So here it is, the last chapter of Alex's Story. I feel kinda sad that it's over, but I feel like I've come a long way as a writer and as a story-teller through this story. I want to thank all my reviewers for their encourgement and the inspiration they gave me. I couldn't have done it without you guys. I really appreciate all the reviews. This is the first story I've had to break 100 reviews and I'm honored enough people liked it to get it past that 100 mark. XD So without further ado, the last chapter of Alex's Story:


Chapter 26/Then Came Hope

I knew I was still unconscious and dreaming. The reason I knew that was because of two things. One: there was no pain, and two: that girl was there again. With the scraggly blonde hair that I remembered, she looked at me with her big blue eyes and smiled.

"What?" I asked, looking around and seeing nothing but blackness. "Why are you here? I don't have any more questions. Well, except whether or not Sky High is still standing, er, floating. And that doesn't really matter if I'm dead." I frowned slightly. "Am I dead?"

The girl laughed at me. "No, you are not dead. And Sky High is not either. And I am not here because of a question you have currently, but because of a question you had many years ago."

I had plenty of questions many years ago. I wished she would just get to the point and quit being so dang cryptic.

"He is alive."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"David. Your brother? He's alive."

There was a beat. I was totally confused.

"The police saw him dead."

"The police saw what he wanted them to see."

"Who? My dad?" My thoughts were spinning around me and I tried to grasp on to one that made even remote sense. "Did my dad get a David look-alike or something to shoot his brains out? Why would he do that?"

The girl laughed again. That didn't help the situation at all. "What's so funny?" I growled.

"You are," she told me plainly. "You see what you want to see. And what you see isn't always what is."

"Do you want to grow up and be a lawyer or something? Because you'd be good at it."

"You'll be reunited soon," the girl answered without a blink or a twitch.

"If you're talking about me and my dad, you're lucky I'm unconscious."

She just laughed again and then faded off into the blackness. I gritted my teeth, wishing she would stop doing that: leaving just when I needed her to answer a question directly. By that time however, pain began to invade my senses. Groaning softly I felt a weight lift off my eyelids and slowly I opened them, blinking owlishly in the light of the hospital room. I looked down the length of the bed and saw that I was all in one piece. Looking to my left I could see why. Ana Lucia was there, resting her head on her arms and her arms on the bed.

I cleared my throat lightly and her head jerked up.

"Alex!" she cried, flinging herself across the bed to hug me awkwardly around the IV and short metal barriers.

"Ow," I muttered, a sharp pain exploding in my side. She moved back quickly.

"Sorry, I forgot about your ribs."

"Broken?"

"I'm afraid so."

I looked at her, and she looked at me. Tentatively I reached for my Empathy powers to see if she was upset at me for leaving. However I found I was powerless. For a moment I panicked. But then I wiggled my feet and realized I had power-neutralizers around my ankles. I guessed it was hospital policy or something for patients to be powerless. Just in case they got violent. So they wouldn't throw the nurses through the wall. Made sense.

Oh great, I was thinking in short sentences. That meant I was nervous. Nervous about seeing Ana Lucia again. Nervous about what she might be feeling.

Her face screwed up like she was trying really hard not to cry. "I missed you, Alex," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I . . ." (come on Alex, just say it!) "missed you too." I swallowed hard, turning my eyes down onto the white blanket covering me. Glancing up at her surreptitiously, I opened my mouth to say something when suddenly the door burst open and a group of people come in.

Stronghold and his friends, and then Violet, Akira, Kristi, Karl, and Richard. They surrounded my bed, all talking at once, all carrying Get Well Soon balloons (cheesy, but thoughtful), and all looking happy to see me. I notice a couple people missing though.

"Where's Peter, Charlie, and Arnold?" My question however, was lost in the babble. I decided to let it slide for now. I could grill Violet later.

Akira came up and punched me in the shoulder. Hard.

"Ow!" I rubbed my shoulder and scowled at her.

"That's for getting yourself injured," she told me flatly. Then suddenly she grabbed my face in her hands and planted a big wet one right on my mouth. I let her, knowing it was mostly for show. A couple of the others (mainly Violet, Magenta, Zach, Kristi, and Richard) began whooping when the kiss went on longer than the split second it had lasted in the control room. My face was beet red I'm sure.

She pulled away after what felt like an eternity. "That was for not dying," she told me.

"Uh, thanks?" I tried, wondering if I would be scarred for life now. I had had so many impromptu and unexpected kisses I wasn't sure I wanted to know what a real one would be like.

"You're welcome," Akira said, giving me a cheeky smile and a waggle of her fingers in a wave goodbye as she melted back into the sea of faces around me.

Richard shook his head slowly. "Man, I swear you were dead in my vision. I must not have seen the part where Ana Lucia saved you." He nodded to the girl who still stood closest to me.

