The epilogue ended up being about 20,000 words, so I felt the need to split it in to two parts. Whoops! Part 2 won't be as long as a wait, promise! :)

"Nervous?" Michael asked me. He sat behind the wheel of his car, while I was in the passenger seat. I fiddled with my backpack's zipper. It was my first time returning to school since everything happened.

Most of my recovery happened during winter break, fortunately, but I did take an extra week off just to give myself more time to adjust. I needed to practice walking with my prosthetic, and I had to get used to wearing gloves on my hands to conceal my burn scars. I still had to take medication to stop my aching, but it was getting better.

"Do I have to? Can't you just homeschool me?" I asked, half-joking. Michael chuckled and shook his head.

"It'll be fine," he assured me. "Text me if you need anything." Michael had given me my first phone after everything. Mom wanted to wait until I was thirteen, but he thought it'd be safer if I got one now.

I took a deep breath and opened the car door, taking a slow step out until I'd reached the ground. I swung my backpack over my shoulder and closed the door. I was making my way through the pavement of the sidewalk when Michael yelled out to me.

"Gregory! Aren't you forgetting something?" he said, and I turned around to face him. I had no idea what I was possibly forgetting, but he put up his hands and formed a heart with his fingers and thumbs. I groaned, turning back around so that I could run up the stairs, but he honked the horn of his car and yelled at me again.

I spun around, this time my face feeling red from embarrassment. I felt like everyone's eyes were on me. I walked backwards as I returned the heart-shaped gesture slyly, trying to conceal my hands from the other students so that they wouldn't judge me too harshly. Michael had a look of satisfaction on his face, and he drove away. He had to get to the warehouse; they'd been making renovations to it recently.

It had been so long since I stepped on school grounds, almost a whole month in fact. The building itself felt as if it was looming over me. I hesitantly walked up the rest of the steps and into the main corridor.

It was as loud as I remember. I tried to ignore the amount of other students in the hallways and just make my way to my first class, even if I'd be incredibly early. It was quieter in there, especially before class started.

The door was wide open which told me my teacher was early as well. There were a few of my classmates as well, but I paid them no mind. I sauntered into the back while she waved at me, and I gave her a weak smile and sat down in my seat. I placed my backpack next to my feet and zipped it open.

" Bowtie ?" I whispered-yelled when I saw it. I didn't pack it into my bag, so what the hell was it doing here?

"Hi!" it greeted, and I shoved my hand over its mouth to try to shut it up. Of course, that didn't stop its voice box from being able to play sounds.

I already felt like everyone had my eyes on me, so I sunk down beneath my desk to talk to it. "You can't be here, my teachers will freak if they see you!" I told it.

"Relax," Bowtie said quietly, "I'm just here to make sure everything goes well. I won't make a sound!"

"You're making sound now!" I argued. It motioned zipping its mouth shut with its paw. Then, it was silent, minus the faint fan noise it made, and it moved around as if it were playing charades.

"Fine, whatever, just stay quiet," I said, and I shoved it back into my backpack and zipped it up. Being the kid who went missing was bad enough, I didn't need to be the one who brought their toys to school, too. I slowly got up from my spot beneath my desk and back onto my chair, shrinking in place as I prayed no one saw that.

My teacher, Ms. Kay, noticed my irregular movement and got up to approach me. I groaned in my head, but I tried to act civil so as to not make her mad.

"Gregory, how have you been?" she asked me, sitting down in the seat next to me. There was still a few minutes before class started, so she was going to use this time to check up on me and dump whatever I missed.

"Fine," I said simply, trying to avoid eye contact.

"I know this past month has been hard," she said, attempting to console me, "but don't worry too much. I'll make sure you get back on track."

"Uh huh," I sighed. To be honest, I didn't really care about my schoolwork.

"And if for whatever reason you need to step outside, just go ahead," she said. I just nodded. I knew she was trying to be accommodating, but it felt embarrassing. The school faculty of course knew about my disappearance, and the students no doubt heard about it as well. I didn't want any of the attention that'd bring me. I just wished everything would return back to normal.

