Forever Only Lasts So Long Chapter 3
Mystery Mission
By Shadow Fortuna
“The greatest things are done with the help of
small ones.
”
* * *
3:07. No, now it was 3:08.
Shit, I don’t HAVE all day!
Stellina stood in a dark corner of Cid’s office, watching the SeeDs
mingle and converse. Strangely, none of them even seemed to notice her presence.
Quistis’ eyes flickered over to her once, but she knew Stellina was
there anyway, and no one even followed her gaze. Huh. For an ‘elite
military unit’, they’re not very observant, are
they?
From the shadows, she could see Cid start talking. She watched the group exchange confused glances at the mention of her finances. When the SeeDs began debating, every one of them nodded, until finally, the Commander turned back and falteringly agreed.
“Um, yeah. I agree. We’ll
accept.”
YES!
“Wonderful!” Headmaster Cid exclaimed,
clapping his hands.
Stellina shifted. She hoped Cid would let her
know when she could come out. She felt stiff.
Cid fumbled with some papers on his desk, finally
coming up with the crisp, white sheet Stellina had given him. That was it.
She could come out as soon as he finished talking…
“Well, this is your contract,” he said,
waving it around. Zell made a grab for it, but Quistis slapped his hand away.
“Never fear, friends,” Cid laughed. “Your employer will tell
you all you need to know, now.”
At last!
* * * * *
“Employer? What employer?” Squall said,
looking around. Squinting his eyes, he saw the figure emerge from the corner
behind Cid’s desk. As it brushed specks of dust from it’s immaculate
jacket, Squall sized it up.
First of all, it
wasn’t an ‘it’. It was a ‘she’. A very young one.
She can’t be any older that me, Squall thought, taking in her
slight frame and lack of verticality. In other words, a short, slim teenage
girl had just offered thousands upon thousands of Gil to hire only six
SeeDs.
Crazy.
As she looked up, a few brown curls escaping from
her perfect bun, he faltered. Damn, she’s gorgeous, he observed.
Her skin was bronzed and free of imperfections. And her eyes…large and
fringed with long lashes, and glittering a beautiful shade of…purple?
Freaky.
She walked over
and stood next to Cid. Remembering his duties as Garden Commander, Squall
straightened and saluted. He heard a rustle behind him and knew his comrades
were doing the same.
The newcomer blushed red, watching the salute with respect and confusion. Seeing this, Squall reached for her hand and shook it. “Squall Leonheart, SeeD and Garden Commander.”
She nodded, looking
pleased. “Stellina DiGiovanna, um, pleased to meet you.” Stellina
looked at Cid.
“Ah, good,”
Cid said. “Stellina is your new employer. She has spared no expense
to ensure she receives the best help affordable. And that would be you.”
He smiled widely. “Now, why don’t you all introduce
yourselves?”
Zell stepped up.
Grabbing her hand, he shook it vigorously. “Zell Dincht, SeeD
extraordinaire.”
“Nice to
meet—“ she began, before Selphie knocked him out of the way.
“I’m Selphie!
Selphie Tilmitt. I’m a SeeD, too!”
“Charmed, I’m
sure,” Stellina said.
Rinoa walked over.
“I’m Rinoa Heartilly. I want to be a SeeD, but I haven’t gotten
my test back—“
“I’m sure
you made it,” Stellina interrupted warmly.
Irvine strolled
over to them. Looking down at Stellina, he reached for her hand. “Irvine
Kinneas, SeeD and pro sniper, at your service.” Tipping his black cowboy
hat, he smiled slyly.
Squall winced.
Great. Irvine’s going to be trouble this time…not that he was
any help last time.
Stellina let go
of his hand rather quickly though. Looking away from Irvine, she smiled at
everyone else. “Maybe we should start talking
now.”
Squall stretched.
“Maybe we should.” Waiting for her to sit down, he continued. “We
all want to know what was so important you needed to empty your bank
account.”
Stellina relaxed
in her seat. “That’s hardly the extent of my savings. But that’s
not the point, is it?”
“No, I suppose
not,” Squall said slowly. “Let me rephrase that…what is
the mission?”
