Well it seems this story’s coming close to its end. Time really flies doesn’t it? I wouldn’t call this a grand finale and I’m not sure if I would call this a heated conclusion. I guess it’s an epilogue to the story.
I woke up on a dark cloudy day after spending my first night in our new house with Angel and Laura. Angel was still asleep beside me when I opened my eyes. I sat up to see our belongings still in cardboard boxes just past the edge of the bed. We had a new queen-sized bed. As much as I liked my old bed, it could get a little cramped and since we were already in summer it was a bit much not to have some space between us. Our room was upstairs, and the bottom storey had a kitchen, bathroom, laundry and lounge room. Laura was in the room beside us and the house was completely quiet, which was something I wasn’t used to anymore. I yawned and stretched out my arms only to be suddenly pulled back down against the bed by Angel.
“How’d you sleep?” she asked me with her face against mine as she leaned over me.
“Pretty good, actually.”
“Then do you want to have a little fun with me this morning?”
I went to open my mouth, but she had a certain look in her eyes that left me under the impression that whatever I was going to say wasn’t going to matter more than her. It wasn’t until around ten in the morning that Angel was finished indulging herself. I got up out of bed and went downstairs and made us some breakfast. Laura was already dressed and showered, sitting at the table reading one of my science fiction books. I made some coffee to go with toast, even Laura had taken a liking to my coffee. Though sometimes she needed to wash away the aftertaste with juice. I put her meal in front of her and sat down beside Angel at the table.
“We should probably get you enrolled for school soon. I don’t want you here by yourself.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve went to school, you think I’ll be okay?”
“You’ll be fine, Laura. You’re a bright girl, besides, we’re hoping to send you to the same school as Nami. I’m sure she’ll help you out while you’re there.”
“We’ll go tomorrow afternoon after I finish work. Now, why don’t you be a good little girl and help us pack away our things?” Angel said before kissing Laura on the forehead.
“Yes, Angel,” she said cheerfully.
The kitchen may have been reasonably well set up for us that morning, but the rest of the house was still cluttered with our things packed away inside boxes. We spent the rest of the morning putting everything away and rearranging furniture. It was around noon when the doorbell rang and I went to answer it. I opened the door to see Sinclair standing beside Naomi; they were holding hands which looked a little strange since Sinclair was in his beast-taming gear.
“Oh, hey you two…I don’t remember telling you I moved here.”
“I am always watching boy,” he said sternly.
“Right, I suppose you want to come in then.”
“If it’s not too much trouble,” Naomi said politely while Sinclair constantly kept looking over his shoulder at every passing car. I brought them to the kitchen and started making lunch for everyone. Laura came into the kitchen after packing away her share of boxes.
“How are you, little one? You seem healthy enough.”
“I’ve never felt better, thank you for everything Mr Natsuki.”
“So well mannered, you surely are the detective’s daughter,” he said with a smile.
Angel walked inside the kitchen and was surprised to see her father. Sinclair praised us for getting our own home as his eyes darted around the room, examining everything thoroughly. After I felt like the formalities were out of the way I asked Sinclair why he was really here.
“Oh? Is it that strange that I would want to visit my daughter and those she holds dear to her? Or perhaps I’m here to check on the child I brought back from the brink of death? Maybe I just felt like poking around? Who knows? Chuckle.” He was teasing me and enjoyed the exhausted expression I had on my face. Angel hugged up to my arm and dragged Laura to the other side of her.
“You really should let us know when you want to drop by, Dad.”
“Ha-ha-ha. My apologies. Now, just how far are you two planning to go I wonder, or are you still clouded by doubt?” he said abruptly while staring at me. I called him out to the front yard to speak with him in private. He stood silently in anticipation of what I was going to say next.
“You really love toying with me, don’t you?”
“I’d say it’s become a specialty of mine. Why? Did I hit a nerve?”
“Sigh. Look, you’re right about the doubt in my mind because there’s been one thing that’s been eating at me ever since I met your daughter. Why was she in that house? Why was she in the hospital in the first place? Was meeting her all a coincidence or did you expect all of this to happen?”
“As much as I love messing with you, I must be truthful in saying that your meeting with Angel was one of chance, so consider yourself lucky.”
“Then answer me, why was she in that house?” I kept the pressure on him.
“Knowing will not bring you any closure, but if you insist then it can’t be helped. I’m sure you’ve seen Angel’s violent side, the side that craves blood.”
“How could I forget it?” I said while thinking about it.
“It was that kind of behaviour that made her no different to my beast at times and a day came where she showed her claws against her mother and I.”
“Where are you going with this?”
“I showed her the end of my machete to protect Sophia. I wasn’t about to let the very thing that she sacrificed so much for be her end. I truly loved Sophia…in the end she had her heart set for another, that much was out of my control,” I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and things were beginning to make sense.
“That’s how she ended up in the hospital? Because of you? Let me guess, you locked her away in that house for the same reason. If she was going to act like an animal, she would live in a cage like one.”
“Don’t twist my reasoning with crude assumption. I love and adore Angel just as much as you do. I left Angel in the house because Sophia ran away to raise your bastard sister and I was already a criminal; there’s no way she could have stayed by my side.”
“I don’t care, what you did was wrong and not fair on her. You took everything from her…how she doesn’t hate you for that is beyond me.” He then grabbed me by the neck, lifting me off the ground. He gripped tight at the handle of his machete as he decided whether or not to run me through.
“Did you forget who you were talking to? I am a cold-blooded murderer. I didn’t choose to be like this, I just am. So, tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right now?”
“Because this isn’t you anymore. Cough. You’ve grown as a person too.” He dropped me on the ground and walked a few paces away from me.
“I suppose you’re right. You made your point clear to the detective that not all people waste second chances. Then it would probably be best if I didn’t waste mine. By that logic I deserve to be the father I never had the chance to be to my daughter, does it not?”
