Avenging You

Chapter 18

Parker

Emma, Ava, and I went to the store and we are grabbing a lot of tea light candles one to represent each life that has been lost. We aren’t entirely sure how many Originals were lost, but Emma says it was at least a hundred, so we have grabbed a lot of candles.

We made sure to grab a lighter, some Bluetooth speakers so we could play some soft music during our memorial, and the girls started grabbing some other items to make things pretty and special like rose petals. I don’t know what else they grabbed I wasn’t really paying attention I was trying to stay more incognito on our outing.

When we were driving back to the house, I felt a presence get in my head and initially I felt fear grip my heart thinking it was Hunter and then relief takes over when I hear Ryan’s voice: Hey Par

Why is Ryan connecting with me? What if something bad happened?

What’s up, Ry?

Nothing… just had a conversation with AJ.

Oh, thank God, nothing’s wrong. I feel a weight lift off my chest and I ask, Is everything okay?

Yeah, just he really seems to think that you need a man in your life.

The corners of my mouth twitch up and I try not to laugh at his comment.

He thinks I’m sad by myself. He doesn’t realize that even if I had someone, I would still miss Ashton.

There’s a pause and I hear his voice laced with sadness: I’m sorry, Parker.

I sigh and respond: Me too. I wish we could change things.

His presence leaves my head and I lean my head against the window as I watch the scenery pass by.

Skye

When Parker got back, she spent time with AJ and put him to sleep while the others all set up outside for this memorial we’re doing. I understand why we’re doing it, but everyone seems more depressed than before.

AJ is so fun and hysterical that I’ve spent the majority of my time with him and honestly, he makes me feel like a kid again and that’s a feeling I lost before.

I wonder if that’s how Parker felt with me when she took me in.

I watch as she leaves her room and goes to grab something from the refrigerator and then Ryan walks in without looking and bumps into her. They both seem flustered and nervous around each other.

I tilt my head to the side as I watch them and honestly, I think AJ could be right. I think they could be great for each other. They just have to move past their own baggage.

Parker leaves out the hatch to help set up for everything and Ryan looks over at me and asks, “What’s going on, Skye?”

I sigh, “Nothing, just thinking.”

“You know, if this is too hard on you, you don’t have to join us.”

“No, it’s not that. I think it’s good for us to honor the past to help us move forward with the future.”

“Then what is it?” He asks as he crosses his arms and gives me a pointed look. I say, “I was just thinking… how are things going to be when all of this is over?”

His eyebrows raise in surprise and I say, “I just mean… like we won’t have to live in a bunker. We all won’t have to live together. I’m soon going to be an adult and like do I go to college or get a job? Do I have to live on my own?”

I wasn’t thinking about this originally, I just didn’t want him to keep questioning me, but now that I’ve brought all this stuff up, I want to panic about the reality of it. This has been my life since I was 11 and once the Aberrations took down the Originals and we had to go into hiding I haven’t been able to properly do school activities. I mean, I try and everything, but it’s not as organized as it used to be.

Ryan hugs me and says, “You are in no rush to live on your own, Skye. And when all of this is done you can do whatever you want. We will all be here to support you. But for now, let’s take one day at a time, okay?”

I nod and then hear the hatch open up and Parker climbs halfway down and looks over at us and asks, “You guys, ready?”

We look at each other and both nod as we follow her up.

Parker

It’s a beautiful setting.

Tea light candles everywhere. It’s dark outside and the only things that light the way are these candles and the stars and moon in the sky. A tear runs down my face as I think of everyone we have lost.

Tom clears his throat and we all look towards him and he smiles softly and says, “Well, I thought maybe it would be best for us to open with some memories.” He pauses and we all wait for him to continue. He breathes out and Emma grabs his hand, and they make eye contact and she nods as she silently encourages him to continue.

He smiles and says, “When I was 25 Emma and I had been married for two years. During that time we tried desperately to have a baby.”

I notice Emma’s jaw clenches tight as she listens to Tom talk.

He continues, “We struggled and after two years of working at HQ and seeing so many kids get put in this system where no one ever really took them in we knew that we had a place in our home and in our hearts to bring someone in.”

He takes a shuddering breath and looks at Emma and she continues, “Ashton was 12 years old when we took him in. We didn’t know the first thing about trying to be parents, but we did the best we could. We just knew he needed someone.”

Tom says, “None of you know what happened with Ashton and um, Parker I think you would find this interesting.”

Well, this definitely piqued my interest. I c**k my head to the side as I listen intensely and Tom continues, “Ashton was five-year-old when his parents discovered his powers. His mom tried to still raise him, but his father left because he was human and thought his kid was a freak.”

Tear well up in my eyes as I listen.

Emma continues, “His mom was in and out of bad relationships and one day the protective little boy he was saw someone try to hit her and due to zero training and how young he was he burned the man. The man died. His mom found the Originals and came to them begging for help because she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. He hopped around different Originals houses, but no one knew how to handle a child so young with powers.” She looks at Tom with tears in her eyes, but looks at him with admiration as she says, “Tom heard Ashton’s story and knew we needed to take him in. He knew that boy needed some people to love him and teach him properly. I just wish we had known earlier and that he had been with us that whole time.”

Tom nods in agreement and adds, “You should all thank him because if it weren’t for him and us seeing the difference, we made in his life we probably never would’ve done it again.”

Emma chuckles softly as tears stream down her cheeks, “We knew he needed siblings and friends. That’s when we brought Nikki and Ryan in.”

I look over at Ryan and see him crying as well and Tom looks at me and says, “Then we brought you in Parker and then Travis. It is insane to think this family we raised has dwindled and it’s so little. But I am so proud of both of you and the people you have become even through all of this heartache.”

I walk towards Ryan and wrap my arms around his waist, and we cry into each other.

This is going to be a long night, but it’s worth it.

I just learned something new about my husband and I know where our son gets his early abilities from.