I decided to cut what I had planned for the last chapter in two. Which leads to the fact THAT THERE ARE TWO CHAPTERS LEFT. THIS ONE AND THEN ONE OTHER. I hope you all like this chapter. And here you will know if Luce lives or not…

Sophia POV

The day that was dated the last day of August 2013 I could barely keep my eyes open after being up most of the night. The whole day I sat in one of the beach chairs by the pool and half slept. I wasn't paying much attention to what the others were saying but suddenly there was one voice that seemed to break through my drowsiness.

"Who's that?"

I lifted my head and looked in the direction Carmen pointed.

Then I suddenly sat up straight

Could it be? No it couldn't be? Could it?

A flash of lightning broke through the grey skies, and it lit up the whole garden and the field he was coming up. His dark brown almost black hair lying flat against his head with rainwater. Both his way too thin hoodie that also couldn't help against the pouring rain and the sweatpants we had given him for his birthday years ago was soaked, ragged and muddy.

"Luce?" I almost whispered. But it couldn't be, could it?

So another flash of lightning broke through the skies and lit up again. And now I could see. Now I could really see. The dark, straight hair was longer than what I had ever seen it before. The pale skin that showed on both his face, neck and one of his arms where the sleeve had been ripped off was full of small scars both a bit here and there. He was fairly tall, and obviously not much else than skin and bones at this point.

"LUCE" I shouted and flew up onto my feet and ran to the closest door. Pushing the door open so hard the small windows in it almost cracked I hesitated for another moment. Could it really be? Could it be for real?

"SOPHIA?"

Oh yes it could. I'd recognize that voice among a million other ones.

Then for a moment I couldn't move, I wanted to run. Wanted to jump, wanted to sprint over to him but my body wouldn't do what I told it to. So I felt a hand on my shoulder and that was like a flash going through my body and suddenly I ran, I just ran.

The absolute fastest that I could, my feet barely touching the ground I ran down the road and onto the field. On which on the other side my brother was coming running towards me. My brother, who I had been so absolutely sure I'd lost was running the fastest he could. Limping and dripping with rain water he came running as fast as he possibly could, but still it felt like he was ages away.

Now when he at last was so close he just felt like ages away. And the moment that was in between when I had started running and to where I could jump- almost fly up into his arms and throw my arms around his neck it felt like ages.

"LUCE"

But so he was there, he in my arms and I was in his. Holding as tightly onto each other it was as if both of our lives were depending on it. Luce was crying, I was crying too. But none of us noticed it, and despite everything that was going on. It was both happy tears from that we were finally together again.

But being together again finally brought up everything- just everything and suddenly none of us could stop crying. I was holding on for dear life where I hung around his neck and Luce held so tightly with his arms around my back it was almost getting hard to breathe. Rainwater blended with tears rolling down our faces and soon Luce wasn't the only one who was soaking wet.

"Luce." After several minutes I heard Faiz's voice behind me and unwillingly let go of Luce, stepping down onto the ground for the first time that at the same time as it felt it was the first time in hours, it felt like it was way too soon. When I slowly backed away from my brother Faiz quickly stepped over and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Then suddenly something changed, and it felt like it went horribly wrong.

Suddenly it seemed like Luce couldn't stand on his feet anymore, barely even keep his eyes open as he hung more and more in Faiz's arms. Faiz was shouting for Mike, and Luce holding his hands open under the rain trying to lick up what he could.

"Water." It suddenly clicked somewhere in my mind and it was all clear what was going on. "Mike, he needs water. Come on Luce." I took his hands. "We've got big water bottles in here, only a little bit left." Luce walked. But with Mike and Faiz on each side of him holding tightly onto his arms while Luce was closest to be collapsing on the wet ground and not move again until sometime next century.

"JOHNNY." Mike shouted. "CAN YOU GET ONE OF THOSE BOTTLES OF WATER FROM THE KITCHEN= GRAB THE BIGGEST ONE YOU CAN FIND." Johnny didn't protest anything, but he broke from the group of care- kids standing by the big windows by the pool and ran in direction towards the kitchen while Luce was only walking slower and slower.

"It's okay Luce." I tried to assure him, but couldn't keep my voice from shaking. "Only a few steps left and you'll be inside." I backed another step and my left foot was over the threshold. "Come on, Luce it's not far left. Please." Luce was more or less thrown down into the softest one of the pieces of furniture by the pool at Manor Hall house and Johnny came running back and held him a big bottle of water.

Luce could barely even lift his hand so I ripped the bottle from Johnny's hands and with shaky hands pulled the lock off. Then when I held it up and the plastic top touched Luce's lips he seemed to wake up again and quickly grabbed the bottle and tipped it so steep upside down so the water ran so fast most of it ended up running down his cheeks and his neck than actually in his mouth.

