Oh gosh, in the last chapter I totally forgot to say that I own NONE of the rights to Summerland or any of it's characters. I do, however, own the rights to Teresa Coleman and her family and friends or any other thing that you are unfamiliar with.

Thank you to SummerShelby for reviewing and thank you to kandykane33 for encouraging me to put this story up! Y'all are awesome, thank you!

Ok, enough chit-chat, on with the story!

Chapter II

Endings and... Beginnings?

But she had been able to keep it, she and her mother went to the Make a Wish Foundation and they had agreed to pay to move the family to California for Mattthew's "Wish." When Matt found out, he had nearly died from excitement, literally, he tried to jump and scream so much that he had to be rushed to the hospital because his weak lungs couldn't handle it. After that though he was fine and soon, he, Karen, Lillian and Teresa packed up and moved to Playa Linda, California.

Teresa hated to leave all of her friends, especially Bethany, and her boyfriend, Tony, behind... All of her girl friends promised to keep in touch through email and such, and she and Bethany made a pact that no matter where on earth they went, who they met or what they did, they would always keep in touch and keep each other informed of what was going on in their lives. They would each send the other an email every night to make certain that they knew what happened each day in the other's life.

Tony was actually the one she least minded leaving behind; he had been being distant ever since her father's death and her brother's accident, and that really ticked her off because she had really needed his comfort and support during the whole thing. She was very thankful for her other friends, because Tony just wasn't there. So she really didn't mind leaving him, in fact, it wound up being a good excuse to break up. He said they should keep in touch in case they came back after Matt died but she said that she just couldn't do a long-distance relationship and that she doubted they would move back in the near future because they just wouldn't be able to afford it.

So there they were, Teresa and Matt sitting on the beach, their first day in Playa Linda, watching the sunset.

"Just... ..look how... ..beautiful... ..the... ..sun... ..set is!" thirteen year old Matthew Coleman smiled at his older sister and took her hand as they sat on the beach watching the sun set over the Pacific ocean.

Teresa let a tear escape her eye when she heard her, once strong and healthy, little brother struggle to speak. She squeezed his hand tighter and said, "Yes, it is beautiful!"

Teresa knew it was her brother's last day on the earth, somehow, and it was making her wish she could disappear and not watch her mother go through losing another family member... When her father died her mother nearly did too... She just couldn't take it and had gone into a small state of depression, not wanting to eat or sleep or anything, and then finding out Matt was going to die had furthered her depression... Though she had pulled it together enough to make Matt believe she was okay, Teresa knew. She hated seeing her mother like that, she wished she could comfort her and tell her everything would be okay, but she herself needed comforting right now and she had to stay strong for Matt for as long as he held on.

"Resa?"

"Yeah?"

"I... ..love... ..you..."

"I love you too..." she choked on the last word making Matt squeeze her hand tighter.

"Take... ..care... ..of Mom... ..and... ..Lil... ..for... ..me... .. promise?" Matt breathed heavily.

"Okay." She choked.

"Promise?"

"Yes, Matt, I promise," she spoke softly and hugged him.

"Good... ..I... ..love... ..you... ..so much... ..and I don't... ..want you to... ..be sad... okay?" Matt breathed even harder, "Don't be... ..sad... ..promise?"

"Okay." She choked, "I promise!"

She held him even tighter as he said, "Don't let... ..mom... ..be sad... ..either... okay?"

"Okay," she smiled and held him as the last rays of sun disappeared behind the horizon and the waves made a peaceful splashing sound on the shore. It was all so peaceful...

"I love you." She heard her brother say and then felt him breathe his last breath as she stopped feeling the steady beating of his heart. Tears filled her eyes and fell down her cheeks as she realized her dear brother, Matthew Alexander Coleman, had just on his 13th birthday, his last birthday.

She remembered that day like it was yesterday. Although it had been a month since he died, she couldn't help but expect him to be there whenever she wanted to see him... Looking out at the ocean made her remember that night even more... She heard her watch beep, it was four 'o' clock. She sighed, she really didn't feel like celebrating her birthday but she knew her mother was planning on throwing her a very small party, due to the fact that they only knew two people in Playa Linda, her mom's best friend, Crystal, who she knew back in Tennessee and had moved with them, with her own money, to comfort her mother. And they knew, of course, her mother's sister, Rachel, who had lived here for 3 years. The biggest reason her mother had chosen Playa Linda as their new home was so she could be with her sister.

Teresa sighed, even though it was her "sweet sixteen" she didn't care, she didn't want to celebrate while she felt so bad about her brother, and besides, she had wanted her father and brother to be there for it! She cursed and was about to start crying when she remembered something Matt had said to her on the beach the night he died, something she had promised him:

"Good... ..I... ..love... ..you... ..so much... ..and I don't... ..want you to... ..be sad... okay?" Matt breathed even harder, "Don't be... ..sad... ..promise?"

"Okay." She choked, "I promise!"

"I promise!" It echoed in her ears like after someone screams at you and the words go on for several seconds. "I promise! Promise, promise... promise!" she shook her head and thought hard for a minute, she had never broken a promise, never. And she couldn't start now! She made up her mind right then to enjoy her birthday and then everyday after that! It would be hard and she might not be able to, but she would sure as heck try! She might need help along the way and she might cry a little more than necessary and that would be okay, as long as she was trying her very best to keep the promise she had made her brother. But before she could begin to move on she had to do one last thing.

She was about to turn around but looked out at the ocean again. This time it wasn't just the waves and the full moon, there was a person, a boy, walking along the beach, slowly, his head hung low. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans and his hair had fallen into his face hiding any features she could have seen from the balcony of her room in her aunt's house, that's where they were staying, with her aunt Rachel.

She looked at him again and saw him throwing a rock into the water. His back was turned towards her now and his head was tilted towards the sky. She wondered where he lived and why he was walking around on the beach at four in the morning. He looked to her to be around her age. Teresa took one last look at him before tip-toeing downstairs, leaving a note that said, "Mom, Gone for a walk, be back soon, Resa" and slipping out the back door to go do that one last thing she had to do.

That's that, now... hit the pretty little review button!

Anna Christie AKA SecondStarToTheRight15