CHAPTER TWO AND A HALF:
My eyes flutter open. I gaze around me. I'm not in the safe room anymore. No, I'm not even anywhere I recognize. I'm standing on a bridge. A hard, wooden, bridge. On one side of me, there is lush green grass and blue skies. It looks like paradise. On the other side of me, the terrain is rocky, harsh, foggy. Through the fog I can vaguely see the hazy outlines of my mom. My dad. May. Gerad. But out in the distance, through the fog, I see someone walking, pacing.
"America!" he cries. My name. He breaks into a run towards me. It's Maxon. Of course. Who else? He jogs towards me with open arms. I just stand where I am. He reaches me and holds me tight. His face is streaked with tears. Maxon, crying? I open my mouth to ask what's wrong, but I can't make anything come out. I too, start crying, though I don't know why. I finally try to pull away from Maxon, but he won't let go. I find my voice.
"Maxon, let go!"I try to yank my arms out. His muscular arms just hold me tighter. "Why won't you let go?"
"Because you are the love of my life and you cannot leave me. And if I let go, you will." he tells me. From the paradise side of the bridge, I can see someone beckon to me and call my name.
"Max, I have to go! Someone needs me! Don't you see?" I whimper, struggling in his arms.
"I need you, Mer." Suddenly, Maxon turns into Aspen.
"No!" I scream, sobbing. "I need to go! Maxon! Aspen! Let go!"
"Kitten, it's Dad. Stop struggling. I got you. Come on, we need you back." Now I'm trying to pull out of my dad's tight clamp. Suddenly, it's Maxon again. He's bawling like a baby.
"Maxon, I hate to leave you, but don't you understand? People in paradise are waiting for me." He just cries harder when I tell him this.
"America, I love you. I need you. You have to come back to me. For me." Then a new voice comes, but Maxon is still holding my struggling body tightly.
"I'm sorry, Prince Maxon, Mr. and Mrs. Singer, she's probably going to die." The new voice says. Now I'm trying to break into a run, but Maxon is relentless.
"NOOOOO!" He howls, sobbing. I've angered him somehow. "America Singer, you are NOT going to leave me! I need you, I love you, you are and always have been my heart. You can't die, you can't leave. Please please, please America. I'm begging you. Pleading. Come back to me. With me." His voice catches and he refuses to let me go. All of a sudden, the fog lifts just a tiny bit. I can see his begging face clearly. I can't resist. I give in.
"Fine, take me with you." Maxon sobs, relieved, and picks me up. He carries me towards the rocky side of the bridge. I blow a kiss to the retreating paradise.
"Paradise, wait for me!" I call back to it. Those are my last words. It fades black......