Not until the huge bottle was empty Luce lowered his chin again and looked around. Magdi immediately ran over to him and hugged him tightly, and then Alvaro jumped up and hugged Luce at least as tightly as we others just have done. Then, when Alvaro had let go and climbed onto his lap and held as tightly as I possibly could, then Luce's eyes grew wide as he saw a plate full of fruits and candies and looked around for someone to ask about it. Although before he'd found anyone Gina had understood and placed the plate in front of him.

"Take as much as you want babes." She smiled at him, Luce's chin fell and for a split moment he just sat still before shooting forward before grabbing… well an apple, an orange, a banana and a bunch of grapes at the same time and right away- since that didn't need peeling took a bite form the apple and threw five grapes into his mouth at once.

"Luce." I said at last and Luce stopped, his whole mouth full of diverse fruits and I couldn't help but laugh through the tears. "You never had much of table manners!" I laughed again and Luce hugged me tightly. "And you smell like a monkey!... I love you so much!"

"A oh oo oo,"

"You need to swallow before you speak."

"I love you too…" I crawled down from his lap so he could concentrate on eating. "Thanks Soph!" He took a big bite from the nearest fruit or whatever he could find and then grimaced. And it was when I saw in what he had left of it in his hands. And that somehow made me realize something.

Luce never liked olives! In fact he hated them! And now… he was right in front of me, grimacing and trying to swallow and spit at the same time as he was trying to eat even more and God there wasn't a single piece of God table manners in that man! He looked up at me, his eyes were brown. His hair might be longer than what I had ever seen before but his fringe hung over the thin, white line he had over his eyebrow after getting hit with a broken stick. He had another scar across his bottom lip after getting hit by a horse's head when Milo did some random move in pure happiness… it was the same, it was all the same.

And yet, nothing was the same. Nothing would ever be the same. But I guess that right now, even though we'd never get mum or dad or Sophie or Aaron back. We'd always have each other and right now that was okay. Right now that was enough, and once again tears were spurting from my eyes faster than what I could wipe them away.

"Ives. What are you doing?" Elias didn't sound too sure when Ivy crawled over to the fruit bowl. "That's Luce's!"

"But he didn't like olives." I could see Luce smile at Ivy- and not to Elias. "I want to try one." Ivy crawled back to where she sat and sat down again and looked down onto the olive. I felt a frown form in between my eyes. Olives tasted… special… Not a chance Ivy would like them! And when she put it in her mouth I almost expected her to hate them and get sick. But so a big smile formed on her lips.

"They taste really good. I love them!"

And so she crawled over the floor to grab the whole jar with green olives.

"Sophia?" Luce finally wasn't eating the fastest and the most that he could. "What did you do to your hair?" I pulled a hand through my hair and was on my way to ask him if he didn't like it when he continued. "It looks awesome. It's totally you!"

"Luce?"

"Yeah"

"In that letter you wrote that you'd understand if I hated you." Luce's eyes suddenly went dark, kind of sad and he dropped the fruits he was holding in his hands. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you." Luce nodded. "I tried… hating you seemed a lot easier than hating myself but…" My voice broke and Luce showed me to come closer again. "You're my brother. And… I've always loved you and I'm always going to." I curled up into a ball and Luce held me tight. "But I'd understand if you'd hate me too."

"Why would I hate you Soph?" I barely noticed it but Mike, Gina and George were having the others leaving the room. "I could never hate you. And why on earth would you hate yourself?" The tears had stopped spurting down my cheeks like they had before but I still had tears burning in my eyes. "Because you survived and they didn't?"

"So many people didn't survive Luc. Why did I?" I looked up and looked into his eyes. "People are still dying all the time but I get to live. Why do I get to live?" Luce sighed.

"I don't know Sophia. But I do know one thing for sure."

"What?"

"It's not your fault."

"Do you ever feel like it's your fault Luce?" There was a silence hanging in the air after I asked that question. "Do you ever wonder that if you'd made other choices than… everyone would still be alive?" Luce sighed and his breath was shaky when he breathed out.

"All the time Sophia, all the time!"

Mike POV

"But why not?"

I had never really heard Sophia really, really whine about anything and being a hundred percent determined that she'd get what she wanted. But she wanted something now- and she wasn't going to give up until she had it.

"Because…" I tried to walk in between the rooms and check so everyone were asleep to shake her off but she followed every step I took. "Because boys and girls aren't allowed to share rooms and you know those rules perfectly well." My heart was aching when I said it but I knew that I'd have to stick to it.

"But he's my brother." Sophia protested. "Everybody's asleep we wouldn't have to tell anybody. Please Mike." I stopped after checking into the last room just as Luce was coming out of the bathroom. Warmed up by the shower and dressed in my T- shirt and Michael's sweatpants. When Luce had come he had been more or less showered all clean from the rainwater even though he hadn't had a proper bath for God knows how long, but he still seemed like a completely new person coming out with that towel around his shoulders and finally some clothes on that didn't smell monkey or were more brown than their usual color.

