~Helga~

I had been completely ready to die. Completely.

The moment La Sombra had that knife up to my throat, I knew what was about to happen. And as scared as the thought of my own demise approaching me at the lame age of 18 was, I couldn't even feel so much the fear as I did Arnold's love.

Arnold loved me.

TRULY loved me.

And he didn't just LOVE me... he loved me the MOST. That was now abundantly clear.

I was the sacrifice he'd have to make.

And strangely enough... I was okay with that.

The way he looked at me as I struggled against La Sombra made me know that, without a doubt, Arnold loved me. All I'd ever wanted my entire life was Arnold's love, and now- for as brief a moment as it was going to be -I could die knowing I hadn't been (entirely) crazy and everything I'd been through and hidden in the depths of my mind and endless journal pages hadn't been in vain.

And then he had to go all NOBLE and RUIN it.

I was ready to die- I was READY to DIE! FOR HIM! And what does that football-headed righteous little TWERP decide to go and do? Offer himSELF up! As if HIM dying would make everything all better.

Well Arnold, NEWSFLASH! Your DYING will only make everything, literally EVERYTHING 100% worse.

La Sombra flung me from his arms to fall gasping to the ground; Arnold's parents rushing to help me up and pull me to safety.

How were they okay with this? How were they just able to let their son- their SON go and give himself up for a bratty little nobody they hardly knew? They should have stopped him! They should have put their foot down and told him to knock off the hero routine and let me die for him!

I was ready! I was READY to give that gift to HIM! I'd come to terms with it, said all those survival-instinct-induced apologies and confessions inside my head just so I could lay down my life in that ultimate act of love.

The ultimate act of love that Arnold apparently wanted to give to me instead.

It was surprising how numb I suddenly felt- there was no Miles or Stella or Taki or Tu'oolak or even a LA SOMBRA surrounding me in my pain. It was just me and Arnold as he stared back at me from where he was now willingly trapped in the arms of a monster.

"Mi amigos," La Sombra started with a sick sort of maniacal smile twisted on his lips. "You foolish, foolish idiots." He tilted Arnold's head up to look at him with the sharp point of the threatening knife. "Any last words young Arnold?" he teased, his tone a sweet coo that sent shivers up my spine. "To your parents? Your friends? Anything you'd like to say?"

Right as Arnold was about to open his mouth and say the words I'd never wanted to hear in a situation such as this, La Sombra held his knife up and plunged it into his stomach right before our eyes.

He might as well have plunged it into me.

My knees broke at my weight; my entire body crumpling into itself as I dropped to the ground that had seemingly abandoned me where I stood. The Earth spun around me like a madhouse merry-go-round and I struggled to hang onto the handlebar of life just to keep on.

I was a balloon deflating to the cold and unforgiving jungle ground. My lips parted which allowed my body to let out a shrill scream as if my very soul were rising from inside me. I floated through the air, my mind clouded with hopes to inhabit what would soon be the shell of the boy I loved so I could be with him eternally... How desperately I longed to be with that boy who had shown me a kindness I'd never fully understood and a love I'd only be able to experience at his untimely death before me.

Arnold! My sweet, sweet Arnold- the Prince of my peasant life, the beacon of my hollow soul, the light to which I've been drawn to like a moth since our first chance encounter. Who would have thought it would come to this? Who would imagine that before my eyes I'd watch your last breath... all for me? For the girl who taunted you, teased you, but ultimately has loved you more than you could ever understand; more than you could ever fathom. And now- more than you will ever be able to reciprocate.

I buried my face in my hands and wept where I kneeled, my thoughts still swarming like a thousand angry bees inside of my head. Adrenaline pulsed through my suddenly shrinking veins and I felt as though my eyes would bulge out of their sockets. An anger filled me like never before- stronger than any retaliation, hotter than any mad-fire-angry-rage I'd ever experienced.

How could you do this to me? How could you DO that?! My thoughts were furious and ear-piercing as they shouted in my head. I was READY! I was READY, FOOTBALL-HEAD! I was ready to die for YOU!

My body shook through each heavy sob that was engulfing me where I'd crumbled. I wanted to scream at him; to beg him to rewind this sick charade so we could start again. I ached for him to let us go back and allow me to take the fall like I RIGHTFULLY SHOULD HAVE so he could live on with his parents the way he was always supposed to.

The way La Sombra had denied him the chance at living, so long ago.

Just like he'd denied him the chance again.

I felt a rush of wind come from behind me; Stella leaving Miles and I to rush over to Taki who had apparently also collapsed from the shock of Arnold's sacrifice.

This only made me livid.

