We took the day to recover. Elissabat called off her vampires and sent them back to the palace until she had further word for them. They complied so easily—almost giddily. It sent a shudder down my spine, watching them. They planned to kill us moments ago. Elissabat shut herself in her room, and I had a feeling I wouldn't be hearing from her in a long time.

Since then, Spectra gave me Nefera's confession tape, and I placed it in my pocket. The only ones not awake slept, most sprawled out onto couches and carpets instead of their own beds.

No one knew what to say about the lantern in my hands until Gigi finally came down from the stairs.

She held an iCoffin out for us to see. "There's something you should know."

Lagoona stepped forward and squinted. "Whisp called you?"

Gigi nodded. "Valentine used a wish to contact me."

"What about the one before that?" I asked.

She scrutinized the lantern. "For that."

Cleo eyed it. "So... my sister's the genie now?"

"Yes," Gigi said.

I sighed, feeling the weight in my pocket. "I have something to tell you, too." I surveyed the surrounding group. Those not tending to others looked to me with wide-eyed exhaustion, and I fished the tape out. "Elissabat had Nefera confess. This is where she recorded it."

Robecca peered over my shoulder. "We better be certain, shouldn't we?"

I agreed, and she, Rochelle, Cleo, Gigi, and Heath joined me upstairs. Gigi breathed deep when she pressed play.

The video began the same way Nefera was only minutes ago. A bruised face and a tangled mess of teal hair.

Cleo let out an echoing gasp in the quiet room.

Then Nefera's mouth croaked open, and she told the story from the beginning. From when she became the genie's finder to the destruction of Monster High, to her rise to power. Nefera's confession loud and clear on a wide theater screen.

Everything they had hoped for, yet only six monsters here to witness it. Now, we had to see that all their trouble was worth it for them; for Venus.

The video concluded with Nefera's face on the screen, angry and even a little sad. And maybe, just maybe, a hint of remorse.

Heath was the first to speak. "Looks like the real deal to me. I'll tell the others."

"Wait." I caught his shoulder. "We want to play this safe, remember?"

He shrugged me off and crossed his arms. "What are we supposed to do with the tape in the meantime? Burn it?" Fire lit up in his eyes.

"We do not burn it," Cleo said. "We keep it safe, right Frankie?"

I nodded. "We find a way to give this information to the world in the safest way possible. Cleo," she raised her eyebrows when I looked at her, "do you think you could hold on to it?"

Her mouth formed into a thin line, and she held out her hand. "Nefera royally messed up, but she's my sister. No one can out her without my permission first."

Gigi handed the tape to Cleo, and she took it as if Nefera herself were inside.

Heath sighed and looked around the room. "No one tells the others. At least not everything."

"We must tell them something." Rochelle scoffed. "Nefera isn't here and Elissabat isn't eager to take her place."

"She's right," Robecca said. "Elissabat may be hiding now, but who's to say she won't eventually tell everyone that we took her guarantee to the throne? What should we tell them?"

"Tell them we did it." I looked at the lantern in my hands, my knuckles white. "Tell them it's over."

-.-.-.-

We slept the day away and left the mansion that night. Gil drove the bus for Cleo, Lagoona, and I. Gigi insisted on seeing Whisp and tagged along.

The drive passed by too fast and as if time hadn't existed at all, like moving through clay. Gil called out that we made it, and one by one we stepped off the bus.

"Looks just like we left it, huh, Frankie?" Lagoona said with a sad smile.

Monster High loomed before us like a crumpled heap of leaves in the pale gray sky.

"This is Monster High?" Cleo stammered. I don't think I'd ever seen her at a loss for words. She stared at the dead grass at her feet in disgust and resolution etched into her face like stone.

Gigi stared at the iCoffin. She gripped it in her hands. "They said they'd be here."

Two forms appeared in the distance; two pairs of red eyes. Gigi rushed toward them, and I followed while the others stayed back.

Valentine looked the same as ever, but somehow a little less pale. Whisp donned a darker look; hair and skin a deep purple covered in intricate tattoos. Her shadow form.

Gigi embraced her without faltering. "I was so worried when you disappeared. I'm so glad you're safe."

