Chapter 34: Am I Dead?
"Chanse," someone softly shook Chanse trying to get her out of her sleep
state, "come on. Wake up."
Chanse slowly opened her eyes and then quickly shut them when the rays of the sun shown down in them. "Ah. What?" Chanse slowly opened her eyes again to see who was trying to wake her up...Oliver.
"Come on, sleepy head," Oliver laughed as he sat back down in his chair. "Madam Pomfrey said that you get to go back to your room."
Chanse quickly sat up and opened her eyes, "That's right!" She grinned, "Alright let's go." Chanse pulled off her blankets and quickly got out of bed.
"Um...Chanse?" Oliver smirked.
"What?"
"Might not want to walk around the school in the hospital gown."
Chanse looked down at the white with blue flowers hospital gown, "Oh. Right." She looked around, "Well where are my clothes?"
"I got Angelina to get you fresh ones."
"Well where are they?" Chanse chuckled.
"Right there," Oliver pointed to the pile of clothes on the chair in the corner of the hospital room.
"Thanks," Chanse walked over to the clothes and was about to undress, "Um..." she turned back around to Oliver, "mind leaving while I change?" She smirked.
"Oh. Right," Oliver blushed, "sorry." He quickly walked to the door, "I'll wait outside."
"Thanks," Chanse flashed him a quick smile before he shut the door.
She took off her robe, so that she was only in her bra and underwear. She pulled on her dark gray pleaded school skirt and secured it on her waist. Next, she grabbed her white buttoned down shirt and buttoned it up. She left her shirt out of her skirt and her put on her gold and red diagonal striped tie. She pulled her light gray vest on over her tie and shirt. So pulled her knee-high gray socks on and then tied her shoes on. Last she fastened her cloak around her shoulders.
She smoothed out her vest and then walked outside to find Oliver standing right outside, "Oh. Hey." Chanse said a little caught off guard.
"Hey," Oliver smiled, "ready to go?"
"More then ever." Chanse smiled back as she started down the hallway without Oliver.
Quickly, Oliver caught up to her and laughed, "A little excited?"
Chanse looked over at Oliver, "You have no idea."
"Oh Chanse," a voice called right as Chanse put her hand on the doorknob.
She turned around to see Madam Pomfrey sitting at her desk. "Yes Madam Pomfrey?"
"Everyone will be in class at this time and I have excused Mr. Wood to escort you to your room to make sure you get there safely."
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey," Chanse nodded.
"And Oliver?"
Oliver turned around, "Yes Madam Pomfrey?"
"If there is any trouble please come straight back here."
Chanse smirked over at Oliver, "Yes Madam Pomfrey." Oliver nodded.
"That's all. Be careful." Madam Pomfrey nodded and then went back to her work.
Oliver and Chanse nodded to Madam Pomfrey and quickly left before she could say anything else.
"You remember where the Commons Room is?" Oliver asked as he walked up the stairs heading towards the Great Hall.
"Of course," Chanse laughed as she ran up to the Great Hall. "See?" She turned right and ran up the stairs, and Oliver followed behind her. "It's not that hard." Chanse laughed as she continued up the rotating stairs, towards the Gryffindor Commons Room.
When they reached the Commons Room the Fat Lady smiled, "Why hello there Chanse."
"Hello Lady," Chanse nodded.
"Good to see you've returned to normal," the Fat Lady nodded.
"For the most part," Chanse laughed.
"Well password?"
"Balderdash." Chanse said confidently, and watched as the painting opened up to the commons room. "Thank you." Chanse nodded as her and Oliver stepped inside, and the painting closed behind them.
Chanse looked around the empty Commons Room as if remembering every detail.
"Chanse?" Oliver walked up along side Chanse, "You alright?"
"Yeah," Chanse smiled. "It just feels good to be back here," she looked at Oliver, "and actually remember it."
Oliver nodded happily, "I bet it is."
Chanse nodded as she looked over at the stairs that led up to the Commons Room. "I'll be right back." She started to head towards the stairs.
"Wait Chanse," Oliver grabbed her wrist, "I'm not supposed to leave you alone."
