Happy Birthday

[12.29.99] » by Kristina Delgado

Rinoa yawned heavily and let her face flop onto her book. It was one in the morning, and she knew she needed to sleep... but she also needed to study. Having entered the Garden at such a late age, she did not have to take regular classes--instead, she was given an assessment test. Her abilities, plus the regular high school diploma she had earned at age fifteen, allowed her to prepare for the SeeD exam just weeks after she enrolled in Garden. Her written test was the next day.

She raised her head and decided to raid her refrigerator for something to drink. She found a cold can of Coke and decided to have some, even though she was quite partial to Pepsi. She opened the can, took a drink and felt refreshed quickly.

She looked at her desk and spotted the birthday card her father had sent her. Since Rinoa enrolled in Garden, she and her father began getting along again. The week before, he sent her a card and enclosed a check for two hundred Gil, telling her "not to spend it all in one place." Rinoa picked up the card and read it again, her heart warming over the tender message that her father had written her. Besides the card and the check, he also sent her a picture of her mother, taken only a few days before she was killed in a horrible car crash. That picture--a snapshot of Julia Heartilly, holding five-year-old Rinoa on her lap--sat framed on Rinoa's desk.

Selphie came out of her bedroom and squinted in the bright light. She scratched her head, saw Rinoa and said, "Whatcha still doin' up?"

"Studying," Rinoa said between gulps.

"You should get some sleep," Selphie said before disappearing into the bathroom.

Rinoa shook her head and sat back down at her desk. Even though Selphie was already a SeeD and entitled to her own room, she chose to share one with Rinoa anyway. Her words were, "You don't need to share a room with some stranger. Share one with me!"

Rinoa finished her studying half an hour later. Her exam wasn't until eleven the next morning, anyway. She had plenty of time to sleep.

"Hey there, Rinoa," said Irvine, meeting Rinoa as she was leaving the exam room. "Just took your written exam, huh?"

"Yeah."

"How do you think you did?"

"I think I did okay. I hope I passed--I really, really do!"

"Oh, you'll be fine. Going to eat lunch?"

"Yeah. I told Squall I'd meet him down there."

"Cool. Mind if I join you?"

"I don't think Squall will mind. I certainly don't."

They continued walking down the hall to the elevator. "When's your field exam?" Irvine asked.

"Get this--they scheduled it on my birthday."

"What? When's that?"

"Next Wednesday. As long as I pass the written exam, of course."

"Which I'm sure you'll do. Wow, I didn't know your birthday was coming up so soon. I knew it was sometime this month, though."

"I didn't really tell anyone, except Squall and Selphie. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it. I was afraid Selphie would plan something sneaky for me."

"Well, she's been busy." Irvine and Rinoa got on the elevator, and three other students joined them. They all went down to the first floor.

"You sound disappointed," Rinoa told Irvine when they got off the elevator.

"Huh?"

"About Selphie being so busy."

"Oh, yeah. Well, I've been wanting to see her lately, and our schedules have both been so hectic. Don't got any time."

"Not even on the weekends?"

"We both work."

"That's too bad." Rinoa wasn't sure what else to say. They were silent until they arrived at the cafeteria. Squall had saved some seats, and Zell and Selphie were already there.

"Look at this!" Zell said, grinning and holding up a half-eaten hot dog. "Last one of the day!"

"It's only lunch time," said Rinoa, looking at the clock. "Besides, those things are terrible for you. You have no idea what's in those."

"That's the fun part," said Zell, taking another bite.

"Save me a spot here," said Rinoa, setting her bookbag down on the chair next to Squall's. Irvine did the same thing, putting his books down next to Selphie's spot at the table. Then they went to get their food. Irvine asked for a hot dog and was disappointed to find out that Zell was right. Rinoa went for a healthier meal of turkey and mashed potatoes.

All eyes were on Rinoa when she returned to the table. "What?" she asked.

"We know a certain someone who just took her written exam...." said Selphie.

"How'd you do?" asked Squall.

"I think I did okay. I hope I passed. But if I did, my field exam is... next Wednesday."

"Isn't that your birthday?" asked Selphie.

"It sure is."

"What a great birthday present," Zell said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but if I pass the exam... and I find out on my birthday that I'm going to be a SeeD... wow, that would be a great birthday present!" Rinoa exclaimed.

She caught Selphie smiling slyly at Squall and Irvine. What was she up to?

"You're doing fine, Rinoa," Quistis said from the top of the rocky ledge. She offered her hand to Rinoa to help her up. She finally made it to the top and looked around.