"Come on Mike. I haven't seen him for almost a year before this. In fact I haven't even been knowing if he was alive. I was certain for a while that he wasn't and now he's here and… please, can't you just make an exception. Please, please, please, please…" Sophia didn't stop until I held both of my hands up to silent her. "Please Mike please?"

"I would…" I said and saw a shining piece of hope lit up in Sophia's dark eyes- then beat myself up for it for giving her that hope. "…But you know I can't. Rules are rules. " Sophia wanted to protest but I stopped her before she had the chance. "I know, but the rules- especially in these kinds of homes are there for a reason. If I let you two share, and something goes wrong and the system knows that I let you two share… then I could lose my job. And Elm Tree House would be put down. I'm sorry guys… I know you'd never hurt your sister Luc, but unfortunately the system doesn't so the choice isn't up to me. I'm sorry."

Sophia glared at me, before she turned around, stomped through the hallway and went into her room, slamming the door after her. Slamming doors wasn't something unusual on a place like the dumping ground but… the fact that Sophia had done it made my chin drop. And apparently, on how Luce raised his eyebrows at me- he had never really seen it either.

"Come on, we set up a bed for you in here." I showed Luce into one of the rooms that had been empty until now. "I, George and Michael have all given a few T shirts and jeans and things so you'll have something to wear." Luce had to suppress a laugh- all of the clothes he had in his huge backpack were ragged and had big holes in them from God knows where. "I'll go back to Elm Tree House in a day or two and get some more so we'll all have clothes to wear." I smirked to let him know I was joking. "Bathroom you know where it is. And Sophia's right in there…" I pointed. "I'm sorry for that but rules are rules. Goodnight. I see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Luce walked into the room and out of my sight. And when he closed the door there was no way I could have known that for several hours, until long after midnight he only sat up in the bed and stared into the dark.

I didn't know that every time there was a sound he would flinch and stand up, look around and breathe heavily until he had made sure it would be nothing more. Than he'd sit again and then he'd go on like that before he was so tired he tipped over towards the pillows and fell into a worried sleep full of nightmares and gunshots that didn't exist anywhere else than in his head.

And I didn't know that somewhere in the middle of it all it changed.

When I came up the next morning Cam stood in the hallway and was looking around. "Is everything alright?" I walked up to her. "Did you lose something?" Cam hesitated for a while as if she wanted to find the perfect answer. "What is it?"

"Try someone. I woke up and Sophia wasn't there… do you think she…?" Cam didn't even have to finish the sentence. I nodded and backed a few steps before spinning around and carefully opened the door in the bottom of the hallway. Like I thought- On the only bed in here Luce laid on his back, sleeping tightly with his arm around Sophia who laid curled up into a ball on her side by his side. The covers thrown slightly over them both but all it would take was one quick or one turn and it would be on the floor.

"I expected this." I carefully closed the door and turned to Cam. "It was almost cruel not to let them share room from the beginning. God knows how many bad dreams that lead them to this Let them sleep. There's no way they will sleep for as long as the Stan and Johnny anyway." I smirked and hoped that she'd get my bad joke.

And before I went to get myself breakfast. I slightly turned to the door with a number eight on it and wondered for a second… exactly how many- dreamt and living nightmares that had turned into this moment. But shook it off and went into the kitchen. Which was lucky because Jody had found the chocolate biscuits again.

Sophia POV

Once again my whole family were standing in front of me. I shouted their names but my own voice sounded so weird, as if I heard it from the other side of the wall. And none of them heard me, or they just chose to ignore it. So I was pushed backwards by some explosion and it was gone… It was all gone and no one answered my shouting.

I sat up straight in bed, breathing heavily. It was dark in the room and the clock on the dresser told me it was just after four in the morning. I hoped that I hadn't been shouting in my sleep again but Molli and Cam were still sleeping deeply so I probably hadn't.

I carefully, not to wake the others up stood up and pulled a hoodie over my pyjamas. Then I tripped barefoot over the floor and out into the hallway and carefully and as quietly as I could half ran through the hallway and into the room I knew Luce was in. Where I as quietly as I could opened the door and tip- toed into the room.

"Luce- Luc!" I didn't feel right waking up but thankfully, on the way he didn't flinch before he opened his eyes I noticed he had already been awake. And like so many times before back in Gota he lifted his covers up so I could crawl under it next to him.

"Bad dream?"

"I keep on having the same one." I whispered. "I guess… I guess there's not much to tell only… only you, dad, mum, Aaron and Sophie are standing with your backs against me. And then I'm pushed backwards by an explosion and I'm just shouting and I just know… I just know…."

"Know what?"

"That you're all angry with me. You think it's all my fault."

