****PARADISE SAGAS: BOOK 1: WARRIORS OF PARADISE****

Lexa didn’t take her eyes off her crystal as she poured her life energy into it. She felt the new powers, from the lights that had entered the crystal, as it surged.

As the energy faded in the cavern, Lexa saw Pure, sprawled on the floor. Lexa felt the sword slip from her finders as she fell to her knees and took a deep breath.

It was over. Finally. She looked at Virtue, who was staring at his sister.

One last miracle. Lexa closed her eyes and Pure was engulfed in the soft light.

~*~*~*~

David watched as Pure’s limp body rose off the floor.

Lexa was healing her, he realized. The light was lowering back to the ground, when it cut off suddenly. Virtue rushed to catch his sister.

David saw Lexa collapse. He surged forward and grabbed her before she slammed into the ground.

"Lexa?" He asked, pulling her to him. "Come on, Lex. Open your eyes."

"David?" Lexa’s voice was weak as she tried to push herself away from him, "Did we win? Is it over?"

"Yes, Lexa." Daenna crouched next to her, "You did it. It’s over."

Lexa smiled, dreamily, "Good. Thank you. All of you."

A new girl stepped forward, "No, thank you, Lexa." The girl had white hair with violet streaks. She had blue eyes and wore a silver cape. As she crouched and took Lexa’s hand, beneath the cape, she was wearing a silver tank-top and leggings, "Lexa. You ARE the Ultimate Guardian. Thank you." She pulled away and stood with her brother.

"Yes, Lexa." Virtue said, "Thank you." He placed his hand on his sister’s shoulder. Lexa smiled up at them.

~*~*~*~

Lexa was tired. She wanted to sleep. But she knew that when she closed her eyes, she wouldn’t open them again. She wanted to say good-bye.

Kevin leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. He whispered, "Good bye." Before he began to pull away.

Lexa had a strange thought, just then. Kevin had been her first friend here. He had been the one to introduce her to everyone. And now he was the first to actually say "Good bye."

Daenna came, then.

"Why do you have to be so stupid? You can’t leave." She grabbed Lexa’s hand.

"I don’t have a choice." Lexa answered calmly, "This is my destiny." Daenna pulled away and tried not to cry.

Kendra was crying as she stepped forward, and she didn’t try to hide it.

Lexa reached up and wiped away one of the tears, "Don’t cry for me. I don’t deserve it."

"Yes, you do. And so much more." Kendra flung herself at Lexa and hugged her fiercely. Lexa smiled as she weakly returned the hug.

Finally, Lexa faced David. He was still holding her. She couldn’t find any words to say as she looked into his eyes. He leaned down and kissed her forehead lightly. As he pulled away, he whispered, "Sleep, Lexa. You’ve earned it."

She smiled and looked at the group around them, "I love you, all of you." She said as she closed her eyes, then added in a whisper, "I love you."

Her tense muscles relaxed as she exhaled one last time. No one said anything as Lexa fulfilled the prophecy.

~*~*~*~

The first this David realized, as he stepped out into the sun, holding Lexa’s body in his arms, was that the snow was almost gone.

As a breeze whipped his hair, he couldn’t help but smile.

For Lexa.
~*~*~*~

They buried Lexa in a cemetery on the outskirts of town. The four friends rode together in the black limo, following the hearse. Behind them was a silver Camero, with Virtue and his sister.

As the prayers at the grave ended, David looked to the sky to see a crescent moon shining. He nudged Kevin and they both watched it.

No one ever asked what happened to Lexa, why she died. And they never told.

Virtue stepped to his new friends and embraced Kendra. Kendra hung to him as if her life depended on it.

Daenna turned to Virtue’s sister, "What is the name you want to go by?"

"Loyalty, in battle." The girl smiled, "But I don’t want to be called that in public."

"What then?" Kevin asked.

Loyalty smiled as she looked at the coffin, "Alex."

~*~*~*~

Kevin hid Lexa’s sword in his closet. Every once and a while, he’d pull it out and clean it.

One day, his little brother came in and asked him why he cleaned it.

"It belongs to a great friend. I’m keeping it for her, until she returns."

He smiled.

~*~*~*~

Daenna never let her feelings show, after the funeral. She became hard and unreachable.

~*~*~*~

Kendra’s family bought Lexa’s apartment for her birthday present, not knowing it had belonged to Lexa, and Kendra didn’t change anything.

~*~*~*~

David was the one who fell he hardest. He skipped the next two weeks of school. His grades dropped. He seemed to avoid everyone, and would only show up at meetings once and a while. Not that the meetings meant much anymore.

~*~*~*~

Virtue and Loyalty faded away from the group and weren’t seen anymore.

~*~*~*~

It’s said, that if you stand on Clinical Cliff Top, in the morning, as the sun is rising, you can hear the echoes of the battle. If you stand there as the sun sets, you can hear Lexa, whispering her prophecies of the future…

Fin .