by Greg Ness
A new face emerges to face Stephen; it’s the boy from the cult: Sean. He is carefully groomed and casually dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. Offering his hand, he politely says, “It’s nice to meet you, Sir. My name is Sean. I’m a great admirer of your work.” Stephen shakes his hand. “It’s great to have you Sean. You in school?” Sean nods. “What do you study?”
“Biology.”
Stephen smiles. “Talk to my friend, here, Campbell. We’ll get you hooked up with a nice internship.” Sean, visibly thrilled, takes a seat next to Campbell.
A surprising face emerges next: Mr. Ixley. “Mr. Ixley,” Stephen says in bewilderment. “This is something I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams. Are you here to send me to detention?”
Mr. Ixley offers his hand and says, “I was wrong about you boys.” Stephen shakes his hand. He turns to Bruce and asks, “Did you do something to him? Did you brainwash Mr. Ixley?”
Mr. Ixley jokingly shakes his head in disgust. “Don’t call me Mr. Ixley, call me Wayne. Looking forward to the pool party. There better be glow sticks.”
Stephen pats Mr. Ixley on the back as he walks to his seat. “We’ll get some.”
Stephen turns to see his old roommate and colleague. “Vince!”
Vince boards the plane and gives a hug to his old friend. He steps aside and proclaims, “I’d like to introduce you to my brother.”
Chad, overweight and bald as usual, follows behind. Deviating from his shady past, he is full of smiles and laughs. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Stephen. Vince has told me so much about you.” Stephen sarcastically responds, “I hope not.” Chad walks toward his seat.
Vince says, “And of course, you know Natalie.”
Natalie, sparkling beautiful, enters the plane. “Hi, Stephen.” They hug.
“Hi, Natalie.”
Natalie considers telling him about the archangel Zeno that visited her in church, urging her to join Stephen. Trouble is, even she doesn’t understand the angel’s reasoning or intent. So instead of telling him, Natalie simply says, “I’m with you. We’ll spread the light.”
Stephen is baffled by her statement but goes along with it anyway. “Thanks.”
Vince leans into Stephen and whispers, “Just so you know, Bruce is starting the party early. As in, here. On the plane.” Stephen glares at Bruce, who looks back defensively, as if a dire secret has been revealed. He holds out his arms. “What?”
Stephen laughs. “Just try to keep the plane a little clean.”
“Yes sir, Captain.”
Natalie and Vince take their seats. With everyone on board, Stephen nods to the captain, who slams the door shut.
The next morning, while everyone lounges in their connecting suites, Bruce stands outside the hotel lobby next to Stephen’s rental-convertible.
Campbell sits in the passenger seat and Bruce shuts the door for him. The mood is celebratory and the shining sun only adds to it. Bruce nonchalantly walks around the car to Stephen, who is buckling his seatbelt. “You’re going to get the girl. This is just like a movie. Which is good, cuz... she’s a movie star and all...”
“Thanks,” he says. Stephen stops and looks at his friend. It seems like only days ago he was looking in his coffin, swearing he would see him again someday. “It’s good to have you back, Bruce.”
Bruce playfully rubs his hand on Stephen’s hair and utters the same advice Sara Ixley once gave him. “All paths lead nowhere. Follow the path with heart.”
Huh? Bruce’s words smack Stephen in the face. That’s what Stephen’s father told him when he was little. The only person Stephen ever uttered that to was Lisa. Nonetheless, Stephen smiles at Bruce and graciously accepts his words of wisdom, familiar as they are.
Stephen drives off, knowing that, unlike last time, he isn’t under the ticking clock of the end of the world to find Lisa.
Bruce watches as Stephen’s convertible drives away and fades in the distance. Bruce stands, hands on his hips, and enjoys the scenery around him: the fancy hotel fountain gently sprays water upwards, the towering palm trees sway around him. Best of all, he takes a whiff of the smog-filled, dirty Los Angeles air. “Aaahh,” Bruce comments to himself, “Nothing like filthy air.”
