111I really cannot believe that this is the last chapter of Wish of Life. This was my pet story, and I'm glad I got so many reviews on it. My goal is one hundred, still—so please help me on this! I think I need eight more reviews.
Anyhow, thank you for reading all of this junk coming out of my head. It was very fun and entertaining to write, and I am in love with my cast of characters. And shanasheart? Thank you for dreaming about Melinda. It made me think I was important. (?)
There will be no sequel to Wish of Life. However, Melinda will reappear in my next story—called 'Shia'. It takes place at the same time of Min-Jung's predicament. Thank you. This chapter is dedicated to all the readers that ever were.
Chapter Twenty
"Will you please grant his wish? He's just a little boy…he could live so many more years, madam. He could live so much longer…and we're going to waste those years if we don't do something!" Melinda supplicated. She was a charming child, with those blonde curls and lovely eyes.
"Yes, dear," Sophia-Altamia, the most powerful of the Almighty Ones, with her long, streaming hair that was all the colors of the universe at once, replied to the little angel's question. "The wish of Min-Ho Soo, that his sister, Min-Jung Soo, will be happy no matter where she is, has been granted."
Inattentively, Petal Nelag secured her insignificant pink pearl earrings and smoothed out her twisted red-golden tresses. She fixed her yellow-green costume with the extensive incision on the left side and the scooping, too-low neck, and then she looked into the glass mirror.
Contented with the returned, beautiful image, the beautiful angel smoothed down the yellow-green dress and ran out into the hall. She knocked on a certain door to her right and waited until a male, mature voice responded to her knock with a pleasant, "Come on in, I'm almost finished."
"Eli!" she laughed sweet, natural cackles and bounced onto his comfortable bed, her red-gold hair flying every which way and her green eyes beaming. "You look dashing," she complimented her younger cousin, and indeed he did look very dashing—it was the actual truth.
"Thanks, Petal," Elijah responded, "I think the black suit's pretty nice, but sooner or later, I'm going to kill all this stupid curly brown hair." He dusted his hair and glanced at his mirror image in the mirror happily. "But I really can't believe I get to see Melinda, of all people, again."
"I can't believe it either, Eli," Petal smiled. "You guys haven't seen each other since you were so little—around maybe eight in human years, and now you're fifteen in human years. How time flies."
"Ah, that reminds me—we're not on time, either. Let's go over to the Cathy-Rogers' now…or we'll be late for the party," Elijah suggested. "Is everyone important coming to the party tonight?"
"Yes," Petal answered, counting on her fingers as she and her younger cousin walked out to the carriage. "Melinda said there'll be ten people—her, Brandon, Min-Jung, me, you, Xita, Vivian, Nate, Keo, and Queen Robin."
"Min-Jung? Min-Jung?"
"Hm?" Min-Jung hurried down the stairs and drew back a breath. "Oh, Melinda," she said in a voice of wonderment and awe, "you look so beautiful, dear, so beautiful." Her eyes were wide. "So beautiful."
"Thanks," Melinda smiled. Her golden hair was loose and her eyes sparkled with a unique radiance. Her dress was crimson velvet with a fluffy, white feather-like material being covering all the rims. It had no sleeves or straps. A simple golden chain with a heart-shaped locket hung around her neck. "You look very nice, too," the angel complimented.
Min-Jung smiled rather sheepishly—she wore an off-the-shoulder dress with a sky blue bodice that opened out onto a long skirt in a darker shade of blue. Around her knees there was a small overskirt in the first blue. It was a dignified but antiqued look, and her hair was held in a long braid.
This was the perfect time for young master Cathy-Rogers to enter the hallway and smile as the two young women turned toward him with their shining eyes and silky locks. "Ah, yes, what beautiful young ladies I have," he laughed. "Here." He offered his arm to Min-Jung, who took it gladly and started walking.
"Wait!" Melinda called. "Min-Jung, get over here." She obeyed.
"What?" she asked.
"You forgot to mask your wings."
"Oh," Min-Jung sighed and masked them, saying a special chant. "Sorry, I keep on forgetting!"
Melinda shrugged carelessly, pointing out her own wings, "It's quite all right. I mean, I do it all the time and I've been an angel for a very long, long time…and you've been an angel only for a few years so far."
"A few hundred years," Min-Jung corrected.
Melinda sighed, "Whatever."
Melinda's breath sucked in automatically when she saw Elijah at the refreshment table. Fixing her own beautiful dress self-consciously, she strode gracefully over to the crowd she seemed to know.
"Hey, guys," she greeted them with a childish grin, and everyone turned toward her at once.
"O, Melinda!" Petal cried out happily, her green eyes surveying the other angel. "You look so beautiful." She sounded exactly like Min-Jung had a few moments before, and Melinda was startled.
"Um, thanks," Melinda replied uncertainly, scratching the back of one leg with her toes. "But…why are you all…?" She understood that everyone would look happy, considering that this was the first time they had seen each other in so many years. But, why did they look so happy…? Why…she searched for signs and finally saw it. She squealed, and they all laughed.
Xita looked around sheepishly, as though he wished that he had not done what made Melinda so very happy.
Miss Petal Nelag, for one, looked extraordinarily withdrawn and self-conscious, and the reddish color now spread around on her cheeks clashed with the reddish hue of her long curls.
