Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ PeRFecT ❯ chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

PeRFecT

Written and © by Briar Eve aka Mr. McFrugalshtein

CHAPTER 1

It was all wrong. All of it.

The Grass was a different shade of green- a lighter shade than the regular hunter green. The pavement was slightly grainier and the large trees surrounding the Garden parameter were poplar instead of maple. The scene was totally foreign. But it was understandably so- this wasn't Balamb Garden.

It was Galbadia.

Quistis stared up at the swirling Garden rings. 'Even the colour and angle of the rings are different- Hyne, how can I already be homesick? The train took thirty-six and a half hours and I have been standing here for approximately one and a half minutes- I still have one thousand, six hundred and forty five hours -minus one and three quarter minutes- left. This internship is going to be the death of me.'

"Ah…ma'am? Your bags?"

Quistis returned her attention to the cab driver, who had so politely detangled her baggage from the trunk and was currently bogged down with the sheer magnitude of the young woman's belongings. Quistis giggled. Just once.

"Thank you." She responded as she slid into her canvas backpack, grasping two large suitcases and one smaller in her right hand, while clutching a makeshift carry-on and a large roller-wheel suitcase with her left. Realizing she had forgotten her purse, Quistis blew her bangs out of her face, bent over and grasped the strap of her black leather purse in between her teeth. Suddenly, she jerked her head into the air, launching the purse in a high arch. Then, anticipating the descent, she shifted her body to the right and slipped her head through the strap. The purse fell around her neck and to the side. Perfect. She rose to her full height and quickly regained her professional composure. Overwhelmed by the glittering display of female ingenuity, the cab driver shook his head and climbed into his piece of humming yellow trash. He drove away in a glorified daze. With that, she turned and quickly strode towards her temporary home, her heels clicking the entire way.

'Cripes. I only have twenty-three minutes before my meeting with Martine. I can't believe that cab driver took thirty seven and a half minutes to get here- It only takes thirty two and fifty seconds. I'm so behind.' Quistis picked up her pace as she passed through the Garden gates and into the atrium. She wasted no attention on the glances tossed at her by curious students- she had no patience for them. Besides….she was an instructor now- they would respect her….right? Right?!?

Martine's instructions were for her to check in at the front desk, at which time a cadet would be issued to carry her bags and escort her to the instructor's quarters. This should all take about sixteen minutes. Then she would have four minutes to freshen up and two and a half to meet the Headmaster at his office. Flawless. Internal justification for a subconsciously manifested Façade.

"Instructor Quistis Trepe from Balamb." Quistis announced with a cup of professionalism, a teaspoon of charisma and a smidgen of pride. The Trepeian recipe for success. The secretary wearing the tortoiseshell glasses simply nodded.

"Go left. Second staircase on the right. Third floor. Room fifty two." The woman's middle-aged voice was emphysema-filled and monotone. Quistis raised an eyebrow.

"I was to have an escort…."

"Change of plans, honey. Left. Second staircase-right. Third floor. Fifty two. Got it?" The irritable receptionist sighed and glared. Swallowing hard, Quistis maintained her composure and dragged her heavy-burdened body through the halls, internally cursing Galbadia Garden. 'This is going to put me behind…not to mention sever my spine and cripple me indefinitely….' Upon reaching the stairs, she allowed herself an audible groan as she clambered up the first flight of stairs. 'Hyne- this is heavy. Shouldn't have brought all that bottled Balamb water with me….' She rested on the landing for a moment to catch her breath and to re-maneuver some of her luggage. Blowing her bangs out of her face, the blonde-haired rookie instructor resumed her trek, only to be greeted with a school bell and bombarded by a sea of students and instructors. Desperately attempting to conceal her frustration, she waited for the wave to dissipate and for her world to somehow come back into focus.

She reached the third floor huffing and puffing and dropped her luggage to the ground. Pushing it into a large heap, Quistis decided to scour the third floor for room fifty two…without her crippling luggage.

'Thirty seven, thirty eight…..um……' she followed the sequence of rooms around the corridor corner. 'Forty nine. Fifty. Fifty one. Fifty…huh? Fifty-three? What the hell?' Quistis scrambled around. Nope. The room had disappeared. Overcome by her frustration, Quistis reverted to childish stomping as she backtracked, studying each room number thoroughly and obsessively. 'Why does this have to happen to me? Seven minutes! There's no way I'll make it in…..,' "Hey!"

