I wake up early the next morning. The sun has not yet risen outside and I quietly slip into my favorite sweater, which I received from my mother last year for my 18th birthday. The others are all still asleep, so I grab my headphones and head outside onto the balcony. 

I press start on my favorite playlist, which consists of 50 percent Imagine Dragons songs and the other 50 are movie songs. It's chilly outside and to get warm I decide to go down to the beach. Today we have the morning off and the lessons don't start until after midday. As I walk down the stairs, I see that no one is on the beach yet. Once there, I take off my shoes and socks and feel the sand under my feet. The sand has retained the warmth from yesterday and so I take a few more steps towards the water. The warmth under my feet reminds me of the warmth I felt yesterday when Anne hugged me.

The thought of it makes me smile and suddenly I have that good feeling again. Further down the beach there are larger stones. I sit down on one and close my eyes.

Suddenly I'm at home. I'm sitting in my grandparents' living room and can hear them talking to my mother outside. My knees are pressed tightly against my body and my head is lowered. I can hear their voices and yet I can barely understand a word of what they are saying. They talk quietly and I try to listen more closely, but the more closely I try to listen, the quieter the voices become. When I try to make myself heard and stand up, the voices get louder. 

“I don't have much time left. I want to make the most of the time I have left.” I hear my grandfather say. 

“Keep fighting. There are still so many possibilities,” my mother replies. 

I try to stand up, but my legs don't respond. 

“Hello, can anyone hear me?” I try to call out, but no one responds. 

“I don't want Lily to see me suffer like this. I want her to remember me fondly.” 

A tear runs down my cheek as I shout louder, “Grandpa, I'm here. Can't anyone hear me?”.

“Lily,” a warm touch on my arm brings me back to the present and I wake up from my dream. 

My heart is pounding as I open my eyes and blink against the sun, which has now risen. Confused, I look around and my thoughts keep going back to my dream. When I look to my right, I see who woke me up. Anne is standing next to me, looking worried. 

“Are you okay Lily? You were screaming loudly.” 

Without answering, I get up and hug Anne. I hug her tightly and after her astonishment is gone, she puts her arms around me and holds me tight. We stand there and don't let go of each other. The warmth that Anne radiates calms my racing heart and lets me sort out my thoughts. It was just a dream Lily, I tell myself. Just a dream.

 “I'm here if you need someone to talk to, Lily, and if you don't want to, that's okay too,” Anne says to me and I slowly release myself from the embrace. 

Somehow I'm not ready to talk to her about it, so I reply, “Thank you Anne, the hug helped me”. 

She looks at me worriedly. Suddenly I realize how my stomach is growling and how hungry I am. Anne's worried face changes to a laugh when she hears my tummy. 

“Time for a nice breakfast. Yesterday I discovered a store with Chloe that sells fresh rolls and fruit juices. Do you want to come with me?” 

“I'm in.” I answer her and grab my shoes, which I'd put next to the stone. 

“I know a shortcut over the stones. Ready for an adventure, buddy?” Anne asks me and climbs up the rocks.

Climbing and heights have never been my strong point, but my stomach urgently needs something to eat, so I get over myself and follow Anne as she climbs over the rocks towards the village center.

“Wow, this is the best fruit juice I've ever had in my life,” I say to Anne as we stand outside the grocery store. 

The path over the stones was a challenge for me, but Anne kept helping me and we soon arrived in the village.  Anne also takes a sip of her juice and replys “Yes, they're really good and the rolls are still warm”. 

“My stomach is forever grateful to you” I say, smiling teasingly. 

“It's an honor to serve for my Buddy” Anne says, indicating a bow. 

“What are you doing?” I say with a loud laugh and try to stop her from bowing by taking a step forward and holding her by both shoulders. She straightens up again and looks straight at me with her big brown eyes. We just stand there for a moment. 

“Oh sorry I...” I can't finish the sentence, quickly let go of her shoulders and take a step back to the table where my juice is. For a moment, I had the feeling that Anne didn't know what to say either. Suddenly her cell phone rings and when she looks at it, she starts laughing again. 

“Chloe can't find her shoes. I think I'll go back and help her look. Are you coming too?”. 

“Sure. The search for Chloe's shoes has officially started. What are you waiting for?” I reply and set off, my mind still on the previous moment.