[Name]

Away from Home, Part 11

The note had kept you wondering all night.  You couldn't think of anyone on island that would do something like this.  And what kind of person sends daffodils of all things?

"I mean, they look lovely and all, but it's just a little odd."

The following morning you woke up still wondering about the sender of the note.  You hated the suspense of having to wait until after school to see the big reveal.  As you got ready you asked Namine for a favor.

"Um, could you not tell anyone at school about the flowers?  I don't really want anyone making a big deal about it."  It was true.  You knew that if word got out you'd be the center of attention, and that's not really something you wanted right now.

 "Sure, it's none of my business anyway."

You spent most of the day at school staring at the clock.  You hated waiting to see who got you the flowers and you just wanted this mystery to be solved.  As the day went on though, a feeling of apprehension started to surface.  Being alone in an unfamiliar surrounding with a stranger began to sound like a bad idea.

"Hello, earth to [Name]."

It turns out the others were talking about something while you were lost in thought.  The first half of school was a blur and now it was lunch.

"Uh, sorry.  What were you guys saying?"

"We were just talking about how the most important dance is this Saturday!"  Yuffie exclaimed, bouncing in her seat.

"Yeah, so how 'bout it, [Name]?  Wanna make me the luckiest man at school and be my date?"  Axel asked with his signature sly grin.

"Uhhh..."  Crap.  You were not in the right mindset to handle something like this.

"Axel," Riku sighed.  "Why would [Name] go with someone with your reputation?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"  Axel asked, narrowing his eyes.

Shit's gettin' real.  Should you step in and say something?  Maybe you should just sit back and see how this plays out first.

"It means that you play girls like it's an Olympic sport and that dear [Name] would be better off going to the dance with someone else. Like the star quarterback for example," Zack cut in.

Reno scoffed.  "You're one to talk," he mumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"  Zack said, echoing Axel.

"Reno has a point," said Ven.  "You're almost as bad as Axel.  Now I, on the other hand, would be an ideal date for [Name]."

"Uh, guys..."  You had to put a stop to this.  You hated conflict and this was a stupid thing to fight over, too.  You weren't really in the mood to go to a dance.  "I don't-"

"What!  Why should she go with you?"  Reno exclaimed.

"Isn't it obvious?  I'm charming, funny, and extremely attractive.  Why shouldn't she go with me?"

"Um, well-"

"She should go with me!  We're already best friends," Sora reasoned.

 You looked towards Namine and Yuffie, hoping they might help you out.  Unfortunately, they seemed more interested in what the boys were saying than what you were trying to.

"Hey, I-"

"No way!  She should be going with me!"

"Look-"

"I can't wait to see the look on your guys' faces when I end up taking her to the dance."

Suddenly, you felt like you were some shiny prize rather than a person with thoughts and feelings.

The rest of lunch was spent like that.  The boys argued while you sat there and waited until it was time to go to free period.  Just like earlier, the day passed quickly and you were soon ready to start training.  Today you mostly focused on counter-attacks.  Being in class reminded you of the paper you copied from Fang's desk.  You felt a pang of guilt but also made a mental note to read what the paper said.  Hopefully it was something important; you were tired of failing your recon missions.  Soon, school ended and you found yourself in front of the ivy-covered building with Namine.

"I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"Okay, I hope you find out who your secret admirer is!"  She said as she headed to the dorms. 

"I hope she calls the cops if I don't show up after awhile."

The sign above the antiques store was too faded to read.  Taking in a breath, you entered the store.  Inside, the air was musty and the light filtered in through dirty windows.  Most of the light bulbs must've been broken because the inside of the store was dimly lit.  You headed to the back wall in hopes of finding some stairs.  You found a door and went to open it, but stopped as you placed a hand on the cold knob.  Now that you think about it, you hadn't seen anyone else in the store besides you, not even any workers.  Deciding that the sooner you get this whole situation over with the better, you slowly opened the door.  In front of you was a flight of stairs leading to a small landing.  At the top of the stairs, you found another door.  The silence was starting to get to you.

"Let's just get this over with."

The door led to a single room.  You couldn't see very well due to the boarded up windows and the shades that were covering the lights.  You could make out a few objects in the room, however.  In the center of the room and in front of the biggest window was a desk.  On the desk was a bowl filled with some things that were round and a bit bigger than the size of your fist.  Sitting behind the desk was a man.

"Hello, [Name].  Nice of you to meet me here."  He spoke in a honeyed voice.

"Who are you?"  You could faintly see a smile form on his face.

"Don't worry, you'll find out my name eventually.  I am the man that is in charge of this island."

"So you're, like, the mayor or something?"

"Not quite."  

"Oh."  Was he planning on telling you what was going on anytime soon?

"By the way, I thought what you did at the police station was adorable."  Crap.  You needed to play it cool.

"What are you saying about?"  You mentally slapped yourself.

"Don't act dumb.  It's not a good look for you.  We both know you went snooping in that girl's desk.  After all, what kind of police station doesn't have security cameras?"

"Shit.  Maybe if I beg for forgiveness-"

"And I just have to say that it was quite entertaining."

"Huh?"  What's going on?

'[Name], I've been watching you.  I don't mean that in some sort of perverted way.  As the leader of this island, I have to account for its inhabitants.  And I've got to say that you are by far my favorite person here."

"Uh, thanks?"  

"I'd like to keep having these meetings.  Of course, if that's alright with you.  I want to get to know you better, [Name].  I feel that we could really get along ."  As he said this, he took one of the objects from the bowl.  Now you could see it more clearly.  It was an apple.  A bright red apple.

"Okay."  You couldn't precisely say why you agreed.  There was something about him that awakened your curiousity.  He said he was the leader of this place, so maybe he could answer all of your questions.  Maybe he could even send you back home.  It couldn't hurt to have someone on the inside.

"Fantastic."

Author's Note:

First of all, I would like to apologize to everyone who thought that Mystery Man would be revealed in this chapter.  His true identity won't be revealed until later in the story.  That being said, I won't be able to update this story until after the first week of April.  Hopefully I can begin the next chapter right after I post this one.  After Spring Break, I'll also have more free time because I won't have to worry about pesky senior requirements.  So expect more chapters then!  I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!