"Well you can't go up to the girl's dormitories and I need something that's up there." Chanse looked down at Oliver's hand on her wrist, "So if you'd let go..."
"What do you need up there that's so important?"
Chanse looked puzzled, "Well. Honestly?" She looked up into Oliver's brown eyes, "I'm not sure." She shrugged, "I just know there's something up there that I need to have or find...call it a sixth sense."
Oliver slowly let go of Chanse's wrist, "Alright. Fine," he walked over to the couch and sat down, "but I'll be waiting right here for you when you come back."
Chanse nodded, "Alright."
She started up the stairs towards the doors, "Chanse?" Oliver called.
"Yeah?"
"Do you mind that once you get whatever you're looking for you come back down here, so I know you're alright?"
Chanse smiled, "Alright Oliver."
Chanse slowly made her way up the stairs, as she ran her fingers along the wall remembering every detail that she had pasted by before. Her chest felt slightly tight but it wasn't anything serious. "I must have remembered it all while I was sleeping." She softly said as she turned down the seventh year girl's hallway.
She stopped at the front of the hallway and stared down it. There was a large window at the end. "I've seen something like that before," Chanse turned her head and then suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest.
She squeezed her eyes shut and held her hand over her heart as she gripped her shirt, tightly. She took in a quick, short breath as the pain slowly died down. "I guess I didn't remember that memory while sleeping." She sighed in relief that her pain was over.
She walked down the hallway until she got to the end where she saw the plaque on the door marked: Angelina Johnson & Chanse Potter.
"Well at least they have my name right," Chanse laughed as she opened the door.
'CHANSE!' A small red owl flew straight into Chanse's chest.
"GENO!" Chanse hugged the bird against her, "Oh I missed you so much."
Geno looked up at her, 'You remember me?'
"Who could forget a bird like you?" Chanse laughed as she set Geno on her shoulder and looked around her room.
'Well it's good to have you back,' Geno squawked and then nuzzled Chanse's neck.
"It's good to be back," She smiled as she pet his head.
Chanse walked around the room and moved around some old parchments, along with some other things. 'What are you looking for Chanse?' Geno cocked his head to the side.
"I don't know," she sighed, "that's just the thing. I. Don't. Know."
'Well how can you look for something when you don't even know what you're looking for?' Geno chuckled.
"I guess anything that can help me remember then end of last year. Or something."
'Well I could tell you about the end of last year if you'd like me to?'
"Really?!" Chanse turned her head and smiled at Geno, "You could?"
'Well sure I could,' Geno's eyes twinkled.
Chanse smiled and she looked down, "No. I shouldn't ask you to. This is something I need to figure out on my own." She turned around and opened the drawers to her vanity dresser and began to look around in there.
'Anything?' Geno asked after ten minutes of looking throughout the drawers.
Chanse shut the last drawer with a thud. "Nothing." She sighed in frustration.
Chanse stood up and looked around the room. "I don't even know if I hid it from everyone else or if it's out in the open...That's what makes this so hard." She sighed as she looked around and her eyes fell on the closet. "Everyone puts things in the closet. Like memory boxes."
Chanse ran over her closet and threw open the doors. She dropped to her knees and began to throw her shoes from side to side to see if there was anything on the floor. "Nope." Chanse stood up and checked the top shelf for anything...nothing. She last pushed her clothes from side to side trying to find something, but there was nothing.
She moved her clothes back, straightened her shoes, and started to stand up when she hit her head on something soft. She took a step back and looked at it. She hit her head against a long, silk, black dress robe. She ran her fingers along it.
'What is it Chanse?' Geno asked.
"This was my mother's," she whispered as she looked over the dress robe.
'Yeah you wore it to the Yule Ball.' Chanse felt her chest get tight, again. She gripped her shirt and closed her eyes. 'Chanse you alright?' Geno asked nervously. Chanse nodded.
"I'm fine," She said after the pain went away, "Let's just not talk about the dress and the Yule Ball," once again her chest tightened a little.
'Alright,' Geno nodded as he looked back at the dress.
