I awoke to a bright pool of light spilling into my vision. I groaned, stretching - this turned out to be a bad move.

I fell off of Elliott's sofa and only then did I remember where I was. Blushing furiously with embarrassment, my eyes cautiously looked up. I saw Elliott looking down at me and I noticed that his long eyelashes slightly caressed his cheeks as he blinked. He began to chuckle.

"Hey, it's not funny!" I accused him, getting up. It was strange - almost like we were old friends.

"It is," he managed to say between fits of uncontrollable laughter. He soon calmed down as if yesterday's events were crashing down on him again.

Of course, I knew exactly how he felt. The loss of my mother still made my heart ache; the fact that I was the reason made me feel even worse.

"I guess I should head off home," I told Elliott with a stretch (this time, not falling off anything).

"So soon?" He inquired, almost sad. I looked at him and he looked lonely. I sighed.

It was still inevitably awkward.

"Yeah, I'd ought to get going," I said as I stood up, brushing my fingers through my hair and straightening out my creased clothes.

"Okay," he said uncomfortably, shifting on his bed. Elliott was stood beside me, ushering me downstairs to the front door. He questioned, "Do you know how to get home?"

"Uh, yeah," I agreed even though I didn't. I was sort of glad to be leaving but I was relishing in the company - I knew as soon as I left, the thoughts of my mother's death would hit me like a ton of bricks, "I'll see ya."

"Wait," he called out as I stepped out the door, "Do you have your phone?"

I nodded, pulling it out of my pocket as proof. He held his hand and I nervously placed it on his palm. Lifting it to his face, he typed something in before handing it back to me.

"It's my number. This is gonna be hard for both of us," he mumbled, shuffling his feet, "I guess I'll see you at school."

I shook my head in disagreement, "I don't think I'll be back for a while."

"Good," Elliott said, then when I took it out of context and began to walk away in frustration, he added, "I don't think I will be either."

With a curt goodbye, I strolled back to my house. It took me a little while to work out where I was. I got there eventually. Forcing the door open, I stepped inside. My home wasn't so homely anymore. The scent of my mother's baking was gone and the candles she put everywhere weren't lit. The lights were all off and the heating hadn't been on overnight, making the house cold and dismal. 

I sighed as I headed up to my room. My phone buzzed and I lifted it to my face, seeing my best friend's name planted across the screen. In a swift motion, I answered the phone call and instantly I heard, "Are you okay, Luna?! I heard what happened!"

"I'm fine, Seth," I responded with a dry laugh, "My mum..."

"I know," Seth murmured, "It was on the news."

I gulped, moving towards the television. I held back the temptation to turn it onto the news and see if anything else about the accident was being said and instead, put on the radio. Thankfully, our television provided decent radio channels which featured rock and metal.

"Can I hear music?" Seth laughed and I agreed with him. He sounded hesitant to speak again but eventually he asked, "Do you want me to come over?"

I choked out a yes and Seth hung up after saying goodbye. It was then that I saw Elliott's number just above Seth's - Hastings, Holmes - and I pressed the little message icon just below it. I composed a text quickly.

L: Hey, Elliott. This is Luna, thought you might want my number.

He didn't respond straight away but I wasn't expecting him to. Seth arrived swiftly and I began spilling my heart out as soon as he sat down on the sofa with me, "It was my fault, Seth! I told my mum the lights were green, like I always do, but they weren't... It's my fault three people are dead, Seth."

He held me, swinging me back and forth in his arms softly and slowly, "It's not your fault, Luna. These things happen."

"But it shouldn't have!" I hissed emotionally. I wasn't pissed with Seth, just myself. He cradled me like a crying child. I shot out of his arms as I heard a beep - almost like the noise a phone makes when someone hangs up. "What was that?"

Seth just looked at me in confusion, shaking his head, "It was probably just outside or something."

I fell asleep on the sofa that night and Seth departed at about ten o'clock after we had pizza and ice cream to cheer me up (of course). It worked a little but I couldn't help feeling as though there was something wrong, that the house was still too empty, as my eyes closed and I drifted into the world of slumber and nightmares.