AHEM..ATTTENTION EVERYONE...JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS...I OWN NONE OF THIS...THIS GOES TO THE LUCKY BEING OF LIBBA BRAY..WHO IS SUCH GENIUS THAT SHE HAS SPARKED THE IMAGINATION OF THOUSANDS OF GIRLS ....
Kartik POV
After the End
It hurt for a few seconds, then nothing. And that's the scary part. There's a certain feeling of dread that starts from the bottom of your stomach, and then creeps its way to your heart. There's a bright light, so bright my head spins, and my stomach flops. And I don't even care.
"Gemma …" I hear whispers. Her name echoes in my head, and that's the only thing I want, is her. But then I remember why I did it. I did it for Gemma, my Gemma.
The bright light does strange things to me; it makes me feel like I'm floating on air, almost as if I'm made of the wind itself.
And suddenly, scenes of my life flash before me.
I am in India, and I see my home, the small cottage that was so warm, so close. I feel the heat, but then the light takes my home away and the scene changes. I am with my brother, Amar and I are walking in the streets of India. The ocean glittering in the distance, and there is a red haired woman, and green eyes stare up at us. Gemma's mother.
And when my brother moves aside to whisper words into the mother's ear, Gemma is left in front of me. This, I remember, is the first time I set my eyes on lovely Gemma. My heart thumps louder, and I almost believe that I'm alive again. But then, I'm not.
The white light takes my Gemma away, along with her mother and Amar. And I am left alone in the light.
I watch as colors swirl around me, creating a picture of the realms. And I recognize the Caves of Sighs, I see Gemma, I see myself. I see our dream we shared. And suddenly I ache, regretting for the first time, letting the tree of all souls take me as a sacrifice. But then I picture Gemma dying, and I know what I did was right.
I see her face, her beautiful face…and I reach my hands to touch her. But then the light steals her from my grasp once more.
Now I'm floating, and I become as lighter than air itself. And then the oddest sensation comes over me.
I have no body. Is this the afterlife? I find myself wondering, the feeling of not owning something to move? The feeling of not having a body is not necessarily uncomfortable, just …different.
Then I hear the whispers again,
"Gemma…" But they don't stop; they keep repeating her name, over and over. And I am close to madness.
"Gemma…, Gemma…, Gemma…"
Please, Please, I find myself begging. Stop! I did what I knew was right!
My silent pleads turn to spoken words, then build up to a scream. But before my lungs can let out any air to yell, my guilt takes form into a shape, a human shape. The figure walks towards me. Slowly at first, then quickly, then whoever it is, is running towards me.
And I feel I must run away, but my feet are glued to the floor. And my guilt turns to fear. And the whispered voices continue at a rapid pace, keeping time with the man's running steps.
"Gemma…Gemma…Gemma... Gemma…"
The man runs faster yet.
"Gemma, Gemma, Gemma, Gemma."
My scream longs to break free, but I swallow it, my legs still immobile.
"Gemma, Gemma, Gemma."
Suddenly I am close enough to see his face. And suddenly there's sweet victory, a sweet reunion.
Seeing my brother returns my body back to me, I can feel my arms, my legs, my chest, my head, every part of me I can remember last.
"Amar," I whisper. And it is truly him, his full face, curly hair, my familiar brother.
"Hey, brother Kartik," He says softly, but with a smile.
Amar, and I just stare at each other, we say nothing. But nothing seems to be enough.
Seeing my brother, I know exactly who I am.
"What you did was brave, Kartik." He says, taking a step closer. "You saved Gemma's life."
I nodded. I am not proud, I am sad, because I know I will never see Gemma again.
I use my voice to ask, "Will I ever see her again?"
"Not in person."
"What do you mean?"
"You are a guardian rebel now" He explains.
"A what?"
"Rebels are the dead, living in the empire. Mortals call them angels."
"And this empty place is the Empire?" I guess.
"Nay, this is the gate to the empire."
"The gate," I confirm.
When he doesn't answer, I shake my head, hoping to clear it, "But you still didn't answer my question. Will I ever see Gemma Doyle again?"
"Each Rebel is given a mortal person to look over, you have been given Gemma." He tells me. "Its your job to look over her once again, only this time… you are much more powerful than her, despite the power that the realms have given her."
"Will I see her again brother?" I ask firmly and almost grim.
"Yes, but she will be human, and you won't be," he says helping me to understand.
"Will you join me?"
"No, but when your job is finished, we will live in the same place."
"For how long?"
"For all eternity, from the beginning to the very end, and back again," his tone is mysterious and quiet. We say nothing then, and I don't even try to understand,
I think this is heaven, but this is too confusing, so I know I'm not in 'the empire' as the Amar put it.
Amar. This is when I know my real and true brother is in front of me. It hits me like the first ray of dawn.
Amar seems to understand. He takes another step and opens his arm.
Like I did when I was small, I practically race to him. And finally I found my brother, the part of me that was missing.
But just when I place another part of me back in place, the other half stays with her.
With Gemma.