“I never said you couldn’t be, just don’t expect me to stop resenting you any time soon is all.”
He agreed to stop tormenting me for a while and went back inside; from that point on it was like our conversation never happened. I kept quiet and didn’t tell anybody what I learned. As we sat around the table for lunch, Sinclair brought out a small envelope and handed it to Angel. She took one peek at what was inside and tried to hand it back. Naomi and Sinclair insisted on us keeping it and once I saw what was inside, I realised what all the commotion was about. There were thousands of dollars, just from looking around eight-thousand.
“Dad we couldn’t, it’s way too much,” Angel whined. I wasn’t a big fan of owing him anything either.
“You’ll need it, it’s not as if you’re just living as a couple, you’re looking after the girl too. It’s alright to have a small head start in life.” Naomi put the envelope in my hand and folded my fingers over it.
“And you’re okay with this, Sinclair? Wait a second, is this money even legal?” I asked cautiously as both Angel and I shot away from the envelope as I dropped it on the table.
“If you’re asking if it’s blood money…well the dead have no need for it anymore.”
Angel and Naomi yelled at him while I covered Laura’s ears.
“I was joking. I’ve always had my ways of earning money without violence or extortion. I used to be a businessman after all.”
“More like a loan shark,” I whispered under my breath.
“Fine, I’ll accept this. Stay out of trouble though, Dad. You’ll upset Jasmin,” Angel said as she took the money.
“Jasmin?” Laura asked as she continued to listen in on us.
“Oh, you haven’t met her yet. She’s a few years older than you and she’s really nice.” Laura’s face lit up at the thought of meeting her. Sinclair and Naomi stood up from the table and thanked us for our hospitality. After the grand sum of money, it was the least we could do.
“Well we best be off. Tell Johnson I look forward to his wedding. Farewell for now.” The pair left; as they did, Johnson and Sabrina walked into the kitchen.
“Oh, Johnny, Sabrina, I didn’t hear you come in.”
Angel had come back from putting the money away in our room to see them. She sprinted up and hugged them both. She congratulated them for finally having a date for their wedding planned out and we were amazed to see they were finally going through with it. Sabrina was a little embarrassed by it still and Johnson had a calm smile on his face.
“Getting married young, I’m sure my old self would have found the concept inconceivable.”
“I guess all it takes is the right kind of girl, Johnny.”
Angel looked to me with blush in her cheeks and our eyes met.
“I love you,” she said almost out of impulse. Sabrina was confused on what was going on and stared at us nervously.
“Yeah, I know. I love you too,” I said confidently, and she hugged me tight. She had a mischievous smile on her face as she faced away from Sabrina. As adorable as the whole thing was, I think she was more or less trying to either tease or maybe encourage Sabrina.
“Giggle. You’re so funny, Angel, but I think you might be a little unfair on Sabrina,” Laura said after she watched the whole thing play out.
“You’re messing with me again! I had no idea what was going on. Why do you like picking on me so much?” Sabrina yelled at her as she shook her by the arms while Angel laughed uncontrollably. We all had a bit of a laugh while we watched the two girls deal with each other. Johnson thought our new house seemed as lively as my Dad’s. I had to agree with him on that. No matter where we went, I think we would always find a way to make things more interesting for ourselves. Johnson looked to Laura and introduced himself. I had forgotten he hadn’t had the chance to meet her yet; she was already comfortable enough around both him and Sabrina it was easy to forget.
“All of this must leave quite the lasting impression of us on the young lady.”
“You’re both really nice. Is it okay if I come to your wedding too?”
“Of course. We would love to see you there,” he said honestly in a kind tone. I asked Johnson what the details were for the wedding and he explained since they weren’t exactly rolling in money, they wanted it to be small unlike Dad and Sophia’s wedding. It would be held at a church and then we would be heading over to Johnson’s house for the reception. Apparently, Sophia had already agreed to be their chef and both Dad and Celia would be helping plan out the event. As unprofessional as it all sounded, I was excited for it and was looking forward to seeing them tie the knot. They had both changed a lot since high school and deserved to be happy after going through so much together. It wasn’t long until the doorbell rang, not once, not twice, but three times within only minutes of each other. The first time was Dan and Em who dropped by to check in on us. Dan made coffee for everyone and Em just about talked our ears off with another one of her outbursts. Then it was Risk and Cindy for the same reason. Risk was happy to see Laura doing so well and was also astounded with how nice the place was. Cindy wondered why Raul didn’t just let her live here to begin with as she looked around the house. Last was Anne who pulled up in front of the house in her flashy red sports car. She was ecstatic and almost squeezed the air from our lungs when she hugged me and Angel. Our peacefully quiet home was probably the rowdiest it had been in a long time before us coming here. Johnson, Dan and Risk helped me move the rest of the furniture around the house while the girls went around the house setting up curtains, wardrobes, appliances and then went to inspect the backyard. It was a lot of work from all of us, but I’m glad they were there to help; they made something tedious kind of fun. Around four in the afternoon, it started to rain; everyone was already inside standing at and beside the kitchen table.
“Thanks again for helping us today, everyone,” Angel said sincerely. Anne held her by the hands and said it was no trouble. The guys were also modest about it. Cindy kept quiet with a smile on her face and Em, well Em asked a question I had been trying to avoid even though I would have to face it sooner or later given with how Angel had been acting at the time.
“So, now that you have your own place, when do you think you two will have kids? You said you’ve been really looking forward to it, Angel.”
“Oh, yeah whenever I become pregnant. We’ve already been doing it a bunch lately…” she said openly before Anne and Johnson covered her mouth with a hand each, simultaneously.
“Angel, you’re a lady, you should try to be a little classy and refined with this sort of stuff,” Anne said anxiously.
“I also needn’t remind you that there’s a child in the room, Angel. I am happy the two of you are trying for a child, but please promise you’ll keep the details and the act of doing so from young Laura.” I looked to the young girl and she had an awkward expression on her face and I realised just how uncomfortable she was.