Whisp laughed, hoarse and shaky. She pulled back. "I'm okay. All thanks to him." Whisp sent a gentle smile toward the vampire leaning over her shoulder, and he sent one back.

Gigi crossed her arms. "Uh huh."

I gritted my teeth. If only Valentine had been on our side sooner.

"We're thinking of traveling." Whisp clasped her hands together with a wide grin.

Her sister pulled her close. She cast wary eyes at Valentine. "Whisp, I think that's a great idea, but not for him."

"He needs to answer for what he's done." Lagoona strode to my side and crossed her arms, glaring daggers at the vampire. The wind brushed her braid off her neck, revealing her red scar.

Valentine looked down. "I know you won't like this, but Whisp and I—"

"Whisp and you what?" I bristled, and he jumped. The image of Lagoona weakening in Valentine's grip flashed in my mind. Despite the clouds in the sky, the heat of the sun the day we buried Venus still burned onto my back. "You can't bite one of our friends then kill another and expect a vacation."

His red eyes rounded, but in them was no mind-controlling glow. No familiar sneer formed on his face. Instead, his expression softened; his shoulders slumped. He clenched his jaw and straightened. "Fine then. I'll do what I have to."

Whisp opened her mouth, but then she looked at him and swallowed. "If he has to pay, then so do I."

"No." I gestured. "You're not responsible for what Nefera did."

Her red eyes glanced at the lantern. It hadn't left my side since I first found it. "So that's her in there?"

I nodded, and a slow grin spread across her face. "Good." She looked up at Valentine, who wouldn't meet her gaze. She bit her lip and faced Lagoona. "It's okay if we keep in contact, right?"

Lagoona sighed. "I don't have the answer for that, love. Just in case... say your goodbyes now."

Valentine kept his gaze distant. Whisp tugged him a few steps away while Gigi remained close enough to give them their space. I walked to meet Lagoona.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah." She kept her eyes locked on Valentine. "The sooner we lock him up, the better."

"Do you think there's a chance for him?" I asked, knowing full well the answer.

She scoffed. "Using his last wish like that was his chance, Frankie. Now, he has to pay for everything he did wrong. He killed Venus. He deserves what he gets." She shook her head. "There's no new life for him after this. Not until there's enough of us gone, that is." She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Vampires..."

I nodded slowly. "No new life... like there is for us?"

She smiled a little at that. Lagoona glanced over her shoulder at the finned figure bobbing to music from the tour bus. "No... Not like us."

-.-.-.-

Three weeks later…

The first order of business: move everyone out of the mansion and move everything out of the camp.

As soon as we finished, we followed Elissabat to the palace—her new home. Our new home. For now.

Except for Abbey. She grabbed her pet, Shiver, and took to fixing up Bloodgood's home and making it her own. Close, but Abbey was quick to leave for some alone time.

Elissabat was frantic about her future, but I heard her talk about acting again, which meant good news for the rest of us. Yet, she needed to be the face of the city for now, because who else was going to keep Nefera's vampire army in check? It would take some time, but Elissabat assured us that they would settle down and live their dreams as she hoped to. Most of us were skeptical, but we couldn't do more than take her word.

The part Elissabat played overwhelmed her. The vampires followed her around and obeyed her every word like puppets. Our future rested on how well she pulled this off. This mask wasn't meant to fit only her, but us, the City, and monsters of the world.

We refused to leave her on her own.

Nefera may have been next in line in the De Nile family, but Cleo was always the most studious. Not that it was a surprise. Where Nefera wanted fame, Cleo wanted to do the right thing for her people.

"Not that the glamorous lifestyle wasn't a plus," she had emphasized and shrugged. "I simply didn't want to be lost." Cleo had looked solemn for a moment, then smirked. "I'll keep Elissabat in check, trust me."

We agreed, even Elissabat. Draculaura who, when she wasn't stuck to Clawd's side, was a source of reassurance to her old friend. She kept her grounded, and Cleo kept her at ease.

Elissabat gave her best performance yet when she told the city-folk what happened to their Queen. She didn't broadcast it, instead she hosted a conference in the city's town square.

