A Brand New Ending

by Stephanie Rolls

  Grabbing a light jacket I throw it on and walk down the front steps into the open world. When I get to the end of the walkway I peer off in both directions, choosing to go left, not knowing exactly where I am heading. I walk aimlessly for an unknown amount of time but I begin to admire the city around me, not having much freedom to explore on my own.

  However I am unable to break the habit of looking at every face that passes by me, searching for similarities in their eyes. My heart has been beating erratically ever since I stepped foot off that porch. When I feel as though I have had enough exposure I go to turn around but within blocks I am confused, each street I pass by seeming identical to the first. I break out into a run, my body brushing past shadows of people as I pass them. They are so close that I can feel the heat on my skin. I continue to run, the hills of the city making my muscles burn. As I continue to run I feel a long shiver runs its course through me body and then I see why.

  I slow down, my body coming to a slow stroll, my fingers grasping the yellow tape as I reach it. Looking out at the property it is hard to believe that a house once stood here. I look to my side and make sure that I am alone before ducking under the tape. The charred wood crunches under my feet, my shoes instantly cover in the grey ash. It has been months since the incident but the city seems not interested in cleaning up the rubble hastily. As I walk through it all the memories come flooding back. I can feel the phantom pain in my scares.

  I kick around the rubble, looking for I don’t even know what. There is nothing from this life I hold valuable, nothing that I would want to remember this time. The darkest moments of my life. When I have had my fill I start to walk back to the street but something catches my eyes. Pushing the planks of wood off of it I reach down, picking up the small figurine in my hand.

  I stare at it, almost as though it may crumble from my existence with any slight movement. I had completely forgotten about it that night, and part of me makes that sad. I continue to stare down at it, its expression making me laugh.

  I never asked him why he gave me the seal, but I don’t care. Putting it in my pocket I walk out of the rubble, never looking back.

  I have to tell him.

  Chapter 54

  Braeden

  “Aaand we need this,” Donovan says, placing even more bottles of alcohol in the cart.

  “She’s not even old enough to drink,” I explain.

  He just shrugs. “More for me then. Plus what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t contribute to the delinquency of a minor?”

  I roll my eyes as the obscene amount of shit that starts to pile in the cart.

  “OK that’s enough,” I scold him like a child and start heading to the checkout line.

  I make him load the shit onto the conveyor belt. I watch the screen as the numbers jump.

  “Jesus Christ,” I mutter under my breath, handing the card out to the cashier.

  There are a few minutes of silence.

  “Braeden Harris?” I hear a voice ask.

  I look back up, the cashier looking down at my card and then back at me.

  “Yeah?” I ask confused.

  I look over at name tag. Dylan.

  “Holy shit,” I blurt out.

  He comes out from around his station and we instantly wrap our arms around each other, not giving a fuck what anyone else thinks.

  “How the hell are you?” I ask as I pull back.

  “Good man, living the fucking dream.” He laughs.

  “I can see that.”

  I hear a throat clear beside me, drawing me back to reality.

  “Dylan, this is my friend Donovan,” I say.

  They both shake hands.

  “He was my brother’s best friend,” I explain, even saying that has a twinge of pain behind it.

  He hesitates before speaking again.

  “I’m sorry we lost touch after the accident,” he explains. I shrug.

  “It’s alright,” I respond. “I heard you went to live with your dad shortly after.”

  “Yeah, just had to get out of town, ya know?”

  I nod. “But now I’m back!” He smiles.

  “Well, it’s great to fucking see you,” I say as I start to bag my groceries. Dylan walks back around and finishes the transaction.

  “Someone’s having a party,” he says, scanning over the groceries.

  “Yeah,” I respond. “Hey, you should come. Were just having a small birthday party for my girlfriend, the more the merrier.”

  “Young Harris is whipped huh?” he says turning to Donovan.

  “He’s so pussy whipped it’s ridiculous,” he answers.

  “First of all, assholes, we’re all the same age, and second, I am not pussy whipped, I am in love.”

  They both “oooh” and “awww” together.

  “You both are uninvited,” I joke as I grab the bags laughing.

  “Good to see ya, man,” Dylan says as he holds his hand out to me.

  “Same here. I’m serious man,” I say grabbing a piece of paper and jotting down my number. “You should definitely come.”

  “Alright, I’ll try and make it.”

  “Sounds good,” I say before heading to the door.

  When we make it back to the apartment, I am completely winded, the bags of the alcohol weighing a lot.

  “This is all your shit, why aren’t you carrying it?” I whine.

  “I got the decorations,” he shows me.

  I start to take things out of the bags, setting them on the counter.

  “You got three bottles of vodka,” I announce.

  “I don’t see a problem in that,” Donovan responds.

  I work to put all the food together, Donovan spending his time cracking open the case of beer while his fat ass channel surfs. Looking outside I can see that the sun is beginning to set. Donovan eventually comes up to the counter, looking over the food.

  “You’re going to make a wonderful wife one day.”

  “Bite me,” I respond. “Listen, I’m going to go pick her up and I want you to take all this to the roof. Do not eat any of it.”