As she rounded the corner, Quistis found a pair of cadets rummaging through her belongings. They had opened one of her suitcases and had been handling her unmentionables. Upon seeing her black, French-lace panties in the hands of a pimply-faced hooligan, Quistis squeaked in anger and ran after them, her heels smacking against the concrete floor. Giggling mercilessly, the two students grabbed one of her suitcases and galloped down the stairs. Totally berserked, Quistis leapt from the third floor to the between-floor landing. They would respect her! The two watched in awe as she landed right behind them. Ready to cry out in victory, the fresh-faced instructor suddenly heard a snap and lost her balance. Her arms flailing and her mouth moving wordlessly, Quistis fell back hard on her rump, her hair in her face. Realizing what had happened, the thieving boys took off down the stairs and into oblivion. Quistis glanced down at her feet. Her heel had broken. No room. No shoes. No Balamb water. She just wanted to weep. She let one perfect tear fall from her right cheek and kept the others in check. The sound of footsteps came into earshot, but Quistis was too busy controlling her impending nervous breakdown to notice.

"And I said….Whoa whoa- like hold up there…."

"Why the hell'dja say that?"

"No….no…Hey , look buddy- I'll talk ta ya later, k?...Damn…." There was a pause when the sound of someone clearing their throat jolted Quistis from her internal battle. She prepared herself for the next sight-considering her day, it was probably a t-rexaur drinking a bottle of her balamb water while wearing her shiny red halter-bra. She slowly lifted her head and saw….nothing. Huh?

"Yoo-hoo. I'm behind'ya."

Choking on her pride, Quistis twisted her head around painfully. Then choked again. "Hyne." She murmured, staring.

The young man on the top step tossed out a lopsided grin and cocked his head. Pulling at his navy-blue uniform and flipping his auburn ponytail over his shoulder, he sauntered down the stairs and offered her a large, calloused hand. His large, violet eyes glittered and teased as his mouth formed the words….

"You need a hand?" He glanced over at her pile of luggage. "…. or ya planning on moving into the stairwell?"

Quistis was at a loss for words. She couldn't pull away from the magnetizing stare. That stare suddenly turned to a look of concern.

"Are you hurt? What happened?" The laid-back attitude shifted to an intense kind of heroism….chivalry? Maybe? Quistis swallowed and shook her head.

"I'm fine…. fine…." She grasped his hand and pulled herself up. Glancing down at her feet, she smiled sheepishly and removed her shoes. Curiously, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. 'Cause I was, like, worried that I'd have another fight on my hands t'day- Don't particularly wanna spend anymore time with Martine, y'know?" All of a sudden, Quistis noticed the rather large, green and purple shiner the cadet was sporting. She hadn't even realized it. Too focused on his cocky smile and big meaningful eyes….not to mention the perfect way he filled out his sleek uniform. Perfect, eh? Hyne….

"Damn it- what time is it?" She asked, grasping his watch arm and contorting it to check his silver-faced analog watch. Four twenty seven. She gaped and tightened her grip, 'causing him to gasp. "I only have two minutes and forty nine seconds!" Bounding up the stairs, she began to repack her bags, only slightly aware that the nameless cadet had followed her, and was presently helping. After stuffing two nightgowns and a bikini in her suitcase, she stopped in realization. Turning, she found him silently worshipping her red leopard print thong.

"Do you…..wear these?" He asked, his eyes shining.

"Only when I'm not going commando….."

What in Hyne's name was that?!?! Quistis shook her head, and snatched them from his shaking hands. "It was a present….a gag….." She grumbled, shoving the rest of her clothing into her suitcase, she rose to her feet, regaining her professional front.

" Could you direct me to Headmaster Martine's office? We're to meet at four thirty and, frankly, I don't know my way around Galbadia Garden." As calm as she was trying to act, she knew her eyes were cruelly displaying her fear. She was going to be late for her first appointment at her new job…her first job. It was devastating.

"Martine? He's not even here now. Had ta leave like ten minutes ago ta get ta Deling City. He won't be back until tomorrow mornin'. So, like, don't sweat it." He smiled and picked up the three matching, green suitcases. "So- what's your room number? This is the faculty floor, so we should head over to the East Wing ta get to the student dormitories…."

