Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ When Darkness Falls ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

The next day.

Seifer Almasy, who is currently walking up the stone path to the Dincht home, was not exactly sure of what he was expecting to say or ask. But, he knew if he didn't get some answers soon, he would be more than a little pissed. Reaching the front door, he raised his fist then diverted to an extended finger to press the doorbell. It was an unusual sound, it would certainly do the job of alerting whomever was inside at the time.

A dog barked in the distance making unexpected visitor turn his attention away from the door so he missing the thin curtain moved aside, accompanied by a pair of female eyes peeking out at him. Having never seen the young man before her, Brandy turned the knob pulling the door open.

Clearing her throat, Mrs. Dincht crossed her arms. "Can I... help you?"

A little put-off by her tone, Seifer smiled as nicely as he thought his face would allow, and said using his 'people person' voice. "I wanted to know if Zell was feeling any better today?" Mrs. Dincht said nothing, causing Seifer to continue speaking awkwardly. "You see, he hasn't been at school for about a month now. I just figured..." He trailed off.

Mrs. Dincht sucked in a breath of air; and scratched her hair. "I'm assuming he left school now... figures." She seemed to be talking to herself, as she spoke with a distant look in her eyes. "Zell..." There was hesitance in her voice. "Zell doesn't live here anymore."

"But he's your son; what do you mea..." Seifer began.

The door couldn't have closed faster with the woman's voice melting into the autumn chill saying, "I have no son." before she was completely gone.

Walking out of her house, Selphie cocked her head seeing Seifer standing dumbfounded at the Dincht's home. Haste in her pace to the sidewalk, the tiny young lady crept up behind the blond asking. "What are you doing?"

"I told you I'd come by here, don't look so surprised." Seifer replied dully, turning away from the door to face her. He had so many questions buzzing through his head right now, like what kind of mother would say: "I have no son", when she clearly does. "Selphie, bullshit aside... Where's Zell?" He demanded to know.

"I guess it's all gonna get out eventually, anyway..." she muttered as the embittered blond approached her then continued by. Turning around, Selphie followed beside him taking quicker steps to keep up with his long stride.

"What's gonna get out?" Asked Seifer walking down the street to where he had parked his car.

Adjusting the straps on her bookbag, Selphie walked along silently wondering how to word it all.

"I'm waiting." The tall blonde remarked.

"I know I know, hang on..." With a sigh, Selphie began to answer then something hit her. "Hey, wait a minute! Why are you soooo interested in Zell anyway? Answer me that first." Her eyebrows rose waiting for the answer.

Seifer looked away hesitating. Everyone knew Selphie and Zell were til-death-friends, but Selphie and himself were a different story. What with his constant harassment of the two of them since they were in middle school. What if she spread his secret around school to get back at him for all those years ago. It wasn't just this year that he found out...

"I just think..." Seifer began his lie. "it's a little odd for a straight A student to miss so many days of school; and no one seems to wanna act as though he's missing." Selphie cocked her head giving Seifer a fuck you expression. "What?" He asked looking away from her.

"Even I know that's a lie." She mocked him from yesterday. "Now what's the real reason?" The two paused by Seifers car and she tapped her foot waiting for the answer.

Seifer wasn't going to tell her the truth, so climbing into his car he started it up ready to drive off to school and leave the girl with her own conclusion.

"Oh, no you don't." The door to the passenger side popped open and Selphie climbed in.

"Out." Said Seifer with little command in his tone.

Pouting Selphie crossed her arms replying. "No. Not until you tell me the truth."

Shifting in his seat, Seifer knew he'd never be rid of the girl unless he told her the truth, besides he didn't have to tell her everything, right? "And don't you tell a damned person about this either. Got it!?" The agitated blond began.

Selphie nodded and Seifer wheeled the car into the street and started for school, she could only assume. "Selphie, I'm gay." Right there. Said flat-out. No hesitations. Waiting for the fireworks, the big gasp or holly shit; Seifer was shocked to see there wasn't one. Nothing but silence. Too much silence in fact it was making him uneasy. "Did you hear me, I said that..."

Waving him off, Selphie remarked. "Well, it's daylight isn't it? I was just thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?" The blond asked, annoyed, confused by the reaction, and yet relieved.

"If you would have just told Zell in the first place," Selphie explained. "he never would have ended up with that prick Locke. He wouldn't be out on the streets now."

"Locke is gay? Then why the hell is he hanging all over Rinoa?" He questioned.

Selphie nodded to the question swallowing hard before she answered. It all was too hard for her to talk about just when she was beginning to accept her best friend never coming back. "You see... Zell's gay, right. He told me about it years ago when he first thought he was." Selphie began. "He had one boyfriend over the summer that just went by... but, the kid moved away; then school started, and Locke came along; somehow they hooked up, and..." She paused feeling tears burn her eyes. Selphie really didn't wanna relive the episode at all.

"Go on..." Seifer urged.

