Background information:
A hui hou kākou: a Hawaiian phrase meaning "until we all meet again".
PROJECT: TEENAGE WASTELAND
XXXIII | a hui hou kākou
When the sun rises over Kingdom Hearts Island Resort on the final day, every teen, guest and employee, wakes up reluctantly to face the end of their summer vacation. The last two and a half months or so had been full of connection, adventure, romance, and self-discovery in the most lavish playground possible, and parting with it would be nothing short of bittersweet.
No one, however, is more devastated to part with paradise than the members of the Disney Castle.
The sun casts its warmth over the castle's many magnificent turrets, but inside, the temperature may as well have dropped twenty degrees. The den, in particular, is the dimmest its been all summer. The ground is covered in mattresses, blankets, and pillows abound, and in the center, two teens occupy a messily built pillow fort with clumsily strung but charming lights.
Inside the tent-like structure, Kairi lays upon Sora's chest, both wishing nothing more than to suspend time so that they could remain cuddled forever. Yesterday, Kairi had cashed in her "24-hour Disney marathon" coupon that Sora had gifted her for her seventeenth birthday, and they'd spent the entire day singing along to the classics, raiding the kitchen, and most importantly, getting caught up and tangled in each other. They'd eventually fallen asleep at some point, but morning had come much quicker than either of them would've liked, and now...
Kairi sighs. Where had the time gone? It seemed like only yesterday that she had knocked into Sora wearing that silly Mickey Mouse costume, causing him to fall overboard into the moat. Things had been rocky between them at first, but after rekindling their friendship (and eventually their romance), it easily became a summer worth remembering.
As if reading her mind, Sora begins to rub soothing circles into her back.
"Contrary to how it started, you gotta admit that this was a pretty good summer," he says.
"Yeah," Kairi hums in agreement when she recalls all their shenanigans and everything in between. "It really was."
While it may have started with her chucking her sneakers at his head, it ended just where Sora wanted it to: snuggling with the girl of his dreams. The thought that they'd eventually have to stop snuggling, however, makes him sigh heavily.
"I really don't want to get up," he groans.
Kairi's heart aches and Sora feels it against his own: two hearts constricting, telling the other that the feeling is mutual. It was hard to believe that while they may have been in each other's arms now, Sora would be back on Destiny Islands later that evening, and Kairi would be in her dorm room in Radiant Garden with Olette.
"Me neither," Kairi says wistfully while pulling him close, "but we eventually need to pack and have breakfast."
And when she fully expects her boyfriend to groan in protest, he suddenly flips them over so that he's on top of her instead.
"We can have breakfast in bed," he suggests while lowering his face onto hers.
"Hard to do that without any actual food," Kairi manages with heated cheeks.
"What are you talking about?" he asks, his eyes on her delectable lips. "My meal is right… here…"
He traces her bottom lip with his fingers at the last two words, and Kairi can't help but raise an eyebrow at his actions.
"Sora Takeuchi, when did you get so smooth?" she asks teasingly.
"Baby, I've always been smooth."
He shushes her laughter with his lips, and it's not long before they find themselves tangled up in each other again, surely thinking that it couldn't hurt to indulge just one more time. Sora's shirt comes off, Kairi's follows suit, but before the two can go any further, the door suddenly bursts open, and Riku storms in, followed by Hayner.
"What the hell?" the eldest of the Destiny Island trio roars. Alarmed by the sound of his voice, Kairi squeaks and Sora immediately shields her with a blanket.
"Sorry to break up your little smooch fest," Riku says, voice heavily laced with sarcasm, "but Sora and I are supposed to be serving breakfast in five minutes."
He then grabs Sora's shirt, which has been carelessly tossed aside, and chucks it back to its owner.
"Get your ass up," Riku demands.
"Oh don't act like you didn't just spend the entire night with your girlfriend," Sora grumbles while throwing on his shirt. Kairi surreptitiously does the same.
"While that may be true, at least I was able to control my hormones enough to get up this morning," Riku fights back.
Sora snickers while getting up. "This coming from the biggest man skank of our time."
"Ex-man skank," Riku corrects.
"Yeah yeah," Sora says offhandedly. "Sorry we all can't be perfect like you, Riku!"
He kisses Kairi's cheek apologetically before trudging out the door.
"Told you they'd still be making out," Hayner says when the brunet begrudgingly passes them to get ready for work. "Cough it up."
With a defeated sigh, Riku hands over twenty munny into the gamer's awaiting hand.
