Chapter 5: I'll Be Home Soon

"Ray, no!" Robbie screamed.

"Ray, what are you doing? Stop!" Lily pleaded.

Travis turned around. He heard Lily's deafening scream as he saw her and Ray. She was sitting in Travis's chair, in his studio, with Ray standing in front of her. He was holding on to her shoulders, pushing the chair back at an angle, and he was just about ready to let go. If he let go, and she fell backwards, the desk was just close enough for her to

No! Travis shook the thought out of his head. Robbie glared at him. "If you love her so much, then save her, Travis!"

In a split second, Travis found himself where Ray was before – holding Lily's shoulders, the only thing keeping her from hitting the desk, falling on the floor, bleeding

"Travis, what's wrong?" Lily asked, studying him. "I don't like that look in your eyes, Travis"

Without thinking, he let go. Instead, he found himself in the chair, falling, instead of Lily. Right before his neck hit the desk, he felt someone grab his shoulders, pulling him up. It was Lily. Travis's heart was beating quickly, but he couldn't say a word.

"Good-bye, Travis." She said, her voice echoing throughout the station. Everything was white – the walls, the chairs, Lily's dress†- and Ray and Robbie were gone. This Lily didn't look like the same Lily Travis knew and loved, though. This Lily's eyes were bright purple. Her hair was long and red. She let go of Travis, and he felt himself falling into the black hole that had appeared behind him. He could hear the real Lily screaming, running towards him. The "fake" Lily disappeared as the real Lily took her place. She reached out to Travis, but he was too far into the hole to ever come back

Travis woke up, his pulse normal, his breathing hadn't quickened, and his face was not drenched in cold sweat. He leaned over and looked at his clock – 12:18 PM, Saturday. Lily would be heading home in three daysâ€just three days†but he couldn't take any more of this.

Lily had been on the plane for three hours and should be landing in Toronto any minute. Her cell phone was on silent vibrate. She couldn't exactly answer it on the plane, especially when they were about to land.

"We will be landing in fifteen minutes. Please begin packing up."

Lily smiled. She got up and went to the back of the plane towards the bathroom, her hand on the pocket with her cell phone. Luckily, one of the bathrooms was vacant. She got in and leaned against the wall, taking out her cell phone. The name on the screen said: Missed call #1: Strong, 525-5678. Lily took in her breath. Something else must have happened.

Travis was lying on his bed, one hundred and one questions running through his head: Where was Lily? Why didn't she answer? What if something happened to her? What did his dream mean? â€Why wasn't he afraid of it?

The phone rang in Travis's room. He decided to let the answering machine get it, but he went into the kitchen – where the answering machine was – just to make sure it wasn't someone important.

'Hi, you have reached the Strong's. We are not able to come to the phone right now, so please leave a message after the tone.'

Travis heard steady breathing on the other line before the person spoke.

"Travis. It's Lily. I'm sorry I didn't pick up before; I'm on the plane home. We should be landing any minute. I hope nothing's wrongâ€it worries me when you call, especially after, well†never mind. I'll be home soon. I love you guys. Bye."

Travis didn't need to wait another minute. He grabbed his keys, scribbled his mom a note, and was out the door and in his car, heading to the Toronto airport in less than two minutes.