What are you DOING?! My thoughts had surpassed screaming and had escalated to a shout humans hadn't yet perfected the volume for. It was the sort of volume only thoughts could have and only feelings could emit. Your SON was just STABBED and you're running to help HIM?! To help TAKI?! A growl emitted from deep inside my chest where my heart was beatboxing in a frenzy.

Angrily, I shot my head up from my hands to shout at her- to tell her she should have saved the son we all loved. But as I looked out to where she was cradling Taki in her arms, it appeared to me that something was... not right about this picture.

Everything around me suddenly stopped and slowed as if in slow motion like we were in some kind of movie- the events taking place at rapid speed slown down enough for my bewildered eyes to catch each thing. The sounds of screaming I should have been able to hear were muted- everything like a film covered in a fog my ears could not attune to.

In the thick silence, my eyes darted over to Arnold where I expected him to be lying in a pool of his own blood- the very blood that had rushed to his cheeks so many times before at each sweet moment we'd shared on this escapade.

But as I looked to Arnold where he was still standing, it became incredibly clear that he was... fine. I looked him over from head to toe for any sign of blood or gash or wound or ANYTHING, but he stood beside La Sombra completely unscathed. Completely alive.

He was ALIVE! I rejoiced for a moment before the logistics of what had happened cycled through my mind; each horrifying moment that I had undoubtedly seen unable to add up. Wait a minute... He'd stabbed him- we'd all seen it. I thought, my brow scrunching up in utter confusion. What the...

I stared as he stood before us completely frozen; both his and La Sombra's expressions that of complete shock as they looked to where Taki was laying.

My heartbeat was pounding in my chest; each lubdub rising up passed my throat and into my ears. The sound swelled inside- echoed in my head like a drum being played in an even rhythm. My head felt heavy and yet so light that it might drift into the air to disappear among the clouds. I blinked a few times to try and clear my head, though the pressure barely ceased; the world still surreal as chaos began to truly ensue around me.

With a small breath, I refocused my attention to Arnold and La Sombra up ahead who were still staring in shock at Taki where he lay. Slowly, and nervously, my eyes panned over to look at what they were so intent at watching- whatever it was being important enough to halt La Sombra's evil plan and Arnold's noble sacrifice.

My eyes widened.

Stella was covered in dark red blood that stained her shirt and her frantic hands. She held them tightly over Taki's stomach which was pulsing out the maroon liquid like syrup from a bottle being squeezed by an impatient kid ready to eat his pancakes. It seeped from under Stella's hands as they tried to apply pressure, her efforts seeming to give no results. Her mouth kept moving though her words never reached my ears.

Wind came gusting at me from behind as three men came running up in the same instant; their voices shouting in more muted words that only sounded muffled as if I were underwater all over again. They appeared to continue hollering as they rushed over to the stunned La Sombra and they grabbed him forcefully to pull him away- though he didn't once struggle. His eyes were still locked on the confusing scene that was taking place.

As the three green-eye men dragged La Sombra out of sight forever, I couldn't help but watch him disappear to face whatever fate was waiting for him. I watched him fade away into the distance, my eyes following with each step further he was dragged away from where we were. The whole time, never breaking his eyes away from the failed plan he'd left with us. He was stunned. He was completely shocked like we were at what everyone was witnessing.

A miracle? Diving intervention?

How could Arnold be stabbed and yet Taki held his injury?

Sound began to pop it's way through to my ear drums; the fog clearing completely to allow Stella's words at last into my ears. "Taki? Taki just hang in there. It's going to be alright." She looked up from her blood-soaked hands to glance over at Miles who was still standing behind me. "Miles." She said- a statement accompanied with worried eyes and a small nod of her head.

I looked behind me to Miles who was nodding his head in response to his wife. His eyes soon fluttered down to me where I was still kneeling and he reached out to help me up and walk with me to where Taki was lying. Out where he had just been with La Sombra, Arnold seemed to at last compose himself enough to begin walking in the same direction toward our dying green-eyed friend.

Stella kept her hands firm on Taki's stomach, now entirely covered in his own blood. She focused her eyes down on his glowing green orbs looking back at her which we could see were only dulling by the minute.

What was even HAPPENING?

We had all flocked to him- Arnold's parents, Arnold, Tu'oolak and I; his body shaking under Stella's attempts to stop the rapid blood flow. Making a haphazard circle around him, I was the first one to speak while kneeling down to sit beside Stella, Taki and Arnold.

"What's... what's going on?" I asked, my words jumbled and disjointed; my mind completely lost at how I should be reacting.

Tu'oolak knelt down, his words soft as he spoke. "Q'ooank Takuun la Xtun." he said, his words nonsense to my ears.

"What does that mean?" Arnold said immediately afterwards, his own eyes locked on Taki who was now nodding his head with his eyes closed.