She began toying
with a thin silver ring on her finger. “Well,” she began hesitantly.
“I can only tell you so much. I’m afraid I’m not at liberty
to discuss too much n—.”
“What do you
mean?” Zell interrupted.
“That means
you can’t tell us a lot, huh, Stellina?” Selphie leaned in and
rested her head on her hand. “Just when I thought we’d find
out.”
“Can you still
explain some things?” Squall asked, eying her. She seems…I
dunno…mysterious.
“Fire
away.”
Squall thought for
a minute. “Let’s go with the first question. What’s this mission
all about?”
“Well,”
Stellina began slowly, “that depends. Do you mean, what do you
have to do?”
“Yeah,”
he said finally. “That’s always a good place to
start.”
She tilted her head
and wrapped her finger around a loose curl. “Okay.” Her ankles
crossed and she tugged at her jacket. “It’s like this. My home
is, er, changing. Rapidly. Very fast. And I need someone to protect
it from the changes.” Stellina smiled sheepishly. “That’s
you.”
“Changes?”
Squall asked, his eyebrow quirking.
“Wait, wait,”
Quistis said, shaking her head. “You can’t stop changes.
Everything changes.”
“No, not
everything,” Stellina replied. “My home isn’t supposed
to change like this. Like, the way it’s changing. It’s just
not right.” She shuddered suddenly.
“Explain ‘not
right,’ “ Squall asked. “Please.”
“It’s
like last year.”
Rinoa stiffened.
“The Sorceress War…?”
Stellina
nodded.
“It can’t
be like last year,” Quistis said quickly. “We took care of every
threat!”
Selphie saw the
distraught look on Stellina’s face. “Didn’t we?” she
squeaked timidly.
Stellina cradled
her face in her hands. “I don’t know! I wasn’t there! All
I know is that something’s wrong…and since you said you fixed it
last time I thought that maybe you could try it this time!”
She looked up and blinked at Squall.
“Where do you
live, anyway?” he asked gently.
“Not close.
Far away. Um, in a valley.”
“Any way you
could be more specific?”
“Sorry.”
Stellina shook her head.
“Alrighty,”
Zell patted her on the shoulder. “I think we should
help.”
“Me, too,”
Squall agreed absently. “I want to know what’s going on over
there.”
“Me, three!”
Selphie volunteered, her hand waving through the air.
Rinoa nodded. “And
me.” She looked distressed.
“I’m
in,” Irvine said nonchalantly. “May as well
be.”
“Either be
sincere, Irvine,” said Quistis severely. “Or stay here.” Turning
her attention back to Stellina, she said, “I’ll
help.”
“Any other
questions?” Stellina looked around.
Squall eyed his
companions. “For now,” he said, looking at her solemnly. “I
think we’re okay.”
Until then, Cid
had been sitting at his desk, listening silently to their conversation. He
stood up. “Well, then, I suggest you sign the contract.” He held
it out for Squall.
Squall skimmed over
it. We, the undersigned, agree, of our own free will, yadda yadda yadda,
fight bravely, offer our full potential, blah blah blah, until desired goal
is met. Initial, signature, and we’re done. He scrawled his name
with a fountain pen and handed it to Zell, who handed it to Quistis, who
handed it to Rinoa, etc., etc., until all six had signed. Stellina then fished
a pen out of her pocketbook, and in a neat, even script, wrote Stellina
Tricia DiGiovanna. Waving the contract to dry the ink, she began talking
again.
“You may not
be back for a while. I suggest you pack.” After folding the paper and
sliding it into her jacket, Stellina glanced at her watch. “Meet on
the front lawn at, say, four-thirty?”
“That works
for me.” Squall glanced at his friends.
“Alright?”
Selphie jumped out
of her seat and bounced up and down. “Yippee!
Vacation!”
“What should
I pack?” Rinoa asked. “I only have forty-five
minutes.”
Stellina shrugged
impatiently. “Warm clothes for cool weather, light clothes for warm
weather, something waterproof. Climate varies. May as well pack your whole
closet.”
“Don’t
tell her that,” Zell commented. “Or she
will.”
