Past Passages

Present Day

     "WELL FINE THEN GO BE WITH SARAH! SEE IF I CARE!!" I'm brought out of my reading by the sound of Zoey's voice.

     A rock hits my window, drawing my attention. Looking out, I see Josiah, Fenly, and Suzanne standing in the driveway around Josiah's new Dodge Charger. The sight of them lifts my mood, even as I see the dime sized holes in the tops of each of their left ears. I unconsciously touch the hole in my own ear as I recall the day I got it.

Running downstairs, I reach the family room just as Kyle says, "Wow, Amy, by this rate, the show is sure to go own without a hitch next week."

     Amy tucks a loose lock of her shiny brown hair behind her ear as she shots him a dazing smile. "Thank you, Kyle. And you play a wonderful Brandon."

     See, after that day 6 months ago, after we explained to Seattle Police that Amy's assault of David was self defense, Amy became my sole foster parent. And without David there to monitor her eating habits and stress her out, she managed to gain a healthy 20 lbs, and heal fully from all the damage David did to her body. Thus, making her the gorgeous, curvaceous vixen she is today, and successfully catching the eye of her new model and actor boyfriend and co-star, Kyle, who's helping her live out her dream as an actor and screen writer.

     "Your Zoey impression is perfect, Amy." I tell her and I smile genuinely, which I find myself doing a lot lately since that day. "Just the sound of it almost brought me back to those days."

     She gave me a grateful and apologetic smile. "And thank you, Selene, for letting me use your story for my play."

     I shrug. "Someone's gotta tell it. Anyway, my friends are here."

     "Okay, have a nice trip, sweetie!"

     I wave goodbye to her and Kyle and grab my bags waiting by the door.

    The front door is thrown open before I even reach for the doorknob and Josiah envelopes me in his arms. "I missed you so much." He whispers between kisses.

    "You saw me last night." I laugh. "And you're about to see me every day for the next two weeks. Don't worry you'll get tired of me soon enough."

     Josiah moans as he pressed me closer and licks my neck. "Not likely." But in the next moment he's separated from me and picking up my bags, leading me out the door. "Let's go. We're gonna miss our flight."

    I look past him towards the car, where I find Fenly and Suzanne in a similar position to what we were just in. And I have no qualms about separating them. "Hey, Fenly! George is gonna pick up the car for us, right?" I ask, but I already know he answer.

     Fenly moved his face from Suzanne's neck to shoot me a wolfish grin.

     Josiah places my things in the trunk and in a matter of minutes we're on the road headed to the airport.

     I lean my head against the window, trying to ignore the sounds of Fenly and Suzanne singing off-key in the backseat and thinking back to my journal. To the events of the last year. Who would've thought that in just 6 months I'd go from a vampire hunter reject, with no parents or a place to call home, to being a normal teenager, going on spring break with her best friends, and having a foster mother who might as well be my real mother for how much we love each other.

    And the guy who cause all that heartache? Who would've thought that we'd be talking about moving in our own house, marriage, and maybe even kids later down the road, not even a year later. At only 18 and 20 years old.

     I glance over at him and marvel at how lucky I am to still have him. Especially since I came so close to losing him. That day 6 months ago when VHA came bursting into the house with guns pointed at his face... he could've been killed.

     He should've been killed.

     Because of me.

     But thanks to Fenly and Suzanne, our guardian assassins. We managed to take out the entire VHA squad and since punching out our tracking chips that same day, we successfully dodged the VHA at every turn. We're always a step ahead.

     And now we're on our way to Florida, to do spring break the right way, and visit the theme parks and do things kids our age normally grow up doing. We're catching up for lost time.

     Who would've thought that all that turmoil was only 6 months ago?

     Who would've thought that I could be this happy now?

     And as I look over at Josiah, I can't help but whisper the same thing I've been telling him every day since.

     "Thank you."