'He thinks I'm a student?' Quistis thought, a little taken aback. 'No wonder he's being so friendly….He'll probably just go frigid on me when he finds out I'm not. Should I lie? No….what if he's in one of my classes? Hyne- What IF he's in one of my classes. I won't be able to concentrate on anything but…he saw my panties! Damn it…..'

"The Secretary directed me here- I'm looking for room fifty two….but I can't seem to find it….."

"Room fifty-two, eh? Isn't it just….oh, yeah. I know what room you're talkin' about! "He drawled out enthusiastically, dragging her and her luggage down the hall. He stopped in front of room fifty-one. Quistis rolled her eyes.

"See! No fifty-two! According to fundamental mathematics, it should follow fifty-one and be followed by…."

"Shhh….." He put a finger to her lips and opened the door to room fifty-one. Furious, she began to speak when she noticed the door led to a hall that led to two doors, labeled "fifty-one" and "fifty-two". The cadet laughed and grinned. "The garden structure jets out sorta funny-like here, so the rooms are formatted differently. They should'a told'dja that…."

"Yeah- they 'should'a'….." Quistis grumbled, following him down the hall, angry with him for showing her up, but still quite taken by his handsome face. She watched him as he took and placed her bags near the doorway, reflecting on his sinewy frame and shining auburn hair which fell halfway down his back. Only an obviously testosterone-pumped man could pull off such a pretty hairstyle without looking like a woman- though he was definitely a pretty boy. Just Quistis' type…..not that she acted upon anything. Not with Squall or Seifer, or that Nida kid who was always following her around, or the dark-haired guy in the Library or…..

"If you open the door, I'll carry yer things in for ya…." He offered, cocking his head. Quistis looked at him stupidly.

"I…..was never issued a key. I just assumed that….oh shit." She swore and kicked the wall. "Of course I need a key! How stupid of me? Can this day get any…."

"Hey.…easy there, simmer down. I'll just pop down to the front desk and grab it for ya- no big deal, right?" He shrugged and smiled. Quistis ended her tirade and nodded humbly.

"Thank you."

"No problem- anything for a lady." Grinning, he strode back into the main hallway, a sort of swagger gracing his hips. Once he was out of sight, she leaned against the wall and slid down into a seated position, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her head in her knees.

" By the way….." Quistis' head shot up as the cadet peeked his head back through the doorframe. "What's yer name? So I can ask for the key."

"Uh…..Trepe. Quistis Trepe." For a moment, Quistis thought she saw a wave of recognition pass over his features. But he just smiled politely and ran off. She returned to her pseudo-fetal position. She rested for a few minutes, until she heard the sound of his boots on the concrete floor. Damn, he was fast.

"Here you are!" He produced the key as if by magic and placed it in the palm of her hand, gently brushing the tips of his fingers against the soft life-lines. Shivering, she pulled her hand away, clenching it into a fist around the key. Expecting all that is evil, negative, and just plain frustrating in the world, she inserted the key and flung open the door to her new home. Her eyes closed, and her hands reached for her whip. What would happen….?

"Whatcha doin'? Waitin' for a trumpet herald?"

She opened her eyes to a lovely little room. A little plain, but cheerful and homey. Quistis let out a sigh of relief and waltzed into her apartment. Her cadet escort promptly transported her belongings and placed them on her bed. Quickly taking a look to make sure everything was in check- bathroom was clean and functional, bed was stable, floor had no cracks, no masked murderers hiding in the closet- she smiled at her companion.

"Thank you for your help." She said, now fully immersed in her professional façade. He grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Aw, shucks.….wasn't much help to ya. But glad I could be of some assistance….." Glancing around, he took a step back. "Pretty fine room- real big too. They don't give this room t'anybody, ya'know? Yer damn lucky.…." He grabbed the doorframe and arched his long body against it. Quistis wondered if he knew how gorgeous he was- if he played it up purposefully or if he unconsciously struck perfect poses. Perfect… "Anyway," He coughed lightly and ran a hand through his hair, "'I should, like, get back to class 'n all- kinda missed last period." Quistis gasped, suddenly realizing that she had simply caught the cadet between classes. Strange timetable. He laughed. "Don't worry- I probably would'a found a reason not to go without stumblin' onta you. But, I should probably get to my five o'clock class….I'll get reprimanded if I don't. Sooooo….."

"Thanks again."

"Don't mention it, instructor Trepe. Have yourself a good evenin'." With that, he moseyed on out of Quistis' room, leaving the young instructor flustered and embarrassed and oh so very lonely.