Miles and Ana sat in the car in silence, in the parking lot at the airport.
Ana sighed, looking around her. How she had come to love New Zealand! It
was a beautiful place, even though she hadn't seen all that much of it. But
what really made her love this place was the feeling that she belonged
somewhere, and she knew that it had all come from the Tucks. Tuck and Mae
had, for those few days, been like her parents, and she felt like she was
home again, young again, in those lovely, safe days she had lived long
years past. She really didn't want to leave. But she had to. She told
herself that again and again. She had to.
"I don't love Ana!"
Still that sentence haunted her thoughts. Again and again it came to her, reverberating in her mind. She was numb to it now. She felt numb to almost everything. She didn't care what happened. She wished that she would wake up from this nightmare and discover that she had died in the night. But that was impossible. And that was why she had to leave.
Yet she sat in the car, not moving.
Finally Miles spoke. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to, you know."
Ana forced herself to laugh. "And stay in the countryside for the whole of my hard-earned holidays? You must be insane. I mean, it's been great and all, but hey, I'm a modern girl, and modern girls need action after awhile."
"And you think you will have a lot of fun and excitement back in Paris."
Ana froze. How did he know that she was going back to Paris? She hadn't told anyone! She stared at Miles, who gave her a little smile. "I'm not deaf you know. You left your door slightly open when you were getting your plane tickets, and I walked past. Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone about it." He looked at her seriously. "I mean it, though. You don't have to leave if you don't want to."
Ana laughed again. "But I DO want to leave." She looked out of the window, tears beginning to sting her eyes. She would not cry in front of Miles. She would not cry in front of anyone. She cleared her throat. "Well, then. I better get going, or I'm going to miss my flight." She flung open the car door, perhaps a little too violently. She hopped out of the car. "Enjoy the rest of your holidays. I'll see you back in France a few weeks later, yeah? Bye then." She walked off before Miles could say anything, and would not allow herself to turn back.
***
Miles watched as Anaïs walked away, and sighed. She was a strong girl, but not as strong as she thought herself to be. He could see what she felt towards to Jesse, but she couldn't see it herself. And Jesse was an idiot as well. He had expected Jesse to try to stop Anaïs from leaving this morning, but Jesse had done absolutely nothing. "Youngsters are blind sometimes," he muttered to himself as he started up the car.
He thought about Jesse and Anaïs (and even Winnie) on the drive back. It was a long drive, a very long drive, and so he had plenty of time to think.
Jesse and Winnie's relationship had made a major impact on everyone's lives, and until now Miles couldn't decide if it was for good or for worse. But he understood that it had been sacred to both Jesse and Winnie. After all, it was the first time the both of them had fallen in love. First loves were important; they stayed with you for life. And those two's had been doomed from the start. There was just no way around it, and that was what Miles thought even now when he thought back about it. There was no way that Winnie could have stayed with Jesse. Jesse had wanted her to drink from the spring and wait for him, but Miles had known from the beginning that Winnie would not drink that water, would not wait for Jesse to return. He just had no heart to tell Jesse that, and Jesse would not have listened. It was something that Jesse had to find out for himself.
But Jesse and Anaïs. was it much different from Jesse and Winnie? After all, Anaïs wasn't an immortal, so Jesse would have to go through the pain of Anaïs' death. But circumstances were much better now. No one knew about the Tucks' secret now, no one would want to sell the water from the spring. Besides, the spring was gone now. That was the greatest threat, removed. So perhaps Jesse and Anaïs could have something special. It would be good for Jesse. He had been hurting for such a long time, because of Winnie. He needed a love that his family couldn't give him.
"If we knew what would happen, we would never have drunk from that spring!" Miles said out loud. He thought about himself now. If he had never drunk from that spring, he would be dead already, yes, but he would have had a long and happy life with his darling Anna and their two little angels. He wouldn't have lived to see all this incredible technology and get this job that he really liked, but he would have been happy. Much happier than he was now, in fact.
