I got an idea for a second chapter; I just had to write it. If you haven't read the first chapter yet, I suggest you do or you probably won't completely understand what this is about. Enjoy!

*Edited June 8th, 2012.

Fabian's POV

The mid-autumn evening air was as crisp as a fresh apple, the sky a spectrum of stunning colors as the sun slowly dipped lower and lower beneath the horizon in the distance. Pale azure, light magenta, and a deep, vibrant orange coated the sky, causing a golden tint to cast over everything underneath it.

I sat in the middle of the graveyard, knees pulled up to my chest, and watched the sun, now nothing but a watery smudge right on the line of the horizon, disappear completely. The sound of the chirping cicadas drifted through my area with the warm night breeze, making it pleasurable. But I shouldn't be feeling like that. I didn't deserve to feel like that.

I shifted my position and looked over my shoulder at the road, where the zooming sound of passing cars, honking horns, and slowing brakes was coming from. The noises broke the calmness I was feeling and reminded me that this was the real world, where anything can change just like that. Nothing stayed the same forever and good things always came to an end. I would know; my life had changed drastically in the past couple of months—every single change was for the worse. I could never bring a genuine smile to my face. My relationship with my housemates would never be the same. And worst of all, I lost my best friend to suicide; one of the most tragic ways to leave this world.

It had been two and a half painful months since Joy took her own life. Two months since the night Joy swallowed a handful of pills and died on the bathroom floor to have Patricia find her the next morning. Two months since I lost that sparkle of joy in my life—the sparkle only she could create. I never knew how much of an impact she had made on my life, until she was taken from it. I never knew how badly I had been treating her—until it was too late. I still felt completely lost, like aliens had abducted me and I was suddenly in a place where I knew no one, and had no one to trust. I still felt utterly miserable, guilty, distraught—every word that was similar to depressed. Nothing in my life was happy anymore.

Turning back to her grave, I scanned my eyes over the gravestones besides Joy. On her right was her grandmothers, on her left was where her older sister was buried. I grazed my fingertips against her smooth gravestone. Engraved in the stone was: Joy Katharine Mercer, 1995-2012. And below that, was a tiny quote that read: Without any light, there will never be joy. A quote that suited this situation so well. Now that she was gone, there was no more light. No more joy.

A beeping sound started to buzz in my coat pocket, vibrating against my body and startling me. I stood up and reached into my coat pocket and pulled out my ringing cell phone, where a picture of a smiling Nina was covering the bright screen. Incoming call, it flashed. I sighed, and flipped it open. Pressing the talk button, I brought the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered in monotone.

"Oh, thank God! Fabian, where in the world are you?" Nina cried frantically. "Trudy's about to have a heart attack!"

The night air started to become colder, mixed with a smell of gas, freshly mowed grass, pine, and barbecue. I sighed and ran my fingers through my tangled hair, shivering as a powerful breeze pummeled against my body. I didn't know how to answer her question, because no one knew that I came her every day after school to talk to Joy. How I told her about what was going on, and how I truly felt about her. Everything I should've said before she died. No one knew how much I missed her, how much I cared for her. Not even Joy, and that's what bothered me the most.

I couldn't lie to Nina. I was a horrible liar—my voice wavered, and my words come out rushed and stuttered. She'd see right through it; she knows me too well. But I didn't want to tell her the truth, either. She doesn't like to talk about what happened to Joy; especially because she knew she was a main reason, just like I was.

"Fabian, are you there?"

Her aggravated voice echoed through my phone's speakers and snapped me out of my reverie. "Uh, yeah, sorry," I apologized quickly.

"Where are you?" She practically shouted, her voice thick with edge and rage.

The wind was now sharp and extremely chilling, and I began to walk down by the sidewalk to keep warm. "Calm down, I-I just went for a w-walk." The lie didn't slide as smoothly as I had hoped off of my tongue, but it still sounded believable.

"For nearly a hour?" Nina said dryly, and I could practically picture her expression: eyebrows raised, eyes filled with uncertainty and her lips molded into a dubious frown.

"Y-yes, I-I just n-needed to-to get some... fresh air." I wanted more than anything to just hang up on her, but I couldn't do that. She would never leave me alone if I did.

"Yeah, sure." She huffed, which told me she was far beyond annoyed. "Well, when you want to tell me the truth, don't bother calling. I'm not stupid, you know. I know you're lying! Why can't you just tell me where you're at?"

"No, Nina, I-I—"

"Forget it." Nina cut me off curtly, and before I could say or do anything, the line went dead. She hung up on me.

I sighed deeply with annoyance and snapped my phone shut. "Crap," I muttered. I screwed up completely. Just like I did with Joy.

I decided to continue to stroll next to the sidewalk, cars passing by me in the speed of light. Everything, no matter what, reminded me of Joy. Somethings made me think of her personality, like the sparkling sun on a cloudless day. Somethings made me think of the memories, like the sound of a child's musical, infectious laughter. Some things made me think of her beautiful eyes, like warm gooey chocolate. And something made me think of her smile, like the way a light bulb brightened up a dim room. Everywhere I went, she went with me. But I couldn't see her. I would do anything to be able to, but nothing could ever bring her back. Only the cherished memories would stay alive forever.

But I needed more than that. I wanted to be with her; I needed to be with her. No one understood me like she used to, no one could make me laugh like her, or smile. No one could ever listen like her, no one could ever care like her. No one could ever be like her, not even Nina. Especially Nina.

