He woke up with a bad taste in his mouth, His trembling body sat up, the small boat was in the middle of nowhere.
The moon was full and the sky was full of stars, it was about 3 am and he hadn't. been found.
"H-Help!" He hoarsely croaked out, knowing that nobody could hear him. Dakota looked around his surroundings, water just water. His stomach grumbled and began to churn, longing for food and land.
Dakota hugged himself, missing the hugs that he got back in the town, he was freezing, even with the blanket.
He tried to hum a soft tune to calm himself, which only got faster when he panicked. He remembered how devastated Missouri would be if he didn't come back, the warm sweaters that were knitted for her, and the stuffed animals and blankets that were sewn for him, The Christmas traditions that they did every year, how proud she was when she knew that he had a date, all gone.
The memories and hallucinations washed around his head, only making him sicker. He looked up to the night sky and wondered if his family would even miss him.
He then heard a voice, a beautiful familiar one.
"Dakota, don't be afraid, I'm right here," the voice said, catching his attention.
"Where?" he asked, not realizing that he was hallucinating.
"Right here!" Dakota tried to paddle the boat with his hands.
His trembling body reached for his stuffed rabbit, needing some kind of warmth in the middle of the freezing ocean.
"Evelyn," his voice was trembling along with his body, "Where are you?" His breathing was heavy, Evelyn couldn't be in the middle of the ocean with him, it just wasn't possible.
"I told you" Dakota looked to his right and saw the white-haired girl in a boat right beside him. "Right here"
The hallucination of Evelyn smiled, "Don't worry, Dakota, I'm here for you" She reassured him.
Once he saw her, his world lightened up, he was saved, Evelyn saved him! He grabbed Bee and his Blanket and got out of his boat and into hers.
Dakota screamed, he reached for the nonexistent boat, trying to get to Evelyn, trying to get to safety, not being able to swim, not learning when he was younger.
He choked on the water in his mouth, Trying to get back to the dryness of his boat, but it was already washed far away. Dakota held his breath as him and his wet stuffed animal went under the surface.
He was colder than above the surface in his small rowboat. He attempted swimming but failed miserably, It felt like a sensory deprivation tank, he hated those, he hated not being able to feel.
A tentacle suddenly wrapped around his waist, holding him down and restraining his arms, so he could never reach the surface again. He was hopeless in the pitch black water of the middle of the sea.
Dakota was ready, he let the last of his air out of his lungs, tears forming in his eyes, not even being able to realize that he was crying.
Water flooded his lungs, Everything hurt
Make it end
Make it end
Make it end
Make it end
Make it end
The pain stopped hurting, and then, suddenly drowning was peaceful. His body went limp, and memories flooded his head, good and bad.
His body gave in and stopped working as the tentacle loosened, letting him sink to the bottom of the ocean.
That was the last of Dakota Foxx
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He woke up to somebody stroking his hair and the smell of flowers. He opened his eyes to a beautiful blue sky with fluffy white clouds floating ever so slowly.
"Where am I?" Dakota asked
"Heaven I think" Evelyn replied.
Dakota's head turned towards Evelyn's
"E...ve...lyn?" He asked, confused.
"Yes?" she sadly smiled down at him.
"Is- Is that... really... you?" He asked, remembering his hallucination.
"Yeah... of course it is... who else would it be?" She replied, caressing his face gently.
"But you were just in the boat... In the middle of the sea... " He was questioning her existence.
"Shhh, don't worry, I'm okay, you're okay, we're okay" She gazed into his eyes.
Dakota's attention turned to a small brown dog, "who's that?" He asked.
"That's Pepper, she died years ago"
Dakota sat up, as the pup scurried into his arms. He slightly giggled as she licked his face.
"Happy I wasn't the only one who named a pet after food" He laughed
"What did you name your dog"
"Egg" He laughed even more
"You know your laugh's adorable right?" Evelyn complemented
"R-Really?" he stuttered, "Nobody's ever said that before," He smiled a bit more.
"Of course, everything about you is adorable, from your sweaters to your singing, everything"
"Aww, really, are you sure, there are so many other people, and you chose me?" Dakota blushed
"Why not, you're my everything... may I.. kiss you?" She asked before she was about to go in.
"Of course, I'd love to" He kissed her on the lips, a kiss that could last for ages.
"I love you, Dakota" Evelyn whispered after parting the kiss.
"I love you too," He gazed into her eyes until a final realization, "Hey, now we can dance and never get tired," He got up to dance like they did back when they were alive.