But what was done was done. He would never get Anna, or his two children, back again. He would never see them again, and that was a fact that he had learnt to live with. Now he would focus on things that he COULD do something about, and that was to make sure that his brother wouldn't break the heart of that awfully stubborn housemate of his. And vice versa.
"I don't love Ana!"
Still that sentence haunted her thoughts. Again and again it came to her, reverberating in her mind. She was numb to it now. She felt numb to almost everything. She didn't care what happened. She wished that she would wake up from this nightmare and discover that she had died in the night. But that was impossible. And that was why she had to leave.
Yet she sat in the car, not moving.
Finally Miles spoke. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to, you know."
Ana forced herself to laugh. "And stay in the countryside for the whole of my hard-earned holidays? You must be insane. I mean, it's been great and all, but hey, I'm a modern girl, and modern girls need action after awhile."
"And you think you will have a lot of fun and excitement back in Paris."
Ana froze. How did he know that she was going back to Paris? She hadn't told anyone! She stared at Miles, who gave her a little smile. "I'm not deaf you know. You left your door slightly open when you were getting your plane tickets, and I walked past. Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone about it." He looked at her seriously. "I mean it, though. You don't have to leave if you don't want to."
Ana laughed again. "But I DO want to leave." She looked out of the window, tears beginning to sting her eyes. She would not cry in front of Miles. She would not cry in front of anyone. She cleared her throat. "Well, then. I better get going, or I'm going to miss my flight." She flung open the car door, perhaps a little too violently. She hopped out of the car. "Enjoy the rest of your holidays. I'll see you back in France a few weeks later, yeah? Bye then." She walked off before Miles could say anything, and would not allow herself to turn back.
***
Miles watched as Anaïs walked away, and sighed. She was a strong girl, but not as strong as she thought herself to be. He could see what she felt towards to Jesse, but she couldn't see it herself. And Jesse was an idiot as well. He had expected Jesse to try to stop Anaïs from leaving this morning, but Jesse had done absolutely nothing. "Youngsters are blind sometimes," he muttered to himself as he started up the car.
He thought about Jesse and Anaïs (and even Winnie) on the drive back. It was a long drive, a very long drive, and so he had plenty of time to think.
Jesse and Winnie's relationship had made a major impact on everyone's lives, and until now Miles couldn't decide if it was for good or for worse. But he understood that it had been sacred to both Jesse and Winnie. After all, it was the first time the both of them had fallen in love. First loves were important; they stayed with you for life. And those two's had been doomed from the start. There was just no way around it, and that was what Miles thought even now when he thought back about it. There was no way that Winnie could have stayed with Jesse. Jesse had wanted her to drink from the spring and wait for him, but Miles had known from the beginning that Winnie would not drink that water, would not wait for Jesse to return. He just had no heart to tell Jesse that, and Jesse would not have listened. It was something that Jesse had to find out for himself.
But Jesse and Anaïs. was it much different from Jesse and Winnie? After all, Anaïs wasn't an immortal, so Jesse would have to go through the pain of Anaïs' death. But circumstances were much better now. No one knew about the Tucks' secret now, no one would want to sell the water from the spring. Besides, the spring was gone now. That was the greatest threat, removed. So perhaps Jesse and Anaïs could have something special. It would be good for Jesse. He had been hurting for such a long time, because of Winnie. He needed a love that his family couldn't give him.
"If we knew what would happen, we would never have drunk from that spring!" Miles said out loud. He thought about himself now. If he had never drunk from that spring, he would be dead already, yes, but he would have had a long and happy life with his darling Anna and their two little angels. He wouldn't have lived to see all this incredible technology and get this job that he really liked, but he would have been happy. Much happier than he was now, in fact.
But what was done was done. He would never get Anna, or his two children, back again. He would never see them again, and that was a fact that he had learnt to live with. Now he would focus on things that he COULD do something about, and that was to make sure that his brother wouldn't break the heart of that awfully stubborn housemate of his. And vice versa.