“Sorry guys, I was trying to keep quiet about it too,” I said nervously as everyone brought their attention to me. After about half an hour, everyone went home; they must have felt like they were intruding on us if they stayed any longer now that piece of information was floating inside their heads. Angel was keen as ever on the idea of having kids. I don’t think I slept properly for the next two weeks after that day.
It wasn’t until a few days before the wedding that Angel discovered she was pregnant and I found out that I was going to be a dad. Naturally, Angel told everyone she knew about the exciting news and we received praise left, right and centre. The most excited were Dad and Sophia; they pestered us nearly the entire day that Angel found out. Sinclair gave me a rather intimidating phone call when he found out. At the same time, he was surprised to hear that he would be a grandfather at his age. If I had to give my opinion on the matter, I felt like I had been conned. I said I didn’t want to be a father just yet before our vacation, yet there I was dealing with the situation anyway because Angel got what she wanted. Obviously, I didn’t say anything to her or anyone else and I already knew that I would have to come to terms with it regardless, but no matter how I looked at it, it was a really nerve-racking experience.
The next day I had off from work and went by myself to pick up Laura from school. When I got there, it was lively, and the sun was shining through the clouds after a day of rain. I went inside and saw Laura and Nami standing by the lockers.
“What’s up, you two?”
“Hey Wade, shall we go then?” Laura said calmly.
“Big brother!” Nami yelled as she hugged up to my side. I pried her away from me and bonked her on the head. She then looked at me as if it were a great act of betrayal.
“Don’t try to show off just because you’re at school and besides your teachers will think I’m some older boyfriend you netted in; you don’t exactly look ten after all.”
“You always have to take the fun out of everything. I’ve never had a brother until I met you,” she whined childishly while both her friends and teachers were watching us.
“Sigh. Come here then.” I petted her head gently and she seemed to enjoy it a little too much. I’m not sure if it was because of me or all the attention she was getting from everyone else.
“Can you pat my head too?” Laura asked innocently.
“Later,” I replied sharply as I brought my hand away from Nami’s head. I walked Nami part way home before Laura and I split off from her.
“Bye, Nami.”
“Bye bye, Laura!” she yelled as she hugged her tight and then sprinted towards home.
“You two are pretty close,” I said casually as I walked with my hands in my pockets. Laura nodded and kept walking until I noticed she was staggering slightly in her steps. I stopped her and offered to carry her on my back.
“You don’t have to do that. I’m fine,” she stubbornly refused. I could understand why though, she had already received so much help from people that were complete strangers to her less than a month ago. To ask for any more would have left her feeling even more guilty. However, I was responsible for her, so I ignored her request and threw her on my back anyway. She looked at me in shock and then turned her head away from me as I carried her. I felt a little guilty from forcing it on her too.
“Laura, I’m not helping you because I have to. It’s because I want to. I hope you understand that.”
She brought her eyes back to me and then thanked me.
We made it home and I sat on the couch and listened to her about her day at school; she was enjoying being able to go to classes. Apparently, she was already quite popular among the other kids despite being the new girl. Although, that didn’t really surprise me, given how nice a girl she was. Angel came home from work shortly afterwards; she was as giddy and cheerful as ever. The first thing she did was leap onto the couch and kiss me. She had been really passionate since she found out she was pregnant and was more attached to me than usual.
‘I love you’ were the first words out of her mouth as she stared into my eyes with her glowing red eyes. I went quiet for about a minute before I said it back. She smiled and then threw her arms around me, only to tackle me against the couch. Laura sat quietly with red in her pale cheeks as she watched us. Angel reached her hand out to her and pulled her in with us. She gasped as Angel hugged up to her.
“What are you doing?” she asked completely flustered.
“We’re a family, Laura. I love you like you’re my own.” Her words may have been caring and sweet, but they touched a nerve in the young girl. She burst into tears and sprinted out of the lounge room through the front door. I dashed after her without a second thought, but suddenly time fell still. I looked around to see the passing cars completely out of motion, the only thing that kept moving were the trees in the neighbourhood as the wind brushed against their leaves. Already half a block ahead of me was Laura, also frozen like a statue; I looked behind me to see Angel walking out of the house. She walked up to me and took my hand to take me to Laura.
“You really are amazing, Angel,” I said in awe of her.
“Come on, let’s talk this through with her,” she said in a serious tone. We walked up to Laura who was completely still. Angel walked in front of her and the world returned to normal. When it did, Laura bumped into her and she stared down at the white-haired girl who had tears in her eyes.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked in a stern voice. Laura was afraid to the point where she was speechless.
“All I said is that I loved you like you’re my daughter and you decided to run away. Why?” she asked more frustrated than before. I could see why she was angry; people had been running away from her nearly her entire life, people that she loved, like her parents. Laura continued to cry, but she managed to muster the courage to talk back.
“I-I can’t accept that! You’re not my mother! It would upset her if she was watching me let someone else do her job just because she can’t anymore!” she screamed, refusing to look us in the eyes.
“I don’t care,” Angel said, not backing down.
“Angel you can’t just…” I went to intervene, but she cut me off.
“That’s unfortunate you feel that way. My feelings for you won’t change even if you ask me to. I doubt your mother would want you to keep living unhappy and unloved. You don’t have to think of me as her replacement, but I’d like for you not to push me away again. I know I may sound selfish, but I truly do have your best interest at heart.”
Laura stared at her with eyes no longer crying tears. Angel put her hand out and she took it only to be pulled in again. I stood there as she held the young girl in her arms. Angel looked to me and then kissed me.
“Thank you for trying to help, but I caused this. So, it’s only right that I was the one to fix it.”
We went back home after our first real trial as a family and I got started on dinner. I made a stir-fry while Angel and Laura talked with each other at the table. Laura had calmed down and was back to being her polite, loveable self. They were talking about the upcoming wedding that was barely forty-eight hours away.
