Epilogue

May 6, 2006

Dear Diary,

Today is the one-year anniversary of the day I was kidnaped. So much has happened since then, I don't even know where to start. I was looking through my old stuff the other day and came across this diary. I've been so busy with the trial and everything that I haven't found time to write in here anymore.

I'm seeing a therapist right now. Aidan and I both are, she's trying to help us get over what happened. It hasn't been easy, and I still get nightmares about it. I relive a lot of what happened at night. Thankfully Aidan is there beside me, to help me through it. And I'm there to help him. The councillor has really helped, though. I think I can finally put what happened behind me.

Edgar was found not guilty. I still can't get over that, but I'm coming to terms with it. He'll still be locked away for a very long time, and I have more important things to worry about right now. Like my daughter.

I had my baby on April 20th. By some miracle, she was born healthy, despite my bad conduct while I was pregnant. The doctors said that she might show signs of having problems later on, but for now I'm just enjoying having her near.

Aidan and I named her 'Hope'. We thought it would be appropriate since hope is a very important thing in our lives right now.

I thought I'd let you know that I'm not writing in you anymore, diary. I don't need to anymore. I used to write to sort out my thoughts and vent my anger. Now I don't need to vent; that's what I have Aidan and Lacy and Zeke for. We're all very close now.

"Saige, come on!" Aidan called to her suddenly. Saige looked up and smiled. Her friends were all gathered by the fence next to the group home Aidan had once lived at. It was a very important day for them.

The administrator of the home had been in violation of several tax laws. The home was repossessed, all the children were moved to foster homes or to other group homes, and the old building was being bulldozed.

"You guys are gonna miss it!" Zeke whined, shaking the metal links of the fence. Saige sighed and frantically scribbled the last few lines of her entry.

It's ironic, but this is the last page of my diary. I'm closing it forever so I can start the next chapter of my life. I guess you won't know what happens to me after this, but I know I'll be okay.

Saige closed her diary with a sense of finality and looked down at Hope, lying on her back on the blanket beside her and chewing on a stuffed bear. Saige got up and dusted herself off before bending over to pick up the baby. Hope gurgled happily and pulled at her mother's hair as she was carried out from under the large willow tree that occupied the lot next to the group home.

Saige reached the others just at the bulldozers were starting up. She jogged the last bit of distance to the fence and let Aidan take Hope from her arms. She always loved to see Aidan with her, he always seemed to light up.

"Don't let the dust get in her eyes," Jessica warned from under Mikes arm.

"We're too far for that." Mike countered.

"You'd be surprised." replied Jessica. Saige shook her head at the pair and leaned against the fence next to Aidan. Everyone important had come all the way out to North Bay to officially see the destruction of their past lives, the ones that had hurt them so much. Even Aisha had made an appearance, as well as Lacy's Aunt and cousins whom all complained nonstop while they were there.

The heavy machines roared to life and immediately the dust started to rise. A few charges had been set up within, and a man on the site raised his hand and signaled for them to be set off.

With a pulse they were deployed, and there was an extremely anticlimactic crumbling noise after which the building fell in on itself. Zeke and Lacy cheered loudly and pumped their fists in the air as the home went down, and the bulldozers moved in, pushing down anything that was left standing, moving all the rubble into a large pile.

"Well, that's it," Aidan said, cradling Hope in one arm and pulling Saige against him with the other. "The end."

THE END