Wings of Paper - Chapter 27

Epilogue

Alex is standing behind me, glaring at me as usual. Now she's telling me that she doesn't glare at me. She's telling me to stop writing this.

We returned home from the fictional world and apparently arrived in my room. I felt ... empty inside. Like part of me had been ripped away. Upon further inspection, only two minutes had passed since we had left for the fictional world. And yet I still felt weeks older.

Alex and I, well, we still had an English project due the next day. What had originally been on imagery, we now seemed to understand better than anyone. The characters were a little too lifelike. The scenes burned into our heads forever. It wasn't an experience I would forget easily.

As for Hailey, she threatened to tell my parents everything and some more (like that we were together, which was not true). I paid her twenty bucks for her silence.

When Alex left my house later that night, the project completed, I felt my muscles relax and my mind grow weary. When I finally went to bed that night, I cried. I cried because I had lost friends. Lost a world. Lost everything I had ever created.

We got an A on our project when we presented it the next day. The teacher said that our ideas of imagery were so clear. The character called Kenzie was so realistic. That we painted crystal clear pictures in her mind. She claimed it was like we had been to this world ourselves. We laughed nervously.

I'd like to say my life got better from there. But I was still the nerdy boy. The weird kid. Luke the Book Nerd.

At least now I had Alex on my side. She tried convincing me to publish my stories but when I found my notebooks again, the pages were blank. It was like I had never written in the first place.

"So start over," Alex suggested to me.

I nodded. A fresh beginning seemed like a good thing. And with Alex at my side, I began to write again. I actually put thought into what I did this time.

It was easier to write this time now that I knew the characters personally. And I did what they asked of me. I gave Kip more page time and helped him get to see Arya more. I pushed Hiro and Kenzie closer together. I gave Sadie a purpose and I decided to let Sammy see his mother one more time.

There was only one thing I had left to do...

Four Months Later

"Are you sure about this?" Alex asked, sounding skeptical. "I mean, they are our friends but..." she trailed off like she couldn't pick the word she wanted to use.

"It's time," I decided. "We've been working on this for months."

"So we can wait another day," Alex said. She looked uncomfortable. Probably because we were at her house. My parents weren't home and I didn't want to risk them finding out about my project. Especially my father.

I shook my head. "It's time."

Alex nodded once. I closed my eyes and pictured the whirling colors of a portal. Alex's gasp snapped me out of my daze.

"It worked," she exclaimed. "I thought your imagination didn't work outside the Fictional world." 

"I didn't either," I admitted. "But it was worth a try. And look, it worked!"

"Great," Alex mumbled, not sounding excited at all.

"Are you not happy?"

"I'm not ready to go back."

"Neither am I, really, but they'll be expecting us. I sent Hiro the message, he'll be waiting." If he got the message, of course. But I didn't say that.

Alex nodded. "We should hurry. My dad will be home in half an hour."

And with that we stepped into the portal. Only a moment later we arrived in the Fictional world.

The sky was blue. The sun shone brightly and I heard the sound of laughter from all over. There was no sign that the Darkness had ever existed in the first place. Then I saw the people.

Crowds of people were flocking to the newly built monument I had created. The statue depicted me and my friends standing to face a giant wave with a girl inside of it. Engraved in the bottom were the words we will fight with all we have in us. No one would know that I had created it, except Alex of course. She gave me the idea.

And at the front of the crowd I saw, well, I saw my friends.

I saw Kip and who I assumed was Arya walking hand in hand, two small children racing around their legs.

I saw Hiro and Kenzie walking side by side, a crown placed on Hiro's head and jewels dangling from Kenzie's neck. Both of them were smiling and they looked at ease with each other.

Sammy and Sadie were next to them, Sadie's curls adorned with a silvery tiara. And at Sammy's side was a ghostly figure that I guessed was his mother's spirit, reunited.

None of them recognized me, just like I assumed.

But all of them had brought with them what I asked. Hiro had received my message after all. In his hands, and in Kenzie's, and everyone else's, were golden lanterns lit with tiny flames.

Slowly, the lanterns were released into the sky until it was filled with the dim lights.

Never again the Darkness nearly destroy anything. I had learned from my mistakes - there would be no more fear of failure.

And for the first time in my life, I felt truly at home.

The people all turned to Alex and I, their eyes glinting with what they expected from us. I turned to address them as well. "I, my dear people, have come back to you. Some of you may know me as the Creator."

I shared a look with Alex. "And some of you may know me as Luke."

Memories flashed behind my friends' eyes.

Finally, Hiro stepped forward, a smile on his face "It's good to see you again, Creator. But I'm even happier to see my old friend, Luke."