“Are we all ready for it? I’m not going to be able to check up on you on the day since Johnson made me his best man.”
“No need to worry. Em’s already picked an outfit for me for the day and I’m sure I saw something lying around the store that would look perfect on Laura,” she said cheerfully while pinching Laura’s cheek.
“That’s not what I meant. I was more or less asking if you knew the plan for the day. It’s going to be a busy one.” To that Angel nodded and reassured me that it would be fine. I had no real choice but to trust her on that. I served up dinner and Laura thanked both Angel and me, as well as apologised for her behaviour for earlier.
"I wish Wade had brought you home sooner. Giggle."
“Let’s not sweat the little things any longer than we have to, okay? Now dig in, it’s not every day that I get to cook,” I said with a smile and we enjoyed the rest of our evening together.
The day of the wedding had come, and I woke up earlier that morning with the sun still yet to rise. I made coffee and slurped it down as I stared at the suit and tie I would be wearing for the day. I was tired despite getting a good night’s rest. I had a rinse in the shower and got dressed while I brushed the aftertaste of coffee from my teeth. As I walked out of the bathroom, I saw Angel barely awake; her hair was a mess and her eyes struggled to stay open.
“Ah…good morning. Aww you’re already ready, I wanted to hop in the shower with you,” she yawned.
“I don’t think we have that sort of time today. Now hurry up and get ready,” I said to her as I went to go to Laura’s room to check if she was up. When I knocked on her door and walked inside. She was asleep in her pyjamas; they were blue with small fluffy sheep on them. She slept peacefully with her white hair spread out on her pillow. I went to wake her up, but her eyes gently opened and she said good morning to me as she sat up. I told her to start getting ready and tried to walk away from her; she tugged at the edge of my suit and had a nervous look on her face. I faced her without saying anything and she held her elbows as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say.
“Do you think people will stare at us? I mean Angel and me that is.” I guess I couldn’t blame her for feeling self-conscious; this would be the first big event she would be attending after changing so much.
“Well at any normal wedding I’d say you might get a few off stares or two. This is Johnny’s wedding though; he accepts all his friends as they are and wouldn’t dare create an atmosphere that they couldn’t all breathe in. Besides, you and Angel won’t be the only ones there with red eyes. Risk, Sophia, Sinclair and Anne will be there too.”
The young girl’s face lit up with excitement, she then pushed me out of the room as best she could so she could get ready. I went back to the lounge room and fitted some black leather shoes I bought for the occasion. I looked at my phone and saw I had some messages from Anne. ‘I hope you’re ready for today! The groom’s counting on you! Xoxo.’ It was good to see she was excited at least. What I didn’t need to see was a video of her singing in the shower that was attached to the message which surprised me enough to drop my phone on the couch. Will she ever give me a break? I thought to myself when suddenly Angel came up behind me and put her hands over my eyes.
“Guess who?” she said playfully.
“Knock it off, we have to leave in an hour.” I turned around to see her only in a towel tied by a loose knot. My face went blank as I saw Laura walk downstairs to see us; her face was sweltering with embarrassment.
“I’ll be in my room!” she yelled in a panic before sprinting back upstairs.
“Sigh. Get ready Angel, I’m going to bring Laura breakfast,” I said in an exhausted tone.
“Where’s mine?” she teased, and I ignored her and went to the kitchen. We had a little over half an hour before we would leave the house. Laura did Angel’s hair as we all had breakfast. I was on my phone to see if there was any news from the soon-to-be-married couple. There wasn’t all too much except a post from Johnson which was rare since he hardly ever gave out updates. He described today as a day he never thought would never come. Angel peaked over my shoulder once her hair was done and I got up from the table.
“Come on you two, it’s probably time we get going. We wouldn’t want to keep the bride and groom waiting.”
We went to the church which wasn’t that far from our house, a few blocks away. Johnson was sitting on the steps at the end of the aisle inside the church. He seemed relaxed for a day like this one. He stood up when he saw me walk in with the girls under their umbrella.
“And here I thought you might have been the slightest bit nervous. I’m glad you’re doing this, Johnny,” I said confidently to him. He smiled and looked up at the coloured glass that decorated the church. He then walked over to the girls. Laura was nervously hiding behind Angel.
“I’m glad I’m going through with this too, Wade; I owe Sabrina this much. I never exactly made things easy on her through high school. If you can remember correctly, I’m sure you would agree.” He said back to me while leaning on one knee to face Laura while he petted her on the head.
“That was then, this is now. You’re a different person from back then. Now you’re the one who’s been helping me out of trouble ha-ha-ha,” I laughed anxiously.
“Speaking of trouble, I heard the news. Congratulations, I suppose I’ll be Uncle Johnny in the near future then, won’t I?” I sort of squirmed on the inside at the thought of it, I was going to be a father.
The next to arrive at the church were my parents with Nami by their side. Celia and Kitten arrived a few minutes later. Dad smacked Johnson on the back as he hardily laughed, overjoyed to be a part of the momentous event. Sophia wore a black dress and we could only see her smile beneath her dark sun hat that covered her face. She then took off her hat and looked to Angel and me. Her expression was intimidating as ever.
“Be on your best behaviour, you two. Don’t let me find you anywhere you shouldn’t be.” It didn’t exactly feel the best to be picked on by her, even if she was only teasing us.
“Now now, the same could be said for the two of you, Mr and Ms Naem. Chuckle.” We all turned to the entrance to see Sinclair and his new family.
“Ey! Sinclair! I see you’ve brought a couple of new faces. I didn’t think you were this charming.”