Bruce turns to head back into the hotel lobby. Strangely, gasps and yelps ring out around him. Bruce dashes his eyes around, looking for the cause of the commotion. On the surface of the water in the fountain, a small ring of fire has emerged. The flames aren’t particularly high, but seeing them is a surprise nonetheless. Bruce paces toward the fountain, with scores of other people watching, and wonders about the bizarre phenomenon. A black body-sized oval forms above the circle of fire. The darkness of the oval is transparent and gradually becomes opaque. Bruce looks at the mystified faces of the people surrounding the circular fountain. They all whisper amongst themselves. The WHOOF of the disappearing fire prompts an “Oooh!” from the bystanders.
The black oval vanishes and in its place drops Elpis into the water of the fountain. Her blonde hair is disheveled and her clean appearance, not-so-clean. Bruce gasps at the sight of his otherworldly friend. The people surrounding the fountain stare at her.
Elpis looks at the faces gaping back at her. Bruce, hoping to dispel the situation, claps. The people surrounding the fountain, believing they had seen some kind of special effects show, join in the applause. They laugh and holler, amazed by what they have seen.
Bruce leaps into the fountain and grabs Elpis by the arm. “Thank you, everyone!” Come back tomorrow morning, same time, for another show!” Elpis looks at Bruce with weary eyes. Bruce forces her through the water and out of the fountain. He guides her away from her newfound audience and asks, “Should you really be doing that in front of people?”
“No,” Elpis says. “It took me a while to locate you. Why are you in Los Angeles?”
Bruce replies, “I’m here for a pool party. Wanna come?” As Bruce examines Elpis, he can see something is wrong. Fatigue is present in her face, like she doesn’t even care anymore. Bruce asks, “What’s wrong?”
“Why did you kill all of them?”
“I’m sorry. I should have told you. But when the sky went black, Stephen and my son saw the future. And we had to change it.”
Elpis halts their quick walking. “They saw the future?”
“Yes. We lost. The world was destroyed.”
Elpis’s exhaustion turns to sadness and she sobs. “I’m sorry, Bruce. I failed you.”
“No you didn’t. We changed it. It’s over.
“As long as Moros is alive, it isn’t over.”
Bruce looks anxiously at Elpis. Concern overwhelms him. “Then let’s kill him.”
“There is no killing him. The only way Moros dies… is if he decides to die.”
Bruce stares at Elpis, unsure of what to say. She gazes into his eyes, where the light is bright, as it had always been. What she tells him next is regretful for her to say, but is the unfortunate truth. “When you killed the Xlympians, you forced Moros to turn to his second plan. And that plans starts… with killing Lisa Binsby.”
Bruce’s eyes widen at that horrific statement. Elpis looks at him, totally unaware…
…that Stephen is already on the way.
50
Stephen walks down the street. On both sides of him are enormous, lavish mansions. He turns his head and sees his parked rental-convertible. Campbell flashes him a thumbs up and smiles idiotically, causing Stephen to grin.
As he walks toward Lisa’s house, he sees the street and remembers the way it crunched up as the Earth rumbled before being blown to bits. He looks up at the streetlights, visualizing the way they crashed onto the pavement, causing a wave of cement to knock him over. He looks across the street from Lisa’s house, at the spot where Lisa fell over and stared at the bright flash that eradicated her. Stephen looks at the spot where he desperately yelled her name, hoping only to see her smile. It’s a haunting feeling as Stephen walks around the place where he once
died.
Stephen digresses and approaches Lisa’s front door. Her house is big but pales in comparison to the castles that surround it. Stephen rings the doorbell. A friendly tune echoes throughout the house. Stephen paces and his mind races. Who is he kidding? She’s probably not home. She’s probably not even in the state. She’s probably off filming some new blockbuster film. This isn’t Lisa Binsby, the charming girl he used to date, this is Lisa Binsby, famous movie star.
As Stephen gazes across the street, he hears the creak of the front door open. He turns around. Looks. There she is: Lisa Binsby. Stephen gazes into her green eyes. Her brown hair flows to her shoulders. She is just as he remembers: small nose, perfect teeth, freckles on her cheeks. Unconsciously, Stephen radiates a smile at the face that existed only in his memories.
The two of them are frozen in time, stuck looking at each other. Neither of their souls can quite comprehend the situation and an intense disbelief overcasts them both. It dawns on Lisa: she’s looking at Stephen. As she stares into his blue eyes, her legs grow weak.
Stephen breaks the silence, “Hi.”
