The Pain Thief

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Zoe pulled her sweatshirt tighter around her as she walked down the snowy streets. It was the end of December now, the day before Christmas. She was heading to Jack's house to spend Christmas with his family and Mr. Z, who had driven there earlier. He'd offered to take her, but she was happy to have a little time to think. 

It had been a few weeks since the fight. Zoe hadn't been too injured after all, but everyone was keeping an incredibly close eye on her since she, uh, died. Of course she hadn't been able to move too well for the first week, and had gained a lot of movement back since then, but sometimes she stiffened up suddenly and had to sit before she fell. 

Despite the fact that her body healed much quicker than others, she couldn't heal that fast. Her power was slowly leaking back into her, filling her again like it used to. Sometimes she felt some lingering darkness still in her, though she knew it was a side effect of her actions. 

There was a rush of wind and Zoe felt the presence of her two closest companions. "Malachi. Reyna."

Each wolf stood on either side of her, padding silently in the soft snow. They had regained their physical forms not long after she woke, but she ordered them to rest for a while. 

"How are you both feeling?" she asked quietly, so as not to disturb the silent snowfall. 

We are gaining back our strength, said Reyna soothingly. Do not unsettle your heart over us. 

Zoe smiled. The two of them were always saying stuff like that. 

They walked in silence for a little while longer until Zoe asked, "Do you both remember?"

She was referring to the scene at the cemetery, which was growing fuzzier in her mind with each day. It was as if it couldn't exist in her mind as she began to forget the details. 

Only as much as you do Young One, said Malachi. We barely had a form at that point. 

Zoe nodded, expecting the answer. She felt like she wanted to remember what she had seen, yet she knew remembering wouldn't make a difference. Since she had awoken, her heart had felt more at peace with her past. She hadn't had a nightmare since she woke, though she knew eventually they would return. She had forgiven herself, but memories would always come back, especially the ones you try the hardest to forget. 

She looked up at the dark sky. It would snow soon. She smiled, knowing that even if her memories did invade her dreams again, there would always be someone there to comfort her. 

Since the fight, Mr. and Mrs. Brown had found out just about everything she and Jack had done over the years. They were more than surprised at the fighting they did, and Jack had certainly been reprimanded as they figured out how many times they skipped school (and they didn't even figure out all the times they skipped), but they didn't look at either of them differently. It was almost like nothing had changed. 

Though there was something different. Jack seemed a lot happier now that his family knew about their power. He didn't even seem to unhappy when he was punished, just relieved that he didn't have to lie anymore. 

Zoe always knew they would still love him, though she understood his reasoning for keeping the secret for so many years. The fear of not being accepted was a fear that she understood very well. 

She breathed in deeply, relishing in the cold air. She took another step and her heart sped up in panic. It felt like her energy had been drained from her. She berated herself for not noticing sooner as she was lost in her thoughts.