And we're finally here at the final chapter of Cinder's arc.

Sifting Through Cinder: Part Ten

The three of them got to the airport on time. The process went by quickly. It could've been slower but since they were only here for a few days and were Commonwealth citizens with Lunar passports. They were just asked a set of routine questions as their bags were scanned. What were you doing? Do you have any items to be claimed? Did you take any good selfies? They just looked like three teenagers who came here for their long weekend, which, in retrospect, they were.

Those days went by quickly. A car show and many selfies later, they were suddenly on the plane back home.

Cress sits cross-legged in the window seat since she was small enough to do so and watch all the activity on the runway with excitement. Cinder is slouched in the aisle seat with her phone standing on her stomach and headphones in. Wolf was sitting straight in the middle seat he was cursed into being in again but this time, he didn't complain. He was happy after this trip.

Wolf yanks out one of Cinder's headphones once the mandatory safety video starts playing from their on-flight televisions. Cinder takes out the other one as she sits up and proceeds to ignore the video. Not even Cress was paying attention. She already buckled her seatbelt which was more than Cinder and Wolf did.

"Whatever we learned, it changes nothing … or nothing too major," Cress states, leaning to the side so they could hear over the video.

"I'm still Cinder Blackburn," Cinder says proudly.

"A pain in the spades…" Wolf mutters before looking at her. "Thanks for forcing me to come."

"Thanks for having a crisis."

"You're welcome."

"And Cress, thanks for not getting grounded."

Cress smiles as she sits back in her seat. It pays off to be a good girl. "You're welcome."

-o-

Wolf enjoyed the first hour of the flight, especially since Cinder and Cress dozed off within the first thirty minutes. Wolf would've fallen asleep to try and beat jet lag early but he feels energetic. He remembers telling Iko that he wanted to go to Luna so he could return home to Commonwealth. It was a joke despite missing his mom, his Scarlet, and his friends. Commonwealth will always be his home but Luna will always be where he came from. It was a new experience to see the chaos and catastrophe that turned Luna - Artemisia - into the selfie-loving landmark it is today.

He can never imagine living here, being raised here. What would've happened to him? Would he have run into Cinder or Winter? Would he have even liked them if he knew they were Blackburns?

He also couldn't imagine being in a position where he's immobile, but now he is since Cinder and Cress fell asleep on his shoulders. Another reason why Wolf couldn't sleep is because he didn't want to lean over on one of their heads. He'd squish them.

For a moment, he almost zones out into sleep but wakes up when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He thought he was dreaming since he thought he couldn't get messages on planes but when he manages to get his phone out of his jacket's pocket, he sees a message from Scarlet. Of course, Scarlet's messages can transcend airplane mode.

Alpha Scarlet: You're in for a surprise when you get back ;)

Wolf puts his phone down on his leg, unsure how to take that message. He certainly wasn't expecting that but now he can't wait to get back to Commonwealth.

"Excuse me," Wolf says, getting the attention of a passing flight attendant. She looks at him with a welcoming smile that he mirrors. "How much longer till we land?"

-o-

They were the last people off the plane which wasn't saying much since their flight wasn't packed. There were enough people to let the plane fly without combining it with a later one, which would've been early the next morning since they were flying back late at night. Cinder strides through the boardwalk with her suitcase rolling behind her, looking back to see Cress and Wolf yawning not far from her. She's about to throw her arms up in the air to celebrate their return from the motherland, but her arms are nearly glued to hugging her torso since she's shaking because it's unnaturally cold in here.

"I got too used to Artemisia's heat," Cinder says as her friends catch up with her. "Was it this cold when we left?"

"They probably turned off the heat since it's late and because we're on the boardwalk," Cress suggests. "It's probably not insulated here."

"That's stupid."

They walk through the tunnel, not even needing to search for their friends because Winter's scream is followed by her running up to them. She leaps into Cinder's arms, hugging her tightly as the others trail. Kai takes over Winter's hug when she lets go and he kisses her on the cheek. Scarlet jumps into Wolf's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and he holds her bottom as she hugs him over his shoulders. Thorne falls to his knees, hugging Cress around her legs and she runs her fingers through his hair. Cress looks at Cinder and Wolf who, despite being happy to be home, wonder why they're acting like they were gone for months.