Lisa tries to force a smile but her confused emotions won’t allow it. She simply responds, “Hi.”
The disbelief gradually flows away from Stephen. “Well, I just happened to be in the neighborhood. And I heard that you live here, so…”
Lisa becomes confused. She lives in a gated community. How could he just ‘be in the neighborhood’? And how does he know where she lives? Regardless, her insides are trembling at the thought of him being here. “Why don’t you come in?” Lisa steps back from the front door and allows an opening for Stephen.
“Oh, uh, sure. Thanks.”
Lisa guides him to the end of a long hallway, landing them in a large family room. The ceiling shoots high above and windows that cover the far wall reveal a beautiful view of the valley below. Lisa offers her hand toward one of the couches. “Please, take a seat.” Stephen nods politely. “Thanks.” He obliges to her request and lands on the soft couch.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“No thanks.”
Lisa, despite the other couches to choose from, sits directly next to Stephen. Good sign. Hopefully. Stephen tries to get a read from her face. But it’s hard to determine anything; she’s completely composed. Her green eyes gently look at him, offering no clues. On the inside, though, she is facing a hurricane of emotions. She is thrilled to see him. Her heart sings a ballad of joy but her head confounds with confusion and regret.
Stephen asks, “How is Paul?
“Paul?” she asks, puzzled.
“Paul Higgins. You’re going out with him right?”
Lisa giggles. “No. Where did you hear that? I’m filming a movie with him next month but… I’ve never even met him.”
Stephen stiffens up. Stupid move. “Oh. My mistake.”
Lisa says, “I see you on TV all the time. For that discovery you made.”
Stephen forces a smile. “It wasn’t just me. Vince was there… and Natalie. Anyway, I’ve seen most of your movies. You’ve done some great work.”
Lisa nods, uninterested in her career. She catches herself leaning toward him. Not too closely, but enough to make things uncomfortable. She scoots back a little and looks into Stephen’s eyes to try and catch a glimpse of him. When he catches her looking, she darts her eyes ahead. She tries to avoid gawking but the temptation is too great. All she wants is to touch him. To hold his hand. To feel him against her.
The room is deathly silent. All Stephen can hear is his thoughts and the sound of his heart begging to tell her everything. The desire to hold her. To see her smile. There’s nothing he can do about it. Because she probably doesn’t even feel the same way. But he came all this distance. From the end of the world and back, and now, he has a second chance. Stephen looks at Lisa. Into her eyes. It’s a place he used to lose himself in. With the light of her eyes shining on him, he finally tells her.
“I should tell you the truth, Lisa. Why I’m here. I didn’t stumble here. I came looking for you. A strange thing happened to me when they sky went dark. I went to the end of my life. I saw my death.” Stephen pauses, knowing how crazy he must sound. Nonetheless, he continues, “When that time comes, you see your life and you see what you’ve done. Everything flashes before your eyes. You see your accomplishments; you see what was important to you. And you can smile and be thankful for everything. The chances you’ve taken. The places you’ve gone. But when you finally realize your time has run out, when that finally sets in, the things you’ve done aren’t enough. The blank spaces in between, the failures… they dawn on you. I saw what I screwed up. What I thought was important… it wasn’t. I was wrong. It became clear to me. Life isn’t about what you do. It’s about who you’re with. As I died, I began to pray. I didn’t know who I was praying to or if anyone would hear me. But I prayed that if I had one more chance, if I could just do it again, I’d make it right.” Stephen bowed his head, nearly in tears at his proclamation. “My prayer was answered. Now I’m sitting here, next to you. Because the only thing that ever mattered to me… was you.”
Lisa’s eyes strain as she stares into Stephen’s. Suddenly, a distant vision plays in her mind. She’s at a bar. With Paul Higgins, her boyfriend. Stephen is there, sitting far away. She goes to talk to him. But he’s gone. Now she’s outside her house. The world is shaking. The sky is yellow. She falls. She looks in the distance, with the world ending, and only one thing fills her mind: Stephen.
Lisa remembers. Vaguely. The only aspect of her original life she can remember is what involved Stephen. Because to her, it was most important.
Lisa looks at Stephen and declares, “I love you.”