“Jason, I believe you’re the one that thinks the least in this room. Consider yourself lucky you’re as strong as an ox. These two are my new family. I thought I’d entertain myself since killing has become rather dull with every fool I have put to rest,” he said in a sly tone before Naomi spoke over him. She introduced both Jasmin and herself to everyone; the moment young Laura and Nami laid their eyes on Jasmin they flocked to her to attempt to charm her into becoming friends with them.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both, thank you for coming. Well, if I want today to be a success, there are some things I must attend to, come with me Wade. Jason, Celia, I trust you’ll do what you assigned yourselves without any problems.” They nodded, and Johnson and I went out to the back of the church. While the rest of the guests arrived, I expected to be helping him with something, but instead we just both sat against a wall outside of the room that Sabrina was using as a changing room. He was using this as a chance to relax before everything went underway.
“Worn out already, Johnny?” I asked as he brought himself from the wall.
“I wouldn’t say that. I suppose I just wanted some time to think to myself is all. After all, once the ceremony is said and done, I still have to host the reception.”
Sabrina stepped outside of the changing room; she didn’t expect to see us there and quickly rushed back inside when she saw us.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked her with his hands inside his pockets.
“Don’t you know it’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding,” she talked through the door. I laughed as even on a day like this they were acting how they usually were with one another.
“I don’t believe in those ridiculous superstitions.” He opened the door and took her by the hand. He brought her to his side and held her by the back of the waist as he stared into her eyes as she nervously stared away from him in her wedding dress. I left the two of them alone and went to see if I could help out Dad and Celia with anything. For the most part they had everything under control. I went to poke my head inside the hall of the church to check on everyone. All the guests had arrived and were chatting with each other in the aisles.
Risk, Cindy and even Raul showed up, wearing a dodgy disguise to hide his monstrous features. Dan and Em enjoyed themselves as they mingled with everyone. Both Sabrina and Johnson’s parents attended the wedding too. They were both shocked at the sight of so many eccentrics sitting all around them. The final guests to arrive were Rex, Ashlyn and Anne. They were well dressed but looked more party-ready than anything. I stood there feeling kind of blessed; only a few months ago more than half of these people were strangers to me, but seeing them all there at once, I realised my small family of three had grown so much ever since I met Angel. It was a sight that embedded itself into my mind to this day. I remember the minister then tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention; he was a cheery old man and he could tell what was on my mind.
“I see you’re enjoying yourself there, it’s about time we start isn’t it though?” he said to me while fixing his white collar to his neck. I gathered the bride and groom from the back rooms of the church. They went out with excitement written on their faces while I went and sat down with Angel, Laura and Anne. We all watched as they said their vows to each other. Risk was the one who brought out the ring; he was well dressed but the vibe of violent hatred that he gave off because of Sinclair’s presence in the church had everyone a little on edge. Johnson nervously thanked him, and they went back to the ceremony. Johnson had put his talent to work again; he had made the ring himself. Where he got the diamond from was beyond me, well until I looked at Sinclair who had a mischievous expression on his face. It was as if he was glad to see his misdeeds being put to good use; it was probably stolen. He slid the ring on her finger and they kissed to seal the deal.
The church roared with applause and cheers as everyone stood up from their seats. Sabrina threw the bouquet out to the girls. Anne was the main one to go for it, but Celia, Cindy and Kitten also took a shot at catching it. Unfortunately for them, Angel had made up her mind that she wanted to catch it, time fell still, everyone was frozen in place. Everyone except me and Sinclair.
“My, my, aren’t we being a little childish, Angel?” Sinclair asked as he sat with his arms crossed in one of the aisles. She grabbed the bouquet with one hand, and everything went back to normal. The other girls looked disappointed and realised why they lost the moment they saw Angel holding the flowers.
“You really let nothing hold you back, do you, Angel? Chuckle,” Em teased Angel as she blushed up slightly from all the attention being on her; she mustn’t have thought it all the way through.
“Come now everyone, let’s go back to my house. Let’s enjoy ourselves and make today a day to remember,” Johnson addressed everyone.
So far it was a slow start to what I could tell was going to be both a wild day and night. When we got to his house, first thing we did was set everything out to have the wedding cake. Sophia had really gone all out on it; everyone got a few pieces each since it was so big and took up half the outside table. It didn’t take too long for Nami to start trouble to kick off the fun.
“Hey Johnny! Johnny!” she called to him to get his attention. He looked over his shoulder while eating a slice of cake, as he finished a bite of it, she quickly kissed him, and Sabrina eyed the young girl down.
“What are you doing, Nami!” she asked as her voice grew more and more malicious.
“Nothing, he just had some cake on his lips still, or maybe I just wanted to kiss him. Giggle.”
“Nami…” Laura said in a worried tone as we watched Sabrina overflow with rage. I have to say nothing’s quite as funny as seeing a woman throw a child across their backyard with monstrous strength on their wedding day. Thankfully Risk was light on his feet and sprinted after her to catch her while she was still mid-flight. Sinclair laughed hysterically as we all watched Sabrina’s temper boil over. Johnson passed her a glass of red wine and she downed it all at once. She went back inside and said she was getting out of her dress before having anymore wine. Nami gasped as if she had dodged a bullet while Risk put her down.
“Yup, she’s still scary when she’s mad,” she said under her breath.
“Why did you do that?” Laura asked, completely confused as to why anyone put themselves in that situation.
“Well, I thought it’d be fun to stir her up a bit; she looked kind of nervous. So, I wanted to take her mind off everything. Angel loves teasing her too.”
Laura couldn’t put any logic to Nami’s reasoning and was actually a little bit annoyed by it. She grabbed Nami by the hand and refused to let her get into any more trouble. Nami knew better than to disobey her since doing so would tire the pale girl out.
“You’re lucky to have someone who cares about you so much…wait a minute, did you just do that to make Laura jealous? So, that means you like…Nami you are one confusing little lady.” Risk said to her, only for her face to go blank with the same realisation coming to mind. I just stood there and watched, acting like I didn’t hear the whole thing. Nami sprinted up to me, yelling at me to try and convince me otherwise on our new opinion of her. Laura was quiet, and her eyes were hidden under her snow-white hair as she thought to herself.
