Oops, yeah . . . sorry I forgot to update yesterday . . .
But here's the Epilogue!! Oh and as I am not going to comment down the bottom, here is your wonderful reminder, REVIEW!! If you haven't and you have read all of the wonderful story, just review the last chapter! I will be very grateful!

Epilogue

I entered the room, it was exactly the same as I remembered. My heart began to disintegrate inside my chest. The room still smelled of her. Tears dripped down my cheeks. I slowly let the floodgates open. Everything came crashing down like a wave of sorrow, I collapsed into floods of heartfelt tears.

WHY? Why did she have to go? I need you Apple . . . please come back, please come back. The denial I had been living with for years. She was gone, and she was never coming back. Acceptance should have quelled my aching heart, but it did not. The tears should have stopped flowing relentlessly and I should have been finally put to piece, but it didn't quite work like that.

So, I sat. The room was quiet and dull, Apple had put all the life in to everything, and now she was gone I was dead.

Don't think like that, she probably just wants you to be happy.

But I'm not happy.

The little voices in my head all spoke at once, begging for me to listen to them. My whole life had been spent listening to other people, following orders and being the perfect shoulder to cry on. So why couldn't I listen now? I was deaf to my own voice, I needed to stop listening to everyone else and just listen to myself.

I was shaking in misery, my soul evaporating like the rain after the clouds have gone, never to be forgotten, nor remembered. I missed my sister. Her portrait with Sam over the balcony hung as a grim reminder of when she was here. I didn't understand how she was the shadow to my light, I was not the light. I didn't brighten every room I entered. I wasn't loved by everyone. So why did I stay when she goes?

Watermelon was a special child, she was pure light, and no shadow ran in her veins, she could already control her powers better than Bubble (I really need to stop using the children's nicknames) or I. She could light a dark room, a source of light, not an end to it. She wasn't the opaque object I was when my light came, blocking it all.

The tears were slowly ending. When Apple first left I was a wreck. Jackson tried to help, bless him, but he couldn't stop me from coping with the loss of both my brother and sister. He didn't understand, he had never felt the bond of sisterhood, or otherwise. Jackson was an only child.

I watched the sunset from Apple's balcony. It melted red and yellow, my thoughts wound around each other, finally coming to an end.

"So this is it," I whispered to myself, "This is how it ends? It's not a very good happily ever after is it?"

This couldn't be the end, there wasn't the right feel, it was too sad, too open. The final words had to be right, closing the chapter of my life forever, never to let it be reopened again. So why did it feel like I was missing something big? I was still numb. My body wasn't letting me feel everything yet, it still didn't trust me like it should.

I slowly walked back into Apple's room. Suddenly it occurred to me that there was a thin piece of paper resting on Apple's bed. I slowly walked toward it and picked it up:

Dear Blue, It read.

Wow, this is hard. Please don't cry. I know that it must have taken you so long to come into my room, one year ? Two? No wait let me guess, five? Knew it. Oh Blue I can feel your tears and you haven't even shed them. My head feels as if it might explode with what I want to write here. I can't go to deep, I mean when was I ever deep right?

I love you Blue. So, how was birth? (oh wait don't worry I was there for that part) Let me guess what you named her, (I'm assuming it was a girl) Amethyst Catherine Gladys Hart? Blue you are so predictable and if she has any sense she will 1. Hate you and 2. Have a good nickname by now.

How's Tessa? I hope she is fine, my little Bubble of joy.

Blue you are an amazing Mum and you are just the best person I know. I love you so much Blue, but I have to do this. Jennifer will have to go back to the SSS, but I'll still have Sam (as if he could leave me anyway). Don't hate them, we saved the world! Woop! Go us! The shadow realm needed a ruler anyway. I'll be a great queen! Right? Wait don't answer that . . .

I guess it makes sense, that you are light and I'm dark, you were always the good one and no matter what I said to you I always loved you. I don't know a better person than you to help Tessa through the pain with Gladys and Catherine, which has got to leave a scar. You are a lot more empathetic than I could ever be anyway.

I've never been very good at saying goodbyes, so I'll put it off, until the end. (Even then deep down I'll hope that we will cross paths) You probably want closure (hey I know you Blue, I lived in your head for nineteen years) an end to this chapter, like an epilogue, a search for your 'happily ever after'? Hate to break it too you, but this is not where you are going to find it, because I believe that one day I will see you again. And if I don't then this is my happily after, and you are living yours too. (No, it's not perfect, but then who's is?)

It will be strange without you nattering on in my head I'll admit, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Ow, wow childbirth hurts, I can barely stand to write. You must be killing Jackson, I bet he's not smiling now. I am going to miss the castle (in case you can't guess I'm procrastinating, so that I don't have to leave, but how long can I drag a letter on for eh? Plus Jennifer (or freckles whatever floats your boat) is staring at me). Ok, I'm going to actually finish writing now, because my hand hurts. If you still feel like you need some form of closure here is a valuable hint; let go. Just stop holding back, let everything flow out of you like a river, like a big wide river (I'm still trying to put off saying goodbye).

I guess I should stop writing now.

I hope you have an amazing life, oh and Blue . . .

You know how you love me?

I love you too,

And I always will . . .

Don't cry,

This is the way it's meant to be

This is the way it has to be,

Just you, Jackson, Amethyst and Tessa

And My Shadow and Me