"Ta-Tak-Takuun's bl-blessing of... of Xtun." Taki managed through his body's now violent shaking. Stella hushed him with a warm smile that she refused to wipe off of her face despite the circumstances.

"Shh... shh, It's okay. You don't have to speak, it's alright- you're doing great," she whispered encouragingly while running a bloody hand soothingly across the top of his head; her other hand still applying useless pressure to his bloodied abdomen.

Miles cleared his throat almost nervously,"The story of Takuun and Xtun is an ancient green-eye legend rumored to be myth," he explained while crouching down beside us and setting a gentle hand on Taki's arm. "Legend says it happened to the first of the green-eye rulers."

"Yes," Tu'oolak said with a nod while looking down at the Corazon that now sat in his lap. "But it is no legend." He sighed and looked down to Taki who was smiling up at him.

"T-te-tell them-m-m. Tell-ll th-the-them the st-story. F-for me." Taki asked through studdered words.

"Oh Taki, this time is not for-" Tu'oolak tried, though he continued to nod his head from where he lay.

"T-Tu'-oo-oo-lak. P-ple-please." He pleaded, Tu'oolak finally giving in and sighing with defeat before beginning again.

"Xtun Ca'ali was a great leader- the first of many who have ruled over the green-eyes." He directed his gaze up to look between us as we crowded around Taki. "Many many years ago a war was waged upon our people and as leader, Xtun was to lead us into a hopeless battle we did not wish to fight."

I looked down to Taki as he now shook near violently where he weak green eyes looked up and focused on Tu'oolak as he spoke. Taki seemed intent on listening, though I imagined he'd heard whatever story was being told at least a dozen times.

"By his side was his servant- Takuun." Tu'oolak continued, "They grew up together as if brothers, not brothers by blood- but brothers of spirit." He gestured in to his chest and clenched his fists as if the soul was a tangible thing he could reach inside and take out of him. After a moment, he dropped his arms and let out a breath he'd apparently been holding. With a nod of his head, he reached down to gently touch Taki's head as he still shook where he lay. "It was a special bond they had." Taki smiled up at Tu'oolak. "A bond our people have never forgotten."

We sat in silence for a minute, Taki's gasping breath the only sound between us. Frustrated, I finally broke the quiet. "Well that's all fine and dandy," I asked with my eyes locked on Tu'oolak where he kneeled ahead of me, "but what's the point of your little story hour here? What IS this sacred blessing?"

Taki tried to clear his throat and with much effort, he managed out "He of-offere-offered his li-life for Xt-Xtu-uu-un's." Stella immediately hushed him again while softly touching his cheek which seemed to soothe him.

"Takuun? He offered HIS life?" Arnold asked, his attention captivated by Tu'oolak as he nodded his head.

"Takuun was fearful that Xtun would lead our people into battle and perish at the hands of war. Xtun was still very young- no more than 20 summers old. He had no family to take over his throne and without anyone to take his place, the green-eyes would surely perish if he were to die." Tu'oolak resumed his gaze on the Corazon as it lay safely in his hands- a soft glow I hadn't noticed until now emitting from it's surface. "So Takuun went in search of the Corazon to ask for protection on his behalf."

"It is said that his plea was so strong and so full of love that the Corazon granted his wish. Before he left for battle, Takuun covered Xtun with war paint mixed with his own blood- and then covered his own self with that same paint." Tu'oolak charaded putting paint on his arms and face, the memory of Taki doing the same thing before we went into La Sombra's camp clear in my mind.

"It was that paint and Takuun's words that fused their souls." He made a motion with his hands and then clasped them together tightly as if he were praying. "They were connected so strongly that when Xtun went into battle and was struck in the heart, it was Takuun at the temple who was got the wound and was killed."

I pictured what had happened moments ago over and over again. Arnold's worried eyes looking on at me. The way La Sombra chuckled as he brought the knife down to stab Arnold in the stomach. The Earth spinning around me when I fell to the ground thinking Arnold was out of my life forever.

Taki had done the unthinkable for Arnold- he'd given up his life DAYS ago when our journey had REALLY just begun. Suddenly all his nonsense words and blessing made so much sense- all except for one tiny little detail.

He'd blessed us BOTH.

So IF he blessed us both, which he had, how could he have protected us at the same time? Was that even POSSIBLE? And this Xtun and Takuun- they were like brothers and had this BOND Tu'oolak kept yammering on about. It was a bond that Arnold and Taki certainly didn't have. We hardly even KNEW Taki. So how could he have succeeded at this? Why would he give up his life for Arnold (and me) if this was what was prophesied and what he was ALWAYS supposed to do? Taki knew SOMEONE would die... why did he choose to make it himself?