The warning bell rang, and other students began to trickle in. My teacher let me be and I leaned back in my chair, relieved. The seats next to me were filled by other students, and I shifted uncomfortably as I prayed that they'd leave me alone. I opened up my backpack and was greeted by Bowtie's face once again. I rolled my eyes and searched for my notebooks and pulled them out, but Bowtie clung onto my notepads and came out of my backpack with it. I glared at it as it silently giggled, and I tore it away from my books and tried to put it back in my backpack. It jumped out of my grasp and climbed up my desk chair and onto my lap.

I was so annoyed, but I kept in my criticisms and let it rest there. Besides, it wasn't making sound, and that was what I had asked of it. Of course it found that loophole. I got weird looks from the kids sitting next to me, but after a few minutes of class, the suspicion passed and I was able to completely forget about Bowtie for a while.

That didn't last long, though, and one of my classmates dropped their pencil and it rolled underneath my desk. I leaned down to grab it, but Bowtie hopped out of my lap faster than I could and picked it up. It scurried across the floor and climbed up my classmate's desk and dropped it on their desk, saluting a swift goodbye and jumping off to return to my lap. I glared at it, but it motioned locking its lips, silently saying it was quiet.

My classmate stared at me with awe, and I chuckled nervously before awkwardly hiding my face between my arms. They put their hand up and waited for Ms. Kay to call on them. Shit , I didn't even last one class.

After Ms. Kay called on them, they shouted, "Gregory brought a..." they paused as they tried to come up with what Bowtie actually was, "a remotely controlled bunny to school!"

All eyes on me. I shrunk into my chair, but Bowtie climbed onto the top of my desk to announce its presence to the class. I heard a couple awes of excitement, but that didn't stop me from feeling so ashamed.

"I'm not remotely controlled, I've got an AI, get it right!" Bowtie yelled, breaking its promise.

There were whispers and murmurs of enthusiasm, and Ms. Kay walked through the aisles of desks to get closer to me. I grabbed Bowtie and hugged it tight, preparing to run. I wasn't going to let her confiscate it, even if I had to bolt out of here.

She put her hand on my desk and asked, "Where'd you get such a thing?"

"Oh, uhm," I stammered, "I got it at the pizzaplex."

"Fascinating. So it's a toy?" she said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it–" I tried to apologize, but she put her hand up to stop me.

"It's wonderful. It can be like the class mascot!" she said. I couldn't believe she didn't seem to care.

"Oh, mascot! That's so much better than a pet!" Bowtie yelled sarcastically, but Ms. Kay didn't get the hint.

She let my classmates speak to it for a while before she had to resume class. She allowed Bowtie to move around the room freely, saying that the mascot deserved to know the classroom just as much as we did. Bowtie seemed to really enjoy the freedom, but once class ended I quickly picked it up.

"I knew there was nothing to worry about," Bowtie said with a grin.

"Fine, Ms. Kay didn't have a problem with you, but Mr. Sellers certainly will," I said, trying to shove it back into my backpack. It fought against me, but once I reached the bottom of the bag I let go and zipped it shut.

He was my science teacher, and he was relentlessly mean. He hated me, but it wasn't that I felt targeted. He hated everyone equally. It was even more annoying than most teachers, though, because he'd act all high and mighty as if he wasn't causing anyone stress. I sometimes think he became a teacher just so he could get away with yelling at people.

I leaned into my backpack so that Bowtie could hear. "And I'm serious, please don't come out during Mr. Sellers class," I begged. I couldn't see it, so I just had to hope it heard and promised to do as I asked.

I got myself situated and started making my way down the hall. People were already inside my next class, so I just quietly took a seat in the back once again. Anything that didn't bring much attention to me.

Mr. Sellers had his eyes on me from the moment I walked in, but I tried not to let it bother me. I put down my backpack once again to my feet and let out a sigh as the bell rang, indicating that class had officially started.

Mr. Sellers waited for the late kids to arrive. Since this was a science class, our desks were now tables that we shared with some other people. I tried to sit at a table that didn't have many people around it often. In the end, one person sat next to me, which is incredibly lucky.

