The Forgotten Hero

Chapter 11

            The truck bounced endlessly on the rocky terrain. The mountains took a while to get through. The scenery was bland and dull. Something she wasn’t pleased with. Closing her eyes, Verna only meant to keep them shut for a second, but she drifted off.

            Her eyes looked at the television with amazement when Sephiroth appeared. At the time she was 15. Instead of goggling over different actors or rock stars, she had a celebrity crush on the first class SOLDIER, something that faded over time. Whenever a news story came on with the Wutai war she was sure to watch it. He was her hero. He defied everything impossible and made it possible. She wanted to be like him, but in her own way. After all, she couldn’t join SOLDIER.

            Her head peaked up as she heard someone walk into her house. Standing up she walked over and peaked her head through her doorway and noticed it was her mother and father. They seemed distressed. Narrowing her eyes she tilted her head. What were they doing?

            “Mom, dad, is everything alright?” Her parents jumped at the sound of her voice.

            Looking over they nodded slowly. Her father then spoke, “I have to leave for a while, Verna. You and your mother will go to live your uncle. Hurry up and pack.”

            “Why? What’s going on?” Verna stepped out of her room, she was getting scared. “Where are you going?”

            “Just do as I say!” Her father yelled at her. Regretting his tone and took a deep breath, “Please, just hurry up and pack. We don’t have that much time.”

            “Alright,” Verna nodded her head and ran into her bedroom. She took out her duffle bag from her closet and began to throw in some clothes. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. Would they even tell her later?

Verna was now 18 years of age. She hasn’t seen her father in a long time. Every now and then she’d get a letter from him, but after that night she hasn’t seen his face. Still, not once was she allowed to reply to his letters. She felt lonely. And now, she was lonelier now.

            “Are you alright, Verna?” It was her uncle, he looked worried.

            “I just miss my dad…and my mom,” Verna hugged her knees to her chest. “Why did she have to get sick?”

            Her uncle sighed sadly and sat on her bed, “Things like that happen. There’s nothing we can do about it. One day I’ll leave this body and join the life stream as will you. There’s no telling when. We can only hope that we live our lives to the fullest when the time comes.”

            “Uncle…” Verna looked up at the plump man.

            “What is it, Verna?”

            “I want you to hire me to work for your newspaper.”

Verna opened her eyes from the dream that managed to take hold of her. Sighing, she shook the fuzziness from her head and looked out the truck’s window. The terrain was starting to get green. They must be close to the next city. Glancing over at the driver, he seemed to just be focused on the road, and nothing more.

            It was around the time Verna left the ruined Mako Reactor and started to head towards Nibelheim when she ended up hitchhiking. A man ended up stopping. He looked somewhat edgy, but Verna had no other choice. She was nearing a canon and there was no way she’d be able to get through it by herself.

            It turns out that this man was a doctor from Kalm. He would treat almost the entire town. However, he just left the city in search of something. The man had his secrets, though. He wouldn’t even give out his name. Verna didn’t mind. If he didn’t want to give her his name then she wouldn’t give him hers. Either of them must have been suspicious that the other worked for Shin-Ra.

            Still, even if they didn’t trust each other, they were heading towards the same place, Nibelheim. However, their minds were sent into frustration when they arrived at the town that was supposed to be destroyed, according to various rumors that is.

            “Wh-Why is it still here?” Verna got out of the truck and looked around. “It was supposed to be burnt down wasn’t it?”

            The doctor glanced at her before taking a breath from his cigarette, “That’s only rumors. It was never confirmed by Shin-Ra or anyone else. They didn’t even confirm Sephiroth’s death. They just slowly let him fade away from memory.”

            Verna narrowed her eyes, “But I met people who were from this town and they said it was burnt down! I’ve done some research on it and all clues say it was burnt down!”

            “Well obviously you’re wrong,” The doctor scowled. “It’s standing here right now ain’t it?”

            Verna furrowed her eyebrows together. This didn’t make sense, not in the slightest! Unless…Unless Shin-Ra didn’t want to admit that Sephiroth attacked this town and went insane. They could have been trying to cover up any scientific experiments here. That’s why they rebuilt it. The people here could be working for Shin-Ra as actors to act like they’ve lived their entire lives here. That had to be it!

            “Hurry up!” The doctor barked as he started the truck back up. “We’ll go to the next town and I’ll drop ya off there!”

            Verna got into the truck behind him and nodded slowly, “Exactly what is the next town?”

            “Rocket City.”

“You still with me?” Verna looked over at the doctor. The truck had stopped moving. “We’re here.”

            Verna got out of the truck and grabbed her bag. The doctor waved to her before taking off. She waved after him before heading towards the inn of the city. Everywhere she looked, people had bored looks on their faces. Was this place really that uneventful? Should that be the case, then she would have to try and get out of there as soon as possible. She needed to find AVALANCHE, Sephiroth or even some weird thing that Shin-Ra was doing.

            Verna stopped when she heard some yelling. Glancing over her shoulder, she gulped when she noticed a few infantry men and a man in a white suit. Further behind them was Cloud and a couple of others that were fighting a fatter man with a gun. Verna narrowed his eyes; the fatter man was starting to run away like a coward.

 --A/N—

We already have our winner on Fanfiction.net for appearing in an upcoming chapter. Those on Wattpad may still answer which Materia did Verna pick up! Anyways, I hope you like this. I’m trying to fit in little things…And was I the only one completely confused with what happened with Nibelheim? I’ve played this game since I was freaking three years old, and I’m seventeen with no idea what is going on with it! >_< Wikipedia didn’t really help all that much either!

Oh~! And the doctor is important for later! Just so ya know…