Episode 45
Octave of Stars Theme Song:
Welcome to the final Episode of the serial version of Octave of Stars! If you’re finding this story for the first time, you definitely want to go back to Episode 01, or check out The Index for all available Episodes.
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The small helicopter bore the dark blue livery of Frost Enterprises, the tower logo on the side seeming much less fitting now. It slowly touched down on the top floor of the parking garage, where only a few hours ago Rand and Yin had been chasing after reflections.
"I gotta say, I'm gonna miss you, big guy," Yin said, yelling over the roar of the spinning blades. He stood with Rand as Gayle helped Lumina off the helicopter's ramp, Azalea leaping down happily to land near Cascadia. Ash had Lumina's other hand and took Cascadia's tightly as soon as his mentor had safely touched down. "I mean, the promotion is nice and all, but having to do it without you… I dunno…"
"Really?" Rand said. "You always seemed so annoyed with me."
Yin shook his head and grinned. "That's how you know we're friends. If I'm really nice to someone, it's just to throw them off guard."
"Got it. Good work, Yin." Rand shook his hand by the wrist, and used it to pull him into a hug, surprising the slender fellow with the crushing embrace. "I would say 'see you later,' but, I probably won't."
"Yeah, you won't. Get out there and do whatever you wanna do, alright?" Yin gave him a playful punch in the shoulder, wincing happily as he turned toward the helicopter. Rand smiled also as he walked toward the elevator to get to his car.
Before he reached the doors, Rand heard his name called. He turned around to find Cascadia running toward him, with Azalea at her heels. "I'm glad I caught you," Cascadia said, waiting a moment as the helicopter took off into the sky and the garage was quiet again. "I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate all of your kindness. I know that you were just doing what you thought was right."
Rand nodded. "Well, thank you."
Azalea stepped forward, pulling out a bouquet of multi-chromatic flowers bound with a thin pea vine. "And I'm sorry I ruined your shirt, and that I called you a dirt-brain."
He chuckled. "Thanks. I did like that shirt."
"These are for your wife," Azalea said, "I didn't know what colors she liked, so, I just used every color I have!"
Rand accepted the gift. "I'm sure she'll enjoy it."
With Azalea's hands free, she took Cascadia's instead while the older girl spoke to Rand. "So, even after everything that's happened, I wanted you to know that I forgive you," she said. "I know it's been a… difficult past few days for all of us. But I think you definitely did the right thing."
Rand nodded. "For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry too. For everything I've put you through."
Cascadia smiled warmly. "It's worth a lot. But, we should get going. I'll be praying for you and your family."
He swallowed. "We'll do the same."
"Bye!" Azalea called as they both jogged back to the group, to Gayle's large car that she'd parked right next to Lumina's tiny one.
"Alright," Gayle was saying to Lumina, "that sounds fine. I'll get Ash and Cascadia home and meet up with you later tonight."
Lumina looked up at her. "No, you need rest just as much as any of us, dear. I think we all deserve a respite." She turned to Ash and Cascadia. "Goodbye for now, dears. I'd like to have a little get-together soon, but I will call you after we've all had some time to recover."
Cascadia gave her a gentle hug. "I appreciate everything you did for me, and for us, so much. I have lots of things I want to ask you about. You've got to tell me your story, and everyone else's that you know, too."
"Yes, that sounds wonderful," Lumina said.
Ash stepped forward and bent to hug the wise lady as well. "I'll make a big meal when we get together next, to keep you both fed for your storytelling."
"I look forward to it," she said, even more pleased. "I'll mail you some of my old recipes if you like, things I've collected over the years."
"Sounds good."
"Alright," Lumina said, as she went to the car door and Gayle helped her in. "Until then!"
Azalea stood before them next, grinning wildly. "Thanks you two, this week has been so much fun. We've gotta get together and hang out. You and I are due for a rematch after all," she pointed her finger at Ash. "I can't believe you managed to draw that Virtue card, after I wiped out your hand again!"
He smirked. "What can I say? Clearly I've still got it."
