Quick author's note guys — I originally wasn't going to post this chapter because I thought it was too corny. I really don't like it. But if I ever make a sequel to this book, this chapter will give me the foundation to create a plot for a lil' something new. Thank you so much for all of the support you are giving this book! Love you all!
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MARA
Pain.
The only thing I could feel at the moment was a burning sensation on my right hip. It felt as if someone were pressing a hot metal into my side, scorching the skin on contact until there was nothing left.
My eyes were hardly open due to my lack of energy. I felt weak. I couldn't move my arms nor my legs as I felt drained. Literally.
I used my senses to feel around. I was on a stretcher of some kind, as unfamiliar faces pushed me along through a never-ending cold hallway. People were shouting around me. But the only thing I could hear was the sound of my nervous heart pumping at the speed of light. A pair of eyes lands on mine as they widen before murmuring a few words to the fellow nurses.
"Don't worry, Mara," the nurse says looking down to me with a positive attitude. "You're in safe hands now."
Then, my other half pops into my head. Where was Hudson? I begin to panic, not knowing if he were safe or not. Did we end up winning the battle?
But all of the questions inside of my head suddenly fade, as they put a mask with anesthesia around my face. My eyes roll back in my head suddenly, and before I knew it I was out like a light.
Again.
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"Shh, guys!" I hear a faint voice coming from my right ear. "She's waking up!"
I begin to hear voices, and I could've sworn I was going insane. Was I becoming one of those people from the horror movies that could talk to ghosts?
As I try and gather the strength to open my eyes, I am immediately blinded by a light in the sky. Closing my eyes, I try and lift my arm to block out the sun, and to my surprise my arm moves.
"Hudson?" I whisper nervously, and I begin to feel my legs and lower body again as I warm up,
"Aww, look!" A female gushes from the left of me. "She even calls out his name in visions!"
"Be quiet, dear!" A male voice hisses and chuckles in response. "She won't respond well to this if you don't keep your mouth closed."
Visions?
My eyes suddenly shoot open, and even though I was blinded by the lights in the sky, I would get over it. I felt hands touch my back softly, helping me sit up as my vision began to return to normal.
"Mara?" I heard a soft voice say from next to me. And that voice made me freeze. I hadn't heard that voice for... sixteen years to be exact. "Mara, baby." I heard a soft sniffle come from her nose as her fingers delicately trace my back.
My eyes look up to almost a spitting image of me, as my mother was kneeled in front of me with a look of pride on her face.
"Mom?" I whisper, as I suddenly found myself getting emotional. I didn't believe it at first. I didn't believe that she was sitting right here in front of me after all of these years.
Suddenly I throw my arms around her as she squeezes her arms around me in return. Whatever pain I was feeling at the moment soon went away, as the power of a mother's touch warmed my soul instantly. I missed her and my father more than anything in this world.
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.
Suddenly, my vision begins to become wobbly as if I were drunk. I have to remove my hands from my parents and onto the ground in order to keep my balance.
"It's time for you to wake up, Mara," my dad says patting my back. As a tear falls from my eye, part of me wanted to stay here forever in the protection of my parents. It felt so good to be in their arms again as I had forgotten the true feeling of family.
"What do I do next?" I ask them all, hugging my mom tightly afterwords. I would truly remember this feeling for the rest of my life. Being in her arms again truly felt like no other experience.
"You're Mara Winters!" My mom exclaims, placing a kiss on my forehead. "You'll always know what to do next," she says confidently.
"Mara," Hudson's father says making me turn around in my position. "Tell Hudson that I'm more proud than a father could ever be. And maybe one day, tell him about his mother. We don't know where she is... but I'm worried for her."
"I will try my best," I say nodding my head to him, giving him a smile before everyone comes in for one final group hug.
I truly would never forget this moment as I heard both my parents say their "I love you's" before my vision became so bad, I was fading rapidly.
"Live an amazing life, Mara. You're already off to a great start."
My father's words ring inside of my head, as my once white eyesight begins to turn black, as I find myself falling back down to Earth.
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Beep, beep, beep.
My consciousness was slowly returning, as I hear nothing but the annoying rings of a ventilator from beside me. It was quite annoying, if I had to say.
I surprisingly felt no pain as I rendered the state I was in. I was sweating—most likely from a fever I had probably contracted. The blast that I had been shot with was literally a laser beam anyways.
But despite what I had been through in the past month and a half, I surprisingly felt quite peaceful as I laid in the hospital bed.
Red was dead. Wes was most likely dead from what Hudson put him through. I was alive, and here for another day. And I prayed that everyone else was too.
Opening my eyes slowly, I take in my surroundings. The hospital room was actually very pretty from my view. Some 'get well' balloons flew freely in the corner as a vase of roses sat on the table next to me. The walls were white and sunlight shone in from the window giving off a good vibe.
Then, my eyes land on Hudson in the opposite corner of the room, as a sigh of relief leaves my chest.
He was safe, but he looked horrible at the same time. Dark bags hung under his eyes, as it looked like he hadn't slept in days. I didn't fail to miss his hair that was usually shaped to perfection, either. Instead of his usual hairstyle, Hudson's wavy strands were in a wild mess looking like he just went through a tornado. He was awake, and staring at the floor with a distant look in his eyes.
"You look like absolute shit," I croak out with a smile on my face, not being able to move much from the state I was in. I still remember the night in the Rebel base when I said those exact words to him.
Suddenly, his green eyes shoot up to mine as they widen in shock. He blinks, and even rubs his eyes a few times to check if he were dreaming or not.
I could tell his breathing began to increase as he lets out a shaky breath and stands from his chair. Taking slow and astonished steps, I weakly smile up to him as I swore I could've seen him tearing up.
"Mara," he whispers, falling to his knees next to the bed so I was eye level with him. "You're okay..."
I shakily reach up to caress his face, wiping a traitorous tear. "Of course I am," I whisper, the smile on my face contagious as he grins in return. "I told you I was going to be okay that day."
"You're okay," Hudson says again, reassuring himself that this wasn't a dream. He chuckles, probably not believing his eyes.
"Did we win?" I ask finally.
"Yes," Hudson whispers happily, grabbing my cold hand lightly. "We won with honor, Mara. And none of this would've ever been possible without you."
I sigh in content, letting myself get lost in his eyes. This moment truly was beautiful, as the glow in his eyes seemed to be returning as he kneeled by my bedside.
"Can you stay here tonight?" I question fearfully, not liking the vibes of the hospital. There were a bit too many horror movies made after hospitals, and I wasn't about to be living in one.
He climbs into the left side of my bed to avoid my wound, as my head curled into his chest as his head rested above mine.
"With you, Mara? Always."
And that was all it took for me to pass out in just a few minutes, feeing content for the first time on Earth in a very, very long time.