I blinked a few times and redirected my attention to Tu'oolak who was still talking. "When Xtun returned and found Takuun dead from the injury he believed had been healed by divine protection, he forbid anyone to speak with the Corazon again. Ever since that day, the Corazon has been hidden from sight to most everyone."

I leaned in slightly to Tu'oolak who was watching me carefully. "So you mean to tell me that Taki recreated this magic mud paint and withOUT the Corazon nearby, he was blessed ANYWAY and switched spots with Arnold just like that?" I snapped my fingers for dramatics. "And what about me? He did the paint mumbo-jumbo on me too- so how could he protect BOTH of us at the same time? Huh?!" I was anxious for an answer- an answer that would explain the phenomena we'd all witnessed and were STILL witnessing as Taki died before us.

Right as Tu'oolak opened his mouth to answer my questions, Taki seemed to cough for a moment; thick red liquid spilling out from his mouth. Stella was quick to wipe it away, her eyes tearful as she continued to hold his frail body in her comforting arms. Taki cleared his throat and tried with all his might to speak in Lieu of Tu'oolak doing it for him. "S-sav-savior... Arnold," He said though Stella urged him not to speak.

"Yes, Taki?" Arnold asked while reaching out to grab Taki's shaky hand as he weakly extended it to him. "What is it?" His voice was calm and his attention was solely on Taki as he lay on the cold ground; blood still pumping out of him at an alarming rate.

"Fo-for y-you," he managed while trembling and forcing a smile. "F-f-for you." He pursed his lips in an effort to stay strong, his breathing shaky as he tried to suck in more air through his nostrils.

"You didn't have to do this for me, Taki," Arnold said through tears that were slowly slithering down his cheek. "I understood my sacrifice. I knew what I was doin-"

Taki cut him off with a sharp shaking of his head; this small movement seeming to require all the strength he had left in his body. "No. N-no." He reached out with his other hand and gently grabbed mine which had been resting on my lap. His fingers were cold and I imagined it wouldn't be much longer before Taki was lost to us forever.

"F-for... for y-yo-you." Taki weakly and shakily took our hands to drag them to one another. He set Arnold's on top of mine and smiled that familiar Taki-grin we'd come to know so well. "A-at the... the f-f-fire," he started, "S-so... in, in l-lo-love." He nodded his head once with a pursed grin. "I-I sav-save that. F-for you."

"Why? Why give your life for us?" Arnold asked again, his hand squeezing mine softly and making my heart skip a solid beat.

Taki seemed to take a second to prepare himself before mustering the strength to answer as best as he possibly could. "Hwuala'ai. So-soulma-soulmates." He tried to make a motion of his hands coming together; wavering. Taki then nodded his head firmly and said matter-of-factly while looking at Arnold, "Like yo-you'r-you're pare-parents."

A deep blush was rising to his cheeks though he stubbornly kept his head away from turning to look at me. It was pretty obvious what Taki was saying. He had apparently given up his life so that when one of us was to die, he took the fall instead; allowing Arnold and I to live happily ever after like I'd so desperately dreamed dozens of times.

Both of us, though I thought, the concept still leaving me baffled. He's only one person and he blessed us both, so-

"-how could we BOTH be protected?" my mouth voiced my thoughts mid-sentence and everyone turned to look at me followed by looking at Tu'oolak; his smile soft and genuine as he looked back at me sympathetically.

"La Corazon needs not explain itself for the things it does or the gifts it grants." He rested a hand on Taki's shoulder. "We are just to accept its gifts and respect what it takes away."

Taki was nodding, though his eyes were still set on Arnold and I. "F-for, for-for..." he licked his dry lips and forced the words out. "F-for you. Fo-for... for love."

My cheeks were being saturated by hot, salty tears that steadily streamed down my face. For love? For OUR love? How could he...how DID he... but...My thoughts were a mess and from the stunned look on Arnold's face that was staring at our hands that Taki had deliberately brought together, his thoughts were pretty cluttered too.

Suddenly, Arnold looked away; his eyes locked on Taki's once more. "Taki, Taki I don't know what to say. I," he sniffled and shook his head with his eyes tightly shut as if it would help him find the words he was searching for. With a defeated sigh, he opened his eyes again. "Thank you."

My own mouth was suddenly incapable of speech, so I merely nodded my head in agreement at Arnold's statement. Taki looked between the both of us and nodded his head weakly while slowly lowering it to rest in Stella's waiting hand. "It h-has... it has b-b-been an ho-o-onor ser-ser-serving you, Savio-Saviors."

And with that, he was gone.

