Chapter 14: Epilogue

It turns out that Zephyr did find a college that looked at her grades, not the fact she was a foster kid. She went through four years of school at Lyon, a year behind Odd.

"It is strange," She would muse to herself, "That we've all promised to remain together as best friends and yet have gone our separate ways anyway." She didn't have her own friends; she was a year older than most of the freshman, and when asked why she would simply supply the answer that she'd taken a year off. Not surprisingly she remained extremely elusive and the envy of almost every girl her grade and in Odd's grade. The two were dating openly, but it still had a glaze of friendship. They still had their stargazing, their play fights, and their chases. They still had childhood.

When Zephyr graduated she went into psychology, her major. The red head found a children's shelter not far from her apartment or the coffee shop. Odd continued to attend school and eventually became a physics teacher, working part time as a stand up comedian to earn enough money to stay alive. He only paid half the rent; he and Zephyr had decided it would be better to go with a two bedroom apartment on the next floor up than to pay separate rents when they spent most of their time in the company of each other anyway. They'd both lost their virginity but they decided, in their defense, that it was bound to happen anyway. They didn't plan on breaking up any time soon.

Ulrich graduated from a German college and went to Japan to join Yumi. He became an immediate soccer star there, but still had a bachelor's degree to fall back on, and he needed it when he suffered a mangled ACL and was ordered by his doctor and begged by Yumi not to play again. The emerald eyed German native was crushed, so he and Yumi decided to move to England and start a family. They were soon engaged.

Jeremie and Aelita finished college in Canada at the top of their class. They decided to stay in Quebec. Aelita became a highly acclaimed doctor and Jeremie a nuclear engineer. They were engaged and soon married, living happily in Canada.

There were phone calls, text messages, and instant messages on holidays and special occasions, but never was there a reunion. With Odd and Zephyr in France, Ulrich and Yumi in England, and Jeremie and Aelita in Canada, it was difficult to plan reunions that all six could attend. All of them had remarked about how sad it was that childhood had slipped through their fingers like grains of sand, even though it wasn't completely gone.

Odd and Zephyr's best friend like quality shone through their unconditional love for one another, and they were often seen enjoying similar activities much like the night leaning against the brick coffee shop wall. Ulrich and Yumi maintained their shy relationship, but there was more maturity, and both had actually found the courage to speak up about their feelings more often. Jeremie and Aelita, being the youngest, had the cuteness as the main aspect of their relationship.

Just like caterpillars into butterflies, each person had changed as they'd grown. Yumi wore black, as always, but her shirt actually covered her midriff. Her hair had grown longer, just barely touching her shoulders. It was straight, and it had hints of curling at the ends. She had grown taller, of course, but she hadn't quite caught up with Ulrich. The Japanese woman's slanted, almond colored eyes had lightened, but still looked absolutely dark against her pale skin, which was usually sporting just a little bit of make up.

Ulrich was still ruggedly handsome, his chocolate hair askew and messy on his head. His emerald eyes often looked a person straight in the eye, something they had not done very often when he was younger. He walked with a slight limp from his irreparable ACL, but he was still fairly muscular and somewhat tall. The man's clothes were pretty much the same as they had been while he was young, but he had earned several jackets as awards from his futbol days.

Jeremie had also, fortunately, hit a growth spurt and could now escape the "geek" stereotype because he was actually quite handsome. His voice was an alto, not high and not low, and no longer did it squeak. He'd traded in his thick rimmed glasses for a square shaped pair with nice, thin wire rims to aid his brilliant bright blue eyes in sight. Jeremie's wardrobe had also changed for the better. No longer did he wear the khakis that ended mid-shin like capris- he had switched to jeans, usually dark, and a blue t-shirt. The only negative thing about it was that they usually had remembrance of the '70s with just a hint of being bell bottomed.

Aelita's hair was still cropped close to her head, but now it had a more mature look to it, and her emerald eyes had been drained of some of their innocence, which was abundant in them half a decade before. She had an efficient, business like look about her, and seemingly never had time for jokes or friendly banter. Her clothes were similar to Jeremie's, although her light green shirts were tighter and she sported a knee-length jean skirt.

So the six friends stayed in touch, especially in pairs. They had each other, they had their careers, and they had their memories from the time when a brunette boy had joke pitifully and based it on the "Drop it Like it's Hot" song, when a blond boy had rolled his eyes and gone back to his laptop, and when a drunken man had hit a defenseless girl mercilessly.

And a pale, wall-eyed girl collided with a hyper, amber eyed boy.

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I know this chapter sucked, but I had to end it somehow. Watch for the sequel, which will be coming soon. Thank you, loyal readers. I'm glad you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!