Breakfast, which is typically a chatty affair, is oddly silent.
For a while all that can be heard is the sound of utensils scraping against plates, but the silence is not an awkward one; in fact, it's overwhelming. Two and a half months ago, they'd all stepped foot into the dining room together for the first time, and now, they were inside it for the last time. So much had happened since they'd shared their first meal together. In this one room alone, they'd experienced so many emotions.
First and foremost, they'd felt uncertain. Despite Pence's warning to conduct themselves carefully during their introductory interviews, they had no idea what Selphie would make of them on Teenage Wasteland. The morning Sora had waltzed in inviting them to watch the first episode, however, they'd gotten their first taste of anger and humiliation. A few days after the disastrous pilot, Sora had stripped in the middle of serving breakfast, much to everyone's confusion, but Kairi had stormed out knowing that he'd done it to break the rules of their bumfuzzle agreement out of pure desperation. After that, they'd all felt awkward when Tidus Clearwater started joining them for meals, but that soon turned into disgust when they'd learned about his true motives. As the manipulative episodes of Teenage Wasteland continued to air, they'd collectively felt shock, jealousy, doubt, and rage, but after deciding that enough was enough, they'd worked together to take Selphie and Wakka down.
But they weren't out of the woods just yet. A short time later, they'd felt heartbreak when the Oathkeepers had lost, but after combining their efforts and teaming up once more, they'd experienced hope and inspiration when Xion's campaign started taking off. Much like any other tight-knit family (or rather ohana in their case), they'd faced many ups and downs just at this table alone.
Unable to find the words to express the overwhelmingness of all, they remain in their silence, savouring what could very well be one of their last moments together in the castle. About ten minutes in, however, Sora nearly drops his platter of banana muffins when two familiar figures come walking through the door.
"Yuna, Tidus," Roxas, the only one who doesn't seem to jump from his seat, greets. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"
"Well apart from wishing you all a very fond farewell, I'm here to drop off some goodie bags," Tidus answers as he holds up multiple bags filled with resort-branded shirts, water bottles, lanyards, and picture frames. "Not that you need merch to remember this vacation by, but I thought it would be a nice gesture."
"You thought right," Kairi assures appreciatively.
"And I'm here to have a quick word with Roxas," Yuna says, much to the other singer's surprise. "May I have a word?"
With raised eyebrows, the lead singer of the Oathkeepers sets his utensils down and follows the international pop sensation into the left wing lounge. She shuts the doors behind her, and when she believes the coast to be clear, she turns to a nervous-looking Roxas with a smile.
"I wanted to thank you for your help with my upcoming album," she says, much to his relief.
"That was nothing, Yuna," he assures. "It was an honour for me to help."
Yuna shakes her head. "No, you really helped me find a new sound. You're beyond talented, you have a good ear, and you've shown more than enough potential, which is why I've referred you to Gullwing Studios, and they'd like to offer you a recording contract."
Roxas' heart nearly beats out of his chest at the news. "Wh-what? Yuna, I..."
"There's no need to thank me," she insists. "Your talent is what brought you here, Roxas."
"I… this is a dream come true for me. More than anything, I want to say yes, but… the Oathkeepers…" the blond can't help but sputter. True, his talent may have gotten him here, but he never would've made it this far without them.
Yuna inhales sharply. "I'm afraid the contract is only for you, Roxas. Not the Oathkeepers."
Roxas nods. "I understand. Can you just… give me a moment to talk to them about it?"
"Of course," Yuna says. She opens the double doors leading back into the dining hall and calls the remaining members of the Oathkeepers inside. When they're all in the lounge, she gives them their privacy and helps Tidus hand out the goodie bags to the rest of the sweepstakes winners.
"So did you guys do it or what?" Axel asks mischievously. While Roxas rolls his eyes, his cousin looks mortified by the assumption.
"Her boyfriend is right in the other room," Sora reminds.
The drummer shrugs nonchalantly. "Didn't stop me in the past."
"Anyway," Roxas interjects to change the subject. "I called you all in here for one final band meeting. Yuna, she, well…"
"Gullwing Studios is offering you a recording contract," Riku finishes knowingly. When Roxas nods, the rest of the band members collectively gasp and cheer, much to his surprise.
"Roxas, you have to say yes!" Sora urges. "This is your dream!"
"A-are you sure?" his cousin stammers. "I… it's just for me, not the Oathkeepers, and the thought of leaving you all behind when you've helped me get so far…"
Axel shakes his head. "You won't be leaving us behind. You were always the one who was born to do this, Roxas."
