Epilogue

Seven years later....

"She's beautiful."

Damien is laying next to me in bed, his arm around my waist, while I cradle the single most precious thing in my life.

Her brown eyes look about wonderingly, while her impossibly black curls are fuzzy and soft. A small fist encircles my finger, and I feel utterly blissful.

I don't even know how long I've waited, just to be happy and carefree at the same time.

Scratch that, I do know. I've waited seven years, ever since my eighteenth birthday, when I had blown out that candle and wished that someday, it would all work out.

It would all be perfect.
And in a sense, it came true.

The 'she' Damien mentioned is my first child, and my only one at the current moment. Only three months old, and she's already captured everyone's hearts.

Damien kisses me on the cheek, and I smile happily.

"We should go." I whisper. "The reunion is just in six hours, and it's a five hour drive to get there." Damien pulls a long face, and I laugh. "Come on, get up, lazy." I stand, taking my daughter with me, and go into the baby's room to lay her down for a quick nap. She's already sleepy, and falls asleep without crying, thank goodness. Then I hurry to the master bathroom to slip in a quick shower.

After the shower, I slip on a dress and high heels, then do my makeup and jewelry, clasping an old but still flawless, beautiful, and familiar golden locket around my neck.

When we're both dressed and ready, I go and dress the baby in an adorable little dress before going to fetch Auriela. Damien's job was successful enough that he could afford a sizable mansion with multiple rooms, maids, a cook, and a nice little guest house. Until she reached eighteen, Auriela was going to stay in the guest house, and come into the actual house for meals and whatnot. Being of age, I was her legal guardian, and having her around was a blessing. Whenever I needed a babysitter, she was always available.

She also loves art, like me. I take her into my studio and teach her what I know as the baby sleeps, and sometimes Auriela helps me when I paint different parts of our house and property.

Loading in the car, I got myself settle and buckled, while Damien starts the engine and pulls out of our driveway to begin the long drive to the reunion site.

The drive is long and boring, but I occupy myself with a book, while Auriela plays with the baby. When the car stops again, it's pretty late in the afternoon, but my heart soars when I look outside.

Tall, majestic trees surround a familiar little cabin whose windows are already bright and cheerful. As I climb out, I'm assaulted by a shrieking woman, who pulls me into a bear hug.

"OhmyGodI'msohappyyou'rehere!!!" she squeals, and I laugh.

"Good to see you too, Kate." I chuckle, and detach myself to unbuckle my daughter. "How are you and Weston?"

"He's an a*****e. We broke up a few weeks ago." Kate replied in an offhand manner, fussing over Auriela, who gave me a 'Help Me' look. I returned it with a 'Be Nice' look. Kate quickly moved on, nearly exploding when she saw the baby. "Oh my God! She is so cute!! Can I hold her?"

"Not until you've washed your hands. She's very susceptible to disease." I inform her, and smile as Damien puts his arm around my waist. The four of us enter the house, where cheerful voices greet us.

"Peter! How you been?" Damien immediately located his brother. "How's home life? Where's Seth?"

"He came down with a mild case of cholera. He's going to be released from the hospital next week, and he told me that I should still come." Peter explains, and Damien laughs.

"You know, I'm going to have to meet my brother-in-law someday, Pete."

"Oh, don't worry, you will." Peter assures him, then sees me handing off the baby to Kate's washed hands. "I hear I'm an uncle, correct?"

"Yes, sir. Born three months ago." Damien says proudly.

"She looks just like her mother." another woman coos, and I give her a hug.

"Sadie, it's so good to see you!!" I exclaim, and smile as another man appears by her side. "This must be Justin. How's the honeymoon so far?"

"Perfect." Sadie sighs, and Justin laughs.

"Phew! Good to know that I'm passing!" he jokes.

"You guys are all dating and stuff, and I feel left behind. I'm the only one besides Auri who hasn't reached their twenties!" Dexter complains, who has just turned sixteen. "I barely got Nanna to even let me come here alone!" Nanna was Dexter's grandma's sister-in-law, and she had been thrilled to discover Dexter was alive. The old but still sprightly woman had generously invited Dexter and Penny to come and live with her back in Britain, and the two siblings had happily accepted.

As for the rest of us, each one moved out of our little cabin when they reached age twenty, and moved to marry, get jobs, have kids, etcetera. Kate was the youngest of the 'twenties', having turned twenty a couple months ago.

"Don't worry, we can still have fun." Auriela plops down next to him. She'd never admit it, but Dexter is her idol. He went through a massive growth spurt, and towers over Auriela and her friends at five foot nine. That, plus his accent, lean build, and cute face, quickly led to Auriela's friends all having insane crushes on him, but Auriela sees him more as a big brother, and loves to call, text, and FaceTime him all the time.

