Home for the Odd Ones

There's more to life, you know?

Sunshine filtered through the trees above her head. The warm breeze blew through her pale blond hair, free of her crimson highlights. Gwen was reliving her first day at the home, that date having snuck up on her fast. She almost regretted burning it down.

Everything would have just gone so good if Ms. Riffet hadn't been a vampire. She could've lived out the last two years there, happily living alongside her friends. But she supposed this was just as good.

She got up, her bare feet pressing the grass beneath her. Traveling downhill, she walked to a small house, finding it lively and full of love. Ophelia greeted her at the door, her little hands covered in cookie dough and flour. She was helping Serah and Iden, who had his hand planted firmly on her waist. They were good for eachother.

Delilah was in the room she shared with Lilith and Ophelia, listening to music. Her voice rang through the walls, making a perfect tune. Brandon and William were in their room, playing with paper planes and pirate hats. Aurelia slept on the couch, but she didn't mind it. Iden and Serah had their own room, which was more like a closet with just enough space for a bed.

Gwen climbed the stairs, finding the small attic that she shared with Ari. It was calm and quiet, perfect for them. A skylight was left open, and she pulled herself up, finding a space on the flat topped roof beside him. He grabbed her hand, tangling his fingers in hers.

"Glad you survived that mess?"

"I'm going to be indebted to Lilith for the rest of my life." He chuckled. "I don't know what I was thinking when I made you promise me. I guess I just wanted to know if you'd be mine before I died."

"Its a good thing you didn't stay that way." She leaned on his shoulder with a sigh. "The authorities still don't know what caused the fire. They're saying it was a gas leak. And they blame Riffet's death on a falling rafter."

"A falling rather that beheaded her?"

"I guess its possible." She smiled. "They found all the bodies. The ones in the cells. Calling it a mass grave from the eighteen hundreds they didn't know was there."

"They couldn't tell some were new?"

"Too badly charred to tell."

"Well." He smiled, looking over at her. His eyes matched the sunset that painted the sky with fire. "We made it out. And that's what counts."

"I think this is why I was never able to die." She looked towards the sky, feeling his arm wrap around her.

"Fate wanted me to live, so I could see this, and be here. Its all worth it. Every second of pain and fear, sadness and joy. Every bit, leading up to these days. The days that I get to keep living."