Mr. Sellers looked like he had something important to say and he wanted everyone present. That didn't ease my anxiety.

"I'm not sure if you all remember," Mr. Sellers said once most of the seats were filled, "but we talked about the discovery of the rat king in the sewers, right?"

I froze. Michael and I had found it. I didn't think anyone else would've come across it, unless, did Michael report it? He was pretty ecstatic to find it.

"They found it beneath the pizzaplex, after it burned and the place was scavenged," he continued. He was staring right at me. I didn't know how much about my case was public, but I guess this was well known? I should search my name later and find out how much is out there.

"Gregory, you were at the pizzaplex, weren't you?" he said loudly. My heart dropped to my stomach, but I tried not to let his intensity scare me. Now I saw what he was doing. He was always an asshole, but was this really necessary? Calling me out like this... I honestly even doubted that they had talked about it previously. He probably just heard "pizzaplex" and decided it'd be a fun way to mess with me.

Everyone else had already begun to stare at me. I was quiet for a moment, but when I realized my silence was a victory for him, I swallowed my fear and let out my words.

"Yeah," I said, trying to sound confident, "and I saw it."

Mr. Sellers seemed surprised. He probably expected me to stay quiet or say that I didn't know what he was talking about. "Did you now?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Do tell."

I gripped my jeans, not wanting to recall it. It was gross.

"I... saw them in the sewers... There were five of them. Their tails were tied together," I muttered. A realization clicked in my head.

I remember when Michael and I came across it, it felt out of place, but at the time, I didn't know what to make of it. Now I understand. It's not real. Vanny must have forged it and placed it there. She knew we were going to go through there, as it was the only way in at the time.

It wasn't evidence of a phenomenon. It was a message. A warning, maybe. I wouldn't have understood it, so it must've been for Michael.

"Gregory!" Mr. Sellers yelled, and I jolted back to reality. He had an image of it displayed on the projection. It looked as if it had been embalmed for the sake of preserving it. I tried not to gag.

"Uhm... yes?" I asked. I heard some of my classmates snicker at me. I must've missed something.

"Sorry, I just find it hard to believe that you saw this," he admitted. He had this nefarious grin across his face. Did he enjoy torturing me like this?

"I... I think it's inconsiderate to put up their image," I muttered.

"It's just some rodents," he told me.

"They're not just rodents," I said, straightening up my back. "They were living beings. Rats live in packs, so they must have been friends. Do you know what it's like to die at the hands of friends?"

"It's not that deep," Mr. Sellers said, chuckling a bit. "It's just not every day where we see an example of such a strange occurrence."

I stood up and slammed my hands on the table. "Their suffering is not for your amusement!" My classmates were staring at me with bewilderment, but I didn't care.

"You misunderstand," he said, "it's not that I enjoy seeing the dead carcasses of rats tied together. It's that it's interesting to study." Mr. Sellers didn't even look the slightest bit angry at me for raising my voice. Instead, it was like he was basking in my misery.

I wasn't talking about the rats anymore. "They died terrified out of their minds, and you just want to study them?" I yelled. I know, it's normal for humans to study and observe animals, but William... He had Cassidy and her friends killed for the sake of his studies, if you could even call it that. "Do you think they got the chance to tell each other their goodbyes as they died? Do you think the one that got them all stuck felt guilty? You can't just show them off at an exhibit and call it preserving their memory! They deserved so much more than to die scared and alone and unable to get away."

I knew Cassidy felt so much guilt when she died. I felt guilty, too, even if it happened years before I was ever born. If only they could coordinate with one another better, they would have been able to escape. They died covered in each other's blood, their souls bounding together until they were indistinguishable.

"Well, at least they had each other," Mr. Sellers said, and he motioned for me to sit back down. I felt the blood drain out of my face from that comment. They did have each other, but each other wasn't enough.

I sat down, hiding my face from the others as they giggled. The kid next to me nudged my arm. "What was that about?" he asked me.

"I-I don't want to talk about it," I said

"Well, you might have to," he said, and he pointed to someone across the room. He had his phone out, the camera aiming at me. I groaned and let my head hit the table out of both frustration and embarrassment. I just hoped that the video wouldn't go too viral. So long as the principal or Michael never saw it, then I didn't care what he did with it.

