The Hours We Have

epilogue

One day, we wake up and we realize how strong we are. 

We are compositions of cosmic fragments, in an infinite portion, that become scattered over our lifetime. Some of those fragments are meant to be left behind and some are meant to ignite our carbon souls on the darkest of nights. 

I watched the world thrive in an explosion of color. 

My head rested against the cool glass of the car, and the radio murmured softly in the background about a chance of snow this afternoon. It was so different driving from a city into the country. 

I admired the vibrant beauty of the changing leaves. They speckled the limit of the sky with reds, oranges, and yellows, and they danced down upon the edge of the road; only to be swept up again with the passing of vehicles. I could almost imagine them to be laughing as they fluttered. 

In the city, I suppose I never noticed the seasons. When they changed, or become something entirely different at certain times of the year. There weren't many trees in the city, only the ones in the park but I didn't visit often and mostly during the summer. 

However, as I watched the trees, I realized that their leaves had once been green. Soon, they would be bare when the last leaf fell, but in the spring they would bud again and restart their lively process. In a way, it symbolized the grace of constant change, and the fact that nothing stayed the same forever. 

We just needed to embrace the beauty and liquidity of change. 

Despite the vibrancy of the leaves, my eyes drifted into the sky. The clouds were grey and low today, promising of the predicted forecast. I noticed the air was nippy when we stopped at a gas station about an hour ago. It didn't bother me, I almost loved how the grey sky cast gentle silvery shadows across the colorful forest. 

I suppressed a yawn, pulling my head away from the chilled glass. 

We had stayed overnight at a little motel and there had only been two beds. Needless to say, half our night was spent arguing because everyone was too stubborn to sleep on the floor. Then, Roman wouldn't turn off the television, which played a ludicrous murder movie, and we had to hide Finley because the motel didn't permit dogs; and we had snuck Finley in, so an older lady came to check because someone told on us. We didn't get caught. 

Anyway, we were a little sleep-deprived but we'd be arriving at our destination today. There was nothing quite as exciting as exploring a place I've never been before. Something told me that it would be full of adventures, some of which we might not be prepared for.

"Are we there yet?" Julian whined and my eyes drifted to glance at him, "Finley is cutting off the blood circulation in my legs--no offense, boy." He scratched Finley's ears before shifting uncomfortably for emphasis. 

"You can't ask every fucking ten minutes and expect us to get there any faster," Ezra snapped from the passenger seat. He had his legs propped up on the dash of the car, which I was sure had pissed off Mikeal, but we all knew Ezra never listened.

Julian stuck his tongue out at the back of Ezra's head. 

"We've got a little less than two hours," Mikeal answered, giving Ezra a side glance. "I know it's been a long trip but we're almost there." 

"You've been saying that for the past three hundred miles," Roman's groggy voice spoke, and I was surprised he was awake. He'd been shameless about catching some extra sleep in the car, even though he had been sleeping for well over half the trip. "I think you're lying," He mumbled.