The Goddess Crystal

Chapter 21: Surreal Endings Suck

The next days are hectic. We manage to get back to the base in one piece. Jack tells me you remember the battle we were having? Yeah, we kinda wiped the floor with their faces. Apparently, an army isn't much without a leader.

Yeah, Leith was a leader. Don't ask me how.

I don't have time to visit hit grave, besides to quickly place some—you guessed it—forget-me-nots on it. There's a tinkling laugh, the Harvest Goddess' laugh, and I think she approves.

Muffy apparently decided it was high time to settle down, what with all the 'new beginnings' happening. At least, she put it that way. I can tell she and Griffin—remember him?—will be good to each other. I threatened Griffin that if he did otherwise, I'd break his neck, of course. Because what are friends for?

He took that one well, actually. That was before Muffy looked innocently at Skye and asked when our big day would be and could she be the maid of honor?

I don't which one of us was in more danger of dying.

I didn't know Skye could turn such a bright shade of red.

Or that he was capable of choking on punch for five minutes straight.

Muffy laughed and didn't apologize, as per usual.

Mom and Dad left. I don't know what happened. But there's a letter:

Dear Jillian,

We know you must be mad, sad, or you may not even read this letter, but what we'd like for you to know is that we do love you. You may laugh to yourself and call us liars, but it is true.

We cried when you left that night with the letter for Jonathan. We sent you out on a—what did you call it?—suicidal mission because we knew that's what it was. Suicidal. A decree had gone out that anyone found helping or related to the rebellion in any way—for you, us—would be tortured and executed. Possibly only the first. I—that is, both of us—am deeply regretful that we did such a thing. We hope for your forgiveness. As for our coldness, it was self-pity. We didn't know what was to become of you.

Again, we are terribly sorry.

(Jill, that was your Mom writing that. While what she wrote is true, she never was a very emotional person, or rather, was never good at showing emotion. Trust me. I was married to her for the past twenty years. We love you. We truly do. We were trying to protect you. It was a horrible way of doing it, but we tried. I'm sorry. We're sorry. I left my necklace in the envelope.)

Yes, well, that was your father. Please accept our apology. I don't know if I can live with myself if you didn't. And maybe that's what you want. I'm sorry.

Sincerely, Mother (and Dad 3)

So I haven't decided whether to believe and/or forgive them. And the necklace? It's my bullet—or, rather, what's left of it. Apparently, Dad was wearing it the entire time I was here and before they left. I don't know where they went.

I didn't get a letter back from Celia until yesterday. She's dating Marlin.

I have weird eyes that are remnants of the Goddess healing me. I have a boyfriend who was a thief (though sometimes he still steals an extra roll from the kitchen—he hasn't lost his skill). My friends are either dead or living somewhere distant or married. My parents can't look me in the eye to say sorry they purposely got me shot.

But I'm alive and these eyes are witness to that. Skye says he loves me and I'm sorry he won't steal again I promise until the next time (because old habits die hard). My friends are at peace. My parents (hopefully) love me.

I am not completely messed up.

I visit Leith's grave a week after he died without Skye. Galen stands above Nina's grave and when I look, he's smiles ruefully. I smile and begin walking towards the grave of my almost-husband-to-be. "Hey, Leith—"

I stop and my jaw hangs.

A crystal grows over the headstone, an exact replica of the green Goddess Crystal he so wanted. I guess he got what he wished for.

A tinkling laugh fills the valley for the briefest second, and a piece of the crystal breaks of and tumbles to the earth—

where is melts and flutters into the weightless form of a Blue Feather, twitching in the light breeze.

I pick it up and smile. Is this mandatory, like the colorings, or is it a choice?

I'm asked to be a Nurse. But, a real, honest-to-goodness Nurse. No Changes required. I am there for the first birth since the Government was overthrown, since Blackthorn was killed by Skye.

The small squalling boy does not get injected with dyes that burn his identity off, that paint on a squeaky coat of Government-approved colors. He is not injected with acid or poison. His mother is not shot for her protectiveness. His father is there, too.

Skye stands outside, with the crowd that has gathered. I am holding the now quiet miracle in my arms, offering him to his crying mother, watching as his father's eyes light up with unspeakable joy.

I help the husband guide the woman into her wheel chair, watch as her happily-red face burns with excitement and pure joy, and wheel her out of the room, to the waiting crowd. They cheer.

"What will you name him?" I ask, loud enough for people to hear. The crowd calls my sentence back at me. I smile. The woman cries harder, sniffles, looks down at her giggling baby boy, and cries harder still.