Chanse walked over to her bed and sat down on it, "It's hopeless. Whatever I'm looking for is lost forever."
'Don't say that.'
Chanse sighed as she swung her foot, slightly hitting something under the bed. "Huh?" Chanse got off her bed and looked under the bed to find a book, a box, and a newspaper. Chanse reached underneath it and slowly pulled it out. She opened the box and saw tons of letters. She put the lid back on, 'I'll read them later.' She ran her fingers across the top of the book. "This. This is it."
'What?'
"This is what I was looking for," Chanse grinned, "I can just feel it...come on Geno." Chanse put the book and newspaper against her chest, " as she ran as fast as she could back to Oliver.
"You find anything?" Oliver said as he stood up from the couch.
"Yeah," Chanse sat down on the couch and Oliver followed her lead, "A book and a newspaper."
"Where were they?"
"Under my bed," Chanse laughed, as she opened the book. "A diary?" She questioned as she flipped through a couple pages, not really reading anything. "I remember this," Chanse said in a sort of daze, "It was Christmas. Cho gave this to me for when I went to train as a Reserve." Chanse felt her heart clench again.
"Chanse?" Oliver placed his hand on her back, "You okay?"
"Yeah," Chanse waved his hand off, "I'm fine. Just let's not talk about becoming a Reserve," Her heart clenched again. 'I need to stop that...' Chanse laughed in her head.
"Alright," Oliver said very wearily.
Chanse set the diary down on the table and grabbed the crumpled piece of newspaper.
"You remember that at all?" Oliver asked as his eyes twinkled in delight.
"No. Not at all." Chanse stared at the crumpled newspaper. 'And my heart doesn't hurt when I try to. So how can I not remember yet my heart doesn't hurt?'
'You never read it?' Geno popped into Chanse's head.
'Did I?' Chanse asked.
'I don't ever remember seeing you read that newspaper...let alone, ANY newspaper.' Geno chuckled.
'Thank you Geno.' Chanse chuckled back.
"Chanse you alright?" Oliver asked again.
"Oh," Chanse turned to Oliver and smiled, "Yeah. I was just...thinking about something." She smiled.
"What were you thinking about?"
"Just why a good majority of my memory has come back to me, and every time I remember something I didn't used to know my heart hurts," she looked over at the newspaper. "But with this newspaper I don't remember it at all, yet my heart doesn't hurt at all." She said in complete confusion.
"You don't remember anything about this newspaper?" Oliver asked a little disappointed.
"Nothing." Chanse sighed.
"Was there a letter with it, or multiple letters?" Oliver urged.
Chanse chuckled, "A whole box of them under my bed."
"Under your bed?!" Oliver accidentally shouted.
"Yeah?" Chanse looked worried, "Why?"
Oliver looked down, "Does your heart hurt when you try to remember the letters?"
Chanse thought about the box of letters and then looked at Oliver, "No."
"Are you sure?" Oliver seemed to be making a last attempt at something.
"Yes I'm sure," Chanse nodded, "Oliver, what's this all about?"
"Never mind," Oliver sighed. "Just read the newspaper. You'll understand then."
"Alright," Chanse said wearily as she picked up the newspaper. "I care about the Yorkshire Banshee, why?" Chanse laughed as she looked over at Oliver.
"Not that. Read along some more pages."
Chanse skimmed over the newspaper flipping a couple pages. "I'm not seeing anything." Chanse shrugged.
"Here," Oliver took the newspaper and flipped a couple pages and then handed it back to Chanse. "Read," He pointed at a small bottom section of the newspaper, "this."
Chanse nodded and started to read the title of the article, "Durmstrang student," Chanse felt her heart clenched, "uses," She gasped as she tried to read on, "L...L..."
"Chanse?" Oliver asked with fear in his voice.
"L," Chanse tried again but nothing came out.
"Chanse you're scaring me. What's wrong?"
The newspaper slowly fell out of Chanse's hands and fluttered down to the floor.
"Chanse? Chanse?" Oliver's voice grew distance and slowly vanished.