"Yeah, she's good for that," I said with a small smile. "Saving my butt I mean." I looked over at Ana and we shared a sad, knowing grin full of reconciliation. I then caught a glimpse of Violet, watching us with calculating eyes. What was she thinking about?

"It's good to have you back, dude," Zach said, bobbing his head up and down.

"Yeah it was weird but I actually missed your 'not-there' presence," Magenta said, speaking slowly and frowning as though she was confused.

"You can't believe the stories that were flying around when it was discovered you were actually in Royal Pain's Academy," Ethan said, shaking his head as though in disbelief. I had to cringe.

"But it's all forgiven now," Layla was quick to say. "And we're glad you're back." She gave me a warm, friendly smile and I wondered why I had never really noticed how nice she was before. I could not help but smile back.

"And I'm going to turn myself in," Kristi said quietly and the chatter around me quieted down as everyone turned to look at her. I noticed Warren's gaze was more intense than the rest. She ducked her head and stared at the ground. "It was wrong what I did and people died because of it. I deserve whatever consequences will come of it."

"But your cousin . . .?" I said hesitantly.

"Bobby is going to be safe. There's this other superhero academy that's more like a private school that he'll be going to. Apparently he has ice powers too. Who would have thought?" And Kristi Drake shook her head and smiled slightly, seemingly resigned with her fate.

"I hope they're not too hard on you," I said softly.

"Me too," she replied with a sad grin.

"It is good to have you back, Alex," Lash said, and rubbed the back of his neck. I knew it was not his thing to step out of his way to be nice to someone like me, so those few words coming from him was more than I could have hoped for.

"Thanks Lash, it's good to be back," I said and I meant it too.

Just then a nurse came in and saw everyone. "Oh you're not supposed to all be in here!" she exclaimed. "There are rules! Regulations! The fire marshal would have a fit if he saw this. Out! Out!"

Everyone rolled their eyes and laughed, before waving and saying various goodbyes. I waved to them all but I caught Violet's wrist as she passed by.

"Stay." I only had to say that one word and look into her eyes and she nodded, after a slight hesitation.

When everyone had gone, I motioned for her to sit. "Tell me about Peter and Arnold and Charlie and Adams and Megan. Oh, and Josh. I already know about Gabriel." And I winced at the memory and wondered again what the deal had been between him and Warren.

Violet sighed and passed a hand over her face. "They're all gone, Alex," she said softly and my throat constricted.

"Dead?" I asked when I got my voice back.

"Well Megan is for sure. She committed suicide while fighting with Will."

I blinked. No wonder Stronghold didn't say anything earlier. Just looking at me must have reminded him of that fight. I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

"Josh?"

"Escaped, most likely. With the Elridges and whoever else was on that ship. They hightailed it out of there as soon as the tables turned. Adams and Charlie were probably on there too."

"Arnold?"

"Surrendered. He was taken to juvie."

"Peter?"

Violet looked away. I knew then the news was not going to be good. I swallowed hard and prepared myself. "He's dead," she said and I felt the air leave me in a whoosh that hurts my ribs. Poor little Peter. He never really did well in the physical portion of the Maquis training.

"How?"

"Brain stress. Some other telepath pressed too strongly on his mind. He wasn't strong enough."

Then again, physical strength didn't always matter in the superhero world. I sighed and ran a hand over my face slowly, processing this new information and trying not to feel sick about the whole ordeal.

"Are you okay?" I asked after a minute, observing the fact that she looked pale and worn herself.

"Magenta confronted me at school. I'm going to go home for a while, check up on things. I probably won't stay for long though. I'm graduating soon and I'll need to get my hero name and sidekick and start saving the world." Her mouth twitched in a small smile.

"You'll be a great hero," I told her sincerely. "Have you thought about a name?"

Her smile grew into a smirk. "Amazon," she said.

I laughed. "Fitting."

"Thanks. It took me a week to think it up."

"That long, huh?" I grinned and she matched it willingly.

"I should go and let you rest," she said, standing. I looked up at her and my smile slipped slightly.

"Will you be back?" I asked, not wanting her to leave for the hero track without saying goodbye.

"Of course," she said. "I'll be here when they release you so we can celebrate your homecoming."

"Not before then?" I frowned slightly as a cloud settled over her face.

"I don't like hospitals," she said flatly and turned away.

"Hospitals in general? Or this particular one?"

She frowned. "This one."

"Why?"

"You remember me telling you about the little girl that fell into a coma when I hit her mother's car those years back?"

"Yeah." I waited for the punch line.

"She was taken here. She still is here."

"Oh." Yeah, that was quite the punch. Ouch. "You want to see how she's doing?" I asked the question before it had processed fully in my head.

"Maybe later," she said vaguely. Dropping a small kiss on my forehead, she moved toward the door before I could offer up any protests. "See you later, Alex."

