I APOLOGIZE FOR THE SHORTNESS OF THIS CHAPTER. Originally, it was part of a future chapter, but in order to get the timelines to line up, I had to make this part its own chapter. But fear not! The next chapter is veeeery long, just to make up for it.
Thanks for the reviews, guys! Y'all made my day :)
I keeled over, falling into the black grass with a thud. What had just happened? I had touched Jake, and it was like I had been forced into a memory. I didn't mind, because it was one of my favorites, but my head felt like somebody had put it in the microwave on the popcorn setting. I didn't even realize it was possible to get headaches once you were dead!
"Woah, are you all right?" Jake asked me, offering a hand to help me up.
I ignored it and stood, running my hands through my hair. Why had I flashed back? "I...I'm fine."
Jake cocked his head at me, a very Liam-like gesture. "You...you know Liam?"
I took a step back, shocked. "Could you see what I just saw?"
"Only bits and pieces," he replied, looking confused. He looked so much like Liam it made my chest hurt. "You know him?"
"Yeah," I said, feeling like my heart would implode. I missed him—missed all my friends—so badly. "Yeah, I know him."
I sat against another poplar tree, and Jake stood over me, looking troubled. "How has he been for the past ten years?"
"Good," I said, massaging my temples. "Really good."
Jake still looked confused, so I told him everything that had happened in the last two years, starting with how I met Liam and ending with my death. I left out the more personal details, but I could tell that Jake still suspected.
"My brother," he said, sitting next to me on the ground. "You really care about him, don't you?"
"More than anything," I immediately said, feeling my throat close up.
It hit me then. I would never see my friends or family again. All of them were heroes in their own right, and would undoubtedly be sent to Elysium. I was alone here.
I wanted to be sad—I wanted to cry—but I was angry instead. Whoever was responsible for locking me up in here was going to pay, whether I was dead or not. I just needed a plan.
"Why do you think my memory reacted like that?" I asked Jake.
He shrugged. "Most people here forget who they are. For whatever reason, you haven't yet. Maybe because I had forgotten, you helped jog my memory with your own. Sort of like jumpstarting a car, I guess."
Yep, he's Liam's brother, I thought. Nerdiness runs in the family.
I stood, a dim idea forming in my brain. "Do you think you can help me remember long enough?"
"Remember who you are? Sure." Jake stood as well. "Long enough for what?"
I swallowed looking up at the cavernous ceiling. "Long enough for me to get out of here."
Again, sorry for the length of this chapter. I thpically like to go longer, but oh well.
I really am grateful for the reviews, guys. They help me when I'm discouraged and help me figure out things I need to fix. So thanks again, and please keep reviewing!
Why did the skelton go to the party alone?
He had no body to go with him!
