The Road w/ Anna Part 16: Ending
After nearly eighty years of living with her mother and Damon overseas she came back to St. Augustine to the cemetery where her brother as well as Trent were buried. The cemetery had grown a great deal since she last stood there amongst the ageless headstones yet Trent was the one that stood out the most. Her tombstone lay next to his as she touched his gently as she read the inscription on the stone with a smile on her face. So much time had passed that she had almost forgotten the beauty of a simple carving in stone that held so much meaning.
Trent Lunas
1989-2010
Loving son who loved his Ana most of all
She nodded as she set a sunflower down on top of his stone with a single tear falling on it. She looked up at the darkened sky as she whispered, “I haven’t forgotten you, Trent. Even after all these years you are still the one who holds my heart and no one has ever replaced you.”
An elderly man stood near her brothers’ stone as he glanced over at her, “Excuse me young lady but you look awfully familiar. Did you by chance come from the family of Carter?”
She looked up at him closely to realize that she was staring into her nephews’ eyes, “It’s nice to see someone recognize the resemblance.” She said before catching herself, “Why do you ask?”
“I once had an aunt who looked just liked you from the family portraits that I’ve seen. My mother told me that she helped name me at my fathers’ funeral. She was a beautiful woman. None of us ever knew how she died or if she’s really gone at all for that matter. One night her lover was murdered then the next she was pronounced dead as if she couldn’t live without him. My family history still is a mess of mystery even for an old man like myself.” He stated sadly, “I sometimes wonder what my own fate would be if my father had lived long enough to tell me of such things.”
“I think your father would have told you to keep on living your life without any question of the past.” She said as she stood next to him gazing down at her brothers’ headstone, “It was the most important thing he ever wanted was for life to not be wasted on looking at the past.”
“Did you live as he asked of you?” James asked her as he held a simple flower to her with kindness in his eyes.
“I lived and I had love for only one man even your father had much to say on the subject since we grew up with it all around us. We never gave up no matter what happened. That’s what made our bond so strong even when death took us from it unexpectedly.” She said softly.
“They still tell stories about you, you know. Old grandpa Steve made sure we knew that you were still out there somewhere. He told me that one-day I would finally get to meet you when you were ready to come back to this old place. Will you promise me that it won’t be another eighty years for unlike you I don’t have that much time to wait on an immortal to come to my doorstep.” He said with a smile, “I’ve got a great grandchild coming soon. I’ve already got six already but one more isn’t so bad for at least they’re healthy and happy.”
Ana squeezed his shoulder gently, “I’m happy that you’ve lived up to your name at last. Your father would have been most proud just as much as I am to know that our blood continued on.”
“Thank you, Aunt Annie.” He said softly, “It’s nice to know that at least someone can tell me that. For now I must say those words that were never spoken of to you or my father and that is the simplest words of goodbye.” He then left her at the cemetery amongst her family headstones.
She had seen enough in her years in England to know how much she missed this place where she had grown up. She started to hum the words to the Road with Ana softly as she looked up at the old willow trees weighed down by Spanish moss. She had traveled the world a dozen times yet this place was always called home to her. It was where her heart would lead her back to as it once led her mother. Looking back now she realized that Damon had become the father she needed so she granted him that title after the first ten years of living with them. It was long enough for her to accept him in the shoes of Steven Carter, a man for whom she had greatly admired and loved so very much to never let go of until that moment that Damon proved himself.
She hoped to have many lives that would somehow bring her back to this place for she kept her promise to Steven. She hadn’t forgotten who she was and she doubted she ever would. No matter how many songs she had written or how many places she had been to she was still the same with her mind just a bit older. A hundred more years could never change that even with the vampire who murdered Trent now burned to ashes it made her life easier to bear. Her road would go on forever yet she would always have him to keep her company for the rest of eternity.
Love was the one thing that saved her from herself and the person who saved her would never once be forgotten by time or loss of memory. It conquered everything including her for it was every part of her as was the person she had become. So Anastasia Carter moved on from her past but never forgetting that before she had become what she was there was a long road that she walked alone until a man vowed to walk the road alongside her for the rest of eternity.
THE END
The Road w/ Anna Part 15
For an hour she lay that way until the ambulance arrived only then did she wake up in slight shock from the sudden intake of oxygen with his dead body lying by her side with blood still pouring out of him. She felt as if something happened within that past hour as if her life had just been drained from her. She didn’t respond when the police asked her if she was all right.