And with that she left, and I was left to my thoughts. My very confused, depressing, and yet still somewhat hopeful, thoughts.

0000000000

It was at least two weeks before they released me from the hospital. Violet was there, as was Ana Lucia. They seemed to be a little awkward around each other. I found out that though Violet had been a part of the Academy for almost three years, no charges were being pressed against her since she had not done anything villainous. (Apparently the same happened for Akira and Richard. They were going to finish their schooling at Sky High. Kristi was going to spend some time in juvenile hall, but considering her circumstances they were going to let her go in a few weeks.)

During my stay at the hospital, I had learned the room number of the little girl Violet had sent here via her reckless driving. I only knew that the last name in front of the door was Foremen. The room number was 777 and I asked Ana Lucia to take me there. Violet followed quietly, but once she saw the name "Foreman" below the room number, she stopped, stiffening.

"Alex, I'm not ready," she told me flatly. I just gave her a look.

"I'm not leaving this hospital until you go in there and see her," I told her firmly, meaning every word . . . mostly.

She made a face at me, but, after much stalling, she sighed deeply and entered the room. I remained outside with Ana Lucia, who tactfully remained silent. I tapped my fingers against my knee and mentally cursed whoever made up the rule that all patients had to leave the hospital in a wheelchair. It made me feel like a cripple and I was not a cripple.

The door opened suddenly and Violet looked down at me, her face screwed up into a funny expression.

"She wants to see you," she said.

I blinked. "She's awake?" That was the most surprising news I'd had in two weeks.

Violet nodded slowly. "I already called a nurse. It was really weird. I was just looking at her, trying to gather up the courage to apologize or something." She swallowed and ran a hand through her hair. "And she just opened hers eyes and says 'I forgave you a long time ago, Violet Walker.' How did she even know my name?" She shook her head.

I blinked again. Something in those words sounded familiar. Standing despite Ana's protests (I was careful not to stress my ribs), I walked into the room and was confronted by big blue eyes and crinkly blonde hair.

"You!" I said accusingly. Violet started beside me.

"You know this girl?" she asked, curious.

"Know her? She's visited me almost every time I've been unconscious. I thought she was a figment of my imagination." And yet there she was, in the flesh.

"I visit people in their dreams," the girl said with a small smile. "I'm the Dream Princess."

"You have a superpower?" Violet asked weakly.

"Yes. I've actually been out of my coma for a long time. I've stayed here though because I felt I could help more people who needed me."

"Needed you for what? Cryptic messages that make no sense whatsoever?" Violet glanced at me, frowning in disapproval of my bitter tone.

"I comfort them while they are unconscious or in comas. I help them cope with their situation and give them hope." The girl's eyes were serious as they regarded me, and I softened somewhat.

"So that was supposed to be comfort? Telling me that my dad is coming back?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I never said that," she told me pointedly. "You need to listen, not just hear."

I turned to Violet. "See? She speaks in like secret-coded speech." I frowned at the girl but she simply smiled back at me.

"Don't you have family that you need to go to?" Violet asked her, ignoring me. "You've been pretending to be in a coma for three years."

"Oh I'm not pretending," the girl said. "I have to go into a coma-like state to reach others through their dreams. It doesn't work otherwise."

"But what about family?" Violet repeated.

"I don't have any family left. My mother was the only one I had." The girl's eyes grew sad and Violet flinched.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

The girl shook her head. "I talked to a woman in here who lost her mother too. I was able to help her get through her grief. I wouldn't have been able to do that if I hadn't been in here and if my own mother had not gone. I miss her, but I've been able to use my experience to help others, and so thank you." She smiled at Violet and tears spilled over my friend's cheeks.

Reaching over, I took her hand and squeezed it lightly. She squeezed it back but kept her gaze on the girl. "I'll come visit you, I promise. You shouldn't be alone in here."

"I'd appreciate that. Thank you." The girl smiled and after a moment Violet smiled back.

"Alex?" Ana Lucia stuck her head inside the room. "We have to go now. It's getting late."

Violet glanced at me. "I'm going to stay here awhile, okay Alex?"

I nodded. "I'll see you later." I turned toward the door but stopped just before I left and turned back to the girl. She really had given me hope and had comforted me, somewhat, when I needed it back at the Academy. And what she said about David kept replaying in my head. Was he really alive? Could that be possible?

She smiled slowly and I realized I was staring. I quickly thought of a reason for the staring.

"What's your name anyway?" I asked curiously.

"Hope," she said with a grin. "Hope Foremen."

Hope for men. That's what you'd call ironic.


Well that's it. I hope you liked this last chapter and once again thanks for all the dedicated reviewing. I love you guys. XD Keep an eye out for my next Sky High fanfiction: Wildfire. The first chapter should be up soon. XD So, "see you in another life, eh brothah?"