The Heights

Transition

Transition II,

Whitewater Heights 2002

As Jade stood shocked over Victoria's dead body and Cece started her new life in San Francisco, a young boy continued to trail down a winding underground tunnel that led to the black tower in the edge of town.

...

Liam had been walking all night. His feet grew cold and tired, and his mind continued to spiral over all the mistakes he had made. The hours in the tunnel seemed to fly by. He knew that he had no strength left to keep walking, but somehow he felt like this was his punishment. I slept with another girl. He kept reminding himself as he forced one foot to move in front of the other.

He was always one to figure things out on his own. He simply couldn't understand why Cece would want to keep the baby. She was such a smart and logical person. He never expected her to grow an emotional attachment to anything. He sometimes even believed that he loved her more than he loved him. Maybe she just loved the idea of me. The idea of having someone committed to you. The idea of having someone emotionally chained to you. He thought. What if Cece never truly loved me? What if all she wanted was a safety net, to remind her that she was loved.

Liam knew what Cece's life was like at home. He knew that it was especially brutal after what happened with Daisy. He never asked questions, but he was there when they buried her body. He was there when Anne decided to leave their home. He was there when Victoria had chosen to make Cece a staff member rather than a daughter. He didn't want to ask questions. He just wanted her to know that he was there.

As Liam continued to walk he saw that there seemed to be an end to the tunnel. It led to a cement staircase. He was all out of logic. He was all out of energy. All he wanted to do was finish his labour of love and find the end of the tunnel. Maybe at the top of the staircase was Cece. Maybe I'm just dreaming and I'll wake up to find her next to me. Maybe everything was just a dream.

The staircase seemed to lead to a bright room. As the heel of his foot touched the cement, it felt warmer than the metal grating. He took one step then another. He could feel his knees begin to quake, he could feel the blisters, he could feel his ankles shaking. But he needed to get out.

He walked up the stairs to a large room. There was a skylight that beamed golden sunlight from over sixty feet above him. As he looked up he realized he was in the center of a tower. The walls around him were black, and there was only one hallway that led to a pair of what looked like sliding doors. There was no one around.

I need to get out. His instincts told him as he began charging at the sliding doors. He started running faster and faster and faster. When suddenly, the sliding doors slid open to welcome a thin figure— a woman in a patterned headscarf and sunglasses. He was running too fast to stop when he crashed into the woman.

They both collapsed onto the floor. Liam's head was spinning, and his vision blurry. When he turned to see who he had crashed into, he saw the kindest hazel eyes and sleekest ink-black hair. He knew exactly who it was.

"Mom," Liam asked Kris.