This is the second (or alternate) ending. One of my most creative chapters. Now you can use either ending to your liking. This completes this story, which I enjoyed writing very much. Maybe one day I'll go back and edit out mistakes in previous chapters. I have some other ideas for SLOD stories, so be on the lookout. Again, try to ignore and goofs that you see. Review if you like - lol.
Alternate Ending
April 14th, 2011
It had been two days since anybody had seen London or Zack, and Moseby was getting very worried. They hadn't showed up for class the first day (nothing new), but as they day passed, nobody had seen them, and when the second day rolled around with no sight of the two, everyone began to worry.
Currently, Moseby and the gang were sitting in Tutweiller's classroom discussing ideas as of what to do next. Moseby's walkie-talkie went off, where he picked it up. "What is it?"
"There's a visitor here at the front desk sir," Kirby's voice was recognizable, "She's asking for you or Cody."
"Not now! Can't you see we're dealing with a crisis?" Moseby answered irritably.
"I know," Kirby said, "But I think you want to take this one. She says she has information that'll help clear up the situation."
"Fine. Escort her over." He clicked the device off.
"This is a ship," Tutweiller started, "There's only so many places they could be."
"But we've flipped this place upside-down—it's like they fell off the face of the Earth," Cody said, and it was clearly evident he was worried about his brother.
"What's weird," Bailey said, "Is that we tried calling their phones, but the message says their numbers don't exist."
Moseby just sighed heavily. Just then, Kirby entered with the visitor, causing him to turn. Everyone was clearly surprised to see the figure standing with Kirby.
"London…?" Moseby half asked, half said. Something didn't feel right. The woman looked exactly like her, except a year or two older. And where was Zack?
She carried a large brown box with her. "I get that from everybody," she said, and now everyone's expressions mirrored Moseby's confused one. "I'm looking for Marion Moseby or Cody Martin."
"Uh, y-yea, that's us," Cody answered just as skeptical.
"My name is Brenda Song," the young woman said, "Actually, now you mention it, my great-grandmother was London Martin."
"This isn't funny London," Moseby said, beginning to get angry, "Where the hell have you been? And where's Zack?"
The woman just sighed. "The last journal said this would be tough to sell, and damn was she right. Thing is, I've never met her or my great grandfather Zack, but I've learned loads about them after reading all of these journals. She wrote about you guys in past-tense, so it's kind of weird to see you all sitting here right in front of me."
"Just what exactly are you talking about? Journals?" Cody said, clearly not knowing what to believe anymore, just the same as everyone else in the room.
"Look," the woman reached into the box and retrieved a notebook, which was marked 'Read First!' on the front, "I didn't believe any of it either, especially since my mom and grandma told me she basically went crazy after the death of Zack in 1982. But I've read all of these journals, which took almost two years, and the last entry is as clear cut as the very first one, and I've come to reason that London never was crazy at all. Although I had a tough time reading her handwriting, which strangely is in calligraphy."
"So you waltz in here and expect us to believe that your great grandparents are Zack and London? What proof do you have to this outlandish claim?" Tutweiller exclaimed, clearly not believing a word this imposter was trying to sell. Everyone else in the group nodded their heads in agreement.
"I know this sounds crazy, but at least read the first journal. It describes her and Zack's trip on the Titanic. And if you still don't buy into it after you've read through it, just Google their names. That's what I had to do," said Brenda, who was calm as ever.
The Titanic? Now everyone in the room was confused beyond reason. Nothing at the moment made any sense.
Moseby reached for the journal which Brenda had brought out and gingerly opened it up to the first page, where he read aloud.
July 4th, 1984
'To whoever this may concern, you're probably wondering why the hell you're even reading this. And frankly, I'm still wondering why I am even able to tell you any of this. But this volume and the others proceeding it present the details of my and Zack's life from the sinking of the Titanic on.
'We've come to accept that our old lives are over, but the new lives we were given were nothing short of an amazing adventure. We've lived wonderful lives, but unfortunately, Zack passed away two years ago, and I know I will be joining him very soon. We have no regrets about our lives—it's just that it started in the most unexpected way.'
'Again, to whoever is reading this, I'm giving you the task of delivering the content of this box to either Marion Moseby or Cody Martin, who should either be aboard the SS Tipton or the Tipton Hotel in Boston. Now, it is absolutely imperative that this is not done before April 12th, 2011, for your very existence could depend upon this. You'll probably find that they'll be very grateful to receive this, as it'll answer many (if not all) of their questions.'
"I've always wondered why it was so important to wait after the 12th. What's the difference if I gave you this when I first found it?" asked Brenda.
"That's when they went missing," Cody spoke up. "Theoretically, if any of this is true, then by showing up even a day too early could've ruined the timeline, as Zack and London could have possibly never ended up like they did. That's just speculation though, because three days ago, you didn't exist to us and they were standing right here live and in color."
Moseby just frowned. "I don't know what to believe anymore, but I'm going to read what's in this book, which will hopefully give us some insight on to what the hell is exactly going on." He cleared his throat and began to read aloud again.
'It all started on April 12th during one of Moseby's boring parties…'
"See! I told you your parties sucked!" Woody exclaimed, earning chuckles from everyone except Moseby.