Chanse looked over at Oliver in a daze. His mouth was moving and he was shaking Chanse, but Chanse couldn't hear or feel his shakes. Her eyes rolled back into the back of her head as she felt her body go limp and fall backwards...everything went black.
Chanse's eyes fluttered open, slowly, to an all white room that seem to never end no matter where she looked. "Am I dead?" Chanse asked and heard her echo say it back.
"No you are not." A voice from behind chuckled.
Chanse turned around to see a large centaur standing behind her. "I remember you."
"I would hope you would," the centaur smiled.
"Firenze," Chanse said in a sort-of daze.
"That is correct," Firenze nodded.
"But you died last year." Chanse came back from her daze, "So am I dead?"
"No," Firenze chuckled, "nowhere near dead. You are quite alive, just in a dream world."
"A dream world?" Chanse looked around, "Most dreams have color." She looked around, "The stereotypical scene before dying is complete white, with someone waiting to take you to the afterlife." She nodded to Firenze.
"No. You still have much to be done before you are taken to the afterlife."
"But I'm to die anyways. Why is it not now?"
"Do you remember everything from your past?" Firenze questioned.
Chanse thought about it for a couple minutes and then looked back up at Firenze. "No. I don't." She sighed.
"What did Ronan say about you dying?"
"That I wasn't to die until I remember my past."
"That is correct," Firenze nodded, "so why should I take you to the afterlife, now, when you have not even remembered your past."
Chanse shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe Ronan read the stars wrong," she smiled.
"Ah," Firenze slightly smiled and then stopped, "that is why I am here. No one ever questioned and thought that Ronan could have read the stars wrong."
"Why would he read the stars wrong when my life is at stake?" Chanse gasped.
"People make mistakes, Chanse, and so do centaurs."
"Are you saying Ronan read the stars wrong, or something?" Chanse asked with fear in her voice.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Firenze nodded as he started to fade. "You need to read the stars for yourself, Chanse," Firenze whispered.
"Wait!" Chanse yelled, but it was too late. As Firenze faded, everything around Chanse went black.
"Chanse," someone softly shook Chanse trying to get her out of her sleep
state, "come on. Wake up."
Chanse slowly opened her eyes and then quickly shut them when the rays of the sun shown down in them. "Ah. What?" Chanse slowly opened her eyes again to see who was trying to wake her up...Oliver.
"Come on, sleepy head," Oliver laughed as he sat back down in his chair. "Madam Pomfrey said that you get to go back to your room."
Chanse quickly sat up and opened her eyes, "That's right!" She grinned, "Alright let's go." Chanse pulled off her blankets and quickly got out of bed.
"Um...Chanse?" Oliver smirked.
"What?"
"Might not want to walk around the school in the hospital gown."
Chanse looked down at the white with blue flowers hospital gown, "Oh. Right." She looked around, "Well where are my clothes?"
"I got Angelina to get you fresh ones."
"Well where are they?" Chanse chuckled.
"Right there," Oliver pointed to the pile of clothes on the chair in the corner of the hospital room.
"Thanks," Chanse walked over to the clothes and was about to undress, "Um..." she turned back around to Oliver, "mind leaving while I change?" She smirked.
"Oh. Right," Oliver blushed, "sorry." He quickly walked to the door, "I'll wait outside."
"Thanks," Chanse flashed him a quick smile before he shut the door.
She took off her robe, so that she was only in her bra and underwear. She pulled on her dark gray pleaded school skirt and secured it on her waist. Next, she grabbed her white buttoned down shirt and buttoned it up. She left her shirt out of her skirt and her put on her gold and red diagonal striped tie. She pulled her light gray vest on over her tie and shirt. So pulled her knee-high gray socks on and then tied her shoes on. Last she fastened her cloak around her shoulders.
She smoothed out her vest and then walked outside to find Oliver standing right outside, "Oh. Hey." Chanse said a little caught off guard.
"Hey," Oliver smiled, "ready to go?"
"More then ever." Chanse smiled back as she started down the hallway without Oliver.
Quickly, Oliver caught up to her and laughed, "A little excited?"
