EPILOGUE.
what a heavenly way to die
FATE HAD A way of changing and reshaping lives. A small decision — it could be something as small as a single grain of sand — could alter the entire course of somebody's life. Whether is was an action, or a word, they were all unexpected curveballs that could wither into a person's life and change it for good with no point of return. The best way to describe the uncertainty of life was the butterfly effect — a tiny butterfly flapping its wings today could possibly lead to a devastating hurricane tomorrow. And whether it was good or bad, that was okay, because life wasn't all smiles and rainbows. There was an ugly side to it that people preferred not to speak about because it was dark and even frightening. But it was that exact darkness that made people make the wisest choices, ready to accept the consequences.
Nova Van Kirk could relate to that very logic, maybe a little too well. Ever since Nova left the comfort of her mother's womb, every decision she made was dictated by her parents. They controlled where she attended school, who her friends were, who she dated, and all for the sake for their family reputation. That pressure to be perfect and to make every good decision weighed Nova down, so much that sometimes she almost felt as if she couldn't breathe. When she lost her brother, that pressure became suffocating. There were days when Nova believed she was drowning underneath the crushing waves of perfection, and she believed there was no escape.
And when Nova finally made a decision for herself and not one controlled by her parents, it was the wrong one. She turned to drugs to make her forget about the crippling grief and the desperate need to be her parents golden child, and it almost destroyed her. It turned her heart into rot and her blood into poison. She became a hollow shell of the girl she used to be. She was no longer the Kook Princess of the Outer Banks. She was the girl with ghost eyes, and she didn't think she could survive this time around.
Then she met the Pogues. Fate brought her to them when she needed help. While she was drowning underneath the crushing waves of her parents expectations, they reached out their hands for her to take and pulled her out of the water before it was too late. They breathed the air into her lungs and dragged her to the shore of peace and harmony where she could be herself without fear or uncertainty. They allowed her to be herself around them without judgement. They taught her how to live, and not just for the sake of her parents and what they wanted for her, but to live life to the fullest today without a worry of what could happen tomorrow. Nova began to make every choice in her life for herself. She didn't think about how it could effect her parents reputation. She only cared about what it would mean for herself if she was to make those decisions and that was the greatest power of all.
It turned out meeting the Pogues was the greatest thing to ever happen to Nova Van Kirk. Now if you went back in time and told that to the naive girl who's only goal was to please her parents, then she would've simply laughed in your face. She never thought a group of kids from the wrong side of the tracks could bring her so much joy and comfort. She didn't even think it was remotely possible for some strangers to give her everything she needed. As a girl who had everything at her own decree, from diamonds to designer clothes, and a secure future set in stone because of her family name, she didn't think she needed anything else. But it turned out, that void Nova felt in her chest from the moment she lost her brother was easily filled in by the Pogues, each of them bringing their own sprinkle of magic into Nova's incredibly dull life.
John B dragged Nova into the kind of adventure that every kid dreams of at least once in their life. Finding the Royal Merchant and it's treasure was a pipe dream, but one Nova gladly followed. He gave her the excitement that brought colour into her black and white days. Kiara showed her that although being a Kook and befriending a group of Pogues gave you a bad reputation, it also allowed you to be free from the shackles of perfection that were placed on many Kooks from the moment they took their very first breath. Pope made Nova laugh the most. She enjoyed his company and she admired his aspirations. She could listen to him talk for hours about things that would have never even crossed her mind.
Then there was him. JJ Maybank was different from all the others. There was always a spark in him that allured her in a way Nova couldn't explain at first. That very first night in the chateau — that moment when they first connected — was a night Nova would never forget. JJ made her feel alive again after what felt like forever trapped in her own cage of solitude. And when she broke his heart, shattering it into a million little pieces, she became suffocated in eternal desolation, and truth is, Nova felt as if she was never going to reach the surface again. That was until their paths crossed again, and this time, they never left each other again. Between the late night conversations underneath the stars and the longing stares whenever they found themselves in the same room with their friends, it was no surprise that they poured their hearts out to each other on that cold night filled with chaos, the fear of their friend possibly going to jail taking control of their emotions. Then they sealed the deal with a single kiss.