"We're here!" Rinoa cheered.

"Now all that's left is to find the Teradactor," said Quistis. The Teradactor was a small but dangerous flying animal, that looked harmless but was potentially deadly.

"No problem," said Rinoa. She didn't have a problem with the Teradactor, but she did have a problem with her partner for this exam. Quistis always acted so cold and distant towards her, and she suspected it had something to do with Squall.

They trudged up another hill and found the Teradactor, quietly feeding on some low brush. When it heard Rinoa and Quistis' footsteps, however, it turned around and gnashed its teeth at them.

"This thing should only take a couple of hits," Quistis said as the angry Teradactor approached them. Rinoa only had her old pinwheel, but she knew she could make the best of it. She took her aim and shot at the Teradactor.

It was nearly a direct hit. The Teradactor fell to the ground, but it was still spewing poison. Quistis gave it a good, hard lash with her whip, and it finally became lifeless.

"Well, that wasn't so hard!" Rinoa said, smiling. She kept trying relentlessly to get Quistis to warm up a little bit. But Quistis simply turned to the Teradactor and cut off a wing-tip, evidence that Rinoa had passed her exam.

"You did well," said Quistis, handing the wing-tip to Rinoa. "We'll go record your scores and see how you did."

They began walking back to the Garden. Along the way, Rinoa tried to talk to Quistis.

"What was your field exam like?" asked Rinoa.

"Similar to this one. I goofed up a little bit, but the instructor I was with was quite generous. And, I might add, quite good-looking."

This was what Rinoa liked to hear. Quistis was already opening up.

"My birthday's today," said Rinoa.

"Oh, really?" said Quistis. "This is quite a treat for you then, isn't it?"

"Well, as long as I passed," said Rinoa. "I'm so glad I passed the written test. I studied so hard for that one."

"It's a tough test to take, I know. Especially since you didn't have exactly the same experience that the other students had."

"I think I learned enough, being with the Forest Owls for almost two years. I got my diploma before I joined them, you know. I may have gone to regular school, but...."

"I think it actually gives you an advantage, somewhat. You had more time to concentrate on your studies before you joined the Forest Owls. It may not be the same kind of experience that the other Garden students had, but you certainly had the same amount all together."

They arrived at the Garden, and Rinoa waited outside of the office while Quistis calculated her scores. She was the only one taking a field exam that day. The hall was nearly silent--the other students were in class. One youngster, who looked to be around thirteen, shuffled by with a bathroom pass. He stopped and gave her a strange look.

"Are you gonna be a SeeD?" he asked.

"That's what I'm waiting to find out," Rinoa replied. "I'm gonna be a SeeD someday," said the boy. Then he walked away, continuing towards the bathroom.

The office door finally opened, and Quistis had a smile on her face. "Rinoa Heartilly, you are now officially a SeeD member." She handed the score sheet to Rinoa and said, "Happy birthday."

Rinoa was hardly able to contain herself. She jumped for joy, gave Quistis a hug and said, "This is so awesome! I wish the others weren't in class right now... I want to share the good news with them!"

Quistis laughed and said, "Come with me. Selphie wanted me to show you something today."

"What?" Rinoa was confused. Quistis disappeared behind her and then, suddenly, Rinoa was blinded. Quistis had put a blindfold on her.

"Just stay close to me." Quistis led Rinoa by the arm. Nervous, Rinoa clung to Quistis' arm until they arrived at their destination. Then Quistis let go of Rinoa and said, "Stay put."

Rinoa stood there, blinded and alone, for a few moments. Finally, she heard Selphie's voice say, "You can take off the blindfold now!"

She removed her blindfold and was instantly stunned. It was her own dorm room, decorated for a birthday party. Squall, Selphie, Zell, Quistis and Irvine stood around a birthday cake, lit up with eighteen candles.

"Oh!" Rinoa was speechless. She approached the table where the cake was, but something caught her eye behind the others.

Sitting on the living room couch was General Caraway.

"Dad!" Rinoa exclaimed. He stood up, and she threw herself into his arms. "How did they get you to come here?"

"Well, Squall contacted me last week and said that he and some of your friends were throwing you a little birthday party, and that they'd love it if I could come, too. And it's just a happy coincidence that you passed your SeeD exam on the same day."

Rinoa looked around at all the smiling faces and said, "Thank you, guys. This is really sweet of all of you."

"Let's have some cake!" said Selphie.

Rinoa blew out the candles, and the group happily enjoyed their cake.