“Gasp. Laura don’t listen to them. I was just messing around before.”
“Do you really like me like that?” she came straight out and said it. Risk and I looked to each other, the expression on each of our faces was enough of an indication that neither of us wanted this to play out any further and if it was going to anyway, we wanted no part in it.
“Bail?” Risk asked bluntly as he watched the two children’s emotions flare up even more.
“Bail,” I replied sharply, and Risk then grabbed Nami by the back of her dress with one hand and sent her flying. She screamed as she soared through the air for the second time that day.
“Raul! Catch!” he called to him as Nami flew towards him. With one of his giant hands he caught her as if he was wearing a catcher’s glove. He put her down and stared at us with disappointment in his big red glowing eyes.
“Risk, what did I tell you about throwing people? Especially teenage girls; don’t bother coming to me if the authorities ever manage to put you in a bind.”
Nami gawked at Raul and his monstrous physic as he spoke. She hadn’t been acquainted with the members of Sinclair’s family of abominations yet.
“I-I’m not a teenager, I’m ten years old.”
“Oh, I see. You look about fifteen. I apologise, my mistake.”
What she said threw him off a little, but he quickly went back to lecturing us. However, he drew the attention away from Laura’s question and we delayed something we hoped not to hear again until they were old enough to actually understand one another. Angel put her arm around Laura’s shoulder and flicked her long black hair over hers as she chuckled to herself.
“Why are you sulking on a day like this? You were really excited to come and celebrate with us today. What happened, Laura?” When she asked that, it was like she was digging up the hatchet only after it had just been buried. Risk shook his head and I sighed loudly as I brought my palm to my forehead. Angel was confused by our reactions and tilted her head slightly as she then watched Laura try and say what was on her mind.
“I asked…I-I asked if Nami…” She had the confidence to say it the first time, but not the second. She went quiet and it was Dad who broke the ice between us.
“What’s up, kids? What’s that look on your faces for?”
“Nothing!” Nami hastily replied without listening to him properly.
“Huh. Well I came over because Cindy said she wanted your help with something, West.”
“Score! I mean, I’ll be back later guys.” He then practically disappeared as he dashed away from us.
“Now, why don’t we all go find some swimmers so you girls can use the pool later on?” That got them out of trouble. I thanked him for helping me out and I went to walk away with Angel alongside the girls, but he grabbed me by the arm.
“What’s the matter?” I asked as I turned around halfway to face him.
“Johnny and Sabrina are cracking open some more wine, you should come drink with us.”
“What about the girls? Who’s keeping an eye on them?” Angel asked responsibly, however, the temptation of wine and the fun it usually brought with it, was clearly visible on her face.
“Em and Dan said they’d handle it. Come on, let’s unwind a little.” As he said that, Dan and Em came and collected the girls; they told us to kick back and to enjoy ourselves. We went over to the grass near the pool where a table was set up beneath a parasol. Johnson, Sabrina, Rex and Ashlyn sat on chairs sipping wine out of shiny, brand new glasses. Dad sat on the grass and Sophia sat on his lap and the married couple did the same, enjoying the rich red wine. I sat down on the grass and held out an empty glass, asking to be filled up. Angel sat on top of me and waved her glass in front of mine, so she could have hers filled up first. Johnny filled our glasses and we all had a toast to the happy couple, best wishes to one another for the future. It was nice just to relax and drink while everyone spoke with each other.
“It’s not every day that we all come together like this,” Ashlyn said as she sipped her wine while spread out across a lawn chair.
“It’d be a shame not to get a photo of all of us here in one place. Raul, mind coming over here for a minute?” Dad called out to him. Raul was reading a book while lying on the grass before he looked over to us. With one arm he launched himself into the air and landed on his feet.
“Mind taking a photograph of us, Raul?” Johnson asked politely.
“It’s no bother, my friend,” he said as he was then handed a phone, he clutched it gently in his gigantic, clawed hands and took the photograph. The photo itself probably depicted us there as high-class people who only knew how to enjoy themselves and I guess that statement wasn’t entirely far from the truth.
Anne came over too and helped herself to some wine; she sat down beside Angel and me.
“So, my little Angel’s going to be a mum someday soon, way to make a girl feel old.”
“Sorry, Anne.” Angel laughed nervously as Anne looked down at herself in discouragement. This much had Rex somewhat curious. He was unable to understand how a woman as beautiful as Anne was still single at her age and when he asked her that much, Anne’s confident alter ego crumbled a little internally.
“Well it’s just that…” Before she could finish, Sophia cut her off.
“Awe, you’re still as adorable as ever, Anne. Though she may be a big scary business lady, she’s closer to a child than anything. She loves anime, cosplaying and video games. Because of that she gets nervous when she tries to be herself, especially around a crush of hers.” Sophia looked to me from the corner of her eye.
“Sophy!” she screamed as she had her secrets laid out for everyone to hear.
“Pfft. I would never have thought that much was possible from you, Anne. You’ve always come off as assertive and in control of everything you set yourself to.” Johnson laughed as he watched her essentially throw a tantrum. Angel hugged her to simmer her down while the rest of us couldn’t help but laugh. Sinclair and Naomi joined in on the fun as well.
“Chuckle. Is that any way to treat someone who’s been going out of their way to help the lot of you? Well, Sophia and our daughter at least.”
“Sinclair…” Raul said in deep grumbled tone. I looked over to Cindy and Risk who were staring at him from the pool. Sinclair’s red eyes widened as he faced them, and he laughed maniacally. Fortunately, Naomi had become pretty good at keeping him in check, but Sinclair wasn’t about to go without saying anything while he was the centre of attention.
“What’s with the horrid look on your faces? It’s a party after all, wouldn’t want to offend the bride and groom now, would we?” he taunted them as they stared towards him.
“How can you go on like that after what you did to us? After what you did to everyone? You took everything from us! You made us into mons…” Cindy screamed at him on the verge of tears.
