Chapter 7: Darkness
They stood on opposite ends of the beach waiting for the darkness to sweep them back across dimensions. Pan was on Lyra's shoulders, her hair billowing out around him. Kirjava was curled in Wills arms, tucked away from the harsh wind. Suddenly the wind grew harsh and kicked up sand so that they both shielded their eyes. The waves roared up in a storm of foam and the darkness encircled them. Lyra was crying tears of sheer joy.
"See you on Sunday!" She cried above the howl of the wind. Then she was completely engulfed in darkness. Her tears of joy turned to those of fear as she realized the troubles that awaited her, "Jason..." She wailed in a choked voice. Pan curled tighter around her shoulders as a tear slid from her chin and was whisked into the abyss. She was lost to unconsciousness.
When Will woke up he was in a pristine white room. It was plain, clean and striking. He realized he was hooked up to a device of some sort. He'd never been in a hospital, and been the patient before. He was dressed in a light blue gown and nothing else, but he was covered by a thin white sheet. His reverie was interrupted by an excited movement at his bedside.
"Will! You're ok, I was getting worried, they said it was just a knock on the head, no blood and no serious damage but you've been out for a few hours now." All her sentences blended together in a flurry of words as she looked down on him anxiously. Will figured out then that he must have passed out after coming through the darkness into his world. He needed an excuse, they would ask questions.
"I'm fine mom don't worry. I was taking a walk after school and I tripped and hit my head on the bench."Will lied smoothly, which made him feel uncomfortable. "I assume the police found me?"
"Yes, that's right. When you didn't come home for dinner I called them and asked them to look for you. They searched along the school route and found you pretty fast. OH!" She remembered something and turned to the door, "MARY!" she called, "Will's up!" Mary burst in and lunged towards Will to hug him. As she pulled away she noticed something in Will's hair. Sand.
"There's no sand in the garden where they found you is there?" she inquired skeptically.
