The strange feeling that came when everything faded to black didn't go away, even after I vanished. It was not a good feeling. I still felt the sting of Saris' sword and my wounds stung just as badly as they had when he stabbed me. But I felt like I was being carried, or perhaps dragged, to wherever it is that I was supposed to go. It made everything seem that much more painful. I couldn't breathe and I began to panic. I tried to calm down by reminding myself that I had died, so I wouldn't need air. That didn't make me want it any less, though.

Several minutes went by and I remained in pain, sure that someone was dragging me somewhere, but with no breath in my lungs to ask where I was being taken. I wished that we would stop moving. As soon as the thought entered my mind, it happened. The strange sensation went away and I was stationary. Then air rushed back into me and I gasped and choked, making my wounds sting more. Once I calmed down, I realized that the pain of my injuries was going away. I felt the itch of skin healing but couldn't move to act on the sensation. Soon, everything was back to normal; except the fact that everything was black and I was still immobile.

Suddenly, I was falling. I wouldn't have known it except for a tightening in my gut and, while there was no wind, I was mentally expecting a sudden stop, which made me tense up. I did not like heights, nor did I like the feeling of free-falling. Colors began to swarm into view, like pixels turning on at different times. They formed into my surroundings; blue skies, green trees and stone or wood buildings. A black street was quickly coming up to meet me and I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the violent impact, but it never came. Suddenly, I felt something under my feet and I flinched, bending my knees to ease the fall. I fell over, opening my eyes and finding myself in the middle of an empty street with a few houses on either side of me. I picked myself off the ground and frantically looked around to see if anyone might have seen my drop; no one had. Leaving the road, I sat at a nearby tree, trying to get the dizzy feeling I had to leave.

It took me a while to get my thoughts in order, but once I did, I realized that I was in a new cycle and a new place. It was cooler here. Still warm, but it was a comfortable temperature, not the intense heat of Florida. It was more important to know the map of the area, more than the exact location of where I was, so I didn't dwell on where I could be and put the job of learning the barriers to the arena in the back of my mind. I wanted to find them, but I needed a minute to collect myself first.

Since I was still dizzy from...whatever just happened, I decided to stay seated for a while. I looked around, but there was no one there; at least not yet. I was sure there would be people around here somewhere; players of the game, but also normal people. They would turn into shades soon enough. At least now I knew better than to break into a house and get myself arrested.

My thoughts drifted to Saris. He was home now. Free of the game that he had been trapped in for six years. Would he find Rayne? I wondered what her reaction to seeing him would be. I hoped it would be a good reunion. While I was glad for Saris, I was also sad that I wouldn't see him for a while. He was a large reason why I had made it as far as I did in both of my cycles. It was unlikely that I would win the next two cycles, not that I wouldn't try but I would miss my friend; not to mention the fact that I wouldn't be able to rely on him for his wisdom, guidance or strength anymore. My death had rattled my confidence and I wasn't as sure of myself as I had been at the beginning of the last cycle. But somehow, I did feel more courageous. I wasn't afraid to stand up against anyone. I had learned a lot from the last cycle and I intended to use what I learned to fight better and smarter in this one.

Instinctively, I checked my pockets and found my phone. Good! Maybe it still worked. I took it out and to my relief, it looked like it was still functional. I didn't have the charger anymore, but that was okay, I could find another and right now, my battery was doing fine. It had been a while since I messaged my friends or my sister and it was time for me to let them know what had happened.

Well...I died. It was weird...I'm not really sure what else to say about it. But, we did beat the fire guy, so that's a plus! Saris won and he should be out by now. I think he'll be coming to Michigan when he can. I really miss you guys and I hope I'll see you soon. I'm in the next cycle and I've got a lot of work to do. I'll try to keep in touch when I can.

I copied the message and sent it to my sister, hoping that she would overlook the 'you guys' I had put in there. Then, without thinking about it, I pasted another copy of the same message and sent it to my mother. Then I put my phone back in my pocket. My eyes practically popped out of my head when I realized what I had just done and I took the phone back out and frantically tried to delete the message before it sent.

"No!!! No!!! Undo!!! Oh, no! NOOO!!!!"

Obviously, nothing could be done and I began to curse at my phone.