Shadow Bound

Epilogue

- Epilogue-

"Spot, get over here! Time for food!" I screamed, hearing it echo through the house. Immediately following those words, I heard panting and claws slamming against the ground. He slammed his head into the counter, unable to handle the immense excitement that bubbled through him. Quickly following Spot, Dalton walked into the room.
"Having fun?" He asked Spot. The puppy barked in response, then began to chow down on his food.
"I'm super surprised that this dog isn't dead yet. He hits his head on everything. I'm also surprised that this place isn't covered in dents. That dog has a really hard head. It survived a hit from a really frigging sharp spike, and was basically fine," I remarked, petting the puppy. He wagged his tail while he ate, sweeping everything around him.
"Woah, that's a tough puppy. You're my tank, puppy. Isn't that right?" He spoke to Spot again, grabbing him from his food, sweeping him up into his arms.
Daphne ran into the kitchen, blubbering about how the piano in my room had stopped playing again. She loved that piano. I started teaching her what I knew a week ago, and she hasn't stopped playing since.
"Hun," I leaned down to her level. "I told you, it's an old piano. It needs a break every once in a while. Go play with your sister. She'll enjoy the company. I think she's out in back talking to Edmund. Oh! I have an idea, go bother Edmund. Jump ALL over him," I exclaimed, nudging her to the door. This was my everyday life, and I couldn't ask for more.
Three years later, the building that Matt had made was thriving more than ever. A couple people had decided to stay, rebuilding the space that some lived for so long. We decided to name it the Patre Manor, after Matt's last name. At the end of the battle, most of it was in flames, or torn to the ground. Edmund, Elle, Paul, Dalton, the two little girls and I. Gertrude left her little granddaughters, determined to find her husband again and beg for him back. The girls weren't too upset about it, they liked the little tasks. Bella, the younger one was very independent, but refused to take anything unless her sister got the same. She was the creative one, always making up bogus stories that never failed to make my day. My favorite one was about this little gummy bear that traveled to a foreign country, determined to make it big in the acting business. I believe that she said the country was named "Gummybear-opolis." Original, right? The other one, Daphne, was strong, sturdy. She was also the more strategic one. She would spend hours in the yard, climbing up trees and trying to find new vantage points on stalking her friends. Together, they were unstoppable. With Bella's absurd ideas on where to hide, and Daphne's amazing ability on climbing on everything, they could rule the world. Of course, I wouldn't tell them that, though. They might start trying to take over the manor.
Dalton was back to normal, going only as Dalton. We often looked back on our terror filled adventures as little journeys that changed our lives. We lived our life as normal as we could. I still had trouble processing the fact that my brother was still alive, and not dead in the old house. But every time I looked at him, it reminded me. It reminded me on how lucky I was. Even if my parents were dead, I still had him. I still had a piece of my past before everything went haywire. I accidentally called him Damien on occasions, and he just chuckles, reminding me that the person I was talking to didn't actually exist. He wasn't lined up for U of O, he wasn't a lacrosse player, and the mom he was talking about that made the irresistible apple pie was our mother. He insisted that the only reason I didn't like it was because I hadn't tried hers.
Edmund was as crazy as always, constantly getting on Bella and Daphne's nerves, and on mine at times. The old man always meant well though, even if it was a little overwhelming. He made a custom shooting range in a corner of the forest so that was free to shoot without accidentally hitting one of us. His accent began to fade, which upset me. I told him that he needed to go back home for a while in the near future so that he wouldn't completely lose it. He just laughed, shaking his head. He didn't like home, he claimed. He liked it here, with us. In a sense, this was home to him.
I finally understood what Elle was capable of. She was a master con artist. She told me that she was the one that taught Alice everything she knew. She was alone when she was younger, even before the Shadows started following her. Her parents abandoned her on a person's doorstep when she was only three days old, and when she was old enough to run away from that person's house, she did. She was keen on finding her birth parents and smacking them upside the head. She often had to bribe information from people, and lying quickly became second nature. She reassured me that I was "too cool" to play tricks on, so she left me alone. Dalton got a lot of banter from her though. They were pretty close. She taught him simple little tricks that could allow him to pocket a few extra cents here and there. He seemed to enjoy it, it was something different.
