I'll Reach You

Chapter 1

Charlotte stood at the top of a cliff overlooking the rolling, gray sea. At her feet was a stone. The stone bore the words:

"Floor Jansen

February 21, 1981-December 22, 2017

May you sing as beautifully in Heaven as you did on Earth

You will never be forgotten

R.I.P."

Yes, her beloved Floor was gone, killed in a train crash. Or so it seemed. They had searched everywhere, but no trace of her had been found. Not even her body. They had waited two weeks, hoping some news of her would come to light, but none ever did. She was gone from the Earth. Never again would she sing for her fans, she would make no more albums with Nightwish or with any other band, and never again would Charlotte let herself love someone. It hurt too much. For much the same reasons, Tuomas had declared Nightwish to be no longer active. They were still together, nothing could change that, he said, but now that their singer had flown, they could make no more music. They had released one last song, a goodbye song for Floor. Charlotte had done the vocals for it, along with Tarja and Anette. The third verse was her favorite, though it was also the one that hurt the most. It talked about all the things that made Floor who she was, and added that "none could ever be, all that you were for me, for her, for us." The "me" was of course Tuomas, "her" was a reference to Charlotte herself, "us" the other members of Nightwish. Tears slid down Charlotte's cheeks and the wind whipped a strand of her red hair across her face. Her dark blue dress billowed in the wind as she stood still in front of the stone. She sank slowly to her knees, caressing the letters and the flowers carved into the surface.

"Floor..." Charlotte whispered. "I...I miss you. So much." She couldn't keep it together. Flinging herself against the tombstone, she burst into tears. She lay there crying for a long moment, until suddenly, a gentle voice said.

"Charlotte." Charlotte sat up, wondering it she, in her grief, had imagined it.

"Maybe I'm going mad," she thought.

"Charlotte," the voice said. "Look at me." The girl turned, and nearly screamed. Standing next to her, wearing a long, white dress and with her hair hanging loose around her shoulders, was Floor. Only she didn't look quite right. Her body shimmered, flickering in and out of transparency. Charlotte tried to fling her arms around her beloved, but they passed right through her.

"You can't touch me, Charlotte. I'm not really me. I'm only a shadow of who I used to be," Floor said, smiling gently at her. Charlotte nearly sobbed with despair.

"Floor, why? Why did you have to go? I needed you, I still need you! I love you!"

"I know, and it hurts to lose me. But it is not the end, Charlotte. I'm still here, or at least this version of me is," said the ghost.

"But I want-no, need the real thing!" Charlotte cried. "I will find you. You're not gone, I don't believe it!"
"I am no longer in this world, Char," Floor said. "You can't find me."

"I will find you! I will do whatever it takes!" the redhead exclaimed. "I will go to the ends of the Earth and beyond to bring you home again!"

"I have no doubt you would, but it is an impossible journey. Even you, brave as you are, would fail. I cannot let you try. You would be no better off than I am," said ghost-Floor sadly. She reached out and touched Charlotte's cheek. All Charlotte could feel was a bit of cold air, but it somehow comforted her to know that Floor was trying to reach her as much as she was trying to reach Floor.

"If I was to go on this journey, what would I have to do? Where would I go?" Charlotte asked.

"You would have to pass tests, fight creatures that would try to kill you, battle your deepest personal fears, and always remember to keep your eyes on the prize, no matter how difficult your task was. You would have to travel to the sunset."

"I can do that," Charlotte told her. Floor slowly shook her head.

"No, Charlotte, you don't understand. It would be too much for you. No one has ever done it."

"Then I'll be the first. How do I do it? Where do I need to go?"Charlotte insisted. Floor sighed and looked sad.

"Where you go...that's the easy part. You have to start walking toward the setting sun and walk for four nights and three days. You can't stop," she answered.

"I'll do it, but when can I sleep? I'm only human. I have to sleep at some point," Charlotte said.

"That's the point. You can't stop. No matter what," said Floor. "I told you, Charlotte, you can't do it."

"I will do it! I'm going to find you and bring you home, Floor."

"Charlotte, you always were too stubborn for your own good. Don't you see? You're going to die. And even if you don't, something will go wrong, the quest will fail, and you'll feel even worse. Please just listen to me, love. Don't do it."

"Floor, I can't live without you! I have to try."

"Just listen to me for once!"

"How do you know I can't do it?"

"Because I know what you're capable of, I know what humans are capable of, and that isn't this. Please, Charlotte, listen to me."

"No! I'm going on this quest. You're not going to stop me. Nothing will!"
"Fine, if you won't listen to reason, maybe I can help you a different way." Floor disappeared in a burst of white light. In her place was a small box. Charlotte picked it up and opened it. Inside was a dark blue velvet bag and a piece of paper.

"Place one of these in your mouth and suck if you feel like you cannot go on. Use only when absolutely necessary. Do not swallow. Do not use more than once in a period of 48 hours. Do not reuse. Through away when you are finished," the paper read. Charlotte opened the bag. It contained about two dozen little red things that looked like candy. They were about the size of Charlotte's thumbnail, oval-shaped, and streaked with darker red lines.

"Thank you, Floor," she whispered, closing the bag and pressing it to her chest. She felt a bit better just knowing she was one step closer to finding her beloved. She walked home and filled a backpack with a coat, food, money, and her phone, just in case she needed it wherever she was going. Then she went upstairs and changed out of her dress into jeans, boots, and a black jacket. As she was leaving the room, she thought of something else. She opened her nightstand and saw a picture of Floor. Charlotte took the picture out and looked at it. Floor's smiling face stared back at her, her blue eyes laughing and full of joy. Charlotte pressed the picture to her heart as a tear slid down her cheek. She quickly put it in the pocket of her jacket with the bag of candies (or whatever they were) and headed out of the room.

 She ate some dinner, forcing herself to swallow even though she was too nervous to eat. She knew it might very well be her last meal at home. When she was finished, she washed the dishes and put them away. After that was done, it was 5:43 P.M. and the sun was sinking toward the western horizon. Charlotte left her house and started walking in that direction.