"Besides, even if the contract was offered to the Oathkeepers, it's not like the rest of us can just drop everything to be part of a full-time band," Riku says, referring to the fact that they all had schools that they planned to attend in the fall. "We always knew the Oathkeepers were going to be a summer thing, but you, Roxas, are in this for life."
Hayner nods in agreement. "You want this more than anything. It's what you've been working towards, so you'll find a way to make it work."
Roxas' eyes shimmer with gratitude at the support from his fellow band members. "Wow, thanks guys. This really means a lot. I never would've gotten this opportunity without you."
"Well then consider my oath kept!" Sora exclaims with a wink.
Hayner throws his hands up in exasperation. "Here he goes again with the oath keeping!"
They all laugh, but Axel is the first to throw a lanky arm over his best friend's shoulders. "Come on, let's go tell everyone the good news."
When the Oathkeepers re-enter the dining room, Roxas accepts the offer in front of everyone, and they all cheer for Gullwing Studios' newest official star. Amidst the applause, Roxas locks eyes with his ex-girlfriend for a brief moment, and despite the tears shimmering in her eyes (whether they're tears of joy or longing, he couldn't tell), she claps the loudest.
After finishing breakfast with the celebrity couple, Pence asks everyone to gather at the front of the castle for a group photo that they could all place in their complimentary picture frames. He sets up his tripod and camera a few feet away from the front doors, and after setting the timer, he runs over to the rest of the group already posing in place and takes the spot next to Hayner.
"Everybody say 'sea-salt ice cream'!" the photographer exclaims, bringing up the treat that had brought them all together in the first place.
"Sea-salt ice cream!"
When everyone disperses after the group photo, Hayner makes his way back to his room to pack up the remainder of his belongings. He gathers everything he'd brought with him into his luggage, consoles and all, and zips it shut. He rolls it to the door, glances at his room one last time before shutting the lights, and respectively salutes the Captain America shield encased in the podium: his gift to whoever would inherit this glorious man cave next.
"All packed already?" a voice asks him in the hallway. When Hayner shuts the door behind him, he turns around to face Pence, who also has his luggage in hand.
"Why do you sound so surprised?" the gamer asks.
Pence shrugs. "Don't know. Guess I just thought you'd be behind seeing as you spent your entire evening with your girlfriend."
Hayner goes rigid at the 'G' word, and Pence notices.
"You did ask her, right?" the brunet presses with skittish eyes.
"Well," his best friend starts, his voice higher than usual.
Pence groans. "Hayner, what are you thinking? It's our last day!"
"I know!" Hayner whispers frantically. "I've wanted to talk about what our relationship will be, but every time she gives me that expectant look, I just freeze up. I… I'm too scared to ask, Pence. What if she wants nothing to do with me after we get off this resort?"
"Then she doesn't want anything to do with you after we get off this resort," Pence answers bluntly. "Look," he starts again when his bro slumps his shoulders, "all I'm trying to say is that you'll never get an answer if you don't ask. We're leaving today whether you like it or not, that much is inevitable, so if you remain silent, whatever you have is going to end. That means you have nothing left to lose by asking Olette to be your girlfriend. In fact, it is your only chance if you want to keep having a relationship with her when we leave."
When Hayner's posture continues to crumple, Pence grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him out of his slump.
"Hayner, I don't think Olette is the type who would just cut ties with you," he assures. "At the very least I think she'd want to give it a chance, otherwise she didn't value your time together as much as I thought she did, and if that truly is the case, then she isn't worth your time."
The gamer nods weakly, but it's a nod nonetheless.
When the shuttle departs from the castle, the sweepstakes winners (and their special helpers, respectively) watch through the windows as their magnificent home away from home fades in the distance. On their way to the airport, they pass a handful of places that spark memories within them, good and bad, but all character-building and unforgettable. They watch helplessly as they pass (for the last time that summer) the Atlantica water park, Arcadia, the Sharpshooter Arena, the Super Kingdom Karts track, the outdoor amphitheatre, the Pier, and in no time at all, they pull up to the airport. Reluctantly everyone gathers their things, disembarks from the shuttle, and walks though the sliding doors into the packed terminal.
For everyone, the feeling is surreal, having arrived in high spirits and now heartbroken to leave, but no one is more surprised than Riku and Kairi. When Riku had first arrived with Sora, he immediately began scouting for women; now, he had an arm snaked around the waist of the most incredible girl, and she just so happened to be his girlfriend. When Kairi had first landed with Olette, she was ready to have an enjoyable drama-free summer that would help get her mind off her ex-boyfriend, but she was now holding hands with said ex-boyfriend, and he was no longer her ex.
