It was just a simple day in the cold mountains of Pennsylvania, normal like all the rest. Kids were going to school, people were going to work, normal routines were being done. However, everything was not normal for me. My name is Felix, and this was the day I was murdered.

       I was only 14 years old, in 9th grade. I had no clue that my day would end with blood. I started my morning like everyone else, I woke up, ate breakfast, and went to school. I had just gotten out of the school bus about a mile away from my school when I heard fast pace of footsteps behind me.  I wanted to turn around and look to see who it was, but instead I ran. I had this feeling of fear, stronger than my instinct to look behind me. I heard the person run, so I tried to flee with all my might. I wasn’t fast enough to loose them from my trail. I tripped on a piece of broken sidewalk, skinning my knee. As I sat on the ground in pain I looked up to see a hooded man run towards me. He grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me up, with a gun in his hands. I saw the bus driver cringe and quickly drive away. I saw someone in the window of a house, watching before closing the blinds. No one was going to interfere. 

       “Come with me you little devil!” He shouted, putting  the gun right next to my head. I struggled in his grasp.
       “Let me go!” I screamed, kicking him in the shin. He pointed the gun at my forehead and put his finger on the trigger.
       “Come with me. Now.” He growled pushing me. I started crying, unaware of the tears flooding my cheeks. I was going to die, and I knew it. I would never see my family again, I would never get together with the boy of my dreams, and I would never see the light of day.
       I followed the man hesitantly to a car where he shoved me in it. “Now let me tell you, you devil. Refusing to come with me could have resorted in your blood being on that sidewalk.” He said, his irish accent unmistakable. I coughed as more tears flooded down my face. The man turned the key of the black Suburban, and drove to an empty warehouse. That’s where it happened.
       As I got out of the car, the man pointed the gun at me again. “Follow me now.” He said a scowl on his face. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve as I followed the man, fear and anxiety gripping my heart as I walked. This man, whoever he was, was going to kill me. A thought struck my mind, hurting my heart as I thought it. I should just die. No one would care. The thought made me cry. It was true, I was bullied and hurt by my friends. My depression had always been a problem and, that morning before I went to school, my mom yelled at me“Stop being depressed! I’m getting sick of it, Felix!” she shouted, as I slammed my door. No one cared. And if I die, then fine I’ll die. I wouldn’t care.
       The sound of a door being opened made me snap back into reality. The man had opened the door to the warehouse, and led me inside. As I walked in two people grabbed me and pushed me into a chair, where they tied me down. One of them, a man wearing a blue suit stepped forward holding a knife.
       “As we are told, this young man deserves to be punished.” The man says, his voice thick with an accent not known by me.
       “Yea!”
       I squirmed in the chair, not knowing what they meant by ‘Punished’.

The man walked forward, and placed the blade of the knife against my cheek, cutting it slightly. A sharp shock of pain went through my body from the small cut, making my heart beat fast with electric current. the man removed the knife and placed it on my throat instead. It all went black before I could feel the pain.

***
       I woke up in a sunny grassland, rays on the sun warming my pale skin. I coughed as I sat up, my brown and blue eyes sparkling. I had never seen such a simple place so beautiful. Flowers ranged in different colors, creating a rainbow of tulips and poppies. I stood up, my legs a bit shaky. Was what happened before just a dream? Had I been sleeping this whole time? No. That couldn’t be. I remember the pain, it had felt so real. I walked along the grassland, looking at the scenery, and the beautiful blue sky. I smiled, something I haven’t done in a long time.

       I walked through the meadow, looking at all of the flowers. As I was gazing around I spotted someone, about 50 feet away, sitting down and wrapping their arms around their legs. I felt like I could feel the person’s emotions; sadness, fear, everything I had felt when I was going to die. I ran forward towards the person, ignoring a sinking feeling in my stomach. As I neared the silhouette, the person appeared to be a young girl, around the age of either 11 or 12. I walked slowly up to her and whispered “Hello?”. When I didn't get a response, I tried to touch her shoulder. I flinched as my hand went through her arm. I fell backwards, almost instantly scared to death.
       “I-I’m a ghost!?” I stammered, still staring at the girl. I caught my breath and stood up, then tried to float. As I did, I fell forwards. “I guess ghost’s can’t float.” I breathed, sighing deeply.
       “They can with practice.”

