I recalled my story of what happened during the performance and the voice I was hearing. When I was done, I asked nervously and doubtfully, “Do you believe me?”

“I don’t know why, but I do," she answered. "It's you."

A wave of familiar relief washed over me. “Thank goodness, I didn’t think anyone would believe me.”

Hope looked at our surroundings. "Hapi…where are the others? We were standing still when we were talking and now they’re gone."

She only called me that name when she was really freaked out. I looked where the others had just been to not see them. Immediately my body flushed with fear like a ghost possessed me.

She continued talking. "Do you know what this means?"

Oh no, I knew what this meant and I knew it all too well. Neither of us had a phone.

My parents were going to kill me.

Boy Scouts had taught me that when you get lost, you stay put. I was using the buddy system since I had Hope with me.

Of all places was I lost… in San Francisco? The one place I was most terrified of getting lost in. What if they never found us? I would have to ask a stranger for their phone and call Mom to ask for help? She would be so disappointed as usual.

I was lost again, l… l… lost in San Francisco. San. Francisco. I was in my worst nightmare. I didn't mean for this to happen. Somehow, I was stupid enough to make it happen… where I was terrified of getting lost. I might become homeless. Nobody would ever find us.

Mom hated me for this.

I had gotten lost a lot in the past and this time I was lost with a friend and my family was going to kill me. The voice could save us. It could stop time again. I couldn't run. We needed to stay. I planned to do what the Boy Scouts taught me. Violet would find us if we stayed.

It would be okay.

Mom would not be upset.

Hope looked at me. "We're lost."

Ooooooooh…. time wasn’t freezing. Please let it freeze. Hope clutched her locket nervously. Fear stained through my skeleton.

My breath stopped. This was the most terrifying thing I could ever think of. Have you ever got that feeling that you were going to live on the streets for the rest of your life? That’s how I felt right then. The world was so big and I was only a speck of dust in one of its most thriving and entertaining cities in the world. I had wanted to live there forever, but not like this. We looked around us, viewing the many streets and routes and noticed how big the city was. The city didn’t feel marvelous anymore. It felt like a perilous and distressing prison just waiting to pick us up and use its stupendous power to strangle us until we worked one hundred times faster than a speeding bullet.

We did what any person would have done. We ran. We ran away from the fun house, away from the ice cream shop, the performers, the Golden Gate Bridge, the theater. Maybe I even ran away from hope: hope that we would ever find our friends again. My face was flushed red with tears pouring down. This was the worst moment of my entire life.

I was going to ask someone for their phone. People would help two lost kids, yes. A woman walked next to us. I asked her a question with tears streaming down my face absolutely humiliated. "Could I borrow your phone? Please, my friend and I got lost from the group and we don't have a phone. I know my Mom's number. Please help us"

"I am sorry; I can't," she said kindly.

I sobbed even harder. Then, I picked up speed again, nearly ditching Hope in the process. All logic left my premonitions. I was a shell of terror to succeed in the possibility of catching up to my friends. I had to run faster.

"Felix!" Hope called.

I don’t know how long I ran, but eventually I had to rest, but in a way also running from hope into San Francisco’s dangerous depths. My blonde hair stuck and lost its color while her silver locket lost its charm and beauty. As we sat on a bench, all hope of finding our friends seemed completely lost now.

“Children, are you alright?” asked a man.

No response.

“Are you lost?”

Hope nodded sadly and asked, "Do you have a phone we could use to call Felix's Mom?"

"I don't have one right now."

My future shriveled in the reality of his words.

“Come with me," he went on. "I know where your friends are. They were asking about you and asked me if I found you to bring you to them.”

Really…?

The girl looked at her locket and nodded to me.

We followed him into unknown roads. “Good, your friends will be so happy. I know a shortcut to them."

Short… cut… to… them?

This was horrible. He was going to kill us and we rested with my crush and I did not follow the Boy Scout code. I would die like Hope's Mom died for her. We were going to die in an alleyway in a giant place. Nobody ]was going to find us.

Hope's hand grabbed mine. We looked at each other. The man suddenly turned around and looked at us. His eyes gleamed with delight and his face beamed pure evil. He smiled at us, showing all his yellow teeth.

I was crying uncontrollably. We were going to die because I didn't follow the Scout Code to a creepy guy in an alleyway. This was my worst nightmare and I knew it would happen and it happened anyway because I was so stupid and couldn't please my Mother.

“Hope and Felix,” a musical voice said. This time, Hope had heard the voice too. “I am with you.”

A smooth and comforting hand was placed on my shoulder that made me want to do good to someone and to comfort the lonely. It was as if all the good feelings in the world were sucked into my tiny body. I looked at the man and he was frozen in time along with everything else. I looked at Hope and a hand was on her shoulder too, but she wasn’t frozen. She was looking at me as we turned around.

We froze. The love between the girl and the figure made the world. It was her Mom. The one who died all those years ago. She never got over that, not even after six years.

