Paradise Among Metal

Epilogue

Cora, Meredith, Aurelio, and the boys left Metal three days after its restoration.

Cora and Meredith wanted to explore Paradise, since they couldn't remember it from before they left. Emerson wanted to search for his mother and sister, whose deaths he still felt responsible for. Jacob just wanted to tag along with the others.

Aurelio also wanted to leave. He'd been alone in his hotel for so long, not being able to leave in fear of never being able to return to its relative safety in Metal. Now that he had the chance to leave it, he wanted to take it. So he found a woman who'd always wanted to own a hotel and handed it over to her. Then, he and the teens left.

Metal had transformed from a hellish, drab city into a quirky oceanside city. Murals decorated the sides of buildings, and aromas of food from food carts and newly-opened restaurants wafted through the air. Flowers grew from almost every windowsill and balcony, and people wandered the streets, talking and laughing with one another.

The quirkiness of the breezy city reminded Jacob and Emerson a lot of San Fransisco, which they had visited with their lacrosse team in middle school. The fond memories of that trip made them smile.

Thirty minutes later, the group passed through the Perimeter. It now appeared to be a quirky little mountain town that reminded Cora, Meredith, and Aurelio of a hipster version of Mount Lake. Lonnie greeted them with a smile and a wave. Cora giggled when they passed the motel she and the boys stayed at, remembering the humorous scene that went down there.

Thirty minutes after that, they arrived in Paradise. It hadn't changed at all, except that there seemed to be more people there. Many people were emotional, with some crying and others embracing. When these people saw Cora, Jacob, and Emerson, they applauded and cheered. The three smiled and waved back. It felt good to know that they had changed so many people's lives for the better.

Aurelio remembered the apartment, not too far from downtown Paradise City, that he and Meredith lived in before they left, so he and Meredith moved back in. The apartment hadn't changed since Aurelio got exiled, except for its lack of occupants.

The apartment was cozy; not too big, not too small. The windows in the living room looked out onto multicolored rooftops and buildings, and majestic mountains marked the horizon. Meredith squealed when she opened the door to her bedroom. She had an actual bed now, with actual sheets and an actual comforter. She also had curtains and a working light. The pressed flowers and unusual rocks that Meredith collected to decorate her "room" back in Mount Lake were displayed on her dresser in the same way she organized them in the land of the living.

After admiring her room, she ran into the living room and gave Aurelio a big hug, thanking him for the bedroom. Aurelio squeezed her back and accepted her gratitude, despite knowing that the Persephonites set up the apartment and not him. He didn't dare tell her the truth.

Plus, he liked hugging Meredith. After thirteen years of not being able to contact her at all and then however long they were in the Perimeter and Metal, Aurelio wanted to show as much love as he could towards his daughter, to make up for all that lost time.

A couple of apartment buildings down, Cora, Jacob, and Emerson decided to split an apartment. During their week-long journey to the Perimeter and Paradise together, they had developed a strong bond with one another. The trio couldn't imagine splitting up.

Jacob and Emerson had wanted to live with one another since who knows how long, because of their strong friendship and possible blooming romance. They had also come to see Cora as a sister, and Cora came to see them as her brothers. Growing up as only children, Jacob and Cora had never experienced having someone like a sibling to them, and they loved the new experience.