The Tree That Stood Alone

Chapter 18

WARNING: THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER. IF YOU'VE GROWN TO LOVE THESE CHARACTERS, SORRY. THEY'RE GONNA DIE. ALSO THIS PART IS REALLY LONG.

When I open my eyes I see fire and my head is throbbing. I look around to see if anyone is alive. I'm laying on the road and I can see both of the trucks a distance away from me. I get up off the pavement and I limp over near the truck. I look around to try to find everyone. I find Aedan laying near the trucks. Half of his face is burnt and he is badly cut up. I run over to him and drop down by his side.

"Aedan?" I say, trying to tell if he's still alive. He opens his eyes and looks at me. A tear runs down his face when he looks at me. He reaches his hand up and puts it on my cheek.

"Only if you knew the truth." He says very raspy. Then his eyes shut and he goes completely limp. Tears begin to run down my face. I begin to panic and I grab his hand.

"Aedan stay with me. Aedan?! What do I not know?!" But he is dead. I stand and I frantically look for Aria and Ethan. Whatever he knew, Aria must know as well. I walk around the crash avoiding the fire spots, trying to find them. I see something laying on the other side of the trucks and I run over to the figure. It's Aria and she's in worse shape than Aedan was in. She was mumbling something when I knelt down beside her. "Aria? Can you hear me?" She looks at me completely terrified, and she keeps mumbling something.

"Where's Ethan? Where's my baby?" She mumbles over and over again. Half of her body is burnt really bad and she has cuts all over her face. More tears stream down my face.

"Aria, stay with me ok? We are gonna find Ethan, just stay alive ok?" She smiles as tears run down her face. She turns her head so she can look at me.

"Taylor, there's something you need to know..." Her voice trails off, she sounds so tired. My eyes grow wide. I need to know. "Your mother...." Her voice is faint, almost like a whisper at this point. "... she's alive." I sit there in shock. There's no way my mom could possibly be alive. "And..." Aria starts, her voice getting quieter and quieter. I put my ear down by her mouth. I don't hear anything. Not even breathing. I back up to see that she's dead. I stand up and I just sob into my hands. I'm loosing everything around me. My world is crumbling and there's nothing I can do. I hear something behind me and I turn to see Ethan trying to stand but falling back to the ground. I wipe the tears from my face and I run over to him.

"Ethan?!" I grab him before he falls again. He looks scared and confused.

"What's happening? What's going on?" He turns and looks at me. But I can immediately tell that he can't see me. "Why can't I see anything? Taylor?!" I hold his hand and I help him to sit down.

"I am right here." I say, my voice shaking as I begin to cry. I look up and I see a figure standing on the other side of the blazing fire from the trucks.

"Who are you?!" I yell. I hear laughter, but it doesn't sound like any laughter I've ever heard. It sounds evil, almost like the devil himself was laughing at me. I try to look through the fire to see who it is, but there is too much fire to see. 

"Oh poor Taylor, you don't even realize I've already won." I recognize that voice. But it can't be.

"MOM?!" I yell. And that laughter starts up again.

"I'm surprised you even recognize my voice." The figure begins to walk around the fire towards Ethan and I. "It has been what, a month, since I died? I'm surprised you even refer to me as your mom. Did Aria and Aedan not tell you anything?" I can now see her, and I've never been more sick to see her.

"What do you mean?" I say calmly. I feel Ethan get tense and he turns his head in her direction. My mom nods in the direction of Ethan.

"He knows." I look at him and I can see the worry in his face.

"Who is she Ethan?" He puts his head down as if he were looking at his hands.

"She's my step-mother." He says quietly. I feel a cold shiver go up my spine. My mom has been the enemy the entire time. I look at her in pure shock.

"You're his step-mother?" I ask, almost angry. She laughs, and she continues walking towards us.

"I'm so much more than that Taylor. I'm the reason he met you. I'm the reason he went with you to find your dad. I'm the reason he hated his real parents until they died. And I'm the reason you both die." I look at her confused and I watch her pull out a gun and shoot Ethan in the head. She then points the gun at me. "Tell your father I said hello." She says with a slight smirk. Then she shoots me in the chest. I get knocked back by the shot and I gasp in pain. Then I just give in and I close my eyes.

+The End+