“He’s dead.” Was all that would come out of her mouth as they took her to the hospital for the doctors to make sure she wasn’t harmed during the attack and even then she didn’t feel as if it were real. She sat there in the doctors’ office still wearing the clothes that had Trents blood now staining the fabric. She felt numb all over as her father came in to wrap her up in his arms.
She looked into her fathers’ eyes with her eyes empty, “He’s gone. It’s my fault that he’s dead. I saw the knife and I should have stopped it but I didn’t. I was too late to stop…any of it. Now he’s…dead because of me.”
Her father shook his head as he moved a strand of hair from her face, “There’s nothing you could have done to save him. The knife penetrated his heart and he lost a lot of blood. Not even the best surgeon could have saved him from wounds like that. He loved you so much, Annie. Always remember that about him. Did you by any chance see who did this to him?”
She nodded as anger replaced her sorrow, “He’s not going to get away with it either. If it’s a fight he’s after then I’ll gladly give him a war. I’ll go as far as to tear out his black dead heart if I have to.”
He looked at Ana as he whispered sharply, “Revenge is never the answer, Anastasia. You’ll only give him more of an advantage to use it against you. You’ll be dead before you take another step towards him.”
She took out her knife from her pocket as she sliced deep into her arm to reveal a darker shade of blood red, “I don’t know if you hadn’t noticed yet but I’ve been dead since the moment Trents’ heart stopped beating.” The wound quickly healed, “I figured out what triggers the transformation and it’s something mom never told you the rest of the truth. Once a true love dies the heart of the connected dies as well and I’ve been dead for the past six hours now so revenge is all I have left. I won’t allow Damon to get away with this. This is where it all ends. No one else will ever get hurt again not while I have the power to stop him. I need you to understand this, dad. There’s no turning back remember? You know what you have to do and I need you to trust me on this.”
Tears started to pour from her fathers’ eyes as he held her by the shoulders, “Just promise me that you won’t give into the darkness.”
“I may have power but I sure as hell am not a blood sucker with evil intentions towards the innocent.” She said as her eyes flashed from black to normal, “I really must go before anyone starts to have suspicions about me.”
He gently placed a hand to her cheek, “I love you, my daughter. My Anastasia Rose I shall miss you most of all.”
“And I shall miss you as well, father.” She said as she kissed his forehead before leaving the room. She made her way passed everyone knowing that in the basement lay her beloved all alone but never far from her thoughts. She was dead to everyone around her yet they couldn’t tell that she was cursed to live forever this way. She felt so alone but her sense knew where to go if she needed to claim her vengeance.
She arrived by the bay just before dawn to find Damon staring out over the still water. Not even the wind could touch the water that reflected their images back up at them.
“This is a most peaceful place before the light comes and ruins it all.” He said with a shake of his head, “It’s nice to see that you’ve learned how to use your abilities so quickly unlike your mother she took a year to use hers even with my guidance to help her along. She still has trouble at times even when she thinks that she’s got a handle of it at last there’s always a time to slip up.”
“Where is she?” Ana demanded angrily as she took a step towards him, “Where is my mother, Damon? I know you have her just as I know that you were the one who killed Trent.”
“You always did like to get to the point as quickly as possible.” He said with a smirk, “I still remember when you were just a little girl and used to call me uncle Damon not knowing who I really was. Those are times that I treasure most when you’re innocents over ruled your instincts.”
“A lot has changed since those years when you deceived everyone about you who you really are. I’ve grown stronger than you to know the truth so why don’t you just stop trying to change the subject and tell me what I need to know.” She said as she grabbed him by the throat and tightened her grip, “I could snap your neck in half and I wouldn’t even bother to shed a tear. No one would ever miss a monster like you living in this world.”
“I’m here, Ana.” Said a familiar voice from behind her, “Let him go so we can talk. I promise that he won’t bring any harm to you so please trust me when I tell you to do as I ask.”
Ana let go of his neck as she turned around to face her mother, “How can you have so much trust in him after all that he’s done to tear us a part?”
“Because he’s your father, Ana. I have no choice but to trust the man I love even if it means betraying you by doing so.” She said softly as she walked towards her, “I wanted to give you a life that you could be happy with so I trusted my best friend to care for you making him think that you were his own blood when you weren’t. It is a lie that I knew must be done to ensure that you lived.”
“Steven Carter is my father not this bloodsucker who took you as well as everything else from me.” Ana spat bitterly, “You could very well be lying to me so why should I trust you now?”