       “ AHH!” I screamed rolling away slightly and standing up. I wasn’t expecting the girl to talk, nonetheless hear me. “You can hear me?” I stammered turning to the girl who stood up. She had dark brown eyes with flecks of red in them and long almost white blond hair. I could see tears still in her eyes, and sadness reflecting back on me.

       “Of course I can” She said grabbing my wrist with her hands. I flinched away, staring at the strange girl. “H-How did you do that?”
       “Practice.”
       “Oh.”
       I nodded at the strange girl and coughed. She shook her head and began to walk away, before disappearing completely from view in a matter of seconds. Strange I muttered under my breath, before walking through the meadow once more.

      It took about an hour of walking until I found civilization. It was strange walking into a small town, the one I had lived in, from a meadow which doesn’t exist. I turned around to see the meadow gone, and just a sidewalk behind me. I decided that since I’m here, I should go to the school. Maybe I could see how everyone is without me. Maybe they think I’m sick, or something.

       I walked slowly towards the school, going through the gate at the entrance, more like floating through it, and walked to my second class. As I tried to open the door I remembered that I couldn’t touch things and move them without “practice”. Besides the door was too heavy anyways. I decided to just walk through the door, like I had done with the gate. Instead of walking through the door I felt a sharp burning sensation. I jumped back, and stared at the iron coated door.

Iron… I remembered that the door was made of the metal element. Almost instantly I remembered the books I had read on the paranormal, saying that iron could be used to get rid and repel ghosts for a short period of time. I also learned that ghost’s can’t touch the stuff without getting injured. What a joke.

I sort of teleported into the classroom somehow, and stood next to my desk. It was of course empty since I wasn't there. I looked across the room seeing a few of my classmates working silently. Someone seemed to look up and stare at me, but they soon just looked back down at their work. Oh Right.. I thought looking behind me. A clock was mounted on the wall behind me.

I walked over to the desk where my friend Lance sat, working on a drawing. I watched him sketch the head and body of his own character, in an anime like style. I tried to grab his pencil, but it resorted in him accidentally dropping it. I saw a chill run up his spine, as he shivered. “It’s Cold in here..” He muttered under his breath as he picked up his pencil.

       “Lance”.
There was no response.
       “LANCE”
I used all of my energy to shout his name. I saw him look up startled.
       “Did someone just whisper my name?”
        His sudden whisper startled me. I didn't whisper his name, I used all of my energy to shout it! I sat on the ground next to his desk, feeling weak from energy loss. It would probably take a lot of energy to simply be seen by people. Being a ghost is terrible..

       The sound of someone walking towards me erupted like thunder in my ears. I looked up to see the white haired girl standing next to me, a smile on her face. “It’s time to go” She muttered, still smiling.
       “What do you mean ‘It’s Time To Go?’” I said glancing at her. She sighed and grabbed my arm pulling me up.
       “You can’t stay here forever, Felix.”
       I coughed, moving my arm away swiftly from her grasp. “I can stay here if I want!” I screamed, moving backwards. “You have no right to take me anywhere.”
       “I’m a reaper, and I do have the right!” She yelled trying to grab my arm again. I kept moving out of the way, until I hit the wall on the back of the class.
       She grabbed my arm and a portal of light appeared beside her. She hissed as she threw me in it, my world fading to black. I didn’t want to leave yet, but it was my time.

      I woke again in the field, the once green grass now a pale mint color. I looked up at the sky, which was now baby blue. I breathed in the cold chilly air, coughing slightly. It felt like I was laying on my bed, even though I was laying on the grass. The sound of beeping hit my ears, and my vision faded to black before returning again as I opened my eyes once more.
       I saw a gray ceiling, and heard the beeping of a machine. I could hear my breaths, harsh and cold. I coughed again, feeling a sharp pain in my chest as I did. I glanced around the room, seeing someone laying their head on the bed I was laying on.
       I was in a hospital bed, and my mom was laying her head on my bed and sobbing. I moved my hand and touched her arm, feeling weak. She looked up at me, and a smile crept upon her lips as she saw me awake.
       “Felix! You’re ok!” She began sobbing again, but what seemed like happy tears. She grasped my hand in hers, sobbing. “Mom..” I mumbled, coughing again. “What...happened..” I managed to say, my throat stinging as I spoke.
       “You were kidnapped then brutally injured…” Grief clouded her eyes, their emerald green color turning to a dark moss green. “You were lucky to be alive…”.
       I tightly grabbed her hand, my bones stiff from not moving for a long time. “How long was I asleep?” I murmured, glancing at my mom.
       “2 Years”.