"Trinity."

I looked over at him, not saying anything.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

He shrugged. But then, before I knew what was going on, he had me on my feet in front of him. His eyes locked on mine for a second before he leaned in and kissed me softly.

I was startled but I didn't struggle, I just kissed him back. As he kissed me, I held in a laugh: I was kissing death. Then again, the kiss of death wasn't all that bad.

"Trinity," he whispered when his lips broke from mine.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. That was when I saw it in his eyes: the lightning. I'd noticed it in his voice when I'd first met him; how there was something in his voice when he said my name. It was lightning and now it was in his eyes; a silver flash against the ice blue.

And then Dominic was gone and all I could see was a silver bolt of lightning silhouetted against an ice blue sky.

Then came the voices and the people hovering over me. I couldn't make out the words but I could see everyone moving their mouths. All I could concentrate on was the sky; the lightning was gone but the blue remained. Just like his eyes.

I struggled to get up and someone helped me to my feet. A crowd had formed and they were all staring at me with their mouths hanging open in shock. I looked to my side and saw that I was standing in front of the steel blue sedan with the crystal hanging from the rearview mirror. And I was okay.

Something caught my eye as I glanced around in confusion. There, in the crowd, was Dominic. He was wearing a white sweatshirt now and that ever-familiar smile was on his face. He gave me a tiny wink and, without anything else, he turned and walked away.

Watching Dominic walk away from me, I knew that I wouldn't be seeing him again for a long time. Mostly, I was relieved, even though I had liked him. But I would've rather waited to see him until I really belonged in heaven. It might take forever, but I wanted forever.

"What's your name, sweetie?" an older woman asked.

I looked at her, confused. She had a hand on my arm and she was holding me steady as I wavered. "Trinity," I said quickly, letting her help me. I glanced back at the crowd and saw no sign of Dominic. I looked at the lady again. "My name's Trinity."

"You're going to be fine, Trinity."

But I already knew that.

Somehow, I ended up at the hospital. It wasn't my idea at all. I tried to tell everyone that I could just walk home but no one listened and I ended up in an exam room in the emergency room, no doubt being overcharged for the doctor to peer for a moment at the scrape on my hand.

When my dad showed up, he had Ariel in tow. Ariel raced up to me and, as she did, she looked remarkably like she had when she'd trotted down the steps in my second attempt. Only this time, she made it to me and tossed her arms around my neck.

"Are you okay?" Ariel asked quickly, her breaths short.

"Yeah... I'm fine." And I was, I really was.

The ride home passed with Ariel and I in the back seat, hands clasped. The second we got in the car, I grabbed her hand and held it tightly. I didn't ever want to let my sister go. I didn't ever want to leave my life again.

When I got home from the hospital, there was a vase of white roses sitting on the porch. My dad was the one who picked them up and read the card. He smiled and handed them over to me, joking with me because they were from a boy.

I waited until I got up to my room to read the card. But I didn't need to read the card to know who the roses were from. The silver-rimmed petals were more than enough to give it away. I read the card anyway. It was just a simple white card, with silver edges and silver writing.

I laughed quietly; that stupid boy. As I set the vase on my desk, I noticed something out the window. A silver lightning bolt flashing through the darkening ice blue sky. And I laughed again. Looks like Dominic was back to work.

---

la fine.

Author's Note: So that, my friends, is the end. What did you think? I'd love to know if you hated something or adored something. Or just what you thought about the overall story. This story is my baby so anything will help me! Thanks so much for reading! I really, really appreciate it! .:Shards:.