"How's the business going?" Damien asked Alex, who was sitting with his fiance, Janice, on the couch. Alex had taken over a lot of Charlotte's assets, and then had used them to start his own business in computer technology. The company made millions every year, and Alex was very well off. Thanks to him being the big boss, the rest of us also got free electronics, like universal remotes, smart phones, and hundreds others.

"Good, same as always." Alex joked. "How's your business?"

"I get new customers every day, thanks to my new website." Damien pours himself a glass of wine. After I turned nineteen, I had dated a lot of guys, but ended up back with Damien, realizing we were meant to be together.

When he proposed, I immediately said yes, and he started a fitness business afterward to support us. Luck was with us, for his program quickly became very popular and very rich. People from all over the world followed his exercise regimens and diet plans.

"That reminds me; Seth and I need your help in creating our own website. We think it'll promote the arts better." Peter reminded Damien, and my husband nodded. Peter and Seth worked together in a traveling arts company that spread musical theatre, singing, dancing, painting, writing, and other creative outlets across the world. The two newlyweds had just returned from Africa on a tour, which is where Seth had probably picked up cholera.

"Speaking of the arts, guess who just got a role in Broadway!" Kate sang, and everybody gasped.

"What did you get?!?!" Sadie pressed.

"I got Eponine from Les Miserables! I'm on my way!!" Kate twirled happily. Everyone enveloped her in a group hug (except for me, because I was holding the baby). Kate had been working hard to finish college and be able to jump right into her dream job of acting. So far, everyone had worked hard, using an online high school system and finishing high school early, then earning grants and scholarships so they too could go to college (Alex used lots of Charlotte's money to cover the costs of college that the scholarships did not), and everyone had graduated with excellent scores. Dexter and Auriela, of course, had not yet gone to college.

As the party got louder and more relaxed with the wine, I snuck outside for some fresh air with my baby. It was almost too dark to see, but as I wander, I find my way to an old tree with a pile of stones around the trunk. Thanks to the shiny gold lettering, the words are still visible in the dark. I bend and trace the two names I miss the most, and my daughter burbles, reaching for the gray spheres. Slowly lifting a certain stone, I look at a small piece of fabric, with a circle sewn onto it. The circle is blue, and in the middle is a bold red 'X' of some sort, with each arm of the letter curving slightly. A single tear slips down my nose as I replace the stone and stand.

"I told you we'd meet again." I whip around to see Alantia, looking the exact same age and dressed in the same outfit that she had worn seven years ago.

"Alantia?" I ask, confused at her lack of growth.

"Of course." she says, irritated.

"But, you look the same.....and it's been seven years!"

"You humans and your time methods." she sighs. "Always have to have numbers, facts, and dates. Can you just accept that some things are beyond your comprehension?"

"What?"

"Never mind." she brightens. "I have something to show you." She snaps her fingers, and I'm suddenly back in that forest that Alantia had brought us to so long ago. It all seems so different; now I'm there with a baby on my hip. As I follow Alantia to the elevator, a thought suddenly appears.

"If you are on a higher plane of existence, how come you choose to make this place the way it is? Isn't there something better?" I ask.

"Again, comprehension is everything." Alantia replies coolly. "This is my sanctuary in the way you are able see it, not the way it is. If for some reason, you were able to glimpse its true state, I believe your brain would explode." I go silent, enter the elevator thing, and stand quietly as it begins moving.

When it stops again, I'm shown into a large hallway. Down the hallway, light shines out of a doorway, and voices murmur quietly. While Alantia approaches it, I begin to feel uneasy. Where is she taking me?

I reluctantly follow, then brace myself as I enter, but as soon as I see the inside, my jaw drops.

Children are milling about the room, and I do a quick head count, coming up with fourteen; seven boys, seven girls. A man is wandering about them, and I recognize him as the stranger who had surprised us the last time we'd been here. He spotted Alantia and walked up to her, smiling widely and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"This is Helike." Alantia tells me, blushing.

"I thought he was nobody." I said, amused.

"I take that offensively." Helike exclaims with mock indignation, and we laugh.

"I should introduce my 'prodigies', so to speak." Alantia claps her hands once, and the children immediately assemble in a line. I stare at what looks like seven pairs of twins, each set with a boy and girl.

Going down the line, the first pair looked like they were Asian, with black hair, pale skin, and slanted eyes. The second set both had auburn hair, green eyes, and smatterings of freckles. The third pair with blonde hair and bright blue eyes smiled happily, while the ones that greatly resembled Alantia with purple eyes and midnight black hair looked somber and serious. The fifth and sixth sets included a pair that looked like they were gypsies-dark complexions, dark hair, and sea green eyes-and the other with brown hair and gray eyes. The seventh pair even looked like Helike, with their dark complexions, eyes, and hair.

As Alantia began introducing them, each one nodded as their name was announced.

"This is Xandria, Lenario, Quinciera, Zenotax, Jenabrie, Axen, Reneria, Istobal, Cherriana, Dimitri, Kerlini, Tourai, Akira, and Meru." Alantia introduces proudly. "They are the future. Helike and I know that someday, we will reach full ascension, into forms of pure energy. That's when we decided to create our "children" out of the universe's many materials."

