A/N: This story is based off the book "Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin. I do not own it, or else I wouldn't be here sitting on a laptop writing fanfictions. (okay, I probably would be) This chapter is very short, sorry, but the coming chapters will be much longer. Thanks so much for reading this, and any reviews, favorites, and/or follows will make me love you forever ! :D

Prologue: In the End

"The end came quickly, and there wasn't any pain." Sometimes, the boy whispers it to no one. Sometimes, the silence brings him the thought. In the quiet house, nobody hears anything.

For Nina's sake, he wants to believe that the end was quick and painless: a quick end is a good end. But he can't help wondering, how does anyone know? The moment of the crash certainly must have been painful, he reasons. And what if that one moment hadn't been quick at all?

He wanders into Nina's room and takes a cursory glance. A teenage girl's whole life is a collection of odds and ends: a sun-bleached band poster, an unmade bed, a crumpled piece of notebook paper, a pair of heels thrown on the floor in a hurry, a collection of nail polish that has gathered on her bedside desk. In the end, what does it all mean anyway? And what does it matter? Is a person just a pile of junk?

The only thing to do when Fabian feels this way is to hide. Hide in his room and scribble out a love poem. Hide in his bed and blast music, tuning out the world and everything he'd ever cared about. Hide and hide until he can't stand the silence anymore.

Fabian has just gotten settled into a relaxed mood with a hundred-song playlist waiting for him when Amber (the best friend) enters his room and sits down next to him. "Fabes," she says carefully. "You shouldn't do this to yourself. I know it's because of Nina, and you shouldn't pretend otherwise. Even though you were so close to her, there will always be someone out there for you. I'm here. Jerome's here. Even Victor's here."

He forces himself to smile at her joke. Instead of responding, he imagines Nina has just gone away for college. She was nearly eighteen, and their separation was inevitable anyway. The glossy brochures had already begun piling up on both of their desks. Fabian often tried not to think about it, but he always knew time couldn't be stopped. One day they would both go, and that would be that.

"Where do you think she is?" she tries.

Fabian shrugs.

"Do you think she's" - Amber pauses - "up there?"

As far as humankind knows, Fabian thinks to himself, the only thing up there is the moon.

"Well," she continues. "I believe she is up there. And I believe there are angels and puffy clouds and silky pajamas and everything." Amber giggles.

Fabian hesitates for a moment. "I don't know," he confesses. "I'm not sure what's after death. However, I honestly hope that there's nothing. No cotton candy, no nothing. Just pain, and... the end."

"Why?" Amber asks adamantly. "Don't you want to see Nina again?"

"It's just...In the end, the end of a life only matters to friends, family, and other people you used to know." he sighs. "For everyone else, it's just another end."

Thanks for reading! If you have any suggestions, feedback, or constructive criticism, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments! Any favorites, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks again, and have a smagical day XD

-SkySeeker