I wanted to put the note before the end of the chap ;))

This one will be a wrap! (Technically).

Some art:

1. Pretty girl

2. Raymond's hc about their cat in the discord server.

Aughhh it feels unreal that this thing is like... over now. Just an epilogue, after this chap... Wow. 

(TO MAKE IT CLEAR, THAT MEANS THIS ONE IS NOT THE LAST BUT THE SECOND-LAST, TECHNICALLY)

Enjoy<33

The evening sun beat down from above, unhindered by any clouds in the clear sky. It was a hot day for late January, even for Area 23. The heat was doubled in the hoards of people crowding around the church; comprimised mostly of children and chaperones for school visits.

"I made it!" I could finally see the tops of the church from beneath my ball-cap. It loomed ahead of me; massively impressive– there was no need to question the Sagrada Familia's place as one of the world's wonders.

Judging by the sun, Lola's estimate was right... With the time it took for me to get here from the outskirts of the city, there was only 6, maybe 7 hours left of the day. In these crowds, with so much ground to cover... It was going to be close.

I started toward the base of the church, slipping through the crowd as I shielded my eyes from the sun. There was no use calling out– anything I might've said would've been drowned out by the shrieks of schoolchildren and the conversation of tourists.

I scanned over the crowd again, and again, but so close to the base of the church, it was impossible to discern one face from another. I clenched Mujika's amulet in my hand.

What if they aren't here in the first place? Might it have been better to just stay put...?

I shook my head. He knows, I told myself. The only physical place in the human world I'd mentioned... With his memory, and after the Seven Walls... he has to know.

Yet I still couldn't see anyone I recognized.

A schoolchild suddenly rammed into my bag. I stumbled forward. As I righted myself, I caught sight of something out of the corner of my eye– a flash of orange. "Emma!" I called, rising to my feet. But I was drowned entirely out, and her curly antennae was blocked from view. I pushed forward again, making it to where I'd seen her... But she was gone.

Had my eyes just been playing tricks on me?

"Y/N!" the call was muffled amongst the voices, but distinct enough to separate. I spun on my heel to find the source, unable to tell where exactly it had come from.

"Norman?" I yelled back, but I could hear no answer.

A squealing group of kids pushed in front of me, parting the crowd. I stumbled back to avoid being rammed into like last time– which proved to be a mistake, as someone's inconveniently-placed foot sent me sprawling back.

While breaking my fall, I lost my grip on the amulet. The chain snapped. I briefly saw the flash of gold before it skittered out of view, kicked away by someone's unknowing feet.

I pushed myself upright as I caught sight of it again between the legs that crossed in and out of my view. "Excuse me... Sorry..." I murmured as I pushed between groups of tourists and classes of children. "Pardon me..."

Of course, just as I got close, it managed to be kicked away again. I lost sight of it. My eyes frantically scanned the ground— There! I started toward the amulet just in time to see fingers grasp around the chain. "Wait–!" I called, looking up.

If you ask him, he'll tell you he spotted me first. But if you ask me, I'll tell you he didn't look my way until the second time I called his name. Either way, Ray looked up from the amulet in his hand. I don't think I ever saw him move so fast; especially not through a crowd. The next thing I knew, my arms were wrapped around his neck, and my feet had left the ground.

"Thank god," he breathed into my shoulder. I felt my anxiety wash away. "What took you so long?"

"You try travelling halfway across the world with no resources!" I complained as my boots touched back to the ground. "Do you have any idea what I had to learn to get here on time??" I shook my head with a sigh, glancing to the Sagrada Familia and back. 

"So? How'd you know?"

He shrugged. "I just figured... When I thought of landmarks you'd know, and the Seven Walls... I came straight here, Day 1."

"Ah, thank god I don't like you for your face," I cooed. When his brows drew together in offence, I cupped his cheeks in my hands. "I'm kidding, Ray. Your face is just as nice as your brains."

With a grin I pulled away, gesturing back to the church. "You didn't see it back when everyone was fulfilling their dreams?" I hummed. "So what was your first impression of the cathedral, Mr. 'Here Since Day One.'"

His deep green eyes trailed to the Sagrada Familia. "It's impressive..." he offered.

My head tilted to one side. "...But?"

"But it hasn't been a dream of mine for a long time," said Ray.

I looked between him and the architecture his gaze remained fixated on. "Oh. Really?"

"No."

I pressed my lips into a hum. "What, then?" He set his hand on my head, and I looked back as he leaned in close. When he spoke, his voice was so low it was hardly above a whisper.

"That'd be you," he said.