"I can't believe you finally did it!" Melinda squealed at Xita excitedly, prancing around and around like an excited deer. "I can't believe you finally did it!" Her turquoise eyes concentrated on the small band of gold that encircled Petal's fourth finger. It was a beautiful, beautiful ring.
"I can't believe you're this excited about a ring," Elijah sighed. "It's just a stupid ring, for heaven's sakes. What's so exciting about a stupid ring? I mean, what's so exciting?" He received death glares.
"You don't get it," Min-Jung shot back. "It's a girl thing. And we're missing some guests…"
"Ah! Here she comes."
"Who?"
"Vivian."
Every single one of them, angel, demon, and once human, turned around and drew in their breaths. A girl walked down the hall towards them. Her long, shimmering, jet-black hair hung down gracefully. Her eyes were black and huge, her form elegant and graceful, and she was breathtakingly beautiful. The way she strode over to them was self-confident and irresistibly attractive.
"Hey, lil sis," Xita greeted her. He obviously did not realize the significance of her appearance. Her beauty was astounding to everyone else, but of course he saw her every single day and was not shocked.
"Hi, big bro. Hey, everyone," Vivian greeted them, pretending to ignore them. "Did you do it, Xita?" Petal smiled and held out her hand. "It's beautiful. I'm glad you guys are finally going to be happy."
"Wait," Elijah interrupted into the happiness with a confused frown, "Xita's a demon; Petal's an angel. Isn't it forbidden in our Holy Scripture that a demon and an angel should ever marry?"
"It was," Petal, answered her younger cousin's question with a lovely smile and her eyes quenched into those shapes she made. "But hey, when the doors are closed, climb out a window."
"What do you mean?" Elijah asked. Everyone stood by, either already knowing the answer or wondering themselves.
"I asked her father to change the rules in the Holy Scripture," Xita explained. "He can sacrifice enough for his only daughter's happiness. So he changed it—after getting it approved by Sophia-Altamia, her Grace."
"She is a really kind deity," Melinda smiled with her compliment. "The kindest of them, don't you think?"
"I think she cares about happiness, that's all. Happiness for everyone, just not herself and the ones she cares about. She's a very unselfish person—or deity, or whatever," Brandon laughed.
"I agree," Vivian smiled. "I agree."
The next song that came on the modern stereo was a slow dance—one that Brandon Cathy-Rogers asked Min-Jung to, one that Nathan asked Keo to, one that Xita asked Petal to. After watching her older brother and his fiancée dance for a while, Melinda retreated to the balcony.
Melinda Opal Cathy-Rogers leaned against the marble railing; unaware of how beautiful she looked. Her rosy skin glowed luminously, her long blonde hair trailed down, casting its own light—her turquoise eyes reflected the light of the moon. She looked like Juliet, leaning down from the balcony to speak to Romeo, or Rapunzel letting down her long hair to admit her suitor.
Her hopes about loving Elijah were completely dashed—because of the only girl their age. Vivian was ravishing, beautiful, and graceful—she was an exotic girl, perhaps even foreign. The way Elijah looked at was so special…she could never hope to be in a relationship like that.
She felt tears dot her eyes. Why was she getting so worked up? It was only…it was only…he was only a boy she had known from her childhood. She would find a nicer, more handsome boy…
But those eyes…but those green eyes…
She felt a tap on her shoulder.
Melinda turned around, her shining golden hair, so much like her older brother's, sliding to the other side. "Hm?" It was Elijah, and he was looking at her with those emerald-colored eyes, so much like his older cousin's.
"Why are you out here, Melinda?"
"I…I…" She looked down. Melinda was a bad liar, and couldn't look him in the face. "I can't dance. My feet are sore, you see…"
"Ah? Sore feet…how unfortunate…I hear there is a single gentleman who wishes to claim you as his partner for the night. But I shall now go inform him that the lady has sore feet and does not wish to dance for the night."
The female angel looked into his eyes, searching for the answer to her question. She found it, and a smile began, slowly, to form on her face. She asked, softly, "What if that lady does not have sore feet?"
"Ah, so they healed miraculously, did they? Then…" Elijah looked down at her, his green eyes flashing. "He would like to dance with the lady."
"But if the lady does not want to dance with him?"
"Does the lady want to dance with him?"
"Maybe yes, maybe no."
"Well, he loves the lady." A smile played upon his lips. "He loves her, very, very much. He wishes to be with her every moment of their lives. And he would like to dance with the lady."
"And the lady would like to dance with him," Melinda smiled, and allowed him to embrace her.
Little did these two young lovers know that they were being watched by Min-Jung, who had ceased to dance with the lady's older brother. She sat watching them, with a happy sigh.
"What're you watching, sweet?" Brandon asked as he took a seat next to her.
"Them," Min-Jung answered, pointing. She sighed and fiddled with her hair. "I remember the days when we were like that…now we're just…here. We see each other everyday…it's nothing new."
"But, my sweetheart, those days are going to begin again."
"What…what do you mean?" Min-Jung asked.
He smiled his sweet smile and took a small box out of his pocket. Min-Jung saw it, but she did not emit a screech or any other sound. She sat, calm and composed, heart thumping. And before he could even ask the question, she cried out, "Yes! Yes, I will!"
And that time when his lips touched hers, they were worth more than any wish of life. They truly were.
-Comments to Reviewers-
Seed Slasher: Yay! Thank you for being their fan!
Shefali: Yup but I took some extra pains with this chapter!
xWhit3StaRx: hands you tissues