Chanse looked over at Oliver, "You have no idea."
"Oh Chanse," a voice called right as Chanse put her hand on the doorknob.
She turned around to see Madam Pomfrey sitting at her desk. "Yes Madam Pomfrey?"
"Everyone will be in class at this time and I have excused Mr. Wood to escort you to your room to make sure you get there safely."
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey," Chanse nodded.
"And Oliver?"
Oliver turned around, "Yes Madam Pomfrey?"
"If there is any trouble please come straight back here."
Chanse smirked over at Oliver, "Yes Madam Pomfrey." Oliver nodded.
"That's all. Be careful." Madam Pomfrey nodded and then went back to her work.
Oliver and Chanse nodded to Madam Pomfrey and quickly left before she could say anything else.
"You remember where the Commons Room is?" Oliver asked as he walked up the stairs heading towards the Great Hall.
"Of course," Chanse laughed as she ran up to the Great Hall. "See?" She turned right and ran up the stairs, and Oliver followed behind her. "It's not that hard." Chanse laughed as she continued up the rotating stairs, towards the Gryffindor Commons Room.
When they reached the Commons Room the Fat Lady smiled, "Why hello there Chanse."
"Hello Lady," Chanse nodded.
"Good to see you've returned to normal," the Fat Lady nodded.
"For the most part," Chanse laughed.
"Well password?"
"Balderdash." Chanse said confidently, and watched as the painting opened up to the commons room. "Thank you." Chanse nodded as her and Oliver stepped inside, and the painting closed behind them.
Chanse looked around the empty Commons Room as if remembering every detail.
"Chanse?" Oliver walked up along side Chanse, "You alright?"
"Yeah," Chanse smiled. "It just feels good to be back here," she looked at Oliver, "and actually remember it."
Oliver nodded happily, "I bet it is."
Chanse nodded as she looked over at the stairs that led up to the Commons Room. "I'll be right back." She started to head towards the stairs.
"Wait Chanse," Oliver grabbed her wrist, "I'm not supposed to leave you alone."
"Well you can't go up to the girl's dormitories and I need something that's up there." Chanse looked down at Oliver's hand on her wrist, "So if you'd let go..."
"What do you need up there that's so important?"
Chanse looked puzzled, "Well. Honestly?" She looked up into Oliver's brown eyes, "I'm not sure." She shrugged, "I just know there's something up there that I need to have or find...call it a sixth sense."
Oliver slowly let go of Chanse's wrist, "Alright. Fine," he walked over to the couch and sat down, "but I'll be waiting right here for you when you come back."
Chanse nodded, "Alright."
She started up the stairs towards the doors, "Chanse?" Oliver called.
"Yeah?"
"Do you mind that once you get whatever you're looking for you come back down here, so I know you're alright?"
Chanse smiled, "Alright Oliver."
Chanse slowly made her way up the stairs, as she ran her fingers along the wall remembering every detail that she had pasted by before. Her chest felt slightly tight but it wasn't anything serious. "I must have remembered it all while I was sleeping." She softly said as she turned down the seventh year girl's hallway.
She stopped at the front of the hallway and stared down it. There was a large window at the end. "I've seen something like that before," Chanse turned her head and then suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest.
She squeezed her eyes shut and held her hand over her heart as she gripped her shirt, tightly. She took in a quick, short breath as the pain slowly died down. "I guess I didn't remember that memory while sleeping." She sighed in relief that her pain was over.
She walked down the hallway until she got to the end where she saw the plaque on the door marked: Angelina Johnson & Chanse Potter.
"Well at least they have my name right," Chanse laughed as she opened the door.
'CHANSE!' A small red owl flew straight into Chanse's chest.
"GENO!" Chanse hugged the bird against her, "Oh I missed you so much."
Geno looked up at her, 'You remember me?'
"Who could forget a bird like you?" Chanse laughed as she set Geno on her shoulder and looked around her room.
'Well it's good to have you back,' Geno squawked and then nuzzled Chanse's neck.
"It's good to be back," She smiled as she pet his head.
