Chapter 13: Silent as Eternity

- Cody POV -

I slowly opened my eyes, everything was dark around me. There was enough light for me to see myself as well as a few inches in front of me. Wait, that soft white light was coming from me, as if I was glowing. What's going on? I didn't feel anymore pain; in fact, I couldn't feel anything, not even the ground. Way in the distance I could make out a faint sound. It sounded like someone was calling my name. "…Cody….Cody…." It sounded like Zack.

"Zack?" I said, but my voice was little more than a whisper. "Zack?" I repeated with a similar result.

"Cody…" Someone called again. It wasn't Zack's voice this time, yet the voice was strangely familiar. "Cody…" It said again.

"I'm here!" I said in the loudest voice I could muster. I spun around, trying to see if I could somehow see whoever was calling me. "Who are you?"

Silence.

"Who are you?" I called again. "Please tell me! What's going on?" I sighed as I failed to get a response again. I looked around, still unable to see beyond a few inches.

"Cody…" The voice finally said again.

I turned around and found myself face to face with a woman in white dress. She had darker blond hair and pretty blue eyes. When she saw the uncertainty in my eyes, she smiled. "Hello Cody, been awhile." She said warmly with a slight chuckle. I looked at her for a second as I remembered who she was. "Remember me?"

"Yea," I replied. "You're Kristen Pike, Matthew's mom."

She smiled again.

"What's going on?" I asked her. "Am I dead?"

"Not yet," she replied. "You are still alive, but only just. A soul leaves its body moments before death."

I looked at her, stunned, but something else was starting to bug me. "Was Zack calling me or was it you the whole time?" I asked.

"Both," she said. I twisted my eyes, at which she chuckled. "Remember when my son said 'blood is life?'" I nodded. "Well, since you are Zack's life force, his spirit called to you, despite Matthew having control over him."

That explains that, I thought but I was worried. "What's going to happen now? Will Zack be all right?" I said, talking faster and faster. "Matthew will-"

"Neither you nor your brother will have to worry about him anymore," Kristen said. "You're struggle is over."

"What do you mean?" I asked, really confused. "By dying? Now he'll try to kill Zack! Now there's nothing I can do!"

Kristen smiled again. "Come here Cody, look." She waved her hand and a picture formed in front of us. "There's nothing to worry about."

I saw myself, lying there lifeless, but I also saw something else that amazed me. Zack's body was twitching and yelling, as if Matthew was in excruciating pain. I looked at Kristen quickly before flashing my eyes back to the scene. Suddenly Zack's body fell to the ground and was enveloped in a white light. Off to my left, a similar light formed as Matthew appeared. He was still yelling as he slowly faded away a moment later. I looked at Kristen for an explanation. "What's happening?" I asked curiously.

Kristen looked at where Matthew was before turning back to me a second later. "You put his spirit to rest."

I looked at her, my eyes wide. "How?"

She smiled. "The moment you completely destroyed your fear of him, you also destroyed the piece of his spirit within you, which then destroyed your connection to him. In order to prevent him from having a channel to return, that connection had to be ended. You however were the only who could do that."

I thought for a second. Was that the reason for the visions every time he made contact with me since that night? Kristen nodded as if she read my mind. I looked at her in awe, which she then chuckled at. "But I still don't get it, what did I do?"

"Look in your pocket," Kristen replied softly. "The pocket he stabbed you through."

I looked at her, my eyes filled with confusion. I slowly brought my hand up and into my shirt pocket. Amazed, I pulled out a piece of paper with a large cut in the middle. I turned it around to reveal a picture. It was the picture from the fireplace! The same one that caused Matthew to change! I looked at Kristen in awe again. I then remembered after I had looked at the picture a second time, I must have been so preoccupied with finding Zack, I never put it back! When I thought I put it down, I must have slid it into my pocket! "Look to his room…." I muttered. "His room was the living room…so…"

"Very good, Cody, you definitely are gifted." Kristen said, still smiling. "While he had his own room, it was nothing more than a storage bin to him. He always enjoyed falling asleep on the couch after watching TV at night. So the living room became his room."

