Ten Years Later:
"Mom!" A little brown haired girl yelled as she ran to her mother's arms. Hannah lifted her daughter up, smiling at her with enough love to satisfy a thousand. Nathan stood behind her, waiting for his chance to get a hug from his daughter. Nathan and Hannah got married just after they were brought back and they had little Jentzyn two years after. Since then, they've also had Hartley, Fallon, and Hollyn. Jentzyn, a Hena by blood relation, was an eye opener to the possibility that Hannah might be a Hena.
We just got back from a week long hunting trip. The six of us needed a break and Kaida demanded some personal teen space. I promised her if she didn't burn down the castle during the week that I'd give her some more freedom concerning her Hena power.
Carter was greeted by a little blonde boy named Walker and a little blonde girl named Jade. Jade was a daddy's girl, always wanting to be a hero like her dad, and always staying around him. I could never tell whether that was because he was Carter's daughter or because she'd heard too many stories. Walker, having the Alpha power, along with his dad's superspeed, was always running around with the other kids playing hero while his sister learnt to be a leader.
Madelyn got married and had a son. He was a little brown haired boy named Trenton. Big brown eyes told a million stories. He was smart, just like his mom. He was top of his class and always had his head in a book.
Liam married a girl named Jane and had a son named Nate and a daughter named Mariah. Nate ended up being an Alpha just like his dad.
Kathy got married and had twin daughters named Olivia and Corrine.
And me?
Well I had twins. A boy and a girl. Brother and sister. Wesley and Willow. Wesley, a brunette boy with blue eyes, and Willow a redhead with blue eyes. Twins fathered by a man named Blake, a man who died on the twins' fourth birthday. Death by spider is not how I imagined the love of my life dying.
Kaida struggled with it. Her adopted father treated her like a father should. She wiped away the pain as if it was a tear and simply said, "Get knocked down, get back up."
She's healed since then, we all have.
Jentzyn, Fallon, Walker, Nate, and Willow were all close. It was cute seeing them running to greet their respected parents as we walked into Dabaq; kingdom of peace.
They got themselves into trouble like all eight year olds do. Like we used to. Willow even made the group their very own headquarters. Carrying the same powers I do, Willow created a treehouse for her and the rest of the kids to hang out in. The five of them go on mini adventures together, Walker and Willow leading just as Carter and I do. They pretend they're fighting six headed monsters or running across rivers to save people.
Peace.
Something hard to accomplish. Something hard to keep. But since Dabaq controlled and ruled all kingdoms in north America, fed every mouth, and made homes for every person, there was no room for War.
Within the past few years I've learned several lessons; lived through several hard times. In the end the most important lesson I learned was that it doesn't matter what I've done. I'm here. It doesn't matter what happened to me. I'm here. It doesn't matter who did what; who likes who; who's dating who; who hates who; who wanted to kill who. I'm here. We're here. I asked for forgiveness. I got it. Because it didn't matter who we tried to save, they all died anyway. But we tried. They tried to save me even though I was a lost cause.
Maybe we made a mistake; being rebels and leaving the island.
But we learned of our strength.
Maybe I'd lost my sanity after I fought Valerie.
But we learned we all had a lion within us.
Maybe I'd been crazy to leave and become an assassin.
But we learned we could save each other and make the world better.
Maybe bringing them back was a mistake.
But we got a second chance.
And..
Maybe I had been stupid to go challenge Donte.
Maybe I'd been dumb to go to Alpha James.
Maybe I'd been idiotic for becoming Hena.
For hiding away in the castle for two years.
For letting Jason come inside the walls.
For letting him be close enough to Joey to kill him.
Maybe I'd been insane for letting Jason plunge a knife through my chest.
But I'm here.
We're all here.
We learned that God was in control.
And we're all here because of him.
And when it came to life and death, it was in His hands, not ours.
We are here because He decided it to be so.
So I lay this journal down. On it's final page, to tell the world:
This is Hena Atarah Ariella, also known as Carla. You wanted to know the story about the most fearsome Hena to ever live. You wanted to hear how I'd become so kind and gentle yet so feared and protected. This was it. This was my story. Yes it's sad in some parts, yes it's hard to imagine going through some of the things I have.
Over the years I've learned one simple decision that will change the course of your life.
You have two choices:
Run from your fears
Or
Fight them
I merely decided to stop running and start fighting for what I wanted.
Because in the face of life or death, I fought.
Life, death, it didn't matter what happened to me.
As long as they were all safe.
As long as you all were safe.
God Bless You All
~Carla