EPILOGUE
Winter
"It's a little crooked," I call.
Heather and Gregory, standing on ladders, adjust the sign hanging above Hawthorn's front door.
"Perfect." I give them a thumb's up. The new sign is beautiful, "Hawthorn Academy" written in soft cursive.
Heather and Gregory smile at each other, and I notice the way his gaze lingers on her even after she looks away. I still haven't gotten their full story about what happened while we were all gone from school, but I'm sure it will be a good one.
They definitely seem to have grown closer. Like, really, really close.
They climb down from the ladder, and I go to the bridge to see if there's anything I can help with there. The whole school has spent the last few days pitching in, doing everything we can to repair Hawthorn.
The library will need to be entirely rebuilt, but for now the focus is on the main building. As soon as we have the classrooms cleaned up from broken windows and smashed desks, we'll be able to start school again.