Chanse walked around the room and moved around some old parchments, along with some other things. 'What are you looking for Chanse?' Geno cocked his head to the side.
"I don't know," she sighed, "that's just the thing. I. Don't. Know."
'Well how can you look for something when you don't even know what you're looking for?' Geno chuckled.
"I guess anything that can help me remember then end of last year. Or something."
'Well I could tell you about the end of last year if you'd like me to?'
"Really?!" Chanse turned her head and smiled at Geno, "You could?"
'Well sure I could,' Geno's eyes twinkled.
Chanse smiled and she looked down, "No. I shouldn't ask you to. This is something I need to figure out on my own." She turned around and opened the drawers to her vanity dresser and began to look around in there.
'Anything?' Geno asked after ten minutes of looking throughout the drawers.
Chanse shut the last drawer with a thud. "Nothing." She sighed in frustration.
Chanse stood up and looked around the room. "I don't even know if I hid it from everyone else or if it's out in the open...That's what makes this so hard." She sighed as she looked around and her eyes fell on the closet. "Everyone puts things in the closet. Like memory boxes."
Chanse ran over her closet and threw open the doors. She dropped to her knees and began to throw her shoes from side to side to see if there was anything on the floor. "Nope." Chanse stood up and checked the top shelf for anything...nothing. She last pushed her clothes from side to side trying to find something, but there was nothing.
She moved her clothes back, straightened her shoes, and started to stand up when she hit her head on something soft. She took a step back and looked at it. She hit her head against a long, silk, black dress robe. She ran her fingers along it.
'What is it Chanse?' Geno asked.
"This was my mother's," she whispered as she looked over the dress robe.
'Yeah you wore it to the Yule Ball.' Chanse felt her chest get tight, again. She gripped her shirt and closed her eyes. 'Chanse you alright?' Geno asked nervously. Chanse nodded.
"I'm fine," She said after the pain went away, "Let's just not talk about the dress and the Yule Ball," once again her chest tightened a little.
'Alright,' Geno nodded as he looked back at the dress.
Chanse walked over to her bed and sat down on it, "It's hopeless. Whatever I'm looking for is lost forever."
'Don't say that.'
Chanse sighed as she swung her foot, slightly hitting something under the bed. "Huh?" Chanse got off her bed and looked under the bed to find a book, a box, and a newspaper. Chanse reached underneath it and slowly pulled it out. She opened the box and saw tons of letters. She put the lid back on, 'I'll read them later.' She ran her fingers across the top of the book. "This. This is it."
'What?'
"This is what I was looking for," Chanse grinned, "I can just feel it...come on Geno." Chanse put the book and newspaper against her chest, " as she ran as fast as she could back to Oliver.
"You find anything?" Oliver said as he stood up from the couch.
"Yeah," Chanse sat down on the couch and Oliver followed her lead, "A book and a newspaper."
"Where were they?"
"Under my bed," Chanse laughed, as she opened the book. "A diary?" She questioned as she flipped through a couple pages, not really reading anything. "I remember this," Chanse said in a sort of daze, "It was Christmas. Cho gave this to me for when I went to train as a Reserve." Chanse felt her heart clench again.
"Chanse?" Oliver placed his hand on her back, "You okay?"
"Yeah," Chanse waved his hand off, "I'm fine. Just let's not talk about becoming a Reserve," Her heart clenched again. 'I need to stop that...' Chanse laughed in her head.
"Alright," Oliver said very wearily.
Chanse set the diary down on the table and grabbed the crumpled piece of newspaper.
"You remember that at all?" Oliver asked as his eyes twinkled in delight.
"No. Not at all." Chanse stared at the crumpled newspaper. 'And my heart doesn't hurt when I try to. So how can I not remember yet my heart doesn't hurt?'
'You never read it?' Geno popped into Chanse's head.
'Did I?' Chanse asked.
'I don't ever remember seeing you read that newspaper...let alone, ANY newspaper.' Geno chuckled.
'Thank you Geno.' Chanse chuckled back.
"Chanse you alright?" Oliver asked again.