Rinoa playfully
punched his arm. “Shut up,
chicken-wuss.”
“Don’t
call me that!”
“So,”
Headmaster Cid said loudly. “I’ll see you all off in exactly,”
he glanced at his pocket watch, “forty-two minutes.” He smiled
widely as they began to file out. “
Stellina looked
out after them. Irvine turned back and winked. She stuck her tongue out at
him. “Flirt,” she mumbled under her breath. “Hurry!”
she called as an afterthought.
* * * *
*
“What am I
going to bring? Oh, packing always equals stress!” Rinoa flopped onto
her bed, next to her empty suitcase.
“Don’t
make such a big deal out of it,” Quistis said, folding a pair of jeans.
“Just bring what Stellina said.”
“My whole
closet?”
“No, silly!”
Selphie giggled. She flung Rinoa’s clothes out of the closet. “Warm
clothes, light clothes, and waterproof clothes. Hmm, we have an extra duster,
bike shorts, tank tops, jeans—“
“Okay!”
Rinoa exclaimed, jumping up and trying to grab her clothes as fast as Selphie
threw them. “D’you think ‘waterproof’ meant, like, bathing
suits?”
“You mean your
blue tankini?” Quistis asked doubtfully. “I really don’t think
that’s what she had in mind.”
“Wetsuits!”
Selphie yelled joyfully, digging in a dusty chest of drawers. “I know
we had ‘em here, somewhere…”
“Eeew,”
Rinoa squealed. “I haven’t worn that stretchy thing since the last
time we went to the beach! I look like a seal in it, and it’s probably
all tight and gross!”
“That
was ages ago,” Quistis agreed. “Maybe bathing suits
wouldn’t be too bad. Just one-pieces this
time.”
“I’ll
bring the blue one, anyway.”
Selphie grabbed
her yellow suit out of her cluttered drawer. “10% Lycra/nylon, 90%
spandex.” She looked up from reading the tag. “Didn’t spandex
die, like, last decade?”
“Yeah,”
Rinoa said, glancing at her own swimsuit. “Mine says ‘25% nylon,
75% spandex.’ “ She looked horrified. “My skin won’t
be able to breathe!”
Quistis rolled her
eyes. “Practically every suit has spandex in it, and believe me, Rinoa,
your skin’ll be able to breathe just fine.” She packed her pink
one-piece into her suitcase.
After nearly forty
minutes of debating, they finally finished packing. “Alrighty, everyone,
lets double check!” Selphie announced before they left.
“Toothbrushes?”
“Check,”
said Quistis, holding three up. “And Aquafresh Whitening with fluoride,
too.”
“Shampoo?”
Rinoa held two bottles
up. “I brought strawberry scented and aloe moisturizing. Matching
conditioner and gel.”
“We have our
hats, umbrellas, rain boots…” Selphie scanned the list. “Anything
we’re forgetting?”
A muffled whimper
was heard from under the bed.
“Oh, Angelo!”
Rinoa shrieked, falling onto her knees and reaching for her dog. “We
can’t forget you, can we, baby?”
Whimper,
whimper.
“Or your doggie
treats, or favorite ball, or…”
“Rinoa!”
Quistis waved a hand in front of her friend’s face. “We have two
minutes.”
Rinoa stuffed her
dog’s essentials into her bag. “Let’s
go!”
Selphie held the
door open. “Yeah! Road trip!”
* * * *
*
Zell began shoving
clothes into his duffel bag. “Turtlenecks, sweatpants, and socks, oh
my!”
Squall rummaged
through his sock drawer. “Not funny.” He looked up at Irvine.
“What’re you so quiet about, Irvine?”
Irvine stuck his
head out of the closet. “Huh? Did you say
something?”
“Doy, Squall,
it can’t be more obvious,” Zell remarked loudly. “It’s
the hot new boss. Irvine was salivating. If she were an ice-cream
cone…” He trailed off.
“Doesn’t
he do that to everyone? He’ll flirt with anything even resembling a
human female.”
“That hurts,
Squall.” Irvine tossed some clothes onto his bed. “Anyway, she’s
not just hot, she’s burnin’
up.”