Stella's hands fluttered away from his body which had finally stopped moving. Instinctively, he reached out to shut his eyes, her hand drifting to rest on his cheek for a moment. "Save journey, Taki. We can't thank you enough for your sacrifice."

Miles sniffled from where he was still crouched down among us. "And thank you for helping find our son." He reached over to gently place a hand on Stella's shoulder to which she reached up with her own hand and set it softly on top of his.

"We wouldn't have made it anywhere without his help," Arnold said softly, while reaching out to take my hand once again and squeeze it tightly; only prompting more tears to slip out of my puffy eyes and fall down my cheek. "He was a great friend."

I smirked, a sad kind of smirk reserved for occasions such as this. "You sure got THAT right, football-head." My eyes shifted down to look at the ring he'd given me as it sparkled in the light where it rested around my finger.

I focused on the gem, the way it twinkled up at me as if winking a secret my way. It shone like the stars I'd written about on so many occasions. Like a light in the darkest of nights, it sent a calm over me to know that wrapped around me was a piece of someone I'd never forget; a memory tied tightly in a sort of bow I could never unwind or untie.

"Helga..." Arnold said, pulling me out of my concentration. "Helga, look."

Lazily glancing up, I followed his finger to where it pointed at the Corazon- my eyes widening when I caught sight of the green light glowing stronger and stronger with each passing second. The deep grooves carved into the stone shot out blinding emerald beams as if a tiny sun were living inside the round relic, and everyone's eyes seemed locked on it as it sat safely in Tu'oolak's hands.

"My son of spirit- Taki," Tu'oolak said while rising to his feet while holding out the stone for all to see; people emerging from their huts where they'd been looking on the entire time. My eyes followed the stone as it rose in the air; it's light extending out to touch us all where we watched with wide eyes. "Your sacrifice will not be forgotten." Tu'oolak's voice grew louder; his tone more boisterous than it had been since we'd met. "Your life has been accepted into the Corazon where it will live forever. May your gift flourish in the lives around us; each breath one you have given with your bravery and courage."

All around us people had crowded, their eyes sucked in to the Corazon in awe- the sacred stone finally able to be seen by all once again the way it hadn't been in ages.

"Let us take you to your final resting place," Tu'oolak said finally, more strangers from the growing crowd approaching to carefully lift up his body. "May you sleep soundly as you travel to Xtil where he awaits you. Ska'a toodak muet ala te tumako. Wemp mut'tuk." His foreign words rang together like a melody swimming through my ears; the green-eye men now walking forward with Taki's body lifted up to face the sky.

We watched him- Arnold's parents and I -as the men and Tu'oolak escorted the Corazon and Taki's body towards the temple where we hoped he'd be heralded as the hero he'd proven to be; the hero who'd given his life for Arnold's in a true twist of events.

We all rose to stand, our small clump of Shortman's with a dash of Pataki still crowded around by curious green-eyes now hungry for the tale of how it had all happened- a first person account of how the prophecy had unfolded. Stella and Miles graciously talked to each person, though their eyes hovered over Arnold and I.

I looked to him, his green eyes meeting mine in a paralyzing gaze while people chattered around us like paparazzi at a red carpet event. Arnold smiled, his words quiet as he whispered out, "I'm sorry you had to go through all of this."

I smirked and raised an intrigued brow. "Yeah well it wasn't exactly how I was planning on spending my senior trip." His bashfully cheerful expression drooped at my words, though I was quick to tack on, "It was probably a lot better than what all those goons ended up doing ANYWAY." Arnold smiled again, that crooked sort of smile that make my pulse pick up speed, and I awkwardly looked down at my feet while waving my toes up at me through the now-worn boots. "A lot more ACTION..." I glanced up through my eyelashes at him where he remained watching me. "Ya know?"

He nodded his head and reached out for me to pull me closer to him. "I know." He replied smoothly, one hand lacing with mine while the other hand reached up to cup my left cheek.

My skin started to burn where he touched- the kind of burn that gives anxious tingles as a consolation prize instead of pain. I struggled to inhale a constructive breath as I nervously chuckled out, "I mean, I probably would have had an okay time, you know if I uh... if I'd g-gone back. To uh," I gulped, still trying foolishly to spit words out of my trembling lips. "Uh to uh... to the uh..."

Arnold was beaming a grin he hadn't given me in a few days now- the kind that put my anxious tingles to shame. My entire body erupted in fire that merely melted me under Arnold's touch; his gaze adding fuel to the inner flames consuming me.

"To the zipline?" he offered, my head nodding as he spoke the words I'd been searching for.

"Ri-right. Right the uh- the zipline. If I'd gone... back to... back to the zip-zipline... I wouldn't have..."