  He goes to eat a piece of bread and I smack his hand away.

  “Yes, mom,” he says as he picks up the trays.

  “Everyone should be here within the next 20 minutes. I will be back with Phoenix at eight o’clock sharp.”

  “Gotcha,” he responds.

  I leave the apartment and hail a cab on the curb, thankful that one comes quickly. Sliding myself into the back seat I start to become nervous. The ride over to my father’s is short and I am conscious of the time.

  “Can you wait here for a moment?” I ask the cab driver as I leave it.

  He just nods and leaves the car running. Pushing open the front door I scan the room, look for her.

  “Seraph?” I call out.

  I hear movement upstairs so I walk towards it and bound up the stairs. Within moments our bodies collide, my arms immediately coming around her back, holding onto her tight. After a minute we pull back. I look into her eyes, the look from last night gone.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she responds. “I missed you.”

  She presses her lips to mine and its forceful, the taste of her mouth intoxicating. Once she stops I smile down at her.

  “We need to go,” I announce.

  “Where are we going?” she asks. “You just got here.”

  I smile and grab something from my pocket, letting the fabric dangle in front of our face.

  “Do you trust me, Seraph?”

  ~

  When we get back to my building I help Phoenix from the car. Handing some cash to the cab driver I turn back around, placing my hands on each side of her hips. I push her forward, maneuvering her to the back of the building. When we reach the stairs I release her and stand in front of her, my body facing hers.

  “I’m afraid there are steps,” I explain.

  She fumbles the first few, but soon gets a rhythm and we are on the rooftop in no time. When w
e reach it I do a once over, making sure that everything seems to be in order.

  “Braeden?” Phoenix says when she doesn’t hear or feel me.

  “I’m right here,” I say, standing in front of her.

  I lean in, placing my lips on hers, our kiss becoming more intimate than I expected, especially in front of a crowd. Low giggles reach my ears.

  “I love you, Seraph,” I start. “And happy birthday.”

  Reaching around I untie her blindfold quickly and a loud “surprise!” rings out through the night air. Phoenix’s eyes grow wide and a nervous smile spreads across her face. She leans forwards and curls into me, her face hiding in my shoulder. A panic sets into me, hoping I didn’t make a bad decision.

  “Seraph?” I ask leaning back, hoping to see her face.

  When I do my heart drops.

  “Are you crying?”

  She looks up at me, her eyes wet. And then she smiles again, it the most glorious thing I have ever seen.

  “I didn’t even know it was my birthday.”

  Chapter 55

  Phoenix

  My heart begins to race when I see the fabric dangle in front of my face. A small wave of panic flows through my body but I try to dismiss it quickly. It’s just Braeden.

  I look up into his eyes as his arms come around my head, my vision going completely dark. When we make it into what I assume is a cab I try to follow the turns in my head but soon become lost and disoriented. As I sit beside him with our hands intertwined, and I begin to calm down, my curiosity overtaking my fear. When the cab stops I inhale and I feel Braeden’s hand tug on mine, his hands helping me guide my way.

  “I’m afraid there are steps,” I hear him say. I feel his hands slip onto my hips and my stomach clenches, always loving the feel of his hands on my skin. I lift my foot but miss the first one, both of us laughing a little.

  Once I get a rhythm I try to listen to familiar sounds, only hearing the cars passing by and sound of creaking metal. When I feel that we have reached our destination I feel his fingers slip from my body and I begin to panic.

  “Braeden?” I call out.

  “I’m right here,” he calls out.

  I feel his lips against mine, his mouth hot and minty. Wrapping my arms around his neck I press harder, wanting, needing to be close to him. He pulls back and I feel his breath against my ear.

  “I love you, Seraph, and happy birthday.”

  I hear a loud “surprise” and then the darkness is gone, my eyes adjusting to the sight in front of me. The roof is lit with string lights and candles. Standing before me is a group of people, recognizing most of their faces. I panic momentarily and curl into Braeden’s chest, being the center of attention is not something I am used to. And then the tears start to fall but they aren’t because I’m upset, but quite the opposite.

  “Seraph?” I hear Braeden say, his arm wrapped around my back.

  I pull away from him and look up.

  “Are you crying?”

  I look up at him, wondering what I did to ever deserve him. Then I can’t help but smile.

  “I didn’t even know it was my birthday,” I blurt out, only because it’s true.

  I look back at the crowds of people, all them have a worried look on their faces.

  “Thank you.”

  Then the crowd breaks out into a loud chatter again, some of them coming up and hugging me. After a few minutes of mingling I turn around to find Braeden and I wrap my arms around him tight and I feel my feet lift off the ground.

  “I love you,” I whisper into his ear. “This is the first time since my father’s death that I have celebrated a birthday. Thank you.”

  “It was my pleasure, Seraph,” he responds. “I hope you like it.”

  I turn around and scan then area. The lights wrapped around the railing twinkle in the night sky, tables covered with food trays, adorned with small candles flickering.

  “Where are we?” I laugh.

