In my dream, I knew it was a dream. However, it was a weird dream. I was in a giant room. Well, I think it was a room. It was all white. Nothing as far as the eye could see: just whiteness all around. But I could hear. Not a dream, but real life. "Dave, look at Simon! What happened to him?"

"I don't know," I heard Dave's voice echo around me. The voices seemed to come out of nowhere yet echoed everywhere. But they were comforting. I sat down and listened. "Theo, bring me the phone; I'm gonna call 911." I heard quick steps leave.

I suddenly felt my hand become warm. I lifted it and looked at it, but I didn't see anything. 'Maybe Dave's holding my hand on my real body,' I thought. It made sense, so I went with it. I held my warm hand close to me. It was the only comfort in this white world I could find.

"Simon, hold on, okay? Don't leave me. We're calling an ambulance to come pick you up. You're gonna be fine... I just wonder, who did this to you?" Dave's voice echoed around me. I was about to call out into the whiteness that his sister did it, but I suddenly felt very afraid just at the thought of her. "Simon! It's okay! Calm down, shhh," I felt his hand on mine tighten a bit and a warm rag gently go across my forehead and cheeks. 'Probably to wipe off the blood,' I thought grimly. Then the thought occurred, 'Wait, how did he know I was panicking?'

"That's better. You poor thing. What happened?" He asked gently as he wiped the cloth ever so carefully across my face, getting closer to the source of the blood: my nose. He went over the bridge of my nose; the broken part, and I felt my body give an involuntary jerk, both in real life and in my dream.

I also cried out in my dream, wincing, but I don't think my body did that. The cloth was quickly removed. "Oh gosh, Simon. I'm so sorry! So your nose hurts? Ok, I'll be extra careful then." I heard crumpling, then something so soft, I barely felt it, brushed against my cheek. "Is that better?" Dave asked. "It's a cotton ball. It should feel better. I just want to clean up some of this blood before the ambulance gets here. Speaking of which, where's Theo with the phone? THEODORE!"

I heard quick patters as what sounded like two people ran in. "Dave, I just called 911," I heard Alvin say, a bit of stress in his voice. He caught his breath after saying that. I can only guess he saw me. I tried to smile, but didn't feel my body respond.

"Ok great Alvin," Dave said. "Thank you."

"S-sure," Alvin stuttered. I heard someone walk slowly over, then kneel down next to me. I felt a slightly clammy hand brush some of my hair from my face. 'Poor Alvin. He only stutters and gets cold hands when he's really scared about something,' I thought sadly. "Oh, D-Dave. Y-your sister t-t-told me to t-tell you that she took J-Josh out," Alvin said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Ok. Thanks for telling me," Dave replied absently. Anyone could tell he didn't care whatsoever.

At the mention of my aunt, I could feel myself pale. Well, at least in the white world it did; I didn't know what was up with my real body. I felt a tightening deep in my throat and stomach. I was suddenly very mortified. I found myself not breathing as I thought back to what happened not 15 minutes ago.

I remembered my helplessness and terror. Maybe that's what she wanted. I could do nothing as she abused me; I just took it. I felt like a fool now; I should have fought back. I knew I should have, but I was too scared.

My thoughts were interrupted by a small hug. I heard Alvin whisper, "Simon, there's nothing wrong. You're safe now. Please stop panicking," and I felt the hug tighten ever so gently. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Then Alvin let go.

I heard a quiet sob next to me. "Dave?" Theo asked, his voice laced with concern. "Is Simon gonna be okay?"

"Of course! He's Simon!" I heard Dave pull Theo into a hug. But he always kept one hand over mine, which I was eternally grateful for.

"He looks a bit better... Not so much blood," Theo noted quietly.

"He was bloodier?" Alvin almost seemed scared to ask.

"Yeah. I found him like this, but he was awake and you couldn't even see his face; there was so much blood," I cringed. Did I really look that bad? Theodore continued. "He told me to get Dave, but when Dave got here, Simon was asleep."

"Theo, I don't know if Simon's sleeping," Alvin said slowly. I gulped. He was right. If I were sleeping, I wouldn't hear them. The only way I could be unconscious and hear and feel them was if I was in a coma...

I was shaken from my thoughts as I heard a siren wailing in the distance, coming closer. "The ambulance is here," Dave told me gently. I couldn't help but smile; leave it to Dave to be the bearer of news, be it obvious or not.

I felt arms wrap around my torso, seeming to attempt to pick me up, but they seemed to think better of it and let go. I couldn't figure out whose arms those were.

After a second, Dave's hand left mine. I suddenly felt so lost and scared. I could feel nothing from my body, so what if I died but didn't even realize it? I felt myself start hyperventilating.

"Simon! Shh, it's ok," Alvin tried to comfort me. I felt him grab my hand, giving it a light squeeze. Immediately I felt better.

I calmed very quickly. 'Just don't leave me,' I told Alvin silently.

"He's in here," I heard Dave say, then heavy boots came into the room. They must have been the people from the ambulance.

"He looks worse than we thought," a man said in a deep, gruff voice. "Let's get him to the hospital ASAP."

I felt myself being lifted gently. First my head and torso onto a soft bed-like thing, then my hips and legs. The whole time, Alvin never released his grip on my hand.

The ride was smooth to the hospital. Smooth and quiet. Since I couldn't see and relied only on hearing and feeling, I figured only Alvin was with me; I felt his hand still, but that was it.

Eventually, we got to the hospital and I was wheeled in. At one point, Alvin was told he had to let go of my hand. He refused at first, but then reluctantly obliged. But without him, I was afraid I'd die, and involuntarily started breathing quicker, nearly on the brink of hyperventilating. Luckily they let him come back just so I wouldn't get that far. "Just for a moment, until we can sedate him," I faintly heard the doctor say.

I then felt a small pinch on my arm. Alvin's hand quickly became cold. He hates shots, and I figured the doctor was giving me an IV. I tried to smile at Alvin, to tell him that I was okay, but I still didn't move. Defeated, I sat down again in my white world.

I felt myself become very dizzy. 'They're sedating me!' I thought, scared. 'No!'

But I couldn't fight it. As I quickly fell into darkness and silence, Alvin's hand never left mine.