85. Rollercoaster

Here we go
On this rollercoaster life we know
With those crazy highs and real deep lows
I really don’t know why.

🎶

“So… now that it’s over…” Mateo started when Morgyn had walked up to him. He couldn’t hide his sadness.

“Over? This is just the beginning.”

Immediately, Mateo’s frown was replaced by a smile.

“We do gotta fix the Mother.”

“There’ll be plenty of other adventures to go on after,” Morgyn smiled. “And I’m not interested in exploring them without you.”

And I will go
To the farthest place on earth I know
I can travel all the road, you see
Cause I know you there with me.

🎶

“I still can’t really believe it’s over.”

Maddie turned her head to the owner of the voice she’d heard next to her. She smiled. “Well, get used to it.”

Emil walked over to her. Leaned in to kiss her cheek fondly.

“So I guess this means we’re finally going home,” he spoke, but there wasn’t much enthusiasm in his voice.

“Yes, it does. And I can’t wait,” Maddie lied—for Emil’s sake. “You know, I never really thought I’d miss StrangerVille, but…”

“But you don’t,” Emil finished for her.

Maddie smiled. She never could fool him. “But we have to go back. We’ve used up your sister’s hospitality… by far.”

Emil sighed. “Sometimes I wish you weren’t always right.”

Maddie shot him a smile. “Oh, come on. Where’s the fun in that?”

“One thing’s clear, though… I’m going back alone.”

Maddie shot him a look. “What?”

The last time I was there the town was barely safe for me, let alone you and… he pointed at her belly. “I can’t risk it.”

Maddie placed a hand on her belly. “We’ll be just fine, Emil. Don’t worry.”

“But I do, and that’s one thing you can’t stop me from doing. I have to check, Maddie. I have to be sure first. StrangerVille has to be fixed.”

Maddie sighed… and admitted defeat. “Fine. But promise me you’ll be quick about it… We’ve missed you too long already.”

“I promise.”

You don’t have to slow me down
Cause I will always be around
I will find my way back home
Where magnolia grows, where magnolia grows.

🎶

“Man,” Mateo began as they looked at the Mother before them. “I’m kind of sad.”

Morgyn pulled him into a hug. “Don’t be. You don’t have the first clue yet of what else is out there.”

“I mean, what could possibly be cooler than this?”

“Just you see.”

Mateo smiled… and gave into the moment. For a while, that was. It didn’t take long for him to pull back and turn to the Mother again. “So what do we do now? Do we defeat her?”

Morgyn shrugged. “I guess we could…” His lips formed into a smirk. “Or…”

Mateo’s lips soon followed suit, a mischievous smirk gracing them both.

***

A little while later, they were standing outside again.

“God, this is just so dull,” Mateo spat as he looked at his normalized surroundings. “I honestly don’t get why anyone would prefer this over the awesomeness we had.”

Morgyn nodded in agreement.

When Mateo turned back to him, though, his unperturbed look was back. “Thank god I still have you. Never could get dull again without you.”

“You’re damn right about that.”

***

“Giant tentacles were flying at us, but we managed,” Mateo spoke his words grandly, accompanied by even grander gestures.

“It felt like the strength of this whole town was fighting back as we fought Her… but we managed. And the final result… Well, you can see for yourself.”

“I haven’t got the first clue as to how you pulled it off…. but thank you.”

“Course, dad.”

Emil’s face lit up immediately. “You’ll have to take me up on that dinner offer sometime, yeah?”

“Of course.” He wouldn’t tell Emil that he hadn’t changed his mind—not that he knew in the first place. There was no use in knowing, anyway.

***

“So how does it feel to be a free man again?”

Maddie and Emil were standing on one of the main roads of a very normal StrangerVille.

“Pretty damn great,” Emil admitted.

“But I’m even happier to have you with me again.”

Maddie smiled. “When did you get so sappy?”

“I’ve always been a big ol’ sap at heart.”

“I wont contest that.”

Emil turned to Maddie’s already insanely large belly, then. Lowered himself to its level, and he brought his hands to it and spoke. “Now, listen, kiddo. I have…man, I have some stories to tell you, little man… or girl. Some… really crazy stories, really. They involve giant plants and, and pasty divine vampires with lightning-wielding powers and vampires and aliens and spellcasters and all of those together in one person who is somehow my son, and some post-apocalyptic kind of setting…

Don’t worry, though. I’ll make sure they’ll stay just that for you: just stories.”

But I guess you know
Why I do what I do and where I go
I try to fill an empty space inside
But I can’t do that without you

🎶

“So, now that all of that… weird shit is over, you think it’s finally time?”

Calder smiled at the girl in front of him. “I think it always has been.”

Reyna returned his. “God, we have so much stuff to arrange… there’s the flowers, the band, the venue… god, even the venue. We got nothing, Calder.”

“Whatever it ends up to be, as long as I get to marry you I’ll be content.”

“Oh, you cheesy… but I’m also very glad to hear that because I was totally gonna want to plan this shit on my own. You know how anal I can get.”

“You do whatever you want, babe. I trust you.”

They shared another fond, affectionate smile. As they did, though, Calder heard the same words flash by his mind that had been bothering him for the past weeks if not months. Finally, he realized that if he was gonna have to ask her, he was gonna have to do so now… as much as he hated it. As much as he feared the answer, and didn’t really want to hear it.

“I just had one tiny little question…”

“Fire away.”

“When you said we’ll ‘never’ have kids…” “You didn’t mean that ‘never’ as in, like, an actual never… right?”

“Well… actually…”

[…]

“We need to finally have The Talk, do we?”