I stood there, reeling, when he turned suddenly on his heel and started walking away from the cathedral. "Wh– Hey!" I yelled. "You can't just drop a bomb like that and run away!"

I pushed after his back until we escaped from the crowd. Once I broke free, though, I was all but tackled by an Emma-Poppy combo. "You made it!!"

"Ray was right!?" Poppy echoed.

I was sandwiched snugly between their hugs, hardly able to get air into my lungs. "Maybe don't kill me now that we're finally out of the woods!" I squeaked.

"Yeah... about that..." I looked up frightfully to Yuugo, who looked grim. At least he did, before he suddenly let out a snort. "You should see the look on your face!"

My jaw dropped. "I'm– You can't just– What the fuck, Yuugo! You can't do that to me!"

"Oh, the irony," he mocked. He snaked an arm over and pulled me into a side-hug. "It's good to have you here, kid."

Norman let out a long sigh of relief. "Who's ready to go home?"

Poppy raised a hand. "Not me!" she said matter-of-factly. "When Reina finds out we've been here for two weeks... I think she might really kill somebody! Probably me!"

Hannah gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Your sacrifice is appreciated... for the sake of the greater good."

"What 'greater good!?' You're just talking about yourself!!"

I followed the group to where they'd parked... the plane?? It wasn't even like a plane-plane, like Lola's plane, or a regular jet... It looked like a god-damned space-glider.

"What in the hell??" I looked between them in disbelief. "What even– ...Can I drive it, please?"

Zack chuckled as he climbed into the cockpit. "Unfortunately, you need to pass a number of tests to get certified. Also, you have to be sixteen to get your licence. And, you know..." he smirked, swiping a hand over his head ."Height requirements."

I seethed. "One of these days, I'm really gonna rip his head off and shove it where the sun don't shine."

"Easy now," said Yuugo.

The flight was impossibly smooth and easy, like gliding over butter instead of through the sky. "You didn't tell the others you were here?" I asked.

"Not really," Norman shook his head. "I told Vincent, but... Well, there's a reason I keep him around," he joked. "Looking at it logically, he thought it might be against the rules, since we were the ones involved in the Promise... And Ray seemed confident enough. So Vincent is the only one who knows— and he didn't offer any help."

"You're talking as if you weren't on the verge of raising global alarm the whole time," Ray retorted.

Zack's voice came over the speaker. "We're here," he said.

"Already??" I startled.

"What," Hannah hummed, "You didn't have planes like this in 2020? Okay, Zoomer..."

I clamped my hands over my ears. "Don't say that! Seriously, don't say that!"

The laughter distracted me from the growing nervousness in my gut as the plane lowered. We descended down the ramp to the ground.

We landed on a plot of land atop a small mountain combe, where one large communal house branched off into a few "smaller" properties. The style of the "house"— (more mansion) leaned Victorian, much like the Grace Field houses themselves, and a dirt road winded down the hill and back to the city; a perfect balance between privacy, while maintaining easy access to civilization.

"Woah..." I murmured. "I didn't even know houses like this existed..."

Norman nodded proudly. "That's why we built it. I mean, the land was incredibly cheap because of the war– there were some landmines here and there... But once Nigel got his hands on one of them, he was able to create a universal receiver to deactivate them. With everyone helping, we cleared them all in a matter of days. Then it was just a matter of finding good contractors to get the job done quick.

"Actually, Yvette, Reina and Cislo designed most of the place. Who knew Cislo was into architecture?"

Emma pointed to a flower garden as we passed it. "That was Sherry and Jemima's idea, of course!"

I smiled as we approached the house, swallowing drily. I stopped short at the porch. The door loomed impossibly close, yet so far.

I couldn't... Right now, they weren't even sure I was alive... Would it really be okay to just go in?

Hannah nudged my side. "What're you standing there for?" she frowned, leaning into Zack with a whisper. "Oh no... did she forget how doors work??"

"Shut it," I hissed. Taking a breath, I stepped onto the porch, and took another few to the front door. I hesitated again, my throat catching. I glanced once more over my shoulder to remind myself who was behind me, before I rang the doorbell.

I stepped back, tucking loose strands of hair behind my ears. Then I folded my hands in front of me, before fiddling again with my hair. Ah... this is a terrible idea...

The door opened a crack, as one big blue eye regarded me through it. An orange-haired child pulled the door open– Carol, I realized, now seven years old. "Ah!" she said. "Hello!"

"Er... Hello?"

