by Jess Petosa
Stosh had moved permanently to Champaign. At first Ally thought he would pick up and move to Hope Town but he seemed hesitant to move so far from the only family and friends he had left. He said he couldn’t picture himself living in the City, but Ally knew that it reminded him of Sabine. Also, their settlement was all but abandoned. Heath had been welcome to the idea and appointed Stosh as head of relations with the City. His Exceptional abilities were also helpful around the town. He was currently overseeing the construction of a functioning road between Champaign and here. He had also recently began to see Willow, who had also remained in Champaign. It was weird for Ally to see at first but they made each other happy. It was good to see Stosh happy.
Stosh also traveled around the country off and on with Ally this past year, helping to spread the word about their efforts to unify the country and create a better life for Exceptionals and Ordinarys alike. Sometimes Luke would come along, and sometimes Ally would just have Guards, and the efforts had been positive for the most part.
Rogues seemed to be eradicated, so far.
It was everything Ally had hoped for and more. She still felt like she was dreaming at times, and sometimes closed her eyes and counted to ten, expecting to wake up finding that she was back in the settlement. Or even back in the ORC, in a drug induced sleep full of wild dreams.
But every time she reopened her eyes, things were the same.
She had done it, with the help of her friends and family.
She had brought change.
“I wish you were here to see this, Sabine,” she said.
She and Stosh had returned to Hope Town to take Joey home, and had taken a proper headstone for Sabine. They had decided to keep her body there, as a reminder of the cause for which she had died, and they vowed to visit her each year.
Ally sighed and headed inside, using her keycard to gain access to the private elevator. The ride was short and the doors slid open with a ding. She was barely through the doors when strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her into the air. She laughed and wrapped her arms around Luke’s neck.
“Welcome home,” he breathed into her hair.
“Glad to be home,” she said.
She leaned back and kissed him, holding her lips on his for a few extra seconds.
“I missed you,” they both said at the same time.
“Are you ready for tonight?” he asked. “You were cutting it a little close.”
She grinned. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
“Did Max come back with you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “He decided to stay in Zone D. They are close to coming to good terms with the remaining Rebels. He didn’t feel like he could leave.”
Luke nodded in understanding. “Stosh and Willow arrived this afternoon and are meeting us there. Marnie and Evan, too.”
“And your mom?” she asked.
“She’ll be there,” he said. “It was hard to get her to agree to leave her garden, but she’s coming.”
Mrs. Mathias had moved out of the house and into a smaller apartment just after Ally had come home from the hospital. Just prior to that, she had started to garden again and came over several times a week to tend to the flowers and bushes that Ally would probably kill had she been left to care for them.
“Ok,” Ally said. “I need to go home and get ready.”
“See you there,” Luke said, shoving her back into the elevator.
The doors slid closed on his wink.
Ally chose to walk to the park tonight, following the same path Luke had taken when he had first brought her there. They hadn’t known each other then, not at all. Now Ally couldn’t imagine her life without him.
She lifted the bottom of her dress up as she crossed into the grass, not wanting to get it dirty. A fur shawl was draped across her shoulders, something Mrs. Mathias had pulled out of her closet of clothes from the Old World. Stosh met her at the edge of the park, a large grin on his face. She looked up at him, still taken aback when she saw the violet eyes rather than a green that matched her own.
“I never thought this day would come,” he said.
She spun the ring that adorned her finger. The one Luke had given her on a summer day at the lake.
“Me either,” she said. “Not with Luke.”
“Not at all,” he joked. “I mean, who would want to marry you.”
Ally dropped one side of her dress and punched his arm. “I’ll still pretend that I’m stronger than you.”
Stosh held out his arm and she took it.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready,” she said.
He lead her down the path and toward a flowered arbor. Luke stood underneath, his hands clasped together in front of his white suit. His mom stood to one side and Marnie and Evan to the other. Willow sat in a chair to the side, Oakley sitting in her lap, smiling and waving. There were many others that Ally wished could be here.
Max. Sabine. Her mom.
But if it had just been Luke and her, that would have been enough.
Luke met her under the arbor and took her arm from Stosh, linking his fingers through hers.
“Hi.”
She smiled. “Hey.”
He leaned forward and brushed his cheek against hers.
“Want to get married?”
She giggled and leaned back.
“Yes.”
They turned to face the man officiating their marriage. They would be following an outline of a wedding from the Old World, making vows to each other while surrounded by family and friends. Ally in a white dress and Luke in a suit. It was a symbolization of what they were fighting for, bringing back principals from the Old World, but also what they were keeping. An Exceptional and an Ordinary getting married.
Tonight she would call Luke her husband.
It was something that the Old World and New World had in common, something that brought them together. In all of the chaos and change, she was making a commitment to love Luke forever, and he was committing to love her as well. For all of the change to come and the hardships of being leaders, they would have each other, and together they would continue to better their country, for their City.
For themselves.
For their family and friends.
And for the small life growing inside of Ally.
Boy or girl.
Exceptional.
Their baby would be born into a family full of friendship and love. Their baby would be born into a world of change. Before Ally would have been terrified to bring a child into this world, but now she was excited. There was so much possibility.
There was hope.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you first and foremost to my husband and to my three beautiful children. They put up with a less than perfect wife and mommy while I worked on this book, and still treated me with love and grace.
Thank you to my friends, who offered up their own free time to be beta readers and help with editing. Self-publishing has nothing to do with the SELF. It takes the hard work and teamwork of friends and family to pull it all together.
Thank you Alexis, Amber, Kristyn, Ashley, Heather, and Jen.
Thank you to my readers, who pushed me along this past year as I dealt with multiple health issues. Who were patient and kind and understanding. This series sums up five years of hard work.
It is hard to say goodbye, but I am excited for what is next.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jess Petosa is a Philly girl transplanted to the middle of Amish Indiana. She lives with her husband, three girls, and her miniature dachshund, Jake. Somewhere in between Kindergarten homework, soccer practice, dance class, swim lessons, and preschool drop-offs, she writes young adult fiction. She is a wife and mother, and a photographer as well. You could say she likes to keep busy. This is the third book in the Exceptional series. The first and second book in the series are available for both Kindle, and will be availa
ble for print by Christmas.
Find Jess Petosa on Facebook! Look for updates at…
http://jesspetosa.blogspot.com
List of Work
by Jess Petosa
Exceptional Series
Exceptional
Rogue
Ordinary
Hampton Harbor
Forget Me
