Chapter 27- Where We End

Rex, Melissa, Dess, Jessica, and Jonathon were all squished cozily in the bright pink car, stretching out the best that they could which was pretty much the fetal position. Rex and Melissa were the only ones with decent room; Rex because he was driving and Melissa because she had acquired shot gun, in a debatably violent way. It would take them around twenty two hours to get back to Bixby, but they'd been taking their good sweet time and was now on day three. They'd been riding I-70 West for a good four hundred miles and for some reason were glad to hear how they had about only six hundred miles left. It would probably be another day before everyone would start getting really cranky, but until that point it could be said that the experience was almost fun. With Jessica's technology advantage they tried to drive at night, and especially get some distance during the Blue Time, Rex was convinced that he'd clocked a hundred miles per hour at one point but no one was backing him up on that. The Hour had just ended and everyone was sitting in the car as Rex went a speed allowed in the time zone. The conversations had started off scarce in the beginning but as time had gone on and they had begun to grow tired of the silence (and Melissa who had grown tired of being able to listen to peoples thoughts so easily) and eventually it was only conversations, one after another the only quiet time was when people began to doze off, but it was at those points that Rex would often get off the exit so they could find somewhere to rest. After about three and a half hours of driving Rex pulled onto an exit at about 1:30. Jessica was fast asleep on Jonathan's shoulder (Jonathon was asleep as well) and Melissa was begging Dess to play ISpy with her with no luck.

"Melissa why do you insist on trying to get me to play, it's not like I'd have a chance if I played fairly."

"Yeah, but see I feel like being able to read your mind is like, a natural advantage that shouldn't effect your desire to play."

"How about I play ISpy with you after you and I race to see who can finish the problems in my advanced Trig book first?"

Melissa rolled her eyes getting Dess' point and then turned to Rex,

"How much longer?"

"Until we get there or until we stop for the rest of the night?"

"The second one." Melissa answered childishly.

"Five minutes, I think we're all just going to live with sleeping in the car tonight."

"Ugh!" Melissa said leaning back in her seat.

"We'll use the money to get breakfast tomorrow so we can stretch and stuff."

"Whatever." Melissa said clearly unhappy with Rex.

The next five minutes were experienced in silence, Rex was focused on trying to find an inconspicuous place to park the car, Dess was slowly fading as she leaned her head against the car door, and Melissa was staring quietly out the window thinking of who knows what.

Finally Rex pulled into a long parking lot that curved around a huge pile of sand, he turned off the car, glad that it was warm outside and that they didn't need to run the car for heat. Before he took the key out he looked at the time; 1:40, they would probably get up at 9 and be back on the road after getting breakfast and stuff at about 9:45. Depending on how well he slept tonight he would probably try to get a little more road behind them tomorrow. Maybe he'd drive from 10 to 6, then get some sleep and let someone else drive from 6 to 11, he'd drive through the Blue Time and then until 1:30 again, that would result in getting some serious miles behind them. Who would drive, he looked in the rearview mirror, not Dess, oh God no, he thought thinking of their much shorter journey to New York City. Probably not Jess or Jonathon, with a sigh he turned his head to Melissa who was already looking at him with a half creepy half eager smile.

"I'd love to drive Rex!" she said at a courteous whisper.

"You know that's really creepy sometimes Melissa." He said in the same quiet voice, Melissa shrugged without another comment. He watched her face get soft as she reached for his hand. He looked at it for a moment before taking it carefully, in an instant their minds were woven together,

We haven't touched since we were on the roof of the apartment.

Rex thought sentimentally.

Yeah…that seemed so long ago, kind of like a dream really.

Rex heard the daze in Melissa's tone of thought, he squeezed her hand,

Well if it was then that was one kick ass dream.

Melissa smiled and couldn't help but let out a small laugh out loud, Rex almost the same thing in his head, but he noticed more of an echo.

It wad pretty kick ass I guess.

Melissa thought in agreement.

What ever is going to happen in Bixby that could top it?

Rex heard Melissa sighed,

It's Bixby; it'll think of something to keep us occupied.

Rex thought a smile,

I can only hope it's a bit more exciting than when I left.

Well the Darkling's precious Daylighter will be back so I'm sure it will be.

Rex nodded, it was probably true.

But if its not. He heard Melissa add playfully, there's a whole country of Blue Time we could explore.

Rex shrugged,

Maybe we should take a wrong turn south and accidentally end up in Mexico.

Rex heard Melissa give a silent laugh,

You don't want to go to Mexico, there'd be way to much sun and I hear the taxes are horrible.

Rex gave Melissa a look,

Okay now you're just being judgmental.

It's what I do Rex, what do you want from me?

Rex was silent, not directly answer, he just let his thoughts wander, not caring if Melissa saw them. He watched some of hers go by too before he started the conversation again,

How's everyone doing?

Fine. Melissa said knowing what he meant.

How's Jess?

Rex asked specifically.

Fine, I guess, she dreams about her a lot. It's mostly guilt, but I think with time she'll be fine. When we get home, her family will probably be a good enough distraction.

That reminded Rex;

Yeah, did I mention how if Jess makes her existence known to her parents again, she'll probably never be aloud to leave her house for the rest of forever.

Yeah, I've thought of that too, but it's weird cause she's really been contemplating things for that reason. I didn't know that the on the road life could be so appealing.

Melissa smiled,

We're teenagers, it's impossible for it not to be appealing.

Rex nodded and chuckled silently,

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Melissa agreed with him after a short pause.

In anticipation Rex leaned over and kissed her, as he pulled away he couldn't help but ask one more time, out loud;

"So is Lily going to be okay?"

