Epilogue
The day threatened rain; a blanket of gray clouds, heavy with water, was thick across the sky. Even for a graveyard, Kimberly thought the place seemed very quite and empty; she figured that feeling probably came from that fact that, aside from herself and Thomas, everyone else was dead.
And now, the dead had another of her friends to add to its numbers. As she stared at the newly erected headstone that bore Altessa's name, Kimberly couldn't help but think of how she had failed the teenager. They might have figured out how to postpone the Design but they had ultimately lost; Altessa was dead and there was no changing that.
A stale wind blew through the cemetery, bringing with it the scent of rain. Kimberly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear to keep it from her face. "This doesn't feel right; I always thought that we'd all get through it, that we'd learn from the last time. But everyone else is dead; Altessa is dead." She mumbled to Thomas, who simply squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"Altessa died for us; she died so we could live. So we have to live, we can't wallow in grief and regret." Thomas said, turning his head so that he locked eyes with Kimberly, who simply sighed.
"I know, Altessa gave us another chance and believe me, I'm not going to waste it." Kimberly said, speaking the last words looking at Altessa's tombstone. She was going to make sure that her life wasn't pointless, that she actually did something important now that she had the chance.
Thomas gave her a wane smile, squeezing her hand once more. "And thanks to Altessa, we have a long time to do that."
Kimberly nodded though she wasn't quite sure she completely agreed with what Thomas was saying; it was true that they were immediately going to die but there was no possible way to know exactly how long she or Thomas would live. Sighing, Kimberly pushed those thoughts away, not wanting those morbid thoughts to crush her new "life" and Altessa's sacrifice. She would live while she was alive.
Kimberly looked up when she felt the first raindrop fall upon the top of her head. The clouds had finally opened up, showering drops upon the ground and rain coursed down Altessa's tombstone and newly dug Earth.
Tears filled her eyes as she thought about what Altessa had said about the rain the day before she died. Foolishly, Kimberly wondered if Altessa could feel the rain; she shook her head, not sure if she was dispelling thoughts or rain water and allowed herself to follow Thomas back to the SUV.
Thomas gave Kimberly a tight smile as he slipped the key into the ignition, about to offer another comforting sentence when the radio blared on, cutting him off.
Let them know you realize that life goes fast, its hard to make the good things last. You realize that the sun don't go down, but it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning 'round.
As she listed to the words on the radio, Kimberly realized just what song was being played; the song that Altessa had sung during her much happier childhood. Hearing the song now, she couldn't help but think of the teenager and her burrowed life; unsure of why, she chuckled slightly with a smile across her face. Thomas glanced over at the brunette with a confused look upon his face, though he remained silent.
As Thomas pulled the SUV away from the graveyard, Kimberly gave Altessa's grave a last parting glance. And, as they pulled onto the highway, she began to believe that, somehow, everything would end up being okay.
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Author's Note
(Aren't you glad I found how to
use the italics?)
Well, this story has finally come to an end; who knew, back in July, that it would end with almost ninety reviews and 101 pages on my laptop? I just have to thank everyone who reviewed, thanks so much for enjoying everything and making my writing worth while. I'm sorry that Dharke hated Altessa so much, but everything turned out "all right" in the end. As for the whole "gotten" as a word thing, isn't it a word? It's the past tense of got, you know, I have gotten...whatever; maybe it's just an American word.
Anyway, with the closing of this story, the reopening of "Stuck" and the "F.D. Musical" will begin, though probably tomorrow because I'm beat after writing this story. We have a school holiday starting Wednesday so I hope to gave a good bit of updates soon. On top of those two F.D. stories, I'm planning a rewritten F.D.2 story (with some major changes) as well as a sequel to the movie "Wrong Turn" and a "Pirates of the Caribbean" story.
Did anybody else see the movie "Gothika" this weekend (the movie with Halle Berry) because I did and it was a cool movie. And I've been listening to "Behind Blue Eyes" from that movie by Fred Durst ever since then (it's kinda scary, actually) and I'm thinking of putting that in the F.D. Musical.
But anyway, back to the real reason of this author's note: to thank all of my reviewers for their reviews. You guys have made this the most successful fanfic I've ever written! That's great news to a writer, as Dharke and Curtis know. And for those readers who aren't Dharke and Curtis, go read their stuff, because it's even better then mine.
So, thanks again for all the reviews, I hope this story was worth your while! I hope you enjoyed this story.
-Until later....Sparky