The Dangers of Pomegranate Salad

Epilogue

Epilogue.       

I am walking through the woods by myself, the first time I’ve been aloud free since all this magic stuff. I’ve been home for a few weeks now. Everyone is convinced that The Underlan’s are crazy killers, who kidnapped us for no apparent reason; Haden is still ‘missing.’ He’s likely to stay that way. He’s actually living just outside of Chicago with Ralph and Gea; I haven’t seen him since we defeated Mrs. Underlan. No one knew her real name, not even Gea. It’s funny, all this started with love. Gea loved Ralph, but he was afraid to love her, so she ran away with his son, sixteen years later, she comes back for revenge, with a married couple as her henchmen. One of them dies and the other lives. Gea and Ralph find each other, and Haden. And then when everything looks like it’ll turn out ok, Mrs.  Underlan comes back for revenge on her husband’s death. It seems like Love and revenge are connected. When I got back, everyone wanted to know what happened, but I couldn’t tell them. I didn’t say a word the first week I was home. The doctors said it was post-traumatic stress from being kidnapped and nearly murdered. I’ve given them my story, the same one I gave them at the police station. Only this time I claim I don’t know where Haden is. I snap out of my daydreaming I realize I’m heading for the tree house. Haden’s tree house. I feel sad; I haven’t seen him in so long. After all we went through, I think what I said at the police station is true. I love him. Of course, I can’t ever tell my mother or my family that I do, and I can’t tell them if we get married. This life is so confusing. Part of me is now an Elementalist, with my fameliar, Lily the Fay. This part wants everything. To be free, to be out, to learn magic properly, to use my limitless power. And then there is the other part, the part of me that wants nothing more than to be human. To live in this world as humans do and simply exist. I think in the end the Elementalist side of me will win. I arrive at the tree house, I think I’ll go in, just sit there for a while. Just being here makes me feel closer to Haden. I climb up, to the highest part. I arrive and sit on the ground. To my right I feel magic, and I smile. “Hello” I say. “Hello” says a soft strong voice. I turn to him, smiling ear to ear. I stand and embrace Haden in a hug, and he holds me tight. “So here are, to teens of the opposite gender hiding in a tree house, no exploding penguin cages, no evil sorcerers, no random down pours, no angry widows out for revenge.” He whispers in my ear, “Think they can do it without something interrupting?” after a moment, he adds “hypothetically” I smile “yes” I whisper back. Then, finally, we kiss.