“Because you know that she would never lie to you.” Damon put in as he stood next to her mother, “You are the first half breed to ever exist, Ana. We couldn’t raise you when we were still unsure of ourselves. I’ve been watching over you for almost twenty years. Your mother wanted you to live as a human while I just wanted to have you as my daughter. I wanted to be there for as long as I could help you through the transition but your mother said that it would be too dangerous. You would find love to only have it taken from you. It wasn’t me who killed your beloved Trent Lunas my dearest daughter but that of another of our kind who discovered him and killed him for what he knew of you causing the transition to only come quicker. We knew this day would come but not this soon.”
“So you expected to have a family reunion then?” She said with venom in her tone, “That I would somehow believe that after sixteen years I’d run into your arms with understanding of why I was abandoned. For years I thought you were dead, mom. I went to your funeral and cared for my brother thinking that it was what you would have done if it had been Steven in that casket. You wanted me to live my life to only make it so that I would have time before I had to die. I was dead long before I met Trent and he brought me alive again. I was supposed to marry him or didn’t you already know that little piece of information? I didn’t want my life to suddenly end the way it had but the moment his heart stopped so did mine. That’s when I realized that I was walking around without a heartbeat. So explain to me why out of no where am I to not want to kill Damon when he was the one I was warned about?”
Her mother took another step towards her, “You would kill him without knowing the truth in attempt to take vengeance. I know how you work inside your heart, Ana, because I would have done the same. He loves you far too much to wish to bring you any harm. I know that you can sense it just as much as I to know that he speak only of the truth. We did what we could to protect you from this life with little help from anyone else. I had hoped that you would understand all this in time for that was the reason for those letters I left behind for you to find. I gave you insight to who I was before I transitioned into what I am now. It was the only way I could keep my memory strong for you.
When your brother was born he was weak and I knew that the transition wouldn’t pass through him as it had with you so I had no choice but to die. I had waited long enough to know that the both of you deserved a proper up bringing by a mortal who loved you no matter what you were. Steven kept our secrets long enough to make you and Jack strong. I don’t regret any of it because of what I see in you now. You are immortal whether you wanted it or not it’s in your blood, Ana. This is something you can’t change.”
Tears welled up in Ana’s eyes as she looked away from them, “This explains why dad told me that our family was seeped in secrets more importantly your secrets. I just never knew I was a part of that until now that is. Did you know that I wrote a letter to you every year thinking that somehow you would have all the answers I needed to hear? I needed you so much back then and you weren’t ever there to make it easier. When dad told me the truth that you were still alive I felt so angry and betrayed because he had lied to me for so long right when I should have been angry with you for not coming forward in the first place. It wouldn’t have mattered though for you were still gone even if I just wanted to have you back even for a moment.”
Her mother looked over at Damon, “I don’t think she’s ready for any of this right now in her state. It’s just too much for her to take in when she’s just transitioned only twelve hours ago.”
“She is ready, my love.” Damon whispered softly to her, “The doubt in her heart is fading now. She needs us here and now while we are still able to help her through all of this. She is our daughter after all with nowhere else to go.”
Ana glanced over her shoulder at the both of them as she thought of all those times she had waited to have the answers she craved yet now they seemed none existent from where she stood. They spoke the truth of the reason things had to be yet a part of her wanted to wake up from this nightmare. Was she really not going to take vengeance on this creature that now claimed to be her true father? From the moment she stepped foot onto this dock her anger had quickly subsided to loss. A loss only Damon had for her and she sensed that. It was a father’s loss of a child that he barely knew and Ana had the urge to console this man who she was warned of to be dangerous.
She knew of the true reason Steven had warned her for he didn’t wish to admit it to himself that she wasn’t any part of him. Her mother had loved only one man and she stood next to her gazing at his creation that held so much doubt in all that was spoken to her. Ana had once prided herself on accepting only the truth yet now she much preferred to be lied to just so she wouldn’t have to deal with any of this. Her brother suddenly crossed her mind and of his son that her mother never knew of.
She turned to face her parents then, “Could you do something for me?” They both nodded, “Go see your grandson and leave him be. Jack would have wanted you to at least meet him. It’s time that you knew that your blood didn’t end with me, mother. I may have my doubts about all that has come to pass but I hold family above anything else. It was all I cared for when I was alive and I shall care for it now. Nothing could ever change who I was before.”
“Then will you come with us?” Her mother asked with hope in her eyes, “Will you come home to England with us where you are safe?”
“I have no other option but to follow you where ever you go, mother, but all I ask of you is to see this child and to understand what my brothers’ love for one woman created before he passed away. I have seen love create the most magical of things but his was the one that conquered all.” She stated as she moved passed them.