Arnold was softly laughing again; the husky sound of it acting as soft fingertips tickling at my organs inside of me. "Helga?" He whispered out and I nodded my head silently. "Will you please stop talking so I can kiss you now?

He pulled me into him effortlessly, my entire self a blob of melted Helga G. Pataki putty in the palm of his hands. His lips found mine in an instant- our kiss fueled with emotions that had been building since both of our almost-deaths just minutes ago. Each parting of Arnold's lips as we kissed grew hungrier for the next as if he was desperately trying to tell me how much he cared for me and how scared he'd been when we almost lost each other.

The world disappeared then, each sound dissipating into the next until my surroundings were completely silent. The abyss was filled with a comforting kind of darkness that I hadn't experienced since before my flight had taken me here those 6 days ago.

6 days.

6 DAYS.

That was all it had taken for a prophecy thousands of years in the making to be fulfilled.

The hypothetical curtains close on my mind as we continue kissing; my tired brain giving in and succumbing to the blackness of profound memory lapse.

I don't remember what happened after that. My memory cuts off there like the end of a film roll spinning endlessly on a projector's spool.

I was just so happy; WE were just so happy, that the memories were painted over by euphoria- tinted by a high like I'd never known.

Through the paint, I could see flashes of those hidden, tinted memories. Each one held minuscule hints at what had happened though the details were blurred and fuzzy.

I knew more had taken place- I was sure of it -but the rememberings were hazy like the horizon line in the distance on a hot day. Each image was warped and bent from the heat of the moment like a mirage beneath my eyelids- a mirage I KNEW was there and I KNEW I'd seen.

That night as I sat in the bed at Stella's hut, I tried to shut my eyes tight and relive the memories I couldn't find. I searched for them, my mind unable to succumb to sleep until I'd sorted through each sliver of memory and savored the feelings they'd awakened in me.

I squeezed my eyelids shut in the darkness, Arnold seemingly fast asleep where he lay beside me on the bed. I blocked out his every breath and every soft sound that drifted inside the hut from outside where some people were still partying in celebration at the Corazon's return.

Focus Helga... remember...

Celebrating. There had been a celebration... food and crowds of people like I'd never seen. There was even a dance dj-ed by various instruments I'd never seen or heard before that lasted well into the night. Countless people danced around the largest campfire I'd ever seen, their bodies even out-dancing the flames of the fire that reached up to the sparkling night sky.

Think... think HARDER!

Colors. Streamers and confetti made of flower petals floated through the air as children threw them to the sky in celebration. There was laughter and cheering and happiness surrounding me like a blanket so warm and inviting I never wanted to unfurl from it.

I opened my eyes to stare out at the dark ceiling ahead. It was mostly made of a straw-like material; similar to that of the huts in the abandoned original hidden city Arnold and I had found. Tiny specs of light shined through the cracks of the straw. I studied each sliver of light that made up a galaxy of strange stars on the roof; my thoughts drifting to that of Arnold who lay quietly beside me.

Remember, Helga. Remember.

Arnold. There'd been many more kisses. MANY more. I tried to remember how each one felt- how his soft and tender lips brushed against mine in the gentlest of ways. Each one flashed through my head like a montage on fast-forward and I tried to slow it down, though had no such luck.

The memories were mashed together stewing in my mind; every one fusing with the next in an endless ribbon of memories circling inside my head, making me dizzy.

Had he said it? My mind asked itself, the memories of the night Arnold and I had shared unable to be sorted through. Had he told me he loved me? Did those words pass through his beautiful lips?

"Did he SAY it?" I whispered out loud to the darkness, not expecting an answer from beside me.

"Helga?" Arnold asked while rolling over to look at me from where he lay. "I thought you were asleep?"

I quickly shut my eyes and played the childish game of pretend-grogginess as if I'd been sleep-talking the entire time. "W-wh-what? Huh?"

Arnold adjusted himself so he propped his head up with his hand while looking at me. I only saw this because I was DEFINITELY peeking out at him through the crack of my eyelid.

"Helga?" He asked again, his hand reaching out to gently touch my shoulder. "Helga, you awake?"

I kept my eyes closed and said through fake drowsiness, "No Arnold. I'm sound asleep." Opening one eye, I looked over at him where he lay watching me. "What do you want? I'm trying to sleep here and I can't very well DO that when you keep saying my name."

He smirked and lay back down, his eyes staring out to the ceiling I'd just been inspecting myself. "Can you believe it?"

I opened my other eye and turned my head to look in his direction. "What's that? Can't believe we're sleeping in an actual structure for once?" I teased, though Arnold shook his head.

"That we did it. We found my parents and the Corazon and... and La Sombra isn't out there anymore to ruin it all again. Everyone can just..." His voice trailed off and I finished his sentence for him.