Everything had become much darker in the fifteen minutes that had gone by. The sky was turning into a midnight-blue shade, and the lampposts were lit, creating a path of light for anyone who happened to be traveling by. A crescent moon was beginning to form, taking its turn as the source of light. Cars were still passing by quickly, their lights practically blinding me.

That was when an idea formed in my mind. My life had lost its happiness; when Joy died, it was like a part of myself was buried with her. And I realized; I wanted to die. I couldn't live right without her in my life. I didn't know until now how happy she made my life. Nothing was normal between my housemates and I. Sure, Nina and I were alright, but when we were all together it was still awkward and forced. And I didn't like that. I liked how easy things were with Joy; how she could make me feel so carefree and comfortable to just be my self. I needed to feel like that again. No one else could make me feel like that.

A pair of headlights formed in the distance, growing brighter and stronger as they grew closer.

Twenty, nineteen, eighteen.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I repeatedly asked myself if I was truly willing to do this.

I was.

Seventeen, sixteen, fifteen.

I thought about my parents, how much I loved my mom for all of her support, how much I loved my dad for helping me grow into the man I was destined to me. I thought about my little sister, how much of an amazing young lady she was going to become.* I love you.

Fourteen, thirteen, twelve.

I thought about my housemates; my best friends. My second family. I thought about all of the jokes and laughs we shared; all of the unforgettable memories. I love you guys.

Eleven, ten, nine.

In ten seconds, the car would be a mere fifteen feet in front of me. In ten seconds... I was going to jump.

Eight. Seven. Six.

I thought about the solar system, my most favorite thing in the world. I wondered if you'd be able to see the planets in heaven.

Five. Four. Three.

I thought about Nina. Her beautiful smile, her sparkling hazel eyes, the amount of love I had for her. But it was nothing compared to what I felt towards Joy. I love you, Nina.

Two.

I thought about Sibuna and all of the mysteries we solved. Together, which brought us closer. I thought about Amber's blonde moments, Alfie's goofiness. Patricia's determination and Nina's courage. I realized how much I was going to miss that. But even if I tried, it would never be the same between us. I raised my right hand up to my face and covered my right eye with it. "Sibuna," I whispered. For the very last time.

One.

I took a deep breath. Everything seemed to slow down: my heartbeat, the car. Time. And then everything sped up as I hurtled my body out into the road. There was a furious high whine and a sensation of heat swelled through my body as I slammed hard into something just as hard, if not harder. It felt as though I was being thrown around by a giant hand as the earth revolved, turned upside-down and sideways. And all of the sudden I came flooding down and crashed forcefully onto ground. Everything became completely still, floating imagines flashing through my mind in-and-out like a dream. Bright colors, glowing lights, a tingle of warmness. Something warm—possibly a hand, more gentle than before—pressed against my back. I could barely make out a face above my own, whispering my name over and over. Fabian, Fabian, Fabian. The face became clearer, something so bright and white and shining glowing around its head I swore it was a halo.

And then, my vision went black.

My eyelids fluttered a few times, before opening completely.

I was in the air, rising. Surrounded by a glowing light, growing stronger and bigger as I got closer. The light was radiating a massive amount of warmth that made me feel safe. I was safe. As my vision became more clear, I realized there were stars floating around me. Twinkling and sparkling like they always did on a cloudless night. I had a sudden desire to get closer to the light, which was now the size of the sun. Before I knew it, the light was overpowering and I had no choice but to snap my eyes shut as I entered the light, swirling around as I drowned in a pool of warmth. I had a good feeling about it—like I was meant to be swimming in the warmth. Like it was my new home.

After what seemed like an eternity, I felt the need to re-open my eyes. And the sight I saw was breathtaking: hills covered in soft patches of emerald grass, a massive amount of oak and pine trees, the enchanting sound of chirping birds and a beautiful, crystal-clear pond. It was like paradise.

I stood up, my mouth agape as I slowly walked around, my feet sinking in the lush grass. I had no idea where I was at. I didn't know if it was heaven—it had to be. There was no way hell was anything like this. Unless if I was somewhere in-between heaven and hell, a place where the dead explored and possibly tried to understand why they had died before they had to choice where to go or where to stay. It all reminded me of a book I had read, which made me want to know the answers to my questions even more.

"You're here."

I whipped around. A teenage girl was standing a few feet away from me, long brown hair flowing down her back in ringlets, a silky white dress loosely covering her petite figure. I didn't recognize her—my mind was utterly blank—but something about her was definitely familiar.

As she stepped closer to me, I became more aware of her eyes: Large and full, and a beautiful brown shade that reminded me of chocolate. Suddenly, was like a light bulb had gone off inside of me. It was Joy. She was standing in front of me, more beautiful than ever. Like an angel.

"Joy," my voice cracked as the words came out hushed in disbelief. I never imagined I would see her again.

She was so close to me now. I could smell her scent: sweet peppermint mixed with something else so good-smelling that I had never been able to identify. Her scent that I knew all-too well sent chills down my spine. I felt the sudden urge to wrap my arms around her as tightly as I could and never let go. We were finally together again; like it always should've been.

"I knew you cared," she whispered, the corners of her lips upturned into a beautiful smile. A single tear rolled down her cheek as her chocolate eyes bored into mine. The way she looked at me made me love her even more, and for the first time in a long while: I smiled. A real, genuine smile.

Maybe it wasn't too late after all.