Ten seconds.  Nine seconds.  Eight seconds.  I got up from the bed and stood opposite him, leaving Deshawn's hand empty on his lap. He was weak, the frown on his face wasn't usual for somebody as enthusiastic as my ghost boy.  Six seconds.  I supposed he never truly was my ghost boy. I knew I'd miss him after this but it certainly was stupid to miss something I never really owned. I never even got close to it.  Three seconds.  Two seconds.  One second.  

  "Your initial thought was that you could wish Avery De Vega back into your life, right? That she would come back and be your mother again as though nothing had ever gone wrong?"    He was right. Though it felt like a slap to the face, he was so right.    I should've hated my mom but I didn't, not one bit. I wasn't sure who I was meant to be without her. She was everything I had and more. Everything I needed. I knew it was stupid to long for something that never wanted to be yours, to begin with, but I couldn't help it. Dad was strong. Though he'd loved her with all his heart, he'd let Mom go to make her happy. I wasn't as selfless, though. Clearly.    Now, I had the chance to get her back. I could fix things between us and get her and Dad back t

  We fell into silence and as we neared the city, my anxieties rose higher and higher through my body, causing a subtle shake. I leant my head against the cool, glass window and watched as the world passed me by. My eyes latched onto people's faces as they passed and I wondered if I even knew half of what had happened during the past couple of days. How fast everything had changed and how it had all been ripped from under me. I racked my brain, wondering if I'd even made the right decision to begin with.    Before I knew it, we'd arrived at Ross Rivera's house and now the bile was rising. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see him either. I just sensed an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach that made the tips of my fingers tingle and the soles of my feet numb.    Raven was a better driver than me and when she pulled

3 YEARS AFTER.     When I was younger, my grandmother would sit me on her left knee and we would stare up at the dark sky. She was the one who helped me develop my love for the moon and stars.   Back then, it was hard for me to see the stars; my eyes not being able to focus through the tears. Despite that, I remember wiping them away just so I could focus on something greater than myself.    My grandmother would tell me this story about the moon that never failed to make me feel happy, understanding the power of promise. She used to say that it was as if the moon had promised the night sky that it would always return. She would tell me the moon would never leave the night and they would always meet again; nobody could tear them apart.  

  I shakily exhaled as my eyes dart from his body to my blanket. I tuck some loose strands of my dark hair behind my ear, feeling my heartbeat inside my chest.   He was yet to notice me which calmed me because I seriously wasn't in the mood to converse with him. For some reason, I had a feeling he wasn't either.    I could feel the sadness radiating off of him and I couldn't stop myself from thinking the wildest of thoughts:   Maybe I should go ask him what's wrong.   Nobody comes to The Edge; and if they somehow manage to, I don't think that it would be by chance. There was no way this guy who looks about my age walked into the forest looking for this place.