"Just live happily ever after- right, Hair Boy?" I returned my gaze up to the ceiling and focused on the slivers of light once again. "Yeah... I can't believe it either."

Silence settled between us, though it neither felt awkward or uncomfortable. Our minds were still thinking, each of our thoughts kept to ourselves, but we lay together as one. I softly shut my eyes and focused on my chest as it filled with air and then deflated at it's release.

I imagined each breath as it filled the room we lay in. It was small and had just enough room for the two of us as we shared the tiny bed that was more uncomfortable than the cold ground we'd been sleeping on as of late.

Stella and Miles however, slept right next door- Miles' snoaring like a low rumble through the thick walls. The hut only had two rooms, though it wasn't like they had plans of EXPANDING it. Tomorrow was the big day- the big day we would leave this hidden city and return me to the class that had probably forgotten all about Helga G. Pataki since I'd disappeared almost a week ago.

I didn't want to return.

But at the same time... I was ready.

As if reading my very thoughts, Arnold said breaking the silence, "Are you excited to see everyone? From the Spanish trip? I'm sure they'll be excited to see you."

I chuckled lazily and yawned while still keeping my eyes softly shut and answering, "Meh. It isn't like Phoebe is there waiting for my return. The only person who probably noticed I was GONE gone is Angela- and that's only because she's my travel buddy or whatever Senora Mirado went around calling it."

Arnold moved slightly beside me and I imagined he was shaking his head with a half-smile lining his lips. "That sounds like a Senora Mirado idea." He mused, though I didn't answer.

What WOULD it be like when I got back? Would anyone even MISS me? I found myself thinking, my lip being chewed softly while I remained lost in thought. Would Miriam have given up only to become more lost than usual in her drunken stupor? Would Olga have rallied the people in the hunt for her baby sister which spent most of the time focusing on her talking to others with tearful eyes and over-the-top dramatics?

And Bob. Would he come back? Would he trail along his piece of candy he'd dropped mom for those months ago? Would SHE help in the hunt for his daughter Olg-I mean Helga; traipsing around the jungle in a mini-skirt and stiletto heals he'd probably bought for her from some expensive company in hopes to WOO her?

"You know," Arnold said again, his words distracting me from the endless possibilities flittering inside my head like the wings of hundreds of lost butterflies looking for an escape. "It'll be nice to see everyone again. Especially Gerald."

Images of Tall Hair Boy's last look at me plagued my thoughts and I tried to shake them away while keeping my eyes tightly shut. "Yeah," I said through another yawn, "Him and his hair will just be ECSTATIC."

"And I can call Grandpa and Grandma... I can finally tell them I'm okay." He seemed to think about this for a moment. "I can't imagine how worried they've been..."

I shrugged with a small smile hinting on my lips. "I'm sure they'll forgive you when you tell them who you're bringing home with you."

Silence cut us like a knife, a sudden tension in the air that spread like ripples in the water of a small pond. It filled the room and touched every corner of the walls- a deafening silence that made my heart pound in my chest in hopes for sound.

Arnold cleared his throat hesitantly and said after letting out a deep breath, "Helga... you KNOW I was planning to stay here. In... in San Lorenzo. With my parents."

I let his words hang in the air, my heart refusing to give in and allow my brain to force words out of my mouth. Instead, I lay silent beside him, my eyes shut in a calm sort of concentration to calm my nerves.

"You've-You've thought about, about my offer. H-haven't you?"

Criminy, he was so nervous. His words stumbled over one another; his warm voice cracking through his question that he'd posed to me days ago.

The thing was, I HAD thought about. Actually... I'd thought about it a lot. I just kept those thoughts to myself for fear that the question would eventually come up again- and I'd have to give him an answer.

If I could put off giving the answer I knew I'd give... If I could just procrastinate until the very last moment; we could suspend here in limbo where nobody lived in Hillwood or San Lorenzo or in the hidden sister-city of Atlantis. In limbo, we weren't here or there- we were just... TOGETHER.

It was what I had always wanted, but knew might not come to be.

The sad truth I'd finally realized was that San Lorenzo just wasn't for me- this trip had proven that for sure. It appeared that my inner-Eugene had a tendency of coming out where the jungle was concerned, and as much fun as it'd been solving riddles and following clues... that wasn't the sort of thing I wanted to do or place I wanted to live in for the rest of my life.

I wanted to travel the world- to see every corner of this floating rock we lived on in the middle of our galaxy. I wanted to see more than just the greenery of the San Lorenzo jungle- I wanted to see the pyramids of Egypt and the waves of the Pacific Ocean. I wanted to explore the catacombs of Paris and hike up the highest hill just to see the view.