“Yeah…”

You’re even with me in my dreams
I see a sail, the seven seas
I will try to find my way
You’re always there tomorrow, you’re always there tomorrow.

🎶

“Welcome to the world… Remy.”

Here we go
On this rollercoaster life we know
With those crazy highs and real deep lows
I really don’t know why.

🎶

“Now what, huh?” Angelico half-smiled.

Cai turned to him. Took his hands. “Now we live.”

Angelico accepted his comfort, but didn’t seem quite cheered up yet. “As we’ve always done, yeah.”

“No. We live better. You know, all these years in San Myshuno… and here I thought I never really was one to stick to one place. I’m thinking it’s about time for a change of scenery.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. There’s this place called Brindleton Bay that even I have never really seen much of… and I can’t wait for you to show me.”

Angelico’s smile grew bigger than it had in months… until he realized something. “There’s something else we gotta do first, though.”

And I will go
To the farthest place on earth I know
I can travel all the road, you see
Cause I know you there with me.

🎶

You don’t have to slow me down
Cause I will always be around
I will find my way back home
Where magnolia grows, where magnolia grows.

🎶

“Free at last,” Tika spoke as he kissed Cortez cheek after the latter approached him, having watched Angelico and Cai.

“Weren’t we always?” Cortez responded lightheartedly.

“I don’t know… I guess I just feel freer, somehow.”

“Told you that trip to Sixam would do you good.”

“Least now I know I won’t be coming back to it anytime soon.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“You know, I said it once and I’ll say it again… this old world really ain’t that bad of a place.”

“You’re right,” Tika smiled.

“I’m always right,” Cortez smiled back.

Here we go
On this rollercoaster life we know
With those crazy highs and real deep lows
I really don’t know why
And I will go
To the farthest place on earth I know
I can travel all the road, you see
Cause I know you there with me.

🎶

“Well… there and back again, huh?”

Tehani turned to Romeo. “Oh, yeah. I mean, I loved the whole adventure thing but watching these skies, this sea… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it just a little bit.”

“Just a little bit, huh?” Romeo smiled.

“Just a little bit.”

***

Here we go
On this rollercoaster life we know
I can travel all the road, you see
Cause I know you there with me
Cause I know, oh know
You there with me.

🎶

That next morning, Tehani woke up alone. She looked on the clock. 10 am. She had slept for a long, long time… even if their bed was super uncomfy, she guessed it was still the finally-sleeping-in-one’s-own-bed-again that did her in. Figuring that Romeo was out getting them breakfast, she decided not to make her own just yet. Not that she was really feeling like having it, anyway: for the umpteenth morning that past month, she had woken up nauseous. That coupled with the still not great feeling of waking up alone, even if the boyf… fiance was out getting her breakfast like the sweetheart he was, and the apparently now-broken sink, didn’t do much to her mood that morning.

Tehani looked at the clock again. 11 am. He had been gone a while… though the line at their favorite breakfast shop had increased significantly by the time they left for StrangerVille. One could only assume it had only gotten worse.

Noon. By now, Tehani was starting to get wary. Sure, he was probably just out somewhere, but it wasn’t like him to not even leave a note.

1 pm. Tehani was on the phone with Reyna. “I mean, it’s not that I really think something happened or anything. It just isn’t like him, you know?” “Yeah,” came Reyna’s absent-minded voice when she finally answered. Her thoughts were still somewhere entirely else—the last thing she wanted to talk about right now was her sister’s boyfriend drama.

3 pm. Tehani was out now, even as she convinced herself that she wasn’t really looking for him. She was just enjoying her own day. The weather was beautiful, after all.

4 pm. Alright, Tehani had to admit it by now: she was searching.

4.30. And searching…

5 pm. …And searching…

5.45pm. …Until she finally gave up.

6.30 pm. “Yes, I’m aware of the fact that people go out sometimes. What I’m saying is I know him, and he would never be out so long without consulting me at all.” […] “Don’t you even dare suggest… I told you, *I know him.*” […] “I do. I know he’d never do anything like that. I just fucking know, alright?!”

Tehani forced herself to calm down. Took a deep breath before she spoke again. “Look, I know that you can’t officially take any action until 24 hours have passed without any real cause for alarm. I’m just asking you to keep an eye out…” […] “Fine. Good night.”

Tehani only barely managed to suppress the urge to throw her phone into the water as she hung up. Made an angry, desperate gesture as she forced herself to sit down and to calm down. It had only been a few hours. There was nothing wrong. He would be home any minute, now.

10 pm. Any minute, now… For fuck’s sake, Tehani forced herself to think as she found her mind going to darker and darker places. They were in Sulani. What could possibly have threatened him here?

Twenty-four hours earlier…

“There was once a boy
And oh, was he a pride and joy“

“And he had everything“

“Until he lost it all“

“To my siren’s call.“

---

A/N: So long until I finally posted this ending… and it’s an open one, too! How shite am I, huh? I really, really do apologize for everything. I would’ve been on here more but between work and WordPress no longer playing nice with me at all, I just haven’t had the time. I will come back and respond to everything you guys have posted and I want to thank you guys SO much for sticking by me through it all, and for being a part of this journey.

This story is over now, and though I do have a whole-ass sequel already written out, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to post it. Either way, thank you guys for everything!

I’ve been extremely busy.. am actually going to be an English teacher, can you believe it? For high schoolers, too, and in the furthest away province of them all… Zealand. Not New Zealand, if only… but yeah, life’s going somewhere, so I wanted to share that with you guys. Anyway, thanks for everything and I will see you guys soon! I definitely don’t plan to fully quit WordPress, that’s for sure!

(Also, I had to reinstall Windows a while ago so no neatly edited featured pictures for now.)