Survive the Light (Sequel to Survive the Night)

The final goodbye

May gave me the keys to her car Tuesday morning when I got home. She told me she wouldn't really need it as much anymore because she'd be riding with Mike everywhere. And I took it as a perfect chance today to do something with Marion.

"Hey baby girl, wake up." I whispered as I shook her softly, watching her blink and sit up.

"Are we going to the pizzeria?"

"No, we're taking a little road trip. Just you and me."

"Where are we going?" Her eyes were wide as she sat up.

"Somewhere important." I smiled and kissed her forehead. "Get dressed, just don't wake Chickadee, okay?"

Marion nodded, and I walked back out into the hall, practically running into Gold along the way. He smiled at me before poking his head into the boys room and ten coming back out.

"You checking up on them?"

"I'm taking Marion to her mothers grave." I whispered. "I need you to stay here and watch the kids. Is that alright?"

"I can handle it." He smiled. "And hey, I was thinking about maybe looking around for a job later. I know it might be a little difficult, but I'm living here half the day sometimes and I'd like to start pitching my weight for eating all the food in your kitchen."

"You can use my computer if you want." I smiled. "Thank you for being here, Gold."

I walked forward and pulled him into a hug. He hugged me back, taking a deep breath and burying his face in my hair. He was just like a brother to me, everyone at the pizzeria was family in one way or another. In these last couple months...everything's gone from one extreme to another. At least it's beginning to settle down, even just a little bit.

"Minni?"

I looked around to see Marion behind me, dressed and ready to go. She took a deep breath and smiled, letting Gold pick her up and give her a squeeze before putting her back down.

"You two have fun, I'll handle things here. How long do you think you'll be?"

"Well, the directions said about an hour and a half there so I'd say we'd be back by one at the absolute latest. It's what, almost eight?"

"About." He smiled. "You guys better get a move on. Suns rising and you don't want to miss the fire."

"Fire?" Marion questioned.

"Come on."

I took her hand and led her outside, watching her eyes light up when she saw the colors painting the sky. The blue faded into orange and pink and violet, the blaze painting the clouds as the sun rose. Marion stepped forward, the colors reflected in her eyes as she watched the sky. I couldn't help but smile at her, knowing that this was a rare sight for anyone.

"Come on, you can watch the sun as we drive." I chuckled, hopping into the car and letting her hop in beside me. She was definitely tall enough to be riding up front. And as I started up the car and pulled out, she did nothing but stare at the sun as it climbed higher into the sky.

The roads were clear today, allowing for easy travel to and fro around the state. Soon enough we had crossed the border to the next state over, and I was intently studying my map to make sure we didn't get lost. My GPS wasn't bad, but I didn't like hearing the directions because I had a slow reaction time. You'd think that because of my nights at the pizzeria, I'd have improved upon that by now.

Soon enough we were at the end of the road, and I found myself pulling into a church parking lot. Marion seemed a little off set by the setting, but as we hopped out of the car, she seemed to have some sort of understanding as to why we were here. Instead of just letting ourselves in I walked up to the church and looked inside, spotting a pastor on break. The door creaked open and he smiled, looking at us.

"Well hello there, it's always nice to see some fresh faces around here." He chuckled. "Are you here for the eleven o'clock sermon?"

"No, I was wondering if we could have permission to go into the cemetery." I smiled politely. "We have a family member buried here."

"Of course, go right ahead." He smiled. "Everyone has their rights to pay their respects to the dead."

"Thank you." I smiled more, exiting out the door and rejoining Marion, who was staring at the gates. I took her hand again and opened them, letting ourselves in and peering around. I was glad that it was a small space.

"Why are we here, Minni?" She asked curiously, just as my eyes landed on a tombstone with a name I recognized.

"To say what needs to be said." I paused in front of it. I felt Marion begin to tremble slightly in my grasp, just before she fell to her knees and began weeping.

"You found her..." Marion's voice splintered, her lips turned up in a sad smile. "Mommy..."

"She died last year. I wish...I wish I could have found you sooner, so that we might have seen her." I knelt down beside her, reading the tombstone. Annabelle Marie Grace, 1961-2014. A loving mother and a proud woman. She died believing she'd see her baby in heaven.

"You still found her...Minni, this means the world to me." She scooted forward, placing her hands on the stone. "Mom, I...I know you never got to know what happened to me, and I don't know if you ever have or ever will. But...I'm right here. Mom, I miss you so much...I never should have left your side at that damn diner. But...I love you. I love you so much and I miss you...don't ever blame yourself for what happened."

I watched as Marion slowly curled in on herself, crying silently, mouthing out words she couldn't bring herself to voice. Eventually I saw her wipe her eyes and smile, turning towards me with a bloodshot stare. She looked so sad yet so happy at the same time.

"Thank you Minni." She smiled. "I...I think I'm ready to go home, now."

"Okay." I helped her to her feet, brushing the dirt off of her jeans and pulling her hair out of her face. Marion was happy, like something that had been bothering her for so long was no longer there and scaring her. She knew what happened to her mom, and I'm sure wherever her mom is, she knows what happened to her child.

I waved goodbye to the pastor as we got back to the car, and I took my seat, as did Marion. It wasn't long before we were out of the church and back out onto the open roads, with the windows rolled down and the breeze bringing the calm chill of autumn. Leaves were starting to fall off of the trees and the days were becoming colder. By now the toys would have enrolled in elementary school and could still try to lead normal lives. But I'm not sure if they could ever age from where they are. I'm not sure if any of them could.

It was noon by the time we were back over the border and back in our own state, and twelve thirty by the time I pulled back in the driveway. Marion jumped out with a grin, and I felt contented. The toys greeted us at the door and Gold hugged me again, and we all joined in on the warmth of the home and the comfort of the family. Tonight we would all be going in for our final goodbye, and I'm almost happy for it. We can finally say goodbye to this place and start off with something new.