They arrived at Nikki’s home where they went into the room where her nephew lay sleeping. Her mother gently held him in her arms as she gazed down at him with a mothers’ gaze.
“He holds such an angelic face as your brother once did. Such a beautiful child he was even at such a young age.” She whispered so only Ana could hear, “He will grow strong this little one. Far much stronger than how own father.”
“Do you see now that not all hope is lost from us, mother?” Ana whispered to her softly, “We will survive through him alone as we always wished for. Jack will never be lost to us anymore as he was in life for he will live through his son.”
“You are indeed the proudest aunt I have ever known to see any beauty in all of this, my daughter. One day we shall come back to see what this little one has become and you shall be even more grateful to see him. To speak of his father as you once knew him for you shall be the storyteller of how his father lived his life to the fullest.” Her mother said with a smile upon her elegant face.
Ana nodded once more as her mother laid her nephew back down into the crib without even a whimper from him. She followed her mother out of the house just as swiftly as they had come in. She stared up at the darkened house listening to the steady beats of the living hearts inside. Her best friend was in there and in a couple of hours he would find out that she was dead. She hoped that Steven would break the news to him kindly for her sake. Dmitri knew that she craved to have a family and now she had no other choice but to leave him behind. It was the only way she would be able to survive any of this without him.
Her mother handed her a cloak, “Be very careful with this, Ana. It once belonged to Damon’s mother long ago. It’ll keep you hidden once we get to England then you can go wherever you wish. Your road does not end here, my sweet, and neither does your heart.”
Ana knew that her mother heard her thoughts of the song that Trent had written for her. No matter where she went or what road she took Trent would always be alongside her. It was a love she would never forget for love would never die just as he had promised her. Love was the one thing that saved her from herself and now she lived on without him to remind her of a life they could have shared. She would sometimes look back on this day and feel the pull of a time that was lost to her forever yet she knew that forever was a long time to dwell on such things as a love lost.
The Road w/ Anna Part 14
After everyone said their farewells Ana sat out on the porch rocking chair as her father came out and sat in the empty chair next to her. For most of the night she half expected to see Jack coming out onto the porch to sit in the very same chair as he did almost every night. Now it felt strange to want to see him once more after the day that was had in memoriam.
Her father placed a hand to hers as he squeezed it lightly as they looked down the path that led to the cemetery where her brother now lay buried, “It looks like it’s just you and me now, sweetheart. I never thought that those words would ever escape from my lips until today. I think your brother would have liked his service especially since you did it some justice by making it turn out beautifully. I still can’t get over how many people showed up.”
Ana squeezed his hand back, “He drifted a lot between people at school. He loved to know how others thought so that’s what made him who he was.”
“I can’t believe how many years it has been since I last sat out here alone with you. Jack was always the one who came out here when he wanted to talk about whatever it was that was on his mind. I was just too busy with work to make time you either of you guys. One moment you’re jumping into my lap and the next you’re driving off to be by yourself.” He said with a sigh, “I feel as if I got lost somewhere along the way when I should have been there to see you through.”
“Well you’re here now and that’s all that really matters at this point.” She assured him, “I know that I haven’t exactly been the most normal child growing up but you helped me be who I am today. You made it so that I would be just fine on my own even if it meant letting go. Mom chose you for a reason and that’s the greatest gift she ever gave us was you. Jack knew it too. I maybe your daughter but Jack will always be your son too. You’re the only father he ever knew and never once did he ever deny you that fact for knowing it.”
He cocked his head to the side as he smiled at her softly, “Now I understand why your brother came out here all the time. You seem to have all the right words to say that could make anyone feel better.”
Ana smiled shyly as she laughed slightly before looking off into the distance with a sigh, “I’ve had many years to master it yet still I feel as if I’ve dropped the ball somewhere at times.”
“Maybe it’s time you take your own advice then.” He said with a sigh as he looked at her closely, “Live your life for you and go to college make something of yourself while you still can. Take that from your old man who knows you like no other when it comes to knowing that you can do just about anything as long as you set your mind to it. You’re a brilliant girl, Annie. You’ll have days that you think aren’t worth the trouble while others you’ll be thinking that you’re the hottest girl out there. Just keep in mind of who you are.”