"I almost died without you!" Thorne exclaims.

Cress blushes. "Stop exaggerating."

"I wasn't."

"Sure you are."

"I swear on all the stars in the sky!"

"It's cloudy so there are no visible stars," Scarlet tells him.

Thorne narrows his eyes at her. "Shut up. You almost died too!"

"I saved us!" Scarlet screams.

"Should I ask?" Wolf asks her.

"Probably not."

"Wait, why are you wearing this?" Cinder asks Kai, referring to his thick jacket. She looks at Scarlet, Winter, and Thorne who are also wearing jackets with boots and some opted for hats and mittens. "Is the airport that cold?"

"Just come," Winter says excitedly. She grabs Cinder's hand and leads her to the exit.

Kai follows with Cinder's bag as the rest of them follow. Stories about their trip would have to wait a moment. Once they reach the exit, the automatic doors open and Cinder couldn't see anything for a few moments as her eyes and nose start to water. The sudden coldness feels like she was plunged into an ice bath. When she adjusts, she looks around her and sees snow. Everything around her was covered in a thick layer of snow.

"Oh, my stars…" Cinder mutters, unsure how to take it.

"Our first snowfall!" Winter exclaims, forcing Cinder to dance around in it. Cinder's body is amid freezing at the joints.

"This is what I was referring to in your text," Scarlet whispers to Wolf.

Wolf glances down at her with a grin. "Are you sure?"

-o-

Scarlet drove Wolf home, listening to stories about Artemisia's insanity while leaning towards her. His testimonies on the car show slowly turn into sweet nothings about how much he missed her and a long weekend's worth of kisses. Scarlet was already half-listening to his stories since she had to focus on driving on the snowy streets at night, but holy stars she was about to crash the moment she could feel his voice on her. She didn't need another near accident but once she parked in front of his house, she unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed into his lap.

They had to call it a night when Wolf's mom started calling him since she knew he was coming home tonight.

When Wolf walks inside with his bag, his mom approaches him, kissing his cheeks as he hugs her. Aces, he really loved being home.

"Artemisia is so weird," Wolf says. He takes a seat on the living room couch and his mom sits on the arm nearby. "They banned people from taking selfies on a bridge because, get this, people have died from taking selfies on said bridge."

"Did you take selfies on said bridge?" Maha asks.

There's no point in hiding it. "Of course I did."

"Idiotic tourist."

"That sounds like something you should've muttered in Hebrew."

"I needed you to understand it."

-o-

Cinder throws her bag in the house, kicking it further inside. Snow flies off the bag, melting the moment it lands on the floor. Cinder turns around, seeing Winter playing in the snow so she leaves her. Winter is really enjoying the snow whereas Cinder wishes it would be a part of a nightmare and gone by the morning. Cinder almost leaves the door open but gets hit with a breeze and some snow so she slams the door shut while cursing.

"Welcome back," Levana says, walking up to the door with an ominous grin.

"I hate being back," Cinder responds with a frown. "Stupid snow."

"So, how was he? I have vague memories of him but he was a decent man."

"Seemed like that."

Levana cocks a brow as she leans against the wall. "How was it really?"

Cinder huffs, putting her hands on her hips. "I got some unexpected peace."

"Are you sure you went to Artemisia?"

So that concludes Cinder's arc. I'd consider it one of my favourite arcs.

Just some messages before I go:
First, my weekly updates will be stopping for now since I haven't finished the next arc and the story's third anniversary is in a few weeks (so the first chapter of the next arc will be up by then regardless if I'm finished writing the arc. More on that will come at that time).
Second, the poll that I've been advertising for the last two years will be closing on the anniversary so, if you still haven't, go vote! Votes will also be accepted in the reviews.
Third, I have a Wolflet one-shot that I plan to publish when they story hits 100k reads. We're almost there and I'll let you know when it's out! (Granted, I might inform you late because I'm finishing the next arc before publishing it).

Feel free to guess who the next arc will belong to. I will see you on this story's third birthday!