America's POV
We survey the area around the house, and my heart shatters like the glass windows. I don't even want to know where the guards are taking the dead bodies. The air reeks of blood and metal, and the brisk wind carries the smell to us. Xander follows Maxon inside, and Rilane puts her hand around her mouth. She's always had a sensitive gag reflex. I embrace my daughter to me, and I can feel her slightly trembling.
Rilane and I wait outside until the house is entirely evacuated. Among the bodies are Mom's and Adele's, and my vision becomes blurry with tears. Maxon and Xander return to us, and worried, anguished frowns appear on their faces.
"You might want to come with us, girls," Maxon says, gesturing inside. We follow him, and a guard accompanies us. Maxon leads us to some basement, but it ends up being a long tunnel.
"I used to explore the tunnels as a kid," says Maxon, his voice bouncing against the stone walls. We walk in silence, the sadness invading our minds.
After walking about five minutes, we find a set of stairs that lead up. There's a rusty latch, and Xander is quick to rush up the stairs and push the square-shaped door open. He continues to try shoving it open, but something seems to be in the way. He tries knocking.
"Matt, Tess, it's us. Open up."
Tess's POV
My eyes widen, and I look at Matt. "Do you think it's really them?" I ask. But he still doesn't speak. He hasn't spoken a single word.
I sigh, and I start to push the table and the many things on top of it out of the way. Matt starts to help, but I stop him. "Your arm," I say. He takes a step back, and I pull the hatch open. The first thing I see is Xander's green eyes, and he tackles me in a hug, surprisingly.
"Hi," I breathe. He rushes to Matthew, and Rilane embraces me next. Mom and Dad do the same, their faces tight with anxiety.
"We're glad you're alright," Dad says.
"I can't say the same about Matthew," I whisper.
They both hurry to him, and only then do I realize how exhausted I am. Exhausted of everything. Why are we even here? Why are we brought upon this world only to see other people suffer? I just want to scream.
"We should get home," Maxon says, an arm around Matthew. "The memorial is tomorrow."
"Matthew was shot," I blurt, and Matthew's defeated eyes cut into mine.
They worry about him, saying things in distressed, high-pitched tones, and I start to descend into the tunnel. I walk by myself, glad I can cry without anyone to see me. I hear their voices behind me and continue to walk with emptiness.
Matthew's POV
At the hospital, they inject some stuff in my veins. I can't feel anything, but I know I'm still awake. I'm in pain, I know, but all I can see is my grandmother, bleeding before my eyes. I remember the feeling of that bullet cutting my left arm and sinking into her chest.
God, I'm so morbid right now. Everything is hazy. The drug must be doing its job well.
I can feel everything and see everything, but at the same time, I feel and see nothing. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know is I'm in a hospital room with my brother at my bedside.
And it's not Xander.
"Hey, Matt," Michael says, smiling. He looks as if I've seen him just yesterday; so familiar and so unchanged. "Don't worry, you're not dead."
I don't say anything, and he smiles comfortingly. "Grandma's in a better place now," he says. "She's here, with Eva and me."
I still can't say anything.
"Matthew, you should probably talk to people. Everyone's really worried. I understand you're traumatized, but really, there is no reason to be. Grandma is fine."
Suddenly, he morphs into my grandmother, yet she is not silver-haired and wrinkled. She has beautiful hair, and it brings out the color of her brown eyes. "Hello, Matthew."
"Grandma," I croak, my voice cracking from long hours of no use.
She smiles kindly. "There you go."
She fades into the walls, and my eyes fly open. I'm in a hospital room now, with Tess sitting on the floor. I wonder why she's always on the floor, holding my hand. It reassures me to no end, and I just feel lucky to have her here. My thumb brushes the top of her hand, and she groans a bit before sitting up. She smiles and relief floods her face.
"Matthew," she breathes, holding my right hand tighter.
I smile weakly, still exhausted and bleary. I pull her into the cot next to me, and I notice she's just taken a shower. She's wearing jeans and a sweater that vaguely looks like mine.
"How are you?" she whispers softly.
I shrug a shoulder minutely. "Mom and Dad just left, because I told them to go get rest," she says. "It's, like, three in the morning. Xander and Rilane went to go get food because I guess they got hungry." She laughs gently.
I feel really filthy, and the only sterile part of me at the moment seems to be my freshly sown arm.
"Do you want water?" she asks, already sitting up to grab a glass on a table. She offers the glass and I take a sip.
"Thanks," I whisper.
Tess sighs, smiling, and puts the water back. "Thank you. For speaking. The doctors thought you were brain dead, or post traumatic stress disorder."
I don't know what made me talk. Maybe it was that drug-induced vision of Grandma looking young and healthy. Maybe it's because I know now that whatever shit happens people will always be here.
"I couldn't be brain dead for my own wedding," I say quietly, kissing her nose.
She laughs a bit, kissing my cheek. "You should probably go back to sleep."
"But I want to stay awake."
I kiss her lips this time, and I feel like I haven't done this in months.
"Have I told you how excited I am to be married to you?" I mumble against her mouth.