The girl waved her hand. "Whatever, next time you better bring the butter, 'cause you're gonna be toast." Her scowl quickly evaporated. "Bye, Cascadia!" She gave her an energetic hug, then remained holding each of her hands. "I know we just met, and now we have to leave… but that's okay. Gimme a call anytime, Ash has my number. I can't wait to talk more. And I wanna read everything you write, okay?"
Cascadia laughed. "Don't worry, I'll send you my roughest drafts as soon as they're done."
"Good," Azalea let go and held up her hand, wiggling her fingers. "I wanna have so many splinters, it'll be ridiculous. But now, gotta go. Bye you two!" Ash bent down so she could give them a quick hug simultaneously, then she danced around the other side of Lumina's car and got in.
Gayle had walked back to her driver's side door. "Come on, let's get y'all home."
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Ash's first instinct was to sit in the front seat, as he had been doing for days now, but he got in the back beside Cascadia. Her eyes showed her satisfaction with this, and he grinned back.
Gayle frowned when they got out of the garage and down to the street. As they had suspected, traffic was backed up from the damage to the roads. Police officers were rerouting as best they could. She turned on the radio to find an alternate route.
The female anchor was talking excitedly. "…But they were able to get to shelter in time, thank goodness. Overall, it seems like the recent outbreak of strange weather did little more than affect the rush hour traffic. First responders are reporting only minor injuries so far, and no reported casualties…"
All three relaxed even more.
"…The streets around Frost Enterprises central offices are still closed, due to massive structural damage the building sustained from a lightning strike that was visible from three towns over…"
Gayle whistled low.
"…Miraculously, the building appeared to have been completely evacuated before the strike. Frost Enterprises just issued a press release, effectively assuming responsibility for the phenomenon, stemming from a failed test in their new weather satellites. They've offered to pay for all damages resulting from the sudden unseasonable weather as well. A second release shortly afterward announced a new space program which will allow them to send technicians to the satellites much more quickly…"
"Yeah, right," Gayle said, switching to the country western station, turned down low.
"So do you still hate him, even after that?" Ash asked Cascadia.
"No," she said at once. "I stopped hating him right after we got off the bridge."
"Really?"
"Yes, I did. I had been praying for the grace to forgive all of them since yesterday. Yin was easiest, I talked to him before the helicopter came. He was surprisingly agreeable, I got the feeling that he was glad it was all over."
"He's not the only one…"
"And then I caught Rand before he left, and I talked to Frost before the helicopter landed. I don't know if he heard me, he didn't say anything, just sat there looking really dazed, but… I did my part."
"Huh," Ash said. "I already apologized to Frost this morning… I guess should think about doing that with the guys too."
Cascadia took a breath, then closed her mouth and smiled at him. Old habits were so easy to pick up again. She wanted to write something down, so went searching through her bag for a notebook, but found something else instead.
"Oh, Gayle, I still have your altimeter," she said, handing it forward. "It fell out of your jacket earlier."
"So that's where it went. Thought I'd lost it in the big fight. You can just leave it in the seat there, hon."
"Alright," Cascadia said. "It was really useful actually, you know, when we were six thousand feet in the air getting rid of a destructive piece of solidified energy."
"Yeah," Gayle said. "That was definitely somethin'."
Ash spoke up. "I just hope Frost doesn't actually end up finding it again, or somehow making another one…"
Cascadia shook her head. "Somehow… I don't think he will, especially without Rand's help."
"Oh yeah," Ash said to Gayle, "how did that end up happening?"
Gayle shifted in her seat. "Well, from what I gathered, Frost didn't learn his lesson and tried to have one more tussle with us gals, but Rand wasn't havin' any of it. He quit right there on the roof and helped Azalea build that big ol' net. Yin helped too, but I think he was just doin' it for Rand."
"That sounds right," Cascadia said. "Rand and I talked a little while I was in the hotel, I knew that he was trying to do what he thought was right. It was just a matter of time before he found out what that actually was."
"Well, I'm glad," Ash said. "I was expecting another fight as soon as we got off the net, Frost getting his revenge for us stealing the Prism."
"Not today," Gayle said. "He quit sneakin' up on us pretty quick, every time Frost darkened anything up, Lumina just shined it away. They're a real odd couple, that's for sure."
"I still can't believe they're married," Ash said.
