if you won't grieve me, you won't leave me behind.

eight months before

The first things that Amy saw when she opened her eyes were cream colored walls, a white duvet at her feet, and Sinead's sorrowful face looking at her. When she turned, she found her other friends/(distant) cousins as well, their faces contorted in sorrow and sympathy. Amy stared at them in confusion.

Then she heard Dan say, 'Hey, Ames!'

"Dan!" she called. "There you are!" She tried to get out of bed to reach out to him, but her cousins held her down. Amy glared at them and said, "What the hell, guys?"

Ian could only shake his head. He seemed to be in even more pain than the others were.

"Amy," Hamilton said. "He's dead, remember?"

'No, I'm alive!' Dan said. Amy looked at him and smiled. He's just playing another prank on her.

"You nearly killed yourself right after he died," Sinead added.

"You ran out of the hospital and took pills," Ian said sadly. "You could've died. You went into a coma."

"Nine days days," Ted told her. "Just in time for their funeral."

"Their? Funeral?" Amy asked. She shook her head, aghast and scared. Were her cousins going crazy? Was this another nightmare? What were they talking about?

"Dan and Natalie's funeral. We decided to have them buried beside each other. They would've liked that," Sinead replied.

"Dan wouldn't like that, he wouldn't want to be buried alive!" Amy protested. Sinead looked at her in shock and confusion.

"I know that you're all playing along with Dan in his stupid prank. He just wants me to think that I'm going mental. Look, he's behind Jonah!" Amy said. They all shook their heads.

"You guys, he's there!" Amy yelled. Sinead shook her head again. Her eyes started to water. This can't be happening, Sinead thought. My best friend can't be going mental.

"Amy -" Hamilton started to say, but she cut him off. "No!" she yelled. "You're lying! You're all lying! He's still alive, he's in this room, and he's laughing because he knows that the prank is working."

Her friends/cousins looked at each other, dismay clear on their faces. "We should stop, before she gets distressed," Jonah suggested. "The service starts in an hour."

They all nodded, not even bothering to comment on Jonah for not going on 'gangsta mode' like how he always does, even in days like this.

"I'm staying," Ian announced. They all looked at him in shock. For awhile, they were all silent. "Are you sure?" Sinead asked.

"Come on, man. It's your sister's funeral, too," Hamilton said.

"Don't you want to see her for the last time?" Ned added.

"I get your point," Ian said. "But this is Dan's funeral, too. I don't want to mourn without Amy; it's not fair."

The rest of them grumbled, but nodded anyway.

"At least make it to the burial," Ted told him.

Ian nodded and said, "I'll do my best."

When they left, Amy looked at him. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"Amy, they weren't lying when they said that Daniel's gone," Ian said, pain coming back in his voice. Dan scoffed.

"Ha-ha, you're so funny," Amy said, deadpanned. She was starting to get exasperated and ticked off.

'I'm alive,' Dan repeated. 'I'm right behind you.'

Amy looked over her shoulder and Dan ran off to the next corner in her room, just to annoy her. "Hey, stop running so fast! You might get an asthma attack - again!"

Dan stuck his tongue out. 'I'm all this time, and forever young!' he sang. Amy shook her head. She turned to Ian and said, "See? He's here!"

Ian looked around the room, in hopes that Amy's spirits would lift...

...And in false hope of finding Natalie there. He almost thought that he saw his sister wave at him. I'm being silly, Ian thought. Of course she's not here.

"Did you see him?" Amy asked. Ian shook his head. Amy sighed.

"He must be running towards the next room. He always usually hides in the library when he does his pranks," she said.

'I'm your worst fear,' Dan said in his signature monster impression. 'And I am your darkest nightmare too.'

Amy shook her head at Dan. "That monster impression doesn't work anymore, Dan."

"You have to forget him, Amy," Ian said. "Or, at least the thought of him alive."

'He says forget, but I'll remind you!' Dan exclaimed. Amy laughed at Ian.

"Why would I want to forget the fact that my brother's alive?" she asked. "You're so silly, Ian. Are you okay?"

Ian inhaled and exhaled. "Intersection 25, Amy," he said. "They died at 9:34 pm."

Amy and Dan scoffed at Ian.

'I'm alive, I am death defied!' Dan sang. He stood on Amy's desk and did a superhero stance.

"Get down from there, Dan! Don't even try stepping on my copy of Pride and Prejudice!" Amy said. Dan grinned and jumped down from her desk.

Ian sighed. "Come on, get your best black dress. I've had enough of this."

"Fine, but just so I get back at Dan! Two can play that game, Dan!" Amy shouted.

She picked out what Ian identified as something part of Valentino's latest fall/winter collection. Natalie's dress right now is part of the same collection, Ian thought sadly.

"What do you think?" Amy asked shyly.

Ian smiled and said, "You look lovely." He extended his arm for her to take.

Dan sneered in disgust and Amy laughed at his expression. "Why are you laughing?" Ian asked.

"Dan finds this little thing between us disgusting. It's funny seeing his face like that," she replied. Ian smiled sadly and they walked out the door.

When they reached the service, they were a minute too late. Ian looked pained, and Amy looked like she was about to burst into fits of giggles. Dan even prepared a fake funeral, with mourners and a priest! she thought. Ian lightly pulled her as the walked towards Dan and Natalie's graves, but Amy didn't look down. She could only see her brother sing 'I'm alive, I'm alive, I am death defied!' once more and she watched him laugh. He looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes and she shook her head. Ian had seen this and he held her hand tighter.

She'll be okay soon, Ian thought to himself. I'll have my old Amy back soon.

Little did he know that he would be in the same situation four months later.