Well, here is the last chapter. Thanks to my awesome beta Laurie! You are wonderful. And thanks so much you guys for putting up with my late updates and sorry excuses, lol. I really enjoyed doing this.
In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I've decided to continue this story with another sequel (a…three-quel? Lol.) I don't feel like Anna's story is over yet. I can't tell you when the first chapter will be posted, as it might not be for a few months, but I can tell you that I'm working on it even now. Add me to your Author Alert list and you'll be notified when it's up. :)
Well, I've kept you in suspense long enough. Here's the conclusion of 'Do Not Go Gently'!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High, or any of its canon characters.
Epilogue
Jana Vega lived a life that held more sadness than most. No one ever bothered to try to sympathize or understand. Now it had all come to a point where hanging herself was better than living another day.
Warren was adamant about going to her funeral. I said I'd go with him. It was a pathetic state of affairs. There were only a few other people there besides us and the priest- Jana's grandmother, a couple of students I recognized from school, a photographer from some newspaper. The grandmother wept copiously over Jana's body, whispering something in Spanish.
Warren and I went forward to see her. She lay there peacefully, a small smile on her lips that made it look as she was having a nice dream. Depressed, I glanced at Warren. His face was curiously expressionless as he contemplated her. Then quietly, he turned away.
After it was over, we had a late lunch at a nearby fast food place. It wasn't much of a meal. Across the table I watched Warren pushing fries around on his plate. He was taking this a lot harder than I expected him to. I couldn't understand why. He and Jana had hated each other as a rule and that was even before he knew she was involved in a plot to kill his father. There had to be more to it.
"You know," I began, not entirely sure where I was going to go with this, "Jana wanted out. She'd tried to kill herself before, there was no stopping her. She made her choice."
"Maybe she didn't," he answered gloomily.
"What do you mean?"
His closed his eyes for a while. "Lisa said something to me, that night she tried to destroy the prison. I thought she was just full of it, but now- I don't know."
I leaned forward slightly. "What did she tell you?"
He looked up at me, and there was a haunted quality to his eyes. "That there was only one thing that made us different. One bad day. She told me it was just a matter of time before I ended up like…her." He stared darkly at the table. "Maybe she has a point."
It took me a moment to figure out what he meant. Then I remembered that Lisa's mother was killed. So was Jana's father. That was when it all went downhill. Their one bad day.
But then I thought of Jonah and the tragedy he had gone through, losing his mother. He didn't choose to let it turn him into a monster.
I exhaled softly, shrugging. "You're right. Lisa was full of it."
He glanced at me, silent for a while, before saying half-heartedly, "Yeah, I guess."
"Hey," I said, nudging his arm. "The choice is all yours. Nothing can make you become a villain. And I know you never will. You're one of the best people I know."
He looked up at me then in mild surprise.
I grinned. "Just…don't let it go to your head."
A slow smile spread across his features. "I'll try my best."
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~Three months later~
It was Spring. I thought it would never get here. The cold air flushed warm in the sun once again; trees and plants flourished. I was happy to see all the greenery- even the weeds. I expect that Warren was too- he said that he'd had enough of snow to last a lifetime.
A lot had happened since that horrible night. The investigation into Lisa's death was wrapped up remarkable quickly- no charges were made against Warren. After all the trouble and potential devastation that Lisa had caused, they seemed to accept my story. No one wanted to ask too many questions.
So Warren and I tried our best to put it all behind us, and focus on the everyday things, like school and work. It was in this way that three months had flown by and yearbook photo day came upon me.
Around mid-morning, we were herded into the gym, which had been converted into a makeshift studio. All of us were donning our best casual attire. Warren had cleaned up pretty nicely in a formal dark red shirt with a phoenix embroidery on the front and jeans that looked new.
I had borrowed a white dress from my mother. She had tried to cover up my scars as best she could with make-up. It was about as effective as putting a band aid over a stab wound, and after several attempts I finally gave up and went to wash my face.
It felt strange that I'd gotten this far. At the beginning of the year, I was simply going through the motions, waiting for the moment when I'd shut down.
But I kept going. And I survived, through classes and exams, through Kylie and her meanness, through Lisa's catastrophic intentions and Paul's return.
I might survive this.
"Anna Arrian?"
I was first up. I usually was. The chair was uncomfortable; I felt painfully self- aware of the entire senior Hero class watching my every move. I tried to ignore them, and didn't succeed.
"Now, just smile Miss Arrian. Nice and natural."
The photographer might as well have told me to pull a bear out of a hat. Beyond him I could see Warren, who had dared to come closer than the rest. Mouthing the word 'relax', his face was open, encouraging.
It reminded of how he had pulled me through the terror, heartache, and tragedy of the past year, how he had shown me unending support without saying anything at all; how he, even when we fought, was always there.
It was a good thought.
Turning back to the camera I watched it flash, filling my vision with brilliance.
xxxxxx
The End. But not really. Stay tuned! :)