It went surprisingly smooth. Elissabat had all the right answers.

"The Queen played with curse-ridden magic out of her control," she had said. She had gone on to explain Nefera's history, but many of the monsters got the idea. Her catwalk outburst that had gone viral years ago and the broadcast about swapping bodies was enough for them to be skeptical. Enough for them to connect the dots.

Spectra stated she would clarify any information on the Gory Gazette, but the crowd remained uneasy.

I half-expected a riot, but Elissabat announced there would be mayoral elections for the coming year or so, and the crowd settled. In the meantime, she'd take over. She told them not to worry and that nothing major, albeit the obvious, would change in the meantime.

It helped that Elissabat had a vampire army surrounding her, but it got the job done.

There was peace. For now. I was sure that would change in no time. The next few years would be tough ones, but they would be better ones.

Today, the palace was empty. The rooms were quiet, the community areas were jarringly sparse. It had been for a week now. I had gotten used to waking up to voices and eating with elbows jostling aside mine.

I zipped up my backpack when a knock sounded at my door. Cleo entered my room, Deuce in tow.

"Clawdeen's ready for us," she said.

I pulled my hair back and slung on my pack. A spark flew off my bolts. "Voltage. Let's go!"

We headed down the hall when Spectra darted in front of us.

"Oh. Hey guys," she crooned. She barely glanced up at us past her hair.

I took a step forward. "Are you okay?"

Spectra hovered listlessly. She shrugged.

"You look a mess," Cleo noted with a grimace. Deuce elbowed her.

"I have to go," the ghost said. She spun on her heel and muttered, "There's much to write about."

Cleo and I exchanged a glance and made our way down.

Clawdeen leaned on the rail at the bottom of the spiral staircase. The Wolf was dressed unabashedly in sporty purple leopard print from head-to-toe.

Her ears perked up. "Hey, ghouls. Deuce. You ready?"

I nodded and hopped down the last step. I pointed upstairs. "Hey, any idea on what's going on with Spectra?"

Clawdeen rolled her eyes. "Porter left today. She's moping."

Cleo shook her head. "That's it? Can't she last a day without him?"

She shrugged. "The work will keep her distracted." Her ears perked up, and she guided us down the foyer. "I hope you guys are as excited as I am! We've made loads of progress."

I grimaced. "They haven't gotten too far without us, have they?"

Clawdeen held back a smile as she led us out of the palace. "No. No. Of corpse not."

"Relax, Frankie," Deuce said from Cleo's side. "It's good if they got ahead."

I held my tongue. Weeks of holding back in the palace—knowing what was out there—had me bursting at the seams.

"Think we'll recognize it?" he asked Clawdeen.

"Yeah." She paused and considered it. "You'll know it's Monster High."

The closer we entered, the less I looked at the window. By the time we had parked, my eyes were glued to my lap.

Cleo opened the door for Deuce.

I took a breath and stepped out.

"So," Deuce asked as Cleo helped him out, "how's it look?"

Monster High loomed before us, once toppled and now tall, surrounded by scaffolding. It was a wound, no doubt. But instead of being left to fester and scar, it was being mended. Healed.

Many familiar faces flocked about the school, advising construction workers and tidying up parts of campus they knew best. Tents littered the campus; most monsters insisted to stay as the school was rebuilt. Some huddled in discussion, laughing or reminiscing.

Monster High was alive.

A smile spread across my face. "It looks perfect."

Deuce gave a gentle smile, but Cleo gaped.

"That's not descriptive at all, Frankie." She spun to face him. "Deuce, the building is barely better than collapsed but it seems it's being reconstructed. Rochelle's trying to tell a worker how to do his job. Oh, and there're monsters everywhere…"

Clawdeen had run off to meet Jinafire, who was pushing a recovering Skelita in a wheelchair. Then Draculaura threw a ball, and Clawd and Howleen collided into Clawdeen, earning them a lecture from Clawdia.

I held back a laugh and made my way toward the towering structure. I let my gaze sweep up to the top with a soft exhale, and my vision blurred. Only a skeleton of a building, and yet my heart swelled.

"Hey, Frankie!" Iris jogged to me, a large roll of paper in her hands.