“I made you what? Monsters? Don’t play that card; the real monster was me long before I encountered you fools. Risk, my boy, I gave you back what I had stolen from you in the only way I could. Girl, those hunger pains of yours are nothing compared to what others under my influence have endured and Raul, you are nothing more than a stepping stone in the things I aimed to achieve. It was your contribution that has played a part in the presence of those who join us today.” He showed them no respect; to him they were tools that had long outlived their purpose. He made it perfectly clear he wasn’t about to get down on his knees to beg for forgiveness.
Risk moved away from Cindy with his fist clenched tight. His eyes burnt bright with anger and we could physically feel the cold hatred pulse from him. Sinclair stepped forward with a smile on his face as he slowly started to unwrap his bandages around his hands. It was about to be a violent showdown between the two of them, but suddenly Dad came dashing at them with incredible speed. He sent Sinclair several metres into the air with a relentless uppercut and left him to fall as he then dealt with Risk, sending him into the pool with a powerful kick to the chest. To any normal person, blows such as these would have been fatal. They both quickly brought themselves back to their senses.
“Do you really think that was necessary?” Sinclair asked as he cracked his jaw back into place while Risk rested along the edge of the pool, holding his chest.
“If you want to kill each other, then do it on your own time. I’m not about to let you ruin the happy couple’s wedding day,” Dad said to them, standing strong and confident in his ability to face them.
“Just keep that psycho away from me and Cindy. I’ll behave if you promise me that much,” Risk called from the pool.
All of this went on while Em and Dan were out taking the girls to get their swimmers, so when they got back they didn’t quite catch on to the small amount of tension left over. Jasmin could tell something went down from how nervous her mother was acting at that point. I couldn’t exactly blame her. I’d be nervous too if my partner decided to stir trouble with everyone. When the girls got into the pool, Angel impulsively wanted to join them; she stripped out of her dress to only her bra and panties. She dived into the pool to fool around with Nami and Laura.
“I guess I’m obligated to jump in with her. Anyone want to dive in with me?” I asked as I took off my suit. I had some shorts on underneath, so I just went in with those. Sophia and Dad shamelessly stripped down to their underwear and leapt in with us. Johnson and Sabrina sat at the edge of the pool, still drinking wine as they giddily whispered in each other’s ears. Sinclair threw us the parasol while we were in the pool to stop the girls from getting sunburnt. I laid in the water on my back, staring up at the light blue sky, watching the clouds slowly shift and churn into different images or at least whatever my mind perceived them to be. Risk drifted beside me, still wearing his suit while holding his hands on his chest as it healed. In a lot of ways, I feel like he and I were very much the same. He was trying to move forwards, but not without enjoying himself in the moment.
“Clouds are a funny thing, aren’t they? They’re constantly moving, and the slightest change can distort the image you see in them entirely.”
“I suppose you’re right about that. Where are you going with this?” I asked curiously.
“I don’t really know, but I guess I see them as somewhat reflective of our lives. I was a kid who didn’t know any better than to lie, cheat and steal before I was cheated myself. Now I’m a completely different person from then, well as far as everyone else can see.”
“I don’t know if clouds are the way to explain yourself, but I understand what you mean.”
Risk then suddenly sunk beneath the water as Laura dived on top of him, hugging him affectionately. He floated back to the surface with the pale girl in his arms. He patted her on the head and I laughed under my breath as I saw Nami jealously staring at the pair. Risk and Laura were closer to each other than they were to anyone else. She admired him for not only being strong, but also for being kind. Risk saw great potential in her and wanted to see her reach it. Nami wasn’t the only one who was jealous either, Cindy had a painful forced smile on her face as she watched them.
“So, a dad huh? Can’t say I pictured you being one so soon, Wade.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I had much of a say in the matter, but Angel’s happy and I guess that’s what matters. What about you? Are you going to stop fooling around with Cindy yet and get serious?”
“Chuckle. I know, I know. You’ve already called me out on this before. Don’t worry when I decide to really show her how I feel. I’ll be sure to make it is something well worth the wait. For now, I’m going to enjoy myself, isn’t that right, Laura?” She nodded as she hugged him.
Angel then suddenly wrapped her arms around me from behind, over my neck. “Speaking of having fun, Wade, can I borrow you for a moment?” She then dragged me into the house and into the bathroom. It wasn’t looking like the tamest situation to be dragged into, she was still in nothing but her bra and panties and I was only in my shorts. She hugged me and slowly moved us until I was leaning against the white tiled wall. Her eyes were glowing brightly as she stared into mine.
“We’re not seriously going to do it in Johnny and Sabrina’s bathroom, are we?” I asked sceptically.
“No, I just wanted to say I love you…you’ve done so much for me ever since we met. I know I’ve been spoiled; I know I haven’t always been fair on you.”
“What are you trying to say, Angel? You know everything I went through was because I wanted to help you. I wanted to see you smile more. I want to remember every day I spend with you as a good one. I think more than anything, I just can’t help myself when it comes to you. Your problems are my problems; that’s the way I like to think of it.”
After hearing me say all of that she was completely flustered. I think she wasn’t quite expecting all that from me and it made showing her gratitude slightly more difficult for her. She held her hands behind her waist as she tried to think up what to say after she took a step away from me. I brought her back into my arms and she looked at me nervously as I held her.
“You really don’t mind everything I’ve done? That we’re having a child even after you said you wanted to wait?” she asked as she hugged me back. I smiled and laughed a little under my breath.
“Well, I don’t know about that. What I do know is, whatever we go through together, it’ll be worth it. You’re one hell of a girl, Angel. You had me since the moment we became lovers and I’m not about to slip through your fingers any time soon and I sure as hell won’t let you slip through mine.”
“…You’re so cute when you’re serious,” she said softly with a smile on her face.
