Dream Walker

Epilogue

College graduation was a bittersweet day for Callie. The accomplishment felt amazing, and she was relieved to be done. She found walking across the stage for a few seconds after hours of sitting and listening to speakers highly unnecessary, but her mom had insisted on the tradition. She wanted pictures to commemorate the moment.

Her roommates could also be blamed for dragging her there. They wanted pictures together in their gowns. Quinn insisted the memories of their time together would not be enough to save their friendships as they all transitioned into the next parts of their lives. Lyn would be working at her dream job, while Quinn started a graduate psychology program and Callie started medical school. Their pursuits would take them to different cities, but they were determined to remain close.

As Callie posed for pictures, she thought back on the past year of her life. The ups had been incredibly high, and the downs had been terribly low. She had begun to find balance between her normal life and the abilities that made her different. She had been lied to and manipulated by forces with their own agendas. She had even found someone that brightened her world. That thought still made her heart ache.

"Ready to eat?" Corrine asked, putting away her camera. In addition to her talent for painting, Callie's mom had taken an interest in photography. Callie had bought her the fancy camera as soon as she mentioned the new hobby.

"Yes, please! I've been thinking about stripping off this gown and stuffing myself with food for hours now," Lyn said. She waved her brothers over to join them. The boys had been bored by the photography session and decided to wander off. The last time Callie looked, they appeared to be deep in an acorn-throwing competition.

Callie laughed at Lyn's eagerness. She was just as hungry after all the festivities. Their families were all going to grab lunch together, then they planned to spend the night celebrating with college friends. Quinn would be leaving the next day for a two-week trip to Europe with his family, so they had to get all the celebrations done before he left.

"These things wouldn't be so unbearable if they held graduation indoors," Callie grumbled as she peeled off her cap and gown. "I'm sweating like a priest in a—" She glanced at her mom and decided to censor herself. "In a sauna."

Quinn, finished taking pictures with Maira and his family, took off his cap and shook out his sweat-soaked hair. He looked like a dog shaking itself dry after a bath. "Let's hope the restaurant is blasting the air conditioning. I don't care what food they serve as long as I can cool down."

After they split their families into different cars—two were dedicated just to transporting Lyn's small army—they met at a nice Italian restaurant. The place was filled with graduates and their families. Their party alone took up four tables, and the poor staff looked overwhelmed by the quantity of patrons.

Lyn's voice dragged her from her thoughts. "So, how are you doing? I know it's been tough since Alex, well..." She trailed off for a moment then regained her train of thought. "You seem really happy today."

Callie was touched by Lyn's concern. "I am really happy. It's been tough, but my wonderful friends would never let me suffer alone."

She cracked a joking smile, though her words were sincere. Her friends had been adamant about making sure she processed her emotions and kept on track for the past few months. Officially, when The Order withdrew Alex from school, it was due to a family emergency that necessitated his presence out of the country for an extended period of time. Callie couldn't tell her friends what had really happened that fateful night in December, so they simply believed that her relationship ended suddenly because Alex had to return home.

In the months since that night, she had only been contacted by The Order once. She had been shocked to open the door one day to find Julien outside. Her first reaction to his presence was guilt. She could still hear him pleading in desperation for her to save Alex. Because she had disappeared that night, his brother would never have the closure she did.