I live in a bubble. Alone, cold and dark. Some may think that the bubble is clear mine is pitch black. 

"Sir, we're losing her!" 

"I can't do anything about it!" 

"Just try!" 

"Nurse! We need a Nurse!" 

I hear them. I can't respond. I can't move.

"Oh, dearling. Please don't leave me and your father." A woman cries. 

"It's time to go." A man calls gently. 

I guess this is it, I wonder. What is waiting on the other side?

"Nurse, stop." 

"We'll lose her!" 

"We already have." 

I hear the fear in their voices and it makes me think. Should I also be scared? 

"Dearly beloved, we gather here today to celebrate and mourn the loss of ***. She was brave strong and most of all beautiful." 

My funeral? What is a funeral? Does that mean that I only had a year to live? But how? 

"Goodbye, my little butterfly. I promise that whoever did this to you will pay" The man whispers. Then nothing, there is nothing. I see nothing, I hear nothing and I can't feel anything. 

16 years later

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I grab my pen and my book and start to write.

I wonder if the world has changed if it is still the same or not. I have seen people come and go. I have seen my Father place white roses on my gravestone. Some would think that it is dark to watch life happen. I don't mind it I find it peaceful. I love to watch the trees grow again every year, and I love to see the change that happens in my little world. 

I smile at my paragraph and place my pen on the page. I close the book and gently place it on the ground. I walk around my gravestone and wipe away any dead flower. 

"Hello?" A boy's voice calls out. I glance around and see a boy. Messy brown hair and bright hazel coloured eyes that remind me of honey. He holds a camera close to his chest and carries a backpack. I hid behind my gravestone and spy on him. He shivers and hugs himself while he glances around. 

"Hello?" He calls out once more. I tilt my head to get a better view of him. He wears a hoodie with a name written in the back. Thomas Gram. 

"I thought I hear someone out here."  He mutters. I giggle and come out of my hiding spot. I decided he wasn't a threat and I could trust him. If he stays. The boy's eyes widen as they meet mine. 

"Hello," I respond. The boy stares at me with fear in his eyes. I laugh at his expression and come closer. 

"I am Josephine." I introduce myself. The boy snaps out of his frozen state. 

"You, what? How?" He studders. 

"What is your name?" I ask ignoring his rudeness. 

"I am Thomas, uh, Thomas Gram." He says stumbling over his words. I smile. 

"Nice to meet you, Thomas Gram." I float closer to him and reach my hand out. He glances at my hand and then back to my eyes. 

"Who are you?" He asks. I grit my teeth and put my hand down. 

"I told you already," I say glaring. This boy is starting to get me upset. 

"I am sorry, I just didn't think that ghosts were real." He blushes and looks to the ground. 

"That is okay, most people run away and never have the time to speak to me," I say sighing. He glances up at me. 

"I am sorry for my actions. They probably hurt you, I can't help it. I always find a way to make people hate me." He apologizes. I shake my head. 

"No, you are quite alright. I don't think you've hurt me that badly." I laugh. He chuckles a little. 

"I think I have to go, my Mother will worry where I am." He says pointing into the woods. I nod. 

"I think so too, will I see you again?" I ask hopefully. He thinks for a moment. 

"I will have to find some time to visit you. I'll see you soon, goodbye Josephine!" He waves and runs away. I watch him go. This boy is something new. I grab my pen and book and start writing again. 

Life is quiet until you meet someone who places beautiful music into it. I do believe I have found my music today by a boy named Thomas Gram. I wonder if others in the world feel the same way I feel around this boy. I did just meet him but I feel like we will be together forever. 

I giggle and close the book. I lay down onto the grass in front of my gravestone and lower myself down to my coffin. I drift off to sleep with the sounds of worms and ants digging through the ground. 

Thomas

I think back to the graveyard, I can't believe I found a ghost. My mom knocks on my door. 

"Hey Tom, it is super time and your sister has news to share with us tonight!" She calls happily through my door. I quickly change into a nicer top and burst through the door. 

"Nis is here?" I ask. My mom laughs and nods. 

"She arrived five minutes ago." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask bolting to the dining room. I hear my mom follow me slowly. It had been hard for her to get around with the new addition to our family. Little June Lily, she is to be born next month but I can hardly wait. 