“I really wish you wouldn’t play that card on me all the time on me though,” I whispered to her as I brought my lips to hers. We kissed and when we opened our eyes, we saw Anne in the doorway of the room blushing like a schoolgirl. She clapped and then swiftly danced over to us and rested her arms around our shoulders. She was wearing a stylish red dress as she spoke into our ears.
“I guess this is what a happy ending looks like.”
“I wouldn’t say that. I’d say we’re just getting started,” I said confidently.
“I suppose you’re right about that. Hmm, I wonder what Amy would say if she was still around to see you two.”
“I think she would be really happy,” Angel said softly. I nodded in agreement with her. Anne then laughed and squeezed us tightly together as she hugged us. She let go of us so she could lean in the doorway, posing sort of like one her characters out the anime she must have been watching at the time.
“Well we still got the whole night ahead of us and the wine isn’t going to drink itself. Let’s make this night one to remember!” She then skipped away barefoot while holding her shoes. Angel and I turned to each other and smiled. I gave out my hand in a gentlemanly manner.
“Shall we?” She took my hand and we went back to the others. Anne’s was right; we did make it a night to remember despite just about all of us getting so drunk we could barely see straight. Johnson and Sabrina’s ‘Honeymoon’ was a loud one and I don’t think any of us except those who went home actually got any sleep.
I’d say that night is as good as any other to leave off this story. After all, it’s been quite a while since then, a little over a year. By saying that I guess I owe an explanation of what’s been going on in between then and now, don’t I? Over the course of the year, Johnson left Storm Co and found his place in politics. He’s becoming a prominent politician and there isn’t anyone in Fellbroke who hasn’t at least heard his name. Though he’s often busy with his job, he never fails to pop in and see Angel and me, as well as my dad whom he’s had a sense of gratitude to. If things keep going the way they are, he could very well run the country by the next election. Sabrina became Anne’s personal assistant in the fashion industry, though her job was nothing more than sizing up outfits against the models, organising dates and eating cake while drinking tea during their downtime. She’s proud of her new career.
Dan and Em never changed; they continued their daily lives of working to support themselves and their child, Chloe. Dan stayed carefree as ever, even after learning of all the crazy circumstances I went through, the murders, monsters and freaks, he kept on with a smile. Em was still prone to sudden outburst and being impulsive as ever around Dan. Her clothes store in the mall flourished from an increase in popularity and she told me she would soon be opening other stores around the city. Rex and Ashlyn eventually got married; their wedding was about a month ago. It wasn’t until I went to it, I realised how loaded they both were. The wedding was one of the most extravagant events I’ve ever been to. Flowers everywhere, professional bands, a massive cake and an equally impressive venue. Since their wedding they’ve both been working hard, and I haven’t really had a chance to catch up with them.
Celia and Kitten finally moved in together after much convincing that was needed to persuade Dad. Though they only live down the road from Dad’s house, they’re happy together. Celia’s temperament cooled over once she had a bit more freedom and though she still wears her bandages to hide her scars, I see her sometimes without them, always with a warm smile just like Mum’s. Kitten herself was just happy to see her happy; she continued to work with Em in her shop.
Dad and Sophia continued their indulgent lifestyle which meant many sleepless nights for Nami, who’s still under their care. They’re good parents to her all in all though. They made sure to keep an eye on Angel and me as well over the year. Nami went about her business, enjoying whatever opportunity that came to her. For her birthday I bought her a pair of headphones, so she could drown out the noise at night to sleep better; it’s rare to see her not wearing them, as it turns out she’s really into music.
Risk finally followed through on his words about Cindy. They’re expecting a child around October this year. Risk got a job in the police department and has been hard at work ever since. Raul keeps to himself inside his bookstore. Johnny and I sometimes visit him on our days off; he’s always happy to see us. If I was asked what he wanted in life I wouldn’t be able come up with an answer, the man’s as cryptic as ever. Sinclair eventually moved in with Naomi and Jasmin. He’s as protective of them as he is of Angel. What he and Naomi didn’t tell us was Naomi was pregnant from even before Johnson’s wedding and they had a little girl before our child was born. They named her Alissa and from what I could see they couldn’t be happier together. It came as quite a shock to hear another Natsuki would be entering the world, I can say that much. Sinclair although was busy with his new family, he didn’t neglect his old one. He tended to his beasts as often as he could. He took me and Dad out to the hospital out of town a few times to help look after them. On the surface they’re a little rough, but deep down the monsters were actually docile and even caring. The steel-scaled beast, the only thing that remained of my mother, watched over the place. It’s always excited to see Angel and me whenever we come out to play with it. Sinclair kept a keen eye on Angel during her pregnancy and there were a few times I felt like if I did the slightest thing wrong, I would wind up dead in a ditch somewhere.
Laura continued to live with us over the year. She was very helpful with Angel whenever I was at work and having her around me gave me a bit more peace of mind. She is still as polite and caring as ever. She’s the top of all her classes and she’s a good influence on Nami. There haven’t been any problems like from before the wedding from her either. Her father eventually came back to see her; he didn’t take her away with him though. He could see Laura had made a life for herself in Fellbroke and didn’t want to take her away from that. The detective didn’t take long to travel again for another case, this time to France; we haven’t seen him since.
Lastly there’s Angel and I; we’ve been living happily at home together with our daughter, Amy. We named her after Mum since she was someone that was dear to both of us. I’m still working at Storm Co, doing my same old job; Angel’s not back at work yet since she’s been looking after the baby. Angel’s as affectionate as ever and there isn’t a day I haven’t seen her laughing and smiling with baby Amy in her arms. Life definitely hasn’t been easy, but I honestly can’t imagine it any other way.
I know this might have not been the most mind-blowing ride, that the ending to my story may fall a little flat or feel a bit lacklustre. However, this could never be any more than what it is, a twisted romance that I never could have imagined playing out. I’m sure one day there will be more stories to tell, but for now this is all I’m willing to recall.