[lumberjim]

As I gazed out the jostling bus window, a feeling came over me. A sort of numbness. I began to think about the ups and downs in my life. Looking back now, at myself at seventeen, it seems so trite. I had led such a perfect life to that point. Images from my past whistled by. Aaron coming home for the first time. My rollerskates. The pink bookstrap I used all through junior high. Eating dinner with my mom and dad and even Aaron. Never again.

My life had gone 180 degrees in an instant, and now I stood at the brink of being wholly alone. If Aaron didn't wake up, I would be the only one left. I felt like that should panic me, but the numbness stood between me and my feelings.

And then another image confronted me. I recall being troubled by the vivid memory of the hug Skye and I had shared. I had been comforting her, but in this instant, that image returned of its own accord. And I felt better afterwards. I also remember blushing furiously. It made me nervous around her. Wherever she was, I was conscious of her. I pushed the feelings down until I could think about something else. Anything else.

The pendulum. I sat and thought about how when something as bad as what happened to us all, there had to be an equal and opposite reaction. Something was due to fall our way. I had no idea at that time how prophetic my thoughts were, nor how soon they would be confirmed.

As we rounded the next bend, life began to take on a more rosy outlook. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.