Madeline Curtis, a runaway from small town in Washington, finds herself in the streets of Hollywood looking for a place to stay when she encounters a strange hooded man. In less than a second poor Madeline's entire life was flipped upside down and s...
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twenty-seven
It's the last chapter. I don't think you need a quote.
"My magic doesn't turn physical." She began to speak. "When I attacked Oliver, my intention was to electrocute him, but you — you did something strange."
"I know you can help me. You're a pink moon newborn for christ's sake!" She continued, this time more excitement and enthusiasm escaped her voice.
I opened my mouth to speak but shut it as fast as I opened it. I looked down at the floor as I shook my head. "I don't know, Aria. I don't know."
She took my hand in hers, "Please, Maddy. It might be the only chance we have to save Oliver."
I glanced towards the boy, who now begins to ascend from the ceiling and stopped at my waist. My hand hovered over his sleeping body. I didn't want to have to imagine living an afterlife without him. I'd already lived one life without him and I didn't want to have to live through another with a hole in my heart that could only be filled by him.
"Alright." I said, intertwining my fingers through hers. She gave me a squeeze before he hovered her hand above Oliver.
I followed her moves to a T, hovering mine above hers. She began to chant in a language I couldn't understand, I could feel the electricity traveling through our palms as she did so.
The lights above us began to flicker, she chanted louder, squeezing my hand tighter as she did so. The lights flickered faster and as I peeped out the window beside me, I noticed the entire neighborhood experienced it too.
My hand began to feel cold — colder than it was supposed to be.
"Don't let go!" Aria shouted over the electricity rumbling below us.
It felt like my hand was going to fall off. I imagined myself on top of Mount Everest without a jacket on — a bathing suit maybe, to imagine how I'd have to live as a human to get to this amount of pain.
The hairs on our head began to stand up in front of us. I silently waited for the lightning bolt to come down and strike us while it still could. Maybe if it did Oliver and I would pass over together.
And just as I was prepared to risk it all, it was over. The lights flickered to a stop, our hairs fell flat and my palm began to regain feeling and heat.
The purple electricity that had once surrounded Oliver's resting body trickled into the lamp beside us.
"Did it work?" I whispered, looking down at Oliver with hopeful eyes.
"I don't know."
I watched the limp boy fall gracefully onto the floor. We both stopped breathing for a second, waiting for him to breathe again — or not.
Until his eyes fluttered open and his blood red eyes had been replaced with his regular chocolate brown ones. "Maddy?" His voice was hoarse and deep.
"Oliver!" I wrapped my arms around him tightly, almost tight enough to squeeze the eyeballs out of their sockets.
"Woah, there," He said lightly as he rubbed my back up and down in a way of returning the embrace. "You're going to destroy it."
I pulled away, turning my head to the side in confusion. "Break what?"
"This."
He reached his hand out of his back pocket and when it returned, he opened it wide to reveal a human heart necklace — two — one served as a mold for the other.
"One for me and one for you."
I took one from his palm, the one made from the mold, and analyzed it while it swung in the air. "Oliver, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever owned."
I turned towards Aria to show her the necklace up close. "Merry christmas, Maddy."
"Christmas!" My eyes widened. I glanced towards Oliver and then Aria, "I didn't get anything yet!"
"Don't you worry about it," Aria placed her hands on my shoulders firmly. "We always go christmas shopping at night anyways."
Oliver took my hand, standing fully up straight. I was scared he might fall over from being asleep — in a trace for so long but he stood with no hesitation.
"Let's go say hi to the family." Aria pulled the door open. Oliver wrapped once hand around my waist and pulled me to walk beside him down the hallway until reached the staircase. Aria descended before us, walking slowly to make Oliver less aware of his slow pace.
Jeremiah and Chloe stood in the dining room, hands around mugs of hot chocolate. Julie sat in the same place I'd left her. I must not have noticed her when I came upstairs.
Peyton sat beside her, cuddled into the blanket like a little girl.
"Everyone, I think you'll like my christmas gift this year!" Aria announced from the bottom of the staircase.
Everyone turned their heads in her direction, watching as Oliver and I descended the staircase shortly behind her.
"Oliver!" They cheered, jumping off of their seats and scattering to meet us at the end of the staircase.
Chloe was the first to embrace her son, hugging him as tightly as I had held him myself. Jeremiah came afterwards, giving him one of those weird bro-hugs all the boys used to give each other in high school.
Julie and Peyton both tackles him to the floor with way too much force. I listened to his head crack the marble floor. Maybe if people just.. pretended it was another part of the design it'd work.
Julie stood up from the sofa, returning back to the sofa to grab her phone. "Family photo!"
We all gathered around the phone to take a photo — almost like a modern family portrait, although I hoped to one day be in one. Oliver wrapped his arm around my shoulders before planting a soft kiss on my cheek. We smiled towards the phone that we all faced, "Cheese!" We all shouted simultaneously.