As if reading each other's minds, the two of them share a look, and after recalling a conversation they'd once shared in the hallways of the castle (specifically the one predicting where the other would end up by the end of the summer, and plot twist, they were right), they laugh.
"What are you two giggling about?" Sora questions, feeling left out.
"Nothing," Kairi assures while squeezing his hand.
"Just that we originally thought we'd come and leave this resort single," Riku answers when his girlfriend doesn't look the least bit convinced.
"Well that can still be arranged," Xion jokes, "right Sora?"
"Yeah, gross," the brunet agrees while releasing Kairi's hand, pretending to be disgusted, and the two couples let out a chuckle.
Together the group goes through the motions of checking in on their phones and going through security, and before they know it, they reach the center of all the gates where they'd eventually have to part. Saving their final farewell for last, they start by breaking off into mini groups.
After sharing a heartfelt hug with Xion, Naminé moves on to say her goodbyes to Kairi, leaving the original Twilight Town trio to say their farewells.
"So I know you're famous now and all," Axel starts, directing his words towards Roxas in particular who rolls his eyes, "but promise you'll videochat and try and come visit when you can?"
"Course I will," Roxas promises while pulling his redheaded best friend in for their handshake. He then turns to Xion and wraps his arms around her.
"Keep me updated if you hear anything from the Medical Association of Twilight Town, okay?" he requests into her hair. She nods into his shoulder, and when they pull away from their embrace, Roxas keeps his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Take care, Xi."
"I'll be fine, Roxas," she assures.
"Oh I have no doubts about that," he says, "but it's not just yourself that you need to look after now. This upcoming school year, Riku and Axel will be attending the same university, so you'll have to make sure they don't kill each other."
While Xion nods and bursts into a fit of giggles, Axel crosses his arms and lets out a huff.
"So long as I don't see a sock on Riku's doorknob, we'll be just fine," the redhead says sternly. Xion's laughs grow nervous (they had already done the deed multiple times, after all), but thankfully her older brother doesn't notice. Instead, he focuses his attention back on Naminé who, after saying all her farewells, comes back to stand beside Roxas.
"Are you two going to be okay?" Axel asks, noting that the two blonds (apart from his girlfriend, who had taken an earlier flight) were the only ones in the group headed for New Twilight. Naminé shares a look with her ex-boyfriend, and despite the electrifying itch to join hands, they nod.
"Yeah," the artist, who is much less timid-sounding and more self-assured than when they'd first met her, assures. Beside her, Roxas subtly turns away with tinted cheeks, secretly admiring how well confidence suited her.
A few feet away, Pence and Olette just pull away from a friendly hug.
"I'm really glad I met you, Olette," he says.
"Oh Pence," Olette gushes, "I'm so glad that I met you too, but don't go sounding like this is the last time we'll ever see each other! I'm certain we'll meet again."
The photographer raises his eyebrows at her certitude, and with a knowing look at Hayner, he excuses himself to say his farewells to the Twilight Town trio, leaving the two gamers alone. While Hayner begins scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Olette laces her hands behind her back and rocks back and forth on her heels.
This was it, Hayner thinks. This was the moment. As much as he hated to admit it, it took being at the airport and seeing her with her luggage in hand for him to realize the finality of it all. As Pence had mentioned earlier, if he cowered under her expectant look and remained silent now, whatever they'd shared would end. She'd slip away past the Radiant Garden gate, and they'd be nothing but a distant fling because of his cowardice. It was do or die now. His only chance to keep her was to stand up straight and speak up, so he musters every ounce of courage he has to do so.
"Olette," he starts, his voice shaking. His nerves nearly take over, but he recalls that the worse-case scenario would be that she rejected him. It would hurt like hell, yes, but he'd lose her even if he stayed quiet, so he presses on with the hope that maybe, just maybe, his bravery would be rewarded and things would end up in his favour. "I know this is hardly the place to be doing this since we're going in different directions, but… I had to try and ask. Because of you, this has been the best summer of my life, and I'm willing to commit if you are so—"
She silences his nervous stammering with a kiss that sends his senses into overload, and it's only when she pulls away that Hayner realizes his feet are still firmly planted on the ground.
"I thought you'd never ask," she tells him, her hands still resting on the collar of his shirt.