She wore a ribbon at the end of her braid cut from the same t-shirt Manny wore. It was found when the school was excavated to prepare for construction. As far as I knew, she hadn't taken it off since.

I looked at my ankle at a similar shade of red cloth. When they found Hoodude's tattered jacket, Robecca, Scarah and I had split it. Someday, I'd stitch it into a jacket, like what it had once been a part of. I sighed. At least Hoodude hadn't felt any pain.

"Hey, Iris," I said, and a brief spark let off my bolts when I looked at her. "Voltageous job."

"Thanks!" She handed me the rolled-up paper. I unfurled it, and she pointed at it. "These are the blueprints for the school. It's almost exactly the same except, well, I made the observatory bigger. Just enough for the right telescope. But when I changed that, others had requests. Clawd wanted a bigger casketball court, and we had to explain why we couldn't-"

"What's this room?" I pointed at a section of the school that took up a large fraction of it.

Iris peered over the sheet. She smiled softly. "Oh, that's the greenhouse."

I smiled and handed her the blueprint. "It's perfect."

She grinned. "I knew you'd think so! I'm going to ask Cleo and Deuce now that they're back, too." Her expression faltered for a second, and she hugged me. "I'm so glad you came, Frankie." She pulled away. "We wouldn't have been able to do this without you."

I chuckled. "Sure you would've."

Her shoulders slumped, and she shook her head. Iris's eye swept across the campus. "No, we really wouldn't have." She looked at me again. "Thank you."

I smiled back, and she ran off. They only had themselves to thank. I may have sent them in certain directions since I got here, but it was their efforts—their choices to try that got us all here.

Sounds came from the inside of the school, where a large archway had been constructed. Operetta walked out while Johnny phased through the wall beside her. She groaned at him as I approached.

She smirked. "Well, hey Frankie. Fancy seein' you here."

"Hey, guys." I glanced them over. Their clothes had a slight coating to them; like dust. "What have you been up to?"

Operetta cleared her throat. "Just, er, purusin' the catacombs. They've almost finished clearin' out all the junk in there."

"Those books aren't junk," a familiar voice moaned.

I clapped my hands together as Ghoulia ambled past them, Slo-Mo traipsing at her side. The latter looked the same, but Ghoulia... Her gaunt cheeks were full, and her eyes were bright with energy. For a zombie, she looked more alive than ever. I rushed forward and gave her a hug.

"It's so good to see you." I pulled back. "You look so much better. Thank you, Slo-Mo."

"It was a team effort," he moaned with a shrug.

She clasped my hand. "I wouldn't have gotten here if the others hadn't told him about me." Ghoulia looked down. "Is Cleo here?"

I nodded. It was hard to believe that the two best friends had yet to meet again. "Walking around campus with Deuce."

She nodded and then shuffled past me. "Thank you."

I tugged her back for one last hug and she smiled her wide, lopsided smile and lumbered away.

"Do you think this place will be ready for partyin' anytime soon?" Holt brushed dust off his t-shirt as he approached Operetta and Johnny. He saw me and beamed. "Hey, Frankie Fine."

"Party?" Jackson walked in from behind me. A messy bite mark shone bright red on his neck, matching Lagoona's faded one. He crossed his arms. "Just like you to think that when we're building a school."

"Pssh." Holt waved him off and put his hands on his hips. "I say, the sooner we party, the better. Back me up, Op."

He looked to his right, but Operetta had already drifted off with Johnny, their voices raised.

"We could have a party when the school's finished?" I suggested.

"I'm okay with that," Jackson said.

"Killjoy." Toralei's voice came from above us. We looked up, and she slinked along the fresh wood of the staircase. She hopped down gracefully. "If you ask me, we should've partied the second Nefera got genied. Besides, partying during construction is, like, a rite of passage."

Holt pointed at her triumphantly. But then he slackened. "Am I agreeing with you?"

She furrowed her brows and wrinkled her nose. "Are you?"

"I know I'm not!" Jackson interjected, and the others fired back.

I shuddered. Over a month had passed, and I still wasn't used to seeing Jackson and Holt together. I backed out the conversation and ran into Heath. The load of wood in his hands tumbled to the floor.