Melissa titled her head as she looked at him,

"Her life is going to stay a mess, but I think she'll find some way to manage."

With that Melissa pulled away before Rex could discover what she meant.

Lily sat on the park bench, she'd been staring in front of her for more than and hour. If she had to guess she would have thought that three days had gone by. Forward, that's the only way she looked as she contemplated what she was ever so tempted to do.

A homeless man sat next to Lily, curled up in a ball and frozen, but the frozen part was only because of the Hour.

Lily just couldn't help but running questions over and over in her mind; she wanted what Melissa had told her to be true, so badly she wanted it to be true but the risk of disappointment would be too devastating for Lily to ever recover from.

Time was running out, Lily could feel it, she could do it now or wait. True it would only feel like a moment to her but for some reason there was something that exhausted her, if only temporarily that harshly reminded her how she had been frozen for twenty four hours.

With a deep breath Lily stood up strong,

"I'm going to do it." She said out loud, "Now or never." Even though that statement was not true Lily almost wanted it to be. The unanswered question seemed like it was almost as painful as finding the information false.

She waited, somehow with both patience and anxiety until finally the moment came. With impossible precision Lily froze time at the exact moment the Hour was supposed to end. A shimmering portal appeared mere feet in front of her, and with another flick of her hand she froze the portal as well. It was as if she held a remote control in her hand as she began to somehow make time go by frame-by-frame until finally she saw the sign she had been looking for; a hand was beginning to emerge from the portal. With caution Lily walked up closer to see the hand for herself. An unimaginable mix of hope and fear came over Lily as she saw an ominous paw underneath the hand. With her own shaking hand she reached up to touch the one that was like her own. It was solid and warm, which seemed almost contradictory seeing as how they were frozen.

With another deep breath Lily pulled the hand and found herself almost falling backwards during her endeavor. Before looking down she looked up and found a scream almost piercing her lips. It would have been strange to Lily anyway, the moments earlier had been the first time she'd spoken since she's said goodbye to the Midnighters.

But even with the cat like darkling lurking evilly behind a thin veil, seeming to look her straight in the eye, she did not scream. Instead she pushed the paw back into the portal, it's fur cold as ice.

Looking into the portal with unrelenting eyes she started all of time allowing the Hour to fully come upon them. For a split second it was like a CD had skipped, Lily knew twenty four hours had gone by. The portal had vanished before her and she could almost feel a door in her closing as well; she knew that was the last time she would open that portal.

"Lily?" A voice called behind her, it seemed familiar but there was something different about it…something honest.

Lily found herself turning around slowly; what if there was still something to be afraid of…

"Hi…Caine." She answered quietly.

"I guess you know what happened…seeing as how you just did what you did."

Lily only stared at him, lacking expression at the moment,

"Yeah, it's kinda nice when a mindcaster lets you know that one of your friends is being possessed by a Darkling and that's why they were an ass."

Caine ran his fingers through his hair in embarrassment,

"Yeah…I don't know how she got it and Emily didn't."

"Maybe Emily didn't want to." Lily suggested coldly, Caine gave no comment.

"So now what?" he asked, Lily finally moved and shrugged,

"Not much, you're stuck just like I am; we can only move around during the Hour."

Caine's eyes grew,

"What? How do you know?"

"Because it's already been twenty four hours, I stopped time right at the end of the Hour, it's now the next. Even still; don't you feel different? Like, half of you isn't there?"

Caine was silent for a moment as he assessed himself.

"Yeah, I guess I do kinda feel like that. Does it go away?" He asked, tension building up in his throat.

"No." Lily answered with some what of a cruel honesty.

"Oh." Was all Caine said, Lily knew he would need time to let it sink in.

"Lily." He said looking up from the side walk.

"Yes?" she responded a little too quickly.

"Thank you, I think you may have saved my life."

"Not your life, just a lot of other people's."

"Including yours." He said his voice full of guilt, "I'm sorry Lily."

He had steeped closer to her, she turned her body slightly away,

"Yeah, well I've done a lot of growing up lately, and have probably been just as big a jerk as you have so, I forgive you."

"You shouldn't, I tried to kill you." His eyes were desperate to find hers, she only just let them meet.

"Yeah, well…the world's a screwed up place. Besides if I don't forgive you then life's going to get pretty sucky."

He smiled and so did she. With some what of an unexpectedness she put her hand out,

"Friends?" she asked, Caine looked at the hand for a good thirty seconds before shaking it,

"Friends."

With a sweet smile Lily turned and began walking down the sidewalk towards a familiar bridge she'd been crossing quiet frequently as of late.

"Well at least for now." She said, just loud enough for Caine to hear. Lily turned back to see him smiling,

"Come on." She added motioning with her head. He quickly caught up to her and they began to walk down the side walk together.

Lily thought of Jessica and wished that she could see that she wasn't going to be lonely in this weird phase she'd gotten herself stuck into.

"Ever been to Bixby Oklahoma?" She asked Caine teasingly.

"I can't say that I have." He answered simply.

"Hmm." Lily said with a smile. She began thinking that maybe she could get in contact with the Midnighters again. Her thoughts had her looking all around her in a way that cause her to miss the strange eagerness that seemed to make Caine's eyes glow with an unnatural light.

"But I can honestly say that I've heard many interesting things about it."

ll

Author's Note: Well that's it! Thanks so much to all who left comments both critiquing and complimenting the story I really appreciated all of it! I might go back and edit but who knows seeing as how long it took me to write it XD. Again I really appreciate everything! I loved reading everything you guys have to say and I hope you comment on the chapter/story. Thanks so much to all of you guys!