Epilogue

Starlight looked at Her.
"I thought you weren't allowed to curse," she said softly with a smirk. She was very unhappy. The supreme being before her snorted.
"I can say whatever the hell I want, girl," she said. "Damnit, he loves you with a pure heart. GOD DAMNIT! I liked you, Starlight. I really did. Now I have to give you back."
Starlight's face lit up, and She continued. "I hope you're happy, girl. You reached that mere human wish. Go to sleep, I fixed everything."
Starlight smiled, and stood up. Sleep...she hadn't slept in years.


Sunlight poured through the window, falling on the sleeping girl. She opened her eyes, and looked around with a sleepy smile. Sitting up, she yawned and looked at her watch. 7:02. Time enough to get up... and do the things she hadn't done in so long. She crawled out of bed, and walked into the closet. Pulled out a pair of tight flared jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt with a brown shirt to hang open on top. Spot of makeup, brush through the hair, and she walked downstairs. The phone's monitor read September 12, 1999. Wow...scary. Her mother stood at the stove, frying broken-yolk eggs, just the way she liked.
"Morning, Mom," she whispered, not having uttered the words in decades. Her mother turned.
"Morning, Star."
Starlight ran over and hugged her mother tight.
"I love you, Mom," she whispered. Her mother looked a little confused, but gave her a kiss and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs.
"Star...you're acting like you haven't seen me in thirty years," she said softly, not knowing how right she was. Starlight went pale, but said nothing and grabbed a fork off the counter.
"Sorry, Mom. I got up early...I'm going for a walk before school, okay?"
Her mother smiled.
"Sure, Star. Go ahead. Just get to school by eight-thirty."
Starlight nodded. She had a mission.


Taylor rolled over in bed. Why was someone knocking on the door at twenty after seven in the morning? WHY? He fell out of bed and trudged downstairs to the front door, wearing nothing but an old t-shirt and black boxers. He swung the door open, and was about to say something when he looked at the stranger and fell over. Sitting on the floor, looking up, his lip began to quiver again. Starlight reached down and helped him back up on his feet.
"Star?"
She nodded a little, blushing.
"You're wearing pants," he observed. She giggled.
"Yeah, I do that occasionally. I wasn't allowed to after I...anyway." She looked down. "How's Zac? Is he going to be okay?"
Taylor nodded.
"He's getting some counselling for the suicidal thing...and umm...so am I. For the acid." He paused. "I did that because of you. I think that's why Zac finally agreed to it, too. Have you got time to come in?"
Starlight chuckled.
"School doesn't start for an hour and ten minutes, Tay. I think I'll be fine."
Taylor looked a little confused at the mention of school, but nodded and shut the door behind her. When she was in and the coast was clear, he reached out and touched her hair, then her cheek.
"I can't believe you're real," he said softly. He looked like he was going to burst into tears at any given moment. His lip was trembling, and he kept blinking. "I know you were already dead at that point, but it was really hard on me to watch you just close your eyes and disappear," he said, his voice shaking. She felt herself depressing, and went over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and looked up.
"Tay," she said gently, "I know you don't want to think about it. But one way or another I was going to die twice, no matter what. And it happened the best way possible...in your arms."
Taylor cracked. His eyes filled with tears and his breathing grew ragged. He was desperately trying not to cry. It just wasn't going to work. Starlight felt horrible as she watched tears start to slide down his cheeks, and silently lay her head on his shoulder. He buried his face in her hair and held her tight, making sure she was really there...she wouldn't disappear. With a soft sob and a massive sniffle (which Starlight found extremely adorable but kept her mouth shut about) he mumbled,
"Why'd you come back?"
Starlight sighed.
"You said you loved me. I guess that was good enough for Her."
Taylor pulled his face away from her hair.
"It was true," he whispered. She nodded.
"I know," she replied. With a huge deep breath, she went on. "I love you, Tay."
Taylor smiled a little through the tears, then kissed her quickly.
"What a way to start the morning," he offered. "Standing here in my boxers crying my eyes out. Oh, yeah."
Wickit came into the room then, and rubbed his head against Taylor's knee. Starlight crouched down and scratched Wickit behind his left ear, and kissed the end of his nose.
"Hey, Wickit," she cooed. "Thanks for making sure no one stole me in my sleep."
Wickit wagged his tail happily and licked her cheek, then went off to chase squirrels out in the back yard. As she stood back up, she noticed the look on Taylor's face. She smiled.
"Later, Tay. I don't have time now. I have to go to school. Will you walk me there and risk the teenies?"
He grinned, and nodded.
"Sure...let me go get some pants on."


As Starlight walked into the room, a flood of knowledge hit her. Knowledge she hadn't needed for so long...it all came back. Well, she thought, at least I still have it. That's good to know. She sat down at a desk in the front row and stuffed her backpack under the seat, then looked around at the people coming in and sitting down around her. They all, strangely, looked familiar. What was truly odd was that she realized she knew them...as second generations. I know most of these kids, she thought. The girl beside her...Oh, Christ, she thought. Jeff's sister...looked just like her. Starlight almost burst into tears right then, but remembered Taylor, and bit her lip. This was going to be hard...but she could do it. She knew she could.


Epilogue II
Mental Graffiti