"That was a tough one when I first found out too. But, like she said on the bridge, the Lord used 'em to make all sorts of different things."
"Yeah," Ash said, then took Cascadia's cool hand. They looked into each other's eyes, unspoken understanding between them.
Several minutes of halting driving passed in silence, so much to think about between the three of them. Ash was watching out the window as Cascadia was rooting through her sling bag, finding the notebook and pen she wanted.
"Hey," Ash said, pointing out the window. "There's my restaurant. I wonder if everyone's alright… it looks like they closed." He frowned. "I guess it's not my restaurant anymore, I had to call in so many times I'm sure they fired me."
"You know," Gayle said, "Ol' Jerry still needs some help in the kitchen, he wouldn't mind if'n you started tomorrow."
"Maybe not tomorrow." Ash chuckled. "But I think that would be pretty great."
"So if you both work there," Cascadia asked, testing a pen on a blank page. "Does that mean we can get a double employee discount?"
"Maybe," Gayle said. "Worth a try, right?"
Cascadia grinned, but suddenly her face changed. "Oh gosh, speaking of responsibilities, I haven't been to class since last Wednesday… And Gabrielle and I had that presentation on Friday! I'm gonna flunk, I know it."
Ash laughed. Cascadia rounded on him. "What's so funny about that?"
He calmed down. "We just saved the city from destruction, and possibly something worse, and now we're worrying about missing class and work. It's just funny…" He chuckled again.
She considered this, then shook her head. "Nope, not funny."
"Don't worry about it, though," Ash said, "I mean, unless you really want to. Gabrielle said she would take care of it. Let your professors know and everything."
"Seriously?" Cascadia said, her eyes wide. "I can't believe her sometimes. I'm going to buy her a dozen new CDs." She frowned at the traffic. "Assuming we ever get home, that is."
"Yeah, I see it clearin' up ahead," Gayle said. "I'd offer to get y'all supper at the diner, but then y'all might not be home 'til bedtime."
"Either way," Ash said. "It's nice to just relax and enjoy the ride."
She frowned at him through the rearview mirror. "That's 'cause you ain't drivin'."
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A long while later, they had escaped the labyrinth of downtown and were headed toward more familiar avenues. Cascadia was scribbling away in her trusty notebook, the thick paper unaffected by its previous submersion. Ash turned away from the window and gazed at her. "Got a new idea?"
She stopped writing for a moment. "Oh yes." She had that casual grin on her face, the one she got whenever she was creating. "Cecilia and Blaise have to stop the wizard from making a gem of power that will throw the balance of nature out of alignment. They get help from a farmer girl who can control plants, and a shepherdess who can harness the winds." She winked.
Ash smiled, leaning back on the headrest. "What about the seer lady who can shoot lasers and turn invisible?"
Cascadia quickly scribbled down a few more words. "Of course, we couldn't forget about her…"
Ash closed his eyes. "That sounds like it'll be a great story."
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"Thank you so much, Gayle," Cascadia said, standing on the bottom step of their apartment building's front entrance to give her tall friend a hug.
"Yeah," Ash said, standing on the sidewalk. "We literally could have never done this without you."
"Aw, shucks, I've just been helpin' out my friends, that's all." She was blushing slightly, which surprised the two others.
Cascadia touched Gayle's arm. "I think this goes a little beyond just helping friends."
"Well, that's how it ought'a be, huh? We're all in this together, right?"
"Yeah," Cascadia said. "More than I ever knew."
Gayle smiled warmly. "Alright, you two," she said. "You been away from home long enough. Get up there and rest, alright?"
"Alright," Ash said.
"Come by the diner tomorrow anyhow, I'll get you breakfast and supper, whatever you want."
"Sounds like a plan," Cascadia said. "We'll definitely see you later."
"I'm countin' on it," she said, then nodded and got in her car. "Bye Ash, bye Cascadia. Call me anytime!" she called out the window.
Cascadia waved as her favorite waitress pulled away from the curb, something she never figured she would ever be doing. "As soon as I get a new phone, of course. Mine got soaked."
"Yeah, mine too," Ash said. "I wrote her number down though, and Lumina's. We can give them the landline number."
