The Voice

I knew that the SUV was loaded and ready to go. Everyone was waiting, ready to head back home and start our new lives.

The fact that this was my new life was hard to grasp. After everything Prepot did to me . . . I made it through. I fought through and won.

I won.

But despite all the drama, all the ups and downs along the way, this was the hardest part of it all.

Harry was the first to hug me, only because they were leaving while Niall and I said goodbye.

“Before you know it, we’ll be on tour together,” he told me. Even though I knew it wasn’t true, I smiled at him anyways and let him go.

“Oh, I’m sure.”

Next was Liam. Then Louis, Zayn, Eleanor, Perrie, Jesy, Jade, Leigh-Anne . . . .

Chris.

My grip on him was much tighter than it should’ve been, so I began wondering if he might notice something was up with that. It went to the back of my mind, though, when I realized that he was about to be out of my life, possibly forever.

“Well, this sucks.”

He nodded and shifted a bit. “Yeah, but it’s okay, Ritty. We’ll see each other, probably more often than you think. We’ll stay in touch, see how it all goes.”

“You’re right,” I sighed. Very reluctantly, because we had a plane to catch, I let him go.

And then came the hardest part of it all.

In his arms, I didn’t even notice everyone leaving. I didn’t notice that I was crying until my body started shaking while I gulped in some air.

Niall pulled away so he could see my face. His own was stained with tears that left bright red tracks on the way down his cheeks. “Shh. It’s okay, Evie. Don’t cry.”

“How are we gonna do this?” I breathed. “Niall, I . . . I don’t . . . I—”

“I’m not totally sure,” he admitted, and it made my heart sink. “We’re totally stocked up on blood, I think, so we’ll be okay.”

“I’m more concerned with how I’m gonna manage without you.”

Despite the fact that it was a harsh truth, he smiled a little. “I’m still trying to figure that one out myself.”

We had been apart before, and truth be told, it wasn’t that long ago. But the thing that the world seems to forget sometimes is that time passes. The sun rises and sets all the same, but that’s not what matters. The things that you do to pass the time, the events that occur, that’s what defines your life. How you use your time defines who you are.

I may be a lot of things, but with the way I used my time—the month or so that I was given—made me one thing for certain.

I was in love with probably the most incredible person in the entirety of the world.

Living life without him . . . it was gonna be one of the hardest things I had ever done, if not the hardest thing. Somehow, I would manage.

I had to. This was supposed to be the best time of my life. If I just won the Voice and I wasn’t happily living it up, everyone would notice.

This was gonna be fun. My new adventure.

Notes

The lyrics are from Say Goodbye by Skillet. Really, the entire damn song fits this chapter, so here's a link if you wanna listen to it. Say Goodbye: Skillet

So this is it, guys. The end of the Voice!

I just wanna say thank you guys so much for the continued love and support you've shown. :D You love this story a lot, and the response has been more than I dreamed it could be. :) I was afraid to post any of my One Direction fan fictions but did because of my little sister (my biggest fan, as I call her). Now, I'll continue to post them because of how wonderful you guys have been. So encouraging, and you always brighten my day.

Basically, all that boils down to two words: thank you. :) So very much.

Now, onto the Tour! :D I'm gonna post the prologue TONIGHT. :D I was gonna wait a couple days, since I binge posted the rest of the Voice, but as a sort of thank you to you guys, I'm gonna go ahead and post it tonight. :) Only one chapter, though. :3

Seriously, guys. You're all amazing, and I love you. <3 Thank you so much for the support, and I hope you enjoyed this story. :) Even if it is different.

The link to The Tour is here! :)