"So I'm… guessing that's a yes to being official?" Hayner squeaks.
Amused by his shock, Olette giggles. "Yes. I would've asked you myself, but you weren't saying anything and kept dodging the subject, so I thought that maybe you didn't want to…"
Hayner almost laughs. How silly of her to think that he didn't want her. "It was because I wanted it so bad that I couldn't say anything. I was afraid to lose you."
"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore," Olette reassures. "I'm really glad we cleared that up."
"Me too," Hayner exhales in relief, but he loses his breath when she kisses him again.
"See you online, boyfriend," she whispers with a wink.
And as she walks over to the other Twilight Town trio, Hayner is left in a daze. The first time they'd met, he'd embarrassed himself by clumsily tripping over her luggage. Now, by some crazy turn of events, she fell for him, and she was his girlfriend now. As if sensing his disbelief, Pence walks over with an "I told you so" grin on his face, and the two of them share a well-deserved high-five.
At last, with the Destiny Islands trio, the three take a deep breath as they come to a sudden and heavy realization: for the first time ever in their lives, they would all be separated from each other. Come the start of the school year, Kairi would be in Radiant Garden, Riku in Twilight Town, and Sora would remain on Destiny Islands.
"Not that this needs saying, but I am going to bug you guys every day," Sora swears. "Messages, video chats, memes, you name it."
"I'll be sure to leave your ass on read then," Riku teases. When Sora huffs, Kairi pulls both boys down to her level for an all too familiar three-way hug.
"I'm going to miss you both so much," Kairi snivels.
"It won't be for long," Riku consoles. "If all goes according to plan, we'll all be attending the same university next year."
Sora and Kairi both nod, determined to strive for a future where they'd all be together again.
"Yeah, then we can show you up at beer pong," Sora adds cheekily.
Riku scoffs. "You wish."
Eventually the eldest of the trio parts from the hug and turns to find his girlfriend jogging towards him with open arms. With a grin he outstretches his arms and she crashes into his chest. Instinctively he wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her up, squeezing her tight. When he sets her back down, he lowers his lips to her ear, but when she expects him to whisper something sweet, he does the complete opposite.
"Is Axel looking?" he whispers. From her peripheral vision, she sneaks a glance at the redhead, but he appears to be preoccupied with discussing something animatedly with Hayner, Pence, and Olette.
"No," Xion answers.
"Great," Riku says before taking her face in his hands and kissing her deeply. The feeling of his lips pressed against hers tingles every inch of her skin, but the warm, fluttery feeling is gone once he pulls away. "I'll see you in a week," Riku reminds when she looks up at him with a pout. "I'll let you know the moment I land, and once I move into my dorm, we'll be together again."
"Perfect. That gives me enough time to make you a bucket list of your own," Xion says. When Riku arches his eyebrows, she clarifies. "The Twilight Town bucket list. You've shown me around all summer, so now it's my turn to show you around."
Riku smiles at the vision of Xion excitedly dragging him to all her favourite spots in town.
"Looking forward to it," he whispers before leaning down to kiss her once more.
Back with Sora and Kairi, the latter's lungs seem to convulse. She knew this moment was coming, she'd feared it the moment she started growing attached to Sora again at the beginning of the summer, but no amount of mental pep talks could've prepared her for the gaping hole in her heart caused by their inevitable separation.
Sensing her distress, Sora pulls out a pink envelope from his pocket: the same one he'd packed with the hopes of being able to use it, and the same one he'd stowed away when Kairi made it abundantly clear that she had no intention of getting back together with him upon first arriving at the resort. His timing may not have been the greatest back then, but this time, he knows it's right.
"Here," he says while placing it in her hands. "I think you need this more than I do right now."
Curious, Kairi carefully opens it and is pleasantly surprised to find her lucky charm inside. It's star shape remains intact, the colours on the thalassa shells have yet to fade, and it's in overall perfect condition.
"You kept it safe," Kairi whispers in awe.
Sora nods. "Every day since you left. I think it's time I gave it back to you for safekeeping."
As she finds herself dangerously close to tears (and she'd specifically swore to herself that there would be no tears this time round), she jumps into her boyfriend's arms and wraps her own around his shoulders. In the midst of their embrace she tries to memorize everything about him, from his scent to the warmth and strength of his touch, but of course it's the steady beating of his heart, the heart that always belonged to her, that stands out the most.
"I'm going to miss you so much," she murmurs into the crook of his neck.
She feels him tense against her.
