The New World

Chapter 4

"Touch it?" I repeat. "You want me to touch a glowing rock. You have to be insane."

Chase shrugs. "Maybe." He reasons. "I'll touch it if you touch it."
I shake my head and exclaim,
"No way! You touch it first!"

"No! You!"

"Why me? You dared me!"

"Exactly!"

Alleigh sighed and says,
"Oh my god guys! How about we all touch it at the same time?"
I glance at Chase. He nods, and I look at Jake. He shrugs.

"Sure... I guess." I say warily.

We grab hands, and shakily I reach my hand out. Alleigh, Chase, and Jake stretch their hands out too. As our hands get nearer to the crystal, it seems to get... Colder?

My hand brushes the crystal.

All at once, so many things collide that I can't keep track.
A burst of air strikes me, so icy that I lose my breath. Colors... The colors are fading, leaving everything white, black outlines standing out in the white world. Brighter.... It gets brighter.
The black outlines get brighter... Turning gray. Only a faint line is there.

It seems to dissolve into dust, and I don't know where I am anymore. I cry out, but a deafening ring is getting louder, silencing any noise I made. The ring gets so loud that I try to cover my ears. I can't move, it's as if I'm frozen.

The outlines start coming back, as if your watching someone draw. The lines dance across the white sky, and I stiffen as I realize the outlines aren't the same.
Colors start fading into appearance again, and my body slowly gets warmer. The terrible ringing fades away, being replaced with chirping birds.

Strange plants are all around me, and the world restored to its full glory.

I relax, even though the world around me is something I have never seen before.

I relax. That is... Until a horrible thought rings in my head.

"Oh my god." I whisper. "Where is Jake, Alleigh, and Chase?"

"They're gone."