"That would work," she said, walking up the steps with him. "Oh, and I should call Aidan back. I wonder if he knows what happened?"
"Maybe, does he watch the news from around here?"
"Sometimes…"
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On the elevator ride up, they stood near each other, hands in the pockets of their jackets. Neither noticed who had taken the other's hand first, but they clung to one another gratefully.
Ash stood in front of his door, Cascadia before hers. The weight of everything that had transpired came down on them, the measure of all their adventures becoming very clear. She pulled out a blue enameled key, and he took out his plain metal one.
"Welcome home," Cascadia said, a more somber tone in her voice, but still happy to finally be there.
Ash closed the door behind him, setting his backpack on the chair. One of the flame launchers was still in it, emptied of fuel. The other was still attached to the firebrand, now likely in a field somewhere where he would never find it. But that was just fine with him, he didn't anticipate needing it any time soon. He glanced around the room, the things he had left, and the things he had left behind. But none of it felt right.
Cascadia stood in the entrance of her home, first noticing the musty smell from not having been opened in several days, and the light dust that had settled over the nearest pile of books. She had no sooner set her bags on the floor and taken off her jacket, which was actually Ash's, when she heard the knock on the door.
"Come in, Ash," she said, her voice quiet with fatigue but full of hope. He had taken off his turnout coat, and as soon as he closed the door, she saw he had one of those plan-changing looks on his face. She dropped the jacket to the side as he pulled her into an embrace.
Cascadia's heart thrilled with the feel of his arms around her, the comfort of his touch. It felt like exactly what God had wanted from the beginning. Her heart had been his since long ago, the ownership had just never been officially, formally transferred. But now was as good a time as any. She turned her eyes up, into the face of her companion, her hero. No, she needed a stronger word than even that, and she knew just the one.
Ash looked down at her, the girl he had worked so hard to rescue, the friend he had braved so many dangers for. It was time to finally bring those two ideas together, to accept God's will at last. No matter what happened from then on, they would meet it together.
He whispered to her: "So… here we are."
"Yes… we are."
"When we were falling, I thought I'd lost you all over again."
Memories of that moment came back to her with force. Tender love and terrified panic at the same time, opposites, but just like the two of them.
"But you were right," he said.
She tilted her head. "About what?"
"It looks like we still have time."
She didn't say anything, communicating with the longing in her eyes instead.
He pulled back to see her more clearly. "I love you, Cascadia."
She breathed in, feeling the shiver down her spine, the force of the crashing waves in her heart. She believed it, every syllable of every word, from everything he had done, every obstacle he had faced. It was the most real thing she had heard in a long time. She met his gaze readily.
"I love you too, Ash."
He exhaled, closing his eyes, then opening them, blinking away the faint tears. "Good, because I was thinking, tomorrow is our usual movie night, and I wanted… to make it more than that."
She gave him a wry smirk. "Are you asking me on a date?"
Ash pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah…"
She traced her finger across the name patch on his lapel. "That would mean we were… a couple, right?"
"I don't think we've ever not been a couple."
She put her head up against him. "I think you're right." After a moment, she pulled away gently, meeting his tender gray eyes. "I would absolutely love to go out with you tomorrow, on a date," she smiled. Cascadia positioned herself so they were still standing together, but now holding both of one another's hands. "If we're official then, that's going to mean a few changes."
"Like?"
"Like, we can hold hands now."
"Which we've been doing since you got out of that holding cell," he said as he squeezed her hands firmly.
"Right…" She smirked. "Also, we can hug each other, and not just friendly church hugging, either."
"Which we did when you got let out of that cell, and when we were falling through the sky…"
They both stared at each other, the intensity of the experience playing across their faces. "Yeah," Cascadia said, and she let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around him as best she could. "And there's one more thing."
"What's that?" He was enjoying the things they had so far.
"Something I've wanted to do since…" She paused, but the pause went on.
"Since…?"
"I've been trying to think of the moment, but…"
Ash remembered exactly the moment, it had been a few minutes after the shed fire. He gently touched her face, lifting her chin toward his. "Why don't we just start here?"
As he leaned down and she reached up, she whispered her answer as a prayer.
"Thy will be done."
____****FIN****____
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