But while the couple endured their highs, they were also forced to face their lows. Losing John B Routledge and Sarah Cameron in that storm was an unforeseen tragedy that caused a ripple effect in Nova's life and the lives of her friends. They were all pulled underneath the waves of grief and sorrow together, and with the eyes of their enemies on them at all times, the group had to stick together, now more than ever. And then the unthinkable happened — something that left Nova and her friends in a state of shock — each of them reeling from the next hurdle throwing into their chaotic lives.
Nova's brother, Riley Van Kirk, was alive. He never died that night. It turns out he was more connected to the mystery of the Royal Merchant than anyone ever anticipated. He witnessed the murder of John B's father, and when he tried to rescue the man, Ward Cameron threatened to kill him too. Riley spiralled into a dark abyss of depression and addiction. But the white powder could only suppress those dark thoughts for a short time before he drifted back to reality once again. There came a moment when he just wanted all those terrifying thoughts to stop, and so he tried to take his own life, but failed in his attempt. And when he woke up in that hospital bed with his mother and father begging and pleading to know why he would try and destroy himself this way, that was when Riley Van Kirk realised he couldn't conceal the truth anymore. Together, Ethan and Allison Van Kirk hatched a plan to protect their son. They would send him away to rehab on the mainland, they bribed the doctors and nurses that treated their son in the emergency room, and they would fake his death to make Ward Cameron believe the boy was dead and gone while they gathered the evidence to prove Ward was a murderer.
Nova was angry towards her brother at first. She was even more angry at her parents for never telling her the truth. She resented them all for keeping her in the dark about something so important for this long. However, after she discovered her friends were still alive, eventually, Nova did find it in her heart to forgive Riley, telling him that life was too short to hold grudges against the people who didn't deserve it. And when the bridges between the Van Kirk siblings were finally rebuilt, the plan to bring John B and Sarah home was finally in full swing. But it should come as no surprise when a group of young and naive teenagers realised it was going to be harder than they thought. Especially when John B was taken into police custody only a few days after he came home.
The pressure to clear his name was weighing down his friends with each second that passed them bye. When the words, the death penalty, began to get carelessly thrown around, it forced the friends to come up with every possible plan to try and prove that Ward and Rafe were guilty. And although it worked, it came at a terrible price, one that resulted in a fiery explosion that left Nova and her friends reeling in horror, and forced Nova and Juno to hold a frail and broken Sarah Cameron in their arms while she mourned.
And when Nova believed her terrible day was finally coming to a close, the unthinkable happened. There was no denying that when she entered a relationship with JJ Maybank, she expected to have a lot of ups and downs along the way. But if there was one thing she never saw coming, it was JJ showing up at her doorstep in the middle of the night only to break her heart by ending their relationship. Nova was heartbroken, confused and left begging for an explanation to why JJ would do something so rash without giving her a reason behind their sudden breakup after they promised one another that they would never leave each other.
While Nova and her friends embarked on another treasure hunt connected to Pope, who happened to be related to Denmark Tanny, her and JJ coped in different ways. JJ distant himself from Nova, and she was left spiralling into a bottomless pit of old habits. Of course she never touched any drugs. But that night at the bonfire, Nova got wasted and when a fight broke out between the Pogues and Kooks, she ran off, leaving her friends worrying about her whereabouts and whether she was safe or dead in a ditch. When Pope Heyward found her, he confessed JJ's truth to her, explaining that the only reason why JJ broke up with Nova was because he was convinced by Nova's father, Ethan Van Kirk, that he wasn't good enough for her and that she would be better off without him. Nova didn't say much after Pope told her. She just nodded, wiped away her tears, and asked if he could drive her home.
