This.
And for the first time in my life…
I’m not waiting for the next impact.
Final Epilogue
Lark
Location: Northern California Coast
Time: Six Months Later
The house is small.
On purpose.
Glass on one side.
Ocean on the other.
No fences.
No secrets.
I sit on the porch, laptop closed, watching Aaron try—and fail—to convince a neighbor’s dog that waves aren’t a threat.
He’s losing.
Badly.
But he refuses to admit it.
I smile.
The world is still loud.
Still messy.
Still complicated.
But not hidden.
Not the way it was.
Now—
people are watching.
Systems are visible.
And nothing moves in the dark without resistance.
Because there are people like me.
And people like him.
He comes back up the steps and drops into the chair beside me.
