Luminescence

Forty-four.

My father...

I turn to see him sitting just feet from my mom with wide arms. "So Dad isn't getting any of the love, huh?" He jokes and chuckles, and with wide arms I embrace him as well.

Happiness was the only emotion I felt at the moment. I was radiating it, as the massive smile on my face said it all as a tear rolls down my cheek.

"But..." I start off, too consumed with joy to focus. "I don't get this, where am I?" I say not removing myself from my father's arms. I pull back only to sit between my parents as my dad puts an arm around me.

"You're in a vision with us, Mara," my mother says, her blue eyes gleaming. "This is all very real, but unfortunately you only have an limited amount of time before you wake up again."

I wanted to ask so many more questions about how they were here, and how I got here. But I pushed them towards the back of my head, as I wanted to enjoy the small amount of time I have with my parents.

Hudson's father was sitting across from us as well, smiling proudly. "Mara," he says, and in that moment I realize how much of a spitting figure Hudson is to his father. They look almost no different, as his green eyes glowed with happiness. "Thank you for everything. I couldn't be more grateful for you helping my son come out of his dark path. You are one of the strongest mutants that have ever walked the face of our planet.
Not because of your powers, but because of your heart."

"He's right, Mara," my mom says. "We are all so proud of you for what you've done on Earth..." she says getting emotional again. I wrap my arms around her, as her tears made me want to cry as well. "I wish we could've been there to see you grow. See you smile. See you become the beautiful woman you are today. Future generations of mutants will finally get to experience that thanks to your determination."

"I knew one day my girl was going to grow up brave," My dad says proudly rubbing his knuckle on my head like he used to do when I was a kid, making me laugh. "See, Iris?" He says with a hint of playfulness in his voice. "My teaching 17 years ago did pay off after all."

"Damien," my mom gives him a warning tone as her eyes narrow, making me laugh. "You've become such a beautiful girl, Mara. I wish we could all come back down to Earth and stay there forever with you guys." I wipe another tear from her cheek as I smile gratefully.

"Thank you mom," I whisper.

But then my eyes trail to the empty spot next to Hudson's father, as Hudson's mother seemed to be missing from his side. He seems to notice my thoughts as he shifts uncomfortably in his spot.

"If you don't mind me asking..." I say softly. "Where's Hudson's mom?"

Everyone looks down with solemn eyes, especially Hudson's father. "She's not here yet, Mara," he sighs, which makes my eyes widen.

Hudson's mother was still alive.

"It's been hard without her, though. But I'm happy she was able to save herself and our son." His voice was proud as he looked like he was holding back a floodgate of emotions.

His voice was so deep yet so warm, he could've been a narrator if he wanted to.

"Can I stay here forever, Mom?" I ask as I begin crying. I never wanted to leave.

She cups my face with her hands and wipes the tears away. "Baby, you have an amazing life to live on Earth. What you've done to help other people is... out-of-this-world more amazing than what any other mutant has done before. And I speak for myself and others when I say this," she says happily. "We're all proud of you."

I smile happily as I look to my dad and Hudson's father and they nod in approval.

"And I think you might be forgetting about Hudson..." my mother says playfully and immediately a blush fills my face if the crying redness wasn't enough already.