When she returned home, Nova argued with her father, demanding why he would try and control her life when she didn't ask him to. Nova believed she could've found a sense of understanding if he was trying to protect her, but when he told her it was to preserve their family's reputation, and when her mother took her father's side in the matter, she knew there was no chance of salvaging what was left of her relationship with her parents. Nova and Riley walked out of their family home that day with their father's words hanging over their heads, "If you kids walk out that door now, that's it. You're both cut off and we never want to see you again. We are done." Nova and Riley left and spent the night at the chateau with the rest of the group.
The next morning, Nova decided to force JJ's deception and being practically homeless to the back of her mind and join her friends on the treasure hunt for some ancient cross to fulfil Pope's legacy. They found it tucked away in some old, rotting church, but like the gold from the Royal Merchant, it was stolen from them by Ward's and Rafe's greed. And the fight to get it back was a battle they would all eventually lose. They were lucky to make it off that ship with their lives. Especially JJ, who took a blade to the side of the head in order to save Nova's life, in which Nova had to return the favour and save him from drowning. When they were rescued by their friends, they managed to get themselves all to safety on a deserted island ( now named Poguelandia by JJ ) in the middle of the ocean, where they resided today.
The group had spent the past week on their newfound home and there were many changes since the moment Nova agreed to join that treasure hunt for the Royal Merchant gold all those months ago. She was once the girl with everything her heart desired, and now she had nothing except her friends and the clothes on her back. She had no home, no parents who would willingly search for her and her brother's whereabouts, and nothing to go back to if she was to ever leave the island. Everything Nova needed was with her now — her real family. The ones who accepted her perfections, and all of her flaws too. The people who never left her, who would never abandon her if she made a mistake, who would protect her from all the ugly things left in this cruel and cutthroat world.
Nova couldn't help but smile while her family splashed each other in the gentle waves of the ocean, watching from the shore as John B picked up Sarah and swinged her around in the safety of his arms. She giggled when she noticed Juno fall into the water after being splashed by the new member of their group, Cleo, a girl from the Bahamas, who helped John B and Sarah find their way home all those weeks ago. She watched as Kiara stretched out her hand to help her girlfriend back onto her feet, a gesture Juno happily took before pulling her into the water shortly afterwards, before the happy couple shared a sweet and memorable kiss. Riley and Pope eventually joined the girls and helped them back onto their feet, before the group continued to have their fun.
Nova was thinking of joining them when she noticed someone take a seat beside her, her body beginning to tense when she turned her head to the side to see JJ had perched down beside her on the warm sandy beach. The pair haven't exactly spoken since JJ saved her life and almost lost his own in the process, neither of them completely clueless on how to start a conversation with each other. It had been that way since JJ broke her heart and left her crying on her doorstep. There was no denying the tension between them right now, an entanglement of so many unspoken feelings wrapping around the former couple and making the uncomfortable silence unbearable. But something had to be said soon. It wasn't like they could avoid it forever.
And when JJ began to believe that Nova wanted nothing more than to be left alone, the blond boy cleared his throat and made an attempt to stand up from the sand covered surface, thinking of going elsewhere, or joining the rest of the group in the waves. But Nova's familiar voice was quick to stop him from moving, especially when he heard those words, "Pope told me everything."
That was enough to make JJ stare at Nova to see she was now staring back at him with a hurt look burning in her crystal, blue eyes. This caused for the boy to let out a sigh and sit back down beside the blonde, his eyes flickering over to Pope. "Doctor Spock couldn't keep his mouth shut, huh?" He muttered under his breath, shaking his head.
"He did the right thing." Nova retorted, her words forcing JJ's gaze back to her, watching as she glanced at him with a mixture of hurt and anger in her eyes. It was obvious she was more hurt than anything though. "Which is more than I can say for you." She added, a venomous tone laced in her voice.
