Chapter 20

Jerking awake, my heart pounding hard against my chest. For a second I didn't know where I was. It was bright and I was on my back. I couldn't see things clearly at the moment so I closed my eyes again, starting breathing deep to calm my heart. I stayed like that for I'm not sure how long, until I started hearing the calls of some familiar voices.

"Kai! Kai where are you?" It sounded a lot like Jamie.

"C'mon Kaida, stop playing and answer us!" That was Ash, I knew that one.

I slowly opened my eyes and everything was in perspective again. The sun light was coming through the leaves of the tree tops. It looked like jewels almost, the way the sun was sparkling like that. Having to close my eyes again, from the sunlight, I rolled over and I felt wood against my cheek and hands.

Opening my eyes again and looking around, I noticed I was high up. I knew where I was now. I was on the platform that my friends and I had started a couple years ago, but never really bothered to turn into a real tree fort.

Again the voices of my friends drifted to my ears. I called to them letting them know where I was. Minutes later I could see them running up the path. I didn't bother to move from where I was, but I did sit up to let them up. I got a million questions at once, but nothing about Drake, or going back in time. Most of them were about where I was, and why I never answered when they had been calling for about half an hour.

"I'm not sure… but I think I had been asleep." I said finally getting a chance to say something.

"Sleeping?" Ami asked, sounding a little surprised. I nodded a little "Then you are a deep sleeper!"

"Sorry, I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep," I replied, still sounding sleepy and not completely there.

"Are you alright Kai? You don't seem too good," Jamie said looking at me with a little bit of worry.

"Yeah, I'll be fine… just a weird dream that's all," I answered, moving the hair out of my face. But I wasn't too sure about that answer. Everything that had happened couldn't have been a dream. It seemed way too real.

"Kaida are you crazy or something?" Ash asked me, tugging my sleeve.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" I asked, totally confused at what he was talking about.

"Well, that shirt! It's got long sleeves, and your wearing pants," Ash said bluntly. "Since when have you ever worn that type of stuff, in the middle of the summer?"

I looked at him totally confused and then at my clothes. They were the exact same as they were in my dream, near the end. On closer look, I knew I didn't have anything like that in my wardrobe – this couldn't have been a coincidence, that dream had to have been real! Ash was right, I wouldn't wear, what I was in the middle of the summer, and I don't have anything like that in my wardrobe.

"Kai, are you sure you're alright?" Jamie asked again, putting a hand on my shoulder "You turned really white all of a sudden."

"Guys, you're not going to believe what I'm going to tell you…" I said looking up and looking about them one at a time. I had the look of fear in my eyes and I knew that they could see it, just by the look on their faces.

I told them everything; totally everything that I had gone through. The storm that started everything, meeting Drake, going back in time and having them see Drake. The looks on their faces seemed that they didn't believe me, but really who would? Would anyone really believe what I had gone through? If I hadn't actually been there, and experienced everything that had happened, I wouldn't believe it either. They seemed to believe a little more when I told them about the clothes I was wearing, and even they agreed that they had never seen me in something like that before and that I would normally never wear it in this type of weather.

After I was finished telling them the story, all that pain I had felt about losing Drake came flooding back. I didn't tell them that I had actually fallen in love with Drake. Shifting my position, I moved to laying across the boards with my head hanging over the edge.

"You know Kai that would be an awesome story to write!" Ash chirped, hanging with me.

"He's right, and you'll never lose that memory," Jamie said. I didn't have to see her face to know she was smiling.

"Yeah, even if it wasn't real, that dream was awesome and should turn it into a story!" Ami commented. She too was smiling, even though I didn't actually see it.

"It wasn't just a dream, it really happened," I said just loud enough for them to hear me. "It was real, I know it was!"

I jumped up and went for the steps to get down; I even jumped the last two steps to the ground and started walking. I knew they were just trying to help, I knew they didn't completely believe me. But I knew deep down in my heart that it was all real, it just had to be. Why would this pain be so strong that it couldn't be real?

Over the next couple weeks, I spent it writing what had happened to me. I took the occasional break to hang out with friends or go on family trips. Those helped me forget the pain for a while. But it never really stayed away like I sometimes wish it did.

It was almost the end of summer, and I was with my friends again just hanging out doing whatever. We were once again at our platform. Jamie was finishing this one book off and was lounging against the tree's truck. Ami and Ash were playing a card game. I was constantly changing my poison from lying on my stomach to slouched over. I was trying to finish off this story of mine, but I just couldn't figure it out

Growling a little, I flopped that book onto the boards "I can't think of how to end this… after everything that has happened, it never truly ended!"

"Well, maybe you could just leave it like that?" Ami suggested

"But wouldn't you hate something like that?" I asked looking at her "I mean would you want to read something like I've been writing most of the summer and then have an ending about just waking up somewhere?"

"I guess you have a point there," Ami answered, placing the winning card down.

"Well, you could always just make up an ending," Ash suggested.

"You mean like finding him again?"

"Yeah," Jamie answered. "Sure it's not the real ending, but at least it's something."

"Yeah, but I don't want to write something that never happened."

"Then write something that you hope will happen," Ami said, gathering up her cards "I mean, if everything that you told us about was really, real, then wouldn't you hope to meet him again?"