She giggles a little, and kisses me one last time before she lays her head against the pillow. I hold her to me, promising silently to never let her go.
Tess's POV
The night before the wedding, I sit outside on the balcony of my room. According to tradition, apparently, I'm not allowed to see Matthew until tomorrow.
But I can't sleep.
I'm so used to having him next to me, and now that he's not, I fee like something's missing.
I start to hum softly, looking at the gardens here. It's much bigger and more extravagant than the ones at home, in Angeles, and maybe that's why I don't like it that much. Italy is my second home, I suppose, but it just seems foreign (pun intended).
"Tess?" I hear someone whisper over the wall.
I laugh. "Matthew."
I see a hand reach around the wall that separates us, and I confirm that, yes, this is my Matthew. Only his fingertips are callused the way his are. I take his hand.
"You nervous?" he says, lacing his fingers with mine.
"A bit. I think I'm just worried about forgetting my vows."
He laughs, and I'm upset I can't see him. "Only you, Tess."
"Is it so sacrilegious that I can't just say 'love ya?'" I say, feigning exasperation.
He laughs again. "Yes, because you need to promise that you will love me forever."
"That's included in the 'love ya,'" I explain, laughing along with him.
We talk about this like it's some test at school, only because we want to clear the nerves. "Italy's pretty at night," he says, quietly this time.
"Yeah, I remember from the last time we were here."
I can hear him chuckle. "That night club, though..."
"Yes, that's what I remember," I say, laughing.
He takes a deep breath, and it sounds tight. "Are you okay?" I ask.
"Yeah," he breathes. "I just...you know."
I do know. He's been having a hard time breathing lately. I'm not sure if it's his heart condition or if it's stress induced.
"You're my best friend, you know," he says after a while.
I can't help but laughing. "That makes me really happy, actually."
I love the fact that we trust each other, that we confess every feeling. I love that I knew his nervous tics and habits. I love how we're similar but not identical.
A knock presents itself on my front door, and I sigh. "We should probably sleep, Matt."
"Yeah," he laughs, "probably."
"Good night," I say, and he gives my hand one last squeeze.
"Good night, love."
So wedding next chapter? Sorry if this was a bit choppy and fast-paced. I'm pretty sure this story will be ending soon, because it doesn't need to be dragged out. Any thoughts on what should happen next after the wedding? (Don't be shy.)
I just really want to say thank you guys soooo much for still reading and reviewing! Like, it's September 2014 now, and I began this journey in December 2013. That's nine months, kids. NINE MONTHS. Do you know how thankful I am that people are still reading this? That's so amazing, and really, I couldn't be more thankful.
Oh, okay, so I'm not sure why I'm telling you guys this, but I had a really cool dream last night, and I was so upset when I woke up.
QOTD: Name a really cool/bizarre/interesting you've had.
Answer to previous QOTD: School, I guess, is getting better. Not easier, but better. It makes me feel so lazy to hear people playing sports or doing like two hour rehearsals everyday and homework, and I'm like, "Oh, ya know, I write fanfiction." That's why I feel like there's no excuse for me to get anything less than a B. Oh, expectations.
Thanks for the reviews!
Athenachild101- Haha so true. That's the best summary of school I've ever seen :) I really want to go to Stanford, so I feel like I have to do everything I can to increase my chances of getting in. I don't even know what I want to major in, but I really want to go to Stanford, and I don't even know why, I just do. Thank you for reviewing!
SJWrites2014- Ooh "Away." That's so poignant :) Hope you liked this update! (It kinda sucked.) :P Thank you so much!
Please-and-Thankyou's- Yeah, school is okay. :) I'm kinda getting used to the expectations and stuff. Yay honors classes! -_- So, yeah, there's that. This chapter wasn't nearly as sad, I hope. Thanks so much!
marial0789- It was depressing, but I hope this one was happier. Yeah, I don't play sports, so I can't relate :-/ Thanks so much!
lilythemermaid- Lol you're so clever, O :P Nah, this story is getting suckier every chapter I write. That's why I kinda wanna end it already :P Thank you so much! LALOL
Miaforevez- Aw you cried :') And new phone? Pretty cool stuff! Thanks so much!
Kiren- Did you have a depressing dream? Haha thanks so much!
PokemonLuver151- I'm enjoying, it's just hard :P Thank you so much!
Theoneforever- I'm so glad you liked it even though it was sad! Thank you so much!
ReadLikeYouMeanIt- Ooh I don't play sports, so I can't relate :P School is taking over my life tbh. Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks so much!
winterprincess- Did this get better? :P OMG I KNOW ABOUT THE MOCKINGJAY TRAILER :D SO excited! Thank you so much!
dakotamo- Aw did you really cry? Haha thank you so much!
Olive- Aw, thank you so much! This was so sweet! I really wish I could see this book as a movie :) That would be cool. Thank you so much!
go selection- I'm glad you love my story! And people have been using my name? What?! Please name the stories where people have commented as me. Thanks for telling me.
ilona18- School is totally dominating everything right now haha. Good luck with your swimming! Thanks so much!
Love ya!- AcademicGirl