“She’s
our manager, now, stupid. You know the
rules.”
“Yeah, Irvy,
you know the rules. Rule number one: no seducing the manager. Rule number
two: don’t brag if you do. Rule number…&%$#, Squall, that
hurt!” Zell rubbed a newly forming bruise on his
arm.
“Serves you
right,” Squall said calmly, zipping up his bag.
“Yeah, Zell.
Don’t make fun of poor me.” Irvine said with mock unhappiness.
“You, too,
Irvine.” Squall glared at him. “I was serious. Don’t try anything
with the new kid. Best stay away until we’re sure what this is all
about.”
Zell looked up in
surprise. “You really don’t trust her, do
you?”
“No,”
Squall said frankly.
“She seemed
so honest. Ya know, real passionate for her cause.”
“Passionate
for her cause?” Squall shook his head. “What is her cause? Stop
things from ‘changing.’ That’s not solid enough for me,
yet.”
“Mmm,
passionate,” Irvine said. “Wonder how passionate she really
is…”
Zell laughed. “You
testosterone-soaked freak! Like she doesn’t already see right through
you!” He imitated Stellina’s prim, short handshake. “I don’t
think she liked you at all.”
Irvine scowled.
“Guys,”
Squall said with annoyance. “We have like five minutes. Hurry
up!”
Zell finished wrestling
with his duffel bag’s zipper just as Irvine snapped his suitcase shut.
“Well?”
“Don’t
worry, Squall,” Zell groaned, dragging his luggage through the door.
“We’re ready.”
* * * *
*
Stellina stood by
a waiting bus, tapping her foot and anxiously watching for the SeeDs.
They’re not very punctual, either.
Headmaster Cid put
a hand on her arm. “They’ll be here, soon, don’t
worry.”
“Uh-huh,”
she replied vaguely. “Sure.” She stooped and picked up a flower
lying on the pavement.
Cid looked at her
strangely. “Are you okay?”
Stellina looked
up at him. “Huh? Why?” She twirled the flower between her fingers
and smiled slightly.
“No reason.”
Cid shaded his eyes against the sun and looked for his students.
“There’s Quistis!”
Quistis came running
as fast as she could, her suitcase in hand. “Am I
late?”
Selphie and Rinoa
followed. “Wait for meeeeee!” Selphie wailed.
“And
me!” Rinoa tried to tow her belongings as quickly as possible, Angelo
trotting at her side happily.
Selphie panted.
“Ooo, a bus!” She scampered over. “Big
bus!”
“That’ll
take you all to the train station,” Cid said.
“YEAH!”
Selphie yelled, jumping into the air. “TRAIN
TIME!!!”
“We’ll
only take the train for a while,” Stellina explained. “We’ll
have to walk the rest of the way.”
“Hey,”
Quistis said, looking around. “Where’re the
guys?”
Zell appeared at
the entrance. “YO, GUYS!” he shouted. “WE’LL BE THERE
IN A SECOND!”
Within a minute
Squall, Zell, and Irvine were at the bus. As Squall and Cid loaded the luggage
into the compartment under the bus, Stellina repeated the traveling information.
“And we’ll just walk the rest of the way. “ Her eyebrow quirked.
“You guys do walk, don’t you?”
“You bet we
walk.” Opened the door to the bus. “Who’s
drivin’?”
Squall volunteered.
“I’ll do it.” The SeeDs and Stellina loaded onto the bus and
he started the engine.
Cid raised his hand.
“Good luck, friends,” he said. “Be safe and make Balamb Garden
proud.”
Quistis stuck her
head out the window. “Don’t worry, Cid!” she called as the
bus sped off. “We can do it!”
* * * *
*
Finally, 3rd chapter is up, and boy is it a whopper! But what will happen on the way to Stellina’s mysterious home? Find out soon, when I post the fourth chapter!
Please review!
~Shadow~
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Final Fantasy 8 belong to Squaresoft and not me. HOWEVER, Stellina DiGiovanna is copyright me, Shadow Fortuna. Let me know if you want to use her in an original fanfic.
(And for those who were wondering, A. Maclaren, D.D., said the quote at the beginning.)
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