about.

And the relationship after that is something I really don't want to talk about.

But I have to in order to save Eros Nova.