• Drifting... Drifting...
    Falling... Falling...
    The black abyss around my falling figure carrassed my skin with such gentleness that if I could move, I would shiver with pleasure.
    Unfortunately, I had no control. My body was aimlessly drifting in a black hole of silent bliss.
    There was no light, no hope, no anything. Just silence and darkness.
    Even though I couldn't move, my emotions were working perfectly. I realized this when fear and hopelessness colored every aspect of my fragile mind.
    My fearful green eyes had been staring at the darkness for what seemed like an eternity, and my reflection was staring back at me. We were doing the same thing. Just floating silently through the black air. In a strange way, I felt like I was watching myself in a mirror. A very transparent mirror, but a mirror none the less.
    I'd stopped paying attention for quite awhile, but my attention was brought back to me when my silent abyss started to shake with a force I'd never felt. My mirror-self faded from my few as I reached to grab her, my only friend.
    What looked about 5 feet away, the black started to become lighter as if God used a giant lightbulb to punch through it. Eventually the black tore open completely to reveal a portal of light.
    I used my mind to force my body to move in a swimming motion towards the portal. To my utter amazement, it worked. Except the more I swam towards the light, the farther it got away from me. Already my arms ached from the swimming motion I was doing with my arms. Why was I swimming? Oh, yeah. It was because I realized I was drowning the whole time in a large pool of black water. Sticky, might I add. It felt more like blood rather than water. The black blood-water held my attention until I saw my light had stopped moving, so I proceeded forward.
    Almost there...
    Just a little more...
    I extended my hand to greet my beautiful, new friend until...

    -Chapter One (preview)-

    My body jerked up in my bed. My breath came out of my dry mouth in short, raspy pants of fear, amazement, and shock. Cold sweat beaded my body.
    It was such a weird dream... So unforseen and empty. It was my second time having it in the last two days, and I still didn't know what it means. Was it a sign? A message? My mind had been racing with ideas but none of them seemed logical. I couldn't even get passed the light portal that kept showing up. What was it?
    I couldn't help but let my tired, green eeys wander onto the flashing lights of my Tim Burton's: THe Nightmare Before Christmas alarm clock.
    1:15 a.m.
    I'd never get back to sleep, not after that dream. Besides, both times I've had it, I always wake up at exactly 1:15 and it takes me forever to get back to sleep.
    I can't even tell my mom about them because I see no reason to. Ever since my dad got taken away to jail after sexually abusing me, she'd think I need to see a physichiatris or something for being mentally scarred for life.
    Mom's paranoid like that.
    Either way, I fell backwards so my head bounched on my fluffy, Tim Burton's: The Corpse Bride pillow, then it settled down lightly.
    My eyes started to heave closed as sleep creeped onto my body, creating noticable goosebumps. But I couldn't go back to sleep. What if I had that nightmare again? I couldn't answer my own question. As sleep took me over, I heard a small voice of a little girl crying for her mother. It sounded so familiar.
    I didn't know what it meant, but sure enough, I'd find out at exactly 7:15 the next day.
    * * *
    I slung my bag over my shoulder as I clanced at my kitchen clock. 7:10 a.m. Perfect.
    "Bye, Mom! I love you!" I yelled as I ran out the front door while struggling to get my converse sneakers on.
    The sun was shining brightly, making me shade my eyes with my hand. As always, the streets were lined with busy, angry cars that were honking their horns so loudly that it hurt my fragile ears.
    I started to head down the sidewalk towards Spellbound High School, where I was a third year, straight A student.
    A mother walking with her small daughter caught my eye. It was Mrs. Johnson and Ashley. Ashley was smart for a three year-old, probably because her parents were the most famous and the smartest doctors on this side of the Tri-state area. As usualy, her beige thumb, which wasn't even an inch and a half long, had taken residence in her rosey lips.
    THe sign turned green so they started to cross the street as I passed them. I wasn't even fully turned around the corner when I heard Ashley's desprate cry through the noise.
    "Momma!"
    My body jerked around just in time to see a large U-Haul truck race over Mrs. Johnson neard the middle of the road as if she were an insect, but it came to an abrupt stop about 5 feet away from the body. Ashley was abou tto run into the busy street to her mother's still, lifeless body, but I was already there gripping her arm with more force than needed.
    My voice was harsher than it really needed to be. "Wait."
    The cars came to a crashing halt directly after I said it. To everyone's amazement, none of them hit the corpse laying in the middle of the road.
    When everything was still, I released my grip on Ashley's arm. She ran out into the street and got on her tiny, bare knees next to her mom. Putting her tiny hands on Mrs. Johnson's chest, Ashley began to shake her with small tears down her cheeks.
    "Momma? Momma? Come on, Momma, get up. Daddy and me need you, and so do people."
    Her tiny voice broke with sobs near the end of her plea when the corpse didn't move.
    I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Ashley was three years old and just witnessed her mother's death. The thought almost made me cry. At least she'd let go of Ashley's hand before walking.
    Why, though? Why would a beautiful, young, successful married mother of one randomly walk in front of an oncoming truck? It didn't make sense.
    At least now I didn't have to go to school. They can't expell me for watching a close friend's death. My mom was best friends with Mrs. Johnson since before I was born. Mom's going to be devastated when she hears.
    Speaking of which, my cell phone rang right on cue. I forced it out of my pocket and looked at the idea. Mom. Of course. I flipped it open and put it to my ear.
    "Hey, Mom." I said.
    "Sweetie? You forgot your lunch. Where are you? Are you at school? Or far from the house?" My mom sounded happy as a clam.
    "I'm at the corner of Watson and Barling, just down the road. Not that it matters. I'm coming back home."
    "What!? No! Get your rear end to school, young lady!"
    "No, Mom! You don't understand!"
    "Oh? WHAT don't I understand? The fact that my perfect, straight A student daughter is going to skip school?"
    "Mom! Mrs. Johnson is dead!" There was dead silence on the other line, so I continued. "I came down the street and saw them at the corner. I had my back to them as I came around the corner and I turned around when Ashley yelled for her. Then I saw a truck run her over. The police are on their way."
    It was still dead silent for the next three minutes, then my mother spoke blankly. "Get home. Now. I'll call the school."
    "Alright." I hit the end button. I turned around and went over to Ashley, crouching next to her. "Sweetie? I have to go. I'm sorry." I kissed her head gently.
    She nodded and sniffled. The poor girl. My heart ached just looking at her. I wonder what Mr. Johnson was going to do. I hope he'd remarry, even though he'd never find anyone like Mrs. Johnson. After all, she was beautiful, smart, talented, and just a generally amazing person.