Ana nodded as she looked over at her brothers’ old guitar, “Do you remember that day when you gave Jack that old thing? You always said that we’d make the perfect band one day if we stuck together then nothing could ever happen to us. He kept that even though he only played it when he was in the mood for making music. That’s how I felt about life. I wanted to live it whenever I felt like I needed to breath but I never knew how to live. Now it’s all I think about doing since the moment I left Greece causing me to reconsider that scholarship just so I could make something of myself. It’s something he would have wanted me to do just like mom would have.”
Her father looked down sadly, “I need to tell you something about your mother, Annie. She isn’t dead.” Ana looked over at him with confusion crossing her face, “I mean she is it’s just her other side isn’t. Do you remember seeing your mother handing around a man named Damon?”
“Do you mean uncle Damon?” Ana asked with a shake of her head, “He was one of moms’ friends from when she was a kid. Have you been hanging around the Whites again?”
Her father shook his head, “I’m not on drugs, Ana. The only reason why I’m telling you this now is because you need to know the truth about your mother. The night your brother was born a creature that’s a myth to us had bitten her. She just had to die so that the transformation would be complete. I came across her one night while you were away and she only came to warn me that Damon was looking for you. I was just as afraid as any one should be when they see someone that should be dead. Damon isn’t just someone your mother knew he was and is a vampire so is your mother. We are a family seeped in secrets because of the fear that someone would discover and therefore try to kill us. I have tried to push you to live your life just so that you wouldn’t have to know the truth. Your mother wanted you to stay clear of the path she chose for herself so you can’t go looking for her, Annie. She’ll have no other choice but to harm you if you go looking for her.”
Ana looked at him with disbelief as she thought back to the closed casket and the way Damon had a grin upon his face the entire time the ceremony had been done, “But why would she do something like that to herself of all things? It’s unlike her to choose such a horrible life over accepting death.”
“She was afraid of dying and having no place to go in the afterlife despite all that I’ve told you about her being fearless. So she went to Damon to make a deal and her side of the bargain is coming up quickly. You’ll be twenty-one soon and that’s the age that she promised that you would be turned. You would ultimately belong to him alone with no where else to go.” He said softly to her with tears in his eyes.
“Why me of all people though?” She asked as she looked him in the eye, “Why would she place my life at risk for her own immortality? Didn’t she even think that I might want to have my own life to myself without her deciding my fate?”
“She knew that you would be so much like her that you would be strong enough to have mind of your own to fight against it for as long as you can. You would ultimately be strong enough to defeat him. The life of a vampire isn’t something that anyone really asks for, Annie. She knew that she wouldn’t survive her pregnancy as it was but she didn’t want to die knowing that someone like Damon was out there. When you left for Greece you had a chance at being happy and you found it in a Greek boy of all things. Happiness was entirely what your mother wanted for you to have and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to give you but your blood is tainted. When he comes you must be prepared to fight him off for as long as you can, Annie.” He said with tears in his eyes, “I’ve held your mothers’ secrets for far too long to know that it could very well kill a man.”
Ana shook her head once more, “Is that why all of these horrible things have been happening to us? All those times you sent Jack and me away to places not many people would ever go she was after us. Why didn’t you ever tell me any of this, dad, if you knew I was strong enough to face it on my own? Jack wouldn’t have had to die if I had known my blood could have saved him.”
He shook his head, “You couldn’t have saved him, Annie. He would just have lived a little bit longer to only die by the same disease.”
Tears started to fall as she looked up at him with anger in her eyes, “You lied to me, dad. You told me that she was dead and everything happened for a reason but you never told me why. You made me believe that my own mother was dead for nearly sixteen years when she’s been alive the entire time protecting me and what hurts the most is the fact that you’ve seen her. How can I live out a life that’s only going to get me killed no matter what I do? I might as well just drown myself in the bay and get it over with if it means that I have to deal with this anymore.” She then walked away from her father leaving him with tears in his eyes.
As she walked along the dock towards Trents’ house she spotted him speaking to someone and from where she stood it looked like a heated argument was being had until that someone pulled out a knife and plunged it into Trents chest several times then fled just as she was running towards them. As she called for an ambulance panic struck her as she tore off a chunk of her shirt and pressed it against his wounds as the blood started pouring out of him like water.
“No, no this can’t be happening.” She mumbled as she lifted his head onto her lap as tears started to flow, “C’mon, Trent. Stay with me. You’ll be okay I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”
He shook his head in between coughing up blood, “I think I’m dying, Ana. It hurts so much.”
“Don’t say that.” She said through tears, “You can’t die. We were supposed to go back to Greece remember? We were going to live our lives together like you promised we would. You can’t just give up on us now. I’ve already called for an ambulance and they’re on their way. Just stay with me, Trent. I love you so much that I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose you.”
