Epilogue
"Alister, what's wrong?" asked an young woman. Alister, an older man, with short red hair and silver serious eyes, looked at the girl walking beside him. She was tall, long black hair and matching silver eyes, a sincere smile on her face. He couldn't believe how long it had been. Three years. Three solid years.
"Nothing," Alister spoke to her. "So, what'd you get Alara?"
The woman reached into her purse and pulled out a parcel wrapped in colorful paper and pink ribbons. "Are you going to show me?"
"No, silly, because then I'd have to wrap it up again," the woman said with a smile. "Today's her birthday, and I don't want to have to wrap it up twice."
"Cool. Just tell me what it is," Alister bugged.
"When I was Alara's age, I had received a Barbie doll, my very first one, from my father. So I thought I'd do the same thing for her," the woman spoke. "What'd you get her? Did you and Valon pay for the same gift?"
"Nah. I got her an adorable doll that looks just like her mother, believe it or not. Valon got her something else. I don't know what, though," Alister spoke, giving the woman a satisfied smile.
"Alara is really attached to you, you know. You care for her like a father," the woman said cheerfully.
"I know, but I'm not. You know who her father is, don't you? Why don't you tell anyone?" Alister asked as they came upon a black spiked gate that stood ten feet tall over them. Behind the gate was an enormous mansion. The woman paused and hesitated before answering his question.
"Because I haven't spoken to him in almost four years. I'm not in any pleasant mood to, anyway," she said coldly. Her eyes had suddenly grown cold and stern, yet a dreamy gaze about them. The same way they had looked three years ago.
"Mommy! Alister! You're here!" a small girl with short black hair pulled back by a pink ribbon and blue eyes ran down the stairs and wrapped her arms around the woman's waist before doing the same to Alister.
"Hey, Happy Birthday, Alara!" Alister spoke, brushing back her bangs by one hand. She smiled up at him before returning to the stairs.
"Aye, mates, look who finally decided to show up!" came a strong Australian accent. The woman looked up to see a young man even younger than her walking down the stairs toward them. His perfect yet wild brown hair was billowing in the light breeze coming in from the windows, a pair of goggles over his brown bangs that hovered slightly over his blue eyes. He smiled at them, his muscular arms visible from his sleeveless maroon jacket.
"Hey, Valon, what's up?" asked the woman.
"Not much, sweetheart. How 'bout you?" he asked. She smiled briefly. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up from in her chest. She leaned over slightly, clutching the stitch in her heart. She couldn't breathe. Her vision went blurry, then red, then bright white. She could hear screaming around her, and then realized it was her screaming.
Alister and Valon pushed the little girl out of the way as they helped the woman, who's eyes had closed shut, and blood was appearing around her perfect red lips. She coughed, and moaned again, her body falling to the ground hard.
"Sheela! What's going on! What's happening!" Valon yelled, raising her head. Was this a seizure? Or something else? Memories of years ago came flooding in as he rushed out of their to call the hospital.
"Hold on! Help is coming!" Alister yelled, pulling a tissue from his pocket and wiping away the blood around her mouth. "Hold on, okay, sheela! Just hold on! Hold on, Sarah!"
"Sarah, just hold on..."
"Sarah..."