"Oh," I said. "So it was this picture that caused him to change?"

"It created his anger, his hatred," Kristen responded. "His anger and hatred consumed him. After he died, his spirit was formed from hatred. The only way to permanently put it to rest was to destroy its source…that picture."

"So he can never come back?"

Kristen shook her head. "Not since you destroyed the only two connections his spirit had to earth. Because of all he did after his death, he won't be granted the privileges of visiting earth. He will sit in silence and sadness for eternity." At the sound of this Kristen seemed to get slightly upset. At that moment, I would have given anything to help her, somehow pay her back for helping us.

"You however, will have those abilities," Kristen continued. "Also because of your compassion for others, you have also been granted some other privileges." I looked at her. "One of which is the knowledge that in the spiritual world, there is no concept of time."

"So that was why you could show me everything you did?" I asked.

She nodded. "However the only catch is if a mortal becomes aware of what might, happen, it will change. Also remember, things will never happen the same way twice." She looked into my eyes to make sure I understood.

"Also," Kristen continued. "I was told to inform you of a special gift you are to receive. Since you saved others by putting yourself in extreme danger, your other special privilege is one that is very, very rare. It can only be used once. Since you are still alive, you can return to your body. You won't remember anything that happened afterwards, that event will only be déjà vu to you."

"So since there's no concept of time, I can go back to any point in my life and re-live it from there?"

Kristen nodded again. "It's almost like a second chance at life, that's why this gift is so rare."

Suddenly I got an idea. I knew how I would finally pay Kristen back for everything she did for Zack and me. "I want to go back," I said. "But I'm going to go back to the day before you died."

Kristen looked at me. "If things never happen the same way twice…" I said as I smiled. When she realized what I was thinking, she smiled also. I saw what looked like tears in her eyes.

"You'll finally have your son back," I said, still smiling.

There was a small flash of light. Almost like a film strip, time itself played backwards in front of us until it came to the right day.

I looked at Kristen again. "Thanks for everything, I'll never forget you." I finished with a soft chuckle.

She smiled also. "Good bye Cody."

There was a bright flash of light, and then darkness.

- Normal POV -

Cody woke up and got ready for school as if nothing had ever happened. He woke Zack up, soon after which the twins would meet their mother for breakfast. The day would then continue on as normal.

Two weeks later, Cody would read about a couple in the news who were celebrating their second wedding. His friend Crystal would later explain to him how happy she was for her friend that his parents were finally back together. She would then show him the picture that went with the article. It featured a tall wiry man, a woman with dark blond hair and pretty eyes, and a boy between them. The boy was about Cody's age, and had dark brown hair worn in a mushroom cut. All three were smiling as if life couldn't get any better. Near the boy was a nearly identical copy of him who was congratulating his cousin.

Cody would look at the picture before handing Crystal the paper back. He would never know everything that would happened. Neither Zack, nor Crystal would ever know what had happened, or in their case what might have happened. It was a secret that would forever stay silent. Silent as eternity.

THE END

(A/N) Thanks for reading, Please review, THANK YOU to everyone that did and everyone that took the time to read my stories. I hope you all enjoyed reading this trilogy as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd like to take a quick second to address a question I got along the way…Why did Cody die in the original version of Blood is Life? I felt that if he died, it would further enforce the theme of the story, how his bond with Zack as twins was stronger than anything, even death. Each was the other's blood and "life force" in one form or another. I had debated that ending since I had written chapter 7 of that story. In the end I wrote the 2 different endings. As for this story, I hope this last chapter brings everything together, if you still have questions, feel free to shoot me a PM or leave it in a review. As always I only own my own OCs, and Crystal belongs to Crystalized Chaos. So with that, check out my other stories, let me know what your think, and again:

THANK YOU FOR READING