A Spark of Hope

Epilogue

It's been three months since the day Optimus left. Life has been good. Joshua helped us buy a new plot of land with a quaint cottage-style house not too far from our old land on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. It was made of stone bricks, resembling an English architecture type. The yard was surrounded by an array of bushes and flowers, though they did not represent the fundamental borders of the land. Though it was a bit excessive, Joshua insisted on buying us five acres of the land. In a rural area, that was enough land for the Autobots to stay with us and roam around the land freely. They no longer had to hide in their alt modes in a barn, though we had one.

Cade wanted to build it, a replacement of the old barn that was destroyed. This time, it was updated, filled with new and old tools. Joshua helped him set all of it up, assisting him and me as we replanned the old inventions we had made. Joshua gave it to us that we had the brains to accomplish a lot of things, but lacked the tools and resources to complete it. So he generously gave us permission to his labs for further analysis if we ever needed one. Cade and he became quick friends after that. They would ramble on about all sorts of inventions and visions of the future they had in mind. I would roll my eyes at them and walk out to talk with the Autobots on the dirt track we had made for them. It was small, but it entertained them quite a lot while we humans were doing our own things.

However, I would often join their excitement. Walking out into the green pasture of our new and paid-for land as the sun was beginning to set under the hilly horizon, I would join the Autobots in their war stories or races or wrestling matches. Bee and Drift still had it out for each other, even though they were true buddies on the battlefield. It was quite entertaining to watch their quarrels or races. It reminded me of a pair of brothers. And they truly were brothers.

As for Tessa and Shane, they moved on with their lives. Tessa graduated high school with honors, which was beautiful. She was then accepted into Texas State University, moving into the dorms on campus in San Marcos. Shane began racing again, this time with stock cars in NASCAR. He quickly picked up speed in popularity, gaining the interests of several sponsors. He's still got a lot to grow, but he's building it, preparing a life for Tessa and him once she graduates. I was very proud and thankful that he choose her and that it was him who went through this war with us. Cade agreed with me on that, permitting him to marry his daughter. He hasn't proposed yet, but has the ring and waiting for the moment to arrive.

As for me, I stay on the farm, looking after the Autobots and Cade. I began an online class this summer, allowing me to complete my high school education and graduate so that I can move on in life. It was a new revival for me. I no longer had to stay home from school to take care of anything or hide anything. I didn't have to work several jobs anymore. I had my life back. I could finally live like a normal teenager again.

Nevertheless, I still had one remaining question that persisted in my mind. What will happen to my biological father? Turns out I don't have to worry about him anymore. He was found by the police outside a bar. He had overdosed on opium, dying in the streets. When the sheriff gave me this report, about a month ago, I felt neither happy nor sad. I was completely emotionless. A part of me wanted to rejoice in the thought that I no longer had to fear my father coming after me, but the other part told me that I should be remorseful. He was my only biological relative. But why should I mourn a man who beat me, threatened me, and told me to kill myself? I am not sure why. Maybe it's the hint of forgiveness in my heart, or maybe it's because the emotions haven't completely hit me yet. Whatever it may be, I turned away from the thought and returned my attention to the future instead of the past.

The Autobots have been using their holo forms a lot recently, getting the hang of the feel. Crosshairs would always sneak up on me as I exited the house at night to chat with them. His human form was pretty much as I thought he would look like. He had shaggy light brown hair with light blue eyes that illuminated the night air. He had his trademark green trench coat about him, though underneath he wore a form-fitting stealth black shirt that hugged his body, just like Optimus, and cargo pants with combat boots. However, he always advised me not to forget the toothpick and the goggles that he dangles around his neck.