I deleted the poems I had submitted as they weren't as well written as I had first believed. I did get around to revising that story I last posted, and added the rest. It's a rather short chapter, but it is what is needed. Any criticism will be accepted, albeit with sad angry tears, but accepted none the less. Cheers.

CHAPTER ONE
Hitchhiker

The small round pill tasted sweet and fruity. Daniel moved it around in her mouth with her tongue, pressing it against her cheeks and then upon the back of her teeth. It was too late to spit the pill out and leave this whole situation behind.

Even if she wanted to back out, once the pill started to dissolve in the mouth some effect was bound to take. Instead of tasting only the surface of the adventure it usually was safer to go through with the whole process. There had been stories about some spitting out the tiny blue pills before they were fully dissolved, the stories usually would continue on to tell how some went mad after such an action. To afraid to ever attempt the trip again, but at the same time wrought with memories of seeing a glimpse of the other side. Only stories, though, they of course were only that. She had nothing to truly be frightened of. Besides, if the pills were as dangerous as some would claim, wouldn’t they have been outlawed already?

The tiny pill was almost gone. She could feel the anxious thundering of her heart beating away, but she wasn't too sure if the effects were setting in yet. This was her first time. She had the advice of others to help her through this.

She looked over to Angel. He was only a couple of feet away from her, and the rest of the group was behind him. Allen, Hayley, Elijah, and Jeffery didn't look any different than from a couple of minutes ago. This wasn't their first time, and they themselves wore faces of tranquility or excitement.

Elijah looked over at her, when their eyes locked he flashed her a smile; a big toothy grin. It was him who had befriended her and showed her the world of Angel. Daniel was about to return the smile, but before she could Elijah’s head slumped over.

"It looks like Eli has begun his trip." Hayley muttered. Her words were slow and quiet, but loud enough to be heard in the small room.

Daniel's eyes moved from Elijah to the one person standing in the room. Catherine, their Guardian for the night, she was keeping clean tonight. No one ever took the Pete's without someone to watch over, that's what Angel had told Daniel when she had first joined the group. Though the pill was perfectly safe, only fools would travel so far from life without someone near to call them back home.

Catherine went over to Elijah and lowered him to a laying position. Daniel could see her friend’s breathing slowing. He appeared to be only sleeping. Next Catherine came over to Daniel.

“You might feel more comfortable lying down,” she said as she knelt down next to Daniel. “Is this your first time?”

“Yes.” Daniel managed to whisper sluggishly. She was beginning to feel weak, and the pounding of her heart was no longer trying to beat its way out of her chest.

“Come on kid; let me help you.” Catherine spoke as she carefully lowered the young girl on to her back.

Now on her back, Daniel could see the world beginning to dim out. She smiled up at the dark blur that was Catherine.
Everything then went black.






Darkness everywhere.





No sound.




Nothing to touch.



Nothing.


She was nothing.

Then suddenly a light.

A bright pin of light.

It kept growing, and growing, and growing.

The sound of rushing air followed it as it began to speed at her.

Growing and coming closer, she didn’t know what to make of it, but she wanted it.

“Danny! Woohoo, little girl!”

The room came back into focus. Standing over her wearing a wide grin was Elijah.

“So, girly, what did yah think?” Elijah knelt down next to his friend. “I was only gone for thirty seconds, but you were gone for almost two minutes! How was it? What did you see?”

Daniel didn’t go straight to answering. Her body was still heavy, not yet fully recovered, and her thoughts felt muddled.

“Oh, yeah, your body is still coming back. Just give it a couple of seconds.” Elijah reassured her. “I saw so much this time, even though I was only gone for thirty seconds.

Elijah laughed, “My mom, Danny! I saw my mom. She didn’t say anything, but she was smiling so kindly down at me. Ah, it’s wonderful knowing she’s there waiting for me. Also, I saw these great tall towers that fell away into a bright blue sky. They were so tall I couldn’t see the tips!”

A shadow fell across Daniel as someone else came to stand next to her. It was Catherine.

“How was your first time?” She asked.

“I…” The words still came slow, but the weight seemed to be almost gone. “Saw only emptiness, and then a bright light.”

“What? Really? Did you see anything else?” Elijah asked. “Old long passed family members, angels, unknown spirits?”

“No,” Daniel answered sadly, suddenly aware of how greatly uneventful her first trip was. “When I died, all I saw was emptiness and then a bright light.”