I felt as if I were falling through a never-ending black hole in the ground. I don’t know how long I fell. It felt like hours had passed, or maybe it was just minutes, or even days. Suddenly, a small light appeared in the distance, and I stared at it. As I fell, I got closer and it got bigger. I fell into the light, and it burst into sparkles, shimmering around me. I fell on something hard and cold, and it knocked the air out of me. I slowly opened my eyes, and I realized that I was laying on the floor at the foot of a bed. I groaned as I sucked in a large breath of air, and then let the cold of the floor clear my mind. I gained my strength and stood up. It took me a minute to realize where I was, and then I brightened in joy for in front of me I saw a pale figure laying on the bed. I stumbled forward, and fell onto my knees beside the bed, taking one of Cori’s hand in mine. Her hand was cold, no warmth in it at all. Fear swarmed me, and I looked at her chest and waited, but it did not rise and fall as it should. I moved my hands to her wrist, and felt for even the slightest pulse, but I felt nothing. I got off my knees and leaned over to her face, placing my hand lightly on her forehead, and using my thumb to pull back her eyelid. Her eyes were glazed over, looking into space. The pupils did not adjust to the light. A soft moan came from me, and then the doors burst open and Kenzie came in. She saw me and at first thought I was an enemy. I looked at her, and her face showed her relief, but then it slowly turned to disbelief. I still held Cori’s hand, and Kenzie looked at her and then me as she walked slowly over.
“Is she...?” I couldn’t answer. I just turned to Cori’s body, and crawled onto the bed, grasping her and holding her against my chest as my body shook, and some tears slipped from my eyes.
I don’t know how long I laid there like that with her in my arms as the castle around me changed back to how it had been, since Cori was gone. Finally, I had to accept the fact that she was gone, and was not coming back. I looked at her lifeless body, and my heart felt shattered. Then I laid her back down on the bed, kissed her forehead, and stood up and left the room. Kenzie was waiting for me outside. She put her hand on my shoulder, and we sat down in some chairs. I put my elbows on my knees, and rested my head on my hands, my fingers in my hair. I felt the grief overcome me, and I could not think of anything else but Cori.
A peace overcame me, and the fiery weight disappeared. All I could see and feel was a deep and cold darkness, nothing else. Then suddenly, I felt something soft on my forehead, and it was warm, so much warmth in that one touch. It was so warm, and I was so cold. I strove for the warmth, wanting it so much, wanting to be warm again. I dove into the warm sensation, and it spread through me, making my whole being warm again. My fingertips twitched. Soon, my lungs started to ache, and I took in a deep breath as I snapped open my eyes. I looked at the white ceiling above me, and saw the dust motes drifting through the air. I heard a sound in the distance, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I looked around me, and saw the sweet white of the room and the golden sheets of the bed I was on. I sat up, my curiosity driving me towards the sounds I heard. I slowly stood up, and then silently went to the open doorway. I leaned against the frame, and peered inside the other room. I saw some chairs, and in those chairs I saw the source of the sounds. Justin was sitting in one of the chairs closest to me, his head in his hands, and Kenzie was sitting in the chair next to him, her hand on his shoulder. Justin was crying, and that was the source of the sounds I’d heard.
“Justin?” I whispered. He didn’t seem to hear me, so I went closer.
“Justin?” I said a little louder when I was about three feet from him. He still didn’t hear me, so I went to his shoulder, and put my hand down, saying it again and even louder,