He held her by the wrist as he looked up into her eyes with tears in his own, “He got my heart, Ana. I’ve got less than a minuet to be with you either way I’m dead. I’m so sorry, Ana. Make sure to remember how much I loved you and all that we’ve done together without any regrets.” He then placed a bloody hand to her cheek and kissed her before falling limp in her arms.
Her hand shook as she checked his pulse to find that it had stopped pulsating. She shook her head as she cradled him in her arms rocking as she sobbed so hard that her body shook. She felt a sudden pain in her chest as she felt her own breath escape her as she fell limp against him.
The Road w/ Anna Part 13
The next couple of weeks flew by fast after that night all due to getting everything ready for the funeral. Ana had been writing out a song for the service just so that she would keep her promise to her brother. Once in a while Trent would come by to see how she was doing and maybe help her father with the arrangements around the house so that there would be enough room to fit everyone who would come to the house afterwards if they chose. All the while Ana slowly redecorated the house with her brothers’ paintings where only she could see them. She knew that it was something her brother would have wanted her to do and that made it all ever more special.
When the day finally came on what would have been Jack’s nineteenth birthday most of the population of their school arrived to pay their respects. It as an unusually chilly morning and everyone was dressed warmly except for Ana who had decided to face the cold wearing a light black dress as well as a bight blue scarf around her head. She needed to be as cool as possible if she was going to sing. It helped her throat when she sang during the cold weather. That’s what she liked about outdoor funerals during the fall a part from the sadness that went along with it.
After the sermon was over with Ana set up her chair and guitar as she looked at everyone who had come with tears in their eyes as she spoke, “Jack was an extraordinary kid. He loved to paint and loved his friends as much as his family. He never once gave up on anything or anyone. He saw the beauty in life that not many of us could see yet he did by showing it through everything he ever created. He was my brother but most of all he was my best friend and I’ll never forget that. He taught me so much that only now do I understand why he did. He loved to be in love and would do anything to show how much he cared. Only up until the very end did he tell me about his father and how much he understood why our mother gave us to my father. Steven Carter is the greatest father we could have ever hoped for. Not many of you knew how sick Jack really was until now only because he never wanted pity for his illness. He was strong just like I had helped raise him to be. To me he is never gone for he’s always with me no matter where I am. I just know that he’s always there telling me that I can do better. I wrote a song for him just as I had promised and now I’m going to sing it for you.”
She started to pluck at the notes
“Painted skies above us
waters so clear and fine
Music of the night filters through
You were there to follow us to
Love saved us all those times
With every road we walked beside
You were never far behind
You were my brother
You were my friend
All those time I’ve spent
Alone in my own head
You were always there
Reminding us of what we could be
You are my star
You are all I’ll be thinking of
Right up until the last goodbye…”
After the song was over everyone slowly clapped as she looked over at the casket with one sunflower on it. She smiled to herself then as she looked up at the sky for not one rose was there and somehow that made everything perfect just how she had hoped it would be. She looked off into the distance of the crowd to see Trent smiling at her with Dmitri and Nikki standing by him. In Nikki’s arms she held her son who looked so much like Jack.
She smiled to herself once more as she then looked at her brothers’ photograph with a sigh, “Looks like he was yours after all, Jackie.” She whispered softly as she walked towards her nephew.
Nikki smiled as she handed the baby over to her, “I never had the heart to tell him the truth.” She said with tears in her eyes as she touched his head gently, “His name is James Dawson Carter the second. It’s taken me months to finally name the little guy but I had to have his father with me somehow.”
Ana looked down at her nephew with a smile, “It’s perfect I think Jackie would have been proud to have been his father just as I hope this little one lives up to such a strong name.” She then looked up at Nikki as she placed a hand to her cheek, “He really did love you all the way up until the end. He never gave up hope that you would come back to him but promise me that you’ll keep in touch. I want to be able to be a part of my nephews’ life just as much as yours. It’s been a long road leading up to this moment when we’re all together.”
Nikki nodded as she held out a necklace with a rose pendant, “He once told me that this belonged to your mother. After her funeral you placed it around his neck to keep him safe.”
Ana nodded sadly, “It was just an excuse to keep from looking at it. Our mother was the rose so I gave a piece of her to him. I can’t believe he’s kept it after all these years. You should be the one to keep it with you, Nikki. He gave it to you because you were his rose and you should always remember that about him. He loved you above anything in this world to give you a piece of his heart.”
