snow | Page 9

of
the girl's skin frightened Aeris the most; the girl was as white as snow.
"Dear God..," Aeris muttered, finding her voice at last, "She's dead..and
yet..she's me! She looks like me!"
"Or rather, *you* look like her," corrected the same malicious voice, "You are
the image, she is the reality."
In an instant, the image melted away, leaving the mirror empty again.
"Who are you?" Aeris asked.
There was a stiffened hush for a few minutes. Aeris stared sternly at the
mirror, as if expecting to find an answer there.

"Who are you?!" she cried out, "SHOW YOURSELF!"
No sooner had she uttered those words, than a most horrific image popped up on
the mirror. A thin, sickly man in a tattered lab coat stared straight at her
mockingly. Aeris was dumbfounded by his flaring yellow eyes and slimy-green
skin that twitched incessantly. He greedily licked his lips, as if wanting to
devour her. Though his dull black hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail,
several strands literally sprang out and dangled defiantly infront of his gaunt
face.
Slowly, his thin lips curled upwards, displaying all his sharp, rotten teeth.
Aeris thought he was trying to smile.
She sat up in bed with a start and gasped for air. Clutching her chest, she
attempted to calm her throbbing heart, but to no avail; that nightmare had
frightened her out of her wits. It seemed so real to her..to real..
"Hey, you okay?" asked a gentle voice.
Despite the dimness of the room, Aeris noticed a young woman by her bedside,
bending over her with genuine concern. This woman had long, beautiful dark
brown hair and gazed kindly at Aeris with her bright honey-colored eyes. Aeris
was certainly surprised; she had thought she was alone in the room.
"Who..are you?" she asked confusedly.
"It's alright," replied the woman, sitting by her on the bed and holding her
hand coaxingly. She was eager to disperse any fear or mistrust Aeris had, "I'm
a friend...um..that is, I'm a friend of Vincent. My name's Tifa."

Tifa smiled good-humouredly, but Aeris merely stared with unconcealed
puzzlement.
When she realized that Aeris made no sign of recognizing her, Tifa stood up and
studied Aeris' face intently.
Yes, guessed Aeris tiredly, I know. She's like that man; she'll say that I'm
her friend...and that she knows me..but I can't remember anything! I don't
remember her either.
"This is so strange!" exclaimed Tifa, studying Aeris' with interest,
"Um..Vincent..he told you that you.."
"I..," interrupted Aeris indignantly, "..that Vincent says the strangest
things! And he won't explain anything to me, either! he's just stupid!! He says
that I should know him, but I don't! He says I died, but I'm alive! He says I
should remember everything, but I don't remember anything!!"
By the time Aeris finished, her eyes had welled up with frustrated tears. She
felt strangely angry at Vincent, as though he were somehow responsible for this
misfortune. Tifa quickly embraced her, trying to soothe her wrecked nerves with
gentle words.
"Shh...don't be too hard on Vincent, Aeris," she pleaded, "You should have
heard him when he phoned me. He was just as confused as you are now. Vincent
doesn't mean any harm. He..well..all of us are so shocked! See, you were a very
close friend of mine and Cloud. And all of a sudden, you
just.."

"Cloud?"
"Yeah, Cloud," Tifa repeated with slight uneasiness. She immediately recalled
how both girls had been undeclared rivals for Cloud's affections in the past.
Some strange feeling pricked Tifa's heart as she looked into Aeris' green eyes.
She couldn't quite explain what the sensation was.
"Is Cloud...another friend of mine?" Aeris inquired.
"Yes. Cloud, Vincent, me..we all want to help you."
Aeris looked down in silence.
"I'm sorry. I've been losing my temper a lot lately," she finally said.
"It's okay. You're only human."
That remark left a bitter tinge in Aeris' heart. She instantly recalled that
nightmare, and shuddered with disgust.
"You must be cold," commented Tifa, "here. I got you some clothes. I hope they
fit you."
"Clothes?"
"Well, yeah. You don't wanna go on wearing Vincent's shirt, do you? It's way
too big! And besides, what'll the poor guy wear?"
So, after some hesitation, Aeris at last agreed to wear the clothes Tifa had
brought her. As she quickly undressed, Tifa handed her a warm, long winter

dress. It fit her perfectly, although the sleeves were slightly too long for
Aeris' slender arms.
"Ah! That can be fixed!" smiled Tifa, folding the sleeves once. Now the dress
was flawless. Nevertheless, Aeris frowned with discomfort as she felt her new
clothes.
At least they're more decent than the one *he* gave me, she thought.
"Right," said Tifa with a brush in her hand, "do you want me brush your hair
now?"
"No, no, it's okay," replied Aeris, immediately edging away, "I can do that by
myself. Thank you."
Tifa discerned some uneasiness in Aeris' face and tone, so wisely decided to
"give the girl some breathing space". She nodded her head quietly, then walked
out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Aeris was left alone. She slowly picked up the brush Tifa had placed on the
bed, and searched the room until she discovered a small mirror hanging in a
corner. She