Her statement plows into Stephen’s heart. He smiles and lets out a sigh. He takes her hand and curls his fingers through hers, whispering, “I love you.”
Their longing for each other culminates as Stephen gently takes her face and brings her lips close to his. With their eyes only inches apart, they stare deep into one another. After long years of being apart, Stephen’s eyes regain the light that abruptly went out and died when Lisa left him. She could literally see the marvel of light brighten in his eyes. Feelings of warmth swirl inside her. Finally, after an eternity of waiting, Stephen kisses her soft lips. As they inch apart, Stephen and Lisa take their time, gazing into each other’s eyes and treasuring their second chance. As Lisa finds herself lost in the light of Stephen’s eyes, she smiles. The sight brings tears to his eyes. He tries to compose himself but after all he had been through to see her smile again, his emotions are hard to contain.
Their reunion is cut short by a knocking at the front door. They both look down the hall. Stephen looks at Lisa and nonverbally asks, “You expecting anyone?” She gives a quick headshake. Must be Campbell, Stephen figures.
Outside, Campbell sits in the convertible. His seat is leaned back and he relaxes, enjoying the summer sun hitting his skin. A faint ringing fills the air. A cell phone? Campbell looks around but can’t locate it. He climbs over the driver’s seat and peers between the seat and the door. There it is: Stephen’s cell phone. Campbell answers it. “Hello. Jay Campbell.”
“Campbell, it’s Bruce. Where’s Stephen?” Bruce sounds ecstatic and out of breath.
“He’s over at Lisa’s. I’m waiting for him.”
“Go get him and Lisa and get out of there!”
Campbell perks up. “What? Why?”
“Just do it! We’re on the way!”
“Who’s on the way?”
“All of us! We all have to get out of here now!”
Campbell senses the urgency but is filled with uncertainty. “Tell me what’s going on, Bruce!”
“There’s someone going there to kill Lisa!”
It’s all Campbell needs to hear. He doesn’t need to question the authenticity of Bruce’s claim; he could tell it from the urgency in his voice. Add to that the craziness of events lately and there’s no reason to doubt i
t. Campbell tosses the phone near the gas pedal and leaps out of the car. With all his might, he sprints toward Stephen and Lisa, leaving the ELPIS box behind.
Lisa opens the front door. Stephen, waiting on the couch, peers down the hallway to try and catch a glimpse of the visitor at the door. With Lisa’s back blocking him, he can’t see much. He can hear faint voices but can’t make out any words. Lisa lets out a yelp and stumbles to the ground, landing hard on her back. Stephen dashes off the couch and runs down the hallway. Whoever was at the door is no longer there.
Stephen falls to his knees and bends down to face Lisa. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Lisa isn’t okay. Her face is pale and she’s in an inordinate amount of pain. Stephen, in total disbelief, shakes his head. “No. You’ll be fine. Let’s get you to a hospital.” Stephen slides his hands under her back, about to pick her up.
“No,” Lisa utters. Stephen backs off. She slowly pulls her shirt above her stomach to reveal a deep, bloody circular wound on her abdomen. It buries deep within and Stephen can see clear into her stomach. The sight frazzles him. “No. No… you’ll… you’ll be okay,” he says, not quite believing it himself.
Lisa pulls on Stephen’s neck and brings his face close to hers. As he rubs his face against her cheek, Stephen lies next to her and holds her in his arms. Lisa struggles to say, “Thank you for coming, Stephen. I thought I’d never see you again.”
Stephen sniffles as he gives up on holding his tears back. Lisa joins him and starts to cry. But not out of sadness. She could have lived her entire life and never seen him again. But now that she sees him, for just a few minutes, it brings her the joy she always wanted. The joy she always prayed for.
Lisa could feel her life slipping away. A bright light shrouds her vision. Not ready to go, she pushes it away. “Stephen, listen.”
Stephen smears the tears away from his eyes and stares into her majestic green eyes. Lisa continues, “I’m sorry I left you. I was afraid. I was… young. I didn’t know what I was doing. You’ve given me meaning, a reason to live. And the fact that you came back for me… makes me happier than you’ll ever understand.” Lisa looks into his blue eyes and smiles. Suddenly, she convulses and coughs uncontrollably. Stephen can do nothing but watch her endure unbearable pain.