just a boy.

goodbye george.

dream hadn't spoken in hours. he hadn't moved in hours. he almost forgot to keep breathing.

the others had been there for a while but they were gone now. at least dream thought they'd been there, he couldn't really remember. they'd tried saying stuff to him hadn't they? he didn't know what they said. he didn't have enough room to think about anything else right now. george was gone. george was gone. george was gone.

he'd known him and george would never get the happy ending that people in stores always got. no matter how much dream wanted it that wasn't how it worked. he'd known that he'd probably end up as the best man at george's wedding while george married some beautiful girl who liked that the smallest things made him happy and who would plant flowers outside his house and give him pretty shells. he'd known that he'd end up being like an uncle to george's kids and he'd known that when he died george would talk about how dream was like a brother to him. a best friend. someone he'd miss. when george's wife died george would talk about how she saved him and how she was the most important person in the world and how he wasn't sure how he'd go on. that's what dream would have said about george. that's what dream was going to have to say about george.

no
NO.
yes, a small voice inside him whispered.

george was gone.
they didn't even have a body, he must have been at the center of the explosion, there was nothing left of him.

george was gone.

dream was floating above his body and he hated what he saw. he should have waited for george. why did he go on ahead. george was dead because of him.

george was dead because of him.