Bombshells ~ Complete

Epilogue Part Two

Three weeks later, while cleaning out Ariel's room, Lila found this letter. It was in Ariel's scratchy, horrible handwriting. Lila called the boys into the room and read it aloud with a trembling voice and several tears.

Dear My Brothers,

I guess it's a good thing I wrote out my life story because, well, if you're reading this then my father finally got his hands on me. I wrote this on all those nights I was up till four in the morning doing homework and writing essays, right after dad got thrown in jail.

In other words: I'm dead.

Don't feel bad or guilty or any nonsense like that. What I did was a decision I made all by myself. I'm a big girl, I can make my own choices. Just because I didn't make one that ended happily doesn't mean I didn't make a good one.

The decision I made brought me to you, and without you there's not much of a me. You pulled me from my darkness and my shell and made me a whole new world that shone with an everlasting happiness and sunlight.

Thank you for that, by the way. If I haven't said it before, which I probably haven't. I'm not good at saying thank you, and I'm a little too good at saying sorry. Anyways, I hope that you live happy and full lives. And by full I don't mean material things and silly people who say they've got your back and then put a knife in it.

I mean, do what I never could. Travel the world. Make someone smile. Do what you love when you love it, and when you don't love it anymore change what you do. Fall in love, have babies (but not too early), and please, for the love of everything Holy, be brothers for all time. Don't separate forever because of this.

Like I said, it was what I decided my life had come to. I know no one deserves this to happen to them, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for sad endings.

Jaydon always did say that it was unnatural how much I loved seeing the saddest endings in the world, how much I loved crying over them, how much I loved reading reviews that said how much the horribly depressing ending sucked.

I guess I loved those sad endings because I knew I would have one.

And, sure, my ending wasn't a happy, dancing around the fire kind of one I hoped for, but it was my ending. It was an ending I had resigned myself to a very long time ago, when I was about eight, actually.

I guess I just wanted to say that I love you and that you meant everything to me. Gross and sappy, I know. You don't have to point that out, Zander, like I know you will. But it took a lot of time and effort to even think those words, much less write them. If you haven't noticed in my time living with you and being your little sister, I'm a little closed off.

Whether it was a bullet to the chest or the brain, or my father beating me the last time, or my father refusing me food for the last time; I just want you to know that it's not your fault.

There was nothing you could've done. We're all just kids in an adult-ruled world. What are we supposed to do when the adults look at us, roll their eyes, claim we're not even voting age, and then scold us for wasting their time?

Nothing. That's what. But you know what? It doesn't have to be nothing anymore. You can share my story and tell everyone you know about your ex-little sister who died by her father's hand. And her biological mother who died by his hand. And her childhood innocence that died by his hand. And her will to live that died by his hand.

But her brother's made it easier to accept her mother's death. Her brother's gave her a will to live. Her brother's gave her back her childhood, piece by piece.

And that's what the world really needs to hear. Well, I hope I won't be seeing you for a long time. But when I do, it'll be one hell of a reunion.

With all my heart, love, smiles, and best wishes,

Ariel Steel

P.S.- I guess there really is a God out there. He didn't want me to be alone up here, seeing as how this was destined to happen for years. He took Kas so that I wouldn't be alone. Am I selfish for being glad I won't be alone? I suppose so. I'm so glad to be with her, but I'm sad to be without you. Don't worry though. I'll always be here, watching over you and protecting you, and I'll always be waiting. Don't make me meet you up here for a very long time. But I will always wait for you. I love you all.

This time for real!

I Will Always Love You (and you better always love me). And remember: "There are no happy endings. Endings are the saddest part, So just give me a happy middle And a very happy start." ― Shel Silverstein. And you made my beginning so very happy. Thank you for everything.

Ariel Genevieve Steel