Sighing, the teary brunette wiped her eyes and continued. "Well... Zell's parents told him that they were gonna be leaving for the night. He and Locke took it upon themselves to further their relationship, and... tried as I might to get their attention it wasn't enough, because..." She paused again squeezing her eyes shut.

Seifer sighed putting an arm around the little brunette's shoulder giving it a slow rub until she stopped crying.

Pushing his arm away, Selphie wiped her eyes then went on. "Well... Zell's parents walked right in on them and they had a big fit, you could hear it all the way at my house. They tossed him out on the spot, and..." The night was clearly playing across her face and in her voice as she spoke. "Zell was gonna stay at my house 'til they cooled off... but they didn't."

Seifer remained quiet, taking it in.

"My parents found out because Mr. and Mrs. Dincht called them. My parents said Zell couldn't stay with us because, low-and-behold, he would give me gay." She spread her arms as though showing the scale of stupidity her parents thinking was on.

"What?" Seifer spoke up bitterly. "You can't give someone gay."

"That's what I said! But do they listen." She shook her head. "Next thing you know, he comes to school thinking that asshole Locke would give him comfort, and maybe a place to stay, but he broke it off with him. It was in the worst way possible, too. He made Zell seem like a silly little fag."

Seifer's face changed hearing that. It was all coming into view of why Zell acted the way he had at school. Why he was so untrusting. "And that's why you were trying to beat him up in the cafeteria?" Asked Seifer.

Selphie nodded. "I wanted to do more than that. I could have killed his simple-ass for hurting my friend." Said the girl through clenched teeth.

Seifer didn't blame her; hearing all this, he wanted a piece of the bastard, too.

"It's been a month now. I've looked everywhere for Zell, but couldn't find him." Sounding defeated, Selphie lowered her head in disgrace.

Seifer disagreed. Everybody was somewhere. He'd find Zell even if it took near forever.

Remembering what Seifer had told her, Selphie looked over at him asking. "You're gay, right? Is that why you're so interested in Zell all of a sudden? Cause you like him."

It was a simple enough statement, so Seifer nodded to answer her. Right now he had other things on his mind then Selphie finding out about his love life. "Do you mind skipping school?" He asked.

Thinking it over, she shook her head.

"Good, cause we're looking for Zell today."

"But we won't find him. I already told you I looked everywhere..." She explained. "He may even be in a different town by now."

Snapping. "So then we'll fucking look there too! Just.. shut up and keep an eye out, okay?"

Shrugging. "If you say so."

At the shelter. Zell is squirming around on his rolled out cot, having a vivid nightmare of nights before.

He was on the streets getting the shit kicked out of him, the first time he had tried stealing. "Asshole!" The man shouted. "You street rats need to learn some damn manners." He drew his foot back and kicked the poor boy again.

"Oooff!" Zell rolled on his side clutching his stomach. Vomit came from his mouth, causing him to gag on it, because he was still on his back.

The man watched with a smile on his face before walking away saying. "Hope you learned your lesson, dirt-bag."

Zell turned to his side letting the hot liquid slide from his mouth. It wouldn't have hurt so much if his stomach wasn't so completely empty. Coughs sputtered from the teen's mouth when he stood up to his hands and knees.

The starved teen picked himself up on a trash can and leaned over it the best he could, trying not to get the smell of garbage up his nose. Feeling another wave of nausea Zell reached inside picking up an old doughnut shoving it into his mouth, chewing it rabidly.

He couldn't take it anymore! He was hungry, dammit! Zell has never gone any longer than three hours without feeling hungry; two weeks without food were taking a toll on him. He was thinning and wasting away. Sure he had something to drink, but that was only when it had rained, but he wasn't exactly fond of drinking gutter water from his hands.

'I can beat this...' Zell thought as he ate. 'I won't let myself die! I won't!' Gagging on the doughnut he spit it to the ground. He just can't stand the taste of mold and mildew that it had, no matter how hungry.

He sniffled, tears welled in his eyes. He changed his position and sat down with his back to the trash can pressed against it. "Why did this have to happen to me?" His voice was dry from not being used in so long. "Locke was there, too... Why did nothing happen to him?" He questioned.

Feeling the first droplet hit his nose Zell looked up seeing the clouds burst around him into a downpour. Curling his legs in, Zell shuddered closing his eyes waiting for the cold of another night.

Zell snapped his eyes opened upon feeling a hand on his shoulder, he saw the face of Terra smiling at him.

"Hi, good morning." She greeted.

Zell blinked the blur from his eyes, running a hand across them also to clear his vision. He had been dreaming, thank God. He really didn't wanna wake up and find himself back on the streets knowing that finding a shelter had all been a dream.

"You were talking in your sleep." Terra went on saying; folding her legs in like a pretzel. "Was it a nightmare?"

"Ye.." Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Yeah, and a very good one."

"They usually are the first year. It's like your brain is still trying to process the change..." Looking at her friend's sad face, Terra smiles saying. "Rikku and me are going to the park today. Would you like to join us?"

Zell shook his head with a frown. "No, thank you... I really just wanna rest today."

A shrug of her shoulder, the serene young lady walked away.