Happy tears. I thought they didn't exist, once.

"Leith," the blonde woman sobs, completely overwhelmed. "It means 'river'. I am...too happy for words. It's like a river has swept me away. I can't..." And she cries harder.

The crowd begins chanting 'Leith! Leith!' Somebody shouts, "The dawn of a new era!"

He can be a Doctor, a Nurse, a Farmer, Entertainer, Politician. Anything he wants to be.

And it won't be determined by his colors.

It's almost surreal.

Tempest Bound: Oh, my Hu the Manatee, I finished this at midnight (shh, don't tell anybody).

When was the last time I updated? Months ago? I have no excuse besides laziness, and this suckish final chapter does not cover my failure. Yes, this is it. The end. Or, rather...

The End.

(Because I'm traditional like that.)

But I won't leave off yet. Oh, no. I have too many things to say.

I am sad I couldn't give you guys a better ending (or a better story to begin with). I am sad and happy this thing is over. 'Tis done, I should say. 'Tis finally done.

Remember how I said this was inspired by The Hunger Games? That was partly true.

In school, we read The Hunger Games as a class. As you probably recall, it was about the time the movie was being released. Our English teacher said, since we read the book, why not go watch it as a field trip? Also, why not make a contest to go along with it?

Here's the contest: Write a dystopian story. One chapter. The best top-two stories as chosen by the class wins free food at the movie theater. That's it.

But that's not it.

So I wrote Chapter 1. I showed it to my teacher. Apparently she loved it.

Don't ask me—I'm just as surprised as you are. (Needless to say, I didn't get that free food.)

Anyways. She encouraged me to write more. But, see, the thing is, I'd never wrote more than, let's say, 4000 words, max. I knew nothing of developing characters, or plots, or anything. Put simply, I sucked. I still do.

But I'm learning. I'm learning to create flesh-and-bone characters, to create beautiful stories, to create memorable ones. I'm learning to write. And that's the point, right? (Ha, get it? Right? Write? Yeah, it's a bad pun.)

So I'm here to thank my teachers. Not just the ones I have at school, but the ones I've found on this website. Harvest Dragon. Pelkasaurus-Cherry3456. HersheyChocolates101. I can't possibly list them all, or I'd be here forever and I'd never upload this. But you guys deserve better.

So, cheers and all that to you awesome people. No, seriously. Here's an awesome badge. You've earned it.

And a cookie, because really, has a cookie ever hurt anyone?

...Don't answer that.

Also!

Fun Facts of The Shade Law and The Goddess Crystal

-Leith was originally supposed to be a minor, insignificant character. Was supposed to be a blip in the grand scheme of things. Was supposed to die alongside his mother. I decided against it. I thought there was too much killing done already.

-Skye is much too calm. I always pictured him as a flirt with a heart. His non-aggressiveness just...happened. I'm not sure if I like him this way.

-Leith's name was random. I was in fact typing the first instance when I asked my friend for a name, a boy name. She suggested Leith. The meaning of the name itself played no role in my choice.

-Many of the connections created in the story—the inclusion of the Goddess being one of them—were, in fact, accidental. I didn't plan them until I typed them.

-I do not like Jill's character voice all that much. If I could, I'd make her voice more stream-of-consciousness. I find it fits better.

-The friend who named Leith? Yeah, she hates Skye. Go figure.

-My classmates, having to read my story for the contest, have asked for a book, not realizing it was a fanfiction. They do now. I hope.

-All poetry was written by me. (All poetry written by me sucks.)

-It used to be that I was writing a chapter a day. Ha, no. Not anymore.

-Another friend adored Skye so much she would literally tackle me to get the new chapter in my hand. See, Skye, this is why people hate you! Your fangirls!

-I got fifth place out of five in the contest.

-I was class-famous for but a week. More people have dropped this story than have picked it up.

-I highly doubt any of the entire series is quotable. Or worth quoting. Nothing witty, nothing funny, nothing poetic, nothing philosophical. Just a whole lot of 'meh'. Where's my 'you tried' star?

-I drew both the covers. I like turquoise, if you can't tell.

-I typed every chapter on my phone, then transferred it to my computer before uploading. The 'k' in 'Skye' among other words has gradually weakened the key on my phone. It took two tries to write that past sentence.

So...good-bye to a story that has taught me much. Good-bye to these characters that have become my friends. At least for now.

(*Whispers* Does that mean anything?)

Actually, no. :D

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

Tempest Bound, signing out.