"Excuse me sir, would you like to buy a flower?" asked the girl.  The man walking past hesitated for a brief second.
"Eh?" he asked, apparently distracted.
"A flower sir," the girl repeated, "They're only one gil each."  The man shook his head, and wordlessly continued walking down the street.  The girl sighed.
"Flowers like these can't be found anywhere else in the city," she said more to herself than than to anyone who might overhear, "Don't they realize what a bargain this is?"  She took a flower out of the basket she was holding.
"I'll show this to the next customer," she thought to herself, "Once they see the beauty of it…"  The flower was suddenly snatched out of her hand by a teenager running by.
"Thanks fer the flower, miss!" jeered the boy as he ran by.  The girl didn't react.
"You're welcome," she said quietly, long after the boy was out of sight.

It was not unusual for people to be walking around at hour.  The lower living sections of the giant city of Midgar were dark at all times of the day, the sun obstructed by giant metal plates hundreds of feet above the residences.  This was where the lower class of people lived and worked, in the slums of Midgar.  The city was famous around the world as a marvel of technology and comfort, but though the new modern conveniences of television, vehicles, and electric lighting were quite impressive, the living conditions were barely acceptable.  People had flocked to the great city when it was built, and as a result of the overpopulation, the slums had formed.  Giant smokestacks were commonplace in these sections of the city, as were piles of garbage.  The smell was bearable only because, after living there so long, one would cease to notice it.

But there was one place in the city where sunlight did manage to sneak in.  That was where the girl planted and grew her flowers.  It was her secret place, where she spent most of her days.  It was for this reason alone that she believed she had been able to keep her sanity all these years.

What still bothered her, however, was that couldn't see the stars…

>> Chapter One