I nodded to her. I did greatly wish to see Drake again. But I just wasn't sure how I was going to end it. I didn't want to do something so stupidly obvious, but maybe this was just one of those stories that you start off, and then have to finish later on.

"I think I'm going to wait a little while before I actually write an ending to this," I said with a sigh. "I want to actually wait and see how the rest of this plays out."

They all nodded, than Jamie said softly "It's your story Kai, you do what you want"

"Your right," I answered with a slight nod.

Until then, to the last week of summer, I had started a new job, and start randomly started walking around the town. Wasn't really sure why I started walking around the town, maybe I was looking for Drake in some weird way. Every guy that I seen with his colour hair, or I caught a glimpse of green eyes, I always took a double take of what he looked like; but it was never him. Would he even know me, if he seen me? It would be hard to say at this point. Would he be the Drake that I know and loved, or would he be someone completely different.

The old woman had said that he would be back, but it had been a whole summer and I never seen him again. He invaded my dreams once in a while, but that was never the real thing.

I was at one of the strip malls near town; going into the ice cream pallor to get ice cream, but my mom also gave me enough money to get a two liter of milk. I picked up the milk that I needed first and ordered a single scoop of Cookie Dough Ice Cream in a cup – cookie dough was one of my all time favorites.

After paying, for the ice cream and milk I started my way out. Not really watching where I was going, and being totally in my own world thinking back on my story and everything that had happened. I bumped into someone, dropping the bag, with the milk in it. I had seen a flash of his hair colour, and then green eyes bore into mine, just like his always did.

"Careful, you dropped your milk," oh god, it was his voice, I knew it was. I would never be able to for it, even after all this time.

He flashed a smile at me and walked around to get some ice cream. I just stared at him, I was trying to find me voice, and I was trying to figure out what to say to him! My mind was going all over the place trying to think of something.

"D-Drake?" I finally managed to ask, my voice a little shaky

He stopped dead in his tracks and looked back at me. Finally seeing him completely again, I knew it was Drake! I would never be able to forget those eyes that shoulder length hair that was tied back like that. He was the right height too, he was Drake there was no questions asked; it was him!

"What did you just say?" he asked. He seemed confused.

"Drake," I repeated, finally thinking of something more to say "Drake, is it you?"

"My name is Drake, but I don't remember us meeting before," he answered. So far I was right. "So how do you know my name?"

"My name is Kaida," I answered, and the look on his face just light right up. It was like he knew who I was now.

"You're joking right? Please tell me you're joking," he pleaded, walking over to me, forgetting about his business.

I shook my head, his eyes looking right into mine. It was like the lights in his head were turning on, like he was starting to realize what was going on and who I was. He told me to wait there for a second, got his ice cream, grabbed the milk and my wrist at the same time and dragged me out of the store. I followed willingly enough, and he took me to his truck and continued to stare at me.

I wasn't sure what to do at that point. I couldn't even thing of what to say. It was like everything that had happened when he had first met was going through his mind. The expressions on his face, would at least suggest such a thing. The emotions left his face and he sat on the tailgate of his truck and ran his fingers through his hair.

Stepping closer, I reach out to touch his shoulder "D-Drake?"

Without a seconds warning, he was on his feet and I was pressed tight to his chest with his arms wrapped around me. I didn't say anything and nor did he, his grip just slowly started to get a little tighter; but not to the point where I couldn't breath.

Feeling his head turn towards me, I felt his breath against my ear which set a chill down my spin. He whispered two words that made everything just disappear "Don't cry…" which also hearing those words actually made my brake down in tears once again. I wrapped my arms around him just as tight and I cried into his shoulder. Rambling on about how he finally remembered, and that I had been looking for him forever and just how happy I was that we had found each other again.

A couple minutes later, we were throwing out our empty ice cream cups. There was one thing that I needed to ask, we had talking about everything that had happened, and how it had to have been more than just a dream.

"Drake," I said, playing with the spoon in my hand

Taking my hands in his and making me look at him he answered "What is it, my Little Dragon?"

I smiled a little, but it faded slightly afterwards. "What happened after you disappeared? Where did you go?"

"Well, like you, I woke up somewhere else," he answered, playing with a couple stray hairs that slipped in front of face. "Where I woke up was in a hospital bed. According to my parents, I was in a bad car crash. I was with my friends it seemed and a drunk driver ran into us. The passenger side; my side. They said that I had been in a coma for about a month, and were thinking of pulling the plug and letting me go. But when I seemed to actually be responding to things, they waited."

"And you woke up after everything that had happened," I said, I didn't want to know how long ago that was since everything that happened.

"And it took you, calling me, and saying your name to remind me of everything," he said smiling at me. "I thank you Kaida, you saved me."

Placing a hand on my cheek, Drake leaned forwards a little; while gently pull me towards him. I knew where this was leading and I had no objections what's so ever. I moved a little closer to him, and sat up a little more. I looked deep into his green eyes seeing nothing but that, everything around us just disappearing completely. To make sure I didn't fall over, I placed a hand by the right side of his backend, and the other on his shoulder.

Everything just seemed to stop, a second before our lips met. But when they did, everything was gone. That pain, and the world around us; all that I could feel was nothing but happiness and love. Yes, I know it something cheesy to say, but it was true. It was true love between us, and nothing more. There were no true words that would describe it, and give justice to it. Just happiness and eternal true love…

Started: February 12, 2006
Finished: July 10, 2006