"Tom!" I hear my sister scream. I jump into her arms and hug her tightly. 

"I've missed you so much," I say snuggling into her arms. My sister Nissa hugs me back. 

"I did too." She whispers. My mom reaches the table and taps it.

"Come on guys, the food isn't going to eat itself." My mom jokes. I let go of my sister and sit down. My dad walks in from the garage and smells the air. 

"Now that is the smell of a happy home." He says placing a dirty rag on the railing. 

"Norman! We talked about this." My mom yells. We laugh at dad as he tries to forget about the rag. 

"Mom is going to get you good later." Nis chimes in. 

"Oh, Nissa. Don't worry about me and your mom." He laughs while sitting down next to my mom. They share a look full of love for each other. 

"How was your schooling?" Mom asks. Nis looks at her food and then at me. 

"Ellen, not now. Nissa just got in the door get her some time." My dad protests. He grabs my mom's hand and gently squeezes it.  

"Well, I passed my final and my essay. I guess I am going to graduate this year." Nis winks at me. I smile. I glance at mom and I see her relax. My dad shakes his head but smiles all the same. 

"So, little squirt any new adventures since I've been gone?" Nis asks me. I think for a moment. 

"I've passed the year-end exam and Gavin and I earned a scholarship to Ambrose," I say excitedly. Nis nods. 

"Good, but I meant real fun things." She explains. I freeze. 

"No, not really," I responded smiling. She raises an eyebrow. 

"Mom, did you find a name for our little butterfly?" Nis asks completely ignoring the looks on their faces. 

"Uh, yes we did. Her name is June Lily." Mom rubs her swollen belly. Nis shakes her head. 

"What? What happened to my name for her?" Nis whines. Dad chuckles. 

"Nissa, Quill isn't a fitting name for her." Dad laughs. Nis glares at him. 

"So! I think it is the perfect name for her! She'll have the most amazing name ever! She's named after Peter Quill!" Nis protests. I join dad in the laughing. 

"Nissa, you know that she won't be named after your favourite superhero. That isn't fair for your brother." Mom counters. Nis dramatically sighs. 

"Not fair." She growls. Dad clears his voice. 

"Ice cream." He says. Her head snaps in his direction. 

"Let's go." She says pushing her full plate away. Mom groans. 

"Nissa, you have to eat the whole dish," Mom says pushing the plate back to her. She stuffs her face. I finish eating a minute after Nis finishes her food. 

"Let's go!" She cheers and starts running to the front door. Mom shakes her head and reaches for Nis's plate. 

"No mom, I got it," I say grabbing both her plate and Nis's. Mom smiles at me. 

"This is why you are my favourite." She places a kiss on my head. 

"I heard that!" Nis yells from the front.  I laugh and place the dishes into the dishwasher. I make my way to the front. The rest of the night is full of laughs and ice cream. 

"So, Tinley talked to me." Nis nudges my shoulder. 

"Oh, yeah? What did she say?" 

"Do you like her?" She sings. I shake my head. 

"Tinley? No way." I say shaking my head. Nis sighs. 

"Okay, how about Seraphina?" 

"I don't know," I say shrugging. Nis glares at me. I smile at her and take a bite into my ice cream. 

"Your sister is right you know, high school is a time to let loose and have fun." Dad chimes in from the front. 

"Yeah, I am just not sure I am ready for a girlfriend. I feel like I need to think about my future." I respond looking out of the window. 

"Okay, hey Dad can I borrow the car tonight? I want to take Tom out star hunting." Nis says nudging me once more. 

"Sure, star hunting sounds fun." He chuckles. 

"Great!" I feel Nis stare into my head. 

"Yeah, great fun," I respond unenthusiastically. Later that night Nis drags me to the car. 

"Have fun! Be back before midnight!" Mom calls. I nod and give her a thumbs up. I get into the passenger side of the car and sigh. Nis gets in next to me and places a big bag of random things we probably won't need. 

"Okay, talk. I know you well and you need to tell me what is wrong." Nis says glancing at me. I cringe. 