"Carol!" came a voice down the hall. "What did I say about opening the door! You don't know who..." Gilda's face came into view, framed with her long green hair and her large round glasses. She covered her mouth with her hand as she took me in. "Oh my..." she murmured, her throat snagging at her voice.

"Gilda?" Carol asked, tugging at her older sister's long skirt. She peeked behind me then, seeing the others. "Emma!" she cheered, running off the porch. "Welcome home!!"

Gilda pushed up her glasses to wipe her eyes. "I– I– I don't– We should–" she sniffled and pulled her hands away from her face. "You're– I–" She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me, sniffling again. "You all... Thank god!"

I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her. "Gilda..."

Just then, there was a clamour over the banister on the second floor. "The front porch footage!!" Don's voice called, "The– The camera!! It's– Did you see!?"

"Spit it out, Don!"

"What's going on?"

Gilda turned away from me, stepping into the massive front hall. Then, taking in a deep breath and channeling some sort of motherly spirit, she yelled. "Everyone! Guess who's home!"

"Who!?"

"Is it–!?"

"C'mon guys!"

"Let's go!"

"Race you!"

Like some sort of tsunami effect, kids surged into the halls and down the stairs, sliding across the slippery wooden floor. "Who is it?? Who's there? Gilda!"

In a panic, I ducked out of the doorway.

Hannah looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. With an eyeroll and a huff, she started up the steps and then through the front door. With a laugh and an excited skip in her step, Poppy followed closely, and then Zack and Yuugo, and then Emma and Norman. I could hear the excited cheers of greeting from everyone. I also knew that they'd be looking to the door with even more expectancy.

Ray stopped at the doorway. "What?" he asked. "You planning on running?"

"No!" I said. "I just... I need a second."

"One," Ray counted. "There." He crossed his arms as he regarded me, unimpressed. "What, you need another?"

"I hate it when you get sassy with me."

"Uhuh."

He brushed in through the door, and I heard everyone start to go quiet.

Now or never, I chided myself.

Taking in one last breath I followed, taking hold of Ray's hand as I emerged through the door.

I was home.

The breeze was cool against my scalp, my hair flowing over my shoulder. Leaning back on my hands, I admired the night sky, as my legs swayed gently over the ledge.

"I should've known..." Ray grunted as he pulled himself through the window, hoisting himself up. "That you'd find a way to the roof."

I hummed as he settled at my side. "Yeah..."

"The kids are looking for you," he said. "They want to say goodnight."

"Okay..."

His gaze softened. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. It just... It feels like it's ending," I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. "I mean... What do I do now?" 

He shrugged, his head tilting to one side. "I dunno. Live?"

"But what does that mean?"

"Whatever you want it to," he said. "What do you want to do?"

I leaned back across the shingles, my legs dangling over the ledge. A long hum played over my lips. "I want... For starters, I want to go to the beach with everyone."

"Then we'll go to the beach," Ray said, laying by my side.

"I want to finish school," I said. "Get a high school diploma, at least... You?"

"I want to travel," Ray said, raising a hand to the stars. "I want to see as much of the world as I can."

"What about after that?"

He rolled over to face me, propping himself up on his elbow. "After that?" he said, glancing to the sky. "I'm not sure. But I don't think it matters, as long as..." his eyes fell back to me.

As long as you're there with me.

I couldn't help but smile. "Sure," I said. "That sounds good... We'll figure it out."

"We always do," he said, and he brushed some stray hairs out of my face and tucked them behind my ear.

I shuffled closer, and as our hands brushed, we linked our fingers together. We laid there quietly, breathing each other in, the stars at our fingertips. That moment lasted an eternity, and another, borne witness by only the sky.

"There you guys are!" I startled as Jemima's face popped over the ledge. She was joined by Alicia, and Mark, Carol, and Phil... and it looked like some other rosy-faced children were poking their eager heads out of the window.

"Bedtime story!" Carol cheered. "Come tell us one, please?"

I rolled up to sit on the ledge. "Aren't you kids getting a little old for bedtime stories?" I asked.

"No!" the kids chorused.

As I climbed in through the window, Jemima grabbed hold of my hand, swinging it back and forth. "You have a lot to make up for!"

"Also!" Alicia chimed in. "We have another surprise for you!"

"Another?" I said. "There were more than just the letters?" I think I've cried enough for an evening, already...

"Yeah! See, you said not to touch your cookies, so... Every time someone made some, we kept a tally, and..."

I thought back to the rooftop with a little inward sigh. 

That was the perfect time to kiss him, wasn't it...

Well, I relented... 

I'll have the rest of our lives to try again.

- - -

end.