"I'm going to miss you too," he says, unable to keep his voice from quivering. "But we'll make it work, and we're going to see each other again soon."
Kairi lifts her head from his chest and nods with burning determination. "I'll come home for Christmas and spring break, so we won't have to wait long."
The ends of Sora's lips raise into an excited grin at the thought of spending the holidays with his girlfriend, but the sound of an announcement blaring through the speakers immediately wipes it off his face.
"Attention all passengers. Flight 104 to Destiny Islands will begin boarding in ten minutes. I repeat, flight 104 to Destiny Islands will begin boarding in ten minutes…"
The sense of urgency hits them both, and they immediately share a pained look of longing.
"I love you, Kairi," Sora declares while holding her tight.
"I love you too, Sora," Kairi whimpers as she gets up on her tippy toes to claim his lips with hers. The kiss is so firm and loving that it makes her knees quake, but Sora's grip on her is secure, making her feel safe in his arms. Kairi sighs as waves of bliss tear through her, but much like the waves that crash on the shore back home, they recede and eventually have to pull away.
"We're going to be okay," Sora assures with his forehead pressed against hers. Kairi hums in agreement and can't help but blush when she feels his lips press against her forehead. As much as it would hurt to part, she'd still be his and he'd still be hers this time round, and that alone makes this moment leagues more bearable than the one the year before.
When the two pull away, the rest of the group seems to have formed a circle by some unspoken agreement, and Roxas is the one that says the words they'd all been dreading.
"So this is it, huh?" he asks, and it feels as if the entire ceiling has collapsed.
"I know most of us really only met two and a half months ago," Xion starts when everyone else is too stunned to speak, "but it really feels like we've known each other forever."
Much like everyone else, Hayner nods in agreement. "This has been the best summer ever, and I don't think I could've said that if I didn't spend it with you guys."
Everyone looks at the gamer, who had been a "lone wolf" coming into the resort, with fondness in their eyes as they find themselves touched by his words.
"Ax, are you crying?" Roxas asks when he hears something like a sniffle escape his best friend.
"No, there's just something in my eye!" the redhead lies. Everyone chuckles at his obvious denial, but it's quickly silenced when the speakers announce that flight 106 to Twilight Town would begin boarding momentarily.
"Come on guys, no long faces!" Sora encourages with his classic and unfailing optimism. "This isn't goodbye—it's see you later!"
"A hui hou kākou," Riku adds.
"What does that mean?" Naminé asks on behalf of all the non-islanders.
"Until we all meet again," Kairi translates.
Wanting to end things off on a high note, they all nod with the full intention of reuniting again, and begin breaking off by location. Sora and Riku stand next to each other in the direction of the Destiny Islands gate, Hayner, Pence, Axel, and Xion by the Twilight Town gate, Roxas and Naminé by New Twilight, and Kairi and Olette by Radiant Garden.
Before truly heading off, they turn around for one final wave, and part ways happy and content with the knowledge that while their tan lines may fade, the same can't be said for the lasting friendships and memories made.
tbc
Chapter inspirations: Ours by The Bravery, Dreamer by Axwell & Ingrosso, and When Can I See You Again by Owl City.
A/N: I can hardly believe it myself, but the next chapter is the last. I have goosebumps just thinking about it! If you haven't already guessed given the ending of this chapter, the events of the epilogue will be taking place outside of the resort, so I think you're all in for a real treat. There's also a lot that still needs to happen, so it may be a pretty lengthy one depending on how I write it! I am both excited and anxious to do so.
So I guess seeing as this is the second-last chapter before the finale, I thought that this would be a good time to ask you all a question. As some of you may know, I'm going to try pursuing original works after I complete this story. In terms of what you have read in Project TW or my other works, what genre(s) do you see me writing? I was leaning more towards Romance/Young Adult predominantly, with some hints of humor and friendship in there, but I'm definitely open to hearing what you guys think and what type of stories you'd be interested in seeing from me in the (hopefully near) future. I have some ideas, but as you all know, it takes me a while to flesh them out as I like to have outlines before I get cracking!
Special thanks to Michelle, Tyjet Ansatsu, Guest, I'mKairi, Caelum, Mr. Spinner, skysailz and Aundielen for reviewing the last chapter! Sorry if I missed or misspelled any pen names.
I hope you all enjoyed the thirty-third instalment of Project: Teenage Wasteland! Please kindly leave a review to let me know your thoughts and/or feels, I apologize for any grammar errors that I might have missed, and I'll see you all in the final chapter!