The Other Side of Nothing
by Cats eye

A/N: Sorry I haven’t written anything lately I haven’t had a computer and things have been a bit bumpy. Thanks for all the support I’ve had in the reviews for my stories they have really helped. I don’t think many people will like this story and in all my stories I’ve tried to look at things in another light. I’m sorry if people think it’s done in bad taste but I feel that I should write this story and I will write a happier one in awhile. It’s an AU fic. After the first sorceress war (Adel as in no ultimaticia – my friend didn’t get that – did you Bryony?) things were not so well off and the world was split. Glabadia has all the wealth and Balamb, Centra and Trabia are all in poverty. Esther has remained silent.

 Squall looked out over the ocean before him. He knew he shouldn’t be here but he was willing to take the risks. He looked out across the sea. What was it three, four miles? But those miles made all the difference. Four miles away you could have all the food you wanted, education, warm shoes and a warm home but here, what was there here? A crummy refugee camp and a town run by a bunch of fascists.

 Glabadia never thought about Balamb why should it? After the war Galbadia just left the countries it defeated to look after themselves. Estar went into hiding and almost all of centra had been wiped out. They gave the first sign of government that turned up – the Garden Masters - some money and left them to rule Balamb. Thanks very much for that. Now almost every one had left Balamb town. The town was now run by them and was so strict no one could live with it, Zell’s mum was still there; bless her, but almost every one else left. All the young men were taken to Garden where they were taught to hate Glabadia and every one who lived there and to fight. The women all stayed at the camp working. That was unless you could run away.

 Not that that did you much good Squall thought bitterly. He remembered Selphie; a small bitter smile came to his lips. She came over from Trabia looking for something better from what he heard Trabia was even worse than this. She was different to the other girls, which unfortunately didn’t work to her advantage. She managed to stay happy, youthful, her eyes still vibrant and for that the men here wanted her. She made a change from the other girls here and what men what more then anything is power. Everything here is controlled when you eat when you sleep even when you shit. So if they could have power over her, use her, have the power to take away that light then – then they would have power.

That’s why the girls hated her; the men wanted her - not them. They all say they hate what some of the men do to them but deep down they like the attention to feel special. It sounds cruel but here that’s what life is. You’re a number, a thing, a pawn and all you want, all you crave for is love, power and attention – the feeling you’re special – you’re different something more than a number but they are never going to give that to you.

 Soon Selphie started to seem older, jaded the light was still there but slowly it was going. Bruises were always on her small petite figure was starting to look more like a stick than ever. Zell noticed this more than ever and him being who he was tried to help her. Tried to stop the men who used her and the women who hated her but Zell couldn’t always be there. In the end Zell made a deal with a factory in Galbadia. He would get them two jobs low paying if Zell would steal some of the special Balamb fish that the Garden Masters kept. It was risky but Zell managed it. He saved himself and Selphie. He was one of only 7 over the last 17 years who had managed to escape. Everybody else lived and died here. On this pathetic Island.

Squall looked closely over the ocean sometimes he could see flashing lights of nightclubs were the youths of Glabadia hung out. Tonight was such a night.

 I could have been one of them. I could be out there with a girlfriend and a few mates driving a car spending money on booze and food. Having a good time. Instead I’m sitting here on this rock. Spending my days learning to fight, learning how to kill and then returning home – well if you could call it that – to a small tent then having to line up for two hours for food before going to bed for a few hours to be reawaken to learn how to fight and how to die.

 Squall turned away from the ocean disgusted. He remembered when Quistis brought a teen magazine she found that had been dumped here with a load rubbish that Galbadia had dumped. It was all about how to avoid school and letters about people being so unhappy because they were fat or because they didn’t have the most recent clothes or the boy they liked didn’t like them or they didn’t like their stepfather. Squall couldn’t help laughing when he saw it. What is wrong with being fat? I’d loved to be fat and I wear basically the same clothes everyday and I’d definitely be ok that the boy didn’t like me. What pathetic problems.

 “Squall”

 Squall turned his head slightly, “what?”

 “You’d better come back now they’re about to a roll call if you’re not there you’ll know what will happen.”

 Squall looked at her. It was easy to see with the light from the sunset hitting her face why the men thought Quistis was attractive. Her long blonde hair though unkempt was pretty and even though the skin was pulled tight over her cheekbones her face still had youthful elegance. He nodded slightly and got up.

 “Off we go then”

Squall picked up his gun blade and he and Quistis walked back to the camp. As they went they passed a pregnant woman carrying a wheelbarrow, she smiled to Squall but by doing so her grip slipped on the wheelbarrow and she dropped it. A guard hit her across the mouth. She fell over. There was a small pool of blood and she spat out a small sprinkling of teeth. Squall and Quistis walked on.

 A/N: This is just a taster I have no idea how people will react to this story or if they would like it so I’ve decided to post this and if some one likes it then I’ll keep writing.