The Fading Oddities of Nate Smith (A NateWantsToBattle Fanfiction) --COMPLETE--

TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY BONUS! - Afterward

Time is like a heavy mist. You could easily lose your way and lose sight of the world around you, but with patience and support from a friend or two, you could get to where you were going faster than you had expected. Sometimes the fog would lift so you could see the beauties the present had to offer; other times it was thicker than a towering brick wall. Either way, you never really know how fast you're going until you see an outline of the world ahead.

---

Nate's tired eyes scanned what little of his recording studio he could see past his folded arms, the stinging cold of the metal table nipping at his cheek like ice in a winter storm. The soft ticking of an analog clock droned on behind him, like a mellow whisper urging him to fall back asleep -- but he knew better. If he napped for any longer, he'd get absolutely nothing done.

What was really stopping him from lifting his head and getting back to work, however, was not his own drowsiness, but rather the calendar hanging on the wall directly in front of his line of slightly-obscured sight. A bright red star was marked in one of the boxes towards the bottom of the current month's page, and every moment Nate stared at it, the more bittersweet memories stirred in his mind. Two years...that was how much time had passed since he'd fallen unconscious on the side of the road just outside Florida State University. Nearly three had passed since his best friend died in that fateful, tragic accident. To think after all that time, a tiny part of Nate still felt guilty for everything he'd done, all the trouble he'd put so many people through.

Hunter still would've forgiven him.

Morgan didn't, though. Nate had tried to call her so many times, attempting to reach out to her time and again. After a month or two of him dropping an apology voicemail into her phone every once in a while, she finally decided to pick up the phone. They'd talked for hours, catching one another up on everything that had happened to them. Eventually, she brought up the video Nate had posted while he was on the train back to Los Angeles after disappearing almost a year prior.

He told her everything as well as he could without getting too emotional. She hung up shortly after.

They'd kept somewhat in touch ever since, but Nate knew fully well that it would take a very long time for Morgan even see him as a friend again. He didn't blame her, though. He would've done the same, if he were in her shoes.

Melancholic things aside, however, Nate's life was overall looking up to be much better than it was before everything happened. He talked to his friends in Tallahassee often when they weren't busy with classes or studying, and his channel nowadays was even more successful than ever before. The immense amount of support that had rushed in since his return hadn't stopped, and it really fueled his motivation to keep doing what he'd loved so much: making videos for others to enjoy. Sometimes, when Leo or Tess or anyone else in the Photo Club had enough time, they'd record content with him, from gaming videos to music collaborations (though Tess and Leo had proved to be some...especially interesting gaming partners).

His biggest project yet, however, was a secret to all, including the Photo Club. This little undertaking was something he hadn't uttered a word about anywhere, and honestly, he was glad he hadn't mentioned it to anyone yet. The songs he was writing for it hit dangerously close to home, but after all this time, he believed that making an album was the only way for him to express how he truly felt about everything that had happened in 2014. It told the story of Nate's little adventure across the US, and how he landed in Florida with Chasseur; black cats, angels, and photography were major motifs that he'd written into each of the songs to help get that message across.

Only one other person on Earth knew about this little project, since she was helping him in both putting together the album and even singing in one of the songs in it. That song in particular talked about angels, and luck, and redemption from a low time in life. Nate wondered if she ever realized that they were singing a duet about her.

Most of the songs were already recorded and ready to be released. Only one or two were left for them to polish up, just in time for the day that giant red star had marked. Nate closed his eyes and sighed as he thought about it. That day meant so many different things: an anniversary, a deadline, a reminder. No matter what he called it, it always lead back to the same big idea -- and it would stick with him for the rest of his life.

Arms unfolding, Nate pushed away from the table and slowly rose from his office chair, stretching sleepily as he made his way towards his guitar. Just the thought of the past caused him to be especially restless. It was like his life before 2014 was lived by a different man, and that the life he was in now was being lived by who he was supposed to be a long time ago -- the real Nate. He was both guilty and thankful for what he'd been through; guilty because it cost the life of one of the most important people he'd ever been close to, and thankful because it allowed him to move on to a fresh start that lifted a crushing weight off his shoulders.

The raven-haired man slung his guitar strap over his shoulder, playing a few chords before doing any necessary tuning. He glanced up at the window for a moment as he let the notes ring through the house, his dark brown eyes scanning the mellow afternoon scene. Something curious caught his gaze for a brief moment, causing his eyebrows to raise in slight surprise. He stared at it for what felt like forever, but after close inspection, he concluded that whatever he'd seen wasn't what he'd thought it was. A small smile curling at the corners of his lips, Nate shook his head, strumming the guitar as he dismissed that little piece of the past to the back of his mind once again.

Outside, a golden-eyed black cat swished its tail back and forth, watching a certain musician from a neighboring rooftop. Blinking lethargically, it slowly brought itself to its paws, striding away from the future it never had.

---

It's been a while, hasn't it?

I can't believe it's been two years since I first published this book. At the time, I was just another 12-year-old fangirl wanting to express herself on some writing app she barely knew how to use. It's crazy to see how a little idea I came up with one night at 2 AM can turn into something people genuinely enjoy reading, even after a few years have passed since it first came into existence. Damn, thinking about that makes me feel old! XD

But in all seriousness, I seriously can't thank you guys enough for all the support you've showed me since TFOoNS's publishing back in March 2014. Looking back at this book makes me realize how much I've grown not only as a writer, but as a person, too. If it weren't for you guys, I would've never had the motivation to push myself to make my writing better with every word, and to try my best to give you guys the quality content you expect.

As a little celebration for this book's two-year anniversary, I decided to write this little bonus chapter and change the cover yet again :D Credit for the new cover art goes to the amazing mdcervantes, by the way. You should totally check her out if you ever have the time <3

Anyway, I'm sorry if this little extra part may seem kinda short or half-assed. I wrote this entire thing last night instead of studying ^^' (Crazy how much heavier the workload gets after you get into high school, huh??) But, if you did read this, I want to let you know that I'm beyond grateful for everything you've done to help me get this far.

So, thank you again. You guys are the best.

With Love,
SkippyTheMudkip