"That's great, but-"

"Look, Adri, I know I haven't treated you with the respect you deserved in the past. I was cynical and bitter, and felt like everything was beneath me. Helike and the children changed everything. I realized you knew something I didn't; you knew that you have to work with what you've got, and you can't just give up because your life is a little bit harder or easier than someone else's. I just wanted......to thank you."

"You're welcome, I guess....." I trail off, then pick up again. "Alantia, I know you didn't bring me here just to have me meet your family." I get to the point, shifting my daughter to my other hip.

"True." Alantia admitted, and led me through the playroom to a door. Helike and the children resumed whatever they had been doing as Alantia guided me through the door and into another hallway. A single door was at the end of it.

"This is most unusual, you must realize." Alantia tells me as we approach the door. "But I felt it would be fitting to have an understanding."

"About what?" I asked, and Alantia opened the door.

There sat Charlotte.

Instinct took over, and I began to backpedal as fast as I could with my baby.

"No, wait!" Charlotte pleaded, and her begging tone shocked me into stopping. I slowly turned to face the woman who was responsible for so many deaths.

"I'm here to...." Charlotte hesitates. "To apologize."

"Ummmm........what?" I check and make sure I'm hearing her correctly. "You? Apologize?"

"Look, I know what I did was wrong." Charlotte sighs sadly. "I killed so many.....and when I look back, for what? I wanted to create an equal race, and eliminating those who were born superior seemed like the best option at the time. Now, I realize I was just like Adolf Hitler. I killed without remorse, or guilt, and justified my actions with petty reasons. When I reached the power that allowed me to do practically anything, that's when I truly became insane, moving onto cruel and inhumane killing experimentation methods, and doing whatever it took to satisfy my own selfish wants.....like Alex and Oliver." She bowed her head in sorrow. "I know this doesn't make it right, but I.....I'm sorry." I stand there for a moment, absorbing the words, before speaking again.

"Accepted." I assure her, deciding to be the bigger person. "Everyone back home, too....they've all moved on."

"Alex, too?" Charlotte looks hopeful and relieved at the same time.

"Yes."

"Tell him-" her voice cracks. "Tell him that I love him, that I never meant to hurt him."

"I will." I feel slightly teary myself, and curse my post-preggo hormones. Alantia closes the door suddenly, and terrible screams emit from the door.

"Charlotte!" I pound on the door, but Alantia drags me away from the sounds of agony.

"She is paying a heavy price for coming back to speak to you." Alantia says quietly, and escorts me into the nursery, past the children and Helike, out the door, and into the empty hallway. "This is where we say goodbye." Alantia says quietly, and I embrace her. After a moment of shock, the hug is returned, and I whisper a thank-you into her ear.

We separate, smiling at each other, and Alantia raises her hand, but then lowers them again.

"By the way, your baby....." Alantia begins. "What is her name?" I smile.

"Alantia." I tell her. "But you knew that." Alantia only comes closer to stroke her namesake's cheek.

"I hereby bestow happiness, beauty, intelligence, and a long life upon your daughter." Alantia pronounces, then steps back. As I gaze at my daughter, I see a flash of purple flit across her eyes, but it is gone as soon as it appears, so I can't be sure that it was even there.

Alantia raises her hands again, and upturns her mouth in her enigmatic grin.

Snap.

Reviews

[Anonymous Girl]

AMAZING!! A-MA-ZING!!!
This is soooo good!! I couldn't stop reading until I was finished with it!!!
But I'm confused.. I can't get the end.. What happens there??
Its sooo amazing!!!
Keep writing.. I think you should write a sequel to it.. From Adri's daughter's point of view!
100/100

[Gina]

What was the snap part?

[SwagMaster]

Alantia snapping her fingers.

[Gina]

Yeah, I got a delayed thought process. Thank though, are you going to make more?

[SwagMaster]

No, I think that's it with this book:) Honestly, this book was too similar to Maximum Ride, a favorite book series of mine (copying other series is a big problem with me......I get so infatuated with a book, that I accidentally incorporate a ton of it into my own work). Thanks for the review!!!:)

[SwagMaster]

I will be sure to review you back tomorrow if not tonight:)

[Gina]

KK

[CrimsonBlaze]

Bravo :)) I really loved the ending and everything played out perfectly like a movie. I can' believe this hasnt got so much views!! I mean, this book is AMAZING!! And I really hope you do get it published because it's really good. Maybe when your school has an author meet you could show it to him/her or look for a publisher and editor cuz I seriously think this would be great if it was introduced to the whole world. Once I get into more animation techniques with ease, I'll try making short clips of the book when I'm older. Not to mention the fan art, I'll try finishing it all up in the summer and create more when I get my Wacom Pad :) I love this :)