Hopes of Paris

Chapter XVII: Epilogue

December twenty forth of the year two thousand and twenty four. It was a bit more than a month after Lara's funeral. Sall has grown a shell around himself and has locked himself in his room for what's about twenty three hours a day. He didn't eat, talk or even sleep well. It was of difficulty to him to find something to do during the day, so most of his days were spent empty. The most productive things he had ever done were dissociating while playing video games, and browsing the web, and those don't even count as productive at all. In his dark room he sat, making a few clicks on the mouse of his computer device. Sall suddenly stopped clicking and the light coming out of the screen lighted up his shocked eyes. He was staring at one point of the screen with really wide eyes for some reason, as if he had seen a ghost.

Voices started echoing into Sall's ears. Cries, heavy breaths... He could even hear someone calling his name. These voices slowly started becoming clearer with every second, and Sall finally came to. He was kneeling on the floor of the top of Eiffel and in a state of shock after Pierre had fallen down. He was being shook around from the shoulders by Sam as he called Sall's name. Evangeline was standing by the edge of where Pierre fell, looking down with tears running down her eyes. Sall had purposefully sabotaged a part of the iron fence surrounding the edge to jump down. Aiden was standing in the back still, by the place where everyone emerged after climbing the stairs. He was a bit further away from everyone else.

"Oh my God..." Evangeline spoke behind the hand covering her mouth as her tears continued running down.

"Sall...! Answer me! Are you alright? Sall," Sam continued shaking him around, trying to bring him back. "Answer me! Can you stand up?"

Aiden watched everything from the back. As someone who has attempted suicide several times, he never once thought how those close to him would feel, or what they would do after his death. Upon witnessing the impact Pierre's death has left on everyone standing in there and on himself, and upon realizing that something moved him to rush and save Sall, Aiden broke in tears. His eyes were as wide as the world itself while tears ran down silently. Aiden took his glasses off and put one of his hands over one of his crying eyes as his mouth clenched in a sorrowful curve. The rain covered most of his crying expressions, but it was still noticeable to the others that he indeed was crying.

"I'm sorry, you guys," spoke Aiden in a very shaky tone of voice. "I will never put any of you through such a thing during my life."

Evangeline and Sam both turned around, noticing Aiden. He has never shown emotions infront of them before, let alone cry at all. They were surprised how much this has moved him. Aiden and Pierre were really close as well, so that definitely played a role. Aiden promised everyone to never attempt killing himself ever again under the heavy rain of the crying city of Paris. The rain was growing weaker while everyone went down in the lift back to the bottom of the tower. In the lift, Sam and Aiden wrapped Sall's arms over their shoulders to make sure he never collapses again. Evangeline stood right infront of Sall, holding his cheeks with both of her hands, searching his empty, cold and dead eyes. Sall looked back into her eyes but showed no signs of any reaction, let alone any facial expression at all. Many thoughts ran through his head; how none of this was supposed to happen. That the others weren't supposed to find and save him, and that Pierre wasn't supposed to die. The book didn't state any of that.

They emerged from the lift as soon as it made it to the bottom. Evangeline's phone started ringing because of a call from her sister, Evanka, to the tune of The Face of Our New Hope. Evangeline looked really depressed as she left the lift through its door and stepped out onto the puddles of water on the ground. Two ambulances were parked among the crowd with their blue and red lights running. Evangeline finally looked up, and the look on her face quickly changed from depressed into that of immense relief and happiness. She started running ahead as everything slowed down around everyone. The lights coming from the ambulances reflected on Sam, Sall and Aiden as they walked out of the lift and went across them slowly. Sam and Aiden eyes lighted up with a shine of surprise and relief. Pierre was on top of a thick and big mattress, waving to the three of them with a happy, grinning face. He soon winced in pain though and put a hand over his ribs. He has apparently hurt himself during the fall.