"Sorry, Frankie," he said. "I'm trying to help without burning anything."

"Wood may not be the best choice, then." I knelt to help him. "Looks like you have things under control."

"Yeah, you'd think." He grinned sheepishly and looked around the expanse of the room. Something between excitement and awe overtook his sharp features. His hair lit up, and he sighed. "You have no idea what a relief this is. I'm way too fired up." He scooped up the planks, hair still alight, and hefted them up. "Thanks, Frankie! Gotta go!"

He zoomed off. I winced and held back a laugh. For once since waking to this new world, I truly hoped he wouldn't burn something.

I took a few steps down the newly built stone steps, and Abbey stood near the entrance.

She glanced up. "Hey, Frankie."

"Hey." I pulled her in for a brisk hug. "Isn't this wonderful?"

Her tusks shown with her smile. "It is." Abbey looked at me for a moment, then pulled me in for another hug. "Am so glad I found you in snow that day."

I hugged her back, then pulled away. "Me too, Abbey."

She sniffed. "If not for you, never would have left mountain. At least willingly."

I giggled and glanced around the campus. "Wanna explore with me? I could use a guide."

"Of course." She strode ahead with a skip in her step. "Something you should see."

The smell of fresh-cut grass overtook the air as I followed Abbey onto the lawn. A group of monsters gathered around where other monsters landscaped near the gates.

Abbey stopped once we made it to them, and she nodded toward the group. I peered over the shoulders to see Gil and Lagoona watering some plants. Lagoona noticed me and smiled.

"Hey Lagoona," I called. "How's your family?"

"Good." She ran the watering can along a cluster of plants. "Kelpie somehow managed to keep everyone afloat. And my brothers have gotten so big, I hardly recognize them." She sent me a soft smile. "Thanks for asking, love."

I returned her smile, and she knelt at one plant a couple of steps away. I gasped.

Lagoona caught my eyes with a grin. "It was Rochelle's idea." She glanced at the plant at her feet. "She would've liked it here, don't ya think?"

I was quiet for a moment too long before I sent her an empathic nod and knelt by Venus's sprout. It had grown in the past few weeks; taller, stronger, and greener than ever. And, like everything else today, it looked vibrant and joyous.

Alive.

I lingered at the growing sprout before I got off my knees. A breeze came our way, cooling the summer heat. I welcomed it with closed eyes, and then I took a look around.

Across the way, Robecca appeared from the tomb elevator, covered in soot. She must have been down in her father's lab. Most of the headstones were repaired, but amidst them stood stones such a light gray that they were almost white.

The remains of our friends were buried right here, and they faced the school. I swallowed and I held my hand to my pounding heart. The wind died down, and I took a last glance at Venus's sprout as the sun prepared to sink.

Monsters ran about the towering half-built structure and, for a moment, the sun sat behind it. All that was left was its silhouette. I choked back a laugh. Suddenly, I was fifteen days old again, staring up at the school that would become my home.

The moment passed with the sun, and monsters called one another for dinner as the construction crew finished for the day. The same raggedy, almost-there building stood in its place, as bare-boned as it was only a moment ago.

But still standing. Still strong.

The monsters gathered at the quad around Heath. He handed them sandwiches from inside a cooler. Deuce stood behind it with a proud Cleo on his arm.

Abbey walked to my side. "Looks like Heath finally learning something from Deuce."

Deuce couldn't see and Heath couldn't cook. "They found a way to help each other," I mused.

Abbey hummed in agreement. Our friends filled the courtyard, and we were the only ones left on the outskirts.

"Suppose we must join them..." Abbey said timidly, and when I looked at her, she smiled from ear to ear. She left before I could answer. Heath's hair lit up the second he saw her and swept her up into his arms.

I giggled and followed after her.

Soon I was caught up in the group, everyone chatting and in high spirits; together in a way that was so familiar both in this world and the one five years ago. The grief I saw in them replaced the innocence I'd known them for.

But now there was something new. It was in their eyes, their smiles, and the laughter that rang out at almost every moment.

And for the first time, everything felt right.