Thank you to reviewers! Dark Angel's Blue Fire, Elledreamer, and DancerGirl51...this one's for you…check out their stories! This chapter's from Rochelle's POV, but I'll probably go back to Ethan soon or maybe flip flop between other characters. Any favorites?
Disclaimer: Don't own the GOT trilogy as I'm not Marianne Curley. There, I've FINALLY admitted it! Whew. The reest of my support group will be so proud.
"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die."
Rochelle
WHERE, I want to know, do movie people get the tunnel and light thing from? Probably to make the whole process seem more mystical or something, because I definitely didn't get any of that. No, for me it was just "close your eyes and open them again to find two dead immortals staring at you."
Seriously.
Lorien and Lathenia, who, by the way: I saw die, just blink at me as I sit up and look at my new surroundings. It's a paradise world, for most, with bright flowering meadow, waving grasses, and a warm sun.
God, I expect Bambi to be coming along any second now.
"Um, hello….where am I exactly?" I ask Lorien as I sit up. Finding Lathenia here with him is just a LITTLE weird. You know, considering the fact that they killed each other and all. I'm just ignoring her, even though she's smiling at me.
This creeps me out even more.
"Rochelle?" a little girl's voice asks. She looks about 11, with dark hair and big dark eyes. She looks so much like someone…
"You're Ethan's sister!" I gasp. "Sera!"
"Yes," she admits, looking pleased that she's so well know, "how is my little brother?"
"Alive," I say, and that's all that matters.
"Thanks to you" she says, hugging me. It's strange, especially since I don't like to be touched. Except by Ethan of course, but he's not here.
Again, because of me.
Vicious cycle.
"Rochelle Thallimar!" Lorien booms without answering my question about my current whereabouts. Which, really, is typical of any immortal.
"Yeah, that's me…" I say after looking around to check that I am indeed the only Rochelle Thallimar around, because at this point, nothing would really surprise me.
"You are now in a middle realm of sorts, since my sister destroyed the last one-" Lorien shoots a Look at his immortal sibling.
"I already said I was sorry!" Lathenia rolls her eyes. "It really was all Marduke's fault."
"Ah, yes…Marduke…" Lorien's purple eyes, which I can now look fully into, grow more somber. "Rochelle, the manner in which you gave your life was selfless and very, very brave."
It was all for Ethan, I want to say, but thinking of Ethan hurts right now. Sera takes my hand, as if knowing my thoughts.
"They have been watching you, Rochelle Thallimar. Your strength, endurance, morals, bravery, and yes…love."
"Aw, stop, I'm blushing." I say, but the mood doesn't seem to lighten.
"As a result," Lorien continues, again ignoring me (what IS it with immortals? Maybe they just can't hear.) "The Powers that Be have granted me the power to raise one mortal from the dead. In my death, the power of the curse I bestowed upon you can be made more powerful. You, Rochelle Thallimar, have a choice now."
A choice? Like in the movies? Only this isn't a movie, this is real. What's the choice, though? It could be whether I wanted my halo to be silver or gold.
I know, I know, but getting my hopes up is the last thing I want to do right now.
"You can either move on, to your 'just rewards' as they say…" he sighs, as if very tired. "Or you can go back to earth and live out the rest of your life."
Actually, the choice is not the no-brainer you might think. There's no pain up here, and the perpetually sunny days seem to be a huge perk.
But then Lathenia waves her hand, and I can see before me what is happening on earth. Ethan is standing, staring at a stone Marduke, with the golden arrow in his hand. His sobs are racking his shoulders, and Arkarian and Matt are standing with him, tears in Matt's eyes, deep sadness on Arkarian's face.
"Ethan loves you, Rochelle." Sera says, and I can see in her eyes that she truly believes this is so. "He's more…alive when he's with you. I can feel it."
I love him too. I always have, and somehow Sera knows this too. "I think it was obvious to everyone, my dear, except you two." Lorien speaks.
Hell. I forgot that immortals have Truthseeing powers too. All that stuff before was just a joke, sir. I love immortals!
I see Ethan's suffering. Here I am, with a chance to go back and be with him. Why am I hesitating? Of course I have to go back. Without him, I couldn't have fun up here. Even with thepeace and sun.
"I see you've made your decision." Lorien smiles, like he knew I would pick Ethan over this paradise. "I can make it so."
"Wait," I hate to say it. "Sera…why not her?"
"No, Rochelle." She's already shaking her head. "I love my brother, but you belong with him. Besides," and I can see her mischievous grin again. "If I went back now, I'd be his little sister. I don't think my ego could take it."
She hugs me around the middle. I admire her simple innocence and love. "I'm just glad to meet Ethan's soul mate."
Ethan's soul mate.
I've never thought of myself that way before. I can feel that he is mine, but I never thought about it being returned. I decide that I like the title. "And you, Sera, are still a part of his life." I say. "We'll see you again."
Hopefully not for 60 or 70 years, though.
"Rochelle…" Lathenia is talking to me.
"Yes?" I say carefully. We don't exactly have the greatest history.
"Tell the others…tell them that I'm sorry. Especially my nephew."
Nephew?
Oh. Arkarian.
"Uh, sure." I say, still hesitant to trust her, but then this whole thing has been kind of strange, so my senses are notexactly reliableright now.
"Rochelle." Lorien says my name and I turn. He pokes me in the chest.
Seriously. I'm sorry I called you deaf! Shouldn't immortals be a little more mature? But, hell…that hurt. My chest is throbbing…I blink and find that I'm no longer looking at sunny skies. It's dawn, actually. Or sunset. I don't really care. My chest still hurts, and my senses are going into overdrive. I can feel.
I lay there for a minute, just getting the feel of Earth back. The pain in my chest is lessening a little, and I can breathe. I try to sit up, and see someone with a dark head of hair kneeling down on the ground, head in his hands.
"Ethan…" The name slips from my lips before I can think, and his head shoots up. His eyes grow huge, and I can see the sadness mixed with disbelief. Carefully, I get up. It's like walking on a rolling ship for a second after the weightlessness of In-Between, but I adjust quickly. He gets up slowly too, and I know that he still thinks it's a dream.
I can see Neriah and Dillon looking shocked as well off to the side, but I'll worry about them later. Right now Ethan is all that matters. "I'm real, Ethan. I'm here."
Right. I bet a hallucination would say exactly the same thing. So, to prove it, I walk up to him and extend a sizzling hand, laying it against his cheek. It doesn't go through, which is relieving because I sort of doubted being alive too.
As soon as my hand makes contact with his skin, Ethan grabs it and pulls me close, covering my mouth with his. We kiss for what may be a few seconds, minutes, or possibly several days.
I'm very glad I made the decision to come back.
"I love you." Ethan says as we break apart. Isabel, Arkarian and Matt have crashed back and stand with the rest, watching us and smiling. Questions can come later. His blue eyes are filled with so many emotions that I admire his sanity, but love is there most of all, filling my soul.
When did I turn into such a melancholy sap?
"I love you, too" I finally say, kissing him again. Right now, I'm probably the happiest girl alive.
And I AM alive.
She's back! I love tragically beautiful endings (Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde…etc), but felt that maybe a more optimistic take on the rest of the trilogy was in order. But what happens now that she's back? Is Lathenia really turned good? What's in store for The Named next? I have a few ideas of my own, but any other opinions would be fantastic!
-Halo