"Fine, but please don't tell anyone. You also can't make fun of me!" I say glaring at her. 

"Okay, I double cross my heart promise." I nod. 

"I ran into a ghost in the graveyard across town," I say as fast as I can. Nis looks at me then back at the road. 

"You're joking." She says. 

"No." She laughs loudly. 

"Bless you, my little brother. Nice one now actually tell me." She wipes a fake tear away. 

"I did, I really did meet a ghost. Her name is Josephine." I protest. My sister falls silent. I shift uncomfortably. 

"Josephine? Did you get her full name?" She asks. 

"No, she wouldn't say. I met her today, do you want to meet her? She is really nice." I rant. My sister sighs. 

"Tomorrow." 

"Sure, Tomorrow," I say smiling. 

Josephine 

I wake up and raise up. I grab my book and open it. 

Dreams must be beautiful to actually have when you are alive. I wonder what joy it brings. I wish I had dreams. 

"Josephine?" I look behind me and see the boy. Thomas. 

"Oh, hello!" I say floating towards him. I notice a girl behind him and I stop. 

"Who is she?" I asked pointing towards the strange girl. 

"This is my sister, Nissa." He says grabbing her hand. Sister? I notice the honey-colored eyes and brown hair. She seems familiar then it hits me. I do a full circle of her and notice how close their relationship is. 

"Hello Nissa, It has been a while. I see you are beautiful and strong and smart. I am jealous of you dear friend." I gasp and cover my mouth. Thomas glances at his sister than me. 

"What is she talking about?" He asks her. Nissa doesn't respond. 

"Nissa was at my gravestone a year ago, it was for a school project," I explain smiling at Thomas. Nissa stares at me and reaches out. 

"You, aren't sixteen anymore," Nissa mutters. I nod at her. 

"I do age," I say laughing. 

"I didn't know that, I am glad. How are you doing?" Nissa asks. I grin. 

"I am doing good do you want to read my diary again?" I ask grabbing my book. Nissa nods. 

"I'd like that." I place the book in her open hands and watch her glance at the old pages. 

"Thomas, I didn't know you were related to Nissa," I say looking at him. Thomas smiles weakly. I come closer to him and mess his hair up. I giggle as he groans. Nissa joins in my laughter. 

"You guys!" He sighs. He tries to finger-comb his hair back. 

"Jose, you have the most beautiful writing ever," Nissa says passing the book back to me. 

"Thank you. I am due for more writing. I didn't think that he'd visit me today." I say glancing at Thomas. 

"I am sorry, Nis wanted to see you." He shrugs. I smile. 

"I never said I hated it." I laugh. Nissa nods to me. 

"I have to get going or I'll miss my train back to school." Thomas snaps his head to her. 

"You didn't tell me that you were leaving." I retreat to my stone and sit. 

"I am sorry, I can't stay here forever." She says placing him gently into her arms. He hugs her back with tears in his eyes. 

"You'll have June Lily with you." She says pulling away from him. What is June Lily? 

"I'll miss you." He says looking at the ground. 

"I will too, goodbye little brother." She walks away leaving Thomas behind. I open a page and quickly write a note. 

Never say goodbye because it hurts the heart. 

"What are you writing?" Thomas asks. 

"I like to write things that interest me. Like dreams, change, and broken hearts. I write more things but that's all I can think of right now." I say closing my book. 

"Sound interesting." He mutters. I frown. 

"Are you okay?" I ask gently. He looks up at me in surprise. 

"Uh, yeah I am okay. I just don't like seeing less of her." He clears his throat and sits in front of me. 

"I think I have something that could cheer you up," I say flipping through my book. He looks confused as I stop at a page. 

"I wrote this when she first walked away from me," I explain. 

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" 

"Shh, and you'll see. Today I met a girl, she was sweet and kind. Is this what a friend is like? I've never felt so warm and happy in a long time. The last time I've seen such kindness was when my aunt visited me. I hope everyone has a friend like her, she seems like someone to keep close." I stop before I reveal too much. 

"Wow, that was nice." He says clutching his knees close to his chest. 

"Thank you, I wrote something like that when I met you," I say closing the book. 

"What did you write?" He asks. I shake my head. 