JJ's eyes softened, shaking his head once again, "Nova—"
"Why?" Nova interjected, cutting him off in the process. "Why did you lie to me after everything we've been through together?"
"Because I knew what would've happened if I told you the truth." JJ answered, disbelief laced in his voice. "Your dad was right, Nova. You would've ruined your entire future for me and I'm not worth that. Not that it matters now because you did exactly that; you ran away because of me and now you're stuck here." He elaborated further, hoping she would understand why he did what he did.
But he should've known better than to think Nova would agree with him on something like this. "I didn't run away. I was disowned—"
"Because of me." JJ cut her off.
"No. Not because of you. I left to help Pope and save Sarah, and I had no intention of coming back because I knew that was what was best for myself." Nova snapped at him quietly, pausing for moment while she composed herself, before she parted her lips to speak once again. "My parents have spent their entire lives trying to make sure I didn't make the same mistakes they did. But what they don't realise is that all of this..." Nova trailed off, nodding her head towards their group of friends playing in the ocean. "It wasn't a mistake, JJ. You weren't a mistake. That's the difference between my parents and I. I don't regret a second of this. I knew that if I spent another second with my parents, I'd become someone I don't even recognise as myself anymore. That's why I left."
JJ was silent at first, not knowing what to say for a moment while he pondered on Nova's words. It made him realise how wrong he truly was, how stupid he was to let Nova go after everything they've been through together, and all because he allowed Ethan Van Kirk's words to get into his head. Now he was living in regret, wondering how he could've let go of the greatest thing to ever happen to him all because he was told to. He just wanted what was best for Nova, and now they were both paying the price, wallowing in their own heartache while they wondered how it was possible to ever fix this.
"I'm sorry." JJ finally spoke up, lowering his head to look down at the sand below him, before he diverted his gaze back to Nova. "I should've told you the truth a long time ago."
"Just don't ever lie to me again." Nova told him sternly, a ghost of a smile forming across her lips. "And don't ever risk your life for me again." She added, needing him to know that although she was thankful that JJ saved her life, she never wanted it to happen again, not if it meant risking his own.
JJ chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "I'm not saying sorry for saving your life." He deadpanned.
"You should." Nova argued back, staring at the boy sitting beside her. "What were you thinking, JJ? Risking your life for mine?"
JJ couldn't help but let out a loud scoff in response. "Was I just suppose to let you die?" He replied, his voice laced in disbelief while he spoke.
"Yes." Nova paused, her voice beginning to shake. "JJ, when I saw that blade hit you, when you fell out of the ship, I felt myself falling apart. I was scared because I thought you had died and all because of me. I can't ask you to do that."
"You didn't have to." JJ argued.
Nova released a shaky breath past her trembling lips, before she decided to speak again. "Just promise me you won't do it again." She begged him, needing the reassurance that she would never have to see JJ in that position again.
"I can't." He told her truthfully.
"Why not?" Nova asked abruptly, failing to understand why this was a promise he couldn't make.
"Because a world without you is a world I don't want to be a part of." JJ blurted out, his words taking Nova by surprise for a moment while she continued to listen to him speak. "Saving your life wasn't something I just did. I saw what was going to happen, I thought it through and I jumped in front of you because better me than you. Nova, don't you get it? I can't live without you. That's why I saved your life. I don't regret what I did, and I would do it again, and again, and again if it meant that you would get to live."
Nova couldn't believe what she was hearing. Never in a million years she would've believed someone would die for her just so she could live. She had never met anyone who would do that for her, and she hated that JJ had to be the one because that meant it would happen again, and again, until he knew she was safe. That meant there would be many more occasions where she would fear JJ's safety because he just had to love her to the point where a life without her wasn't a life worth living, which made Nova's life a little more difficult because there was no way she could live without JJ. A life without him was an ugly world she didn't want to have to face alone.
