starlight

I entered my room and grabbed the yearbook off of my desk. Swiftly, I close my door and bellyflop onto my bed. I settle into a comfortable position and open straight to the page that contains Alex's class picture.

I just stare at it for a moment before smiling and letting my finger rest on top of it. The picture rippled, like it always did, meaning I was in. The dream plane settled in as I closed my eyes, enveloping me in a familiar warmth I've grown to crave during the day at school. I look forward to these visits all day, making me restless in classes.

Everything began to become a blinding white color, until a split second later the scene began to take shape. Tonight, Alex had put us in the familiar setting of the rocky cliff which the group was famous for visiting when talking over alien problems in the past.

The sky was filled with bright stars, lighting up the sky enough to make it look almost lilac. I quickly scanned the area for Alex, findin him sitting on a log with his guitar in his hands. He met my gaze immediately, smiling slowly at me. The way he looked at me pulled my lips up quickly into a happy smille in return.

I looked down slowly at myself, when his eyes had left mine and gone to looking at the rest of my body. He had chosen a dark blue satin gown for me, with a turtle neck collar and a skirt that flowed gracefully back behind me in a long train. He wore all white, except his gold silk tie.

I made my way to him in an almost floatiing manner. I loved the settings he made up for us! I sat by him and we held each other for a moment, looking up in the sky. But I couldn't keep my gaze from going back to his warm eyes.

Except what I saw when I looked at them now was a little bit of sadness. "What's wrong?" I ask, fear suddenly gripping me. "I'm afraid this is the last dream we'll get to share together, Isabel."

His words were like daggers to my heart. "What? Why!" I demanded, but he calmed me down with a brush of his hand on my cheek. I soaked up the feeling, closing my eyes briefly, then opening them to look at him once more.
"I have to go for good, Isabel. So you can begin to live again. " "What do you mean, I am living still." "Your living in this dream world, Isabel and it is not healthy. But just because we cannot see each other in this dream plane doesn't mean I am leaving you."

"But Alex, I--" "Shhh..." Alex kissed my lips softly, and I couldn't speak. I was distressed because I had grown too dependant on these visits with him, being able to see him once more.

One night about four weeks ago I had touched his picture when thinking about him and had discovered I could see him in the dream plane still. but now, he was saying I couldn't.... "Alex, I can't live without seeing you, it just hurts too much," I tried to bury my head deeply into his neck and cried.

He gently brought my face up away from him so he could speak to me. "Isabel, see that star over there?" He pointed up to a bright star, as my eyes followed his finger. I shook my head yes, and turned to look into his eyes.

"I'll be there, Isabel. Whenever you need me, I won't be far. Remember, I've never left you." At that moment he began to fade right in front of my eyes, and my body went into panic. "No, Alex! Please! I love you!"

The last thing I saw through my tear filled eyes were his sad smile. "I'll always love you, Isabel." Then, he was gone. I was jolted back into reality a split second later, and began to cry loudly in the darkness of my room.

Max came running in and grabbed me up into his arms. "What's wrong? Isabel?" he kept repeating. But all I could do was cry.

***************
(Two weeks later, 10:00pm)

I rubbed my blood-shot eyes with the back of my hand and stood in front of my bedroom's closed door from the hallway. I had been to shaken to go back in there at night time since the fateful night Alex disappeared for good.

I hadn't slept since then, either. Max and my parents were beginning to worry, especially since I hadn't said more then 5 words these past 14 days.

Suddenly I heard some muffled whisper come from my room, like a wind, only I was sure I heard my name. It got me to finally turn the knob to my door, and walk inside. I heard it again, coming from the window.

"Isabel," the wind said.

My heart began to pound rapidly. I made my way to the window, looking over to my bed to see the yearbook opened to Alex's page still. I looked away quickly and took a deep, tired breath.

When I reached my window I push open the curtains and looked outside. The backyard was empty and dark. I was about to close my window when the flicker of a star in the sky made me look up.

A sudden comfort flooded my body, as the light from the star whispered to me. "I've never left you." My eyes watered as I finally excepted it all. Alex was gone from me physically, but he never left my heart, and never would. I was finally ready to move on.

"Goodbye, Alex. Thank You," I whispered into the night sky, smiling for the first time in a while.

That night I went to sleep peacefully in my bed again.