Nikki smiled sadly as she placed it around her neck with tears in her eyes as Dmitri squeezed her shoulder sadly, “Thank you, Ana. I’m sorry we deceived you in believing it was my fault for all of this.”
Ana shook her head, “I understand now why you did it. You were protecting hum just as much as I was but for different reasons. I’m just grateful that I know the truth so every thing’s not so complicated anymore. I think we all need to start off with a clear mind now that he’s gone. I think it’s one of the many things he would have wanted all of us to do. To just live without any regrets holding us back from moving forward with our lives.”
Trent came to her side as he smiled down at her nephew who stared up at him with a smile on his face. They all stood there smiling and talking as they made their way back towards the house where everyone else sat around talking to Ana’s father about their memories of Jack. Ana looked at everyone and felt as if she was starting to know her brother in a different light than the one she already knew. A part of her missed the person she never got to know. Her brother had been right he had seen a part of her that he knew resided within her for he knew he was just the same. On the inside they were different people from what they showed the world. It was a beauty that they held within each other that very few ever saw.
The Road w/ Anna Part 12
Her father as well as Ana arrived back in St. Augustine the next morning to a cold wet breeze. Ana had forgotten how odd the weather could be back home after you’ve been away for so long. During that first week she walked along the halls of her house looked at how old it felt coming from a place that held so much life in the ancient buildings. Now the quiet seemed far too much to bear as she roamed around the house looking for things to do. It only caused her to think more and thinking wasn’t always a good thing for her.
So she took up the keys to her car and blasted the radio as she drove all around town before taking a detour down I-90 south towards New Smyrna. She stopped near 22nd street and stared out at the beach as the tide started coming in. Forties jazz drifted from one of the houses along the shore as she smiled to herself realizing that some things about her stomping grounds hadn’t changed and that brought a sense of comfort to her. She remembered when she used to come here just to imagine herself in another time when handsome me wore uniforms. The music always made her yearn for a simpler life and a sense of when music was meant to be beautiful. It was something to think about when life just wasn’t as it should be when it came to how they were. Home for nearly a week and already she was going off to one of the places that made her feel whole once more.
Her brother was sent off to the hospice that morning so she knew that it was nearing the end. She wouldn’t be able to hear his voice echoing through the halls or hear him working on his old mustang that he had been trying to fix up to its original glory. Ana breathed in the cold night air as she tried to calm herself down from breaking into a flood of tears. She had shed tears much too often as of late and she wondered when she would ever stop.
She laughed to herself as she thought of what Jack would say to her right then seeing her the way she was. He never believed in heave or hell but he had faith despite all that. Growing up southern Baptist taught her that as she touched the cross that hung around her neck. It had been passed down to her from her greatest grandmother and she always touched it when she thought of them even now for her brother. He wore their grandfathers’ wedding ring that had been passed down to him after he passed away. Jack had big enough fingers to wear it perfectly. He would have given it to his own son she thought to herself. Their aunt would never have wished for it back due to all the history behind it. It wasn’t something their aunt would have wanted back and Ana was grateful for that. So much history flowed through her veins that she was grateful for those who reminded her of where she came from.
She looked up at the few stars that made their way through the darkened clouds and smiled. She was home at last despite all that she had seen and done. A turn of a new page even for her because she knew that Jack wouldn’t make it through the night and for once she wasn’t sad about that. He was right he had lived one hell of a great life just like their mother had.
The Road w/ Anna Part 11
As they walked off stage hand in hand Ana’s father came up holding a dozen sunflowers in his arms as she quickly ran over to him.
She hugged him tightly before looking up at him with a smile on her face, “What are you doing here, dad? I thought you were back home working.”
He shook his head as he handed over the flowers, “The house was too quiet and I missed the both of you. I just couldn’t stand it so when Dmitri told me that you would be performing I knew that I had to come. Your mother would have been so proud and I think Jack would have been too.”
At that Ana looked back down at the flowers, “How is he doing by the way? Last time I saw him he was still asleep.”
Her father looked down sadly, “Not so good, sweetheart. The doctors think that it’s best that he leave tonight since they don’t have the proper equipment that would be able to help him for much longer. I’ve already spoken to his doctor back home and he thinks it would be best that Jack stays close to home. That means that staying the night won’t be an option so you’re just going to have to say your goodbyes quickly. Your brother needs you, Annie. You’re the only person that your brother will listen to right now.”
Ana nodded as she looked over her shoulder at Trent who nodded, “I want you to meet Trent first since I hope that you’ll be seeing more of him when we get back.”
