36

Epilogue

Accusations plagued the weeks following Ashworth's fall. The police promised thorough investigations but soon claimed to not find a single trace of evidence incriminating one side or the other. It came down to a war of attrition: whoever could come up with the most reasons that the other side was responsible. When a suspicion arose that the school bribed the police to dispose of whatever evidence they found, keeping to the theme of not being a hero, the students kept quiet and allowed the case to go cold.

Most of the teachers stayed in the profession and got jobs at other schools. Their success without both the overwhelming violence and the laidback restrictions set by the administration poisoning their minds was unknown. Some fell short in obtaining new jobs. A select few even saw jail time for failing drug tests among other things.

As for the students, they were sent to a high school nearby. Some failed most of their classes and were forced to drop out now that their grades were based on knowledge and performance and not on bribes or the other methods teachers had formerly used. Other students flourished under the new equality. Many went to college and led normal lives, among them Rex Fitzroy.

Rex got average grades in his last year and got into college on a scholarship. He played football and when he graduated, married his cheerleader girlfriend of three years. He got an office job and they had three children. His wife was aware that he had gone to Ashworth but all she knew of it was that he was doing something outside when it caught on fire and his girlfriend died. That's all anyone knew when they heard about Ashworth: that it burned. They were not aware of all the evil that had been scorched with it.

Bunny Caulfield went to college and even went into politics. She began as a journalist but her male colleagues' harassment drove her away and she began running for local offices. She never married and probably never even fell in love. Her closest friends never quite saw her smile. They supposed she was not meant to be happy; she was meant to be great. And greatness was what she achieved in her life.

Grant Leach moved out of his parents' house on his eighteenth birthday. He was one of the students who did not flourish at the new school. Like Bunny, he was not meant to be happy. But he was also not meant for greatness. Little is known about his life. After his tragic death of an overdose (whether it was an accident or suicide remains to be seen) at the age of forty-one, his few friends said he was a suspicious and defensive man. He would never let anyone hurt him, even if they never intended to.

Dulcie Wyatt and Todd Wright mutually ended their relationship the summer before their sophomore year. Dulcie had always thought the lack of danger and the reliance they had on each other bored them. They agreed to remain friends though it was a shaky companionship. They had no friends in common and neither made an effort to see each other. They were ultimately reduced to a simple "hello" as they passed in the hallways. When they had classes together, they sat beside each other and collaborated but it was under strict scholastic terms. Senior year, Todd ran for class president, precipitating the tragic end to the two freshmen who met in detention and continued to fight their battles together. There was hope for them at first. Dulcie wrote articles that promoted him in the school newspaper. She helped him make campaign posters. But then he got elected. Todd was a charmer and although he never changed, he got swept away by the sudden rush of popularity. That year they only had math class together but the workload was too much for Dulcie and she was forced to drop down. Their schedules then became so different that they never saw each other except in a chance meeting. At school assemblies, she always looked for him. He was always sitting with his friends. She was sitting with hers but she stared at him. One time he actually looked back at her while he was surveying the auditorium. She looked away awkwardly, afraid he knew she was staring.

Todd followed in Rex Fitzroy's footsteps: college, marriage, kids, office job. Dulcie majored in creative writing and became an English teacher. She married a coworker and had a son. Yet in this midst of the mediocrity she felt she was surrounded by, she was writing. She was even published with a teen fiction series.

Dulcie kept writing and kept racking up the success but there was one book she always wanted to write. But of course she couldn't write it out of her mind alone. She did some tracking and found an old friend of hers. He was more than happy to invite her over and even more excited about what it was for.

"I've never seen someone so excited about that school," a thirty-nine-year-old Todd Wright said.

Dulcie giggled. "I just want to write something that acts like a calling to everyone else who went there and lets them know we're all still around. And we've won."

"Did we?"

"I think we did. I don't need any new investigations. I want to write this just for the students. I even think we should change the school's name so no one gets any ideas. I was thinking we call it Ashworth; it foreshadows the fact that it burns to the ground."

"So everyone who reads it will think it's fiction but those who experienced it will know."

"Exactly."

"We're going to write about the two freshmen who kicked butt, right?"

"No," she giggled. "I was think we write it from the point of view of two students from each class. And they're all from different ends of the social ladder."

"I suppose that's more realistic. But if we're going to do that then I might as well tell you there's a guy at my office who went there. He was a senior when we were freshmen. You might not remember his name but he dated Pam Goode up until she died and then he dated Temperance Duke until her death. His name's Rex."

Her eyes lit up at the sound of Pam's and Temperance's names. "I remember them; and I remember him too. I would love to talk to him and get his perspective."

"And do you think we could call Berenice Caulfield?" Todd asked.

"The senator?"

"Yeah, she was a junior. She led Chess Club."

"I thought they all died in the fire."

"No she lived, the only one to live. She was the one who got me to join Chess Club in the first place, I remember."

Dulcie smiled. "I think I have the power to get in touch with her, being the published author that I am."

He laughed. "What should we call this masterpiece?"

"Well, I was thinking we could name it after the amount of students that died the year that we went. It was thirty-six."