Chapter 50
*Friday, 7th July*
The day started off sad and gloomy, the feeling everyone had kept inside was vibrantly shown on the outside, even the sky agreed with the melancholy filling the air, turning into a shade of very dark grey. Ara almost refused to believe it was daytime. But the ticking wooden clock on the wall said different, reading a time of ten past ten in the morning, and she knew she'd have to leave soon.
The dress she wore felt like it was choking her. The high, long-sleeved collared dress stretched across her body effectively, yet it was tight and stopped right above her knee. It was black in colour. Black; like the colour of Xander's delicate fur when he turned into his large, beautiful wolf. But at that moment, not even him could bring up her spirits. Not even him could put much of a smile on her usually positive face.
Ara knew Faith was extremely upset during a time like this, but the pregnancy hormones were making it worse. Not even Sebastian could handle her. Not even Ara could walk through the door without some sort of lamp that has been replaced nearly fifty times being thown at her head. If anyone had to take it the hardest; it was Faith. Faith who had known Heather since their diaper days, who had grown up together gloriously and moved to New York together to presume average, human lives for as long as they possibly could until they both met their mates.
Losing someone that close was like losing a part of you as well.
"Bella? Are you all right?" Xander's voice appeared behind her, silently standing as she turned around to be greeted with him neatly groomed in a three piece suit, wearing a slick black tie that was so dark it represented just how Ara felt. Absolutely miserable.
She couldn't even try to put on a fake smile for her own mate.
Xander didn't need any words for confirmation, he pulled her into his strong, protecting arms and held her head closely againt his gentle beating heart, knowing that the sound would calm her, that Ara was now a danger to her own self, dwelling in thoughts that kept her miserable and completely unhappy.
Both Heather and Daniel had died that night. Daniel first, then Heather sacrificing herself heroicly, saving the friends she considered her family. The least Ara could do for them was to bury them together. And that's what they were doing–that's where they were going.
"I left Caleb with one of the nannies. We better get going." Xander whispered softly and Ara refrained herself from crying, clutching her fingers tightly around his jacket.
Ara's heart clenched when she pulled back, watching Sebastian steadily lead a hardly pregnant Faith down the stairs, his hand gently placed on her back, ready to catch her any moment she chooses to cripple and fall. No doubt she will.
Faith managed a sad smile. "We should get going," Sebastian said, "It's getting late." There wasn't anything better to say. It wasn't even getting late–being ten in the morning.
Xander nodded in agreement and together, they sat in a short car drive that left Ara's stomach settling uneasily.
Ten minutes later they were there. Ara could make out the familiar couple, a woman with striking gingery red hair crying into the shirt of a man who was elder and graying. Their cries were excessive and loud, the two caskets lying in front of them were clearly too much.
Within the crowd, Ara saw faces that were foreignly familiar, and faces that were just completely new all to itself. She was even more surprised to see a bundle of other red-headed children holding the long black dress of their mother's, refusing to look in the general direction where two bodies lay, forever at peace.
"Those are her siblings. Kara, who's sixteen, Edward, who's thirteen and Hannah who's ten." Faith explained lowly, a clear crack in her voice that revealed to Ara that her friend could break down at any moment. "And those are her mother and father. The couple on the other side are Daniel's parents. He had no siblings, but he had cousins who filled the role just perfectly."
It took almost everything in Faith to not break down.
"Why don't we take our seats?" Xander suggested, steering them away to where multiple seats were aligned, though many preferred to stand, their faces covered by intricate black lace, most likely hiding the tear-stained make up on their distraughted faces.
Ara's hands were covered by a small pair like hers, Faith's, as the ceremony began to start, the Priest gathering himself up onto the podium.
The bodies had been delicately transported back to the United States, to Heather and Daniel's home pack, where they were to be buried together.
"...And we ask, in replacement for her parent's, for Heather's two close friends, Faith Jensen and Arabella Pierce, who've prepared a speech in Heather's honour." Right after people had gone up and said their words to Daniel, Ara felt her breath leave as the words leave the Priest's old, cracked lips. She didn't remember being asked to prepare anything. Yet Faith, Faith immediately stood up, holding on hand over her stomach and another with a white sheet of paper streaked with obvious black mascara stains.
Ara stood up behind her. "I–I wrote down some things for you as well. I'm just–I hope I don't forget–"
"It's all right. I won't need one." Ara reassured her gently, holding her hand and leading her up the podium.
But Ara was first. Faith had wanted to go last–she wanted the strong finish, her words to release power.
"I've known Heather ever since my first few days in New York. At that time, she was still sharing an apartment with her best friend, Faith, but that in no way excluded me out in their friendship group. I know, I know now that what intrigued them the most was that I had been pregnant with the father no where to be seen–and she, she really helped me. She was there throughout my pregnancy, was like my mother, ordering me around and telling me not what to eat and it go so annoying at times," The brims of Ara's eyes teared up, "But, but I still loved how much she cared. How she made me feel loved and how she was always there, even after Caleb had been born, and she took care of him whenever I was busy with work, or had a late night studying for college classes."
Ara stopped for a moment, taking a breath. She didn't know what to say and she almost wished she didn't choose to just wing it. Heather certainly didn't deserve a crappy speech like that–she deserved true, practiced heart-felt words. But inside, Ara felt like that winging it would be what Heather would've preferred.
