Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Bridge to Terabithia. Katherine Paterson created the Story, and owns the rights. Although I don't own BtT, many of the characters in my story, The Greatest Gift, specifically Jamie, Taylor, Thomas, and Andrea are mine. Whatever that means. Anyway, I hope you will take some time to read and review my story. Thank you.

Chapter 7

Lost

Taylor awoke; her eyes fluttered open. She was laying on her back looking up into a misty gray fog devoid of form, a cold nothingness.

"TAYLOR…TAYLOR" she heard Jamie calling her name. She sat bolt up right.

"JAMIE," she cried, " Jamie I'm here, help me, Jamie." She looked around her, there was nothing but the gray fog, she was alone and she was terrified.

"Jamie where are you?" there was no answer. Her head was pounding and her body ached. She was so scared, more scared then she had ever been in her whole life. Where was she, was she dead? This must be what death is like.

"Oh Jamie I'm dead." She started to cry, her eyes filled with tears, and she sat there sobbing.

The fog began to recede, slowly. She hadn't noticed it at first, but became suddenly aware that she was able to make out shapes and see her surroundings. As the fog receded more and more she found she was sitting in the middle of a trail in the woods, but where? And where were Jamie, and Dexter, and Lulu? What happened, why was she alone? As the fog cleared so did her head, she began remembering. She was riding Dexter and a low hanging tree limb knocked her off his back, and now she's dead.

This was so frightening; she was paralyzed with fear. She just sat there crying not knowing what to do.

She had no idea how much time had past while she sat there lamenting her situation. she had just about run out of tears when she heard a voice.

"Taylor go to the castle stronghold." It was Jamie's voice, but where is he?

"Jamie," she called," where are you, this isn't funny…JAMIE!"

Then Jamie's voice again said.

"Go to the castle stronghold Taylor, go to the castle."

"CASTLE" she said loudly.

"Yes Taylor Yes." Jamie's voice said, and then it was gone. She struggled to her feet; she stumbled and wobbled a bit, her head still fuzzy; her body hurt all over.

' Go to the castle ,' Jamie had said, why, where?

"Which way Jamie," she called? There was no answer.

"Where do I go Jamie which way is it to the castle?" There was still no answer. She stumbled around this way and that, confusion clouding her thoughts. Her surroundings were becoming more familiar as her head cleared. This looked like the forest she knew but it seemed darker then usual, the trees were sinister looking, they were all twisted and gnarled, it was black and lifeless, and not like the beautiful forest she remembered. There was something very wrong here, she was scared and she wanted to go home, she wished she were home in her own bed, warm and safe.

"This way, is it this way Jamie?" again there was no answer.

Finally, making a decision, she headed off down the trail; she hoped she had chosen the right direction, otherwise she may be lost forever. As she cautiously made her way down the trail she was becoming more confident with every step that she had chosen correctly. She came upon a small path that led off the main trail to the left. This looked like the right way, she thought. Following this smaller path she moved even more cautiously then before. The path took her deep into the dense forest, it turned and twisted through the dark woods, she watched all around her, it was so quiet and still, as if it were dead, like she thought she was.

Soon she broke through the underbrush and bramble into a clearing, and looking up she saw the castle stronghold. A wave of relief flowed over her; she was here at the castle, but why?

"OK Jamie," she said, looking up to the sky," I'm here, now what?"

It was so very quiet; there was no answer. An eerie feeling gripped her, the place felt haunted. It was like the feeling Jamie had described to her the first time he had taken her into their Terabithia. Fear crept into her anew, she was cold, and tired, and she wished she could wake herself from this dreadful nightmare.

The tree house was how she had imagined it would have looked when it was new. She came underneath it and looked up into its dark entrance.

"Jamie," she called into the thing. There was no answer, nothing. She climbed up the ladder slowly, cautiously up into it. Someone had been there recently, who, she wondered. She looked around for clues. There were containers with food, there were soda bottle filled with water, but these weren't their soda bottles. A small box of apples sat on a shelf next to some tins filled with crackers and cookies. On another shelf she found a big jar of peanut butter and some bread. It looked as though someone had supplied the castle for a long siege. Someone appeared to be living here. There were sleeping bags laid out on the floor at one end of the structure, with blankets and pillows scrunched up on top of them. Taylor was so tired she considered laying down on one of the sleeping bags and taking a nap, but her fear kept her from doing that.

She was beginning to feel claustrophobic; the walls began to close in on her. She thought that she better leave the tree house before someone came back; she would be trapped there if she stayed. She was just about to climb down the ladder when she heard a noise outside, a twig snapped followed by the rustling of leaves, someone was coming, they were very close. Why did I climb up into the tree house, she thought, now I'm trapped. She panicked; she looked around for another way out, there wasn't any. She went to the far corner where it was dark and huddled there hoping she wouldn't be seen, hoping who ever it was would go away and leave her alone. But what if it was Jamie? Her fear grew; she scrunched up in the corner her eyes riveted to the entrance. There was someone out there, very close, right outside now, right below her, on the ground right below her.