“M-m-m-mother.” she stammered.

“Yes, my daughter. It is me.” the figure replied. Her voice was musical like the voice I had been hearing. I turned around to look at her. She was wearing a white robe which seemed to be shining. Her hair was red and her eyes were brown like her daughter's.

In awe, the little girl wrapped her Mother of six years dead in a warm embrace. Hope was saying something, but it was too muffled to make it out. It was a perfect hug. No beams of supernatural gold could shine more brilliantly than the love between a Mother and Daughter. We didn't have to fly for this love to soar out the windows and make the dazzling beauty everywhere sparkle with unending love. It rested in these places regardless of frozen time. I realized her Mom wanted to see Hope as much as she did. It taught me that love never goes away even if it is frozen for many years.

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This kind of moment washed you, breathed you to existence. I was real. Hope was real. I would marry that woman for all of the gifts and time. She with Truman, Violet, Tommy, Sara, Sydney, and even Ruth… they were my breath. I could exist with us here together like Hope and her mom. At last, the Black Figure failed. He didn't kill the hope of my life's hope.

“Someday, I’ll love my friends so they always feel that warmth of that love too."

"Thank you, Felix Hapimone. You are my most valued friend. I am Riley Lily Aaron. It is my greatest honor to meet you." Rylie said to me they let go of the hug.

"You have always been there for my daughter. I never thought I am able to truly rest in peace by a young boy becoming my dearest friend of all time. Thank you for taking care of her for me. What you did for her and Truman defies logic and in you I am eternally grateful."

She opened her silver locket. The picture was the last picture that had the entire family together. Everyone in the photo looked so young… it was rare I ever saw any of them happy like that. She had two older twin brothers named Robert and Robin and a little sister, Lillian. Hope was given her Dad’s name, also named Hope. “This picture changes every day according to your heart, dreams, friendships, and mind,” the angel went on. “My message to give to you is to never lose hope even in times of grave peril. That’s why I named you Hope.”

That's what her father told me. He said Hope was her mother's treasure and idolized her too much. In confidence, he told me to teach her that her mother's qualities could be in other's as well. He didn’t want his daughter using his wife's memory as a crux. I had told Truman this as well. That's when he started becoming the most loving person he is today. He wanted to make sure Hope knew how special good friends are so she never allowed herself to be bullied ever again; hence why Ruth came with us on this trip.

“What about my middle and last name?” She asked.

“Kristy is a crystal because they actualize beauty in the world. Aaron means light bringer. Hope and Felix, bring that light to others and give them hope. Bring that beauty into the world.”

“I will,” we said.

“Felix, I want to tell you something important before I go.”

“But you just got here,” Hope begged. “You can’t leave now.”

“I know my daughter; I know.”

She led us back into the city through the streets as she told me this was the only way for me. As we went along, I never got used to going through a busy street with no problem and seeing everyone frozen in time. We turned corners and went through the building until we found the others. Tears couldn't stop flowing from Hope's eyes. She was bawling them out, but there was no sound, but only unlimited joy.

I'd keep doing this… wings were suggestions. Feeling my height was perfect.

To fly my feelings high, reach the highest of all the heaven where somebody like Hope was all alone in their head waiting for beautiful hope I was bringing them forever. Hope and I had flown to this timeless present and it was way better than going above the Golden Gate bridge.

I promised myself the pain I'd go through, the one that haunted me and many others…

That ghost of murdered hope leaves them all alone in themselves like me. Actually, I never had been alone really before, but somehow it felt like another me was.

Like this trip had gone very differently before.

Like I was supposed to be Jacob…

Had I been all alone on this trip? Did I not have Ruth, Truman, Violet or Hope to keep me company and let me enjoy this San Francisco trip like I just had lived?

“Jacob, I am here for you.” I said in a prayer. It reminded me of what Hope always did with her mother. The silver locket was mine too to share with others as Hope and all of them had done with me as their best friend.

I wasn't sure if he or anyone could hear me, but it didn't matter. Nobody should be all alone in their head. I would never let that happen.

Nothing would stop me from making others smile and laugh. I would fight, fly, fall, and feel all of it. That was how to stay awesome. This with friendship and family, we would do. I will never stay given up. I had hope after all. She ensured I'd believe in myself.

She always had even though we never knew it. We felt it.

We felt together.

Across everything and nothing is unknown, some maybe like some awe mess.

“Thank you, Mom.”

“You’re welcome, my dearest. I love you very much. Thank you for always knowing that I am always with you. The play was wonderful and the performance was even better. I love sharing that with you.”

She opened her arms and wrapped her daughter once more in them. It looked like after years, my best friend was home again. I had never seen anybody be so happy in my entire life. I could never forget this.

"Goodbye, my dearest treasure of musical love. I will always be watching over you. I love you, Hope Kristy Aaron.” She started to glow even brighter than she was before. Then, brighter and brighter with a beam of light going up.