Alice and Beckett were buried directly outside, a makeshift gravestone telling us who was who. I always honored them for having their life taken from them to keep mine going, even if they had no clue why they died. I knew, and that's all that mattered. We also made a grave for Matt, although there wasn't a body in the grave. I sat in front of all three of those stones every single day, thanking them for all they did for me. Bella liked to join, sitting in my lap, or braiding my hair while I sat silently. She also spoke to them, telling them random stories like they could actually hear her. It was her way of coping, I guess. She was especially close to Matt, he was a form of safe haven for her. She was always happiest when they talked. When we informed her that he was gone, she was heartbroken. She cried for days, refusing to accept that he wasn't coming back. He would call his name all around the house, asking every person that passed by if they knew where he was. They either pointed outside to his grave, or just looked down in mourning. It took her a few months, but she finally got the hint, and every morning and every night, she'll hug his gravestone, and give it a kiss. She talks to his most often, telling him about her day. I found it cute, but it hurt me to see her miss him like that so much.
Crazy Bob. How should I describe him? Well... He was.... crazy. He hadn't changed much, but got this one guy to give him a chicken suit. I don't know how he got it, and I don't need to know. He's happy with it, and that's all that matters. He struts around in it all day, startling people that pass by him. He puts on a little show each night for the younger ones, and they seem to love it. I even watch it on occasion. It's pretty good, actually. Not my style though. He's calmed down a little bit, pouring his entire personality into that chicken suit. I wouldn't be surprised if he was convinced that he was actually a chicken. I've considered checking him into a mental ward a couple times, but treasured his unique character too much to let him go.
We went back to the cave. I took the girls, and they were convinced that picking flowers and spreading them all over. So we spent a couple hours one day picking daisies and dandelions to spread along the hallways. We got there, and the girls were super excited to spread their cheer along the darkness. I managed to remember every turn, and found my way pretty easily. I opened the window, called Mr. EyeSeeAll as loud as I could, and he listened. Before I knew it, it had taken up most of the space in my room , but was just looking at all of us. I thought that it would scare the girls, but I was dead wrong. They jumped up on it's back, climbing on top of his head, and squealing with excitement. It was docile, blinking at me, waiting for his next command. I told him to stay and watch the girls while I went and retrieved Spot. I fell down the cave, knowing that I was somewhat safe when I hit the bottom. I got to the bottom, and had to take a minute, feeling a little nostalgic. This was a little part of Hell for me, but for some reason, I could only see the good in it. I realized that now, The spider-crab and Spot could be free, living their life out of this cramped space where they could barely breathe. Now, they could act as actual pets that were loved. After I took a small trip down memory lane, I swam down, got to Spot's playroom, and prayed that he remembered me, and hoped that he was even still alive. I got there, and was immediately greeted by a gigantic tongue right in my face. He had a little scar in the center of his forehead from the horrible crime that I had to commit, but it didn't seem to affect him very much anymore. He definitely remembered me. He hopped up and down, eager to resume our play session which was so harshly stopped. I hopped on his back, told him to swim down the cave, and he somehow found a way to climb up the tunnel. We reached the others. The girls loved them even more than the spider-crab, hugging Spot's legs, glued to them. The dog licked them, excited for a new playmate. We struggled to bring them back to the surface, but when we did, something incredible happened. When they touched the ground outside of the cave, they turned. Mr.EyeSeeAll turned into a hand sized tarantula with a crab's shell on it's butt, and Spot turned from a giant, intimidating beast of a dog to a German Shepherd puppy, barely coming up to my knee. They're now the Manor's pets.
Everything's going well here, now. Nothing bad has happened, we're all closer than ever, and The Troubled are gone. After three years, I've figured out that leading a normal life was impossible for me, because deep down, that's not what I want. I couldn't ask for better people in my life, and if all of the loss I had to go through lead me to this, then I feel a little better about those losses. Don't get me wrong, I honor them everyday, and am beyond proud to have called them my friends at one point, but if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be where I am today. If it weren't for The Troubled invading my life, I don't know where I'd be right now. The life that I would've lead is completely foreign to me. And I wouldn't ask for it any other way. I'm not going to say "The End," because really, it's just the beginning of a very complex, very joyful life ahead of us. The rest is just up to your imagination.