They shook hands after their introductions were made and they headed back towards the hotel. As she packed she glanced over at where her father had set up all of Jacks’ things. She sighed as she walked over and picked up one of Jacks’ heavy sweaters that lay on top of his clothes. He called it one of his lucky ones at one point after she gave it to him for Christmas. It was worn out and faded over the years yet she tried to replace it but her brother wouldn’t allow her. He claimed that it would just be a sweater if he got another one from her. He love it because it was one of the first gifts she was able to give him with her own money before he got sick and it started to hang off him slightly.
She put it to her face and breathed in the reminisce of his cologne. No matter how many times she had washed it his scent always remained on it. That simple thought caused tears come to her eyes as she slowly folded it back into the suitcase. He was fading fast that much she knew but thinking about it only made her feel even more depressed than before. She had lost her mother years before and now her brother would be next. She made him proud and that was all that mattered to her right then for at least she did something for him to prove that she could do it.
She sat down on the bed holding a framed picture of them out near the caldera from their first night in Greece. Both of them happy and excited to be somewhere far from home. These were the memories she wanted to cherish most about her brother despite the bad. He had once called her the rock of the family but he had been wrong to call her such a thing for she had always envied him most. He had a free spirit that she always wished she could have for at least he never wasted a moment of it as she had with her own life. Now she decided to change all that for a par of her broke through that craved to live from before when she controlled every aspect of it. She was always making plans and following it step by step. It was time that she made something of herself that actually made a difference no matter how small it would be at the time just as long as she did something worthwhile.
Ana looked up at her notebook alongside her brothers’ canvases and saw one of his paintings that caught her eye. Underneath it was a letter addressed to her as she walked close to it. She immediately opened up the envelope to read the letter inside.
My dearest Annie,
I don’t know how long I have left but this is something that I can do while I’m still able. I thought you should read the letter our mother left behind for me to read when I was old enough to accept as well as understand her words. It’s the only thing I have that she ever gave me before I was brought into this world. I remember how you would always tell me these stories about her and my father. Even when you knew I didn’t want to have anything to do with the man who helped create me. Did you know that he was an artist just like me? Neither did I until I cane across one of his paintings at the gallery a couple of years ago.
He died of a broken heart some have told me who knew him well enough. He came to the hospital and held me after they told him that she had passed away. Dad told me that because he was there for her and not just me after all. Two men she loved most in this world were there for her and she didn’t even know the entire time. How can we live with ourselves knowing what we know now? After dad told him that he was to care for the both of us that was when my father left knowing that it was what she would have wanted. He was found dead in his studio two years later. It was even in a newspaper clipping that I found at the library. I’m so much like my father in a way but in others I’m more like you. You’ve raised me well, Annie. For that I’m so grateful to have a sister like you to look up to. We’ve never bickered or even hated each other for silly things that got in between us. We were just friends and that made life so much easier for me because of that.
I adore you and wish that you would live your life for once instead of always worrying about dad and me. We’re going to be okay because of what you’ve done for us and there’s a lot that you’ve done to make up for not having a mom around. When I heard that you were going to perform at the final I was so happy that you were doing something just for you. I’ve seen a whole side of you that was happier and not so strict on how to act. You ultimately became the girl I knew who was hiding underneath. I’m glad I got to see that for once in my life because that I know that you’ll be just fine once I finally kick the bucket. When I go promise me that you’ll sing at my funeral. Even though I’ll be in the ground I’ll always be around every time you sing. You’re the most beautiful girl I know that has a heart to match. I’ll never forget that and all you’ve done for me. I’m missing you already even though you’ll read this and start crying as much as I am right now. You’re the only one I’d ever know who will miss me most of all and so I say that I’ll miss you too without any regrets for the past. As mom would say I’ve lived one hell of a good life with the people I love most making it even better than before. I think I’ve said enough to last me a lifetime but you’re the only one I’d ever tell it to no matter what. I love you and I will miss you terribly. The only last advice I could ever give you is to just live. Live for me but most of all live for yourself. Life is too short to just waste it away because then you’ll only have regrets to look back on when your time comes.
Your loving brother,
Jack
Ana looked up from the letter as she took off the cover of one of the paintings to see a sunset with her looking up at it. A tear escaped her eye as she folded the letter back up and gently touched the painting. She looked over to the clock knowing that the help would pack away all of his things but she just didn’t want it to be the last time she ever saw this painting. She took up her suitcase before turning back to look at the room once more before walking out the door.