"I've only known her for roughly three years, but life without her sounds like a completely, boring and utterly unlivable life. It's not a coincidence that things were bouncy whenever she was around, ever since I met her after I moved to New York. I never expected to say Goodbye to you, Heather, not this soon. But I know you wanted to be with Daniel. I knew that where he was was where you heart would always be. I can't say how much I thank you for risking your life to save others. Every woman and child you helped escape still lives happy and healthily. All because of you. I–I love you, Heather and..." Ara's voice started breaking and she began racketing in sobs, Faith rushing up to hold her back. "And I hope you're happy wherever you are. And I won't forget you. I won't be able to forget someone amazing like you."
She stepped down and Faith took her place, and amazingly, Faith was holding it better than Ara possibly could. Her shoulders were arrowed high and she tilted her chin up, staring straightforward as if Heather stood in the distance, smiling and cheering her on.
"Heather and I...no...no...we...just..." Faith began stuttering, words coming in a jumbled mess as she tries to form them properly. She didn't want one of those typical funeral speeches. She needed something different. To say something completely different.
"I remember when I was six years old, and there was this apple, this beautiful red apple at the top of the apple tree. I had broken my arm the previous day, so I wasn't allowed to climb trees to get the apple, but Heather, she was tall and energetic and ready to climb up high on that tree, ready to race up. And she did. The tree was so high and I knew that Heather was absolutely scared of heights, but she still climbed up to get the apple and it came down and I caught it, but I couldn't catch her and in the end we both had broken arms in our casts." In the crowd, Heather's parents clutched each other tight, silently remembering the time when they scolded their daughter for her idiocy of jumping off a fifteen foot tree.
"I could simply say all my best memories; but all my best memories had been with Heather. All the childhood events that I remember on sad days, they were with Heather and most of the time because of Heather. It's–It's so hard to see her go, but she was the most beautiful girl I had ever met. Everytime you were around her, you would just want to smile and laugh and be happy in every kind of way because she influenced you to be that kind of person, a better version of you. Nobody could replace the shrine she has in my heart, because Heather is Heather, and I know that you will always be with me, maybe not physically but I know you're here...somehow...some way and I can't wait to see you again."
Faith made sure the tears were kept to a limited, all until the caskets were lowered slowly down under. Both Ara and her clung to each other falling to their knees as the rain began the fall and the ground started to turn muddy, draining and scraping against their bare legs, daring to watch as shovels of dirt fall on top.
It was too terribly hard to see them go, two souls entwined for the rest of eternity now, waiting to be separated once again in another lifetime to go searching for one another.
Ara felt a hand clamp over her shoulder and Xander's blurred face came into view, gently stained with the water falling from the sky.
"It's time to go now," Xander whispered, "You're going to get sick." Ara wanted to complain as she slowly slid up, though thankful Xander was there to help her up on her shaking knees, feeling as if they were going to collapse once again any moment now.
Sebastian had to pick his mate up from the ground, her raking body curling into his warm chest. Both boys looked each other in the eye and turned, sheltering their mates from the rain.
Heather's death wasn't going to be the end of them. The battle was over, but it wasn't the end of them. Life had to go on from there, Ara knew it, and it may take time for herself and many others to move on, but she wasn't going to dwell or forget, she would allow it to help her, to remind her and bring her up on bad times.
They got home quickly, and Ara darted up to Caleb's room where the nanny left the two alone, and she picked him up, the small curly-haired boy with the unusual deep violet eyes like his father in her arms, giving her a giggling smile.
Ara knew it now. She didn't need a stupid amulet. She didn't need to find out where she came from to figure out who she was, because here she stood with the most beautiful thing she could ever have, surrounded by the most amazing people who love her so dearly. It was so obvious.
Xander stood by the doorway, his hands in his pockets as he watched his mate craddle the little bundle of joy in her arms.
Battles and hardships were definitely on their way, a life full of problems as well. It wasn't like they could stop it but heck–they could definitely push through it, but not alone. Ara was ready now. She was completely ready. She could do this. She could be a Queen, she could become a Luna, she could fulfill her duty.
All she had to do was destroy the power that could destroy all.
**********
A/N: And that brings ODN into a final wrap. This journey has been so long and amazing and you have ALL been so PATIENT with me and my writer's block and procrastination and I love you all for sticking by my side as I wrote through. This story needs to be badly edited and no, I don't plan on writing a sequel. This book sits on it's own perfectly, but I will write an epilogue. And maybe a few extra chapters.
IN FACT: I might have a contest!
I've seen around many author's tend to do contests, like one-shot contests, cover contests, fanart contests and I'm thinking I could do the same, get you guys involved because I owe that much to you all. I've been wanting to have a contest for a while.
I might include;
-one-shot (first, second, third) as well as mention many good stories if there are any stories xD
-cover contest. I might not actually put it as the cover of ODN because I'm quite picky, but top three will be included somewhere within my book and be valuably mentioned.
Details will be posted later! As for now, this isn't goodbye but a see you soon. I can't believe I finished the book but there will be an epilogue! Lots need to be explained!
**2020: lowkey that sad tho