"Oh Soph." Luce sighed slightly as he took my head in his hands and looked me straight into your eyes. "I know that you think some of this is your fault. But nothing is your fault. I swear to you… nothing's your fault." I lowered my vision a bit. And then looked right up into his eyes again. "There was nothing that you could have done that would have kept anything from happening. And no one is angry with you for living" It was quiet for a long while until I said anything again, and no matter what I said I couldn't have put it words on how relieving it felt hearing Luce say that- after all of those times I had been so sure everything was my fault and everybody were angry with me.

"Luce…" I hesitated at last. "Nothing is your fault either. I know you feel like it's your fault that Sophie and mum and Aaron and dad died but… You saved so many others. Look at everyone you saved! Magdi, Alvaro, Faiz… they all get to be here and they wouldn't have if it wasn't for you." Luce smiled sadly. "I guess some higher power must just have been thinking that we two had something left to accomplish." Luce huge me tighter for a few seconds.

"We're together again. I'll never leave you, not ever again. Right now that's what matters."

After that I wasn't completely sure what happened. I think that I pulled away from Luce so we'd both have at least a bit of our own space. Even though I mostly just wanted to hug Luce tightly to know he was there.

Luce fell asleep, and when I could hear his slow, and so I too drifted off to the sound of his soft snoring, knowing that snoring meant that he was breathing. And breathing meant that he was alive and that I could hear it meant that he was here- and it meant that together we were safe.

When I woke up again it didn't feel as more than a split second had passed, but it must have been hours because the sun was shining through the window and I could hear chattering voices. Luce was awake, I could feel him playing with my hair. And when I turned around he was looking at me smiling.

"Good morning." He greeted. And I had to wait for several seconds before I could answer. Only because of the happiness that I could finally hear him saying it again after all of this time.

"Morning." I greeted him back at last, just as Luce pushed himself up and stretched out before he turned to be able to crawl out of the bed. "No don't go. Please don't go." Luce looked back at me and stood up anyway. "Please don't go… I just want you with me. Please, please, please, please…" I stopped when Luce held his hands up.

"I just need to go and talk to Mike about something. Go and get some breakfast… wait…" Luce checked the clock. "Okay… Brunch should be more right. I'll be there in a minute." Luce left the room and I slowly stretched out my arms and legs after having been curled up into a ball for most of the night. And then stood up and just as I left the room I found Mike and Luce in the hallway talking in low voices and frowns in their foreheads.

I could see on the look on Luce's face when he looked at me that they wanted to keep the conversation private in between them, nodded. And turned towards the kitchen. The thing was only by the time I reached the kitchen and the table with everything so many thoughts were spinning in my head about what Mike and Luce might have had to talk about I had lost my appetite.

"Soph." Luce showed himself in the kitchen and started putting a bit of everything on a clean plate for himself. "Those things I sent you… do you have the bracelets?" I hesitated. "Did you get them?" I nodded. "Are they back at the dum… Elm Tree House?" I nodded again but couldn't help but smile at Luce's way not to want to say the dumping ground like everybody else did. "Where are they? Mike and I are going back to Elm Tree House to get some things, I need all of those bracelets for something. So… Can I get them?"

"Bottom drawer in my dresser. Mike can show you which is mine. That small leather bag- they're all there." Luce nodded and turned to Mike just as he too came into the room and told us to come with him. That we all needed to have a meeting about something and we all went into a dayroom where most of the people from Elm Tree House already sat, and Ivy and Elias came just as I and Luce had sat down.

"Just now…" Mike began. "Luce asked me to let you all do something." Mike continued very seriously. "If anyone doesn't want to take part of it then just tell us and some adult will stay behind with you tonight. Luce has asked me to let all of you stay up. At almost midnight, we will go down to the water to that little wooden bridge. Luce and Sophia will go down on the bridge and do… well I'm not sure what but there won't be anything we can do. So, when they have done that we will all go down, and you will all be given each rose, that you'll go down and drop into the water. And that will happen at just about midnight. Is there anyone who already now feels they don't want to stay up that late… No one? Well… I and Luce will go and get some things and buy those roses. If you all just do what you like for the rest of the day I'll come and get you tonight when it's time."

"Sophia?" When everyone were leaving Carmen, Tee and Tracy came up to me. "What is it that we're going to do tonight?" I shrugged. "But since you've got a big part of it you must know something." I shook my head, and turned to Luce to find that he and Mike had already left.

"I'm sorry Carm. Luce just runs his own race sometimes. I don't know anything about what is going on. Believe me, I am just as curious as you are."

So… You didn't really think I'd kill Luce did you? But what do you think he's got in mind. And how did he find Manor Hall? And why does he need those bracelets? You'll get the answer to those questions and many others in the next chapter that will for sure be the very last. I hope you like it when it's up. See you all then.