Chapter 44

I'm standing beneath a starry sky on the edge of a jagged cliff.

Ocean waves crash against a rocky shore far below, churning up swirling sea foam bathed in silvery moonlight.

My hair whips around me; the wind stings my eyes.

I stand for a long time, looking down at the raging seas.

Somewhere in that dark ocean, the bus is sinking, a metal coffin falling forever.

I can feel the cold interior slick with blood; I can hear my classmates calling me.

There's a tug in my chest, like an invisible string pulling me forward.

Somehow I know that if I look too long, I'll float out to sea, and I'll never be able to swim back.

So I focus my attention on the pale white ribbon of sand that stretches like a snake out along the base of the cliffs far below, glowing faintly with trapped moonlight.

A procession of figures in silver