Chosen by Fate, Rejected by the Alpha

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Trinity     

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I could not believe that this day was here. How had it come so fast? I mean, alright, it was quicker than it should have been because Talia had graduated early and all, but why was she already here, graduating from high school. She was three years younger than the twins, and yet she was already here, just one year after they were.     

Reece and I were sitting in the crowd with the rest of the family. The quads, Zachary, Zander, Zayden and Zaley were all sitting on either side of Reece and I. And on the ends of them, protecting them all from the others in the area, Reagan and Rika were sitting with smiles on their faces.     

All around us were people that we knew. Our section of this crowd was large and would likely get to be noisy when things started to progress in the ceremony. With us were Gabriel, Vincent, David, Shane, and of course, Shawn and Dietrich. Not only was our Talia graduating today, but two of Shawn and Dietrich's kids were up there as well.     

Luther, the bear shifter that they had adopted all those years ago, was eighteen. And Fauna, the Fae girl that had been orphaned during the battle with Solanum, and had previously been in a version of Fae Foster Care, was now seventeen. They, along with Talia and the rest of the graduating class, were up there to celebrate the achievements that they had accomplished over their time in the school.     

I was about to cry as I watched on, and things hadn't even gotten started yet. We were a group of all nonhumans, with a class of students that had attended the all nonhuman school. They were at ease because they were among their own kind and that was making things so much better, and more emotional, for all of the attendees. There was no need to hide anymore.     

"Welcome family and friends, to the graduation for the Class of '41." The principal called out to the rest of us. These students have worked hard to get to this point. They had weathered some of the most heartbreaking events of our recent history, and they have come out better people because of it. And none of them have worked anywhere near as hard as our Valedictorian." He paused and looked over at the students as he spoke. "These students are all amazing, and here to speak to you next is the one that they have all chosen to give their voice to. Talia Gray."     

There was a round of applause as Talia got to her feet. I saw Alexio at the edge of the stage clapping along with them. He was her guard, and even on a day like today he was protecting her. Still, he was happy for her and celebrating in his own little way.      

The moment that Talia reached the podium, the echoing noise in the hall died down. They were all waiting for her to give her speech, to tell them what it was that she had to say. Even I was eager for this because I had not heard her speech yet. She had wanted to keep it a secret from us all. She would only reveal it while we were here.     

"Friends, classmates and family, thank you all for joining us today. As our esteemed principal has already stated, we have all worked hard to get to this point." She paused and looked right at Reece and me. I sniffled a little, the emotions almost too much for me. This was normal for me though. I had blubbered like a baby when I attended Reagan and Rika's graduation. I was glad that I was holding Reeselynn in my arms actually, because I hugged her a little tighter just so that I could comfort myself.     

"We, our people as a whole, have been through so much lately. So many terrible things that have threatened our community, that have tried to harm us all directly. We didn't let that happen though. We fought against them. We rose above it. And we prospered."     

There was utter silence in the hall as we all listened to the words that Talia was saying. Every single person in the room was riveted, and it was easy to see why, with how much of a presence she had for herself.     

"Our education never suffered, even with all that has happened. Our teachers, principal, staff, and everyone that was here with us day in and day out put in all that they could to make sure that we never suffered. Meeting their passion for our education with a passion of our own. I know that each and every person that is on this stage with me today, all my fellow graduates, will go on to do wonderful things. And they will forever be grateful for those that helped us to get to this point."     

I was so proud of the words that Talia was saying. She was someone that knew how to appreciate the people around her, and that was helping her a lot in this moment. Still, I stayed silent and listened to what else she had to say.     

"From this day forward, we are all going out into the world to do our own things. This world that is waiting for us is not the same one that it was when we started our time here at this school. We face challenges and obstacles that no one in our world has ever had before, but there is an upside. There are some barriers, some hurdles that used to be in our way, that we no longer have to deal with. We are the ones that are going to test these waters for our future students and graduates, so let's do our best to succeed out there. Let us plow the way for them so that they have fewer obstacles in the future. We need to come together as a community, not just here in this small community, but on a global scale. Wherever we go, do your best. Show people what it means to be a super natural, and show them what it means to get one of the best primary and secondary educations in the world. Show them what we can do, everyone. Make waves in this world. And for Goddess's sake, have fun while you're doing it."     

When she came to the end of her speech, all the other students started to clap and applaud for her. Not only the students though, everyone in the crowd applauded as she bowed her head and went to take her seat once again. The principal came back to the podium and spoke some more. After declaring Talia's best friend, Ada, the Salutatorian, and wishing all the students a wonderful future, he started to call the names for the graduates.     

We saw a lot of familiar faces among the crowd as they walked across the stage. Fauna was the third student to cross the stage, having the hyphenated last name of Asher-Conrad. Following her was, obviously, Luther, her brother. Then Ada was also one of the first group, with the last name Dell. Talia wasn't long after her. Walking across the stage to the cheering and applause of the entire crowd in attendance. We had all cheered loudly for the others, but there hadn't been much aside from their families that cheered with us.     

Soon there were more of Talia's friends that made their way across the stage. Jackie, Missy, and the new additions to her group and the school, the Waters Triplets, Sereia, Saylor, and Storm. Reece and I had known the Waters for a long time. They had worked for us in California before moving out here after the war. They wanted to be away from the coast for a while, and had decided that it was best for them to be here with us. I was good with that, there was no reason not to be.     

Things didn't take as long as I had thought that they would, and I wanted to keep the celebrations going with the good mood that everyone was in. Planning this in advance, I had reserved an entire restaurant for our group to go to. We would need a lot of tables, and I planned on inviting Talia's friends and their family to go with us.     

We headed to Kaleidoscope, the restaurant that meant so much to Reece and I in the beginning of our relationship. Everyone was seated and drinks were passed out. Shawn and Dietrich were smiling happily, and I saw that the former of those had been crying a little. He had felt quite emotional about the two of their kids graduating already.     

"You've all grown up so fast." There was a note in Shawn's voice that almost sounded like he was on the verge of sobbing.     

"We're not going anywhere, Dad." Luther said as he hugged Shawn. "Don't cry, ok."      

"They are happy and bittersweet tears, son." Shawn hugged him back. "We love you all so much."     

"Hey, don't forget, Dad, you're taking us on vacation for our graduation." Fauna joked with him, trying to get him to settle down.     

"Ah, yes. That is true." Shawn wiped his eyes. "We're leaving next week." He was laughing a little. "How could I forget?" There was laughter all around at that.     

The night's celebration was amazing, everyone ate until they were full, talked about the memories that they had made while the kids were in school, and a lot more tears were shed. This wasn't the graduation party, but it was the start to the celebration. There would be plenty more people invited to join us for all these kids and more over the weekend. It would be nice to do something special for them all.     

Oh, and a lot of those tears that were shed came from me as well. Not just Shawn. I couldn't help it. It was a bittersweet moment. Looking at my baby all grown up now, seeing her ready to go off into the world without me. It was hard to think about. How could I not be emotional? You spend every day with someone for so long, since they were born, and then you are supposed to just let go. I don't know how I was supposed to do this again and again. It was so hard, seeing yet another part of my life coming to a close.      

Well, even if I wasn't around as much as I was before, with Talia going out into the world as a woman now, I would still be there for her to come to when she needed me. I would always be her mother, and there was nothing that could change that.