He looked so peaceful. His eyes were closed, his hair pointing in all directions, refusing to stay down, even with hairspray. He looked like the eleven-year-old boy Kendra remembered. The same boy, who once snuck a beetle into her bed in the middle of the night. The same boy who had had hour-long water fights with her in the summer. The same boy who had once laughed and joked around. The boy who had been alive.

Peering into the open coffin, Kendra wiped away er tears, but new ones soon soaked her face. What big sister had to attend to her little brother's funeral? What big sister had to look at her brother's body, being lowered into the ground, forever?

Gently caressing his cheek, Kendra pushed a strand of hair from his face, trying to get as much of his face into her memory. The small things, like the small way his mouth was upturned in the tiniest of smiles. Or the way his eyebrows were lifted slightly, as if questioning something someone had said.

Kendra wished it had only been a dream. That soon she would wake up to Seth pulling her covers off, telling her to get out of bed. But she knew, that wasn't going to happen. For she was staring at Seth's body, trying not to think of the life he would have had if he hadn't...

Flashes of possible futures passed through Kendra's mind. She saw Seth, older, about sixteen, standing next to a grey BMW, grinning from ear to ear, as their father snapped a photo of him and his new car. Another flash was of him graduating from school and another one about him finally getting the fairies not to hate him. He was standing in the middle of them, while they zipped around him, sometimes whispering at each other, and waving at him before flying off.

Kendra burst into tears. A few people, relatives, turned around to face her with sad looks, only being able to guess what the girl was going through.

Suddenly strong arms slid around her, and her father pulled her back from the coffin and enveloped her in a hug, letting her sob into his shoulder. Slowly, he led her away into the workroom at the end of the hallway. Once they were both inside, he closed the door, and just held his daughter as she cried.

"Why? He was so young! Why did he have to..." she couldn't finish, for a new series of sobs racked her body. Mr. Sorenson smoothed her hair and laid his chin on her head.

" It was an accident, Kendra. No one could have stopped it. No one was even around." he said calmly, fighting back tears himself.

Grandpa had called Mr. Sorenson after he had been strong enough, which was about an hour after the... incident.

It had gone somewhat like this:

Grandpa Sorenson picked up the phone with a shaky hand, wiping away tears with the other. Taking a deep breath, he dialed his son's number, and let the phone ring. Soon enough, Scott answered, sounding as if he had just been woken up, which he probably just had.

" Dad? What's going on? It's... 3 am?"

" It's Seth. He's..." Grandpa choked on the words." I'm sorry son. There was an accident. He was out in the pool, when he slipped and hit his head. He was knocked out, and he fell into the water. There was no one around to save him. He's gone."

There was a silence. And then Grandpa hear a stifled sob.

" Scott? What's wrong?" Marla's voice came through the phone, as sleepy as her husband's had been only moments before. Grandpa took the phone away from his ear, not wanting to hear his son explain the situation to Marla. Yet, even though the phone was farther away, he could still hear the woman's horrified gasp and the weeping that followed.

" Stan?" Marla asked quietly, as she grabbed the phone from her husband's hand.."Did he die in pain?"

Grandpa shook his head, but then realized that they couldn't see him. " No. He hit his head on the side of the pool. It's all but impossible that he would've been conscious when he fell in,"

" Okay." Marla's whisper was so quiet that Grandpa barely heard it. " We're going to need a little while to..." Her voice trailed off, and a new series of sobs rang through the phone.

" I understand. " Grandpa wiped away the tears that had escaped his eyes. " Marla? Scott? I'm sorry." And with that, he closed the phone.

The rest of the wake was uneventful. It took Kendra a few minutes before she quieted down, and a few more before she was ready to exit the workroom. When she did, she was immediately greeted by Grandpa Sorenson, who immediately enveloped Kendra and his son in an embrace.

Neither grandfather or granddaughter could shake away the guilt, of not telling the truth. The truth, of how Seth had really died.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Seth had always thought that if he was ever held prisoner, he would create some sort of ninja kick on the door, and run away, returning back to his family. They did it in the movies, right? So hard could it be? Now, sitting in the cell he had been sent to during the carnival night, his throat hoarse from screaming, he really doubted that he could break out.

How long had it been since he had appeared in the cell? He suspected it might have been days. Or was it only hours? He didn't feel hungry, and the room seemed to cancel out the feeling of boredom. What was this place? The Queen had sent him there with only one wave of her hand after she had told him she would make him a... what was it again? A Shadow Charmer? Was that it?

What was a Shadow Charmer anyway? Someone who was thought to be charming by shadows? It made no sense. At all.

Seth had been leaning against the wall of his cell, knees pulled up to his chest, his chin propped up by a single hand, staring into the darkness when suddenly a voice rang out.

" Seth Sorenson. " Immediately alert, Seth sprang to his feet, trying to find the source of the voice, but it seemed to have come from everywhere. " You'll begin your training in a few short hours. I must warn you; it won't be easy. You need to be ready for what is needed of you to become a Shadow Charmer. "

There it was again. That weird, Shadow Charmer stuff. But what did she mean by training? And what about it not being easy? He was so confused. But, if the training was going to be hard, he might as well get some sleep.

Shifting into a more comfortable position, Seth closed his eyes, and let himself fall into a deep sleep.