I feel strange, like my limbs are not there. I feel light as a feather, but my eyelids are heavy. I force them open, and all I can see is white light. It surrounds me, wrapping me up like a blanket. I move forwards, and the light is all around everything. A warm, tingling feeling fills my chest, and the back of my neck is ever-so-slightly sore. I should be feeling peaceful. After all, this is eternal life, right? But something about this makes me feel incomplete. I feel like I shouldn't be here yet. Somehow, I'm not done with my purpose on the Earth. I move forward, looking straight ahead. There's thick, black darkness in front of me. As I walk on, I see a dim flicker of white light. I am not the only person here. Not that I'm surprised, I mean. This is where people go when they die. Although, somehow I thought there would be more stuff. The light grows stronger as I grow nearer, until I'm right next to it. All I see is a ball of light, bigger than a person, about the size of a dragon. I hear its voice, like a drumbeat, and see the shadow of a creature starting to form.

The thing's voice rumbles out of it, familiar and yet strange in this new place. "Who are you?" the voice asks tiredly. My eyes widen, filled with sudden realization.
"Maye!" I yelp, running to her- or what used to be her. "What happened to you?"
I hear a huff of breath, a sound she always made when she was irritated. "Hello, Lore. A dragon's wing webbing holds a lot of their energy. Besides, I couldn't fly away from any threats. When a few of those massive mutated things that Everett brought into the battle ganged up on me...I didn't stand a chance, Lorelei." Her voice breaks, and I hear her sniffling. I place my arm around her shoulder, even though her shoulder is made of light. It feels warm and soft and slightly ticklish.

"It's alright, Maye," I say, although hearing Maye break down is truly painful. She is strong, she is tough, and her crying and letting go of hope is like waving the world goodbye. "Just breathe. I have a feeling that this isn't over yet. In the afterlife, do you think that only a girl and a dragon have ever died? Of course not. I think that we're in some kind of in-between place, a halfway house of sorts. We are In-Betweeners, and all we can do right now is wait."

She yawns a little, and I can see her fuzzy outline as she curls into a ball and closes her huge eyes. I snuggle into her side, enjoying the warmth, but I cannot sleep. There's a weight in my chest, as though someone is sitting on it. My breaths are labored, in comparison to Maye's delicate ones. She is no longer here in her mind. She is somewhere else, dreaming of a better place and a better time. I wish I could be there with her. I try to imagine a place of peace, of warmth and goodness and light, where everyone is happy and lions and sheep are best friends, and all of that nonsense. But instead, my mind focuses me into a strange place.

The place that I see is in front of the Caverns, in the gorgeous grassy field. Except the field is not gorgeous anymore. It is a battleground. Everyone from both the Green and Red armies is gathered there, in the midst of a battle. Dragons and their Riders are in the cloudy sky, clashing to the tune of lightning. Thunder rumbles, and the sky is bloodred. On the ground, there are many fallen and many fighting. Every few moments, someone goes down. I see my mother chewing her lip nervously, Sene half-morphed with her wings out, sending pockets of snowy air through the sky. Her face is scared-looking. Even from my dreamlike state, I can tell that we are losing quickly. I can hear voices and screams and constant thunder, but as though I'm a million miles away. And maybe I am.

I quickly pull myself out of this strange image. I wish that I was there, and it makes me sad to see it from a distance. I know that if I went there now, I would land in the middle of a battle. But still, I would land with my family and friends around me. I feel a burning desire within myself. I need to be there, need to be alive again. If I can pull myself out of this in-between existence, I can bring myself back. I will feel the buzz of adrenaline running through me, the pump of a heartbeat jumping in my chest proving that I am alive. Feeling pain would be a relief, instead of just gliding along in this unfeeling consciousness. I find Maye's outline, and shake her craggy shoulder.
"Maye," I hiss. "Maye, focus on something."
She jerks awake, and I can see the sleepiness in her eyes. "Like a beef-steak? Because I could go for one of those right about now."
I poke her. "No, silly. If we can focus enough, I bet we can be alive again. Come on, you can do it."
She makes an awful face. "Alright, fine, Lorelei. Climb on my back. If we get ourselves back, we can fly together." With a bit of effort, I pull myself onto her back. A realization courses through me like I have just been struck by lightning. "But Maye! Your wings."
She makes a soft noise. "They....they....they...Lorelei, I think they healed!" Long white triangles of light stretch from her back and flap, good as new. I yell with joy. Maye throws back her head and roars, happy. I take a deep breath and so does she. And then we exhale together, and everything suddenly spirals into darkness.