Every tree looked the same; tall and spindly, with short, spiky tufts of half-dead leaves desperately clinging to the sick branches. The state of the vegetation had gotten progressively worse as Danny passed through and beneath it. Each step was a challenge, even just to keep moving forward, to not give up was causing Danny to have second thoughts about what exactly he was doing. Walking through an empty forest in the early hours of the morning, too weak to fight anything that jumped out of the deep shadows- was that really a good idea?
Well, Danny reasoned. It's better that lying on the sand, out in the open.
This was true, but fear doesn't always listen to reason. Rarely does the rational voice that speaks inside one's head truly impact on the raw terror contained in their hearts. Danny knew this better than anyone.
Keep moving, one step at a time- that was the plan. Eventually, the forest would end and civilization would appear on the horizon. Hopefully. But the strain was proving just too much. As his knees buckled and his shaking form collapsed, Danny knew that he had given up. There was no one to help him, no one who even knew where he was. Which brought up a question- how did he end up on the edge of Lake Eerie? He couldn't remember anything after the darkness. Nothing except...
"Sam," Danny didn't even realise that he had said the name out loud. It echoed over and over in his mind, getting louder, then softer, in a continuous, maddeningly relaxing pattern. It gave him strength to go on, so Danny slowly pushed himself onto his knees. That was as far as he achieved, however, before his thoughts went blurry and his head started to spin.
DPDPDPDP
"Sam, dear," Mrs Manson asked, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder and lowering herself onto the edge of the large bed. "Please get up."
Sam flinched away from the touch. She didn't know why, it just felt wrong, uncomfortable. Instead, she buried her face deeper into the large pillow, hiding her feelings in a more literal sense.
"Why?" Sam's voice was muffled and indistinct. "What's the point?"
"You still haven't told us what's wrong."
The Goth hesitated, then sat up, looking into her mother's concerned green eyes. The worry looked real, but Sam knew that most aspects of her parents were fake. Wealth and narrow-mindedness can do that.
Should I trust her? She wondered. She's my mother- this shouldn't be so hard.
Sam opened her mouth, ready to finally verbally acknowledge what had happened just two nights previous, but something made her stop.
Instead, she smiled, though the action felt forced. "I'm fine."
"Danny? Tucker?" Mrs Manson probed. "Are they alright, too?"
"Look," Sam exploded, annoyance and frustration evident in her voice. "I said I'm fine- can't we just leave it like that? Please?"
Pamela frowned disbelievingly, but stood up anyway. "Well," she began, then faltered, having to think for a moment. "Please come down whenever you feel up to it. It would really improve your father and my day."
Yeah, Sam thought darkly. Because my purpose in life is to make you happy. As if.
While it would be a nice gesture on her behalf, Sam didn't feel up to spending time around her family. Or anyone, really. She could visit Tucker, but would prefer if he came to her place. Sunlight illuminated the edges if her large, dark curtains, reminding her of the day outside. These were the types of days she loved- early Spring, flowers and other assorted plants filling the fresh air with exotic and exciting scents- but the weather didn't suit her mood. She was guilty- there must have been something she could have done.
What if...
What if she had managed to puzzle out the solution to Danny's problem?
What if she hadn't told him to try going back to sleep?
What if she hadn't allowed the Fenton's to shoot him?
What if I told him what I truly thought?
That last one was the most important question. What if she had told Danny that she loved him? What would his answer have been?
Closing her eyes against the tears that had finally appeared, Sam wished fervently that she would have another chance.
If an additional opportunity arose, she knew that she wouldn't fail.
She couldn't.
DPDPDPDP
Danny was still in the forest. He could feel the rough vegetation beneath him, sharp sticks and stones doing their best to tear a hole in his jumpsuit. The air was cool, not freezing, but not warm either. A nice temperature.
Was he awake? Danny couldn't tell. His mind drifted through a dream-like haze, calm and serene, while his body was painfully aware of his surroundings. He was lying awkwardly on his right arm, the fist numb from lack of blood flow.
He felt torn up, yet complete. Confused, yet aware. But there was one inarguable fact that Danny knew was completely true. No matter how he looked at it, the ghost boy was tired.
An unfamiliar noise caused Danny to twitch slightly, his shoulders leaping upwards into a fighting stance, before he unwillingly relaxed again. It didn't matter what was coming- he wouldn't be able to stop anything in his condition.
Slowly, Danny opened his eyes, and froze. Before him was a large, white expanse of ice, huge glaciers jutting out of the pale surface like mountains. The scene was as clear as if Danny were there himself, but behind the icy image lay a second, less intrusive picture. Tall, half-dead trees, almost transparent, littered the Far Frozen like unmoving ghosts. Even the moonlight travelled through the merged dimensions, getting darker as the night wore on.
What's happening? Danny wondered, beginning to panic. This wasn't right. As the ghost boy tried to move, a pair of great, pounding footsteps sounded behind him, gradually getting louder.
"Great One!" The creature boomed.
AN:
Hey! pale-blue11 here!
I am so glad I got this up! Sorry for any typos, or anything that doesn't make sense. I'm in a hurry because I now only have 29 minutes to upload, or I would have broken my every-Wednesday promise. Better do that now!
*cough, cough* I'm sick and very tired :( Oh, well.
27 minutes…
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favourited and/or followed this story. You guys are amazing :)
Please review, favourite and/or follow if you like this story! I'm going to sleep…
25 minutes…
Have a nice week!
pale-blue11
