Aerith [Original Story] [On Hold]

Chapter 11: In Which Heaven is Unveiled

I had just finished packing when I suddenly thought of something. It was silly of me to be at all concerned about this notion, but I knew that it'd be stirring in the back of my mind until I double-checked.

Assuming that Tom would have told everyone else the plan by now, I knocked on Renee's bedroom door, hoping that she'd already be in there packing. I wasn't disappointed: I heard her shuffling around a bit before promptly opening the door for me.

"I know that this is a really stupid question, but what are you wearing on the trip?" I asked.

Renee looked confused, but she pulled a couple of items out of her bag and held them up. It was all casual.

"What makes you ask?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I was going to feel really stupid if I was all decked out in hiking gear and you guys weren't." They probably did this all the time. I wouldn't put it past Nicole to be able to hike in stilettos.

Renee just laughed. "I swear, no one will be wearing dresses and suits. You should probably finish packing; dinner will be ready soon."

Feeling like an idiot but also feeling reassured, I returned to my room, where I shoved a few more things into my backpack before declaring myself done. Although I knew I shouldn't, I was really tempted to skip dinner and go to bed instead, because tomorrow was definitely going to be a long day.

- - -

Due to my exhaustion from training, I didn't wake up until eleven the next morning. Perhaps the others had decided to let me sleep in for a change, since I usually had to get up early, and it wasn't necessary that I rose early today. We weren't planning on leaving until after lunch.

My meal was brief. Although I had woken feeling hungry, my appetite disappeared quickly once I got downstairs. Perhaps it was just nerves, but I was suddenly feeling nauseous. Reminding myself to make sure I packed extra food in my bag, I settled for an apple before going upstairs to take a shower.

It took much longer for me to bathe than it did for me to eat. As usual, once I got in the shower, it was hard to get out. Warm water was always soothing to me, no matter what was bothering me. However, I knew that I couldn't stay in forever, so I eventually forced myself to shut the water off.

Unsure of what exactly I should wear, I stuck my arm out the window to see how it felt outside. Although the weather was still pleasant, as always, it was a bit on the cooler side. The vegetation was still green and bursting with life and color, but the breeze made it feel like October outdoors. Definitely my kind of weather.

I pulled on a pair of long khaki pants and a green t-shirt. Due to the weather, I also threw on a black jacket after making sure it was lightweight. Although it was cool now, I would surely get hot and sticky while trekking through the woods.

I officially deemed myself ready after I had yanked my hair into a ponytail and had laced up my hiking boots. I was almost to the door when I realized an essential piece of my gear that I was missing: my knives. I slid four of them into my belt before putting the rest into my bag, taking care to make sure that they were sheathed into their holsters. I really didn't need my other supplies to get sliced up.

Slinging my backpack over one shoulder, I headed downstairs to find that Tom, Renee, and Xavier were already in the living room. Anthony entered the room mere moments after I did; however, Nicole was still MIA. I wasn't surprised.

I knew that I needed to get some protein into my system before the hike, so even though I was still feeling queasy, I quickly scrambled some eggs and scarfed them down. By the time I was done, Nicole had arrived.