Just when Mara thought that she was going to get some peace and quiet on the bus to think about the recent event this morning, it was all interrupted by the voice of Llian. āSorry, do you mind if I it here and eat my toast?ā She had looked up to see if it was her that the man was speaking to and found herself rather embarrassed as it was the girl, Lianna. Mara was just about to turn her gaze away from that man before Llian spoke once more, āAh, and thanks for holding the bus.ā She caught herself staring at his charming smile for a little while, but her blink shook her out of it and Mara reciprocated the gesture.
āI really, ah... I really didn't hold up the bus. But I suppose that you are welcome...?ā The woman gave a little unsure laugh which lifted her mood just a little. Looking around, Mara noticed a few people reading books and she could not help but to lean over in her seat to try and get a look at the titles of these novels. If there was anything that she could be nosy about, it definitely pertained to who was reading what at any given time.
That high-pitched screeching noise started and at first Mara ignored it figuring that someone was having difficulty with a cell phone perhaps or a PDA. But as the seconds moved by, she found herself frowning deeply with her brow drawn downward. Mara passed a glance to Llian that was rather confused, āDo you hear th-ā Her question was shut off though as a woman, Rachel, gasped near her and Mara turned her attention to the lady without knowing really why. Something seemed a bit foreboding about all of this and an ominous sensation rested in the pit of her belly. Mara clutched onto her purse just a little more tightly...
The meteor broke through the atmosphere to where it was visible to all citizens of Alpha Terra and Mara's gaze was brought to the flaming ball of rock, and her eyes widened while she froze completely still in shock and realization: It was going to fall onto the city which meant death and destruction. Her stillness though would be interrupted suddenly with the first collision of the raining sky by tremors along her body when the first shockwave hit the bus. A silent gasp that went straight to the core of her being and Mara hunched into herself still holding onto her purse as if it meant life or death at that moment.
As a man shouted that there were more to come, the woman just closed her eyes. A prayer was quickly uttered beneath her breath that she would survive. A prayer for the city to survive. A prayer so that Joseph would survive.
It was at the shout of, āIt's coming straight for us!ā Mara knew that it was her time to leave this life and she was scared beyond anything ever experienced. She didn't want to die, she was still so young and there were so many things to do in her life. It was at that very moment she regretted in living such an uneventful existence. So many things there were and she would miss them all now. "Joseph. Dear God spare Joseph, please..." Mara's voice was nothing more than a whisper in the chaos whirling around her but it echoed in her ears like thunder ripping through silence.
Everything after that simple utterance flashed by in a heartbeat for the woman and at the same time, extended for what seemed to be eons upon eons...
The motor of the bus roared to life while the grinding of metal against metal could be heard from the bus scraping against other vehicles as the driver tried to save his own life and perhaps the few that were in his care. And it was then that one of the meteors slammed into the freeway sending bus 379 careening over the side. A single, solitary tear fell from the mismatched eyes of Mara and her gasped breath was let out in a defeated sigh. She was going to die...
Mara didn't know what was going on in the next moment, lost in the chaos which her shielded mind refused to believe but accepted at the same time. All she did know was that she was now not in her seat any longer but being thrown about the small confinement of metal alloy that was once a bus, nothing more than a rag doll at the mercy of force and gravity. Screams of terror. Passengers gagging on their own blood. Last breaths taken. Crying. Tearing steel. A loud thud.
Blackness...
...It was the most beautiful of days to get married.
The sun was shining and not a single cloud darkened the sky nor shaded the beautiful lawn of The Green. The autumn breeze was more than refreshing upon the skin of those who were attending which were people that were in the rather large families of Mara and Joseph. Every face was smiling and laughter filled the air, children ran around while playing with each other and the more adult of the group were enjoying the fine wines and drink being served. It had taken a good deal of planning to make this joining of two people so grand, but in the end it was all worth it completely.
And then it came that time. The time for Mara to walk down at aisle to meet the man that she was going to spend the rest of her life with; Joseph. The wedding march was wondrous music to her ears and it caused tears to threaten at spilling down her lovely cheeks. It was the perfect day. Never did her eyes leave what was the prize at the end of this small journey, the man that she loved more than her own life.
"Joseph Andrews Vallante, do you take this woman, Mara Nivek Wright, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Joseph had held her hand so tenderly. There was never a time that Mara was more beautiful to him than in this single piece in time. This moment would always be in his mind for the rest of his life, even through the tough times to come in this marriage. Mara was not the only one shedding tears at this point, but his voice was so confident and sure, "Of course I do."
"Mara Nivek Wright, do you take this man, Joseph Andrews Vallante, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Mara locked her gaze with the man that was to become her life mate for the rest of her years, tearing pouring down her face, but an unwavering smile gracing her plush lips. In this moment there was nothing but peace and sureness in her heart; not a single shadow of doubt in the lowest parts of her soul. She knew that Joseph was the only man for her and knew that she was blessed to have met him in that odd circumstance so many years ago. Her voice was hitched with the tears of joy but she managed to say those sacred and holy words, "I do."
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." And the two star-crossed lovers shared the most moving kiss of their relationship which finally pushed the rest of the viewers to shed tears of their own whether they were child, man, woman, young or old. It seemed to be the perfect union, one of those rare moments where two people found each other, who would remain with each other until their dying days. As the kiss parted, Mara and Joseph were greeted with a standing ovation to their love causing applause and cheers of various degrees to be shouted out into the climate air of the park. Surely this moment.... this moment was euphoria and the couple's utopia. Perfection. And they would live it together...
...
forever.
But that forever would not last long... as it was something that seemed to always slip through the grasp of humans even if they tried so desperately to claim such a thing...
Mara's body laid upon the roof of the bus which was now acting as the floor currently for the fact that perhaps the vehicle had been turned over belly up. She was alive but unconscious for the time being, in a temporary brain reset from the trauma just experienced. Her breathing was slightly ragged while a small amount of blood caked the hair at her temples as well as drip from her split lip. There were bodies around her, but if those people were alive or not, she of course at this time would
not know at all. It would be quite a shock for her when Mara woke to see the mangled bodies twisted in what was once the seats of the bus as well as the poles once used for grip while standing. But perhaps that animalistic need to survive would allow her to live this day...
Fate could be a cruel mistress at times.