"And I can't live without you." Nova spoke up, a single tear rolling down her cheek, her eyes meeting JJ's perfect gaze. "I love you, JJ. Promise me you'll do your best to stay safe because I can't live without you either."
JJ couldn't resist the urge to smile when he heard those words leave Nova's lips, his heart skipping a beat when he realised that Nova's feelings for him were still very much present. "You and I both know that's a hard promise to make." He admitted, earning an unamused look from Nova in response, before a thought crossed his mind. "But I can make a better promise." He informed her, reaching into the pocket of his shorts, before pulling out something Nova never thought she would see again.
It was her bracelet. The same one JJ gave to her the night of Midsummers. She lost it when she dived into the ocean to save JJ's life and she only realised it was no longer on her wrist when they found the island. She was angry at herself for losing it as it was a token of JJ's love for her, and since they weren't together at the time, she felt as if losing the bracelet was like losing his love for good. Her heart broke and she cried to Juno about it for what seemed like forever. It was something so stupid and small, but it meant a lot to Nova. It was priceless compared to any diamond ring or gold necklace. It was almost like fate brought the bracelet back to her.
"Riley found it washed up on the shore yesterday morning. He knew it was yours and gave it to me. I was waiting for the right time to give it back since we weren't exactly talking. But now is a better time than ever for what I'm about to say." JJ paused for a moment, his voice beginning to shake. Nova could tell he was nervous, making her wonder what he was going to say next. "Nova, I was an idiot before when I let you go. I thought I was doing the right thing but I was wrong. You're the reason I'm still breathing, and I can't live without you. So I promise to hold you close for as long as I can—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Nova interrupted, her heart beginning to hammer hard against her chest. "Are you asking me to marry you?" She asked.
"No...well, kinda." JJ answered nervously, and Nova smiled when she heard those words leave his lips. "This isn't exactly me asking you to marry me. More like a promise to look after you, to love you in all the ways you deserve. And then when the time is right, when we're a lot more older and mature, then maybe yeah, we could do the whole marriage thing. But for right now, I can promise you that this is forever. So, what do you say, Princess?"
Nova felt the tears forming in the corners of her eyes, a smile filled with joy plastered across her face while she began to nod her head. "Forever," was all she said to him, before JJ put the bracelet around her wrist, his skin brushing against her own, those same sparks igniting underneath his touch.
Nova's eyes met JJ's again, before she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his own, an action JJ quickly reciprocated, their lips beginning to move together in perfect sync, static electricity pulsating through their veins. JJ then lifted his hand and caressed the girl's jaw with a gentle touch, his touch searing against her skin, sending chills up and down her spine while she smiled against the breathtaking kiss. However, this kiss in particular was different to any other kiss they had shared with each other. This one was laced with everything Nova hoped it would be. She felt her resolve beginning to crumble and those walls she had spent the last week building to prevent another heartbreak from taking place, falling apart the second her lips met JJ's. There was an insatiable desire entangled between the two. Something that could only be cured by the love beating rapidly within their hearts. That was a feeling Nova never wanted to forget, or let go of again.
Suddenly, cheers from a distance was enough to make Nova break away from JJ, the pair looking ahead to see their friends had stopped to watch them, cheering, whistling and smiling when they saw the former couple rekindle that old flame they believed died weeks ago. But, truth is, they could not be more wrong. The love Nova Van Kirk and JJ Maybank shared never went out, because a burning ember always remained, hidden in their hearts, even in the darkest of times.
And that darkness tried everything to destroy her, but in the end she found the light in him, and it would continue to burn even in death because a love as extraordinary and as epic as their's would go on to live forever.
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authors note.
THE END!!
I want to thank everyone who tuned into this story, who read, who voted, who commented. You guys are the reason why I was able to continue writing this story, and although I didn't get to write s2, I'm grateful for your understanding and allowing me to wrap up Nova's story in a way that felt most fitting. I really hope you guys enjoyed Heavenly and I love you all <3