"Oh," Chanse turned to Oliver and smiled, "Yeah. I was just...thinking about something." She smiled.
"What were you thinking about?"
"Just why a good majority of my memory has come back to me, and every time I remember something I didn't used to know my heart hurts," she looked over at the newspaper. "But with this newspaper I don't remember it at all, yet my heart doesn't hurt at all." She said in complete confusion.
"You don't remember anything about this newspaper?" Oliver asked a little disappointed.
"Nothing." Chanse sighed.
"Was there a letter with it, or multiple letters?" Oliver urged.
Chanse chuckled, "A whole box of them under my bed."
"Under your bed?!" Oliver accidentally shouted.
"Yeah?" Chanse looked worried, "Why?"
Oliver looked down, "Does your heart hurt when you try to remember the letters?"
Chanse thought about the box of letters and then looked at Oliver, "No."
"Are you sure?" Oliver seemed to be making a last attempt at something.
"Yes I'm sure," Chanse nodded, "Oliver, what's this all about?"
"Never mind," Oliver sighed. "Just read the newspaper. You'll understand then."
"Alright," Chanse said wearily as she picked up the newspaper. "I care about the Yorkshire Banshee, why?" Chanse laughed as she looked over at Oliver.
"Not that. Read along some more pages."
Chanse skimmed over the newspaper flipping a couple pages. "I'm not seeing anything." Chanse shrugged.
"Here," Oliver took the newspaper and flipped a couple pages and then handed it back to Chanse. "Read," He pointed at a small bottom section of the newspaper, "this."
Chanse nodded and started to read the title of the article, "Durmstrang student," Chanse felt her heart clenched, "uses," She gasped as she tried to read on, "L...L..."
"Chanse?" Oliver asked with fear in his voice.
"L," Chanse tried again but nothing came out.
"Chanse you're scaring me. What's wrong?"
The newspaper slowly fell out of Chanse's hands and fluttered down to the floor.
"Chanse? Chanse?" Oliver's voice grew distance and slowly vanished.
Chanse looked over at Oliver in a daze. His mouth was moving and he was shaking Chanse, but Chanse couldn't hear or feel his shakes. Her eyes rolled back into the back of her head as she felt her body go limp and fall backwards...everything went black.
Chanse's eyes fluttered open, slowly, to an all white room that seem to never end no matter where she looked. "Am I dead?" Chanse asked and heard her echo say it back.
"No you are not." A voice from behind chuckled.
Chanse turned around to see a large centaur standing behind her. "I remember you."
"I would hope you would," the centaur smiled.
"Firenze," Chanse said in a sort-of daze.
"That is correct," Firenze nodded.
"But you died last year." Chanse came back from her daze, "So am I dead?"
"No," Firenze chuckled, "nowhere near dead. You are quite alive, just in a dream world."
"A dream world?" Chanse looked around, "Most dreams have color." She looked around, "The stereotypical scene before dying is complete white, with someone waiting to take you to the afterlife." She nodded to Firenze.
"No. You still have much to be done before you are taken to the afterlife."
"But I'm to die anyways. Why is it not now?"
"Do you remember everything from your past?" Firenze questioned.
Chanse thought about it for a couple minutes and then looked back up at Firenze. "No. I don't." She sighed.
"What did Ronan say about you dying?"
"That I wasn't to die until I remember my past."
"That is correct," Firenze nodded, "so why should I take you to the afterlife, now, when you have not even remembered your past."
Chanse shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe Ronan read the stars wrong," she smiled.
"Ah," Firenze slightly smiled and then stopped, "that is why I am here. No one ever questioned and thought that Ronan could have read the stars wrong."
"Why would he read the stars wrong when my life is at stake?" Chanse gasped.
"People make mistakes, Chanse, and so do centaurs."
"Are you saying Ronan read the stars wrong, or something?" Chanse asked with fear in her voice.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Firenze nodded as he started to fade. "You need to read the stars for yourself, Chanse," Firenze whispered.
"Wait!" Chanse yelled, but it was too late. As Firenze faded, everything around Chanse went black.