Eight hours later
'Jack, Rose, Zack, and I stared up at the Statue of Liberty not knowing what the rest of our lives would bring us. But yet we were perfectly content with that, knowing it would be alright in the end.'
After Moseby finished, nobody spoke for several minutes. It was nearly three in the morning now, but everyone had been too engrossed in the story to care about the time.
"My god…" Tutweiller finally spoke, a tear running down her face, "I can't even begin to imagine what they went through."
"I believe every word of it," Cody said, who had been silent the whole story while everyone else commented throughout, "Nobody in their right mind could ever make something like this up." He had never loved his brother as much as he did until this moment. He was now the man Cody himself aspired to be.
"There's still one missing piece. This still doesn't explain what they were doing there in the first place!" noted Marcus.
"Wait—there's more," Moseby flipped the page.
'You're probably wondering why this doesn't explain how or why we're here. But I can't give you that answer because neither I nor Zack know. And to be honest, I don't think we want to know. The only thing that does sadden us is that we won't be able to witness our family with the hotel and the ship live out their lives. But we both know that you'll eventually move on without us and live long fulfilling lives.'
'Furthermore, you're maybe wondering why Zack hasn't written any journals? Well that's simple; he was always too damn lazy to remember to put the parking brake on the fucking car (our house is on a hill), so what makes you think he'll bother to even pick up a pen? (Sorry, my vocab has become quite vulgar—a product from being around Zack for too damn long…hehe). Although I do talk about him a lot—he is my husband after all!—he never knew these journals existed.
"There are probably at least three journals of nothing but Zack, and probably the same amount talking about you guys." Brenda reached into the box and pulled out many more journals. "There are 54 in all. The one you're reading is actually her last one. She died two weeks later at the ripe young age of 92."
"Uh guys…" Bailey was sitting in front of her laptop, "I decided to look them up. And if this doesn't convince you, nothing else will." Cody looked as Moseby then made his way behind Bailey as did everyone else, wanting to see what she found.
"Okay, so I googled both of their names, and the first thing that came up was the Titanic. After a little digging, I found this," she pulled up a page. "They're names are listed among the survivors—see that?" she pointed to the screen, and they all saw the two names: 'London Coraline Virginia Tipton' and 'Zackary James Martin'.
"I even managed to find a picture of them that's in color." She then pulled a picture, and everyone gasped.
"That's them." Cody realized there was now no doubt in his mind. He knew his brother when he saw him, past or present.
"And that's London—I'd recognize her even if I was blind." Moseby then added seeing two others in the picture, "That's must be their friends Jack and Rose."
"It is," said Brenda. "London mentions them a lot in her journals, saying they were all attached to each other. Matter of fact, Rose went on to live the longest and died in 1997. Jack died around the same time Zack did."
"There are thousands of articles on them, but I came across something really strange." They all looked at Bailey, not knowing how things could get any stranger. "You sure you want me to tell you this?'
"Yes damn it!" Cody exclaimed, wanting to get to the bottom of this.
Bailey sighed heavily. "Well, according to the internet, and more importantly history, it says that Mr. Tipton has no children. I thought it was an error, so I dug even deeper, but there's nothing to indicate that London was even born in 1990 like she was supposed to be. The same goes with Zack. Basically, there's no record of them at all after 1984."
"So what are you saying?" said Maya.
Bailey sighed even deeper than last time. "The London and Zack that we've come to know never existed."
Nobody said a word as they let this possibility, and they all knew it—truth—sink in.
"So…they're gone forever." Moseby said. It wasn't a question.
"No. They do exist, but now only in our memories and throughout history…" Cody trailed off, filling the room with silence. Nobody kept the time as they sorted through their own thoughts, but one by one, somebody left the room either to sleep or be alone. Eventually, Cody, Moseby, and Brenda were the only ones left in the room.
"So you're the famous Marion Moseby and Cody Martin," Brenda said, taking a seat and looking out the window, where the sun was actually beginning to rise. It was now 5am.
"That's us," Moseby said, also taking his own seat, as did Cody.
"She had a lot to say about you two—especially Marion." Brenda recalled reading about him through London's journals. She nearly filled a whole book writing about him.
"She loved you more than her actual father." Brenda resumed, looking at Moseby's face for a reaction.
After a short silence, he said, "I know."
"And your brother—" she turned to Cody, "He loved you as well. London says he frequently talked about you being his idol."
Pride swelled in Cody's chest, and he smiled for the first time in nearly three days.
Brenda flashed her own smile, but it disappeared when she turned back towards Moseby. "You look sad."
"It's tough…I did love her like she was my own daughter. I've known her for her whole life. Hell—I taught her more things than her own father ever could. And no matter what she did, I was always proud of her. And now she's gone…" Cody and Brenda knew the man was taking the absence of London harder than everyone else. "I'll take me a long time, but I'll eventually get over it."
"So will I," added Cody, putting a hand on Moseby's shoulder for comfort.
Brenda smiled and let them be for a few minute before pressing on. "So, what are you guys going to do now?"
Moseby and Cody turned and looked at each other.