Zell collapsed on his side looking out at all the strange faces that surrounded him.

"We have a home. We just share it with a lot of people now." Terra's words echoed through his thoughts.

'A lot of people...' Feeling a sudden surge of insecurity, Zell bundled himself up in the thin blanket he found at his feet. Looking through the crowd of comfortable regulars, Zell felt that he'd never fit in. He was still too home raised to act normally around these people. 'I should just go; cut my losses and slip out when they're all asleep.'

"Howdy." Said a southern voice directly behind him.

Jumping slightly, Zell turned around and saw the guy that was named... Irvine, he thinks. He had a friendly smile on his face, and gestured with his hand at the cot.

"Can I sit?" He asked.

"Sure." He didn't see why not.

Taking a seat beside Zell on the cot, the blond realized that this was the chance he had been waiting for. He can ask Irvine about his situation with being on the streets, maybe he could get some pointers before he left the place. "Irvine," he began.

"Yup," Irvine held out a hand. "Well, you know my name. What's yours?"

Taking it and shaking his hand, he answered. "Zell. Zell Dincht. Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

It became silent between them. Zell wondered how to word the questions, so he decided to start with something simple. "Terra told me you got thrown out, just like me..."

"...So?"

"Sooo, I was wondering how long you've been out there before you got here? Was it as hard for you as it was for me?" Asked Zell.

Irvine cocked his head back and forth thinking of answers then replied. "About two years, and I didn't come from Dollet. And, fuck no." The guy was saying as though it were a story about someone else, or a movie he might have seen and was telling to the viewer. "You think living on the streets of Dollet is a bitch, try coming from Deling, where the fun really goes on."

'Deling.' Thought Zell.

"I used to get the shit kicked out of me just for sleeping on someone's stoop! It wasn't fun... Then eating came a'calling, so I ate from the trash."

'Just like me.' Thought Zell, downcasting his eyes. "Was it hard?"

"Not at first... I used to steal people's food whenever they ate at those outside restaurants, until eventually they had the cops called on me." He looked into the distance. "They jailed me for about a month, then sent me on my way. So I ate from the trash whenever I was hungry."

"I'm sorry." Zell said sympathetically.

"It's alright, you didn't do it to me." Irvine smiled patting Zell's back. "I hopped a train into Dollet about a year after and have been wandering around here ever since, five months ago is when I found the shelter."

Zell nodded letting Irvine's words sink in. Life was never good for anybody. But compared to himself, everyone else had it a lot worse off than he does. If he ever felt like he wanted to die, he at least had Selphie to fall back on - regardless the beating she'd give him. But what about these people? They have nothing, have had nothing, for so long and they all managed.

Turning to face Irvine, Zell grabbed his arm to guide him close. "You're also gay, right?" Irvine nodded. "What... What's that like, I mean, how did your parent's find out?"

"When I got AIDS from my dad, that's how my mom found out. He was gay before he met my mother." Irvine explained. "She came out of it alright but during the pregnancy I got infected." Zell's eyes nearly fell out of his head going wide with question and horror.

"I knew I was gay around fourteen when I realized I liked to sneak a glance at the guys in gym class. Sometimes it was when we had to shower... My dad saw me one day, when he came to pick me up after school. I was talking to a guy I liked, just that slight encounter and he knew. That's when he told me he was gay once. But I shouldn't be..."

"I'm sorry."

Irvine's face changed, it became darker, more subdued. "I... was sixteen when I found out I had AIDS. It was during a hospital visit, I went in because of a bad rash on my legs and back. That's when everything came out of the closet and my mom threw me out." His teeth were clenching now as he spoke. "My mom tossed me out for being gay... My father said nothing... he must have been fucked over by some guy pretty bad to agree with my mother in throwing me out. Eventually his past came out when the disease made him sick; and my old man died from it..." He shrugged, "That's that. My day is gonna come soon. When I die... I'm gonna party up, right?" He chuckled. "It'll be buffets in Heaven, and handsome Angels to play with in the clouds."

The despaired listener frowned, he could hear tears in his Irvine's voice. "I'm..." Zell began but Irvine covered his mouth and laughed.

"You say you're sorry one more time and I'll sock you blondie."

Zell swallowed his words and feelings.

"Eating from the trash is a synch, sometimes. Just wait around for fresh toss outs at restaurants." With a grin he bragged. "Scored me a half a chicken crispy from McDonald's one. Must have been a kid trying for adult sized portions for the first time."

Zell wondered why he hadn't thought of that? He was just so ravenous he wanted anything as quick as possible.

Standing, Irvine smiled extending a hand. "Come on, them gals are goin' to the park and we should join 'em. Right?" The offer was tempting but Zell really just wanted to be indoors today.

"No, thanks, maybe tomorrow." He replied.

"Suit yourself, see ya, Zell." The little blonde watched as Irvine walked away.

'Even though he's gonna die soon, he still can smile... I wish I had his bravery.' Laying back down on the cot, Zell closed his eyes and fell back asleep.