"Taylor." She heard a voice call her name. Was it Jamie? It didn't sound like Jamie. But whoever it was knew she was here somewhere.

"Taylor." The voice called again. Should she answer? She was too scared to move, too scared to speak, she just huddled there trembling. Then she heard someone climbing up the ladder, her jaw dropped and her eyes popped open wide with terror. Who is it? A head poked up at the entrance, it was a boy, she couldn't see too well, the shadows were playing tricks on her eyes.

"Taylor?" The voice called again.

"Taylor are you here?"

"Jamie?" she asked in a soft trembling voice.

Then he was in the tree house coming toward her.

"Taylor, there you are, I've been waiting for you."

Jamie paced back and forth in the waiting room. He couldn't sit still his anxiety overwhelming him. He tried to sit and read a magazine but he couldn't concentrate. His dad had taken him to the cafeteria earlier but he couldn't eat anything, his stomach was growling, he didn't care, he didn't feel the hunger, all he could think about was Taylor.

Why hadn't he warned her sooner? He hadn't seen the branch until it was too late. He should have seen it sooner, he should have been aware, he should have protected her; he let her down.

He looked over at his father; he had fallen asleep in the chair. How could he sleep at a time like this? It was late, he knew that, and his father had been working a lot lately and he knew his dad was tired, but still it made Jamie angry that his father could sleep while Taylor was near death.

Then he looked toward the back of the room, at Mr. and Mrs. Benson. They were huddled in a corner and spoke in low tones holding each other's hands and sobbing between the words they spoke. Jamie felt so guilty, so alone, abandoned. He felt stranded like Jesse had felt after Leslie had died and left him alone. He wondered if the Benson's blamed him, they should, he thought, it's all my fault.

One of the Doctors came into the waiting room, his face was pale and careworn, he looked so tired, and drained. He went over to the Benson's. What was happening, Jamie wondered? He strained to listen, he heard the voices but he couldn't make out the words. The Benson's got up and followed the doctor, Mrs. Benson forced a half smile at Jamie and patted him on the shoulder as she left the room. Jamie was alone, except for his father who was still sleeping.

"Dad," he said softly, and lightly shook his fathers shoulder, "dad, wake up."

"Umph… huh… oh, I must have fallen asleep," Jamie's dad said straightening up, "I'm sorry Jamie, I'm just so tired, and it's late."

"It's ok dad, I understand."

"Where are the Benson's?"

"A doctor came and got them about ten minutes ago."

"Oh," his dad said, sitting forward holding his head in his hands and rubbing the sleep out of it.

"You ok Jamie," His father asked looking up at him?

No it's all my fault, if it weren't for me Taylor would be ok and sleeping in her own bed right now, and she'd be dreaming up one of her wild stories. But what he said was.

"Yeah," with a sigh, "I'm ok," he felt so guilt he was sure it showed.

"You want something to eat or drink," his dad asked getting up?

"No thanks, I don't want anything." His dad went to the soda machine and bought two sodas anyway.

"Here, you must be thirsty," he said handing Jamie one of the sodas. Jamie took it; he was thirsty after all.

Mr. Benson came into the room, he looked to Jamie and his dad. His face was blank and lifeless, his eyes looked sad.

"Jamie," he said in a soft low tone, "would you like to see Taylor?" Jamie's spirits brightened.

"Is she ok," he asked?

"She's stable, but she's still unconscious, " he said, then continued, "I have to warn you though, she looks pretty bad, there are a lot of tubes and wires hooked up to her, and she has some broken bones that have casts on them."

"Er…um… OK…" Jamie wasn't so sure he wanted to see his friend like that, but he forced himself. It was more for her then for him, it was important that he visits her even though she was unconscious; somehow she would know, he thought.

Seeing her laying there like that tore at his gut, he was sick inside. Oh Taylor, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, if it weren't for me, he thought, you wouldn't be here, hurt and broken. This is the second time he'd hurt her, the second time he'd let her down. He continued scolding himself. I promised I would never hurt you again and here you are, I've broken my promise how will you ever be able forgive me now, how will I ever be able to for give myself.

Taylor huddled in the dark corner of the tree house trembling with fear. The boy, who ever he was, came up to her, and reached out his hand.

"Here take my hand I'll help you up." His voice was gentle and kind. Taylor huddled there, scrunched up and shaking, staring at the figure, the shadows obscuring his face.

"Don't be afraid," he said, "I won't hurt you, I'm a friend, I'm here to help you."

"Who?" she croaked, her voice cracking, choked up with fear.

"Take my hand, come on I won't hurt you." Slowly Taylor reached up and took the strangers hand; it was warm and comforting. She felt a tingling relief flood her body, she had been re-energized and strengthened, her fear melted away; he helped her to her feet.

"Who are you," she asked, "and where am I?"

"You're in Terabithia, of course, but you already knew that didn't you," He said, with a sly chuckle.

"Then you must be Jesse." She said confidently, smiling at the boy.

"You would think so wouldn't you, "he raised his eyebrows and grinned at her," but I'm not Jesse."

"Then who are you?" She was becoming fearful again.

"I'm Jamie's brother Thomas, but you can call me Tom."

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