The Truth Beyond the Dream (A Final Fantasy X/X-2 Fan Fiction)

Chapter 11: Change of Tides

The ferry ride from Besaid to Luca seemed to take forever, since Trista had to skillfully dodge all of her boyfriend's questions along the way. His insistence aggravated her a bit, considering she had already expressed the need for discretion when revealing such sensitive information—it's not like she intended to back-pedal on her promise.

When they had finally arrived at her home, the tension between them only seemed to amplify. She was nervous of how he would react to the news. And even more worried of her parents' reaction, once they discovered she had involved Vidina after they had distinctly stressed to keep everything quiet.

Much to her dismay, Vidina responded exactly as she had calculated with him growing furious and blaming her father for everything. "How can ya defend him?" His eyes narrowed at her in a scrutinizing manner as if she had committed a crime.

Troubled by the argument they were having, Trista scooted over on the sofa, offering more space between her and Vidina. "It's not his fault! These keepers are the real enemy here, not my father!"

"He was willin' to destroy Spira! And use you to do it!"

"No, you got it twisted!" Slumping back against the cushions, she blinked back the tears pooling in her eyes. "I should've kept my mouth shut. Telling you all this was obviously a mistake."

"If that's how ya feel, then I'll show myself out."

Panic set in the moment his words registered in her mind. The whole point of bringing him there and disclosing this information was to keep him safe. She couldn't let him leave. "No, wait!" she pleaded, grabbing his wrist. "I shouldn't have said that. I just... My father made a mistake. He's trying to correct it. He's not the one who invaded your body back on the beach!"

Her boyfriend's face softened. "Look, I get it. He's your dad. I'm just havin' a lot of trouble processin' all dis. If these keepers can take over my mind and body, what else can they do?"

And it was precisely that question which terrified her most. "I'm not so sure we wanna find out."

The sound of keys jingling made Trista gasp and sit up straight. Her muscles tensed as she thought of how she would defend her actions to her parents. When her brother appeared in the doorway, she relaxed against the sofa's cushion's, relieved. "I thought you were Mom and Dad."

Zak shut the door and frowned. "What's he doing here?"

"Nice to see ya too, Zak," Vidina said, dryly.

It was no secret both her brother and Vidina were at odds with one another for the exact same reason. And everyone at school knew about it. They were both romantically involved with each other's sister. Surprisingly, they had managed to keep their relationships under the radar from their parents, despite all the drama of them being overprotective brothers.

In an effort to impede a confrontation between them, Trista sought to steer her twin's attention elsewhere. "I thought you were gonna join me in Besaid after cutting class, what happened?"

"I convinced Alyse to join me in Kilika for some cuddle time," he replied with a wink in Vidina's direction. "The inn there must be hard up. They don't require any ID to get a room. Just some good ol' fashion gil."

Well, so much for that idea. Her brother's attempt to infuriate Vidina had worked from the way he squeezed his hands into fists. "You think ya cute, huh? I bet my father would love to know whatcha been up to with my little sister."

A smug grin spread across Zak's lips. "No prob, man. Just as soon as we let my dad know the kinda stuff you've been doing to his baby girl."

Word sure travels fast at Luca high. It was a miracle none of their parents had found out about their adult activities. "Stop! You two are acting like little kids!" Trista scolded. "Besides, you'll wanna know what happened at the beach, Zak."