"I don't think I'll let you see it," I say hiding the book. He tilts his head. 

"Will I get to see it?" 

"Maybe in the future." I smile. After that day Thomas visited me every day. I felt lonely for the first time every time he left me. He comes back with a new story of himself or Nissa. I spend days listening to his school work and life. Until one day he just stopped visiting me. 

Thomas

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Tom! Happy Birthday to you!" My mom sings off-key as she places a cake in front of me. Everyone looks at me as I blow the candles out. 

"The big 19 years old!" My dad cheers. 

"You have grown up so well." Nis smiles kissing my cheek. I lean into her and watch June Lily crawl around the floor. Three years old and she still finds strange things on the floor. 

"Brother!" She giggles. I pick her up and place her in my lap. 

"Hi, little butterfly," I whisper. She wraps her chubby arms around my neck and blows spit bubbles. Seraphina enters the room. 

"Congratulations love." She smiles. I wink at her and she places a kiss on my cheek. Nissa grits her teeth and glances out the window towards the woods. I give June Lily to Seraphina and make my way to my sister. 

"Hey, you doing okay?" I ask. She looks at me. 

"I was just thinking." She smiles at me. I shake my head. 

"I know you best, what's wrong?" I nudge her. She frowns and looks back towards the woods. 

"Josephine is still here." She says. I tilt my head. 

"I thought she was gone," I respond. 

"No, she cries every night. Don't you hear her?" She asks. I shake my head. 

"Well, she cries for you. Go see her." Nis walks away and grabs June Lily and smiles at Seraphina. I glance at the woods and sigh. I guess I should see if she is there. 

"Hey, guys. I am going for a walk to think about my future." I say making my way to the front. 

"I'll go with you!" Seraphina calls after me. 

"No, I'd like to go alone. I'll be back soon." I open the door and walk out. I race down the old path I used to run while thinking about Josephine. I stop at her stone and walk-up. 

"Hey Jose, I am here if you want to talk," I say breathlessly. 

"Thomas?" I look up and see Josephine smiling at me. 

"I've missed you." She says sitting in front of me. 

"I thought you disappeared." I stammer. She giggles. 

"I'll never disappear." She places a piece of hair behind her ear. 

"You aged, I remember you told Nissa that three years ago," I say blushing and looking away. 

"Yes, I heard it was your birthday today. Happy Birthday." She smiles. 

"Thank you, have you written anything?" I ask. She shakes her head. 

"Nothing for you." She mumbles. 

"Oh, is it time for me to read the thing you wrote about me?" I ask. She growls. 

"No, you've left me so I don't think it'd matter anymore." She whispers. 

"Sorry, I just thought you disappeared and no longer stayed here." I look away again. 

"You can read it but please once you do never come back, it'll hurt my heart." She chokes on her words. She passes me the old book. She opens the book to my page and points to the beginning.

I read quietly. Was I her music?  

"Now that you've read it, please go." She cries. I give her the book and stand. 

"I'll never leave you, no matter what." I grit my teeth. 

"No, now that you know how I feel about you it makes it hard for me to look you in the eyes." She sobs. 

"Josephine, please. I didn't mean to hurt you. I want to stay please let me stay with you." I plead. 

"Seraphina is waiting for you." She whispers. I feel a pull and I start to move away from Josephine. I fight and try to reach Josephine. 

"No, please." I cry. She looks at me in the eyes for the last time and I see tears. 

"I love you." She cries and then I blackout. 

6 years later 

"Honey! Did you buy flowers?" I look up and see my wife with her hands on her hips. I shake my head. 

"I forgot," I say. She walks over to me and hits me over the head. 

"Come on, she is waiting for us. It's time to say hello to her and this time not cause a problem." She scolds. I laugh and grab her hand. 

"Let's go." 

"Dennis, grab your shoes we have to go!" Seraphina yells. We walk and occasionally stop for Hannah and Dennis to catch up to us. Hand in hand we make our way to the graveyard. We stop and look at a stone. 

"Goodbye, you'll never be alone sweet Josephine." I say. Seraphina places white roses on her gravestone and smiles. 

"Come on." I grab her hand and call the children. We walk away from Josephine for the last time