Chapter 11 Sweet Misery

Cody's POV (The Last Day)

July 5. That's what it says in bolded print on the newspaper. It has already been one week, and we still haven't found a cellphone battery. Perfect. Life is amazing! Not. I'm going to go extinct within twenty-four hours! Just great. Pfft. I clutched the small box in my hand. And a note attached to it. I sighed. A pair of hands suddenly covered my eyes. "Guess who?" asked a familiar voice.

"Uh..." I joked. The voice groaned in annoyance.

"Cody! It's me! Maria!" She exclaimed. I smiled and gave her a bear hug. We released each other and I held her hand.

"So...any luck?" She asked in hope. I shook my head. Tears filled up in her eyes, as they fell down her face and I wiped them away.

"Hey, ssh. Don't cry. Don't cry. Look! I got you something!" I hushed her and handed her the box with the note. The box looked similar to what Zack got for Maddie except in different colors.

She read the note over and over again a few times as hse smiled sweetly at me. I watched her as she opened the case containing the present. Her eyes watered, again. I took the necklace and clicked it into place around her neck. It read, 'Never forget the ones you love.' Boy, I've never been so in love...I think.

"Cody" She started. "Thank you so much...this just makes it so much harder for me to let you go..." I hugged her as she cried staining my shirt.

"I love you." I whispered in her ear.

Zack's POV

I blew it. I lost Maddie, I can't wait to get erased from the face of this earth. I don't want to be in depression anymore...I wonder what life is like without me or Cody. Would Mr. Moseby actually be genuinely kind to children? Would mom still be with dad? All these questions entered my mind and quickly left as I felt a breeze rush through my hand. I'm in the closet, but the fan isn't on. Why would there be a breeze? I brought my hand to my face. Ah! What happened? I hid my hand in the long-sleeved shirt and rushed out of the closet to find Cody. I figured he'd be at the lobby with Maria. I was right.

"Cody." I said. He didn't hear me. " Cody!" I said louder. He turned around.

"What?" He hissed. Maria came up behind him as I revealed my hand, my fingertips were slowly disappearing. Maria's face turned into a look of horror, Cody looked awestruck.

"What's happening to me?" I asked. I covered up my hand again.

"You're becoming erased. I'll be erased after you since you're born before me..." He explained simply.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no, NO! We have GOT to find that battery!" exclaimed Maria. She ran off elsewhere and started asking people for cellphone batteries which no one would give to her.

Maria's POV

Oh my gosh! No! This can't be happening! This can't be happening! Zack has already started to dissolve and my Cody is next. How cruel is life? I frantically searched high and low for a cellphone battery, asking people if they had a spare battery. Many people stared at me as if I were crazy, little kids began to ridicule me for my behaviour, like I cared right now. Minutes later, I had given up hope and locked myself in my suite room crying to myself. I heard a knock on the door, my crying ceased not wanting to be found. "Maria?" questioned the person. I sat in silence hugging my knees to my chest.

"I know you're in there. Look, I know you may be really sad right now but if today is the last day of Cody's existence then why not make it memorable with him?" stated Maddie. That was all I needed to hear. I scrambled myself to my feet and walked over to the door to open it. Maddie's eyes looked red and puffy as well. She has also been crying. I took my cousin into my arms and gave her a hug. Something we both needed right now. She pulled away and I wiped the last tear on my cheek and took a deep breath. I was about to go and spend the rest of the day with Cody, but I held back for a moment. I spun my head around to come face to face with her. "What about you?" I asked. She knew I meant what would she do with Zack. She shrugged and pushed me out the door. I knew she was silently supporting me.

I ran off to the closet and opened it to find Zack hiding. "I don't have a lot of time left." whispered Zack. Both his hands had dissolved into nothing. I sighed and gave him hug. I heard shuffling from the machine.

"Cody?" I asked. He stood up and I gave him a hug. I grabbed his hand. "Come on, we may as well have fun with the time we have left." I smiled.

Normal POV

Maddie felt like a piece of heart was missing. So many questions and thoughts went through her head. She groaned in frustration. Why didn't he tell her? She still questioned herself with that. She hit her forehead against a wall and she jumped onto her bed. Her face in her pillow, she screamed a loud scream. It wasn't too loud. She sat in her bed and looked at the necklace that hung around her neck. Maddie bit her lip as if realizing something, suddenly she actually smiled. She got out of her bed and was going to go out. Her mom walked into the room. "Honey, I heard you scream! Something wrong, dear?" She asked.

Maddie shook her head. "Nope." Was all she said as she walked out of the suite.

Zack slouched in the chair he sat in. He felt so empty, probably because he was dissolving into thin air. He mumbled something inaudible. His right hand had gone long ago, his left hand was at the brink of nothing. The door opened and there someone stood.

Maddie's POV

Funny, the advice I gave Maria was the advice I should have listened to as well. My heart started beating harder as I hesitantly swung the door open to find a broken looking Zack. "Hey..." I started. He sat slouched in his chair. "I...I-I'm sorry Zack. I should have understood the whole situation and handled my reaction more maturely."

"I'm sorry too. For not telling you. We made mistakes, heck, we're only thirteen." apologized Zack. I giggled softly. I noticed his hands were gone and his feet were slowly becoming invisible. My eyes teared up a little.

He finally got up and limped towards me to hug me. "Hush, it's okay." He comforted. Cody and Maria returned to the room. They smiled at me and Zack.

I pulled away from the hug and smiled warmly at everyone. I remembered why I had also come here. My hand reached into my pocket and pulled out my sidekick. I gave my cellphone to Cody. Maria gasped and squealed in delight. "I completely forgot you had a cell! Mads, you're my hero!" She hugged me tightly as Cody thanked me and hooked up the battery to the machine. The machine quietly roared back to life.

We all were so happy. I would see Zack again in the future. Suddenly I realized that this would be our last goodbye. My congratulating died down. "Maddie, don't worry. I'll always be in here!" exclaimed Zack as he patted the area where my heart is. I nodded. I hugged and Cody while Maria said goodbye to Zack. Then I turned to say bye to my Zack.

"So, I guess this is it." He stated.

"Yeah, I guess it is...Zack?"

"Yeah, Mads?" He replied. I held up my necklace he gave me and kissed it.

"I love you too." I whispered for only him to hear. I leaned in and we kissed! His soft gentle lips on mine. The best moment of my life. It wasn't exactly what I had imagined my first kiss to be like, but I didn't care. We hugged for the last time.

Zack and Cody entered the machine and I held onto Maria who was crying. Through the glass I saw Zack mouth, 'I love you.' and I threw him a blowing kiss. Within seconds, they were gone without a trace. Then my tears cascaded freely down my face.

Someone heard Maria's sobs and had opened the closet door. I wiped away my tears quickly. There stood a boy with short blonde hair and looked about ten years old. Instantly, my face lit up as the boy greeted us. "Hi. My name is Zack."

So, what did you guys think? This is THE last chapter. Unless, you guys want an epilogue! Let's say, if I get at least 10 reviews from you guys then you get an epilogue! How does that sound? Thanks for reading people! Please R&R!

- SSPxR