Shera's Diary

Chapter One

Naiveté

By Kristen Gupton-Williams

Dear Diary,

I suppose this is a little… immature of me, being twenty-two years old and still writing in this thing. Some things just become habit, though, and since today was an important day, I might as well write it down while it's still fresh in my memory. It's not like anyone is ever going to read this anyway.

Today was my graduation from college. That's right! I got my degree in aeronautical engineering! Thank God it's over-- not that I didn't like college, I did, but the outside of class party life that my classmates enjoyed just wasn't for me. Then again, I'm the only one there that graduated that program in under four years, which probably is directly related to the fact I didn't join them in their nightly drinking.

I hope I can find a job fairly quickly. In the meantime, I'm taking an internship with Shin Ra. I'm basically going to be nothing more than an over glorified receptionist there, but it might just get my foot in the door and if all goes well, I might just get a position there as an engineer in their fledgling space program sometime in the future.

That would be wonderful. Rumor has it that Captain Cid Highwind is going to be the first man in space. We studied many of his ships in school, in particular, his innovations in lift engine design and fuel efficiency. I admire him after all I've read, even though I've never personally met him. It's hard to imagine how much he's done in his life, even though he's only four or five years older than me. It makes me feel wholly inadequate compared to someone like that. He must be a genius. Who knows, maybe I'll work with him someday?

Yeah, keep dreaming, Shera, right?

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Dear Diary,

I'm unbelievably excited! I'm like a kid at Christmas right now! I've been working as an intern at Shin Ra now for five months and today… today my manager told me that I had really shown a lot of aptitude for things and that they want to promote me to the engineering department of the space program! But wait, it gets better!

I'm being relocated to Rocket! That's right! I'm going to work with the team building the Shin Ra 26!!! I can't get my mind around this! I'm just going to be a low ranking member of the team but I don't mind! It's going to take well over a year before the rocket is completed and ready to go but…

God, I'm so excited I'm shaking as I'm writing this. I never would have imagined I'd be doing this. I'll be able to finally meet Captain Highwind since he lives there and is overseeing the entire project. I'm sure my contact with him will be limited since I'm just a newbie there with a lot to learn, but still!

In my field, he's a celebrity and I just… I have a confession to make. From the pictures that I've seen of him, I think he's gorgeous. Cuter than that boy, Lee, that was on the water polo team way back in high school! Of course, Lee never gave me the time of day but he still was the class hottie, wasn't he?

Well, my friend is here to take me out for a celebratory drink! Bye for now!

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Dear Diary,

I'm finally settled into my apartment that the company is paying for in Rocket. I'm only about two blocks from the work site so it's really convenient to get to there. It's such a pretty town… It's spring right now and the snow on the mountains just a short ways off is starting to melt and everything is green. This town is absolutely full of people that are all working on this project. That being said, it's been really easy to make friends since we all have that one thing in common. Hey, who knows? Maybe there's even hope for a nerdy girl like me to finally find a boyfriend around here? Keep dreaming, Shera!

I've still not seen Captain Highwind, though. Turns out, the man seems to be a little less spectacular than the legend. A lot of the people here that have worked with him don't seem very willing to discuss what the captain is like when I've asked. There's an overwhelming sense of intimidation around him, it seems. Then again, a man like that who has got to have a lot on his mind is probably entitled to be a little socially retarded. Heck, who am I to judge someone else's social graces?

Though it's only been about three weeks since I got here, my supervisor here said he's impressed with my work. He says one of the higher engineers in the program is going to retire next month and he's going to recommend me to take his place! This is just mind boggling. Life is moving fast since I got out of school. I guess all that studying really is going to pay off. He said I've taken to this rocket project like a duck to water.

If I do get that position, I will be working directly under the supervision of Captain Highwind himself. I will admit, I'm nervous. We'll see if I even get that promotion before I get my hopes up.

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Dear Diary,

I got the promotion! It came through a few days ago for me but I've been too busy since then to write about it. I cleaned out my old workstation on Thursday and moved to my new office, you got it, I have an OFFICE! It's right next to the captain's house.

I finally saw him in person, too.

It scared the ever-living hell out of me.

I turned on my computer, and got to work on the schematics for the oxygen system on the spacecraft. I was completely engrossed in what I was doing. I mean, the plan for the tanks… I can't really explain it, and I know it was all designed by someone far brighter than I, but there just seems to be something not quite right.

Anyway, I was oblivious to anything around me and I never heard anyone enter my office. I was brought out of my trance when the sudden and overwhelming smell of cigarettes hit me. Then, someone reached around from behind me, grabbed the edge of my desk and leaned over me.

I think I might have screeched a little… but I looked up and saw Captain Highwind leaning over me, looking at the computer screen. He seemed completely unfazed with the fact he had just scared ten years off of my life, but when I realized who he was, I grew even more nervous.

Sitting there, I think I just continued to look up at him blankly like an idiot while his eyes remained on the screen, narrowing as he seemed to commit to memory what was there. I didn't dare say a thing… words would have failed me anyway.

And… like the pictures of him had indicated, I did appreciate how attractive he was, even if just a tad older than me. There I go again…

He straightened back up after a few moments and then brought his eyes down to me. They are really a pretty blue, for the record.

I probably seemed completely retarded to him.

"So, you took Morris' place, huh?" he asked me curtly.

I think I nodded or I might have uttered some slight affirmative.

The captain nodded in response, rubbed his nose briefly on the back of his left hand, and scowled down at me. "Well, try and be less of a fuck up than him, okay?"

I had managed to learn from the others in town that when Captain Highwind spoke, he tended to be a little crude with his language so I wasn't entirely surprised. I was too overwhelmed to be near him to honestly have cared anyway.

I told him I was going to give it all I had and smiled.

That seemed to appease him on some level and he cleared his throat with a grunted, "Yeah," and walked out.

So much for my grand first encounter with the man of myth. God, he probably thinks I'm just as lame as could be.

I think this is one of those nights I'm going to help myself to a little bit of that wine I still have in the cabinet. Maybe I can think of something better to say to the captain the next time I see him.