Author's Comment:
I don't have much to comment on, for this chapter. It pretty much plays out by the book... Although, there's a hell of alot more internal dialogue than you might remember. Enjoy.
Monday, June 18, 2007
They sat in the transport, heading silently towards Balamb City. Transport was, of course, Cid's fancy name for what was really just a large, antiquated two-part truck, the passenger compartment trailing behind. On either side was a painting of Balamb's forgotten emblem from decades before; once an intricate work of line-art depicting a tree and two chocobos, now a peeling mess, barely discernable as ages of rust congealed over. The metallic, silver interior was less worn, with two opposing benches along the sides, and a simple slab, fastened in the center, serving as a table. The "transport" lurched to the right in a quick jerk that made Squall's stomach flip in a way that seemed to rival even Zell's best abilities. The turn marked the half-way point to Balamb City.
Squall sifted through the memories of everything that had happened that morning. For some reason, he felt distanced from it all, as if it hadn't happened to him, or if it had, at least a long time ago. The fight with Ifrit, his newly acquired GF (whom he had yet to summon... Squall marvelled at what the experience would be like, having only his accounts with Shiva to draw from), had left him feeling energized, as if he could take on anything. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He turned his mind to earlier that morning (with much trouble). The new kid he'd bumped into in the hallway, the letter that Quistis had brushed off her desk, the scurrilous whispers of the students as he walked into the classroom, Dr. Kadowaki's motherly concerns... The girl in the window. Had there been a girl? Yes. He was sure of it; he'd seen someone. But the more he thought about it, the more he doubted his memory. If there was someone, why hadn't Dr. Kadowaki seen her? She was on the phone, remember? Even of that, Squall couldn't be sure. Was he the only person who saw her?
Zell shifted uncomfortably on the bench beside Squall, scratching his golden, spiked hair and leaning over to speak. "Yo, Squall," he spoke, trying at any form of conversation possible. "Show me your gunblade, will ya'?"
Squall ignored him, attempting to go on with his thoughts, but Zell wouldn't hear of it.
"Come on! Just a peek?" Zell whined, persistently. After a few minutes of this, Zell gave up, earning only an indignant look from Seifer. "Tch, fine." He resumed his seat in a quick and angry way that Seifer, no doubt, found comical. He mumbled under his breath, clearly frustrated with Squall's silence. If there was one thing Zell Dincht couldn't stand, it was being ignored. Squall often glimpsed him showing off to the younger students, basking in their awe and praise as he performed his latest aerial blocking maneuver against an invisible foe. Now he had nothing to bask in, but the silence, broken only by the sound of rusty wheels, long overdue for oiling, turning beneath their feet. Zell could stand it no longer. "Why you bein' so selfish?! Scrooooge!" he yelled loudly to Squall, who sat silently. Why can't you bother someone else? "Say something, will ya'?! What's on your mind?"
"Nothing," Squall spoke at last, startled by Quistis, who (with uncanny timing) had spoken it with him. Zell looked between them, eyes widening, before shrugging it off and standing up to shadow-box.
Squall went back to his thoughts of the girl in the window, trying to ignore the whooshing noise Zell made as he furiously thrust his fists into the air, repeatedly. This proved nearly impossible, however, as Squall soon realized, making a try at simply supressing the motion-sickness brought on by Zell bouncing around.
"Stop that... It's annoying," Seifer spoke, glaring at Zell with a look that, Squall imagined, a predator might wear before pouncing from the bushes, digging its claws into its helpless prey. Zell lowered his fists, sighing exasperatedly, and started to sit down, when Seifer added, "Chicken-Wuss!"
What? Squall thought. That might have sounded stupid to Squall, especially coming from Seifer, who could surely come up with something more offending than Chicken-Wuss, but it didn't, somehow. Instead, a bell was ringing in the back of his mind.Chicken-Wuss. It made an even greater impression on Zell, who was on his feet again, fists raised -- not to his shadow, this time, but to the sneering predator, sitting opposite to him.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Zell screamed, shaking with anger.
They might have started fighting then and there (and toppled the "transport," more likely than not), if Quistis hadn't spoken up. "Knock it off, you two! "
Squall looked up, then, interrupting whatever Quistis might have said next, with a change of subject. "Instructor?" Everyone looked over at Squall, who had said nothing but "nothing," the entire trip. "Who was that girl in the infirmary, this morning?"
"Was someone there?" Quistis said after a deal of thought. "I didn't notice... Is there a problem?"
"No," Squall said, distantly. "Not really."
"This is just great," Seifer said to himself, chuckling. "I have Chicken-Wuss, and a guy who just reached puberty in my squad."
Zell jumped to his feet, opening his mouth to conjure a brilliant retort. Sadly, whatever he'd meant to say was lost as he fell forward, loosing his balance as the vehicle lumbered in such a way that could only mean one thing: They'd arrived at the port.