  “On top of my apartment building.”

  “You did all this?” I ask.

  “With a little help, but yes.”

  ~

  Braeden and I mingle with all the people but when we reach Donovan things seem odd.

  “Happy birthday,” he says nervously.

  I smile. “I don’t get a birthday hug?” I ask with a fake pouty look on my face.

  I feel his strong arms come around me, my breathing being cut off.

  “I’ll be right back,” Braeden says as he leans in close to me.

  “OK. I’ll stay with Donovan,” I tell him.

  We both stand there silent for a moment until Donovan speaks first.

  “I’m really sorry last night. I didn’t mean to cause problems.”

  I shake my head. “You didn’t,” I admit.

  We both fall silent again for a moment.

  “Are you two dating?” I ask.

  “According to Braeden we are.” He laughs.

  I look over his shoulder.

  “Is she not here?” I ask.

  “Braeden didn’t want you have to deal with that tonight.”

  I frown. “You should call her. If she’s important to you than I think I can live with it.”

  He just smiles at me and I wink in return. I leave Donovan and make my way over to the food table, realizing how hungry I am. On my over I spot a table with a mountain of presents on it, a wave of guilt taking over me. I spot Braeden and walk up behind him, wrapping my arms around his torso.

  “Having fun, Seraph?”

  “I am!” I exclaim.

  Walking around the side of him I grab a plate and when I shift my eyes upward I see Dr. Harris coming up the stairs, Chelsea in tow. I can feel a lump form in my throat, completely forgetting about it until now.

  “Happy birthday, Phoenix,” Dr Harris says.

  “Thank you,” I respond, trying to push my feelings down.

  I see Chelsea round him and she throws her arms around me. When I go to lift my arms around her I feel a sharp pain in my hand and I withdraw quickly.

  “Ouch,” I say, looking down at my hand.

  “Are you OK?” I hear Braeden ask.

  “Yeah, I just got a really sharp pain in my hand.”

  Dr. Harris takes my hand and leads me under the glow of a candle. He runs his hand along the small cut and I feel the pain again.

  “Right there,” I say.

  Dr. Harris continues to examine it. “You have a piece of glass in your hand,” he says.

  I look up at him and his eyes find mine. Something in his face shifts. Over the next moment we have a silent conversation, my heart pounding that I feel that I may throw up. He knows it was me. He knows that I know. He lets go of my hand and we both turn our attention back to Braeden and Chelsea.

  “I’m gonna need tools to get that out,” Dr. Harris explains. “But it’s not critical at the moment.”

  I plaster on a fake smile and walk back over to Braeden, praying that he doesn’t ask any questions.

  Chapter 56

  Phoenix

  The rest of night goes by in a blur, trying desperately to push my feelings down. When it came time to open the presents I felt drained but so grateful for everyone’s gifts. When the party started to wind down people were filtering out and pretty soon it’s just Braeden and I left, my nerves growing more with every minute of silence. When he says goodbye to the last guest he makes his way over to me, his hands wrapping around my waist.

  “Thank you,” I say. “That was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

  He places his lips against my forehead and we remain silent for a few minutes. Tell him. I pull back and go to open my mouth but Braeden holds something out in his hand. A small box with a red bow on top. I lose my train of thought.

  “I wanted to wait until everyone was gone before giving you this.”

  I take it out of his hands and open the lid slowly, a beautiful bracelet nestled among the cotton. Braeden reaches inside and unclasps it. Sticking
out my wrist he works delicately to attach it, the tips of his fingers brushing against my inner wrist, it making my legs seem weak. Once it’s attached I turn it over more, now noticing the angel wing charm attached to one side of it.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whisper, holding the tears back.

  Braeden’s fingers come under my chin, them raising my head slowly.

  “Are you happy, Seraph?”

  “More than I could ever explain.”

  “Well, good, because I got one more surprise for you,” he says.

  Putting his hands on my shoulder he guides to over to a chair and then plants a kiss on my lips.

  “You’re not going to strip are you?” I laugh.

  Braeden shakes his head.

  “Maybe later.”

  We both smile wide and I watch him reach underneath a table. From it he produces an acoustic guitar and my heart beat fastens. He grabs a stool nearby and props himself on top of it, the guitar lying across his lap, his fingers placed delicately on the neck of it.

  “This is to my beautiful girlfriend, whom without her I would cease to exist,” he states to the nonexistent crowd.

  I feel a familiar burn in my cheeks but I can’t take my eyes off of him. He starts strumming on the guitar, a beautiful melody filling the night sky. He then starts to sing. The words coming out of his mouth are beautiful and I can feel tears prick behind my eyes, the sight before me too much for my emotions to handle. I continue to just stare at him, every moment of the past few months running in my head. I have a hard time regretting the decision that brought me here. He was my fate. He is my destiny.

  When he finishes up the song he leans the guitar against the stool and hops down. Launching myself off the chair I wrap my arms around him tightly. I hear him laugh and his hands find their way to my hair. We both pull back and our eyes meet, our gaze holding.

  “That was beautiful.”