My parents stared at the daughter they had spoiled since childhood , shocked beyond words that she would say such things . " Celie , we're your parents ! " " Bah ! " Celie spat viciously , her eyes blazing with hatred . " If not for you , would I be living in such misery now ? The pork knuckle and chicken wings should have been mine . Felix's manor should have been mine ! It's all your fault - yours ! " A child raised on nothing but indulgence naturally grew into one who was utterly selfish . She had already wrapped her hands around my mother's throat earlier ; now , she showed no hesitation at all . In Celie's eyes , everyone in this family was expendable , for her sake . At last , even my parents seemed to realize this . Their faces turned ashen , their expressions hollow , as they scrambled back to the camera , nearly tripping over themselves . " Avery , save us ! We're sorry . Please , ask Felix to take us away , won't you ? " Their desperate gazes met mine , but I only shook my head . " Sorry . It's too far . I can't bear to send Felix running out there . And besides , it's too dangerous outside . What if something happened to him ? I wouldn't trust you with Felix anyway . " The open scorn in my voice made them crumble . " You ungrateful child , you heartless wretch ! We're your parents . Do we matter less than a man ? " I nodded calmly . So long as I refused to play by their rules , they could never bind me with morality again . On the other end , Gideon had clearly reached his breaking point . Hunger gnawed at him , and the truth was plain : the sea had long since run out of fish . But the giant shark clan ate nothing but meat . With no fish , where could he turn for prey ? In my past life , I had lived in constant terror of this very day . My parents had been too naive to understand . As their screams and pleas filled the phone , I ended the call without a flicker of regret . Not even a shred of sorrow stirred within me . They had sown their own ruin . Now they reaped the harvest . Felix reached over and gently clasped my hand . " Honey , don't worry . You still have me . I'm your family now . " I nodded , stroking my silly bird husband with quiet affection . The rain went on for half a year . Even our mountain was swallowed halfway up its slopes . Thankfully, the people who had settled here moved quickly and escaped the rising water . They were good - hearted folk - those with darker intentions had long since been tossed into the sea to feed the sharks , When the sun finally broke through the endless clouds and lit the land once more , laughter erupted everywhere . On the horizon , a great ship sailed in , a red flag flying proudly above it . Families had come to take their loved ones home . In the end , the mountain returned to what it had once been : just Felix and me . Well , actually , not just the two of us . " Honey , " Felix said with a calculating gleam as his hand rested on my stomach , " if it's a girl , we'll take her traveling around the Chapter 12 world . If it's a boy , we'll leave him here to guard the house , and the two of us will go off on our adventures . How's that ? " I rolled my eyes . " You bird folk always have more than one child at a time . What if it's both ? " " But I really want to travel the world with you , " he said , almost sulking . " We have a long , long time ahead of us . No need to rush . " " Really ? You said it . You promised . " " Silly bird , get up ! You're squashing the baby ! " Laughter and playful bickering filled the air . And through it all , my heart felt utterly at peace . I was home with my beloved . Continue Reading