There were so many things I wanted to do; things that flashed before my eyes moments before I thought I was to die.

And of course Arnold was there- he was among those flashes of what could be if I lived long enough to do them. But he couldn't BE a part of those things if he stayed here in San Lorenzo.

And neither could I.

They were all things I wanted more than I'd ever realized before- and all things I would have to give up if I decided to live here with Arnold and his parents.

Because let's face it- Arnold had a LOT of catching up to do with them. He'd probably be in San Lorenzo for YEARS until he decided to finally leave in pursuit of college, or whatever it was he'd eventually want to do. And maybe THEN we could be together. Maybe THEN the stars would align and when he was fresh out of school and I was fresh out of school- maybe THEN we could have the life we were destined to live; a life even MORE amazing than even his own parents had led.

My eyes stayed shut though I searched behind my blank lids frantically.

How could I THINK that?! Helga, you've been waiting your WHOLE LIFE for this- your whole life to be invited to live with Arnold for the rest of eternity. He LOVES you, even if he hasn't SAID it, he LOVES you and that's all you've EVER WANTED. Isn't it?!

...isn't it?

"Helga?" I heard him as he turned his head to look at me; his stare hot on me where he held it. "Helga, will you stay here? In San Lorenzo?" He swallowed hard, the gulp loud enough for me to hear the extent of his nerves. "W-with m-me?"

Pressure build behind my eyelids; water trying to force it's way out of the slits I was squeezing together tightly.

I couldn't answer. I couldn't tell him what I was thinking.

Not now.

Not now.

"He-Helga? Helga, you still awake?"

I tried to stop my wavering chest as it shook through silent sobs I was keeping at bay. My entire body filled with pressure I tried desperately to subside.

I couldn't stay here with him.

I KNEW I couldn't.

I had college to go to and places to travel and books to write and a life to live that... that WANTED Arnold, but couldn't BE with Arnold.

Not yet, I told myself, though I knew it was an excuse in vain- an excuse to keep me hopeful until the hurt of losing Arnold had subsided.

That hurt pulsed through my veins and I lazily turned over to lay on my side so my back was facing him. I curled into a ball and pulled the blanket up to my mouth in hopes to silence the sobs now freely escaping my mouth.

Arnold tried once more having clearly not heard my sobs. "Helga?" His voice was soft and soothing- more a lullaby than a request for my answer. After a moment, he sighed and gave up, soon quieting completely until his soft snores told me he was fast asleep.

I opened my eyes and stared into the void around me- the blackness that had once felt so comforting, now suffocating me. My eyes stayed focused out on the nothingness surrounding me; begging me to sleep.

But I couldn't.

Each blink was heavy. Every time my eyes shut for a prolonged moment, they shot back open for fear of what the next day would bring; for fear of what I would have to say and fear for what I would have to do.

It was the fear of breaking my own heart.

It paralyzed me- sent me into a sort of auto-pilot I couldn't wake up from. I dragged myself through the morning and forced the breakfast of berries into my mouth. I strained myself through the goodbyes and put on a good face for the hike with Arnold and his parents as we made our way to town. I even managed to involve myself in small talk on the bus ride that bumped our way through San Lorenzo and finally to Guatemala where the class had been staying before I ran off.

We'd found everyone and safely brought me back to them.

Yet I STILL hadn't told Arnold; I still hadn't woken up from that auto-pilot I seemed stuck in no matter how hard I tried to escape it.

It wasn't until we were at the airport that I finally broke free and 'woke up.'

I stood before Arnold as the class boarded the plane, their incessant chattering already giving me a migraine. I felt Gerald's eyes hot on me as he waited at the end of the line to board; his attempts to eavesdrop not going unnoticed by me.

Arnold stared at me through tear-filled eyes, his parents standing sadly just behind him.

"Helga... I thought..." He said, his voice breaking on each word.

I choked on the air that had tried to fill my lungs, the density of it suddenly feeling too heavy to breathe. Pursing my lips and shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts and opened my mouth to say the words I had never dreamed I would one day say.

"Arnold, I... I can't stay with you."

ATTENTION: THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE YOU WILL EVER READ!

this is NOT, i repeat, NOT the end. Please PLEASE have faith in me that this story will end in the most PERFECT of ways. I am in NO WAY saying that Arnold and Helga are over and will not end up together.

PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP ON ME and please STAY TUNED. Make sure you review this with your thoughts, but KEEP IN MIND that there are still 2 CHAPTERS LEFT and PLENTY of time to tie off loose ends and give this story the proper ending it deserves.

It's all about the ride- remember? :)
be sure you review!

xooxo

Polkahotness