Matt

Then, light engulfed him, painting away his memories.

[honestly forgot this book existed...oops?]

Then, light engulfed him. After the sweltering seas of darkness, after the mellow oceans of thick raven mist and cascading chaos blurring all around him, it all finally came to a stop as for shattering shards of rippling radiance sliced through these ebony un-walled yet clearly walled world.

He had opened his eyes, opened his bloodshot eyes to the sight of what he had assumed to be the pouring sun, rising rays of light trickling out from the heavens above upon to the stretched black ground he had used as comfort to mask away the trembling terror within his heart.

    As the light continued to drizzle down below towards his very own feet, he continued to follow, his mind still unbeknownst to what was going on yet his heart wide with hope that it would take him to his destination- which in his mind was the concert.

    After all, according to his terrified thoughts, he couldn't miss this concert. Couldn't miss it at all, for how would the rest feel? Kirstie, Kevin, Scott, Mitch, Esther, Darien, Ben, the crew, his family, the flourishing number of fans- how would they feel to recognize that Avi Kaplan had been missing or perhaps even 'ditched' his very last concert with the group?

    No...he could not think of it. It was too much to think about- that he was stuck in some unknown realm with no idea to ever get back home.

     But, my love, Avi, you are home.

     He instantly swiveled his head around, his heart pounding fast against his aching chest, his eyes emerald with horror as he recognized the voice. His pale hands, white with pure fright, rose up to his chest, as if he was clutching his very own heart in protection from the presence of whatever was occurring.

     But before he knew it, he was trapped in the turmoil of his past dreams and memories, twisting together to enclose around him, as he squeezed his eyes shut as if that could cause it all to stop.

    Which it truly didn't.

Within a single second, he was blasted through another place. Pierced with swords of slivers of his lifetime, slivers of his fond memories as well as the tragic ones, slivers of it all stabbing through his soul yet blossoming sorrowed love within his pained heart.

"You are home," she had giggled continuously.

"Yeah, home with someone still dressed up in a horse-head," he had chuckled as she crossed her arms, yet still laughing hysterically at her prior little joke.

Taking it off, she smiled, her bright brown eyes now laughing, as she said, "Better?"

Fast-forward from 2013 to 2014:

"Dude, we're famous."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, we can't act stupid all the time."

"You're right; we have to act even more stupid now."

"Avi!"

"Kevin!"

"Scott!" Scott peeked his head out from his bunk on the cramped tour bus, smiling stupidly at their dumb conversation.

And as if it couldn't get any better, Kevin randomly started beat-boxing (a typical occurrence), as Avi added a bass line, and Scott simply started singing some Beyoncé song over it all. Which caused Mitch to spring up from his bunk and vogue. And Kirstie, pretending to be sane, to simply scoff, giggle, scoff, and then go back to sleep.

Flash way back to 2012.

"If I had some chicken..."

"Yeah you better," he joked, as Kevin continued to laugh and sing, "I would take that chicken home."

    Then go straight to 2015:

    "I'm on my way home!"

    "Oof, the concert is over Scotty," Mitch said, clearly tired of the song for  their tour was the On My Way Home tour, and they obviously weren't home yet.

    "nEvEr!!" Scott riffed as Avi chortled at the two, causing Scott to walk towards him in an angry manner jokingly.

     "yOu tHinK tHis iS fUnNy dRagOn bOy," Scott came over, pretending to fight him as he pretended back, before the both of them were hit in the faces with water balloons thrown by a scheming Kirstie and a scheming Esther.

"All my life I've been running," Scott sang, legitimately running away from them to escape the buzzing balloons.

     Home...it rustled through his vast heart, strangling him as sobs were caught in his raw throat. Memories washed over him as he simply yearned to go back to those times, for clearly this was happening to him because of the fact that he was leaving Pentatonix. Which wasn't technically his entire fault, for the fast pace of everything as well as his sweltering anxiety got in the way of his happiness from being a part of the group. But now, he wished he could go back. Go back to the times without depression drowning his smiles, back to the time when they had been even more of a family than they were now, when they all truly loved one another.

But everything had changed. And because of his own actions, he could no longer return home. For home no longer existed. Everything was dead because he destroyed that home. He no longer had a home now. It was all gone because he had taken it away. He decided to leave. And now, he didn't even know where he was anymore.

He was simply gone.