𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 / 𝐈𝐈𝐈.

21.

the aging

"I'll see you tonight." Edward whispers into my ear as I wake up. My mind slow as I try to remember what today is as I nod at him, rubbing my eyes. He disappears through the window as I rest my head back against the pillow, body still aching from the night before and my cheeks pooling with heat in the memory.

I tug my sleep shorts down as someone lightly knocks on my door. It opens with my Mom stepping in and Mina hurrying onto my bed, hissing at where Edward had been. "What's going on?"

Mom lets out a laugh as she places down my Batman mug on the side table, steam rising up from the coffee as I turn to sniff it.

"Happy Birthday, Heather." She tells me and I furrow my brow searching for my calendar. Had July passed me by so soon? Was it already the 31st? "You're eighteen now, isn't that exciting?"

I blink at her as I slowly sip at the coffee, remembering that I had to pretend that this was just another birthday for everyone. "Oh yeah, can't wait to vote and enlist in the military."

"Eighteen will be fun, you'll meet all sorts of interesting new people in Alaska and do things none of us have ever done. I think you're going to have a great year Heather, even if it's spent mostly away from me and Forks." She gushes, sitting down on the bed next to me with a large gift bag in her hand. "And because you won't be here, your grandmother and I made you a little something to help you remember."

"Mom—" I hold back a wince as she hands the bag over to me. We'd decided to keep gifts to a minimum this year so I had less stuff to pack, most of my room has either been boxed up for storage or stuffed into suitcases for Alaska. The less I had, the easier.

"I know what we agreed upon, and this is all you're getting from me. I'll ship it up to Alaska if I have to." I sigh at her remark, pulling the tissue paper out and reaching into the bag. When I hold up the gift, I bite back tears as I realize it's a quilt she's made from old t-shirts of mine, from sports competitions to trip shirts. It makes me melt as I hold it up to get a full look of it.

"Just something to keep you warm up there. And when you get older, maybe have your own daughter, you can add onto it and pass it down." Mom blissfully suggests, thinking of a future that'll never happen to me.

"Thank you, Mom. This is, this is amazing." I say, taking a deep breath to ease myself. There are going to be way too many tears in the near future that I didn't need a breakdown now.

But once she leaves the room to make breakfast, I curl back up on my bed with the quilt tucked safely in my arms. Stray tears sting at my eyes as I breathe the soft blanket in, the assortment of colors covered with speckles of sunlight that streams into the room. I'll have to put on concealer to hide the red of my cheeks and have to find somewhere in my luggage to store the blanket.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Heather—" The candles flicker in my eyes, the bright flame burning down closer to the chocolate cake. Mom tugs at the elastic string of the cheap party hat I'd been coerced into wearing, a proud smile on her face.

When the song comes to an end, I let my lungs expand with air. Someone tells me to make a wish, so I do. With closed eyes I wish for the best, hoping that on the other side of living, things will be easier. My eyes open, shining as I blow out all eighteen candles in one go.

I gaze up at Edward who is clapping along side everyone else, a knowing smile shared between us. This is it, my final age.

until dawn breaks...

Sana's Note
Here we are at the end of Ignite! Once again, I am so grateful to all of you readers who have enjoyed, voted and commented on this story and the others. I wouldn't still be doing this without your love and support. And I am happy to announce that the final book of the series In the Light will be published March 18 and I cannot wait to share it with you!
Xoxo, Sana