“Look away!” I yelled, covering Hope. There was a giant flash as the world started again like nothing had ever happened at all. The cars drove. The people walked and Ruth, Truman, and Violet ran to us. We told them what happened, but they mustn't tell anyone.

Ruth laughed, “I bet that guy thinks he’s crazy now.” We all agreed and laughed.

After that, we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, back again, and visited another place. Hope was different the entire time. The sadness she carried with her when we arrived was gone.

That's what I had wanted ever since I laid eyes on her. No matter what, I had promised to relieve that sadness. She deserved it for being the most beautiful human I could ever see. Six years made it brighter and brighter, but unlike her Mom, I couldn't look away.

“I promise,” I said. “I promise to stay awesome for all of you and all the friend's we have yet to meet. I'll always be the awesomeness they need.”

A warm hand slipped into mine. It was the first time I had ever felt the warmth of another's hold in mine. It was like home. It felt like life.

“His Awesomeness,” Hope's musical voice said beside me. Her hand was the one in mine.

I wanted to cry and nothing ever.

“His Awesomeness,” Violet said. “That is your name!”

She dubbed it as my name. Why did it feel like I was born just now?

I looked at my friends. “I know what I want now more than anything else, and I’m ready to change my life-flight for it with no regrets.”

“Yeah, buddy?” Truman asked.

“I know it’s weird, but just thinking about the way I cried today, I don't want anybody feeling that much pain. I won't let any of you go through any struggle without me to help and bring you some sort of people. You gotta stay strong or at least curious about the truth that it's all gonna be okay somehow. I won't let anybody tell me differently either. I'll keep telling them and showing them until they believe anything they want as long as they dont lose hope. It's okay to feel. It was okay to feel what I felt today. My Mom would have killed me if I called her and she found out I was lost. It was horrifying. I don't want anybody feeling that way with me. If we don't feel, how are we supposed to get any better? We can't. So my heart is set, I'll keep shining as a beacon of hope until they are their own friend no matter how many times we break open.”

“I get that,” Violet said. “I don't want anybody thinking they shouldn't have a name.”

“You didn’t have a name?” Ruth asked. “Why?”

“I just didn't. I asked my parents about it every so often, but everytime they would tell me they were so busy doing something for me that they couldn't come up with one. Eventually Felix did it. That's why I am named Violet.”

The sound of her own name made my big sister light up with the cheekiest, goofiest smile. “I have a name! I love it! My name is Violet Jennifer Hapimone! It's the best name ever! Thank you little brother!”

She smothered me in a huge hug.

“Vio…” I started saying, but quickly got muffled by being buried into her arms.

“I love you baby bro.”

I tried to interject and pry free by yelling, “sissy!”

“Group hug!” Truman cheered.

“Seriou-” Ruth started to say before crying out. “Hungh! What ha-?”

In an instant I was deep in the middle of Truman, Violet, Hope, and Ruth's weirdest group hug I had ever been in.

“Let's walk the entire bridge like this,” he laughed. “It'll be awesome. It'll be His Awesomeness!”

“His Awesomeness doesn't work like that!” I yelped from inside the bundle of love.

“You're His Awesomeness, Felix,” Ruth scowled. “If you have a name like you it's your job to be just as awesome.”

“Not you too!” I cried in anguish, but gave into my friend's growing laughter.

As laughed that hug, I looked out of the window of space where my friends hadn’t sabotaged my vision. Then, I wanted to make the world a better place.

“Ruth, who is that lady over there in the middle of ocean?” Truman asked.

Letting go of the hug, we each made out way looking across the landscape. Eventually one by one, we’d gasp in astonishment as our eyes lay themselves upon the silver angel above us. She sat up there, grinning idiotically like a loser. She gave a big over exaggerated wave at us before blowing us a kiss. “I love you!” She cried. “Thank you for looking after my daughter! You are the best!”

Hope, Ruth, and I laughed.

“You’re body is flawless!” Ruth yelled back. “Come back so I can learn your routines!”

Rylie smiled. “Be you till fuller and fuller love! Your hair is gorgeous! Truman… thank you for being the best friend my daughter could ever ask for. Thank you for teaching her friendship and goodness!”

I expected a loud booming voice to shout something in return, but all that met her was silence the manliest of our group to drop on his knees and bawl like a baby.

Even if she was way above us, I could feel her warmth. It felt like peppermint and filled my soul with love. I looked around me and could see Ruth, Truman, Violet, and Hope felt that way too. Rylie shot a beam towards the stars as she got brighter and brighter. I shielded Hope and there was a flash of light.

“Look away!”

We shielded our eyes.

After it subsided, Ruth mumbled in disappointment, “She’s gone,”

“Weirdo,” said some people around us.

“But how?” I asked.

“I guess only we could see her,” Violet said.

“Oh, I know we were the only ones who could see her.” Hope said.

“Let angels be angels.” Truman said.

“Thank you Ruth, Felix, Violet, Hope, and Truman,” said a musical voice.

“For what?” I asked.

“Giving me hope.”