"Uhm... I thought it was interesting," the kid next to me said, trying to console me.

"Whatever," I muttered. I just had to survive the next fifty minutes.

I spent my classes staring at the clock, desperately waiting for time to move faster. I just wanted to get out of here. It took too long for lunch to arrive, but when it did, I wasn't sure what to do. I opened my backpack on my lap when we were left alone in my classroom so that I could talk with Bowtie.

"Oh, lunch! Are you hungry?" it asked me.

"No," I replied, tapping my hand on my desk.

"Hmm... you look bored," it said.

"I am. I just want this day to be over," I said desperately.

"Don't say that, the day just started!" it said excitedly. It looked around, trying to get the lay of the land. "What do you normally do during lunch?" Bowtie asked.

"Uhm... robotics club," I replied. It technically didn't meet every lunch, but there was always a small group inside that classroom that I'd loosely call friends.

"Perfect. Let's go there," Bowtie said. I sighed, but I got up and dragged my feet along to the science sections, eventually making my way to the classroom.

When I opened the door, instead of them talking amongst each other, I was greeted by a loud shout, "Welcome back, Gregory!" and a confetti pop. The confetti landed on the floor, creating a big mess. The whiteboard had silly illustrations of the members with the same chant, and they came around and surrounded me. They spewed out hundreds of questions, and I could barely make out any of it.

"What happened?" Isaac, who's technically the club's president, asked me.

"Were you kidnapped?" Tyler said.

"My mom said you died!" Jay declared.

I couldn't follow along anymore. That pop had transported me back to that moment between Vanny and Vanessa, how she shielded me before being shot in the back. I watched her blood spill from her chest, splattering on me, and her eyes roll into the back of her head before she collapsed on top of me. Vanny's laughter ceased, and her grin faltered, but her face shone so brightly that I could see every detail, including the mark that Michael left on her.

"No, no no!" I repeated. I couldn't tell if I was still in that moment or if I was back in the classroom. The club members' faces all looked at me with worried eyes, but each time I glanced at them, I was greeted with the face of one of the five kids. They looked just like them, but I couldn't tell if they truly did or if I was just imagining it.

My heartbeat rose and my breathing became erratic. Someone touched my shoulder in an attempt to bring me back to reality, but I shoved them away and shouted, "Don't touch me!"

"Calm down!" someone told me. I think it was Isaac.

"I-I can't! Where am I?" I shrieked. The classroom and the burnt pizzeria were merging into one another. The decorations on the walls peeled off and fell to the floor, revealing the charred walls underneath. I swore I could see Vanny's shadow looming over me.

"Mr. Eaton's classroom!"

I tried to imagine the classroom, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see it. I felt like everything was crumbling around me.

"Gregory! Take a deep breath," someone instructed me. I tried, but my lungs were moving too erratically to control. I knelt down, feeling like I couldn't stand straight. Someone sat beside me, and they demonstrated the deep breaths. I looked up at them. It was Mr. Eaton.

I mirrored his actions, inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth. I got too much air the first time and I had to let go of my breath a bit early, but I eventually was steady. The classroom looked like a classroom again, everyone's faces were clear, and that shadow was gone.

"Don't... don't do that again!" I shouted, pointing up at the club members who were surrounding me.

"Okay, okay! Sorry," Isaac apologized. Mr. Eaton got up and offered me a hand. I didn't want to take it; the gloves on my hands would be too noticeable then, but he still had his hand out after time passed, so I sucked it up and accepted it.

Mr. Eaton turned to the club members. "I thought I told you no confetti," he said.

"But then it's not as fun," Jay complained. Mr. Eaton scoffed and faced me again, gently taking hold of my arm and leading me to one of the stools by the sinks. He knelt down to the cabinets, opening it. Inside was a secret stash of water bottles, and he handed one of them to me.

I wished more of my teachers had stashes like that. It'd be nice. I wished I had Mr. Eaton instead of Mr. Sellers for science class. Maybe then I'd be more interested in it.